US09078791B2

A disposable worn article diaper includes: a central slit formed in an absorber such that the absorber is curved to be convex toward an inward direction toward a wearer in a crotch region; side curved portions formed in the absorber along the lengthwise direction such that the absorber is curved to be convex toward the outward direction. The disposable worn article diaper includes a crossing elastic member crossing the absorber in middle crotch regions and fixed to the absorber. The absorber is contracted by the crossing elastic member toward a center of the absorber in the widthwise direction.
US09078788B2

The present invention provides a disposable wearing article having a position indicator mark formed on a crotch member and overlapped by front and rear waist members. Front and rear waist members overlap front and rear ends, respectively, of a crotch member and are bonded thereto to define first and second overlapping regions and an intermediate region extending between these first and second overlapping regions. A position indicator mark is formed in the first overlapping region, a graphic of fish is portrayed as a crotch graphic element in the second overlapping region and graphics of fish are portrayed in the intermediate region as crotch graphic elements. In the first overlapping region, a front waist sheet of the front waist member overlaps a front graphic film on which a graphic of penguin is portrayed as a front graphic element which, in turn, overlaps the position indicator mark.
US09078780B2

A stent graft system for intraluminal deployment in an aorta and a branch vessel that includes an aorta stent graft for deployment within the aorta and defining a lumen for the passage of blood therethrough, and having a fenestration positioned and sized so as to allow blood to flow to a contiguous branch vessel. The system also includes a branch vessel prosthesis, preferably a stent graft, having a tubular portion and a flaring portion, such that, when deployed, the flaring portion is located within the lumen of the aorta stent graft and the tubular portion passes through the fenestration and into the branch vessel. A balloon expansion catheter expands the tubular portion and flare the flaring portion. The expansion of the tubular portion and the flaring of the flaring portion may occur sequentially or simultaneously.
US09078764B2

A stoma closure that includes a conformable portion for conforming to an individual's stoma. The conformable portion includes a sack containing particles. The conformable portion may include a gel that may be loose or be at least partly contained in a sack. The conformable portion may include foam. The conformable portion may be configured to permit venting of flatus, while obstructing the passage of liquid/solid stool.
US09078761B2

The present disclosure describes embodiments for treating a defect in a tissue, the tissue having internal and external surfaces. A device includes a first portion for positioning at one of the internal and external surfaces for applying a treatment force to the defect. In addition, the device has a second portion for applying a counter-force, where the second portion is operable to be positioned so that the counter-force is applied on the other of the internal and external surfaces, away from the defect so as to substantially avoid application of force at the defect. Furthermore, the device includes a coupling member for connecting the inner and outer portions. Methods of using the device are described, for example in an intervertebral disc having a herniation.
US09078759B2

Stoma-leakage collecting device, attachment plate and assembly thereof, wherein the collecting device is structured for use together with an ordinary attachment plate for a stoma waste pouch. The collecting device is comprised of a plate-shaped body having a surface which is larger than the surface of the attachment plate. The collecting device comprises an inner, liquid-absorbent material; an outer, liquid-tight material; and an opening through the outer and inner material, respectively. At least the opening in the outer material is structured for placement around a stoma communication opening in the attachment plate, wherein at least the opening in the outer material is smaller than the smallest transverse dimension of the attachment plate. At least a radially inner rim area located around the opening in the outer material is structured in a manner allowing it to be attached in a liquid-tight manner to a rim area of the attachment plate.
US09078756B2

A meniscus implant including a c-shaped scaffold having an arcuate middle section extending between an anterior end and a posterior end. A reinforcing network of fibers independent from the scaffold is embedded therein. Fibers of said network fibers exit each end of the scaffold to form respective anterior and posterior attachment segments which extend parallel to a central axis of the scaffold. The network of fibers is configured to convert an axial compressive force on said scaffold to tensile loads on said attachment points.
US09078755B2

An orthopedic implant comprising: (a) a distal femoral component comprising a first condyle bearing surface having a first profile comprising at least three consecutive arcs of curvature; and (b) a proximal tibial component comprising a first condyle bearing surface having a second profile comprising at least three parallel arcs of curvature. The disclosure also includes a method of designing and fabricating an orthopedic implant, the method comprising: (a) evaluating images of distal femurs of a particular ethnicity to extract common shape features exhibited across an ethnicity that are unique to the ethnicity to create an ethnic specific template; (b) designing a distal femoral component comprising a first condyle surface using the ethnic specific template; and, (c) fabricating a distal femoral component embodying the first condyle surface.
US09078752B2

A system (1) for altering the geometry of a heart (100), comprising an annuloplasty ring; a set of elongate annulus-papillary tension members (21, 22, 23, 24), adapted for forming a link between said ring (10) and a papillary muscle, and a first set of papillary anchors (30) for connecting each of the tension members (21, 22, 23, 24) to the papillary muscle; and where said annuloplasty ring (10) has at least one aperture (12, 13); where each of said annulus-papillary tension members (21, 22, 23, 24) are extendable through said ring (10) through said apertures (11, 12, 13), and through an atrium to an exterior side of said atrium, such that the distance of each link between the annulus and the muscles is adjustable from a position exterior to the heart while the heart is beating.
US09078743B2

A three-coil electromagnetic induction power transfer system is disclosed for epiretinal prostheses and other implants. A third, buffer coil is disposed between an external transmitting coil and a receiver coil buried within the body to improve efficiency and robustness to misalignments. One or more of the coils can be manufactured using micromechanical machining techniques to lay out conductors in a ribbon of biocompatible insulator, folding lengths of the insulated conductor traces longitudinally over one another, and then spiraling them into a ring. The traces change axial position in the ring by shifting across fold lines. One or more U-shaped sections on the traces can be folded so that adjacent traces can project opposite one another, lengthening the resulting ribbon that can be wound into a coil.
US09078734B2

A prosthetic or orthotic device includes a body configured to support at least a portion of a human limb of a user wearing the prosthetic or orthotic device. The device can also include a shock absorption member coupled to the body. The shock absorption member includes one or more magnetorheological elastomer (MRE) springs disposed between a first portion of the body and a second portion of the body. The one or more MRE springs are selectively actuatable to vary a stiffness of the shock absorption member via the application of a magnetic flux, thereby adjusting a stiffness of the body of the prosthetic or orthotic device to a level corresponding to an activity level of the user.
US09078733B2

A closed-loop system for cryosurgery includes a cryofluid at cryogenic temperatures flowing through a closed-loop flow path. A pump, configured for operating at cryogenic temperatures, circulates the cryofluid in the closed-loop flow path. The closed-loop flow path includes a heat exchanger coupled to a heat sink configured for cooling the cryofluid in the closed-loop flow path to cryogenic temperatures. The closed-loop system includes one or more cryoneedles configured for providing cryotherapy, and one or more flow control devices, wherein each flow control device is configured for operating at cryogenic temperature and for selectively flow connecting or flow disconnecting at least one of the cryoneedles to the closed-loop flow path.
US09078732B2

An ophthalmological laser system for photodisruptive irradiation of ocular tissue, including a crystalline lens or a cornea. The system includes an ultra-short pulse laser, the radiation of which is focusable as illumination light via an illumination beam path including a scanner unit and focusing optics. A control unit is programmed to execute determining irradiation control data for photodisruptions at irradiation points in an interior of the ocular tissue distributed three-dimensionally and non-equidistantly to create at least one predetermined target incision. The laser system then irradiates the ocular tissue according to the determined irradiation control data.
US09078729B2

An implantable fabric includes a bio-inert portion having a first surface and an opposing second surface, with each of the first and second surfaces configured for tissue ingrowth and a bio-absorbable portion attached to the bio-inert portion in a manner that substantially prevents wrinkles on each of the first and second surfaces of the bio-inert portion.
US09078727B2

The invention disclosed herein includes an apparatus and a method for treatment of vaginal prolapse conditions. The apparatus is a graft having a central body portion with at least one strap extending from it. The strap has a bullet needle attached to its end portion and is anchorable to anchoring tissue in the body of a patient. The invention makes use of a delivery device adapted to deploy the graft in a patient. The inventive method includes the steps of making an incision in the vaginal wall of a patient, opening the incision to gain access inside the vagina and pelvic floor area, inserting the inventive apparatus through the incision, and attaching the straps of the apparatus to anchoring tissue in the patient.
US09078725B2

An electroencephalogram interface system includes: a presentation section for presenting multiple options to a user, the multiple options being manipulable items concerning manipulations of a device; a selection flicker control section for flickering each option; an inference section for inferring one option corresponding to a desired manipulation of the user by utilizing an event-related potential of an electroencephalogram of the user, the event-related potential being based on the flickering of each option as a starting point; a confirmation flicker control section for effecting confirmation flickering of the one option inferred; a determination section for determining whether the inferred option corresponds to the desired manipulation of the user by utilizing an event-related potential of the user's electroencephalogram, the event-related potential being based on the confirmation flickering of the one option as a starting point; and an output section for executing a process which is in accordance with the determined result.
US09078710B2

An orthopedic device for compressing or distracting bone parts includes an elongated body with two arms extending transversely away from the body. One arm is a stationary arm affixed to one end of the body and a second arm is a longitudinally movable. The two arms extend from the elongated body in the same direction and parallel to each other. The orthopedic device also includes a locking sleeve hingeably connected to the outer end of each of the first and second arms by a hinge joint, where each locking sleeve is configured for lockably receiving an elongated pin using a collet and a captured collet nut.
US09078693B2

An aspiration apparatus is described that includes a guide and a set of needles. The guide preferably has an approximately conical shape with a decreasing diameter in the distal direction. A plurality of lumens extend between a distal end portion and a proximal end portion of the guide. The needles have a tubular wall and are slidingly positionable in the lumens. The needles include a longitudinal section of the tubular wall that has a plurality of apertures that decrease in size in the proximal direction. The apertures define an approximately conically shaped area of harvest. The aspiration apparatus can connect to an external source of reduced pressure through the guide or directly to each needle.
US09078691B2

Medical devices and methods for making and using medical devices are disclosed. An example catheter is disclosed. The catheter comprises a catheter body having a catheter lumen and a high pressure tube disposed within the catheter lumen. The high pressure tube has a substantially circular cross section. The catheter also includes a fluid jet loop coupled to the high pressure tube at a transition section. The transition section has a circular cross section and a non-circular cross section. The fluid jet loop includes fluid jet orifices along a tapered loop guide surface. The catheter also includes a distal guide. The intermediate guide surface of the catheter lumen flushly engages with a leading edge of the tapered loop guide surface and the distal guide is configured to guide the instrument over the intermediate guide surface, the tapered loop guide surface and through the fluid jet loop.
US09078688B2

A dermatological skin treatment device is provided. The device comprises a handpiece and a cutting tool, wherein the tool is inserted through the conduit and percutaneously inserted into a tissue disposed within a recessed area of the handpiece. The device and method cut the fibrous structures under the skin that cause cellulite at an angle substantially parallel to the surface of the skin and replace these structures with a non-cellulite forming structure by deploying a highly fibrous mesh through a single needle hole to create a highly fibrous layer directly or through wound healing processes.
US09078686B2

A robotic surgery system for supporting a patient and a robotic surgical manipulator. The robotic surgery system includes a base, a pillar coupled to the base at a first end and extending vertically upwardly to an opposing second end, and an attachment structure coupled to the second end of the pillar. A patient table is coupled to the attachment structure. A robot support arm has a first end coupled to the attachment structure. The robot support arm extends vertically upwardly from the first end to a second end. The robot support arm may further extend horizontally over the patient table to support a robotic surgical manipulator that will extend generally downward from the robot support arm toward a patient supported by the patient table to place an end effector of the robotic surgical manipulator adjacent a desired surgical site on the patient.
US09078679B2

A substantially radiolucent cranial stabilization pin is adapted for use with a fixture for immobilizing a patient's head during a medical procedure. The pin includes a tip and a body, which are secured together to form the pin. The tip and body are constructed from non-ferrous, non-magnetic materials that are biocompatible. The tip and body are safe for use with, and compatible with, imaging techniques including MR imaging and CT imaging. In some examples the tip is a titanium insert and the body is molded within and around at least a portion of the tip. In some versions, the tip includes a hollow portion and one or more openings providing access to the hollow portion. The molded body flows into and around portions of the tip creating a secure pin suitable to withstand torque and axial forces observed in use.
US09078674B2

A surgical instrument is described which comprises an alignment guide having a first part including a distal end and a second part having a proximal end. The first part is attached to the second part by a pivot mechanism so that the first part can be tilted relative to the second part. A brace is attached toward the proximal end of the alignment guide for attaching the instrument to a limb of a patient. A component is attached toward the distal end of the alignment guide. The pivot mechanism is configured so that tilting the first part does not substantially change the separation between the component and the brace.
US09078672B1

A reamer for use in minimally invasive hip replacement surgical approaches is provided. The reamer spindle includes an offset elongate housing portion that extends from a proximal housing end portion a distal housing end portion. A handle assembly, preferably comprising a durable lightweight material such as carbon fiber that is removably connectable to the housing of the reamer spindle. A reamer head is removably connectable to the distal neck portion and has a surface configured to cut bone.
US09078662B2

An apparatus for treating tissue in a tissue treatment region. The apparatus can comprise an electrode ring having an interior perimeter and an electrode probe having a proximal end and a distal end. The distal end of the electrode probe can be structured to axially translate relative to the interior perimeter of the electrode ring. The electrode ring and the electrode probe can be operably structured to conduct current therebetween when at least one of the electrode ring and the electrode probe is energized by an energy source. Further, the energy source can be a Radio Frequency (RF) energy source, a pulsed energy source, an irreversible electroporation energy source, or a pulsed irreversible electroporation energy source. A current from the energy source can be selected to non-thermally ablate tissue in the tissue treatment region.
US09078661B2

An ablator having an electrode positioned at a distal end is disclosed. The ablator may be configured such that the ablator includes an inner shaft having a plurality of distal slots therein and contained within an outer hollow shaft. The inner shaft may extend distally from a distal end of the outer, hollow shaft. The configuration of the distal end of the ablator may increase the operating efficiency of the ablator by reducing the power requirements.
US09078655B2

Thermally adjustable surgical tools include a conductor and a ferromagnetic material. The ferromagnetic material may be quickly heated when subjected to high frequency alternating current through the conductor. The ferromagnetic material may also cool rapidly because of its relatively low mass and the small thermal mass of the conductor. The thermally adjustable surgical tools may be used to sculpt, melt, break and/or remove biological material. The thermally adjustable surgical tools may also include balloon catheters which can heat fluid to thereby treat biological material.
US09078647B2

A disposable glove dispensing system may allow for a user to efficiently put on a disposable glove without touching the outside of the glove. In various embodiments, a disposable glove may comprise an opening for hand entry having a first opening edge and a second opening edge, a first interconnection point located near the first opening edge, where the first interconnection point attaches the disposable glove to a first adjacent disposable glove, and a second interconnection point located near the second opening edge. The second interconnection point may attach the disposable glove to a second adjacent disposable glove, wherein the disposable glove is positioned between the first adjacent disposable glove and the second adjacent disposable glove. Furthermore, a disposable glove dispensing system may comprise a pack of interconnected disposable gloves, and a glove dispenser comprising two glove hangers for hanging the pack of disposable gloves hang.
US09078639B2

A bone marrow aspiration assembly including an outer cannula assembly, an inner cannula assembly, and a flexible seal. The outer cannula assembly includes an outer handle and an outer cannula defining a first passageway and including a plurality of first openings between a first end and a second end of the first passageway. The inner cannula assembly includes an inner handle and an inner cannula defining a second passageway and is configured to be received within the first passageway. The inner cannula includes a plurality of second openings between a first end and a second end of the second passageway. The flexible seal is mounted to the inner handle and positioned such that the seal contacts the outer cannula assembly when the inner cannula assembly is in cooperation with the outer cannula assembly to create a substantially airtight seal therebetween.
US09078635B2

A retractor assembly has a first clamp adapted to be mounted to a table, a first vertically oriented post supported by the clamp, a first main arm mounted for at least one of angular and lateral movement relative to the first post, and lockable in a selected position, and a tree assembly configured at one end of the second post. The tree assembly has at least two accessory arms, with each accessory arm having a first ball joint on a first end, and a pivot lock knob at an immediate portion, and each accessory arm having a second end configured to accept the mounting of a retractor to the accessory arm. The retractor assembly may also include a J-shaped hook mounted to a ratcheting linearly movable distractor assembly and trochanteric retractors mounted to the accessory arms for femoral elevation and exposure.
US09078634B2

Methods, devices, and systems employ cryolysis of oropharyngeal adipose tissues to selectively remove fat cells from the tissues causing obstructive sleep apnea. In various embodiments, a chilled liquid—e.g., a liquid or air—is applied to the target tissue at a temperature and for a duration sufficient to cause cryolysis.
US09078633B2

A vessel access and closure device places a running suture in the wall of a blood vessel using a rotating helical suture needle that carries the suture along a helical path passing through the vessel wall, then reverses rotation to release a suture anchor attached to the distal end of the suture. A loose helical coil of suture is left behind as the helical suture needle withdraws. The device is withdrawn and replaced with a vessel dilator and an introducer sheath that opens up a larger access opening into the blood vessel and creates a pathway that passes though the helical coil of suture for introducing an interventional device into the blood vessel. After the interventional procedure is completed, the interventional device and the introducer sheath are withdrawn and the running suture is tightened and secured with a suture lock to close the access opening into the vessel.
US09078622B2

A method for selecting data to reconstruct a three-dimensional (3D) image of a subject of interest includes acquiring a 3D emission dataset of the subject of interest, acquiring a respiratory signal of the subject of interest, the respiratory signal including a plurality of respiratory cycles, and calculating a respiratory profile using the respiratory signal. The method further includes, for each respiratory cycle, generating a gating window, calculating a minimum total squared difference (TSD) between a plurality of phases in the respiratory profile and the same plurality of phases in the respiratory cycle, and positioning the gating window based on the TSD values calculated, and reconstructing a 3D image using only the emission data within the plurality of gated windows. A system and non-transitory computer readable medium are also described herein.
US09078618B2

Methods and systems for patient alignment for nuclear medicine imaging are provided. One method includes activating a proximity sensor system associated with imaging detectors of the diagnostic imaging system, wherein the imaging detectors are in an L-mode configuration. The method also includes initiating movement of a patient table of the diagnostic imaging system and using a sensed proximity of a patient on the moving patient table by the proximity sensor system to automatically adjust a height of the patient table on which the patient is supported to a patient table height scanning position.
US09078617B2

A probe assembly is presented for use in monitoring one or more parameters of a subject. The probe assembly comprises: an acoustic port for transmitting acoustic radiation into a region of interest in the subject, at least one light output port for transmitting incident light towards the region of interest, at least one light input port for receiving light returned from the subject, and a control utility integrated in the probe assembly, said control utility being configured for controlling at least one condition of a monitoring procedure and enabling the monitoring procedure upon detecting that said at least one condition is satisfied.
US09078611B2

A clamp is provided in a blood collecting device that includes a first tube having one end and another end connected to a blood collecting needle and a blood bag, respectively, a second tube branched from a halfway of the first tube through a branched portion, and a block-off member which is provided in the first tube at the blood-bag side beyond the branched portion and which allows the first tube in a blocked state to be opened when torn, in which the clamp is arranged at the branched portion, and is configured to change a state between a first state in which the second tube is opened and a tearing operation of the block-off member is disabled and a second state in which the second tube is closed and a tearing operation to the block-off member is enabled.
US09078610B2

A system and method for generating power when one or more motion sensitive structures are moved. The system may include one or more sensing components which, acting alone or in combination, are capable of generating data related to one or more physiological parameters. The system may also include wireless communication circuitry capable of wirelessly transmitting the data related to the one or more physiological parameters. Furthermore, at least one of the one or more sensing components or the wireless communication circuitry may be at least partially powered, directly or indirectly, by the one or more motion sensitive structures.
US09078599B2

An imager (4) which may comprise a body (10) and an image sensor (20) housed within the body wherein the body may be releasably operably coupleable to a module (6), the module having an optical aperture (54) extending therethrough that aligns with the image sensor when operably coupled to the body to form an imaging channel wherein the sensor is operable to image a subject within an optical axis X of the imaging channel.
US09078597B2

A mobile x-ray imaging unit with an integrated x-ray shield is disclosed. The mobile x-ray imaging unit includes a base, a column structure extending upwardly from the base, a horizontal arm mounted on the column structure, and an x-ray source positioned on the horizontal arm, with the x-ray source configured to generate x-ray radiation for acquisition of an x-ray image. The mobile x-ray imaging unit also includes an x-ray shield extending upwardly from the base on a side of the column structure opposite the x-ray source that is configured to attenuate x-ray radiation generated by the x-ray source, wherein at least a portion of the x-ray shield is formed of an optically transparent material and wherein the x-ray shield is sized so as to provide x-ray shielding to an operator when the operator is in a standing position.
US09078596B2

Provided is an imaging apparatus for acquiring a tomographic image of an object to be inspected based on light obtained by combining return light from the object illuminated with measuring light and reference light corresponding to the measuring light, the imaging apparatus including: a reference-light amount changing unit provided in an optical path of the reference light, for changing a reference-light amount of the reference light; and a control unit for controlling the reference-light amount changing means so as to control the reference-light amount within a predetermined range and an image quality of the tomographic image within a predetermined image-quality evaluation range.
US09078594B2

Provided is an ultrasound diagnostic and treatment device for tumors which is used in combination with a phase-shift ultrasound contrast agent. By using a phase-shift ultrasound contrast agent, irradiating phase-shift ultrasonic waves from a phase-shift ultrasonic wave transmitter (18), irradiating ultrasonic waves for holding microbubbles from an ultrasonic wave transmitter (29) for holding microbubbles, and using a phase-shift detecting ultrasonic wave transceiver (19) to observe the phase shift, the ultrasound diagnostic and treatment device generates and holds the microbubbles in advance on the entire site (16) requiring treatment, and irradiates ultrasonic waves for treatment having a moderate intensity of 1 kW/cm2 or lower on the entire site (16) requiring treatment with the microbubbles as the target from a ultrasonic wave transmitter (20) for treatment.
US09078590B2

There are provided embodiments for providing additional information. In one embodiment, an ultrasound system comprises: an ultrasound data acquisition unit configured to acquire first ultrasound data and second ultrasound data corresponding to a living body; and a processing unit configured to form a brightness mode image based on the first ultrasound data, set at least one sample volume on the brightness mode image, and form blood flow information corresponding to blood flow in the living body based on the second ultrasound data corresponding to the at least one sample volume, the processing unit being further configured to form additional information corresponding to a change of the blood flow with a time based on the blood flow information.
US09078586B2

A body fat measurement device, including: a plurality of electrodes which contact a body surface of the subject; a current application unit which passes a current between a pair of electrodes of the plurality of electrodes; a first measurement unit which measures a voltage between another pair of electrodes, while current is passed between the pair of electrodes; a calculation unit which calculates an abdominal impedance of the subject on the basis of the voltage measured by the first measurement unit and calculates an amount of body fat of the subject; a second measurement unit which outputs a signal indicating a parameter other than the abdominal impedance; a cable in which a first core wire which connects between at least one of the current application unit and the pair of electrodes, and the first measurement unit and the other pair of electrodes, and a second core wire which connects the second measurement unit and the calculation unit are provided inside a same insulating coating; and an isolating unit which can shut off a connection between the second core wire and the calculation unit; wherein the calculation unit calculates the abdominal impedance on the basis of the voltage measured by the first measurement unit while a connection between the second core wire and the calculation unit is shut off, during measurement of the abdominal impedance.
US09078583B2

In some embodiments, a system includes a near-field instrument to be placed inside a chamber of a heart, a far-field instrument to be placed in a stable position in relation to the heart (e.g., the coronary sinus), and a control unit. The control unit is configured to receive position coordinates of the near-field instrument and electrogram information from the far-field instrument. The control unit is configured to identify a unique pattern in the electrogram information from the far-field instrument and store the associated near-field instrument position information with the unique pattern information and near-field instrument electrogram information. While recording electrogram information from the near-field instrument, the control unit is also configured to record voltage and complex fractionated atrial electrogram (CFAE) characteristics of the tissue inside a heart chamber. This information combined with rotor information can be used to identify substrate versus non-substrate rotor characteristics.
US09078579B2

A flexible circuit board for being inserted into an in-vivo imaging device is provided. The flexible circuit board may include a plurality of flexible installation units connected to one another through flexible connection units. The flexible installation units may be capable of having electrical components disposed thereon at a size suitable for being included in an in-vivo imaging device which may be inserted into a body lumen, e.g., a capsule endoscope. An in-vivo imaging device which may enclose such a full-flexible circuit board is also provided.
US09078574B2

Techniques are provided for use by implantable medical devices such as pacemakers or by external systems in communication with such devices. An intracardiac electrogram (IEGM) is sensed within a patient in which the device is implanted using a cardiac signal sensing system. Cardiac events of interest such as arrhythmias, premature atrial contractions (PACs), premature ventricular contractions (PVCs) and pacemaker mediated tachycardias (PMTs) are detected within the patient using event detection systems and then portions of the IEGM representative of the events of interest are recorded in device memory. Subsequently, during an off-line or background analysis, the recorded IEGM data is retrieved and analyzed to identify false detections. In response to false detections, the cardiac signal sensing systems and/or the event detection systems of the implantable device are selectively adjusted or reprogrammed to reduce or eliminate any further false detections, including false-positives or false-negatives. Various adaptive reprogramming techniques are described.
US09078570B2

A pressure sensor and pressure-sensing catheter in which a deformable pressure sensing membrane is separated from an inner metalized surface on a rigid support by an air gap. An input allows a voltage to be applied to an electrode on the sensing membrane and an output allows reading of the signal modulation from the support surface. An outer sleeve overlays the membrane and a wire bus transmits the signals to a terminal connector. The catheter may include a vented air gap, a multiplexing wire bus, and an internal cable to maintain tension.
US09078569B2

A Data Measurement and Acquisition System (DMAS) for multi-slice X-ray CT systems and multi-slice X-ray CT systems using the DMAS are disclosed; wherein the DMAS comprises a plurality of X-ray scintillators, a plurality of photodiode modules, a plurality of digitizing cards, one or more motherboards, and an arced support structure for mounting and securing the photodiode modules, the digitizing cards, and the motherboard(s); wherein the multi-slice X-ray CT systems comprises one or more X-ray sources, and one or more DMAS.
US09078559B2

An oral cavity insertion instrument which is to be attached to a monitor device having a long scope portion is provided. The oral cavity insertion instrument is adapted to be used by being inserted into an oral cavity and has a long cover member having a bore which extends in a longitudinal direction thereof, wherein the scope portion of the monitor is adapted to be inserted into the bore. The oral cavity insertion instrument also has a long tongue depressor in the form of a plate. The tongue depressor is provided adjacent to and in contact with the cover member along the longitudinal direction thereof. The oral cavity insertion instrument includes an attachment unit used to attach the cover member to the monitor device. The tongue depressor includes a tip end having a width greater than that of the cover member. A pharyngoscope apparatus provided with the oral cavity insertion instrument is also provided.
US09078557B2

A dishwasher is provided that includes a washing compartment and a sorption drying system to dry items to be washed, wherein the sorption drying system has a sorption container that contains reversibly dehydratable sorption material. The dishwasher further includes an air ducting channel to connect the sorption container with the washing compartment in order to generate an air flow. The air ducting channel has an inlet-side tube section and the sorption container and/or the inlet-side tube section has flow conditioning elements. Each flow conditioning elements has an air passage such that, to a large extent, an equalization of a local cross-sectional profile of an air flow is effected when air flows through the sorption container in a throughflow direction of the sorption container.
US09078553B2

A method and apparatus for cleaning washware, in particular dishes, is provided. In the process, the washware is subjected to at least one wash process in which adhering dirt is at least largely removed. The washware is then subjected to a final-washing process which has at least two substeps. The washware is acted on by a first rinse liquid in a first substep, with the first rinse liquid containing a disinfectant. The washware is acted on by a second rinse liquid in a subsequent second substep, with the second rinse liquid comprising at least one permeate which is produced by reverse osmosis.
US09078551B2

A domestic dishwasher, comprising an attachment device for receiving intake water and an execution control device in which are stored one or more washing programs for controlling an execution of a wash cycle for washing dishes, wherein the execution control device is designed to adapt at least one parameter of at least one of the washing programs to a temperature of the fresh water.
US09078549B2

A hand vacuum cleaner is provided with a wand mounted to the dirty fluid inlet of the hand vacuum cleaner and the wand has a distal inlet that is mounted on a surface cleaning head. The hand vacuum cleaner has two cyclonic cleaning stages and a handle. In one embodiment, the handle has an upper end that is located that is located exterior to the second cyclonic stage and at a height intermediate the first and second spaced apart ends of the second cyclonic cleaning stage and a handle portion that extends upwardly when the hand vacuum cleaner is positioned on a horizontal surface. In another embodiment, the fluid flow motor and the handle are positioned rearward of the central axes of the first and second cyclonic cleaning stages.
US09078540B2

A process and device are disclosed for creating a low adhesion cooking surface. The process involves placing a hydrogen containing substance on a cooking surface; and extracting the hydrogen from the substance so that the hydrogen remains in recesses on the cooking surface. The hydrogen may be extracted by creating an electric charge on the surface, the electric charge drawing hydrogen into pores or recesses in the surface. The device preferably includes a housing which contains a high voltage generator. The output end of the generator is positioned so as to generate an electric arc when activated.
US09078530B2

An infant playpen includes a plurality of upright legs, and a first and a second upper side rail assembly supported by the upright legs. Each of the first and a second upper side rail assembly includes at least one elongated segment having an outer surface, and a plurality of positioning regions are defined on the outer surfaces of the elongated segments, each of the positioning regions being configured to locate a connection of a removable accessory on the infant playpen. An infant care system is also disclosed, which includes the infant playpen and a removable accessory installed thereon. One selected positioning region of the first upper side rail assembly can be received in a housing of the removable accessory, and a locking part of the removable accessory is displaced to a locked position that retains the selected positioning region in the housing.
US09078529B2

A collapsible child seat having a collapsible frame that moves between an expanded position and a collapsed position. A seat member moveably attaches to the frame, with a recessed support for receiving and supporting a child. A retractable canopy covers the seat member.
US09078514B2

A brush cap assembly for cleaning has a first cylindrical portion, a second portion having an inclined surface extending from the first portion, a plurality of holes formed in the inclined surface, and a plurality of bristles extending from the inclined surface.
US09078512B2

A device for attaching to an electric power line conductor includes an electrically conductive housing having an opening for accepting the power line conductor and is configured to be grounded to the power line conductor. At least one magnetic core is configured to surround the power line conductor and power a power supply module. A laser triangulation distance measuring device is configured to be powered by the power supply module.
US09078507B2

The spouting-type cosmetic container includes: a main container provided with an opening; a pipette tube spouting cosmetic; a cap unit detachably installed to the opening of the main container and including an inner cap and an outer cap encasing the inner cap; an up/down button installed to the upper side of the outer cap to move up and down for a preset stroke and having cam holes formed on the side wall to face the cams; a piston fixed to the lower side of the up/down button to move up and down with the up/down button; and an elastic member elastically reacting to move the up/down button and the piston upward and to spout the cosmetic accommodated in the main container out. A preset amount of cosmetic is discharged and user's convenience may be enhanced.
US09078502B2

A closure for a pouch comprising: (a) a cylindrical sleeve having a first open end and a second open end, (b) a longitudinal slit in the cylindrical sleeve having a close end proximate to the first end of the cylindrical sleeve and an open end at the second end of the cylindrical sleeve; (c) a rod adapted to be arranged concentrically within the cylindrical sleeve having a first end and a second end, the first end of the rod being adapted to engage with the first end of the cylindrical sleeve; and (d) a child-proof lock adapted to be removably connected to the second end of the cylindrical sleeve or to the second end of the rod to block the open end of the longitudinal slit.
US09078492B2

