US08919015B2
An article of footwear includes an upper and a sole structure secured to the upper. The sole structure includes a midsole, an outsole, and at least one groove. The groove includes a macro groove and at least one micro groove located within the macro groove. The macro groove may be formed by an indentation or area of reduced thickness in the sole structure. The micro groove may be formed by an indentation or area of reduced thickness in a surface of the macro groove.
US08919006B2
A laundry drying machine (1) includes a casing (2) containing a rotatable drum (4) for holding the laundry (5) to dry, and a drying air circuit (6) for conveying a drying air flow towards the inside of the drum (6) and from it to the outside. At least one filter (12) is provided for intercepting the fluff dragged out of the laundry (5) by the drying air flow. Vibrating means (19) are adapted to cause the filter (12) to vibrate, so as to drop down the fluff from the filter (12). The filter (12) is selectively positionable between an operational position in which the filter (12) is arranged in a seat (11) intercepting the drying air circuit (6), and an extracted position in which the filter (12) is removed from the seat (11), outside the drying air circuit (6). The vibrating means includes an exciter, associated to the casing (2), and an exciter-responsive element, associated to the filter (12). The exciter and the exciter-responsive element are adapted to reciprocally cooperate in order to cause the filter (12) to vibrate when the filter (12) is in the operational position. The exciter and the exciter-responsive element are configured to allow the filter (12) to be extracted from and inserted in the seat (11).
US08918983B2
A method for reinforcing, baffling or sealing a vehicle structure by providing a sealing body with an integrated fastening tab.
US08918982B2
In a method of making a high-pressure accumulator pipe as composite pipe of steel for pressures of up to 1800 bar and above with high static strength and fatigue strength for fuel injection systems with common rail systems for internal combustion engines, a first inner pipe part is inserted into a second outer pipe part with little clearance, and the inner pipe part is connected to the outer pipe part gap-free and by interference fit through mechanical forming. The mechanical forming includes a rolling-in process, wherein the inner pipe part is subjected to a ductile expansion and the outer pipe part is subjected to an elastic expansion using an oversized rolling tool that is moved within the inner pipe part, and wherein a residual compressive stress adjusted to the operating pressure is applied to the inner pipe part after the forming process via the elastic resilience of the outer pipe part.
US08918981B2
A fixture for holding a pivotally closable cap with a base connected to a cover by a foldable hinge during a closure operation. The fixture includes a U-shaped slide member having a back wall and a pair of side walls extending therefrom for accommodating the cap with the base and cover in an open condition. The side walls have distal extents, which extend beyond a transverse mid-line of the cover and prevent angular movement of the cover within the slide member.
US08918979B2
The static air dam includes at least one mounting feature, which is preferably at least one hole or slot to allow a fastener, such as a screw, bolt, rivet, weld, or other similar attachment devices, to secure the air dam to a wall of a jamb channel. Air passage through the jamb channel is prohibited or at least substantially inhibited by the static air dam that is designed to approximate the size and dimensions of the cross section of the jamb channel. At least one side of the air dam includes a tab or similar structure for securing the free end of the curl spring of a curl spring balance. The air dam includes integrally formed reinforcing elements that either abut or are adjacent to the side walls of the jamb channel. The air dam preferably includes a pair of flexible projections for engaging ears on the curl spring carrier.
US08918977B2
A method is provided for destroying a blind fastener joining at least two parts. The blind fastener includes, but is not limited to a body situated in the holes provided in the joined parts, with a head at each end thereof, and portions of which protrude above the level of the holes. The method also includes, but is not limited to withdrawing the accessible head of the fastener, and creating a hole that passes through the fastener. An insertion device is configured to restrain the remainder of the fastener in the hole, which has an elongated body having a diameter smaller than or equal to that of the hole and an expandable head at one end thereof The insertion device for restraining the remainder of the fastener being immobilised or capable of only limited movement relative to the joined parts, and expelling the remainder of the fastener from the holes.
US08918975B2
An apparatus for facilitating fluid bladder removal from a support structure through an access opening includes a frame defining a central opening dimensioned to conform to the access opening, the frame having opposed first and second surfaces and adapted to removably mount inside the support structure around the access opening, and a plurality of roller assemblies mounted to the first surface around the central opening. The apparatus is connected inside the support structure with the rollers extending away from and surrounding the access opening to facilitate passage of the fluid bladder.
US08918972B2
A shaft-sealing device comprising a sealing ring having a seal secured thereto, and a protective member engaged with the sealing ring. The said protective member includes a cylindrical member having a shaft-engaging surface and a seal-engaging surface, and an annular flange extends radially away from the shaft. The shaft-engaging surface is operable to be attached to the shaft during operation of the device, and the seal-engaging surface is operable to be in sealing contact with the seal during operation of the device. The annular flange is operable to engage the sealing ring.
US08918970B2
A method of forming a fabric preform for a composite component from a fabric having a plurality of hoop tows is disclosed. One end of the fabric is received on the form such that the hoop tows of the fabric extend in a direction generally perpendicular to a central axis of the form. The fabric is wrapped around the form and at least some of the hoop tows are separated into hoop tow segments while the fabric is under a tension to enable a space to develop between ends of adjacent hoop tow segments along the length of the hoop tow. This separation of adjacent hoop tow segments accommodates increased deformation of the fabric during formation of the fabric preform while still maintaining a presence of hoop tow segments in at least portions of the fabric.
US08918963B2
A device for reversible connection between a casing for lead weights and a corresponding pocket of a diving jacket is described. The device has an elastically insertable and releasable buckle with a male part connected to the casing through a rigid plate and with a sheath, acting as the female part of the buckle, connected to the pocket of the jacket. The rigid plate presents lateral guide ribbings, suitable for facilitating insertion of the male part of the buckle in the sheath.
US08918959B2
The invention relates to a novel hinge connection (1) for a transport container made of plastic, which hinge connection comprises a hinge part (2) designed as a sleeve (4) having a longitudinal opening (5) and a hinge clip (3) that encompasses the sleeve. The sleeve has a wide outer circumferential groove (6) for receiving the hinge clip, which has a recess (7) at least at one of the ends thereof. The hinge clip (3) further comprises at one end a detent (9) that projects inward for engaging with the recess.
US08918955B2
A grooming tool is disclosed that includes a vacuum nozzle attachable to a vacuum source and has a hollow body with a mouth opening. A grooming device selected from a variety of animal grooming hand tools, such as a comb-like grooming blade comprising sharp edges, may span the mouth opening. The grooming device is positioned such that the airflow created by the vacuum source flows over at least one side of the grooming device. A vacuum cleaning tool for removing any animal hair from a grooming tool is also disclosed. A vacuum plenum of the cleaning tool is attachable to a vacuum source and has an opening for cleaning the grooming tool in one pass. The cleaning tool can be mounted on a stationary support may also include a pivot-action mechanism that connects the vacuum grooming tool or the cleaning tool to the vacuum source.
US08918953B2
A filter unit (100) for a vacuum cleaner includes a filter body (110) and a dust removing means (120). The filter body is elongated and at least partly flexible and the dust removing means is configured to collapse and expand the filter body in response to a force applied on the dust removing means. The filter body comprises pleats (115) extending along the filter body. The filter unit of the present invention is advantageous in that it reduces clogging and thereby increases the efficiency of the vacuum cleaner.
US08918952B2
A vacuum cleaner (2) having a body (4) having a floorhead (6) and an elongate handle (14) pivotably mounted to the body is disclosed. A door (24) is provided on an end (20) of a collection chamber (12) opposite to a clean air outlet, and a coarse filter (32) and fine filter (46) are located within the collection chamber for separating out debris entrained with dirty air and depositing the debris in the collection chamber. An interior face of the door is provided with radial tangs (68), and an end face (48) of the fine filter is provided with radial tangs (60) such that when the door is closed and the elongate handle is pivoted relative to the body, the fine filter and coarse filter rotate relative to each other to cause cleaning of the filter elements.
US08918951B2
The present invention relates to a blower vacuum device and in particular to a blower vacuum device for use in the collection of garden debris. The device is preferably one which is operable in a blowing mode to generate an air stream for blowing the debris into piles and also operable in a vacuum mode to suck debris into the device.
US08918950B2
Disclosed is a mobile robot system having a plurality of exchangeable work modules, thereby providing a mobile robot capable of performing various functions at a low cost. The mobile robot system comprises a plurality of work modules, which perform different works, respectively; a module station for connecting the plurality of work modules; and a mobile robot, which selects and connects to one of the plurality of work modules from the module station according to a work task to be performed. The mobile robot autonomously operates to perform the work task.
US08918947B2
The present invention refers to a crevice tool for vacuum cleaners as a singular component, comprising a socket transitioning into a long, flat air chamber, at an angle of approximately 45 degrees, wherein the air chamber (wand) incorporates both air suction slots and protruding nubs on both the top and bottom of the tool, and lateral slits in the end opposite the socket end. The various components of the crevice tool may be fabricated into kit form, and may include an adaptor, an extension, and a paw like terminal end, that can be used for removing any debris from tight areas.
US08918946B2
A molar-dedicated toothbrush is provided to remove dental plaque formed in a molar tooth because the head part of the toothbrush can approach the side of a molar tooth located at the inner most part, approach the side of a molar tooth, or approach the side of a molar tooth adjacent to an extracted molar tooth in a surface-contact manner. The molar-dedicated toothbrush of the present invention includes a toothbrush body configured to be able to be held, a toothbrush head provided at a front part of the toothbrush body and rounded in a U shape so that the toothbrush head can come into a surface-contact with the side of a molar tooth, and a toothbrush tuft configured to brush the molar tooth.
US08918943B2
An apparatus for cleaning golf clubs is provided. The apparatus includes a substantially symmetrical body having a first pocket opposite a second pocket for accepting fingers or a thumb of a user. The first and second pockets are flexibly coupled by a hinge portion and define a first opening for receiving a head of a golf club. A second opening is defined by the opening ends of the first and second pockets and is configured for receiving a hand of the user. The first and second pocket have opposing exterior walls which can be brought into contact with a golf club head to clean same. At least one of the opposing exterior walls will include an abrasive surface, e.g., bristles, for cleaning a surface of the golf club head. In other embodiments, both opposing exterior walls will include abrasive surfaces to facilitate cleaning of the golf club head.
US08918942B1
An apparatus for grout cleaning is discussed below that enables a user to easily and effectively perform tile and grout cleaning tasks without having to engage in an uncomfortable posture and without requiring a large amount energy or muscle strength spent on the reciprocating, repetitive movement associated with such tasks. In some embodiments, a grout cleaning device comprises an elongated arm having a proximal end and a distal end; a reciprocating motor attached to the distal end and having a power source; a grout cleaning member detachably coupled to the reciprocating motor; and a motor controller attached to the proximal end, wherein the motor controller is operable to selectively control the power source. The motor controller may change an operating speed of the reciprocating motor according to an input from the user. The elongated arm may include one or more contour portions to provide an ergonomic position for the user.
US08918933B2
The invention relates to a mobile feeding table providing varied inclination angles to facilitate the secured feeding of one or more infants and providing ease of use for a parent or caregiver. The invention provides a moveable base frame, a body support frame supporting an infant and providing a variably inclined surface, and a sliding drawer supporting the support frame that promotes ease of use for a parent or caregiver when, for example, in a seated position.
US08918930B2
Improved patient support systems comprising a coverlet configured to be coupled (e.g., removably) to an airflow unit. Improved airflow units configured to be coupled (e.g., removably) to a coverlet of a patient support system.
US08918921B2
Flushable urinary device for directing urine into a commode from a standing user comprises an inverted flushable funnel. The inverted funnel ensures picking up the funnel singularly from a nested stack of the funnels. A standing user directs urine into the funnel by keeping upper end of the funnel at urethra and lower end of the funnel relative to the commode to direct urine from the user to the commode. At least one bendable tail portion extends outwardly from the upper end of the funnel and forms a handle for the user to hold the funnel when directing urine into the commode. The funnel is made of flushable bio-degradable material configured to retain a strength and shape temporarily when wetted. It is biodegradable in sewer system. The funnel prevents urine-splatter outside the commode and provides a toilet flushable hygienic means for directing urine into a commode from a standing user.
US08918920B2
An impact protection device may include a front protective assembly and a rear protective assembly. The front protective assembly and/or the rear protective assembly may include protective pads that can be removed in order to better accommodate a neck brace. The protective pads may be left in place when no neck brace is being used.
US08918916B1
An accessory for a hat is disclosed which a wearer can use to show support for a team, cause or event and/or to protect the wearer from rain and damaging UV rays. In particular, the hat accessory may receive a protective covering with printed indicia on the exterior surface thereof. The protective covering may also be coated with a water repellent and also embedded with a treatment for UV protection. The protective covering may be removably attachable to the hat accessory so that the wearer can show support to a particular team, event or cause depending on the circumstances.
US08918912B2
There is provided a helmet including a shield having inner coupling holes at both ends thereof and fitted and coupled to an assembly coupling hole of a shield coupling assembly provided at a helmet main body and a front opening configured to be opened and closed by the shield. The helmet includes: a lock supporting member fixed to the helmet main body; and a locker including a shield mounting portion fixed to the shield, a coupling shaft coupled to be rotated with the shield mounting portion at an end of the locker, and a locker hooking part coupled to or decoupled from the lock supporting member at the other end of the locker.
US08925110B2
A method, system, and computer-readable storage media for licensing an application using sync providers are provided herein. The method includes receiving a request for a license for an application from a client sync provider at a licensing service and receiving information relating to the license from a commerce partner offering the application via a commerce partner sync provider. The method also includes returning the license for the application to a client computing device, receiving information relating to a state of the license from the client sync provider, and adjusting conditions of the license according to the state of the license.
US08925106B1
Methods, systems, and apparatuses, including computer programs encoded on computer-readable media, for providing access to content of a web-based collection, which includes receiving content from at least two users authorized to provide content. A request is received from another user to view content in the web-based collection, the another user not authorized to provide content to the web-based collection. A determination is made as to whether the another user is associated with either of the two users. If so, the another user is enabled to view any content on the web-based collection. If not, the another user is prevented from viewing any content on the web-based collection. The another user is determined to be associated with one of the two users based on the one of the two users selecting the another user as having a relationship to the one of the two users on a social network website.
US08925105B2
A computer-implemented method for providing security in a relational database hosted by a first server, and configured to interact with a second server, includes associating a first ownership vector with an object in the relational database, detecting a change to the object, and associating a second ownership vector with the object in response to detecting the change to the object.
US08925103B2
A mobile terminal supporting dual operating systems and an authentication method thereof. The mobile terminal includes a memory configured to store at least two different operating systems configured to act in at least two different modes, respectively, and a controller configured to perform an authentication procedure for authenticating that one mode can be switched to the other mode, and to display a type identifier only in one group identifier corresponding to a currently activated mode among the at least two different operating systems.
US08925100B2
A data protection system selectively deletes data from an electronic device when the device is reported as lost or stolen, or when another data protection triggering event occurs. Different data files may, for example, be treated differently depending on when such files were created. For example, data files that were created while the computing device was known to be in the owner's possession may be deleted, while data files created after the electronic device left the owner's possession may be left intact (since they may have been created by an innocent user). Data files created between these two points in time may be quarantined so that they later be restored, if appropriate.
US08925095B2
A widely distributed security system (SDI-SCAM) that protects computers at individual client locations, but which constantly pools and analyzes information gathered from machines across a network in order to quickly detect patterns consistent with intrusion or attack, singular or coordinated. When a novel method of attack has been detected, the system distributes warnings and potential countermeasures to each individual machine on the network. Such a warning may potentially consist of a probability distribution of the likelihood of an intrusion or attack as well as the relative probabilistic likelihood that such potential intrusion possesses certain characteristics or typologies or even strategic objectives in order to best recommend and/or distribute to each machine the most befitting countermeasure(s) given all presently known particular data and associated predicted probabilistic information regarding the prospective intrusion or attack. If any systems are adversely affected, methods for repairing the damage are shared and redistributed throughout the network.
US08925093B2
Methods and systems for scanning an endpoint terminal across an open computer network are disclosed. An exemplary method includes providing a scanner engine in a computer server in communication with an open computer network, and establishing a secure connection across the open computer network between the scanner engine and a scanner agent installed on the endpoint terminal in communication with the open computer network. Commands for collecting data regarding the endpoint terminal are sent from the scanner engine across the secure connection to the scanner agent. The scanner engine then receives the collected data from the scanner agent across the secure connection, analyzes the data to assess a current posture of the endpoint terminal, and determines any updates for the endpoint terminal from the analysis. Updates are sent across the secure connection to the scanner agent for installation on the endpoint terminal, and the secure connection may then be terminated.
US08925083B2
Preventing spoofing in an automotive network includes monitoring, by electronic control unit, data packets on a bus in the automotive network. Upon determining, in response to the monitoring, that a data packet is from a source other than the electronic control unit, the preventing spoofing in the automotive network includes generating and transmitting a diagnostic message to at least one module in the automotive network over the bus, the diagnostic message instructing the at least one module to take no action on the data packet.
US08925080B2
A request handler may receive an access request for access to application server resources of an application server and determine that the access request is unauthorized. A response manager may provide a false positive response including apparent access to the application server resources.
US08925074B1
Incoming files are examined to detect abnormal files. The incoming files may be examined for a weak file structure, such as a weak file format structure or a weak file data structure, to detect abnormal files. A weak file structure includes file structures that do not conform to the file format of the file yet still loadable by a file loader of the file format. The incoming files may also be examined for suspicious loading in memory to detect abnormal files.
US08925071B2
To authorize an access to an application, a user interface renders a geometrical pattern on receiving a trigger to access the application. The rendered geometrical pattern includes an instance of an arrangement of one or more first nodes and one or more second nodes. The rendered geometrical pattern is associated with an input type to receive a selection of the first nodes and the second nodes. The selection of the first nodes and the second nodes is received as an authorizing key. The authorizing key is matched with an authorizing passcode stored in memory to provide access to the application.
US08925060B2
A method, apparatus, and computer program product, responsive to receiving a data from a computing device connected to the computer in a cloud computing system or data center, identifies a criteria associated with the computing device, responsive to identifying the criteria, determines whether the data is authorized for transmission to a storage in the cloud computing system or data center, and responsive to determining that the data is authorized for transmission to the storage, forwards the data to the storage.
US08925054B2
Systems and methods for providing services are disclosed. One aspect comprises authenticating a user associated with a first service, receiving a selection of a second service, generating an opaque identifier associated with the user and the first service, wherein the opaque identifier facilitates the anonymous collection of data relating to the second service. Another aspect can comprise transmitting the opaque identifier to the second service, and receiving data relating to the second service.
US08925051B1
A web application security scanner (WASS) includes a login manager configured to perform an automated login to a web site. The automated login may be performed when the login manager detects that a login session has ended. The login manager is configured to determine credentials for the web site to allow the WASS to access the web site. The WASS may then use the credentials to continue scanning the web site. Thus, previously unscannable web pages may be accessed in the web site because of the automated login process.
US08925050B2
Various arrangements for providing authentication information to a user are presented. A single-point authentication manager executed by a computer system may receive a request to access a resource from a remote client computer system. The single-point authentication manager may manage access to a plurality of resources including the resource. The single-point authentication manager may communicate with an authentication plug-in application that performs a type of authentication. Authentication of the user may be performed. In response to performing authentication of the user, the authentication plug-in application may generate a message to be transmitted to the remote client computer system. The message may include an indication that the message is to be passed to the remote client computer system and information regarding the authentication of the user. In response to receiving the message from the authentication plug-in application, the message may be transmitted to the remote client computer system.
US08925045B2
A method for providing access to a private network resource comprises receiving an indication from an electronic rendezvous service that a client application has passed a first set of authentication and authorization processes. A request to access the private network resource is received from the client application. The client application is allowed to attempt to perform a second set of authentication and authorization processes based at least in part on receiving the indication from the electronic rendezvous service that the client application has passed the first set of authentication and authorization processes. The second set of authentication and authorization processes are performed, and the client application is allowed to access the private network resource based at least in part on a determination that the client application has passed the first and the second sets of authentication and authorization processes.
US08925038B2
A request is received to install control rules before having received a corresponding QoS Authorization, especially where the QoS Authorization requires a prior reservation of resources. The request for a bearer resource is pre-authorized before having received a QoS authorization for said request, by receiving a request for a bearer resource; determining that a QoS authorization has not been received yet; pre-authorizing said request for the bearer resource by installing initial control rules; and updating the previously installed initial control rules with final control rules upon receipt of the QoS authorization. This pre-authorization and the submission of initial control rules are carried out from a PCRF server towards a PCEF device, before having received the QoS authorization. In particular, the pre-authorization may be triggered from a P-CSCF at the originating or destination side, or at both.
US08925035B2
A computer based system and method of providing document isolation during routing of a document through a workflow is disclosed. The method comprises maintaining a separate “working” copy of the original base document while the document is routed through a workflow. Access controls, which define who may access the original document as well as any versions of the working copy document, are defined and stored in relation to the documents. The access controls further define the types of actions users may take with respect to the document. Users are selectively directed to the appropriate document, either the base document or working copy, and selectively granted permission to perform publishing operations on the working copy document, as determined by the access controls.
US08925034B1
Computer systems and methods for protecting data. A computer system includes a processor, a policy generator, and resources. Each resource has associated data. The processor accesses a data protection requirements specification (DPRS). The DPRS uses a common, non-application specific schema to represent first and second schema for expressing data protection policies. The processor triggers the policy generator to generate a first data protection policy for protecting a resource. The processor uses the first data protection policy to protect data associated with the resource. To generate the first data protection policy, the policy generator scans the DPRS and identifies elements of the DPRS. The elements of the DPRS are pre-defined in the common schema. The policy generator translates values of the elements to corresponding attributes of the first data protection policy expressed in the first schema. A value of a first element in the common schema corresponds to the resource to be protected.
US08925033B2
Methods, devices, and system for controlling communication between set top boxes and remote controls are presented. A set top box communication module may be configured to receive remote control data transmissions from a plurality of set top boxes. A first amplifier may be configured to receive the remote control data transmissions from the set top box communication module and amplify the remote control data transmissions on a plurality of remote control communication channels. The first amplifier may be configured to output the amplifier remote control data transmissions to one or more antennas. A jamming module may be configured to transmit a jamming signal to the plurality of set top boxes when the communication control device is receiving a remote control data transmission from a set top box of the plurality of set top boxes.
US08925032B2
If an incoming call arrives at a mobile phone as an AV output device while a video signal is output to a TV as an AV input device, as incoming call processing, a command notifying arrival of the incoming call is transmitted to the TV, and thereafter output of the video signal is stopped. The reason for the stop is displayed on the TV. When the call is terminated in the mobile phone, a command notifying termination of the call is transmitted to the TV, and the output of the video signal is resumed. Thereby, a notification screen is stopped on the TV, and reproduction of video is resumed.
US08925027B2
Systems and methods for multipoint video distribution are disclosed herein. In some embodiments, system for multipoint video distribution include at least one endpoint including a EECM and a DECM, and at least one server including a SECM, the server being coupled to the endpoint. In some embodiments, methods for configuring an encoder include receiving at least one property related to a capability of a decoder, determining a number of layers to be coded by the encoder, and configuring the encoder based on that at least one property.
US08925017B1
A processing resource detects that a subscriber entity subscribes to at least a first content service provider and a second content service provider. The processing resource receives a first message indicating content available to the subscriber entity for selective retrieval from the first content service provider. The processing resource receives a second message indicating content available to the subscriber entity for selective retrieval from the second content service provider. Based on at least the first message and the second message, the processing resource produces a content guide to include at least first content available to the subscriber entity for retrieval from the first service provider and second content available to the subscriber entity for retrieval from the second service provider. Via display of the content guide, a respective subscriber is able to view content available from multiple service providers.
US08925016B2
A method, computer program, and reception apparatus, and information providing apparatus. The method includes receiving content from a content source, and displaying the received content on a display. A first trigger is extracted from closed caption data associated with the received content. The reception apparatus retrieves a trigger parameters table (TPT) based on the extracted first trigger. The TPT includes at least one event associated with one or a combination of a trigger identifier and a first media time of the received content, and is stored in a memory of the reception apparatus. Further, the reception apparatus processes the event based on one or a combination of a second trigger including the trigger identifier and the first media time equaling a current media time of the received content.
US08925015B2
Systems and methods of determining viewership information are provided. A method of determining viewership information includes determining viewership information from multicast routing table data associated with one or more edge routers of a media content delivery service. Each edge router of the one or more edge routers is adapted to transmit media content streams to multiple devices via a first network. The method also includes sending data related to the viewership information to a requesting device via a second network.
US08925009B2
A network device sends a first set of images associated with an electronic program guide (EPG) to a client device. The network device determines that an image of the first set of images has been modified, and receives one or more calls for displaying the first set of images at the client device. The network device sends the modified image, or one or portions of the image that have been modified, to the client device without sending a remainder of the images in the first set of images, or without sending the remaining portions of the image.
US08925006B2
A system is adapted to manage the distribution of content to one or more cooperating media/substrates. The system receives data representative of environment conditions for one or more cooperating media/substrates adapted to display digital content. The media/substrates may be located in public spaces. The system compares the received data representative of environment conditions with selection criteria to identify content for distribution to the media/substrates. The selected content is distributed to the one or more cooperating media/substrates.
US08924999B1
Methods and apparatus for providing individual customized content delivery features and services to service subscribers are described. Individual service subscribers are issued devices such an RFID chip or IR device such as a remote control capable of transmitting service subscriber identification signals and/or records. A set top box detects signals used to identify individual subscribers and determines a subscriber identifier corresponding to each of the identified subscriber(s) and/or receives service profile record and/or service preference information from the user device. Service and/or other customer records corresponding to detected service subscriber(s) are used to determine what services and/or features are to be provided, what program channels may be accesses, what recorded programs corresponding to a subscriber may be accessed and, in some embodiments, service preference information such as personal preferences/settings relating to program guide presentation.
US08924990B2
A mechanism for providing an operating system history is disclosed. A method includes placing, by an operating system (OS) of a processing device, a pointer to context of a first application in a history context of plurality of applications in a direct interface array (DIR) of the OS upon indication of switching from an interface of a first application to the interface of a second application. The method also includes moving the pointer from the context of the first application to the context of the second application in the DIR in view of an indication of a closing of the interface of the second application. The second application is closed in a foreground of the OS and is executing in a background of the OS. The method further includes providing the interface of the second application in the foreground of the OS upon activation of a global back function.
US08924989B2
There are provided systems and methods for providing an integrated hardware platform to allow hardware control via an Application Program Interface (API) used by a Flash application executing in a Flash runtime environment on a host system. There is a provided a computer platform comprising a processor, a peripheral hardware, a connector device, and a memory. The memory contains an API implementation for remote methods provided by the API for the Flash application, a proxy server for enabling communications between the Flash application and the platform processor, and a security service for providing a security policy to grant network connection permissions for communications with the platform processor. API remote method invocations allow the Flash application to control the peripheral hardware, and a networked server may manage remote invocations to control platform hardware of multiple networked clients.
US08924983B2
A method and device for processing inter-subframe service load balancing and processing inter-cell interference is disclosed. The method includes: when processing the inter-subframe service load balancing, determining a service load of a link in a time period; determining a resource utilization ratio threshold according to the service load; and transmitting service data in each subframe according to the utilization ratio threshold. When processing inter-cell interference, performing inter-subframe service load balancing and in combination with various inter-cell interference coordination technologies, performing an interference mitigation process in one or a combination of a frequency domain, power and a space domain by interference coordination technology.
US08924977B2
Methods and arrangements for task scheduling. At least one job is assimilated from at least one node, each job comprising at least a map phase and a reduce phase, each of the map and reduce phases comprising at least one task. Progress of a map phase of at least one job is compared with progress of a reduce phase of at least one job. Launching of a task of a reduce phase of at least one job is scheduled in response to progress of the reduce phase of at least one job being less than progress of the map phase of at least one job.
US08924972B2
A method for logging into a guest virtual environment (VE) from a host VE. The method includes receiving a request to login into the guest VE from the host VE. In response to the request, creating a virtual terminal driver (VTD). The VTD comprises a host extender located in the host VE and a guest extender located in a sub-host VE. The host VE and sub-host VE are configured to communicate using a master terminal and a slave terminal. Providing the guest extender to the third VE as a virtual serial terminal (VST). Logging into the guest VE using the master terminal, the slave terminal, a virtual environment manager (VEM), and the VTD, where the VEM is managing the guest VE.
US08924967B2
Embodiments maintain high availability of software application instances in a fault domain. Subordinate hosts are monitored by a master host. The subordinate hosts publish heartbeats via a network and datastores. Based at least in part on the published heartbeats, the master host determines the status of each subordinate host, distinguishing between subordinate hosts that are entirely inoperative and subordinate hosts that are operative but partitioned (e.g., unreachable via the network). The master host may restart software application instances, such as virtual machines, that are executed by inoperative subordinate hosts or that cease executing on partitioned subordinate hosts.
US08924964B2
A mechanism for enabling enterprise data centers to allocate portions of their infrastructure and assign them to specific line of business unit IT organizations. The mechanism allows the business unit to dynamically and rapidly provision virtual infrastructure as needed to run line of business applications. This can also enable the business unit to focus more on the development and management of the applications rather than invest significant resources in managing the infrastructure layer. In various embodiments, data center administrators may be enabled to allocate and assign a portion of their physical infrastructure (Storage, Network and Compute) and expose them as a virtualized environment to different business unit organizations.
US08924952B1
A computing device includes a data store having two or more partitions. A first partition can be used to store information, to host a first operating system, and to perform computing tasks requested by a user. The computing tasks can be performed by the first operating system and can use/manipulate the stored information. The computing device can communicate over a network with a software server to determine whether a software update for the computing device is available for download. The software update can be downloaded into the second partition autonomously from the computing tasks being performed by the first operating system in the first partition. The downloaded software update can also be installed into the second partition autonomously from the computing tasks being performed. When the device is rebooted, either the first operating system or the second operating system (if the installation was successful) can be booted.
US08924950B2
Software and/or firmware of a utility node device may be updated by utilizing an update package that includes multiple update items related to different types of the software and/or firmware. The utility node device may selectively install one or more of the multiple update items based on a type of the software and/or firmware that is currently installed on the device. The different types of software and/or firmware may relate to different versions of the software and/or firmware and/or different types of hardware. In some instances, an update item of the update package comprises a delta file that contains differences between different versions of the software and/or firmware. The utility node device may comprise a smart utility meter, sensor, control device, transformer, switch, relay, or the like.
US08924940B2
Method product for performing an operation, the operation including providing a plurality of processing elements comprising one or more operators, the operators configured to process streaming data tuples. The operation then establishes an operator graph of multiple operators, the operator graph defining at least one execution path in which a first operator of the plurality of operators is configured to receive data tuples from at least one upstream operator and transmit data tuples to at least one downstream operator. The operation then defines a breakpoint, the breakpoint comprising a condition, the condition based on attribute values of data tuples in a window of at least one operator, the window comprising a plurality of data tuples in an operator. The operation, upon detecting occurrence of the condition, triggers the breakpoint to halt processing by each of the plurality of operators in the operator graph.
US08924938B2
A system and method for analyzing a computer program includes performing a static analysis on a program to determine property correctness. Test cases are generated and conducted to provide test output data. Hypotheses about aspects of execution of the program are produced to classify paths for test cases to determine whether the test cases have been encountered or otherwise. In accordance with the hypothesis, new test cases are generated to cause the program to exercise behavior which is outside of the encountered test cases.
US08924935B1
This disclosure relates to a method, article of manufacture, and apparatus for predictive model of automated fix handling. In some embodiments, this includes decomposing a fix for a defect to features, establishing a mapping of the defect and the fix for the defect by associating the features with the defect, storing codes implementing the fix in directories indicating the corresponding features, adding an association of a test case with the features to the mapping, and applying a rule to the mapping to calculate a vulnerability of the fix.
US08924915B2
The invention provides a system and method for updating software in the CPU of a network device without interrupting the operation of the network device. The invention determines whether operating state information is recoverable. If it is not recoverable, then it will be stored in a metadata module or reload buffer. When the CPU is rebooted, after a software update or crash, it operates in a special reload mode and is able to recover any system state information not available in the network device from the metadata module.
