US09241413B2

The device (100) for assembling capacitors (200) is intended for an electronic converter with a plurality of arms provided with transistors. The device comprises a bus bar (11) with positive polarity and a bus bar (12) with negative polarity. The bus bar with positive polarity and the bus bar with negative polarity are superposed one on top of the other without electrical contact. Preferably, the bus bar with positive polarity comprises a width (L1) smaller than the width (L2) of the bus bar with negative polarity. The device further comprises a support part (13) for insulating and indexing, arranged between the bus bar with positive polarity and the bus bar with negative polarity. The support part for insulating and indexing is typically formed from PBT plastic material reinforced with fiberglass.
US09241409B2

A component-embedded resin substrate includes a plurality of embedded components arranged as embedded in a resin structure. The plurality of embedded components include a first embedded component and a second embedded component. When viewed in a direction of the lamination, a first distance from the first embedded component to the closest end surface is shorter than a second distance from the second embedded component to the closest end surface. A first projection area calculated by multiplying a length along the end surface when the first embedded component is projected on the closest end surface to the first embedded component by a thickness of the first embedded component is smaller than a second projection area calculated by multiplying a length along the end surface when the second embedded component is projected on the closest end surface to the second embedded component by a thickness of the second embedded component.
US09241408B2

In an electronic component, upper surface electrodes are located on one main surface of an insulating substrate of an interposer on which a multilayer ceramic capacitor is mounted. The insulating substrate has substantially the same shape as that of the multilayer ceramic capacitor, viewed from a direction perpendicular or substantially perpendicular to the main surface, and has the multilayer ceramic capacitor mounted thereon so that the length direction of the multilayer ceramic capacitor substantially coincides with the length direction of the insulating substrate. The insulating substrate includes cutouts that include connection electrodes, respectively, and that are located at the four corners viewed from the direction perpendicular or substantially perpendicular to the main surface. The upper surface electrodes on the one main surface are connected via the connection electrodes to lower surface electrodes, respectively, that are located on the other main surface and are connected to a circuit board.
US09241405B2

A method of forming interposers includes positioning a plurality of extruded metal wires across a first platten and second platten, which secures the extruded metal wires. A sealing material is added to sidewalls of a volume having the plurality of extruded metal wires within, with the first and second plattens as end plates to form a holding volume. The holding volume is filled with a filling material. The filling material is heated to a sufficient temperature to form a heat treated filled volume. After removing the sealing material, the heat treated filled volume is sawed into a plurality of slices having a predetermined thickness to form a plurality of interposer substrates having a plurality of feed-thru conducting features provided by the plurality of extruded metal wires.
US09241403B2

Forming of a microelectronic device including a substrate containing at least one conductive pad, the pad being provided with a bottom surface resting on the substrate and an upper surface opposite the bottom surface. The upper surface of the pad has a stack applied thereto formed of a conductive layer and a protective dielectric layer including an opening called first opening facing the pad and exposing the conductive layer. At least one insulating block is arranged on a peripheral region of the upper surface of the pad, the insulating block having a cross-section forming a closed contour and having an opening called second opening. A conductive pillar is located in the center of the contour in the second opening.
US09241402B2

A flexible multilayer substrate includes a stacked body including a plurality of stacked resin layers and defining a flexible portion. The stacked body includes an innermost surface located inside and an outermost surface located outside when the stacked body is bent in use. A plurality of conductor patterns are arranged inside the stacked body to be distributed over a surface of one or more of the plurality of resin layers. A portion located on the innermost surface side with respect to a center plane of the stacked body in a thickness direction is a first portion, and a portion located on the outermost surface side with respect to the center plane is a second portion. An area having a minimum spacing along the longitudinal direction between the conductor patterns arranged in the same plane, in all of the plurality of resin layers, is located in the second portion.
US09241394B2

A radiation imaging control apparatus configured to control a radiation imaging operation using a radiation generation apparatus in which a radiation generation condition is adjustable by a manual operation includes a setting unit configured to set the radiation generation condition for the radiation imaging operation, a transmission unit configured to transmit the radiation generation condition to the radiation generation apparatus, and a transmission control unit configured to limit transmission of the radiation generation condition by the transmission unit in a case where a radiation imaging operation belonging to the same group as that of the radiation imaging operation is performed.
US09241384B2

A solid state lighting device includes multiple solid state light emitters and a control circuit configured to adjust aggregated emissions to produce a mixture of light having an adjustable color point together with high luminous efficacy, wherein at least one color point is on or near the white body line WBL (line of minimum tint). Adjustment of color point may provide substantially constant 1931 CIE x-values; substantially constant 1931 CIE y-values, or substantially constant distance relative to the blackbody locus (e.g., with variation in CCT of at least 100K for the color points). An adjustable color point may be arranged to transition between one point near the BBL and another point on or near the WBL. An adjustable color point may provide a first color point on or near the WBL and another point having different CCT and luminous flux. Emitters selected solely from discrete bins or subregions of a CIE diagram may be used in combination to yield a point on or near the WBL.
US09241378B2

The present invention relates to a hybrid constant current LED lamp. The LED lamp includes a rectifier unit, a filter circuit, a switching mode power supply, at least one main LED and a subsidiary LED. The main LED is electrically connected in series to the output terminal of the rectifier unit and the input port of the primary-side circuit of the switching mode power supply. The subsidiary LED is connected to the secondary-side circuit. The invention not only provides circuit architecture capable of providing a constant current, but also improves the power efficiency of the lamp.
US09241373B2

The present invention concerns a electrical conducting (control) device (5). It is provided that it exhibits at least one conducting-part carrier (5.2) and at least one conducting part (5.1), which is disposed at least partially on and/or for the conducting-part carrier (5.2).
US09241359B1

Systems, methods, and computer-readable media for delaying authentication of a mobile device following a radio link failure, and thereby enabling the mobile device to quickly attach to a current control component associated with a network, are provided. The method includes receiving, at the current control component, a message indicating that the radio link failure occurred at a previous control component. Upon receiving the message, the mobile device is attached to the current control component. Authentication of the mobile device is delayed such that authentication of the mobile device is initiated subsequent to the attaching of the mobile device to the current control component. This delayed authentication ensures that a communication session in which the mobile device was engaged prior to the radio link failure is uninterrupted.
US09241358B2

A wireless network configuration method and system for a smart appliance, wherein the smart appliance can start a client mode and an AP mode to connect with a wireless network AP and a portable electronic device separately. When the smart appliance established the connection with the wireless network AP, it will switch from the AP mode to a hidden SSID mode automatically. If an SSID and password of the access point have been stored in the portable electronic device, the portable electronic device will transmit these data to the smart appliance to simplify the operation for wireless network configuration. Besides, the smart appliance will keep connecting with the portable electronic device and disappearing in an available wireless network list of the portable electronic device in the hidden SSID mode. The advantages of this invention are full function and ease of operation.
US09241357B2

According to one embodiment, an electronic device includes a request module, a transmission module, and a connection module. The request module requests a tethering start for a terminal equipped with a tethering feature. The transmission module transmits a password for tethering to the terminal. The connection module connects the electronic device to a network via a tethering terminal.
US09241355B2

Embodiments are provided for establishing a simple and secure way to allow a user using a mobile device to control a media playback system without having direct access to the secure local network that the playback system is using. The media playback system may include one or more playback devices synchronously rendering media content. A user of the mobile device may obtain a system identifier of the playback system that is then sent to a remote server via a cellular network. The remote server, which is in communication with one or more media playback systems, may use the system identifier to recognize the correct media playback system and provide the mobile device with configuration information of the media playback system. Subsequently, the mobile device may use the given information to join the media playback system and control one or more features of the media playback system via a cellular network.
US09241351B2

Embodiments of the present disclosure describe techniques and configurations for triggering a plurality of wireless devices such as Machine Type Communication (MTC) devices in a wireless communication network. A method may include receiving, by an interworking function (IWF) of a wireless communication network, a trigger from a machine type communication (MTC) server to initiate a communication between the MTC server and a plurality of MTC devices and sending, by the IWF, a triggering indication to the plurality of MTC devices using a radio access network (RAN) over a first reference point to a first module including a cell broadcast center (CBC) or over a second reference point to a second module including a mobility management entity (MME) or a serving general packet radio service (GPRS) support node (SGSN). Other embodiments may be described and/or claimed.
US09241349B2

Disclosed is a data transmission method in a mobile communication system. The data transmission method through a code sequence in a mobile communication system includes grouping input data streams into a plurality of blocks consisting of at least one bit so as to map each block to a corresponding signature sequence, multiplying a signature sequence stream, to which the plurality of blocks are mapped, by a specific code sequence, and transmitting the signature sequence stream multiplied by the specific code sequence to a receiver.
US09241338B2

Methods, apparatuses and computer readable media are described that adjust signaling messages that include channel quality metrics communicated between a mobile wireless device and a wireless access network before and/or after interruption of a connection to improve downlink performance after resumption of the connection. One or more adjusted channel quality metrics are determined and communicated to the wireless access network to compensate at least in part for an estimate of communication channel performance degradation by a network element of the wireless access network following the interruption and resumption of the connection between the mobile wireless device and the wireless access network.
US09241337B2

A method and a base station configured to serve a first cell in a cellular network, for supporting radio resource management in the cellular network. When receiving an indication of uplink interference experienced in a neighboring second cell, the base station identifies interfered bandwidth resources on which the interference is experienced, and detects that these resources coincide with resources that have been allocated to User Equipments, UEs, in the first cell. When the interfered bandwidth resources coincide with resources that have been allocated to cell edge UEs in the first cell, the base station allocates bandwidth resources separate from the interfered resources to the cell edge UEs. Further, when the interfered bandwidth resources coincide with resources allocated to cell center UEs in the cell, the base station applies power control for transmissions made by the cell center UEs on the interfered resources.
US09241331B2

Aspects of a method and system for optimal beamforming in a wireless network are presented. Aspects of the system may include one or more processors for use in a requesting communication device wherein the one or more processors may be operable to request a transmission time slot allocation. A determination may be made by a coordinating communication device as whether to assign a sector transmission time slot and/or beamforming transmission time slot to the requesting communication device based on the transmission time slot allocation request. The one or more processors may be operable to receive the assigned sector transmission time slot and/or beamforming transmission time slot.
US09241328B2

The present invention relates to a wireless communication system. More particularly, the present invention relates to a method and an apparatus in which a terminal receives downlink data in a wireless communication system. The method comprises: a step of receiving a control channel signal including resource allocation information through a specific time domain of a subframe having a plurality of time domains; and a step of receiving the downlink data through the downlink data channel resource domain scheduled by the resource allocation information within said specific time domain. In cases where the downlink data channel resource domain is overlapped with a common search space, the downlink data is received through the residual resource domain except the portion overlapped with the common search space from among the downlink data channel resource domain.
US09241323B2

The present invention relates to a method, apparatus for selecting transport formats in a wireless transmitting device and wireless communication device associated therewith, wherein the wireless transmitting device supports transmission modes including single-stream transmission mode and multiple-stream transmission mode and comprises a transmit buffer to buffer data before transport format being selected for transmitting said data to a wireless receiving device, comprising: acquiring radio qualities associated with each stream being transmitted to the wireless receiving device; setting the transmission mode according to received radio qualities; detecting whether there is buffer limitation for said transmit buffer when multiple-stream transmission mode is set; and when buffer limitation is detected and multiple-stream transmission mode is selected for stream transmission, allocating the buffered data among the multiple streams based on the received radio qualities associated with respective streams and selecting transport formats for respective streams of the multiple streams based on their respective allocated buffered data quantities. This enables to obviate the TX power imbalance in case of multiple-stream transmissions, balance code and power usage among UEs in a cell, and thus improve code multiplexing efficiency.
US09241320B2

The invention relates to transmission and reception of clock synchronization data in a wireless communication system. According to the invention a device for transmitting clock synchronization data obtains at least one time reference of a wireless communication system clock, controls transmission of a frequency reference of the wireless communication system clock via an air interface of the wireless communication system, and provides transmission of the time reference via a transport network associated with the wireless communication system, while the base station receives the frequency reference, locks an own oscillator to the frequency of the frequency reference, receives the time reference from the transport network and adjusts timing that is controlled by the oscillator based on the time reference.
US09241315B2

A method, system, and device provide power-efficient communications within the context of available power. Transmission and receipt data rates are scalable in accordance with output power available from a power source. Data is transmitted at a data rate determined, at least in part, by the available output power.
US09241314B2

Systems and methods for improving battery life and transmission efficiency of mobile devices are disclosed. Some embodiments provide for application and/or context aware fast dormancy on a mobile device or user equipment (UE) and/or via a proxy server. By incorporating application and context information, e.g., when an application opens a connection, what kind of applications are present, how the application normally behaves and whether the application is running in background or transmitting background data, embodiments provide for an improved and enhanced fast dormancy operation.
US09241313B2

The present disclosure discloses a power-adjustable mobile phone and a power adjustment method thereof. The method comprises following steps of: a. determining whether a maximum power transmission instruction from a base station is received before establishing a phone call; b. determining whether an interrupt signal emitted from a range sensor is received after it is determined that the maximum power transmission instruction from the base station is received; c. setting a maximum output power of a radio frequency power amplifier (RFPA) to be a first output power when it is determined that the interrupt signal is not received, and setting the maximum output power of the RFPA to be a second output power when it is determined that the interrupt signal is received; and d. controlling the RFPA to output radio frequency (RF) signals with the maximum output power.
US09241312B2

A wireless communication terminal comprises a detection section, an acquisition section and a control section. The detection section detects activation of a voice telephone service application. The acquisition section acquires wireless station information transmitted from a wireless station that is a communication partner. The control section is set so as to ensure that a wireless receiver that receives wireless station information from the wireless station is always put in the ON condition when activation of the voice telephone service application is detected by the detection section. The control section sets the reception processing interval for which wireless station information is received and processed by the wireless receiver to a first interval in accordance with the wireless station information acquired by the acquisition section. The first interval is a time interval in which reception of voice telephone service incoming calls during standby is enabled.
US09241311B2

Methods and apparatus for adaptively adjusting receiver operation during non-continuous (e.g., discontinuous) reception. In one exemplary embodiment, a user device such as a User Equipment (UE) adaptively adjusts its reception mode based on a determined actual error. The reception mode is selected so as to improve reception performance, while still minimizing overall power consumption.
US09241308B2

The present application relates to a DRX method in a CoMP scenario. In one embodiment, the DRX method comprises steps of detecting a new transmission on a Physical Downlink Control Channel (PDCCH) of one of at least two Base Stations (BSs) each of which is serving the UE; and triggering a DRX thread for continuously monitoring the PDCCH of the one BS on which the new transmission is detected. There is also provided a user equipment using the DRX method.
US09241301B2

A wireless communication system includes a first base station device, a second base station device, and a mobile station device configured to communicate with the first and second base station devices. The first base station device includes a request notifying unit configured to notify the mobile station device of a request for carrier aggregation. The mobile station device includes: a cell search unit configured to, upon receiving the request, perform cell search and thereby search the second base station device available for carrier aggregation; and a base station notifying unit configured to notify the first base station device of information indicating the second base station device detected by the cell search unit performing the cell search.
US09241295B2

A communication apparatus includes a first CPU that is capable of executing a communication process at a first processing speed; a measuring unit that measures a first transmission speed when the communication process is executed with a base station; a collecting unit that collects from at least one other apparatus, a second transmission speed between the base station and the apparatus, and a second processing speed of a second CPU included in the other apparatus based on the first transmission speed; a determining unit that determines whether the communication process is to be transferred to the other apparatus, based on the second transmission speed and the second processing speed; and a transferring unit that transfers the communication process to the other apparatus based on a determination result.
US09241276B2

The present invention provides a method of forming clusters of cells in a wireless communication system. The method includes accessing information generated by measuring channel conditions for at least one mobile unit and a plurality of cells in the wireless communication system. The method also includes adding more than one of the plurality of cells to at least one cell cluster based on the accessed information and coordinating communication between the cells in each cell cluster and the mobile unit(s).
US09241275B2