Provided is a shoe having a bottom surface that is adjacent to the ground in normal use and that has at least some indentations, with lower extending portions between the indentations. A sole forms at least a portion of the bottom surface, and an upper portion extends above the sole. A plurality of small particles is bonded to at least some of the lower extending portions, but at least a portion of the indentations is not coated with such small particles.
US09078489B2

A method for manufacturing a waterproof and vapor-permeable shoe, consisting in preparing a semimanufactured component of an upper for a shoe, such that it can be arranged spread out on a flat surface or on two mutually opposite surfaces, then arranging on the inner part of the semimanufactured component of an upper a waterproof and vapor-permeable membrane, then preparing means for adhesive bonding between the semimanufactured component of an upper and the membrane so as to not inhibit the vapor-permeability of the assembly. One or more shapes, capable of shaping themselves complementarily with respect to the different thicknesses of the stitched seams and of the superimposed parts which constitute the outer surface of the semimanufactured component of an upper are prepared, and the membrane is coupled to the semimanufactured component of an upper, with the outer part of the component arranged so that the outer surface rests on the shape.
US09078488B1

An article of footwear including an upper incorporating a knitted component having color-shifting properties is provided. Color-shift properties can be generated by one or more lenticular knit structures disposed across the upper of the article of footwear. The lenticular knit structures are formed of unitary knit construction with the remaining portions of the knitted component. The lenticular knit structures have portions formed with different yarns. The different yarns on the portions of the lenticular knit structures generate a visual effect that changes the color of the article of footwear depending on the viewing angle.
US09078485B2

A sports monitoring system and method. One disclosed system can be used during skiing and includes a controller transceiver that can be hand held, two ski boot pressure monitor/transmitters, and earphones connectable to the controller/transceiver. The system can be used to provide, through the earphones, sound indicative of pressure applied or not applied by a skier toward a portion of a boot while skiing. The system may also include a proximity sensor mounted within one of the ski boot pressure monitor/transmitters. The system can thereby provide sound responsive to the proximity detector's detection of one boot being at or not at a distance, or within or outside of a distance range, with respect to the other boot.
US09078483B1

A shade that is removably attachable to a bill of a hat has a pocket member that has a pocket formed therein. The bill of the hat is received within the pocket and is friction held therein, with or without the assistance of optional clips. A glare shielding extension downwardly depends from the outer periphery of the body member so that the extension is positioned in the line of sight of a user when wearing the hat in normal fashion. The extension may be opaque or may have at least a portion thereof that is an optical portion.
US09078474B2

A cartomizer for an electronic cigarette having an elongated, hollow body with a mouthpiece in a first end and a battery coupling in an opposite second end. An atomizing coil is disposed in the body generally perpendicular to a longitudinal axis of the cartomizer and has positive and negative terminal leads pressfit connected to positive and negative terminals separated by an insulative spacer in the battery coupling. A fibrous wick is inserted inside the atomizing coil and a cloth tube is disposed generally parallel to the longitudinal axis of the cartomizer and extends from the atomizing coil to the mouthpiece. A volatile liquid mixture of preferably 80% propylene glycol and 20% veggie glycol with liquid nicotine and/or flavoring is disposed in the body.
US09078465B2

The invention relates to a biological preparation comprising orthosilicic and silicic acid, a primary (“constant/first”) osmolyte choline and a weak alkalinizing agent without free hydroxyl groups and to a method for preparing the preparation, comprising: i) hydrolyzing a silicon comprising choline solution thereby forming a choline stabilized orthosilicic acid and oligomers solution; ii) alkalizing the choline orthosilicic acid and oligomers solution by adding a weak alkalizing agent without hydroxyl groups; and iii) optionally adding a divalent trace element and/or secondary osmolyte, to biological preparation obtainable and its uses.
US09078463B2

This application relates to compositions comprising whole-tissue potato products with enhanced resistant starch (RS) content and reduced estimated glycemic index values. Methods of preparing and using whole-tissue potato products with enhanced resistant starch (RS) content and glycemic index values are also disclosed.
US09078456B2

The present invention is directed to a shaped confectionery center made by a cold forming process comprising compressing a flowable, particulate fat based material through a forming apparatus comprising one or more forming pins to provide at least one hollow section therein, wherein the at least one formed hollow section has ends that are sealed by the fat based material and at least one hollow section extends through a substantial portion of the center, and wherein the shaped confectionery center has a percent density reduction of at least about 5% achieved by creating the at least one hollow section in the center.
US09078452B2

A poultry wing segmenting blade to segment a poultry wing into segments at the poultry wing joint, the blade includes a bifurcated blade having a first edge and a second edge, and further comprises a guide, the guide configured to align the poultry wing joint with the bifurcated blade configured to separate the joint and cut the poultry wing and, thus, functions to produce consistent high speed joint cuts without producing shattered or fragmented bone segments, exposed open bone areas, and/or bone marrow contamination.
US09078443B1

Methods for controlling weeds in a crop by applying to weeds having an average height ranging from about 4 inches to about 8 inches a herbicidally effective amount of a composition that includes (a) fluthiacet-methyl and (b) a p-hydroxyphenylpyruvate dioxygenase (HPPD) inhibitor are presented.
US09078441B2

The present invention provides antimicrobial solutions that comprise at least one alcohol, at least one antimicrobial agent and at least one chelator and/or anticoagulant. Also provided are methods for rapidly reducing a microbe or a virus from surfaces including surfaces of indwelling medical devices and organic surfaces such as skin and sutures, and inorganic surfaces such as hospital equipment, pipelines etc.
US09078439B2

An object of the present invention is to provide an emulsifiable concentrate which comprises pyriproxyfen as an active ingredient, wherein the emulsifiable concentrate is excellent in emulsion stability under conditions of low-rate dilution not only in soft water but also in hard water. The present application provides for an emulsifiable concentrate excellent in emulsion stability which comprises pyriproxyfen, alkylarylsulfonic acid salt, polyoxyethylene styrylphenyl ether, polyoxyethylene castor oil, fatty acid C1-C6 alkyl ester, and aromatic hydrocarbon in specified amounts.
US09078436B2

The present invention provides a method of treating an aqueous system for biocide control, by adding an acidified solution that includes monoalkyldithiocarbamate salt and alkyl isothiocyanate to an aqueous system. A biocide feed system is also provided that is configured to generate a reproducible level of alkyl isothiocyanate. The method and system provide effective levels of alkyl isothiocyanate for rapid biocidal activity, along with levels of monoalkyldithiocarbamate salt which can decompose to form additional alkyl isothiocyanate and provide longer-term biocidal activity.
US09078434B2

Provided is a solid antimicrobial agent suitable for portable use, which can continuously release a stable amount of chlorine dioxide even under vibration or shock. An antimicrobial pouch includes: an antimicrobial agent supporting an antimicrobial substance in a porous inorganic solid carrier; a first pouch body receiving the antimicrobial agent; and a second pouch body receiving the first pouch body, wherein the first pouch body includes fine holes on an entire surface, the fine holes having a diameter smaller than a particle size of the inorganic solid carrier, and the second pouch body includes release holes at an edge portion, the release holes through which the antimicrobial substance is released to atmosphere of the second pouch body.
US09078427B1

Methods for obtaining genetic material from plant embryos while preserving their viability are provided. In the methods, preservation of viability may be maintained by suspending the embryos in an aqueous solution surrounded by an oil matrix. Genetic material may be obtained from an aliquot of the aqueous solution and may be used directly for molecular analysis, or whole genome amplification may be performed prior to molecular analysis.
US09078426B2

Compositions and methods are disclosed for automated storing, tracking, retrieving and analyzing biological samples, including dry storage at ambient temperatures of nucleic acids, proteins (including enzymes), and cells using a dry storage matrix that permits recovery of biologically active materials. RFID-tagged biological sample storage devices featuring dissolvable or dissociable matrices are described for use as supports of biological samples, which matrices can be dried and subsequently rehydrated for sample recovery. Also disclosed are computer-implemented systems and methods for managing sample data.
US09078420B1

Fishing tackle contains a stamp such as a postage stamp or a trading stamp, or a photograph or a picture. Lures, spoons, spinners, bobbers, nets may be included accordingly, for example, as a stamp-mounting fishing lure.
US09078410B1

A novel maize variety designated X08B839 and seed, plants and plant parts thereof, produced by crossing Pioneer Hi-Bred International, Inc. proprietary inbred maize varieties. Methods for producing a maize plant that comprises crossing hybrid maize variety X08B839 with another maize plant. Methods for producing a maize plant containing in its genetic material one or more traits introgressed into X08B839 through backcross conversion and/or transformation, and to the maize seed, plant and plant part produced thereby. This invention relates to the maize variety X08B839, the seed, the plant produced from the seed, and variants, mutants, and minor modifications of maize variety X08B839. This invention further relates to methods for producing maize varieties derived from maize variety X08B839.
US09078397B2

A system and method for conveying agricultural material in a harvester. One harvester includes a rotor which rotates to separate a plant into a first agricultural material and a second agricultural material. A grate is disposed vertically below the rotor and further separates the first and second agricultural materials from one another. A first conveyor receives the first and second agricultural material directly from a trailing end of the rotor and a trailing end of the grate.
US09078394B2

A cutting head for a string trimmer, the cutting head being rotationally driven through a drive shaft, the cutting head comprising a bowl; a trimmer string secured to the bowl; and a blade attached to the outer circumference of the bowl.
US09078390B2

The present invention extends to a conveyor system that allows the spacing between slabs on a conveyor to be controlled. Because the spacing can be controlled, a single stacking head can be used to pick up and stack multiple slabs at the same time. In this manner, a harvesting machine employing the conveyor system of the present invention can utilize a single stacking head while still harvesting sod at least as quickly as harvesting machines employing multiple stacking heads.
US09078389B2

A tow behind aerator is provided for connected with a hitch of a garden tractor. The aerator includes a connection, a float, a pivot, and an aerator body. The float allows for the aerator to ride on variations of terrain and elevation. The pivot allows the aerator body to pivot or rotate relative to the tractor such that the aerator is able to turn around objects. The pivot may be engaged or disengaged to control the amount of pivot. Further, the aerator includes a self-centering function for centering the aerator when raising the aerator to a non-aerating configuration. A universal sleeve hitch may be used to connect the aerator to the tractor and can be operated to raise and lower the aerator.
US09084386B2

A substrate surface detection unit performs image analysis of cross-sectional images of an object to be inspected including a substrate and an electronic component and specifies a surface image on which the surface of the substrate is photographed. A pseudo cross-sectional image creation unit specifies a region of the solder for joining the substrate and the electronic component, the solder being photographed on the cross-sectional images, and creates a pseudo cross-sectional image in which an imaged region is made to have a thickness in a pseudo manner by piling up the cross-sectional images on which the solder is photographed. An inspection unit estimates whether the joint state of the solder is good or bad by performing image analysis on the region of the solder photographed on the surface image and the pseudo cross-sectional image.
US09084383B2

An information handling system (IHS) chassis includes a chassis base. A center portion of the chassis base comprises at least ninety-five weight percent of a first metal element that is one of Aluminum or Magnesium. An edge section of the chassis base extends around the circumference of the chassis base adjacent the center portion. The edge section is comprised of an alloyed material that includes the first metal element and at least five weight percent of at least one second metal element that is selected from the group including Lithium, Titanium, Tungsten, Chromium, Hafnium, Lanthanum, and Ytterbium. The center portion and the edge section may comprise a first layer of the chassis base, and a second layer may be bonded to the first layer. In one example including the second layer, the first metal element is Magnesium and the second layer is at least ninety-five weight percent of Aluminum.
US09084375B2

An airflow module for being received in a module bay of a data storage device enclosure is disclosed. The airflow module comprises a body having: a first face having a first opening therein; a second face having a second opening therein, the first face being adjacent to the second face; and, an airflow channel between the first opening and the second opening so as to allow the passage of air between the first opening and the second opening. The first and second openings are arranged to co-operate with airflow openings in modules positioned in adjacent bays of a said data storage device enclosure to direct a cooling stream of air between said modules in use. The airflow channel is free from components that generate substantial amounts of heat in their normal operation.
US09084374B2

An electronic device includes: a plurality of slots where a plurality of electronic instruments are mountable; and an electronic instrument inserted in any of the plurality of slots; wherein the electronic instrument includes a flow rate limiting member that protrudes to a side of an adjacent slot where no electronic instrument is mounted and limits a flow rate of cooling air flowing through the adjacent slot.
US09084369B2

An electronic equipment enclosure comprises a frame structure formed from a plurality of support posts and at least partially enclosed by a plurality of panels. The panels include at least side, top and back panels defining an enclosure having a top, a bottom and a rear thereof. The top panel includes an opening there through that is rectangular in shape. The equipment enclosure further comprises an exhaust air duct extending upward from the top panel of the enclosure. The exhaust air duct is rectangular in cross-section and is disposed in surrounding relation to, and in fluid communication with, the top panel opening. The exhaust air duct is adapted to segregate hot air being exhausted from the enclosure from cool air entering the enclosure, thereby improving thermal management of the enclosure.
US09084366B2

Electric components and methods of manufacture are specified. An electric component comprises a carrier having a recess which penetrates the carrier and also a first chip and external contact area. The first chip is arranged in the recess in the carrier. The external contact area is provided for connecting up the first chip to an external circuit environment.
US09084359B2

A method for producing a wired circuit board includes the steps of preparing a metal supporting layer; forming an insulating layer on the metal supporting layer; roughening the surface of the insulating layer; forming a conductive pattern on the insulating layer; and inspecting the presence or absence of a defect of the conductive pattern by using an inspection device provided with a light emitting portion emitting incident light that enters the insulating layer and the conductive pattern and a light receiving portion receiving reflected light that is reflected from the incident light. The incident light has a wavelength in the range of 435 to 500 nm and includes inclined light that inclines so as to form an angle of more than 0° to not more than 30° with respect to the optical axis thereof.
US09084357B2

Systems and methods for routing cables in an electronic device are provided. In some embodiments, the electronic device may include a touch sensor having a number of traces, a display component, and a mechanical button, each of which may be coupled to a circuit board via a single flexible circuit cable. This may save valuable space within the electronic device.
US09084355B2

A flexible printed circuit board assembly includes a circuit board main body and a connection terminal provided at one side of the circuit board main body. The connection terminal has a shape in which a width of a portion farther from the circuit board main body is greater than a width of a portion closer to the circuit board main body.
US09084344B2

A display apparatus is provided which includes a display panel, a front cover which accommodates a front of the display panel, the front cover being provided with a front cover extension formed at one side, a rear cover coupled to the front cover, the rear cover being provided with a rear cover extension corresponding to the front cover extension of the front cover, a bracket panel mounted between the display panel and the rear cover to support the display panel, the bracket panel including a coupling part coupled to the rear of the display panel and a support part which extends from a lower part of the coupling part, a stand unit coupled to the lower end of the support part of the bracket panel, the stand unit having a main circuit board mounted therein, and a hinge fixed to the support part of the bracket panel.
US09084343B2

An electronic device (10,40) which is inductively powered or charged has a receiver coil (12) on which a metal object (24,42) can be placed without causing deterioration of the coil's magnetic field and without generating heat in the metal object. An ultra-thin, flexible, high magnetic permeability metal foil (14) having a thickness of 50 μm or less is provided as a shielding layer between the coil and the object. Radial slits (22) are provided in the shielding layer, which suppress unwanted eddy currents in the layer to reduce power transfer losses and heat generation.
US09084340B2

An electronic device unit includes a frame member, a first board that is retained so as to be capable of moving with respect to the frame member in a horizontal direction of the frame member within a range restricted by a movement restricting portion, a first connector provided to the first board, a second board that faces the first board in the horizontal direction and that is positioned with respect to and fixed to the frame member; and a second connector that is provided to the second board and that is connected to the first connector in the fixed state of the second board.
US09084333B2

The present invention provides a system for monitoring and controlling high intensity discharge (HID) lamps. The system includes a digital electronic ballast integrated with PLCC modem and PLCC concentrator. The digital electronic ballast is capable of monitoring and controlling operation of each of the HID lamp in the system. The PLCC concentrator is located in AC power line network and connected to each of the digital electronic ballast connected to the respective HID lamps in AC power line network. Further, the PLCC concentrator sends the command signals such as lamp ON/OFF, lamp dimming, lamp scheduling rules to the digital electronic ballast. The PLCC concentrator also receives lamp status, real time electric parameters, failure information, end of lamp life (EOLL) or lamp burning hours, temperature conditions and warning from the digital electronic ballast thereby the PLCC concentrator provide reports to server to enable remote monitoring of the network.
US09084332B2

A discharge lamp lighting device includes a resonant circuit section connected to a discharge lamp, a power conversion section adapted to convert direct-current power into alternating-current power, and then supply the discharge lamp with the alternating-current power via the resonant circuit section, and a control section adapted to change a frequency of the alternating-current power in a stepwise manner with a frequency, which is different from a frequency causing a resonance of the resonant circuit section, intervening between frequency values of the frequency changed in a lighting start period until the discharge lamp reaches a stationary lighting state.
US09084313B2

A method and system for using smart bulbs is disclosed. One aspect of certain embodiments includes providing applications to both the consumer and the utility to monitor and control the bulbs and provide an audit trail.
US09084312B2

Systems, methods, software, and data structures that provide dynamic ambient lighting synchronized to a video program being watched in a premises are described herein. A video program may be associated with a predefined lighting scheme that specifies or identifies a time-sequenced set of lighting effects (e.g., flashing police lights, sunrise, explosion, etc.) that are to be performed by the dynamic ambient lighting system time-synchronously with the video program. Components of the dynamic ambient lighting system may extract the lighting scheme from video data, parse the lighting scheme into individual lighting effects, and then control a single-color or multicolor light source associated with each of a plurality of light channels (e.g., front right, rear right, front left, rear left, center, and burst channel, among others) based on time-sequenced lighting primitives defined by each lighting effect. Light sources may be wirelessly controlled, e.g., using an IEEE 802.15.4 or ZigBee-compliant wireless system.
US09084301B2

An electromagnetic induction heating device includes a heat generation body, a heating rotary body, a magnetic filed generating unit and a magnetic path forming member. The heat generation body generates heat through electromagnetic induction. The heating rotary body receives the heat and rotates. The magnetic field generating unit is opposed to the heating rotary body and generates a magnetic field for causing the heat generation body to produce heat through the electromagnetic induction. The magnetic path forming member is opposed to the magnetic filed generating unit across the heating rotary body. The magnetic path forming member includes controlling portions and a continuous portion. The controlling portions control a magnitude of eddy current which is generated through the electromagnetic induction. The continuous portion allows heat transfer along a direction of an axis of the heating rotary body. The continuous portion is opposed to an aperture portion or an end portion of the magnetic field generating unit.
US09084300B2

An induction cooking device includes a control unit and a plurality of light-emitting parts. The control unit includes a heating control unit that controls the output of an inverter circuit and a light-emission control unit that controls the light emission. When receiving a command for starting with one heating coil, the control unit turns on only the light-emitting parts provided near the outer circumference of the heating coil for starting heating, and when receiving a command for starting heating with two or more adjacent heating coils, the control unit turns off the light-emitting parts disposed between the heating coils for starting heating among the light-emitting parts provided near the outer circumference of each one of the heating coils for starting heating, and turns on the remaining light-emitting parts.
US09084299B2

An induction cooking apparatus. The cooking apparatus is a vessel, such as a pot, for holding food. One or more ferrous elements are mounted outside the walls of the vessel. The ferrous elements receive electromagnetic radiation from an electromagnetic radiation source and they therefore become heated. Heat from the ferrous elements is transferred to food located inside of the vessel.
US09084296B2

An induction heating coil melts granules composed of semiconductor material on a plate with an outlet tube. The induction heating coil has a coil body provided with current-guiding slots, the coil body having an upper side and a lower side and having a passage opening for granules in a region of the coil body that lies outside the center of the coil, and current-carrying segments which project from the center of the lower side of the coil body and which are electrically conductively connected by a web at a lower end.
US09084292B2

The invention relates to a communications system (10, 110) for an aircraft comprising a transceiver (22) having at least one transmitter (24), at least one receiver (26, 28) and at least one antenna, at least one data processing device (12) connected to the transceiver (22) by means of a data transfer device (20) and having at least one operating device (14), connected to the at least one data processing device (12), having manually activated switches, buttons and/or rotary knobs (18) for entering data into the at least one data processing device (12). According to the invention, the at least one operating device (14) is mechanically connected to the at least one data processing device (12) to form an assembly (16).
US09084291B1

A communication system, comprising a wireless communication device including a plurality of antennas communicatively coupled with a communication component, the communication component including a processor, a transmitter, and a receiver, the communication component configured to transmit a first data stream by simultaneously transmitting a first plurality of signal streams using the plurality of antennas, the first plurality of signal streams collectively representing the first data stream, the communication component configured to receive a second data stream by simultaneously receiving a second plurality of signal streams using the plurality of antennas and generating the second data stream from the second plurality of signal streams.
US09084289B2

The present invention provides a method of processing reference signal configuration information, a base station and a terminal. The method includes: sending, by a base station, first reference signal configuration information and at least one piece of second reference signal configuration information to a terminal, such that the terminal performs detection of downlink channel state information according to the first reference signal configuration information and the at least one piece of second reference signal configuration information, wherein the first reference signal configuration information includes configuration information of a reference signal sent by antenna port(s) identified by a first number of ports, and the second reference signal configuration information includes configuration information of a reference signal sent by at least one antenna port of other antenna ports than the antenna port(s) identified by the first number of ports among the antenna ports configured by the base station.
US09084283B2

A method for peer-to-peer wireless communication by a first user equipment (UE) includes communicating with a second UE, and using a wireless area network air interface during the communication with the second UE. The communicating with the second UE comprises transmitting a downlink signal configured for downlink of the wireless area network air interface.
US09084275B2

Information associated with a communication condition of at least one cell in a cluster of cells is received, where the communication condition is at least one selected from among a traffic pattern and interference. In response to the received information, a coordinating network node selects an uplink-downlink configuration for use by the cells in the cluster.
US09084272B2

An apparatus and method for transmitting/receiving reference signal transmission information in a cellular radio communication system using a Cooperative Multi-Point (CoMP) scheme is provided. In the reference signal transmission information transmission method, a Central Control Apparatus (CCA) transmits measurement set information related to a measurement set including at least one reference signal resource unit through which a reference signal is transmitted, and reference signal transmission timing information including information related to a timing at which the reference signal is transmitted to a User Equipment (UE), and transmits reference signal non-transmission timing information including information related to a timing at which the reference signal is not transmitted through the reference signal resource unit to the UE.
US09084270B2

A wireless device receives control message(s) configuring a plurality of cell groups and a time alignment timer for each of the plurality of cell groups. The time alignment timer starts or restarts in response to the wireless device receiving a timing advance command to adjust uplink transmission timing of a commanded cell group. The wireless device receives a control command initiating a random access process for a secondary cell in the secondary cell group. The wireless device aborts the random access process on the secondary cell if a first time alignment timer of the primary cell group expires.
US09084268B2

A method includes a wireless mobile device communicating with a wireless network via an evolved high rate packet data (eHRPD) interface. The wireless mobile device may receive a vendor specific network control protocol (VSNCP) packet such as a terminate-request packet, for example, that indicates the wireless network has requested a PDN disconnection. The VSNCP packet includes a cause code that indicates a reason for the PDN disconnection request. The wireless device may use the cause code to determine the reason for the PDN disconnection request. Accordingly, in response to receiving the VSNCP packet, the wireless mobile device may perform one or more operations in an effort to resolve any issues that may have caused the PDN disconnection request.
US09084264B2

A method at a UE operating in a hybrid network, the method receiving a separate discontinuous reception configuration at the UE for the macro cell than for a small cell; and configuring a receiver on the UE according to the separate discontinuous reception configurations. Further, a method at a macro cell, the method determining a mobility state of a UE; finding a service at the UE; and limiting the UE to associate only with the macro cell based on at least one of the determining and the finding. Further, a method at a UE in an environment with a macro and small cell using the same frequency, including receiving a first allocation for small cell within a common small HARQ subframe set; and receiving a second allocation for a macro cell within a common macro HARQ subframe set, wherein the sets do not overlap.
US09084261B2

Systems, methods, devices, and computer program products are described for discontinuous multi-carrier uplink management in a wireless communication system. Common timing parameters may be identified for use in relation to discontinuous uplink transmissions on each of a two or more wireless carriers concurrently transmitting from an access terminal. A first operational state is associated with a first wireless carrier, while a second, different state is associated with a second wireless carrier. The first carrier may be operated in the first operational state concurrently with the second carrier being operated in the second operational state, with each carrier operated in accordance with the common timing parameters.
US09084255B2

Embodiments herein relate to a method in a radio base station for handling Uplink Closed Loop Transmit Diversity, UL CLTD. The radio base station is configured to control UL CLTD of a user equipment (10) served by the radio base station. The radio base station receives from a radio network controller (15) an indication indicating a change in the UL CLTD. The radio base station then removes UL CLTD related operation for the user equipment based on the received indication.
US09084243B2

The present invention relates to a wireless communication system. More specifically, the present invention relates to a method and a device for transmitting uplink control information where a plurality of cells are configured, and comprises: a step for receiving one or more PDCCH; a step for generating reception response information corresponding to the one or more PDCCH; and a step for transmitting through PUCCH the reception response information in a subframe, wherein the reception response information is transmitted using a PUCCH resource provided in advance by an upper layer signaling when only one PCell PDCCH is detected and the predetermined conditions are met, and is transmitted using a PUCCH resource linked to an index of a resource that makes up the PCell PDCCH when only one PCell PDCCH is detected and the predetermined conditions are not met.
US09084236B2

Disclosed is a method of managing a connection with a device for a wireless communication-based Wireless universal Serial Bus (WSB) service in a host, including controlling to create an initial channel to connect to a target device for a WSB service, considering a device class of the target device, and configured to create a new channel to substitute for the initial channel considering a particular service, at a user's request, to provide the particular service through association with the target device.
US09084224B2

A method and apparatus are described for providing multimedia broadcast multicast services (MBMS) service feedback. A wireless transmit/receive unit (WTRU) may receive an MBMS service query message over an MBMS control channel and transmit an MBMS service response. The MBMS service query message and MBMS service response message may be radio resource controller messages. The MBMS service query message may include MBMS service identifiers which identify MBMS services that the WTRU is receiving or intending to receive. The WTRU may generate a report with MBMS service identifier index values, where each MBMS service identifier index value indicates a position of a service identifier corresponding to an MBMS service in the original query list that the WTRU is currently receiving or intending to receive. The MBMS service status query message may be received alone or along with a MBSFNAreaConfiguration message. The WTRU may respond within a predetermined or configured time limit.
US09084223B2

A method and apparatus for providing Multi-media Broadcast Multicast Services (MBMS) data to user equipment in a Multi-media Broadcast over a Single Frequency Network (MBSFN) environment over relay nodes are provided. The method includes periodically evaluating a synchronization delay associated with relay nodes in an MBSFN area by a DeNB, and assigning resources to the relay nodes for communicating MBMS data. The method also includes setting a time stamp in synchronization packets based on the synchronization delay. The time stamp information may indicate a start time for synchronized transmission of the MBMS data to user equipment in the MBSFN area over an air interface. The method may further include transmitting the synchronization packets including the MBMS data and time stamp information to the relay nodes using the allocated resources such that the MBMS data is synchronously transmitted to the user equipment by the relay nodes.
US09084205B2

An uplink power control scheme for a wireless communication system is provided. In general, a subscribing station is located within a serving sector of a cell served by a base station in a wireless communication network. In one embodiment, the subscribing station obtains interference parameters for one or more neighboring sectors of the serving sector of the subscribing station. In this embodiment, the interference parameters are interference thresholds. The subscribing station then controls a maximum transmit power, and thus a power headroom, of the subscribing station based on the interference thresholds for the one or more neighboring sectors.
US09084203B2

A method, an apparatus, and a computer program product for wireless communication are provided for using power control to reduce potential interference to a macro eNB by a UE engaged in D2D communications. An eNB may be operable to generate a fractional power control parameter based on a macro eNB power saturation value and broadcast the factional power control parameter. A UE may be equipped to receive the factional power control parameter and determine whether the fractional power control parameter plus a path loss value between the UE and the macro eNB is less than a maximum power used for the D2D communications. The UE may reduce the maximum transmit power used for D2D communications when the fractional power control parameter plus a path loss value between the UE and the macro eNB is less than a maximum power used for the D2D communications.
US09084202B2

To provide appropriate communication quality inside a building regardless of the building penetration loss of the building in which a femto base station is installed while suppressing the interference caused by radio waves leaked outside the building, a femto base station 4 receives a radio signal that passes through a structure and arrives at the installation place of the femto base station 4 (e.g., radio signal transmitted from a Global Positioning System) and estimates the penetration loss L of the structure based on the receiving state of the radio signal. Further, the femto base station 4 performs radio resource management based on an estimation result of the penetration loss L, and communicates with a mobile station 7-2.
US09084201B2

Systems and methodologies are described that facilitate power headroom management in a wireless communication system. As described herein, a predefined relationship between locations along a system frequency band and corresponding power backoff parameters is utilized to minimize spurious emissions outside the system frequency band and/or excessive interference by, for example, associating locations near one or more edges of the permitted frequency band with substantially high power backoff parameters. As further described herein, the predefined relationship can be known a priori to the base station and the mobile terminal.
US09084200B2

A system and a method of controlling transmitter power in a wireless communication system in which user data is processed as a multirate signal in which the user data signal having a first rate is converted into a transmission data signal having a faster second rate for transmission. The transmission power is adjusted on a relatively slow basis based on quality of data received by a receiver of the transmitted data. The transmitter power is determined as a function of the first and second rates such that a change in the data rate in the multiple channels or the rate of the transmission data signal is compensated in advance of a quality of data based adjustment associated with such data rate change.
US09084185B2

In accordance with an example embodiment of the present invention, a method is disclosed that comprises by using a processor, calculating a plurality of signal states for each of at least two carriers, selecting at least one carrier from the at least two carriers, generating modified signal states for each of the selected at least one carrier by rotating at least one of the respective plurality of signal states with a discrete frequency shift step, determining combinations of signal states of the at least two carriers based at least in part on the modified signal states of the selected at least one carrier, and calculating a cubic metric based on the determined combinations of signal states of the at least two carriers.
US09084182B2

When a network is in a state of requiring some sort of access barring, a reference value notified to a mobile device is determined to indicate a value in which an access of a certain mobile device is denied while an access of another mobile device is allowed. When an own device has a special type access class, it is determined that an access is allowed The appropriateness of an access is determined according to designation from the network when the own device has the special type access class, and when the own device does not have the special type access class, it is determined that an access is denied.
US09084181B2

Motion adaptive wireless user equipment (UE) in a wireless network are provided. Kinetic information is leveraged to select a preferred radio (or radio technology) or adapt a reselection scanning interval. This can serve to improve the performance of a UE by reducing the amount of power expended in maintaining an adequate level of connectedness to the wireless network components in the face of UE movement. In a further aspect, kinetic power generators can be employed as a source of UE transit data. Kinetic fingerprints can be compared to UE transit data, e.g., that acquired from a kinetic generator of the UE, to facilitate selection of preferred radios and reselection intervals. In this aspect, radio selection schema and reselection scanning schema can effectively be selected with little to no drain on a UE power source.
US09084179B2

Alternative network access for a mobile device having a first radio and a second radio, or in some cases, only one radio can include using a first radio in a first connection with a first access point. Whether to establish a second connection with a second access point using a second radio is determined. The determination is based on a first set of access conditions associated with the first access point and a second set of access conditions associated with the second access point. The second connection is established with the second access point using the second radio based on the determining, which indicates establishing the second connection.
US09084177B2

