US09162607B2
A vehicular lamp has a light-emitting portion connected in series to an input terminal to which a power supply voltage based on an on-board battery is configured to be applied, and having a plurality of light-emitting elements connected in series, a series connection circuit having a first current limiting resistor and a second current limiting resistor, which is inserted in series between the input terminal and the light-emitting portion, a resistor switching switch connected in parallel to one of the first current limiting resistor and the second current limiting resistor, bypass switches, each of which is connected in parallel to a required one of the light-emitting elements in the light-emitting portion, and a control circuit that turns off the resistor switching switch when at least one of the bypass switches is turned on.
US09162605B2
The ratchet strap binder includes a main frame and a spool mounted for rotation inside the main frame. In one possible implementation, the spool has an outer surface and includes a first strap-receiving passageway extending inside the spool between opposite first and second openings located on the outer surface of the spool, and a second strap-receiving passageway extending inside the spool from a third opening located on the outer surface of the spool to at least the first passageway. Also disclosed is a method of adjusting a strap in length and a ratchet strap binder including an elongated strap passing inside the at least one strap-receiving passageway, the strap forming a loop to adjust the strap in length. The loop can be pulled using a finger-actuated pull tab attached to the loop or be pulled directly by the user's fingers.
US09162600B2
According to the present disclosure, a child restraint includes a juvenile seat and a child-restraint harness coupled to the juvenile seat. The juvenile seat includes a seat bottom and a seat back extending upwardly from the seat bottom. The juvenile seat further includes a cupholder coupled to the seat bottom.
US09162592B2
A fitting for a vehicle seat includes a first fitting part, a second fitting part which is rotatable relative to said first fitting part, a peripheral clamping ring which has a substantially L-shaped cross section, and which is connected to the first fitting part and extends over the second fitting part, and an intermediate ring which has a substantially L-shaped cross section, and which is arranged between the peripheral clamping ring and the second fitting part. A ledge is formed on the second fitting part, which ledge has an end surface and a cylindrical supporting surface. The supporting surface has a diameter which is smaller than the maximum outer diameter of the second fitting part, and the cylindrical supporting surface directly or indirectly supports the peripheral clamping ring.
US09162586B2
Electric vehicles and, more particularly, a control system for an all-wheel drive electric vehicle. An electric vehicle drive system comprises: first and second electric motors; a torque split unit configured to receive first input that includes at least a total torque request for the first and second electric motors, and respective first and second maximum torques for the first and second electric motors, the torque split unit configured to process the first input without taking into account wheel slip, and to generate at least respective first and second torque requests for the first and second electric motors; and a traction and stability control unit configured to receive second input that includes at least the first and second torque requests, the total torque request, a computed vehicle speed, and respective first and second slip errors relating to the first and second electric motors, the traction and stability control unit configured to process the second input and to generate respective first and second torque commands for the first and second electric motors.
US09162584B2
A charging control apparatus (310) controls wireless charging between one charging apparatus (10) and a vehicle (20) which communicates with the one charging apparatus via a communication relay apparatus (30). The charging control apparatus is provided with: an outputting device (320, 330) for transmitting a first signal which is a signal for designating a signal outputted from the one charging apparatuses, to of the one charging apparatuses; a detecting device (320, 330) for detecting a third signal which is transmitted by wireless communication from the vehicle and which is a signal corresponding to a second signal which is a signal outputted from the one charging apparatus due to the transmitted first signal; and a distinguishing device (310) for correlating the one charging apparatus with the vehicle on the basis of the transmitted first signal and the detected third signal.
US09162583B2
A power control device that controls electric power supplied from an external power supply to a vehicle includes: a switching unit that switches a supply voltage value of the external power supply; and a control unit that generates a signal, indicating an allowable current value of the external power supply, to transmit the signal to the vehicle, and that controls the switching unit to thereby control the supply voltage value, wherein the control unit changes the signal and the supply voltage value on the basis of a given electric power command value.
US09162571B2
A dual drive arrangement has three way power split device such as an epicyclic gearing system converting input rotation from a gearbox or from an electric motor into an output rotation driving a hydraulic pump. A method for controlling the dual drive arrangement driving a hydraulic pump includes setting a minimal flow value to the hydraulic pump, sensing the vehicle speed, processing the sensed vehicle speed where the processing includes comparing the sensed vehicle speed with a reference speed value to thereby determine whether the vehicle operates in a first operational mode I where the speed vehicle is too low to drive the hydraulic pump up to the minimal flow or in a second operational mode II where speed vehicle where the speed vehicle is sufficient to meet at least the minimal flow value, and controlling the operation of the epicyclic gear so that the electric source drives the hydraulic pump when the vehicle runs under the first operational mode I and at least the gearbox drives the hydraulic pump when the vehicle runs under the second operational mode II.
US09162570B2
A multi-speed power transmission device includes an input shaft, first and second output shafts and a planetary gearset. An axially moveable sleeve fixes the first output shaft and the input shaft for rotation when in a first position and the sleeve fixes the sun gear and the input shaft for rotation when in a second position. A hub is axially moveable and free to rotate relative to the first output shaft when in the first position. The hub is fixed for rotation with the first output shaft when in the second position. A cam plate is continuously fixed for rotation with the carrier and urges the hub toward its second position when in a second axial position. The input shaft drives the first output shaft at a reduced speed via the planetary gearset when the sleeve, hub and cam plate are at their second positions.
US09162563B2
The present invention relates to the exhaust gas guiding of a road milling machine. The road milling machine comprises an internal combustion engine, an engine air inlet, via which the engine air flows from the outside to the internal combustion engine, an engine air outlet, via which the engine air is conducted out of the road milling machine, a device for generating a flow movement of the engine air from the engine air inlet to the engine air outlet, and an exhaust system which is implemented for discharging the exhaust gases occurring during operation of the internal combustion engine from the internal combustion engine out of the road milling machine, having an exhaust gas outlet. The engine air is used to cool the exhaust gas.
US09162562B2
An actuator for opening and closing grille shutters includes a drive unit, a wheel driven by the drive unit, and a pair of shafts attached to the wheel and configured for driving the grille shutters to open or close. At least one of the shafts is pivotally coupled to the wheel so that an angle formed between the shafts and the wheel is adjustable.
US09162558B2
A utility vehicle is disclosed having an electric drive. The drivetrain is comprised of batteries, a motor, a transaxle driven by the motor, a rear differential driven by the transaxle, and a prop shaft which is driven by the transaxle and drives a front differential. The batteries are provided in two groups and are supported on the frame of the vehicle.
US09162548B1
A vehicle and a suspension assembly for a vehicle are disclosed. A shock absorber includes a distal end and a proximal end spaced from each other along a central axis. A first spring and a second spring each encircle the shock absorber. The first and second springs align with each other along the central axis between the distal and proximal ends. An actuator includes a movable portion which is movable relative to the shock absorber between a first position wherein the first spring and the second spring are both compressible to define a first total spring rate, and a second position wherein the first spring is incompressible and the second spring is compressible to define a second total spring rate different from the first total spring rate.
US09162530B2
This invention relates to a tire having a rubber tread containing functionalized carbon nanotubes and particulate reinforcement comprised of precipitated silica.
US09162522B1
A keyable brace system for stretched canvases provides for keying-out the stretcher bars of a stretcher frame when needed, using interchangeable brace components that can be used face-up or face-down. The braces are of low profile, suitable even for stretcher frames of nominal ¾ inch depth, about ½ inch at inner side of the stretcher bar. Instead of relying on a tongue at the end of each brace to extend into a groove in the side of the frame's stretcher bar, the brace end and the side of the stretcher bar are both grooved and a tapered key is relied on to engage with both the brace and bar grooves to hold the brace in place.
US09162521B2
A carrier for painting panels includes a box-like container including first and second opposing side walls, front and rear walls, and a floor closing the lower end of the container. A stepped track extends along each of the side walls, each stepped track including at least first and second channels for engaging first edges of first and second panels, respectively. The first and second channels are spaced from the corresponding side wall by first and second distances, respectively. The second distance exceeds the first distance by at least 0.25 inch, and preferably by 0.50 inch or by 1.0 inch. Preferably, each stepped track includes a third channel for engaging an edge of a third panel; the third channel is spaced from the corresponding side wall by a third distance which exceeds the second distance by at least 0.25 inch, preferably by 0.50 inch or by 1.0 inch.
US09162520B2
A facade is formed on an upright supporting surface using a plurality of facade elements formed of plastic material having a flat rear side and a decorative front side protruding from the rear side. The flat rear side of the elements can be abutted directly against the upright supporting surface with the elements in spaced relation with one another and secured thereon using nails from an air driven nailer. Grouting in the form of mortar repair or caulking can be used to fill the gaps between adjacent elements on the supporting surface to complete the appearance of a natural stone facade on a building wall.
US09162510B2
An image forming apparatus includes an apparatus body; a recording head to discharge droplets onto a recording medium, wherein a mist is generated when droplets are discharged to form an image; a battery, detachably disposed inside the apparatus body, to supply power necessary for operation of the apparatus body; and a connection terminal to connect the battery to the apparatus body and disposed outside a movement of the mist generated when the recording head discharges the droplets.
US09162508B2
An inkjet recording apparatus that performs preliminary discharge operation without a carriage and a recording medium interfering with each other is provided. The inkjet recording apparatus performs, at a center region in a conveyance direction of a recording medium, the preliminary operation at a position according to an edge portion of the recording medium obtained by an optical sensor. Further, the inkjet recording apparatus performs, at a leading edge region and a trailing edge region of a recording medium, the preliminary operation at a position based on input data.
US09162507B2
A printing apparatus includes a first circulation pump which is provided in a channel between a print head and a first storage tank and which supplies ink from a second storage tank to the print head. The printing apparatus further includes a second circulation pump which is provided in a channel between the first storage tank and the second storage tank which supplies ink from the first storage tank to the second storage tank. The printing apparatus further includes a control unit which controls the driving of the first circulation pump and second circulation pump, and a detecting unit which detects the amount of ink stored in the second storage tank. The control unit controls the driving of the second circulation pump on the basis of a detection result by the detecting unit.
US09162505B2
There is provided a printer including: an ink-jet head; a first rotatable body; a first attaching mechanism attaching a printing medium to the first rotatable body; a separating mechanism separating the printing medium from the first rotatable body; and a control mechanism. In the printer, first to forth routes are formed. In transporting the printing medium, the control mechanism causes the printing medium having been subjected to printing on a first surface by the ink-jet head to pass through the first route, next to pass through the second route and the third route at least once, thereafter to separate from the first rotatable body, and further to pass through the fourth route to be reversed.
US09162502B2
An inkjet printer is provided that is configured to store a plurality of pieces of gap information respectively corresponding to a plurality of examined sections discretely arranged along a head moving direction on a recording sheet, each of the plurality of examined sections including a corresponding one portion of top portions and bottom portions on the recording sheet, and calculate interpolation gap information to be interpolated over a whole width in the head moving direction of at least one of a plurality of segments, each of which has a width in the head moving direction defined by two adjacent sections of the plurality of examined sections, based on the stored gap information.
US09162500B2
A recording medium take-up mechanism and a printer prevent a recording medium having been printed from easily twisting when winding the recording medium. A printer includes a platen supporting recording paper that is delivered frontward during printing, a take-up shaft on which the recording paper having been printed is wound, a tension bar configured to impart tension to the recording paper by pressing a portion of the recording paper that is between the platen and the take-up shaft, a support arm supporting the tension bar, and a support shaft pivotably supporting the support arm. A center of the support shaft is positioned inside a contour of the take-up shaft, as viewed in an axial direction of the support shaft.
US09162498B2
An ink jet printing apparatus and an image processing apparatus capable of stably outputting an image with no joint streak even in the case where printing conditions, such as the kind of ink and the kind of printing medium, change in a variety of ways are provided. For this purpose, correction processing is performed on image data corresponding to an eject port group located at one end part of an eject port column in a first printing scan and on image data corresponding to an eject port group located at the other end part in a second printing scan. At this time, the number of eject ports included in a first eject port group and the number of eject ports included in a second eject port group are adjusted in accordance with printing conditions.
US09162496B2
A printing method and apparatus can achieve both of highly reliable detection of a mark and suppression of a sheet consumption amount when a continuous sheet is cut on an image basis after a plurality of images has been printed on the continuous sheet. For this purpose, at the time of arranging a non-image area including a cut mark between two images to be successively printed, the length of the non-image area in a conveyance direction is set on the basis of the length of a precedently conveyed image in the conveyance direction and image data in a rear end part of the image.
US09162493B2
There is provided an ink-jet recording apparatus including: a transporting roller; a driven roller provided opposite the transporting roller to sandwich the recording medium between the driven roller and the transporting roller, while moving in an approaching-departing direction based on a thickness of the recording medium; a first biasing member biasing the driven roller to the transporting roller; a platen; a recording portion configured to jet ink droplets from nozzles; and a cooperative portion moving along with the movement of the driven roller in the approaching-departing direction to move the platen.
US09162490B2
A sheet supply apparatus includes a supply unit capable of loading a plurality of continuous sheets, a reading unit for reading sheet information that a continuous sheet has, and a control unit that, when the continuous sheet is loaded on the supply unit, enables the reading unit to read the sheet information in a first state and provides a notification to prompt an input of the sheet information in a second state, the first state being the state in which the reading of the sheet information by the reading unit is available, the second state being the state in which the reading of the sheet information by the reading unit is unavailable.
US09162485B2
A treatment liquid application device for use in an inkjet printer includes an application roller to apply a treatment liquid to a recording medium before an image is formed on the recording medium, a squeeze roller disposed below the application roller and to make a pressure-contact with the application roller, a treatment liquid supply unit to supply the treatment liquid to a nip part between the application roller and the squeeze roller, and a pressure roller disposed above the application roller and to cause the recording medium to make a pressure-contact with the application roller. When the application roller applies the treatment liquid to the recording medium, a position of the application roller is not restricted in approximate load directions of the squeeze roller and the pressure roller but is restricted in directions other than the approximate load directions.
US09162481B2
A print medium includes a plurality of print areas and a plurality of identification markers. The plurality of print areas are set along a longitudinal direction on a printing surface. The plurality of print areas are a plurality of areas on which printing is to be performed. The plurality of identification markers are intermittently printed along the longitudinal direction on the print medium. Each of the plurality of identification markers includes a set of leading edge information and identification information and is printed in correspondence with a single print area group. The leading edge information is information for setting a leading edge position of the print area in the feed direction. The identification information is information for identifying a type of the print medium. The print area group is formed of a plurality of mutually adjacent print areas among the plurality of print areas.
US09162478B2
An image recording apparatus, including: a first head for ejecting first liquid; a second head for ejecting second liquid; a second-liquid test-pattern recording command section configured to command recording of a test pattern of the second liquid on the recording medium; and an output controller configured to output recording data to the first head and/or the second head. When the second-liquid test-pattern recording command section does not command the recording of the test pattern of the second liquid, the output controller outputs recording data representative of an image to be recorded, to the first head and the second head. When the second-liquid test-pattern recording command section commands the recording of the test pattern of the second liquid, the output controller outputs the recording data representative of the test pattern of the second liquid, not to the first head but to the second head.
US09162477B2
Area information is obtained with respect to a specified color and nozzle position having color unevenness. Then, coordinate information indicating a nozzle position corresponding to the above area information is obtained in a printing head or nozzle array corresponding to an ink color relating to the specified color information. Next, the number of candidate correction values or candidate patches is obtained on the basis of nozzle coordinates obtained corresponding to the area, by referring to a table. In this table, for example, the number of candidate correction values is small at a nozzle position where an effect due to the variations of nozzle ejection characteristics such as a nozzle ejection volume is small and a change direction is constant, and the number of candidate correction values is large at a nozzle position where an effect due to variations of nozzle ejection characteristics is large.
US09162463B2
There is provided a liquid jetting apparatus including: a liquid jetting head including a liquid jetting surface; a wiper including first and second wiping portions; a moving mechanism; a liquid discharge mechanism; and a controller configured to perform: controlling the moving mechanism to cause the first wiping portion to wipe the liquid jetting surface in a state that the first wiping portion is brought into contact with the liquid jetting surface; controlling the moving mechanism to cause the second wiping portion to wipe the liquid jetting surface in a state that the second wiping portion is brought into contact with the liquid jetting surface; and controlling the liquid jetting head to jet the liquid from the nozzles such that the liquid makes a contact with the second wiping portion to clean the second wiping portion.
US09162462B2
An embodiment of the present invention provides a wiping method capable of preventing a problem such as color mixing or a discharge failure in a wiping operation during the reciprocating motion of a carriage. According to the embodiment, one or a plurality of orifice arrays out of a plurality of orifice arrays included in a printhead are wiped by making a sheet-like wiping member contact to the orifice surface of the printhead. After that, the wiping member is separated from the orifice surface of the printhead, and the used wiping member is wound. Then, the wiping member is made to contact to the orifice surface of the printhead again, and the next one or more orifice arrays are wiped.
US09162459B2
A liquid ejection head includes a substrate which has an energy-generating element that generates energy to be utilized for ejecting a liquid, and a supply orifice for supplying the liquid to the energy-generating element; and an ejection orifice forming member that has a plurality of ejection orifices through which the liquid is ejected, and at least one beam-like projection which projects toward the substrate and extends along an array direction of the ejection orifices at a position corresponding to the supply orifice. A sectional area perpendicular to the array direction of the ejection orifices at the central part of the beam-like projection in the array direction of the ejection orifices is larger than a sectional area in the direction perpendicular to the array direction of the ejection orifices at both ends of the beam-like projection in the array direction.
US09162458B2
An inkjet recording apparatus includes a support member having a plurality of ribs and supporting the sheet; a head disposed above the support member and ejecting ink to the sheet supported by the support member; and at least one contact portion disposed upstream of the head and configured to come in contact with the sheet so as to make the sheet a waved shape. The support member includes a first support portion comprising at least one first guide portions disposed corresponding to the at least one contact portion, and a plurality of second guide portions disposed corresponding to the plurality of ribs and disposed above the plurality of first guide portions. The support member further comprises a second support portion comprising a third guide portion disposed downstream of the first support portion.
US09162450B2
An image processing apparatus includes an acquiring unit which acquires first image data indicating a first gray-scale value of an image having a first attribute and a second image data indicating a second gray-scale value of an image having a second attribute that is different from the first attribute, a correcting unit which corrects the first gray-scale value and the second gray-scale value acquired by the acquiring unit on basis of information on an ejection characteristic of a discharge head to different extents, the discharge head ejecting liquid to be used for forming the first image and the second image on a recording medium with dots.
US09162446B2
A recording apparatus includes a head unit, which includes a driver, and a recording data transmitter that transfers recording data to the head unit via a signal line. The recording apparatus further includes a switching unit in the head unit that switches a driving signal applied to the driver between conductive and nonconductive states based on the transferred recording data, a partition signal output unit in the recording data transmitter that outputs a partition signal that partitions a data signal of the recording data to the head unit in response to switching by the switching unit, and a data selector in the head unit that selects data to be discarded from the transferred recording data based on the partition signal.
US09162445B2
In a liquid material discharge control method, timing signals generated periodically are used to control discharge timing for discharging a liquid material from a plurality of nozzles onto a workpiece during a scan in which the nozzles and the workpiece are moved relative to each other. The liquid material discharge control method includes calculating a first elapsed time in a relative movement between the nozzles and the workpiece by counting a first prescribed number of outputs of the timing signals that define the discharge timing, comparing the first elapsed time with a first predicted time at which the nozzles are predicted to reach intended discharge positions on the workpiece, and discharging the liquid material from the nozzles onto the workpiece upon the first predicted time having elapsed when the first elapsed time is at least shorter than the first predicted time.
US09162439B2
A printing assembly including a clamping annulus having a tiered circumferential end, an axial end and an oppositely axial end, the clamping annulus's axial and oppositely axial ends having outside diameters, the axial end outside diameter having with respect to said oppositely axial end outside diameter an excess dimension defining a guide sleeve receiving space within the clamping annulus; a matching cylinder annularly overlying the clamping annulus; a plurality of magnet recesses, each recess among the plurality of magnet recesses extending radially into the cylinder, and each recess among the plurality of magnet receiving recesses opening radially outwardly from the cylinder's outer surface; and a multiplicity of magnets, each magnet among the multiplicity of magnets being embedded within one of the recesses among the plurality of magnet receiving recesses.
US09162437B2
A frame assembly for supporting a printing screen, the frame assembly comprising: a frame unit to which a printing screen is in use supported; and a screen loading mechanism for loading a printing screen into and unloading a printing screen from the frame unit, wherein the screen loading mechanism comprises a screen loading member which is movably coupled to the frame unit between a screen-receiving position in which a printing screen can be loaded into or removed from the screen loading member and a loaded position in which the printing screen is loaded into the frame unit, and at least one actuator element which is coupled to the screen loading member and actuatable to move the screen loading member between the screen-receiving and loaded positions.
US09162435B2
Disclosed is a peel-off apparatus comprising: a first holding unit configured to hold a first substrate of a superimposed substrate; a second holding unit configured to hold a second substrate of the superimposed substrate; and a moving unit configured to move a part of outer periphery of the first holding unit to be separated from the second holding unit. The first holding unit includes: a plate type elastic member connected to the moving unit; and a plurality of adsorbing units provided in the elastic member to adsorb the first substrate. An outer periphery adsorbing unit which becomes a peel-off beginning point includes: a pad member whose adsorbing surface of the first substrate is open to form a hollow portion; and a support member fitted into the hollow portion of the pad member having a hardness higher than that of the pad member.
US09162433B2
A flow passage device includes a first base body having a first hole and a second base body having a second hole connected to the first hole to form a flow passage. A first portion formed around the first hole has a specified shape for holding an adhesive. The second base body has a high-wettability surface around the second hole with a low-wettability surface disposed proximate the high-wettability surface, and at least part of the high-wettability surface has a shape matching at least part of the specified shape. The first and second base body are bonded to each other with the adhesive to form the flow passage by aligning the at least part of the first portion with the at least part of the high-wettability surface with positions of the first and the second holes aligned with each other.
US09162432B2
A method of separating a discrete portion from a first web. The discrete portion can be bonded to a second web which may be moving at the same or different speed. The discrete portion can be incorporated into an absorbent article.
US09162430B2
The invention provides a coated substrate comprising at least the following: i) a first layer formed from a first composition that has a melting point, Tm1, and comprising at least one ethylene-based interpolymer; ii) a second layer formed from a second composition comprising the following: a) at least one propylene-based polymer, and b) at least one ethylene-based polymer, and iii) a woven web formed from at least one olefin-based polymer with a melting point of Tm2a and/a or nonwoven web formed from at least one olefin-based polymer with a melting point of Tm2b; and wherein and Tm1 is less than, or equal to, “Tm2a −20° C.”, and/or less than, or equal to, “Tm2b −20° C.” The invention also provides a coated substrate comprising at least the following: i) a first layer is formed from a first composition that has a melting point, Tm1; and ii) a woven web formed from at least one olefin-based polymer with a melting point of Tm2a and/or a nonwoven web formed from at least one olefin-based polymer with a melting point of Tm2b; and wherein and the first composition comprises at least one propylene-based polymer with a MFR from 15 to 35 g/10 min, and wherein Tm1 is less than, or equal to, “Tm2a −20° C.”, and/or less than, or equal to, “Tm2b −20° C.”
US09162416B1
A three-dimensional microlattice structure includes a series of interconnected struts extending along at least three different directions, a series of intermediate nodes defined at intersections between the struts, and a basal plane structure extending laterally between and interconnecting at least two of the nodes. The basal plane structure may be configured to transversely and rotationally constrain the nodes to increase the overall compressive strength and stiffness of the microlattice structure. In one embodiment, the interconnected struts are arranged into an array of ordered unit cells.
US09162412B2
The quality of the briquettes granulated by a briquetting machine is improved. A briquetting machine control device samples the briquette that have been produced to measure an apparent density and a crush strength of the sampled briquette (step S10), and controls each operation set value adjusting unit (4, 6, 7) of the briquetting machine so that the actual measurement values come closer to predefined briquette quality target values (step S20 to step S60).
US09162410B2
A method and device for compressing a gas-phase medium, particularly hydrogen or natural gas, wherein the medium may have a water content up to total saturation with water and wherein the medium is compressed in a single or multiple stages in at least one liquid-filled chamber. The liquid(s) that is/are used are an ionic liquid that is not susceptible to attack by the water contained in the medium to be compressed and/or a liquid with low vapor pressure that is not susceptible to attack by the water contained in the medium to be compressed, and the compressed medium undergoes a water separation stage.
US09162408B2
It is an object to provide a tire for a motorcycle which does not damage a stability in a transition between straight running and cornering but is excellent in various performances. A tire (2) includes a tread (4). The tread (4) is divided into (2N−1) parts (N is a natural number which is equal to or greater than four). The tread (4) is divided into a first region (20) positioned on a center region and a second region (22) to an Nth region in order from the center region toward a shoulder region. The second region (22) to the Nth region make a pair of regions which are symmetrical with respect to an equator plane of the tire. The first region (20) to the Nth region are formed by crosslinked rubber compositions respectively and materials of the respective regions are different from each other. In the first region (20) to the Nth region, a rubber hardness of the region on the adjacent center side is equal to or higher than a rubber hardness of the region on the shoulder side. A rubber hardness of the first region (20) is set to be higher than a rubber hardness of the Nth region.
US09162400B2
A utility truck with arched reinforcing rods incorporated into the base of a plastic truck during molding. The reinforcing rods are held in place in a mold at a predetermined distance above the mold's inner surface by spacers attached to the ends of the rods. Plastic is molded around the rods, with more plastic provided below the rods than above them, so that, when the plastic truck is removed from the mold and allowed to cool, the plastic will contract to a greater extent than the metal rods, causing the base and the reinforcing rods to bow upward, creating a convex arch in the truck's base. The arch provides an inherently strong, bridge-type structure that substantially strengthens the load-bearing capability of the truck, yet requires less reinforcing material than conventional supplemental chassis structures. In another embodiment, caster base mounts are also molded into the bottom of the truck, providing a utility truck with a unitary chassis structure.
US09162394B2
The invention concerns a method for producing three-dimensional objects (3) layer by layer using a powdery material (5) which can be solidified by irradiating it with a high-energy beam.
US09162390B2
Process for fastening an accessory to a hollow body obtained by molding a molten plastic parison, this fastening taking place by snap-riveting with the aid of a tool during the actual molding of the parison, according to which, before carrying out the snap-riveting, the parison is locally deformed so as to surround the snap-riveting zone with a dome, the snap-riveting zone being also in relief (hollow) compared to the rest of the accessory.
US09162386B2
In a molding cycle, one process (intermediate process) is provided between an injection process and a packing process, and conditions for switching from the injection process to the intermediate process and switching from the intermediate process to the packing process are set individually. In the intermediate process, an injection pressure is detected and a target pressure is obtained based on the injection pressure. Pressure control in the intermediate process is performed based on the set target pressure.
US09162384B2
A hot runner nozzle assembly includes a nozzle heater, a hot runner nozzle, a nozzle tip, a nozzle tip seal surrounding the nozzle tip and a connecting element positioned to removably couple the tip seal to the nozzle tip and to create a first contact seal between the nozzle tip and the tip seal and a second annular contact seal between the tip seal and a mold component. The nozzle tip is made or shaped via a sintering process from a metal matrix composite (MMC) material having a first coefficient of thermal expansion. The tip seal is made or shaped from a ceramic based powder material, having a second coefficient of thermal expansion that is different from the first coefficient of thermal expansion. In operation this hot runner nozzle assembly provides an improved heat profile and a reduced leakage at the tip area under a wider operating processing window.
US09162379B2
A resin rotating body 1 is configured by a ring-shaped resin ring 2, and a metallic bush 3 which is fitted to an inner circumferential surface 2a of the resin ring, and projections 3a as rotation preventing means that connects the resin ring and the metallic bush so that the resin ring and the metallic bush do not rotate with respect to each other are provided on an outer circumferential surface of the metallic bush. Projections of the metallic bush are further provided at positions eccentric forward in a press-fitting direction of the metallic bush from a center in the axial direction of the metallic bush.
US09162378B1
A soap consolidation assembly includes a mold that may receive fragments of soap. A housing is provided that may insertably receive the mold. A heating element is coupled to the housing so the heating element may heat the mold. A processor is coupled to the housing and the processor is operationally coupled to the heating element. An actuator is coupled to the housing. The actuator is operationally coupled to the processor so the actuator may selectively actuate the processor.
US09162372B2
The invention is an integral two-layer preform (1) for the production of integrally blow-moulded bag-in-containers (2). The preform has an inner layer (11) and an outer layer (12), wherein the preform forms a two layer container upon blow-moulding, and wherein the thus obtained inner layer of the container releases from the thus obtained outer layer upon introduction of a gas at a point of interface of the two layers. The melting temperature of the inner layer is greater than or equal to the melting temperature of the outer layer.
US09162365B2
The invention relates to a method for cascading and molding an LED filament support based on a support flitch. A plurality of supports may be separated apart from the support flitch as a whole body, thus reducing welded amount and increasing efficiency. The support flitch comprises a group of supports arranged in parallel and numbered as a first support, a second support, a third support, and so on, till an n-th support one after another. According to three different cutting ways, an inner extension section, an outer extension section, an inner connection side, and a middle connection side at the upper side of the support, as well as the inner extension section, the outer extension section, the inner connection side, and the middle connection side at the lower side of the support are cut out respectively, one group or two groups of the cascaded LED filament supports may be obtained.
US09162364B2
The present invention relates to a device for making lacerations in a surface of a product without removing the surface. The device includes a power-driven hand tool; a disc member connectable to the power-driven hand tool, wherein when connected to the power-driven hand tool, the disc member can be rotated by the power-driven hand tool in a circular motion; and a plurality of pointed lacerating elements secured to and extending perpendicular from a face of the disc member, where the plurality of lacerating elements form a pattern on the face, and where when the disc member is rotated in a circular motion by the power-driven hand tool, the lacerating elements lacerate the surface of the product without removing the surface. The present invention also relates to a method for lacerating a surface of a product without removing the surface.
US09162363B2
A cutter with a slider that can be pushed from two directions has a housing, a blade holder, a slider, and a blade. The slider is mounted moveably on the housing, is connected to the blade holder, and has an upper sliding element, a lower sliding element, and a resilient tab engaging at least one tooth formed on the blade holder. The upper sliding element has an L-shaped cross section to form a top wall and a side wall corresponding respectively to a top wall and a side wall of the housing. A guiding recess is defined by the side wall of the upper sliding element to slidably receive a portion of the side wall of the housing that forms an edge of a guiding channel. Accordingly, the cutter is convenient in use.