Techniques are presented for distributed processing Distributed-Input Distributed-Output (DIDO) wireless communication. A plurality of base stations (e.g., APs) are provided, each configured to wirelessly serve one or more wireless devices (e.g., clients). At least first and second base stations are configured to transmit simultaneously at an agreed upon time. The first and second base stations are each configured to locally generate steering matrix information used to spatially precode their respective data transmissions in order to steer their respective data transmissions to their one or more wireless devices while nulling to the one or more client devices of the other base station. Moreover, the first and second base stations are each configured to locally generate a transmit waveform by applying the steering matrix information to their respective data transmissions.
US09241270B1

Methods and systems for causing a device to join a local area network or fabric. A joining device sends an indication that the electronic device is not connected to a network type and receives a device ID for an assisting device to assist the electronic device in joining a network of the network type. Moreover, the assisting device resides on the network. The joining device then authenticates to the assisting device from the assisting device and receives network credentials for the network. Furthermore, the joining device joins the network using the network credentials.
US09241267B2

According to one embodiment, a radio communication apparatus includes a radio communicator, a storage, and a controller. The radio communicator is configured to perform close proximity wireless communication or near field wireless communication with other radio communication apparatus. The storage is configured to store data, setting parameters associated with the data, and an application. The controller is configured to execute the application and control a transmission and reception of the data performed by the radio communicator on the basis of the application. The application can be set to a read-only mode by an operation of a user. The setting parameters include transfer permission information. The controller checks whether or not a user is an authorized user of the radio communication apparatus, when the user is the authorized user, the controller executes the application and thereby activates the radio communicator.
US09241261B2

An MME negotiates security in case of idle state mobility for a UE from a first network to a LTE network. The UE sends its security capabilities including non-access stratum (NAS) security capabilities supported by the UE to the LTE network. The MME selects a NAS security algorithm, in accordance with the NAS security capabilities of the UE, and sends the selected NAS security algorithm to the UE, sharing the NAS security algorithm between the UE and the LTE network when the UE moves from the first network to the LTE network. The MME also derives, in accordance with the selected NAS security algorithm, a NAS protection key from an authentication vector-related key so as to security communication between the UE and the LTE network.
US09241254B2

A method and system for determining reachability of a terminal group are disclosed. The method includes that: when a service network element needs to acquire reachability of a terminal group, the service network element sends a terminal group reachability notification request message to a Home Subscriber Server (HSS), wherein the terminal group reachability notification request message includes information of the terminal group; and when the HSS determines that the terminal group is reachable, the HSS notifies the service network element that the terminal group is reachable. In the disclosure, the reachability of a Machine Type Communication (MTC) terminal group may be directly determined, so that it is unnecessary to determine the reachability of all terminals in the terminal group one by one, thereby saving network processing resources and alleviating network congestion.
US09241251B2

In embodiments, a method of detecting a transmitting device within an obstruction rich environment is disclosed. The method may involve detecting the transmitting device with a wireless transmission detection facility; communicating signal information relating to the detected transmitting device from the wireless transmission detection facility to a central unit; determining the location of the transmitting device; displaying information of the detection and location of the transmitting device through a user interface; and providing an action facility for causing actions related to the detected transmitting device.
US09241249B2

Computer-implemented methods, systems and apparatus are disclosed for providing notification at an automotive head unit (AHU) of a vehicle that a pre-paired consumer electronics device (CED), such as a wireless communication device, is outside a vehicle. When it is determined that the pre-paired CED is not connected to a wireless communication interface of the AHU, a notification can be provided to the AHU indicating that the pre-paired CED is not connected. Positional data from a location message, provided from the pre-paired CED, can then be processed to generate location data and provide the location data to the AHU.
US09241247B2

A mobile communication system includes a mobile station, a base station that communicates wirelessly with the mobile station, a gateway apparatus that connects the base station to a core network, and a core network apparatus that is arranged in the core network. The base station includes a control unit that includes, in a message, information indicating that the mobile station has originated a call as an emergency call, and a transmission unit that transmits the message to the core network apparatus. In addition, the core network apparatus includes a reception unit that receives the message that was transmitted from the base station.
US09241245B2

Management of unwanted phone calls and/or text messages can be performed by allowing a user to create a personalized list of unwanted calls and/or text messages at the user's device and synchronizing that personalized list between a storage system in the user's device and a remote storage in a network to which the device can be coupled. In one embodiment, the remote storage can be a cloud based backup system for the user's contacts and content and the user can access a full list of the unwanted phone numbers through a web server but the full list is not accessible on the device except through a web browser that retrieves the full list from the web server.
US09241241B2

A method in a first radio network node for handling position measurements is provided. The first radio network node receives from a second radio network node a position measurement associated with a user equipment, and a system frame number. The system frame number is associated with the second radio network node. The system frame number is further related to a point in time when the position measurement was performed. The first radio network node calculates a position estimate of the position of the user equipment based on the position measurement. The first radio network node defines a time stamp which is based on the received system frame number. The first radio network node then signals to a third radio network node a positioning response. The positioning response comprises the position estimate and the time stamp.
US09241228B2

Methods and apparatus for self-calibration of small-microphone arrays are described. In one embodiment, self-calibration is based upon a mathematical approximation for which a detected response by one microphone should approximately equal a combined response from plural microphones in the array. In a second embodiment, self-calibration is based upon matching gains in each of a plurality of Bark frequency bands, and applying the matched gains to frequency domain microphone signals such that the magnitude response of all the microphones in the array approximates an average magnitude response for the array. The methods and apparatus may be implemented in hearing aids or small audio devices and used to mitigate adverse aging and mechanical effects on acoustic performance of small-microphone arrays in these systems.
US09241217B2

A mobile device includes an orientation sensor configured to detect an orientation of the mobile device and at least two speakers, each configured to output sound according to an audio signal. The mobile device further includes a processing device configured to group at least two of the speakers into a speaker pair based on the orientation detected by the orientation sensor.
US09241216B2

The invention is related to a data structure for Higher Order Ambisonics HOA audio data, which data structure includes 2D or 3D spatial audio content data for one or more different HOA audio data stream descriptions. The HOA audio data can have on order of greater than ‘3’, and the data structure in addition can include single audio signal source data and/or microphone array audio data from fixed or time-varying spatial positions.
US09241214B2

A direct sound extraction device includes: a spectrum transform unit that transforms an input signal, which includes a reverberant sound in a direct sound and on which a Fourier transform process has been performed, to a first amplitude spectrum signal Lfa; a low-pass filter unit (4) that performs a low-pass filtering process on the first amplitude spectrum signal Lfa for each frequency to generate a second amplitude spectrum signal Lfa1; a first subtraction unit (18) that calculates a third amplitude spectrum signal by subtracting the second amplitude spectrum signal Lfa1 from the first amplitude spectrum signal Lfa; and an inverse Fourier transform unit that generates a direct sound signal Lfd from a frequency spectrum signal calculated based on a phase spectrum signal and the third amplitude spectrum signal.
US09241205B2

A vibration device includes a first frame member, a first vibration body, a second frame member, a second vibration body, and an exciter. The first vibration body is provided in an inner region of the first frame member. The second frame member is attached to the first vibration body with a spacing from the first frame member. The second vibration body is provided in an inner region of the second frame member with a spacing from the first vibration body. The exciter is attached to the second vibration body.
US09241203B2

An apparatus includes a switch unit configured to switch signal paths between a plurality of input ports and a plurality of output ports. The apparatus controls the signal paths according to the connection setting information stored in the apparatus. The connection setting information includes first and second connection information. The first connection setting information specifies a first output port to which a signal input via an input port is to be output, in association with identification information identifying the signal, and the second connection setting information specifies a second output port to which the signal is to be alternatively output. The apparatus controls setting of a signal path of the switch unit, based on the second connection setting information in a case where another signal path has been already allocated to the first output port specified by the first connection setting information.
US09241202B2

Methods, systems, and computer readable media for dynamically and conditionally setting service triggers in a communications network are disclosed. According to one aspect, a system for dynamic and conditional trigger insertion includes a dynamic trigger insertion (DTI) rules database for maintaining conditions or rules for dynamic trigger insertion and a DTI screening module for receiving a first mobility management message that is associated with a mobile subscriber, using the DTI rules database to determine whether a condition or rule for dynamic trigger insertion is satisfied, and, in response to determining that a condition or rule for dynamic trigger insertion is satisfied, generating a second mobility management message that includes a dynamically inserted trigger condition.
US09241199B2

In a subscriber's facility of an announcement broadcasting system utilizing an optical fiber cable TV network, an announcement broadcasting optical receiver receiving an optical transmission signal of audio information and outputting an audio information electric signal for an announcement broadcasting terminal is provided. The announcement broadcasting optical receiver includes: a photo-detection section for converting the optical transmission signal into the audio information electric signal; a photoelectric conversion section, which is connected to the photo-detection section, for converting the optical transmission signal that the photo-detection section receives into electric energy; and an RF signal potential transformation section, to which the electric energy obtained by the photoelectric conversion section is supplied, for potential-transforming the audio information electric signal output from the photo-detection section to one at an input voltage level appropriate to the announcement broadcasting terminal and outputting it.
US09241193B2

The present invention relates to a communication apparatus, a communication method, and a communication system able to share content on the basis of metadata. A storage unit 105 retains content. A registration processor 106 generates metadata related to the content and registers the generated metadata in a database. An uploader 104 requests another communication apparatus via a network for content retained by the other communication apparatus on the basis of metadata generated by the other communication apparatus. A downloader 103 supplies content retained by the storage unit 105 via the network to the other communication apparatus requesting on the basis of metadata generated by the registration processor 106. The present invention can be applied to a recording and playback apparatus able to record or play back content, for example.
US09241192B2

A policy decision point override for content rating. Parental controls may be modified at a decision point. A content rating decision point includes memory configured for maintaining content metadata, wherein the memory includes a first field for storing a content provider assigned rating and a second field for storing a locally generated content rating for each of a plurality of content. A processor is coupled to the memory to receive input from a subscriber defining a locally generated content rating for rating presentation and rating-based control of content.
US09241189B2

A web television includes a display, a tuner, an internet module, and a PIP module. The tuner is arranged to select television video for display on the display and to select television audio for display by a speaker of the web television. The internet module is arranged to supply internet video for display on the display and to supply internet audio for display by the speaker of the web television, and the internet video and audio are derived from internet communications between the web television and internet content providers. The PIP module is arranged to provide a PIP area within a main area of the display. The internet video and the television video may be swapped between the PIP area and the main area of the display, and the speaker of the web television may be swapped between the internet audio and the television audio.
US09241181B2

A method for redirecting video content includes receiving a video signal at the set-top box and decoding the video signal to produce unrendered video data. The unrendered video data is encoded and provided to the remote device via a wide area network. By encoding unrendered, rather than rendered, video data for transmission to the remote device, the need for an encoding device external to the set-top box is obviated.
US09241179B2

A system for managing delivery of content from multiple platforms maintains data for various video channels. Some of the video channels are television channels, while others are over-the-top (OTT) video content sources such as video streaming websites. The system includes a package generation module by which a service provider may define a package of both traditional and OTT channels to offer to subscribers in a unified programming interface. When a user uses the interface to select a set of video channels, the system compiles the set of the video channels in a subscriber package of both television and OTT channels. The system assigns a name to the subscriber package, and it stores the defined package and name, along with other information about the package, in a data storage facility for offering to a subscriber of content from the service provider.
US09241177B2

A data communication architecture delivers a wide variety of content, including audio and video content, to consumers. The architecture employs channel bonding to deliver more bandwidth than any single communication channel can carry. The architecture includes intermediate network devices that may receive content and send content using different groups of communication channels. The network device may process content received across a first set of communication channels for transmission across a second set of communication channels different from the first set. Such processing may preserve a program order of the content during delivery to a destination device.
US09241176B2

A video server inserts unique content identifiers into private packets of a digital program stream file as a result of loading the file onto a video server.
US09241169B2

A system for raster to block conversion in a compressed domain may include a raster to block encoder, a raster to block decoder, and a memory partitioned into a number of memory stripes having widths of a number of bits. The raster to block encoder may be configured to receive image information associated with pixels of an image in raster order, compress the image information associated with the pixels of the image to generate compressed bits that correspond to at least one of memory stripes, and write the compressed bits to the at least one of the memory stripes. The raster to block decoder may be configured to read, from at least one of the memory stripes of the memory, a number of the compressed bits that correspond to at least one block, and decode the number of the compressed bits to generate the at least one block.
US09241168B2

There are provided a method and apparatus for illumination and color compensation for multi-view video coding. A video encoder includes an encoder for encoding a picture by enabling color compensation of at least one color component in a prediction of the picture based upon a correlation factor relating to color data between the picture and another picture. The picture and the other picture have different view points and both corresponding to multi-view content for a same or similar scene.
US09241164B2

In a high-speed mode, a software processing unit notifies a hardware processing unit of settings information about output pictures before the hardware processing unit starts to encode an input picture, and the hardware processing unit performs continuous encoding for the output pictures, based on the settings information notified of by the software processing unit, without a notification signifying a completion for every picture, and upon completion of encoding for all of a specified number of the output pictures, sends an interrupt notification signifying a completion of encoding to the software processing unit.
US09241161B2

A moving picture coding apparatus for performing inter-picture predictive coding for pictures constituting a moving picture is provided with a coding unit for performing predictive error coding for image data; a decoding unit for performing predictive error decoding for an output from the coding unit; a reference picture memory for holding output data from the decoding unit; and a motion vector detection unit for detecting motion vectors on the basis of the decoded image data stored in the memory. When coding a B picture as a target picture, information indicating whether or not the target picture should be used as a reference picture when coding another picture is added as header information. Therefore, in a decoding apparatus for decoding a bit stream Bs outputted from the moving picture coding apparatus, management of a memory for holding the reference picture can be facilitated on the basis of the header information.
US09241160B2

Processing a reference picture is described. A reference processing unit enables signaling of parameters such as motion model parameters, interpolation filter parameters, intensity compensation parameters, and denoising filter parameters. Methods for estimating the various parameters are also discussed. Processing improves quality of a reference picture prior to its use for prediction of a subsequent picture and thus improves the prediction.
US09241157B2

An imaging apparatus includes an imaging unit that is provided with an image pickup device and a fixed pattern outputting section that outputs a fixed pattern set in advance and includes a control unit and a path. The control unit is electrically connected to the imaging unit and receives an image acquired by the image pickup device and a fixed pattern outputted from the fixed pattern outputting means. The path electrically connects the imaging unit and the control unit, and electrically transmits an image and a fixed pattern from the imaging unit to the control unit. The control unit controls, depending on the image, an application which requires the image as one of inputs to the application. Further, the control unit compares a specific pattern prepared in advance according to the fixed pattern, with the fixed pattern, to determine the occurrence of an anomaly in the electrical connection of the path.
US09241154B2

The present invention provides an LCD panel and a display method compatible with a 2D and a 3D display mode. The 3D display mode comprises a shutter 3D and a polarized 3D display mode. The LCD panel comprises multiple pixels, and each pixel comprises: a substrate, a data line, scan line, a common electrode line, 2D/3D switching control signal line, and a pixel unit. The pixel unit comprises: a first to a fourth switching elements, a first pixel electrode, and a second pixel electrode. The present invention, through disposing a 2D/3D switching control signal line to achieve switching of every operation mode, improve the color shift issue at the large viewing angle, increase aperture ratio, and reduce energy consumption at the same time.
US09241152B2

A biometrics system captures and processes a handprint image using a structured light illumination to create a 2D representation equivalent of a rolled inked handprint. A processing unit calculates 3D coordinates of the hand from the plurality of images and maps the 3D coordinates to a 2D flat surface to create a 2D representation equivalent of a rolled inked handprint.
US09241150B2

A three-dimensional image capture apparatus includes a single lens module, an X-cube beam-splitting prism, two image sensors and a parallax processor. The beam-splitting prism includes a first transflective surface and a second transflective obliquely intersecting the first transflective surface. The first transflective surface is configured for reflecting light from a first viewing angle of an object through the lens module toward a first direction. The second transflective surface is configured for reflecting light from a second viewing angle of an object through the lens module toward an opposite second direction. The image sensors are configured for respectively detecting the light reflected by the first and second transflective surfaces, and generating parallax image signals. The parallax processor is configured for processing the parallax image signals from the image sensors to generate a 3D image.
US09241148B2