US08924914B2
Various embodiments of systems and methods for an application creation tool (ACT) toolkit are described herein. The ACT toolkit includes a set of application creation APIs and an application creation service for invoking the set of application creation API. An ACT is in communication with the application creation service of the ACT toolkit. The ACT sends an application creation request to the application creation service for creating a UI application. The ACT can be customized by re-defining the application creation service of the ACT toolkit and establishing a communication between the re-defined application creation service and the ACT. The re-defined application creation service invokes the set of API to create a customized application object for the UI application.
US08924909B2
Methods for producing layout data for devices are described. One method includes using a genetic algorithm to determine a structure of a thermally-operated actuator. Another method includes receiving a three-dimensional model of a device, a design-rule set, and parameter ranges. Layout data are produced for devices having various combinations of parameter values in the parameter ranges.
US08924898B2
An automated processor design tool uses a description of customized processor instruction set extensions in a standardized language to develop a configurable definition of a target instruction set, a Hardware Description Language description of circuitry necessary to implement the instruction set, and development tools such as a compiler, assembler, debugger and simulator which can be used to develop applications for the processor and to verify it. Implementation of the processor circuitry can be optimized for various criteria such as area, power consumption, speed and the like. Once a processor configuration is developed, it can be tested and inputs to the system modified to iteratively optimize the processor implementation. By providing a constrained domain of extensions and optimizations, the process can be automated to a high degree, thereby facilitating fast and reliable development.
US08924896B2
A process and apparatus are provided for automated pattern-based semiconductor design layout correction. Embodiments include scanning a drawn semiconductor design layout to determine a difficult-to-manufacture pattern within the drawn semiconductor design layout based on a match with a pre-characterized difficult-to-manufacture pattern, determining a corrected pattern based on a pre-determined correlation between the corrected pattern and the pre-characterized difficult-to-manufacture pattern, and replacing the difficult-to-manufacture pattern with the corrected pattern within the drawn semiconductor design layout.
US08924887B2
A system includes determination of a layout of graphical representations of dataset members displayed by a display device of the apparatus, determination of a plurality of display device movements to monitor based on the layout, detection of one of the plurality of display device movements, and execution of an action associated with the detected movement on at least one of the graphical representations.
US08924882B2
A method for controlling a software direction pad of an electronic device, configured to display a software keyboard and an editing area, includes the following steps: displaying the software direction pad in response to a start input, wherein the software direction pad is used for moving a cursor on the editing area; and closing and hiding the software direction pad in response to a close input received through the software keyboard.
US08924877B2
At least one statistical output associated with a process model and a rate of change associated with each statistical output is identified, such as by using historical data associated with the process model. The statistical outputs and the rates of change are used to generate a graphical display, such as a phase plane plot. Each point in the display is based on one of the statistical outputs and its associated rate of change. The graphical display could include multiple portions, such as quadrants, and one of the portions can be selected and highlighted. The different portions of the graphical display may represent whether the process model is a poor fit to current conditions and approaching a better fit, a poor fit and approaching a poorer fit, a good fit and approaching a poorer fit, and a good fit and approaching a better fit.
US08924869B2
A system for presenting dynamically generated images in a computing environment is provided. The system generates visual elements, such as widgets, for example, by combining image data, user-defined data which may include alphanumeric data, and real-time data indicative of current conditions. The widgets may be implemented in a purely server-side application environment which alleviates the need for any installation of client software on the client computing device.
US08924868B2
Aspects of this disclosure describe techniques for moving an activity down a physical queue. An example technique estimates a wait time to reach a service point for a user at a first position of a physical queue, selects an activity for the user at the first position of the physical queue based on the estimated wait time, the activity including an interactive application, sends the selected activity to a terminal associated with the first position of the physical queue, and, after receiving an indication that the user has advanced to a second position that is closer to the service point than the first position, forwards the activity to a terminal associated with the second position of the physical queue.
US08924861B2
A method and an apparatus for displaying an Instant Messaging (IM) message are provided. The method includes, when the size of a picture to be processed is greater than the size of a container, setting the display size of the picture to be processed to be not greater than the size of the container; and drawing the picture to be processed according to the set display size. As such, a picture to be processed having the size greater than the container size can be adapted to the size of a container in IM software, and the IM software can directly display the entirety of the picture that is originally greater than the container size.
US08924859B2
A system and method providing for collaborating among a plurality of users each user at a respective associated one of a plurality of computing appliances. At least one user controls team designation definition for each of a plurality of computing appliances. Thereafter, each of the plurality of computing appliances that has a same said team designation, act (and communicate and provide a display) as a group. Each of the plurality of computing appliances in the group is a member of and a part of a defined team having a defined set of roles. Each respective one of the plurality of computing appliances is provided with a role designation. Operations of each respective one of the plurality of computing appliances is thereafter controlled in accordance with functionality as defined responsive to the respective role designation for said each respective one of the plurality of computing appliances. Associatively mapped storage is provided in a respective one of a plurality of data layers, memory of respective user data provided responsive to input by a respective user in a respective associatively mapped data layer from within a plurality of data layers in the memory. A display presentation is generated at each of said at least two of the plurality of computing appliances responsive to at least two of the data layers. The respective user data is representative of a display presentation of annotations originated (input by the user) at a respective associated computing appliance for each respective one of at least two of the plurality of computing appliances.
US08924858B2
Data transfer system. The system transfers data by touch from a first digital device to a second digital device and includes a first digital device having a touch screen along with a second digital device also having a touch screen. The first and second digital devices are connected to a network including a data storage cloud wherein the first digital device is programmed to copy a touched visual representation of a data item to the data storage cloud and wherein the second digital device is programmed to retrieve the data item from the data storage cloud when a paste-able area in the second digital device is touched. The first and second digital devices may be touch-enabled smart phones, tablet computers or other digital devices.
US08924856B2
Provided is a method of providing a slide show. The method includes determining whether a first image to be displayed is an image photographed in a continuous photographing mode, when the first image is an image photographed in the continuous photographing mode, displaying the first image for a first time interval, and when the first image is not an image photographed in the continuous photographing mode, displaying the first image for a second time interval, wherein the first time interval and the second time interval are different from each other. The first time interval may be shorter than the second time interval.
US08924837B2
A method and system for processing a text file in a computer application. The method comprises the steps offorming a template from fragments of the text file; using the template as an overlay for parsing incoming files, or as a prototype to generate a segment of an output file; and using a macro class to map data from the text file to an application. The macro class is embedded as a keyword within the template, so that when the template reaches the keyword, the template calls the macro class to further process the text file. The macro class may be used to reads in a segment of the text file and to use the segment to initiate application update processing. Also, the macro class may be used to derive data from the application and to format it into the text file. Preferably, an interface controller is provided to prevent structure clashes by placing text data into appropriate places in a complex object structure as the text file is processed.
US08924829B2
A method for turbo-encoding a block of data including: receiving data bits of the block of data; masking irrelevant data bits by a masking unit, wherein irrelevant data bits are data bits that regardless of their value do not affect a final state of an interleaved convolutional encoder of a turbo encoder; calculating a last state of the interleaved convolutional encoder based on relevant data bits provided by the masking unit; wherein the calculating of the last state of the interleaved convolutional encoder is initialized before receiving the entire block of data; finding an initial state of the interleaved convolutional encoder based on the last state of the interleaved convolutional encoder; wherein the initial state of the interleaved convolutional encoder equals a final state of the interleaved convolutional encoder; initializing the interleaved convolutional encoder to the initial state; and turbo-encoding the interleaved data bits by the interleaved convolutional encoder.
US08924827B2
This disclosure generally relates to encoding, transmission, and decoding of digital video, and more particularly to methods and systems for minimizing decoding delay in distributed video coding (DVC). In one embodiment, a video decoding method is disclosed. The video decoding method may include obtaining side information and obtaining a syndrome bit chunk corresponding to a non-key-frame bit-plane. One or more processors may perform one non-key-frame bit-plane channel decoding iteration using the side information and the syndrome bit chunk. A decoded bit-plane may be generated via performing the at least one non-key-frame bit-plane channel decoding iteration. Also, a bit error rate measure for the decoded bit-plane may be determined. A number of additional syndrome bit chunks to request may be determined based on the bit error rate measure, and the request for the additional syndrome bit chunks provided.
US08924826B2
A method for encoding data words into a frame is provided. Input data words are received on a first bus having a first width. The input data words are buffered so as to output intermediate data words onto a second bus having a second width. A transcode bit is generated from the intermediate data words, and a set of parity bits is generated from the intermediate words using a syndrome generator, where the syndrome generator uses a number of bits that are equal to the second width. A frame is then generated from the intermediate data words and the set of parity bits and is output to a third bus having the first width.
US08924825B2
According to one embodiment, an error detecting device includes a syndrome processor, an error locator polynomial generator, and a search processor. The syndrome processor is configured to generate syndrome values based on received data. The error locator polynomial generator is configured to generate coefficients for an error locator polynomial based on the syndrome values. The search processor configured to detect an error location by calculating a root of the error locator polynomial. The search processor has a clock controller, a buffer, a polynomial generator, and a first judging module. The clock controller is configured to output or stop a clock signal according to at least one of the coefficients. The buffer is configured to drive the clock signal outputted form the clock controller. The polynomial generator is configured to calculate a part of the error locator polynomial in synchronization with the clock signal driven by the buffer.
US08924817B2
The present invention provides a method and apparatus for selectively updating error correction code bits. One embodiment of the method includes determining a first subset of a plurality of error correction code bits formed from a plurality of data bits in response to changes in a first subset of the data bits. The first subset of the plurality of error correction code bits is less than all of the plurality of error correction code bits.
US08924815B2
An error control decoding system decodes a codeword that includes a data word and two or more parity segments. The system includes a first decoder to decode the codeword by utilizing one or more first parity segments and the data word included in the codeword, and a second decoder to decode the codeword by utilizing one or more second parity segments and the data word included in the codeword, wherein the one or more first parity segments are different from the one or more second parity segments. An error estimation module estimates the number of errors in the codeword, and a controller selects which of the first decoder and second decoder to start decoding the codeword, wherein the selection is based on the estimate of the number of errors in the codeword provided by the error estimation module.
US08924814B2
A partial outer parity management system generates a product code based on a partial data block write to a data block and partial outer parity generated by a previous partial data block write to the data block. In one implementation, a storage device includes cache storage circuit accessible by the parity generator, the cache storage circuit being configured to cache the partial outer parity generated by the previous partial data block write to the data block in a partial outer parity cache designated for association with the product code.
US08924806B2
A user terminal for receiving a plurality of data pieces for a plurality of processes that are simultaneously operated. Each of the data pieces has an indicator indicating whether the data piece is new data and is transmitted from a network apparatus that changes an indicator value on a process-by-process basis. The user terminal includes a data receiving unit for receiving the data piece having the indicator, a response transmitting unit for transmitting a response indicating an acknowledgement or a negative acknowledgement for the received data piece, and an indicator determination unit for determining whether the indicator of the received data piece is the same as the indicator of a previous data piece received immediately previously for the same process as the process of the received data piece and whether the response for the previous data piece indicates the acknowledgement to discard the received data piece.
US08924805B2
A method and apparatus for a computer memory test structure. An embodiment of a method for testing of a memory board includes testing a memory of the memory board, where testing the memory including use of a built-in self-test structure to provide a first test pattern for the memory. The method further includes testing an IO (input output) interface of the memory with a host, where testing of the IO interface includes use of the built-in self-test structure to provide a second test pattern for the IO interface.
US08924800B2
Remote monitoring systems for remotely monitoring execution status of a PLC (Programmable Logic controller) program of a machine include a storage module, a parameter retrieval module and a monitoring module. The storage module stores ladder diagram information corresponding to a PLC source program, wherein the ladder diagram information includes PLC signal address relation information, a plurality of logic switches and a responsive collect command of each logic switch of a ladder diagram. The PLC signal address relation information indicates the relations of the logic switches on the ladder diagram. The parameter retrieval module respectively retrieves parameter data corresponding to the logic switches using the responsive collect commands. The monitoring module generates a status of ladder diagram according to the logic switches, the parameter data and the PLC signal address relation information to display the parameter data corresponding to each logic switch when the machine is executing the PLC source program.
US08924793B1
A data storage device comprises storage media and a controller. The storage media may comprise a plurality of media defects, at least some of the media defects being listed in a grown defect list and a primary defect list comprising a plurality of entries sorted in an order according to physical address locations. The controller may be configured to generate a push down list from the primary defect list and the grown defect list by populating the push down list with entries from the primary defect list such that the push down list entries maintain the order; translating each entry in the grown defect list to a physical address location; and inserting each translated physical address location with updated push down count into the push down list.
US08924792B2
A solution for validating a set of data protection solutions is provided. A validation scenario can be defined, which can include data corresponding to a set of attributes for the validation scenario. The attributes can include a time frame for the validation scenario. The validation scenario also can include a set of backup images to be validated, each of which is generated using one of the set of data protection solutions. The set of backup images can be identified using the time frame. A set of resource requirements for implementing the validation scenario can be determined based on the set of backup images and the set of attributes for the validation scenario.
US08924763B2
Synchronizing time bases in a parallel computer that includes compute nodes organized for data communications in a tree network, where one compute node is designated as a root, and, for each compute node: calculating data transmission latency from the root to the compute node; configuring a thread as a pulse waiter; initializing a wakeup unit; and performing a local barrier operation; upon each node completing the local barrier operation, entering, by all compute nodes, a global barrier operation; upon all nodes entering the global barrier operation, sending, to all the compute nodes, a pulse signal; and for each compute node upon receiving the pulse signal: waking, by the wakeup unit, the pulse waiter; setting a time base for the compute node equal to the data transmission latency between the root node and the compute node; and exiting the global barrier operation.
US08924755B2
Power consumption and dissipation during sleep states of processors is reduced using a novel connected standby sleep state. In the connected standby sleep state a dedicated power plane is used to maintain processor context. To conserve power, unnecessary components on the processor are powered down, including all of the clock components, and wakeup sources previously directed to the processor are directed to a platform control hub. The platform control hub sustains certain architectural functions for the processor during connected standby sleep state, and manages the wakeup logic for returning the processor to the preceding sleep state.
US08924753B2
An apparatus and method for adaptively changing clock frequencies of a Central Processing Unit (CPU) and a bus in a digital system are provided. The system includes an Adaptive Frequency Scaling (AFS) controller and a clock controller. The AFS controller determines whether to change a clock frequency of the CPU according to operation information of the CPU, and determines whether to change a clock frequency of the bus according to operation information of the bus. The clock controller generates a clock frequency of the CPU and a clock frequency of the bus according to the determination of the AFS controller.
US08924742B2
Rather than storing all data in the same manner, e.g., an encrypted manner, a security level with which to associate received data of a given type may be determined. Subsequently, distinct types of data may be stored in a distinct manner, with the manner of storage having a security level appropriate to the type of data. For example, a first type of data may be stored in an encrypted manner (i.e., with a high level of security), while a second level of data may be stored in a plain text manner (i.e., with a low level of security).
US08924737B2
In accordance with one or more aspects, a representation of a configuration of a firmware environment of a device is generated. A secret of the device is obtained, and a platform secret is generated based on both the firmware environment configuration representation and the secret of the device. One or more keys can be generated based on the platform secret.
US08924736B1
A method of authenticating or declining to authenticate an asserted identity of a candidate-person. In an enrollment phase, a reference PQRST heart action graph is provided or constructed from information obtained from a plurality of graphs that resemble each other for a known reference person, using a first graph comparison metric. In a verification phase, a candidate-person asserts his/her identity and presents a plurality of his/her heart cycle graphs. If a sufficient number of the candidate-person's measured graphs resemble each other, a representative composite graph is constructed from the candidate-person's graphs and is compared with a composite reference graph, for the person whose identity is asserted, using a second graph comparison metric. When the second metric value lies in a selected range, the candidate-person's assertion of identity is accepted.
US08924727B2
Technologies for labeling diverse content are described. In some embodiments, a content creation device generates a data structure that may include encrypted diverse content and metadata including at least one rights management (RM) label applying to the diverse content. The RM label may attribute all or a portion of the diverse content to one or more authors. The metadata may also be signed using an independently verifiable electronic signature. A consumption device receiving such a data structure may verify the authenticity of the electronic signature and, if verification succeeds, decrypt the encrypted diverse content in the data structure. Because the metadata is encapsulated with the diverse content in the data structure, it may accompany the diverse content upon its transfer or incorporation into other diverse content.
US08924721B2
Methods, systems, and apparatus, including computer programs encoded on a computer storage medium, for generating a nonce. In one aspect, a method includes generating, by a data processing apparatus, a source value, and hashing, by the data processing apparatus, the source value to generate the nonce.
US08924709B2
A method for encrypting print jobs that includes receiving output data, encrypting the output data with a randomly-generated symmetric session key, generating a session key header by encrypting the randomly-generated symmetric session key using an asymmetric user public key, and encrypting the session key header using a server public key.
US08924705B1
A method and a detection system are provided for detecting encrypted peer-to-peer (EP2P) sessions associated with a particular EP2P network. Seed data associated with the EP2P network is extracted from a selected packet, and an encryption seed is obtained from the seed data. An encryption key is obtained from the encryption seed by using a key function associated with the EP2P network, and a cipher associated with the EP2P network is initialized with the encryption key. A portion or whole of the packet is decrypted, and checksum data associated with the EP2P network is extracted. A checksum is obtained from the checksum data, and the obtained checksum is compared with a reference checksum associated with the EP2P network. If the obtained checksum matches the reference checksum, a session including the packet is determined to be an EP2P session associated with the EP2P network.
US08924704B2
A method and apparatus for downloading content to a large-capacity internal memory in a portable terminal are provided. The method includes performing a booting process of the portable terminal at the occurrence of a booting event, examining whether a Universal Serial Bus (USB) port is enabled during the booting process, if the USB port is enabled, receiving data through the USB port before driver loading, and storing the received data into the large-capacity internal memory and performing the booting process.
US08924701B2
A technique for reducing a size of a snapshot boot image by adjusting a structure of the snapshot boot image based on an analysis of a computing system. In addition, according to the technique, the overriding portions of a snapshot based boot image may be loaded first in consideration of a time of use of the system, and therefore a boot time can be reduced.
US08924700B1
Techniques for booting from an encrypted hard disk are disclosed. In one particular embodiment, the techniques may be realized as a method for booting from an encrypted virtual hard disk comprising booting a computing device from an encrypted virtual hard disk in a booting environment and authenticating an encryption password associated with the encrypted virtual hard disk. The method may comprise decrypting, via at least one computer processor, the encrypted virtual hard disk using the encryption password based at least in part on an authentication of the encryption password.
US08924693B2
The described embodiments include a processor that executes vector instructions. While dispatching instructions at runtime, the processor encounters a predicate-generating instruction. Upon determining that a result of the predicate-generating instruction is predictable, the processor dispatches a prediction micro-operation associated with the predicate-generating instruction, wherein the prediction micro-operation generates a predicted result vector for the predicate-generating instruction. The processor then executes the prediction micro-operation to generate the predicted result vector. When executing the prediction micro-operation to generate the predicted result vector, if the predicate vector is received, for each element of the predicted result vector for which the predicate vector is active, otherwise, for each element of the predicted result vector, generating the predicted result vector comprises setting the element of the predicted result vector to true.
US08924691B2
A software pipelining method for generating a schedule for executing a plurality of instructions on a processor, the plurality of instructions involving one or more variables, the processor having one or more physical registers, the method comprising the step of scheduling each of the plurality of instructions, determining whether there is a variable for which there is less than a threshold number of physical registers to which that variable may be allocated, and unscheduling a currently scheduled instruction when there is a variable for which there is less than the threshold number of a physical registers to which that that variable may be allocated.
US08924689B2
The present invention realizes an efficient superscalar instruction issue and low power consumption at an instruction set including instructions with prefixes. An instruction fetch unit is adopted which determines whether an instruction code is of a prefix code or an instruction code other than it, and outputs the result of determination and the 16-bit instruction code. Along with it, decoders each of which decodes the instruction code, based on the result of determination, and decoders each of which decodes the prefix code, are disposed separately. Further, a prefix is supplied to each decoder prior to a fixed-length instruction code like 16 bits modified with it. A fixed-length instruction code following the prefix code is supplied to each decoder of the same pipeline as the decoder for the prefix code.
US08924688B2
A computing and communication chip architecture is provided wherein the interfaces of processor access to the memory chips are implemented as a high-speed packet switched serial interface as part of each chip. In one embodiment, the interface is accomplished through a gigabit Ethernet interface provided by protocol processor integrated as part of the chip. The protocol processor encapsulates the memory address and control information like Read, Write, number of successive bytes etc, as an Ethernet packet for communication among the processor and memory chips that are located on the same motherboard, or even on different circuit cards. In one embodiment, the communication over head of the Ethernet protocol is further reduced by using an enhanced Ethernet protocol with shortened data frames within a constrained neighborhood, and/or by utilizing a bit stream switch where direct connection paths can be established between elements that comprise the computing or communication architecture.
US08924684B1
Approaches are described for reducing the number of memory address cache (e.g. TLB) flushes that need to be performed during the course of performing virtualized I/O. A device driver residing in a host domain registers a CPU that will be used for I/O processing and requests the hypervisor to pre-allocate a number of slots in the page tables to map memory pages during I/O operations. Upon receiving an I/O operation, when memory needs to be mapped, the driver provides the hypervisor with information about the registered CPU. The hypervisor uses the pre-allocated page table slots to create the new mapping and flushes the TLB cache corresponding to the CPU that will perform the I/O. The TLB cache belonging to other CPUs may not need to be flushed. The host driver ensures that the mapped memory page is used exclusively on the CPU or performs additional TLB flushes.
US08924681B1
Systems, methods, and computer readable media for an adaptive block allocation mechanism are disclosed. According to one aspect, a method for allocating slices of storage in a storage medium based on scores is disclosed. The method occurs at a storage processor for controlling access to a storage medium divided into a plurality of logical slices of storage. The method includes determining one or more scores associated with one or more slices. Determining one or more scores includes combining plural dissimilar characteristics of the slice into a single value. The method further includes receiving a slice allocation request, and in response to the slice allocation request, selecting a slice for allocation using the scores.
US08924676B1
An improved technique of redistributing files on a set of storage disks involves specifying a tolerable difference in the load between a most-loaded storage disk and a least-loaded storage disk. From such a specified tolerable difference, a processor generates a file transfer plan listing a set of files to be moved, from which storage disks the files are to be moved and to which storage disks to move the files. File transfer plans which result from allowing the maximum difference in load between the storage disks to be a small but finite amount typically result in a very small number of files to be moved, resulting in much smaller processing times for transferring the files.
US08924674B2
A data object is stored in a hosted storage system and includes an access control list specifying access permissions for data object stored in the hosted storage system. The hosted storage system provides hosted storage to a plurality of clients that are coupled to the hosted storage system. A request to store a second data object is received. The request includes an indicator that the first data object stored in the hosted storage system should be used as an access control list for the second data object. The second data object is stored in the hosted storage system. The first data object is assigned as an access control list for the second data object stored in the hosted storage system.
US08924670B1
A method, computer program product, and computing system for storing an unsecure data portion within a temporary storage device. An indication of a power failure event within the storage system is received. The unsecure data portion is processed to produce a secure data portion via a processor included within a first controller card included within the storage system. The secure data portion is stored on a persistent storage device via a second controller card.
US08924668B1
Example embodiments of the present invention relate to a method, an apparatus and a computer-program product for replicating logical level commands. The method comprises intercepting a logical level command at a splitter at a production site and creating a replica of the logical level command at the production site. The replica of the logical level command is then transmitted from the production site to a replication site.
US08924663B2
The storage system includes a first auxiliary storage device, a second auxiliary storage device, and a main storage device, and also includes a data management unit which stores and keeps, in the main storage device, index data based on feature data by referring to the feature data of storage target data stored in the first auxiliary storage device, and if the index data stored and kept in the main storage device reaches a preset amount, stores and keeps, in the second auxiliary storage device, the index data stored and kept in the main storage device, and deletes the index data stored and kept in the second auxiliary storage device from the main storage device.
US08924661B1
A data storage system includes a plurality of non-volatile memory devices arranged in one or more sets, a main controller and one or more processors. The main controller is configured to accept commands from a host and to convert the commands into recipes. Each recipe includes a list of multiple memory operations to be performed sequentially in the non-volatile memory devices belonging to one of the sets. Each of the processors is associated with a respective set of the non-volatile memory devices, and is configured to receive one or more of the recipes from the main controller and to execute the memory operations specified in the received recipes in the non-volatile memory devices belonging to the respective set.
US08924657B2
A data storage apparatus acquires rule information that is used by the external device when performing data access and that defines a relation between the type of access operation and a data read condition, and status information including information for specifying data currently displayed on the external device, and indicates a current display status of the external device. Then, the data storage apparatus determines data to be pre-read from a storage medium and stored in a temporary data storage unit based on the rule information and the status information, and reads the determined data from the storage medium, and stores the read data in a temporary data storage unit. In the case where a data access request is received from the external device, if the requested data is stored in the temporary data storage unit, the requested data is read from the temporary data storage unit, and is output.
US08924654B1
A computerized method, apparatus, and executable instructions on a machine readable medium for using multiple processors in parallel to create a pack vector from an array in memory. In some embodiments creating the pack vector includes reading portions of the array into a plurality of processors that each select a subset of elements from the their respective portions of the array based on a predetermined criteria. Some embodiments further include counting each of the selected subsets of elements and storing each count in a commonly accessible storage location, reading into the processors at least some of the count values once all of the processors have stored their count, and storing only the selected subsets of elements in the pack vector based at least in part on the count values.
US08924651B2
An apparatus and method is described herein for optimization to prefetch throttling, which potentially enhances performance, reduces power consumption, and maintains positive gain for workloads that benefit from prefetching. More specifically, the optimizations described herein allow for bandwidth congestion and prefetch accuracy to be taken into account as feedbacks for throttling at the source of prefetch generation. As a result, when there is low congestion, full prefetch generation is allowed, even if the prefetch is inaccurate, since there is available bandwidth. However, when congestion is high, the determination of throttling falls to prefetch accuracy. If accuracy is high—miss rate is low—then less throttling is needed, because the prefetches are being utilized—performance is being enhanced. Yet, if prefetch accuracy is low—miss rate is high—then more prefetch throttling is needed to save power, because the prefetch are not being utilized—performance is not being enhanced by the large number of prefetches.
US08924644B2
Methods, apparatuses, and computer program products of extending cache in a multi-processor computer are provided. Embodiments include detecting, by a donor processor, nonuse of a donor processor's cache; broadcasting to one or more processors in the multi-processor computer, by the donor processor, a donor-ready message indicating the donor processor's cache is available for ownership transferment; receiving from a first requesting processor, by the donor processor, a first ownership-request message requesting ownership of the donor processor's cache by the first requesting processor; transmitting to the first requesting processor, by the donor processor, an ownership-grant message indicating an intention of the donor processor to transfer ownership of the donor processor's cache to the first requesting processor; and receiving from the first requesting processor, by the donor processor, an ownership-claim message indicating that the first requesting processor intends to claim ownership of the donor processor's cache.
US08924643B2
Systems and methods are provided for caching media data to thereby enhance media data read and/or write functionality and performance. A multimedia apparatus, comprises a cache buffer configured to be coupled to a storage device, wherein the cache buffer stores multimedia data, including video and audio data, read from the storage device. A cache manager coupled to the cache buffer, wherein the cache buffer is configured to cause the storage device to enter into a reduced power consumption mode when the amount of data stored in the cache buffer reaches a first level.
US08924638B2
A method includes responding to a wear-level operation request by copying data from a first portion of a first memory array to a second portion of the first memory array, and copying metadata associated with the data from a third portion of a second memory array to a fourth portion of the second memory array. The first memory array includes a NAND or NAND-based memory array, and the second memory array includes non-volatile memory including at least one of the group consisting of: phase-change memory, EEPROM, and NOR flash memory.
US08924630B2
Embodiments of the present invention provide a SSD-based high-speed cache storage system. Specifically, in a typical embodiment, a network cache component (NCC) is coupled to a high-speed cache storage pool (HCSP). The NCC generally comprises: a set of semiconductor storage device (SSD) memory disk units for storing data; a network cache controller coupled to the set of SSD memory units; a network traffic analysis component coupled to the network cache controller; a network interface coupled to the network traffic analysis component; a general storage controller coupled to the network cache controller; and a general storage interface coupled to the general storage controller. Moreover, the HCSP typically comprises a cache server, an internal interface, and a general storage system coupled to one another.
US08924628B2
A memory system includes a non-volatile memory device including a plurality of pages and a controller connected electrically with the non-volatile memory device and configured to control the non-volatile memory device. The non-volatile memory device is configured to be capable of storing data from a set number of write operations before data erasing with respect to each page; and wherein the controller is configured to divide each page of the non-volatile memory device into first and second areas, to perform a write operation of the first area by the NOP, and to write an invalidation mark in the second area.
US08924616B2
A connector comprising one or more circuits and/or processors is operable to determine characteristics of an attached corresponding connector, an attached cable and/or a channel established via the corresponding connector and/or cable. The characteristics are stored in a register on the connector and/or communicated via a pin connection to a host and/or upstream device. Ganged connectors may communicate via a shared pin. Sensing pins in the connector detect presence of a shield on the cable. Cable diagnostics are run on the attached corresponding connector and cable by a PHY device that may be integrated within the connector. The connector may determine characteristics such as cable length, cable grade, presence of shielding, channel characteristics and/or crosstalk on the attached corresponding connector and/or cable. Based on the determined characteristics, a data rate is determined, transmission parameters are auto-negotiated and/or data may be communicated.
US08924615B2
A global interrupt number space 38 is provided for use in message signalled interrupts. Interrupt destinations 10, 12, 14, 16 are provided with pending interrupt caches 24 with either backing storage provided by global pending status memory 34 shared by all the caches or separate individual pending status memories 56. The interrupt number space may be divided into regions with programmable mapping data being used to indicate which interrupt destinations are responsible for which regions. When interrupts are migrated from one interrupt destination to another, then such programmable mapping data is updated. Pending interrupts may be flushed back to the global pending status memory 34 during the reassignment process such that this pending interrupt data may be picked up by the newly responsible interrupt destination.
US08924611B2
In one embodiment, the present invention includes a host controller with transmit logic to prepare data into a data packet for communication along an interconnect and to transmit the data packet. This data packet may include a preamble portion having a first predetermined value, a content portion including the data and having a plurality of symbols each including a start bit separate from the data, an error detection portion including an inverted version of the content portion, and a postamble portion having a second predetermined value. Other embodiments are described and claimed.
US08924609B2
A configurable computing device comprising a housing, a printed circuit board disposed within the housing, a first microcontroller and a second microcontroller each coupled to the PCB, wherein the first microcontroller and the second microcontroller are in electrical signal communication with each other, a computer-on-module (COM) coupled to the PCB, wherein the COM is in electrical signal communication with the first microcontroller and the second microcontroller, and one or more peripheral modules coupled to the PCB, wherein, the peripheral modules are each in electrical signal communication with the first microcontroller and wherein, the peripheral modules are each in electrical signal communication with the COM via the second microcontroller.
US08924602B2
A rack server includes multiple power supply backplanes and multiple Fan Controller Boards (FCBs). The power supply backplanes each have a connection unit. The connection unit has multiple connection terminals. One of the connection terminals is coupled to a ground terminal. Positions of the connection terminals of the connection units coupled to the ground terminal are different from each other. The FCBs are coupled to one of the corresponding power supply backplanes respectively. The FCBs each include an addressing circuit and a microcontroller. The addressing circuit is coupled to the connection terminals of the corresponding connection unit, and is used to generate an address signal by detecting and according to a coupling relationship between the connection terminals and the ground terminal. The microcontroller is coupled to the addressing circuit, and is used to receive the address signal, so as to generate corresponding address information.