US09162360B2
A proximity sensing apparatus is provided. The proximity sensing apparatus includes an encoded signal transmission unit, an interference signal transmission unit and a reception unit. The encoded signal transmission unit transmits an encoded signal, and the interference signal transmission unit transmits an interference signal. The interference signal interferes with the encoded signal to generate an interfered signal. The reception unit receives a sensing signal and outputs the sensing signal to a signal processing unit. The sensing signal is either the interfered signal or the encoded signal. The signal processing unit is electrically connected to the reception unit, and determines whether the sensing signal matches the encoded signal. The signal processing unit further outputs a proximity signal when the sensing signal does not match the encoded signal.
US09162350B2
A torque-limiting driver has a handle, a body, a torque-limiting assembly and a work-piece engaging tip. The torque-limiting assembly includes an upper and lower shank that have a plurality of teeth circumferentially spaced. The teeth have a vertical face, an inclined face, and a flat peak. There is a spring for applying pressure across the upper and lower shank with multiple washers interposed between the lower shaft and spring. In some instances, there is a round square drive with arched catches having preselected radii to assure operation over certain cycles at selected torque and to reduced nose cone damage and breakage at a predetermined inch pounds of torque.
US09162344B2
A polishing pad conditioning apparatus includes a laser beam generating unit for providing a laser beam, a fluid delivery system for providing a fluid stream and a vacuum line for removing debris. The laser beam may directly impinge on a surface of a polishing pad thereby creating cutting action, while an atomized fluid stream provides cooling and pad debris along with fluid are removed thru the vacuum line. Alternatively, the laser beam may be combined with the atomized fluid stream in a region above the pad surface to substantially impart part of its energy to the fluid stream, generating high energy droplets which provide “cool” cutting action on the pad surface.
US09162337B2
A polishing apparatus includes: a pure water supply line configured to supply deaerated pure water into the polishing apparatus; a gas dissolving unit coupled to the pure water supply line and configured to dissolve a gas in the deaerated pure water to produce gas-dissolved pure water; a gas-dissolved pure water delivery line coupled to the gas dissolving unit and configured to deliver the gas-dissolved pure water; an ultrasonic cleaning unit coupled to the gas-dissolved pure water delivery line and configured to impart an ultrasonic vibration energy to the gas-dissolved pure water, which has been delivered through the gas-dissolved pure water delivery line, and then eject the gas-dissolved pure water onto an object to be cleaned; and a controller configured to control the gas dissolving unit and the ultrasonic cleaning unit.
US09162335B2
An apparatus and method for machining is provided. A mounting assembly for use with a spindle, a CNC machine, an auto changer device and an air supply line, can include a mounting collar and a mounting block. The mounting collar can have a collar body and a collar arm, where the collar body defines a collar opening and one or more grooves circumscribing the collar opening, where the one or more grooves each have a sealing element positioned therein, and wherein the collar arm has a collar inlet, a collar outlet and a collar channel to provide fluid communication between the collar inlet and the collar outlet. The mounting block can be connected to the CNC machine and can have a block inlet connected to the air supply line, a block outlet, and a block channel to provide fluid communication between the block inlet and the block outlet.
US09162324B2
The invention provides a solder paste which has a solidus temperature of 255° C. or above and is improved in the wettability between Bi and Cu or Ag electrode to attain approximately equivalent wettability to those of Pb-containing high-temperature solders even in low-temperature soldering. The solder paste comprises a metal powder component consisting of Bi or a Bi alloy, a solidus temperature lowering metal for Bi, and a solid-phase metal capable of forming an intermetallic compound with the solidus temperature lowering metal, and a flux component.
US09162322B2
A method is provided for producing a pipe from a band which has a layer of a first metal and a layer of a second metal, the layers being metallurgically bonded to one another over the entire length of the band. Along the two longitudinal edges of the band, the first metal is removed from the second metal in strips which run over the entire length of the band. The band is formed into the open-seam pipe with the first metal located on the outside, and the abutting edges of the layer of the second metal are welded to one another forming a pipe which is closed all the way round. In the region of the weld seam, a layer of the first metal is then deposited on the second metal to produce a pipe with a layer of the first metal which is closed all the way round.
US09162314B2
Systems and methods relating to securing a torch assembly and a work lead assembly to a plasma cutting power supply are provided. The present disclosure relates to a system and method that allows the torch assembly and the work lead assembly to be readily replaced by the user since the power supply unit need not be opened or disassembled for removal. The present disclosure provides methods and systems for removably securing both the torch assembly and the work lead assembly to the plasma cutting power supply. In one embodiment, the torch assembly and the work lead assembly may be communicatively coupled to the plasma cutting power supply unit via a single cable and a single connector. The connection between the first connector and the first port may be of the quick disconnectable type. The connection between the second connector and the second port may be of the twist lock type, such as a dinse style connector.
US09162305B2
A method of welding a wear layer onto a parent material, wherein a welding current is applied to a first wire electrode and to at least one second wire electrode. The first wire electrode and at least one second wire electrode are continuously fed to the parent material for producing a common weld pool. Metal powder and welding powder are fed to the weld pool. The wire electrodes are flux-cored wire electrodes, having a core and a covered electrode. The flux-cored wire electrodes have a higher alloy than a weld deposit analysis of the wear layer to be welded on the parent material. The covered electrode of the flux-cored wire electrodes includes an alloy, which has magnetization properties suitable for adhesion of the metal powder.
US09162302B2
By providing a manufacturing method of an electrode for a honeycomb structure forming die including: arranging a plurality of processing electrodes 161 having a shape which is complementary to that of the flow-through cells, at positions corresponding to the plurality of flow-through cells in the one surface 107B of the electrode base body 102B; discharging electricity from the plurality of processing electrodes 161 toward the one surface 107B of the electrode base body 102B to carve the electrode base body 102B, so that a plurality of electrode cells having a shape which is analogous to that of the flow-through cells are formed in the electrode base body 102B; whereby obtaining a honeycomb electrode where a plurality of electrode cells partitioned by electrode partition walls appear on the one surface.
US09162300B2
A method for polishing a ball screw comprising a screw shaft defining a screw axis. The screw shaft is formed with a screw groove. The method comprises the steps of: rotating the screw shaft at a rotational speed about the screw axis; conveying a polishing tape having a polishing portion traveled around an outer peripheral surface of a pressing roller, the press roller being configured to rotate about a rotational axis; guiding the polishing tape such that the polishing portion is traveled around the outer peripheral surface; pressing the polishing portion against the screw groove; tilting the pressing roller such that the rotational axis is aligned with a lead angle; oscillating the pressing roller linearly along the rotational axis; moving the polishing tape at a moving speed in a direction parallel to the screw axis; and synchronizing the rotational speed with the moving speed based on a lead.
US09162299B2
A saw blade (1) serves for sawing hollow profiles and form profiles. The saw blade (1) is especially designed as saw band, and it includes a base body (2) and a plurality of teeth (10). The teeth (10) are formed by protrusions (3) and inserts (4). The teeth (10) are arranged in a group being repeated along the saw blade (1). The group includes at least three unset chamfered teeth (10). The group includes a first tooth (C1) having two chamfers (FC11, FC12) being symmetric to the longitudinal center plane (9) of the saw blade (1), a second tooth (C2) having two chamfers (FC21, FC22) being non-symmetric to the longitudinal center plane (9) and a third tooth (C3) having two chamfers (FC31, FC32) being non-symmetric to the longitudinal center plane (9).
US09162298B2
A laser alignment device for a circular saw includes a base located on a blade guard of the circular saw, and a laser module mounted at the base. The laser module includes a retaining seat pivotally connected to the base, an auxiliary seat mounted at the retaining seat, and a laser beam generator installed in the auxiliary seat. A first adjusting unit includes a first knob and a first eccentric shaft connected to the first knob and coupled to a first elongated slot in the retaining seat for allowing adjustment of the angle of inclination of the laser beam generator by rotating the first knob. A second adjusting unit includes a second knob and a second eccentric shaft connected to the second knob and coupled to a second elongated slot in the auxiliary seat for allowing adjustment of the angular position of the laser beam generator by rotating the second knob.
US09162296B2
A chamfering insert has an elongated shape with a longitudinal insert axis and includes two opposite end portions and a cylindrically shaped insert peripheral surface which extends therebetween. The chamfering insert has a cutting edge, first and second opposite insert abutment surfaces, each of which extends perpendicularly to the insert axis, and an insert anti-rotation surface which extends parallel to the insert axis. The insert anti-rotation and abutment surfaces are located on one side of an imaginary plane, and the cutting edge is located, separately therefrom, on an opposite side of the imaginary plane.
US09162295B2
A rotatable tool for chip removing machining, including a basic body having front and rear ends between which there extends a first geometrical center axis, and a loose top having front and rear ends between which a second geometrical center axis extends. The front end of the basic body includes a jaw, which is delimited by two drivers and an intermediate bottom and in which a part of the loose top is received. A centering pin protrudes axially rearward from the loose top and is inserted in an axial center hole, which mouths in the bottom of the jaw and in which a threaded hole mouths for a screw co-operating with the center pin. The center hole includes a cylindrical support surface, which is concentric with the center axis of the basic body and against which the centering pin of the loose top is pressed by the screw.
US09162288B2
Fine, highly-crystallized metal powder is produced at low cost and high efficiency by a method involving: ejecting raw material powder composed of one or more kinds of thermally decomposable metal compound powders into a reaction vessel through a nozzle together with a carrier gas and producing a metal powder by heating the raw material powder at a temperature T2 which is higher than the decomposition temperature of the raw material powder and not lower than (Tm−200°) C. where Tm is the melting point (° C.) of the metal to be produced, while allowing the raw material powder to pass through the reaction vessel in a state where the raw material powder is dispersed in a gas phase at a concentration of 10 g/liter or less, wherein an ambient temperature T1 of a nozzle opening part is set to a temperature of 400° C. or higher and lower than (Tm−200°) C.
US09162284B2
Nozzle for guiding molten metal flowing from a vessel into a mold, the nozzle having a conduit which is elongate along an axis which is orientated vertically during use. The nozzle has at least one upper inlet and at least two lower outlets with a flow divider disposed therebeween. Opposite sides of the flow divider define a lower wall of each lower outlet, and a recessed channel is provided in each of the opposite sides of the flow divider so as to produce fluid flow which closely follows the shape of the lower outlets.
US09162281B2
The continuous casting device according to the present invention enables at least some of a plurality of hearths (3) to be converted between being hearths (13) used for titanium, which are used during the continuous casting of titanium ingots, and being hearths (23) used for titanium alloy, which are used during the continuous casting of titanium alloy ingots. The number of hearths (23) used for titanium alloy is greater than the number of hearths (13) used for titanium. Also, the total capacity of the hearths (23) used for titanium alloy is greater than the total capacity of the hearths (13) used for titanium. Thus, titanium ingots and titanium alloy ingots can each be continuously cast by means of a single piece of equipment.
US09162277B2
A self-piercing die riveter having an indexable die table on the nose of its frame. The die table has a number of dies disposed thereon. The frame defines a first passage and a second passage in communication with and diverging from the first passage. An actuator for indexing the die table is located on the riveter outside of the nose of the frame and is connected to the die table through either shafts or belts disposed within the first and second passages. The die table has a number of detents that cooperate with a locating arm to hinder indexing of the die table and position the dies in-line with the path of a reciprocating punch.
US09162265B2
A method and apparatus for making a collar to the end of a pipe. The apparatus comprises an attachment clamp surrounding the pipe and a body part, connected by hinging to a pivoting cradle having a forming cone, which can enter the end of the pipe. In the method, the forming cone is moved axially and obliquely to the central axis of the pipe, inside the pipe until it contacts the inner surface of the pipe, the forming cone being loaded with the desired load pressure against the inner surface. The forming cone is then pivoted using a pivoting cradle outwards from the central axis of the pipe, around the inner edge of the attachment clamp, and the forming cone and pipe are simultaneously rotated with respect to each other around the central axis of the pipe until the desired collar has formed.
US09162261B1
A system for controlling silica dust generated during the transfer of frac sand from a storage container through a conveyor system includes a system of conduits having a plurality of inlets for collecting silica dust generated at selected points along the conveyor system. An air system pneumatically coupled to the system of conduits generates a negative pressure at each of the inlets to induce the collection of silica dust at the selected points along the conveyor.
US09162256B2
In order to improve the grinding and classification process, the subsequent dust separation, and to optimize the energy situation of a grinding plant, with the aid of a guiding apparatus and a displacement body, the fine material-fluid low leaving the dynamic classifier part with angular momentum, besides a swirl reduction or swirl elimination, is made uniform in a classifier outlet housing and deflected into a virtually linear flow. The fixed guiding apparatus arranged coaxially with the classifier axis in the classifier outlet housing and the displacement body can be formed as one unit and the guide elements of the guiding apparatus can be arranged on the displacement body and extending into the vicinity of the inner wall of the classifier outlet housing.
US09162247B2
A coating treatment apparatus supplying a coating solution to a front surface of a rotated substrate and diffusing the supplied coating solution to an outer periphery side of the substrate to thereby apply the coating solution on the front surface of the substrate includes: a substrate holding part holding a substrate; a rotation part rotating the substrate held on the substrate holding part; a supply part supplying a coating solution to a front surface of the substrate held on the substrate holding part; and an airflow control plate provided at a predetermined position above the substrate held on the substrate holding part for locally changing an airflow above the substrate rotated by the rotation part at an arbitrary position.
US09162239B2
Mechanical inversion of direction of a rotating control component of a landscape sprinkler device. Such a device, having a switching member with end stops associated therewith in both pivoting directions the control component, against said stops the switching member stops and is actuated, wherein at least one end stop can be adjusted coaxially with respect to a pivoting axis of the control component. The switching member is configured in an elastically resilient manner on the contact region thereof that is positioned at the height of the end stops such that the contact region retreats back from the adjusting path of the end stop in case of an overload, and devices are provided in order to re-establish the contact region at a defined position in the rotation angle region between the two end slops from the retreated position.
US09162238B1
The oscillating pressurized spray tip protection assembly is comprised of a tip guard and a lock plate that lock together via securing means over an oscillating spray tip in order to protect against wear when said spray tip is penetrating ground. The spray tip protection assembly utilizes a material that is strong, and more durable than the spray tip enclosed therein such that the life of the spray tip is increased. The tip guard has a cavity contoured to an exterior surface of the oscillating spray tip with an opening at a front end of the tip guard thereby enabling pressurized water to exit from both the oscillating spray tip as well as the tip guard.
US09162236B2
Embodiments of the present invention relate to method and apparatus for providing processing gases to a process chamber with improved uniformity. One embodiment of the present invention provides a gas injection assembly. The gas injection assembly includes an inlet hub, a nozzle having a plurality of injection passages disposed against the inlet hub, and a distribution insert disposed between the nozzle and the inlet hub. The distribution insert has one or more gas distribution passages configured to connect the inlet hub to the plurality of the injection passages the nozzle. Each of the one or more gas distribution passages has one inlet connecting with a plurality of outlets, and distances between the inlet and each of the plurality of outlets are substantially equal.
US09162226B2
A method and system for a folding microfluidic device comprises creating at least one folding line in a material, forming a plurality of layers of a microfluidic device in said material, and folding the material at the fold lines to create a self-aligned multilayered microfluidic device. The material can comprise a carrier material with an adhesive layer on the top and bottom surfaces.
US09162215B2
Methods are provided for producing epoxidation catalysts. The present methods are able to produce catalysts having the desired loading levels of catalytic species at a lower vacuum level (having a higher minimum residual pressure) than previously appreciated by the art, thereby providing equipment cost and time savings.
US09162214B2
Aspects of the invention relate to hydrogenation catalysts, and hydrogenation processes using these catalysts, having particular characteristics, in terms of the amount and type of metal hydrogenation component (or catalytic constituent), as well as the support or substrate. The catalyst compositions, comprising both a noble metal and a lanthanide element on a substantially non-porous substrate, provide advantageous performance characteristics, including conversion, selectivity, and activity stability, as demanded in industrial hydrogenation and selective hydrogenation applications.
US09162212B2
A heterogeneous catalyst system, a method of preparing the catalyst system and a method of forming a biodiesel product via transesterification reactions using the catalyst system is disclosed. The catalyst system according to one aspect of the present disclosure represents a class of supported mixed metal oxides that include at least calcium oxide and another metal oxide deposited on a lanthanum oxide or cerium oxide support. Preferably, the catalysts include CaO—CeO2ZLa2O3 or CaO—La2O3/CeO2. Optionally, the catalyst may further include additional metal oxides, such as CaO—La2O3—GdOxZLa2O3.
US09162198B2
A device for providing a mixture of compressed air and liquid reducing agent includes a first inflow duct for reducing agent, a second inflow duct for compressed air, an outlet duct for the mixture, a mixing point at which compressed air and reducing agent are merged, and a mixing duct which adjoins the mixing point and which connects the mixing point and the outlet duct. The first inflow duct opens into the mixing point in an axial direction. The second inflow duct is connected to the mixing point through at least one injection duct. The at least one injection duct opens into the mixing point in a tangential direction. A method for mixing liquid reducing agent and compressed air to form a mixture and a motor vehicle having the device, are also provided.
US09162191B2
Imidazole-containing polymer membranes are described herein. Methods of their preparation and use are also described herein. The methods of using the membranes include capturing and reducing volatile compounds from gas streams.
US09162187B2
A filter module comprising a pressure pipe and a membrane disposed therein, having connections for a fluid to be fed, preferably untreated water, and for filtrate and retentate to be discharged, characterized by a functional/connection unit which is fastened in one end of the pressure pipe and has an upper part and a lower part, wherein all of the connections are provided on the upper part, and flow ducts which are in communication with the connections pass through the lower part, wherein the pressure pipe and the membrane have provided thereinbetween an open annular space through which the fed fluid flows to the bottom side of the membrane, and wherein the pressure pipe has a closed bottom.
US09162180B1
Systems and method for utilizing a generally unused and sealed off portion of an underground limestone mine, generally which is still elsewhere in use, to become a portion of a pollution mitigation system for the exhaust gases of a limestone kiln or other co-located industrial process.
US09162175B2
A compact configuration for a plurality of swing adsorption beds. The beds are configured within a single vessel such that one or more beds of adsorbent material are position as successive rings about a first, or core, bed of adsorbent material.
US09162170B2
A synthesis reaction system is provided with: a reactor which synthesizes a hydrocarbon compound by a chemical reaction of a synthesis gas including hydrogen and carbon monoxide as main components, and a slurry having solid catalyst particles suspended in liquid; a separator which separates the hydrocarbon compound from the slurry; and a filtering device which filters the hydrocarbon compound extracted from the separator to trap powdered catalyst particles.
US09162167B2
A filter includes a structurally rigid adsorptive filtering medium formed as a sintered porous material chosen to remove targeted contaminant(s). The adsorptive filtering medium forms a hollow chamber sized to receive a mechanical filtering medium which is sized to press outward against the adsorptive filtering medium which supports the mechanical filtering medium thus eliminating a cage and a core to support the mechanical filtering medium and leading to a simplified construction. The fluid enters the filter through substantially the entire face of the adsorptive filtering structure and proceeds through the mechanical filtering medium which is a pleated paper filter. The hollow chamber may be capped at each end such that the caps effectively seal the filter and direct the fluid through the adsorptive filter medium and the mechanical filter medium.
US09162163B2
Disclosed are an apparatus and a method for reducing a processing liquid consumed for removing bubbles from a new filter unit, and shortening a start-up time when the filter unit is attached in a processing liquid supply passage. The method includes: filling the processing liquid into a new filter unit, decompressing inside of the filter unit into a first pressure atmosphere in order to remove bubbles from the filter unit, boosting a pressure of the inside of the filter unit, flowing the processing liquid into the filter unit from a primary side of the filter unit, and supplying the processing liquid flowing from the filter unit to an object to be processed through a nozzle thereby performing a liquid processing and quickly removing the bubbles.
US09162155B2
A device for detecting, monitoring and/or controlling racing vehicles on a preferably multi-lane racetrack, having at least one sensor unit which is arranged countersunk under the surface of a carriageway. The at least one sensor unit is mounted on a guide element which can be inserted into a receptacle space under the carriageway in the transverse direction with respect to the carriageway, from the lateral edge of the carriageway. In this context, cables, lines or the like can be pre-assembled in a complete state with the at least one sensor unit and can be inserted under the carriageway from the side together with the guide element, with the result that there is no need for any separate laying of cables or even for a cable connection once the sensor is in position.
US09162148B2
Embodiments of the present invention provide a unique play experience carried out utilizing an interactive “wand” and/or other seemingly magical actuation/tracking device. The wand or other actuation device allows play participants to electronically and “magically” interact with their surrounding play environment(s), thereby giving play participants the realistic illusion of practicing, performing and mastering “real” magic. Optionally, multiple play participants, each provided with a suitable “wand” and/or other actuation/tracking device, may play and interact together, either within or outside one or more compatible play environments, to achieve desired goals, master certain magical spells and/or produce desired seemingly magical effects within the play environment.
US09162135B2
A play tent has a tent body, a roof, and a game device board. The tent body has a ball opening. The roof is connected with the tent body and has a ball end moveable relative to the tent body to correspond to the top of the tent body or the ball opening. The game device board is mounted on the tent body. When the ball end is moved to a position corresponding to the ball opening, a child can pitch a ball towards the game device board, and then the ball rolls to the ball opening, such that the child can pitch the ball again. When the ball end is moved to a position corresponding to the top of the tent body, the child can be engaged in other activities inside the tent body. Therefore, the play tent can provide multiple functions for use.
US09162132B2
Disclosed are a virtual golf simulation apparatus in which any position of a hitting mat, on which a user places a ball, is recognized to easily and accurately find the position of the ball even when a slope is realized with respect to a swing plate and the swing plate is sloped at a predetermined angle, and it is possible to accurately sense when hitting has been performed by the user using a relatively inexpensive sensing device without an additional trigger sensor, thereby reducing costs and improving sensing accuracy and reliability, and a sensing device and method used for the same.
US09162131B1
A visual reference and feedback device for use with a golf club is presented. The visual reference and feedback device includes a clubface reference head and a neck that connects a supporting body to the clubface reference head. The supporting body includes three supporting members having a first supporting member, a second supporting member, and a third supporting member. C-clip fasteners may be formed at distal ends of the first supporting member and second supporting member. A sternum guide may be formed as a rectangular structure at the outer portion of the first supporting member and proximate to the neck of the visual aid and feedback device.
US09162121B2
A golf club putter having a low head center of gravity and a high MOI is disclosed herein. The putter has a metal body comprising a face and a hosel, a low density dampening layer affixed to the body, and a high density rear weight affixed to the dampening layer, and the dampening layer has a first surface that forms an angle with an opposing second surface that is inversely proportional to the distance of the hosel from a heel side of the body.
US09162114B1
A game ball, such as a soccer ball, having a cover comprised of one or more cover panel blanks and one or more reinforcement material blanks, is provided. The cover panel blanks and reinforcement material blanks are bonded together so that the free edges and interior panel boundaries of the cover panel blanks are aligned with the reinforcement material blanks.
US09162108B1
A data processor maintains an electronic exercise program, which defines exercise sessions defining exercise sets for a subject on one or more exercise apparatuses. The data processor makes a selection (306) between an exercise set (320) and a performance test (308). If a set is selected, instructions relating to the set are given. Each repetition is detected, a risk of injury is assessed, and if a threshold is exceeded, instructions for reducing likelihood for injury are given. Repetitions are counted until detection of a last repetition in the set (410). Feedback is given after the last repetition. If a performance test (308) is selected, instructions relating to the test are given. Subject's performance is monitored until termination of the test. After the test, the exercise program (310) is adapted based on the monitored performance data.
US09162107B2
Media components can be ranked based on their influence on athletic performance. A score can be computed for a media component based on an individual's athletic performance during output of that media item in comparison with the individual's athletic performance during the output of different media items, or in the absence of any media items. The score can be used to establish an overall total score for the media component by comparing the score to one or more scores received from other individuals for the same media component. The overall total score can be used to compute a ranking for the media component by comparing the media component's overall total score with the overall total score for one or more other media components.
US09162106B1
An apparatus useful for performing foot and ankle exercises as part of a strengthening or rehabilitation program includes a foot platform positioned between an upper horizontal bar connected through a vertical assembly to a base frame adapted to sit in a stable position on a floor. The foot platform has an upper side to receive the user's foot and a lower side that pivotably engages through a fixed ball joint with the base frame to allow the user of the apparatus to exercise his or her ankle in all six movement directions without moving the leg. Resistance bands connect the foot platform to various points on the apparatus to provide a mechanism for resistance during exercise. The apparatus may be associated with a sensor on the foot platform that senses the position or movement of the foot in use and produces data regarding the exercise that is communicated to the user.
US09162101B2
In one embodiment, an exercise apparatus for exercising an arm includes a lever adapted to attach to a wheel of a wheelchair, a forearm support pivotally mounted to the lever that is adapted to support a forearm of a wheelchair user during exercise, and a resilient member attached to the lever that is adapted to resist movement of the lever by the user.
US09162090B2
Apparatus and associated methods relate to a flexible lumbar wear-pad having an external low-friction high-wear-resistance surface, the lumbar wear-pad configured to be replaceably coupled to the lower back region of a belted fall-protection safety harness. In various embodiments, the lumbar wear-pad may cover a length of the webbing over the hip and lumbar vertebrae regions of a wearer's lower back. In some embodiments a lumbar wear-pad may be field replaceable on a fall-protection safety harness. An exemplary embodiment may have three prominences, a smaller center prominence located near a wearer's lumbar vertebrae and two side prominences located near a wearer's hip bones. In some embodiments, the lumbar wear-pad may be flexible so as to anatomically conform to a wearer's body. Exemplary lumbar wear-pads may provide protection for both a wearer and the wearer's harness during sliding or leaning engagements with vertical surfaces.
US09162086B2
A device for controlling movement of a rope has a main part and a bar assembly. The bar assembly is pivotably connected to a first side portion of the main part for rotation between a first position in which the bar assembly is not in contact a second side portion of the main part and a second position in which the bar notch receives the second side portion. The bar assembly is arranged in the first position to allow a portion of the rope to be arranged within a central opening and at least partly around the bar part. The bar part is arranged in the second position such that the main part and the bar part define first and second opening portions of the central opening and the portion of the rope extends through the first and second opening portions and at least partly around the bar part.
US09162081B2
A beam monitor system having a simple configuration for improving a measurement precision specifying a position and the width. A beam monitor system, comprising collection electrodes that include a plurality of groups each having a plurality of adjacent wire electrodes, and detect an ionized particle beam passing therethrough, a first signal processing device that sets one wire electrode in the groups of the collection electrodes as a typical wire electrode, receives a detection signal output from the typical wire electrode to process the signal and a beam monitor controller that obtains a beam position of the ionized particle beam that has passed through the wire electrodes on the basis of a processed signal from the first signal processing device.
US09162074B2
Methods, systems, and devices for signal analysis in an implanted cardiac monitoring and treatment device such as an implantable cardioverter defibrillator. In illustrative examples, captured data including detected events is analyzed to identify likely overdetection of cardiac events. In some illustrative examples, when overdetection is identified, data may be modified to correct for overdetection, to reduce the impact of overdetection, or to ignore overdetected data. New methods for organizing the use of morphology and rate analysis in an overall architecture for rhythm classification and cardiac signal analysis are also discussed.
US09162067B1
Embodiments of the present invention relate to implantable systems, and methods for use therewith, for monitoring myocardial electro-mechanical stability, and responding to the same. One or more signal indicative of electrical functioning of a patient's heart is obtained, as is one or more signal indicative of mechanical functioning of the patient's heart. The patient's myocardial electrical stability is monitored based on the one or more signal indicative of electrical functioning of the patient's heart, and the patient's myocardial mechanical stability is monitored based on the one or more signal indicative of mechanical functioning of the patient's heart. Based on both the myocardial electrical stability and myocardial mechanical stability, the patient's risk of an adverse cardiac event is monitored. Further, when the patient is at risk of an adverse cardiac event, a response is triggered that is specific to both the myocardial electrical stability and the myocardial mechanical stability. This abstract is not intended to be a complete description of, or limit the scope of, the invention.
US09162064B2
A system for treating chronic inflammation may include an implantable microstimulator, a wearable charger, and optionally an external controller. The implantable microstimulator may be implemented as a leadless neurostimulator implantable in communication with a cervical region of a vagus nerve. The microstimulator can address several types of stimulation including regular dose delivery. The wearable charger may be worn around the subject's neck to rapidly (<10 minutes per week) charge an implanted microstimulator. The external controller may be configured as a prescription pad that controls the dosing and activity of the microstimulator.
US09162057B2
Embodiments disclosed herein are directed to systems configured to power at least one device disposed in a living subject, apparatuses configured to be disposed in a living subject and export power stored in an energy-storage device, and related methods of powering at least one device disposed in the living subject.
US09162055B2
A paddle lead assembly for providing electrical stimulation of patient tissue includes a paddle body having a longitudinal axis and a lateral axis transverse to the longitudinal axis. The paddle body includes a plurality of electrodes disposed into at least four columns extending parallel with the longitudinal axis. The at least four columns include two lateral columns and at least two medial columns disposed therebetween. The electrodes of the at least two medial columns are arranged into rows aligned along the transverse axis. The electrodes of the two lateral columns are each longitudinally offset from the rows of electrodes of the at least two medial columns. An array of terminals are disposed on each of at least one lead body coupled to the paddle body. A plurality of conductive wires couple each of the electrodes to at least one terminal of the terminal arrays.
US09162053B2
Leads having directional electrodes thereon. Also provided are leads having directional electrodes as well as retention ledges to secure the electrodes to the leads. Also provided are leads with directional electrodes where all the electrodes have the same surface area. Methods of manufacturing leads and methods of treating conditions and selectively stimulating regions of the nervous system are also provided.
US09162044B2
A clamp (10) for a flexible tube, in particular an infusion tube, composed of a substantially U-shaped plastic band, the free end (111) of the first branch (11′) of the U being bent over to form the clamp head (11), to the free end (121) of the second branch, or back (12), so that, when closed, the back's free end (121) rests under the head's free end (111), and when opened, the back's free end (121) is at a distance above the head's free end (1110. The clamp has openings (114, 134) for extending a flexible tube and two opposite projections (113, 123) for obturating the flexible tube by compressing it when the clamp is closed. Locking means (112, 122) prevent the head end (111) from moving away from the back end (121) when the clamp (10) is in the closed position.