A disparity calculating method includes generating an energy matrix according to a first image-block and a second image-block, wherein the energy matrix includes a plurality of energies of a plurality of pixels corresponding to a plurality of disparity candidates; setting the energy corresponding to a starting pixel of the plurality of pixels and a specified disparity candidate of the plurality of disparity candidates as a first predetermined value and setting the energies corresponding to the starting pixel and other disparity candidates of the plurality of disparity candidates as a second predetermined value, wherein the second predetermined value is greater than the first predetermined value; generating a path matrix according to the energy matrix; and determining a plurality of disparities of the plurality of pixels sequentially from an ending pixels of the plurality of pixels, wherein the disparity of the ending pixel is set as a third predetermined value.
US09241139B2

Observation is performed at a more appropriate sensitivity without reducing an image quality. Provided is a fluorescence observation device (1) including: an excitation light source (3) that emits excitation light to be radiated onto a subject (A); a fluorescence-image acquiring section (21) provided with an imaging element (18) that acquires a fluorescence image (G2) by imaging fluorescence produced in the subject (A) when the excitation light emitted from the excitation light source (3) is radiated onto the subject (A); and a sensitivity adjusting section (22) that adjusts, based on luminance information of the fluorescence image (G2) acquired by the imaging element (18) of the fluorescence-image acquiring section (21), a number of pixels for binning summing (B) and/or an exposure time (t) in the imaging element (18) such that a SN ratio of the fluorescence image (G2) is equal to or larger than a predetermined threshold.
US09241138B2

An image monitoring technology for accurately collecting information about a monitoring target is provided. An image monitoring apparatus according to the present invention tracks the monitoring target on the basis of images sent from an overhead camera and images sent from gazing cameras, and switches gazing targets for the gazing cameras on the basis of the position and event information of the monitoring target, and tracking information about the monitoring target.
US09241135B2

Methods and systems for image alteration. A video signal having a plurality of images may be accessed. An alteration request may be received from a user. A portion of the plurality of images of the video signal may be altered to blur the video signal. The blurred video signal may be provided for presentation.
US09241133B2

A federated media server system. The federated media server system may include a plurality of media servers. A first media server may be coupled to a second media server over a network. The first media server may also be coupled to a third media server over the network. Additionally, the second and third media servers may be coupled to a plurality of respective clients. The first media server may be configured to record video, e.g., videoconferences, and stream recordings to clients and/or the second and third media servers. The second and third media servers may assist in performing video recording, transcoding, storage of recordings, multicasting, etc.
US09241129B2

A method for setting up a video communication session via an Internet Protocol (IP) network between a first correspondent and a second correspondent, the method having the steps of: the first correspondent placing a call through a public switched telephone network (PSTN) to the second correspondent to establish a PSTN communication session; the first correspondent sending a compatibility request via in-band signals to determine compatibility with the first correspondent for video communication; prompting the second correspondent to accept or decline an invitation for the video communication session; exchanging setup information via the PSTN for setting up the video communication session when the second correspondent accepts the invitation, the setup information comprising attributes of each of the correspondents; and setting up the video communication session via the IP network and terminating the PSTN communication session.
US09241128B2

Video conversion technology, in which a first stream of video content is accessed and multiple, different layers are extracted from the first stream of the video content. Each of the multiple, different layers are separately processed to convert the multiple, different layers into modified layers that each have a higher resolution. The modified layers are reassembled into a second stream of the video content that has a higher resolution than the first stream of the video content.
US09241126B2

There is provided a memory card reader device including: a memory card reader unit reading data stored on a memory card; a broadcast signal receiving unit receiving a television broadcast signal under control; a main control unit controlling operations of the memory card reader unit and the broadcast signal receiving unit and converting data from the memory card reader unit or a signal from the broadcast signal receiving unit into a signal suitable for a predetermined interface; and a wired connection unit transferring the signal from the main control unit to an external connection device.
US09241124B2

Various embodiments herein include systems, methods, and software for interactive video projection system content generation. Such content is content consumed by a system that projects a scene view on a surface, such as a wall, screen, or floor, and is interactive with user motion. User motion is captured as input via a camera or other imaging device and processed on a computing device to determine where in a projected scene a user is moving. The scene is then modified based on the detected motion. A user generates content for consumption in such embodiments by providing image and variable input to populate a graphical rendering template when rendered for presentation to a user.
US09241123B2

An electronic device includes: a plurality of oscillators (10) that output modulation waves of a parametric speaker; a display unit (40) that displays a plurality of contents at the same time; a recognition unit that recognizes the locations of a plurality of users; and a control unit that controls the oscillators (10) so as to reproduce sounds corresponding to the contents. The control unit controls the oscillators (10) so as to reproduce the sound corresponding to the content selected by each user, toward the location of each of the plurality of users which is recognized by the recognition unit.
US09241120B2

An image sensing device comprises pixels having micro lenses; a plurality of photoelectric conversion regions arranged in the pixels; and a first adding unit which adds together signals from the plurality of photoelectric conversion regions arranged in the same pixel; wherein the pixels are arranged in a row direction and a column direction, mixed among the pixels are an additional reading region in which addition is performed by the first adding unit and an individual reading region in which addition is not performed by the first adding unit, and a signal is read from at least one photoelectric conversion region, and the number of pixels in a horizontal direction in the individual reading region is constant in the row direction.
US09241118B2

An image sensor architecture is implemented within an image sensor system. Image sensor pixels include pixel regions, and each pixel region includes a photosensor, a reset circuit, and a readout circuit. The readout circuit receives enable signals from an enable signal line, and outputs a pixel signal representative of light captured by the photosensor on a combination input/output line. The reset circuit resets the photosensor in response to receiving a first reset signal on a reset line and a second reset signal on the combination input/output line.
US09241117B2

An image pickup apparatus includes a plurality of pixels each including a read-out node to which an electric charge generated in a photoelectric conversion unit is transferred, an output unit configured to convert the electric charge transferred to the read-out node into a voltage and output the resultant voltage to a signal line, and a switch including a first node electrically connected to the read-out node. Each switch includes a second node different from the first node, and a particular number of second nodes are electrically connected to a common bypass wiring.
US09241115B2

An apparatus for displaying a scene with light in a range of infrared wavelengths, includes: an array of elements configured to emit light in a range of infrared wavelengths, each element having one or more nanotubes; a stimulator configured to apply a stimulus to each element in the array in order for each element to emit light in the range of infrared wavelengths; and a processor configured to send a signal to the stimulator in order to apply the stimulus to one or more selected elements in the array to display the scene.
US09241113B2

Disclosed herein is an image display apparatus including a storage unit storing a plurality of images, an input unit receiving a selection command for selecting one or more images from among the plurality of images, and a display unit displaying at least one image of the selected images in a first zone and at least one second image of the selected images in a second zone.
US09241108B2

An image capturing device includes an image data generation unit, a display control unit and a control unit. The control unit ends charge storing after a first amount of time passes since charge storing of an image capturing target line is started, and starts displaying image data of a display target line corresponding to the image capturing target line after a second amount of time passes since charge storing of an image capturing target line is ended. The second amount of time is time required for starting displaying image data in a display target line after charge storing of an image capturing target line is ended. The control unit starts charge storing of an image capturing target line such that the first amount of time is equal to or less than a vertical synchronization period of the image capturing sensor minus the second amount of time.
US09241105B2

The present invention relates to a camera module and a method for driving the camera module, the module including: a photographing unit controlling a shutter speed to photograph an image in response to an inputted control signal; a display unit displaying the image; and a controller outputting a first shutter speed control signal to the photographing unit to allow an average brightness of two or more particular areas to become a set reference brightness, in a case the two or more particular areas in a plurality of divided areas in the display unit are selected.
US09241103B2

An apparatus and method are provided for viewing panoramic images and videos through the selection of a particular viewing angle and window within that panorama while allowing the viewer to simultaneously implement temporal transport control, and allowing the video to be in a state of pause, play, fast forward, fast rewind, slow forward, slow rewind, or frame-by-frame. A plurality of panoramic video or images from multiple cameras can be synchronized so that as a viewer pauses, rewinds, forwards a video in one panorama, and all panoramas are time synchronized and go through the same states as the panorama being viewed. When the user selects a different panorama for viewing from a different camera, this panorama comes up in the same state as the panorama previously being viewed.
US09241102B2

A system captures or otherwise receives a video and uses the video to create an electronic file corresponding to a multi-faceted printed artifact, such as a multi-page document. When the system receives the video, it selects a set of some or all of the video's image frames, determines a frame quality for each frame in the set, and identifies a subset of the frames such that the frame quality of each frame in the subset satisfies one or more image quality criteria. The subset will include at least one frame for each facet of the multi-faceted printed artifact, such as a page of the document. The processor then automatically combines the subset of frames into a single electronic file.
US09241101B2

A portable electronic device providing a user-specified input string, comprising: user controls enabling a user to select between at least an up input, a down input, a left input, a right input, and a confirmation input; and a program memory storing instructions configured to implement a method for providing a user-specified input string. The method includes: displaying a string input interface including a string entry section, and at least two independently scrollable character selection sections; accepting user input to sequentially select characters, wherein the up input and the down input are used to select a scrollable character selection section, the left input and the right input are used to scroll through the characters in the selected scrollable character selection section to select a particular character, and the confirmation input is used to add the selected particular character to the input string displayed in the string input section.
US09241098B2

A camera body at which an interchangeable lens, holding a plurality of sets of optical characteristics data, each expressing specific optical characteristics in one of a plurality of representation formats, can be detachably mounted, includes: an identification information reception unit that receives lens-side identification information from the interchangeable lens, which indicates the plurality of representation formats; an identification information storage unit in which body-side identification information indicating each representation format that the camera body is capable of recognizing among the plurality of representation formats, is stored; a selection unit that selects a single representation format included in both the lens-side and the body-side identification information, among the plurality of representation formats; a request unit that issues a request to the interchangeable lens for the optical characteristics data corresponding to the selected representation format; and an optical characteristics reception unit that receives the requested optical characteristics data from the interchangeable lens.
US09241096B2

A camera system includes a camera and a housing that is structured to at least partially enclose the camera. The camera includes a touch-sensitive surface that can be used to receive user input. The camera housing includes a touch-through membrane in a position that allows the membrane to align with the touch-sensitive surface when the camera is placed in the housing. The membrane transfers a user's gestures so that any touch gestures that are performed on the exterior surface of the membrane are transferred to the touch-sensitive surface.
US09241095B2

Certain aspects of a method and system for adaptive temporal interpolation filtering for motion compensation may include computing a plurality of weights for adaptively adjusting one or more parameters of a plurality of linear filters utilized for motion compensation. One or more motion compensated output pictures may be generated based on vector median filtering a plurality of linear filtered output pictures generated by the plurality of linear filters. In instances where two frames are utilized for motion estimation of a video sequence, a motion compensated picture of a previous frame and a motion compensated picture of a current frame may be combined to adaptively compute the subsequent weights. In instances where three or more frames are utilized for motion estimation of a video sequence, the generated one or more motion compensated output pictures may be combined with an extracted desired picture from the video sequence to adaptively compute the subsequent weights.
US09241087B2

A method for controlling a mobile terminal, and which includes entering, via a camera of the mobile terminal, a capture mode; receiving, via a controller of the mobile terminal, a start input for starting a grouping image process; capturing, via the camera, at least one image; receiving, via the controller, an end input for ending the grouping image process; and storing, in a memory associated with the mobile terminal, the at least one image captured between the start input and the end input in a group.
US09241080B2

Provided is a system and method for managing images album-by-album. A communication terminal includes a storage device, a management unit configured to manage images stored on the storage device, album-by-album, and a loading unit configured to load images contained in an album into a server corresponding to a host system on a per album basis in response to a user's setting of sharing attribute of the album as shared with another person. An access permission to the album is granted to the another person so that the another person shares the album with the user.
US09241074B1

A system and method may provide identifying an initialization signal, receiving one or more pattern elements after identifying the initialization signal, and analyzing the one or more pattern elements based on an identified dialing plan to determine whether the one or more pattern elements correspond to a complete address. The system and method also may provide identifying that the one or more pattern elements or a subsequence of the one or more pattern elements are associated with a command.
US09241071B2

An operation method and apparatus of a terminal for call move are provided. The method includes, if receiving a call move request signal including registration information of a first device that is in voice communication with a second device from the first device, transmitting, by the terminal, a call state request signal for the first device using the registration information to a server, if determining that a call state for the first device is not a call through the server by using a call state response signal received from the server, establishing, by the terminal, a wireless connection with the first device, and, performing, by the terminal, voice communication with the second device through the established wireless connection.
US09241070B1

A call to a wireless number can be originated by a contact center while enforcing various compliance requirements. A dialer and PBX cooperate to originate the call to the wireless number. The dialer selects the next eligible number in the calling list that should be dialed by an agent. Account information provided by the dialer is displayed on the agent's computer, and a call is placed to the agent's phone by the dialer, wherein the call uses the selected number as the ANI. The call is shortly terminated by the dialer, so that it is not answered by the agent. The agent can then redial that number or invoke a callback function to originate the call to the selected number. A PBX handing the call may inform the dialer of the call origination. The dialer may thus monitor the status of the call without actually originating the call.
US09241069B2

The system of the present disclosure can determine that one or more of a selected person and communication device of the selected person has been or may be impacted by an emergency event and, in response, change one or more of the following: a greeting message provided to a contactor, a status of the selected person, and a communication event treatment of an inbound communication event from the contactor to the selected person and/or communication device to notify the contactor of an impact or potential impact of the emergency event on the selected person and/or communication device and/or service the inbound communication event notwithstanding the impact of the emergency event on the selected person and/or communication device.
US09241065B2

The invention generally relates to systems, devices, and methods for testing communication lines. In certain aspects, the invention provides systems and devices that include a digital/analog converter configured to operate with a computer processor and memory to send or receive an analog signal over a communication line that includes a plurality of signals having known frequencies. Inbound receiving sub-systems or devices sample the analog signal and measure a quality of the sampled, digital signal to evaluate the communication line. The key differentiator is the recognition that the human mouth and ear are intrinsically analog without encryption. By locating the test device as close to the user as possible, this system incorporates testing of complex communication streams including numerous variables and transforms (e.g. encryption, Analog to digital, Voice over IP, packet switching, ATM, SONET). Ultimately, it provides a simple interface to convert qualitative analysis to quantitative (numerical) analysis.
US09241062B2

The present disclosure relates to methods and systems for using external display devices with a mobile computing device. The mobile computing device may be repurposed to display a virtual input device for interacting with a resource with output data being displayed on an external display device.
US09241055B1

A two-way passive acoustic concentrator for a mobile phone is generally horn-shaped with a narrow throat portion divided into a speaker horn chamber and a microphone horn chamber. The mobile phone is retained in a way to acoustically couple its speaker and microphone to the respective chamber of the acoustic concentrator. As a result, speaker sound amplification as well as sound concentration for the microphone can be achieved to provide a hands-free two-way speaker operation of the mobile phone.
US09241051B1

A case that replaceably encloses a cell phone having at least one audio input and at least one video input and selectively prevents access to the at least one audio input of the cell phone and to the at least one video input of the cell phone by a hacker. The case includes a back portion, a front portion, and barriers. The front portion is pivotally attached to the back portion. The front portion and the back portion replaceably enclose the cell phone. The barriers are movably attached to the back portion and to the front portion and selectively prevent access to the at least one audio input of the cell phone and to the at least one video input of the cell phone by the hacker. The front portion is either pivotally attached to the back portion or is affixed to the back portion.
US09241050B1

A mobile communication device is provided that uses an accelerometer to sense when the mobile communication device is dropped and impacts a hard surface, such as a floor or table, with a force hard enough to bend or deform an external metal antenna. Once such an impact is detected by the mobile communication device, the mobile communication device is further configured to determine whether an antenna has become detuned from its respective transceiver and then retune the antenna prior to the user picking up the dropped mobile communication device.
US09241047B2