A method and apparatus for wirelessly re-distributing multi-media streams, including receiving multi-media streams at a master device from a source, adaptively determining channel time allocations in response to status information for transmit queues and transmission channel conditions, constructing a superframe from said multi-media streams for insertion into said downstream channel time allocations and wireless transmitting the channel time allocations to effect re-distribution of said multi-media streams to a remote device, are described. Also described is a method for wirelessly receiving re-distributed a multi-media stream including receiving a beacon signal and a channel time allocation and receiving said re-distributed multi-media stream.
US09084176B2

A core network device may be configured to work with a radio access network device to determine whether to allow access to a network. Criteria that may be used to make the determination include the condition of devices and links within the core network and the radio access network, which may be determined by data received from other devices at the core network device. In another embodiment, the type of service requested, for example whether the request is for an IMS service or non-IMS service, may be used to evaluate whether the a request for access to the network should be permitted.
US09084167B2

An indication is received from a wireless device in communication with a first communication system using a first radio access technology that the wireless device has detected a second communication system using a second access technology. Network information of the first communication system is provided and stored at the wireless device when performing a first handover of the wireless device from the first communication system to the second communication system. The network information is provided to the first communication system to perform a second handover from the second communication system to the first communication system.
US09084165B2

A multi-modal multi-modulation base station such as a small cell eNB is disclosed. The small cell eNB includes multiple radio devices that can be configured to communicate with user devices using different protocols and different frequencies. The small cell eNB also includes a sniffer module to detecting signal from other base stations. The small cell eNB include functions to automate deployment in a self-organizing network, such as network monitoring, neighbor peer discovery, processing of neighbor peer reports, automated transmit-power adaptation, processing of user equipment reports, physical cell identity selection, automatic neighbor relation, handover configuration, private access connections, load balancing, RACH preamble power control, RACH preamble set selection, RACH preamble splitting, PRACH configuration, and mobility robustness.
US09084163B2

Disclosed is a method for performing a carrier switching operation in the perspective of a terminal in a multicarrier system, the method including establishing an enhanced-multicast broadcast service (E-MBS) service connection with a base station for E-MBS service reception, sending an E-MBS report message to the base station in the E-MBS service connected state with the base station, the E-MBS report message including connection information related to E-MBS channels, which the terminal is receiving or E-MBS channels, which the terminal intends to receive, receiving an E-MBS response message from the base station in response to the E-MBS report message, and performing a carrier switching operation for the E-MBS service reception based upon unicast available interval information included in the E-MBS response message.
US09084161B2

An exemplary method of facilitating hand-offs between Femtocells includes receiving an indication of a cell identifying code detected by a mobile station currently communicating with a serving Femtocell. A determination is made whether the received cell identifying code corresponds to a known Femtocell. The known Femtocell becomes a target Femtocell if a successful hand-off was previously made from the serving Femtocell to the known Femtocell. A hand-off is instigated to the target Femtocell.
US09084157B2

A method is provided including sending a source Node-B a target Node-B cell-specific unique identifier for a user equipment to be handed over to the target Node-B, sending the source Node-B a predetermined access preamble sequence for the user equipment to be handed over to the target Node-B, and in response to receiving the predetermined access preamble sequence from the user equipment, sending the user equipment handover related information in association with the cell-specific unique identifier for handing over to the target Node-B.
US09084154B2

A method, system, and apparatus for controlling traffic flow in one or more backhaul links in a wireless communication network is provided. Each backhaul link of the one or more backhaul links includes a backhaul uplink and a backhaul downlink. The method includes analyzing one or more backhaul uplinks and one or more backhaul downlinks between a controller and one or more Base Transceiver Stations (BTSs). The method further includes communicating one or more messages between the controller and the one or more BTSs. The one or more messages include analysis of one or more analysis of one of the one or more backhaul uplinks and the one or more backhaul downlinks. The method further includes controlling the traffic flow in at least one of the one or more backhaul uplinks and the one or more backhaul downlinks based on the one or more messages.
US09084143B2

In embodiments of the present disclosure improved capabilities are described for increasing the bandwidth in a wireless communication network, where centralized optimization servers with publish-subscribe broker services are utilized in conjunction with a queuing service application that provides packet service continuity when a mobile device moves between different access control nodes of the wireless communication network, and wherein the queuing service application is connected to a publish/subscribe broker network to receive service packets matching the service packets directed to the mobile device, wherein the service application makes the matching service packets available to the mobile device to replace service packets that the mobile device did not receive during a time in which the mobile device is in transition between being connected to any of the access control nodes.
US09084130B2

In order to reduce interference to a macro user equipment by easily selecting a home cell serving as the source of interference to the macro user equipment and adjusting a transmission power or the like, a plurality of base stations (10—1 to 10—3) that constitute a mobile communication system (1) respectively form cells (11—1 to 11—3) for radio communication. A network device (50) causes candidates for a first base station that should perform reconfiguration of the cell among the base stations (10—1 to 10—3) to execute the reconfiguration. The candidates for the first base station are selected based on radio resources used by each of the base stations (10—1 to 10—3) at the time of forming the cells (11—1 to 11—3). Alternatively, the first base station is selected based on uplink interference to each of the base stations (10—1 to 10—3).
US09084129B2

The present invention is applied to a radio communication system having a mobile station and a plurality of base stations each of which communicates by a radio signal with a mobile station that is present in a cell of each of its own base stations. In the radio communication system of the present invention, each of the plurality of base stations has base station side control means that detects an IP address of a base station that is a sender of an interference signal from the radio signal if the radio signal received from a mobile station with which the own base station is communicating contains the interference signal, the IP address having been set to the interference signal.
US09084128B2

Electronic devices may be provided that contain wireless communication circuitry. The wireless communication circuitry may include radio-frequency transceiver circuitry coupled to antennas by switching circuitry. Multiple radio access technologies may be supported. A device may include first and second antennas. Control circuitry can configure the transceiver circuitry and switching circuitry to support operation of the device in active and idle modes for each radio access technology. In some configurations, both antennas may be used to support operations associated with one of the radio access technologies. In other configurations, the first antenna may be used to support operations with a first of the radio access technologies while the second antenna is used to support operations with a second of the radio access technologies.
US09084123B2

A radio communication device may be provided. The radio communication device may include: a measurement circuit configured to measure a reception quality of a signal from another radio communication device; a retention time determiner configured to determine a retention time based on the measured reception quality; and a memory configured to store information related to the other radio communication device for a period of time, the period of time based on the determined retention time.
US09084122B2

Method and apparatus for processing access point (AP) crowdsourcing data are disclosed. In one embodiment, the method comprises receiving WiFi scan lists and their corresponding location descriptions, consolidating the WiFi scan lists and their corresponding location descriptions based at least in part on a set of selection criteria to generate a WiFi AP record, and uploading the WiFi AP record to a crowdsourcing server. The method consolidating the WiFi scan lists and their corresponding location descriptions comprises quantizing data received in accordance with time segment of the WiFi scan lists and their corresponding location descriptions. The set of selection criteria comprises a maximum number of scan lists to be uploaded in a predetermined period of time, a maximum number of scan lists to be uploaded in a single upload, ratio of MNoO to remaining unprocessed observations, similarity between scan lists, and comparison of HEPE values between similar scan lists.
US09084105B2

Systems and methods for device resource sharing for network resource conservation are disclosed. In one embodiment, the method can include, for example: detecting that multiple devices are attempting to access a same content source over a mobile network. The same content source can then be polled once in a single poll event and the content received in response to the single poll event of the one same content source is transmitted to one device of the multiple devices. The other devices of the multiple devices can receive the content from the one device, over a non-cellular connection.
US09084102B1

An enhanced Node B (eNB) and method for contention-free handoff of an emergency telephone call in a wireless network are provided. The eNB in one example embodiment includes a transceiver system configured to communicate with a User Equipment (UE) and a processing system coupled to the transceiver system and configured to receive a telephone call from the UE via the transceiver system, determine if the telephone call comprises an emergency telephone call, if the telephone call comprises an emergency telephone call, then determine neighbor eNBs that are not configured to provide contention-free handoffs, if the telephone call comprises an emergency telephone call, then reserve a contention-free (CF) preamble from each neighbor eNB that is not configured to provide contention-free handoffs, and provide the reserved CF preambles to the UE.
US09084099B2

A computer receives a plurality of records each relevant to a relationship between a first person and a second person. The computer determines a communication score of a communication from the first person to the second person, wherein the score is based on at least one of the plurality of records. The computer compares the communication score to an established mediation threshold. Responsive to determining that the communication score violates the established mediation threshold, the computer passes the communication to a user device of the second person. Further, the computer prioritizes the plurality of records according to a set of priorities, and presents the plurality of records to the first person or to the second person.
US09084095B2

A system and methodology that facilitates Short Message Service (SMS) delivery in a Long Term Evolution (LTE) environment is provided. In particular, an interface is provided, which enables a Mobility Management Entity (MME) to communicate directly with a Short Message Service Center (SMSC) to facilitate delivery of SMS in an evolved packet core (EPC). In one aspect, the interface can be most any SS7-based interface, such as a Gd interface. In another aspect, the interface can be an IP based (e.g., SS7 over IP) interface. Accordingly, the MME can utilize the interface to establish direct communication with the SMSC, without employing intermediate network elements (e.g., mobile switching centers).
US09084091B2

A system and method is presented for broadcasting from a utility node a request for network routing information, receiving at the utility node routing information from neighboring utility nodes in response to the broadcast request, and registering the utility node with an access point that provides ingress and egress to and from the network. A node is selected to function as a proxy gateway for one or more other nodes in the network. A new utility node becomes connected to one or more utility networks by registering with the proxy gateway. The proxy gateway transmits registration requests and registration information from each node to a back office server and/or a Domain Name Server via an access point for which the proxy gateway functions as its proxy.
US09084088B2

A method for wireless communication provisioning is disclosed. A first wireless communication provisioning state associated with one or more identifiers is defined. A second wireless communication provisioning state associated with one or more identifiers is defined. A state transition rule is defined, wherein the state transition rule defines a transition between the first wireless communication provisioning state and the second wireless communication provisioning state, wherein the first wireless communication provisioning state and the second wireless communication provisioning state are based on the lifecycle of the service of a wireless communication device associated with the first and second wireless communication provisioning states.
US09084083B2

Methods and systems including non-transitory computer-readable storage media, for selectively erasing data stored at a wireless device are disclosed. The media include instructions that, when executed by a processor, cause the processor to perform a method including comparing a particular service provider identified by the data stored at the wireless device to at least one favored service provider selected from a group of favored service providers consisting of a home service provider and a preferred service provider other than the home service provider. The instructions further, when executed by a processor, cause the processor to erase, if the particular service provider is not one of the favored service providers, the data stored at the wireless device.
US09084076B2

Techniques for obtaining information about an object on which a radio-frequency transceiver device is mounted when in a space defined by a vehicular frame. A request is generated at a telecommunications device for the object's location and received at an interrogator on the frame. In response to receipt of the request, the interrogator directs antennas to transmit RF signals into the space. The transceiver device returns a signal if and when it receives any signal or a signal having a particular identification from the antenna(s). Return signals from the transceiver device are received at each antenna and a processor, on the vehicle or the telecommunications device, derives information about the object based on the return signals. The derived information includes a location of the object in the space and/or an identification of the object, and may be displayed on a display of the telecommunications device.
US09084075B2

A collaborative method for a node includes forming a local network with at least one other node using a lower power subsystem; selecting a master node from among the local network based on a first set of criteria; and communicating with a back end server over a wireless wide area network (WWAN) using a higher power subsystem. An apparatus may include a first subsystem for communicating with a local network; and a second subsystem having an active mode and an inactive mode, the second subsystem for communicating with a wireless wide area network (WWAN) when in the active mode, the apparatus selecting the active mode or inactive mode based on a set of criteria.
US09084067B2

A method of manufacturing a resonant transducer having a vibration beam includes: (a) providing an SOI substrate including: a first silicon layer; a silicon oxide layer on the first silicon layer; and a second silicon layer on the silicon oxide layer; (b) forming a first gap and second gap through the second silicon layer by etching the second silicon layer using the silicon oxide layer as an etching stop layer; (c) forming an impurity diffusion source layer on the second silicon layer; (d) forming an impurity diffused layer in a surface portion of the second silicon layer; (e) removing the impurity diffusion source layer through etching; and (f) removing at least a portion of the silicon oxide layer through etching such that an air gap is formed between the first silicon layer and a region of the second silicon layer surrounded by the first and second gaps.
US09084060B2

The present invention discloses a test device and test method for the noise reduction headphone. The test device comprises: an enclosed cavity, a noise source, a test panel, a measuring microphone and a measure comparison module connected with the measuring microphone. The sound emitted from the noise source is sealed within the enclosed cavity. The test panel can cooperate with the noise reduction headphone to form a coupling cavity in the test. The test panel has a sound guiding hole in the common part with the enclosed cavity for transmitting the sound of the noise source into the interior of the coupling cavity. The test panel also has a mounting hole, and the measuring microphone is mounted on the mourning hole towards the direction of the coupling cavity. The measuring microphone records noise signals before and after the noise reduction function of the noise reduction headphone is activated. The measure comparison module receives the signals recorded these two times by the measuring microphone and performs comparison processing to obtain noise reduction amount of the noise reduction headphone. The technical solution of the present invention solves the problem of noise pollution caused by high-power external noise sources to the surrounding environment during the test process of noise reduction amount of the headphone, meanwhile, no special shielding room is required, and the requirement on test environment is relieved.
US09084059B2

An electronic audio system that determines matching and non-matching speakers is disclosed. The electronic audio system includes a first speaker; a second speaker; and a comparator circuit. The comparator circuit is coupled to the first speaker and the second speaker to receive an input signal from both the first and second speaker. The comparator circuit is configured to determine if the first speaker and the second speaker are matching speakers or non-matching speakers, in which, the first and second speakers are matching speakers if they are common vendor speakers. Other embodiments are also described and claimed.
US09084058B2

Systems, methods, and apparatus to calibrate sounds fields are disclosed. An example device includes a location sensor receiving location data, a processor triangulating the position of a listener based on the location data, and an audio processing component generating a sound field with audio characteristics based on the position of the listener.
US09084048B1

Systems and methods for generating sound, detecting sound, and generating and detecting sound are provided. An array of audio transducers can be provided whereby each audio transducer in the array can be optimized for a narrow range of sound frequencies. When operating at or close to its resonant frequency, a transducer can generate (and/or detect) sound with a higher efficiency and less distortion as compared to other frequencies. Accordingly, sound may be divided into component signals such that each transducer is only responsible for generating (and/or detection) sound close to its resonant frequency. This sound reproduction (and/or detection) technique can increase efficiency, and therefore, can increase the total output volume that an array can generate using a given amount of input power when generating sound (and/or increase the total output power that an array can generate using a given amount of input volume when detecting sound).
US09084046B2

A manually operated flip dog mountable ceiling speaker enclosure, for ceiling or other panel installation, provides a plurality of flip dogs mounted tangentially on an annular flange around an opening of a speaker can and operated by either pulling on an actuator to create a cam-driven rotation to a radial alignment and a downward dog movement to a ratcheted clamping position, or by first rotating the manual actuator to rotate the dog and then pulling the actuator to pull the dog down into a ratcheted clamping position. Ratchet points on the dog are urged into ratchet points on a wall by a releasable biasing member. Three embodiments are illustrated.
US09084045B2

An acoustic transducer assembly is disclosed. It comprises a layer of support material. An electric circuit is integrated with the layer of support material. A plurality of transducers are mounted on the layer of support material to form at least part of an array of transducers A recess or aperture is provided between a pair of the transducers of the array of transducers. The recess or aperture can comprise a recess or aperture of the support material between a pair of transducers of the plurality of transducers mounted on the layer of support material. The layer of support material can be rigid or flexible. A rigid support can be used for supporting at least one transducer of the plurality of transducers.
US09084042B2

A method and apparatus for providing long playback of short recordings are disclosed. An example method includes recording audio for a time period that is less than a maximum recording time, receiving an indication that the audio is to be played back, playing the audio back for a duration corresponding to the time period, determining the audio is to be repeated, and responsive to determining that the audio is to be repeated, at the end of the time period duration, playing the audio back multiple times for a preset time or preset number of repetitions.
US09084040B2

An apparatus and method for autonomously mixing multiple devices capable of storing and playing audio signals is provided. Multiple devices can be mixed into one standard stereo signal that can then be played on any sort of powered speakers or amplifier. The apparatus is capable of receiving multiple audio inputs and can combine multiple iPods®, iPhones®, MP3 devices, or other devices capable of storing and playing audio signals, such that more than one device can be played at one time. No human intervention is required to control the device when the device is in autonomous mode. The autonomous mode can include random song playback using multiple devices.
US09084036B2

In one aspect, a method for performing signal source localization is provided. The method comprises the steps of obtaining compressive measurements of an acoustic signal or other type of signal from respective ones of a plurality of sensors, processing the compressive measurements to determine time delays between arrivals of the signal at different ones of the sensors, and determining a location of a source of the signal based on differences between the time delays. The method may be implemented in a processing device that is configured to communicate with the plurality of sensors. In an illustrative embodiment, the compressive measurements are obtained from respective ones of only a designated subset of the sensors, and a non-compressive measurement is obtained from at least a given one of the sensors not in the designated subset, with the time delays between the arrivals of the signal at different ones of the sensors being determined based on the compressive measurements and the non-compressive measurement.
US09084027B2

An Internet Protocol Television (IPTV) system and an implementation method thereof are disclosed. The method includes: installing a wireless data card in a television Set Top Box (STB) device through a personal computer (PC), establishing a connection with the STB device, and starting the wireless data card to wirelessly access to the IPTV network; accessing to the IPTV network resources through the PC or the STB device, implementing the IPTV service. This solution realizes that the IPTV user terminal device can access to the network wirelessly so that the IPTV terminal device have mobility in space, thus extending the application scenarios of the IPTV system.
US09084022B2

A method of controlling an image display apparatus, and which includes receiving, via an interface unit of the image display apparatus, an input signal indicating at least one mobile terminal is connected to the image display apparatus; receiving, via the interface unit of the image display apparatus, text information input on the mobile terminal during reproduction of a video displayed on the image display apparatus; displaying the text information on a display unit of the image display apparatus; and displaying, on the display unit, a timeline indicating a time length of the displayed video and indication information indicating when the text information was input on the displayed timeline.
US09084019B2

According to an aspect, there is provided a digital television (DTV) data stream including program and system information protocol (PSIP) data associated with content of the DTV data stream, the PSIP data including a virtual channel table (VCT) and an event information table (EIT), the EIT comprising: a source identification field identifying a source of an associated event in a DTV data stream; an event identification field indicating an identification of the event; a start time field indicating a star time of the event; a title field indicating a title of the event; and a descriptor comprising: a descriptor tag identifying the descriptor as a genre descriptor, a descriptor length indicating a total length of the descriptor; and at least one category code for an associated event in a DTV data stream, each category code specifying genre, program type, or category information of the associated event, wherein the at least one category code specifies at least one of a set of basic categories.
US09084014B2

An interactive method includes displaying image content received through a television (TV) network, identifying an object of interest of a user among a plurality of regions or a plurality of objects included in the image content, and providing additional information corresponding to the object of interest.
US09084012B2

A media gateway (MG) that services a plurality of client devices, may be handled at least a portion of video conferencing (VC) processing during a VC call between at least one of said plurality of client devices and at least one other VC client. The portion of the VC processing handled by the media gateway may be offloaded from a centralized VC multipoint control unit (MCU). The MG may handle one or more VC MCU functions, which may comprise video conferencing call control and/or management and/or audio/video (AV) transcoding. The MG may perform localized quality of service (QoS) management, to select, and adaptively control and/or configure resources and/or local links used in the MG and/or in VC clients or neighboring MGs connected to the MG, during VC operations, such as in generating, handling, and/or communicating data or content exchanged during VC calls.
US09084007B2

A system or method selects among multiple tuners to tune a particular channel. A request is received to tune a first channel. In response to this request, a first tuner is assigned to tune the first channel. A request is received to tune a second channel. If the program tuned by the first tuner is not being recorded, the first tuner is assigned to tune the second channel. If the program tuned by the first tuner is being recorded, the second tuner is assigned to tune the second channel.
US09083998B2

A system and method that receives a tune request in a switched digital video (SDV) system, where the tune request includes an identifier of a set-top box, and an SDV channel. The method receives a content stream associated with the SDV channel. The method retrieves conditional access (CA) information from a local cache, where the CA information includes encryption information for the content stream. The method converts the content stream to an encrypted content stream using the encryption information, and sends the encrypted content stream to the set-top box.
US09083991B2

A broadcasting receiver and a method of determining an operation mode of broadcasting receiver are disclosed. A host device transmits the resource information including A-mode resource information. And a POD receives the resource information and determining an operation mode based on the received resource information and operation mode setting information. The broadcasting receiver can protect content data received from all the transfer protocols including the wired/wireless network and the IP protocol, using the conditional access provided from the conventional cable card. The broadcasting receiver determines whether the host supports the A-mode and determines a method for receiving broadcast data, such that the operation mode of the broadcasting receiver can be properly established according to the determined result.
US09083983B2

This disclosure describes techniques for coding a video block based on an unclipped version of a motion vector predictor candidate. The techniques include determining a motion vector predictor candidate list including motion vector predictor candidates from neighboring video blocks without clipping the motion vector predictor candidates. More specifically, if one of the motion vector predictor candidates points to a prediction block located outside of a reference picture boundary relative to the current video block, the techniques allow an unclipped version of the motion vector predictor candidate to be included in the candidate list. The current video block is then coded based on a determined unclipped motion vector predictor candidate of the candidate list. Elimination of the motion vector predictor candidate clipping process reduces complexity at both the video encoder and the video decoder.
US09083982B2

An image combining and encoding method includes steps of combining a current image and a previous image at a predetermined composition ratio on a per block basis, and generating a composite image, and sequentially encoding moving pictures of the composite image generated in the combining step. A reference image generated in the encoding step is used as the previous image in the combining step.
US09083981B2

A moving picture coding apparatus includes: an inter prediction control unit which determines to code a motion vector using, among candidate predicted motion vectors, a candidate predicted motion vector having the least error with relative to a motion vector derived by motion estimation; a picture type determination unit which generates picture type information; a temporal direction vector calculation unit which derives a candidate predicted motion vector in temporal direct; and a co-located reference direction determination unit which generates, for each picture, a co-located reference direction flag.
US09083979B2

Coding techniques for a video image compression system involve improving an image quality of a sequence of two or more bi-directionally predicted intermediate frames, where each of the frames includes multiple pixels. One method involves determining a brightness value of at least one pixel of each bi-directionally predicted intermediate frame in the sequence as an equal average of brightness values of pixels in non-bidirectionally predicted frames bracketing the sequence of bi-directionally predicted intermediate frames. The brightness values of the pixels in at least one of the non-bidirectionally predicted frames is converted from a non-linear representation.
US09083965B2

Provided is a liquid crystal display device 10 that divides “3m” video signal lines into groups of three lines according to an order of arrangement, and drives the video signal lines in the group within one horizontal period in a time-division manner. A pixel array 17 is configured such that columns each including pixel circuits for left eye 21 arranged along a vertical direction of a display screen and columns each including pixel circuits for right eye 22 arranged along the vertical direction of the display screen are arranged along a horizontal direction of the display screen. When driving the video signal lines in a time-division manner, a writing order to pixel circuits 18 within one horizontal period and a polarity of a voltage to be applied to the pixel circuits 18 are changed every two scanning signal lines. This improves image quality of both an image for left eye and an image for right eye, thereby improving image quality in stereoscopic display.
US09083964B2

A stereoscopic image display device includes: a display unit including a plurality of pixels arranged in a matrix format, the pixels including left-eye and right-eye pixels alternately arranged in one direction; a memory including a left-eye image area for storing left-eye image data corresponding to the left-eye pixels and a right-eye image area for storing right-eye image data corresponding to the right-eye pixels; an address comparator for the respectively storing the left-eye and right-eye image data at corresponding addresses of the left-eye and right-eye image areas and making an arrangement of the left-eye and right-eye image areas in the memory in response to a first signal; a data synthesizer for synthesizing a stereoscopic image signal from the data stored in the memory; and a data driver for applying a data signal corresponding to a stereoscopic image signal to the display unit.
US09083954B2

A video processing method and system and a related device are disclosed, an encoder sends a method for compressing a pixel value of a video image to a decoder, the method includes a mapping between a pixel value of the video image before compression and a pixel value of the video image after the compression; compressing, by the encoder according to the method for compressing a pixel value, the pixel value of the video image to obtain a video image to be encoded; encoding, by the encoder, the video image to be encoded to obtain a video image encoded stream; and sending, by the encoder, the video image encoded stream to the decoder, the decoder receives and decodes the video image encoded stream to obtain a decoded video image, and decompresses a pixel value of the decoded video image to restore the pixel value of the video image before compression.
US09083952B2

System and method for compressing and decompressing of differentially encoded video streams. I-frames of the encoded video stream may be relatively compressed and decompressed, thereby reducing video data size of an already encoded video stream. Compression and decompression may be lossless processes and may typically require relatively low processing power and small memory sizes.
US09083945B2

An adaptive technique is described for iteratively selecting and reconstructing keyframes to fully cover an image sequence that may, for example, be used in an adaptive reconstruction algorithm implemented by a structure from motion (SFM) technique. A next keyframe to process may be determined according to an adaptive keyframe selection technique. The determined keyframe may be reconstructed and added to the current reconstruction. A global optimization may be performed on the current reconstruction. One or more outlier points may be determined and removed from the reconstruction. One or more inlier points may be determined and recovered. If the number of inlier points that were added exceeds a threshold, then global optimization may again be performed. If the current reconstruction is a projective construction, self-calibration may be performed to upgrade the projective reconstruction to a Euclidean reconstruction.
US09083942B2

A digital information recording apparatus includes a recording circuit for recording information of a retention period included in the digital information and indicating a period for permitting the digital information to be held in the recording medium, starting with a time at which the digital information is recorded on the recording medium; and information of a playback permission period included in the digital information and indicating a period for permitting the digital information to be played back starting with a time at which the information is reproduced initially following recording of the digital information on the recording medium, permitting temporary recording or copying for the information permitted for “copy never” or “copy one generation.”
US09083939B2

One of a plurality of skip search modes including a first skip search mode in which the playback position of moving image data currently played back is changed to a frame a predetermined time before or after a frame currently played back, and a second skip search mode in which the playback position of the moving image data currently played back is changed to a frame corresponding to a chapter before or after the frame currently played back is selected according to the moving image data currently played back.
US09083938B2

A media player enables insertion of advertising content during playback of received content. This facilitates targeted product placement, advertisements, and the like. The media player identifies an advertising insertion event, which may be based on a viewer profile. Upon identification of an advertising insertion event, the media player varies playback of the received content to add advertising information.
US09083932B2

A method for displaying data from a program guide. Based on program metadata from a program guide, a display is caused to be presented on a display device that identifies a current status of a first media controller and a second media controller. The current status includes data identifying a first program currently being provided by the first media controller and a second program currently being provided by a second media controller.
US09083929B2

The present invention allows for selecting a predetermined chromatic color for extraction from among a plurality of chromatic colors based on the result of identification of acquired photographing information. When the value of a white extraction area of the photographing information is smaller than a first threshold value, it is determined whether the value of the area of the selected predetermined chromatic color is greater than or equal to a second threshold value. If the value of the predetermined chromatic-color area is determined to be greater than or equal to the second threshold value, white balance is controlled by bringing the value of the predetermined chromatic-color area near to a predetermined target color value.
US09083925B2

Image processing is performed for an image recording apparatus which records an image by arranging, on a recording medium, dots of a plurality of types of dot structures having different arrangements of color materials to be used. A dot arrangement signal which corresponds to an input color signal and represents the arrangement of dots of the plurality of types of dot structures is generated. Image data which arranges dots of the plurality of types of dot structures on a recording medium based on the dot arrangement signal is output.
US09083918B2

Methods, apparatus, and non-transitory computer-readable storage media for editing the colors of objects or regions in digital images. A method for editing images using a color palette is provided. A color palette is described that may be suitable for editing images, which may include specified objects or regions in images. The color palette may display image-specific colors identified using image-dependent techniques described herein. These color palettes may also modify the colors in the image corresponding to the displayed colors in the color palette interface. The method may implement structure-preserving techniques that preserve the structure of the color histogram of the image, thus preserving the natural look of the original image.
US09083916B2

Method for generating at least one mosaic of content-transport streams, said method comprises the following steps after displaying a screen including at least a first area (Z1) intended for displaying a mosaic and a second area (Z2) comprising a content identifier list: a/ detecting a command for selecting an identifier from a list coming from a user control interface; b/ modifying the screen definition (E2) by adding a mosaic element (Em1) showing the stream representing the content identified by the selected identifier in the first area (Z1); c/ transmitting the screen definition data to the display device for displaying the modified screen.
US09083914B2

An electronic system is presented which includes a remote control device and a first electronic device. In one embodiment, the remote control device is configured to accept a user input signifying a command for a second electronic device, as well as generate the command for the second electronic device, and an indication of the command. In another embodiment, the remote control device is configured to accept a user input that causes a mode change of the remote control device, wherein the mode identifies one of a plurality of electronic devices that receive commands from the remote control device. The remote control device is also configured to transmit the command to the second electronic device, if applicable, and transmit the indication of the command or mode change to the first electronic device. The first electronic device is configured to receive and process the indication to alter operation of the first electronic device.
US09083908B2

A solid-state imaging apparatus including a plurality of pixels each including: a first holding portion for holding signal carriers from a photoelectric conversion portion; an amplifying portion for amplifying and reading a signal based on the signal carriers generated in the photoelectric conversion portion; and a carrier discharging control portion for discharging charge carriers in the photoelectric conversion portion to an OFD region, and having a carrier path between the photoelectric conversion portion and the first carrier holding portion, in which the solid-state imaging apparatus further includes a second carrier holding portion electrically connected with the first carrier portion in parallel through a first transfer unit, when viewed from an output node of the photoelectric conversion portion, thereby smoothing an movie imaging without causing discontinuous frame while suppressing generation of noise mixing into the charge carrier holding portion.
US09083900B2

A lens shading correction (LSC) system includes an illuminant estimator configured to calculate at least one spectral association-measurement of a current frame according to pixel data of an LSC circuit, and then to correlate the at least one calculated spectral association-measurement with spectral association-measurements of a plurality of pre-defined illuminants to determine at least one correlated illuminant. An LSC parameter generator retrieves at least one set of pre-calibrated LSC parameters from a pre-calibrated LSC parameter memory. The LSC parameter generator generates a set of LSC parameters based on the at least one retrieved set of pre-calibrated LSC parameters according to the at least one correlated illuminant.
US09083891B2

A video monitoring apparatus capable of efficiently superimposing additional information on a monitoring camera image is provided. The video monitoring apparatus holds image specifying information for specifying an image picked up by a camera and additional information in correspondence with each other. In superimposing additional information on an image, additional information corresponding to images having a distance therebetween falling within a prescribed range is searched for, and out of the thus found additional information, one that may be fit within an image currently picked up by the camera is superimposed on the camera image.
US09083888B2

A shutter driving system and a camera device having the same, and a driving method thereof are provided. The shutter driving system includes a base plate including an opening part, a front-curtain and a rear-curtain, a front-curtain link and a rear-curtain link supporting respective folding and unfolding operations of the front-curtain and the rear-curtain, a front-curtain drive lever and a rear-curtain drive lever controlling respective drives of the front-curtain link and the rear-curtain link for opening and closing the opening part, a front-curtain electromagnet and a rear-curtain electromagnet selectively and respectively stopping the front-curtain and rear-curtain drive levers, a cam gear mechanically closing the opening part of the front curtain and mechanically opening the opening part of the rear-curtain, a motor rotating the cam gear, and a reduction gear train including at least one gear disposed between the cam gear and the motor.
US09083881B2