US09162031B2
An fluid sensor to activate and control various components of an inhalation device. The fluid sensor includes an acoustic element, such as a microphone, positioned within said inhalation device to detect fluid within the device and output signals representative of the frequency, direction and/or amplitude of the fluid. These signals control and activate an electrostatic plate and/or a high frequency vibrator.
US09162028B2
The present invention relates to a syringe for treating facial wrinkles having a syringe cylinder, a needle body detachably mounted at the front end portion of the syringe cylinder and having a syringe needle disposed thereon, and a piston rod disposed inside the syringe cylinder for operating a piston, the syringe including: the syringe cylinder formed of a substantially thin tube having an inside diameter in a range of 2.0 mm to 7.0 mm; and an inflow check valve disposed at one side of the front end portion of the syringe cylinder so as to supply a predetermined quantity of gas to the interior of the syringe cylinder, wherein the predetermined quantity of gas supplied through the inflow check valve to the interior of the syringe cylinder and a predetermined quantity of liquid filled into the syringe cylinder are injected in turn into the dermis of the skin, which is repeatedly carried out.
US09162019B2
A pump includes a housing, a stator supported in the housing, and a rotor assembly including a rotor supported in the housing for rotation relative to the stator about an axis. The stator includes a stator core, a first lamination wound around an axial portion of the stator core, and a second lamination wound around a second axial portion of the stator core. The first and second laminations are spaced from each other along the length of the stator core. The rotor includes a rotor core, a first magnet assembly that extends around an axial portion of the rotor core, and a second magnet assembly that extends around a second axial portion of the rotor core. The first and second magnet assemblies are spaced from each other along the length of the rotor.
US09162017B2
A pump for inducing flow within a vascular system comprises a cannula having a first configuration for deployment within the vascular system and a second configuration for directing the fluid flow within the vascular system, where the second configuration has a greater diameter than the first configuration. An impeller is configured to induce the fluid flow by rotation about an axis. The impeller has a first radius in the first configuration and a second radius in the second configuration, where the second radius is greater than the first radius.
US09162014B2
The invention discloses an insertable medical device for delivering one or more pro-healing agents to a site of deployment of a stent in a blood vessel. The surface of the insertable medical device is coated with nano-carriers that include the one or more pro-healing agents encapsulated with one or more biological agents. The nano-carriers are released when the insertable medical device is expanded at the site. The nano-carriers thus released penetrate tissues at the site resulting in dissolution of the one or more biological agents. Thereafter, the one or more pro-healing agents are released from the nano-carriers at the site. Thus, an in-tissue release of the one or more pro-healing agents at the site is achieved thereby improving endothealization, extracellular matrix formation and healing at the site post deployment of the stent in the blood vessel.
US09162012B2
Osteoinductive compositions and implants having increased biological activities, and methods for their production, are provided. The biological activities that may be increased include, but are not limited to, bone forming; bone healing; osteoinductive activity, osteogenic activity, chondrogenic activity, wound healing activity, neurogenic activity, contraction-inducing activity, mitosis-inducing activity, differentiation-inducing activity, chemotactic activity, angiogenic or vasculogenic activity, and exocytosis or endocytosis-inducing activity. In one embodiment, a method for producing an osteoinductive composition comprises providing partially demineralized bone, treating the partially demineralized bone to disrupt the collagen structure of the bone. In another embodiment, an implantable osteoinductive and osteoconductive composition comprises partially demineralized bone, wherein the collagen structure of the bone has been disrupted, and, optionally, a tissue-derived extract.
US09161994B1
One embodiment of the invention includes a method and system to obtain data for fees and surcharges charged by multiple providers for multiple services based on prior interactions with the service providers, and provide an estimate for fees and surcharges to be charged by one of the service providers for one of the services based on the prior interactions with the service providers. In one embodiment, the fee data is extracted from one of electronic publishing of fees, billings for services rendered, and employee expense reports. In one embodiment, the estimated fees and surcharges include restricted access to a first subset of data to a first predetermined group.
US09161992B2
The present invention is related to fragments of human melanotransferrin (p97). In particular, this invention relates to treatment of diseases through the introduction of the melanotransferrin fragment conjugated to a therapeutic or diagnostic agent to a subject.
US09161991B2
A fusion protein comprising domain (a) which is a functional fragment of hTRAIL protein sequence, which fragment begins with an amino acid at a position not lower than hTRAIL95, or a homolog of said functional fragment having at least 70% sequence identity; and domain (b) which is a sequence of an immunostimulating effector peptide, wherein the sequence of domain (b) is attached at the C-terminus or N-terminus of domain (a). The fusion protein can be used for the treatment of cancer diseases.
US09161988B2
The present invention relates to multimeric (e.g., dimeric, trimeric) forms of peptide vectors that are capable of crossing the blood-brain barrier (BBB) or efficiently entering particular cell types. These multimeric peptide vectors, when conjugated to agents (e.g., therapeutic agents) are capable of transporting the agents across the BBB or into particular cell types. These compounds are therefore particularly useful in the treatment of neurological diseases.
US09161984B2
This invention relates to a topical gel drug product preparation containing a composition comprising an isolated polypeptide having a carboxy-terminal amino acid sequence of an alpha connexin (ACT peptide), peptide stabilizers, excipients, buffering agents, and the like. A formulation and preparation steps are disclosed for the manufacturing of a stable, elegant, and pourable topical gel. The resulting formulation possesses long term stability suitable for aesthetic as well as therapeutic applications including the prevention of scaring and accelerated healing of wounds. Methods for treatment of chronic wounds, including chronic ulcers, are also provided.
US09161983B2
Disclosed herein are glycidol-based polymers, nanoparticles, and methods related thereto useful for drug delivery. This abstract is intended as a scanning tool for purposes of searching in the particular art and is not intended to be limiting of the present invention.
US09161981B2
Disclosed herein is preferably a multi-dose type non-aqueous oily injectable formulation including; an active ingredient (drug) expressing therapeutic effects, which is dissolved, dispersed or suspended in a therapeutically effective amount, in oil. The disclosed non-aqueous oily injectable formulation may include; an oil-affinitive preservative, and a hydrophilic excipient non-phase separable from the oil-affinitive preservative when the excipient is mixed with the oil-affinitive preservative.
US09161974B2
Provided herein are prime-boost regimens and materials used therein. The prime-boost regimens enhance the immune response to a target antigen. The vaccines used for boost are comprised of recombinant attenuated metabolically active Listeria that encodes an expressible antigen that is cross-reactive with the target antigen. In some examples, the immune response is a cellular immune response.
US09161973B2
This invention relates to therapeutic polynucleotide compositions and methods for systemic immune activation which are effective for eliciting both a systemic, non-antigen specific immune response and a strong antigen-specific immune response in mammals. The polynucleotide compositions are particularly effective for protecting mammals from herpes simplex virus (HSV), such as HSV gD2 polypeptides.
US09161972B2
The present invention provides attenuated F. columnare strains that elicit an immune response in an animal, particularly a fish, against virulent F. columnare compositions comprising said strains, methods of vaccination against F. columnare, and kits for use with such methods and compositions. The invention further relates to a stabilization buffer, which allows the attenuated compositions to remain storage stable at ambient temperatures for extended periods of time.
US09161970B2
Improved dermal filler formulation comprising a hyaluronic acid and a botulinum toxin.
US09161967B2
The present invention relates to compositions and methods useful for treating structures of the vertebral column, including vertebral bodies. In one embodiment, a method for promoting bone formation in a vertebral body comprising providing a composition comprising a PDGF solution and a biocompatible matrix and applying the composition to at least one vertebral body. Promoting bone formation in a vertebral body, according to some embodiments, can increase bone volume, mass, and/or density leading to an increase in mechanical strength of the vertebral body treated with a composition of the present invention.
US09161966B2
Methods of treating individuals with a glucose metabolism disorder and/or a body weight disorder, and compositions associated therewith, are provided.
US09161963B2
The invention relates to liquid pharmaceutical compositions containing: a) a therapeutically effective dose of a cyclosporin; b) an aqueous carrier liquid; c) a first solubilizing substance selected among the group of phospholipids; and d) a second solubilizing substance selected among the group of non-ionic surfactants. Preferably, the cyclosporin is liposome solubilized. The inventive composition is suitable for oral, parenteral, nasal, mucosal, topical, and particularly pulmonary application in the form of an aerosol.
US09161961B2
The present invention discloses a non-irritating tea tree oil (TTO)-based topical therapeutic composition useful for both veterinary and human dermatology. The composition comprises a homogeneous mixture of TTO, 0.05 to 1.0% (wt/wt); at least one hypertonic composition providing the said TTO-based composition to 1700 to 2500 mOsm/L, 10 to 60% (wt/wt); and inorganic salts, 0.01% to 0.50% (wt/wt) and it is characterized by an effective, rapid & wide spectrum of action while being non-irritant to patient skin.
US09161960B2
A horse feed dietary supplement composition increases the energy and improves the health and coat of a horse and is formed as a partially defatted seed meal composition that may be supplemented to a horse feed. The composition includes a shelf stable, partially defatted supercritical CO2 fluid solvent extracted whole grain flour that is derived from Salvia hispanica L. whole ground seed and that is free of cyanogenic glycosides, vitamin antagonists, and gluten. The flour includes minerals, protein, insoluble fiber and from 1-25% wt/wt of about 3.0-3.3:1 mixture of ALA to LA native seed oil.
US09161959B2
Use of a vegetable drug composition in the manufacturing of a pharmaceutical preparation for the treatment of portal hypertension caused by hepatocirrhosis, said preparation comprises 25-38% of extract of radix Salviae Miltiorrhizae, 20-25% of extract of herb Gynostemmae Pentaphylli, 1-6% of alcoholic extract of fructus Schisandrae Chinensis, 19-26% of extract of Cordyceps, 6-8% of extract of pollen Pini, 6-10% of extract of semen Persicae. Said preparation can improve hepatic cell degeneration, necrosis, intraheptic hemorrhage, fiber proliferation, and reduce pressure of portal vein in mammal. A preparation method of said preparation is disclosed.
US09161952B2
Methods for treating a cardiovascular disorder comprising concomitant administration of one or more extracellular matrix (ECM) based compositions directly to damaged or diseased cardiovascular tissue associated with the cardiovascular disorder, and provision of ventricular assistance. In a preferred embodiment, the ECM based compositions include an ECM material derived from a mammalian source.
US09161950B2
A method of treating a subject with elevated levels of peroxynitrite includes administering a therapeutically effective amount of cerium oxide nanoparticles to the subject, wherein the cerium oxide nanoparticles reduce the level of peroxynitrite in the subject.
US09161947B2
The invention relates to the diagnostic and therapeutic uses of a miRNA molecule or an equivalent thereof wherein a source of said miRNA molecule or equivalent thereof comprises at least 80 nucleotides and comprises a motif having at least 98% identity with the motif represented by SEQ ID NO:1 or a source thereof in a disease and condition associated with EMT (Epithelial to Mesenchymal Transition).
US09161945B2
A compound, which inhibits SGLT1 (sodium-dependent glucose transporter 1) activity to suppress absorption of glucose or the like, thereby suppressing abnormal glucose tolerance or postprandial hyperglycemia in diabetes, is provided. Specifically, a 4-isopropyl-6-methoxyphenyl glucitol compound represented by the following formula (I), or a pharmaceutically acceptable salt thereof, is provided:
US09161933B2
The present invention relates to a solid pharmaceutical composition for preventing or treating cardiovascular disorders comprising amlodipine or a pharmaceutically acceptable salt thereof and losartan or a pharmaceutically acceptable salt thereof, which exhibits high dissolution rates of amlodipine and losartan even under a low pH condition and improved storage stability.
US09161928B2
Use of polyunsaturated fatty acid derivatives as medicaments or functional foods. The present invention relates to the use of 1,2-fatty acid derivatives in the treatment or prevention of common diseases whose etiology is based on alterations (of any type) of the cell membrane lipids, for example, changes in levels, in the composition or in the structure of these lipids. In addition, for diseases in which the regulation of lipid composition and of the structure of the membranes (or proteins that interact with membranes) causes the reversion of pathological state.
US09161925B2
The present invention relates to the new therapeutic uses of beta-3 adrenergic receptor agonist derivatives in particular to inhibit apoptosis and treat and/or prevent apoptosis-related diseases and disorders.
US09161922B2
A therapeutic agent for selectively inhibiting amine oxidases associated diseases and conditions in humans includes at least one compound selected from the group consisting of propargylamines, polypropargylamines, homopropargylamines, 4-substituted-2-butynylamines, 2- and 3-halloallylamines, pyrroline derivatives, cycloalkenyl branched primary amines, propargyl diamines, homopropargyl amines and diamines, allenyl amines and diamines, chloroallyl diamines, lysyne analogs, β-haloamines, RF-substituted amines, RCi-substituted amines, and R3Si substituted amines.
US09161916B2
The present disclosure teaches unique formulations for topical administration of tetracycline antibiotics, in which the tetracycline antibiotics remain stable.
US09161902B2
Described herein are automatic injectors suitable for administration of a non-sedating antihistamine, and methods of using the automatic injectors. A specific non-sedating antihistamine is cetirizine. The automatic injectors are useful in treating acute urticaria or angioedema associated with an acute allergic reaction including anaphylaxis.
US09161900B2
The present disclosure provides a cosmetic composition which includes at least one of Scutellaria baicalensis essence, licorice essence, and mixture of Scutellaria baicalensis extract and licorice extract as active ingredient and, optionally, further includes at least one of zinc pyrithione, panthenol and thuja semen extract. The cosmetic composition of the present disclosure is capable of inhibiting hair loss and enhancing hair growth by inhibiting binding with the androgen receptor and regulating the hair growth factor so as to induce transition from telogen to anagen and prolong anagen.
US09161896B2
A cosmetic comprising the following components (A), (B), (C) and (D): (A) 0.001 to 50% by weight of an organic acid represented by a general formula (1), wherein R1 denotes a residue derived from a natural sterin having one hydroxy group or a hydrogenated product thereof, or a residue derived from bile acid in which the hydroxyl hydrogen atom is removed; R2 denotes a divalent hydrocarbon group having 1 to 24 carbon atoms; and M denotes a hydrogen atom, an alkali metal, an alkaline earth metal, ammonium, alkanolammonium having 2 to 9 carbon atoms in total, alkylammonium or alkenylammonium having 1 to 22 carbon atoms in total, a pyridinium substituted with an alkyl group or an alkenyl group having 1 to 18 carbon atoms, or a basic amino acid; (B) 0.001 to 20% by weight of a base; (C) 0.0001 to 50% by weight of a ceramide; and (D) water, and comprising, as a component (E), an acid other than the component (A) in a content satisfying a relationship: 0≦(E)/(A)<0.2, and having pH of 6 to 11.
US09161887B2
A method of collecting expressed breast milk for later feeding to an infant includes providing a spout pouch, coupling the spout of the spout pouch to a breast pump, and operating the breast pump to express breast milk into the spout pouch, so that the spout pouch collects the expressed breast milk. A method of feeding a liquid to an infant includes providing the liquid in a spout pouch, and coupling a nipple to the spout of the spout pouch. A nipple for such use includes a connector having an axial bore that is coupled to an orifice in the nipple and the connector forms a liquid tight seal with the spout of the spout pouch. Other systems, methods, and components are also provided.
US09161884B2
A process for providing a predetermined quantity of a particulate material in which the particulate material is deposited on a defined area of a sticky surface of a substrate. The process is suitable for deposition of particulate drug material on a substrate such as a strip form substrate which can then be compacted to provide a delivery device for delivering the predetermined quantity of the particulate material. Such a delivery device, and an apparatus to perform the process, comprise further aspects of the invention.
US09161883B1
An adjustable return fitting, includes a return fitting housing having a housing interior; a water jet adjustment dial rotatably carried by the return fitting housing, the water jet adjustment dial having a dial interior accommodating the return fitting housing; and a peg slot in the dial interior of the dial body, the peg slot disposed in angular relationship to a rotational axis of the water adjustment dial; and a baffle including a baffle stem in the housing interior of the return fitting housing, a baffle tab carried by the baffle stem and a baffle tab peg carried by the baffle stem in offset relationship to the baffle stem, the baffle tab peg engaging the peg slot; and a baffle disk carried by the baffle stem in the housing interior of the return fitting housing.
US09161875B2
A patient support apparatus includes a surgical table and a limb support unit coupled to the surgical table. The limb support unit includes a support platform coupled to the surgical table in a fixed position, a first limb holder coupled to the support platform in a fixed position relative to the support platform, and a second limb holder coupled to the support platform and spaced apart from the first limb holder. The first limb holder includes a multi-axis joint coupled to the support platform in a fixed position and a spar coupled to the multi-axis joint to move relative to the support platform while supporting a patient's limb that has been coupled to the spar.
US09161872B2
A gait rehabilitation machine and a method of using the same for lower-limb rehabilitation. The gait rehabilitation machine includes: a frame; a rear supporting member provided at the frame so that the back side of a human body can lean against the rear supporting member; a thigh supporting member corresponding to a thigh of the human body and pivotally connected to the frame; a shank supporting member corresponding to the corresponding shank of the human body, pivotally connected to the thigh supporting member, and having a pedal to be stepped on by the human body; a knee supporting member corresponding to the corresponding knee of the human body and provided at the thigh supporting member or the shank supporting member; and a transmission device for driving the shank supporting member to move. Thus, a patient can do lower-limb gait rehabilitation exercise without using a suspension system.
US09161871B2
Devices and methods for moving a person having a support base, a linear vertical movement assembly, a linear horizontal movement assembly, and a body support for the person, such that the linear movement assemblies operate independently and can be separately commanded by a user.
US09161866B2
The present invention is an article such as an article to be worn on the lower torso of a wearer, such as pants or diapers. The article has a flexible faeces separation member, such as a faeces trap sheet, which is attached in a particular way such that an effective separation of faeces from skin respectively genitals can be achieved.
US09161858B2
A novel removable lens strip system suitable for use with goggles and helmets is disclosed, wherein lens strips may be easily removed from the goggle lens or helmet shield as the strips become soiled, and thus obstructing the user's vision. More specifically, a guide piece is employed that shields underlying removable lens strips from being inadvertently removed.
US09161846B2
A prosthetic foot with a base spring with a forefoot area and a heel area, a connecting means arranged above the base spring and used to fasten the prosthetic foot to a prosthesis, and a frontal support, at the upper end of which the connecting means is arranged and which, at its lower end, is secured on a torsion element that can twist about the longitudinal axis of the prosthetic foot. The torsion element is designed as a leaf spring arrangement secured to the base spring at one end in the heel area or in the forefoot area.
US09161843B2
A stemless humeral component for replacing the humeral head of a patient's humerus includes a support flange having a number of cantilevered legs extending distally away from a bottom surface thereof. Instruments and methods for surgically installing the stemless humeral component are also disclosed.
US09161834B2
An apparatus and method for delivering a prosthetic device through the vasculature of a patient includes a radially expandable member coupled to the distal end of an elongate shaft. The expandable member has an open frame configuration and an outer mounting surface for mounting the prosthetic device in a collapsed state thereon. The expandable member expands radially outwards from a first configuration to a second configuration to expand a prosthetic device mounted thereon.
US09161830B2
Implant devices for filtering blood flowing through the ostium of an atrial appendage have component structures one or more of which are expandable. Devices with component structures in their unexpanded state have a compact size suitable for intra-cutaneous delivery to an atrial appendage situs. The expandable component structures are expanded in situ to deploy the devices. A device may have sufficiently short axial length so that most or almost all of the device length may fit within the ostium region.
US09161819B2
An adjustable support apparatus used to support a person in a specific position over an extended period of time, and method of using the same. The apparatus has a base, an adjustable plate clamp assembly with upper and lower plates, a pivot within the apertures of the plates and adjustably retained between the plates, and a support member attached to the pivot and adapted to support a load. The adjustable plate clamp assembly has upper and lower plates. The upper plate has a central upper aperture, a first end pivotally attached to the base, and a second end. The lower plate has a central lower aperture, a first end, and a second end pivotally attached to the second end of the upper plate. The first end of the lower plate bears against the base, the plates together form an acute angle, and the apertures are aligned with one another.
US09161815B2
A dermatological laser apparatus for irradiating human tissue with optical pulses includes a laser source (2) producing an optical output, a pulse shaper (4) coupled to the laser source for converting the optical output into optical pulses having desired shapes, and an optical delivery tool (8) coupled to the pulse shaper for applying the optical pulses sequentially to a multiplicity of sites on the human tissue with consecutively irradiated sites being non-adjacent.
US09161813B2
A RF energy console controls RF energy output from a RF generator for sealing blood vessels. The energy console includes a processor that executes routines and a controller feedback circuit that, in combination, control the RF generator. Operation includes a heating stage outputting a RF ramping voltage and determining a decrease in measured current to less than a predetermined % percentage of a maximum measured and stored current value to advance to a sealing stage. Then, the voltage is controlled to maintain an increasing change in impedance until a change in current value approaches a flat curve indicating seal completion, which stops the RF generator output. To reseal or enhance a blood vessel seal, the energy console executes the same routines as in the initial sealing operation.
US09161812B2
A surgical device is disclosed, and includes a pair of finger-mountable annular members, each having an electrode disposed thereon. An optical member is disposed on at least one of the pair of finger-mountable annular members and has a first set of light transmitting properties corresponding to a first set of physical parameters of at least one of the finger-mountable annular members. At least one finger-mountable annular member is configured to transition to a second set of physical parameters being different from the first set of physical parameters. The optical member is configured to transition from a first set of light transmitting properties to a second set of light transmitting properties, the second set of light transmitting properties corresponding to the second set of physical parameters, the second set of light transmitting properties being different from the first set of light transmitting properties.
US09161808B2
An apparatus for endobronchial ablation of a tumor is provided. The apparatus has an ablation catheter and a guide facility to be inserted into the bronchial system, a sheath defining a guide channel for the ablation catheter, a closing apparatus for a bronchial arm, and an aperture allowing airtight insertion of the ablation catheter into a bronchial arm blocked by the closing apparatus. The ablation catheter and/or the guide facility have a suction apparatus for sucking air out of a bronchial arm blocked off by the closing apparatus.
US09161802B2
Methods, apparatus, and systems for treating tissue located beneath a tissue surface with electromagnetic energy delivered from a treatment electrode. The treatment electrode may include a conductive layer and a plurality of openings extending through the conductive layer. The openings may vary in size or area across the conductive layer, and may vary progressively in size or area with location relative to the electrode perimeter.
US09161793B2
A method of repairing bone. In the method, a sleeve and a fastener may be provided, with the fastener projecting from the sleeve and having a trailing section disposed in threaded engagement with the sleeve. A leading section of the fastener may be driven into threaded engagement with bone. The sleeve may be advanced into contact with the bone to apply tension to the fastener and compress the bone. A trailing section of the fastener may be driven out of the sleeve and into threaded engagement with the bone.
US09161788B2
Spinal rod reduction apparatuses, systems, and methods are provided. In various examples, a rod reduction apparatus includes a first threaded member (130, 210, 330) including an engagement feature (138A, 138B, 220, 332, 334) configured to selectively anchor the first threaded member to the implantable screw assembly. A second threaded member (110, 230, 310) is configured to threadably engage with the first threaded member. The second threaded member is axially movable with respect to the first threaded member with rotation of the second threaded member. A spinal rod urging member (120, 240, 320) is axially movable with the second threaded member. The urging member includes a bearing surface (126, 242, 320) that is configured to selectively abut the spinal rod and selectively urge the spinal rod toward the implantable screw assembly with rotation of the second threaded member in a first rotational direction.
US09161786B2
Minimally invasive methods and devices for introducing a spinal fixation element into a surgical site in a patient's spinal column are provided. In general, the method involves advancing a spinal fixation element in a first, lengthwise orientation along a pathway extending from a minimally invasive percutaneous incision to a spinal anchor site. As the spinal fixation element approaches the spinal anchor site, the fixation element can be manipulated to extend in a second orientation, which is preferably substantially transverse to the first orientation, to position the fixation element in relation to one or more spinal anchors.
US09161781B2
A pedicle screw and rod assembly that has particular application for minimally invasive percutaneous pedicle screw instrumentation. The assembly includes pedicle screws having ball-shaped heads that are threaded through pedicles of adjacent vertebra into the vertebral body. The assembly also includes two cannulated posts that extend above a cannulated pedicle screw to allow placement over a K-wire. A head portion accepts the head of the pedicle screw in a secure and multi-axial engagement. The assembly further includes a tube portion that is coupled to the head portion and extends above the patient's skin. The assembly also includes a lordotic slotted rod that is slid down the tube portions to be positioned on top of the head portions of the posts so that the portions are locked within the slot. Bolts are then slid down the tube portions and are threaded to a threaded portion on the portion.
US09161777B2
A device useful for accessing the left atrium is provided. The device comprises an elongated tubular body and a dilating tip. The tubular body has an axis, a proximal end, a distal end and a lumen longitudinally extending therethrough. The dilating tip is slidably mounted on the distal end of the tubular body. The dilating tip comprises a segmented surface that is generally transverse to the axis of the tubular body, and a generally rigid tube extending distally from the segmented surface and having a sharp distal end. Distal movement of the tubular body relative to the dilating tip exerts a force on the segmented surface to thereby open the segmented surface.
US09161775B1
A tunneling tool for implanting a medical device into body tissue is described. The tunneling tool comprises a first leg and a second leg. An intermediate portion of the second leg is shaped to nest a medical device therein. A hub connects the first and second distal leg ends together. A sheath providing a lumen extends from the hub to an open end distal of the first and second legs. The first and second legs are manipulatable to separate the hub and the sheath into two portions, a first split portion connected to the first leg and a second split portion connected to the second leg. When a medical device is nested in the tunneling tool, breaking the tunneling tool apart enables the first and second split portions to be removed from body tissue, leaving the implanted medical device behind.
US09161774B2
A surgical instrument includes a first member having an inner surface defining a first passageway. A second member is disposable within the first passageway and movable relative to the first member. The second member defines a longitudinal axis and extends between a first end and a second end configured to engage tissue. The second end includes a first surface configured for a non-penetrating engagement with the tissue and a second surface including at least two spaced apart cutting members extending axially from the first surface. The cutting members are rotatable to excise a portion of the tissue.
US09161768B2
A shock wave applicator includes a reflector and a shock wave generator disposed in the reflector at a first focal point. The reflector is at least a portion of an ellipsoidal shape having a long and small axis with the first focal point and a second focal point on a long axis, and the reflector terminates at an edge defining a membrane covered-aperture on plane intersecting the small axis and coincident with the second focal point.
US09161767B2
One aspect of the present invention relates to a method of using peristalsis to force a polymer plug through a mammalian lumen, thereby removing any calculi and/or calculi fragments present in the lumen. In one embodiment, the method is used as an alternative to conventional lithotripsy. In another embodiment, the method is used in conjunction with lithotripsy, thereby removing the small calculi fragments that result from such procedures.
US09161750B2
Assemblies, devices and methods are provided for suture management associated with surgical procedures for anchoring suture to bone. Suture elements mounted to suture anchors are terminated in suture loops or tags, and associated stop members that in combination with visual coding provide suture identification, prevent accidental unmounting of suture from suture anchors, and reduce the number of suture legs requiring active management during complex arthroscopic repairs. The present invention also provides exemplary drivers that can be used with the various methods and devices disclosed herein, or with other methods and devices known in the art.
US09161745B2
A retractor assembly for positioning tissue during a surgical procedure, having two opposing arms disposed adjacent to one another and sized and configured to be urged substantially laterally away from one another during actuation of the retractor assembly into an open position, and one or more posts, each post being connected to, or integral with, and extending radially outwardly from a respective one of the opposing arms, each of the one or more posts having a length sufficient so that each of the one or more posts will extend through a respective aperture defined by a modular component to be detachably attached to the respective one of the opposing arms. Related methods of positioning tissue during surgery are also described.
US09161741B2
According to one embodiment, an apparatus includes a slice image generation unit, a three-dimensional image generation unit, a display unit, a setting unit, an updating unit, and a changing unit. The slice image generation unit generates the data of slice images based on a volume data. The three-dimensional image generation unit generates the data of a three-dimensional image based on the volume data. The display unit displays the slice images and the three-dimensional image. The setting unit sets the vector on the first slice image of the displayed slice images in accordance with an instruction from an operator. The updating unit updates the displayed three-dimensional image based on the vector. The changing unit changes the position of a slice of a remaining slice image of the displayed slice images to a position where the slice intersects the vector and is perpendicular to the slice of the first slice image.
US09161739B2
A beamforming apparatus includes a storage for storing a plurality of basis vectors obtained from a beamforming coefficient of a previously-measured echo signal; a weight calculator for calculating a weight to be applied to an echo signal reflected from a target; and a synthesizer for applying the weight to the echo signal reflected from the target and synthesizing signals to which the weight is applied.
US09161737B2
According to one embodiment, an ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus comprises a data acquisition unit configured to scan a region which includes at least part of a heart of an object and acquire ultrasonic data associated with the region, a curve acquisition unit configured to acquire temporal change curves of a wall motion parameter associated with a plurality of regions of the heart by using the ultrasonic data associated with the region to be scanned and a value acquisition unit configured to acquire an index value associated with cardiac wall motion by calculating a difference value of the wall motion parameter of two arbitrary regions, of the plurality of regions of the heart, at each phase in an analysis period by using temporal change curves associated with the two arbitrary regions, calculating a total sum of the difference values in the analysis period, and normalizing the total sum with a predetermined value.
US09161729B2
An apparatus for X-ray photography includes a first X-ray source, a first driving device, and an image detecting device. The first X-ray source has a light emitting end, provided with a block element. The first X-ray source generates an X-ray beam, and the block element is used for constraining a projection field of the X-ray beam, so that the X-ray beam has a first boundary. The X-ray beam is cast onto an object, and the object has a reference center and an imageable area. The first driving device is used for driving the first X-ray source to rotate around the object within an angle range with the reference center of the object as a center, so that when the first X-ray source is located at a first position, the first boundary passes through the reference center.