A client-based computer system adapted to communicate with a remote server through a network and to provide access to content or services provided by the server. The system includes a storage device and a cache. The cache is adapted to communicate with the server over the network, to intercept a request from the client to the server, and to store responses from the server on the storage device. The cache is further adapted to automatically determine when to send the request to the server over the network. The cache is still further adapted to provide a response, including from the responses stored on the storage device based upon the request, to appear as through the server provided the response. The system may also include a crawler. The crawler is adapted to operate in conjunction with the cache to cause requests to be sent to the server over the network.
US09241039B2

Various systems, methods, and programs embodied on computer readable mediums are provided relating to classroom attendance tracking. In one embodiment, a method is provided that comprises the steps of harvesting personal identification data from each one of a plurality of students attending a class in conjunction with a conduct of the class using a portable identification capture device, and coupling the portable identification capture device to a client coupled to a server via a network. The method further comprises automatically uploading the personal identification data from the portable identification capture device to the server.
US09241038B2

A presence aggregation system provides a presence aggregation server that allows for the publication of presence state of a publisher from the publisher's multiple endpoints. A presence state includes an availability value and an activity. An activity may include an activity token and/or a custom string. When any one of the publisher's endpoints makes a presence state publication on the presence aggregation server, the presence aggregation server generates an aggregated state of the publisher (i.e., the availability of the publisher aggregated across all of the publisher's endpoints) and publishes the generated aggregated state to each of the publisher's endpoints. The presence aggregation server may also provide the publisher's aggregated state to the subscribers of the publisher's aggregated state information.
US09241020B2

A group detail indicator is provided that relates to group communication in a communication system. The group detail indicator provides information on at least an identity of a group and a type of the group. The group detail indicator also is attached to one of a request to initiate a group communication session and an instant messaging request.
US09241009B1

Malicious message detection and processing systems and methods are provided herein. According to various embodiments, a method includes detecting, via an intermediary node, a link included in a message, the link being associated with an unknown resource, hashing a unique identifier for a recipient of the message, coupling the hashed identifier with the link, creating an updated link and updated message, and forwarding the updated message to the recipient.
US09241005B1

A network device including a first and second processors. The first processor: receives first and second packets; and selects some of the second packets according to contents of the second packets and sampling criteria. The second processor operates in first and second modes. While operating in the first mode, the second processor learns a traffic pattern of the first packets through the network device. While operating in the second mode, the second processor compares a traffic pattern of the some of the second packets to the traffic pattern of the first packets to determine whether the second packets are associated with an attack on the network device. In response to determining the second packets are not associated with an attack on the network device, the second processor updates the patterns of the first packets based on a characteristic of the some of the second packets.
US09241004B1

A web document protection module protects web documents against web-injection and other malicious attacks. The web document protection module may be implemented in a user computer, a proxy server computer system, a web server computer system, or other computers. The web document protection module receives a web document, such as a webpage, and alters the web document to change its structure. For example, the web document protection module may obfuscate the web document to make it difficult for malware to find locations in the web document to insert additional program code. The web document protection module provides the obfuscated web document to a web browser for rendering.
US09241003B2

A method of authenticating an entity includes associating a local identity of the entity with a global identity of the entity, the local identity being associated with a first one of a plurality of restricted access zones, associating the global identity of the entity with particular ones of the plurality of restricted access zones for granting access to the particular ones of the plurality of restricted access zones, receiving an authentication request from the entity to access a second one of the plurality of access zones where the authentication request includes the local identity of the entity, and authenticating the entity for access to the second one of the plurality of access zones responsive to receiving the authentication request when the second one of the plurality of restricted access zones is one of the particular ones of the plurality of restricted access zones that are associated with the global identity of the entity.
US09240984B2

A first network signal is received indicating a device identifier in response to a transaction involving an electronic device uniquely associated with the device identifier. An entity identifier specific to an entity associated with the transaction is determined. In response to an initialization event of the electronic device, a second network signal from the electronic device is received that identifies the electronic device. In response to the second network signal, a configuration is communicated to the electronic device that is specific to the entity associated with the transaction.
US09240958B2

A RF router for routing n input signals to m destinations, where the router comprises a backplane coupled to a plurality of RF input terminals, a plurality of RF output terminals, a plurality of splitters and a plurality of connectors. The backplane is also coupled to a controller and a plurality of connectors for receiving a plurality of switching matrices. The RF router comprises a plurality of u×v input switch matrices, a plurality of p×q intermediate switch matrices and a plurality of r×s output switch matrices, where at least one of the plurality of u×v input switch matrices, the plurality of p×q intermediate switch matrices and the plurality of r×s output switch matrices are redundant.
US09240951B2

Some demonstrative embodiments include apparatuses, systems and/or methods of controlling data flow over a communication network. For example, an apparatus may include a communication unit to control the transfer of a stream of data from a first device to a second device over a communication link, the stream of data including data to be delivered to a plurality of endpoints. For example, the controlling may include communicating between the first and second devices at least one message including at least one endpoint-specific credit consumption unit (CCU) defined with respect to at least one endpoint of the plurality of endpoints.
US09240948B2

Provided is a network duplexing apparatus and method. The network duplexing apparatus includes a plurality of network interface units configured to store information of a flow flowing in the network interface units when the information of the flow is not generated, provide the information of the flow to a master unit when the flow corresponds to an asymmetric flow, and request information of an opposite side flow of the flow from the master unit to receive the requested information, and the master unit configured to store the information of the flow provided from the network interface unit, determine whether the information of the opposite side flow of the flow is stored, and provide the information of the opposite side flow to the network interface unit when the information of the opposite side flow is stored.
US09240943B2

A metropolitan area network (MAN) communications method, a metropolitan area server, a node switch, a node server, and a MAN communication system for solving the incapability of an IP network in ensuring transmission quality. The communications method comprises: a piece of MAN equipment accessing a MAN, the metropolitan area server in the MAN allocating for the network accessing equipment a protocol tag and a MAN address; the MAN equipment comprising the node switch and the node server; the protocol tag being used as a description of the connection between the MAN equipment and the metropolitan area server; for each cross MAN service request, the metropolitan area server allocating a data tag of the corresponding service: the data tag being used as a description of the connection among the service node related to the service. This invention is applicable in multimedia transmission, and is capable of ensuring a stable transmission rate, thereby avoiding delays.
US09240936B2

Apparatus and methods of improving call performance by enabling/continuing uplink transmissions during poor downlink radio conditions. The apparatus and methods further include monitoring, by a user equipment (UE), downlink (DL) signal conditions associated with a serving Node B. Moreover, the apparatus and methods include triggering an out-of-sync state upon a determination that the DL signal conditions have degraded beyond a DL signal quality threshold. Additionally, the apparatus and methods include delaying turning off of a power amplifier (PA) associated with transmission of uplink (UL) messages for a call performance improvement threshold time duration.
US09240933B2

Responsive to middleware for a domain processing a transaction instance at a processing point specified in transaction telemetry standards as a tracking point along a flow of the transaction instance from a requesting domain to a requestee domain, a facility of the middleware determines whether a token with correlation data comprising a unique identifier for the transaction instance available to both the requesting domain and the requestee domain is passed to the domain in compliance with transaction telemetry standards. Responsive to the facility of the middleware not detecting the token with correlation data, the token with generated correlation data accessible to the domain is generated. The facility of the middleware passes the token to at least one subsequent middleware instance of the plurality of middleware instances of the composite application along the flow of the transaction instance to uniquely identify the transaction instance.
US09240930B2

A network device includes internal interfaces and operates to receive a network flow at an ingress interface and route the network flow within the network device. A computer in communication with the network device executes instructions for rendering a graphical user interface including an object representing the network device. The computer also renders interface objects respectively corresponding to each of the internal interfaces of the network device. The computer operates to acquire a network flow record for the network flow through the network device. The network flow record identifies the ingress interface of the network device for the network flow and identifies switching information for the network flow within the network device. The computer also renders a graphical representation of a transmission path of the network flow within the network device from the ingress interface. The transmission path is defined by the switching information identified by the network flow record.
US09240927B2

Methods and apparatus for enhanced overlay state maintenance in a peer-to-peer overlay network. A first method includes inferring that a first node is leaving the overlay network, and transmitting a decrement message to decrement a size counter value. A second method includes identifying a set of nodes associated with a first node of an overlay network, obtaining a segment length associated with each node of the set of nodes, and determining a size of the overlay network by dividing the total number of nodes in the set of nodes by the sum of the segment lengths. A third method includes identifying a set of nodes associated with a first node of an overlay network, obtaining a size estimate associated with the first node and with each node of the set of nodes, and determining a size of the overlay network by averaging the size estimates.
US09240925B1

Customization of a plurality of servers in a computer network. A server customizer module is generated that includes a server customizer initialization file containing a plurality of arguments for populating and running a plurality of standardized applications, scripts and utilities on each server. The server customizer module is installed on each of the plurality of servers for subsequent execution as part of the server build/customization process. A server unattended install launch module, cooperative with the server customizer module is generated that includes an unattended install launch initialization file for launching a plurality of standardized processes on each server. The server unattended install launch module is installed on each of the plurality of servers for subsequent execution as part of the server build/customization process. The server customizer module and server unattended install launch module are executed on each of the plurality of servers to complete customization of each server.
US09240922B2

Systems and methods for enabling dynamic advertisement insertion into media files without transcoding are disclosed. The techniques disclosed involve retrieving files of the media and advertisement(s) and converting the files to an MPEG-2 transport stream (MPEG-2 TS) format. The MPEG-2 TS streams are then joined to insert the advertisement at a desired point in the media file. The resulting MPEG-2 TS stream is then converted back to a media file, which can be provided for downloading, or optionally reindexed. Because it does not require transcoding, this process can be performed on-the-fly to provide dynamic insertion of advertisements into media files. Other media file manipulation, including the insertion of non-advertisement media, is contemplated.
US09240919B2

A polar modulator (200) comprises a modulation generator (10) arranged to generate phase modulation data and amplitude modulation data; and a phase modulation stage (20) arranged to generate a phase modulated, PM, carrier signal and a PM clock signal, wherein the PM carrier signal has a PM carrier signal frequency and the PM clock signal has a PM clock signal frequency, and the PM carrier signal frequency is higher than the PM clock signal frequency, the PM carrier signal and the PM clock signal are phase modulated by the phase modulation data, and the phase modulation stage (20) comprises an adjustable delay stage (50) arranged to adjust a relative delay between the PM carrier signal and the PM clock signal to a target value. The polar modulator (200) further comprises a re-timing circuit (40) arranged to generate an amplitude modulation, AM, clock signal by re-timing the PM clock signal with the PM carrier signal; an amplitude modulation stage (30) arranged to employ the AM clock signal to clock the amplitude modulation data into the amplitude modulation stage (30) and arranged to amplitude modulate the PM carrier signal with the amplitude modulation data; an error detection stage (60) arranged to generate an indication of a magnitude of a first deviation of the AM clock signal from a target condition; and a control stage (70) arranged to select the target value of the relative delay by determining, by controlling the adjustment of the relative delay by the adjustable delay stage (50), a first value of the relative delay that maximizes the magnitude of the first deviation, and applying an offset to the first value of the relative delay.
US09240918B2

A method is provided for modulating a real data stream grouped into blocks of nb·M real data, where M is the number of carriers and nb is an integer greater than or equal to 2. The method includes, for a block of real data: a first modulation by a first modulator of the first M/2 data, delivering a first set of modulated carriers; a second modulation by a second modulator of the following (nb−1)·M data, delivering a second set of (nb−1)·M modulated carriers; a third modulation by a third modulator of the last M/2 data, delivering a third set of modulated carriers; and a superposition of the first, second and third sets, forming a block of OFDM/OQAM symbols of length nb·M/2, the first set being superposed with the start of the second set and the third set being superposed with the end of the second set.
US09240917B2

Different data communication architectures deliver a wide variety of content, including audio and video content, to consumers. The architectures may utilize orbital angular momentum to deliver more bandwidth across multiple channels than any single communication channel can carry. In some implementations, the communication architectures distribute data across multiple orbital angular momentum channels in a bonded channel group.
US09240916B2

Disclosed is a method for transmitting broadcast signals, including: formatting input streams to a plurality of data pipes (DPs), wherein the formatting comprises allocating data packets to a payload of a baseband frame (BBF), and adding a header indicating a format of the payload of the baseband frame, and the header comprises at least one of first control information and second control information.
US09240914B2

A communication system includes: a frequency synthesizer, configured to reference a radio frequency (RF) signal, in a device including: a ring oscillator with track-and-hold circuit electrically connected to a reference clock, a bank of comparators, electrically connected to the ring oscillator with track-and-hold circuit, configured to measure a coarse timing, and an analog-to-digital converter, electrically connected to the ring oscillator with track-and-hold circuit, configured to generate a fine timing; a communication interface, electrically connected to the frequency synthesizer, is configured to receive a device transmission; and a control unit, electrically connected to the communication interface, is configured to display a receiver data from the a radio frequency (RF) signal.
US09240907B2

Disclosed herein are certain embodiments of a coding system and method that guarantee a pair of sync bits in a transcoded block will appear on the same physical lane. Embodiments may then use this property for data synchronization and to guarantee a bit transition in a certain amount of time on a physical lane. Embodiments of a coding system and process for configuring alignment marker blocks are also disclosed.
US09240902B2

An attachment server network including at least two attachment servers in communication with one another, each of the attachment servers for converting email attachments in response to view requests received from portable electronic devices, each of the attachment servers having a respective cache for storing data corresponding to previously converted attachments, the data being available to any of the attachment servers in the attachment server network.
US09240898B1

Methods and apparatus for integrating VLAN-unaware devices into VLAN-enabled networks are described. For example, a method of assigning a virtual local area network identifier (VID) to a data unit may include receiving a data unit encapsulated in a wireless header from a source host via a wireless access point, wherein the data unit is addressed to a target host. A VID is determined based at least in part on an identifier of a wireless network included in the wireless header, and the VID is assigned to the data unit.
US09240892B1

A Method and Apparatus for Reduction of Communications Media Energy Consumption have been disclosed. Media energy consumption can be reduced by mapping a periodic data pattern in data to an alternate data pattern that consumes less energy when the alternate pattern is transmitted on the communications media in place of the original data pattern. The detection of the original selected patterns and the choice of replacement patterns may be made automatically or according to the transmission state (for example, idle or alarm).
US09240891B2

A hybrid authentication device that has a keypad, a display, an electronic communications interface and a processor and memory that can be removable, such as a Subscriber Identity Module. The device can operate in a stand-alone mode, in which a user enters a personal identification number and challenge using the keypad, and the device generates a response. The device can also function as a smartcard, and can be electronically coupled to an external device using the communications interface.
US09240890B2

Methods and systems for deploying management tunnels between managed and managing devices are provided. According to one embodiment, network devices, including a peer managed device, a management device and a trusted peer managed device are deployed within a network. The network devices are pre-configured to form a web of trust by storing within each network device (i) a digital certificate signed by a manufacturer or a distributor and (ii) a unique identifier. The peer managed device establishes a management tunnel with the management device based on an address received from an external source. Prior to allowing the management device to use the management tunnel to perform management functionality, the peer managed device verifies credentials of the managed device by causing its unique identifier to be confirmed with reference to a pre-configured identifier of an authorized management device stored within the peer managed device.
US09240888B2

Disclosed is a system and method that uses digital signature technology to authenticate the contents of one or more manifests located on a storage device. Each manifest contains a list of file records, where each record contains the name of a file stored on the storage device, and a signature value derived from the contents of the file. At boot time, the gaming machine first authenticates the contents of the manifest and then authenticates the contents of the files using the signature value stored in the manifest. Files are verified using the signature, as they are needed, during the boot up of the operating system and throughout normal operation. This method reduces the boot time of the gaming machine and eliminates the need to check digital signatures for each individual file or over the entire contents of a non-secure media.Similarly, a method of adding authentication ability to legacy software components without necessarily altering the legacy software components is disclosed. Introduction of a stronger authentication algorithm, or when a private key has been compromised would normally require the software component to be re-built to support the new algorithm or private/public key pair; however, a method is disclosed where algorithms and key pairs may be changed and applied to legacy software without having to re-built, re-test, re-sign, or re-submit the component to regulatory agencies for approval. Also disclosed is a system and method of establishing a trusted environment containing a gaming operating system and associated authentication module, file system drivers, and/or network drivers that may be used to in the process of authenticating contents of one or more manifests located on a storage device.
US09240885B2