US08924601B2
In some embodiments, a mass storage system may include a mass storage device having a plurality of memory channels, and a controller coupled to the mass storage device, wherein the controller is configured to control access to the mass storage device. For example, the controller may include code to determine a first vertical redirect budget for a first memory channel of the plurality of memory channels, revector defects in the first memory channel vertically within the first memory channel until the first vertical redirect budget is exceeded, and revector defects in the first memory channel horizontally outside of the first memory channel within another memory channel of the plurality of memory channels after the first vertical redirect budget is exceeded. Other embodiments are disclosed and claimed.
US08924595B1
Described are techniques for servicing command requests. A first command request is received. A determining step is performed to determine whether to simulate servicing the first command request using a simulator or whether to service the first command by processing in accordance with a non-simulation mode. The first command request is one of a plurality of command requests, and a first portion of the plurality of command requests are simulated whereby the first portion of commands are serviced using the simulator and a second portion of the command requests are serviced in the non-simulation mode. The first command request is serviced in accordance with the determining step.
US08924585B2
A first device and a second device communicate with each other using a first communications protocol over a first communications media. The first device detects a need to modify a communications bandwidth with the second device based on an operating condition of the first device at a point in time. The first device negotiates with the second device to identify a second communications protocol that is suitable for the operating condition based on a set of one or more rules associated with the first device. Both the first and second devices switch, without user intervention, from the first communications protocol to the second communications protocol to communicate with the second device using the second communications protocol over a second communications media.
US08924576B2
In order to allow a single user registered on a single local host or other machine to access multiple shared resources on a remote host, an aliasing mechanism is employed so that multiple concurrent connections can be established by the user to a single remote host, with each connection using a different identity. Each connection can therefore be used to access a different shared resource on the remote host. In some illustrative examples, a user's identifier such as his or her machine log-in identification may be associated with two or more resource sharing aliases. As a result, two or more resource sharing sessions can be established by the user with a single remote host, with each of the sessions using a different one of the aliases. The resource sharing sessions are usually established in accordance with a resource sharing protocol such as the Server Block Message (SBM) protocol.
US08924575B2
Aspects of the subject matter described herein relate database virtualization. In aspects, clusters of database servers may be located at various locations of the Internet. When a client seeks to access a logical database, the client may send a logical server and logical database name in a data structure. These names may be used to find a physical server(s) and database(s) that correspond to the logical database. Once the location is determined, a proxy component is used to intercept and/or forward communications between the client and the physical server(s) and database(s) corresponding to the logical database. Using this system, a client may access data from a logical database without knowing the physical address of the logical user database.
US08924572B2
A network monitoring system probe is coupled to network interfaces and captures data packets. A monitoring system processor identifies messages specific to S1-MME interfaces and identifies GUMMEI parameters in the S1-MME interface messages. The monitoring system creates MME node entries in a network topology list, each of the MME nodes corresponding to a unique GUMMEI value. The monitoring system links individual S1-MME interfaces, SCTP associations, and MME IP addresses to a particular MME in the network topology list. Using authentication messages carried on the S6a and S1-MME interfaces, the monitoring system links individual S6a interfaces and S6a interface IP address to a particular MME in the network topology list and creates one or more HSS node entries in the network topology list. The monitoring system also creates eNodeB, S-GW, and PDN-GW nodes in the network topology list and links them to IP addresses and X2, S11, and S5/S8 interfaces.
US08924563B1
A reusable distributed computing framework may be established in which contributors of computing resources may participate by using a web browser to visit a web page that incorporates a distributed computing participation component. A distributed computing job provider may submit distributed computing jobs to a web-based distributed computing service. A distributed computing job may include browser-executable code in accordance with a particular distributed computing programmatic interface and data to be processed by the browser-executable code. The web-based distributed computing service may assign independently processable portions of the job data to browsers visiting a donor page for processing with the job code. Results returned by the donor browsers may be indexed and made available in real-time, as may a status of the distributed computing job such as with respect to processing the job data.
US08924561B2
Embodiments of the present invention provide an approach for a networked computing environment (e.g., a cloud computing environment) to be dynamic in nature in that it may automatically be resized based on current/predicted workload and current/predicted resource availability. For example, when a workload is received, a data structure (e.g., a mapping) will be created on a computer storage device and populated with data related to a set of current resources of the networked computing environment that are allocated to the workload. It will then be determined whether a mismatch (e.g., a shortfall) exists between the set of current resources and resources required for processing the workload. If so, a set of peripheral resources will be identified to rectify the mismatch. The networked computing environment will then be resized to accommodate the set of peripheral resources, and the workload will be processed using the resized networked computing environment.
US08924558B2
A system and method is disclosed for presenting relevant advertising to user search queries. The ads are based on content which is derived from a set of documents/pages from websites forming a collective.
US08924556B2
A communications system includes a mobile computing device having a dynamic address and mobile web server software. A network web server has a portal web page at which a web client can reliably and consistently establish an internet connection. In response to receiving a request from the web client to access the mobile computing device, the network web server re-routes the web client from a static address of the network web server to the assigned address of the mobile computing device. The mobile computing device repeatedly registers the current version of its address with the network web server. The mobile computing device, network web server and web client are commercially available, off-the-shelf components that require only targeted configuration changes to perform the disclosed re-routing operations.
US08924553B2
An apparatus and a method for validating requests to thwart cross-site attacks is described. A user identifier token, a request identifier token, and a timestamp, are generated at a web application of a server. A Message Authentication Code (MAC) value is formed based on the user identifier token, the request identifier token, and the timestamp using a secret key of the web application. The form is sent with the MAC value and the time stamp to a client. A completed form comprising a returned MAC value and a returned timestamp is received from the client. The completed form is validated at the server based on the returned MAC value and the returned timestamp.
US08924545B2
Embodiments are directed to creating a persona from observed characteristics of content and to sharing a network persona derived from observed characteristics of content. In one scenario, a computer system observes one set of properties for a first portion of content on a network. The first portion of content is from a first account. The computer system also observes a different set of properties for a second portion of content on the network, where the second portion of content is from a second account. The computer system then correlates an association between the first account and the second account as part of a network persona that is based on the first properties and one or more corresponding properties from the second portion of content.
US08924541B2
Systems and methods for migrating a virtual resource from a source host in a source network to a destination host in a destination network are provided. In one embodiment, the method comprises establishing a secure communication connection between a source proxy in the source network and a destination proxy in the destination network; and monitoring migration traffic directed from the source host to the source proxy and forwarding said traffic to the destination proxy which in turn forwards the traffic to the destination host over the secure communication connection between the source proxy and the destination proxy, such that the communication addresses of the source host and the destination host remain guarded from direct access by an entity outside of the source network or the destination network.
US08924540B2
A telecommunication energy management system comprising a server configured to receive circuit current values identified with a respective piece of telecommunication equipment from a plurality of central boards located at respective telecommunication sites. The server integrates the received circuit current values and provides a graphical user interface (GUI) to allow a user to audit energy usage of each piece of telecommunication equipment of each telecommunication site.
US08924537B2
Systems, methods, and machine readable and executable instructions are provided for business process tracking. Business process tracking can include collecting data from network traffic. Instances of the data can include a number of events, a session identifier, and user information. The data can be filtered to a reduced number of events with a network monitoring engine. A number of business process event identifiers corresponding to the reduced number of events can be defined in a network adaptor. An individual instance of the business process can be distinguished according to the session identifier and the user information. The individual instance of the business process can be tracked independent of a number of applications running on the network.
US08924535B2
Information is maintained to assist in determining whether an access terminal is allowed to establish communication with an access point associated with a closed subscriber group (CSG). For example, CSG subscription information for visiting access terminals may be maintained at a local server. In this way, a network may use the locally stored CSG subscription information for a given access terminal to determine whether to allow that access terminal to access an access point in the network. In addition, multiple CSG lists may be maintained at an access terminal. For example, an access terminal may maintain a first list that is updateable by an operator and a second list that is updateable by a user. Here, the updating of one list may be based on a change in the other list.
US08924531B2
A method of grouping communication sessions, the method comprising: selecting a plurality of communications sessions from a data stream; determining which data structures, of said communication sessions, occur more frequently than chance; and sorting the communication sessions into groups, wherein communication sessions which have similar data structures, determined to occur more frequently than chance, are sorted into the same group.
US08924530B2
A multi-phase monitoring of hybrid system landscapes is described. Calendar data for planned and unplanned downtimes is generated at a number of computer system environments of a hybrid system landscape. Generated calendar data is requested from a computer system environment hosted by a first entity. Generated calendar data for at least one downtime of at least one component of a computer system environment hosted by a second entity is synchronized with calendar data for at least one downtime of at least one component of the computer system environment hosted by the first entity received in response of the request. Availability of the hybrid system landscape is evaluated based on the synchronized calendar data.
US08924523B1
Techniques for distributing updated personal information are described. The update is retrieved from a device where it was created and downloaded to another device under the control of a server operating a personal information management system. The update is fully controlled by the user to be released to only certain users or a group of users. Further the user is able to control which portion of the personal information may be shared.
US08924521B2
In one aspect of the present description, a systems manager based upon a common model of information protocol or standard includes automated storage area network (SAN) expansion management which permits additional provider modules to be automatically installed if needed in response to devices being added to the SAN. In addition, the automated SAN expansion management permits installed provider modules to be automatically configured in response to devices being added to the SAN. Still further, in another aspect, the automated SAN expansion management can automatically determine if a suitable host processor exists to host installation of a new provider module and if not, the automated SAN expansion management can automatically deploy a suitable host processor such as a virtual server to host installation of a new provider module. Other features and aspects may be realized, depending upon the particular application.
US08924517B2
A method includes the steps of allowing a first user to play a selected song on an electronic device at a first location, the selected song being transmitted across an electronic network from a server at a second location; allowing the first user to record a user-generated stem track using the electronic device at the first location while playing the selected song; transmitting the user-generated stem track across the electronic network to the second location; and storing the user-generated stem track on the server at the second location. An electronic system that allows the first user to perform the method is also disclosed.
US08924514B2
A method of performing a Service Group Owner Transfer procedure in a communication system is disclosed. The method comprises transmitting a SG Owner transfer request message from a first PNE to a CPNS Server, and from the CPNS Server to a second PNE; and transmitting a SG owner transfer response message from the second PNE to the CPNS Server, or from the CPNS Server to the first PNE; wherein the SG Owner transfer request message comprises at least one information element (IE) of a first PNE ID, a first PN ID, an first SG ID, a CandidatePNE ID and a reason to change, or the Response message comprises at least one IE of an Accept, a second PNE ID, a second PN ID and a second SG ID.
US08924511B2
Cloud connector for interfacing between a network attached storage device and a cloud storage system
A cloud connector for interfacing between a network attached storage device and a cloud storage system (CSS). The cloud connector comprises a unified cloud protocol module for communicating with the network attached storage (NAS) device using a cloud transport protocol; a plurality of cloud protocol drivers for interfacing with at least one of a plurality of storage devices and a plurality of cloud storage providers, wherein the plurality of storage devices and the plurality of cloud storage providers are part of the CSS; and a permissions-and-quotas enforcement module for enforcing access control to data blocks stored in at least one the plurality of storage devices and the plurality of cloud storage providers of the CSS.
US08924504B2
A co-processing module communicates with at least one remote device via an Ethernet communication link. The co-processing module includes a first processor that executes an application of the host device via a first operating system, the application including socket system calls. A second processor executes a second operating system to execute a transport control protocol/Internet protocol stack, an Ethernet driver, and an Ethernet media access control layer, to bidirectionally communicate first data via the Ethernet communication link and further to bidirectionally communicate the first data with the first processor. The first processor bidirectionally communicates the first data with the application via the socket system calls.
US08924502B2
Methods, apparatus, systems and computer program product for updating a user session in a terminal server environment. Transfer of display data corresponding to an updated user interface can occur via a memory shared between an agent server and an agent client in a terminal server environment. Access to the shared memory can be synchronized via token passing or other operation to prevent simultaneous access to the shared memory. Token sharing and synchronized input/output can be performed using FIFOs, sockets, files, semaphores and the like, allowing communications between the agent server and agent client communications to adapt to different operating system architecture.
US08924495B2
An exemplary method is implemented by end-user communication devices for processing the receipt of an HTTP message wherein a received HTTP message comprises a digital packet having a header and a user data segment. The user data segment contains a user message and an acknowledgement command where the acknowledgement command conveys a request from an originating device to acknowledge receipt of the subject HTTP message. The received user message is prevented from being displayed on a screen of the first end-user communication device of content until input is entered authorizing a reply to the acknowledgement request. Upon receiving the authorization: a reply HTTP message with an acknowledgement is automatically generated by the first end-user communication device and transmitted to the originating device; the content of the message is displayed.
US08924493B1
The disclosed subject matter relates to systems, methods, and machine-readable media for ordering notifications for display in a social networking environment. One example system is configured to obtain a set of notifications for a user, wherein each notification in the set of notifications is generated in response to an event in a social network and, for each notification in the set of notifications, determine an event type associated with the notification and calculate a priority score for the notification based on the event type associated with the notification. The system is further configured to display the set of notifications based on the priority score for each notification in the set of notifications.
US08924492B2
A computer-implemented method of generating recipients while composing electronic emails includes identifying a trigger from a user in response to the user composing an electronic mail (email). The computer-implemented method also includes receiving one or more alphabets subsequent to the trigger. The alphabets imply a recipient of the email. Further, the computer-implemented method includes fetching email addresses comprising the one or more alphabets from an address book corresponding to the user. Furthermore, the computer-implemented method includes displaying a list of the email addresses to the user. Moreover, the computer-implemented method includes filling appropriate fields in response to the user selecting one of the email addresses.
US08924491B2
A method and apparatus for tracking a topic involved in a message in an interactive messaging environment containing a plurality of messages by combining with context messages associated with the message. The method includes the steps of: selecting a message from the plurality of messages contained in the interactive messaging environment; identifying context messages associated with the selected message from the plurality of messages contained in the interactive messaging environment; and grouping the selected message into one or more topic groups based on the identified context messages. The topic tracking method and apparatus of the invention can accurately determine similarities between messages in an interactive messaging environment such as microblog to perform topic tracking.
US08924490B2
Services are queried for resources to be used at an event. For example, service based event planning may be used in conjunction with directory services, social networking services, custom databases, web services, email servers and address book services. Service based event planning may apply constraints to the resources obtained over services. The service based event planning may also be used in conjunction with email or other messaging services to share representations of events with attendees or other interested parties. Both recipients and senders of the event may be able to dynamically modify event details in event representations.
US08924484B2
When a user receives potential junk e-mail from an unknown sender address, an active filter installed in or cooperating with the user's e-mail system sends a challenge e-mail back to the sender address. Unless the user receives a correct response e-mail from the sender address and/or a response that meets formal criteria, the active filter rejects the original e-mail and blocks future e-mail from that sender address. The challenge preferably includes a question that the sender must correctly answer in his response. The question is such that only humans can interpret and respond to it correctly. For example, the question may relate to and/or be incorporated in an image in the challenge. Lists of approved and blocked sender addresses are compiled. The user may directly enter addresses in the address lists. Addresses to which the user has sent e-mail may also be included directly in the approved list.
US08924481B2
Apparatus for routing requests from a plurality of connected clients to a plurality of connected servers comprises a processor, memory and a network interface. The processor is configured to run a plurality of identical processes, each being for receiving requests and connecting each received request to a server. For each process, the processor is configured to maintain a queue of requests in memory, determine a number of queued requests that may be connected to a server, and attempt to connect this number of queued requests. The processor then accepts further requests, and if the queue is not empty, places the further requests in the queue, and if the queue is empty, attempts to connect the further requests. The processor determines the number of queued requests that may be connected to a server in dependence upon the length of the queues of all the processes and the number of available connections.
US08924473B2
A system and method for remote rendering of computer graphics wherein user transactions are reliable and the transmission of rendered graphics is relatively fast. The invention is implemented in a client server context, where a computer graphics application and rendering resources are located at a server. A user controls the graphics application through a client machine connected to the server through a computer network. The user's commands are sent from the client to the server, while rendered computer graphics are transmitted from the server to a display at the client. Different transport protocols are used, depending on the requirements of a particular transmission. Data related to user interactions is transmitted using a relatively reliable transport protocol, such as TCP. Rendered subject graphics data is transmitted from the server to the client using a less reliable but faster transport protocol, such UDP.
US08924472B1
Described embodiments provide systems and methods for building client server applications. The application server code is deployed within a distributed datastore and utilizes the datastore's data locality information to fulfill requests with minimal remote procedure calls (RPC), reduced transfer of data between servers, and shared data caches. The application server inherits the properties of the distributed datastore such as statefulness, replication and failover. Described embodiments also enable the fetching and processing of data in a “big data” environment—a system that contains multiple servers' worth of data, with improved time and bandwidth considerations.
US08924462B2
Disclosed are an apparatus for controlling a service of a network robot system based on remote procedure calls and a method thereof. The apparatus for controlling services of a network robot system according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention includes: a terminal agent calling an asynchronous procedure of the robot services to acquire asynchronous operation objects and performing asynchronous operations on the asynchronous operation objects according to previously established scheduling policies, when receiving an execution of robot services from a service server through a network; and a plurality of drivers executing the robot services according to the asynchronous operations of the terminal agent. By this configuration, the exemplary embodiment of the present invention can avoid resource collision due to resource approach at a plurality of robot services, improve the simultaneity of the robot services, and implement operation applications for high performance control.
US08924460B2
A computer-implemented method, system, and computer program product for administering a peer-to-peer file sharing computer network. The method includes: maintaining a reference associating a particular shared file with a seeder in a community of peers and a number of seeders in the community; and registering a second peer as a second seeder of the particular shared file, if a first seeder in the community of peers has informed the peers of a termination of the availability of a file seeding of the particular shared file. The system includes means for performing the steps of the method. The computer program product includes computer program instructions for carrying out the steps of the method.
US08924454B2
A first floating-point operation unit receives first and second variables and performs a first operation generating a first output. A first rounding unit receives and rounds the first output to generate a second output if a control bit is in a first state. A second floating-point operation unit receives a third variable and either the first output or the second output and performs a second operation on the third variable and either the first output or the second output, to generate a third output. The second floating-point operation unit receives and operates on the first output if the control bit is in the first state, or the second output if the control bit is in the second state. A second rounding unit receives and rounds the third output.
US08924438B2
A system may include a database server configured to store at least one enrichment file. The system may further include a usage data server including an enrichment process configured to receive a plurality of usage records representative of a plurality of subscriber communications over a communications network, receive an enrichment file from the database server including additional information regarding network activity, and enrich at least a portion of the usage records according to the enrichment file.
US08924436B1
Methods, systems, and apparatus, including computer programs stored on computer storage media, for populating a structured presentation with new values. One aspect can be embodied in machine-implemented methods that include the actions of obtaining a plurality of instances and a plurality of attributes; for each instance: identifying one or more documents from an unstructured document collection that are relevant to the instance, where each of the one or more documents include at least a value for an attribute in the plurality of attributes; and establishing a subset of the one or more values as characterizing the instance; and adding each instance, the respective attributes, and the respective subset of values to a structured data collection.
US08924420B2
A gallery-set of controls and actions containing pre-built logic is provided for building applications, projects and solutions in a database program. The gallery may include the most commonly used controls that may account for the main logic scenarios in the database program. The controls may be simple, clear and intuitive, such that users with little or no programming experience may be able to develop solutions in the database program using the gallery controls without having to enter any coding environment or having to build complicated logic expressions. The gallery may allow users to build a complete solution by adding the predefined controls from the gallery to the design surface of a solution without opening a code editor, and the code behind the control may be automatically built into the solution. The solution code may also be accessible for later modification by a user in the database program.
US08924415B2
Systems and methods are provided for providing schema mapping and data generation. According to one exemplary method, a first mapping formula is obtained for transforming values associated with a source attribute into at least one value associated with a conceptual attribute. The source attribute values comprise a plurality of duplicate values, and the first mapping formula performing a common operation on the duplicate values. The method includes generating mapping data for mapping the conceptual attribute to a target attribute of a target model, and based on the mapping data and the first mapping formula, generating a second mapping formula for transforming the conceptual attribute value into at least one value associated with the target attribute.
US08924398B2
Systems, methods, and computer readable media for automatically generating Data Definition Language (DDL) commands from database log information is described. In general, techniques are disclosed for analyzing database log entries to identify those associated with targeted DDL commands and associating those entries with a DDL command object. The DDL command object may be used (immediately or at some later time) to generate a DDL commands corresponding to the (possibly many) aggregated log records associated with the command object. The use of multiple database log entries as described herein enables the generation of DDL commands that capture database activity occurring over a period of time (full time context auditing) and can, therefore, naturally account for database schema changes.
US08924389B2
Computer-implemented systems and methods are disclosed for comparing and associating objects. In some embodiments, a method is provided for associating a first object with one or more objects within a plurality of objects, each object comprising a first plurality of properties, each property comprising data reflecting a characteristic of an entity represented by the object, the associated objects comprising matching data in corresponding properties for a second plurality of properties. The method may include executing, for each object within the plurality of objects and for the first object, the following: creating a slug for the object, the slug comprising the second plurality of properties from the object; and inputting the slug for the object into a Bloom filter. Further, the method may include creating for a bin within the Bloom filter corresponding to the slug for the first object, an association between objects whose slugs correspond to the bin if the slugs for those objects match.
US08924388B2
Computer-implemented systems and methods are disclosed for comparing and associating objects. In some embodiments, a method is provided for associating a first object with one or more objects within a plurality of objects, each object comprising a first plurality of properties, each property comprising data reflecting a characteristic of an entity represented by the object, the associated objects comprising matching data in corresponding properties for a second plurality of properties. The method may include executing, for each object within the plurality of objects and for the first object, the following: creating a slug for the object, the slug comprising the second plurality of properties from the object; and inputting the slug for the object into a Bloom filter. Further, the method may include creating for a bin within the Bloom filter corresponding to the slug for the first object, an association between objects whose slugs correspond to the bin if the slugs for those objects match.
US08924379B1
Methods, systems, and apparatus, including computer programs encoded on computer storage media, for determining temporal based score adjustments are provided. One method includes receiving a query and obtaining a score for responsive documents. The method further includes adjusting the scores for the documents according to an age classification for one or more related queries for the documents. Another method includes storing popularity data for queries over time; identifying a query and associated extended queries from the popularity data, and storing time trend data associating the query and one or more periods of time with a respective extended query. Another method includes storing popularity data for queries over time, obtaining scores for documents responsive to a query submitted at a first time, and adjusting the scores for one the documents according to whether the first time is within a popularity change time window for one or more related queries for the documents.
US08924348B2
System and method for sharing data between occasionally connected devices and remote global database
A method for sharing data between an occasionally connected device and a remote global database is disclosed. The occasionally connected device receives data from a remote global database. The data is accessed by a user in an online mode. The data is stored in the form of one or more screen instances in a local database of the occasionally connected device. The one or more screen instances capture contents of a screen accessed by the user, and the one or more screen instances are last viewed instances of the screen accessed by the user. Further, the one or more screen instances are updated in the offline mode by querying the local database of the occasionally connected device. The one or more updated screen instances are synchronized with the remote global database to update the data stored in the remote global database corresponding to the one or more screen instances.
US08924346B2
A method, machine, and computer-readable medium is provided for managing transactional sets of commands sent from a client to a server for execution. A first server reports logical identifiers that identify transactional sets of commands to a client. The first server commits information about a set of commands to indicate that the set has committed. A second server receives, from the client, a request that identifies the set based on the logical identifier that the client had received. The second server determines whether the request identified the latest set received for execution in a corresponding session and whether any transactions in the set have not committed. If any transaction has not committed, the second server enforces uncommitted state of the identified set by blocking completion of the identified set issued in the first session. The identified set may then be executed in the second session without risk of duplication.
US08924340B2
A method according to the present invention enables the similarity between sequences of symbols to be determined using rules generated from a dictionary-based compression scheme according to the content of the columns from databases. Pairs of symbols can replaced by rules that do not comprise a repeated combination of two symbols and where each rule occurs more than once in the sequence of symbols. The similarity of each set of rules can then be expressed numerically.
US08924336B2
Feature and deployment recommendation systems and methods for content management systems comprises a vendor-site deployment and one or more customer-site deployments. The vendor-site deployment is configured to recommend an adaptation of any of the one or more customer-site deployments. The vendor-site deployment including a customer configuration repository adapted to store content usage metrics received from one or more customer-site deployments, an analytical engine configured to generate content usage patterns based on the stored content usage metrics, and a recommendation engine configured to recommend the adaptation.
US08924335B1
The invention provides in one aspect a method that includes identifying one or more rules for execution by a rules engine in order to generate a user interface. The method further includes executing, on a digital data processing system that comprises one or more digital data processors, a step of determining whether one or more aspects of the user interface generated as a result of execution of at least one of those rules is in conformity with one or more requirements. The system responds to a negative such determination, according to the method, by identifying modifications to generate a conforming user interface from those one or more rules, modifying one or more of those rules to generate a conforming user interface from (e.g., based directly or indirectly on) those one or more rules, and/or generating a conforming user interface from those one or more rules. The method further calls for storing to and/or generating as an output from the digital data processing system a result those step(s).
US08924326B2
Techniques to optimize messages sent to a user of a social networking system. In one embodiment, information about the user may be collected by the social networking system. The information may be applied to train a model for determining likelihood of a desired action by the user in response to candidate messages that may be provided for the user. The social networking system may provide to the user a message from the candidate messages with a selected likelihood of causing the desired action.
US08924323B2
A system and method for managing, tracking and recording one or more biological process inputs, outputs and their derived forms is provided. The inputs pertaining to the biological process inputs, outputs and their derived forms are received and processed. The inputs include information related to the biological processes and the biological process inputs, outputs and their derived forms. The inputs further include information related to modifications in the biological process inputs, outputs and their derived forms. The inputs also include outputs of the biological processes. The inputs are processed by modifying the received inputs into a predefined format. Thereafter, the received inputs and processed inputs are stored. The stored inputs are accessed for managing, tracking and recording the biological processes, biological process inputs, outputs and their derived forms.
US08924316B2
A method includes obtaining, by executing a module stored on a non-transitory computer-readable storage device, approximately-zero polynomials for each of multiple classes. The method further includes evaluating the approximately-zero polynomials for each class on a plurality of points to compute distances from each point to each of the classes. The method also includes scaling the approximately-zero polynomials based on the distances and classifying the points based on the scaled approximately-zero polynomials.
US08924306B2
A method is presented for rebooting a local data processing entity requiring an access code to boot. The method may include receiving, on a local entity, an access code from a remote entity. The access code may be stored on an auxiliary device coupled to the local entity. The local entity may receive a reboot command from the remote entity and begin rebooting in response thereto. The auxiliary device may provide the access code to the local entity in response to the beginning of the reboot. The access code may then be deleted from the auxiliary device.
US08924304B2
Described herein are methods and systems for using unique identifiers to identify systems in collaborative interaction in a mesh network. For example, in at least certain embodiments, upon initiation of a collaborative application each system can broadcast packets that include a unique hash identifier for each system to other systems in the mesh network. Each system then can determine when the system has received packets that include the unique hash identifiers from all systems. Then, each system can sort the unique hash identifiers to identify each system.
US08924295B2
Credit card transaction servers, systems, methods and computer program products receive information concerning a prospective credit card transaction with one of multiple credit card issuers and obtain location information from multiple wireless network providers for wireless terminal(s) that are associated with a user of the credit card for the prospective credit card transaction. The locations of the credit card transaction terminal(s) and the locations of the wireless terminal(s) are correlated, and authorization information for the prospective credit card transaction is generated based upon this location correlation.
US08924274B2
A system for and method of providing investors with risk information regarding a portfolio, while protecting a strategy associated with the portfolio from public disclosure, is presented. The information allows investors to calculate a variety of risk statistics at virtually any level of granularity in analyzing divisions of the portfolio. The system and method also provide benefits for portfolio managers. Specifically, a portfolio manager may release detailed simulated returns, from which investors may calculate a variety of risk statistics, without revealing position information sufficient for the investors to reverse engineer a strategy associated with the portfolio.
US08924272B2
Embodiments of the present invention include architectures and methods for automated management of invoices. Embodiments of the present invention may include techniques for receiving and unifying invoice data, retrieving information about each invoice, verifying each invoice and resolving invoice exceptions. The present invention includes software components for efficiently processing invoices. In other embodiments, the present invention includes methods of processing an invoice.
US08924247B2
After a telecommunications interaction apparently concludes between first and second parties to the interaction, an automated means for detecting the termination of the interaction jumps in and presents at least one of the parties with an opportunity to participate in a survey (an instant survey) relating to the just-terminated interaction. In one embodiment, the interaction is between a prospective consumer and a lead buyer (or an agent of the buyer) and the instant survey queries the buyer or agent regarding immediate impressions of the quality of the purchased lead that brought the prospective consumer and the lead buyer (or agent) into contact with one another. In one embodiment, results of instant surveys feed into a ranking system that ranks the quality of leads provided through a specific sponsor and remuneration to the sponsor is automatically adjusted according to instant survey results collected for that sponsor.
US08924246B1
Systems and methods are provided for mobile payments. A financial institution may offer an electronic prepaid card of a merchant for sale to holders of Demand Deposit Accounts (DDA) and/or Line of Credit Account and/or Loan Account. The card may be provided in electronic form that may be scanned off the account holder's mobile device or by the device. When the account holder purchases the prepaid card, the financial institution may perform a real-time check whether the account holder has sufficient funds. If funds are sufficient, a transfer may be performed from the account holder's account to a holding account of another party at the same financial institution via ON-US transfer. The time duration between prepaid card purchase and its redemption can be so short that the purchaser does not feel the prepay process behind the scene.
US08924241B2
A system and method are disclosed herein to determine an insurance benefit associated with an insurance policy for an asset, such as an automobile or a residence. The system includes a computer memory and a processor in communication with the computer memory. The computer memory may store data indicative of (i) a recommended maintenance schedule for the asset and (ii) at least one actual maintenance event that has occurred in connection with the asset. The processor may compare the at least one actual maintenance event with the recommended maintenance schedule and determine the benefit for the insurance policy based at least in part on a result of said comparing. The processor may then transmit an indication of the benefit for the insurance policy.
US08924239B1
A system for improving health and monitoring diet has been developed which enables a consumer before making important decisions which effect health to consider health, nutrition, dietary, budget, and time information resources more easily before decisions are made. The system has a variety of user inputs that enable the user to access information easily and enter information easily, so that the personal profile and health history and diet information is up-to-date. This system is adjustable to contain additional modules of information such as dietary restrictions which can be used to regularly recommend or restrict purchase decisions at the point of sale, storage, preparation, or consumption.
US08924236B2
A system and process for providing a computerized medical and biographical records database and diagnostic information. A medical records database and diagnostic program is stored on a central computer that is accessible to individuals using remotely situated computers connected to a computer network. Individual patient medical and biographical records are owned by individual patients who can enter information in their record as well as grant or deny authorization to others, such as health care professionals, insurance providers and other entities, to review part or all of their record. The method, process and system establishes the parameters of function of providers and users of the services, stores all available data, provides the functional platforms for all medical, non-medical, and financial transactions to occur in an electronic, software-guided, anonymous, efficient, and uniform environment.
US08924231B2
A method is provided that includes initiating adjudication of a primary claim in response to a purchase transaction at a primary payer for a client at a point of sale of a healthcare provider, and adjudicating one or more services of a program of the administrator to which the client is enrolled and/or one or more secondary benefits following the adjudication of the primary claim. The purchase transaction is applicable to the respective program and the respective secondary benefit, and the program includes one or more services. The method also includes providing the one or more services and/or secondary benefits to the client in response to adjudicating the one or more services and/or secondary benefits.
US08924229B2
Systems and methods of exchanging Healthcare Quality Measures (HQM) are disclosed. Healthcare providers can define one or more HQMs by constructing expressions using an expression builder according to a funding organization's requirements. Once a measure is derived, it can be converted to a common HQM data format and exchanged with the organization via an intermediary HQM service. The HQM data can then be converted into the organization's proprietary format. Thus, HQM data exchanges among providers and organizations are simplified.