US09161717B2
At least one embodiment is directed to an insert for measuring a parameter of the muscular-skeletal system. The insert can be temporary or permanent. In one embodiment, the insert is prosthetic component for a single compartment of the knee. The insert comprises a support structure and a support structure respectively having an articular surface and a load bearing surface. The height of the insert is less than 10 millimeters. At least one internal cavity is formed when support structures are coupled together for housing electronic circuitry, sensors, and the power source. The internal cavity is isolated from the external environment and can be hermetically sealed. The exterior surfaces of the support structure and the support structure are sterilized.
US09161708B2
The use of motion capture data for analyzing an individual's performance on certain exercises, and more particularly relates to comparison of movement data for an individual with a database of recorded motions for a population in order to generate a training regimen for the individual, and to monitor the individual's progress when carrying out the training regimen.
US09161707B2
The system of the present invention includes a conductive element, an electronic component, and a partial power source in the form of dissimilar materials. Upon contact with a conducting fluid, a voltage potential is created and the power source is completed, which activates the system. The electronic component controls the conductance between the dissimilar materials to produce a unique current signature. The system can also be associated with food and communicate data about ingestion of food material to a receiver.
US09161699B2
A device (10) for the non-invasive determination of arterial blood pressure of a human or animal body, comprising at least a bioimpedance measuring device (20) having a plurality of electrode pairs (21, 22, 23) for capturing the admittance signals (Y(t)) caused by an impressed alternating current on at least one first section of the body, wherein the captured admittance signals (Y(t)) correspond to a composite signal made of signal components of a pulse admittance (YP(t)), a respiration admittance (YB(t)) as well as a base admittance (Y0(t)), as well as at least one device for the non-invasive measurement of the blood pressure (30), wherein a processor (40) of the device (10), which separates from the admittance measurement signals (Y(t)), which are received by the bioimpedance measuring device (20) from several electrode pairs (21, 22, 23) arranged at a distance from each other on at least one first section of the body, wherein the measurements are carried out multiple times, each time using electrode pairs arranged at different sites of the body and/or at respectively different measuring frequencies, at least the signal components of the pulse admittance (YP(t)) and which determines the arterial blood pressure (PC(t)) from pressure signals (PP(t)) of a second section of the body, which is preferably disposed at a distance from the first section, which signals are received from the blood pressure measuring device for determining a scaling factor (k).
US09161698B2
An apparatus comprises plurality of sensors and a processor. Each sensor provides a sensor signal that includes physiological information and at least one sensor is implantable. The processor includes a physiological change event detection module that detects a physiological change event from a sensor signal and produces an indication of occurrence of one or more detected physiological change events, and a heart failure (HF) detection module. The HF detection module determines, using a first rule, whether the detected physiological change event is indicative of a change in HF status of a subject, determines whether to override the first rule HF determination using a second rules, and declares whether the change in HF status occurred according to the first and second rules.
US09161690B2
There is provided an ophthalmologic apparatus having a tracking function that can select a fundus image that is less affected by eye motion to reduce burdens on an operator/a patient in fundus imaging, wherein the ophthalmologic apparatus picks up a first fundus image (202), extracts a characteristic point as a template from the first fundus image (203), executes pattern matching on a second fundus image (205) to determine presence/absence of eye motion, and decides a tracking template image (207).
US09161675B2
A household appliance includes an information light device that projects light onto a surface to enable a user to determine whether or not the household device is in operation. The information light device may include a light guide. The light guide may be disposed along a side portion of the household appliance.
US09161674B2
A dishwasher appliance is provided with a silverware basket. The silverware basket includes a ramp that is configured for urging the silverware basket away from a door of the appliance when the silverware basket is being detached from the door. The ramp can, e.g., assist a user in removing the silverware basket.
US09161665B2
The present invention is a sanitation seat for assisting urinating and defecating outdoors. The sanitation seat has a top ring comprised of an outer rim around a vacuous region. The outer rim is comprised of at least one “T” coupler and a plurality of curved elements. A leg or legs are detachably connected to the “T” coupler or couplers. If the sanitation seat is to be attached to a tree at least nail passes through the top ring for embedding into a tree, and a tie rope, which beneficially includes a rope attachment, is used to attach the seat to a tree.
US09161662B2
A food processor device for processing foodstuff includes a housing and a food processing container for holding foodstuff during processing. The food processing container is supported by the housing during use of the food processor device. The food processor further includes a user interface for exchanging information, during use, with the user and a food weighing device. The food weighing device includes a food weighing bowl for weighing foodstuff before the foodstuff is entered into the food processing container, and at least one weighing sensor for sensing the weight of the food weighing bowl. During weighing, the food weighing bowl is located above the food processing container. Further, the weighing bowl is suitable for covering the food processing container during food preparation.
US09161657B2
A coffee machine for preparing hot, milk-containing beverages and having a milk supply (15) and a discharge means (8). In order to achieve improved handling, the milk supply (15) is configured for accommodating concentrated milk, and a mixing device (17) is provided for mixing the concentrated milk with water.
US09161649B2
Provided is an electronic curtain moving device. Thus device can comprise: a pulley operably connected to a motor, the pulley having a groove through which a cord of a curtain travels, wherein the pulley can move in clockwise and counter-clockwise directions; a head capable of movement from a first and a second position; Wherein movement of the pulley in the clockwise direction makes the head move to the first position and make contact with the cord, and movement of the pulley in the counter-clockwise direction makes the head move to the second position and make contact with the cord at a different location than contact at the first position.
US09161641B2
A foldable mat is provided. The foldable mat may move from a usable First Position A to a condensed Second Position B. The foldable mat has a plurality of grommets. The grommets are located along the four corners of the mat. The front and the back of the mat have a plurality of protrusions which extend outward and cover substantially the entire top and bottom surface of the mat. A first crease lacking the protrusions extends along the center of the mat parallel to the side of the foldable mat and a second crease lacking the protrusion extends along the center of the mat substantially perpendicular with respect to the first crease. The mat may be folded into a Second Position B and a fastener may secure the foldable mat in the Second Position B by securing the grommets together.
US09161638B2
Door lock merchandising display apparatus, systems and methods are disclosed. An exemplary apparatus includes a support structure including first and second fixtures positioned in a merchandise display region. The fixtures are laterally and rotatably movable relative to the support structure. The apparatus includes merchandise modules that include door locks and are detachably coupled with respective fixtures. Interior and exterior portions of the door locks are displayed on respective sides of the modules. A customer can position the fixtures to selectably simultaneously display the interior and exterior portions of the door locks. The apparatus may also include a customer-accessible inventory storage region and a customer interaction unit configured to receive customer input associated with a particular type of door lock and provide an output to the customer identifying a location of the particular type of door lock in the inventory storage region.
US09161635B2
A first member includes a first fixing portion on which a sheet edge is fixed, a holder continuous with an end of the first fixing portion, a first recess that is defined in the holder and has an opening in a continuous direction of the first fixing portion, and a support portion that is formed opposite the first fixing portion across the opening of the first recess of the holder. A second member includes a second fixing portion on which the other sheet edge is fixed, a held portion continuous with an end of the second fixing portion. When the held portion is inserted into the first recess, the support portion is brought into contact with a surface of the second fixing portion.
US09161634B2
A mattress comprising asymmetrical coil springs with nonlinear spring rates provides comfort to users with different weights. The lower portion of the spring is cylindrical and the upper portion is conical or frustoconical. This arrangement causes the spring to undergo linear compression before undergoing nonlinear compression. The result is a mattress that is sufficiently soft for lighter users and sufficiently firm for heavier users.
US09161629B2
A chair assembly includes a frame, seat, and a back. The frame has two foot frames and two back supports. The foot frame has an upper rod, and an extending supporting rib is formed to the upper rod. The back support has an assembling sheet. The seat has a cut for receiving the upper rod of the foot frame on two lateral sides thereof, and the rear side of the seat also has a cut for receiving the transverse shaft of the frame. The back has two pin holes on two lateral sides of the bottom thereof for receiving the back supports of the frame, and the pin hole has a slot for receiving the assembling sheet of the back support. The seat is fixed to the frame, and the back is fixed to the frame through the assembling sheet of the back support with two fastening components.
US09161622B1
An Air Traffic Control (ATC) console provides improved structural integrity and cable routing. The ATC console includes laterally spaced apart vertical ribs including a strong center box structure and slat wall hooks on opposing flat wings. Front and rear slat wall panels attached to opposite sides of the ribs by horizontal lips on rear surfaces of the slat walls engaging the slat wall hooks. Horizontal openings for cable passage are created by spacing consecutive slat walls apart, and may be staggered to avoid light reaching an operator. Brush grommets may fill the openings in the front slat walls further preventing light from reaching the operator. Cable trays may be position under the horizontal openings and the vertical ribs may include cable pass throughs aligned with the horizontal openings and cable trays allowing cables to be routed laterally between the slat walls.
US09161620B2
A mobile serving cart with adjustable hinges that allows for the production inconsistencies associated with rotational molding. The cart comprises a plurality of door assemblies, each door assembly comprising at least two hinge assemblies, at least one hinge assembly being disposed at the upper portion of the door assembly, and at least one other hinge assembly being disposed at the lower portion of the door assembly. Each hinge assembly comprises at least two door bolts, at least one cart bolt, and a pivot rod. The cart rod is disposed between the at least two door bolts at an orientation that is orthogonal to the at least two door bolts. The hinge assemblies provide a means for the rotationally molded door assemblies and side walls of the cart to be tightly or snuggly coupled together despite the manufacturing inconsistencies inherent to the rotational molding process.
US09161616B1
A portable desk assembly for providing a work surface having an adjustable height includes a pair of stands each movably coupled together. The pair of stands is positionable between a deployed position and a stored position. A panel is coupled to the pair of stands. The panel may provide a work surface. A lock is coupled between the pair of stands. The lock retains the panel at a selected height when the pair of stands is positioned in the deployed position.
US09161614B2
A method of making a cosmetic applicator assembly is described. The cosmetic applicator assembly includes an applicator head comprising an applicator front portion having at least a first surface, a second surface, and a multiplicity of apertures extending between the first surface and the second surface, at least one applicator component protruding from the at one least aperture and attachable to the applicator front portion, and an applicator back portion fixed to the applicator front portion so as to cover the second surface of the applicator front portion.
US09161613B1
A tongue scraper toothbrush system for cleaning teeth and tongue of a user is provided. The tongue scraper toothbrush system comprises a handle having a first end and a second end. A brush head is mounted to the first end of the handle. A tongue scraping device is mounted to the handle. The brush head and the tongue scraping device are alternatingly usable to clean the teeth and tongue of the user.
US09161611B2
A protective case is for use on a tablet mobile device. The tablet mobile device has a front face, rear face and four side faces connecting the front face. The protective case comprises a frame body comprising a bottom portion for supporting the rear face and a holding portion extending from the bottom portion and at least partially bent for lying on the front face; a sealing member comprising an assistant holding portion and for surrounding and holding, in cooperation with the frame body, the tablet mobile device; and a handle member mounted on the frame body and/or the sealing member. The protective case has the advantages of having a simple structure for convenient installation and protecting the exterior of the computer without hiding its display screen. Additionally, the handle member adapts an ergonomic design by using user's arm as support for the computer.
US09161606B1
A makeup application component includes a three-dimensional mask, a transfer layer, and a pigment layer. A surface curve of a first surface of the three-dimensional mask is corresponding to a surface curve of a face of a user. The transfer layer covers the first surface of the three-dimensional mask. The transfer layer is provided with a first surface and a second surface that are opposite each other. The first surface of the transfer layer clings to the first surface of the three-dimensional mask, and the pigment layer is attached to the second surface of the transfer layer.
US09161599B1
A hat case assembly for protecting a hat while traveling includes a housing that has a bottom wall and a perimeter wall is attached to and extends upwardly from the bottom wall. A cover is pivotally coupled to the perimeter wall of the housing. The cover is positioned in an open position exposing an interior of the housing or in a closed position covering the interior of the housing. A mount is positioned within the housing and is mounted on an interior surface of the bottom wall. The mount is configured to releasably engage a hat and retain the hat on the bottom wall.
US09161596B2
A security luggage bag having multi layered walls defining a storage volume and at least one of the walls has a reinforcing layer comprised of a fabric with a reinforcing wire strand on a surface of the fabric, the reinforcing strand being fixed to the fabric as with stitching, tape or welds extending lengthwise along the reinforcing strand.
US09161591B2
An article of footwear and insert for an article of footwear are provided with means for provisional instantaneous enhancing cutaneous mechanoreceptors pressure sensation from the plantar surface (sole) of the foot perimeter zone.Such instantaneous stimulation ought to compensate age/illness—related deterioration of plantar cutaneous sensation; it enhances its ability to detect and react to the shifts of the body's Center of Gravity (COG) toward the edges of the feet which, if left uncorrected right away, cause ankle sprain, and/or loss of balance and fall.An insole disclosed is provided with a set of pressure-activated protrusions, which form a narrow strip in close proximity to the perimeter of the insole inside the inner neighborhood of the plantar sole perimeter, and becomes active just when the Center Of Pressure (COP) of the wearer of the footwear is shifting dangerously toward the edges of the feet.
US09161583B2
Methods and devices for attaching hair weaves to a wearer's existing hair are described. A hair extension/weave portion (e.g., a system comprised of a plurality of natural and/or synthetic hair strands) may be attached to an attachment strip member via a base member with a suture, such as a thread or stitch. The attachment strip member may be formed of a flexible material, such that it can conform to the contours of the wearer's head/scalp. Holes may be provided on the attachment strip member so to allow the attachment of one or more clip members thereto. The clip members, having the attachment strip member and hair extension portion attached thereto, may then be inserted into the wearer's existing hair so as to secure the hair extension system thereto. The clip members, and thus the hair extension system, may then be easily removed from the wearer's existing hair when desired.
US09161580B2
The present invention is an article of clothing, such as a glove, formed with a flexible, moldable material section forming one or more of the portions of the article of clothing. The moldable sections utilized in constructing the article of clothing are formed in a molding process which allows for the formation of the sections in a desired shape and/or with various function-enhancing members integrally on the moldable portions. In addition, the molding process for forming the moldable sections can be used to bond the moldable sections to the other non-moldable sections used in the construction of the article of clothing.
US09161579B1
A puncture-resistant glove includes a glove body having a hand portion with an index finger, a middle finger, a ring finger, a little finger and a thumb and a puncture-resistant area generally covering the hand portion, the thumb and the index finger.
US09161574B2
A post medical procedure garment includes front and rear panels with height adjusting straps that extend over the wearer's shoulders. The front panel includes an outer compression fabric and an inner cup assembly, which is essentially non-compressive. The cup assembly includes individual cups for each breast. An elastic band extends around the bottom portion of the garment. Tensioning structures, such as side flaps extending from the back to the front, can be provided to adjust the circumferential size of the garment. The garment can include releasable closures on the side of the garment to aid in putting on and taking off the garment. A connector can removably attach a fluid storage device to the side flaps or the elastic band. The fluid storage device can hold post-medical procedure drainage fluid.
US09161568B2
A tobacco product is formed by rolling moistened tobacco leaves about a cylindrical form casing and allowing the leaves to dry to form a shell. After the form casing is removed a consumer can fill the shell with crushed tobacco leaves of a favorite blend, thereby eliminating some steps in the making of a “roll-your-own” tobacco product.
US09161550B2
A carcass stabilizer for holding a carcass and preventing swinging motion parallel to a carcass rail has a pair of arms that open widely to grasp a swinging carcass as the carcass moves at a point below the suspension point of the carcass. The arms continuously move with the carcass as a carcass processing operation is performed and also preferably move down during the processing operation to exert a downward pull on the carcass and thereby straighten the centerline of the carcass and more accurately hold it in an aligned position.
US09161547B2
A conveyor oven is disclosed. The conveyor oven includes a housing, a conveyor belt, a first and second doors, and a heat source. The housing includes a cavity and a first and second openings. The conveyor belt is configured to receive and transport food items in and out of the cavity through the first and second openings. The conveyor belt includes a loading section and an unloading section for food. The first and second doors cover first and second openings, respectively, in order to prevent heat within the cavity from escaping through the first and second openings during operation. Configured to provide different cooking times and thermal profiles to various types of food items, the heat source provides heat to the cavity for heating up any food item placed on a portion of the conveyor belt located within the cavity.
US09161542B2
Pesticidal compositions that improve soil residual efficacy of sulfoxaflor are disclosed.
US09161529B2
The present invention generally relates to aqueous compositions containing salts of (S)-(+)-abscisic acid, the surfactant Atlox™ 4913, and the color stabilizers sodium citrate and sodium acetate, methods of their preparation, and methods of their agricultural use.
US09161528B2
The present invention relates to a method for cryopreserving the pulp of a non-exfoliated deciduous tooth, comprising a step of making with a laser a hole into the tooth removed from its physiological seat on the tooth neck. After making the hole, the tooth is contacted with a cryopreserving agent and then cryofrozen. An object of the invention further consists in mesenchymal stem cells isolated from the pulp of a cryopreserved tooth according to the method of the invention.
US09161522B2
A fishing lure configured to have a rocking motion when pulled through water. The fishing lure has a body shaped like an elliptic parabaloid. A hook is mechanically coupled to the body and to an egg sinker wherein the egg sinker is proximate one end of the body. A sealer is configured to cover the body and the hook. The egg sinker causes the body to sink mimicking a fish diving. The body is configured to have the rocking motion when moving mimicking the fish swimming.
US09161515B2
A custom-shaped wireless fence system is provided that contains one or more dogs in a user-defined containment area without the need for a physical fence or underground wire. The system, which is easy to set up and use, includes at least three base units and at least one collar and, preferably, a remote controller. Each of the base units and the at least one collar includes a component for reducing clock speed variation between the base and collar units, preferably to +/−5 ppm, to effectively eliminate communication errors between the base and collar units.
US09161497B2
An autonomously controlled greenhouse cultivation system includes a fuel cell module, an environment detection and control module, and environment set-up devices. The fuel cell module includes input terminals and output terminals. After fuel and air are received through the input terminals, the output terminals supply, respectively, various environmental products, including electrical power, thermal energy, carbon dioxide, and water, which are fed to the environment detection and control module that controls the output of these environmental products and includes detection units and control units to detect and effect feedback control of illumination, temperature, humidity, carbon dioxide concentration, and water level. Each environment set-up device is arranged inside a greenhouse and is connected to the environment detection and control module to receive the environmental to set up the environment of growth in respect of illumination, temperature, humidity, carbon dioxide, and water supply of irrigation for the plants cultivated in the greenhouse.
US09161495B2
A method is provided for preparing a raw material for functional foods from vernalized, pre-germinated barley or wheat seeds, plumules cultured the vernalized, pre-germinated barley or wheat seeds, or a material resulting from the fermentation of the vernalized, pre-germinated barley or wheat seeds with lactic acid bacteria.
US09161494B2
Bale opener for use in a feeding line of a biomass energy plant, the bale opener (1) comprising at least two disintegration members (2), wherein each disintegration member (2) is rotatable around a respective rotation axis (5) and in the direction of that rotation axis (5) has a first end (3) and a second end (4), an inlet (17) for feeding bales (28) in a feeding direction (33) to the disintegration members (2), an outlet (18) for discharging loosened bale material from the disintegration members (2), a drive system (6) being operable to drive the disintegration members (2) to rotate around their respective rotation axis (5), wherein each disintegration member (2) is provided with a plurality of blades (8) that are radially disposed in a mill-wheel arrangement, the blades (8) extending outwardly from a radially inner edge (9) to a radially outer edge (10) and from a first edge (11) at the first end (3) of the disintegration member (2) to a second edge (12) in a direction towards the second end (4) of the disintegration member (2), and that the inlet (17) is arranged opposite to the first end (3) of the disintegration members (2) so as to feed the bales (28) to a processing region (34) at the first end (3) of the disintegration members (2).
US09161492B2
A header has a middle section disposed on a main frame, at least two side sections adjacent to the middle section, a rear panel extending perpendicularly to the main frame, a flexible finger bar extending across a width of the header and a conveyor device disposed behind the finger bar. The conveyer device is designed on the side sections as a continuous conveyor belt disposed adjacent to the middle section in order to transport crop cut by the finger bar laterally in the direction of the middle section. The side sections are formed as a plurality of supporting arms swivellably disposed on the main frame that support the finger bar. Each side section has a plurality of supporting elements for supporting the conveyor belt. Each of the supporting elements is supported in a bearing point to be displaceable in the axial direction relative to the main frame.
US09161491B2
A portable device and a method for the decorative design of fields and grass surfaces with graphics, texts, logos, reliefs, engraved designs, or patterns is presented. The device is so conceived that at least one guiding element with at least one treatment actuator for applying a design to a surface is guided in a circular motion around a reference point by a drive unit. A circular treatment area results from this rotational movement. Within this treatment area, each point can be reached by the treatment actuator (realized e.g. as a spraying device having at least one nozzle) for the application of the design. The control mechanism of the device ensures that the treatment actuator undertakes the application of the design to the surface either while passing over the point to be treated or after positioning is complete. A template in digitalized form may serve as a basis for the treatment of the surface to which decoration is to be applied.
US09161489B1
An agricultural potassium-fertigation method for emitter-irrigation potassium fertigation feeds a potassium-nutrient feedstock comprised of potassium formate and water to an active emitter-irrigation system discontinuously, at levels of 0.15 to 50 gal./min, during one to six nonconsecutive irrigation days during a crop cycle.
US09161487B1
A horizontal auger garden tilling apparatus and method of use having an outer frame, an inner frame which pivots with the outer frame, and a rotating auger capable of tilling soil to depth which conventional tillers cannot begin to reach. The apparatus is moved and the method of use is performed via attachment with a tractor or other movable carriage which provides enough horizontal force to move the auger through the soil and provides auger rotational power. A trencher attachment prevents auger soil refilling and allows the apparatus and method of use to be utilized and performed in conjunction with trenching operations.
US09167734B2
A shielding apparatus connectable between a circuit board and a connector having pins connectable to the circuit board is provided. The shielding apparatus includes a wall element defining opposite sides and connection locations respectively connectable with the connector and the circuit board and is configured as an electro-magnetic interference skirt to block radiation emanating from and receivable by the pins.
US09167733B2
A panel for an electromagnetic shield includes a light-weight, porous, electrically-conductive, fluid-permeable planar core layer defined between generally parallel first and second surfaces and a first face sheet laminated to the first surface of the core layer with rigidity properties superior to the rigidity properties of the core layer. The thickness of the first face sheet is substantially less than the thickness of the core layer. The core layer is made of metallic foam or a metal coating on an electrically-nonconductive, porous, nonmetallic substrate chosen from among nonwoven fibrous matting, paper, and open-cell nonmetallic foam. Also, the core layer may also may be made up of liberated branching metal nanostrands or a plurality of electrically-coupled, electrically-conductive particles, each taking the from of an electrically-nonconductive, nonmetallic substrate with a metal coating. The first face sheet includes a cured layer of resin and, distributed throughout the resin, electrically-conductive elements selected from among liberated branched metal nanostrands, metal wires, and metal meshes, in addition to fibers, woven fabric, nonwoven matting, or paper that are metal-coated.
US09167728B2
According to one embodiment, a system for removing heat from a rack of information technology equipment may include a sidecar indoor air to liquid heat exchanger that cools air utilized by the rack of information technology equipment to cool the rack of information technology equipment. The system may also include a liquid to liquid heat exchanger and an outdoor heat exchanger. The system may further include configurable pathways to connect and control fluid flow through the sidecar heat exchanger, the liquid to liquid heat exchanger, the rack of information technology equipment, and the outdoor heat exchanger based upon ambient temperature and/or ambient humidity to remove heat generated by the rack of information technology equipment.
US09167727B2
The disclosure discloses a rapidly assembling/disassembling device including a fixing frame, partitions, pushing brackets, and a fastening member. The fixing frame includes a first side plate and a second side plate. Fan modules are sequentially arranged between the first and second side plates. The second side plate abuts against a second side of the adjacent fan module. Each of the partitions abuts against the second side of the corresponding fan module. Each of the pushing brackets is pivotally connected in the fixing frame. Each of the pushing brackets includes a pushing arm. The fastening member is disposed on the first side plate. When the fastening member pushes the adjacent pushing bracket to abut against a first side of the adjacent fan module, each of the other pushing brackets is pushed by the corresponding pushing arm to abut against the first side of the corresponding fan module.
US09167726B2
A system and method for cooling a plurality of electronics cabinets having horizontally positioned electronics assemblies. The system includes at least one blower configured to direct air horizontally across the electronics assemblies, and at least one intercooler configured to extract heat from the air flow such that the system is room neutral, meaning that the ambient temperature remains constant during operation of the system. A plurality of chassis backplanes and power supplies may also include an intercooler, wherein the intercoolers are electronically controlled such that the system is room neutral.
US09167723B1
Embodiments of a silicon-based heat-dissipation device and an apparatus including a silicon-based heat-dissipation device are described. In one aspect, an apparatus includes a silicon-based heat-dissipation device which includes a base portion and a protrusion portion. The base portion has a first primary side and a second primary side opposite the first primary side. The protrusion portion is on the first primary side of the base portion and protruding therefrom. The protrusion portion includes multiple fins. Each of at least two immediately adjacent fins of the fins of the protrusion portion has a tapered profile in a cross-sectional view with a first width near a distal end of the respective fin being less than a second width at a base of the respective fin near the base portion of the heat-dissipation device.
US09167720B2
The invention relates to an improved aircraft electronics cooling system for an aircraft having a liquid cooling system, the aircraft electronics cooling system providing a thermal coupling between an electronic device to be cooled and the liquid cooling system of the aircraft. A coolant delivered by the liquid cooling system may flow through a board of the electronic device, through a heat sink on which the electronic device is arranged and/or through a housing in which the electronic device is arranged. The coolant may be permanently in the liquid state in a cooling circuit. The coolant may vaporize at least partially while cooling the electronic device.
US09167717B2
A connection device includes a connection member attached to one of a cable management arm and a slide assembly, an insertion piece attached to the other one of the cable management arm and the slide assembly, and an engaging member attached to one of the connection member and the insertion piece. The connection member has a longitudinal passage and a window. The engaging member has a resilient arm and an engaging portion. The insertion piece has two insertion arms, one of which has a contact section located corresponding to the engaging portion, and a projecting portion for ensuring the insertion piece being inserted into the connection member in proper orientation. When the insertion piece is completely inserted into the longitudinal passage of the connection member, the engaging portion of the engaging member contacts the contact section to releasably lock the insertion piece to the connection member.
US09167713B2
A box-frame housing for the installation of electronic modules has frame elements and side walls and provides a subdivision into sub-regions, which are limited by dividing walls. The frame elements and the side walls and dividing walls provide at least one recess and/or at least one edge projection. A projection engages in a recess and both are connected to one another by welding.
US09167708B2
A power conversion apparatus is equipped with grommets each of which hermetically seals between one of a coolant inlet tube and a coolant outlet tube of a cooler. Each of the grommets has a sealing protrusion and is fit in a cut-out formed in an end of a side wall of a casing with the sealing protrusion pressed against an inner wall of the cut-out. The installation of each of the grommets is achieved by inserting the grommet through the cut-out in a direction from outside to inside the casing so that a portion of the grommet protrudes from the wall into the casing. The visual perception of such protrusion made by an assembly worker, therefore, enables the assembly worker to determine whether the grommet has been installed in place in the cut-out to establish a desired hermetical seal or not.
US09167703B2
In this method, a vertical stack is formed on an axis coinciding substantially with the gravity direction and comprising, from top to bottom: the element; the mass in a solid state; and the substrate. The mass is then heated so as to cause it to pass into a liquid state enabling it to spread on the substrate. More particularly, after the stack has been formed, the element is left free to move vertically, and during heating, variation in the vertical position of the element is measured.
US09167700B2
A method of making a connection-pad structure includes providing a substrate and coating a curable layer over the substrate. A group of intersecting micro-channels is embossed in the curable layer. Each micro-channel extends from a surface of the curable layer into the curable layer toward the substrate. The curable layer is cured to form a cured layer having embossed intersecting micro-channels in the cured layer; the group of intersecting micro-channels forms a connection pad. A curable electrical conductor is located in the intersecting micro-channels. The curable electrical conductor is cured to form an electrically continuous cured electrical conductor formed in the group of intersecting micro-channels and an electrical connector is electrically connected to the cured electrical conductor.
US09167690B1
An LTCC carrier composed of thermosetting polymer, woven glass fiber and ceramic has gold over nickel contact pads on top and bottom surfaces and conductive vias therethrough between aligned pairs of top and bottom pads. The vias prevent undesirable inductive paths from limiting high frequency operation of the circuitry. Solder deposits on the top pads attach the LTCC component, which is further secured to the carrier by epoxy, thus improving resistance to thermal stress and mechanical shock. A slot through the carrier body between top and bottom surfaces further reduces thermal stress and mechanical shock. Metallized castellations on opposite carrier sides provide additional surface area for reflow solder joints with the PCB, and a means for visually inspecting the solder joint quality. A gap in the metallization on the top layer of the carrier prevents solder spreading during multiple soldering cycles, which may result in poor solder joints.
US09167674B2
An emergency battery converter system provides a low-cost emergency battery converter and lighting system. The battery converter system includes an emergency battery pack, a lighting driver, and an emergency luminaire. In certain example embodiments, the emergency battery pack is coupled to a power delivery system and is charged by the power delivery system. The lighting driver receives power from the battery pack and steps up and regulates the power to be suitable for use by the emergency luminaire. In certain example embodiments, the emergency luminaire illuminates an egress area.
US09167671B2
According to certain inventive techniques, a method for operating a flickering illumination control device including an electrical input and an electrical output includes receiving an input voltage at the electrical input. A non-flickering output voltage may be provided at the electrical output. While receiving the input voltage and while providing the non-flickering output voltage, a first interruption in current flowing through the electrical output may be detected. In response to the first interruption, a flickering output voltage is provided at the electrical output.
US09167670B2
A method for controlling a plurality of lamps is applied to an electrical apparatus, such that the user can control the plurality of lamps by the electrical apparatus. The method includes the following steps: receiving a plurality of different identification codes, with the identification codes representing each of the lamps respectively; setting at least two different identification codes of the plurality of identification codes to be in the same control group according to a group setting command; and setting the control parameter of each of the plurality of lamps represented by each of the plurality of different identification codes of the same control group to be the same.
US09167668B1
An exemplary embodiment of the present invention a lighting device comprising a processor and a memory comprising instructions that, when executed by the processor, are configured to cause the lighting device to access identification information relating to the lighting device and transmit the identification information to a remotely located system controller automatically upon commissioning the lighting device.