A processing unit transforms first input information into first nonlinear transformed information that is transformed into first linear transformed information, and transforms second input information into second nonlinear transformed information that is transformed into second linear transformed information. An exclusive-or section performs an exclusive-or operation based on the first and second linear transformed information. When the first nonlinear and linear transformed information are expressed as a first and second sequence vector, respectively, and the second nonlinear and linear transformed information are expressed as a third and fourth sequence vector, respectively, then a first row vector chosen from a first inverse matrix of a first matrix that transforms the first sequence vector to the second sequence vector, and a second row vector chosen from a second inverse matrix of a second matrix that transforms the third sequence vector to the fourth sequence vector, are linearly independent.
US09240884B2

The invention provides a method of verifiable generation of public keys. According to the method, a self-signed signature is first generated and then used as input to the generation of a pair of private and public keys. Verification of the signature proves that the keys are generated from a key generation process utilizing the signature. A certification authority can validate and verify a public key generated from a verifiable key generation process.
US09240883B2

Embodiments of methods and systems for encrypting and decrypting with encryption attributes are presented. An encryption attribute contains information to identify one or more segments of a file to be encrypted. An encryption process encrypts those one or more segments to generate a partly encrypted file instead of encrypting the entire file. That is, the file includes some data that are encrypted and some data that are not. In one embodiment, at least three encryption keys are used such that the encryption attribute is encrypted with using a third key.
US09240880B2

The invention relates to a distributed data memory unit comprising a plurality of memory units, each having memory means and an access controller, an authentication unit comprising memory means and a validation unit, an execution controller comprising an execution controller module and an access verification unit, the execution controller communicating with the memory units and the authentication unit. At least one unambiguous electronic cipher is stored in the memory means of the authentication unit, the access verification unit has an access controller module and a memory unit. A first unambiguous cipher, which corresponds to a stored cipher of the authentication unit is stored in the memory unit and an assignment table is stored in the memory means of the memory unit. The invention also relates to a method for operating a distributed data memory unit.
US09240875B2

The application relates to radio communications and discloses a method and apparatus for feeding back and receiving acknowledgment (ACK) information of semi-persistent scheduling (SPS) data packets. The method includes receiving downlink data packets and an uplink data assignment indicator (UL DAI) from a base station, wherein a value of the UL DAI indicates a number (N) of all scheduled downlink sub-frames which scheduled by the base station for the user equipment, the number N is greater than 1, and a number k (k
US09240866B2

Bit permutation to bits of a codeword is performed such that: at least one spatial-multiplexing block is made up of bits from B/2 different cyclic-blocks; each constellation word of the at least one spatial-multiplexing block is made up of bits from Bt/2 different cyclic blocks, Bt being the number of bits of the constellation word; and each of the bit pairs of the constellation word is made up of bits from a common one of the Bt/2 different cyclic blocks.
US09240864B2

Certain aspects of the present disclosure relate to methods and apparatus for blind detection of cell-specific reference signals. Methods and apparatus are provided for detecting a cell-specific reference signal (CRS) in an orthogonal frequency division multiplexed (OFDM) symbol by a user equipment (UE). The method generally includes predicting a current channel response of a current OFDM symbol based on a channel response of at least one previous OFDM symbol, estimating a noise power level of the current OFDM symbol, forming a log likelihood ratio (LLR) of two detection hypotheses based on the predicted current channel response and the estimated noise power level, comparing the LLR to a pre-determined threshold, and determining that at least one CRS is present in the current OFDM symbol based on the comparison.
US09240859B2

Embodiments of the present invention provide a method and a device for correcting a CQI value. Information indicates radio channel characteristics. A block error rate (BLER) target value is determined according to the information that indicates radio channel characteristics. A channel quality indicator (CQI) measurement value is corrected according to a BLER measurement value and the determined BLER target value.
US09240858B2

In order to perform the polarization demultiplexing of the polarization multiplexed BPSK signal using a small-scale circuit by means of optical phase modulation of the polarization multiplexed BPSK signal into the pseudo polarization multiplexed QPSK signal, an optical communication system for communicating by using polarization multiplexed optical signals includes an optical phase modulation means for modulating phases of a plurality of optical signals employing BPSK modulation system including information to be communicated, and for generating a plurality of optical signals to become signals by pseudo QPSK modulation system; and a signal restoration means for performing polarization demultiplexing of a plurality of polarization multiplexed optical signals from a plurality of optical signals modulated into the pseudo QPSK modulation system, and for restoring the information to be communicated.
US09240853B2

Coding gains can be achieved by encoding binary data directly to multi-dimensional codewords, which circumvents QAM symbol mapping employed by conventional CDMA encoding techniques. Further, multiple access can be achieved by assigning different codebooks to different multiplexed layers. Moreover, sparse codewords can be used to reduce baseband processing complexity on the receiver-side of the network, as sparse codewords can be detected within multiplexed codewords in accordance with message passing algorithms (MPAs).
US09240852B2

The present invention relates to a wireless communication system. More particularly, the present invention, when cells each operating in different TDD DL-UL configurations are merged, provides a plan for setting a UL grant transmission/reception timing for a cross-CC scheduling. In addition, the present invention, according to the UL grant timing, provides a base station for transmitting UL grant to a user equipment, and a user equipment for receiving the UL grant from the base station.
US09240849B2

The present invention discloses an apparatus for detecting a faulty antenna among a plurality of antennas contained in a communication device (200), comprising: a measurer (210) adapted to measure signal strengths of signals obtained from the plurality of antennas each; a calculator (220) adapted to calculate differences between each two of the measured signal strengths; a first comparator (230) adapted to compare each of the calculated differences with a first predetermined threshold value; and a first decider (240) adapted to decide, among the plurality of antennas, an antenna to be faulty on the basis of a respective result of the comparison. The present invention provides an efficient and direct way to detect antennas that are not performing according to expectations, without use of extra external or dedicated detection devices, which reduces hardware and software cost. Further, the detection performed according to the present invention only takes advantage of the measured data of signal strengths, and neither extra transmit power nor time slot is needed for the detection. Also, statistical data of antennas for a long term can be obtained according to the present invention.
US09240842B2

A method and apparatus for isolating an RF signal are provided. A first RF signal is received and passed to an input of a 90 degree hybrid. An output of the 90 degree hybrid is connected to a first waveguide and a second output is connected to a second waveguide of an optical modulator. A second RF signal is received and passed to an input of a second 90 degree hybrid. An output of the second 90 degree hybrid is connected to the second waveguide and a second output is connected to the first waveguide of the optical modulator. The optical modulator is biased to produce single side band optical outputs of the RF signals. The single side band optical outputs are passed to an optical notch filter to remove one of the side band outputs. The other of the side band optical outputs is converted to an electrical signal.
US09240836B1

A first optical time domain reflectometer (OTDR) connects at a first location along an optical path between multiple optical transmitters and multiple optical receivers in an optical network. An optical filter, connects along the optical path, and includes multiple selectable optical wavelength blockers. A set of different length optical fibers is installed in multiple last fiber legs in the optical path. A controller selects ones of the multiple selectable wavelength blockers of the optical filter for insertion in the optical path; instructs the first OTDR to inject a first OTDR signal at the first location; receive, from the first OTDR, indications of whether a reflection of the first OTDR signal was received from each of the multiple optical receivers; and identifies faults in the optical network based on the received indications whether the reflection of the first OTDR signal was received from each of the multiple OTDR reflectors.
US09240834B2

An approach for allocating bandwidth is disclosed. A request is detected from a terminal for capacity on a communication channel based on type of traffic transmitted from the terminal. A bandwidth allocation pattern designated for the terminal is retrieved, wherein the bandwidth allocation pattern is set based on a predetermined service plan associated with the terminal. Bandwidth over the communication channel is reserved for the terminal according to the bandwidth allocation pattern without feedback to the terminal. This arrangement has particular applicability to a satellite network that provides data communication services.
US09240830B2

An antenna swapping method may include tuning respective signals provided to first and second antennas in a portable electronic device to at least one frequency band. The method may also include connecting the first antenna to an uplink signal path that is for transmissions through the first and second antennas, and performing impedance matching for the first antenna. The method may further include comparing a real-time performance characteristic of the first antenna with a real-time performance characteristic of the second antenna. The method may additionally include, responsive to determining that the second antenna has a stronger real-time performance characteristic than the first antenna while the first antenna is connected to the uplink signal path, swapping from the first antenna to the second antenna by connecting the second antenna to the uplink signal path and disconnecting the first antenna from the uplink signal path, and performing impedance matching for the second antenna.
US09240828B2

A transmitting method and transmission system using the same is applied to selectively use a space block-coding module to transmit a transmitted data. Each data stream of the transmission data is transmitted using the transmitting paths, and the transmission qualities of the transmitting paths are detected to decide whether the space-block encoding module works or not.
US09240825B2

In a monitoring device including a reader and a data carrier, the data carrier includes a receiver coil (201), a resonator capacitor (202), rectifier means (203), a modulation capacitor (206), an energy storage capacitor (204), three modulation switches (209, 210, 211) and data processing means. The modulation capacitor (206), the energy storage capacitor (204), the data processing means and the three modulation switches (209, 210, 211) are arranged such that, in a first configuration, the modulation capacitor (206) and the energy storage capacitor (204) are coupled in parallel and, in a second configuration, the modulation capacitor (206) and the energy storage capacitor (204) are coupled in series. The invention further provides a method of operating a data carrier in such a monitoring device.
US09240822B2

A method of arranging a frame for power reduction, utilized in a transmitter in a communication system is disclosed. The transmitter communicates with a receiver in the communication system. The method comprises generating a preamble with a first power level in the frame; arranging a header with the first power level after the preamble in the frame, wherein the header comprises information of a second power level; arranging an additional channel estimation (ACE) symbol with the second power level after the header in the frame; and arranging a first payload with the second power level after the ACE symbol in the frame.
US09240819B1

The technology described in this document can be embodied in a computer-implemented method that includes receiving, at one or more processing devices, a plurality of values representing a set of coefficients of an adaptive filter over a period of time, and identifying, by the one or more processing devices based on the plurality of values, a phase error associated with a transfer function of the adaptive filter. The method also includes adjusting, based on the identified phase error, a phase associated with the transfer function of the adaptive filter such that coefficients calculated using the adjusted transfer function reduce the phase error. The method further includes determining a set of coefficients for the adaptive filter based on the adjusted transfer function, and programming the adaptive filter with the determined set of coefficients to enable operation of the adaptive filter.
US09240815B1

A reconfigurable filter includes a splitter for providing an input signal on a plurality of paths. A first path includes a first filter section that can be configured as either a tunable band pass filter with a shunt-connected fixed inductor or a tunable notch filter with a fixed inductor in parallel with a tunable varactor, either of which can be responsive to a control signal. A second path is an all pass section that provides an unfiltered signal. A combiner is provided for combining the first filtered signal with the unfiltered signal for producing a composite signal. The unfiltered signal can have its gain or phase modified in either or both the splitter or the combiner.
US09240814B2

In certain embodiments, systems for receiving one or more echoes are provided. The system comprises a first attenuator, a first amplifier, and a second attenuator. The first attenuator is configured to receive the one or more echo signals, and generate a corresponding set of first attenuated echo signals, respectively, based on a number of signal strengths of the one or more echo signals. The first amplifier is configured to receive and amplify the set of first attenuated echo signals to thereby generate a set of first amplified echo signals corresponding to the one or more first attenuated echo signals, respectively. The second attenuator is configured to receive the set of first amplified echo signals and generate a set of second attenuated echo signals corresponding to the set of first amplified echo signals, respectively, based on a number of signal strengths of the set of first amplified echo signals, respectively.
US09240812B2

A power amplification device includes: a first power-amplifier array including a plurality of first switching elements that constitute a class-D power amplifier for a higher bits; a second power-amplifier array including a plurality of second switching elements that constitute a class-D power amplifier for a lower bits; and a capacitor array including a plurality of capacitance elements. The second switching elements have a larger on-resistance than the first switching elements. The first power-amplifier array is arranged between the second power-amplifier array and the capacitor array.
US09240805B2

According to an embodiment, in a parity check matrix creation method, all N column vectors in the mask matrix are different. A submatrix having M rows×L columns obtained by arbitrarily extracting L continuous columns from the mask matrix includes B1 first correction rows and Bi ith correction rows. The B1 first correction rows have at least one “1” in total in each of A1 first correction columns. Each of the Bi ith correction rows has at least one “1” in total in Ai−1 (i−1)th correction columns and has “1” in one of Ai ith correction columns included in a column set excluding the first correction columns to (i−1)th correction columns. The Bi ith correction rows include at least one “1” in total in each of the Ai ith correction columns. A sum from A1 to AI equals L.
US09240804B2

Receiver circuits in serial lanes each generate a synchronous clock signal that is aligned with a master clock signal to allow synchronous transfer of data onto the master clock domain without corruption. A serial-to-parallel converter circuit in each receiver circuit converts a serial data signal into parallel data signals in response to one of the synchronous clock signals. Phase detection circuitry generates an indication of a phase shift based on a phase offset between the synchronous and master clock signals. A clock signal generation circuit provides an adjustment to a phase of the synchronous clock signal based on the indication of the phase shift. The serial-to-parallel converter circuit adjusts positions of bits indicated by the parallel data signals based on the adjustment to the phase of the synchronous clock signal.
US09240801B2

A delta sigma analog-to-digital converter (ADC) providing optimized performance and energy consumption. In one embodiment, a delta-sigma ADC includes a loop filter and a multi-bit quantizer. The multi-bit quantizer is coupled to the loop filter. The quantizer includes a counter, a reference voltage generator, and a comparator. The counter is configured to provide a multi-bit output value that estimates an output of the loop filter. The reference voltage generator is configured to generate a reference voltage ramp based on the output value of the counter. The comparator is coupled to the reference voltage generator to compare the reference voltage ramp to output of the loop filter.
US09240794B2

A phase-locked loop (PLL) is provided. The PLL may include a local oscillator configured to generate an output signal, a feedback divider configured to generate a feedback signal in response to the output signal, a phase detector configured to operate the local oscillator based on a comparison between a reference signal and the feedback signal, and a reset controller in communication with each of the phase detector and the feedback divider. The reset controller may be configured to hold each of the phase detector and the frequency divider in reset, and enable each of the phase detector and the frequency divider such that at least the feedback signal is in substantial synchronization with the reference signal.
US09240786B2

Homogenous dual-rail logic for DPA attack resistive secure circuit design is disclosed. According to one embodiment, an HDRL circuit comprises a primary cell and a complementary cell, wherein the complementary cell is an identical duplicate of the primary cell. The HURL circuit comprises a first set of inputs and a second set of inputs, wherein the second set of inputs are a negation of the first set of inputs. The HURL circuit has a differential power at a level that is resistive to DPA attacks.
US09240784B2

Embodiments of the invention are generally directed to a single-ended configurable multi-mode driver. An embodiment of an apparatus includes an input to receive an input signal, an output to transmit a driven signal generated from the input signal on a communication channel, a mechanism for independently configuring a termination resistance of the driver apparatus, and a mechanism for independently configuring a voltage swing of the driven signal without modifying a supply voltage for the apparatus.
US09240783B2

A circuit having versatility synthesizes one-bit digital signals to generate a ternary signal. The pulse synthesizing circuit synthesizes one-bit digital signals from two DFFs to generate a ternary signal. The pulse synthesizing circuit has a first NOR gate, a second NOR gate, a third NOR gate, and three switches. The first switch is connected to a first electric potential, the second switch is connected to a second electric potential, and the third switch is connected to a third electric potential. The first to third switches are turned on/off according to logical values of the signals from the two DFFs, and any of the first electric potential, the second electric potential, and the third electric potential is set as an output potential so that a ternary signal is generated.
US09240778B2

A system and method of providing an analog make before break circuit includes a first transistor coupled in series with a second transistor, the first transistor being configured for conducting a high portion of an input signal, the second transistor being configured for conducting a low portion of the input signal. A third transistor is configured to interrupt a connection between the input signal and a first transistor input node, the third transistor having a third transistor threshold voltage between of about 90 and about 110 percent of a second transistor threshold voltage. A fourth transistor is configured to interrupt a connection between the input signal and a second transistor input node, the fourth transistor having a fourth transistor threshold voltage of between about 90 and about 110 percent of a first transistor threshold voltage.
US09240777B2