US08924221B2
A method and a device for encoding a high frequency signal, and a method and a device for decoding a high frequency signal are provided, which relate to encoding and decoding technology. The method for encoding a high frequency signal includes: determining a signal type of a high frequency signal of a current frame; smoothing and scaling time envelopes of the high frequency signal of the current frame and obtaining time envelopes of the high frequency signal of the current frame that require to be encoded, if the high frequency signal of the current frame is a non-transient signal and a high frequency signal of the previous frame is a transient signal; and quantizing and encoding the time envelopes of the high frequency signal of the current frame that require to be encoded, and frequency information and signal type information of the high frequency signal of the current frame.
US08924210B2
Techniques for converting spoken speech into written speech are provided. The techniques include transcribing input speech via speech recognition, mapping each spoken utterance from input speech into a corresponding formal utterance, and mapping each formal utterance into a stylistically formatted written utterance.
US08924208B2
An encoding device and encoding method improve a quality of a decoded signal under very low bit rate conditions using a small amount of computation. A spectrum corrector performs correction processing on a subspectrum in each subband in such a manner that samples equal to or greater than a subspectrum average value are left unchanged and samples smaller than the subspectrum average value are replaced by zero. As a result of this, it is possible to significantly reduce the number of bits required to quantize the subspectrums without a substantial reduction in quality in a local searcher and in a multi-rate indexer.
US08924207B2
A method and apparatus for transcoding audio data. The method includes determining if AAC joint stereo exists, running a reference AC-3 rematrixing when the AAC joint stereo does not exist, when AAC joint stereo does exist, enabling rematrixing when the number of corresponding AAC bands is greater than half the size of the band, otherwise, running reference AC-3 rematrixing.
US08924202B2
An apparatus configured to model an encoded signal to estimate at least one distribution of the signal, rotate the signal with respect to a lattice, for lattice quantization of the signal, dependent on the at least one distribution of the signal, and quantize the signal rotated with respect to the lattice.
US08924201B2
The present invention teaches a new audio coding system that can code both general audio and speech signals well at low bit rates. A proposed audio coding system comprises linear prediction unit for filtering an input signal based on an adaptive filter; a transformation unit for transforming a frame of the filtered input signal into a transform domain; and a quantization unit for quantizing the transform domain signal. The quantization unit decides, based on input signal characteristics, to encode the transform domain signal with a model-based quantizer or a non-model-based quantizer. Preferably, the decision is based on the frame size applied by the transformation unit.
US08924193B2
A device receives model information associated with a modeling application. The device determines first and second conflicting information in the model information. The first and second conflicting information describe different characteristics of a model described by the model information. The device formats the first and second conflicting information in a manner that designates the first conflicting information as a first variant of the model and the second conflicting information as a second variant of the model. The model, when executed with the first variant, behaves in a different manner than when executed with the second variant. The device provides the formatted first and second conflicting information to the modeling application, provides information that identifies the first and second variant, receives a user selection of information that identifies the first variant or second variant, and executes the model based on the user selection.
US08924173B2
Methods, systems, and devices for determining a harmonic are described herein. One method includes determining a temperature of a circuit conductor while the circuit conductor is conducting a current, and determining a harmonic associated with the circuit conductor based, at least in part, on the determined temperature.
US08924171B2
A device for monitoring the structure of a vehicle, including an electric measurement sensor, a processing circuit connected to the sensor for converting the sensor measurements into monitoring data, and a transmitter for transmitting the monitoring data to a collecting member, wherein the processing circuit is miniaturized and has a small size so as to be contained within a cube measuring 40×40×40 mm or less, is connected to the sensor by a short wired electrical connection, the length of which measures less than 200 mm, includes an onboard battery, and includes a radio means for transmitting the monitoring data to a mobile collecting member temporarily located in the vicinity thereof.
US08924170B2
A device for detecting a failed rectifier in an AC/DC converter for converting three-phase AC power to DC power and having its AC side connected to a three-phase AC source and its DC side connected to a DC load, the AC/DC converter including a rectifier circuit including at least three legs, each of the legs connected to a corresponding AC phase and including at least one rectifier, the device including a measuring unit for measuring and sampling AC current for each of the phases and a calculating unit configured to estimate an instantaneous DC current based on the measured instantaneous AC currents during one period of the power supply frequency.
US08924169B1
In at least one embodiment, the inventive technology may involve arc detection methods and apparatus for use in photovoltaic power systems. One general aspect may involve the determination of lower noise regions of a fourier transformation of a parameter (e.g., voltage, current or power) signal measurement at a location in the system, and a comparison of fourier transformed signal values at such locations at different times to assess atypical increases in value and thus possible arcing. Polling protocols may be used to further reduce false positives. Certain other aspects may relate to comparison of synchronized voltage measurements to assess presence of arc condition. Any aspect may involve automatic, positive arc condition response circuitry that acts to automatically mitigate undesired effects of an arc in the event of arc detection.
US08924162B2
Methods and systems for predicting an end of life of a wind turbine component including receiving environmental conditions indicative of natural surroundings of wind turbines within a wind turbine farm, receiving component performance metrics indicative of an operation of wind turbines within a wind turbine farm, and distributing the wind turbines into peer-clusters such that the wind turbines within each of the peer-clusters have similar environmental conditions. The methods and systems further include identifying a low performing wind turbine and a remaining portion of wind turbines within one of the peer-clusters based upon a predicted performance model, processing the component performance metrics of the low performing wind turbine, identifying a critical component of the low performing wind turbine and predicting the end of life of the critical component of the low performing wind turbine.
US08924160B2
A health-monitoring device assesses the health of a user based on levels of two analytes in a biological fluid. A first analyte that is utilized to assess a user's health is a fat metabolism analyte, such as ketones, free fatty acids and glycerol, which is indicative of fat metabolism. A second analyte that is utilized is a glucose metabolism analyte, such as glucose. The levels of the two analytes may be used to assess insulin sensitivity, to detect both recent hypoglycemia and the cause of high glucose levels, and/or to guide therapeutic intervention. The dual analyte model may calculate a discrepancy between an actual insulin activity level and a theoretical insulin activity level. The dual analyte model of the present invention may be used to identify individuals at risk for metabolic syndrome, insulin resistance and non-insulin dependent diabetes, and allows monitoring of the progression of those disease states, as well as progress made by therapeutic interventions.
US08924159B2
Methods and system to provide glycemic control and therapy management based on monitored glucose data, and current and/or target Hb1AC levels are provided.
US08924154B2
One or more pieces of equipment (e.g., a locate wand, a marking tool) are used to perform an operation to identify, in response to a ticket, a presence or an absence of an underground facility at a dig area. Data relating to the use of the equipment to perform the operation is electronically processed to determine whether the operation was completed correctly. In one example, ticket information from the ticket also is processed with the data relating to the use of the equipment to determine whether the operation was completed correctly. In another example, the equipment includes a marking apparatus, and data relating to the use of the marking apparatus that is processed includes one or more of marker characteristic information, timing information, supply information and location information relating to one or more markers dispensed by the marking apparatus.
US08924150B2
A method to navigate a vehicle utilizing a graphic projection display, includes monitoring a navigation status graphic representing a navigation intent displayed upon the graphic projection display, monitoring a user input indicated to a portion of the graphic projection display, initiating a user-defined navigation command based on the monitored navigation status graphic and the monitored user input, and operating the vehicle in accordance with the user-defined navigation command.
US08924149B2
An outdoor-to-indoor (and vise versa) navigation system guides a traveler (30) to an interior point of interest (POI, 28) inside a three-dimensional structure (16) using a navigation device (10). When the traveler (30) reaches the destination (16) address, a 3D model of the destination object (16) is rendered on a display screen (12) and subsequent navigation assistance is rendered in relation to attributed features associated with the 3D model. Initial directional cues (33) associated with the 3D model guide the traveler (30) in relation to externally discernable POIs and toward an exterior portal POI (24). When the current position of the navigation device (10) generally coincides with the exterior portal POI (24), a set of final directional cues (35) are rendered which lead the traveler (30) in relation to internally discernable POIs to an interior feature POI (28). 3D navigation attributes may be associated with various POIs and used in the 3D portion of the navigation routing program.
US08924148B2
A computer-implemented method for identifying a route that is configured to travel through multiple points of interest includes receiving a query that includes an origin location, a destination location, and at least a first point of interest and a second point of interest. The method also includes identifying a perimeter that surrounds the received origin and destination locations in response to the query. The perimeter is then used to identify a set of locations for each of the first and second points of interest.
US08924145B2
Provided is a Web bulletin board system (10) capable of lessening the burden in forming a travel plan when a group of people plan a trip. This Web bulletin board system (10) comprises a center server (20) which deems character strings indicated by predetermined symbols in messages in a chat to be destinations and automatically generates a list of destinations.
US08924144B2
Location information is used to build a database of locations having associated audio, video, image or text data. In some implementations, a device includes a touch-sensitive display and collects data associated with a geographic location of interest. The geographic location of interest can be displayed on a map using an indicator. A touch selection of the indicator provides access to the data through an interface displayed on the touch-sensitive display. One or more locations of interest can be displayed and grouped together by an attribute.
US08924128B2
A fuel injector control system including a fuel injector, a sensing device configured to provide a transition signal indicative of a fuel injector transition from the closed-state to the open-state, and a controller configured to determine an injector control signal based on the transition signal. The injector control signal closing time can be adjusted base on the transition signal and so compensate for injector opening delay due to, for example, a stuck closed fuel injector, cold temperatures, or low injector drive voltages.
US08924105B1
A controller can execute a method to reduce a speed of a vehicle by initiating a vehicle stop request in response to a vehicle signal received while the vehicle is in motion. The method includes: (a) applying a wheel brake in response to initiation of the vehicle stop request when the vehicle is moving at a vehicle speed less than or equal to a first vehicle speed threshold in order to reduce the vehicle speed; and (b) actuating a parking sprag assembly to stop rotation of an output member of a transmission when the vehicle speed is equal to or less than a second vehicle speed threshold. By example, the vehicle signal may be a park signal, an engine off signal, or a plurality of signals defining a condition set. The wheel brake may be at least one of an electronic park brake and a service brake.
US08924099B2
Leading vehicle position information can be used to determine a location and heading of one or more implements of a trailing vehicle in an implement train that includes the leading vehicle. In an example, the leading vehicle pulls one or more trailing vehicles, and information about the leading vehicle position or heading is used to update a function of one or more implements associated with trailing vehicles of the implement train. In an example, the present subject matter includes identifying a heading of a trailing vehicle based on its initial location, an intermediate location, and a destination location. In an example, the present subject matter includes identifying a speed of one or more points on a trailing vehicle. In some examples, the present subject matter includes determining a location, heading, or speed of multiple implements associated with multiple trailing vehicles.
US08924094B2
A payload control system includes a tool position sensor, a boom lift sensor, and a boom swing sensor. A controller is configured to determine a segment of a work cycle based upon the tool position, the boom lift, and the boom swing signal, and determine a payload moved by the tool during the segment of the work cycle.
US08924082B2
A method for controlling operation of a torque-assist motor includes determining a rotational position of the torque-assist motor and producing a motor speed signal that is indicative of a rotational speed of the motor. One or more gain factors are produced based on the rotational speed of the torque-assist motor. An electrical current applied to the torque-assist motor is detected, and a current error is calculated based on a commanded electrical current and the electrical current applied to the torque-assist motor. A quadrature axis voltage is calculated based on the current error and the one or more gain factors. An inverter is driven with a direct voltage signal that is phased with the rotational position of the torque-assist motor so as to produce the electrical current applied to the torque-assist motor. The electrical current exhibits a characteristic that is affected by the quadrature axis voltage.
US08924081B2
An electric power steering apparatus and control device integrated-type electric motor includes an electric motor driving circuit constituted by a plurality of semiconductor power elements and controlling electric power supplied to an armature winding of an electric motor, a switch device for opening and closing a connection between an input terminal of the electric motor driving circuit and an external power source, and another switch device for opening and closing the armature winding, wherein at least one of both the switch devices is constituted by a semiconductor switch element, and the power elements and the semiconductor switch element are mounted on a board attached to a metallic case.
US08924077B2
Disclosed is a drive assistance device capable of performing proper drive assistance by reducing unnecessary drive assistance operations. The drive assistance device performs drive assistance relative to stopping of a vehicle at an intersection. When the vehicle approaches the intersection where an arrow lamp device is installed at a traffic signal, if the necessity of drive assistance for stimulating a driver to stop at the signal according to lighting of the arrow lamp device differs depending on a route of the vehicle, the start timing of the drive assistance operation is delayed and drive assistance is executed. Therefore, an unnecessary drive assistance operation can be suppressed.
US08924073B2
A Portable Maintenance Aid (PMA) having multiple applications for the electrical testing and data acquisition for various air/ground vehicle platforms is disclosed. The PMA includes an interface adapter that has a number of electrical testing interfaces and data collection ports in addition to a stray voltage detector. The portable testing aid also includes a user interface that transmits data to the interface adapter and a display that communicates the testing and maintenance information to the user. The portable testing aid also includes a communication system for transferring information between the user interface, the display, and the interface adapter. The PMA provides a preload tester/stray voltage tester that is sustainable, less replaceable and has capability of filling the test voids.
US08924072B2
A vehicle information acquisition system includes a vehicle and an information management center. The vehicle includes an information acquisition portion that acquires a piece of vehicle information, which is processed by an information processing unit, based on a set collection condition, and transmits the acquired piece of the vehicle information to the information management center. The information management center determines a new collection condition for the piece of the vehicle information, which is processed by the information processing unit, based on a result of an analysis of the transmitted piece of the vehicle information, and transmits the determined collection condition to the vehicle as a collection condition for a piece of vehicle information to be subsequently acquired by the information acquisition portion to re-set the transmitted collection condition in the information acquisition portion.
US08924070B2
Systems and methods for learning torque estimate errors and updating torque estimation models are presented. In one example, torque errors are learned during an engine shut-down, after a disconnect clutch coupled between an engine and an electric machine has been released. An updated torque estimation model is then used to control torque during subsequent engine operation to improve drive feel and vehicle performance.
US08924066B2
A system includes a communication module and a determination module. The communication module is configured to be located onboard a vehicle configured to travel along a route including plural sub-routes. The communication module is configured to receive route occupancy information from an off-board wayside module disposed along the route. The route occupancy information corresponds to a presence or absence of vehicular traffic on each sub-route within a range of a route detection system operably coupled to the wayside module. The determination module is configured to be located onboard the vehicle, and to obtain position information from one or more onboard detection units disposed onboard the vehicle. The determination module is configured to determine a particular sub-route on which the vehicle is disposed using a comparison of the position information obtained from the one or more onboard detection units and the occupancy information received from the off-board wayside module.
US08924064B2
A shovel includes an internal combustion engine, a hydraulic pump connected to the internal-combustion engine, a generator connected to the internal-combustion engine, and a control part that controls the generator. The control part increases an electric generation load of the generator before a hydraulic load of the hydraulic pump increases.
US08924057B2
A method for starting a hybrid vehicle when the vehicle is already connected to an external power source. In some hybrid vehicles, it can be undesirable for an external power source (e.g., an AC power outlet) and an internal power source (e.g., an internal combustion engine/generator) to simultaneously provide the vehicle with electrical energy. There are a variety of reasons why this may be true. For instance, some hybrid vehicles may have difficulty accurately estimating the state-of-charge (SOC) of the vehicle battery when both external and internal power sources are simultaneously providing electrical energy to the vehicle's high voltage bus. The method described herein can arbitrate or otherwise determine which power source is preferable for the circumstances and then activate or enable that power source accordingly.
US08924055B2
A vehicle control apparatus includes a motor unit, a power accumulating device, a charging power control section, a vehicle state detecting section, a braking/driving force control section, a turning determination section and a charging power correction section. The motor unit is configured to generate an independent driving/braking force for at least each of left and right driving wheels. The charging power control section is configured to set charging power supplied to the power accumulating device in accordance with a power accumulation state of the power accumulating device. The braking/driving force control section is configured to control a braking force or a driving force generated by the motor unit based on the operating state of the vehicle. The turning determination section is configured to determine whether a prescribed vehicle turning condition exists. The charging power correction section is configured to increase the charging power when the prescribed vehicle turning condition exists.
US08924052B2
A locomotive consist control system may include a lead controller associated with a lead locomotive of the consist, and a secondary controller associated with a trailing locomotive of the consist and communicatively coupled by a communication link with the lead controller. The lead controller may be configured to receive a generator voltage or current output from a power bus electrical characteristics sensor associated with each locomotive, determine a total electrical power output requirement for the consist, determine an electrical power output requirement for each locomotive in the consist, and supply instructions to dynamically adjust an output voltage or current generated by a generator associated with each locomotive to a desired voltage or current anywhere within the rated capacity of the generator.
US08924051B2
A control device for a railway vehicle controls an inverter device based on a direct-current link voltage Vfc between the opposite terminals of a filter capacitor. A direct-current voltage applied to the inverter device during regeneration is the sum of a voltage Vb of power storage equipment and an overhead wire voltage Vs, so that only detecting the direct-current link voltage Vfc is not enough to separate the voltage Vb of the power storage equipment and the overhead wire voltage Vs from each other. The power storage equipment can be connected in series with the inverter device, and a voltage sensor that detects the overhead wire voltage Vs is provided between a current collector device and a grounding point. The power storage equipment is controlled based on the detection result from the voltage sensor.
US08924049B2
A method includes determining an operational parameter of a first vehicle traveling with a plurality of vehicles in a transportation network and/or a route in the transportation network, identifying a failure condition of the first vehicle and/or the route based on the operational parameter, obtaining plural different sets of remedial actions that dictate operations to be taken based on the operational parameter, simulating travel of the plurality of vehicles in the transportation network based on implementation of the different sets of remedial actions, determining potential consequences on travel of the plurality of vehicles in the transportation network when the different sets of remedial actions are implemented in the travel that is simulated, and based on the potential consequences, receiving a selection of at least one of the different sets of remedial actions to be implemented in actual travel of the plurality of vehicles in the transportation network.
US08924039B2
By law, a stand-up lift truck operator must be trained to keep both feet and legs located within an operator compartment. An exemplary operator presence detector includes multiple zones, or areas, configured to receive an operator's feet. A sensor arrangement detects the presence of the operator's feet and a logic device determines whether the operator's feet are present in the zones or areas in a predetermined configuration, such as a configuration that reinforces operator training to keep both feet in a designated area on a compartment platform. In preferred arrangements, based on whether the operator's feet are present in the zones in a predetermined configuration, at least one vehicle function is enabled or disabled which may serve to reinforce an operator's training to keep both feet and legs located within an operator's compartment.
US08924037B2
Near field communications devices provide wireless connectivity between vehicles and fueling stations by which vehicle fuel-related information can be exchanged. The exchanged information can include the type of fuel required by the vehicle and thus reduce the likelihood of an improper fuel being introduced to the vehicle. Vehicle fuel related information also includes an amount of fuel required to fill the vehicle's fuel reservoir, an amount of fuel required for the vehicle to travel to a particular location or distance, an amount of fuel received during previous refueling sessions, the identity of the vehicle, and vehicle operator fueling preferences. It can also include the location of the vehicle relative to a fueling station or fuel pump.
US08924034B2
An energy management system includes a controller that receives a signal representative of current electrical generation. A storage source stores energy from the current electrical generation associated with the controller. The controller predicts the amount of storage of energy in said storage source over time, receives pricing information, includes a model of a temperature system of a building, and includes a comfort model of a user. The controller selects a desirable temperature based upon the current electrical generation, the stored energy, the pricing information, the building model, and the comfort model.
US08924031B1
Irrigation of plants or crops is effected using plant canopy temperature measurements. The process and device include an irrigation scheduling algorithm based on an integrated water stress index (WSI) and an integrated WSI set-point. A WSI is calculated at repeated time intervals and compared to an encoded threshold WSI value that is crop and region specific. If the calculated WSI is greater than the encoded WSI value, a unit of integrated WSI (IWSI) is accumulated. If the time integral exceeds the encoded value for a 24 hour period, an irrigation signal is produced, directing the irrigation system where, when and how much to irrigate. The process and device will automatically schedule crop irrigations when the crop is water stressed and may control a moving or static irrigation system to apply the irrigation. Moreover, irrigation applications can be selectively varied over specified control areas or management zones.
US08924030B2
An agricultural system which includes at least one agricultural implement with at least one application device for applying crop inputs, where the agricultural implement includes an agricultural harvester and/or an agricultural planter. A databus is connected to the at least one agricultural implement, and at least one input device is connected to the databus. At least one data storage device is connected to the databus, and an application controller is connected to the at least one application device. A processor is connected to the databus and the application controller, where the processor applies inputs to the application controller to adjust and/or optimize in real time a current operation of the application device(s) in order to efficiently and accurately apply the crop inputs.
US08924019B2
A cleaning robot a dirt recognition device thereof and a cleaning method of the robot are disclosed. The recognition device includes an image collecting module and an image processing module. The image collecting module may be used for collecting the image information of the surface to be treated by the cleaning robot and sending the image information to the image processing module. The image processing module may divide the collected image information of the surface to be treated into N blocks, extract the image information of each block and process the image information in order to determine the dirtiest surface to be treated that corresponds to one of the N blocks. Through the solution provided by the present invention, the cleaning robot can make an active recognition to the dirt such as dust, so that it can get into the working area accurately and rapidly.
US08924017B2
An embodiment of the present invention discloses an apparatus for recyclable absorption of electric retardation energy from a multiple axis industrial robotics system, including a robot control unit and at least one drive unit, which generates the electrical retardation energy at retardation. By an apparatus according to the present invention, the electric retardation energy, which occurs when a drive unit is retarded and is transferred into generator mode, may be recycled by the brake unit of the apparatus, which accelerates a mechanical device connected to the brake unit. The electric retardation energy is thus transferred into kinetic energy that may be stored in mechanical devices. An embodiment of the present invention also refers to a corresponding method for recyclable absorption of electric retardation energy from a multiple axis industrial robotics system.
US08924013B2
A path planning system for bringing state of an object into a target state includes a search tree production unit for producing in advance, in a state space with said target state defined as a root, a search tree having a branch at each one of a plurality of sections of the state space, said state space being divided into the plurality of sections in advance. The system also includes a search tree memory unit for storing the search tree, and a path generation unit for determining, a route on the search tree from the branch corresponding to the current state to the root. The path planning/control system further includes a path control unit for controlling the path of the object to bring the state of the object into the target state in accordance with the route on the search tree determined by the path planning system.
US08924006B2
A system for picking and placing glass articles from a first location to a second location, the second location including a thermal reforming apparatus for transforming the glass articles from 2D glass articles to 3D glass articles includes a robot having an end effector, the end effector including a compliance assembly having at least six degrees of freedom. The compliance assembly is in fluid communication with both an open pneumatic system and a closed pneumatic system, the open pneumatic system providing a partial vacuum to a portion of the compliance assembly for grabbing the glass article, and the closed pneumatic system for activating a centering function for a portion of the compliance assembly.
US08924005B2
A method of sampling includes receiving, by a portable bio-fluid sampling apparatus, a bio-fluid sample on a sample collection receptacle. The bio-fluid sample is associated with a timestamp that is indicative of a time at which the bio-fluid sample is received. The bio-fluid sample is stored in a bio-fluid chamber of the portable bio-fluid sampling apparatus.
US08924004B2
A numerical controller calculates the distance (rotation radius) between the rotation center axis of a rotary axis and a control target point using the machine conditions (including the axis structure and tool length) of a machine tool having a rotary axis and the coordinate values of the respective axes of the machine tool. Then, the preset positioning completion widths of the respective axes are compensated by the calculated rotation radius and a positioning completion check of the rotary axis is carried out using the compensated positioning completion widths.
US08923994B2
A method for controlling the configuration, such as access and/or one or more other features, of an application in an electronic device from the standpoint of a particular user, comprising obtaining an indication of the identity of the user determined based on sensor data associated with physical activity by the user, obtaining an indication of the physical activity identified based on the sensor data, and modifying or at least providing information enabling to modify the identified user's configuration of an application logic based on the identified activity and optionally other activity information derived utilizing the sensor data. Related mobile device, electronic arrangement and system are presented.
US08923992B2
A safety-extension base connected to a main base and a control method thereof are disclosed, the base includes a communication unit, a system state monitoring unit, a module control unit, a memory unit, a state conversion unit and a safety-processing unit. The communication unit performs data communication with the main base. The system state monitoring unit monitors a state of the PLC system. The module control unit controls a general operation of the safety-extension base and outputs different cases of control signals. The memory unit stores the data transmitted from the main base and a program and information. The state conversion unit converts the state of the safety-extension base into the normal state or safety state. The safety-processing unit performs a control of the safety-extension base.
US08923991B2
A controlling device has a transient operating quantity upper limit value storing portion storing a transient quantity upper limit value, effective at the time of a transient response due to a change in a setting value. A steady operating quantity upper limit value storing portion storing an operating quantity upper limit value, effective at the time of a steady operation. A setting value change detecting portion detecting a change in the setting value A transient response completion detecting portion detecting the completion of a transient response; an operating quantity upper limit value switching portion setting the operating quantity upper limit value as the operating quantity upper limit value is used in control calculations in a time band from the point in time of the change of the setting value to the point in time of the completion of the transient response.
US08923990B2
An implantable device for providing electrical stimulation of cervical vagus nerves for treatment of chronic cardiac dysfunction with leadless heart rate monitoring is provided. A stimulation therapy lead includes helical electrodes configured to conform to an outer diameter of a cervical vagus nerve sheath, and a set of connector pins electrically connected to the helical electrodes. The neurostimulator includes a pulse generator configured to therapeutically stimulate the vagus nerve through the helical electrodes in alternating cycles of stimuli application and stimuli inhibition that are tuned to both efferently activate the heart's intrinsic nervous system and afferently activate the patient's central reflexes by triggering bi-directional action potentials. The neurostimulator includes an integrated leadless heart rate sensor configured to sense heart rate and to record the sensed heart rate as data into a memory.
US08923983B2
An implantable line having an elongated line body, a function conductor extending in the longitudinal direction of the line body, acting to implement a medical function of the line, whereby in addition to the function conductor, a field decoupling conductor which extends over at least a section of the length of the line body essentially parallel to the function conductor is provided, thereby reducing the coupling of the function conductor to an external field.
US08923982B2
An implantable lead for an electrical stimulation system includes a lead body having a distal end, a proximal end, a longitudinal length, and a circumference; a plurality of electrodes disposed along the distal end of the lead body in an electrode array; a plurality of terminals disposed along the proximal end of the lead body; a plurality of conductors electrically coupling the plurality of electrodes to the plurality of terminals; and at least one capsule including an x-ray fluorescent material and disposed along the distal end of the lead body relative to the electrode array to indicate, when viewed fluoroscopically, an orientation of the electrode array. The plurality of electrodes includes a plurality of segmented electrodes. Each of the plurality of segmented electrodes extends partially around the circumference of the lead body.
US08923976B2
Devices, systems, and techniques for delivering electrical stimulation according to a spatial electrode movement pattern are disclosed. Moving electrical stimulation between electrodes in a repeatable movement pattern may provide a therapeutic sensation to a patient. In one example, a system may include a plurality of electrodes configured to be implanted within a patient, at least one processor, and a therapy module. The at least one processor may be configured to receive a spatial electrode movement pattern that defines a sequence with which electrical stimulation is moved between the plurality of electrodes. The therapy module may be configured to deliver electrical stimulation to the patient based on the spatial electrode movement pattern. The therapy module may also be configured to move the electrical stimulation between each of the plurality of electrodes according to the spatial electrode movement pattern and repeat the spatial electrode movement pattern when delivering the electrical stimulation to the patient.
US08923974B2
A method for treating a patient having discogenic pain includes implanting a neurostimulation lead within an anterior portion of the epidural space adjacent to the posterior longitudinal ligament. A plurality of electrodes is attached to the lead and the lead is implanted with at least a portion of the electrodes facing the posterior longitudinal ligament. The lead may be implanted in the lumbar region of the patient's spine, posterior and parallel to the posterior longitudinal ligament. Electrical stimulation energy applied to the patient through the electrode lead implanted in this manner inhibits the pain signals traveling within the posterior longitudinal ligament. Thus, the applied electrical stimulation energy has an anesthetic effect on the pain fibers adjacent to the posterior longitudinal ligament.
US08923968B2
A power transfer system for an implanted device, such as an implanted medical device. The implanted device and a power transfer device each include a coil with a magnetically permeable core, so that operatively the coils are magnetically coupled, so as to improve the efficiency of power transfer. The coil resides in an electrically conductive implant case.
US08923965B2
Systems and methods are provided wherein intracardiac electrogram (IEGM) signals are used to determine a set of preliminary optimized atrioventricular (AV/PV) and interventricular (VV) pacing delays. In one example, the preliminary optimized AV/VV pacing delays are used as a starting point for further optimization based on impedance signals such as impedance signals detected between a superior vena cava (SVC) coil electrode and a device housing electrode, which are influenced by changes in stroke volume within the patient. Ventricular pacing is thereafter delivered using the AV/VV pacing delays optimized via impedance. In another example, parameters derived from IEGM signals are used to limit the scope of an impedance-based optimization search to reduce the number of pacing tests needed during impedance-based optimization. Biventricular and multi-site left ventricular (MSLV) examples are described.
US08923964B2
An implantable neurostimulator-implemented method for managing tachyarrhythmias upon a patient's awakening from sleep through vagus nerve stimulation is provided. An implantable neurostimulator, including a pulse generator, is configured to deliver electrical therapeutic stimulation in a manner that results in creation and propagation (in both afferent and efferent directions) of action potentials within neuronal fibers comprising the cervical vagus nerve of a patient. Operating modes of the pulse generator are stored. An enhanced dose of the electrical therapeutic stimulation is parametrically defined and tuned to prevent initiation of or disrupt tachyarrhythmia upon the patient's awakening from a sleep state through at least one of continuously-cycling, intermittent and periodic ON-OFF cycles of electrical pulses. Other operating modes, including a maintenance dose and a restorative dose are defined. The patient's physiological state is monitored via at least one sensor to detect the patient's awakening, which activates the delivery of the enhanced dose.
US08923959B2
A method and system of electroanatomical mapping comprises bringing a patient's image such as a fluoroscopic image and intracardiac signals into a computer based mapping system. Electroanatomical mapping or superimposing of cardiac electrical activity on fluoroscopic image is provided by placing visual indicators on electrode pairs of various catheters including standard catheters and ablation catheter. Visual indicators are coupled or linked to underlying electric signals from those electrode pairs via software coding, whereby electrical activity sequence of the heart is provided and updated in real-time on fluoroscopic image. A combination of fluoroscopic image and CT or MRI may also be used. The mapping system further comprises various algorithms for aiding in cardiac mapping and ablation of cardiac arrhythmias.
US08923951B2
Provided among other things is a thermal noise imaging device with (a) thermal noise source; (b) amplifier of thermal noise; (c) antennas adapted to transmit the amplified noise to a perfused body and receive perfused body noise; (d) reference circuit adapted to receive the amplified thermal noise and produce a reference signal; (e) perfused body docking interface adapted to interface with one or more surfaces of the perfused body and (i) support a reflection set of one or more antennas in close proximity with a surface of the perfused body or (ii) support separate transmission sets of one or more antennas on opposing surfaces of the perfused body; and (f) analytical module for the perfused body noise and the reference signal and determining a reflected power from the reflection set or a transmitted power from the transmission sets.
US08923950B2
A system and method for identifying the location of a medical device within a patient's body may be used to localize the fossa ovalis for trans-septal procedures. The systems and methods measure light reflected by tissues encountered by an optical array. An optical array detects characteristic wavelengths of tissues that are different distances from the optical array. The reflectance of different wavelengths of light at different distances from an optical array may be used to identify the types of tissue encountered, including oxygenated blood in the left atrium as detected from the right atrium through the fossa ovalis.