US09167667B2
The present invention is directed to an electrical device that includes a lighting circuit is disposed in the second housing and coupled to the voltage output terminals. The lighting circuit includes a control circuit coupled to a plurality of first light elements and at least one second lighting element. The plurality of first light elements is configured to provide a relatively wide illumination beam when energized by the control circuit in a first operational state, and the at least one second lighting element being configured to provide a relatively narrow illumination beam when energized by the control circuit in a second operational state. The control circuit is configured such that the first operational state and second operational state do not simultaneously occur.
US09167660B2
A lighting dimmer for surface mount or in-wall mount comprising: a lighting dimmer main body, the main body comprising: a lighting control board positioned in the main body for controlling one or more light emitting diode based light sources; a surface mount attachment connected to the main body for facilitating surface mount connection of the lighting dimmer; a controller connected to the lighting control board and configured to input a command to the lighting control board, and; a surface portion configured to receive an insert for in-wall mounting of the lighting dimmer.
US09167649B2
A lighting device includes a DC/DC converter (step-down chopper circuit) and a control circuit that includes a correction circuit. The correction circuit corrects the timing at which a switching element included in the DC/DC convertor is turned OFF based on a voltage value across a solid-state light-emitting element (LED unit). The correction is made such that an average value of a current flowing through an inductor included in the DC/DC converter is within a predetermined range regardless of a voltage value across the solid-state light-emitting element.
US09167647B1
A control circuit comprises a power supply unit configured to generate a voltage to be supplied to a load by turning on and off a first switch in response to a drive signal and control a drive current of the load by turning on and off a second switch in response to a control signal, a first controller configured to perform a first PWM control of the drive signal, based on a measurement value of the drive current, a second controller configured to perform a second PWM control of the control signal, based on an external signal, and a synchronous controller configured to synchronize an on-period of one period of the control signal to he a multiple of one period of the drive signal. Further, in the control circuit, during the on-period of the control signal, an inductor current for generating the drive current is cut off for a portion of every period of the drive signal.
US09167642B2
An LED lighting device includes: a resistor R1 configured to output a detection value of an inductor current I1 flowing through an inductor L1 during an ON period of a switching element Q1; a threshold generation section 42 configured to generate a threshold value Vs of the inductor current I1 corresponding to a dimming level; and a switching control section 44 configured to control the switching element Q1 to turn on and off. The switching control section 44 is configured to determine an OFF timing of the switching element Q1 based on comparison between the detection value and the threshold value Vs of the inductor current I1. The LED lighting device increases a period of a switching cycle of the switching element Q1 with decrease of the dimming level.
US09167641B2
The present invention relates to providing an improved dimming driver circuitry, system and a method thereof. The dimming driver circuitry is configured to enable dimming intensity of light generated by one or more light sources, the dimming driver circuitry being connected to a dimmer that provides to it an alternating current (AC) signal. The dimming driver circuitry may in some examples not include a processing unit. Additionally or alternatively, the dimming driver circuitry may in some examples apply amplitude modulation to the output current provided to the one or more light sources. In some of these examples, the dimming driver circuitry may begin to apply at substantially the same time pulse width modulation and amplitude modulation to the output current provided to the one or more light sources. Additionally or alternatively, the dimming driver circuitry may in some examples include at least one linear dimming control pin connected to at least one capacitor and/or resistor configured to fine-tune capacitance and/or resistance.
US09167633B2
Devices and methods for RF heating of food, using techniques which allow uniformity and/or controlled non-uniformity.
US09167632B2
An apparatus and process are provided for scan induction heating of a workpiece. The workpiece is moved through an inductor to inductively heat treat features of the workpiece with electric power of varying frequency and duty cycle to control the magnitude of electric power as the frequency changes. Alternatively the inductor is moved along the workpiece to inductively heat treat features of the workpiece with electric power of varying frequency and duty cycle to control the magnitude of electric power as the frequency changes, or a combination of simultaneous inductor and workpiece movement may be used.
US09167631B2
When a power system experiences a disruptive event, conditions may exist that threaten the survival of power devices used in the system. Embodiments described herein provide an improved means of protecting these devices under such circumstances.
US09167630B2
A water heater (10) is suitable for point-of-use applications. The water heater includes a tank housing (12) and one or more electrically powered heating elements (18). A water inlet line (20) and a water outlet line (24) may be molded as a unitary structure with the tank housing. The water outlet line includes a lower port (68) and an upper port (70) for mixing water in the outlet line. The housing may be mounted such that its axis is either vertical or horizontal.
US09167628B2
An electric heating unit for hot runner systems, and in particular for hot runner nozzles and/or hot runner manifolds includes at least one tubular or muff-like support and at least one heating layer fitted with heating conductor tracks. The heating layer is a fired foil or a fired thick-film paste and the muff-like support is able to be slipped onto a material feed pipe.
US09167624B2
A wireless network adapter may provide an absence indicator to devices in a first network to alert such devices to a time period when the wireless network adapter is not available in the first network. The wireless network adapter may operate in multiple networks, wherein the multiple networks are time division multiplexed on a same transmission channel. The absence indicator may be provided as a Notice Of Absence (NOA) Information Element (IE).
US09167622B2
Systems and methods are provided for enhancing the concurrency of a wireless device operating in multiple network contexts. By identifying opportunity instants that may exist within the normal exchange of information by a device having a single physical transceiver in a first network context, tasks for a second network context may be performed using the transceiver with minimal impact on performance related to the first network context and preferably in complete transparence to the first network context.
US09167621B2
A communication device includes antennas to receive a first signal from a remote device, wherein the first signal corresponds to a first operational mode. A baseband processor selects either a first operational mode for transmitting a second signal or a second operational mode for transmitting the second signal. When the second operational mode is selected the baseband processor transforms the phase-related information corresponding to the first operational mode to transformed phase-related information corresponding to the second operational mode. The antennas transmit the second signal to the remote device in accordance with the transformed phase-related information corresponding to the second operational mode.
US09167617B2
The present invention relates to a method for operating a network comprising a primary station communicating with a plurality of secondary stations, the method comprising the primary station communicating with a secondary station in a discontinuous mode; the secondary station transmitting to the primary station a control message based on the current status of the secondary station; the primary station changing a parameter of the discontinuous mode based on the control message.
US09167615B2
A method and an apparatus for connecting a service, according to a user's intention are provided. The method includes determining at least one file to be transmitted through a Wireless Fidelity (Wi-Fi) Direct connection, selecting, by device discovery, a peer terminal to receive the at least one file, transmitting, to the peer terminal, a first frame including file attribute information about the at least one file, before the Wi-Fi Direct connection is established with the peer terminal, and receiving, from the peer terminal, a second frame, including information indicating whether the Wi-Fi Direct connection to the peer terminal is accepted or rejected.
US09167609B2
Systems, methods, and devices for communicating a compressed beacon are described herein. In some aspects, a method of communicating in a wireless network includes transmitting, at an access point, a full beacon at a first multiple of a beacon interval. The method further includes transmitting a compressed beacon at each beacon interval that is not the first multiple of the beacon interval. Another method of communicating in a wireless network includes receiving, at a wireless device, a full beacon at a first multiple of a beacon interval. The method further includes receiving a compressed beacon at a beacon interval that is not the first multiple of the beacon interval.
US09167599B2
Methods of communicating location information from a subscriber to a repeater are described. The subscriber switches from a working channel to a data revert channel, transmits a request for a periodic or one-time window to transmit an update, and determines from grant information in the response announcement the allocated window and frame before switching back to the working channel. Before the allocated time, the subscriber switches to the data revert channel, confirms whether it remains scheduled to transmit the update from a repeater announcement, and if so transmits the location update in either the current or reserved window. The announcements from the repeater contain the identity of the next window and frame and the subscriber reserved to use the window in addition to grant information. The subscribers may or may not be time-aligned and the data and data revert channels may or may not be synchronized.
US09167598B2
A base station apparatus for performing radio communication with a mobile station apparatus, the base station apparatus includes: a group generation unit which groups a plurality of mobile station apparatuses controllable with a same control amount of transmission timing; and a transmission unit which transmits the control amount of transmission timing to the grouped plurality of mobile station apparatuses.
US09167591B2
An information handling system includes a storage device for storing a spatial-temporal radio frequency profile for indicating signal quality for wireless links available at the location. The information handling system further includes an application processor that selects a predicted future path for a mobile information handling system during a future time interval. The application processor determines predicts radio quality of wireless links over the predicted future path selected for the system based on measured radio quality of service parameters for locations.
US09167589B2
It is possible to provide a radio communication terminal device and a radio transmission method which can improve reception performance of a CQI and a reference signal. A phase table storage unit stores a phase table which correlates the amount of cyclic shift to complex coefficients {w1, w2} to be multiplied on the reference signal. A complex coefficient multiplication unit reads out a complex coefficient corresponding to the amount of cyclic shift indicated by resource allocation information, from the phase table storage unit and multiplies the read-out complex coefficient on the reference signal so as to change the phase relationship between the reference signals in a slot.
US09167585B2
A base station is configured to support communications with at least one user equipment (UE) configured for machine type communications (MTC). The base station includes processing circuitry configured to determine a transmission scheme based on a category of the at least one UE. The base station also includes a transmitter configured to transmit, using a determined transmission scheme, a physical downlink shared channel (PDSCH) in a reduced bandwidth to the at least one UE. The UE includes a receiver configured to receive a physical downlink shared channel (PDSCH) in a reduced bandwidth from at least one base station. The UE also includes processing circuitry configured to determine a transmission scheme utilized by at least one base station.
US09167583B2
The present invention relates to a wireless communication system. More particularly, the present invention relates to a method and a device therefor, the method comprising: setting a first cell having a first TDD UL-DL configuration and a second cell having a second TDD UL-DL configuration; receiving data through a DL subframe of the first cell; and transmitting reception response information on the data through a UL subframe of the second cell, wherein the relationship between the DL subframe and the UL subframe is determined by a parameter value set in a specific TDD UL-DL configuration, which is the TDD UL-DL configuration having the least number of DL subframes from TDD UL-DL configuration(s), in which subframes set as a DL in the first or second cell are all set as DLs.
US09167582B2
The present description discloses a method for a first device to transmit data in a WPAN (wireless personal area network), comprising the steps of: transmitting, to a second device, a message requesting a transmission bandwidth for transceiving non-competitive data of a first device; receiving, from the second device, transmission bandwidth allocation information corresponding to the message requesting the transmission bandwidth; and transceiving data to/from the second device according to the transmission bandwidth allocation information, wherein the transmission bandwidth allocation information may include length, gap, and window information on the transmission bandwidth for non-competitive transception.
US09167579B2
A method and corresponding devices for processing and transmitting information are described. A sequence of binary signals is mapped to symbols that forms a two-dimensional matrix of symbols in one of the frequency-time or time-time or time-frequency or frequency-frequency domain and which may be filtered in that domain. Selecting the diagonal elements of said matrix forms a transmit vector.
US09167575B2
The disclosure is related to transmitting downlink control information through a downlink control channel adopted in a data region, and transmitting uplink control information for user equipment receiving the downlink control information. Furthermore, the disclosure is related to performing a physical uplink control channel (PUCCH) resource mapping for uplink HARQ-ACK/NACK feedback of user equipment. Herein, the uplink HARQ-ACK/NACK feedback may be performed by the user equipment in response to a downlink data channel assigned according to downlink scheduling information transmitted through the adopted downlink control channel.
US09167571B2
Embodiments of a base station and method for resource allocation using localized and distributed resource blocks are generally described herein. The base station comprises processing circuitry to allocate localized resources to user stations based on receipt of channel quality information received from the user stations and to allocate distributed resource to user stations based on non-receipt of channel quality information. The base station also comprises physical layer circuitry to transmit control information on a physical channel to indicate the resources that are allocated to each scheduled user station.
US09167562B2
A method of allocating channel resources from a first device to a second device in a wireless network comprises receiving channel resource allocation information from a coordinator of the wireless network to allocate the channel resources; transmitting data to the second device through the allocated channel resources; receiving channel resource request information from the second device to request the first device to allocate a part of the allocated channel resources; and deciding whether to allocate the part of the channel resources allocated from the coordinator, to the second device in accordance with the channel resource request information.
US09167560B2
Multiple channels are aggregated. In an example embodiment, first data is transmitted on a first channel to a wireless device, and second data is simultaneously transmitted on a second channel to the wireless device. The first data and the second data are transmitted in a coordinated manner by aggregating the first channel and the second channel. Various example channel characteristics and combinations thereof are described. Different data allocation options for aggregated channels are described. Other alternative implementations are also presented herein.
US09167559B2
In one aspect, there is disclosed a process for enabling communication of a communication device over a spectrum including the steps of: providing a communication device, detecting available analog signals, analyzing the detected analog signals, connecting to a highest energy signal, and repeating these steps.
US09167543B2
A method includes subsequent to a client associating with a first access node and the client being communicatively coupled with a first controller through the first access node: storing information on one or more of: active broadcast sessions for the client or active multicast sessions for the client. The method further includes subsequent to the client associating with a second access node and the client being communicatively coupled with a second controller through the second access node: the second controller establishing one or more of: the active broadcast sessions for the client or the active multicast sessions for the client using the information.
US09167537B2
Disclosed are methods and apparatus for rejecting unreliable downlink (DL) transmit power control (TPC) commands in windup mode. In one aspect, the method includes receiving by a user equipment (UE) a plurality of DLTPC commands from a base station, analyzing on one or more transmitted uplink (UL) TPC commands, detecting a windup mode based on the one or more DLTPC and ULTPC commands, and rejecting one or more DLTPC down commands in the windup mode.
US09167530B2
Various aspects of apparatus for accessing a network through a wireless access point and methods of power savings for such apparatus include scheduling a sleep state interval, entering a sleep state at the beginning of the scheduled sleep interval, and buffering data during the sleep state for transmission following the sleep state.
US09167527B2
An apparatus and method for reducing power consumption of a portable terminal are provided. More particularly, an apparatus and method for reducing power consumption generated in an idle state in order to solve a power consumption problem in a portable terminal are provided. The apparatus includes a state determination unit which is configured independently from an application processor for controlling applications and which wakes up when entering an idle mode to allow the application processor to sleep, and thereafter determines a state of the portable terminal, and if it is determined that the portable terminal escapes from the idle mode, allows the application processor to wake up.
US09167521B2
A wireless communication device includes a Wi-Fi module for operating in WLAN system and a Bluetooth module for operating in Bluetooth system. After entering a power-saving mode, the wireless communication device is configured to turn off the Wi-Fi module and periodically scan an operational frequency band of a network using the Bluetooth module. When detecting a radio frequency signal having the same bandwidth as the network in the operational frequency band, the wireless communication device is configured to enter a normal mode.
US09167505B2
Provisioning and access control for communication nodes involves assigning identifiers to sets of nodes where the identifiers may be used to control access to restricted access nodes that provide certain services only to certain defined sets of nodes. In some aspects provisioning a node may involve providing a unique identifier for sets of one or more nodes such as restricted access points and access terminals that are authorized to receive service from the restricted access points. Access control may be provided by operation of a restricted access point and/or a network node. In some aspects, provisioning a node involves providing a preferred roaming list for the node. In some aspects, a node may be provisioned with a preferred roaming list through the use of a bootstrap beacon.
US09167501B2
A control plane device in a cloud computing system executes a plurality of virtual machines for implementing network function virtualization (NFV). The control plane device is operable to manage implementation of a general packet radio service (GPRS) tunnel protocol (GTP) in a packet core (PC) of a third generation (3G) network having a split architecture where a control plane of the PC of the 3G network is in the cloud computing system. The control plane communicates with a data plane of the PC through a control plane protocol. The data plane is implemented in a plurality of network devices of the 3G network. The control plane device and the plurality of virtual machines are operable to communicate with other control plane devices in the cloud computing system and with the plurality of network devices of the data plane.
US09167492B2
A scheme to identify the uplink border between two neighboring cells (10, 20) in an LTE-based heterogeneous network, especially one Macro cell (10) and another Small Cell (20). A trigger event is configured for a connected mode UE (1) such that the UE is triggered to send the measurement report about the neighboring cell (20) when the condition “neighbor is offset better than Pcell on UL” is fulfilled. Such a measurement report can be used by the current serving eNB (11) to decide whether one or more neighboring cells (20) should be activated or handed-over to, and/or whether certain information should be sent to one or more neighboring eNBs (21) so that they can start monitoring the uplink connection quality of the UE. In particular it is possible to offload at least part of the UE's uplink traffic from the serving cell (10) to a neighbor cell (20).
US09167491B2
A method, an apparatus, and a computer program product for wireless communication are provided in which a system for optimizing pilot search window size selection for inter RAT handovers is implemented. An IWS may receive a message including at least one measurement value for each 1x pilot PN in a 1x network, obtained from measurements requested by an eNB and performed by a UE. The IWS may select one or more parameters for pilot search based on the at least one measurement value for the UE to use for pilot searching in the 1x network. Further the IWS may transmit the selected one or more parameters for pilot search to the UE for pilot searching in the 1x network.
US09167487B2
A communication system is described in which mobile telephones that are members of closed subscriber groups associated with home base stations are able to roam between neighbouring home node base stations in a manner that reduces load on the core network.
US09167482B2
A method and system for realizing network switching, and a mobile node are provided. An LMA receives a PBU message from a second MAG, wherein the PBU message carries identifier information of the mobile node, the IP address of a first interface, and the IP address of the second MAG. The LMA checks in the stored BCE whether the identifier information of the mobile node and the IP address of the first interface exist. If the existence is checked, the LMA continually judges whether the Proxy Care-of-Address in the BCE is the same as the Proxy Care-of-Address in the PBU message. If they are different, the LMA determines that the connection of the mobile node is a switchable connection, and determines that the mobile node has the ability of address preservation, then sends the IP address of the first interface to the second MAG.
US09167479B2
A method and services network element are provided that provide for queued admissions control in a wireless communication system by receiving a bearer establishment request associated with a user equipment, determining that a cell where the user equipment is located is congested, in response to determining that the cell is congested, creating a bearer establishment request record (BERR) associated with the user equipment and the bearer establishment request, wherein the BERR comprises priority information associated with the BERR, and adding the BERR to a queue, wherein the queue is associated with a cell serving the user equipment, wherein the BERR is positioned in the queue based on the priority information, and wherein bearer establishment requests associated with BERRs in the queue are submitted based on a position of the BERRs in the queue.
US09167474B2
Systems and methods are presented for effectively sharing a plurality of radio transceiver chains between a Backhaul link and a Radio Access Network (RAN), in which there is a wireless Base Station (BS) with some number of radio transceiver chains, the system initially allocates such chains between the Backhaul link and the RAN according to some criterion, the system dynamically monitors the performance of the Backhaul link and RAN to detect any deficiencies in desired levels of performance, and the system then reallocates the radio transceiver chains between the Backhaul link and the RAN in a manner calculated to help achieve the desired levels of performance. Optionally and in various embodiments, the digital signals to and from the Backhaul link, or to and from the RAN, may be MIMO signals, MRC signals, MMSE signals, or ML signals.
US09167466B2
A method for measurement reporting to improve throughput when using multicarrier cells is disclosed. The method can include a wireless communication device performing a first measurement of a primary carrier and performing a second measurement of a secondary carrier. The method can further include the wireless communication device deriving a combined measurement as a function of the first measurement and the second measurement. The method can also include the wireless communication device reporting the combined measurement to a serving network.
US09167445B2
A network device receives probe packets communicated by a user equipment device. The network device communicates response packets back to the user equipment device, including timestamps, and/or other information. The user equipment device may be configured to test the performance of different portions of a wireless network (i.e., determine an available bandwidth measurement throughput (ABMT) of the wireless network) by accessing different network devices (or information associated with different network devices).
US09167440B2
A mobile terminal device for a positioning system based on a magnetic field map and a method thereof, are provided. The mobile terminal includes a memory configured to store a magnetic field map including magnetic field values at positions. The mobile terminal further includes a magnetic field sensor configured to measure a magnetic field value at a position of the mobile terminal. The mobile terminal further includes an inertial measurement unit (IMU) sensor configured to measure an acceleration value and a gyro value of the mobile terminal. The mobile terminal further includes a processor configured to determine the position of the mobile terminal based on the magnetic field map, the magnetic field value, the acceleration value, and the gyro value.
US09167439B2
In a wireless multi-hop network, packet routing paths are determined for a first node device based on passive measurement of data messages over a wireless link formed between the first node device and a neighboring second node device. The first node device transmits a first data message to the second node device via the wireless link. At least one of the first node device and the second node device monitors at least one transmission performance parameter corresponding to only a selected subset of frames of the first data message. The selected subset of frames has structural similarity to selected subsets of frames of other data messages communicated and monitored by other node devices of the network. A link cost associated with the wireless link is determined based on at least one transmission performance parameter value produced as a result of the monitoring, which can be used to update the packet routing paths.
US09167437B2
A method for collecting data that can be used to characterize the performance of a wireless communications system is disclosed. The method comprises determining data characterizing a wireless data communication that occurs between an internet service provider and a data collection system. The data collection system comprises a data exchanger and a routing device through which communications can be routed between client devices and an internet via the internet service provider. The routing device includes a memory. The routing device collects the data and stores the data in the memory of the routing device. A system for collecting data is also disclosed.
US09167435B2
In the construction of a wireless network in a building, structure conditions such as the floor plan of the building and the shape of the floor, material conditions such as materials for structures, and the like have a great effect on radio wave propagation characteristics. This causes a problem that unless these pieces of information are taken into consideration, an accurate layout design of wireless base stations cannot be made. In the construction of a new wireless network in a building, a wireless network similar to structure conditions of a newly constructed building is extracted from structure conditions of past buildings in which a wireless network is constructed. The layout positions of wireless base stations used in the extracted wireless network are regarded as the layout positions of wireless base stations in the new wireless network.
US09167433B2
According to one embodiment, a method of performing a re-establishment procedure in a mobile communication system includes: receiving at least one packet data convergence protocol (PDCP) control plane data unit; performing an integrity check on the at least one PDCP control plane data unit; identifying an integrity check failure with regard to the at least one PDCP control plane data unit; and performing a re-establishment procedure if the integrity check failure is identified to exist with regard to the at least one PDCP control plane data unit.
US09167406B2
An example system includes: a search communication apparatus searching for another communication apparatus; and search subject communication apparatuses searched for by the search communication apparatus. The search communication apparatus includes a search request transmission section transmitting a search request signal. The search subject communication apparatuses each includes: a search request reception section receiving the search request signal transmitted from the search communication apparatus; a search response transmission section transmitting a search response signal as response to the search request signal received by the search request reception section, to the search communication apparatus; and a search response monitoring section monitoring the search response signal transmitted from another search subject communication apparatus to the search communication apparatus. The search response transmission section transmits, as proxy response signal, to the search communication apparatus, the search response signal transmitted from the other search subject communication apparatus and monitored by the search response monitoring section.
US09167400B2
Method of using base station signal to quickly set call forwarding and mobile communication terminal
The present disclosure generally relates to the technical field of communications, and discloses a method of using a base station signal to quickly set call forwarding and a mobile communication terminal. The method comprises the following steps of: A. carrying out setting of call forwarding, and saving a base station information of a wireless network where the call forwarding is set; and B. reading a call forwarding target phone number that is set, sending a call forwarding request to the wireless network, and after a confirmation is obtained from the wireless network, activating a check timer to complete the setting of call forwarding.
US09167397B2
Users are provided control of their communications. Should a call be processed for a user, a text message may be automatically sent as a response to the call. The user may pre-compose different text messages. The user may also compose a custom text message. Regardless, the user's text message is automatically sent as a response to the call.
US09167396B2
Aspects of the disclosure provide a method for transmitting data. The method includes encoding data, by a first device, symbol-by-symbol into a first electrical signal of frequencies in a specific range, mixing, by the first device, the first electrical signal with a second electrical signal corresponding to captured voices, and transmitting, by the first device, the mixed electrical signal to a second device via a channel being configured for transmitting the captured voices.
US09167395B2
An information processing system and an electronic message notification method for an information processing system automatically change an incoming account for which an electronic message reception notification is made. An information processing system includes an information terminal provided with a communication function and an in-vehicle device. The information terminal receives an electronic message from the exterior in a corresponding incoming account; configures an incoming account for making a notification of the reception of an electronic message; and when an electronic message has been received by the configured incoming account, notifies the in-vehicle device. The in-vehicle device determines whether or not an electronic message has been distributed to the information terminal from a specific partner; and, if so, changes the configuration of the configuration unit so that a notification that the electronic message has been received from the specific partner is made.
US09167387B2
An electronic device that includes a schedule information detecting unit which detects a schedule according to which a user moves to a second geographical area outside a first geographical area, an information acquisition unit which acquires position dependent information in the second geographical area from a first server apparatus before moving to the second geographical area, a position dependent information storing unit, a positioning unit, an output information control unit which retrieves the position dependent information corresponding to the position of the electronic device from the position dependent information storing unit, an information quantity storing unit which stores information quantity data which indicates quantity of the information retrieved from the position dependent information storing unit, and an information quantity transmitting unit which transmits the information quantity data stored in the information quantity storing unit to a second server apparatus, when the electronic device is located outside the second geographical area.
US09167383B1
Systems and methods are provided for timing message notifications to be provided to mobile device users based on their respective geographic locations with respect to a targeted content area. The timing of message notifications may be controlled in order to optimize the chances of delivering targeted content to a mobile device user based on the current geographic location of the user's device relative to a targeted content area. As the particular client application may not be actively executing at a time when the user's device happen to be located within a targeted content area, a general message notification sent to the user's device, which may be displayed at any time, may increase the likelihood that the user will launch the client application when it is not already executing at the device and thereby, allow targeted content to be delivered to the user's mobile device at the appropriate time and location.
US09167380B2
A method for activating mobile device activity is disclosed. A mobile device may receive an action association to a stance, wherein the stance comprises a sector of the mobile device relative to a base, wherein a user specifies an action associated to the stance. The mobile device can receive a signal that the mobile device is present in the sector. Further, the mobile device, responsive to receiving the signal, may perform the action.
US09167377B2
A method and apparatus is disclosed to compensate for overshoot and/or undershoot in a transmission sequence by shaping the transmission sequence according to a shaping envelope to lengthen its rise time and/or fall time to provide a modified transmission sequence. The shaping envelope may represent a trigonometric function, a polynomial function, a piecewise function or any other function that lengthens the rise time and/or the fall time of the transmission sequence. The modified transmission sequence adjusts an impedance of an antenna to load modulate a carrier wave that is inductively coupled to it.
US09167375B2
A device for detecting a carrying case using orientation signatures, and method therefor, is provided. The device includes: at least one orientation sensor; a memory storing one or more carrying-case insertion signatures; and, a processor configured to: receive output from the at least one orientation sensor as a function of time; and place the device in a carrying case mode when a time-dependent pattern in the output matches the one or more carrying-case insertion signatures.
US09167353B2
An improved electrically conductive membrane pump/transducer. The electrically conductive pump/transducer includes an array of electrically conductive membrane pumps that combine to generate a desired sound by moving a membrane (such as a membrane of PDMS), a piston, and/or by the use of pressurized airflow in the absence of such a membrane or piston. The electrically conductive membranes in the array can be, for example, graphene-polymer membranes. The electrically conductive pump can include mid-range, tweeter, and sub-woofer speakers.
US09167343B2
A condenser stereomicrophone includes a mid condenser microphone unit that is connected to left and right side condenser microphone units such that the output from the mid condenser microphone unit is applied to the left and right side condenser microphone units. The left and right side condenser microphone units are connected to left and right-channel connector terminals, respectively; and the left and right-channel connector terminals are connected to the mid condenser microphone unit via corresponding power-supply resistors.
US09167339B2
A device includes an input for receiving an audio signal, a speaker to convert the audio signal into an audible sound, and a memory for storing remediation instructions and detection instructions. The device further includes a processor coupled to the input, the speaker, and the memory. The processor is configured to process the audio signal according to the detection instructions and the remediation instructions to modulate amplitude of the audio signal based on the remediation instructions.
US09167336B2
A removable component for use with an earphone is disclosed. As an example, the removable component can be an ear tip. According to one aspect, an improved ear tip can be provided for use with a headphone. The ear tip is suitable for in-ear operation and can have a cosmetic deformable outer member. The deformable outer member can enable the ear tip to readily conform to a user's ear. The ear tip can also include an inner member to structurally support the outer member and to facilitate attachment to a headphone. Methods for forming such ear tips are also disclosed.
US09167324B2
Provided is a speaker module for a portable terminal which e includes a speaker housing having an opened front surface thus defining a resonance space, a radiation pattern disposed on a back surface of the speaker housing, and connection terminals which extend from the radiation pattern to be disposed in the resonance space, such that the radiation pattern is disposed on the speaker housing and the connection terminal for providing electric connection of the radiation pattern is disposed in an inner side of the speaker housing.
US09167319B2
An optical packet switching system includes optical packet switching apparatus and an optical packet transmitting apparatus. The optical packet switching apparatus includes client optical delay units for delaying optical packet signals, network optical delay units for delaying one of the network optical packet signals, the network optical delay unit having a longer delay time than the client optical delay unit, an optical switch unit for switching the route of the inputted client optical packet signal so as to be sent out, an optical switch control unit for controlling the optical switch unit. The optical switch control unit is configured in such a manner as to detect a free time slot. The optical packet transmitting apparatus adjusts transmit timing, with which the client optical packet signal is sent out, in such a manner that the client optical packet signal is inserted into the free time slot.
US09167311B2
A method includes identifying an initial variant playlist for a content item. The initial variant playlist lists a first plurality of bit rate streams. Client devices that receive the content item based on the initial variant playlist are identified. The method includes determining bit rate stream consumption metrics of the client devices for the content item based on the initial variant playlist, and determining an optimized variant playlist based on the initial variant playlist and the consumption metrics of the client devices for the plurality of bit rate streams. The optimized variant playlist lists a second plurality of bit rate streams and substantially optimizes video quality based on streaming resource constraints associated with the at least one client device. The method also includes providing the content item to the client devices based on the optimized variant playlist.
US09167310B2
Systems and methods are described that relate to on-demand compression for electronic data, such as media content, through a communication pathway. The communication pathway may be a configured to multicast media content to a plurality of end-users in a service group. In certain embodiments, the service group may comprise a service group node having a quadrature amplitude modulation device. In one exemplary method, it may be determined whether the amount of media content being transmitted meets a first utilization threshold. The determination may be based on, at least in part, by measurements taken at one or more electronic devices located throughout a network or system. If the first bandwidth utilization threshold is not met, media content may be transmitted in a first format. If the first bandwidth utilization threshold is met, at least a portion of the media content may be transmitted in a first optimized delivery technique.