Focus adjustment apparatus and methods for effectively auto-focusing on a subject by adaptively changing a shape of a focus area according to a determined image condition, and in particular, setting the focus area in a shape of which a width of an upper part is narrow according to the condition.
US09083879B2

A focus detection apparatus which performs a center-of-gravity adjustment of a pair of image restoration filters for restoring the pair of image signals, on the basis of an image shift amount which is calculated from a pair of image signals of an object which are formed by focus-detecting pixels of an image pickup element having a plurality of focus-detecting pixels for respectively receiving light which passes through different exit pupil areas of a photographing lens; calculates the image restoration filters; generates a pair of restored image signals by restoring the pair of image signals by the calculated pair of image restoration filters; and detects a defocus amount of the photographing lens by using the pair of restored image signals.
US09083877B2

An image processing apparatus processes an image signal from an image pickup element including a plurality of pixels for one microlens, and the image processing apparatus includes a saturation detector configured to detect whether an output value of each of the plurality of pixels reaches a saturation level, and a saturation corrector configured to correct an output value of a saturation pixel that reaches the saturation level and an output value of an adjacent pixel that shares the same microlens with the saturation pixel.
US09083876B2

A remote control unit for an objective and a camera comprises a base part, an operating element movable relative to the base part, an evaluation and control unit for generating a control signal in accordance with the position of the operating element and an output device for outputting the control signal to an associated camera. The evaluation and control device is adapted to control a feedback device of the control unit in dependence on the position of the operating element to generate at least one feedback signal perceivable by a user.
US09083874B2

An exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure includes a first PCB Printed Circuit Board mounted with an image sensor, a housing unit arranged on an upper portion of the first PCB, a holder module spaced apart from an inner bottom surface of the housing unit at a predetermined distance, wound on a periphery with a first coil and having at least one lens thereinside, a second PCB mounted on an upper portion of the holder module, a plate member coupled to a bottom surface of the holder module, a plurality of wire springs connected at one end to the second PCB and connected at the other end to the plate member, and a coil fixing unit configured to fixedly position the first coil to a periphery of the holder module.
US09083868B2

The present invention relates to a support for video surveillance, formed by a supporting column on which there is rotationally assembled a horizontal disc having a rotation-actuating motor, whereas in said disc there is swivel-mounted at least one video camera having a respective swivel-actuating motor, the entire functional assembly being included inside a transparent protective bubble.
US09083854B2

A method and video device are disclosed for accessing information. In an embodiment of the present invention, part of data included in a title, being played, read from a storage medium or extracted from a broadcast signal is extracted and sent to a server over a network, and information corresponding to the part of the data (i.e., information related to the data and complete data of the data) is received from the server and played. Rather than the part of the data, information related to a position of the data, (e.g. a time point at which the playing of the data starts within the title or a radial position or a physical address at which the data is located in the storage medium) may be sent. The data may be data that forms audio, a frame-shaped video clip or a frame-shaped picture included in the title.
US09083853B2

In an automatic, computer-implemented method, a selected television advertisement is presented automatically in association with a television program or channel, which in turn is selected based at least in part on information from an online user profile that contains information indicating a user's preference for that television program or channel. The television advertisement is selected based at least in part on additional information from the online user profile that is unrelated to the selected television program or channel. The selected television advertisement is presented on or during the selected television program or channel via a set-top box, which has a set-top box identifier associated with the online user profile.
US09083851B2

A method and system for communication with a set-top box is disclosed. An embodiment is disclosed that receives security information and the security information has identification information for a user assigned to a set-top box, services a request to create a notification preference for the set-top box in response to successful entry of security information, establishes the notification preference for the set-top box and the notification preference has a rule for providing information in a notification on media content available to be received by the set-top box, sends the notification to the recipient in accordance with a notification preference, receives a communication for the set-top box from a user device and the communication comprises a partial command for a set-top box, interprets the partial command in view of the notification, and sends a command to the set-top box based on the partial command and the notification.
US09083849B2

A transmission terminal includes a communication unit that communicates with an information providing device; a display control unit that displays first image data created by a photographing unit, second image transmitted from an other transmission terminal, and/or display data received from the information providing device on a display screen; a network communication unit that communicates the first image data, the second image data, and the display data with the other transmission terminal; a screen information capture unit that saves screen information on the display screen; a query unit that queries the other transmission terminal whether capturing of the screen information is allowed, and determines that capture of the screen is disallowed when no response is received within a predetermined time period; a screen editor unit that edits the screen information; and a screen information storage unit that stores the screen information edited by the screen editor unit.
US09083843B2

A distributor amplifier having a noise blocking circuit, including: a first connector; a first filter; a transformer; a voltage scaling unit; a first amplifier; a detector; a second amplifier; a comparator; a switch circuit; and a second connector. The distributor amplifier is capable of suppressing and preventing upstream RF noise from entering a cable TV system.
US09083839B2

An imaging device comprising a flexible sensor attached to a control case. The flexible sensor provides both a source of illumination to the image being captured and a method of capturing the image. The method of capture comprises a field of reactors disbursed across the facial area of the sensor, the output of which produces a dot-pattern capture of the intended image which is passed to a storage device.
US09083838B2

A scanner module and an image scanning apparatus employing the same. The scanner module comprises an illuminator for illuminating light on an object to be scanned. The illuminator includes a light emitting diode, a light guide extending in a main scanning direction to change a direction of the light received from the light emitting diode, and at least one elastic member to elastically support at least one longitudinal end of the light guide. As the light guide is elastically supported by the elastic member, convex deformation or bowing of an emission face of the light guide due to thermal expansion can be reduced.
US09083836B2

There is provided an image forming apparatus, including: an image forming unit; a sheet detector positioned on a sheet conveyance path at an upstream side of the image forming unit; a conveyance belt; an image detector; and a controller. The controller is configured to perform: detecting a front end of the sheet; forming a mark image to extend over the conveyance belt and the sheet; detecting the mark image; measuring a mark conveyance time; obtaining a time elapsed based on the mark conveyance time; and forming the image when the obtained time passes from the front end of the sheet is detected.
US09083830B2

A multi-core processor is used in a portable device that has first and second image sensors spaced from each other for capturing images of a scene from slightly different perspectives. The multi-core processor has a first image sensor interface for receiving data from the image sensor, a second image sensor interface for receiving data from the second image sensor, multiple processing units and, the four processing units and the first and second sensor interfaces being integrated onto a single chip. The processing units are configured to simultaneously process the data from the first and second image interfaces to generate stereoscopic image data.
US09083828B2

A communication apparatus which is capable of ascertaining whether or not it is possible to transmit image data to a transmission destination irrespective of functions it has, and notifying a user of the ascertainment result, thus enhancing convenience. A storage unit stores an address book including a plurality of addresses indicative of transmission destinations of data. A first receiving unit receives a first message from an external device. A determination unit determines whether an address of the external device that has transmitted the received first message is included in the address book. A display unit displays the address of the external device in a first display form which is different from a display form of other addresses in a case where the determination unit determines that the address of the external device is included in the address book and when the address book is displayed.
US09083810B2

An apparatus and a method detect a motion in a mobile station. A motion is determined via a motion detecting function in the mobile station. A parameter for motion detection is determined from sensor data obtained via a sensor. The extracted parameter for the motion detection is transmitted to a counterpart mobile station. A parameter for motion detection determined by the counterpart mobile station is received from the counterpart mobile station. The extracted parameter is compared with the parameter received from the counterpart mobile station to determine a function associated with a motion input by a user.
US09083804B2

The methods, apparatus, and systems described herein facilitate optimizing routing decisions. The methods include retrieving and/or predicting a profile of a current customer and future customers, determining which agents are currently available and which agents are expected to be available, and providing a routing recommendation based on the profile retrieval or prediction for the current customer and the future customers, and the currently available agents' and expected available agents' proficiency at handling customers with the retrieved and/or predicted profiles.
US09083803B2

Organizations may employ private computer networks to enable customers to place a telephone call to customer service agents (CSAs). To maintain high customer service, it may desirable to expand the private computer network's ability to respond to customer calls on-demand. One or more requests for additional telephony resources may be submitted to a telephony resource allocation service in communication with a configurable network service. The telephony resource allocation service may determine telephony resources available for allocation to the private computer network and facilitate communication between the configurable network service and the private computer network. In this manner, additional computer private network extensions executing instances of call distribution services may also be generated and configured. Thus, the capacity of the private computer network to respond to customer calls may be expanded, while the additional private network extensions may manage distribution of calls to the CSAs transmitted over the allocated telephony resources.
US09083798B2

A method, system and apparatus for voice enabling a user preference interface in a multimodal content browser. A method for voice enabling a user preference interface in a multimodal content browser can include matching voice input to a bound command in a speech grammar and invoking logic in the user preference interface consistent with the bound command in the speech grammar. The matching step can include comparing voice input to entries in a markup language specified speech grammar and locating the bound command in the specified speech grammar based upon the comparison. In this regard, the method further can include identifying a variable in the bound command, looking up the variable in a table, retrieving a corresponding parameter for the variable from the table, and replacing the variable with the corresponding parameter in the bound command.
US09083795B1

A request is received from a user of a telephonic device to invoke an application on the telephonic device. A form is displayed to the user using the application. Information input into the form is received by the application along with an indication to submit the form information with a service request to a call handling system. A data communications session between the telephonic device and an application server of the call handling system is established using the application. The form information is provided to the application server. A telephone number of the telephonic device is identified from the form information using which a voice communications session is established with the telephonic device from an interactive voice response system of the call handling system. Voice information is exchanged with the user and text, image or video information is communicated to the user via the voice and data communications sessions respectively.
US09083793B2

Many of the current IMS standards and enriched services were originally designed for the individual subscribers that are serviced by the wireless network. However, the IMS standards do not fully address the problem of providing the IMS enriched services and features to users connected to a PBX. The present invention discloses a method for providing IMS enriched services and features to users connected to a PBX or an IP-PBX. Access to network services can be secured through a web-friendly interface via the IMS, enabling third-party developers, service providers and even subscribers to self-manage their service experience while the network operator retains control over network resources.
US09083786B2

Embodiments of the present invention provide a method of associating first data identifying a first party with second data to allow future recognition of the first party, including the steps of: conducting a telephone call with the first party; storing second data derived from the telephone call with the first party, the second data being different to the first data and characterizing a feature of the first party to allow future recognition of the first party; and associating the first data with the second data.
US09083784B2

A technique for providing multimedia communication services to a subscriber includes receiving a communication query for the subscriber, the communication query having an associated requested communication mode. The technique also includes servicing the communication query for the subscriber using the requested communication mode when the requested communication mode corresponds to one of one or more selected communication modes.
US09083780B2

According to an aspect, an electronic device includes: a display unit; and a control unit for acquiring information related to a process of an application program being executed in background and, executing an operation repeatedly to display the acquired information as additional information on the display unit.
US09083778B2

An adaptor for connecting a first mobile terminal and a second mobile terminal is provided. The adaptor includes a first connector detachable from the second mobile terminal and electrically connected to the second mobile terminal and that can be rotated, a main body having a terminal hole for housing the first mobile terminal, and a second connector positioned at the terminal hole and detachable from the first mobile terminal and for electrically connecting the first connector and the first mobile terminal.
US09083771B2

A multi-participant teleconferencing system includes a telecommunication manager that is configured to establish telecommunication connections with participants by instructing and initiating one or more telecommunication devices (e.g., media gateway devices, email servers, web servers, multipoint control units, etc.). Participants can be enabled to provide personal preferences to the telecommunication manager. The personal preferences and other participant information can be stored on one or more storage devices as participant records. The participant records preferably include preferred forms of telecommunication for the participants. Each preferred form of telecommunication can include an indication of a preferred type of telecommunication device and/or an indication of a preferred telecommunication technology. The telecommunication manager can utilize the preferred forms of telecommunication stored on the one or more storage devices to schedule, manage, and initiate multi-participant telecommunication.
US09083770B1

A computer has a processor and a memory connected to the processor. The memory stores instructions executed by the processor to receive a real time communication request from a client device and perform an evaluation of the number of client devices associated with the real time communication request. The evaluation results in the coordination of peer-to-peer communications in the event of two client devices and an attempt to host a real time communication session using a first protocol in the event of three or more client devices. A second protocol for the real time communication session is invoked in the event that the attempt to host the real time communication session using the first protocol is unsuccessful.
US09083767B2

A social networking system provides relevant third-party content objects to users by matching user location, interests, and other social information with the content, location, and timing associated with the content objects. Content objects are provided based on relevance scores specific to a user. Relevance scores may be calculated based on the user's previous interactions with content object notifications, or based on interests that are common between the user and his or her connections in the social network. Context search is also provided for a user, wherein a list of search of results is ranked according to the relevance score of content object associated with the search results. Notifications may also be priced and distributed to users based on their relevance. In this way, the system can provide notifications that are relevant to user's interests and current circumstances, increasing the likelihood that they will find content objects of interest.
US09083764B2

The present invention relate to a content caching device, and more particularly, to such a content caching device in which the priority of a content requested by a user terminal is calculated based on content usage features such as the number of requests or the latest request interval of the requested content, and the like, the requested content is controlled to be selectively stored in a short-term storage unit based on the calculated priority of the requested content, and among the contents stored in the short-term storage unit, a content needed to be stored for a long time period is controlled to be stored in a separate long-term storage unit based on the storage time of the requested content in the short-term storage unit.
US09083761B1

Methods and systems for reducing web page load time are provided. A method for reducing web page load time may include determining subresources of a requested web page. The method may also include requesting the plurality of subresources in a packet. This may be a single request packet for all of the subresources of a web page. Another method for reducing web page load time may include determining subresources to be returned from a request packet. The method may also include generating and returning the subresources in response to the request packet. A system for reducing web page load time may include a subresource determiner and a subresource requester. Another system for reducing web page load time may include a subresource request determiner, a subresource generator and a subresource returner.
US09083739B1

In an embodiment, a method comprises intercepting, from a first computer, a first set of instructions that define one or more original operations, which are configured to cause one or more requests to be sent if executed by a client computer; modifying the first set of instructions to produce a modified set of instructions, which are configured to cause a credential to be included in the one or more requests sent if executed by the client computer; rendering a second set of instructions comprising the modified set of instructions and one or more credential-morphing-instructions, wherein the one or more credential-morphing-instructions define one or more credential-morphing operations, which are configured to cause the client computer to update the credential over time if executed; sending the second set of instructions to a second computer.
US09083738B2

A method and apparatus for managing wireless devices on an aircraft. A map for a number of wireless devices on the aircraft is generated. The number of wireless devices is identified in a profile. A risk for the number of wireless devices on the aircraft is identified during operation of the aircraft using state information for the aircraft and the profile. Access to a wireless network on the aircraft by the number of wireless devices is managed based on the risk identified for the number of wireless devices.
US09083734B1

A method for facilitating forensic analysis of operational data for an IT infrastructure includes deriving performance data from a plurality of physical systems, network elements and storage devices in an IT infrastructure via a toolset comprising a plurality of IT monitoring and metrics tools, importing the performance data into an integrated forensics platform, aggregating the imported data, and analyzing the aggregated data to determine resources consumed. Each tool is communicatively interfaced with one or more of the physical systems, network elements and storage devices.
US09083731B2

A system, method, apparatus and mechanism for estimating worst-case time complexity of a regular expression defining a pattern adapted for identifying malicious packets and comprising one or more back-references (backref-regex) by constructing a non-deterministic finite automaton (NFA) corresponding to the backref-regex (backref-NFA), wherein the backref-NFA comprises a plurality of NFA-states and a respectively labeled edge for each of the one or more back-references of the backref-regex; performing liveness analysis on the backref-NFA to determine for each NFA-state of the backref-NFA a set of back-references alive at the NFA-state; and determining a maximum number of alive back-references over the plurality of NFA-states, wherein the determined maximum number is indicative of the worst-case time complexity of the backref-regex.
US09083728B1

Embodiments of the invention provide for providing support for sharing and exchanging in a network. The system includes a memory coupled to a processor. The memory includes a database comprising information corresponding to first users and the second users. Each of the first users and the second users are facilitated for sharing or exchanging activity, service or product, based on one or more conditions corresponding thereto. Further, the memory includes one or more instructions executable by the processor to match each of the first users to at least one of the second users. Furthermore, the instructions may inform each of the first users about the match with the at least one of the second users when all the conditions are met by the at least one second user based on the information corresponding to each of the second users.
US09083723B2

Disclosed is a method of providing an early media service based on a session initiation protocol (SIP). More particularly, the present disclosure relates to a method of providing an early media service based on SIP, wherein an application server and a media server can provide early media of a multimedia form, such as images, moving images and the like, as well as audios, by using an early session or a regular session.
US09083722B2

Systems and methodologies are described that facilitate improving session initiation protocol based registration of a mobile device and an IP multimedia subsystem in wireless communications. The mobile device discovers one or more SIP servers (e.g., proxy call session control functions) that are available. The mobile device issues a ping message to each discovered server in parallel to determine reachability. Based at least in part on measured round trip times associated with the ping messages, the mobile device initiates registration procedures with at least one server.
US09083720B2

A message that a user is requesting an access to a resource is received. The access is associated with a requested access level and is granted if an access path exists between the user and the resource for the requested access level. In response to the message reception, a first identifier of the user, a second identifier of the resource, the requested access level, and a first value that represents that the access to the resource was requested is stored in a record. All access paths usable to determine whether the user is authorized to access the resource are identified. Another security object including a flag to represent its usage in authorizing access to the resources is received. A decision is made with respect to whether the received other security object was used within one of the identified access paths as a function of its flag value.
US09083715B2

A technique to load balance network packet traffic using content switching is provided. Packets are routed to a particular server or otherwise processed based on the HTTP header content of the packets. In an embodiment, the HTTP header contents of the packets are used in such processing. Content switching decisions are based on any field in the HTTP header, including both known and unknown fields. A plurality of content switching policies is provided. A policy includes a set of rules and actions associated with these rules. Complex nested rules are defined. The evaluation of these nested rules is simplified by converting the nested rules in to their sum of products or minterm representations, and then a bit mask technique is used in conjunction with the minterm representations to determine which set of complex rules in a policy is valid and thus require the corresponding content switching action.
US09083690B2

A method of handling a plurality of session requests at an access manager may include assigning a rank to each of a plurality of agents. Each of the plurality of agents may forward requests for protected resources to the access manager for authentication and/or authorization, and the access manager may establish a plurality of sessions. The method may also include establishing a first session that is associated with a first agent in the plurality of agents that is assigned a first rank, a first user device, and/or a user credential. The method may additionally include receiving a request to establish a second session that is associated with a second agent in the plurality of agents that is assigned a second rank, a second user device, and/or the user credential. The method may further include determining whether the second session should be established.
US09083686B2

A system and a method to determine if a client (e.g., an accessory (or peripheral)) is appropriately licensed for interoperation with a host (e.g., host computer). The client communicatively couples the host and receives a contract from the host. The client computes a checksum of the contract and compares the checksum of the contract with a previously stored version of the contract or a checksum of the contract to determine a match. If there is no match, the host communicatively decouples the client in response to the determination being a no match. If there is a match, the client transmits a contract response to the host and awaits host authorization. Once authorized the client transmits enumeration data to the host.
US09083678B2

A firewall policy inspection apparatus and method is provided. The firewall policy inspection apparatus includes an intrusion prevention rule obtainment unit for obtaining intrusion prevention rules from a target firewall policy. An anomaly rule detection unit detects an anomaly rule in a relationship between the intrusion prevention rules. A screen display unit displays an anomaly rule graph on a screen using results of the detection.
US09083676B2

A method for reliably using ping to account for interactions with electronic content includes receiving a request for a content item from a user device, selecting a content item in response to the request, determining whether the user device is ping enabled, and generating a hyperlink for inclusion with the selected content item. The hyperlink has a target URL and a ping attribute. At least one of the target URL and the ping attribute is based on a result of the determination whether the user device is ping enabled. The method further includes distributing the content item and the hyperlink to the user device and receiving a ping request from the user device. The ping request includes the target URL and an identifier of the distributed content item. The method further includes accounting for the interaction in response to receiving the ping request from the user device.
US09083675B2

A system, method and computer-readable medium for request routing based on content popularity information are provided. A client computer transmits a request for content from a content provider. The content provider utilizes executable code, such as translation request code, for facilitating request routing utilizing popularity information. The translation request code, may direct a client computing device to request further translation request code and/or translation information. Thereafter, the client issues a DNS query with the translated information including popularity information. The content delivery network service provider can then either resolve the DNS query with an IP address of a cache component or transmit another alternative resource identifier that will resolve to the content delivery network service provider. The process can repeat until a DNS nameserver resolves a DNS query from the client computing device.
US09083674B2

Systems and methods are disclosed for enabling sharing of audio feeds. One method includes receiving, from a user over a network, a request to add an audio feed to a collection managed by the user; storing, in a database, a URL of the audio feed in relation to the collection; receiving, from the user over the network, a request to share the collection; and generating an RSS URL of the collection by searching the database for URLs of audio feeds stored in relation to the collection.
US09083659B2

A switch includes a reserved pool of buffers in a shared memory. The reserved pool of buffers is reserved for exclusive use by an egress port. The switch includes pool select logic which selects a free buffer from the reserved pool for storing data received from an ingress port to be forwarded to the egress port. The shared memory also includes a shared pool of buffers. The shared pool of buffers is shared by a plurality of egress ports. The pool select logic selects a free buffer in the shared pool upon detecting no free buffer in the reserved pool. The shared memory may also include a multicast pool of buffers. The multicast pool of buffers is shared by a plurality of egress ports. The pool select logic selects a free buffer in the multicast pool upon detecting an IP Multicast data packet received from an ingress port.
US09083651B2

Methods and systems for permitting a controller within a virtualization environment to control access to devices virtualized within hardware are described herein. For example, a NIC may be able to request rules that define how network traffic is managed at the NIC's virtual switch. In some arrangements, the NIC may transmit a query for the matching rule to a proxy, which may determine whether it has a rule matching the request. If the proxy does not have a matching rule, the proxy may query a controller for the matching rule, which may transmit the rule to the proxy. The proxy may update its store of rules and transmit the matching rule to the NIC. Upon receipt of the matching rule, the NIC may update the rules stored in its virtual switch and may process the packet in accordance with the matching rule.
US09083642B2

An information handling system is provided. The information handling system includes systems and methods for providing an anycast MAC addressing of a virtual redundancy router protocol instance that spans a plurality of aggregation switches. The anycast MAC address may be provided by a virtual bridging device and then used as an address of a virtual IP instance accessible through the virtual bridging device. Using the anycast MAC address with the virtual IP instance, a packet to be routed from one rack to another rack in a data center may be dynamically routed based a current load distribution.
US09083638B2

Technologies are generally described for a data transmission scheme for a cloud-based system. In some examples, a data transmission system may include a communication speed determination unit configured to determine communication speed between a server and multiple client devices connected to the server; a client classification unit configured to classify each of the multiple client devices based at least in part on the communication speed determined by the communication speed determination unit; and a data transmission unit configured to transmit a predetermined portion of data to one or more of the client devices connected to the server.
US09083637B2

A network device is configured to implement a QoS function to optimize bandwidth utilization includes a memory configured to store a high priority throughput value and a low priority bandwidth value, a network device input to communicate a data stream including a plurality of data packets to and from at least one computer system on the internal network, and a network device output to communicate the data stream including the plurality of data packets to and from at least one computer system on the external network. The network device further includes a computer processor configured to execute steps stored in non-volatile memory, the steps including identifying high priority data packets in the data stream to detect the high priority throughput value, setting the low priority bandwidth value, and periodically adjusting the low priority bandwidth value. This QoS function can work without the knowledge of actual bandwidth for any link in the networks.
US09083635B1

Embodiments of the present disclosure generally pertain to systems and methods for policing packet networks. A system in accordance with an exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure includes an enqueue policer positioned within an intermediate node of a packet network prior to at least one egress queue. The enqueue policer utilizes information related to destination end-point capacity limits for a given customer in order to police packets based on such information at a relatively early point in the packet network. Thus, a packet that would have been dropped by an egress node due to capacity limits is dropped by the intermediate node thereby preventing the packet from needlessly consuming bandwidth of the network beyond the intermediate node.
US09083625B2

An improved technique for communicating with components of an electronic system includes operating a driver according to a designated protocol but agnostically to the components themselves. Information about particular system components is supplied to the driver by respective data sources. To obtain discovery information about a component, the driver accesses a data source for the component and communicates with the component using the designated protocol. The driver thus operates merely as a conduit for component-specific information, which is supplied by the data sources rather than by the driver itself.
US09083616B2

To reduce or prevent effect of deterioration of communication quality caused from packet loss in a packet communication, a plurality of Packet Assembly Disassembly devices (PDAs) are installed at a first terminal equipment and at a second terminal equipment, and a packet communication is performed using one PDA in such plurality of PDAs. If the packet loss of received data in such packet communication is detected exceeding the predetermined value, a request is sent using another PDA to the first terminal equipment for transmitting the same data that above-stated one PDA is handling and the data transmitted at the request is received. On reception of the data at the request, sizes of the packet loss rate of received data with above-stated one PDA and of the packet loss rate of received data with above-stated another PDA are compared and the packet communication is continued selecting a system of which packet loss rate is smaller.
US09083615B2

Embodiments of the present invention are directed to diagnosing problems in a dual stack network supporting Internet Protocol Version Six (IPV6). Inventoried information can be retrieved from an inventory system in response to a problem associated the dual stack network. It can be determined whether a mismatch exists between live customer address information associated with a customer edge router and the inventoried information. A notification can be generated in response to determining whether a mismatch exists. The notification includes information representing a cause of the problem and resolution of the problem.
US09083610B2

A web-server communicates wireless networking performance data that reflects the true user experience of a mobile device operating in a particular location and operating on a particular wireless network.
US09083601B2

A system and method for enabling the interchange of enterprise data through an open platform is disclosed. This open platform can be based on a standardized interface that enables parties to easily connect to and use the network. Services operating as senders, recipients, and in-transit parties can therefore leverage a framework that overlays a public network.
US09083598B2

A high speed serial interface is provided. In one aspect, the high speed serial interface uses three phase modulation for jointly encoding data and clock information. Accordingly, the need for de-skewing circuitry at the receiving end of the interface is eliminated, resulting in reduced link start-up time and improved link efficiency and power consumption. In one embodiment, the high speed serial interface uses fewer signal conductors than conventional systems having separate conductors for data and clock information. In another embodiment, the serial interface allows for data to be transmitted at any speed without the receiving end having prior knowledge of the transmission data rate. In another aspect, the high speed serial interface uses polarity encoded three phase modulation for jointly encoding data and clock information. This further increases the link capacity of the serial interface by allowing for more than one bit to be transmitted in any single baud interval.
US09083590B2

In a method for generating a data unit for transmission in a wireless network, a physical layer (PHY) preamble is generated. In generating the PHY preamble, a first indicator is generated to indicate at least one of (i) whether the data unit includes data offloaded from a mobile telephony network separate from the wireless network, or (ii) whether the data unit (a) was generated by, or (b) is addressed to, a communication device that supports offloading of data from the mobile telephony network to the wireless network. The first indicator is included in the PHY preamble. Additionally, a media access control layer (MAC) header is generated. The data unit is generated to include the PHY preamble and the MAC header. The data unit is then caused to be transmitted.
US09083589B2

The invention provides a receiver associated with a body, e.g., located inside or within close proximity to a body, configured to receive and decode a signal from an in vivo transmitter which located inside the body. Signal receivers of the invention provide for accurate signal decoding of a low-level signal, even in the presence of significant noise, using a small-scale chip, e.g., where the chip consumes very low power. Also provided are systems that include the receivers, as well as methods of using the same.
US09083588B1

Adjusting a relative phase within a polar receiver to reduce a DC error, the polar receiver having (i) a harmonic ILO having an RF modulated signal input and a phase-compressed divided-frequency output, (ii) a fundamental ILO connected to the phase-compressed divided-frequency output and having a phase-locking output, (iii) a delay element, and (iv) a phase discriminator connected to the delay element output and to the phase-locking output, and having a phase-detection output representative of a phase difference between signals on the delay output and the phase-locking output.
US09083579B1

Techniques to provide stateless services in a content management client are disclosed. A session manager is instantiated to service a request to access a content item. The session manager is used to obtain from a global session pool that is not specific to the session manager a session to service the request. The session is used to service the request. Once the request has been completed the session manager may be terminated, but the global session pool and associated object cache remain.
US09083574B2

An AC coupling circuit is provided that has a level shifter circuit having a p input voltage and an n input voltage and producing a p output voltage and a p output voltage. There is a common mode voltage adjustment feedback circuit configured to cause a common mode voltage output to tend towards a specified reference voltage, the common mode voltage output being an average of the p output and n output voltages of the level shifter circuit. In combination, the level shifter circuit and the feedback circuit allow the interconnection of a first circuit that operates at a first, unspecified, common mode voltage to be connected to a second circuit having a required common mode voltage. The level shifter may be formed of adjustable components such that the frequency response of the level shifter circuit can be adjusted to compensate for a frequency response of an interconnect between the first circuit and the second circuit.
US09083569B2

Disclosed are an apparatus and a method for detecting a broadcasting signal. The signal detecting apparatus according to the exemplary embodiment of the present invention includes: a reference signal generator outputting a reference signal acquired by performing a correlation calculation between a current sample and a previous sample of a received signal which is an FM signal or a digital radio mondiale plus (DRM+) signal and then normalizing a result of the correlation calculation; and a discriminator detecting a maximum value of the reference signal and judging that the received signal is the FM signal when the maximum value of the reference signal is more than a predetermined threshold.
US09083564B2

The present disclosure is directed to a system and method of delivering notifications. The method can include receiving a communication at a server within an Internet Protocol Television (IPTV) network, where the communication is directed to a destination device outside of the IPTV network. The method can also include identifying the destination device and associating the destination device with a set-top box device. The method can also include transmitting a notification of the communication to the set-top box device via a private data network within the IPTV network.
US09083555B1

Techniques for acquisition of traffic channels during acquisition congestion of a communication include receiving a broadcast message at a communication terminal from a network node. The broadcast message indicates to the communication terminal that one or more acquisition channels in the communication network are congested. The broadcast message also identifies a set of traffic channels currently available or likely to become available for use by the communication terminal. The set of traffic channels may include traffic channels that are currently being used by other communication terminals. The communication terminal then selects and monitors a subset of the set of traffic channels for an indication that a first one of the traffic channels in the selected subset is available for use by the communication terminal. The communication terminal then transmits traffic on the first traffic channel.
US09083549B2

A structure and a first panel are operably disposed with respect to the structure. A first plurality of nodes is disposed within the first panel, including a first plurality of power distribution network nodes in a first power distribution network, and wherein the first plurality of nodes further comprises a first group of nodes. A second panel is operably disposed with respect to the structure. A second plurality of nodes is disposed within the second panel, including a second plurality of power distribution network nodes in a second power distribution network isolated from the first power distribution network. The second plurality of nodes further comprises a second group of nodes. A bus guardian, separate from the two panels, electrically connects the first panel and the second panel. The bus guardian is configured to network the first group of nodes and the second group of nodes in a network.
US09083535B2