US08923945B2
Methods and systems are provided for transmitting and receiving photon density waves to and from tissue, and processing the received waves using wavelet transforms to identify non-physiological signal components and/or identify physiological conditions. A pulse oximeter may receive the photon density waves from the tissue to generate a signal having phase and amplitude information. A phase signal may be proportional to a scattering by total particles in the tissue, and an amplitude signal may correlate to an absorption by certain particles, providing information on a ratio of different particles in the tissue. Processing the phase and amplitude signals with wavelet transforms may enable an analysis of signals with respect to time, frequency, and magnitude, and may produce various physiological data. For example, non-physiological noise components may be identified, and certain physiological conditions may be identified by processing scalograms of the original signals with patterns corresponding to certain physiological conditions.
US08923943B2
According to the present invention, a method and apparatus for non-invasively determining the blood oxygen saturation level within a subject's tissue is provided. The method includes the steps of: a) providing a spectrophotometric sensor operable to transmit light into the subject's tissue, and to sense the light; b) detecting light after passage through the subject's tissue using the sensor, and producing initial signal data from the light sensed; c) calibrating the sensor to that particular subject using the initial signal data, thereby accounting for the specific physical characteristics of the particular subject's tissue being sensed; and d) using the calibrated sensor to determine the blood oxygen parameter value within the subject's tissue.
US08923934B2
A dual display folder type terminal having a hinge includes a manipulation unit formed in the hinge, wherein the inventive implementation of the hinge provides various function commands without the need of an additional space in the terminal. As a result, the size of the terminal doesn't suffer when implementing the manipulation unit. Further, the dual display folder type terminal can operate different modes based on the opening angle of a folder relative to the other folder.
US08923929B2
A method, non-transitory computer readable medium, and apparatus for processing a call on a mobile endpoint device in any orientation are disclosed. For example, the method receives an incoming call, detects a call answering signal, detects an audio signal within a time period after the call answering signal, determines an orientation of the mobile endpoint device and activates a microphone from a first speaker and microphone pair and a speaker from a second speaker and microphone pair based upon the orientation of the mobile endpoint device.
US08923911B2
A communication system, a control apparatus and a base station apparatus, capable of changing PCI of the base station apparatus without causing a hole in coverage, are provided.A communication system 101 according to the present invention including a base station apparatus 103 and a neighboring base station apparatus 105 adjacent to the base station apparatus includes a transmission power control unit 107, when an identification number of the base station apparatus 103 is changed, configured to instruct the neighboring base station apparatus 105 to increase transmission power before the identification number is changed such that a communication area of the neighboring base station apparatus 105 covers that of the base station apparatus 103. The neighboring base station apparatus 105 increases the transmission power according to the instruction.
US08923907B2
Systems and methods for system for channel access adaptation are disclosed. One system includes a plurality of remote antennas and a plurality of access points. The remote antennas transmit data to receivers and obtain channel state information. Additionally, each access point controls a different cluster of the remote antennas and receives the respective channel state information from the remote antennas of the cluster. Further, each access point is configured to, independently from other access points, adapt channel allocations to the remote antennas of the respective cluster based on a tracking of sums of collision loss probabilities. Each given sum is determined by the access point for a different given set of a plurality of sets of cooperating remote antennas in the respective cluster, where each constituent collision loss probability in the given sum is determined by the access point from a different interference clique to which the given set belongs.
US08923906B2
A method, a user terminal and a network side equipment for improving network resource occupation are disclosed. A dormancy timer is set for the user terminal and a time threshold of the dormancy timer is adjusted dynamically by monitoring a resource occupation rate of the communication system, where time threshold of the dormancy timer is inversely proportional to the resource occupation rate. In this way, relatively longer time threshold of the dormancy timer may be set when a system occupation rate is low, so as to improve user experience; and relatively shorter time threshold of the dormancy timer may be set when the system occupation rate is high, so as to provide a higher capacity and provide services for more user terminals.
US08923900B2
A system for communicating short message service messages from a SMS application to a wireless communication device. The system includes a protocol gateway for converting messages from a simple object access protocol (SOAP) to a short message peer-to-peer (SMPP) protocol. By using a SOAP protocol for a portion of communications between the SMS application and the wireless communication device, the system provides communications path in which SMS application is not required to maintain knowledge of the complex SMPP protocol. The system may also include a billing mechanism for charging subscribers for content received by the wireless communication device.
US08923896B2
Techniques for paging user equipments (UEs) in a wireless communication system are described. In one aspect, a cell sends a paging indicator to a UE, monitors for an acknowledgement from the UE, and sends a page message to the UE if an acknowledgement is received from the UE. The cell may receive channel quality information from the UE and may send the page message with link adaptation and/or HARQ to improve performance. In another aspect, a cell sends a paging indicator on a shared control channel to a UE and sends a page message on a shared data channel to the UE. The paging indicator and page message may be sent from multiple cells to the UE. Alternatively, the paging indicator may be sent from multiple cells to the UE, and the page message may be sent from a single cell to the UE.
US08923891B2
Briefly, in accordance with one or more embodiments, a deterministic device behavior system detects if a device is entering a sensitive location. The sensitive location may be a movie theater, hospital, law enforcement agency, public restroom or locker room, meeting room, factory, or similar location. If the device enters the sensitive location, the device is triggered to query a location database to obtain one or more policies related to deterministic behavior. The policies are transmitted to the device to execute the deterministic behavior while the device is in the sensitive location. The deterministic behavior may include disabling one or more modules of the device such as the camera, microphone, speaker, annunciator, vibrator, and so on, where the use of such modules may be inappropriate or prohibited in the sensitive location. The policies may be implemented manually by the user or automatically by the device.
US08923887B2
Wireless communication systems and methods are described that provide location-based social networks to mobile communication devices. Mobile users of the wireless communication system define social networking profiles storing characteristics of the user. The wireless communication system determines a location of a user's mobile communication device and identifies a set of other mobile users that are geographically proximate to the user. The wireless communication system then filters the set of other mobile users based on characteristics of the social networking profiles of the other mobile users, and transmits identifiers of the filtered set of other mobile users to the user's mobile communication device. The mobile communication device then displays the identifiers of the filtered set of other mobile users to the user allowing the user to initiate contact with any of the other mobile users that are of interest.
US08923886B2
A method in conjunction with positioning of a mobile terminal in a cellular telecommunication system is disclosed. According to the method, an end user's requested positioning accuracy for the positioning of the mobile terminal is determined (510). Also, an estimated confidence value for the positioning of the mobile terminal is determined (520), and so is a required confidence value for the end user (530). Then, a pre-scale value is produced (540) based on at least the estimated confidence value and the required confidence value. The pre-scale value is applied (550) to the requested positioning accuracy to obtain a pre-scaled requested positioning accuracy. Then, the pre-scaled requested positioning accuracy is sent (560) in the cellular telecommunication system towards the mobile terminal.
US08923883B2
Methods and systems for anticipatory location-based mobile communication media transfer are disclosed and may include pre-planning communication of information with a mobile communication device (MCD) based on present and future locations of the MCD and the availability of wireless services. The MCD may include location-determining capability which may include one or more of: a global navigation satellite system, triangulation, and ultra-wideband positioning. A travel route of the MCD may be anticipated utilizing the locations. The travel route may traverse one or more wireless coverage areas and the communication of information with the MCD may be configured when the travel route enters a wireless coverage area with a desired wireless capability, which may include one or more of: bandwidth, data transfer rate, cost, power requirements, channel conditions, quality of service, and secure communications capability. The information may include multimedia data. The MCD may include a plurality of wireless protocol capabilities.
US08923875B2
The present invention relates to methods and apparatuses for controlling cell configuration in a cellular network, wherein a cell identity and a local cell spectrum resource entity or profile are assigned to an access device in response to a result of sensing a local radio environment at said access device to detect possible neighbor cells. The assigned local cell spectrum resource entity or profile is used to allocate cell spectrum resource from a shared multi-operator spectrum to said access device.
US08923874B2
A method for operating a WiMAX femtocell base station, wherein the femtocell base station has an active operational mode, in which the radio interface subsystem of the femtocell base station is fully power supplied, is characterized in that a power saving mode with reduced radio interface activity is provided, wherein the femtocell base station is enabled to transit between the active operation mode and the power saving mode. Furthermore, a corresponding femtocell base station for deployment in a WiMAX network is disclosed.
US08923872B2
A radio communication apparatus selectively performs one of a first transmission method using for data transmission a radio resource which is assigned by a radio communication apparatus and which can be used on a contention basis by a plurality of radio communication apparatus and a second transmission method involving random access. Alternatively, the radio communication apparatus selectively performs one of the first transmission method and a third transmission method involving a request made to the radio communication apparatus to assign a radio resource for data transmission.
US08923865B2
Apparatus and method for wireless communication in a wireless communication network includes operating a wireless device on a first wireless communication technology. Aspects also include detecting a cell of a second wireless communication technology and determining the detected cell of the second wireless communication technology satisfies a first reselection criterion based on a first measurement. Still further the aspects includes expediting a determination of whether to perform cell reselection to the second wireless communication technology based on the detected cell of the second wireless communication technology satisfying the first reselection criterion. Additionally, aspects include determining to reselect to the detected cell of the second wireless communication technology when the at least one new measurement satisfies a second reselection criterion for the reselection time period.
US08923853B1
A policy based service aware engine is provided to dynamically and/or statically provision a traffic navigation processor at a visited network according to service profiles of the home network. The service aware engine thus allows the visited network to gain full knowledge of the service to which a user subscribes, and thus, a user experience consistent with the user's home network can be obtained at the visited network. In various embodiments, the visited network's front-end-processor retrieves or receives service policies from the service aware engine of the home network, and then performs policy-based traffic navigation to intelligently handle and/or backhaul roaming traffic received by the visited network. Thus, the visited network is capable of dynamically classifying incoming roaming traffic and intelligently routing the traffic according to the service characteristics of the traffic flow for each subscriber, e.g., the need for QoS (Quality of Service) support, real time performance requirement, specific level identification, or the like.
US08923841B2
Method for identifying a mobile telephone, a device, where there is a ADD system (1) (Automatic Device Detection) system connected to a network (2) for mobile communication, the ADD system including a TCD (3) (Terminal Capabilities Database) with SAT (SIM Application Toolkit) terminal profile values stored for all device (4) models. The method includes the steps of retrieving the IMEI (International Mobile Equipment Identity) number from the device (4), retrieving the device model and the SAT terminal profile (P2) from the TCD by way of the retrieved IMEI, obtaining the SAT terminal profile (P1) of the actual device, comparing the SAT terminal profile (P1) of the actual device with the SAT terminal profile (P2) obtained from the TCD in the ADD system, and considering the device as having the right IMEI number when the SAT terminal profile of the actual device and the SAT terminal profile obtained from the TCD coincide.
US08923836B2
Device, system, and method of phone call placement. A method of placing a phone call from a mobile phone includes: receiving a user command to initiate a phone call from said mobile phone using a cellular network; diverting said phone call to be carried by a detected network element of a non-cellular wireless network, instead of by said cellular network; wherein the diverting is based on at least one of: a Media Access Control (MAC) address of a detected network element of said non-cellular wireless network, an Organizationally Unique Identifier (OUI) of a detected network element of said non-cellular wireless network, or a Session Initiation Protocol (SIP) account configuration data of a detected network element of said non-cellular wireless network.
US08923831B2
Methods and apparatus for generating a message (106) for a wireless device (102) are disclosed. In an embodiment, an application server (106), or any other suitable device or system, receives a wireless network identifier (e.g. an SSID) associated with an access point (202) communicatively coupled to the wireless device (102). The application server (106) determines a social networking account associated with the network identifier (e.g., company XYZ's Facebook account from a local database). The application server (106) then retrieves content from a network (110) based on the social networking account (e.g., company XYZ's ten most recent Facebook posts), and generates the message (106) for the wireless device (102) based on the content (e.g., “Welcome to XYZ! Today's special offer is . . . ”).
US08923828B2
A method of searching for an object in a network, performed by a first device is provided. The method includes communicating with at least one device in a network regarding whether an object corresponding to an object included in the first device is installed in the at least one device; receiving terminal information from devices in which the corresponding object is installed from among the at least one device; and creating a list of devices in which the corresponding object is installed, and displaying the list of devices on a screen, wherein the list of devices includes the received terminal information.
US08923817B2
The present disclosure provides a system to establish a stable ownership relationship between an online identity and a mobile device. This relationship is persistent across device wipes and operating system reinstalls. Remote commands enable a user to: locate the mobile device; wipe user data off the mobile device; disable the mobile device; display a permanent message on the mobile device; and return a disabled mobile device to normal. Ownership is established when the mobile device is purchased. Thereafter, the ownership is maintained in a host sever through an association between a unique identifier of the mobile device and the owner's online identity. The owner of the mobile device may remotely send an encrypted command to the mobile device, for example, if the mobile device is lost or stolen. The encrypted command is decrypted by the mobile device and the result of the command may be returned remotely to the owner.
US08923816B2
A wireless communication system including a cellular network and a Wireless Local Area Network (WLAN) providing cellular network services via the WLAN is provided. The system includes a Radio Access Network (RAN) providing the cellular network, a WLAN Access Point (AP) providing the WLAN, a Mobile Switching Center/General Packet Radio Service (GPRS) Support Node (MSC/GSN) providing a connection to a core network, a gateway connecting the WLAN AP to the MSC/GSN, and a User Equipment (UE) accessing both the cellular network provided by the RAN and the WLAN provided by the WLAN AP, the UE including a cellular communications unit including a cellular network protocol interface, a Frame Relay Switch (FRS), and a cellular modem, and a WLAN communications unit including a WLAN modem and a Radio Control Agent (RCA), wherein the RCA provides a communications tunnel between the cellular communications unit and a gateway of the WLAN.
US08923812B1
A method, apparatus and computer program product is provided for verifying an association between a phone number provisioned by a voice network and a phone device. The verification is useful on a synthetic communication network that reuses the phone number to transmit text and other media types over a data network such as the Internet between phone devices registered on the synthesized network. One implementation receives a request to add a phone device previously registered with a voice network to the synthesized communication network. With respect to the synthesized network, the phone number is presumed to be unconfirmed even though it may have been previously provisioned from the voice network. Implementations of the invention attempt to transmit a verification message addressed to the phone device through a data channel within the voice network. If the phone number is in fact associated with the phone device then the verification message returns back to the phone device over the data channel on the voice network. If the verification message is received by the phone device, the phone number is confirmed as associated with the phone device. Once the phone number is confirmed, the synthetic network authorizes communication between the phone device and other phone devices registered on the synthetic communication network.
US08923811B2
Methods for dynamic management of security associations in a network are provided. According to one method, a security key management entity determines whether to apply a new security key as an active security key based on an existing active security key. Each of the new security key and the existing active security key are associated with a same home agent, and the existing active security key serves as a basis for an existing security association between the home agent and at least one other network element.
US08923810B2
A system and method for managing a mobile device(s) to provide for a notification(s) when specified thresholds are reached and/or execute defined rules for the mobile device(s). The rules can relate to any function of the mobile device(s), including but not limited to, notification when a percentage of voice/data/SMS is reached during a billing cycle, notification when a mobile device(s) leaves a geo-fence, and restrict a mobile device(s) when a threshold is reached. The system provides a versatile management system allowing a user to effectively control use of a mobile device(s) and manage costs.
US08923809B2
The throttling of mobile device data rates is provided at events, e.g., sporting events, and other venues with large, dense crowds. The system can monitor the loading of the mobile radio antennas at the venue, and when the loading reaches a threshold loading point, the system can selectively throttle the data rates of mobile devices at the venue. In some embodiments, the system can throttle the data rates of certain applications on the mobile devices, or can select mobile devices that are placing a large strain on the network infrastructure to throttle. In other embodiments, the system can set maximum upload and download speeds for all the mobile devices at the venue.
US08923804B1
A notification device for a cellular telephone provides remote notification to a user of activity or events occurring on a paired cellular telephone. In an exemplary embodiment, the notification device includes a communications link operable to couple the notification device to a cellular telephone, an alert mechanism operable to provide at least one alert to a user of the notification device, a controller in communication with the communications link and alert mechanism, and a memory device coupled to the processor for storing configurable parameters of the notification device. The controller is programmed to receive configuration parameters from the cellular telephone and to receive an alert signal from the telephone and activate an alert in response to the received signal. The activated alert may be a sound alert, a light alert, an alphanumeric alert, a vibration alert, or combinations thereof.
US08923791B2
An RFID transponder having an analog front end receiver having an attenuator coupled to receive an RF-signal from an antenna and to attenuate the RF-signal, an amplifier having a fixed amplifier gain and being coupled to receive and to amplify the attenuated RF-signal and a control unit coupled to control a gain of the attenuator, wherein the control unit is configured to control the attenuator gain in response to a level of the amplified RF-signal, the control unit is configured to have a plurality of predetermined states causing the attenuator to increase (step-up) or to decrease (step-down), its gain by a predefined step size.
US08923787B2
A method and system for determining adaptation parameters for pre-distorters in a multi-band power amplifier system of a communication system are disclosed. A method includes receiving, at an adaptor, a reference signal comprising a first plurality of signals having substantially overlapping frequency spectra. Each of the first plurality of signals is input to a corresponding one of a plurality of pre-distorters. The adaptor also receives an observation signal comprising a second plurality of signals tuned to substantially a same frequency to have overlapping frequency spectra. Each of the second plurality of signals is derived from an output of the multi-band power amplifier system. The adaptor computes the adaptation parameters based on the reference signal and the observation signal.
US08923774B2
A management unit manages a plurality of multiservice communication devices capable of communicating via a plurality of networks. The management unit includes a device interface for facilitating a bidirectional data communication with the plurality of multiservice communication devices via a wireless control channel, the bidirectional data communication including outbound control data sent to at least one of the plurality of multiservice communication devices and inbound control data received from at least one of the plurality of multiservice communication devices via either a logical or physical control channel. A network interface receives network resource data from the plurality of networks. A management processing unit includes a local agent that gathers environmental data, wherein the management processing unit processes the inbound control data, the environmental data and the network resource data and that generates the outbound control data in response thereto.
US08923769B2
In one embodiment, a communication apparatus is provided. The apparatus includes a near field communication circuit designed to update at least one event field, associated with a number of occurrences of at least one event, which converted from a first data coding format to a second data coding format and provided in an external communication message that is communicated automatically or in response to receiving an access command. Also included in the instant specification are communication systems, and methods of communicating.
US08923762B2
A communication device is disclosed, having a wireless LAN transceiver, a wireless LAN demodulation circuit, a Bluetooth transceiver, a Bluetooth demodulation circuit, an oscillator, and a mixer. The wireless LAN transceiver conducts communication in a first frequency band and the wireless LAN demodulation circuit demodulates the wireless LAN signals. The Bluetooth transceiver conducts communication in a second band and a third frequency band, which are higher and lower than the first frequency band, respectively. The oscillator generates oscillating signals. The mixer mixes the signals in the second frequency band with an oscillating signal, which is higher than the second frequency band, and mixes the signals in the third frequency band with another oscillating signal, which is lower than the third frequency band to generate mixed signals. The Bluetooth demodulation circuit demodulates the mixed signals of the mixer.
US08923757B2
A method, system and apparatus for service loss handling are provided including a relay comprising an interface communicating first and second messages to a first relay communicating with a first service device, first messages associated with a first service provided by the first service device, second messages associated with other services provided by other service devices. The first relay relays first messages to the first service device; and relays second messages to other service devices. It is determined that the first relay is no longer in communication with the first service device; and, in response: first messages are queued for delayed relay to the first relay when the first relay is again in communication with the first service device; and/or first messages are rerouted to a second relay when the second relay is in communication with a second service device providing a same service as the first service device.
US08923753B2
Systems and methods for problem signature terminal diagnosis are disclosed. In an example embodiment, measured operational statistics of a satellite terminal of a peer group of satellite terminals are received and converted into normalized operation statistics. Normalized deviations of the operational statistics are determined and compared to the threshold deviations. A diagnosis zone corresponding to a problem signature is determined based on the normalized deviations by determining that coordinates of the normalized deviations are within the diagnosis zone, comparing a ratio based on the normalized deviations to a threshold ratio, or comparing a differential of the normalized deviations to a threshold differential. A satellite terminal is diagnosed with a problem defined by the problem signature based on the determined diagnosis zone.
US08923744B2
A cleaning device includes: a cleaning rotating body 160; a scraping member 130; a toner restriction face 141; and a downstream side restriction portion 140. The cleaning rotating body 160 is arranged in sliding contact with the surface of the image carrying body 2. A front end portion 131 of the scraping member 130 is arranged in contact with or in proximity to a surface of the cleaning rotating body 160. The scraping member 130 is a plate-like member and includes a toner receiving face 133 to which the toner is carried from the front end portion 131. The toner restriction face 141 is arranged to be orthogonal to the toner receiving face 133. The downstream side restriction portion 140 restricts movement of the toner to a downstream side in a rotational direction of the cleaning rotating body 166.
US08923743B2
An image forming apparatus configured to apply a necessary amount of a lubricant to an image bearing member while preventing the lubricant from being excessively consumed. An intermediate transfer belt drive motor controlled by a PID controller drives an intermediate transfer belt. A brush rotation controller for controlling an application brush drive motor detects fluctuation in a frictional force between a cleaning blade and the intermediate transfer belt, and controls the application brush drive motor such that an amount of lubricant to be applied is an amount corresponding to the detected fluctuation in the frictional force.
US08923740B2
An invented fixing device for rendering stable the pressure of a pressure pad and for reducing disorder in images conveys a paper on which toner images are formed and fixes the toner image on the paper in application of heat and pressure. The fixing device includes an endless fixing belt heated and rotationally driven, and a tensioning member tensioning the fixing belt. In the fixing belt, arranged are a fixing roller, a pressure pad pressing the fixing belt from the inner periphery surface to the outer periphery surface, and a guide member guiding the fixing belt in a rotation direction in contact with the inner periphery surface of the fixing belt. Nipping portions are formed outside the fixing belt by contacting the fixing roller with the pressure pad via the fixing belt.
US08923739B2
A fixing device includes a coil provided along an outer surface of a heating member to generate a magnetic flux for induction heating, a coil holding portion on which the coil is mounted, a core portion that forms a magnetic path around the coil and that includes arch cores that cover an outer side of the coil and are disposed opposite the heating member with the coil interposed therebetween and at a plurality of positions spaced in a recording-medium width direction and a side core that covers the outer side of the coil between the arch cores and the coil holding portion, and a core fixing member that presses the core portion toward the coil holding portion via an elastic member. The core portion is fixed in the pressing state to the coil holding portion by fastening the core fixing member to the coil holding portion.
US08923733B2
A developer supplying device includes an inflow path; a guide path having an inlet to which a lower end of the inflow path is connected, the guide path extending diagonally downward from the inlet, the guide path guiding the developer to a developing unit; and a transport unit disposed in the guide path, the transport unit including a helical screw blade and a holder that holds the helical screw blade, the transport unit transporting the developer to the developing unit by rotating. In at least a part of a region in the guide path facing the inlet, a pitch of the helical screw blade in a horizontal direction is greater than or equal to a width of the inlet, and the holder is located at a position displaced from the rotation axis of the transport unit.
US08923730B2
An image forming apparatus includes: a developer container to contain a developer therein and a developer supply port; an image forming unit to form an image with the developer from the developer container and including a developer intake port; an openable/closable upper cover configured to cover an upper part of the developer container in a closed state and take out the developer container in an open state; an openable/closable retention cover to hold the developer container and configured to allow the image forming unit to be removed when the retention cover is opened; a coupling device to secure a coupled state of the developer supply port of the developer container with the developer intake port of the image forming unit when the upper cover is in a closed state; and a disconnection preventer to prevent the developer container from disconnecting from the retention cover when the upper cover is opened.
US08923727B2
An image formation apparatus is configured such that a process cartridge can be detachably attached through an opening, at which an openable cover is provided. A sheet accommodated in a sheet feed tray arranged below the process cartridge is to be upwardly fed along a first sheet feed path, while a second feed path is defined by the bottom face of the process cartridge and a path composing member oppositely arranged below the process cartridge. An opened portion is formed at a position, on the opening side, where the second feed path is connected to the first feed path. A first drying agent is arranged in the second feed path. An end of the first drying agent or a member connected to the first drying agent is exposed to outside of the second feed path through the opened portion so as to be visually recognizable when the cover is opened.
US08923709B2
An image forming apparatus includes a main casing, a cartridge, and a CPU. The main casing includes a detection electrode. The cartridge which accommodates toner therein, is attachable to and detachable from the main casing, and has a cartridge electrode electrically connectable to the detection electrode, and a moving member supported to the cartridge electrode. The moving member is movable from a first position where an electrical connection between the cartridge electrode and the detection electrode is interrupted to a third position where the electrical connection is interrupted via a second position where the electrical connection is established. The CPU is configured to judge whether or not the assembled cartridge is a new cartridge. The CPU determines that the assembled cartridge is new when the electrical connection is first interrupted, and established, and then interrupted in accordance with the movement of the moving member.
US08923698B2
A method, performed by a computer device, may include determining that an available spectrum, associated with an optically switched light path, has been allocated for one or more superchannels and identifying a leftover spectrum, associated with the one or more superchannels allocated for the optically switched light path. The method may further include selecting a use for the leftover spectrum; selecting one or more devices to configure based on the selected use; configuring the selected one or more devices to use the leftover spectrum; and sending data via the leftover spectrum using the configured one or more devices.
US08923697B2
The present invention provides a long reach optical amplification device, a passive optical network and an optical signal transmission method in the communication field. The long reach optical amplification device comprises: a first optical diplexer, configured to transmit one or multiple downlink optical signal(s) from a first segment of Feeder fiber to a downlink optical amplifier; and to couple one or multiple uplink optical signal(s) amplified by a uplink optical amplifier to the first segment of Feeder fiber; the downlink optical amplifier, configured to amplify the downlink optical signal(s) and to output the amplified one or multiple downlink optical signal(s); a second optical diplexer, configured to couple the downlink optical signal(s) amplified by the downlink optical amplifier to the second segment of Feeder fiber, and to transmit the uplink optical signal(s) from the second segment of Feeder fiber to the uplink optical amplifier; and the uplink optical amplifier, configured to amplify the uplink optical signal(s) and to output the amplified uplink optical signal(s). The present invention resolves the long reach coexistence of several PON systems.
US08923693B2
Embodiments disclosed therein generally pertain to selectively strengthening glass. More particularly, techniques are described for selectively strengthening cover glass, which tends to be thin, for electronic devices, namely, portable electronic devices. In certain embodiments, selectively strengthening glass, such as cover glass, can be used to provide optical barriers (or channels) internal to the glass. The electronic devices can also provide for camera integration behind the cover glass.
US08923692B2
A system and method is disclosed for enabling user friendly interaction with a camera system. Specifically, the inventive system and method has several aspects to improve the interaction with a camera system, including voice recognition, gaze tracking, touch sensitive inputs and others. The voice recognition unit is operable for, among other things, receiving multiple different voice commands, recognizing the vocal commands, associating the different voice commands to one camera command and controlling at least some aspect of the digital camera operation in response to these voice commands. The gaze tracking unit is operable for, among other things, determining the location on the viewfinder image that the user is gazing upon. One aspect of the touch sensitive inputs provides that the touch sensitive pad is mouse-like and is operable for, among other things, receiving user touch inputs to control at least some aspect of the camera operation. Another aspect of the disclosed invention provides for gesture recognition to be used to interface with and control the camera system.
US08923690B2
A close quarter electric resistance heater comprises a ribbon heater element that is woven between ribbon support segments and within a heater shell. The ribbon support segments form an annulus on each end of the heater and are linked to each other using connectors. The connectors space the ribbon support segments apart from each other to facilitate the weaving of the ribbon element along the inside of the heater shell for heating purposes. The connectors also link the ribbon support segments to the shell. The ribbon heater element has faces that are wider than its edges and the ribbon heater element is woven on the support segments such that the edges face the heater shell. This configuration minimizes the migration of the ribbon heater element towards the shell and possible short circuiting of the heater.
US08923687B2
Access point pictures designated as randomly accessible positions are I pictures or P pictures. Information indicating the decoding sequence (I1, P1, B1, B2, B3, B4, P2, . . . ) of pictures functioning as access points and attribute information (picture_type) indicating whether a picture functions as an access point or is necessary for decoding of the access point following a given access point are recorded on the video information recording medium. Random access is possible even if the GOP interval is lengthened.
US08923685B2
An exemplary method includes receiving a command input by a user to record media content, recording media content data representative of the media content in response to the command, automatically selecting at least one storage device from a local storage device and a network storage device for storage of the recorded media content data in accordance with at least one of a plurality of storage balancing factors, and storing the recorded media content data in the at least one selected storage device. Corresponding methods and systems are also disclosed.
US08923683B1
Among other things, videos and commercials are downloaded to a mobile device for storage on the mobile device and later playout on the mobile device. The downloading includes downloading of metadata associated with the commercials and based on which the mobile device can select commercials for insertion into videos being played back to the user of the mobile device. The commercials to be downloaded are selected based on one or a combination of any two or more of the location of the user, the type of mobile device, and personally-identifiable information about a user of the mobile device.
US08923674B1
The present invention relates to an optical fiber and an optical cable which can be used for a long term even under environments in which an oil content migrates into them, and the optical fiber has a glass fiber extending along a predetermined axis, and a coating. The coating is composed of a plurality of layers each of which is comprised of an ultraviolet curable resin or a thermosetting resin, and swelling rates of the respective coating layers are set so that they increase from an outer peripheral surface of the glass fiber to an outer peripheral surface of the cable jacket.
US08923671B2
An optical coupling lens includes an incident surface, a first total reflection surface, a second total reflection surface and an emergent surface orderly connected to each other end to end. The incident surface includes a first lens portion and a second lens portion thereon. The emergent surface includes a third lens portion thereon. The third lens portion is positioned adjacent to the second total reflection surface. The first lens portion converges incident light into a parallel light beam. The first total reflection surface reflects the light beam to an intersection between the second total reflection surface and the emergent surface. The third lens portion directs the portion of the light beam to an optical fiber. The second total reflection surface reflects the other portion of the light beam to the second lens portion. The second lens portion directs the other portion of the light beam to an optical detector.
US08923670B2
A device comprising a molded optical structure (MOS) connected to optical fibers. The device includes optical paths through the MOS. Each optical path comprises a first section and a second section. The first section is adjacent the optical fibers. The device comprises a first lens positioned at a first end of the first section, and a second lens positioned at a second end of the second section. The device comprises a reflector positioned in the optical path. The reflector reflects light in a direction approximately orthogonal to a direction from which the light is received.
US08923669B2
An optical wave guide includes an optical waveguide layer in which a core layer is surrounded by a cladding layer, a light path converting portion provided to a light entering side and a light emitting side of the optical waveguide layer respectively, a light entering portion demarcated in an outer surface of the cladding layer, in which a light is entered to the light path converting portion of the light entering side; and a light emitting portion demarcated in an outer surface of the cladding layer, in which a light from the light path converting portion of the light emitting side is emitted, wherein an outer surface of the cladding layer except the light entering portion and the light emitting portion is formed as a roughened surface.
US08923668B2
According to the present invention, as a result of using a depressed or trench-assisted light-receiving waveguide in which the core is surrounded by a layer having a refractive index lower than that of a cladding as light-receiving means for receiving light outputted from a multi-core optical fiber, the layer of a low refractive index can inhibit the propagation of noise, etc. from the cladding to the core. Consequently, even in cases where the inter-core crosstalk is small, it is possible to accurately measure the inter-core crosstalk since components different from crosstalk-derived components in optical power are reduced.
US08923657B2
An electro-optic modulator includes a substrate including a top surface, a Y-shaped waveguide embedded into the top surface and including a first branch dedicated for transmitting transverse electric wave and a second branch dedicated for transmitting transverse magnetic wave, a ground electrode, a first modulating electrode, and a second modulating electrode. The top surface defines a first groove separating the first branch and the second branch, a second groove, and a third groove at a side of the second branch opposite to the first groove. The first modulating electrode and the ground electrode are located two sides of the first branch. The first modulating electrode covers a first sidewall of the second groove adjacent to the first branch. The ground electrode entirely covers the first groove and the second branch. The second modulating electrode covers a bottom surface of the third groove.