US09167307B2
Novel tools and techniques to enable video enhancements identifying the calling party of an incoming telephone call. In an aspect of some such tools, a video message from the calling party is sent to the receiving party through a communication channel in the provider network. Upon receiving an incoming telephone call at the provider network, the video message can be associated with the incoming telephone call, and routed to a video screen associated with the receiving party to show the video message for the receiving party as an indication of the incoming telephone call and identification of the calling party.
US09167294B2
An apparatus for switching television channels and a method thereof are provided. The apparatus for switching television channels includes a tuner unit, at least two video de-multiplexing modules and a switch unit. The tuner unit locks a specific frequency point in a broadcast stream, and the frequency point has at least two program channels. After the tuner unit locks the specific frequency point, each of the video de-multiplexing modules simultaneously and respectively receives the broadcast stream, and performs a de-multiplexing operation and a decoding operation to each of the program channels to generate at least two program streams. The switch unit selects and displays one of the at least two program streams corresponding to a first program channel, and when a second program channel is selected, the switch unit selects and displays the other one of the at least two program streams corresponding to the second program channel.
US09167285B2
A streaming video server generates a virtual file system that includes virtual addresses of a plurality of encrypted segments of a plurality of video programs at each of a plurality of bitrates, without storing the plurality of encrypted segments in persistent storage. A request is received from a client device to access a selected one of the plurality of video programs via a request to access the virtual file system. The plurality of encrypted segments of the selected one of the plurality of video programs are generated at a selected bitrate, in response to the request.
US09167284B2
A digital broadcasting transmission and/or reception system having an improved reception performance and a signal-processing method thereof. A digital broadcasting transmitter comprises a TRS encoder for to TRS-encode a MPEG-2 transmission stream having null data for inserting a Known data and a TRS parity at predetermined positions, randomizer to input and randomize data stream from the TRS encoder, a null packet exchanger to replace the null data for inserting the Known data to the known data, and an encoder for encoding a data streams to which the Known data is inserted. Accordingly, the present invention detects the known data from a signal received from a reception side and uses the detected known data for synchronization and equalization and further uses the TRS parity for correcting error of the received signal, so that the digital broadcasting reception performance can be improved at poor multipath channels.
US09167282B2
A multiplexer includes a first interface configured to receive one or more HDMI or DVI signals for transmission over a respective one of an HDMI or DVI interface; a second interface configured to receive external data from a data source, the external data being intended for transmission over the HDMI or DVI interface; a data multiplexing device having inputs coupled to the first and second interfaces, and having an output, and being configured to multiplex the external data with information on one or more signal paths of the HDMI or DVI interface; and a transmitter coupled to the output of the data multiplexing device, configured to transmit the external data across the HDMI or DVI interface.
US09167275B1
Computer-implemented systems and methods provide for the autonomous broadcasting of video data, audio data, or video and audio data during an event, wherein the broadcasting can be schedule in advance and from a remote location (i.e., over a network).
US09167273B2
According to one embodiment, a video encoding apparatus is a video encoding apparatus for subjecting a video image to motion compensated prediction coding, includes an acquisition module to acquire available blocks of blocks having motion vectors from encoded blocks adjacent to a to-be-encoded block and number of the available blocks, an acquisition/selection module to select one selection block from the encoded available blocks, a selection information encoder to encode selection information specifying the selection block using a code table corresponding to the number of available blocks, and an image encoder to subject the to-be-encoded block to motion compensated prediction coding using a motion vector of the selection block.
US09167267B2
A deblocking filter performs filtering of decoded image data obtained by decoding image data encoded for each block, so as to remove block distortion. If at least one of block sizes on adjacent sides of two adjacent blocks is extended larger than a predetermined block size, a filter setting unit sets the tap length to an extended length to increase the strength of distortion removal, or sets a filtering object pixel range to an extended range. When a macroblock having an extended size is used, the degree of smoothing is increased, and pixels including those distant from the block boundary are subjected to filtering. Consequently, even when various block sizes are employed or when blocks of extended sizes are used, images of high image quality can be achieved.
US09167265B2
A computer-readable medium having stored thereon an image decoding program which, when executed by a computer, implements operations including: extracting motion vector information, and rounding method information from input information to be decoded; synthesizing a prediction image by performing motion compensation using the motion vector information and a reference image which is a previously decoded image; and synthesizing a decoded image by adding the prediction image to an error image; wherein a rounding method used for pixel value interpolation in performing the motion compensation for synthesizing the prediction image is one of a positive rounding method and a negative rounding method which is different from a one of a positive rounding method and a negative rounding method used for pixel value interpolation in performing the motion compensation for synthesizing a last prediction image.
US09167253B2
A video decoder converts a block-based LSC indicator into a scan-based LSC indicator. The block-based LSC indicator indicates coordinates of a last significant coefficient of a block of transform coefficients according to a scanning order. The scan-based LSC indicator indicates an ordinal position of the LSC according to the scanning order. The video decoder may decode, based on the scan-based LSC indicator, a significance map for the block.
US09167252B2
A method of quantization matrix compression in a video encoder is provided that includes preprocessing a quantization matrix by performing at least one selected from down-sampling the quantization matrix and imposing 135 degree symmetry on the quantization matrix, performing zigzag scanning on the pre-processed quantization matrix to generate a one dimensional (1D) sequence, predicting the 1D sequence to generate a residual 1D sequence, and coding the residual 1D sequence using kth order exp-Golomb coding to generate a compressed quantization matrix, wherein k≧0.
US09167250B2
The present invention provides video encoding and decoding methods using block merging, which can be applied to a high resolution video of more than HD (High Definition) resolution. A video encoding method includes partitioning a current block into a first and a second prediction unit by using asymmetric partitioning, constructing a list of common merging candidate blocks including a predetermined number of common merging candidate blocks selected from adjacent blocks of the current block, selecting at least one candidate block from among the list of common merging candidate blocks and sending information of the selected candidate block to a decoder for each of the first and the second prediction unit.
US09167238B2
A 3-dimensional (3D) display apparatus and a 3D display method thereof are provided. The 3D display apparatus includes: a display unit which outputs a plurality of image frames; a synchronization signal processor which generates a synchronization signal corresponding to the image frames; a controller which acquires period information of first and second sequences of the synchronization signal and determines whether the synchronization signal has been stabilized, according to change information of the period information; and a communicator which determines time information of the stabilized synchronization signal according to the determination result and transmits shutter control data, which is generated based on the time information, to 3D glasses.
US09167236B2
Generally, this disclosure concerns the angle sensitivity of polarization switch elements and the resulting impact of the ray direction on performance. More specifically, apparatus and techniques for compensating the angular sensitivity of liquid crystal (LC) polarization switches are described that enhance the performance of polarization switches. For example, a polarization switch is disclosed that transforms linearly polarized light of an initial polarization orientation that includes a first and second liquid crystal cell with a compensator located between the LC cells. The compensator layer is operable to enhance the field of view through the polarization switch. Such compensation techniques are particularly useful for short-throw projection environments.
US09167234B2
A display device capable of displaying both a 3D image and a 2D image is provided. The display device includes a plurality of optical filter regions where light-blocking panels for producing binocular disparity are arranged in matrix. The light-blocking panel can select whether to transmit light emitted from a display panel in each of the plurality of optical filter regions. Thus, in the display device, some regions where binocular disparity is produced can be provided. Consequently, the display device can display both a 3D image and a 2D image.
US09167233B2
A plurality of pixels is arrayed on a display device. On the display device, a lenticular lens is arranged in a state where a periodic direction thereof is inclined with respect to a horizontal direction. The lenticular lens divides video data of N different viewpoints into separate viewpoint directions, presents the divided video data, and creates stereoscopic vision. In the event of assigning respective pieces of pixel data of video data composed of less than N viewpoint images to the plurality of pixels and displaying the pixel data, the drive unit lowers brightness of pixel data of viewpoint images seen to overlap each other.
US09167232B2
A 2D video to 3D video conversion system includes a video content analysis unit, a depth estimation unit, a post-processing unit, and a stereoscopic video generation unit. The video content analysis unit can analyze a 2D video datum and extract useful information including motion and color from the 2D video datum for depth estimation. The depth estimation unit is adapted for receiving the useful information, calculating motion cue and contrast cue for initial depth estimation, and generating an initial depth map. The post-processing unit is adapted for correcting the initial depth map in spatial domain and temporal domain to increase accuracy in spatial domain and depth continuity between adjacent time instances and for processing the caption in the video to generate a final depth map. The stereoscopic video generation unit is adapted for synthesizing 3D video datum from the final depth map and 2D video datum.
US09167225B2
There is provided an information processing apparatus including a display control unit causing an image for a left eye and an image for a right eye to be displayed respectively to a left eye and a right eye of an observer, the image for a left eye and the image for a right eye showing a stereoscopic image, and interchanging, depending on an amount of change occurring at a time of change of display of the stereoscopic image, images to be displayed respectively to the left eye and the right eye of the observer.
US09167224B2
The present invention includes an image acquisition device configured to acquiring multiple viewpoint images that are generated by pupil-division imaging and that are different in viewpoint, a parallax calculation device 40a for calculating a first parallax amount between viewpoint images for the multiple viewpoint images, a memory 48 in which parallax correction information indicating the relationship between the first parallax amount and the deviation amount in the parallax direction for the corresponding object images, which is a deviation amount between viewpoint images for the multiple viewpoint images and is caused by the pupil-division imaging, is stored, and a parallax correction device 40b for calculating a second parallax amount, which is an amount resulting from correcting the first parallax amount to the deviation amount in the parallax direction for the object images, based on the first parallax amount and the parallax correction information stored in the memory 48.
US09167222B2
A method and apparatus for providing a three-dimensional (3D) image is provided. In the method, first-viewpoint image data and second-viewpoint image data that provide a 3D image are obtained. Time information that represents points of time that the first-viewpoint image data and the second-viewpoint image data are to be processed is produced, based on relation information to indicate that the first-viewpoint image data and the second-viewpoint image data are a pair of pieces of image data. The first-viewpoint image data, the second-viewpoint image data, and the time information are transmitted. The first-viewpoint image data is transmitted in a first stream, and the second-viewpoint image data is transmitted in a second stream.
US09167212B2
The present disclosure provides an image displaying apparatus connected to a first camera and a second camera, on both of which pan/tilt control can be carried out, the image displaying apparatus including: an information acquisition section for acquiring information used for moving a display area over a virtual area obtained by combining a first area with a second area by making the first and second areas adjacent to each other; a control section for monitoring the position of the display area in the virtual area, requesting the first camera to carry out pan/tilt operations when the display area is positioned in the first area before and after a movement of the display area, and requesting the second camera to carry out pan/tilt operations when the display area has been moved from the first area to the boundary with the second area; and an image displaying section for displaying an image.
US09167204B2
In accordance with embodiments of the present disclosure, a method for managing a mute state of a participant in a teleconference may include detecting, based on analysis of at least one characteristic of audio data received from a microphone associated with the participant or image data received from a camera associated with the participant, whether the participant is attempting to speak to other teleconference participants. The method may also include providing an alert to the participant in response to a detecting that the participant is attempting to speak to other conference participants while the microphone is muted.
US09167186B2
An intelligent television can store and retrieve data about various functions of the television or associated with user behavior. The stored data streamlines the processes of providing electronic programming guide information, providing search results, providing statistics about content, providing channel information, etc. The unique set of data services in the intelligent television receive, store, manage, and retrieve the data for various of the applications or components.
US09167184B2
A solid-state image taking device including a pixel section and a scan driving section wherein on each pixel column included in the pixel area determined in advance to serve as a pixel column having the unit pixels laid out in the scan direction, the opto-electric conversion section and the electric-charge holding section are laid out alternately and repeatedly, and on each of the pixel columns in the pixel area determined in advance, two the electric-charge holding sections of two adjacent ones of the unit pixels are laid out disproportionately toward one side of the scan direction with respect to the optical-path limiting section or the opto-electric conversion section.
US09167183B2
It is an imaging element in which pixels which are photoelectric conversion elements are placed at respective square lattice positions, in which, when, in a predetermined region where pixels of the imaging element are placed, a plurality of pairs are arranged in a first line which is any one line among lines and a second line which is parallel to the first line, each pair having pair pixels which are first and second phase difference detection pixels placed adjacent to each other to detect a phase difference among the pixels of the imaging element, the pairs in the first line are placed to be spaced apart from each other by at least two pixels, and the pairs in the second line are placed at positions, which correspond to positions where the pair pixels in the first line are spaced apart from each other.
US09167182B2
In various embodiments, image sensors include output channels enabling high-gain and/or low-gain charge read-out while minimizing charge-conversion noise.
US09167177B2
Data comprising a compressed image frame and temporal redundancy information is received. The image frame is decompressed. A plurality of bridge frames that are visually dissimilar to the image frame are generated. The image frame and the plurality of bridge frames are blended, generating a plurality of blended frames, and the plurality of blended frames are displayed.
US09167175B2
The present invention discloses a flicker detection method and a flicker detection apparatus. The method includes: calculating the mean values of selected rows of image frames to constitute a mean value vector; calculating a differential vector between the mean value vectors of a current frame and a previous frame; calculating a DC-free difference vector; building a first square wave and a second square wave, and a third square wave and a fourth square wave; calculating a first frequency reference value; calculating a second frequency reference value; and if the difference between the first and second frequency reference values is above a threshold, then it is determined that flicker is present in the current frame; otherwise, it is determined that no flicker is present.
US09167171B2
A camera is provided with an imaging element, and detects a timing of blinking of light which blinks periodically at a reference timing, based on a timing of variation in luminance of an image obtained by the imaging element, wherein the image is taken by the imaging element under a condition that the light blinks periodically at the reference timing. Further, the timing of exposure of the imaging element is adjusted based on the detected timing of the blinking light, thereby synchronizing shooting operations of plural cameras with each other.
US09167170B2
There is provided an imaging device including an imaging element that acquires a captured image of a subject, a light emission unit that emits light to the subject, and a control unit that is capable of controlling a timing of exposure performed by the imaging element and a timing of light emission performed by the light emission unit. In a mode in which imaging is performed with a plurality of times of consecutive light emission by the light emission unit, the control unit controls at least one of a timing of the exposure and a timing of the light emission so that light amounts effective for exposure in each imaging are substantially the same.
US09167169B1
A system, method, and computer program product are provided for simultaneously capturing multiple images. In use, a first sample is stored based on a photodiode of an image sensor. Further, simultaneous, at least in part, with the storage of the first sample, a second sample is stored based on the photodiode of the image sensor. Next, a first value is output based on the first sample, and a second value is output based on the second sample, for generating at least one image. Finally, at least one of the first value and the second value is amplified utilizing two or more gains.
US09167166B2
An image display device includes a beam splitter that splits an incident light entering from a subject side, an imaging device that converts a first optical image generated by an one-side incident light split by the beam splitter into an electrical signal and outputs the converted electrical signal as a capture image, a synthesis image generating unit that generates an electronic information image, a display panel that displays the electronic information image, and an optical prism that emits an optical image of the electronic information image projected from the display panel to be superimposed on a second optical image generated by the other-side split incident light.
US09167163B2
A digital image processing apparatus and a method of controlling the same. The digital image processing apparatus includes: a display controller for displaying first content on a display unit; and an image generator for generating second content based on a photographing signal input, which may be from a user, and third content related to the second content.
US09167161B1
Systems and methods of manufacturing compact camera modules for use in electronic device are provided. The camera module includes a lens housing and a flexible substrate. An image sensor die is coupled to a first portion of the flexible substrate, and a second portion of the substrate is folded so as to position optical image stabilization components adjacent to a lateral side of the lens housing. The optical image stabilization components may be enclosed within a molded enclosure.
US09167154B2
A system, apparatus, or method is provided for imaging and for capturing visuals to provide image manipulation options for increasing resolution of subject images. A system, apparatus or method for increasing resolution of subject images using a camera to deliver unexposed photographic emulsion or a digital image and to generate images of greater resolution by modifying digital images or modifying digital and emulsion images.
US09167149B2
A lens apparatus includes an imaging optical system including a movable lens unit, a drive unit configured to drive the movable lens unit, and a control unit configured to cause the movable lens unit to perform a wobbling motion in an optical axis direction by alternatively outputting to the drive unit a first drive command for driving the movable lens unit at a first driving speed and a stop command for stopping driving of the movable lens unit, and to move the movable lens unit based on contrast information obtained from an image pickup unit during the wobbling motion of the movable lens unit, wherein, at least one of before and after outputting the first drive command to the drive unit, the control unit outputs to the drive unit a second drive command for driving the movable lens unit at a second driving speed lower than the first driving speed.
US09167146B2
A method of receiving, by a digital image-capturing apparatus, connection information from a mobile communication terminal is described. Connection information is received from a mobile communication terminal that is connected with the digital image-capturing apparatus via near field communication (NFC). The connection information is input to an input window for performing a communication connection with an external device. A communication connection is performed with the external device, based on the connection information. The external device comprises at least one of an access point (AP) or a server. The connection information is used in communication with the external device.
US09167143B2
An apparatus (500) comprises: an image detector (122) for capturing an image frame (FN), a driving unit (200) for adjusting focusing of light onto said image detector (122), and a pulse generating unit (120), wherein said pulse generating unit (120) is configured to generate one or more synchronization pulses (S11, S12) based on the timing of optical exposure of a predetermined portion (TRIGLN) of said image frame (FN), and said driving unit (200) is configured to perform said adjusting based on the timing of said one or more synchronization pulses (S11, S12).
US09167136B2
A method including initiating video functionality of an optical image capture device, using the video functionality to capture a plurality of still images at video speed, saving the plurality of still images as a cached timeline from which a user may select a desired still image, and providing a user interface on a display screen to allow the user to select a desired still image.
US09167135B2
An image processing device includes: a motion-vector computation unit that computes a motion vector between a base image and a reference image; a motion compensation unit that performs a motion compensation to align the reference image with the base image based on the motion vector; a contrast computation unit that computes a contrast value of a target pixel of the base image based on one of the base image and the reference image; a synthetic ratio computation unit that computes a synthetic ratio between: the target pixel for a synthesis processing in the base image; and a corresponding pixel corresponding to the target pixel in the reference image processed by the motion compensation, in response to the contrast value of the target pixel; and a synthesizing unit that synthesizes the target pixel of the base image and the corresponding pixel of the reference image based on the synthetic ratio.
US09167131B2
An image recording apparatus includes a controller configured to: determine whether a change of a signal from a sensor indicates a case where a recording medium is conveyed by a conveyance mechanism or a case where the recording medium is placed on a placement unit without conveying by the conveyance mechanism, based on whether the recording medium is conveyed by the conveyance mechanism; start, when the reading unit is operated to start reading the image within a first predetermined time after the signal from the sensor is changed, monitoring to determine whether the recording medium is placed on the placement unit without conveying by the conveyance mechanism; and store, when it is determined during the monitoring that the recording medium is placed on the placement unit without conveying by the conveyance mechanism, data indicating an irregularity reading in the storage unit.
US09167129B1
A method of segmenting an image into halftone and non-halftone regions includes: processing a pixel block of a grayscale image using a thresholding algorithm and an intensity threshold to form a binary block, the pixel block including grayscale pixels with intensity values, the binary block including binary pixels with binary values; identifying a pixel group in the binary block, wherein the pixel group includes connected pixels represented by a select binary value, wherein pixels in the pixel group adjacent to pixels of the pixel block represented by another binary value are identified as boundary pixels of the pixel group; and processing the pixel group using a scale invariant feature transform (SIFT) algorithm to extract keypoints from the pixel group to form a keypoint map in conjunction with segmenting the grayscale image into halftone and non-halftone regions. An image processing device for performing the method is also provided.
US09167126B2
An image reading apparatus sets an irradiation region below a fixed reading glass when light guide members diffuse light of LEDs upward so that the irradiation region corresponding to a significantly sagged portion in a main scanning direction is wider than that corresponding to portions on both sides of the significantly sagged portion, and sets a light intensity of a plurality of LEDs corresponding to the significantly sagged portion in the main scanning direction to be larger than that of a plurality of LEDs corresponding to the portions on both sides of the significantly sagged portion. Therefore, the degradation of the illuminance corresponding to the significantly sagged portion due to the pressed fixed reading glass can be prevented, and the entire document can be read with uniform reading precision.
US09167125B2
An image reading device includes a transparent plate and a CIS. The transparent plate has a placement area in which an original document is placed and a transport area which corresponds to a transport position of the original document by a transport device. The CIS reads an image of the original document via the transparent plate. The transport device includes an inverting path at a position on the transparent plate opposite to the placement area seen from the transport area. On a second surface side of the transparent plate, the CIS is moved among a first reading area which corresponds to the placement area of the transparent plate, a second reading area which corresponds to the transport area of the transparent plate, and a standby position defined below the inverting path of the transport device.
US09167120B2
According to some embodiments, a document processing unit may receive information associated with a document to be processed. The document processing unit might comprise, for example, a printer, scanner, copier, facsimile machine, or multi-function device. The document processing unit may then automatically analyze the received information in view of at least one pre-determined document policy. The document processing unit may then automatically determine, based on the analysis, whether to apply a policy action, associated with the pre-determined document policy, to the processing of the document. For example, the document processing unit might prevent a document from printing.
US09167108B2
An electronic device includes: a communication unit that performs communication with an external device; and a control unit that issues a command to the external device via the communication unit, on the basis of at least one of capacity of the external device, and capacity of the electronic device.
US09167105B2
The automatic adjustment of audio alert characteristics of an alert device using ambient noise levels is described. In one aspect of the invention, a machine-readable medium has executable instructions to cause a machine to perform a method to receive an audio sample of ambient noise and adjust a characteristic of the audio alert, such as, the volume level of the audio alert, based on the ambient noise level.
US09167099B2
Methods, apparatuses, computer program products, devices and systems are described that carry out accepting at least one telephone communication from at least one member of a network; disambiguating the at least one search term including associating the at least one search term with at least one of network-participation identifier data or device-identifier data; and presenting the sender profile in association with the at least one telephone communication.
US09167096B2
A visual voicemail may be automatically transmitted to a receiving mobile device after the visual voicemail fails to reach the receiving mobile device during an initial delivery attempt. For example, a visual voicemail delivery system may receive an indication of an incoming voicemail, and a visual voicemail associated with the incoming voicemail may be generated. The system may maintain the delivery status of the visual voicemail. For example, if the receiving mobile device retrieves the visual voicemail from the system via a communication session, the system may mark the visual voicemail as delivered. After a predetermined period of time has elapsed, the system may determine whether the visual voicemail has been delivered to the mobile device. If the system determines that the visual voicemail has not been delivered to the mobile device, the system may automatically transmit visual voicemail to the mobile device.
US09167093B2
A system and method for real-time process management. An attribute of a process currently performed may be related to a key performance indicator (KPI) threshold. A system may determine, in real-time, the KPI threshold was breached. An indication may be provided to, for example, a mobile device. Feedback related to an intervention of an expert may be received on the mobile device.
US09167086B1
Wireless headsets with audio recording capabilities are disclosed. The wireless headsets with audio recording capabilities can include a microphone for receiving first audio signals generated by a user, a BLUETOOTH module for transmitting and receiving wireless radio signals, wherein the wireless radio signals received by the BLUETOOTH module comprise second audio signals. The headsets can also include an audio encoder/decoder for encoding the first audio signals received by the microphone and the second audio signals received by the BLUETOOTH module to generate data, a loudspeaker, connected to the audio encoder/decoder, for playing the second audio signals to the user, a memory unit for storing the data generated by the audio encoder, and a control unit which is coupled to the audio encoder/decoder for transferring the data to the memory unit.
US09167074B2
The present invention provides a mobile terminal and a function control method thereof that can appropriately set or release an operation mode in accordance with a situation of a user. A mobile terminal includes an opening/closing sensor 18 that detects whether the mobile terminal is in an opened state or a closed state, an acceleration sensor 11 that detects acceleration and a posture of the mobile terminal, and a control unit 12 that restricts an execution of a specific function in accordance with the detection result of the opening/closing sensor 18 and releases a restriction of at least a portion of the restricted specific function in accordance with the detection result of the acceleration sensor 11.
US09167073B2
Embodiments described herein provide a method and technique for operating a computing device. An interface is displayed for enabling the computing device to control a voicemail system. The interface includes one or more display objects, wherein each display object is selectable by a user to enter a command input assigned to that display object. A selection is detected of any one of the one or more display objects, and the command input assigned to the display object is identified. A signal tone is generated corresponding to the command input. The signal input may be transmitted across a network to the voicemail system to communicate a command to the voicemail system.
US09167070B2
A system and a method are disclosed for discovering widgets for computing devices. A computing device parses data to identify rich content. The computing device searches for widgets supporting the identified rich content in a remote server and retrieves a widget supporting the identified rich content. The computing device executes the widget to process the rich content.
US09167069B2
Embodiments of the invention relate to management of notifications responsive to the arrival and departure of mobile devices in a defined area. A prioritized list is shared among mobile devices in a defined area. Upon detection, mobile devices add their respective selected notifications to the prioritized list. A mobile device entering the defined area receives the prioritized list and in response to detecting a shared selected notification on the prioritized list, one of the mobile devices in the area changes its selected notification to an alternative notification. A second mobile device entering the defined area would likewise receive the prioritized list and change its selected notification to a second alternative notification responsive to a shared selected notification on the list. At such time as a device leaves the area, the list is again updated and all notifications exclusive to the device are removed from the list.
US09167067B2
A device and method that is configured to control the operation of a motor vehicle cabin active sound management (ASM) system that uses an ASM controller to control operation of one or more sound transducers that transmit audio signals in the cabin so as to alter vehicle powertrain-related sounds in the cabin, wherein the motor vehicle further comprises a mobile telephone system that is configured to receive incoming mobile telephone calls and transmit outgoing mobile telephone calls. The device can include a controller that is configured to receive from the mobile telephone system an indication that a mobile telephone call is incoming or an outgoing call is being initiated. After receiving the indication, the subject controller commands the ASM controller to cause operation of one or more sound transducers such that the level of vehicle powertrain-related sounds in the cabin is reduced.
US09167062B1
The holder for a hand-held electronic communication device comprises a base that is constructed for hand-held use, shoulder support, and surface support in a multiplicity of portrait inclination angles and landscape orientations. The holder incorporates two clamping mechanisms, one being operative for fixing its gripping part in selected positions of extension and the other desirably acting dynamically, such as by pivotal movement, for cooperatively clamping the mounted communication device in place.
US09167060B2
A mobile phone housing with a tool frame has a main casing, a tool frame slidably mounted in the main casing, and a slider connected to the tool frame. By pushing the slider, the tool frame can be driven to protrude out of the mobile phone housing or to be stored in the mobile phone housing. The tool frame may be an eyeglasses frame for mounting glasses. The glasses mounted in the tool frame can be replaced with other glasses of different lens prescriptions or different functions according to user's need, such that the mobile phone housing with the eyeglasses frame is convenient for people with eye defects to use. Or the tool frame may be a mirror frame for mounting the mirror to allow user to look at himself in the mirror.
US09167058B2
A method, non-transitory computer readable medium and apparatus for correcting a timestamp in a multi-lane communication link with a skew are disclosed. For example, the method receives a data packet, a time stamp for the data packet and a fill level for a lane of the multi-lane communication link carrying the data packet, calculates a corrected timestamp for the data packet and replaces the time stamp for the data packet with the corrected timestamp.
US09167051B2
A method and apparatus for providing a network based operating system for mobile clients is disclosed. Services may be developed that can be used to support different client devices with different capabilities. The services provide output with multiple variations based on different devices, and an intermediary selects the variation best suited for the requesting device. An online software development system is provided to allow services to create, edit, test, and deploy applications at an intermediary using only a browser at the client end. Services may also be provided that can be accessed and referred to by other services, thereby facilitating the combining of different services. Services may also store and access data at an intermediary using variables and a mapping of the stored data to the variables. Data stored at the intermediary may be used to allow an end user to return to a previously accessed service.
US09167042B1
A first communication channel is established between a user device and a server using a cellular network. The user device receives a timeout interval for the first communication channel. The user device transmits a packet to maintain the first communication channel when the user device detects that other data is being transmitted using a second communication channel during the timeout interval.
US09167029B2
Embodiments of the present invention disclose a method, computer program product, and system for managing group members. A computer identifies a collaboration activity that corresponds to a defined group, wherein the defined group includes one or more individuals, and the collaboration activity is comprised of the defined group and one or more additional individuals. The computer determines participation and contribution information that correspond to the one or more individuals of the defined group and the one or more additional individuals included in the identified collaboration activity. The computer determines relevant individuals from the identified collaboration activity by utilizing determined participation and contribution information. In response to determining the relevant individuals, the computer determines an updated group wherein the updated group includes determined relevant individuals.
US09167015B2
An apparatus and method to enhance existing caches in a network to better support streaming media storage and distribution. Helper machines are used inside the network to implement several methods which support streaming media including segmentation of streaming media objects into smaller units, cooperation of Helper machines, and novel placement and replacement policies for segments of media objects.
US09167009B2
Described are a system and method for presenting web conference contents to one or more attendees in a shared session. Metadata is aggregated that is related to one or more participant electronic devices and a presenter electronic device that communicate with each other in the web conference. A presentation parameter is determined from the metadata. A selection interface is generated from the presentation parameter. A conference setting is selected from the selection interface. A set of content is presented at the presenter electronic device and shared with the one or more participant devices according to the selected conference setting.
US09167008B2
A method of routing signalling plane traffic through or out of an IP Multimedia Subsystem, IMS, network. The method comprises maintaining within user profile data stored in a subscriber database of the IMS network, routing information defining signalling plane routing profiles for a user associated with the user profile data. Said routing information is transferred from the subscriber database to a Call Session Control Function, CSCF, of the IMS network at or following registration of said user to the IMS network. The method then comprises handling a Session Initiation Protocol, SIP, request for said user at the CSCF including adding said routing information into the request and forwarding the SIP request to a next hop node, and, at said next hop node or at a further downstream node, making a routing decision for the SIP request or for related signalling on the basis of the routing information contained within the SIP request.