A method for providing efficient management of certificate revocation may comprise storing a list of identifiers of digital certificates including a revocation list defining a list of revoked certificates in an accumulator, storing a witness value in association with at least some entries in the revocation list in which the witness value provides proof of the membership or non-membership of an identifier in the revocation list, enabling generation of a new accumulator and a new witness value responsive to each insertion or deletion of an entry in the revocation list, and enabling batch updates to the revocation list using a reduced bitlength value generated based on to a ratio of a value generated based on elements added to the revocation list to a value generated based on elements deleted from the revocation list. A corresponding apparatus is also provided. A method for certificate authorities (CA) that use Bloom filters for certificate revocation list (CRL) compression that enables the CA to hash only the entry that is to be un-revoked so that a good compression rate may be provided while avoiding computation of the entire CRL for each un-revocation.
US09083532B2

Methods and systems are provided for facilitating the secure entry of a user's PIN for electronic transactions such as merchant checkout, payment authorization, or access authorization. A physiological response of the user can indicate which one of a random sequence of numbers is a number of the user's PIN. For example, the user can blink, wink, or make a subtle facial movement to provide the indication.
US09083529B1

Multi-party messaging is disclosed. A plurality of public keys is requested from a first server, wherein the plurality of public keys is associated with a plurality of recipients. A message containing one or more components is encrypted using a symmetric key. The symmetric key is encrypted, using each of the respective public keys, resulting in a plurality of encrypted symmetric keys. The encrypted message and the encrypted symmetric keys are encapsulated in an encapsulation. The encapsulation is transmitted to a second server.
US09083526B2

In one exemplary embodiment of the invention, a method and computer program include: receiving first and second ciphertexts having first and second data encrypted per an encryption scheme, the encryption scheme has public/secret keys and encryption, decryption, operation and refresh functions, the encryption function encrypts data, the decryption decrypts ciphertext, the operation receives ciphertexts and performs operation(s) on them, the refresh operates to prevent growth of the magnitude of noise for a ciphertext while reducing the modulus of the ciphertext without using the secret key, utilizing a modulus switching technique that involves transforming a first ciphertext c modulo q into a second ciphertext c′ modulo p while preserving correctness, the technique includes scaling by p/q and rounding, p
US09083525B2

The present invention provides a method for generating random jitter test patterns by generating a sequence of maximum-size asynchronous packets according to the P1394b standard and transmitting the sequence to the device under test. The present invention provides a method for generating jitter test patterns by disabling the transmitter data scrambler of the second device; clearing the port_error register of the device under test; and sending a test pattern to said device under test. The present invention provides for a method for generating supply noise test patterns comprising: transmitting a test pattern to the DUT comprising a maximum length asynchronous packet containing alternate 0016 and FF16 bytes.
US09083521B2

A system is provided for transmitting information through a speech codec (in-band) such as found in a wireless communication network. A modulator transforms the data into a spectrally noise-like signal based on the mapping of a shaped pulse to predetermined positions within a modulation frame, and the signal is efficiently encoded by a speech codec. A synchronization sequence provides modulation frame timing at the receiver and is detected based on analysis of a correlation peak pattern. A request/response protocol provides reliable transfer of data using message redundancy, retransmission, and/or robust modulation modes dependent on the communication channel conditions.
US09083509B2

The present disclosure relates to systems and methods for secure communications. In some aspects, one or more values used to generate an encryption key used to encrypt a packet are stored in a header of the packet. The packet is transmitted with the encrypted data portion in a communication. In some aspects, one or more values used to generate an encryption key are received. The encryption key is regenerated using the one or more values.
US09083507B2

A miniaturized non-linear conversion unit is achieved. Included is an encryption processing part configured to divide and input configuration bits of data to be processed into a plurality of lines, and to repeatedly execute a data conversion processing applying a round function as to the data in each line, wherein the encryption processing part includes an F function executing unit configured to input one line of data configuring the plurality of lines, and to generate conversion data, wherein the F function executing unit includes a non-linear conversion processing unit configured to execute a non-linear conversion processing, and wherein the non-linear conversion processing unit includes a repeating structure of a non-linear calculation unit made up from either one NAND or NOR, and either one XOR or XNOR calculation unit, and a bit replacement unit. The miniaturized non-linear conversion unit is achieved by this repeating configuration.
US09083505B2

A Manchester code receiving circuit includes an analog circuit configured to convert an analog signal received through a communication transmission path, to a digital signal based on a Manchester code, and a characteristic compensating unit configured to compensate at least one of rise delay characteristics in which a rising time of the digital signal is longer than a falling time, and fall delay characteristics in which the falling time of the digital signal is longer than the rising time.
US09083493B2

A method and device are provided for reducing electricity consumption associated with a communications line having a set of N carriers of predetermined power suitable for conveying information to a receiver device. The method is adapted to determine first and second groups, each having respectively at least one of the carriers of the set N; to determine a volume of information to be conveyed on the N carriers during a unit of time; and if the determined volume is less than a predetermined threshold, to allocate a power less than the predetermined power to the carriers of the second group, the power of the carriers of the first group being maintained.
US09083490B2

A method for operating a Base Station (BS) in a wireless communication system is provided. The method comprises of receiving at least one request set for at least one neighboring cell, from at least one Mobile Station (MS), updating the at least one request set based at least in part on a serving band of each MS, and transmitting the updated at least one request set to the at least one neighboring cell, wherein the request set comprises a band and a Precoding Matrix Index (PMI) for making a use restriction or recommendation request to a neighboring cell.
US09083488B1

An extender includes a transmitter and a receiver for transmitting a first and a second differential data signals and a differential clock signal. The transmitter combines a positive clock signal of a differential clock signal with a first differential data signal and combines a negative clock signal of the differential clock signal with a second differential data signal, thereby respectively forming a first and a second composite differential signals. The receiver includes a first impedance unit extracting the positive clock signal from the first composite differential signal, a second impedance unit extracting the negative clock signal from the second composite differential signal, and a recovery unit receiving the positive and negative clock signals and forming the differential clock signal. The frequency of the extracted first and second differential data signals are ten times or more of the frequency of the differential clock signal.
US09083486B2

Embodiments provided herein include techniques for enabling a mobile device to communicate with smart media in a manner that can sidestep the secure element of the mobile device—and the costs associated with it. The mobile device can communicate with the smart media using near-field communication (NFC) by creating an encrypted connection with a remote computer while bypassing a secure element of the mobile device. This allows the mobile device to provide point-of-sale (POS) functionality by reading and/or writing to the smart media, without compromising the security of the smart media.
US09083478B2

One embodiment relates to a method for determining a latency of a network port. Read and write pointers for a FIFO are sampled at the same time. An average difference between a plurality of samples of the read and write pointers is determined. Another embodiment relates to an apparatus for providing timestamps to packets at a network port. Registers sample read and write pointers of a FIFO using a sampling clock. Logic circuitry determines an average difference between the read and write pointers, and timestamping circuitry receives the average difference and inserts timestamps into packets. Other embodiments and features are also disclosed.
US09083474B2

In various embodiments, communication apparatus and methods for providing robust communications are disclosed. For example, an exemplary communication apparatus for distributing media to one or more receiving apparatus may include receiving circuitry to receive a first wireless multimedia broadcast signal containing at least a first media stream, transmitting circuitry to wirelessly transmit one or more individual media streams simultaneously to the one or more receiving apparatus using one or more wireless transmit signals, and decision circuitry configured to control the transmitting circuitry to transmit the first media stream to at least one receiving apparatus using at least one wireless transmit signal type based on a forward-link data capacity of each wireless channel between the transmitting circuitry and each receiving apparatus.
US09083472B2

A feed-forward equalizer can be used in the host optical receiver to perform at least some of the desired signal processing in the optical domain, e.g., prior to coherently detecting and digitizing the received optical signal(s). In some embodiments, the signal processing implemented in the feed-forward equalizer can at least partially compensate the adverse effects of chromatic dispersion, polarization-mode dispersion, and/or spatial-mode mixing/crosstalk imparted on the received optical signal(s) in the optical transport link. This reduces the signal-processing load of and the signal-processing requirements to the receiver's electrical DSP.
US09083461B2

Localization of an electronic device is enabled by establishing a localization environment wherein sources of visible light are configured to modulate onto emitted light a detectable signal, each signal bearing information identifying that light source, such that light incident on a device can be processed to identify particular sources of incident light and therefrom the location of the device.
US09083460B1

A semiconductor-based optical modulator includes a control loop to control and optimize the modulator's operation for relatively high data rates (above 1 GHz) and/or relatively high voltage levels. Both the amplitude of the modulator's driving voltage and the bias of the driving voltage may be adjusted using the control loop. Such adjustments help to optimize the operation of the modulator by reducing the number of errors present in a modulated data stream.
US09083459B2

An optical transmission system includes: an optical transmission device that has a plurality of optical transmitters configured to output at least one different wavelength and a multiplexer configured to multiplex wavelength lights output by the plurality of optical transmitters and output a multiplexed wavelength light; and a detection unit configured to detect each wavelength light that is branched before being fed into the multiplexer by sweeping an objective wavelength for detection, wherein, in a single sweeping, the detection unit selects and detects two or more wavelength lights with a wavelength interval that is wider than a wavelength interval of an output light of the multiplexer.
US09083449B2

A system and method for optimizing signal recognition in a light communication system by approximately maximizing the minimum distance between received constellation points; the method comprising identifying the constellation region containing points for transmitting symbols, identifying channel impairments, transforming the constellation region according to the channel impairments into a constellation region of potential received symbols, using signal processing circuitry to apply an algorithm that operates to maximize the minimum distance between constellation points to obtain a symbol constellation in the receiver constellation region, and inverting the transformation to obtain the designed transmitted-symbol constellation. The system comprises signal processing circuitry for performing a preferred methodology.
US09083436B2

The invention involves utilizing pieces of disjoint spectral blocks. In one embodiment, a frequency division duplex approach is used, where each spectral block is utilized solely for either uplink or downlink communications. In another embodiment, a time division duplex approach is used, where each spectral block is time divided and uplink and downlink communications are assigned to different time slots within the same spectral blocks. In another embodiment, a code division duplex approach is utilized, where uplink and downlink communications are assigned different codes/hopping patterns within a same spectral block.
US09083432B2

A relay station performing wireless communications with a plurality of other relay stations and at least one wireless terminal, the relay station including: a scheduler, when at least one of the relay station and the other relay stations receives data from a wireless terminal controlled thereby, generating a first map such that the data is exchanged among the relay station and the other relay stations during a first period, and generating a second map such that the data as received during the first period is transmitted to the controlled wireless terminal during a second period.
US09083431B2

A modulator generates a modulation signal from an input signal. A serial-parallel converter generates a subcarrier modulation signal from the modulation signal. An IFFT unit performs an inverse fast Fourier transformation on the subcarrier modulation signal, generating first data. A decomposer decomposes the first data into real data and imaginary data. An operator performs a predetermined operation using a predetermined threshold value, a boundary value and the real data, generating positive data and negative data. Another operator performs a similar operation on the imaginary data. A generator adds the positive data and negative data based on the real data, and adds the positive data and negative data based on the imaginary data, generating real operation data and imaginary operation data. A synthesizer synthesizes both operation data to generate a baseband signal. A transmitter generates a transmission signal from the baseband signal, and transmits it to another apparatus via an antenna.
US09083422B2

A method of relaying a signal in a wireless communications network comprising a plurality of wireless devices, the method being performed by at least one of said wireless devices to relay a signal in a communication path between one of said plurality of wireless devices and another one of said wireless devices, the method comprising receiving a signal from said one of said plurality of wireless devices, determining channel statistical information relating to a part or the whole of said wireless communications network, selecting a mode of relaying said signal from a plurality of predetermined relay modes based on said determined channel statistical information, such that the outage probability for said communication path satisfy a predetermined condition, and transmitting said signal to said another one of said plurality of wireless devices using said selected mode.
US09083421B2

The invention discloses a transceiver (210, 215; 305, 310, 320, 330) for use in a cellular communications system (200, 300), arranged to communicate with at least one other transceiver in the system by means of technology for Multiple Input Multiple Output, MIMO. The transceiver is also arranged to control the function of a repeater (206, 207, 208, 209; 340) which is arranged to forward communication between the transceiver and said at least one other transceiver, said control being carried out as a result of measured performance parameters of the communication between the transceiver and said at least one other transceiver. In one embodiment, the function in the repeater (206, 207, 208, 209; 340) which the transceiver is arranged to control comprises activation and deactivation of the repeater.
US09083411B2

A mobile terminal is provided in the present invention, comprising: a channel state information feedback calculating unit configured to calculate a channel state information feedback between the mobile terminal and a serving cell of the mobile terminal and those between the mobile terminal and all cooperating cells; a channel quality information feedback calculating unit configured to calculate a channel quality information feedback for the serving cell of the mobile terminal; and a transmission unit configured to transmit the channel state information feedbacks and the channel quality information feedback to the serving cell. The present invention greatly improves the performance of a LTE-A system and greatly reduces feedback overhead. The present invention is a scalable feedback solution and may be flexibly applied to various coordinated multipoint transmission scenarios.
US09083407B2

In a network comprising a signal forwarding node, a pre-coding code book generating method, wherein the method comprises: generating a pre-coding code book, wherein the pre-coding code book comprises at least one pre-coding code word corresponding to the signal forwarding node, and the pre-coding code word comprises one or more antenna beamforming weights; and communicating the pre-coding code book to a user equipment.
US09083396B2

A method for carrying out concurrent communications between a subscriber device and two base stations is disclosed. At least one OFDM/OFDMA sub-channel is selected for each of the two base stations which is associated with a communications sector belonging to one of the two base stations and comprises OFDM/OFDMA sub-carriers that are substantially different from sub-carries comprised in the OFDM/OFDMA sub-channel associated with a communications sector belonging to the other base station; establishing a communication path between the subscriber device and each of the two base stations along the respective sub-channel selected; receiving/transmitting control messages exchanged between the subscriber device and the two base stations, wherein at least one control message is exchanged between the subscriber device and one of the two base stations concurrently with at least one control message exchanged between the subscriber device and the other base station, and wherein the control messages are exchanged along different sub-channels comprised in the communication paths.
US09083387B2

A communication system includes: an antenna for receiving a receiver signal for communicating a transmitter signal corresponding to the receiver signal over transmission channels according to a polar coding scheme; a communication unit including: an arrangement module for generating a sequenced-signal based on the receiver signal according to a permutation mechanism; and a decoder module for determining a communication content based on the sequenced-signal for communicating the communication content intended by the transmitter signal with a device.The communication system includes: a communication unit including an encoder module for determining a coded-message for representing a communication content according to a polar coding scheme, permutation module for generating a message-channel map for mapping the coded-message to transmission channels; and an antenna for transmitting a transmitter signal based on the coded-message according to the message-channel map for communicating the transmitter signal through the transmission channels with a device.
US09083385B2

A channel decoding method and decoder are disclosed. The decoding method is based on a Circular Viterbi Algorithm (CVA), rules out impossible initial states one by one through iterations according the received soft information sequence, and finally finds the global optimal tail-biting path. In the present invention, all impossible iterations are ruled out through multiple iterations, and only the initial state having most likelihood with the received sequence survives. The algorithm is finally convergent to an optimal tail-biting path to be output. In addition, the method also updates a metric of a maximum likelihood tail-biting path (MLTBP) or rules out impossible initial states through the obtained surviving tail-biting path, thereby effectively solving the problem that the algorithm is not convergent due to a circular trap, providing a practical optimal decoding algorithm for a tail-biting convolutional code, reducing the complexity of an existing decoding scheme, and saving the storage space.
US09083384B2

It is an object of the present invention to provide a technology that a microcomputer is capable of detecting the states of a large number of switches with a small number of ports. In a microcomputer system according to the present invention, any one of (2N−1) kinds of the combination patterns with respect to the combination of N input ports (IP1 to IP4) of a microcomputer (1) is allocated to each of M push-down switches (SW12, SW13, SW14, SW23, SW24, and SW34) with the different combination from each push-down switch. Each push-down switch inverts the input levels of the input ports in the combination pattern allocated thereto when pushed down. The microcomputer (1) detects the state of each push-down switch on the basis of the input levels of the N input ports.
US09083382B2

A memory device is configured to correct errors in codewords written to a memory array. Errors, if any, in a first codeword are corrected and a codeword corrector output is generated including a corrected first codeword. A data buffer receives the codeword corrector output and a first user data associated with the addressed page and generates a data buffer output including the corrected first codeword, as modified by the first user data, defined as a first codeword output. A codeword encoder receives the data buffer output and encodes the first codeword output to generate an encoded first codeword output included in a codeword encoder output. A write buffer receives the codeword encoder output and saves the same for writing to the memory array. Writing to the memory array is performed while receiving a second user data, which has a second codeword associated therewith, and correcting the second codeword.
US09083375B1

A successive approximation register analog-to-digital converter (SAR ADC) includes a comparator coupled to receive a sampled input voltage; a pair of arrays each including individually switchable binary-weighted capacitors that are switchably coupled to an output of the comparator via phase switches, respectively. A phase signal for controlling a corresponding phase switch associated with a current bit becomes asserted when a preceding bit finishes comparison, and the phase signal becomes de-asserted when the current bit finishes comparison.
US09083369B2

The present disclosure provides for split-path data acquisition chains and associated signal processing methods. An exemplary integrated circuit for providing a split-path data acquisition signal chain includes an input terminal for receiving an analog signal; an output terminal for outputting a digital signal; and at least two frequency circuit paths coupled with the input terminal and the output terminal, wherein the at least two frequency circuit paths are configured to process different frequency components of the analog signal and recombine the processed, different frequency components, thereby providing the digital signal.
US09083368B2

An image sensor includes multiple counters and a counter controller. Each counter of the multiple counters is configured to perform counting of a comparison result signal and to generate a count result, the comparison result signal being obtained by comparing a ramp signal and a pixel signal of a column of multiple columns. The counter controller is configured to generate and transmit a counter clock signal and (n−1) delay clock signals to the counters, respectively, “n” being a natural number equal to or greater than two. Each delay clock signal of the (n−1) delay clock signals is obtained by delaying the counter clock signal by a corresponding offset code.
US09083366B1

A multi-channel analog-to-digital (ADC) converter coupled to a clock-and-data-recovery loop that has a plurality of clock-recovery circuits, each configured to set the sampling phase for a respective one of the ADC channels in a manner that causes the different sampling phases to be appropriately time-aligned with one another for time-interleaved operation of the ADC channels. In an example embodiment, an individual clock-recovery circuit comprises a phase detector and a loop filter. Loop filters corresponding to different clock-recovery circuits may be coupled to one another by having shared circuit elements in their frequency-tracking paths and/or by being configured to receive timing gradients from more than one phase detector, including the phase detector of a selected one of the clock-recovery circuits.
US09083362B2

Devices are provided comprising oscillator circuits coupled to a supply voltage via an adjustable resistance. Corresponding methods to control adjustable resistances are also provided.
US09083360B2

A lock detector and a clock generator including the same are disclosed. A lock detector includes a counter unit which counts a non-matching section of a first signal and a second signal to provide a count value, the first signal and the second signal being comparison result signals obtained by comparing a phase of a reference signal with a phase of a comparison signal, and a lock detection unit which outputs a lock detection signal based on a result of comparing the count value with the reference value. Accordingly, a lock state of the phase-locked loop can be detected rapidly and exactly.
US09083347B1

Circuits and methods for capturing internal signal values in a circuit before, during, and after a trigger event are disclosed. For example, a circuit can include a shift register configured to receive data values of an input data set over a plurality of cycles, and a counter unit configured to receive a trigger signal and to output the trigger signal after a number of cycles following the receiving of the trigger signal, where the trigger signal indicates a trigger event. The circuit can also include a switch configured to receive the trigger signal from the counter unit and to open a connection between an input interface and the shift register in response to receiving the trigger signal.
US09083346B2

A touch control system and a sensing method thereof. Wherein, a plurality of sensor units are connected respectively to a control electrode line and a detection electrode line. Each sensor unit includes: a first switching element and a second switching element connected in parallel, and a sensing electrode connected to the second switching element. A common electrode provides a trigger signal to each sensing electrode to form coupling. The control electrode line is used to selectively output a turn-off signal in sequence to each of the first switching elements, so that the detection electrode line acts in cooperation with the sensor unit, in response to the turn-off signal. When a touch action occurs, the sensing electrode utilizes the detection electrode line to detect variations of current signal passing through the sensor unit, based on turn-on extent of the second switching element, hereby obtaining at least a touch message.
US09083343B1

Disclosed herein are cascode switching circuits that include a normally-on semiconductor device, a normally-off semiconductor device, and a gate driver. The normally-on semiconductor device and said normally-off semiconductor device each has a gate terminal, a drain terminal and a source terminal. The gate driver has a first output and a second output, the first output of said gate driver is coupled to said gate terminal of said normally-on semiconductor device, the second output of said gate driver is coupled to said gate terminal of said normally-off semiconductor device, and the drain terminal of said normally-off semiconductor device is coupled to said source terminal of said normally-on semiconductor device so that a current path is formed through said normally-on semiconductor device and said normally-off semiconductor device. Methods of making and using such circuits, and other various aspects of such circuits are also disclosed.
US09083338B2

A method of protection from noise of a digital signal generated by a comparator, including the steps of generating an output signal that switches from a first logic state to a second logic state at a first switching of logic state of the digital signal; detecting a change from the first logic state to the second logic state of the output signal; and inhibiting further switchings of the output signal for a first time interval after the change from the first logic state to the second logic state.
US09083337B2

A Static Sleep Convention Logic (SSCL) circuit. The circuit improves upon Multi-Threshold NULL Convention Logic (MTNCL), disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 7,977,972, by utilizing the SECRII architecture along with the Bit-Wise MTNCL technique, to produce a new SSCL gate without an nsleep input, which yields a smaller and faster circuit that utilizes less energy per operation than the patented SMTNCL gate design, while only very slightly increasing leakage power during sleep mode.
US09083334B2

An object is to apply a transistor using an oxide semiconductor to a logic circuit including an enhancement transistor. The logic circuit includes a depletion transistor 101 and an enhancement transistor 102. The transistors 101 and 102 each include a gate electrode, a gate insulating layer, a first oxide semiconductor layer, a second oxide semiconductor layer, a source electrode, and a drain electrode. The transistor 102 includes a reduction prevention layer provided over a region in the first oxide semiconductor layer between the source electrode and the drain electrode.
US09083333B2

A switching circuit (80) includes: a plurality of insulated gate transistors (30-33) connected in parallel between a high voltage line (L1) and a low voltage line (L2); gate resistors (50-53) each provided for one of the plurality of insulated gate transistors (30-33) and each including a first terminal connected to a gate electrode of each of the insulated gate transistors (30-33); and a single gate voltage application unit (60) configured to apply pulsing gate voltage to the gate electrode of each of the insulated gate transistors (30-33) via the gate resistors (50-53). A second terminal of each of the gate resistors (50-53) provided for each of the plurality of insulated gate transistors (30-33) is connected to the gate voltage application unit (60) via a gate voltage apply line (L3), and a single capacitor is connected between the gate voltage apply line (L3) and the high voltage line (L1).
US09083331B2

An intrinsically safe digital circuit has at least two output signals and at least four input signals for detecting a potential error in the circuit and/or in one of its input signals, the at least four input signals forming two input signal pairs inverted in a double-track manner, and the at least two output signals forming an output signal pair inverted in a double-track manner. The output signal pair transmits a piece of information which is identical to the one of an input signal pair, when the error is not present.
US09083329B2

A circuit arrangement for supplying a high-power functional component with high-voltage pulses, having two input terminals for applying an input voltage, two output terminals for connection to a high-voltage terminal contacts of the high-power functional component, a plurality of charge storage modules, which each contain a capacitive element, and which are connected in series via at least one first switching device to the input terminals and via at least one second switching device to the output terminals, and a control device for activating the individual charge storage modules and the first and second switching devices. The charge storage modules and the control device are implemented such that in a charging phase, the first switching device is closed and the capacitive elements of the charge storage modules are connected successively individually or in groups in series to a charging voltage, then in a discharging phase the first switching device is opened and the charge storage modules are disconnected from the charging voltage and the second switching device is closed and at least a part of the capacitive elements of the charge storage modules are discharged, if a high-power functional component is properly connected to the output terminals, to form a voltage pulse. Furthermore, set forth is a method for supplying a high-power functional component with high-voltage pulses.
US09083323B2

One feature pertains to an integrated circuit (IC) that includes a first plurality of ring oscillators configured to implement, in part, a physically unclonable function (PUF). The IC further includes a second plurality of ring oscillators configured to implement, in part, an age sensor circuit, and also a ring oscillator selection circuit that is coupled to the first plurality of ring oscillators and the second plurality of ring oscillators. The ring oscillator selection circuit is adapted to select at least two ring oscillator outputs from at least one of the first plurality of ring oscillators and/or the second plurality of ring oscillators. Notably, the ring oscillator selection circuit is commonly shared by the PUF and the age sensor circuit. Also, the IC may further include an output function circuit adapted to receive and compare the two ring oscillator outputs and generate an output signal.
US09083320B2

Provided is an apparatus and method for electrical stability compensation. The apparatus includes a drive transistor connecting a power supply to a load, a first variable capacitor having a gate and a source, and a switch transistor for controlling a connection between a programming signal source and a gate of the drive transistor. The gate of the first variable capacitor is connected to the gate of the drive transistor. The first variable capacitor is configured to draw a charge from the gate of the drive transistor during a driving phase for the load.
US09083315B2

A circuit configuration is disclosed for eliminating EMC interference, and a device includes such a circuit configuration, where a damping member is connected to at least one supply line leading to the consumer or consumers. In at least one embodiment optimal elimination of EMC interference of the electrical consumer or consumers is ensured, and overloading the power supply grid is avoided. To this end, in at least one embodiment the damping member is connected in series with a current-limiting element and can be connected to the consumer in parallel. It is thus possible to compensate for the effect of the current-limiting element and short-circuit said element for the operating state by way of a switch, whereby the element does not cause any loss of power outside of the power circuits and nevertheless has a current-limiting, that is, grid-friendly, effect during the power-up and charging process.
US09083311B2

An apparatus includes: a first apparatus port receiving a first signal having a first frequency; a second apparatus port outputting the first signal having the first frequency; a first passive device connected between the first and second apparatus ports; a second passive device connected between the first and second apparatus ports; a plurality of phase shifters each providing a corresponding phase shift, wherein at least one of the phase shifters provides its phase shift in a first signal path between the first and second apparatus ports through the first passive device, and wherein at least another phase shifter provides its phase shift in a second signal path between the first and second apparatus ports through the second passive device. The phase shifts are selected to cancel an upper or lower intermodulation product between the first signal and a second signal having a second frequency received at the second apparatus port.
US09083308B2

System and method for a microelectromechanical system (MEMS) is disclosed. A preferred embodiment comprises a first anchor region, a vibrating MEMS structure fixed to the first anchor region, a first electrode adjacent the vibrating MEMS structure, a second electrode adjacent the vibrating MEMS structure wherein the vibrating MEMS structure is arranged between the first and the second electrode.
US09083307B2

A flexural vibrator element has a vibrator arm extending from a base section and having a rectangular cross-sectional shape, the vibrator arm having first and second step sections composed of step surfaces intersecting respectively with a left side surface and a right side surface, and step side surfaces intersecting respectively with an upper surface and a lower surface, between the lower surface, the upper surface and the left side surface, the right side surface, and first and fourth detection electrodes on the left and right side surfaces and second and third detection electrodes on the step side surfaces are respectively separated in a thickness direction of the vibrator arm. The first through fourth detection electrodes are patterned with accuracy by exposure from the upper surface and the lower surface using a common exposure device by existing photo etching.
US09083295B2

The current feedback output circuit includes first and second transistors. The current feedback output circuit includes a current amplifier that has a non-inverting input terminal, an inverting input terminal, a first output terminal and a second output terminal, an input impedance of the non-inverting input terminal being higher than an input impedance of the inverting input terminal, and flows a current obtained by amplifying the difference between a current of an input signal to the non-inverting input terminal and a current input to the inverting input terminal between the first output terminal and the second output terminal. The current feedback output circuit includes first to sixth current mirror circuits. The current feedback output circuit includes a current feedback circuit that supplies a current responsive to a voltage at the signal output terminal to the inverting input terminal.
US09083292B2

An analog feedback amplifier is capable of suppressing extraneous phase fluctuations and broadening a bandwidth by preventing effects of a group delay element by using an amplitude regulator 21 and a delay line 24.
US09083284B2

A multi-stage Doherty power amplifier (“PA”) circuit which achieves superior efficiency over broadband range of frequencies is disclosed. Conventional multi-stage amplifiers may offer potential for efficiency enhancement but may suffer from cost penalties and severe bandwidth limitation in practice. Embodiments may employ a driver in the peaking arm which is biased in class C which may alleviate such limitations. The amplifier topology and associated circuitry described in embodiments may achieve high efficiency, smooth PA gain, and enhanced phase characteristics over a 15% fractional bandwidth with reduced costs.
US09083278B2

A device to be positioned between a heat source and a heat sink may transform infrared electromagnetic (IR-EM) energy exchanged therebetween from a first form to a second form. The device may include a pair of layers facing each other and having dielectric material with molecular excitability characteristics to produce the second form of IR-EM energy. The pair of layers may define a gap therebetween. The device may include a conversion circuit configured to convert the second form of IR-EM energy into electrical energy.
US09083261B2

A control system includes a fundamental control unit, first and second compensation control units, a switch control unit, and a switch implementation unit. The fundamental control unit generates fundamental commands to implement fundamental power conversion operation for a converter. The first compensation control unit generates a first compensation signal for injection into the fundamental command to balance neutral point voltage when the converter is in operation in a first state. The second compensation control unit generates a second compensation signal for injection into the fundamental command to balance neutral point voltage when the converter is in operation in a second state. The switch control unit detects first and second states of the converter and provides first and second switch signals respectively. The switch implementation unit switches the fundamental control unit to communicate with the first and second compensation control units according to the first and second switch signals respectively.
US09083255B2

An adaptive dead time (ADT) control scheme for use with a switch mode power converter having a full bridge with synchronous rectifiers topology. A controller which implements the control scheme includes an input circuit arranged to receive a signal representative of the converter's output voltage, and an output circuit arranged to operate the converter's switching elements and synchronous rectifiers to produce a desired output voltage. The controller is further arranged such that the converter's “dead time” is adaptively varied in an inverse relationship to the magnitude of the load current. In a preferred embodiment, the signals used to operate the synchronous rectifiers are PWM signals, and the controller adaptively varies the dead time in a linear inverse relationship to the magnitude of the load current by modulating the rising and falling edges of the signals used to operate the synchronous rectifiers.
US09083248B2

Disclosed herein are a PWM control circuit, a flyback converter, and a PWM control method. The PWM control circuit includes: a peak storing and reference signal generating unit storing a peak value of one period of a feedback signal from a secondary side output and inverting the peak signal and outputting the inverted peak signal as a reference signal; and a PWM control signal generating unit generating a PWM control signal by using an output obtained by comparing the reference signal with a reference waveform from the peak storing and reference signal generating unit. In addition, the flyback converter including the same and the method for controlling PWM are proposed.
US09083237B2

A converter circuit includes a converter and a controller. The converter converts an input voltage to an output voltage. The controller receives a reference voltage, generates a slew voltage having a substantially constant first slew rate if the reference voltage changes from a first level to a second level, and controls the converter based on the slew voltage to cause the output voltage to change from a third level to a fourth level at a substantially constant second slew rate.
US09083234B2

A filter for filtering a three-phase electrical power waveform produces a three-phase output power waveform. The filter has an inductor with three sets of first and second coils, each having a capacitor connected in series therewith. Each of the three sets of first and second coils has a tap intermediate the first and second coils where the output waveform is present, each tap capable of being connected to a load. In some embodiments, the inductor is passive adaptive and includes resistors for reducing current in-rush.
US09083231B2