A switching control device controls a drive circuit including one or more series circuits each one of which includes an upper switching element and a lower switching element. The switching control device includes an upper side temperature detection unit detecting a temperature of the upper switching element (hereinafter, “an upper side temperature”), a lower side temperature detection unit detecting a temperature of the lower switching element (hereinafter, “a lower side temperature”), and a signal generation circuit adding an offset value to a command voltage of a PWM signal output to the upper and lower switching elements to generate and output a PWM signal to the switching elements so that the upper and lower side temperatures approximate to each other.
US09240776B2

Analog-to-digital pulse width modulation circuitry includes thermometer code generator circuitry, clock generator circuitry, delay selection circuitry, and an output stage. The thermometer code generator circuitry is adapted to generate a digital thermometer code based upon a received analog input voltage. The clock generator circuitry is adapted to generate a reference clock and a plurality of delayed clock signals. The delay selection circuitry is connected between the thermometer code generator circuitry and the clock generator circuitry, and is adapted to select one of the delayed clock signals to present to the output stage based upon the generated thermometer code. The selected delayed clock signal is delayed by an amount of time that is proportional to the generated thermometer code. The reference clock signal and the selected delayed clock signal are delivered to the output stage where they are used to generate a pulse width modulated output signal.
US09240775B2

A circuit arrangement may include: a first bipolar transistor; a second bipolar transistor; wherein the circuit arrangement is configured to provide a first current flowing through the first bipolar transistor and a second current flowing through the second bipolar transistor; a resistor connected between a first input of the first bipolar transistor and a first input of the second bipolar transistor; a first circuit configured to provide a first current flowing through the resistor to a first input node of the first bipolar transistor, and a second circuit configured to provide a reference current to the first input node of the first bipolar transistor, wherein the first current and the reference current have different temperature dependencies.
US09240767B2

An integrated resonator apparatus comprises a piezoelectric resonator, an acoustic Bragg reflector coupled to the piezoelectric resonator, and a substrate on which the acoustic Bragg reflector is disposed. The apparatus also includes an active heater layer covering the piezoelectric resonator. Heat produced by the active heater layer is controllable by an amount of current provided through the heater layer.
US09240764B2

An apparatus and method for preventing an acoustic shock of a portable terminal are disclosed. The apparatus includes a transceiver gain determining unit including a table of gain values for sound signals in each of one or more call modes, configured to output a particular gain value corresponding to a particular call mode; a reference value determining unit configured to receive the gain value from the transceiver gain determining unit, monitor a change in the gain value, and determine a predetermined reference energy value based on the change in the gain value; and an output level adjusting unit configured to receive an input signal, compare the input signal with the predetermined reference energy value, and adjust the level of the input signal to output an output signal.
US09240763B2

A system for performing loudness normalization based on user feedback is described herein. The system includes a content delivery system and a plurality of audio playback devices. The audio playback devices may communicate volume settings used during playback of pieces of sound program content to the content delivery system. Based on these collected data points, a statistical analysis may be performed to generate loudness adjustment values for pieces of sound program content. The loudness adjustment values may be communicated to the audio playback devices through metadata in associated pieces of sound program content or as separate communications from the content delivery system. An offline version is also described that supports individual loudness normalization adjustments based on a single user's preferences. Under either system, loudness normalization may be achieved based on real world volume settings for individual pieces of sound program content played using various playback configurations.
US09240744B2

Embodiments of the present disclosure relate to methods, systems and apparatus for adjusting current and/or torque commands used to control operation of an asynchronous machine based on rotor flux of the asynchronous machine.
US09240735B2

A standby power reduction device is provided, including a capacitor connected in parallel to a main switch controlling a switching mode power supply, without the necessity of providing a starting circuit, thereby reducing the cost and enabling miniaturization of product.
US09240733B2

Current source converters and control methods are presented for high dynamic performance by implementing a DC link current control loop parallel to one or more motor control loops, with a DC link current control command value for operating the current source rectifier being derived at least partially independent of the motor control command values, wherein certain implementations drive the current source rectifier to its maximum rated value, or the DC current command value can be set above an amount required by the current source inverter using a gain factor which can be fixed or can itself be adjusted based on one or more motor control error values for balancing as-needed dynamic performance and efficiency.
US09240731B2

Multilevel inverters, power cells and bypass methods are presented in which a power cell switching circuit is selectively disconnected from the power cell output, and a bypass which is closed to connect first and second cell output terminals to selectively bypass a power stage of a multilevel inverter, with an optional AC input switch to selectively disconnect the AC input from the power cell switching circuit during bypass.
US09240725B2

A system and method includes a controller that is configured to coordinate (i) a low impedance path for a dimmer current, (ii), control of switch mode power conversion and (iii) an inactive state to, for example, to allow a dimmer to function normally from cycle to cycle of an alternating current (AC) supply voltage. In at least one embodiment, the dimmer functions normally when the dimmer conducts at a correct phase angle indicated by a dimmer input setting and avoids prematurely resetting while conducting. In at least one embodiment, by coordinating functions (i), (ii), and (iii), the controller controls a power converter system that is compatible with a triac-based dimmer. In at least one embodiment, the controller coordinates functions (i), (ii), and (iii) in response to a particular dimming level indicated by a phase cut, rectified input voltage supplied to the power converter system.
US09240722B2

Methods and systems are disclosed that may be employed to improve efficiency of smart integrated power stages (IPstages) of multi-phase VR systems while operating under relatively light, ultra-light, or partial or reduced loads. The disclosed methods and systems may be implemented to improve VR system light load efficiency by providing and enabling reduced power IPstage operating modes in one or more smart IPstage/s of a VR system, and by enabling state transition between IPstage active and reduced power operating modes such as IPstage standby and IPstage hibernation modes.
US09240717B2

Provided is a switching power source device in which fluctuation of the switching frequency can be suppressed without impairing the advantages of a non-linear control system. A switching power source device is provided with: switching control units of non-linear control type that generate an output voltage (out) from an input voltage (IN) by performing ON/OFF control of switching elements in accordance with the results of comparing a feedback voltage (FB) and reference voltage (REF); and an ON time setting unit that monitors switching voltage (SW) appearing at one end of the switch terminals, and sets the ON time (Ton) of the switching element in the switching control units based on the duty of the switching voltage (SW).
US09240712B2

A controller for a power converter includes a current-sense device couplable in series with switched terminals of power switches of interleaved switching regulators and configured to produce a current-sense signal. The controller also includes an error amplifier configured to produce an error signal as a function of a characteristic of the power converter. The controller also includes a duty-cycle controller configured to sample the current-sense signal at mid-points of duty cycles of the power switches and regulate the characteristic as a function of the error signal and the current-sense signal.
US09240710B2

A vibration-powered generator (100) has a vibrating element (10) and a coil (40) arranged therearound, and is configured to obtain electromotive force by moving the vibrating element (10) relatively to the coil (40). The vibrating element (10) has a plurality of magnets (20a to 20d) arranged so as to oppose the pole-faces of the same polarity; end supporting portions (12, 13) which support the plurality of magnets from both ends in the direction of arrangement; and a cushioning (16). The cushioning (16) is held between the end supporting portion (12) and the magnet (20c), while being compressed under a stress exceeding the repelling force between the pole-faces of the magnets, so as to keep the magnets (20a to 20d) in a row without leaving a gap in between, overcoming the repelling force.
US09240703B2

A power supply system for EV and a control method thereof are provided, the system including a high voltage battery formed with a plurality of battery cells and generating a power driving source to a motor of the EV, and a low voltage battery generating a power driving source for electrical load, and an OBC (On-Board-Charger) selectively charging a high voltage battery or a low voltage battery using an externally-supplied AC power source based on an output voltage level of the low voltage battery.
US09240700B2

Methods, systems, and apparatuses for charging a host device from a charging source through an accessory are described. Upon detecting an input power signal from the charging source, an accessory may send an identification request to the host device and authenticate the host device based on the identification information received from the host device. Upon authenticating the host device, the accessory may enable a power path between the charging source and the host device to supply a charging current to charge the host device.
US09240677B2

A spark plug is provided with: a central electrode; a ground electrode forming a spark discharge gap with the center electrode; and a chip welded to at least one of the electrodes. The chip has a thermal expansion coefficient smaller than a thermal expansion coefficient of the electrode to which the chip is welded, and the difference between the content A (mass %) of a noble metal component in the chip and the content B (mass %) of a noble metal component in the electrode (A−B) is 50 mass % or more. In an intermediate layer between the chip and the electrode, holes are present. When the length of a boundary between the chip and the intermediate layer is L (mm), and the length of the holes in a direction along the boundary of the chip and the intermediate layer is N (mm), 0.1≦N/L≦0.4.
US09240676B2

A spark plug has a metal shell and a cylindrical ceramic insulator disposed in an inner circumference of the metal shell. An axial hole extends in an axial line CL direction through the insulator, and has a tip located more to a tip side of the spark plug than a tip of the metal shell, and a distance along the axial line CL1 from the tip of the metal shell to the tip of the ceramic insulator is 0.5 mm or more. The insulator satisfies C ≧1.07 mm and V ≦3.9 mm3, where C is a thickness of the insulator in a cross section passing an inner circumference surface tip of the metal shell and orthogonal to the axial line CL1 ,and V is a volume of the ceramic insulator within a range of 0.5 mm from the tip of the ceramic insulator to a rear end side in the axial line CL1 direction.
US09240674B2

A quantum cascade laser includes a semiconductor substrate, and an active layer that is provided on the substrate, and has a cascade structure in which emission layers and injection layers are alternately laminated by multistage-laminating unit laminate structures each consisting of the quantum well emission layer and the injection layer, and generates light by intersubband transition in a quantum well structure. Further, in a laser cavity structure for light with a predetermined wavelength to be generated in the active layer, CeO2 insulating films and reflection control films are formed in order on respective faces of a first end face and a second end face facing each other. Thereby, it is possible to realize a quantum cascade laser capable of preferably realizing reflectance control for light within a mid-infrared region on the laser device end face.
US09240668B2

A lasing wavelength is controlled so that a wavelength detection result becomes a first target value; selection is made to select either a step of calculating a second target value as a wavelength detection result with a shift of the lasing wavelength, or a step of calculating a third control value of a wavelength characteristic of an etalon for letting a laser lase at a wavelength with a shift of the lasing wavelength; in the former step, the lasing wavelength is controlled so that the wavelength detection result becomes the second target value; in the latter step, the lasing wavelength is controlled so that the wavelength detection result becomes the first target value.
US09240667B2

An optical pumping apparatus for few-mode fiber amplification is provided. The optical pumping apparatus includes an optical pump source configured to generate an optical pump; an optical power divider configured to divide an optical power of the optical pump from the optical pump source so as to output several optical pumps with uniformly distributed optical power; and a modal multiplexer configured to receive the optical pumps from the optical power divider through a plurality of single-mode fibers, multiplex the received optical pumps, apply a multiplexed optical pump to each mode of a few-mode fiber (FMF) amplifier, and adjust a gain difference among modes, wherein the FMF amplifier obtains a gain by amplifying an optical signal with the optical pump.
US09240665B2

A gas laser apparatus includes a receptacle for enclosing a laser gas, a laser oscillator that emits a laser beam, a pressure detecting unit that detects gas pressure inside the receptacle, an exhausting unit that discharges a gas from the receptacle, a feeding unit that supplies a laser gas into the receptacle, a pressure storing unit configured to store the pressure detected by the pressure detecting unit and retain stored information even when a power supply is shut off, a comparing unit that compares pressure inside the receptacle when the gas laser apparatus has stopped suddenly with pressure inside the receptacle when the gas laser apparatus is restarted thereafter, and a determining unit that determines whether or not a gas should be discharged from the receptacle and whether or not the laser gas should be supplied into the receptacle based on the result of the comparison.
US09240661B2

An apparatus comprising a feeding mechanism for displacing the carrier strip along a feed path; an image capture means adapted to capture an image of a portion of the feed path; and, an image processing means connected to the image capture means and being adapted to (a) determine the position of at least one terminal on the feed path from the image; (b) determine the pitch of the strip either from the image or from a pre-stored value; and, (c) calculate an alignment displacement of the strip along the feed path from the position and pitch such that a further terminal on the strip lies within a crimping zone on the feed path; the image processing means being connected to the feeding mechanism and adapted to provide a control signal thereto such that the feeding mechanism displaces the carrier strip along the feed path by the alignment displacement.
US09240658B2

A connector system includes a first housing, a second housing and a third housing. The first and second housings each include a wafer with signal terminals aligned in corresponding rows. The third housing mates to the first and second housings and supports a terminal array that connects the signal terminals in the first housings to the signal terminals in the second housing when the first and second wafer are arranged perpendicular to each other.
US09240649B2

The present invention relates to a power line coupler for coupling a pair of cables together. The coupler includes at least one protector for protecting the cables. A clamp is provided for clamping the protector and cables together.
US09240645B1

An electrical contact (1) includes a base portion (10) for connecting with a first device (2), a first spring arm (12) extends from the base portion (10) and includes a first contact tip (121) at the end thereof for connecting with the first device (2) and a second contact tip (122) near the base portion (10) for connecting with a second device (3), at a first stage, the base portion (10) is higher than the second contact tip (122) and the second contact tip (122) is higher than the first contact tip (121), at another stage, the base portion (10) and the first contact tip (121) are in a same height to contact the first device (2) and the second contact tip (122) is lower than the first contact tip (121) to contact the second device (3).
US09240634B2

An antenna comprising an IMD element and one or more parasitic and active tuning elements is disclosed. The IMD element, when used in combination with the active tuning and parasitic elements, allows antenna operation at multiple resonant frequencies. In addition, the direction of antenna radiation pattern may be arbitrarily rotated in accordance with the parasitic and active tuning elements.
US09240620B2

The invention relates to an improved high frequency filter (high pass filter) that is characterized by the following features: in addition to the at least both capacitively coupled inner conductor front faces (5b) or the capacitively coupled inner conductor end segments (5c) of two coupled inner conductor segments (5a), at least one further inner conductor coupling device (15) or at least one further inner conductor coupling element (115) is provided, the at least one further inner conductor coupling device (15) or the at least one further inner conductor coupling element (115) is arranged in an at least partially overlapping manner with the inner conductor end segments (5c) of the coupled inner conductor segments (5b), and the branch line (7) runs between the inner conductor coupling device (15) or the inner conductor coupling element (115) and the outer conductor (1).
US09240615B2

There is provided a nonaqueous electrolyte that can suppress swelling of a nonaqueous electrolyte secondary battery. A nonaqueous electrolyte for a nonaqueous electrolyte secondary battery 1 contains a lithium salt, vinylene carbonate, and a compound represented by general formula (1) below. In the general formula (1), X is an alkylene group with 2 to 4 carbon atoms that may have a substituent. Rf is a fluorine-containing linear or branched alkyl group with 1 to 6 carbon atoms. R is a linear, branched, or cyclic alkyl group with 1 to 6 carbon atoms that may have a substituent.
US09240610B2

In use in a battery, a first spiral-wound battery element and associated wiring generates a first magnetic field and a second spiral-wound battery element and associated wiring generates a second magnetic field. The first element, the second element and the wiring may be arranged within a casing so that the first magnetic field is proximate to the second magnetic field and oriented in an opposite polarity. Conveniently, it may be shown that the total magnetic field generated by the battery has significantly lower magnitude than the total magnetic field generated by a conventional battery for the same current drain and same wiring structure.
US09240600B2

The method for limiting the output voltage of a PEM fuel cell system operating in, or near, zero load conditions, in such a way as to minimize degradation of performance over time, comprises: supplying a hydrogen stream to the anode of the fuel cell; supplying an oxygen stream to the cathode of the fuel cell; monitoring an output voltage of the fuel cell; monitoring a hydrogen pressure in the fuel cell; monitoring an oxygen pressure in the fuel cell; limiting the hydrogen stream and the oxygen stream while actuating controllable recirculating pumps for the hydrogen and the oxygen in such a way as to bring and maintain the hydrogen and oxygen pressures below 1 barabsolute while maintaining the hydrogen pressure between 70 and 130% of the oxygen pressure, so that the output voltage remains below 0.90 volts.
US09240592B2