US09167006B1
Creating a connection between one of a first plurality of computing devices in a primary chassis and one of a second plurality of computing devices in a failover chassis. A first plurality of buckets may be associated with the primary chassis, a second plurality of buckets may be associated with the failover chassis, where the first plurality of buckets may correspond to the second plurality of buckets. One of the first plurality of computing devices may be associated with one of the first plurality of buckets, and can create a connection with attributes such that a disaggregator in the failover chassis routes the connection to one of the second plurality of computing devices, wherein the one of the second plurality of computing devices may be associated with a bucket of the second plurality of buckets that corresponds to the one of the first plurality of buckets.
US09167005B2
A method and system are provided in which a broadband gateway may enable a guest or visitor to access content available to the broadband gateway. The content may be received by the broadband gateway through one or more of a plurality of network access service providers that may provide separate physical layer access to the broadband gateway. After a visitor's device is connected to the broadband gateway, the broadband gateway may classify the device. Based on the classification, the device may be authorized to access a portion of the content received. Once the authorization process is complete, the appropriate content may be made available and transferred to the device. The authorization process may include the authentication of a device identifier and/or a user identifier. The authorized access may be time-limited, but may be renewed or enabled when a request is received within a determined period of time.
US09167000B2
According to various illustrative embodiments of the present invention, a method for a content-driven threat management system includes creating a threat detection primary object with threat mitigation data using at least one researcher of at least one of software and malicious code, encoding the threat detection primary object with threat mitigation data within an object capable of being transmitted to a personal computer system using a transmission vector update function, and transmitting the threat detection primary object with threat mitigation data to a threat agent using the transmission vector update function. The method also includes updating at least one threat function using the threat agent to update at least one threat functional description of the at least one threat function to include the threat detection primary object with threat mitigation data, and using the threat detection primary object with threat mitigation data to be capable of recognizing at least one threat event based upon the threat detection primary object with threat mitigation data.
US09166995B1
A computer-implemented method for using user-input information to identify computer security threats may include (1) detecting activity at a computing system, (2) determining whether a user provided input at the computing system when the activity occurred, (3) determining that the activity indicates a potential security threat based at least in part on whether the user provided input at the computing system when the activity occurred, and (4) performing a security action on the activity in response to the determination that the activity indicates a potential security threat. Various other methods, systems, and computer-readable media are also disclosed.
US09166986B1
A server receives, from a first client device associated with a first user, a certification request including information associated with an electronic document, along with a representation of a credential associated with a second user. The server validates the representation of the credential associated with the second user. Responsive to validating the representation of the credential, the server attaches a badge to the electronic document, the badge corresponding to the credential and providing a certification that the second user has witnessed the electronic document. The server stores information corresponding to the electronic document with the attached badge.
US09166979B2
Access to online collaborative resources such as an online meeting, web conference, online chat room, an online video conference, an online audio conference, a collaboratively edited document, a collaborative browsing session, an online social networking group, or a web site is secured by providing a first user-specific URL to a first user for addressing collaborative resource; responsive to the first user accessing the first user-specific URL, granting by a computing system access to the collaborative event to the first user; and responsive to a second user accessing the first user-specific URL, preventing by a computing system access to the collaborative event to the second user. Optionally, time criteria for accessing the first user-specific URL may be used to invalidating the first user-specific URL, wherein access to the collaborative resource is disabled.
US09166978B2
A system for provisioning an output device, may include a processor; a memory; and a records display program. The records display program may be executed by the processor to maintain an indication of availability dates and times of one or more output devices connected to the network; to receive an output device invitation indicating a first output device to reserve at a meeting conducted over a conferencing system; to determine whether the first output device is available for reservation during a date and time period of the meeting; and to communicate to the first output device activation information indicating that the first output device is to become active at a first predetermined date and time related to the date and time period of the meeting and login information including a first credential for the first output device to use for logging into the conferencing system for the meeting.
US09166976B2
Creation and management of digital content and workflow automation via a portable identification key
The present invention is directed towards a method and system for automating workflow. The method and system includes receiving data from a portable identification key communicatively coupled to a processing device to initiate automation processes. The profile information comprised in the data is accessed, the profile information including an identification of a user associated with the portable identification key. The method and system further includes retrieving one or more instructions and parameters associated with the identified user by the processing device to initiate an automated workflow session, and initiating the automated workflow session according to the one or more instructions and parameters.
US09166974B2
Systems and methods for verifying human users through cognitive processes that computers cannot imitate are described herein. Human cognitive language processing techniques may be used to verify human users. Visual patterns and tests may be used to distinguish between humans and computers because computer-based visual recognition is fundamentally different from human visual processing. Persistent plugins and tests may be used to continuously verify human users.
US09166972B2
A distributing device for generating private information correctly even if shared information is destroyed or tampered with. A shared information distributing device for use in a system for managing private information by a secret sharing method, including: segmenting unit that segments private information into a first through an nth pieces of shared information; first distribution unit that distributes the n pieces of shared information to n holding devices on a one-to-one basis; and second distribution unit that distributes the n pieces of shared information to the n holding devices so that each holding device holds an ith piece of shared information distributed by the first distribution unit, as well as a pieces of shared information being different from the ith piece of shared information in ordinal position among n pieces of shared information, “i” being an integer in a range from 1 to n.
US09166970B1
A script hosting server receives a script from an authenticated source, associates the script with a certificate profile for digital certificates based on input from the authenticated source, receives user enrollment information for the certificate profile from the authenticated source, receives a script request of a client device, the script request identifying the certificate profile and a user of the client device, determines whether the user is enrolled in the certificate profile based on the user enrollment information, and, upon determining that the user is enrolled, providing the scripts to the client device.
US09166963B2
A distributed security architecture may include: a mobile anti-tamper hardware policy enforcement point configured to control communication behaviors of a mobile or stationary client by enforcing communication policies within a policy decision point; an anti-tamper hardware policy decision point encapsulated within the anti-tamper hardware policy enforcement point; a policy exchange channel for policy distribution modes configured to distribute and/or update communication and routing security policies to the client; a context manager configured to handle system-wide status change update signaling; and an authentication manager configured to provide clients with registration and credential/role assignments based on access policies. The distributed security architecture may be configured to provide open system interconnection layer 3.5 policy-based secure routing, and open system interconnection layer 2 policy-based mandatory access control address filtering to provide secure communication and computing for layers 4, 5, 6, and 7.
US09166961B1
Disclosed are various embodiments for a social networking behavior-based identity system that employs social networking data that a user has elected to share through an opt-in procedure. First social networking data is stored in association with a user identity. An assertion of the user identity is received from a client after the first social networking data is stored. Second social networking data is received in response to receiving the assertion of the user identity. An identity confidence level as to whether the user identity belongs to a user at the client is generated based at least in part on a comparison of the second social networking data with the first social networking data.
US09166952B2
In some embodiments, a system includes a trusted network, an untrusted network, on-board equipment on-board a moving object, one or more first security devices on-board the moving object and communicatively connecting the on-board equipment and the untrusted network, and a security device bank communicatively connecting the trusted network and the untrusted network. The security device bank includes a common bus or the local network and one or more second security devices connected to the common bus or the local network.
US09166950B2
An embodiment of the invention describes a wireless device comprising a Subscriber Identity Module (SIM) further comprising a memory for storing program code for performing a plurality of operations, and a processor for processing the program code to execute the plurality of operations, the operations including receiving over-the-air instructions via a wireless network from a control center to create a rules set in the SIM, wherein the rules set defines an acceptable behavior of the wireless device, monitoring requests from a wireless modem of the wireless device for access files stored in the SIM, detecting an aggressive behavior of the wireless device based on the rules set, and blocking the wireless modem from generating traffic in the wireless network.
US09166948B2
Embodiments of the disclosure provide a method for keeping a session table alive in a Network Address Translation (NAT) apparatus, includes creating a hello session table by an Access Border Gateway Function (A_BGF) apparatus, creating a hello message by the A_BGF apparatus according to the hello session table, sending the hello message by the A_BGF apparatus to the NAT apparatus, receiving the hello message by the NAT apparatus, and updating a session table corresponding to the hello message by the NAT apparatus. Embodiments of the disclosure also provide a system and apparatus for keeping a session table alive in an NAT apparatus. Application of the embodiments of the disclosure keeps the session table alive in the NAT apparatus of an IP Multimedia Subsystem (IMS) ensures an unblocked registration path and prevents the user conversation being interrupted due to an aged session table of the NAT apparatus.
US09166940B2
An email forward tagging system including means for selecting on a sender's email client a receiver's email address; means for displaying to the sender's email client a tagging function; means for selecting on the sender's email client the tagging function; means for sending, via a common email system protocol, an email from a email-sending server to a first email-receiving server; means for receiving, via the common email system protocol, the email at the first receiver's email server from the email-sending server; means for sending the received email in the form of one of a forward email and a reply email to a second email-receiving server connected to the network; and means for automatically forwarding the one of the forward email and the reply email to the sender's email address when the sender's email address is omitted from the one of said forward email and said reply email.
US09166938B2
Systems and methods for sending/receiving improved in-browser notification messages are provided. The notification messages are overlaid on HTTP traffic on port 80 for IP addresses provisioned to receive the notification messages from various sources, including weather, emergency broadcast, and police stations. A load balancer within the end-to-end system allows HTTP traffic on port 80 to be forked from non HTTP traffic on port 80 to selectively insert notification messages. The notifications are inserted by an internet content adoption protocol (ICAP) server in communication with other devices within the system.
US09166933B2
A memory control apparatus that controls writing and reading of data to/from a memory. The memory control apparatus includes: a sequence control unit that receives a packet sequence including a write packet including a write request of data and a read packet including a read request of the data, and changes an arrangement of the write packet and the read packet included in the packet sequence so that a first predetermined number of write packets are arranged successively and a second predetermined number of read packets are arranged successively; and a command output unit that receives the packet sequence from the sequence control unit, and outputs a write command according to the write packet and an a read command according to the read packet to the memory, in accordance with an order of arrangement of the write packet and the read packet.
US09166926B2
A duplicate suppression protocol is introduced in order to suppress duplicate entries from appearing in a list of available network resources. With the duplicate suppression protocol of the present invention, a computer that wishes to query for network resources also asks for duplicate suppression information from the responding network resources. The duplicate suppression information for a particular network resource specifies identifiers associated with that network resource for various protocols. Thus, if a particular network resource responds to more than one network resource request from a single requesting entity, that requesting entity will be able to locate duplicate network resource information. Thus, a single unified list of network resources available for various different protocols may be presented with all duplicate network resources removed.
US09166924B2
In a scheduling apparatus, a packet start time with respect to an input packet is calculated, and a slot corresponding to the packet start time is selected from a scheduler including a plurality of slots. Whether to store the packet in the selected slot in consideration of the number of packets stored in the selected slot and the number of packets corresponding to virtual ports corresponding to the input packet is determined, and here, the virtual port is an output port of a switch device which is connected to the outside and does not have a scheduling function.
US09166913B1
Systems and methods are provided for allocating resources of a network among a plurality of traffic demands to optimize fairness and throughput. Fairness constraints and traffic commodity importance can be specified to control allocation.
US09166912B2
A routing controller in a communication network may be responsible for issuing routing rules to forwarding devices in the network. Exemplary embodiments allow forwarding functionality to be implemented by the forwarding devices in a device-specific manner. The routing controller may specify a routing rule to be implemented by the forwarding device, and may provide a default or suggested implementation of the function in the specification of the rule. If the forwarding device does not have a predetermined implementation of the function that is specific to the routing device, the forwarding device may use the default implementation provided by the routing controller. However, if the forwarding device does have a predetermined implementation of the function, the forwarding device may override the implementation described in the specification and use the predetermined implementation instead.
US09166908B2
In one embodiment, a distributed intelligence agent (DIA) collects local state information from a plurality of minimalistic connected objects (MCOs) in a computer network, the local state information for each MCO comprising a corresponding neighbor list and a selected next-hop for the respective MCO, where one or more of the MCOs are configured to select their next-hop without any self-optimization. The DIA may then analyze a current routing topology, which is the combined result of the selected next-hops, in comparison to a computed optimal routing topology, and (optionally) in light of required service level agreement (SLA), to determine whether to optimize the current routing topology. In response to determining that the current routing topology should be optimized, the DIA may transmit a unicast routing instruction to one or more individual MCOs to instruct those individual MCOs how to optimize the current routing topology, accordingly.
US09166901B2
The liveness of routing protocols can be determined using a mechanism to aggregate liveness information for the protocols. The ability of an interface to send and receive packets and the forwarding capability of an interface can also be determined using this mechanism. Since liveness information for multiple protocols, the liveness of interfaces, the forwarding capability of interfaces, or both, may be aggregated in a message, the message can be sent more often than could individual messages for each of the multiple protocols. This allows fast detection of failures, and sending connectivity messages for the individual protocols, such as neighbor “hellos,” to be sent less often.
US09166896B2
A transaction storm detection engine is configured to receive a series of transactions in a data stream for an authenticated network session. The detection engine determines whether the transactions form a transaction storm. In response to determining that the transactions are a transaction storm, metrics associated with the transaction storm are presented. One or more actions may be specified to be applied in a subsequently detected transaction storm.
US09166890B2
Technologies are presented for tracking of used resources and ensuring a similar level of computing resources to be provided at a new cloud-based service provider for a migrating application, even if the new service provider has a different mix of resources. Computing resources in use by the migrating application and a level of used computing power may be identified. Each of the computing resources may be assigned a score according to an associated service level. An overall score generated as a weighted combination of the individual scores according to their influence on application processing and networking status may be used for comparison of service levels between an existing service provider and the new service provider to ensure the migrating application receives a similar performance level. Additionally, the individual and overall scores may be employed by the new service provider to properly allocate its resources to provide similar performance level.
US09166888B1
Measures for use in generating path configuration data for an optical network. A least cost path calculation process is performed on a network graph representation of the optical network to generate path configuration data for the optical network. Performing the least cost path calculation process comprises performing a network graph expansion process on the network graph representation of the optical network to obtain an expanded network graph representation of the optical network. Performing the network graph expansion process comprises determining data identifying the possible expansion paths to each optical node, the cost of each path and the available wavelengths for each path, grouping together wavelength and path data for paths of equal cost, and at one or more nodes, identifying a subset of one or more wavelengths and performing a wavelength pruning operation.
US09166885B2
The present invention relates to methods and arrangements to establish an identity of a target T. The method comprises the following steps:—Collecting geographical location points A, B, C, D indicating presence of the target.—Interrogating at least one mobile network to fetch lists of identities of users located in defined areas C1-C3, each area covering a collected geographical location point.—Crosschecking between the fetched lists.—Identifying a single identity that is common to the fetched lists.
US09166884B2
A method is provided for a network location service in which one or more packet forwarding devices in the network collect and maintain location data for the devices/users currently connected to a network. The data is maintained locally in each packet forwarding device and may be provided on demand to a network/business application, such as emergency 911 services or a location-based security or personalization system. The location data is provided in real-time or near real-time using an in-band channel communication and/or over the Internet using a standard transport protocol, such as HTTP/S and SOAP web services.
US09166882B1
A browsing process is directed to the generation and management of a browse session at a network computing provider. A client computing device requests a remote browse session instance at a network computing provider. The browse session instance may correspond to requested network content. The network computing provider determines one or more browse configurations. Different browse configurations can be determined for separate portions of the requested network content. The browse configurations may identify a communication protocol and various processing actions. The network computing provider retrieves the requested content through an instantiated network browse session instance, and performs a first set of processing actions to generate a processing result. The processing result may be provided to the client computing device for display, including performing a second set of processing actions on the processing result at the client computing device.
US09166881B1
An apparatus, includes a user interface module configured to send a signal to display an interface of a self-service application used by a user to communicate with a host device via a network. The apparatus also includes a bandwidth analysis module operatively coupled to the user interface module. The bandwidth analysis module is configured to calculate a bandwidth associated with communication with the host device via the network. The bandwidth analysis module is also configured to receive, from the host device, a bandwidth criterion associated with at least one network communication mode used for communication with the host device. The user interface module is configured to reduce or eliminate an availability of the at least one network communication mode to the self-service application when the bandwidth fails to meet the bandwidth criterion.
US09166878B1
In one embodiment, an apparatus includes a network management module configured to execute at a network device operatively coupled to a switch fabric. The switch fabric may have a distributed control plane. The network management module is configured to receive a request regarding status information for a certain set of network resources identified with a virtual or logical identifier. The network management module is configured to generate and send a corresponding query for status information to a set of physical elements that encompass and may be larger than the certain set of network resources and collect responses to that query. The network management module is configured to construct a response to the request from the status information in the collected responses to the query. The constructed response includes only information related to the original request.
US09166869B2
Management of a network may be provided by moving management functions from each switch in a network cluster into a locally controlled server. The management functions may be organized into an Ethernet distributed fabric switching protocol (E-DFP) based management plane. Control functions of each switch may also be organized into a control plane. The management plane and control plane of the network may be moved from each switch and integrated into the server. Efficiency in network switching may be provided by releasing the switches of their management and control responsibilities and centralizing these responsibilities to the server. In some embodiments, the server may be outside the cluster.
US09166866B2
Aspects of the subject matter described herein relate to file system placeholders. In aspects, placeholders may be used by a client to represent remote file system objects. The placeholders may include metadata and may also include none, some, or all of the content of the represented remote file system objects. In conjunction with placeholders and based on one or more factors, a client may hydrate or dehydrate file system objects of the client to follow user directives, inferred user intent, and storage policies of the client.
US09166864B1
This disclosure relates to adaptive streaming for legacy media frameworks. A streaming component includes a reception component that receives a first set of header data associated with an audio stream, and a second set of header data associated with a video stream. A parsing component synthesizes a third set of header data using the first set of header data and the second set of header data based on a set of header criteria for a legacy media framework, and provides the third set of header data to the legacy media framework. A download component acquires respective sets of data from the audio stream and the video stream, and an adaption component provides sets of data to the legacy media framework based on a set of streaming criteria for the legacy media framework.
US09166858B2
A modulator and modulation method are provided, which output an OQAM multi-carrier signal. The method implements a step of transforming, from the frequency domain to the time domain, a set of M symbols of real data so as to output M transformed symbols. The complete transformation includes the following sub-steps: applying a partial Fourier transform to the set of M symbols of real data, outputting a first subset of C transformed symbols, where C is strictly less than M; and obtaining, from the first subset, a second subset of (M-C) transformed symbols that is complementary to the first subset.
US09166857B2
Systems and methods are provided for fast and precise estimation of frequency with relatively minimal sampling and relatively high tolerance to noise.
US09166856B2
A system and method for initial ranging in wireless communication systems is provided. A plurality of orthogonal frequency division multiplexing (OFDM) blocks are received by an OFDMA base station transceiver from a plurality of remote user devices in wireless communication with the base station. A ranging subchannel is extracted from the OFDM blocks. The number of active codes in the ranging subchannel is determined, active codes are identified, and carrier frequency offsets (CFOs) are estimated for each active code. Timing delays and power levels for each active code are then estimated. The estimated CFOs, timing delays, and power levels are broadcasted by the base station to the remote user devices, so that the user devices can utilize same to adjust transmission parameters to optimize power levels and synchronize communication with the base station.
US09166850B2
In a multi-tone data transmission system, data are modulated on a set of M tones for being transmitted between a transmitter and a receiver. The data retransmission request device in such system is adapted to request retransmission of a data transmission unit that is hierarchically modulated at a particular hierarchical level and that is modulated on a particular group of N tones, N being a positive integer value greater than one and smaller than or equal to M.
US09166840B2
Methods and apparatus are disclosed for compressing and decompressing data to reduce bandwidth requirements in transmissions of predistorted signals between a processing node and a remote transmitting node of a power amplifier with digital predistortion (PA-DPD) system. In the processing node, predistorted signals are decomposed into a high-dynamic range signal of a first sample rate and a low-dynamic range signal of a second sample rate greater than the first sample rate. Samples of both signals are combined to generate a compressed signal for transmission to the remote transmitting node, which decompresses the compressed signal to restore the predistorted signal.
US09166834B2
For corrupt symbol handling for providing high reliability sequences, an inter-symbol correlated (ISC) signal is received. During sequence estimation when demodulating the received ISC signal, partial response samples in the ISC may be processed utilizing an erasure mechanism. The partial response samples are spread (e.g. interleaved) over time during modulation by a modulator. A determination is made as to whether to utilize self erasure or external erasure to process the spread partial response samples. The determination may be based on whether or not events of low SNR for corresponding ones of the partial response samples are identified. The external erasure may be utilized for processing the corresponding ones of the partial response samples when the events of low SNR are identified and the self erasure is utilized when the events of low SNR are not identifiable. Erasure results maybe fed back to the modulator.
US09166830B2
A communication system utilizing adaptive envelope tracking includes a transmit path, a feedback receiver, a parameter component and an envelope tracking component. The transmit path is configured to generate a transmit signal. The feedback receiver is configured to generate a feedback signal from the transmit signal. The parameter component is configured to generate linearity parameters from the feedback signal and the baseband signal. The envelope tracking component is configured to generate a supply control signal having time delay adjustments.
US09166825B2
Network connecting sections of an own station deliver routing information notified from a relay section on the same base to network connecting sections of other stations of own networks. If new routing information is present in routing information received from the network connecting sections of the other stations, the network connecting sections of the own station notify the relay section on the same base of the routing information. The relay section updates, based on the routing information notified from the network connecting sections on the same base, routing information held by the relay section.
US09166824B2
A telecommunications system provides a facility for mobile communications to a mobile node. A core network and a radio network are arranged to communicate the internet packets in accordance with a current configuration of routing and communications resources of at least one of the core network and the radio network. The mobile node is operable to generate a packet data connection activation request. The request is adapted to include a service level identifier representing a priority to be afforded to communicating internet packets to or from the mobile node with respect to the internet packets received from other mobile nodes. The core network is operable to adapt the current configuration of routing and communications resources of at least one of the core network and the radio network following a change of location of the mobile node with a relative priority determined in accordance with the service level identifier.
US09166810B2
An information communication method includes: setting an exposure time of an image sensor so that, in an image obtained by capturing a subject by the image sensor, a bright line corresponding to an exposure line included in the image sensor appears according to a change in luminance of the subject; capturing the subject that changes in luminance by the image sensor with the set exposure time, to obtain the image including the bright line; and obtaining information by demodulating data specified by a pattern of the bright line included in the obtained image.
US09166806B2
A computer-implemented method of providing invitations to a shared communication space, performed by a server system, includes providing the shared communication space, which includes content associated with a set of characteristics, and identifying a user, in accordance with a set of characteristics associated with the user and the set of characteristics associated with the content in the shared communication space. The method further includes sending to the identified user a invitation to participate in the shared communication space, and upon acceptance of the invitation by the user, enabling access by the user to the shared communication space by the user and enabling the user to exchange information with other participants in the shared communication space via the shared communication space.
US09166804B2
There is provided a packet transmission control device including a packet interval adjustment unit that adjusts packet intervals of a plurality of packets, a packet replication unit that replicates the plurality of packets whose packet intervals are adjusted by the packet interval adjustment unit to generate a plurality of packet groups, and a destination assignment unit that assigns different destination information pieces to the respective plurality of packet groups generated by the packet replication unit.
US09166799B2
A mobile station can be authenticated by, for example, sending a challenge to a mobile station, and receiving a first authentication response from the mobile station through a wireless link, the first authentication response being generated based on the challenge and an authentication key stored at the mobile station. A second authentication response is generated based on the first authentication response. The second authentication response is provided to an IMS network for authenticating the mobile station to enable the mobile station to access the IMS network. In some examples, an authentication response of the mobile station is carried in an SIP message sent from the femtocell to a server that can authenticate the mobile station or forward the authentication response to another server that can authenticate the mobile station. Authentication of the mobile station can be performed as an integrated part of or separate from a registration process.
US09166797B2
Systems and methods that establish a secured compartment that manages sensitive user transactions/information on a user's machine. The secured compartment qualifies user interaction with the machine, and separates such qualified interaction from other user activity on the machine. A user is switched to such secured compartment upon occurrence of a predetermined event, such as in form of: an explicit request (e.g., a secure attention sequence); an implicit request (e.g., inference of user activities); and presence of a peripheral device that is bound to the secured compartment (e.g., a USB)—wherein such actions typically cannot be generated by an application running outside the secured compartment.
US09166792B2
According to an embodiment, a data management device includes a receiver; a first calculator; a second calculator; and a transmitter. The receiver is configured to receive at least one piece of encrypted data obtained by encrypting a piece of data and at least one message authentication code for the piece of encrypted data. The first calculator is configured to aggregate pieces of encrypted data received to calculate aggregated encrypted data corresponding to a sum of the pieces of data encrypted. The second calculator is configured to sum up message authentication codes received to calculate a total value of the message authentication codes for the aggregated encrypted data. The transmitter is configured to transmit the aggregated encrypted data and the total value of the message authentication codes.
US09166786B2
Authenticating a customer for access to a content server. The customer is biometrically authenticated to a secure terminal based on information stored in a secure personal storage device belonging to the customer. The customer is allowed access to the secure terminal after a successful authentication. The customer is authenticated to the content server based on account credentials stored on the secure personal storage device issued by the content server.
US09166785B2
A device that uses homomorphic encryption is disclosed. The device includes a public key data generator configured to generate public key data, and a secret key data generator configured to generate secret key data that includes, as a secret key, an integer that is an element of a matrix obtained as a product of the first public key matrix element and an inverse matrix of the secret key matrix and that is not a multiple of the plain text space size.
US09166782B2
A distributed key encryption system and method is provided in which a key storage server provides a session key to the source and destination computers by encrypting the session key with unique distributed private keys that are associated with the respective source and destination computers by unique private key identifiers The destination computer then decrypts the encrypted session key using it's distributed private key and then decrypts the communication using the decrypted session key.
US09166777B2
A system and method for user authentication utilizing PKI credentials and user credentials on an electronic device comprising a mobile communication device, smart phone, a computer or other computing device.
US09166769B2
Disclosed are a data transmission method and a data restoration method. The data transmission method includes forming a plurality of transmission preparatory packets by dividing data to be transmitted by the predetermined number (n) of bits, forming transition inducing packets different from the transmission preparatory packets while having the predetermined number (n) of bits, forming transition included data packets by performing a logical operation on the transition inducing packet and each of the transmission preparatory packets, and transmitting the transition included data packets and the transition inducing packet.
US09166767B2
An apparatus and method for transmitting/receiving control information in a broadband wireless communication system using Half Frequency Division Duplex (H-FDD) are provided. An operation of a Mobile Station (MS) includes, in the case of a frame at which control information is not transmitted, performing uplink communication at a front end of the frame and, in the case of a frame at which the control information is transmitted, performing downlink communication at a front end of the frame.
US09166766B2
Disclosed herein are systems, methods, and computer-readable storage media for enabling improved cancellation of self-interference in full-duplex communications, or the transmitting and receiving of communications in a single frequency band without requiring time, frequency, or code divisions. The system estimates the signal strength and phase of a self-interference signal, generates a cancellation signal based on this estimate, then uses the cancellation signal to suppress the self-interference before sampling received analog signal. After applying the cancellation signal, the system samples and digitizes the remaining analog signal. The digitized signal is then subjected to additional digital cancellation, allowing for extraction of the desired signal.
US09166762B2
In one or more embodiments, a system and method of managing network channel quality in a wireless communications network includes reporting a channel quality measurement from the particular user to a base station (BS) over an available CQICH, and determining a MCS based, at least in part, upon the channel quality measurement. If a threshold network CQICH capacity is reached during a subsequent data frame such that a CQICH is no longer available, MAC level messages are generated between the BS and the particular user to trigger reporting of signal quality information to the BS by the particular user. After the next CQICH cycle commences and if a CQICH is still unavailable, the signal quality information is continued to be provided via MAC level messages. Otherwise, a CQICH is reallocated for a particular user and channel quality measurement reporting is transitioned back to the CQICH.
US09166759B2
A method for transmitting control information in a wireless communication system includes: determining a link adaptation method of a user group according to quality of channels of each user in the user group; generating first control information according to common control information of all users in the user group and the link adaptation method corresponding to the user group, and transmitting the first control information to each user in the user group; obtaining contents of second control information according to particular control information of each user in the user group; performing link adaptation process for the contents of the second control information according to the link adaptation method corresponding to the user group, generating the second control information, and transmitting the second control information to each user in the user group. Corresponding to the above-described method, a method for receiving control information in a wireless communication system and corresponding devices are also disclosed.
US09166757B2
A method and apparatus are provided for transmitting and receiving an uplink Sounding Reference Signal (SRS). The method includes receiving index information for a sounding reference signal (SRS); determining an SRS offset and an SRS period, based on the index information; and transmitting the SRS, based on the SRS offset and the SRS period. If the index information includes an integer from 0 to 9, the SRS is transmitted twice in a period of 5 ms. If the index information includes an integer from 10 to 644, the SRS period is selected among 5 ms, 10 ms, 20 ms, 40 ms, 80 ms, 160 ms, and 320 ms.
US09166753B2
The present invention relates to a method for providing control information in a mobile communication system. More specifically, the invention relates to a method for providing control information through a network in mobile communication. The method comprises: a step for configuring the information associated with plural frequency resource groups and the power levels thereof in the control information of preset data format, wherein the plural frequency resource groups are for application of FFR (Fractional Frequency Reuse), and a step for transmitting the control information to at least one terminal.
US09166747B2
A method of performing hybrid automatic repeat request (HARQ) in a carrier aggregation system is provided. The method includes: monitoring a downlink (DL) grant for initial DL data transmission in a first DL component carrier (CC); receiving initial DL data through a second DL CC indicated by the DL grant; decoding the initial DL data; transmitting a not-acknowledgment (NACK) signal when decoding of the initial DL data fails; monitoring a DL grant for retransmission of the DL data in the first DL CC; and receiving DL data retransmitted through the second DL CC, wherein the second DL CC is any one of a plurality of DL CCs having a predetermined link relation with the first DL CC, and the DL grant for the initial transmission includes a carrier indication field indicating the second DL CC and resource allocation information for the initially transmitted DL data.
US09166744B2
A method and apparatus for transmitting and receiving information symbols in a communication system are provided. A method includes determining a channel quality indicator (CQI); determining two acknowledgement bits in response to data reception; generating a first symbol based on the CQI; generating a second symbol based on the two acknowledgement bits; and transmitting the first symbol and the second symbol. A first code is applied to the second symbol, if the two acknowledgement bits have a first value, a second code is applied to the second symbol, if the two acknowledgement bits have a second value, a third code is applied to the second symbol, if the two acknowledgement bits have a third value, and a fourth code is applied to the second symbol, if the two acknowledgement bits have a fourth value.