Techniques are presented for improving the efficiency of charge pumps. A charge pump, or a stage of a charge pump, provides its output through a pass gate. For example, this could be a charge pump of a voltage doubler type, where the output is supplied through pass gate transistors whose gates are connected to receive the output of an auxiliary section, also of a voltage doubler type of design. The waveforms provided to the gates of the pass gate transistors are modified so that their low values are offset to a higher value to take into account the threshold voltage of the pass gate transistors. In a voltage doubler based example, this can be implemented by way of introducing diodes into each leg of the auxiliary section.
US09083222B2

A self-excited eddy current liquid-cooled retarder is disclosed. The retarder pertains to an auxiliary braking device retarding a vehicle, and comprises a retarder rotor, a retarder stator, a control module and a generator unit. The retarder rotor comprises a retarder coil, an electromagnet core and a core cage. The retarder coil is wound on a coil frame. The electromagnet core is inserted into the coil frame. The electromagnet core, the retarder coil and the coil frame are evenly distributed on the circumference of the core cage. The retarder rotor is connected to a transmission shaft of an automobile. The inner circle of the retarder stator and the outer circle of the electromagnet core of the retarder rotor are coaxial. The generator unit comprises a generator exciting winding, a generator exciting magnetic pole, a generator armature winding and a generator armature core and is received in the retarder rotor.
US09083218B2

A permanent magnet excited synchronous machine (1) with embedded magnets, which is particularly suitable for range extender generator. It includes stator (2) and rotor (3) being provided with exciter magnets (7). The rotor (3) has at least two rotor poles (4), each is provided with one exciter magnet (7). In order to increase the magnetic torque limit of the synchronous machine (1)—in each rotor pole (4) at least one, preferably several selective magnetic flux barriers, preferably as substantially radial slots (8) being parallel with the main pole flux is/are provided in the area of the pole shoe.
US09083216B2

A motor includes a first, second, and third motor unit. First, second and third rotors each including a first and second rotor core and a field magnet. The first and second rotor cores include respectively first and second rotor core bases and a plurality of first and second claw magnetic poles that are arranged alternately along a circumferential direction of the motor. The field magnet causes the plurality of first claw magnetic poles and the plurality of second claw magnetic poles to function as different magnetic poles. Each of first and second stators including pluralities of first claw magnetic poles and second claw magnetic poles alternately arranged along the circumferential direction of the motor. The second stator core having a coil section.
US09083209B2

An electric rotating machine includes a casing having a through-hole and a drain member for draining water from the casing. The drain member has a mounting portion that includes hooks each having a proximal part and a distal part. The proximal part extends in the penetration direction of the through-hole. The distal part has a distal end that makes up an insertion end. The mounting portion is mounted to the through-hole by inserting the hooks into the through-hole from the insertion ends. The proximal parts of the hooks have flexibility so as to flex in a flexural direction perpendicular to the penetration direction during the insertion of the hooks into the through-hole. Each of the hooks also has a protrusion that protrudes from the outer surface of the proximal part toward the inner wall of the through-hole to restrict movement of the hook with respect to the through-hole.
US09083208B2

Methods and apparatus for forming an electromechanical device are disclosed. In some embodiments, an electromechanical device includes a first substrate; a second substrate; a rotor movably disposed in the first and second substrates and having a plurality of first turbine blades disposed on a first side of the rotor and a plurality of permanent magnets disposed on a second side of the rotor, wherein the plurality of permanent magnets are arranged about a central axis of the rotor, wherein adjacent permanent magnets have opposing magnetic poles; a channel disposed between the first and second substrates and a peripheral edge of the rotor; a plurality of microballs disposed in the channel to provide a bearing for the rotor; a third substrate disposed proximate the second side of the rotor and having a plurality of coils disposed therein such that rotation of the rotor induces current the plurality of coils.
US09083206B2

A superconducting machine for supporting a coolant feed line for superconducting machines includes a hollow shaft that can be connected to the superconducting machine in a first region, the coolant feed line being disposed in the interior thereof for feeding the coolant from the refrigeration unit to the superconducting machine. A magnetic support is disposed in the first region of the hollow shaft so that a radial and thus motion-damping, centering force is exerted on the coolant feed line. The magnetic support has a first and a second magnetic cylinder, wherein the first magnetic cylinder is disposed on the outer jacket of the coolant feed line and the second magnetic cylinder is disposed on the inner face of the hollow shaft. The first magnetic cylinder is a cylinder made of highly electrically conductive material having ohmic resistance.
US09083198B2

A wireless charging system having a battery with at least one cell, a receiving coil wrapped around the at least one cell and a charger having a transmitting field designed to couple with the receiving coil of the battery. A battery is further described having at least one cell and having a receiving coil wrapped around at least one cell.
US09083195B2

A system of harvesting electrical power for use within a battery operated device includes a battery and a motor driven by the battery to impart rotational energy to a first shaft. The first shaft drives a multi-phase generator and produces output voltage signals with respectively untimed phase responses. A rectification circuit combines the voltage signals into a combined DC voltage output, and an inverter connected to the rectification circuit converts the DC voltage output to an AC voltage output. A battery charger connected to the inverter receives the AC voltage output for charging the battery. The harvested power includes power from voltage sources with unregulated, or untimed, phase responses.
US09083194B2

A battery charging system includes a first battery unit for storing electric power to be supplied to a driving system of a train, and a second battery unit for storing electric power to be supplied to the first battery unit. A control unit calculates electric power consumption from the first battery unit. And a battery charging unit supplies electric power to the first battery unit from the second battery unit based on the electric power consumption calculated by the control unit.
US09083193B2

The electric power supply system includes a stationary device and a mobile device. The mobile device includes a rotary electric machine driven by an engine, a vehicular battery which is used to move the vehicle, and an emergency battery. The stationary battery in the stationary device may be charged by either one of the rotary electric machine, the stationary battery or the emergency battery via an inter-battery power line. The amount of charge to the stationary battery is set based on an amount of necessary power WRQ which the stationary device needs, and an amount of available power WVH which the mobile device can supply. The stationary battery can be charged in an efficient manner and with a sufficient amount of electric power.
US09083191B2

The present invention provides a device of replacing and charging battery at environment monitoring terminal and battery replacement system. Through the battery positioning mechanism disposed at both battery charging device and environment monitoring terminal, and anodes and cathodes disposed for contacting the battery electrodes, the battery replacement device can replace the full-discharged battery at environment monitoring terminal and a full-charged battery at the battery charging device. In this manner, the system can automatically replace the battery at environment monitoring terminal without manual replacement so as to reduce battery replacement time.
US09083176B2

In a particular embodiment, a circuit includes a power supply, a ground, and a clamping transistor circuit coupled to the power supply and to the ground. The circuit further includes a disable clamp circuit. The disable clamp circuit is coupled to the power supply and is responsive to a second power supply input to selectively disable the clamping transistor circuit by modifying a charging current applied to a capacitor of the clamping transistor circuit. In a particular embodiment, modifying the charging current includes enabling a second charging path. Enabling the second charging path enables charging the capacitor at a higher charging rate than a charging rate associated with charging the capacitor via a first charging path.
US09083175B2

HDMI devices coupled to interfaces in environments with high voltages, for example in an automotive vehicle, may be damaged by a short circuit between a cable and a large DC voltage. A protection circuit (100) for the high speed TMDS lines of an HDMI interface includes a DC voltage source (22, 24), a pair of capacitors (C1, C2) and a pair of splitters (12, 14). Each splitter is arranged to split a signal from respective one of the pair of electrical conductors between two signal paths, whereby one of the signal paths is coupled to the voltage source, and a second signal path is coupled to a first terminal of a respective one of the pair of capacitors. A signal received from an HDMI source (26) is split between a first path coupled to a first terminal of a respective capacitor and a second path coupled to the DC voltage source. The protection circuit can block a DC voltage on a cable (28) connected to the second terminals of the respective capacitors while providing a DC image of a receiver so allowing correct operation of a connected HDMI source.
US09083172B2

A portable lightning protection system is described for placement adjacent structures requiring lightning protection. The system includes a base mast section with an upper end and a plurality of radially extending, axially aligned ribs; a top mast section; preferably at least one intermediate mast section attachable to the upper end of the base mast section and to the lower end of the top mast section, the mast sections being axially aligned when attached; an air terminal having a conductive rod insertable into the bore of the top mast section; a base including a plurality of radially extending horizontal beams having inner ends attachable to the base mast section ribs and a plurality of inclined beams having inner ends attachable to the base mast section ribs and outer ends attachable to the horizontal beams; and grounding cables connecting the mast to the ground.
US09083169B2

An aircraft comprises a secondary support structure, and a nut plate engaging the secondary support structure. The nut plate includes at least one locator protrusion engaging a mounting hole in the secondary support structure to constrain motion of the nut plate along the secondary support structure. The nut plate further includes means for additionally constraining motion of the nut plate away from the secondary support structure.
US09083163B2

A mounting structure of an inlet box of a car which includes an outer panel of the car having a hole, an inlet box inserted in the hole, a flange provided around the opening of the inlet box and an engaging claw provided on the outer peripheral surface of the inlet box. The flange is set around the hole from the outside onto the edge. The flange is screwed to the edge of the hole of the outer panel from the inside. The engaging claw engages the hole of the edge of the outer panel from the inside when the flange is set on the edge of the hole. The engaging claw is capable of disengaging from the edge of the hole by a disengagement operation occurring inside the outer panel.
US09083157B2

A collapsible, high voltage electrical discharge generator uses a set of telescoping winding sections to achieve a compact form suitable for efficient transport, storage and deployment. The winding sections have two typical arrangements, fully collapsed and fully extended. In the fully collapsed mode the sections can be telescoped together into a nested configuration, thus occupying a small fraction of the volume of a fully extended system. The towers can be erected into the fully extended mode by applying internal pressure, or alternatively by using mechanical linkage to simply extend the telescoped stack of winding sections into position. Fully extended and connected, the individual sections perform as a large, continuous inductive element capable of generating very high voltages at the top of the tower for use in testing equipment and producing long electrical discharges.
US09083147B2

A Brillouin fiber laser uses a distributed feedback (DFB) fiber Bragg grating with a discrete π-phase shift, which is offset from the physical center of the grating as a resonator. Lasing is achieved by using the SBS gain in the DFB from narrow-linewidth laser pump radiation with an optical frequency that is higher than the central pass band of the grating by an amount nominally equal to the Stokes's frequency shift, νB. The lasing occurs at a wavelength that corresponds to the first Stokes wave. The Brillouin DFB fiber laser has a low threshold, does not require any fiber optic couplers, does not require rare-earth doping, enables connection of many DFB lasers in series, pumping using a multi-wavelength or wavelength tunable laser sources, and the laser output can be delivered along the direction of the pump propagation or in the reverse direction.
US09083132B2

A network communication connector fabrication method for making network communication connectors is performed by: employing a cold drawing technique to repeatedly draw a metal round rod into a thin thickness conducting contact bar, stamping one end of the thin thickness conducting contact bar into a mating contact portion, stamping the thin thickness conducting contact to form an interference portion and a bonding portion, cutting off the thin thickness conducting contact bar subject to a predetermined length, repeating the above steps to obtain multiple metal contacts, electroplating the metal contacts, setting the metal contacts in two contact material strips and inserting the metal contacts in a mold, and then using an injection molding technique to mold an electrically insulative terminal block on the interference portions of the metal contacts to form a semi-finished product for making a network communication connector.
US09083130B2

A connector is provided with a pair of terminals configured to provide a differential signal pair. A ground terminal is positioned on opposing sides of the differential pair. The body of the differential pair is configured so as to bring the differential pair closer together. In an embodiment, the % coupling on the differential pair is increase at least 10% more than a design where the four terminals are positioned at a constant pitch between the tail and the contact.
US09083128B2

In one aspect, a set of male and female bus bars is provided. The male bus bar includes first and second conductors and an insulation layer therebetween. The male bus bar has a male connecting portion with one or more fingers. The female bus bar third and fourth conductors and an insulation layer therebetween. The female bus bar has a female connecting portion with one or more receptacles, each having contact surfaces that are free of insulation and that are positioned to contact contact surfaces on an associated finger which are free of insulation so as to connect the first conductor and the third conductor and to connect the second conductor and the fourth conductor. Each finger has a width. A gap exists between the contact surfaces of an associated receptacle. The width and gap are sized to provide a press fit between the fingers and the receptacles.
US09083126B2

An electrical receptacle provide outlets and a cavity for receiving an insert. The insert connects to the electrical main through the receptacle and can provide additional functionality through the insert including emergency lighting, night lighting, gas detectors and charging connections.
US09083122B2

A connector unit includes a first connector configured to be connected to an electrical apparatus, the first connector including multiple power receiving terminals for receiving a supply of electric power; and a second connector configured to be connected to a direct-current power supply and mated with the first connector. The second connector includes multiple power feeding terminals corresponding to the power receiving terminals of the first connector and a switch member configured to be moved between a connecting position for electrically connecting the power feeding terminals and the direct-current power supply and a breaking position for breaking the connection of the power feeding terminals and the direct-current power supply.
US09083115B2

An electrical connection terminal having a housing, two clamping springs and a current bar, wherein a chamber is formed in the housing for receiving the clamping springs and at least one end of the current bar as well as a conductor insertion opening for inserting two conductors, and wherein the clamping springs are arranged next to each other in relation to the longitudinal extension of the current bar. In the electrical connection terminal, the clamping springs each have a clamping leg, an operating leg and a back which connects the two legs to one another, wherein the clamping limbs, together with the current bar form, in each case, a clamping point for a stripped conductor that is to be connected. Moreover, a spring receptacle is provided within the chamber, which has a partition, the two clamping springs being disposed on a respective side of the partition.
US09083101B2

A technique is provided for connecting a power cable to a submersible component. A connector system is used to form the connection and comprises a plurality of individual connectors for connecting power carrying conductors to the submersible component. Each of the individual connectors is separately connectable to the submersible component which enables improved sealing with respect to the submersible component. In multi-phase power applications, individual connectors can be used for each phase.
US09083092B2

Among other things, an apparatus and method for use with a high-voltage electrical connector are provided. The connector selectively connects a first electrical conductor to a second electrical conductor. The connector may comprise a body portion and a securing portion. The body portion and the securing portion may at least in part define an engaging aperture. A tensioning component may also be present to constrict and/or un-constrict the engaging aperture. The second electrical conductor may be received into or out of the engaging aperture in a direction lateral to the connector.
US09083091B1

An electrical terminal connector for attaching electrical parts to printed circuit boards. The terminal connector may have a connecting conductor member with an insulator displacement contact at a first end and a press-fit contact at a second end. The conductor member may have one or more tabs extending outwardly from the longitudinal edges. The tabs may be formed in the shape of a triangle with a first surface sloped at an acute angle to intersect with a second surface extending outwardly approximately orthogonal to the longitudinal edge.
US09083090B2

A plug-in wire connection terminal structure includes a main body having a receiving space. The receiving space is formed with an arched guide slot. A holding plate has a receiving section. Lateral sides of the receiving section are respectively formed with a wire entrance and a conductive contact section formed with a socket. An annular wall of the socket is formed a slit. A small-diameter fitting section is disposed at the conductive contact section. A collar member is fitted on the fitting section. A connection section is disposed on the receiving section. A leaf spring has a bight section received in the arched guide slot. One end of the leaf spring is formed with a connected section latched with the connection section. The other end of the leaf spring is formed with an abutment end obliquely extending the receiving section.
US09083086B2

An antenna is disclosed as including at least one dipole connected with at least one shorted patch antenna, and at least two feeding sources.
US09083083B2

A band clamp for coupling a radome to a distal end of a reflector dish for improving the front to back ratio of a reflector antenna, is provided with an inward projecting proximal lip and an inward projecting distal lip. The distal lip is dimensioned with an inner diameter equal to or less than a reflector aperture of the reflector dish. The proximal lip may be provided with an inward bias dimensioned to engage the reflector dish in an interference fit and/or turnback region dimensioned to engage an outer surface of a signal area of the reflector dish in an interference fit. A variety of different configurations of protruding portions extending from the band clamp may be applied to further improve electrical performance.
US09083055B2

An electrode for a rechargeable lithium battery and method of manufacturing a rechargeable lithium battery including the electrode is disclosed. In one embodiment, the electrode includes i) a current collector, ii) a first electrode composition layer provided on a surface of the current collector and iii) a second electrode composition layer farther than the first electrode composition layer from the current collector. Further, each of the first and second electrode composition layers comprises an active material and a conductive material, and wherein the amount of the conductive material of the first electrode composition layer is different from that of the conductive material of the second electrode composition layer. The electrode further includes an additional first electrode composition layer farther than the second electrode composition layer from the current collector and an additional second electrode composition layer farther than the additional first electrode composition layer from the current collector.
US09083052B2

The invention pertains to heterogenous noble metal nanostructures comprising silver salts and different noble metals, and methods for synthesis and use of various nanocomposite materials having silver salts and different noble metals.
US09083046B2

A cathode active material comprising a composition represented by the following general formula (1): LiaM1xM2yM3zPmSinO4  (1) wherein M1 is at least one kind of element selected from the group of Mn, Fe, Co and Ni; M2 is any one kind of element selected from the group of Zr, Sn, Y and Al; M3 is at least one kind of element selected from the group of Zr, Sn, Y, Al, Ti, V and Nb and different from M2; “a” satisfies 0
US09083044B2

The present invention provides a method for manufacturing an anode active material for a lithium secondary battery comprising the following steps of: a) simultaneously mixing a first metallic salt aqueous solution including nickel, cobalt, manganese and optionally a transition metal, a chelating agent, and a basic aqueous solution in a reactor, and mixing with a lithium raw material and calcining to manufacture a center part including the compound of following Chemical Formula 1: Lix1[Ni1−y1−z1−w1Coy1Mnz1Mw1]O2  Chemical Formula 1 (wherein, 0.9≦x1≦1.3, 0.1≦y1≦0.3, 0.0≦z1≦0.3, 0≦w1≦0.1, and M is at least one metal selected from the group consisting of Mg, Zn, Ca, Sr, Cu, Zr, P, Fe, Al, Ga, In,Cr, Ge, and Sn); b) simultaneously mixing a second metallic salt aqueous solution including nickel, cobalt, manganese and optionally a transition metal, the chelating agent, and the basic aqueous solution in a reactor, mixing with the lithium raw material and calcining, and grinding thereof to the size of nanometers to manufacture a compound for forming an outer part including the compound of following Chemical Formula 2: Lix2[Ni1−y2−z2−w2Coy2Mnz2Mw2]O2  Chemical Formula 2 (wherein, 0.9≦x2≦1+z2, 0≦y2≦0.33, 0≦z2≦0.5, 0≦w2≦0.1 and M is at least one metal selected from the group consisting of Mg, Zn, Ca, Sr, Cu, Zr, P, Fe, Al, Ga, In, Cr, Ge, and Sn); c) mixing the center part manufactured from step a) and the compound for forming the outer part manufactured from step b) to form the outer part on the center part surface; and d) heat-treating the compound obtained from step c) at 500-800° C. to form a bi-layer structure in which lithium is present at a continuous concentration-gradient from the contact interface of the center part and the outer part to the surface part of the outer part, and an anode active material for a lithium secondary battery manufactured thereby.
US09083042B2

A negative electrode active material mainly contains silicon and silicon oxide. In the negative electrode active material, an Ar-laser Raman spectrum thereof includes a peak A corresponding to 950±30 cm−1 and a peak B corresponding to 480±30 cm−1, and an intensity ratio of the peak B to the peak A (B/A) is in the range of 1 to 10.
US09083039B2

A battery may include an electrode assembly including a first electrode and a second electrode, an electrode terminal, a current collecting member electrically connecting the electrode terminal and a first electrode uncoated region of the first electrode, a fixing member, and a case. The current collecting member may include a terminal connecting portion coupled to the electrode terminal and an electrode connecting portion extending from the terminal connecting portion. The electrode connecting portion may include an extending connecting plate and a current collecting piece extending from the connecting plate and being in contact with the first electrode uncoated region along sidewalls of the first electrode uncoated region. The fixing member may include a current collecting member coupling portion engaged with the current collecting member, the electrode connecting portion extending through the fixing member. The fixing member may be between the current collecting member and the case.
US09083037B2

Provided is a fuel cell including an anode electrode, a cathode electrode, and an electrolyte/ion exchange membrane between the anode electrode and the cathode electrode. The cathode electrode uses an iron redox couple as an oxidizer. The iron redox couple is regenerated by an oxidizing substance. The fuel cell does not need a noble metal catalyst, is thus economical in manufacturing costs, and has high power density, thereby improving energy conversion efficiency. Furthermore, the fuel cell is capable of decomposing an oxidizing substance, such as NOx, Cl2, Br2, or O3.
US09083034B2

In at least one embodiment, a rechargeable battery is provided comprising an electrolyte including an organic solvent and a solution-treated polyolefin separator. A contact angle of the electrolyte including the organic solvent upon the separator may be from 0 to 15 degrees. In one embodiment, the solution-treated polyolefin layer has an increased concentration of ionic functional groups at its surface compared to an untreated polyolefin layer. In another embodiment, the solution-treated polyolefin separator has been treated with a treatment solution having a pH of either at most 2 or at least 12. The separator may be treated with an acid or base solution for at least 30 seconds. The solution-treated separator may exhibit improved wetting with an electrolyte compared to an untreated separator.
US09083031B2

The present invention provides a device and a method for securely clamping and unclamping a battery in a battery receiving tray, wherein at least one hold down rod is securely connected to the battery receiving tray on one end and at the other end, is held against one or more horizontally disposed hold down clamps by tension provided by a tensioner operating against a tensioner retaining means at the other end of the hold down rod and the one or more hold down clamps.
US09083027B2

In one aspect of the present invention, a battery assembly is configured that comprises a battery housing. The battery housing encases a battery cell. At least one insulator is disposed between the housing and the battery cell. A thermal pathway is formed through a point contact in the at least one insulator between the housing and the battery cell.
US09083024B2

A battery stack includes a plurality of curved base layers, at least one curved bipolar layer, at least one anode layer disposed between a first curved base layer of the plurality of curved base layers and the at least one curved bipolar layer, at least one cathode layer disposed between the at least one bipolar layer, a second base layer and a plurality of seals. The first base layer and the at least one bipolar layer are provided with one or more seals that seal the first base layer to the at least one bipolar layer without contacting the anode and/or the cathode layer.
US09083018B2

A fuel cell system includes a fuel cell, a control valve and a controller. The controller controls the control valve to periodically increase and decrease the anode gas pressure downstream of the control valve. The controller executes a shutdown/restart operation of the fuel cell by closing the control valve to stop the anode gas and shutting down power generation of the fuel cell upon receiving a shutdown command, and restarting feeding of the anode gas and restarting the power generation upon a prescribed operation restart condition being met. The controller estimates an anode gas concentration at a location where the anode gas concentration is locally lower within a power generation region of the fuel cell based on a control state of the anode gas when the shutdown command is issued. The controller sets the prescribed operation restart condition for executing the shutdown/restart operation based on the anode gas concentration.
US09083006B2

A device, such as an electroluminescent device, comprising (i) a transparent conductor; (ii) a metal grid disposed on said transparent conductor; and (iii) said metal grid is not covered by an insulator, but by a hole injection layer comprising at least one conjugated polymer and at least one matrix polymer. Methods for making the electroluminescent device are also disclosed.
US09082995B2

An organic EL device (1) includes an anode (3), a cathode (4) and an organic thin-film layer (5) provided between the anode (3) and the cathode (4). The organic thin-film layer (5) includes a single-layered mixed-color emitting layer (51) for providing mixed-color emission. The mixed-color emitting layer (51) contains a host, a fluorescent dopant for blue fluorescent emission and a phosphorescent dopant for red or green phosphorescent emission.
US09082994B2

Provided is a light-emitting element having a light-emitting layer which contains at least a host material and a plurality of guest materials, where the host material has a lower T1 level than that of at least one of the plurality of guest materials. The emission of the one of the plurality of guest materials exhibits a multicomponent decay curve, and the lifetime thereof is less than or equal to 15 μsec, preferably less than or equal to 10 μsec, more preferably less than or equal to 5 μsec, where the lifetime is defined as a time for the emission to decrease in intensity to 1/100 of its initial intensity.
US09082982B2

A semiconductor nanocrystal-polymer composite including a semiconductor nanocrystal, a polymer comprising a plurality of carboxylate anion groups (—COO−) bindable to a surface of the semiconductor nanocrystal, and a metal cation bindable to a carboxylate anion group of the plurality of carboxylate anion groups.
US09082980B2

A method for manufacturing an electroluminescent element including: a first manufacturing step of layering on a substrate, in the following order, a first electroconductive layer, a dielectric layer in which plural contact holes are formed which pass therethrough in a direction orthogonal to the substrate, a second electroconductive layer which is electrically connected to the first electroconductive layer inside the contact holes and which fills the contact holes, a light-emitting layer, and a third electroconductive layer; a temperature distribution measurement step of applying a voltage to the first electroconductive layer and the third electroconductive layer, causing the light-emitting layer to emit light, and measuring the temperature distribution of the electroluminescent element to obtain temperature unevenness information for the electroluminescent element; and a second manufacturing step of adjusting, the basis of the temperature unevenness information, the density of the plural contact holes that pass through the dielectric layer.
US09082978B2

In order to provide a non-lead piezoelectric film having high crystalline orientation, low dielectric loss, high polarization-disappear temperature, and high piezoelectric constant, the present invention is a piezoelectric film comprising: a NaxM1-x layer 13 having a (001) orientation only; and a (1-α) (Bi, Na, Ba) TiO3-αBiQO3 layer 15 having a (001) orientation only. The (1-α) (Bi, Na, Ba) TiO3-αBiQO3 layer 15 is formed on the NaxM1-x layer 13. M represents Pt, Ir, or PtIr. Q represents Fe, Co, Zn0.5Ti0.5, or Mg0.5Ti0.5. x represents a value of not less than 0.002 and not more than 0.02. α represents a value of not less than 0.20 and not more than 0.50.
US09082972B2

A heat mitigated bipolar resistive switch includes a BRS matrix sandwiched between first and second electrodes and a heat mitigator. The BRS matrix is to support bipolar switching of a conduction channel formed between the first and second electrodes through BRS matrix. The heat mitigator is to reduce heat in the BRS matrix generated during bipolar switching. The heat mitigator includes one or both of a parallel-connected NDR element to limit current flowing in the BRS matrix and a high thermal conductivity material to conduct the generated heat away from the BRS matrix above a predetermined elevated temperature.
US09082968B2

In a method of manufacturing a variable resistance non-volatile memory device including non-volatile memory element layers stacked together by repeating the step (S100, S200 . . . ) of forming a non-volatile memory element layer plural times, when a thickness of the second metal oxide layer included in each of the non-volatile memory element layers just after the step of forming the corresponding non-volatile memory element layer is completed is a thickness in formation, and when an area of a portion of the second metal oxide layer included in each of the non-volatile memory element layers and a portion of the first metal oxide layer included in the corresponding non-volatile memory element layer, which portions are in contact with each other, just after the step of forming the corresponding non-volatile memory element layer is completed is an area in formation, at least one of the thickness in formation and the area in formation is made different among the steps of forming the non-volatile memory element layers, to cause all of the non-volatile memory elements in a state in which formation of an uppermost non-volatile memory element layer is completed, to have an equal initial resistance.
US09082966B2

Semiconductor devices and structures, such as phase change memory devices, include peripheral conductive pads coupled to peripheral conductive contacts in a peripheral region. An array region may include memory cells coupled to conductive lines. Methods of forming such semiconductor devices and structures include removing memory cell material from a peripheral region and, thereafter, selectively removing portions of the memory cell material from the array region to define individual memory cells in the array region. Additional methods include planarizing the structure using peripheral conductive pads and/or spacer material over the peripheral conductive pads as a planarization stop material. Yet further methods include partially defining memory cells in the array region, thereafter forming peripheral conductive contacts, and thereafter fully defining the memory cells.
US09082957B2

An integrated circuit can have a first substrate supporting a magnetic field sensing element and a second substrate supporting another magnetic field sensing element. The first and second substrates can be arranged in a variety of configurations. Another integrated circuit can have a first magnetic field sensing element and second different magnetic field sensing element disposed on surfaces thereof.
US09082950B2

A magnetic device includes a pinned magnetic layer and a free magnetic layer including a first body-centered cubic material and having a variable magnetization vector that has a first stable state and a second stable state. The magnetic device also includes a first non-magnetic layer and a reference layer. The first non-magnetic layer spatially separates the pinned magnetic layer and the free magnetic layer and includes a second body-centered cubic material that interfaces with the first body-centered cubic material. The magnetic device includes a second non-magnetic layer spatially separating the free magnetic layer and the reference magnetic layer. A magnetic tunnel junction, located below the pinned magnetic layer, is formed by the free magnetic layer, the second non-magnetic layer, and the reference magnetic layer. Application of a current pulse through the magnetic device switches the variable magnetization vector.
US09082948B2

Methods for fabricating a semiconductor substrate include forming a first substrate layer over a surface of a first semiconductor layer, and thermally spraying a second substrate layer on a side of the first substrate layer opposite the first semiconductor layer. At least one additional semiconductor layer is epitaxially grown over the first semiconductor layer on a side thereof opposite the first substrate layer. At least one of the first substrate layer and the second substrate layer may be formulated to exhibit a Coefficient of Thermal Expansion (CTE) closely matching a CTE of at least one of the first semiconductor layer and the at least one additional semiconductor layer. Semiconductor structures are fabricated using such methods.
US09082946B2

A light emitting module 150 emits light through a light exit window 104 and comprises a base 110, a solid state light emitter 154, 156 and a partially diffusive reflective layer 102. The base 110 has a light reflective surface 112 which faces towards the light exit window 104. The light reflective surface 112 has a base reflection coefficient Rbase which i defined by a ratio between the amount of light that is reflected by the light reflective surface and the amount of light that impinges on the light reflective surface. The solid state light emitter 154, 156 emits light of a first color range 114, comprises a top surface 152, 158 and has a solid state light emitter reflection coefficient R_SSL which is defined by a ratio between the amount of light that is reflected by the solid state emitter 154, 156 and the amount of light that impinges on the top surface 152, 158 of the solid state light emitter 154, 156. The light exit window 104 comprises at least a part of the partially diffusive reflective layer 102. A solid state light emitter area ratio ρSSL is defined as the ratio between the area of the top surface of the at least one solid state light emitter and the area of the light reflective surface of the base. A relatively efficient light emitting module is obtained if Rbase>R_SSL+c*(1−R_SSL) and the factor c is 0.2≦c≦1 for 0<ρSSL<0.1, 0.3≦c≦1 for 0.1≦ρSSL≦0.25, and 0.4≦c≦1 for ρSSL>0.25.
US09082942B2

The present disclosure involves a method of packaging light-emitting diodes (LEDs). According to the method, a plurality of LEDs is provided over an adhesive tape. The adhesive tape is disposed on a substrate. In some embodiments, the substrate may be a glass substrate, a silicon substrate, a ceramic substrate, and a gallium nitride substrate. A phosphor layer is coated over the plurality of LEDs. The phosphor layer is then cured. The tape and the substrate are removed after the curing of the phosphor layer. A replacement tape is then attached to the plurality of LEDs. A dicing process is then performed to the plurality of LEDs after the substrate has been removed. The removed substrate may then be reused for a future LED packaging process.
US09082925B2