A lithium secondary battery having improved output characteristics is provided. A high voltage mixed positive electrode active material has an even profile without causing a rapid voltage drop over the entire SOC area by improving a rapid voltage drop phenomenon occurring due to the difference between the operation voltages of mixed lithium transition metal oxides, and improves output characteristics at a low voltage. The lithium secondary battery includes the mixed positive electrode active material. In particular, the lithium secondary battery can sufficiently satisfy the required conditions such as output characteristics, capacity, stability, and the like, when it is used as a power source of a midsize or large device such as an electric vehicle.
US09240591B2

In general, according to one embodiment, the active material for a battery contains a niobium composite oxide represented by the formula: LixM(1-y)NbyNb2O(7+δ). M represents at least one kind selected from the group consisting of Ti and Zr. X, y, and δ are numbers respectively satisfying the following: 0≦x≦6, 0≦y≦1, and −1≦δ≦1). The pH of the active material for a battery is from 7.4 to 12.5.
US09240582B2

A battery pack includes an electrode assembly, a protective circuit module and a battery case. The electrode assembly is composed of first and second electrode plates, a separator interposed between the first and second electrode plates, and first and second electrode tabs respectively connected to the first and second electrode plates. The protective circuit module is connected to the first and second electrode tabs. The battery case accommodates the electrode assembly and has a sealing portion provided at an edge thereof. In the battery pack, the first and second electrode tabs are extracted to the outside of the battery case through the sealing portion and then bent at an end of the sealing portion so as to face the battery case, and a protective circuit module is provided between the battery case and the first and second electrode tabs.
US09240581B2

A battery unit includes a case accommodating an electrode assembly and having an opening, and a cap plate cover the opening, and having a terminal insertion portion. The battery unit further includes a terminal member inserted into the case through the terminal insertion portion from an exterior of the case and coupled to the electrode assembly, the terminal member having a terminal portion, extending in a major side direction of the cap plate at an exterior of the cap plate, and being separated from an upper surface of the cap plate. The battery unit further includes a fixing member in the terminal insertion portion fixing the terminal member to the cap plate and having injection-molded plastic resin in the terminal insertion portion surrounding the terminal member; and a support member coupled to the cap plate and supporting the terminal portion with respect to the cap plate.
US09240573B2

A method of fabricating an organic electroluminescent display includes: forming a plastic layer on a substrate including a first pixel region; patterning the first plastic layer to form a first opening in the first pixel region; forming a first organic light emitting layer on the first plastic layer having the first opening; and removing the first plastic layer from the substrate to form a first organic light emitting pattern in the first opening.
US09240567B2

Provided are an organic light emitting display apparatus and a method of manufacturing the same. The organic light emitting display apparatus includes: a thin film transistor (TFT) substrate including a plurality of thin film transistors, an organic light-emissive device on the TFT substrate, and an encapsulation layer on the TFT substrate and the organic light-emissive device, the encapsulation layer being configured to cover the organic light-emissive device, the encapsulation layer including a hybrid material including: a block copolymer, and functionalized graphene.
US09240562B2

According to embodiments of the present invention, there are disclosed an organic thin film transistor (OTFT) array substrate, a display device and a method for manufacturing the same, which are capable of improving quality of a channel. The OTFT array substrate comprises: a transparent substrate, a gate line and a data line which are formed on the transparent substrate, and a pixel unit which are defined by crossing of the gate line and the data line; the pixel unit including an organic thin film transistor (OTFT) and a pixel electrode; on a channel region of an active layer of the OTFT, there is provided a first passivation layer unit.
US09240561B2

This invention is to provide a nanodevice, which is combined with an electronic device such as a diode, tunnel device and MOS transistor, integrated circuit and manufacturing method of the nanodevice. A nanodevice includes: a first insulating layer 2; one electrode 5A and the other electrode 5B provided to have a nanogap on the first insulating layer 2; a metal nanoparticle or a functional molecule provided between the one electrode 5A and the other electrode 5B; a second insulating layer 8 provided on the first insulating layer 2, and on the one electrode 5A and the other electrode 5B to embed the metal nanoparticle or the functional molecule. The second insulating layer works as a passivating layer.
US09240556B2

Disclosed are molecular and polymeric compounds having desirable properties as semiconducting materials. Such compounds can exhibit desirable electronic properties and possess processing advantages including solution-processability and/or good stability. Organic transistor and photovoltaic devices incorporating the present compounds as the active layer exhibit good device performance.
US09240555B2

An organic luminescent material includes a host luminescent material and a guest luminescent material. The host luminescent material includes a compound represented by formula (1), where n is 0˜8; R2 and R3 respectively represent H, CF3, CN, CH3 or C5H11; R1 is CH3 or one of substituents shown as follows:
US09240551B2

The present invention relates to polymers comprising one or more (repeating) unit(s) of the formula (I), and compounds of formula (III), wherein Y, Y15, Y16 and Y17 are independently of each other a group of formula (A), (B) or (C) and their use as IR absorber, organic semiconductor in organic devices, especially in organic photovoltaics and photodiodes, or in a device containing a diode and/or an organic field effect transistor. The polymers and compounds according to the invention can have excellent solubility in organic solvents and excellent film-forming properties. In addition, high efficiency of energy conversion, excellent field-effect mobility, good on/off current ratios and/or excellent stability can be observed, when the polymers and compounds according to the invention are used in organic field effect transistors, organic photovoltaics and photodiodes.
US09240547B2

A method of forming a line of magnetic tunnel junctions includes forming magnetic recording material over a substrate, non-magnetic material over the recording material, and magnetic reference material over the non-magnetic material. The substrate has alternating outer regions of reactant source material and insulator material along at least one cross-section. The reference material is patterned into a longitudinally elongated line passing over the alternating outer regions. The recording material is subjected to a set of temperature and pressure conditions to react with the reactant of the reactant source material to form regions of the dielectric material which longitudinally alternate with the recording material along the line and to form magnetic tunnel junctions along the line which individually comprise the recording material, the non-magnetic material, and the reference material that are longitudinally between the dielectric material regions. Other methods, and lines of magnetic tunnel junctions independent of method, are disclosed.
US09240528B2

Solid state light emitting apparatuses include blue LEDs (e.g., including short wavelength and long wavelength blue LEDs in combination) to stimulate green lumiphors, with supplemental emissions by red lumiphors and/or red solid state light emitters, to provide aggregate emissions with high S/P ratio (e.g., ≧1.95) and high color rendering values (e.g., ≧85), preferably in combination with high brightness and high luminous efficacy. In certain embodiments, a light emitting apparatus may be devoid of a LED having a peak wavelength of from 470-599 nm and/or devoid of lumiphors with peak wavelengths in the yellow range. Multiple LEDs may be arranged in an emitter package. A fabrication method includes mounting multiple solid state emitters (e.g., with a first blue and a second red emitter) to a common substrate, applying a stencil or mask over the second emitter, applying a lumiphoric material over the first emitter, and removing the stencil or mask.
US09240522B2

A semiconductor light emitting device includes a semiconductor lamination including a p-type semiconductor layer, an active semiconductor layer, and an n-type semiconductor layer; opposing electrode structure including a first electrode structure formed above the p-type semiconductor layer, and a second electrode structure formed above the n-type semiconductor layer; and brightness grade producing structure including a surface layer of at least one of the p-type semiconductor layer and the n-type semiconductor layer and producing brightness grade gradually changing from one edge to opposite edge of light output plane.
US09240521B2

An electrode structure includes a first diffusion barrier layer, an aluminum reflective layer formed over the first diffusion barrier layer. The aluminum reflective layer has a thickness from about 500 angstroms (Å) to less than 2,000 Å, a second diffusion barrier layer formed over the aluminum reflective layer, and an electrode layer overlying the second diffusion barrier layer. The electrode structure is applicable in a light emitting diode device.
US09240506B2

A photoconductive semiconductor switch according to one embodiment includes a structure of sintered nanoparticles of a high band gap material exhibiting a lower electrical resistance when excited by light relative to an electrical resistance thereof when not exposed to the light. A method according to one embodiment includes creating a mixture comprising particles, at least one dopant, and at least one solvent; adding the mixture to a mold; forming a green structure in the mold; and sintering the green structure to form a transparent ceramic. Additional system, methods and products are also presented.
US09240505B2

A method of etching capable of rapidly and flatly performing wet etching on a Si substrate using fluonitric acid represented by HF(a)HNO3(b)H2O(c) (where the unit of a, b and c is wt % and a+b+c=100). The etching rate of an SiO2 layer with the highly concentrated fluonitric acid is significantly lowered by the appropriate selection of its composition as compared with the etching rate of the Si substrate, and etch the Si substrate until the SiO2 layer is exposed. In this way, it is possible to rapidly etch the Si substrate and significantly enhance the flatness of the etched surface.
US09240502B2

The invention provides an element including a semiconductor substrate and an electrode disposed on the semiconductor substrate, the electrode being a sintered product of a composition for an electrode that includes phosphorus-containing copper alloy particles, glass particles and a dispersing medium, and the electrode includes a line-shaped electrode having an aspect ratio, which is defined as electrode short length:electrode height, of from 2:1 to 250:1.
US09240493B2

A method for forming an amorphous semiconductor which contains an impurity element and has low resistivity and a method for manufacturing a semiconductor device with excellent electrical characteristics with high yield are provided. In the method for forming an amorphous semiconductor containing an impurity element, which utilizes a plasma CVD method, pulse-modulated discharge inception voltage is applied to electrodes under the pressure and electrode distance with which the minimum discharge inception voltage according to Paschen's Law can be obtained, whereby the amorphous semiconductor which contains an impurity element and has low resistivity is formed.
US09240487B2

A method of manufacturing a thin film transistor having a compound semiconductor with oxygen as a semiconductor layer and a method of manufacturing an organic light emitting display having the thin film transistor include: forming a gate electrode on an insulating substrate; forming a gate insulating layer on the gate electrode; forming a semiconductor layer including oxygen ions on the gate insulating layer, and including a channel region, a source region, and a drain region; forming a source electrode and a drain electrode to contact the semiconductor layer in the source region and the drain region, respectively; and forming a passivation layer on the semiconductor layer by coating an organic material, wherein a carrier density of the semiconductor layer is maintained in the range of 1E+17 to 1E+18/cm3 to have stable electrical property.
US09240480B2

A method includes depositing a first metal layer on a native SiO2 layer that is disposed on at least one of a source and a drain of a metal-oxide-semiconductor field-effect transistor (MOSFET). A metal oxide layer is formed from the native SiO2 layer and the first metal layer, wherein the remaining first metal layer, the metal oxide layer, and the at least one of the source and the drain form a metal-insulator-semiconductor (MIS) contact.
US09240479B1

A 3D semiconductor integrated circuit having a gate pick-up line and a method of manufacturing the same, wherein the semiconductor integrated circuit includes a plurality of active pillars formed in a gate pick-up region, buffer layers formed on the respective active pillars in the gate pick-up region, gates each surrounding an outer circumference of the corresponding active pillar and the corresponding buffer layer, and a gate pick-up line electrically coupled to the gates.
US09240475B2

A semiconductor device is provided that includes a substrate including a device region and a peripheral region surrounding the device region, a first interconnection including one or more first conductive lines extending in a first direction, a second interconnection including one or more second conductive lines extending in the first direction, the second interconnection spaced apart from the first interconnection, a first conductive plate and a second conductive plate spaced apart from each other, the first conductive plate corresponding to the first interconnection and the second conductive plate corresponding to the second interconnection, one or more first vias connecting the first conductive lines to the first conductive plate and overlapping the device region and one or more second vias connecting the second conductive lines to the second conductive plate, the second vias overlapping the device region and arranged in a staggered, alternating configuration with the one or more first vias.
US09240470B2

A high-performance reverse-conduction field-stop (RCFS) insulated gate bipolar transistor (IGBT) includes a first conductive type substrate, a plurality of trenches defined on a bottom face of the substrate, a plurality of first conductive type doping regions formed on bottom face of the trenches, a second conductive type doping region formed on bottom face of the substrate, and a first conductive type field stop doping region formed in the substrate and separated from the bottom face of the substrate by a field stop depth, where the field stop depth is larger than a depth of the trench. Due to a separation between the first conductive type doping regions and the second conductive type doping region, Zener diode can be prevented from forming on bottom side of the substrate and the performance of IGBT can be accordingly enhanced.
US09240460B2

Methods of forming semiconductor devices are provided. A method of forming a semiconductor device includes forming preliminary trenches adjacent opposing sides of an active region. The method includes forming etching selection regions in portions of the active region that are exposed after forming the preliminary trenches. The method includes forming trenches by removing the etching selection regions. Moreover, the method includes forming a stressor in the trenches. Related apparatuses are also provided.
US09240459B2

A semiconductor process includes the following step. A stacked structure is formed on a substrate. A contact etch stop layer is formed to cover the stacked structure and the substrate. A material layer is formed on the substrate and exposes a top part of the contact etch stop layer covering the stacked structure. The top part is redressed.
US09240453B2

A transistor includes a substrate having an active region defined by an isolation layer; a first trench defined in the active region and a second trench defined in the isolation layer; a fin region formed under the first trench; and a buried gate electrode covering sidewalls of the fin region and filling the first and second trenches. The buried gate electrode includes a first work function layer formed on the sidewalls of the fin region; a second work function layer formed on sidewalls of the first trench and the second trench; a third work function layer positioned over the fin region and contacting the second work function layer; and a low resistance layer contacting the third work function layer and partially filling the first and second trenches.
US09240451B2

A silicon carbide semiconductor device includes a low-concentration n-type drift layer deposited on a silicon carbide substrate to form a semiconductor substrate. A first front surface metal layer, which forms a Schottky contact with the semiconductor substrate, is formed on a front surface of the semiconductor substrate. An outer circumferential end of the first front surface metal layer extends on an interlayer insulating film which covers an edge portion. A second front surface metal layer which forms a front surface electrode is formed on the first front surface metal layer. When a portion of the second front surface metal layer is formed by dry etching, the entire first front surface metal layer, which will be Schottky contact metal, is covered with the second front surface metal layer. Thus, generation of an etching residue is prevented and a device with a front surface electrode structure with high reliability is provided.
US09240449B2

A semiconductor device comprises a substrate and quantum dots, wherein a peak emission of the quantum dots has a FWHM of less than 20 meV when the semiconductor is measured at a temperature of 4 Kelvin.
US09240446B2

A semiconductor device having a vertical drain extended MOS transistor may be formed by forming deep trench structures to define at least one vertical drift region bounded on at least two opposite sides by the deep trench structures. The deep trench structures include dielectric liners. The deep trench structures are spaced so as to form RESURF regions for the drift region. Vertical gates are formed in vertically oriented gate trenches in the dielectric liners of the deep trench structures, abutting the vertical drift regions. A body implant mask for implanting dopants for the transistor body is also used as an etch mask for forming the vertically oriented gate trenches in the dielectric liners.
US09240443B2

A method of preparing a gap filler agent includes adding a halosilane to a basic solvent, and, to the basic solvent and the halosilane, adding ammonia in an amount of about 50 to about 70 parts by weight based on 100 parts by weight of the halosilane at a rate of about 1 g/hr to about 15 g/hr.
US09240428B1

Embodiments of an image sensor are provided. The image sensor includes a sensing layer, a filter unit and a microlens. The filter unit is disposed on the sensing layer, and the microlens is disposed on the filter unit. The filter unit has a gradient refractive index. Therefore, the sensitivity of the image sensor is improved.
US09240420B2

Disclosed herein are 3D stacked memory devices having WL select gates that comprises TFTs having bodies formed from a wide band gap semiconductor. The wide energy band gap semiconductor may be an oxide semiconductor, such as a metal oxide semiconductor. As examples, this could be an InGaZnO, InZnO, HfInZnO, or ZnInSnO body. The word lines may be formed from metal, such as tungsten. The 3D stacked memory device could have NAND strings. The TFTs may be formed in the word line layer. The TFT has a high drive current, a high breakdown voltage and low leakage current.
US09240407B2