US08923652B2
A set of images is processed to modify and register the images to a reference image in preparation for blending the images to create a high-dynamic range image. To modify and register a source image to a reference image, a processing unit generates a correspondence map for the source image based on a non-rigid dense correspondence algorithm, generates a warped source image based on the correspondence map, estimates one or more color transfer functions for the source image, and fills the holes in the warped source image. The holes in the warped source image are filled based on either a rigid transformation of a corresponding region of the source image or a transformation of the reference image based on the color transfer functions.
US08923649B2
A method is provided in one example and includes displaying a calibration area surrounded by a background on a display; analyzing an image of the calibration area to determine if the background is detectable in the image; adjusting the calibration area until at least a portion of the background is not detectable; and storing the adjustment for the calibration area. In more particular examples, the method may include determining a percentage of the background that is detectable; and adjusting the calibration area based on the percentage. In yet other instances, the method may include decreasing a size of the calibration area if the size of the calibration area is bigger than the display.
US08923640B1
The invention is directed to an efficient way for encoding and decoding video. Embodiments include identifying different coding units that share a similar characteristic. The characteristic can be, for example: quantization values, modes, block sizes, color space, motion vectors, depth, facial and non-facial regions, and filter values. An encoder may then group the units together as a coherence group. An encoder may similarly create a table or other data structure of the coding units. An encoder may then extract the commonly repeating characteristic or attribute from the coding units. The encoder may transmit the coherence groups along with the data structure, and other coding units which were not part of a coherence group. The decoder may receive the data, and utilize the shared characteristic by storing locally in cache, for faster repeated decoding, and decode the coherence group together.
US08923639B2
It is an object to reduce a computation related to a detection of a corresponding point intended for a compressed dynamic image. In order to attain the object, there are acquired first and second compressed dynamic images including a reference frame and a prediction frame with each pixel indicated by motion information based on the other frame respectively. Moreover, there is executed a detection processing for detecting a corresponding point which corresponds to each reference point of one frame contained in the first compressed dynamic image from one frame contained in the second compressed dynamic image by causing each set of frames between said first compressed dynamic image and said second compressed dynamic image to be a target. The detection processing intended for a set of prediction frames is executed by using the motion information indicative of the set of prediction frames.
US08923637B2
There is provided an image processing system and an image processing method able to suppress block distortion in the case of decoding image data encoded in unit of blocks. A controlling unit selects a filtering content to be applied to the block image data based on the encoding types of the block image data to be filtered, and a filtering unit applies filtering to the block image data to be processed according to the filtering content selected by the controlling unit.
US08923636B2
A circuit includes an image decompression circuit configured to receive compressed image data which are generated by compressing image data of a set of pixels of a target block by using a selected compression method selected from a plurality of compression methods based on a correlation among said image data of said set of pixels of said target block, and to generate decompressed image data by decompressing said compressed image data by using a decompression method corresponding to said selected compression method.
US08923633B2
An image decoding method for decoding an image including slices while reducing both a decrease in image quality and a decrease in coding efficiency is provided. The image decoding method includes: decoding a current motion vector which is a motion vector of a current block to be decoded and specifies a reference block included in a reference picture, and a difference image block indicating a difference between the current block and a prediction image block; generating the prediction image block by allocating, to an outside pixel that is a pixel included in the reference block and located outside an associated slice that is a slice corresponding to a current slice to be decoded which includes the current block, a value of an inside pixel that is a pixel located inside the associated slice; and adding up the difference image block and the prediction image block to reconstruct the current block.
US08923630B2
Multimodal data mining in a multimedia database is addressed as a structured prediction problem, wherein mapping from input to the structured and interdependent output variables is learned. A system and method for multimodal data mining is provided, comprising defining a multimodal data set comprising image information; representing image information of a data object as a set of feature vectors in a feature space; clustering in the feature space to group similar features; associating a non-image representation with a respective image data object based on the clustering; determining a joint feature representation of a respective data object as a mathematical weighted combination of a set of components of the joint feature representation; optimizing a weighting for a plurality of components of the mathematical weighted combination with respect to a prediction error between a predicted classification and a training classification; and employing the mathematical weighted combination for automatically classifying a new data object.
US08923627B2
A method for locating an electronic apparatus, the method includes identifying a mobile communication device that is proximate the electronic apparatus; receiving location information embedded in an image file by the mobile communication device and transferred from the mobile communication device; and storing the location information in the electronic apparatus.
US08923612B2
The present invention relates to an image processing apparatus and method, and a program that are capable of displaying images more easily and effectively.A degree-of-blur detecting unit 21 detects the degree of blur of an input image. The selecting unit 22 selects an image processing operation to be performed on the input image on the basis of a detection result of the degree of blur, and supplies the input image to a block that performs the selected image processing operation among a comic-style conversion unit 23 to a sharpness processing unit 28. The block supplied with the input image among the comic-style conversion unit 23 to the sharpness processing unit 28 performs the image processing operation on the input image and outputs it to an output unit 29. The present invention can be applied to an image processing apparatus.
US08923610B2
An image processing apparatus includes a calculating unit, an edge-position detecting unit, an identifying unit, and a subject-region detecting unit. For each color separation image, the calculating unit calculates a gradient direction of an edge gradient and an edge intensity at each position on the basis of a color captured image. The edge-position detecting unit detects edge positions in each color separation image on the basis of the gradient directions of the edge gradients and the edge intensities. For each position, the identifying unit identifies the gradient direction of the edge gradient and the edge intensity at the position in one of the plural color separation images that includes the largest edge intensity at the position. The subject-region detecting unit detects a subject region on the basis of the detected edge positions, the identified gradient directions of the edge gradients, and the identified edge intensities.
US08923606B2
An iterative process for determining an aperture in a representation of an object is disclosed. The object is received and a bounding box corresponding thereto is determined. The bounding box includes a plurality of initial voxels and the object is embedded therein. An intersecting set of initial voxels is determined, as well as an internal set and an external set of initial voxels. The resolution of the voxels is iteratively decreased until the ratio of internal voxels to external voxels exceeds a predetermined threshold. The voxels corresponding to the final iteration are the final voxels. An internal set of final voxels is determined. A union set of initial voxels is determined indicating an intersection between the external set of initial voxels and the internal set of final voxels. From the union set of initial voxels and the external set of initial voxels, a location of an aperture is determined.
US08923602B2
Disclosed herein are embodiments and methods of a visual guidance and recognition system requiring no calibration. One embodiment of the system comprises a servo actuated manipulator configured to perform a function, a camera mounted on the face plate of the manipulator, and a recognition controller configured to acquire a two dimensional image of the work piece. The manipulator controller is configured to receive and store the face plate position at a distance “A” between the reference work piece and the manipulator along an axis of the reference work piece when the reference work piece is in the camera's region of interest. The recognition controller is configured to learn the work piece from the image and the distance “A”. During operation, a work piece is recognized with the system, and the manipulator is accurately positioned with respect to the work piece so that the manipulator can accurately perform its function.
US08923591B2
Complex magnetic resonance (MR) image data, acquired from an examination subject that has at least two different spin species, are processed in a method and a device. At least one MR parameter that influences data acquired in an MR data acquisition is determined with spatial resolution. Complex image data are respectively acquired with each of multiple acquisition units in an MR data acquisition at multiple echo times, such that a phase difference between the first spin species and the second spin species is different at least two of the echo times. For multiple image points, a value of the at least one MR parameter is determined so that a function that depends on the at least one MR parameter and the corresponding image point in the complex image data satisfies an extreme condition.
US08923588B2
A time of flight positron emission tomography apparatus (100) includes a detector (106), a data acquisition system (120), a coincidence system (122) and a reconstructor (129). Various elements of an imaging chain influence the temporal resolution of the system (100) so that positron data collected along different lines of response is characterized by different temporal resolutions. The different temporal resolutions are used to estimate the positions of detected events along their respective lines of response.
US08923587B2
A system and method are provided for reconstructing images from limited or incomplete data, such as few view data or limited angle data or truncated data generated from divergent beams. The method and apparatus may iteratively constrain the variation of an estimated image in order to reconstruct the image. To reconstruct an image, a first estimated image may be generated. Estimated data may be generated from the first estimated image, and compared with the actual data. The comparison of the estimated data with the actual data may include determining a difference between the estimated and actual data. The comparison may then be used to generate a new estimated image. For example, the first estimated image may be combined with an image generated from the difference data to generate a new estimated image. To generate the image for the next iteration, the variation of the new estimated image may be constrained.
US08923575B2
An object area detection means detects an object area which is an area to be subjected to image processing from an input image. A reflection component reconstruction means calculates color information of the object area and a perfect diffusion component, which is a low-frequency component of the object area, and reconstructs a surface reflection component based on the color information and the low-frequency component. An albedo calculation means calculates an albedo, which is color information obtained by removing shading information, which is information that represents luminance of the perfect diffusion component, from the perfect diffusion component. An albedo correction processing means reconstructs a surface reflectance of the object area based on the albedo and the color information in the object area, and then calculates the corrected albedo, which is color information obtained by correcting the albedo based on the surface reflectance.
US08923574B2
A social networking site providing facial similarity matching services to subscribers to the social networking site. A subscriber may upload a digital image of himself and have it compared to digital images of other member subscribers using software to interpret points of comparison on each digital image. Subscribers may effect the outcome of the matching process by designating a selection of images as close matches from a computer generated plurality of matching images. A collage of finally matched images is provided to the inquiring subscriber as well as contact information to communicate with the other subscribers.
US08923573B2
A vein image capture device includes an illumination device, an image capture device, and a support device. The image capture device captures an image of a vein pattern of a body part by receiving light reflected by the body part. The support device is arranged between the body part and the image capture device to transmit at least apart of the reflected light and support the illumination device at the body part side. The image capture device is separated from the support device by the distance at which the image capture device may receive the reflected light.
US08923572B2
In a mobile terminal capable of retrieving data, and a control method thereof, the mobile terminal includes a display unit to display at least one object, and a controller to detect information included in an object selected by a user from the at least one object, retrieve objects each having data corresponding to the detected information, and process the retrieved objects to be associated with the selected object.
US08923568B2
Systems and methods for standardizing one or more fluorescence scanning instruments to a reference system by separating the effects of drift and normalization. In an embodiment, a drift image comprising an image of a drift reference slide is captured by a system to be standardized. A drift measurement is calculated using the drift image. A first normalization image comprising an image of a normalization slide is also captured by the system to be standardized. A reference normalization image, also comprising an image of the normalization slide, is captured by a reference system. The first normalization image is compared to the reference normalization image to determine a gamma value and offset value for the system to be standardized.
US08923561B2
A method of detecting space debris includes: generating a virtual space debris in accordance with the law of conservation of mass by applying a debris breakup model to an object of breakup origin; calculating an orbit of each virtual space debris based on a debris orbit propagation model; and generating appearance frequency distribution of a motion vector of each virtual space debris on the celestial sphere based on the orbit calculation. The above operations are executed multiple times. The method further includes setting a search range vector based on a motion vector having a high level of the appearance frequency distribution of the motion vector, and applying a stacking method to regions in images captured at time intervals during the fixed point observation, the regions being shifted along the search range vector sequentially in the order of capture, thereby detecting space debris appearing on the images.
US08923558B2
A motion detecting engine is provided. Given a pair of stereo rectified images in which the stereo rectified images are taken at different times from one or more sensors that are oriented perpendicular to a stereo baseline and parallel to each other, for each feature in one of the stereo rectified images, the motion detecting engine associates a subject feature with the same feature in the other stereo rectified image to form a feature association. For each feature association, the motion detecting engine forms a feature motion track following a subject feature association from one of the stereo rectified images to the other stereo rectified image. The motion detecting engine then differentiates feature motion tracks from other feature motion tracks that are parallel to the stereo baseline. The feature motion tracks being differentiated by the motion detecting engine represent detected objects that are moving with respect to the ground.
US08923555B2
Provided are an image measuring device, an image measuring method, and a computer program, capable of performing accurate calibration and accurately measure a desired physical quantity even in a case of an object to be measured having a shape in which selection and tracking of target points are difficult or an object to be measured moving as time elapses. Frame images are played back frame by frame, and selection of a plurality of frame images is accepted from frame images played back frame by frame. A synthesized image in which the selected and accepted frame images are superimposed is generated. The generated synthesized image is displayed, and a predetermined physical quantity is measured on the displayed synthesized image.
US08923549B2
Disclosed are a method of generating a watermark, a method of generating a broadcast content including the same, and a watermarking system. The method of generating a watermark according to an exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure includes: determining a size of a target image to which a broadcast content is provided; determining the number of watermarks to be inserted into one frame of the target image; generating a watermark insert pattern by using the size of the target image and the number of watermarks; and scaling up the watermark insert pattern to a predetermined pattern for inserting the watermark insert pattern into an original image of the broadcast content.
US08923548B2
Methods, devices and computer program products facilitate the extraction of embedded watermarks in the presence of content distortions. Distortion of the content is estimated using two or more detected watermarks with an associated probability of false detection that is above a desired level. The estimated content distortion is used to obtain pre-distorted synchronization templates and to reevaluate the detected watermarks. The use of pre-distorted synchronization templates results in obtaining better estimations of content distortion, and improved reliability of watermark detections.
US08923547B2
A method of geotagging an audio-recording. The method comprises: determining (220) a location at which the audio-recording was recorded; obtaining (230) an image containing an indication of the location, or a reference to a file containing such an image; and creating (215, 240) a single file (1) containing: the audio-recording (4); and the image (8) or a reference to a separate file that contains the image. The indication of the location comprises at least one of: a map (8a) that includes the location; an aerial or satellite photograph that includes the location; and text (8b) overlaid on the image to specify the location.
US08923529B2
A microphone array system (16) for sound acquisition from multiple sound sources in a reception space surrounding a microphone array (18) that is interfaced with a beamformer module (28) is disclosed. The microphone array (18) includes microphone transducers (22) that are arranged relative to each other in N-fold rotationally symmetry, and the beamformer includes beamformer weights that are associated with one of a plurality of spatial reception sectors corresponding to the N-fold rotational symmetry of the microphone array (18). Microphone indexes of the microphone transducers (18) are arithmetically displaceable angularly about the vertical axis during a process cycle, so that a same set of beamformer weights is used selectively for calculating a beamformer output signal associated with any one of the spatial reception sectors. A sound source location module (30) is also disclosed that includes a modified steered power response sound source location method. A post filter module (32) for a microphone array system is also disclosed.
US08923523B2
The selective filtering earplugs allow a user to filter most external and environmental sounds, only allowing a set of pre-approved sounds to be heard by the user. The earplugs include a sound acquisition module and at least one filtering earplug. The sound acquisition module includes a microphone for receiving environmental sounds and a controller for converting the received environmental sounds to a digital signal. First memory is provided for storing the digital signal and second memory is provided for storing a database of pre-approved sound signals. The controller compares the digital signal with the database of pre-authorized sound signals. If the digital signal matches a pre-authorized sound signal of the database, then a transmitter transmits the digital signal. The filtering earplug includes a receiver for receiving the digital signal and a converter for converting the digital signal into an audio signal.
US08923511B2
The invention provides an enciphering apparatus and method, a deciphering apparatus and method and an information processing apparatus and method by which illegal copying can be prevented with certainty. Data enciphered by a 1394 interface of a DVD player is transmitted to a personal computer and a magneto-optical disk apparatus through a 1394 bus. In the magneto-optical disk apparatus with which a change to a function is open to a user, the received data is deciphered by a 1394 interface. In contrast, in the personal computer with which a change to a function is open to a user, the enciphered data is deciphered using a time variable key by a 1394 interface, and a result of the decipherment is further deciphered using a session key by an application section.
US08923495B2
Telecommunications customers must frequently utilize the facilities of many different telecommunications service providers in order to transmit data from one location to another. When a telecommunications customer encounters a network problem, that customer usually must navigate a complicated web of service providers and equipment owners in order to receive meaningful technical assistance from a human technician. The present invention is designed and intended to facilitate human interactions for technical support and administrative tasks by associating customer, contract, circuit, equipment, key personnel, billing, and telco information in a database for efficient data presentation and information retrieval. Resolution of the logistical problem of tracking circuit information is achieved by organizing the information and displaying important data concurrently. Toward that end, the system modules comprising the invention share all of the circuit inventory data available, and graphical user interfaces for each module display relevant information together. Examples of features in the present invention include: simultaneous display of circuit and contact information for key personnel, a reminder function for tracking changes in important service characteristics, and customer-specific formatting for billing.
US08923484B2
A motion correction system and method for motion correction for an x-ray tube is presented. One embodiment of the motion correction system includes a sensing unit coupled to an x-ray tube to determine a distance with which an impingement location of an electron beam generated by the x-ray tube deviates from a determined location due to motion of the x-ray tube. The motion correction system further includes a control unit coupled to the sensing unit to generate a control signal corresponding to the distance with which the impingement location of the electron beam deviates. Also, the motion correction system includes a deflection unit coupled to the control unit to steer the electron beam to the determined location based on the generated control signal.
US08923483B2
A method for controlling the angular orientation of an x-ray image on a display for a viewer displays at least one rotation mode selector on the display. A viewer instruction selects the rotation mode. An overlay displays with the x-ray image, wherein the overlay provides a center of rotation. A viewer instruction identifies a point lying outside the center of rotation. The image is rotated on the display about the center of rotation according to the identified point.
US08923472B2
A flip-flop of the present invention includes: an input terminal; an output terminal; a first control signal terminal and a second control signal terminal; a first output section including a bootstrap capacitor, the first output section being connected to the first control signal terminal and the output terminal; a second output section connected to a first output section source and the output terminal; a first input section connected to the input terminal, the first input section charging the bootstrap capacitor; a discharge section discharging the bootstrap capacitor; a second input section connected to the input terminal, the second input section being also connected to the second output section; a reset section controlling the discharge section and the second output section, the reset section being connected to the second control signal terminal; a first initialization section controlling the first output section; a second initialization section controlling the first input section; and a third initialization section controlling the discharge section and the second output section. This makes it possible to realize a shift register capable of performing an all-ON operation regardless of clock signals.
US08923468B2
An exemplary clock and data recovery circuit includes a serial data input node arranged for receiving a serial data; a reference clock input node arranged for receiving a reference clock; a control circuit arranged for generating a control signal to selectively configure the clock and data recovery to operate in one of a plurality of phases; a detective circuit arranged for generating a first adjusting signal while the clock and data recovery operates in a frequency locking phase, and for generating a second adjusting signal while the clock and data recovery circuit operates in a clock and data recovery phase; and a controllable oscillator arranged for generating a recovered clock according to the first adjusting signal in the frequency locking phase, and for generating the recovered clock according to the second adjusting signal in the clock and data recovery phase.
US08923467B2
A system and method for performing clock and data recovery. The system sets the phase of a recovered clock signal according to at least three estimates of the rate of change of an offset between the frequency of the data transmitter clock and the frequency of a receiver clock.
US08923464B2
A method, an apparatus, and a computer program product for wireless communication are provided in connection with enabling distributed frequency synchronization based on a fastest node clock rate. In one example, a first UE is equipped to determine that a fastest clock rate is faster than an internal clock rate of the first UE by more than a first positive offset, and adjust the internal clock rate based on the determined fastest clock rate. In an aspect, the fastest clock rate is associated with a second UE of one or more other UEs from which synchronization signals may be received. In another example, a UE is equipped to obtain GPS based timing information, adjust an internal clock rate based on the GPS based timing information, and transmit a synchronization signal at an artificially earlier time in comparison to a scheduled time of transmission associated with the adjusted internal clock rate.
US08923459B2
In a wireless modem which comprises a first receiver and a second receiver it is detected whether or not user data transmission is taking place. If user data transmission is detected, a second channel quality value is continuously estimated using the second receiver. If no user data transmission is detected, the second receiver is shut off, a first channel quality value is continuously estimated using the first receiver, and the second channel quality value of the second receiver is continuously estimated using the first channel quality value estimated by the first receiver.
US08923454B2
A method, an apparatus and a system for eliminating aliasing noise in a multi-carrier modulation system are disclosed. The method includes: acquiring a first power spectrum density template; acquiring information of in-band subcarriers whose aliasing noise is greater than background noise, and acquiring a difference between the aliasing noise and the background noise of the in-band subcarriers; adjusting the first power spectrum density template according to the information of the in-band subcarriers and the corresponding difference to obtain a second power spectrum density template; and sending signals according to the second power spectrum density template. The method, the apparatus, and the system disclosed herein eliminate the aliasing crosstalk noise, improve the performance and stability of in-band services without involving upgrade or modification of the Customer Premises Equipment (CPE), and are easy to implement.
US08923437B2
Embodiments of a non-contiguous spectral-band modulator and method for non-contiguous spectral-band modulation are generally described herein. In some embodiments, an input symbol tuple may be mapped to a sequence of phase values. Each value of the sequence of phase values may represent an instantaneous frequency of a waveform for a signal with a power spectral density that is substantially constrained to the two or more subbands of a non-contiguous spectrum. The values of the sequence of phase values may be accumulated and a phase-sample sequence representing phase samples of a transmit waveform may be generated. An exponentiation may be performed on the phase-sample sequence to generate a constant modulus signal sequence. An output signal sequence is generated that is constrained to a region in the complex plane, such as an annulus, when the signal is in a subband. The output signal sequence may be shaped to constrain spectral energy during transitions between subbands.
US08923436B2
An RF signal generator divides an input radio signal into an amplitude signal and a phase signal and outputs the amplitude signal and the phase signal. A switching amplifier amplifies the radio signal with the amplitude signal and the phase signal. The switching amplifier includes at least one variable current source that is controlled by the amplitude signal and supplies a current to the switching amplifier. The switching amplifier includes at least one switching elements that connects the variable current source to one of a terminal connected a ground potential and an output terminal of the switching amplifier according to the phase signal.
US08923434B2
A method and an apparatus for modifying a complex-valued signal are described, the complex-valued signal representing a first symbol and a second symbol. A signal trajectory of the complex-valued signal between the first and second symbols is determined, and, if the signal trajectory passes nearby the constellation origin, the signal trajectory is altered to run closer to the constellation origin.
US08923432B2
Methods and devices for communicating in a communication system are described herein. One aspect provides a method of communicating over one or more space-time streams. The method includes transmitting a first stream with a bandwidth of 2 MHz or less. The method further includes transmitting, when there are at least two streams, a second stream with a cyclic shift delay relative to the first stream equal to half a period. The method further includes transmitting, when there are at least three streams, a third stream with a cyclic shift delay relative to one of the first and second stream equal to a quarter of the period. The method further includes transmitting, when there are at least four streams, a fourth stream with a cyclic shift delay relative to the other of the first and second stream equal to a quarter of the period.
US08923427B2
A method includes, in a mobile communication terminal, holding a definition of a sub-sampled codebook identifying precoding matrices, which are selected from a master codebook that is made-up of a wideband codebook and a frequency-selective codebook. The definition defines a first subset of the wideband codebook and a second subset of the frequency-selective codebook. The second subset of the frequency-selective codebook is represented using no more than two bits. A Multiple-Input Multiple-Output (MIMO) signal is received in the terminal. Based on the received MIMO signal, one or more precoding matrices are selected from the sub-sampled codebook for precoding subsequent MIMO signals transmitted to the terminal, and precoding feedback indicating the selected precoding matrices is calculated. The precoding feedback is transmitted from the terminal.
US08923426B2
Methods, apparatus, and computer readable medium manage the utilization of a wireless medium capable of transmitting multiple channels of data simultaneously. A plurality of messages are stored in a queue for transmission on the wireless medium. A wireless medium utilization for transmitting a first message over the multi-channel medium is determined. Each of the messages stored in the queue is delayed based at least in part on the determined wireless medium utilization. In some embodiments, a message may be delayed based at least in part on a state of a connection used by the message. For example, if the connection is in a ramp-up or slow start phase, the message may not be delayed. Messages may also be delayed based on a type of the message. For example, messages generated by interactive applications, such as web browsers or instant messaging applications may not be delayed.
US08923420B2
A reception apparatus is disclosed which includes: a detection section configured to detect the presence or absence of spectrum inversion in data transmitted by a multi-carrier transmission system based on whether a known signal can be decoded using that part of the transmitted data which has been transmitted by carriers used for transmitting the known signal; and a correction section configured to correct the data transmitted by the multi-carrier transmission system if the presence of spectrum inversion is detected.
US08923418B2
A phase shifting stage is disclosed. The phase shifting stage includes first and second transistors. Second terminals of the first transistor and the second transistor are coupled to a first current tail node. A third transistor and a fourth transistor have second terminals that are coupled to a second current tail node. Also included is a first transformer having a primary winding with first and second inputs and a secondary winding. The first input is coupled to the first terminals of the first and third transistors, and the second input is coupled to the first terminals of the second and the fourth transistors. A common input stage having high power gain and phase commutating cascode stages in asymmetrical transformer output demultiplexing (ATODEM) branches is also provided. The common input stage limits the noise generated at an input stage by substantially canceling out the noise at an output transformer of the ATODEM.
US08923412B2
A method for operating a decoder includes receiving a complex signal representative of a received symbol from among a plurality of symbols. The received symbol includes a plurality of bits and corresponds to a respective point on a constellation map. Likelihood metrics are generated for the received symbol, with each likelihood metric reflecting a likelihood of the received symbol corresponding to one of the points on the constellation map. The likelihood metrics are arranged in columns and rows. Common likelihood metrics are determined for each column and for each row. The common likelihood metrics are compared to determine a best likelihood metric for the bits in the received symbol that are to be compared by columns, and to be compared by rows.
US08923409B2
A plurality of bit streams are seamlessly spliced. Separate decoders decode each bit stream. A controller selects the decoded pictures according to a re-encoding range in the vicinity of a splicing point of the bit streams. Pictures presenting a reordering of the streams are excluded in the selection of the decoded pictures. An encoder re-encodes the pictures within the re-encoding range. When it is determined that crossover motion compensation exists between pictures of different streams, the controller changes the motion prediction direction of the problematic picture. The controller changes a motion prediction picture type of a picture which is improperly motion predicted with reference to another stream. A quantization characteristic or motion vectors for the new picture type are generated by the controller. The controller effects the encoding in accordance with a target amount of bits to prevent a breakdown of a buffer and a discontinuation of an amount of data occupancy thereof. A multiplexer multiplexes the original streams with the re-encoded stream to produce a seamless bit stream.
US08923401B2
A system and method for processing images of a scene captured by an imaging platform include a correction processor configured to determine a plurality of coefficients associated with transformations that substantially correct expected inter-frame changes in the images caused by relative motion between the scene and the imaging platform; a transformation processor configured to transform the captured images using the plurality of coefficients and transformations so as to substantially correct said expected inter-frame changes; and a module configured to store the plurality of coefficients in image metadata associated with the images.
US08923399B2
An apparatus for processing a video signal and method thereof are disclosed, by which the video signal from which redundancy of inter-view pictures is eliminated can be decoded. The present invention includes obtaining a block type of a first corresponding block within a first reference view included in a reference list, if the block type of the first corresponding block is an intra block, obtaining a block type and motion information of a second corresponding block within a second reference view included in the reference list, and if the block type of the first corresponding block is not the intra block, decoding a current block using the motion information of the second corresponding block.
US08923386B2
In one embodiment, the method of compressing a digital signal includes reducing redundancies in the digital signal, scaling a block of samples output from the reducing step by a scaling factor, and quantizing the scaled samples to produce compressed samples. The digital signal being compressed may be a digital radio frequency signal.
US08923382B2
Described embodiments adapt one or more taps of a decision feedback equalizer of a receiver by setting a reference voltage for each of one or more data recovery comparators to a corresponding predetermined initial value. The data recovery comparators generate a bit value for each sample of a received signal. A tap adaptation module of the receiver selects a window of n received bit samples. The tap adaptation module iteratively, for each of the one or more data recovery comparators, tracks (i) a detected number of bits having a logic 0 value, and (ii) a detected number of bits having a logic 1 value. The tap adaptation module adjusts, based on a ratio of the detected number of bits having a logic 0 value to the detected number of bits having a logic 1 value, the reference voltage for the corresponding data recovery comparator by a predetermined step amount.
US08923381B2
The present invention reduces the degradation in performance of one or more radio signals that are co-transmitted with a first radio signal from the same transmitting antenna in the same frequency channel and received by the same antenna due to multipath or other shared interference, where the one or more radio signals can be separated from the first radio signal. All received signals are coupled to the same adaptive array or adaptive filter to reduce multipath or other shared interference of the first radio signal, which reduces multipath and other shared interference in the other radio signals before they are separated and processed by their respective receivers, or the individual radio signals are separated before the first signal enters the adaptive array and coupled to a slave weighting network slaved to the weights of the adaptive array of the first signal to reduce interference in all the signals.
US08923378B2
A method is provided for equalizing OFDM symbol vectors received on AM in-band on-channel radio signal including a main carrier and first and second BPSK modulated subcarriers. The method comprises: computing a BPSK magnitude signal; filtering the BPSK magnitude signal; filtering complex samples received on the main carrier; using the filtered BPSK magnitude signal and the filtered complex samples received on the main carrier to compute a plurality of flat fade equalization coefficients; and multiplying the OFDM symbol vectors by the flat fade equalization coefficients. A receiver that includes an equalizer, which operates in accordance with the method is also provided.
US08923377B2
Communication systems may benefit from an HSPA MIMO receiver configured for receipt of an imbalanced transmit signal, as well as a method for operating the receiver. According to certain embodiments, a method can include receiving a multiple-input multiple-output system communication signal comprising at least one primary signal at a first power level from a first antenna and a secondary signal at a second power level different from the first power level from a second antenna. The method can also include estimating at least one parameter of the communication signal. The method can further include applying the at least one parameter as estimated to calculate linear minimum mean square error coefficients. The method can additionally include applying the linear minimum mean square error coefficients to process the communication signal.
US08923372B2
A system for parallel radio frequency (RF) testing. The system includes a plurality of signal generators, a plurality of signal analyzers, a data bus connected to the plurality of signal generators, and a controller. The controller has a connection to the data bus so as to be in electronic communication with the plurality of signal generators, and has a plurality of point to point links to respective ones of the signal analyzers so as to be in electronic communication with the plurality of signal analyzers.
US08923371B2
A SerDes data sampling controller that includes a gear shifting data sampling clock that zeroes the data sampling skew at the center of the unit interval during the CDR phase lock stage, and then skews the data sample timing away from the center of the unit interval as the DFE coefficients adapt during the data transfer stage. This allows the controller to implement the best (unskewed) data sample timing during the CDR phase locking stage, and then skew the data sample timing after the DFE coefficients have adapted to provide the best (skewed) data sample timing for data bit sampling during the data transfer stage. The data sampling gear shifter may apply a variable skew value to the transition sampling or quadrature (Q) data sampling clock differentially varying the quadrature (Q) transition sampling clock from the inphase (I) data sampling clock.
US08923367B2
A communication apparatus including: a transmitter that transmits a first message to another communication apparatus, a receiver that receives a second message from the other communication apparatus, and a processor that performs time synchronization using the first message and the second message, wherein the processor generates information regarding a delay in the communication processing of the first message in the transmitter and the second message in the receiver in a communication layer in communication with the other communication apparatus, and the processor performs the time synchronization with the other communication apparatus based on the information regarding the delay in a time synchronization layer above the communication layer.
US08923365B2
A communication method includes detecting at a gate drive unit a change of state of a command signal that is received via a command link of the gate drive unit and initiating, responsive to the change of state of the command signal, a blanking period in which the gate drive unit will process as incoming data any further changes of state of the command signal. The method also includes receiving incoming data at the gate drive unit, by processing modulations of the command signal, within the blanking period.
US08923363B2
A method for communicating DM-RS symbols to support MIMO transmissions having five or more layers of spatial multiplexing. A first subframe is communicated carrying two leading symbols of a first length-4 OCC sequence and two leading symbols of a second length-4 OCC sequence, and a second subframe is communicated carrying two trailing symbols of the first length-4 OCC and two trailing symbols of the second length-4 OCC sequence. Optionally four length-2 OCCs can be carried in a similar manner or, alternatively, in different frequency bands or resource block pairs of a common subframe.