A method of fabricating a solar cell is disclosed. The method includes forming a polished surface on a silicon substrate and forming a first flowable matrix in an interdigitated pattern on the polished surface, where the polished surface allows the first flowable matrix to form an interdigitated pattern comprising features of uniform thickness and width. In an embodiment, the method includes forming the silicon substrate using a method such as, but not limited to, of diamond wire or slurry wafering processes. In another embodiment, the method includes forming the polished surface on the silicon substrate using a chemical etchant such as, but not limited to, sulfuric acid (H2SO4), acetic acid (CH3COOH), nitric acid (HNO3), hydrofluoric acid (HF) or phosphoric acid (H3PO4). In still another embodiment, the etchant is an isotropic etchant. In yet another embodiment, the method includes providing a surface of the silicon substrate with at most 500 nanometer peak-to-valley roughness.
US09082920B2

A back contact solar cell and a method for manufacturing the back contact solar cell are discussed. The back contact solar cell includes a substrate made of crystalline silicon having a first conductivity type, a passivation layer on one side of the substrate, an antireflection layer on the passivation layer, a first electrode on the other side of the substrate, a second electrode on the other side of the substrate and separated from the first electrode, a first semiconductor layer disposed between the first electrode and the substrate and having the first conductivity type, and a second semiconductor layer disposed between the second electrode and the substrate and having a second conductivity type that is opposite to the first conductivity type. The passivation layer includes at least one of amorphous silicon oxide and amorphous silicon carbide.
US09082910B2

A solar cell includes: a substrate; a plurality of first nanostructures provided on the substrate and arranged; and a plurality of second nanostructures provided on the substrate and arranged separate from the plurality of first nanostructures wherein an average diameter of a cross section of one of the plurality of first nanostructures that is incised in a direction that is in parallel to a substrate surface of the substrate is greater than an average diameter of a cross section of one of the plurality of second nanostructures that is incised in a direction that is in parallel to a substrate surface of the substrate.
US09082909B2

Provided is an optical device which includes an active layer which includes at least two outer barriers and at least one coupled quantum well, each of the at least one coupled quantum well is sandwiched between the at least two outer barriers. Each of the at least one coupled quantum well includes at least three quantum well layers and at least two coupling barriers interposed between the at least three quantum layers. The at least two coupling barriers have a potential energy which is higher than a ground level and is lower than energy levels of the at least two outer barriers.
US09082900B2

Disclosed herein is a photovoltaic module including: a first electrode formed on a substrate; a photoelectric conversion layer formed on the first electrode; a second electrode formed on the photoelectric conversion layer; and a light transmitting back substrate disposed over the second electrode. The photovoltaic module has a color within a range of a*: −25˜0, b*: 10˜50, L*: 20˜50 in Commission Internationale de l'Eclairage (CIE) LAB color coordinate.
US09082897B2

A solar power supply system includes a power supply bus and a plurality of solar power storage systems. The power storage systems is electrically connected to each other in parallel via the power supply bus. Each of the solar power storage systems includes solar power storage modules and an inverter electrically connected to an external load and the solar power storage modules in series. Each of the solar power storage modules includes a lithium-ion battery unit, a solar cell unit, and a battery control unit. The solar cell unit charges the lithium-ion battery unit. The battery control unit is electrically connected to the lithium-ion battery unit and the solar cell unit, and controls the lithium-ion battery unit being charged or discharged.
US09082894B2

In a photoelectric conversion apparatus that adds signals of a plurality of photoelectric conversion elements included in photoelectric conversion units, each of the plurality of photoelectric conversion elements includes a first semiconductor region of a first conductivity type that collects signal carriers. The first semiconductor regions included in photoelectric conversion elements that are included in each of the photoelectric conversion units and that are arranged adjacent to each other sandwich a second semiconductor region of a second conductivity type. A height of a potential barrier for the signal carriers generated in a certain region of the second semiconductor region is smaller than a height of a potential barrier for the signal carriers generated in a third semiconductor region between each of the first semiconductor regions and an overflow drain region of the first conductivity type.
US09082892B2

A device having a carrier, a light-emitting structure, and first and second electrodes is disclosed. The light-emitting structure includes an active layer sandwiched between a p-type GaN layer and an n-type GaN layer, the active layer emitting light of a predetermined wavelength in the active layer when electrons and holes from the n-type GaN layer and the p-type GaN layer, respectively, combine therein. The first and second electrodes are bonded to the surfaces of the p-type and n-type GaN layers that are not adjacent to the active layer. The n-type GaN layer has a thickness less than 1.25 μm. The carrier is bonded to the light emitting structure during the thinning of the n-type GaN layer. The thinned light-emitting structure can be transferred to a second carrier to provide a device that is analogous to conventional LEDs having contacts on the top surface of the LED.
US09082888B2

A magnetic device includes a pinned magnetic layer having a first fixed magnetization vector with a first fixed magnetization direction. The magnetic device also includes a free magnetic layer having a variable magnetization vector having at least a first stable state and a second stable state. The magnetic device also has a first non-magnetic layer and a reference. The first non-magnetic layer spatially separates the pinned magnetic layer and the free magnetic layer. The magnetic device also includes a second non-magnetic layer spatially separating the free magnetic layer and the reference magnetic layer. A magnetic tunnel junction, located below the pinned magnetic layer, is formed by the free magnetic layer, the second non-magnetic layer, and the reference magnetic layer. Application of a current pulse, having either positive or negative polarity and a selected amplitude and duration, through the magnetic device switches the variable magnetization vector.
US09082885B2

A method of manufacturing a semiconductor device includes: providing a first substrate that includes internal wiring, the first substrate including an array of chip mounting regions that includes a first chip mounting region; placing the first substrate on a first carrier line; providing a first semiconductor chip; placing the first semiconductor chip on a first moveable tray; vertically aligning the first chip mounting region of the first substrate with the first semiconductor chip, and performing initial bonding of the first semiconductor chip to the first chip mounting region of the first substrate; and performing subsequent bonding on the initially-bonded first semiconductor chip and first mounting region of the first substrate, thereby more strongly bonding the first semiconductor chip to the first substrate at the first mounting region. The initial bonding occurs after performing a subsequent bonding of at least one other semiconductor chip on the first substrate.
US09082882B2

A microelectronic component includes a semiconductor substrate having a top side and a reverse side, an elastically movable mass device on the top side of the substrate, at least one source region provided in or on the mass device, at least one drain region provided in or on the mass device, and a gate region suspended on a conductor track arrangement above the at least one source region and at least one drain region and spaced apart from the mass device by a gap. The conductor track arrangement is anchored on the top side of the substrate in a periphery of the mass device such that the gate region remains fixed when the mass device has been moved.
US09082879B2

A packaged power device involves no soft solder and no wire bonds. The direct-bonded metal layers of two direct metal bonded ceramic substrate assemblies, such as Direct Bonded Aluminum (DBA) substrates, are provided with sintered silver pads. Silver nanoparticle paste is applied to pads on the frontside of a die and the paste is sintered to form silver pads. Silver formed by an evaporative process covers the backside of the die. The die is pressed between the two DBAs such that direct silver-to-silver bonds are formed between sintered silver pads on the frontside of the die and corresponding sintered silver pads of one of the DBAs, and such that a direct silver-to-silver bond is formed between the backside silver of the die and a sintered silver pad of the other DBA. After leadforming, leadtrimming and encapsulation, the finished device has exposed ceramic of both DBAs on outside package surfaces.
US09082875B2

A method of normalizing strain in semiconductor devices and normalized strain semiconductor devices. The method includes: forming first and second field effect transistors of an integrated circuit; forming a stress layer over the first and second field effect transistors, the stress layer inducing strain in channel regions of the first and second field effect transistors; and selectively thinning the stress layer over at least a portion of the second field effect transistor.
US09082867B2

A cost-efficient SONOS (CEONOS) non-volatile memory (NVM) cell for use in a CMOS IC, where the CEONOS NVM cell requires two or three additional masks, but is otherwise substantially formed using the same standard CMOS flow processes used to form NMOS transistors. The cell is similar to an NMOS cell but includes an oxide-nitride-oxide (ONO) layer that replaces the standard NMOS gate oxide and serves to store NVM data. The cells utilize special source/drain engineering to include pocket implants and lightly-doped drain extensions, which facilitate program/erase of the CEONOS NVM cells using low voltages (e.g., 5V). The polysilicon gate, source/drain contacts and metallization are formed using corresponding NMOS processes. The CEONOS NVM cells are arranged in a space-efficient X-array pattern such that each group of four cells share a drain diffusion and three bit lines. Programming involves standard CHE injection or pulse agitated interface substrate hot electron injection (PAISHEI).
US09082866B2

A semiconductor device including a first isolation region dividing a semiconductor substrate into first regions; memory cells each including a tunnel insulating film, a charge storing layer, an interelectrode insulating film, and a control gate electrode above the first region; a second isolation region dividing the substrate into second regions in a peripheral circuit region; and a peripheral circuit transistor including a gate insulating film and a gate electrode above the second region. The first isolation region includes a first trench, a first element isolation insulating film filled in a bottom portion of the first trench, and a first gap formed between the first element isolation insulating film and the interelectrode insulating film. The second isolation region includes a second trench and a second element isolation insulating film filled in the second trench. The first and the second element isolation insulating films have different properties.
US09082861B2

A highly reliable semiconductor device is provided. Over an oxide semiconductor layer in which a channel is formed, an insulating layer including the oxide semiconductor material having a higher insulating property than an oxide semiconductor layer is formed. A material which contains an element M and is represented by a chemical formula InMZnOX (X>0) or an oxide material which contains an element M1 and an element M2 and is represented by a chemical formula InM1XM2(1−X)ZnO (00) is used as the oxide semiconductor material having a high insulating property. Ti, Zr, Hf, Ge, Ce, or Y is used as the element M and the element M2, for example. Ga is used as the element M1, for example.
US09082857B2

A thin film transistor structure in which a source electrode and a drain electrode formed from a metal material are in direct contact with an oxide semiconductor film may lead to high contact resistance. One cause of high contact resistance is that a Schottky junction is formed at a contact plane between the source and drain electrodes and the oxide semiconductor film. An oxygen-deficient oxide semiconductor layer which includes crystal grains with a size of 1 nm to 10 nm and has a higher carrier concentration than the oxide semiconductor film serving as a channel formation region is provided between the oxide semiconductor film and the source and drain electrodes.
US09082856B2

An electronic device comprises an insulator, a local first gate embedded in the insulator with a top surface of the first gate being substantially coplanar with a surface of the insulator, a first dielectric layer formed over the first gate and insulator, and a channel. The channel comprises a bilayer graphene layer formed on the first dielectric layer. The first dielectric layer provides a substantially flat surface on which the channel is formed. A second dielectric layer formed over the bilayer graphene layer and a local second gate formed over the second dielectric layer. Each of the local first and second gates is capacitively coupled to the channel of the bilayer graphene layer. The local first and second gates form a first pair of gates to locally control a first portion of the bilayer graphene layer.
US09082853B2

An improved bulk FinFET with a punchthrough stopper region, and method of fabrication are disclosed. The dopants used to form the punchthrough stopper are supplied from a shallow trench isolation liner. An anneal diffuses the dopants from the shallow trench isolation liner into the bulk substrate and lower portion of the fins, to form the punchthrough stopper region.
US09082851B2

A FinFET device which includes: a semiconductor substrate; a three dimensional fin oriented perpendicularly to the semiconductor substrate; a local trench isolation between the three dimensional fin and an adjacent three dimensional fin; a nitride layer on the local trench isolation; a gate stack wrapped around a central portion of the three dimensional fin and extending through the nitride layer; sidewall spacers adjacent to the gate stack and indirectly in contact with the nitride layer, two ends of the three dimensional fin extending from the sidewall spacers, a first end being for the source of the FET device and a second end being for a drain of the FET device; and an epitaxial layer covering each end of the three dimensional fin and being on the nitride layer. Also disclosed is a method of fabricating a FinFET device.
US09082850B2

A semiconductor device includes a field regions in a substrate to define active regions, gate trenches including active trenches disposed across the active region and field trenches in the field regions, and word lines that fill the gate trenches and extend in a first direction. The word lines include active gate electrodes occupying the active trenches, and field gate electrodes occupying the field trenches. The bottom surface of each field gate electrode, which is disposed between active regions that are adjacent to each other and have one word line therebetween, is disposed at a higher level than the bottom surfaces of the active gate electrodes.
US09082849B2

The present invention provides a method for manufacturing a semiconductor structure, comprising the steps of: providing a semiconductor substrate, forming an insulating layer on the semiconductor substrate, and forming a semiconductor base layer on the insulating layer; forming a sacrificial layer and a spacer surrounding the sacrificial layer on the semiconductor base layer, and etching the semiconductor base layer by taking the spacer as a mask to form a semiconductor body; forming a dielectric film on sidewalls of the semiconductor body; removing the sacrificial layer and the semiconductor body located under the sacrificial layer to form a first semiconductor fin and a second semiconductor fin; and forming a retrograde doped well structure on the inner walls of the first semiconductor fin and the second semiconductor fin, wherein the inner walls thereof are opposite to each other. Correspondingly, the present invention further provides a semiconductor structure. In the present invention, a retrograde doped well structure is formed on the sidewalls of the two semiconductor fins that are opposite to each other, so that the width of the source/drain depletion layer may be effectively reduced, and thereby the short channel effect is reduced.
US09082835B2

A method for manufacturing a semiconductor device includes forming a recess over a surface of an n-type semiconductor substrate, forming a gate insulation film over an inner wall and a bottom face of the recess, embedding a gate electrode into the recess, forming a p-type base layer in the surface layer of the substrate so as to be shallower than the recess; and forming an n-type source layer in the p-type base layer so as to be shallower than the p-type base layer. The impurity profile of the p-type base layer in a thickness direction includes a second peak being located closer to a bottom face side of the substrate than the first peak and being higher than the first peak, and a third peak located between the first peak and the second peak by implanting impurity ions three times or more at ion implantation energies different from each other.
US09082834B2

A nitride semiconductor device is provide that can reduce contact resistance of an ohmic electrode and a nitride semiconductor layer. In a GaN HFET, recesses (106, 109) are formed in a nitride semiconductor multilayer body (20) composed of an undoped GaN layer (1) and an undoped AlGaN layer (2) formed on an Si substrate (10), and a source electrode (11) and a drain electrode (12) are formed in the recesses (106, 109). In a region deeper than an interface (S1, S2) between the GaN layer (1) and the source electrode (11) and drain electrode (12), which are formed from a TiAl material, a first chlorine concentration peak (P11) is formed in vicinity of the interface, and a second chlorine concentration peak (P22) having a chlorine concentration of 1.3×1017 cm−3 or lower is formed at a position deeper than the first chlorine concentration peak (P11).
US09082833B1

A stacked assembly includes a stacked structure stacked on a through via recessed reveal structure. The through via recessed reveal structure includes recesses within a backside surface of an electronic component that expose backsides of through vias. Pillars of the stacked structure are attached to the exposed backsides of the through vias through the recesses. The recesses in combination with the pillars work as a lock and key arrangement to insure self-alignment of the pillars with the backsides of the through vias allowing fine pitch interconnections to be realized. Further, by forming the interconnections to the backsides of the through vias within the recesses, the overall thickness of the stacked assembly is minimized. Further still, by forming the interconnections to the backsides of the through vias within the recesses, shorting between adjacent through vias is minimized or eliminated.
US09082829B2

Methods of forming arrays of small, densely spaced holes or pillars for use in integrated circuits are disclosed. Various pattern transfer and etching steps can be used, in combination with pitch-reduction techniques, to create densely-packed features. Conventional photolithography steps can be used in combination with pitch-reduction techniques to form superimposed patterns of crossing elongate features with pillars at the intersections. Spacers are simultaneously applied to sidewalls of both sets of crossing lines to produce a pitch-doubled grid pattern. The pillars facilitate rows of spacers bridging columns of spacers.
US09082814B2

A semiconductor device includes first semiconductor layer of a first conductivity type; a second semiconductor layer of a second conductivity type that is formed near a surface of the first semiconductor layer; a first main electrode that is electrically connected to the second semiconductor layer; a third semiconductor layer of the second conductivity type that neighbors the first semiconductor layer; a fourth semiconductor layer of the first conductivity type that is selectively disposed in an upper portion of the third semiconductor layer; a second main electrode that is electrically connected to the third semiconductor layer and the fourth semiconductor layer; a trench whose side face is in contact with the third semiconductor layer and the fourth semiconductor layer; a gate electrode that is formed along the side face of the trench by a sidewall of polysilicon; and a polysilicon electrode.
US09082809B2

A junction transistor, comprising, on a substrate an emitter layer, a collector layer, and a base layer that comprises a graphene layer, wherein an emitter barrier layer is arranged between the base layer and the emitter layer, and a collector barrier layer is arranged between the base and the collector layers and adjacent to the graphene layer, characterized in that the collector barrier layer is a compositionally graded material layer, which has an electron affinity that decreases in a direction pointing from the base layer to the collector layer.
US09082806B2

A semiconductor device has a temporary carrier. A semiconductor die is oriented with an active surface toward, and mounted to, the temporary carrier. An encapsulant is deposited with a first surface over the temporary carrier and a second surface, opposite the first surface, is deposited over a backside of the semiconductor die. The temporary carrier is removed. A portion of the encapsulant in a periphery of the semiconductor die is removed to form an opening in the first surface of the encapsulant. An interconnect structure is formed over the active surface of the semiconductor die and extends into the opening in the encapsulant layer. A via is formed and extends from the second surface of the encapsulant to the opening. A first bump is formed in the via and electrically connects to the interconnect structure.
US09082805B2

The present invention provides a reliable, non-invasive, electrical test method for predicting satisfactory performance of electrostatic chucks (ESCs). In accordance with an aspect of the present invention, a parameter, e.g., impedance, of an ESC is measured over a frequency band to generate a parameter functions. This parameter function may be used to establish predetermined acceptable limits of the parameter within the frequency band.
US09082803B2

A mask alignment method for a substrate holding apparatus. A first engaging portion is formed in one of a substrate holder and a mask and has two protruding portions. A second engaging portion is formed in the other one of the substrate holder and the mask and has at least one protruding portion. First groove portions formed in the other one of the substrate holder and the mask engage with the protruding portions of the first engaging portion. A second groove portion formed in the other one of the substrate holder and the mask engages with the protruding portion of the second engaging portion. The mask alignment method includes the steps of (a) engaging the protruding portions of the first engaging portion with the first groove portions to align the mask with respect to the substrate holder in a first direction, and (b) engaging, after the step of engaging the protruding portions of the first engaging portion with the first groove portions, the protruding portion of the second engaging portion with the second groove portion, to align the mask with respect to the substrate holder in a direction perpendicular to the first direction.
US09082800B2

A substrate treatment system comprise a treatment station having a plurality of treatment units provided at multiple tiers in an up-down direction, a cassette mounting table on which a cassette housing a plurality of wafers W is mounted, and a wafer transfer mechanism arranged between the treatment station and the cassette mounting table, wherein a delivery block in which a plurality of delivery units are provided at multiple tiers is provided between the treatment station and the wafer transfer mechanism, the delivery units temporarily housing a wafer to be transferred between the cassette mounting table and the treatment station and a wafer to be transferred between the tiers of the treatment units. The wafer transfer mechanism includes a first transfer arm that transfers a wafer between the cassette mounting table and the delivery block, and a second transfer arm that transfers a wafer between the tiers of the delivery units.
US09082794B1

A method is provided for fabricating a thin film transistor. An insulating and a metal gate contact layer are deposited on a substrate with the insulating layer being positioned between the gate contact layer and the substrate. A portion of the gate contact layer is selectively removed utilizing reactive ion etching incorporating a gas that etches the gate contact layer but not the insulating layer. A plurality of layers is deposited over a remaining portion of the gate contact layer and insulating layer, which include a gate insulating layer, a channel layer, and a metal film. A portion of the metal film is selectively removed utilizing reactive ion etching incorporating the gas that etches the metal film but not the channel layer. The insulating layer includes a high resistivity insulator that can be deposited at temperatures less than 400° C. and the channel layer is comprised of a metal oxide semiconductor.
US09082788B2

A method of making a semiconductor device includes forming an intermediate structure including second semiconductor fin portions above a first semiconductor layer, and top first semiconductor fin portions extending from respective ones of the second semiconductor fin portions. The second semiconductor fin portions are selectively etchable with respect to the top first semiconductor fin portions. A dummy gate is on the intermediate structure. The second semiconductor fin portions are selectively etched to define bottom openings under respective ones of the top first semiconductor fin portions. The bottom openings are filled with a dielectric material.
US09082787B2

A semiconductor structure includes a substrate having a first conductive type, a well having a second conductive type formed in the substrate, a first doped region and a second doped region formed in the well, a field oxide, a first dielectric layer and a second dielectric layer. The field oxide is formed on a surface region of the well and between the first doped region and the second doped region. The first dielectric layer is formed on the surface region of the well and covers an edge portion of the field oxide. The first dielectric layer has a first thickness. The second dielectric layer is formed on the surface region of the well. The second dielectric layer has a second thickness smaller than the first thickness.
US09082773B2

An integrated circuit including a semiconductor device has a power component including a plurality of trenches in a cell array, the plurality of trenches running in a first direction, and a sensor component integrated into the cell array of the power component and including a sensor cell having an area which is smaller than an area of the cell array of the power component. The integrated circuit further includes isolation trenches disposed between the sensor component and the power component, an insulating material being disposed in the isolation trenches. The isolation trenches run in a second direction that is different from the first direction.
US09082768B2

It is an object of the present invention to prevent an influence of voltage drop due to wiring resistance, trouble in writing of a signal into a pixel and trouble in gray scales, and provide a display device with higher definition, represented by an EL display device and a liquid crystal display device. In the present invention, a wiring including Cu is provided as an electrode or a wiring used for the display device represented by the EL display device and the liquid crystal display device. Besides, sputtering is performed with a mask to form the wiring including Ca. With such structure, it is possible to reduce the voltage drop and a deadened signal.
US09082767B2

A embedded integrated circuit package is provided, the embedded integrated circuit package including: at least one chip arranged over a chip carrier, the at least one chip including a plurality of chip contact pads; encapsulation material formed over the chip carrier and at least partially surrounding the at least one chip; a plurality of electrical interconnects formed through the encapsulation material, wherein each electrical interconnect is electrically connected to a chip contact pad; and a structure formed between the electrical interconnects of the embedded integrated circuit package, wherein the structure increases the creepage resistance between the electrical interconnects.
US09082755B2

A method for forming a semiconductor device is disclosed. A method for forming a semiconductor device includes forming a first bit line contact over a semiconductor substrate, forming a second bit line contact that is coupled to the first bit line contact and has a larger width than the first bit line contact, and forming a bit line over the second bit line contact. When using the semiconductor device having a buried gate, although the bit line is formed to have a small width and the bit line pattern is misaligned, the method prevents incorrect coupling between a bit line and a bit line contact, so that it basically deteriorates unique characteristics of the semiconductor device.
US09082746B2

A semiconductor body component has a first surface and is comprised of a first semiconductor material extending to the first surface. At least one trench extends from the first surface into the semiconductor body and includes a gate electrode insulated from the semiconductor body and arranged below the first surface. A second insulation layer is formed on the first surface with a recess that overlaps in projection onto the first surface with the conductive region. A mask region is formed in the recess, and the second insulation layer is etched selectively to the mask region and the semiconductor body to expose the semiconductor body at the first surface. A third insulation layer is deposited on the first surface, and the third insulation layer is etched so that a semiconductor mesa of the semiconductor body arranged next to the at least one trench is exposed at the first surface.
US09082743B2

A package includes a first die and a second die underlying the first die and in a same first die stack as the first die. The second die includes a first portion overlapped by the first die, and a second portion not overlapped by the first die. A first Thermal Interface Material (TIM) is over and contacting a top surface of the first die. A heat dissipating lid has a first bottom surface contacting the first TIM. A second TIM is over and contacting the second portion of the second die. A heat dissipating ring is over and contacting the second TIM.
US09082740B2

Under one aspect, a battery heating circuit includes damping and current storage components connected with the battery to form a first part of a first loop. First and second switch units are connected with the first part of the first loop. Third and fourth switch units are connected with the first part of the first loop to form a second loop. A charge storage component is connected across the first and second loops. The first and third switch units and charge storage component form branches transferring energy between the battery and charge storage component, and the fourth and second switch units and charge storage component form branches transferring energy between the battery and charge storage component. The switching control module switches on and off the first through fourth switch units to control energy flow between the battery and charge storage component.
US09082733B2

A display unit comprising an organic layer between a light-emitting section portion of a first electrode layer and a light-emitting section portion of a second electrode layer. Light is emissible from within the organic layer. An aperture-defining insulating film is between a contact section of the first electrode layer and a gap section portion of the second electrode layer. The thickness of the gap section portion of the second electrode layer is greater than the thickness of the light-emitting section portion of the second electrode layer.
US09082731B2

A manufacturing method of a wire including: forming a lower layer on a substrate; forming a middle layer on the lower layer; forming an upper layer on the middle layer; forming, exposing, and developing a photoresist layer on the upper layer to form a photoresist pattern; and etching the upper layer, the middle layer, and the lower layer by using the photoresist pattern as a mask to form a wire such that the upper layer covers an end of the middle layer.
US09082728B2

A first flash heating is performed in which a flash lamp emits a first flashing light to a semiconductor wafer having been heated to a first preheating temperature equal to or lower than 650 degrees C. by a light emission from a halogen lamp so that the temperature of a surface of the semiconductor wafer reaches 1000 degrees C. or higher. Then, a second flash heating is performed in which a second flashing light is emitted to the semiconductor wafer having been further heated by a light emission of the halogen lamp. Performing the first flash heating can suppress diffusion of impurity in the subsequent second flash heating. In the second flash heating, the impurity is activated and introduced crystal defects are recovered.
US09082723B2

A semiconductor package is provided, which includes: a first dielectric layer having opposite first and second surfaces and a cavity penetrating the first and second surfaces; a first circuit layer embedded in the first dielectric layer and exposed from the first surface of the first dielectric layer; at least an adhesive member formed in the cavity and adjacent to the first surface of the first dielectric layer; an electronic element disposed on the adhesive member; a second dielectric layer formed on the second surface of the first dielectric layer and in the cavity to encapsulate the adhesive member and the electronic element; a second circuit layer formed on the second dielectric layer; and a plurality of conductive vias formed in the second dielectric layer for electrically connecting the second circuit layer and the electronic element, thereby reducing the package size and cost and increasing the wiring space and flexibility.
US09082721B2

The critical dimension (CD) of features formed during the fabrication of a semiconductor device may be controlled through the use of a dry develop chemistry comprising O2, SO2 and a hydrogen halide. For example, a dry develop chemistry comprising a gas comprising O2 and a gas comprising SO2 and a gas comprising HBr may be used to remove exposed areas of a carbon-based mask. The addition of HBr to the conventional O2 and SO2 dry develop chemistry enables a user to tune the critical dimension by growing, trimming and/or sloping the sidewalls and to enhance sidewall passivation and reduce sidewall bowing.
US09082720B2

A direction change of space formed in an etching target layer can be suppressed while maintaining an etching selectivity for the etching target layer against a mask. A semiconductor device manufacturing method MT includes exciting a first gas by supplying the first gas containing a fluorocarbon gas, a fluorohydrocarbon gas and an oxygen gas into a processing chamber 12 (ST2); and exciting a second gas by supplying the second gas containing an oxygen gas and a rare gas into the processing chamber (ST3), and a cycle including the exciting of the first gas (ST2) and the exciting of the second gas (ST3) is repeated multiple times.
US09082713B2

A method of processing a device wafer in a wafer stack by chucking the wafer stack device side down and grinding the exposed side of the carrier wafer to parallel with the device wafer, and thereafter flipping the wafer stack and chucking the wafer stack carrier side down and grinding residual silicon from the device wafer.
US09082709B2

A hardening resin composition includes a base resin and a hardening agent. The base resin contains a maleimide compound having two or more maleimide groups in one molecule, and the hardening agent contains a diamine compound expressed by a general chemical formula (1), in which A is an oxygen atom or a sulfur atom, X is a hydrogen atom, an alkyl group with a carbon number of six or less, or an aryl group, and n is a natural number of 1 to 10.
US09082701B2

A method of forming a thin film transistor array panel includes: forming a first insulating layer on a substrate; forming an amorphous carbon layer on the first insulating layer; forming a second insulating layer on the amorphous carbon layer; forming an opening in the amorphous carbon layer by patterning the second insulating layer and the amorphous carbon layer; and forming a trench in the first insulating layer by etching the first insulating layer, the etching the first insulating layer using the amorphous carbon layer including the opening as a mask.
US09082700B2

An ultraviolet treatment method is provided for a metal oxide electrode. A metal oxide electrode is exposed to an ultraviolet (UV) light source in a humid environment. The metal oxide electrode is then treated with a moiety having at least one anchor group, where the anchor group is a chemical group capable of promoting communication between the moiety and the metal oxide electrode. As a result, the moiety is bound to the metal oxide electrode. In one aspect the metal oxide electrode is treated with a photoactive moiety. Exposing the metal oxide electrode to the UV light source in the humid environment induces surface defects in the metal oxide electrode in the form of oxygen vacancies. In response to the humidity, atmospheric water competes favorably with oxygen for dissociative adsorption on the metal oxide electrode surface, and hydroxylation of the metal oxide electrode surface is induced.
US09082699B2

A method of manufacturing a semiconductor device having a twin well structure is provided. The method includes ion-implanting of a first conductivity type impurity in a first region and a second region of a semiconductor substrate, the first and second regions being located adjacent to each other; forming a first resist pattern to cover the first region of the semiconductor substrate and to expose the second region of the semiconductor substrate; ion-implanting of a second conductivity type impurity at a higher concentration compared to the first conductivity type impurity in the second region of the semiconductor substrate, with the first resist pattern being used as a mask; and thermal-diffusing the first conductivity type of impurity and the second conductivity type of impurity.
US09082694B2

A substrate processing apparatus includes: a processing chamber that accommodates a substrate; a heating portion that is provided so as to surround a accommodating region of the substrate within the processing chamber; a gas nozzle that is provided inside the heating portion and that supplies a processing gas to the accommodating region of the substrate; and a gas heating mechanism that is provided inside the heating portion and that supplies the processing gas from an upstream side of the gas nozzle into the gas nozzle. A ratio of a flow channel circumferential length to a flow channel cross-sectional area in a gas flow channel of the gas heating mechanism is larger than a ratio of a flow channel circumferential length to a flow channel cross-sectional area in a gas flow channel of the gas nozzle.
US09082692B2

Engineered substrates having epitaxial templates for forming epitaxial semiconductor materials and associated systems and methods are disclosed herein. In several embodiments, for example, an engineered substrate can be manufactured by forming a first semiconductor material at a front surface of a donor substrate. The first semiconductor material is transferred to first handle substrate to define a first formation structure. A second formation structure is formed to further include a second semiconductor material homoepitaxial to the first formation structure. The method can further include transferring the first portion of the second formation structure to a second handle substrate such that a second portion of the second formation structure remains at the first handle substrate.
US09082682B2

An insulating sheet has a heterogeneous laminated structure, and includes a graphene sheet and a hexagonal boron nitride sheet on the graphene sheet, the hexagonal boron nitride sheet having a root mean square (RMS) surface roughness of about 0.5 nm or less in a region having an area of about 200 nm×200 nm or less, and one or more of longitudinal and transverse lengths of about 1 mm or more.
US09082675B2

A photon detection device includes a first wafer having an array of photon detection cells partitioned into a plurality of photon detection blocks arranged in the first wafer. A second wafer having a plurality of block readout circuits arranged thereon is also included. An interconnect wafer is disposed between the first wafer and the second wafer. The interconnect wafer includes a plurality of conductors having substantially equal lengths. Each one of the plurality of conductors is coupled between a corresponding one of the plurality of photon detection blocks in the first wafer and a corresponding one of the plurality of block readout circuits such that signal propagation delays between each one of the plurality of photon detection blocks and each one of the plurality of block readout circuits are substantially equal.
US09082664B2