US09166736B2
Provided is a multicarrier communication apparatus by which information quantity of CQI reporting can be reduced. In the apparatus, each CQI is recorded in a CQI table section (122) by being classified into a plurality of CQI groups by following a certain rule. A CQI selecting section (123) estimates fluctuation range and variance of reception qualities of the entire resource block to be reported, based on an SINR value outputted from a quality level calculating section (121). Then, based on the estimated values, the CQI selecting section selects a suitable CQI group in a first step, selects a suitable CQI value from among the CQIs included in the selected CQI group in a second step, and outputs the ID of the selected CQI group and the selected CQI value to a CQI generating section (124). Based on such information, the CQI generating section (124) generates a CQI frame to be transmitted to a base station.
US09166735B2
Correction data units for data packets of a data stream are generated. A correction data unit is based on a set of the data packets of the stream. The stream is transmitted over a lossy communication channel. A performance measure to be optimized is selected, which relates to the recovery of lost data packets of the stream. A coding requirement is determined. For the generation of the correction data units, it is determined, within the constraints of the coding requirement and based on previously generated correction data units, which of the data packets in the stream to include in the set on which the generation of the correction data unit is to be based to thereby optimize the selected performance measure. A generated correction data unit is generated based on a respective set of the data packets of the stream. The generated correction data units are included in the stream.
US09166729B2
A method in a mobile communication terminal includes receiving a Multi-User Multiple-Input Multiple-Output (MU-MIMO) signal, which includes at least a precoded transmission that is addressed to the terminal and which includes one or more Demodulation Reference Signals (DM-RS). Control information, which indicates one or more scrambling sequences and one or more orthogonalization sequences used in producing the DM-RS, is received in the mobile communication terminal. The control information is provided in a format that does not permit signaling of every possible scrambling sequence and orthogonalization sequence selection. The control information is interpreted in the mobile communication terminal so as to identify the scrambling sequences and orthogonalization sequences used in producing the DM-RS, and the DM-RS are demodulated using the identified scrambling sequences and orthogonalization sequences.
US09166728B2
Systems and methods for data transport, comprising encoding one or more streams of input data using nonbinary low density parity check (NB-LDPC) encoders, corresponding to orthogonal polarization states. Receiving one or more streams of input data using a buffer coupled to the encoders, the data written to the buffer bR bits at a time, where R is the code rate. Generating one or more signals using a 2b-ary mapper implemented as a look-up table (LUT) to store coordinates of a corresponding signal constellation, the 2b-ary mapper configured to assign bits of one or more signals to a signal constellation and to associate the bits of the signals with signal constellation points, wherein the constellation is expanded to avoid bandwidth expansion due to coding, generating substantial net coding gains within a same bandwidth. Modulating nonbinary LDPC-coded data streams using in-phase/quadrature (I/Q) modulators and multiplexing the data streams using polarization beam combiner.
US09166727B2
An optical communication system includes a plurality of wavelength selective switches arranged on an optical network; and an optical network management apparatus configured to manage and control the optical network. In response to a path establishing request, the optical network management apparatus determines power consumption of each path that satisfies the path establishing request in the optical network based upon a wavelength being used at a connection port of each of the wavelength selective switches, selects a route based upon the determined power consumption of each of the path, and sets the selected route in the optical network.
US09166724B2
An optical network includes: an optical switch; a plurality of optical interface devices provided respectively for a plurality of servers and connected to the optical switch; and a manager to manage communication traffic of the plurality of servers. Each of the optical interface devices includes a fixed-wavelength optical transmitter and a wavelength tunable optical transmitter. A first optical path is set up via the optical switch by using the fixed-wavelength optical transmitters of the plurality of optical interface devices. The manager identifies first and second optical interface devices from among the plurality of optical interface devices in accordance with the communication traffic of the plurality of servers. A second optical path is set up between the first and second optical interface devices via the optical switch by using the wavelength tunable optical transmitters of the first and second optical interface devices.
US09166717B2
A cell within cellular network includes user equipments (UEs) that transmit data to a base station (eNB). Over a period of time, not all of the UEs will have data to transmit. The UEs are tracked as a scheduled portion and an unscheduled portion, wherein a UE is included in the scheduled portion in response to receiving a scheduling request from the UE. Synchronization is maintained between the eNB and each UE in the scheduled portion by sending a timing adjustment (TA) command if needed. Synchronization is maintained between the eNB and each UE in the unscheduled portion by allocating a periodic reference signal (sync-RS) to each UE in the unscheduled portion and by sending a respective timing adjustment (TA) command if needed to each respective UE in the unscheduled portion in response to a respective sync-RS received from each UE in the unscheduled portion.
US09166712B2
Methods and apparatuses provide personalized radio by outputting selected songs from multiple channels from one or more source streams. Users can specify favorite channels for building their personal playlists, or multiple default playlist channels can be provided by genre or other criteria. User like/dislike inputs via the radio receiver generate filter data used to search all channels for matches or block songs from playback. Filter data can also be based on virtual DJ recommendations. Channel searching for matches involves monitoring real-time song and artist labels or other metadata for all channels carried in a separate data channel. Personalization can also be provided by using filter data to select content from a mixed channel comprising content from a selected group of channels. Connectivity options and web interfaces are provided to facilitate transfer and sharing of customization parameters for personalized radio configuration.
US09166711B2
A method and apparatus for influencing a viewer to select a second feed. A shared medium is loaded beyond a loading threshold. One or more high viewership feeds being provided over the shared medium are designated preferred feeds, and one or more user devices providing low viewership feeds to viewers are designated candidate user devices. The candidate user devices are instructed to influence their respective viewers to select one of the high viewership feeds. The candidate user devices select a second feed from one or more preferred feeds, and provide information pertaining to the second feed to the viewer.
US09166709B2
A method and apparatus for identifying ambient signal data in a test signal data set. A cumulative amplitude distribution of data elements is identified in the test signal data set in order by amplitude values. The data elements comprise frequency values and corresponding amplitude values. A subset of data elements from the test signal data set is identified. The subset of data elements comprises the data elements with the amplitude values greater than a first threshold value. The data elements in the subset of data elements are identified wherein a difference between the amplitude values of adjacent data elements in the cumulative amplitude distribution of data elements is greater than a second threshold value.
US09166707B2
It is intended to provide a transmitter capable of correcting signal distortion with high accuracy. Provided are a test signal generator; a frequency characteristics corrector for correcting an amplitude characteristic and a phase characteristic of a test signal; a modulator; an envelope detector; a frequency characteristics calculator for calculating frequency characteristics of an envelope signal; and a coefficients calculator for calculating, on the basis of the frequency characteristics, correction coefficients to be used for correcting the amplitude characteristic and the phase characteristic of the test signal. The test signal generator generates a test signal in which signal loci in each of at least two pairs of quadrants of first to fourth quadrants of the IQ plane are not symmetrical with each other.
US09166706B2
In an embodiment, a method of testing a radio frequency integrated circuit (RFIC) includes generating high frequency test signals using the on-chip test circuit, measuring signal levels using on-chip power detectors, and controlling and monitoring the on-chip test circuit using low frequency signals. The RFIC circuit is configured to operate at high frequencies, and an on-chip test circuit that includes frequency generation circuitry configured to operate during test modes.
US09166704B1
In an example, the present invention includes an integrated system on chip device. The device is configured on a single silicon substrate member. The device has a data input/output interface provided on the substrate member. The device has an input/output block provided on the substrate member and coupled to the data input/output interface. The device has a signal processing block provided on the substrate member and coupled to the input/output block. The device has a driver module provided on the substrate member and coupled to the signal processing block. In an example, the device has a driver interface provided on the substrate member and coupled to the driver module and configured to be coupled to a silicon photonics device. The device also has an interface configured to communicate between the silicon photonics device and the control block.
US09166703B2
An equalizer (60) processes, in the electrical domain, a signal obtained from a path of an optical transmission system. The equalizer comprises N cascaded stages (where N≧1). At least one of the stages comprises a cascade of a linear equalization element (61) and a non-linear equalization element (62). The equalizer (60) is able to compensate for both linear impairments, such as dispersion, and non-linear impairments. The cascaded linear and non-linear elements can simulate the effect of signal propagation through a fiber which has the opposite propagation parameters (e.g. attenuation, dispersion, non-linearity) to those of the propagation path experienced by a signal in the transmission system. The non-linear equalization element (62) can be a non-linear phase rotator which rotates phase of an input signal proportional to the squared modulus of the input signal amplitude. The linear equalization element (61) can comprise a digital filter, such as an Infinite Impulse Response (HR) filter or a Finite Impulse Response (FIR) filter.
US09166699B2
An infrared reception circuit and an infrared reception method are provided. The infrared reception circuit includes an infrared receiver for receiving infrared signals and converting the infrared signals into analog signals, an amplifier for amplifying the analog signals, an analog/digital converter for converting the amplified analog signals into digital signals, a digital filter for filtering the digital signals via respective frequency bands, a digital frequency-adjusting demodulator for demodulating the filtered digital signals into digital audio frequency signals, and a digital/analog converter for converting the digital audio frequency signals into analog audio signals. Compared with the prior art, the infrared reception circuit and the infrared reception method require far less elements that are used for receiving infrared signals and can still achieve optimal reception, thereby simplifying processes of manufacture and increasing throughput and good yield as a result.
US09166686B2
A laser communications terminal configured for simultaneous two-way stabilized communications links to multiple ground sites. One example of such a laser communications terminal includes a plurality of laser channels, each including a channel transceiver configured to transmit and receive an optical signal, an afocal telescope optically coupled to each of the channel transceivers, a coelostat mirror pair optically coupled to the afocal telescope, and a plurality of beam steering mirrors, at least one beam steering mirror associated with each channel of the plurality of laser channels and configured to independently steer the corresponding optical signal within a field of view of the afocal telescope.
US09166677B2
Methods and apparatuses are provided that facilitate associating with relays in a wireless network. A device can select whether to utilize relay assistance where present based at least in part on measuring one or more determined or projected parameters related to the relay. Where utilizing a relay results in user-plane data channel conditions above a threshold level and control channel conditions below a threshold level, a serving base station can determine whether to employ another base station to serve the device, jointly serve a relay with an additional base station, and/or the like.
US09166675B2
Aspects of the invention provide a system and method to allow inroute frame timing synchronization without the aid of hub signal loopback or satellite ephemeris data. Furthermore, it allows tracking and compensating of the satellite motion to allow multiple remotes to use TDMA on the inroute frequencies, while minimizing the aperture. Two main techniques proposed are CLT and polling based approaches, which are used in combination for an optimum solution. In CLT based approach, hub transmits remote specific timing correction feedback messages on the outroute on as needed basis. In polling based approach, the remotes derive their timing based on a per-beam average delay estimate broadcast by the hub and a measured local delay specific to each outroute stream from a remote. An aspect of the invention uses triangulation method to determine satellite position. Furthermore, an aspect of the invention uses hub burst arrival method instead of polling approach.
US09166669B1
Data can be received characterizing a first signal received on a plurality of antennas and comprising multiple transmission signals transmitted simultaneously on at least a same resource element in an orthogonal frequency-division multiple access (OFDM) communications system. A final estimate of the multiple transmission signals can be determined from at least the received data by iteratively estimating multiple transmission signals from the first signal and feeding back selected estimated multiple transmission signals, which satisfy a criterion, to cancel components of the first signal. Data characterizing the estimated multiple transmission signals can be provided. Related apparatus, systems, techniques, and articles are also described.
US09166668B2
A system and method for adding a burst of a single-input multiple-output mode or collaborative spatial multiplexing mode to a frame in a spatial multiplexing system. A base station is configured to add a burst of a single-input multiple-output mode to a frame in a spatial multiplexing system. The system and method includes backing up a pilot pattern and a number of slots allocated for connections with terminals; releasing slots allocated for a burst; resetting a pilot pattern of a collaborative spatial multiplexing mode burst of the terminals: and recalculating the number of remaining slots; comparing the number of slots that can be additionally allocated to the single-input multiple-output mode with the number of slots released in the releasing step; and determining a transmission format.
US09166660B2
As part of a beamforming training procedure, a first communication device transmits a beamforming training packet. The first device then receives a plurality of respective beamforming feedback packets from a plurality of second communication devices. The first device then uses the plurality of beamforming feedback packets to select a group of multiple communication devices from among the plurality of second communication devices, wherein the group is selected for simultaneous transmissions to the first communication device. The first device then transmits a synchronization signal to the group to prompt second communication devices in the group to simultaneously transmit to the first communication device at a particular time. The first device then receives simultaneous transmissions from the group responsive to the synchronization signal.
US09166658B2
A wireless communication system in which a base station apparatus having a plurality of transmission antennas and one or more terminal apparatuses communicate with each other is provided with at least two methods of a first feedback method and a second feedback method regarding propagation path information at the time of reception. In accordance with a communication condition between the base station apparatus and the terminal apparatus, or the function of the terminal apparatus, the terminal apparatus performs feedback by one of the two methods of the first feedback method and the second feedback method. The base station apparatus performs spatial multiplexing transmission on the basis of the propagation path information that has been fed back. Thus, in a system in which CSI is fed back for MIMO transmission, desired transmission characteristics can be efficiently obtained.
US09166653B2
This disclosure describes systems, methods, and computer-readable media related to near field communication (NFC) sensors with power sleep mode. In some embodiments, one or more motions of a user device may be detected. The one or more motions may be analyzed to identify a pre-defined motion of a user device. A wireless sensor of the user device may be enabled in response to the identified pre-defined motion. A wireless sensor-enabled device may be determined to be within a pre-determined distance. Data may be exchanged with the wireless sensor-enabled device. The wireless sensor may be disabled upon completion of the data exchange.
US09166648B2
Systems and methods are provided for adjusting time in a synchronized network by a central device on the network. Each device on the network provided current time, hopping pattern, time slot duration, and an absolute slot number. Devices on the network synchronized to communicate on a repeating schedule of time slots. The central device receives an updated time and determines a time difference between the updated time and the current time. The current time is adjusted in integer multiples of the hopping pattern length up to the time difference. The absolute slot number is updated based on the number of time slots in the adjusted time difference. The updated absolute slot number is propagated to other devices on the network. In turn, these other devices may also propagate the updated absolute slot number.
US09166637B2
An impulse noise mitigation circuit (INMC) may set a cut-off frequency of each of two high pass filters to bound a frequency bandwidth of a desired signal, wherein a first of the two filters allows frequencies higher than the frequency bandwidth of the desired signal, and a second of the two filters allows frequencies lower than the frequency bandwidth of the desired signal. The INMC may compute and store a mean magnitude separately for a first signal response of the first filter and a second signal response of the second filter. The INMC may select the first filter for impulse noise mitigation when the mean magnitude of the second filter is greater than the mean magnitude of the first filter. The INMC may select the second filter for impulse noise mitigation when the mean magnitude of the first filter is greater than the second filter.
US09166634B2
Electronic devices may include antenna structures. The antenna structures may form an antenna having first and second feeds at different locations. A first transceiver may be coupled to the first feed using a first circuit. A second transceiver may be coupled to the second feed using a second circuit. The first and second feeds may be isolated from each other using the first and second circuits. The second circuit may have a notch filter that isolates the second feed from the first feed at operating frequencies associated with the first transceiver. The first circuit may include an adjustable component such as an adjustable capacitor. The adjustable component may be placed in different states depending on the mode of operation of the second transceiver to ensure that the first feed is isolated from the second feed.
US09166628B2
An optical transport system is configured to use a modulation scheme in which a phase rotation applied to a sequence of PSK or QAM constellation symbols encoding a codeword of an FEC code produces a modified sequence of PSK or QAM constellation symbols encoding a bit-word that is not a valid codeword of that FEC code. Based on this property of the modulation scheme, an optical receiver may be configured to relatively accurately recover the absolute phase of the optical carrier wave of the received modulated optical signal by applying maximum likelihood sequence estimation processing to each portion of the signal carrying a valid codeword of the FEC code. For example, for a modulation scheme employing a 2n-PSK constellation, the optical receiver may be able to recover the absolute phase of the optical carrier wave with an accuracy that is better than 360/2n degrees.
US09166623B1
A system and method of decoding a Reed-Solomon code using a Reed-Solomon decoder comprising an erasure location selector, multiple syndrome formers and multiple Berlekamp-Massey decoders that share a single error correction unit, and means for selecting a Berlekamp-Massey decoder output as the input to the error correction unit. The method improves the bit error rate performance of the Reed-Solomon decoder compared to known hard-decision and soft-decision Reed-Solomon decoders. The Reed-Solomon decoder also provides hardware area and power savings over more complex Reed-Solomon decoders.
US09166620B2
Methods and apparatus for wireless communication in a mobile device that includes receiving a transmission data packet and detecting a string of bytes in the transmission data packet that matches a preset string of bytes saved in a memory component. Aspects of the methods and apparatus include replacing the string of bytes of the transmission data packet that has been determined to match the preset string of bytes saved in the memory component with a location pointer, wherein after replacing the string of bytes in the data packet with the location pointer, the data packet comprises the location pointer and a set of literal bytes. Aspects of the methods and apparatus also include generating a compressed transmission data packet by entropy coding the transmission data packet comprising the set of literal-bytes and the location pointer.
US09166617B1
A communication unit comprises a power DAC. The DAC comprises: a switched mode power amplifier (SMPA); and a digital band-pass sigma-delta modulator operably coupled to the SMPA. The sigma-delta modulator comprises an input to receive an input baseband signal; a delay; an adder module arranged to add a feedback signal with an output from the delay; and at least two feedback branches. The sigma-delta modulator is arranged to digitally oversample the input baseband signal such that a ratio of a sampling frequency employed by the sigma-delta modulator to a radio frequency (RF) output from the DAC is fixed and the sampling frequency tuned or wherein the sampling frequency is fixed and the ratio is adjusted, such that a first feedback branch in the sigma-delta modulator is formed using at least one from a group of: a zero gain, an additive inverse of a second feedback branch.
US09166609B2
It is intended to provide an AD converter capable of increasing its conversion accuracy. An AD converter is equipped with a clock generator which generates a first clock using a second clock and a comparator which includes a comparison circuit for comparing an input signal with a prescribed value in a first period of the first clock and a precharging circuit for precharging, in a second period of the first clock, an internal voltage to a prescribed value for the next comparison operation. The clock generator includes a replica circuit of the precharging circuit of the comparator. In the replica circuit of the precharging circuit, a precharging period from the start to the end of precharging is set as the second period of the first clock.
US09166608B1
Methods and devices herein relate to a method for estimating bandwidth mismatch in a time-interleaved A/D converter. An example method includes precharging terminals of capacitors to a first state in each channel of a plurality of channels and sampling a reference analog input voltage signal (Vref) applied via a first switchable path whereby the sampled input voltage signal is received at first terminals of the capacitors. The method further includes setting the second terminals of each channel to a second state. The method also includes applying the reference analog input voltage signal to the first terminals via a second switchable path, and thereby creating on the first terminals a non-zero settling error. The method additionally includes quantizing the settling error to obtain an estimate of the non-zero settling error. The method yet further includes comparing the estimates of the non-zero settling errors and deriving an estimation of the bandwidth mismatch.
US09166601B2
A semiconductor device which makes it possible to reduce a wasteful standby time at power-on is provided. In this semiconductor device, a reset of an internal circuit is canceled as described below. When a data signal stored in a storage section is at “0,” the reset is canceled by bringing an internal reset signal to the “H” level when a relatively short time has passed after the rising edge of a power on reset signal. When the data signal is at “1,” the reset is canceled by bringing the internal reset signal to the “H” level when a relatively long time has passed after the rising edge of the power on reset signal. Therefore, a wasteful standby time at power-on can be reduced by writing the data signal logically equivalent to the rise time of supply voltage to the storage section.
US09166590B1
An integrated circuit may include memory interface circuitry that interfaces with memory. The integrated circuit may include calibration circuitry and storage circuitry. The calibration circuitry may have a first configuration in which the calibration circuitry is formed from a first set of programmable logic regions that configure the calibration circuitry to generate and store calibration data at the storage circuitry. The calibration data may include strobe signal phase settings and read enable control signal timing settings. The calibration circuitry may have a second configuration in which the calibration circuitry is formed from a second set of programmable logic regions that configure the calibration circuitry to load the calibration data from the storage circuitry and to interface with the memory based on the calibration data. The calibration circuitry may occupy fewer programmable logic regions on the integrated circuit in the second configuration than in the first configuration.
US09166588B2
A Physical Unclonable Function (PUF) semiconductor device includes a semiconductor substrate, and a well formed in the semiconductor substrate. The well includes a first region having a first concentration of ions, and at least one second region having a second concentration that is less than the first concentration. First and second FETs are formed on the well. The first and second FETs have a voltage threshold mismatch with respect to one another based on the first region and the at least one second region.
US09166583B2
In a memory module having an integrated-circuit buffer device coupled to one or more integrated-circuit memory devices, the buffer device receives write data signals from an external control component via a set of data inputs, the write data signals indicating write data to be stored within one or more of the memory devices. Logic within the buffer device sequentially applies controllable termination impedance configurations at the data inputs based on an indication received from the control component and an internal state of the buffer device, applying a first controllable termination impedance configuration at each of the data inputs during a first internal state of the buffer device corresponding to the reception of the write data signals on the data inputs, and applying a second controllable termination impedance configuration at each of the data inputs during a second internal state of the buffer device that succeeds the first internal state.
US09166580B2
A gate signal line drive circuit and a display using the circuit, which suppress a leak current to reduce a power consumption. A gate signal line drive circuit that supplies a high voltage in a signal high period, and supplies a low voltage in a signal low period, the gate signal line drive circuit including: a high voltage supply switching element that turns on in response to the high period, supplies a voltage of a first basic clock signal to gate signal lines; a high voltage supply off control circuit that supplies a first low voltage to a switch of the high voltage supply switching element in response to the signal low period; and a low voltage supply switching circuit that supplies a second low voltage higher than the first low voltage to the gate signal lines in response to the signal low period.
US09166579B2
Methods and apparatuses for shifting data signals are disclosed herein. An apparatus may comprise a clock generation circuit, a delay path, and a driver. The clock generation circuit may be configured to receive an input clock signal and generate a plurality of clock signals based, at least in part, on the clock signal. A delay path may be coupled to the clock generation circuit and configured to receive the input clock signal and the plurality of clock signals. The delay path may be further configured to receive a data signal and delay the data signal based, at least in part, on the input clock signal and each of the plurality of clock signals. A driver may be coupled to the delay path and configured to receive the delayed data signal, and may further be configured to provide the delayed data signal to a bus.
US09166553B2
A surface acoustic wave (SAW) device package and method for packaging a SAW device provide a surface excited device having a small footprint, low cost and fabricated according to a unique manufacturing process. A substrate including a SAW active area on a first side is bonded to another similar sized substrate with a space sufficient to allow the propagation of the SAW on a top surface of the substrate. The two substrates have similar thermal expansion coefficients such that stress from the sealing process is minimized. The two substrates are sealed using either a low melting point glass or an organic compound such that conductive pathways exist through the seal allowing the internal device to access an external electrical connection.
US09166545B2
An integrated circuit is disclosed. The integrated circuit includes an amplifier and a capacitor array coupled to the amplifier. The capacitor array is configured to be coupled in parallel to an inductor that is external to the integrated circuit, and the capacitor array and the external inductor comprise a tank circuit. The integrated circuit includes a resistor array coupled in parallel with the capacitor array. The resistor array is utilized to provide an overall frequency response of the capacitor array and resistor array that is opposite of a frequency response of the external inductor over a predetermined frequency range.
US09166544B2
When the instruction for increasing the volume level is input by the user's operation and the signal representing the set value or more is output from a detector, a controller does not increase the volume levels of the first volume controller and the second volume controller. When the signal representing the set value or more is not output from the detector and the second volume level has a predetermined value, the controller increases the first volume level. When the signal representing the set value or more is not output from the detector and the second volume level is less than the predetermined value, the controller increases the second volume level.
US09166541B2
A signal processing circuit includes a chopper amplifier that has a differential amplifier circuit that amplifies differential input signals Vsp(t) and Vsm(t), and an adder circuit that generates an addition signal Vfil(t) by addition of the chopper output signal Vsub(t) that the chopper amplifier generates. Differential signals inputted into the differential amplifier circuit are interchanged for every first phase period and second phase period, and the adder circuit generates the addition signal by addition of the chopper output signal in the first phase period and in the second phase period.
US09166529B2
Provided is an amplifier circuit with cross wiring of direct-current signals and microwave signals, which includes: two branch sub-circuits being mirrors with each other and a third capacitor The sub-circuit includes a direct-current feeding circuit and a microwave signal circuit. The direct-current feeding circuit further comprising: a transistor core drain power-up port (Vds) of a heterojunction field effect transistor (FET), a first micro-strip inductor, a first capacitor, a pair of third inductors, a pair of branched second inductors. The microwave signal circuit further comprising: A pair of third inductors, a pair of first capacitors, a pair of second capacitors, a pair of ground inductors, a pair of fourth inductors, a serially connected fifth inductor.
US09166528B2
Methods and systems for vector combining power amplification are disclosed herein. In one embodiment, a plurality of signals are individually amplified, then summed to form a desired time-varying complex envelope signal. Phase and/or frequency characteristics of one or more of the signals are controlled to provide the desired phase, frequency, and/or amplitude characteristics of the desired time-varying complex envelope signal. In another embodiment, a time-varying complex envelope signal is decomposed into a plurality of constant envelope constituent signals. The constituent signals are amplified equally or substantially equally, and then summed to construct an amplified version of the original time-varying envelope signal. Embodiments also perform frequency up-conversion.
US09166525B2
The solar tracker comprises a base (1) and a solar panel (2) having first and second opposite ends (2a, 2b). The first end (2a) can be connected to the base (1) by a first shaft (E1) and the second end (2b) can be connected to the base (1) by a second shaft (E2), such that said solar panel (2) can pivot with respect to the base (1) alternately around the first shaft (E1) and around the second shaft (E2) under the drive of a lifting mechanism. An automatic connection/disconnection device connects the second end (2b) of the solar panel (2) to the base (1) while at the same time disconnecting the first end (2a) of the solar panel (2) from the base (1), and vice versa, every time the solar panel (2) reaches a position parallel to the base (1) for inverting the inclination of the solar panel (2) with respect to the base (1).
US09166516B2
An ECU sets target value of a system voltage based on an electric power loss of a motor generator and an inverter and controls a voltage boost converter. The ECU calculates the target value of the system voltage using a function expression generated, for each operating point of the motor generator, by approximating a loss characteristic which represents change of the electric power loss with respect to change of the system voltage, by a quadratic expression or a linear expression of the system voltage.
US09166515B2
A converter is disposed between a first battery and a power line for transmitting power inputted to and outputted from a motor for traveling. A second battery, on the other hand, is connected to the power line with a relay being interposed therebetween. A control unit controls the relay to be turned on or off in accordance with an operating state of the motor.
US09166508B2
The invention relates to a synchronous power controller for a generation system based on static power converters, said controller comprising two main blocks referred to as: block 1 (electric block) (10) and block 2 (electromechanical block) (20), electric block 1 (10) being, in turn, formed by a virtual electrical characteristic controller (11) and a virtual admittance controller (12) and the electromechanical block 2 (20) being formed by a virtual electromechanical characteristic controller (21) and an inertia and damping factor controller (22).
US09166505B1
System and methods are provided for protecting a direct current (DC) motor. A protection system includes: a motor drive component configured to drive a DC motor, a feedback component configured to generate a feedback signal related to motion of the DC motor, and a watchdog circuit configured to output a fault signal to the motor drive component to stop the DC motor in response to the feedback signal indicating abnormal motion of the DC motor. The watchdog circuit includes a hardware watchdog timer configured to be activated in response to one or more control signals and monitor the feedback signal.
US09166503B2
An actuator control system includes a controlling controller and one or more driving controllers connected to the controlling controller via a power line, wherein the controlling controller generates a serial signal that composites a power-supply voltage to be supplied to an actuator and a command signal generated in order to control driving of the actuator and transmits the generated serial signal to the driving controllers via the power line, and the driving controllers separate and retrieve the power-supply voltage and the control signal. Due to the configuration described above, the driving controllers supply a drive voltage and a drive control signal to actuators connected thereto. Accordingly, an actuator control system can be provided whose amount of installed wiring has been significantly reduced.
US09166484B2
Consistent with an example embodiment, a resonant converter comprises a signalling transformer that is used to transfer information between the secondary winding and primary winding of the converter whilst maintaining mains isolation between the two sides. In the embodiment, according to the disclosure, the use of a signalling transformer (in addition to a switching, or resonant, transformer) eliminates the need for an opto-coupler to transfer information and so allows for the construction of a simpler, more reliable and/or cheaper resonant converter. Other embodiments described herein may be suitable for use in dimmable LED driver applications, for example.
US09166476B2
A power supply circuit that includes a voltage conversion circuit (CONV) for outputting an output voltage to an output voltage terminal, the output voltage being stepped up or stepped down from an input voltage (VIN) presented to an input voltage terminal, an output capacitor (COUT) coupled to the output voltage terminal, and a charge extraction circuit for extracting the charge of the output capacitor (COUT). Quick response to overshoot of VOUT generated by a sudden reduction in load current (ILOAD) is afforded, and overshoot is minimized.
US09166471B1
A circuit and method is disclosed that dithers a switching frequency of a DC-to-DC converter which gets modulated onto an RF carrier such that switching noise is spread over a given bandwidth that is wider than a communications measurements bandwidth. The circuit includes a switching circuitry adapted to transfer energy from a source to a load using a switching signal having a series of switching cycles and a switching frequency. Also included is a control circuitry adapted to generate a pseudo-random value near a beginning of each of the series of switching cycles to determine a maximum switching frequency value based upon the pseudo-random value. The method includes adjusting the switching frequency of the switching signal incrementally from a fixed minimum switching frequency value to the maximum frequency value and vice versa as a function of time during each of the series of switching cycles of the switching circuit.
US09166469B2
A system for optimizing switching dead-time includes a power converter that includes a half-bridge circuit comprising a first switch coupled in series with a second switch, first and second state detection circuits respectively coupled to the first and second switches and configured to respectively detect an activation state of the first and second switches. First and second switch control circuits coupled respectively to the first and second switches are configured to respectively toggle the first and second switches between an activate state and a deactivated state. The first switch control circuit includes a first input configured to receive an activation signal from the second state detection circuit indicative of the activation state of the second switch, and the second switch control circuit includes a first input configured to receive an activation signal from the first state detection circuit indicative of the activation state of the first switch.