US08923362B2
A wireless communication system. The system comprises transmitter circuitry (BST1), the transmitter circuitry comprising encoder circuitry (50) for transmitting a plurality of frames (FR). Each of the plurality of frames comprises a primary synchronization code (PCS) and a second synchronization code (SSC). The encoder circuitry comprises of circuitry (501) for providing the primary synchronization code in response to a first sequence (32). The encoder circuitry further comprises circuitry (502) for providing the secondary synchronization code in response to a second sequence (54) and a third sequence (56). The second sequence is selected from a plurality of sequences. Each of the plurality of sequences is orthogonal with respect to all other sequences. The third sequence is a subset of bits from the first sequence.
US08923354B2
A nitride semiconductor laser comprises a conductive support base having a primary surface of gallium nitride based semiconductor, an active layer on the primary surface, and a p-type cladding region on the primary surface. The primary surface is tilted to a reference plane perpendicular to a reference axis extending in the c-axis direction of the gallium nitride based semiconductor. The p-type cladding region comprises a first p-type group III nitride semiconductor layer of an AlGaN layer anisotropically-strained, and a second p-type group III nitride semiconductor layer of material different from the AlGaN layer. The first p-type group III nitride semiconductor layer is provided between the second p-type group III nitride semiconductor layer and the active layer. The AlGaN layer has the largest bandgap in the p-type cladding region. The second p-type group III nitride semiconductor layer has a resistivity lower than the first p-type group III nitride semiconductor layer.
US08923352B2
One embodiment is directed towards a stabilized laser including a laser to produce light at a frequency and a resonator coupled to the laser such that the light from the laser circulates therethrough. The laser also includes Pound-Drever-Hall (PDH) feedback electronics configured to adjust the frequency of the light from the laser to reduce phase noise in response to light sensed at the reflection port of the resonator and transmission port feedback electronics configured to adjust the frequency of the light from the laser toward resonance of the resonator at the transmission port in response to the light sensed at the transmission port of the resonator, wherein the transmission port feedback electronics adjust the frequency at a rate at least ten times slower than the PDH feedback electronics.
US08923348B2
A tunable laser configured in a small package coupled to a printed circuit board. The tunable laser includes a housing with a volume formed by exterior walls. An electrical input interface is positioned at the first end of the housing. An optical output interface is positioned at the second end of the housing and configured to transmit a continuous wave optical beam. A beam splitter and photodiode is disposed in the path of the laser beam for determining the emitted intensity of the laser beam, and an optical isolator is positioned downstream of the beam splitter to prevent the incoming light from the beam splitter from reflecting back though the beam splitter and into the cavity of the laser.
US08923346B2
A time synchronization method includes: after sending a synchronization message to the opposite end, sending a following message where an ending time for sending the synchronization message is recorded; receiving a delay request message sent by the opposite end, and sending a delay response message where the initial time for receiving the delay request message is recorded; receiving the synchronization message and the following message, and recording the initial time for receiving the synchronization message and the ending time recorded in the following message for sending the synchronization message; sending a delay request message, and recording an ending time for sending the delay request message; receiving a delay response message, and recording an initial time recorded in the delay response message for the opposite end to receive the delay request message; calculating the time offset value between the two ends, and completing time synchronization.
US08923343B2
In a wireless local area network, a first and second access point in which the RF coverage areas overlap are synchronized by positioning a monitor station within the overlap area. The monitor station receives beacon frames from both access points and records the arrival times. A manager in communication with both access points and the monitor station calculates a retardation interval and issues a control command to the second access point to retard transmission of its beacon frame. The retardation interval is calculated such that the contention-free period of the second access point does not overlap the contention-free period of the first access point. The manager may also issue control commands to the first and second access points to adjust their contention-free periods.
US08923340B2
A system for signaling an application when a requested data rate and Quality of Service cannot be achieved using OFDM wireless data transmission, and the application proceeds by either renegotiating QoS and data rate, or waiting until they requested rate and QoS are met.
US08923337B2
Instant discloser is a method to transmit multiple data-streams of varying capacity data using Virtual Concatenation (VCAT) over Synchronous Digital Hierarchy (SDH) network, comprising acts of determining number of data bytes to be requested for each Virtual Concatenation Group (VCG) in a row-time of the aggregated bandwidth and storing it in a VCG request configuration memory, reading the requested number of data bytes from each data-stream in order in to a Row Buffer for each row time of an SDH frame, reading data stored in the Row Buffer from memory address determined by one or more connection memory wherein the connection memory is programmed to carry out sequencing of bytes of the Row Buffer based on the VCAT numbering, and inserting path overhead (POH) and pointer information in to the read data streams in previous step to transmit multiple data-streams of varying capacity data using VCAT over SDH network.
US08923323B2
Examples are disclosed for timers associated with powering receiver circuitry at a wireless device or user equipment. The examples include separately defining one or more timers based on different time division duplex (TDD) configurations. The different TDD configurations may be used for communications between user equipment and serving cells supported by one or more base stations such as evolved node Bs (eNBs) in a Long Term Evolution (LTE) wireless network. The defined timers may be used by the user equipment to selectively power receiver circuitry. Other examples are described and claimed.
US08923322B2
A method for offloading Fiber Channel transmit data in an I/O operation. The transmit data includes Fiber Channel sequences, each Fiber Channel sequence includes multiple frames. The method includes generating a single transmit sequence request descriptor for transmitting all of the plurality of frames; creating an Ethernet header, a FCoE encapsulation header, and a Fiber Channel header for each frame in response to information in the transmit sequence request descriptor; creating start of frame and end of frame delimiters; inserting data into each frame; computing Fiber Channel CRC and Ethernet FCS for each frame; and transmitting the plurality of frames over a network. In each of the plurality of frames, the Ethernet header precedes the FCoE encapsulation header, which precedes the Fiber Channel header, which precedes the data. The data is followed by the Fiber Channel CRC, which is followed by the Ethernet FCS.
US08923319B1
A user device connected to a CMTS over a network is configured such that upon power-up it can use a universal broadcast SID or a predetermined multicast SID to obtain an initial maintenance during a maintenance window. The predetermined multicast SID is assigned to the device at manufacture based on the type, or class, of device. The CMTS to which the devices connect is configured to schedule exclusive initial maintenance opportunity windows for each type of device in addition to an all-inclusive, or open, initial maintenance opportunity window, during which all types of devices may attempt to register. The order and number of initial maintenance windows within a periodically recurring sequence of windows can be configured by an operator based on the types of devices connected to the network.
US08923317B2
Systems and methodologies are described that facilitate detecting and/or identifying peers in a local area peer-to-peer network. Times (e.g., peer discovery intervals) for performance of mutual detection and identification between peers may be synchronized (e.g., based upon a signal broadcast to the peers). Further, within each partitioned peer discovery interval, a wireless terminal may select a portion of time to transmit (e.g., broadcast) short messages that may be employed by peers to detect and/identify the wireless terminal. Moreover, the remainder of the time within the partitioned peer discovery interval may be employed to listen to short messages received from peers.
US08923308B2
The invention provides for telecommunications user equipment including network access control means operative responsive to control parameters and further including a subscriber module accessible remote from the user equipment and arranged to store the said control parameters for use by the said access control means, and wherein the subscriber module can comprise a mobile equipment offering gateway functionality such as between a public access network and a local IP link.
US08923304B2
A method used by a relay node for receiving a relay node specific downlink physical shared channel from a base station in a multiple antennae wireless communication system is disclosed. More specifically, the method includes the steps of demodulating a relay node specific downlink physical control channel (R-PDCCH) by using a relay node specific reference signal; and, in case a specific downlink information is detected from the demodulated relay node specific downlink physical control channel, of demodulating the relay node specific downlink physical shared channel, under an assumption that the relay node specific downlink physical shared channel is transmitted through a single antenna port by using a predetermined antenna port and scrambling identifier (ID). Herein, the specific downlink control information may correspond to a downlink control information designating a Fallback Mode. And, the predetermined antenna port and scrambling ID may respectively correspond to antenna port 7 and scrambling ID 0.
US08923303B2
In a system, the functionality is decentralized in a data transmission network so that the need of communications produced by and addressed to data terminals to pass by way of a single point in the data transmission network is diminished. A first data transmission installation is adapted to signal second data transmission installations, each of which is part of a ring-shaped data transmission topology, to be capable of building logical data transmission tunnels directed to the data terminals. Thereby, all the logical data transmission tunnels need not commence or, depending on the direction, terminate at the same point of a data transmission network. In addition, the data transmission installations present in a ring-shaped data transmission topology need not necessarily be taught routing information in order to enable each of these data transmission installations to send data transmission frames to be transmitted to another one of these data transmission installations.
US08923299B2
Reassembly of fragments into a packet comprises receiving an incoming fragment of a packet from a network wherein each fragment comprises a segment of the packet and a header, generating a reassembly key using selected information from the incoming fragment header wherein the selected information is the same for all fragments of the packet, checking a reassembly table in a content addressable memory to find an entry that includes a logic key matching the reassembly key, and using a content index in the found entry and a sequence number of the incoming fragment within the packet, to determine a location offset in a reassembly buffer area for storing the incoming fragment at said location offset in the reassembly buffer area for the packet for reassembly.
US08923297B1
Methods and apparatus for managing packets in a packet switched network include, in at least one aspect, a device including: an input to receive a packet from one of a plurality of network devices, the plurality of network devices configured to communicate with one or more others of the network devices using a plurality of packets; and circuitry configured to control packet switching of the plurality of packets, at least one packet including: a switch tag including a tag portion embedded with switching information and an extended tag portion embedded with additional switching information, the switching information and the additional switching information configured to control a switching pattern associated with the at least one packet.
US08923295B2
The present invention relates to network nodes and methods that use an encoding scheme for encoding a point-to-multipoint traffic path from one ingress node to a plurality of egress nodes in, for example, a Multi-Protocol Label Switching network. According to the encoding scheme a so-called common ERO is used. The common ERO specifies a list consisting of nodes that are common to several sub paths in order to provide a compression mechanism that reduces the size of path messages that are used for signaling the point-to-multipoint traffic path.
US08923287B2
An automatic meter reading (AMR) system utilizes versatile radio packets that are recognizable by AMR system receivers capable of receiving conventional interval data message (IDM) radio packets. A versatile radio packet includes a packet preamble portion, a packet body portion, and a packet validation portion. The packet preamble portion has a frame synchronization bit sequence that is recognizable by existing or conventional encoder-receiver-transmitter (ERT)-compatible AMR system receivers, such as a bit sequence equal to 0x16A3. The packet preamble portion also has a packet type identifier field and a packet length field. The packet body portion includes at least an endpoint serial number field and a message, where at least the message has a variable length. Optionally, the message includes a message type identifier field and a message value field that can have a plurality of sub-fields. The AMR system may use message type identifiers optionally present in the versatile radio packets to filter, or discriminate between, certain message types at the reader level. Versatile radio packets can enable endpoints and other devices in the AMR system to transmit a variety of new information to existing AMR infrastructure without having to conduct a significant infrastructure overhaul of the AMR system.
US08923272B2
Embodiments of the present invention relate to the field of security channel multiplexing, and disclose a method and an apparatus for multiplexing a HIP security channel. A method includes: receiving a message for requesting to transmit data; detecting whether a HIP security channel is established with the HIP host; if true, transmitting control signaling to the HIP host, where the control signaling is used to request to multiplex the HIP security channel to transmit data of the traditional host; if a response message returned from the HIP host is received, transmitting the data of the traditional host to the HIP host through the HIP security channel. With embodiments of the present invention, the quantity of HIP security channels established between the HIP proxy and the HIP host and the loads of maintaining the security channel can be reduced, and the utilization of the HIP security channel is increased.
US08923270B2
A sum-of-delays algorithm in a digital mobile communication bandwidth-varying network is employed to estimate link buffer size and queue length in an undying network connection. In particular, mechanisms associated with the process compensate for link bandwidth variations. In a particular embodiment, passive estimation are employed to implement the process by simply measuring the in-band data packet timings to perform estimation, thus eliminating the need for transmission of extra measurement packets. This method enables the integration of the link buffer size estimation algorithm into existing transport protocols such as TCP to optimize flow and congestion controls. As part of the invention, a new congestion control method called TCP Queue-length-Adaptive (TCP-QA) is developed to employ the sum-of-delays algorithm in the TCP sender computer to control the data flow in a TCP connection. Compared to existing TCP variants, TCP-QA can achieve significantly better network bandwidth utilization in bandwidth-varying networks.
US08923266B2
A station and method for transmitting a data frame in a wireless local area network are provided. The method includes obtaining, by the station, a transmission opportunity (TXOP) for a bandwidth, the TXOP indicating an interval of time when the station has a right to exchange frame sequences; selecting, by the station, a transmit bandwidth parameter of a non-initial data unit of a plurality of data units from available bandwidth parameters, wherein the available bandwidth parameters include a first available bandwidth parameter which is same as a transmit bandwidth parameter of a preceding data unit of the plurality of data units and a second available bandwidth parameter which is narrower than a transmit bandwidth parameter of the preceding data unit; and transmitting, by the station during the TXOP, the non-initial data unit according to the transmit bandwidth parameter of the non-initial data unit.
US08923263B2
A method and an apparatus for scanning existing networks in TV White Space are disclosed. For scanning existing networks at a station to operate as an unlicensed device in a regulatory domain where a licensed device and the unlicensed device are permitted to operate, the method comprises: receiving a white space map (WSM) comprising information for available channels to be used for the unlicensed device to operate a wireless local area network (WLAN) operation and maximum transmission powers allowed for each of the available channels from an enabling station, wherein the enabling station is a station determining the available channels at its location using its own geographic location identification and a regulatory database access capability; and scanning the existing networks on the available channels identified within the received WSM.
US08923252B2
Some demonstrative embodiments include devices, systems and/or methods of communicating during a Contention-Based-Access-Period (CBAP). For example, a device may include a wireless communication station to transmit a wireless communication transmission over a wireless communication medium upon determining that the wireless communication medium is idle for a predefined time period within a contention-based-access period (CBAP), if a scheduling element allocating the CBAP includes an indication of an identity of the wireless communication station in a predefined field.
US08923242B2
In the present invention, a wireless transmission system includes a plurality of mobile stations in a cell area, and a base station. The base station divides each of an uplink frame and a downlink frame into a plurality of blocks, assigns a specific one of the plurality of blocks to each of the plurality of the mobile stations, assigns a specific frequency channel to the mobile station, and notifies the specific block and the specific frequency channel to the mobile station. The length of each of the plurality of blocks is optional, and a sum of the lengths of the plurality of blocks is equal to the length of the frame.
US08923241B2
According to one embodiment, a user equipment for use in a mobile communication system is configured to: receive control information including a first field and a second field via a control channel, the first field indicating one of N (N≧2) resource block group (RBG) sets and the second field including a bitmap, wherein each bit of the bitmap is used to indicate whether a corresponding resource block (RB) in the indicated one of the N RBG sets is allocated; interpret the first field and the second field for resource allocation in the control information; and receive data using the control information. An RBG set n (0≦n
US08923238B2
A mobile station (MS) transmits, to a base station (BS), uplink data on a PUSCH, the PUSCH is assigned by using a PDCCH. The MS receives, from the BS, a radio resource control signal including first information instructing the MS to periodically transmit first reception quality information (RQI), the radio resource control signal including second information for determining an amount of resources for second RQI transmitted on the PUSCH, and third information instructing the MS to transmit the second RQI on the PUSCH; and transmits, to the BS, only the second RQI on the PUSCH in a case that the transmission of the first RQI which is instructed by using the first information and the transmission of the second RQI which is instructed by using the third information would occur at the same time, wherein the amount of resources for the second RQI is determined based on the second information.
US08923235B2
A method and apparatus for allocating a resource for an uplink control channel in a wireless communication system is provided. The method includes allocating a first resource for an uplink control channel and a second resource for a dynamic ranging channel. The second resource is located right after the first resource.
US08923225B2
The invention relates to a cognitive radio (CR) WiFi network which includes a plurality of radio environment aware WiFi terminals, which collect local WiFi interference information and send this information to a CR network management system (NMS). The CR NMS includes a database for storing historical records of the interference information obtained from the terminals, and cognitive engines for analyzing the stored historical interference records and determining terminal-specific transmission and reception parameters. In one embodiment the network implements a deterministic NMS-directed networks-wide TDD/TDM scheduling of WiFi communications for optimal channel re-use and interference avoidance, and a novel terminal synchronization mechanism.
US08923214B2
In order to cope with changes of communication environments of subcarriers and effectively use the subcarrier with channel quality information in a wireless communication system, a base station identifies a condition of a communication environment between the base station and a mobile station based upon channel quality information transmitted from the mobile station and maps transmission information on control of communication selectively to a specified subcarrier used for transmission based upon the identified condition of the communication environment.
US08923213B2
Terminal capability information relating to the capability of a wireless terminal device in which at least one of a first frequency bandwidth for use in an up link and a second frequency bandwidth for use in a down link is variable is associated with a terminal category in advance. When the terminal capability information is received from the wireless terminal device, the terminal category is designated from the terminal capability information, a link is set to the wireless terminal device, and a control signal corresponding to the link setting is transmitted. Control can be simplified by setting the link along the terminal category.
US08923210B2
Embodiments of the present disclosure describe techniques and configurations for transmitting small data payloads such as, for example, Machine Type Communication (MTC) data in a wireless communication network. A system may include features to implement an interworking function (IWF) to receive, from a machine type communication (MTC) server, a trigger to send a data payload, which is smaller than a preconfigured threshold, to a user equipment (UE) over a wireless communication network, and send, over a first reference point to a first module including a Mobility Management Entity (MME) or a Serving GPRS (General Packet Radio Service) Support Node (SGSN) or a second reference point to a second module including a Home Location Register (HLR) or a Home Subscriber Server (HSS), the data payload and a request to forward the data payload to the UE.
US08923208B2
A user equipment (UE) may manage coexistence between multiple radio access technologies (RATs) utilized by the UE to allow a first RAT to be active during times when communications of a second RAT of the UE are inactive. In some instances, the UE may indicate discontinuous reception (DRX) operation of the UE to allow for time-division multiplexed (TDM) operation between the first RAT and the second RAT. The UE may set a hybrid automatic repeat request (HARQ) configuration to allow for a HARQ retransmission of a packet of the first RAT, originally received in a first DRX cycle, during a second DRX cycle.
US08923206B2
A wireless communication apparatus of the invention has a determination section that determines which one of a plurality of formats is used for determining transmission symbols to be transmitted to another communication apparatus; a control section that determines a type a sequence length of an orthogonal code and used for assigning ACK/NACK symbols to identical symbols in an identical slot on basis of the format determined by the determination section, without depending on a number of transmission symbols capable of being transmitted to the other communication apparatus; a spreading section that spreads the ACK/NACK symbols by an identical type of orthogonal code in the plurality of formats set based on the type and the sequence length of the orthogonal code determined by the control section; and a transmission section that transmits the spread ACK/NACK symbols using the determined format.
US08923203B2
A system and method for broadcasting a channel state information reference signal (CSI-RS) is disclosed. A CSI-RS that is orthogonal to CSI-RSs transmitted by each of a first network cell and each of a set of neighbor cells that interfere with the first network cell is identified. In one implementation, the first network cell has a coverage containing a coverage of a second network cell. The method includes transmitting, from the second network cell, the CSI-RS that is orthogonal to CSI-RSs transmitted by each of the first network cell and each of a set of interfering neighbor cells.
US08923200B2
The present invention relates to a mobile communication method, in which a mobile station UE transmits uplink signals to a radio base station eNB using a plurality of “Component Carriers” having different carrier frequencies, includes a step A of transmitting, by the radio base station eNB, TA to be applied to the plurality of “Component Carriers”, to the mobile station UE, and a step B of adjusting, by the mobile station UE, transmission timings of the uplink signals on the plurality of “Component Carriers” based on the received TA.
US08923198B2
A user terminal (115, 200) for a wireless communications system, equipped with at least two antennas (205, 206, 207) for the reception and/or transmission of traffic from a higher node (105). The user terminal (115, 200) is arranged to receive (210) said traffic in one or more data streams (S1, S2) i.e. with a rank of one or higher. The user terminal is arranged (215, 216, 220) to choose with which rank the higher node (105) should transmit the traffic to the user terminal (115, 200) on, and to also signal this choice to the higher node (105). The user terminal (115, 200) is arranged to base its choice of rank on the estimated received data rate at the user terminal for different transmission ranks, the estimated power consumption in the user terminal for different transmission ranks and the Signal to Noise ratio, SIR, of the channel at the UE.
US08923189B2
A system and method for scalable processing of a received radio frequency beamform signal is provided. Such a system and methods is useful in conjunction with long range communication between an airborne platform and a surface base station. The scalable system includes a plurality of antenna elements for receiving a directional beam, including a multiplexed data stream, from a base station. A down converter and analog to digital (A-D) converter may then down convert and digitize the multiplexed data stream. A digital splitter may de-multiplex the multiplexed data stream into multiple data streams which are orthogonal to one another. The de-multiplexing may be performed using a fast Fourier transformation on the multiplexed data stream. In these embodiments, the digital splitter divides the multiplexed data stream into frequency groups to de-multiplexing the multiplexed data stream into multiple data streams. The system may also include more than one digital signal processors configured to process the multiple data streams. As the bandwidth of the original multiplexed signal increases, so too can the number of digital signal processors be increased.
US08923177B2
A method and apparatus for avoiding collisions is provided. The method may include determining a start of an awake window, determining whether at the start of the awake window a backoff timer has had a zero value for at least one backoff slot. Additionally, the method may include invoking a backoff procedure upon a determination that the backoff timer has had a zero value for at least one backoff slot.
US08923170B2
A system for full duplex communication using a single-ended communications link is described. The system includes a first link interface configured to generate a signal for transmission via the single-ended communications link. The signal includes data encoded in a forward channel. The system also includes a second link interface configured to receive the signal from the first link interface via the single-ended communications link and modulate the signal to encode data in a reverse channel so that the signal includes the forward channel data and the reverse channel data simultaneously.
US08923169B2
A transceiver circuit is configured to operate in a first mode of operation and a second mode of operation such that a receive signal propagates from an antenna through a first filter to a low noise amplifier while simultaneously a transmit signal propagates from a power amplifier through a second filter to the antenna when operating in the first mode. The receive signal propagates from the antenna to the low noise amplifier without being filtered while alternating with the transmit signal propagating from the power amplifier to the antenna without being filtered when operating in the second mode.
US08923168B2
A radio front end includes an antenna tuning unit, a duplexer, a balancing network, and a processing module. The antenna tuning unit is operably coupled to an antenna and operable to tune an operational characteristic of the antenna based on an antenna tuning signal. The duplexer is operably coupled to the antenna tuning unit and operable to provide electrical isolation between an outbound wireless signal and an inbound wireless signal. The balancing network is operably coupled to the duplexer and operable to establish an impedance that substantially matches an impedance of the antenna. The processing module is operable to estimate the impedance of the antenna to produce an estimated antenna impedance and to generate the antenna tuning signal based on the estimated antenna impedance.
US08923163B2
A multihop network and nodes are described herein that implement a reactive routing protocol that enables resources of the multihop network to be continuously adapted in a distributed/opportunistic manner in response to a topology change within the multihop network so as to optimize the performance of a connection between a source node and a destination node. The types of resources that can be adapted include for example: (1) a route; (2) a channel; and/or (3) physical layer parameters. The different types of topology changes that can occur include: (1) movement of a node; (2) quality variations in a channel between the source node and the destination node; (3) changes in traffic patterns in the multihop network; (4) changes in transmit patterns (e.g., power, beamforming direction) in the multihop network; and (5) changes in resource allocations in the multihop network.
US08923156B1
Systems, methods, and other embodiments associated with a quality of service (QoS) aware channel quality indicator (CQI) are described. In one embodiment, an apparatus includes determination logic configured to receive a request for a CQI. A QoS associated with a wireless channel on which to base the CQI is determined. The determination logic is further configured to compute the CQI based, at least in part, on the determined QoS.
US08923148B2
A UE in a wireless communication network transmits succinct, direct channel state information to the network, enabling coordinated multipoint calculations such as joint processing, without substantially increasing uplink overhead. The UE receives and processes reference symbols over a set of non-uniformly spaced sub-carriers, selected according to a scheme synchronized to the network. The frequency response for each selected sub-carrier is estimated conventionally, and the results quantized and transmitted to the network on an uplink control channel. The non-uniform sub-carrier selection may be synchronized to the network in a variety of ways.
US08923142B2
The present invention relates to methods and arrangements to measure network performance. The method comprises the following steps: —Transmitting via a communication network (IP) payload packets (21-24) from a sending node (GGSN/A) to a receiving node (GGSN/B). —Generating at the sending node (GGSN/A) a send specification (s21-s24, sid21-sid24) for each of at least one selected packet (21-24) of the transmitted payload packets (21-24). —Generating at the receiving node (GGSN/B), a receive specification (r21-r22, rid21-rid22, siz21-siz22) for each of at least one selected packet (21-22) of the transmitted payload packets (21-24). —Bringing together generated send specifications (s21-s24, sid21-sid24) and generated receive specifications (r21-r22, rid21-rid22, siz21-siz22). —Estimating network performance by utilizing corresponding specifications (s11-s12, r11-r12, siz21-siz22) of the brought together specifications.
US08923133B2
Detection of unauthorized changes to an address resolution protocol cache in a communication network
A method and apparatus for detecting an unauthorized change in an Address Resolution Protocol (ARP) cache in a communication network includes a step of establishing an authorized ARP cache. Another step includes examining packets from a terminal for a destination address. Another step includes determining if the destination address is incorrect by using the authorized ARP cache.
US08923131B2
A method, system and computer program product in a downstream line card of a Cable Modem Termination System (CMTS) for managing downstream traffic for channels and bonded channel groups is provided herein. The method comprises the step of receiving packets for transmission to cable modems and classifying each packet to a flow based on class of service associated with the packet. The method further includes the step of storing the packets in flow queues based, wherein a flow queue is selected based on a flow a packet is associated with and wherein each flow corresponds to a single flow queue. The method also includes transmitting the packets from the flow queues to channel queues or bonded channel queues using corresponding channel nodes or bonded channel nodes at a rate that is determined based on feedback data and scheduling downstream transmission of packets on a single downstream channel if the packet is stored in a channel queue and on multiple downstream channels that are bonded together to form a bonded channel group if the packet is stored in a bonded channel queue. The feedback data is adjusted for each channel node or bonded channel node based on a queue depth for a corresponding channel queue or bonded channel queue.
US08923125B2
A method of regulating data flow in a wireless communication network includes: collecting data regarding dynamic loading of sector-carrier pairs (pilots) in communication sectors of the wireless communication network; obtaining data rates for data flows of the pilots to access terminals within the wireless communication network; determining one or more pilots to use for conveying data in the wireless communication network based on the data rates and the dynamic loading; and altering data flow over the pilots by at least one of changing a data rate over at least one of the pilots or changing a combination of pilots used by the wireless communication network for conveying data to increase total data flow.
US08923120B2
In one embodiment, a method includes storing in a QoS-enabled communication system a data structure that has a multi-level hierarchy including a physical level, a logical level, and a class level; receiving a first request for M number of services provided by the QoS-enabled communication system; in response to the first request, modifying an allocation of the logical-level nodes by mapping M class-level nodes to a first one of the logical-level nodes according to a first mapping mode of the data structure; receiving a second request for P services provided by the QoS-enabled communication system, with P being greater than M; and, in response to the second request, modifying an allocation of the logical-level nodes by mapping P class-level nodes to a second one of the logical-level nodes according to a second mapping mode of the data structure.
US08923114B2
Embodiments of the invention relate to virtual link aggregation. One embodiment includes preventing network traffic loss upon rebooting of a first networking device based on: maintaining a first group of networking ports in a first disabled state, determining a link-status of a first link between the first networking device and a second networking device, activating a delay timer for delaying the rebooting of the first network device upon the determination of a first status indication for the first link, and switching at least one of the first group of networking ports to a first enabled state upon expiration of the delay timer.
US08923107B2
An optical disc device includes a pickup, a driving mechanism that drives the pickup, and a driving controlling portion that applies an initial driving voltage to the driving mechanism over a specific time interval up until the pickup arrives at an outermost position on an outer peripheral side, the initial driving voltage causing the pickup to arrive at the outermost position. After the specific time interval has elapsed, the driving controlling portion applies, to the driving mechanism, an adjustment driving voltage of a voltage amplitude less than a voltage amplitude of the initial driving voltage or a driving frequency less than a driving frequency of the initial driving voltage.
US08923098B2
A TAMR (Thermal Assisted Magnetic Recording) write head uses the energy of optical-laser excited surface plasmons in a plasmon generator to locally heat a magnetic recording medium and reduce its coercivity and magnetic anisotropy. The optical radiation is transmitted to the plasmon generator by means of a waveguide, whose optical axis (centerline) is tilted relative to either or both the backside surface normal and ABS surface normal in order to eliminate back reflections of the optical radiation that can adversely affect the properties and performance of the laser. Variations of the disclosure include tilting the plasmon generator, the waveguide and the laser diode.
US08923096B1
Methodologies and constructions of displaying elapsed time on a wristworn device, which include among other things, having at least two display hands one of which that will rotate faster or stop so that they become coincident with each other, then rotate together and then reassume their normal and accurate positions. Such is particularly important with respect to one of the hands that is preferably a seconds hand that might otherwise be displaying seconds of the time of day (“TOD”).
US08923093B2
A method for evaluating a quality of a seismic inversion. The method includes performing a first match between seismic data and borehole seismic data at one or more borehole locations to generate an estimate of a wavelet in the seismic data. The method then performs a seismic inversion on the seismic data using the estimate of the wavelet to generate inverted seismic data. After performing the seismic inversion, the method converts the inverted seismic data into one or more reflectivity traces. The method then includes performing a second match between the one or more reflectivity traces and one or more traces in the seismic data and performing a third match between the one or more reflectivity traces and one or more traces in the borehole seismic data. After performing the second and third matches, the method determines the quality of the seismic inversion based on the first match, the second match, the third match or combinations thereof.
US08923087B2
A method of controlling a power mode of a memory device is provided, which includes providing a power mode control signal responsive to a control signal and frequency information. The control signal is provided by a processing device operatively coupled to the memory device. The frequency information is associated with a clock signal used to operate the processing device, and the power mode control signal is operative to control the power mode. The control signal includes a chip select (CS) signal and/or a wait-for-interrupt (WFI) signal, and the power mode includes a light sleep (LS) mode and/or a deep sleep (DS) mode. The frequency information represents a low frequency range, medium frequency range, and/or high frequency range. A corresponding computer-readable medium, power management controller, and electronic system are also disclosed.
US08923086B2
A supply voltage distribution system for distributing a supply voltage through a semiconductor device, the supply voltage distribution system comprising: a first supply voltage distribution line arrangement and a second supply voltage distribution line arrangement, said first supply voltage distribution line arrangement and said second supply voltage distribution line arrangement being adapted to receive from outside the semiconductor device a semiconductor device supply voltage and to distribute a supply voltage to respective first and second portions of the semiconductor device; and a voltage-to-voltage conversion circuit connected to the first supply voltage distribution line arrangement, wherein the voltage-to-voltage conversion circuit is adapted to either transfer onto the first supply voltage distribution line arrangement the semiconductor device supply voltage received from outside the semiconductor device, or to put on the first supply voltage distribution line a converted supply voltage having a value different from the semiconductor device supply voltage.
US08923070B2
According to one embodiment, a one-time programmable (OTP) device comprises a memory FinFET in parallel with a sensing FinFET. The memory FinFET and the sensing FinFET share a common source region, a common drain region, and a common channel region. The memory FinFET is programmed by having a ruptured gate dielectric, resulting in the sensing FinFET having an altered threshold voltage and an altered drain current. A method for utilizing such an OTP device comprises applying a programming voltage for rupturing the gate dielectric of the memory FinFET thereby achieving a programmed state of the memory FinFET, and detecting by the sensing FinFET the altered threshold voltage and the altered drain current due to the programmed state of the memory FinFET.