The present invention provides a method for manufacturing a thin-film transistor substrate and a thin-film transistor substrate manufactured with the method. The method includes: (1) providing a substrate (20); (2) forming a gate terminal (22) having a predetermined structure on the substrate (20); (3) forming a gate insulation layer (24) on the gate terminal (22) and the substrate (20); (4) forming a metal signal line (26) having a predetermined structure on the gate insulation layer (24); (5) forming an oxide semiconductor layer (28) having a predetermined structure on the gate insulation layer (24); (6) forming a passivation layer (32) having a predetermined structure on the gate insulation layer (24), the metal signal line (26), and the oxide semiconductor layer (28); and (7) forming a source/drain terminal (34) having a predetermined structure on the metal signal line (26), the oxide semiconductor layer (28), and the passivation layer (32) so as to form a thin-film transistor substrate.
US09082662B2

When forming sophisticated SOI devices, a substrate diode and a film diode are formed by using one and the same implantation mask for determining the well dopant concentration in the corresponding well regions. Consequently, during the further processing, the well dopant concentration of any transistor elements may be achieved independently from the well regions of the diode in the semiconductor layer.
US09082660B2

A method of controlling a threshold voltage is provided. The method of controlling a threshold voltage includes performing a film-thickness measuring step to measure the thickness of a film layer on a wafer to obtain a film-thickness value. Then, at least one parameter is decided, selected, or generated according to the film-thickness value. Next, an ion implantation process is performed on the wafer, wherein the ion implantation process is executed according to the parameter to form a threshold voltage adjustment region in the wafer below the film layer.
US09082653B2

A semiconductor device includes a lower insulating pattern on a semiconductor substrate, a lower gate pattern on the lower insulating pattern and formed of a doped polysilicon layer, a residual insulating pattern with an opening exposing a portion of a top surface of the lower gate pattern, an upper gate pattern on the residual insulating pattern, the upper gate pattern filling the opening, and a diffusion barrier pattern in contact with the portion of the top surface of the lower gate pattern and extending between the residual insulating pattern and the upper gate pattern.
US09082652B2

A semiconductor device that includes a substrate 37, a non-volatile memory (memory cell) 21 having a memory cell transistor (switching element) 33 and a floating gate electrode (memory storage part) 36, and a passivation insulating film (insulating layer) 40 and an organic polymer film (insulating layer) 41 both provided above the non-volatile memory 21, in which conductive wiring line layers (shielding part) 5a to 5c for shielding the floating gate electrode 36 are provided between the floating gate electrode 36 and both the passivation insulating film 40 and the organic polymer film 41 so that ions generated from the passivation insulating film 40 and the organic polymer film 41 can be prevented from reaching the floating gate electrode 36.
US09082651B2

A device comprises a control gate structure over a substrate, a memory gate structure over the substrate, wherein a charge storage layer formed between the control gate structure and the memory gate structure, a first spacer along a sidewall of the memory gate structure, a second spacer over a top surface of the memory gate structure, a first drain/source region formed in the substrate and adjacent to the memory gate structure and a second drain/source region formed in the substrate and adjacent to the control gate structure.
US09082637B2

A semiconductor device includes a substrate supporting a plurality of layers that include at least one modulation doped quantum well (QW) structure offset from a quantum dot in quantum well (QD-in-QW) structure. The modulation doped QW structure includes a charge sheet spaced from at least one QW by a spacer layer. The QD-in-QW structure has QDs embedded in one or more QWs. The QD-in-QW structure can include at least one template/emission substructure pair separated by a barrier layer, the template substructure having smaller size QDs than the emission substructure. A plurality of QD-in-QW structures can be provided to support the processing (emission, absorption, amplification) of electromagnetic radiation of different characteristic wavelengths (such as optical wavelengths in range from 1300 nm to 1550 nm). The device can realize an integrated circuit including a wide variety of devices that process electromagnetic radiation at a characteristic wavelength(s) supported by the QDs of the QD-in-QW structure(s). Other semiconductor devices are also described and claimed.
US09082632B2

A chip package includes a stack of semiconductor dies or chips that are offset from each other, thereby defining a terrace with exposed pads. Moreover, surfaces of each of the semiconductor dies in the stepped terrace include two rows of first pads approximately parallel to edges of the semiconductor dies. Furthermore, the chip package includes a high-bandwidth ramp component, which is positioned approximately parallel to the terrace, and which has a surface that includes second pads arranged in at least two rows of second pads for each of the semiconductor dies. The second pads are electrically and mechanically coupled to the exposed first pads by connectors. Consequently, the electrical contacts in the chip package may have a conductive, a capacitive or, in general, a complex impedance. Furthermore, the chips and/or the ramp component may be positioned relative to each other using a ball-and-pit alignment technique.
US09082628B2

A trench Schottky diode is described, which has a highly doped substrate of a first conductivity type and an epitaxial layer of the same conductivity type that is applied to the substrate. At least two trenches are introduced into the epitaxial layer. The epitaxial layer is a stepped epitaxial layer that has two partial layers of different doping concentrations.
US09082626B2

In one embodiment, a device includes a first conductive pad disposed over a substrate, and a etch stop layer disposed over a top surface of the first conductive pad. The device further includes a solder barrier disposed over the etch stop layer.
US09082624B2

A multiple-patterned semiconductor device is provided. The semiconductor device includes one or more layers with signal tracks defined by masks and a structure for transferring a signal between signal tracks and repowering the signal.
US09082619B2

Described herein are systems and methods method for forming semiconductor films. In some embodiment, the methods comprising depositing the source solution containing a solvent and plurality of types of metal ionic species and a second type on a substrate heated to a temperature at or above the boiling point of the solvent. In some embodiments, methods and apparatus for exposing a substrate to a gas are also provided.
US09082614B1

There is provided a periphery coating method of coating a coating liquid on a periphery region of a substrate. The method includes performing a scan-in process of moving the coating liquid nozzle from an outside of an edge of the substrate to a position above the periphery region of the substrate while rotating the substrate and discharging the coating liquid from the coating liquid nozzle; and performing a scan-out process of moving the coating liquid nozzle from the position above the periphery region of the substrate to the outside of the edge of the substrate while rotating the substrate and discharging the coating liquid from the coating liquid nozzle. Further, in the scan-out process, the coating liquid nozzle is moved at a speed lower than a speed at which the coating liquid is moved to a side of an edge of the substrate.
US09082607B1

A process for forming an optical package comprises at least partially encasing a first leadframe strip in a first mold compound thereby forming a molded leadframe strip, mounting at least one optical semiconductor device on the molded leadframe strip, at least partially encasing the molded leadframe strip, and singulating the molded leadframe strip to form discrete packages for optical applications. An apparatus for forming an optical package comprises means for at least partially encasing a first leadframe strip in a first mold compound thereby forming a molded leadframe strip, means for mounting at least one optical semiconductor device on the at least one molded leadframe strip, means for at least partially encasing the molded leadframe strip, and means for singulating the molded leadframe strip to form discrete and grid array packages.
US09082597B2

A data acquisition system and method are described that may be used with various spectrometers. The data acquisition system may include an ion detector, an initial processing module, and a spectra processing module. The initial processing module is provided for processing the ion detection signals and for supplying processed signals to the spectra processing module. The spectra processing module generates spectra from the processed signals and supplies the generated spectra to an external processor for post-processing. The spectra processing module may include an ion statistics filter and/or a peak histogram filtering circuit.
US09082589B2

In one aspect, a system includes a generator configured to generate and tune a frequency of a supply signal. The system includes an auto-matching network configured to receive the supply signal and to generate an impedance-matched signal for use in powering a plasma system. In some implementations, during a first stage of an impedance matching operation, the generator is configured to tune the frequency of the supply signal until the generator identifies a frequency for which the reactance of the generator and the reactance of the load are best matched. In some implementations, during a second stage of the impedance matching operation, the auto-matching network is configured to tune a tuning element within the auto-matching network until the auto-matching network identifies a tuning of the tuning element for which the resistance of the generator and the resistance of the load are best matched.
US09082577B1

An electron beam device including an electron source which generates an electron beam; three lenses for controlling the characteristics of the electron beam, including a first lens, second lens and third lens arranged in sequence from the upstream side in relation to the emission direction of the electron beam; and a beam definition aperture arranged on the second lens. The position of the second lens is adjusted such that the total lens magnification ratio obtained under maximum beam current substantially matches the ideal lens magnification ratio defined on the basis of electro-optical characteristics.
US09082562B2

An inrush-current suppressing device includes: a residual-magnetic-flux calculating unit that calculates a residual magnetic flux in a reference phase of a three-phase transformer while assuming a maximum magnetic flux level generated at a time of applying a rated voltage as 1 PU based on a measurement result of a transformer-voltage measuring unit before and after opening a three-phase circuit breaker; a stationary-magnetic-flux calculating unit that calculates a stationary magnetic flux in the reference phase of the three-phase transformer with reference to the maximum magnetic flux level obtained as the 1 PU based on a measurement result of a power-supply-voltage measuring unit, in response to a closing command to the three-phase circuit breaker; and a control unit that actuates a switch of the three-phase circuit breaker corresponding to the reference phase at a timing when the stationary magnetic flux and the residual magnetic flux in the reference phase match each other.
US09082551B2

A high dielectric nanosheet laminate is produced by laminating nanosheets, each of which has a thickness of 10 nm or less and is formed of an oxide that has a perovskite structure wherein at least four NbO6 octahedrons, TaO6 octahedrons or TiO6 octahedrons are included in a unit lattice. Consequently, the high dielectric nanosheet laminate is capable of achieving a high dielectric constant and a satisfactory insulation property, which are preferable for high dielectric nanosheet multilayer capacitors or the like, at the same time even if formed very thin.
US09082545B2

An antenna device, capable of stable communications without increasing a space of the entire device by keeping a resonance frequency substantially constant even if the temperature changes, includes: an antenna circuit having an antenna coil with an electrically connected capacitor; the coil receiving a magnetic field transmitted from a reader/writer at a predetermined oscillation frequency; the circuit becoming communicable when inductively coupled to the reader/writer; and a magnetic sheet formed at a position superposed on the coil to change its inductance, wherein the coil has a temperature characteristic in which the inductance is changed with a temperature change, and the sheet has a temperature characteristic of changing the inductance to achieve a characteristic inverse to the inductance change with the temperature change in a predetermined use temperature range, and substantially matching a resonance frequency of the circuit with the oscillation frequency in the use temperature region.
US09082542B2

A reactor, which enables costs to be reduced while ensuring specific specifications for an electric vehicle such as an HV vehicle, is provided. The reactor for an HV vehicle includes: a reactor core in which a pair of roughly U-shaped core members, which have been integrally formed using an Fe—Si magnetic powder, are arranged in a circular shape by aligning two leg sections of each core member opposite to each other with gaps therebetween; and coils wound around the periphery of the leg sections of the core members, which are positioned opposite to each other with the gaps therebetween.
US09082540B2

The present invention relates to a common mode filter and a method of manufacturing the same. In order to implement a common mode filter with low shrinkage, high substrate sintered density, and high strength, the present invention provides a common mode filter including: a lower substrate; an insulating layer having a conductor pattern inside and provided on the lower substrate; an upper substrate provided on the insulating layer; and a ferrite core made of ferrite and provided in the center of the insulating layer, the lower substrate, and the upper substrate by penetrating the insulating layer, the lower substrate, and the upper substrate, and a method of manufacturing the same.
US09082537B2

The present invention provides a permanent magnet which is excellent in the temperature properties and the magnetic properties of which will not be significantly decreased, compared to the conventional R-T-B based permanent magnet. In the R-T-B based structure, a stacked structure of R1-T-B based crystal layer and Y-T-B based crystal layer can be formed by alternatively stacking R1-T-B and Y-T-B. In this way, a high magnetic anisotropy field of the R1-T-B based crystal layer can be maintained while the temperature coefficient of the Y-T-B based crystal layer can be improved.
US09082535B2

In a method and apparatus for maintaining operation of ancillary equipment associated with a superconducting magnet carrying a DC current, the DC current is directed through a DC-to-AC converter, and the magnitude of the current flowing through the superconducting magnet is ramped down at a controlled rate, thereby generating a controlled voltage across a controlled impedance, and powering the ancillary equipment by the controlled voltage and an associated current, and the ramping rate is controlled in order to maintain a required controlled voltage.
US09082528B2

The present invention provides a method for fabricating a carbon nanotube-loaded electrode enabling that hybrid carbon nanotubes comprising dendrimer-encapsulated metal nanoparticles covalently immobilized on carbon nanotubes via a first covalent bond are made and such hybrid carbon nanotubes are then covalently immobilized on a metal electrode coated with a self-assembled monolayer via a second covalent bond. Also provided is a carbon nanotube-loaded electrode made by the method. The electrode thus made possesses high durability, reactivity and stability.
US09082520B2

A multilevel MLC includes a first set and a second set of a plurality of pairs of beam blocking leaves arranged adjacent one another. Leaves of each pair in the first set are disposed in an opposed relationship and longitudinally movable relative to each other in a first direction. Leaves of each pair in the second set are disposed in an opposed relationship and longitudinally movable relative to each other in a second direction generally parallel to the first direction. The first and second sets of pairs of leaves are disposed in different planes.
US09082514B1

A method, non-transitory computer readable medium, and apparatus for performing physically unclonable function (PUF) burn-in are disclosed. For example, the method identifies, by a processor, a natural output of an integrated circuit before the integrated circuit is initialized, identifies, by the processor, a physical characteristic of the integrated circuit associated with the physically unclonable function, and ages, by the processor, the physical characteristic of the integrated circuit to burn-in the natural output of the integrated circuit.
US09082511B2

A redundancy evaluation circuit has (m+1) fuse boxes and a comparator, wherein the m fuse box output a fuse status address signal and the other one fuse box outputs a comparator enable signal. Each fuse box has a common stage circuit and k redundant cells. The k redundant cells shares the precharge transistor and an inverted latch of the common stage circuit, and the fuse in the selected redundant cell affects the output of the corresponding fuse box. The comparator enabled by the comparator enable signal compares the fuse status address signal and a defective element address signal to generate a redundancy enable signal. The redundancy evaluation circuit has a small layout area.
US09082504B2

A semiconductor memory device which stores refresh period information thereby adjusting a refresh period and a method of operating the same. The semiconductor memory device includes a cell array and a refresh information storing unit. The cell array includes one or more cell regions each having a plurality of memory cells. The refresh information storing unit is configured to store first information including a first refresh period and second information including a second refresh period in correspondence to each of the cell regions. Memory cells included in each of the cell regions are refreshed at the first refresh period according to the first information in a first refresh time band and are refreshed at the second refresh period according to the second information in a second refresh time band.
US09082501B2

A shift register apparatus including a first shift register cell is disclosed. The first shift register cell includes a first logic unit, a first control unit and a first output unit. The first logic unit generates a first control signal and a second control signal according to a start signal and a first setting signal. During a first period, the first control unit employs the first and second control signals to make a first clock signal update the first setting signal and the first output unit employs the first and second control signals to make a second clock signal update the first shifted signal. During a second period, the first output unit controls the first shifted signal according to the first and second control signals such that the first shifted signal does not follow the second clock signal.
US09082492B2

Embodiments include a memory managing method of a nonvolatile memory device, which includes detecting whether sub-blocks of memory blocks are programmed, and programming write data at a memory block having a programmed sub-block from among the memory blocks, prior to programming a memory block having no programmed sub-blocks from among the memory blocks, according to the detection result. Embodiments also include programming the write data at a sub-block, closest to a common source line, from among unprogrammed sub-blocks of the memory block. Embodiments also include erasing at least one sub-block that is farthest from the common source line, prior to erasing other sub-blocks from among the programmed sub-blocks in the memory block. Embodiments also include selectively programming or erasing sub-blocks according to read merge times.
US09082487B2

A program method of a nonvolatile memory device includes a pre-program verify step for verifying a threshold voltage of a selected memory cell; a step of setting a bit line voltage of the selected memory cell according to the threshold voltage of the selected memory cell which is determined through the pre-program verify step; a step of applying a program voltage to the selected memory cell set with the bit line voltage; and a post-program verify step for verifying a programmed state of the selected memory cell applied with the program voltage.
US09082486B2

A row decoding circuit and a memory are provided. The row decoding circuit is adapted for providing a word line operation voltage and a control-gate line operation voltage to a dual-bit split gate flash memory array, and includes a dummy row decoding unit, at least one row decoding unit and a driving voltage generating circuit. The dummy row decoding unit includes a first dummy control-gate line voltage output, a second dummy control-gate line voltage output and at least one dummy word line voltage output. The row decoding unit includes a first control-gate line voltage output, a second control-gate line voltage output and at least one word line voltage output. The driving voltage generating circuit is adapted for providing a third driving voltage to the first control-gate line voltage output and the second control-gate line voltage output.
US09082477B2

A memory device and method for programming the memory device, including a method for a melting phase change memory cell by applying an electronic signal at a first value and subsequently decreasing the signal value. The phase change memory cell can be substantially crystallized after the decrease in signal value.
US09082475B2

A nonvolatile memory device includes an operation control unit, a reference voltage generating unit, and a sensing unit. The operation control unit is configured to select a unit cell from unit cells to perform reading and writing operations. The reference voltage generating unit is configured to voltage-divide a read voltage using series-connected resistors and generate a reference voltage based on the voltage-divided read voltage. The sensing unit is configured to compare a size of a voltage through an e-fuse of the selected unit cell based on the read voltage with the reference voltage, and sense data of the e-fuse of the selected unit cell. The nonvolatile memory device also includes a read current supply unit configured to output the read voltage to the unit cells during a reading operation of the nonvolatile memory device.
US09082465B2

A memory circuit is provided comprising a plurality of bit cells coupled to a bit line that permits accessing information from each of the plurality of bit cells. A sense inverter is coupled to an output of the bit line. A keeper circuit has an output coupled to the bit line to compensate for current leakage from the plurality of bit cells. The keeper circuit may comprise an n-channel metal-oxide-silicon (NMOS) transistor in series with a p-channel metal-oxide-silicon (PMOS) transistor.
US09082464B2

A memory module includes a plurality of buses. A plurality of memory chips is mounted on a module board and is connected to a first node, a second node, and a plurality of third nodes of the plurality of buses. The first node, the second node, and the third nodes branch off to a first memory chip, a second memory chip, and the third memory chips, respectively. A length of the plurality of buses between the first and second nodes is longer than a length of the plurality of buses between adjacent nodes from among the second node and the third nodes.
US09082458B1

A data storage device is disclosed comprising a plurality of disk surfaces, and a head actuated over each disk surface. For each disk surface, a quality metric is measured at a plurality of discrete areal densities including a first areal density comprising a first radial density and a first linear density, and a second areal density comprising a second radial density different from the first radial density and a second linear density different from the first linear density. Based on a target capacity, an areal density is selected for each disk surface such that the combined areal densities satisfies the target capacity and such that the quality metrics across the disk surfaces are substantially equal and substantially maximized.
US09082452B2

A method for viewing a collection of images or videos, includes analyzing the collection to determine properties of the images or videos and using the determined properties to produce icons corresponding to such properties; providing a time-varying display of the images or videos in the collection following an ordering of the images or videos in the collection and at least one of the corresponding icons; receiving a user selection of an icon; and changing the display of the images or videos in the collection following a reordering of the images or videos in the collection in response to the user selection.
US09082449B2

A disk drive device includes: a chassis; an annular hub on which a recording disk is to be mounted; a fluid dynamic bearing mechanism that supports the hub freely rotatable relative to the chassis; an annular extended portion extending outwardly in a radial direction from the hub; and an annular recess which is provided in the chassis and where the annular extended portion at least partially enters in the radial direction, in which a gap between the annular recess and the annular extended portion includes a portion that forms a flexed labyrinth in a cross-sectional view.
US09082447B1

A method, system, and computer program product are disclosed for determining a material type of storage media substrates. The method includes using a first sensor to detect an object that indicates the presence of at least one storage media substrate, and using an inductive sensor to determine whether the at least one storage media substrate is of a metallic type.
US09082424B2

Various embodiments may configure a data storage device with at least a magnetic element having a magnetic stack that is configured with an air bearing surface (ABS) and is separated from a side shield. The side shield can be biased by a biasing layer that contacts the side shield and is separated from the ABS.
US09082399B2

An apparatus for processing an audio signal and method thereof are disclosed. The present invention includes receiving, by an audio processing apparatus, an audio signal including a first data of a first block encoded with rectangular coding scheme and a second data of a second block encoded with non-rectangular coding scheme; receiving a compensation signal corresponding to the second block; estimating a prediction of an aliasing part using the first data; and, obtaining a reconstructed signal for the second block based on the second data, the compensation signal and the prediction of aliasing part.
US09082393B2

Methods and systems for acoustically treating material using a continuous process in which material may be caused to flow in a continuous or intermittent fashion into/out of an acoustic treatment chamber where the material is exposed to focused acoustic energy. The methods and systems may be arranged to permit continuous processing for extended periods while an acoustic energy source operates at a relatively high power output. Treatment chambers may include features such as an acoustic window and/or a chamber wall which may comprise an acoustically reflective material or a gas/wall interface that serves to reflect acoustic energy to form one or more secondary focal zones. Treatment system configurations relating to arrangements of a treatment chamber relative to an acoustic source and coupling medium, material flow paths, and others are provided.
US09082392B2

A method and apparatus for active noise canceling. The method includes retrieving an input sample from at least one of a feedback or feedforward microphone digitized through the sigma-delta converter, retrieving the input sample and a related filter, wherein the filter is customized to the particular headset, outputting a filtered signal through a speaker without any interpolation and reducing order of CIC filters, and outputting a response sharply tapered down.
US09082391B2

The present invention relates to a method and arrangement for an improved noise canceller in a speech encoder. Sound signals are captured at a primary microphone in conjunction with a reference microphone. An adaptive shadow filter is adapted to the correlation between the signals captured at the primary and reference microphones. Further, a diffuse-noise-field detector is introduced which detects the presence of diffuse noise. When the diffuse-noise-field detector detects diffuse noise, the filter coefficients of the adapted shadow filter is used by a primary filter to cancel the diffuse noise at the signal captured by the primary microphone. Since the filter coefficients of the adapted shadow filter only is used for cancellation when diffuse noise is solely detected, cancellation of the speech signal is avoided.
US09082381B2

A computer system for enabling generation/controlling/modification of sound elements is provided. A computer program defines a sound engine. The sound engine includes or is linked to one or more musical composition interfaces that enable one or more users to access a music generator/controller/modifier utility (“music generator”), so as to graphically map one or more musical notes by tracing one or more Bezier paths defined that are processable by the music generator so as to define the four fundamental note qualities: Tone, pitch, volume and duration. The music generator enables user manipulation of the Bezier paths, including touch input modification of the paths (e.g. dragging, forming etc.) that modify fundamental qualities of the corresponding note.
US09082368B2

A semiconductor device may include a plurality of banks; and a control unit configured to receive a command from an external device and independently control the plurality of banks according to the received command. Each bank comprises a pixel array including a plurality of pixels; a row decoder configured to activate word lines connected to the plurality of pixels under control of the control unit; a column decoder configured to activate bit lines connected to the plurality of pixels under control of the control unit; a sense amplifier and write driver configured to control and detect respective voltages of the activated bit lines to provide respective amplified voltages; and an input/output buffer configured to output data states of the pixels based on the respective amplified voltages. Related methods of operation are also discussed.
US09082365B2

A liquid crystal display device includes a liquid crystal panel; a gamma voltage supplying unit establishing a gamma voltage corresponding to each gray level according to a predetermined T-V curve; and a data driving unit changing digital image data into analog image data using the gamma voltage and outputting the analog image data to the liquid crystal panel, wherein the gamma voltage corresponding to a black level is configured to have a value within a range of 0 V to 0.005 V.
US09082364B2

A source driving system includes first and second source driving integrated circuits. The first driving integrated circuit includes a first source driver for receiving first display data and driving pixels in a first block of a display panel according to the first display data. The second source driving integrated circuit includes a second source driver electrically connected to the first source driver for receiving second display data and driving pixels in a second block of the display panel according to the second display data. The first and the second source drivers generate first and second display parameters according to the first and the second display data respectively. The second display parameter is transmitted from the second source driver to the first source driver. The first source driver generates a third display parameter according to the first and second parameters and transmits the third display parameter to the second source driver.
US09082353B2

The invention relates to methods and apparatus for forming images on a display utilizing a control matrix to control the movement of MEMS-based light modulators.
US09082338B2

Systems, apparatus, and methods are disclosed herein for displaying images. One such apparatus includes an input, subfield derivation logic, subframe generation logic, dark subframe detection logic, and output logic. The input is configured to receive image data associated with an image frame. The subfield derivation logic is configured to derive at least one color subfield for the received image frame. The subframe generation logic is configured to generate a plurality of subframes for each of the at least one derived color subfields. The dark subframe detection logic is configured to identify dark subframes. The output logic is configured to, in response to identification of a dark subframe, suppress the outputting of the dark subframe and to modify a display parameter associated with at least one other subframe based on a timing value associated with the identified dark subframe.
US09082337B2

Techniques for presenting changing visual content, including video, animation and so on, as an overlay are discussed. Changing visual content, included in a visual presentation, may be identified from other visual elements included in the visual presentation. The changing visual content may be manipulated based on available resources associated with presenting the changing visual content as an overlay for a client.
US09082333B2

An integrated circuit is provided. The integrated circuit includes a plurality of output pads, a plurality of test pads, and a plurality of channel shift switches respectively connected between the plurality of output pads and the plurality of test pads and operated by a plurality of channel shift switch enable signals. A short path between the plurality of output pads may be detected when each of the plurality of channel shift switch enable signals are simultaneously at a high level.
US09082326B2

Self illuminated back and front lit shaped and two-sided signage. The signage includes a turning film having a structured surface for redirecting light and a diffuser providing for diffusion. The shape of the signage from a viewer's perspective provides the content, such as letters, to be conveyed to the viewer. Two-sided signage includes two signs arranged back-to-back, each including a turning film having a structured surface for redirecting light, a diffuser providing for diffusion, and a printed graphic. In the two-sided signage, the turning films receive light from an ambient light source and direct the light via the structured surfaces toward viewers of the two graphics in order to passively illuminate the signage. The two-sided signage can be shaped to provide content via the shape and graphics.
US09082319B2

Methods, apparatuses, and systems for computer-aided tracking, navigation, and motion tracking. In one embodiment, a system for determining a spatial position, including a tracking device and a processor. The tracking devices has a working end, a reference end, a plurality of links connecting the working end to the reference end, wherein each link has at least one degree of freedom relative to an adjacent link, and a plurality of sensors measuring the orientation of the links in a plurality of degrees of freedom, wherein X is a minimum number of degrees of freedom about which information is required to define the spatial position. The processor receives information from the sensors and determine the spatial position of the working end of the tracking device relative to the reference end of the tracking device based on information from the sensors measuring Y degrees of freedom, wherein Y is greater than X.
US09082318B2

Systems for automatically specifying a tunnel entrance and methods that accomplish same. One method includes a target entrance selecting step for selecting, from a map data storing portion, a target entrance for specifying an entrance elevation of a tunnel, a target road link assigning step for assigning, from the map data storing portion, a road link, which includes the target entrance, as a target road link, a corrected point extracting step for extracting a certain point as a corrected point, the certain point being located along the target road link and away from the target entrance outwardly of the tunnel by a predetermined distance, a corrected point elevation specifying step for specifying an elevation of the corrected point as a corrected point elevation, and a first target entrance elevation specifying step for specifying the corrected point elevation as a first elevation of the target entrance.
US09082307B2

The circular antenna array for vehicular direction finding applications is a circular disc having a plurality of microstrip antennas radially spaced around the disc at equal angles. In one embodiment, the circular antenna array includes V-shaped antennas, and in another embodiment, the antennas are Yagi antennas. The circular antenna array can operate under two modes, switched and phased, in the 2.45 GHz band with an operating bandwidth of at least 100 MHz. The circular antenna array is configured to be installed in vehicles. Selective transmittal of an RF signal from a key fob generates a response signal from a specific antenna element receiving the RF signal in line with the direction of origin thereof. An LED panel indicates proximity and direction to the vehicle being located.
US09082304B2

Systems and methods disclose an enhanced barrel mounted traffic message board system for displaying information to traffic. A traffic message board is adjustably coupled to a pole and configured to display the traffic information to the traffic. A battery provides power to the traffic message board and a solar panel provides power to the battery. A traffic barrel is positioned around the pole and over a base plate that supports the pole. An internal structure positioned within the barrel couples with the base plate to provide support to the pole.
US09082303B2

Disclosed herein is a traveler information monitoring and dissemination system. The system disclosed herein provides real time information to a traveler, wherein the real time information may be pre-selected by the traveler. The system ensures consistent and quality data are produced and issued to the traveler.
US09082291B2

A distributed metering platform virtualizes functions of a conventional metrology sensor and separates the virtualized functions from a metrology sensor. One or more virtual meters or applications may be instantiated at a network communication device that is remote from the metrology sensor and processes metrology data received from the metrology sensor. Each virtual meter may include multiple partitioned application spaces that are isolated from one another. In one example, a first application space includes a locked version of code and a second application space includes an unlocked version of code. Furthermore, each virtual meter may be isolated from other virtual meters such that each virtual meter is unable to affect operations and/or data associated with other virtual meters.
US09082289B2

A radio frequency identification (RFID) system for detecting and identifying lost dentures in a facility, includes readers deployed in fixed locations in the facility. Each of the readers is configured to transmit a first signal and to detect from a distance a second signal, which is generated at an RFID transponder embedded in a denture in response to receiving the first signal by backscattering a part of the first signal. The second signal contains information related to the denture, including an identification of the denture owner. The RFID system also includes a first server located within the facility. The first server is configured to communicate with the readers over a network in the facility and to control operations of the readers. Each of the readers sends the information related to the denture to the first server when it detects the second signal from the RFID transponder.
US09082287B2

A method for displaying the movement state of a memory card slot is disclosed. Detection is performed to determine whether a slot button has been touched for activating. A light intensity signal is received and transformed into an electrical signal when the slot button has been activated, in which the light intensity signal represents the movement of the memory card slot. Next, the electrical signal is processed through a processor for deriving a position of the memory card slot, and the movement state is displayed according to the position of the memory card slot.
US09082278B2

A surveillance system includes an input unit to receive a plurality of video frames that are acquired through the use of a first camera, a video processing unit to perform prediction and encoding processes on the plurality of video frames, a moving-object tracking unit to track a moving object between the video frames based on at least part of the results from the prediction and encoding processes to generate location information of the moving object being tracked, and a control unit to generate a control signal based on the location information and to transmit the control signal to a second camera to control the movement of the second camera.
US09082263B2

A system and method are provided for playing a game of chance. The game of chance may include, for example, a lottery-type game. A result of the game of chance is revealed to a player in another medium. In one example, the result is revealed during multiple game instances of one or more online games. In one example, the online game is a bingo game.
US09082260B2

A system, method and apparatus for a gaming system is provided. The gaming system includes a rewards server and a separate gaming or slot accounting server. The system may further include a separate player tracking server. The system further includes one or more game machines. The game machines may include a base game, rewards tracking module, and a game management module. Further details will be apparent from the description, drawings and claims.
US09082259B2

A method is shown for enhancing game play on a gaming machine. In one embodiment, the gaming machine may include a processor, a memory, and program logic stored in the memory that may be executable to play a game in exchange for a wager. The method includes receiving a Newprom award that is not issued by the gaming machine. The method may include altering, using the processor, the game to an enhanced game state in response to the Newprom award. The Newprom award may be configured to add one or more game play enhancements available to a player only by way of the Newprom award to the game. This may alter the game to the enhanced game state so that the game is played with the one or more game play enhancements.
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