US08923065B2
Each I/O channel between a controller and one or more memory dice of a memory device has a driver on one end and a receiver at the other end. The receiver is optionally terminated with a pseudo open-drain (“POD”) termination instead of the conventional center-tapped (“CTT”) termination to save energy. During a read operation, data is driven from the memory die to a POD terminated receiver circuit in the controller. With POD termination, the degradation in performance due to the more non-linear driver in the memory die, fabricated for example in the NAND technology processing, is alleviated by an adaptive reference voltage level adjustment in the receiver circuit of the controller. Optionally, the receiver circuit of a memory die is also provided with an adaptive reference level adjustment.
US08923064B2
A semiconductor memory device includes a memory array including a plurality of memory cells, and a peripheral circuit configured to perform an erase operation by supplying a first erase voltage to selected memory cells and perform an erase verify operation by supplying an erase verify voltage to the selected memory cells, wherein the peripheral circuit is configured to increase the first erase voltage to a first level at a first rising rate for a first rising period and increase the first erase voltage to a first target level at a second rising rate lower than the first rising rate for a second rising period.
US08923054B1
A 3D NAND stacked non-volatile memory device, comprising: a string comprising a plurality of non-volatile storage elements, the string comprises a channel and extends vertically through layers of the 3D stacked non-volatile memory device, and the plurality of storage elements are subdivided into different groups based on group assignments, each group of the different groups comprises multiple adjacent storage elements of the plurality of storage elements; and a control circuit in communication with the string, the control circuit, to perform a Pseudo Block Operation Mode.
US08923045B2
Method and apparatus for managing data in a memory, such as a flash memory array. In accordance with some embodiments, a first block of data is written to a group of memory cells at a first memory location in single-level cell (SLC) mode. The first block of data is copied from the first memory location to a group of memory cells at a second memory location to provide a backup copy of the first block of data during a protected mode of operation. A second block of data is subsequently overwritten to the group of memory cells at the first memory location so that the first memory location stores both the first and second blocks of data in multi-level cell (MLC) mode.
US08923041B2
Circuitry and a method provide a plurality of timed control and bias voltages to sense amplifiers and write drivers of a spin-torque magnetoresistive random access memory array for improved power supply noise rejection, increased sensing speed with immunity for bank-to-bank noise coupling, and reduced leakage from off word line select devices in an active column.
US08923040B2
A memory has magnetic tunnel junction elements with different resistances in different logic states, for bit positions in memory words accessed by a word line signal coupling each bit cell in the addressed word between a bit line and source line for that bit position. The bit lines and source lines are longer and shorter at different word line locations, causing a resistance body effect. A clamping transistor couples the bit line to a sensing circuit when reading, applying a current through the bit cell and producing a read voltage compared by the sensing circuit to a reference such as a comparable voltage from a reference bit cell circuit having a similar structure. A drive control varies an input to the switching transistor as a function of the word line location, e.g., by word line address, to offset the different bit and source line resistances.
US08923039B2
A mechanism is provided for storing multiple bits in a domain wall nanowire magnetic junction device. The multiple bits are encoded based on a resistance of the domain wall nanowire magnetic junction device using a single domain wall. The single domain wall is shifted to change the resistance of the domain wall nanowire magnetic junction device to encode a selected bit. The resistance is checked to ensure that it corresponds to a preselected resistance for the selected bit. Responsive to the resistance corresponding to the preselected resistance for the selected bit, the selected bit is stored. Responsive to the resistance not being the preselected resistance for the selected bit, the single domain wall is shifted until the resistance corresponds to the preselected resistance.
US08923038B2
Methods of forming magnetic memory cells are disclosed. Magnetic and non-magnetic materials are formed into a primal precursor structure in an initial stress state of essentially no strain, compressive strain, or tensile strain. A stress-compensating material, e.g., a non-sacrificial, conductive material, is formed to be disposed on the primal precursor structure to form a stress-compensated precursor structure in a net beneficial stress state. Thereafter, the stress-compensated precursor structure may be patterned to form a cell core of a memory cell. The net beneficial stress state of the stress-compensated precursor structure lends to formation of one or more magnetic regions, in the cell core, exhibiting a vertical magnetic orientation without deteriorating a magnetic strength of the one or more magnetic regions. Also disclosed are memory cells, memory cell structures, semiconductor device structures, and spin torque transfer magnetic random access memory (STT-MRAM) systems.
US08923037B2
A memory element including a memory layer to hold the information by the magnetization state of a magnetic substance, a magnetization pinned layer having magnetization serving as a reference of the information stored in the memory layer, an intermediate layer formed from a nonmagnetic substance disposed between the memory layer and the magnetization pinned layer, a magnetic coupling layer disposed adjoining the magnetization pinned layer and opposing to the intermediate layer, and a high coercive force layer disposed adjoining the magnetic coupling layer, wherein the information is stored by reversing magnetization of the memory layer, making use of spin torque magnetization reversal generated along with a current passing in the lamination direction of the layered structure including the memory layer, the intermediate layer, and the magnetization pinned layer, and the magnetic coupling layer has a two-layer laminate structure.
US08923026B2
According to one embodiment, an AC power system includes a first AC/DC converter to be coupled to a direct current (DC) load and a multi-phase AC power supply. The system further includes a second AC/DC converter coupled in parallel with the first AC/DC converter via an interphase transformer to the DC load and the multi-phase AC power supply. The system further includes a controller coupled to the first and second AC/DC converters, where the controller is configured to generate a gate trigger signal for firing each of the rectifiers for the first and second AC/DC converters. During a first power cycle, a rectifier of the first AC/DC converter is fired at a firing angle advanced to a firing angle of a corresponding rectifier of the second DC/DC converter. During a second power cycle, the rectifier of the first AC/DC converter is fired at a firing angle lagging to a firing angle of the corresponding rectifier of the second AC/DC converter.
US08923018B2
A DC/DC converter, a power converter and a control method thereof are disclosed, where the DC/DC converter includes an output circuit having a load, a rectangular wave generator having a bridge arm, a resonant tank, a detection unit and a control unit. The bridge arm includes a first and a second switches connected each other. The detection unit detects a signal related to a state of the load. When the state of the load is a light-load or a no-load, the control unit controls ON/OFF state of the first and second switches by pulse width modulation mode to convert an input voltage into at least one rectangular wave for the resonant tank. A duty ratio of the first switch is within a first or second predetermined range, and a duty ratio of the second switch is complementary to the duty ratio of the first switch, whereby a voltage gain of the DC/DC converter is greater than 1.
US08922999B2
A heat dissipating assembly which releases heat produced by an electronic device comprising a heat dissipating device and a plurality of elastic fastening members. The heat dissipating assembly includes a base plate having a plurality of engaging holes formed thereon. Each elastic fastening member includes a connecting member and a spring. The connecting member has a head portion and a bolt body that extends therefrom. The bolt body has an outer thread formed on the surface thereof and is being insertable into the respective engaging hole. The spring includes a winding portion woundable around the outer periphery of the bolt body, a clutching portion outwardly extended and downwardly bent from the bottom end of the winding portion to the base surface of the base plate, and a fastening segment extending from the clutching portion back under the winding portion. The instant disclosure further provides an elastic fastening member.
US08922987B2
A server structure with a swappable tray includes a chassis housing, two power supply devices and a plurality of motherboard trays, and the chassis housing has two parallel motherboard areas, and each motherboard area has a power slot formed at a rear section and a plurality of tray slots at a front section, and each power slot is formed at the same position of each motherboard area, and each power supply device is plugged into each respective power slot, and each motherboard tray is in the same shape and has a motherboard, and each motherboard tray has an opening and a storage unit set installed through the opening, and each motherboard tray can be swapped and plugged into any one of the tray slots. Therefore, the motherboard tray can be installed freely at any position according to the using requirement, so as to improve the overall functionality and convenience.
US08922984B2
A portable computer includes a base, a display module, and a support element. The base includes a first area, a second area, and a sliding assembly disposed at a substantially central position of the second area. The sliding assembly includes a sliding element and a guiding structure, and the sliding element can move along the guiding structure to slide at least in the second area. The display module includes a connecting end combined with the sliding element and a support plane. The support element includes a first area pivotally connected to the support plane and a second end pivotally connected to a rear end of the base. When the display module is opened, the display module further rotates around the first fixed end and moves the connecting end simultaneously. Then, the display module is supported by the support element to keep a suitable tilted angle.
US08922967B2
A thermal protection system for an electrical system having a control system and an electrical outlet connected to an electrical power source includes an electrical cord having a plug attached thereto that is configured to electrically connect with the outlet. A non-contact temperature sensor is disposed within the plug and configured to measure a temperature of the outlet. The temperature sensor is in communication with the control system and configured to send a signal to the control system to effect a reduced flow of current through the outlet and plug when the temperature sensor indicates that a predetermined condition is met.
US08922966B2
In one embodiment, a power supply controller is configured to use a current to detect two different operating conditions on a single input terminal.
US08922960B2
An improved ESD protection circuit having an ESD device and a triggering device to provide a continuously adjustable trigger voltage. This can be accomplished by various techniques such as placing a selected number of triggering elements in series, modifying the gate control circuitry and varying the size of the triggering elements.
US08922958B2
An electrical fault mitigation system includes a mitigation device including a containment chamber defining a cavity, a first electrode positioned within the cavity and coupled to a first conductor, and a second electrode positioned within the cavity and coupled to a second conductor. The mitigation device also includes a first voltage source, and a plasma gun positioned within the cavity and configured to emit ablative plasma using the first voltage source to discharge energy from an electrical fault. The system also includes a first voltage limiter device configured to limit a voltage of the first conductor from increasing above a predetermined threshold to prevent a second voltage source from generating a second electrical arc between the first electrode and the second electrode when the second voltage source applies a voltage across the first electrode and the second electrode.
US08922956B2
In certain embodiments, a tunneling magneto-resistive (TMR) sensor includes a sensor stack positioned between a seed layer and a cap layer. The seed layer includes a first buffer layer that includes a non-magnetic nickel alloy.In certain embodiments, a sensor stack includes a top and bottom shield and a seed layer positioned adjacent to the bottom shield. The seed layer has a first buffer layer that includes a nickel alloy.
US08922954B2
A data reader can be configured with at least a magnetically responsive lamination that has a first portion with a first stripe height from an air bearing surface (ABS) and a second portion with a different second stripe height from the ABS. The first portion can be constructed to have a back edge surface shaped at a predetermined angle relative to the ABS by a back edge feature.
US08922953B1
A dual current-perpendicular-to-the-plane magnetoresistive (CPP-MR) sensor has an antiparallel-free (APF) structure as the free layer and uses the top and bottom shields as reference layers. The free layer is an APF structure that has the two free layers (FL1 and FL2) biased into a “spin-flop” state. In this state, the magnetic bias field from side biasing layers is great enough to stabilize the magnetizations of FL1 and FL2 to have a relative orientation preferably about 90 degrees and symmetrically positioned on either side of the magnetic bias field. The side biasing layers may be formed of soft magnetic material to also function as side shields and the top shield may be ferromagnetically coupled to the side shields, with the magnetization of the top shield being opposite that of the magnetization of the bottom shield.
US08922952B2
A data sensor may be configured in accordance with some embodiments to have a magnetically responsive stack that contacts at least one shield. The at least one shield may be constructed with a non-rectangular shaped electrical contact, such as a triangular and trapezoidal shape, respectively positioned on top and bottom shields on opposite sides of the magnetically responsive stack.
US08922934B2
Systems, methods, devices, circuits for transition based equalization.
US08922933B2
Systems and methods for data processing, and more particularly systems and methods for loop processing with variance adaptation.
US08922928B2
Systems and methods for reducing problems and disadvantages associated with protecting data during cold excursions are provided. A method for preventing unreliable data operations at cold temperatures may include determining whether a first internal temperature of a hard disk drive (HDD) is below a threshold temperature. The method may also include initiating an artificial seek operation if the first internal temperature is below the threshold temperature.
US08922927B1
A method for inhibiting cycle slip in a tape drive having at least three channels that each utilizes a corresponding numerically controlled oscillator includes establishing a reference clock that is based on an output of the numerically controlled oscillators for at least two of the channels, comparing the output of the numerically controlled oscillator for one of the three channels with the reference clock to determine a first channel phase delta value for the one channel, and generating an error signal for the one channel if the channel phase delta value exceeds a threshold phase delta value for the one channel. The method may also include applying an inhibition loop filter to the error signal for the one channel if the first channel phase delta value exceeds the threshold phase delta value, adjusting a gain of the inhibition loop filter based at least partially upon one of the first channel phase delta value and the threshold phase delta value, and/or feeding back the error signal to the numerically controlled oscillator of the one channel.
US08922919B2
Disclosed is a motor for driving lenses. The motor includes a case, a yoke fixed in the case, a magnet fixed in the yoke, a carrier equipped with lenses and installed in the magnet such that the carrier moves up and down within the magnet, a coil coupled with the carrier, a spring unit including first and second springs having arc shapes and being separated from each other while forming a ring shape as a whole, a spacer supporting an outer peripheral surface of the spring unit, and a terminal provided on the spacer, in which one side of the terminal protrudes downward by passing through a bottom of the case to make connection with the spring unit and a main PCB of a product.
US08922916B2
An endoscope objective lens substantially consists of four lens groups consisting of, in order from the object side, a negative first lens group, a positive second lens group, a negative third lens group and a positive fourth lens group. During focusing from the farthest object to the nearest object, the first lens group is fixed, and the second lens group and the third lens group are moved along the optical axis. The third lens group includes a cemented lens that is formed by a positive lens and a negative lens cemented together in this order from the object side, and the cemented surface of the cemented lens is oriented such that the concave surface faces the object side.
US08922900B2
An optical element structure and a fabricating process for the same are provided. The optical element fabricating process includes providing a substrate forming thereon a protrusion; and forming an over coating layer over the protrusion and the substrate by a deposition scheme to form an optical element.
US08922899B2
A light combining system is provided comprising: prisms comprising respective entrance faces enabled to receive respective on-state light from respective digital-micro-mirror devices (DMD). At least one interface between prisms is enabled to receive respective on-state light from the prisms. A mirror at the at least one interface is enabled to transmit first on-state light from a first prism through a second prism and reflect second on-state light from the second prism in alignment with the first on-state light back through the second prism. Respective angles formed by a normal of the mirror and each of the first on-state light and the second on-state light is less than a total internal reflection angle. A combination of respective back working distances of the DMDs and shapes of each of the prisms is chosen such that respective illumination paths and respective reflection paths of each of DMDs do not interfere with each other.
US08922889B2
There is provided a cellulose acylate film, containing a hindered amin-based compound, wherein the hindered amine-based compound is contained in an amount of 0.001% by mass to 5% by mass based on cellulose acylate, a minimum value of Knoop hardness is 170 N/mm2 to 220 N/mm2, and the Knoop hardness is measured several times by a Knoop indenter, the Knoop indenter is rotated by a given angle in each measurement, and a rotation axis of the Knoop indenter is orthogonal to an upper surface of the cellulose acylate film.
US08922886B2
A microscope apparatus including an illumination apparatus capable of, regardless of the observation magnification of an imaging optical system, filling the entrance pupil of the imaging optical system with illumination light, and suitably restricting the conjugate image of the entrance pupil of the imaging optical system by a light shielding element. A microscope apparatus is configured by including: an illumination apparatus which includes a surface light emitter (light guide plate) having a light emitting surface as a planar light-emitting region and irradiates a sample with light emitted from the light guide plate; an objective lens which condenses light from the sample; and an imaging optical system which includes a variable power lens group configured to form an image of the sample by changing the magnification of the image of the sample. The illumination apparatus includes a light shielding plate and a light diffusing element.
US08922882B2
Imaging systems are provided allowing examination of different object regions spaced apart in a depth direction by visual microscopy and by optical coherence tomography. An axial field of view and a lateral resolution is varied depending on which object region is examined by the imaging system. The proposed imaging systems are in particular applicable for thorough examination of the human eye.
US08922881B2
A fiber laser amplifier system including a beam splitter that splits a feedback beam into a plurality of fiber beams where a separate fiber beam is sent to a fiber amplifier for amplifying the fiber beam. A tapered fiber bundle couples all of the output ends of all of the fiber amplifiers into a combined fiber providing a combined output beam. A beam sampler samples a portion of the output beam from the tapered fiber bundle and provides a sample beam. A single mode fiber receives the sample beam from the beam sampler and provides the feedback beam.
US08922880B2
Embodiments of the present invention disclose a method, an apparatus, and a system for amplifying a burst optical signal. The method includes: monitoring an input status of a signal light; when no signal light is input, controlling output power of a pump light so that a gain medium has output optical power and the output optical power is less than a maximum optical power that the gain medium is capable of outputting when a signal light is input; inputting the pump light into a wavelength division multiplexer so that the wavelength division multiplexer combines the signal light and the pump light and inputs the combined light into the gain medium. With the preceding manners, when no signal light is input, the power of the pump light is controlled.
US08922875B2
An optical phase modulator based on the principles of stimulated Brillouin scattering is disclosed. The optical phase modulator uses a pump wave and a probe wave counte-propagating in an optical fiber, whose frequencies are chosen such that a difference thereof differs from a resonant Brillouin frequency of the optical fiber. The pump wave is amplitude modulated prior to injecting into the optical fiber, causing phase modulation of the probe wave inside and at the exit from the optical fiber. Alternatively, the probe wave can be amplitude modulated, thereby causing a phase modulation of the pump wave. In the embodiments of the invention, the pump wave is a continuous wave, and the probe wave is a pulse Stokes wave or an anti-Stokes wave. A corresponding optical network using the phase modulator is also disclosed.
US08922867B2
An interior rearview mirror assembly for a vehicle includes a mirror casing and an electro-optic reflective element. The reflective element has an electro-optic active region where an electro-optic medium is disposed and bounded by a perimeter seal. A transparent electrically conductive coating is established at the rear surface of the front substrate at the electro-optic active region. A perimeter portion of the front substrate extends beyond a corresponding perimeter portion of the rear substrate to establish a user input region that is outboard of the electro-optic active region. A user input, such as a touch sensor, is disposed at the user input region, and the user input is not in electrical contact with the transparent electrically conductive coating at the rear surface of the front substrate. The user input is operable to detect the presence or touch of a person's finger at the user input region.
US08922858B2
A motion control system and a method for biosensor scanning which scans a light beam spot over one or more of the biosensors supported by a microplate with an optical scanner system, the method including: defining a scan path for an optical scanner including selecting axes representing properties of the scan path and selecting a time series, calculating a piecewise polynomial function of time between each point in the time series; and scanning the light beam spot over one or more biosensors according to the defined scan path, as described herein.
US08922848B2
A reading unit includes a carriage extending in a first direction, and an image sensor configured to be supported by the carriage, and having a case extending in the first direction and a plurality of light receiving elements contained in the case and arranged in the first direction. The carriage has a reference surface, a pair of supporting portions provided at two end sides in the first direction, and one end edge positioned on one side, with respect to the reference surface, in a second direction orthogonal to the first direction and parallel to the reference surface, and the case has a pair of supported portions provided to correspond to the pair of supporting portions and configured to be supported swingably by the corresponding supporting portions. The case is configured to swing about a first axis between a first position and a second position.
US08922840B2
An image processing apparatus, comprising a main body and a movable unit configured to be swingable about a first axis located on a rear side and to move between a first placement position and a first separated position, wherein the main body comprises: side frames; an image processing unit; and a body cover comprising side covers and an upper opening, and wherein: each of the side frames has a flat surface part having a height in a first state on a front side; and each of the side covers has a first part having a height in the first state on the front side, a second part in a second state higher than the first state on a rear side near the first axis, and a third part formed to connect the first part with the second part while changing the height thereof.
US08922837B2
A print control device includes a generating unit configured to generate image data, based on gloss control plane data for specifying a type of a surface effect to be given to a recording medium and specifying a region to which the surface effect is to be given in the recording medium; and an output unit configured to output the image data. The generating unit includes a tone correcting unit configured to perform a tone correction on a region in which the surface effect is designated in the gloss control plane data, the tone correction varying with each type of surface effect.
US08922832B2
A printer driver for generating print job data to be transferred to a printer in response to a drawing instruction determines, based on combining condition, whether the received drawing instruction can be combined with another drawing instruction. If the printer driver determines that the received drawing instruction can be combined, the printer driver stores the received drawing instruction as intermediate data. If the printer driver determines that the received drawing instruction cannot be combined, the printer driver combines intermediate data of already stored drawing instructions into a single item of print job data and outputs the print job data to the printer. The combining condition is that the received drawing instruction meets all of three conditions.
US08922831B2
An image capturing device includes an image capturing unit, a moving unit, a detector, and a determiner. The image capturing unit includes an optical transmission member; and a sensor capturing an image of the subject via the optical transmission member. The moving unit moves the image capturing unit in an optical axis direction of the sensor. The detector detects a contamination from first and second images. The first and second images are captured by the sensor when the image capturing unit is located at first and second positions in the optical axis direction, respectively. The second position is spaced away from the subject than the first position in the optical axis direction. The determiner determines that a contamination is deposited on the optical transmission member when a difference in the number of pixels in which a contamination is detected between the first and second images is less than a threshold.
US08922828B2
When a group of documents are received, the scan priority of the documents may be determined, according to one embodiment, by acquiring contexts about each of the documents and calculating a scan priority of each of the documents according to a combination of the contexts of the document. Then, each of the documents may be stored to a queue corresponding to the scan priority of the document, such that documents stored in a higher priority queue are processed before documents stored to a lower priority queue. Also, a confidentiality label may be assigned to each of the documents, starting with the documents in the highest priority queue first, based on content acquired from each of the individual documents.
US08922823B2
A non-transitory computer-readable recording medium stores programs for a computer to execute a method of controlling a print job of a document from an application. The programs includes a controlling program to control the print job with a job ID, a setting receiving program to receive a setting condition, an image processing program to convert the document into print data, and a print data processing program to store the job ID with image data. The method includes the steps of obtaining the job ID, generating the image data, and storing the job ID with the image data into the print data processing program, executed by the setting receiving program, and the steps of obtaining the document and the job ID, receiving the image data, and converting the image data and the document into the print data, executed by the image processing program.
US08922818B2
Techniques are provided that allow the user to view on his or her mobile device the body of an email or other items from a message service as well as each of the attachments as thumbnails or individual images. As well, techniques allow the user to view particular attributes of each item, e.g. the number of pages and the page size of a particular attachment. Techniques are provided such that the user may view such thumbnails and/or attributes on a unique URL generated as a result of the generated email. Thus, by such techniques, the user is provided with a platform for mobile devices that allows intuitive selection of what should be or is desired to be printed.
US08922813B2
Systems and methods for a print server are provided that includes a processor and a memory coupled to the processor. The memory including instructions causing the processor to receive data from a computing device in a format native to the computing device and process the data received from the computing device into a format native to a printing device connected to the print server. The instructions further cause the system to provide control signals to the print device and provide the data to the print device in the format native to a printer connected to the print server.
US08922804B2
A system and related method are provided for managing technical documents. The system includes a graphical screen divided into a plurality of document units arranged in a m×n manner, where both m and n are integers larger than 1. Each of the document units occupies a screen area for displaying document information of a document, and said document information including important information and related information of the document, in which the related information can be at least one related drawing.
US08922797B2
Example embodiments disclosed herein relate to methods for emulating a printing range, on a sheet of paper, of a first image forming apparatus by a second image forming apparatus. An example method includes starting a first printer driver for a first image forming apparatus, obtaining printing range information of the first image forming apparatus from the first printer driver, and creating a plug-in file based on the printing range information of the first image forming apparatus. The plug-in file may include a function for changing a printing range for a second printer driver for a second image forming apparatus. The example method also includes installing the plug-in file into the second printer driver.
US08922789B2
Displacement measuring device with light irradiation system, first and second FBGs and detecting system. The first FBG has first transmittance distribution or first reflectance distribution. The second FBG has second transmittance distribution or second reflectance distribution. The detecting system detects light passed through the first and second FBGs of which at least one of the first transmittance distribution and the second transmittance distribution changes in a wavelength direction with a change amount different from that of the other, according to a displacement amount of an object, or amplitude of the light passed through the first and the second FBGs of which at least one of the first reflectance distribution and the second reflectance distribution changes in the wavelength direction with a change amount different from that of the other, according to the displacement amount of the object, and acquires an index to indicate the displacement amount based on the amplitude.
US08922785B2
A technique for measuring displacement involves passing parallel laser light from a laser light source through a first diffraction grating to a semi-transparent semi-reflective mirror. A portion of the laser light is reflected as first reversed light, which passes through the first diffraction grating. The remainder of the parallel laser light proceeds to a total reflection mirror and is reflected as second reversed light that passes through the semi-transparent semi-reflective mirror and the first diffraction grating. The amount of refracted light of a predetermined order that is of the first and second reversed light and that results from the first diffraction grating is detected by a first optical sensor, and the amount of displacement is obtained from the interference band or a signal thereof corresponding to the amount of relative motion in the axial direction of the total reflection mirror with respect to the semi-transparent semi-reflective mirror.
US08922783B2
A multiband spatial heterodyne spectrometer for determining spectra in first and second wavelength bands has a beamsplitter configured to split incident light and to direct the incident light upon a first and a second diffraction grating. The gratings are configured for Littrow reflection of incident light of the first wavelength band at a first order and Littrow reflection of incident light of the second wavelength band at a second order. Light reflected by the first and the second diffraction grating forms diffraction patterns imaged by an electronic camera. A dispersive device separates the imaged interference patterns onto separate groups of pixel sensors corresponding to the wavelength bands. A processing device receives information from the detector and computes spectra therefrom. The second diffraction grating is split spatially or temporally to provide two different responses, so the system can disambiguate spectra. In embodiments, the spectrometer computes hyperspectral images of a target.
US08922779B2
The present invention provides a signal processing method and device for the fiber-optic gyroscope, which can effectively expand the dynamic range of the fiber-optic gyroscope, improve the linearity of the scaling factor, and restrain the zero drift of the open-loop fiber-optic gyroscope, i.e., the dynamic fluctuation of the scaling factor. The fiber-optic gyroscope proposed by the present invention provides a first harmonic demodulation reference signal and a second harmonic demodulation reference signal, which are high in quality and synchronous in detection signal, to the signal processing device proposed by the present invention by the digital phase-locked loop technology.
US08922771B2
A multichannel polarization stabilizer including a mixing device responsive to a sample beam and a reference beam that provides an in-phase signal including the mixed sample beam and reference beam having a relative phase of 0° and a quadrature phase signal including the mixed sample beam and reference beam having a relative phase of 90°. The stabilizer also includes a photodetector responsive to the quadrature phase signal that converts the quadrature phase signal to a quadrature phase electrical signal. A polarization demultiplexer circuit receives the quadrature phase electrical signal and measures the amplitude of a frequency tone in the sample beam and provides a polarization amplitude signal. A polarization controller receives the polarization amplitude signal and controls the reference beam to maximize the polarization amplitude signal.
US08922770B2
Spectral device includes: diffraction element which disperses light for each wavelength; optical condensing system which condenses diffracted light of specific order generated by diffraction in the diffraction element; photo-detector arranged at position where the diffracted light of the specific order is condensed by the optical condensing system; first deflection device which inverts the direction of travel of second light as zeroth-order diffracted light generated by diffraction of first light which has entered the diffraction element as parallel luminous flux, and leads the second light into the diffraction element; and second deflection device which deflects the diffracted light of the specific order generated by diffraction of the second light which has entered the diffraction element in the same direction as the diffracted light of the specific order generated by the diffraction of the first light, and leads the deflected light into the optical condensing system.
US08922766B2
A spectrometer includes a light source section that includes a plurality of LEDs having different emission wavelengths, a variable wavelength interference filter that selectively extracts light of a predetermined wavelength, a detector that detects the amount of light, and a control circuit section. The control circuit section includes a mode switching section that switches a calibration mode and a measurement mode, an outside light analysis section that analyzes characteristics of outside light in the calibration mode, a reference light setting section that set the amount of light emitted from each of the LEDs on the basis of the characteristics of the outside light, and a light source driving section that drives each of the LEDs on the basis of the amount of light emitted which is set in the measurement mode.
US08922762B2
A spectroscopic measuring apparatus with monitoring capability includes a first optical path that extends from a measuring object through an optical system and a slit of a slit-mirror block to a spectroscope main body and a second optical path that extends from the measuring object through the optical system and a mirror face of the slit-mirror block to a two-dimensional photographing unit. The slit and spectroscope main body are integrated into a spectroscopic unit.
US08922761B2
A method for determining a mean cell volume for a blood sample includes: illuminating the sample with incident light at a plurality of illumination wavelengths and obtaining a two-dimensional image of the sample at each of the plurality of illumination wavelengths; identifying a plurality of cells that appear in each of the images; for each one of the plurality of cells, determining an integrated optical density corresponding to each of the plurality of illumination wavelengths; for each one of the plurality of cells, determining a cell volume based on the integrated optical densities corresponding to each of the plurality of illumination wavelengths; and determining the mean cell volume for the blood sample from the cell volumes for each one of the plurality of cells.
US08922753B2
The invention relates to an optical system for a microlithographic projection exposure apparatus, including an optical system axis (OA) and a polarization-influencing optical arrangement, wherein the polarization-influencing optical arrangement includes a first polarization-influencing element, which is produced from optically uniaxial crystal material and has a first orientation of the optical crystal axis, the-first orientation being perpendicular to the optical system axis and a thickness that varies in the direction of the optical system axis, and a second polarization-influencing element, which is arranged downstream of the first polarization-influencing element in the light propagation direction, is produced from optically uniaxial crystal material and has a second orientation of the optical crystal axis, the second orientation being perpendicular to the optical system axis, and a plane-parallel geometry, wherein the second orientation is different from the first orientation.
US08922750B2
In a lithographic projection system, a corrective optic in the form of one or more deformable plates is mounted within telecentric image or object space for making one-dimensional or two-dimensional adjustments to magnification. The deformable plate, which can be initially bent under the influence of a preload, contributes weak magnification power that influences the magnification of the projection system by changing the effective focal length in object or image space. An actuator adjusts the amount of curvature through which the deformable plate is bent for regulating the amount of magnification imparted by the deformable plate.
US08922748B2
An exposure apparatus includes a first optical member from which an exposure beam is emitted; a first object movable at a light-exit side of the first optical member; a second object movable, independently of the first object, at the light-exit side of the first optical member; and a driving unit that moves the first object and the second object in a first direction within a predetermined plane including a first position opposing the first optical member in a state in which the first object and the second object are close to or in contact with each other and in which positions of the first object and the second object in a second direction within the predetermined plane are shifted.
US08922743B2
Discussed are a liquid crystal display device and a method of fabricating the same in which a single common line is formed at the center of a substrate, which results in an enhanced aperture ratio and transmittance. The liquid crystal display device includes a single common line located at a center of a substrate; a first group of unit pixels located in a right portion of the substrate on the basis of the common line and a second group of unit pixels located in a left portion of the substrate on the basis of the common line, each unit pixel defined by a plurality of gate lines and data lines orthogonally intersecting each other; and a plurality of thin film transistors formed at a right side of the respective unit pixels of the first group and at a left side of the respective unit pixels of the second group.
US08922740B2
A light efficiency enhancing optical device is disclosed, including a cholesteric liquid crystal film, a quarter wave plate disposed on a light out-going surface of the cholesteric liquid crystal film and an optical compensating film disposed on a light out-going surface of the quarter wave plate, wherein the optical compensating film includes a positive birefringence C-plate, and a composite optical compensating film with combination of the optical compensating film and the quarter wave plate has in-plane phase retardation R0 of 100 nm˜170 nm and out-of-plane phase retardation Rth of 0 nm˜400 nm.
US08922738B2
In a display device which includes: a first substrate; a second substrate; and a thin film polarizer which is directly formed on a surface of the second substrate on a side opposite to the first substrate, the thin film polarizer includes a polarization element film and a protection layer which is laminated to the polarization element film, the polarization element film is made of an aligned lyotropic liquid crystal material, and the protection layer has a refractive index smaller than a refractive index of the polarization element film in a transmission axis direction. The protection layer may have a thickness smaller than a thickness of polarization element film.