An integrated diode array and a corresponding manufacturing method are provided. The integrated diode array includes a substrate having an upper side, and a plurality of blocks of several diodes, which are positioned in a planar manner and are suspended at the substrate above a cavity situated below them in the substrate. The blocks are separated from one another by respective gaps, and within a specific block, the individual diodes are electrically insulated from one another by first STI trenches situated between them.
US09240406B2

A capacitor structure can include a parallel connection of a plurality of trench capacitors. First nodes of the plurality of trench capacitors are electrically tied to provide a first node of the capacitor structure. Second nodes of the plurality of trench capacitors are electrically tied together through at least one programmable electrical connection at a second node of the capacitor structure. Each programmable electrical connection can include at least one of a programmable electrical fuse and a field effect transistor, and can disconnect a corresponding trench capacitor temporarily or permanently. The total capacitance of the capacitor structure can be tuned by programming, temporarily or permanently, the at least one programmable electrical connection.
US09240403B2

An embedded resistor including a first interdielectric layer, a cap layer, a resistive layer and a cap film is provided. The first interdielectric layer is located on a substrate. The cap layer is located on the first interdielectric layer, wherein the cap layer has a trench. The resistive layer conformally covers the trench, thereby having a U-shaped cross-sectional profile. The cap film is located in the trench and on the resistive layer, or, an embedded thin film resistor including a first interdielectric layer, a cap layer and a bulk resistive layer is provided. The first interdielectric layer is located on a substrate. The cap layer is located on the first interdielectric layer, wherein the cap layer has a trench. The bulk resistive layer is located in the trench.
US09240395B2

The present invention is directed to LED packages and methods utilizing waterproof and UV resistant packages with improved structural integrity. In some embodiments, the improved structural integrity is provided by various features in the lead frame that the casing material encompasses to improve the adhesion between the lead frame and the casing for a stronger, waterproof package. Moreover, in some embodiments the improved structural integrity and waterproofing is further provided by improved adhesion between the encapsulant and the casing. Some embodiments also provide for improved wire bonds, with the length, thickness, and loop height of the wire bonds controlled and optimized for improved adhesion between the wire bonds and the encapsulant as well as improved reliability.
US09240388B2

According to one embodiment, a semiconductor manufacturing device includes a first stage, a second stage, a transfer unit, and a detector. The first stage corrects a position of the semiconductor chip. The second stage supports an object into which the semiconductor chip is to be installed. The transfer unit transfers the semiconductor chip picked up from the first stage to the second stage. The detector detects an elastic wave from the semiconductor chip. The detector is attached to at least one of the first stage and the second stage.
US09240385B2

Microelectronic devices and method of forming a plurality of microelectronic devices on a semiconductor workpiece are disclosed herein. One such method includes placing a plurality of first interconnect elements on a side of a semiconductor workpiece, forming a layer on the side of the workpiece, reshaping the first interconnect elements by heating the first interconnect elements, and coupling a first portion of a plurality of individual second interconnect elements to corresponding first interconnect elements with a second portion of the individual second interconnect elements exposed.
US09240379B2

A semiconductor device manufacturing method includes forming a second conductive layer on an underlying layer which has an insulating layer in which a recess is formed and a first conductive layer exposed on a bottom surface of the recess; forming a third conductive layer on the second conductive layer; supplying, into the third conductive layer, a material solid-soluble in the third conductive layer; and heating the third conductive layer into which the solid-soluble material is supplied.
US09240377B2

X-line routing arrangements for dense multi-chip-package interconnects are described. In an example, an electronic signal routing structure includes a substrate. A plurality of layers of conductive traces is disposed above the substrate. A first pair of ground traces is disposed in a first of the plurality of layers of conductive traces. A signal trace is disposed in a second of the plurality of layers of conductive traces, below the first layer. A second pair of ground traces is disposed in a third of the plurality of layers of conductive traces, below the first layer. The first and second pairs of ground traces and the signal trace provide an X-pattern routing from a cross-sectional perspective.
US09240375B2

Nanoscale efuses, antifuses, and planar coil inductors are disclosed. A copper damascene process can be used to make all of these circuit elements. A low-temperature copper etch process can be used to make the efuses and efuse-like inductors. The circuit elements can be designed and constructed in a modular fashion by linking a matrix of metal columns in different configurations and sizes. The number of metal columns, or the size of a dielectric mesh included in the circuit element, determines its electrical characteristics. Alternatively, the efuses and inductors can be formed from interstitial metal that is either deposited into a matrix of dielectric columns, or left behind after etching columnar openings in a block of metal. Arrays of metal columns also serve a second function as features that can improve polish uniformity in place of conventional dummy structures. Use of such modular arrays provides flexibility to integrated circuit designers.
US09240370B1

A power module includes a first substrate, at least two power elements, at least one conductive structure and at least one leadframe. The first substrate includes a first dielectric layer and two first metal layers. The first dielectric layer has at least two concavities and two opposite surfaces, the two first metal layers are respectively disposed on the two surfaces, and the two concavities are respectively formed on the two surfaces. The two power elements are respectively embedded in the two concavities of the first dielectric layer. The two power elements are electrically connected to each other through the conductive structure. The leadframe disposed at the first substrate is electrically connected to the two power elements, and is partially extended outside the first substrate.
US09240355B2

An electrical device including a first conductivity semiconductor device present in a first semiconductor device region of an SOI substrate, and a second conductivity semiconductor device present in a second semiconductor device region of the SOI substrate. The electrical device also includes a diode present within a diode region of the SOI substrate that includes a first doped layer of a first conductivity semiconductor material that is present on an SOI layer of the SOI substrate. The first doped layer includes a first plurality of protrusions extending from a first connecting base portion. The semiconductor diode further includes a second doped layer of the second conductivity semiconductor material present over the first doped layer. The second doped layer including a second plurality of protrusions extending from a second connecting base portion. The second plurality of protrusions is present between and separating the first plurality of protrusions.
US09240353B2

A method for manufacturing an array substrate includes: forming a shielding layer, an insulating buffer layer, active layers, a gate insulating layer and NMOS gate electrodes in a display area and a drive area on a substrate in sequence; forming a PMOS gate electrode in the drive area on the foregoing substrate, in which the NMOS gate electrodes and the PMOS gate electrode are provided on the same layer; meanwhile forming a first through hole in a common electrode connecting area, in which the first through hole is configured to connect the shielding layer and a source/drain electrode layer; forming an intermediate insulating layer on the foregoing substrate, forming a second through hole in the common electrode connecting area and third through holes in the display area and the drive area, in which the second through hole is formed at a same position as the first through hole and configured to connect the shielding layer and a source/drain electrode layer, and the third through holes are configured to connect the active layers and the source/drain electrode layer; and forming the source/drain electrode layer on the foregoing substrate.
US09240347B2

Described herein are methods of filling features with tungsten and related systems and apparatus. The methods include inside-out fill techniques as well as conformal deposition in features. Inside-out fill techniques can include selective deposition on etched tungsten layers in features. Conformal and non-conformal etch techniques can be used according to various implementations. The methods described herein can be used to fill vertical features, such as in tungsten vias, and horizontal features, such as vertical NAND (VNAND) word lines. Examples of applications include logic and memory contact fill, DRAM buried word line fill, vertically integrated memory gate/word line fill, and 3-D integration with through-silicon vias (TSVs).
US09240342B2

Various methods are disclosed herein for forming alternative fin materials that are in a stable or metastable condition. In one case, a stable replacement fin is grown to a height that is greater than an unconfined stable critical thickness of the replacement fin material and it has a defect density of 104 defects/cm2 or less throughout its entire height. In another case, a metastable replacement fin is grown to a height that is greater than an unconfined metastable critical thickness of the replacement fin material and it has a defect density of 105 defects/cm2 or less throughout at least 90% of its entire height.
US09240336B2

According to one embodiment, an imprint method is provided. In the imprint method, minute objects adhering to a shot of a substrate, on which imprinting is next performed, are removed after delivering the substrate to the interior of an imprint apparatus and before dropping a resist onto the substrate. Thereafter, a resist is dropped onto the shot. Further, a template that is an original plate having a concave-convex pattern is brought into contact with the resist to form a resist pattern on the substrate according to the concave-convex pattern.
US09240334B2

The invention relates to the prepeeling phase of methods for detaching a semiconductor chip from a foil. According to a first aspect, the invention relates to the determination of time periods, which each defines a duration of a prepeeling step. In a setup phase, the following steps are carried out for each prepeeling step: Initiating the method step; Repeating the two steps Recording of an image of the semiconductor chip and assignment of a time period to the image which has passed since the initiation of the prepeeling step, and Checking whether in the image a peripheral region of the semiconductor chip is darker than a predetermined brightness value; until the check leads to the result that no peripheral region of the semiconductor chip is darker than the predetermined brightness value. According to a second aspect, the detachment of the semiconductor chip from the foil is monitored in realtime.
US09240331B2

A semiconductor device includes a substrate with contact pads. A mask is disposed over the substrate. Aluminum-wettable conductive paste is printed over the contact pads of the substrate. A semiconductor die is disposed over the aluminum-wettable conductive paste. The aluminum-wettable conductive paste is reflowed to form an interconnect structure over the contact pads of the substrate. The contact pads include aluminum. Contact pads of the semiconductor die are disposed over the aluminum-wettable conductive paste. The aluminum-wettable conductive paste is reflowed to form an interconnect structure between the contact pads of the semiconductor die and the contact pads of the substrate. The interconnect structure is formed directly on the contact pads of the substrate and semiconductor die. The contact pads of the semiconductor die are etched prior to reflowing the aluminum-wettable conductive paste. An epoxy pre-dot to maintain a separation between the semiconductor die and substrate.
US09240322B2

A pulsed-laser anneal technique includes performing an implant of a selected region of a semiconductor wafer. A co-constituent implant of the selected region is performed, and the pulsed-laser anneal of the selected region performed. A pre-amorphizing implant of the selected region can also be performed. In one embodiment, the implant of the selected region is performed as an insitu implant. In another embodiment, the co-constituent implant is performed as an insitu non-donor implant. In yet another embodiment, the implant and the co-constituent implant of the selected region are performed as an insitu donor and co-constituent implant.
US09240319B2

Disclosed are chalcogenide-containing precursors for use in the manufacture of semiconductor, photovoltaic, LCD-TFT1 or flat panel type devices. Also disclosed are methods of synthesizing the chalcogenide-containing precursors and vapor deposition methods, preferably thermal ALD, using the chalcogenide-containing precursors to form chalcogenide-containing films.
US09240312B2

A discharge lamp includes a housing including a dielectric portion having a light transmission area formed of a dielectric material and transmitting light, and a main body portion forming a discharge-gas-filled space together with the dielectric portion, the discharge-gas-filled space being filled with a discharge gas; an electron emission source disposed in the discharge-gas-filled space to face the light transmission area; a discharge path limiting member separating the electron emission source and the light transmission area, in the discharge-gas-filled space, and including an electron passage hole that transmits electrons emitted from the electron emission source; and an external electrode disposed at an outer side of the housing to face the electron emission source across the dielectric portion, and including an opening that passes the light transmitted through the light transmission area.
US09240303B2

An x-ray tube including dual, electrically-conductive emitter tubes to support and provide electrical power to an electron emitter. A method of evacuating and sealing the x-ray tube by drawing a vacuum on the x-ray tube through an inner tube of dual emitter tubes, then pinching the inner tube to seal off the enclosure and to maintain a vacuum therein.
US09240285B2

A solid electrolytic capacitor that includes an anode body, a dielectric overlying the anode body, a solid electrolyte that contains one or more conductive polymers and overlies the dielectric, and an external coating that overlies the solid electrolyte, is provided. The external coating includes at least one carbonaceous layer and at least one metal layer. In addition to the aforementioned layers, the external coating can also include at least one conductive polymer layer that can be disposed between the carbonaceous and metal layers. Among other things, such a conductive polymer layer can reduce the likelihood that the carbonaceous layer will delaminate from the solid electrolyte during use. Further, the notched geometry of the anode body itself is selected to minimize the risk of delamination of the external coating layers from the anode body. This combination of characteristics can increase the mechanical robustness of the part and improve its electrical performance.
US09240283B2

The invention provides a stable oxide material system for a capacitor, electronic device or a memory device having an effective high-k value with an effective zero alpha while exhibiting low leakage current density. The stable oxide material comprises Mx-Si1-xO2, wherein the elements M & Si are mixed such that the insulator layer comprises staggered edge-linked SiO2-MO2 bonding chains to provide a stable 3-dimensional single crystal system.
US09240280B2

A multilayer ceramic capacitor includes a ceramic body including dielectric layers; first and second internal electrodes facing each other while having the dielectric layer disposed therebetween, and alternately exposed to end surfaces of the ceramic body; first and second external electrodes electrically connected to the first and second internal electrodes, wherein each of the first and second external electrodes includes a first external electrode layer formed of material containing copper and glass and extending from an end surface of the ceramic body to portions of main and side surfaces of the ceramic body; a second external electrode layer formed of material containing glass, disposed on the first external electrode layer, and being shorter than the first external electrode layer to expose portion of the first external electrode layer; and a third external electrode layer formed of material containing copper and glass and covering the first and second external electrode layers.
US09240277B2

An apparatus for manufacturing a non-circular coil, includes a pair of swinging pieces, an operation piece to be inserted and removed from between the distal ends of the pair of swinging pieces to increase or reduce the distance between the distal ends of the pair of swinging pieces, and a winding mechanism for winding a wire around an outer circumference of a distal end of the pair of swinging pieces so as to form a non-circular coil, wherein side surfaces of the operation piece, which avoid contact with the pair of swinging pieces, bulge outward to be curved and are formed so as to be continuous with outer circumferential surfaces of the pair of swinging pieces, around which the wire is wound, in a state in which the operation piece is inserted between the distal ends of the pair of swinging pieces.
US09240275B2

A wire-wound electronic component, a core for a wire-wound electronic component and a method for manufacturing a core for a wire-wound electronic component are provided. A winding core portion of a core of a wire-wound electronic component includes flanges at respective ends of the winding core portion, and project in directions perpendicular to an axial direction of the winding core portion. Concaves are positioned at corners formed of adjoining surfaces of the flanges that adjoin to the winding core portion and end surfaces of the flanges that are located at ends in a first perpendicular direction, which is one of the projecting directions of the flange. Connecting surfaces, which connect contact portions where the flanges contact with the winding core portion to the end surfaces, are at least part of inner peripheries of the concaves. All normal vectors of the connecting surfaces have components in the first perpendicular direction.
US09240269B2

The invention relates to a solenoid actuator, consisting of a magnet body (1), a magnet armature, a cover (3) closing the space in which the magnet armature travels back and forth, at least one electric coil (4), which is arranged in the magnet body (1) concentrically around the axis of travel of the magnet armature, and means (5) for power transmission, which are in operative connection with the magnet armature and protrude out of the solenoid actuator. According to the invention, the magnet armature of the solenoid actuator is an axially guided annular magnet armature (2), and the means (5) for power transmission are arranged coaxially around the axis of travel of the annular magnet armature (2). This has the advantage that the solenoid actuator allows long switching paths and a small construction, along with high tightening and holding forces. This also results in the up to 100% higher holding force of the solenoid, making it particularly suitable for the actuation of braking and clamping equipment for rods and cables.
US09240265B2

Provided is a grain-oriented electric steel sheet and a method for manufacturing same, the steel sheet having superior magnetic properties. The method comprises heating a slab comprising 2.0 to 4.5 weight % of Si, 0.001 to 0.10 weight % of C, 0.010 weight % or lower of Al, 0.08 weight % or lower of Mn, 0.005 weight % or lower of N, 0.002 to 0.050 weight % of S, the remainder being Fe and other unavoidable impurities, performing hot-rolling of the heated slab, performing cold-rolling one time or two or more times including an intermediate annealing, performing decarbonization and re-crystallizing annealing, and performing secondary re-crystallizing annealing.
US09240253B2

At least one system for eluting a radioactive material and a method of eluting a radioactive material is provided. The system for eluting a radioactive material may include an elution column configured to enclose an radioactive material, a first sealing member sealing a first end of the elution column, a second sealing member sealing a second end of the elution column, an elution supply source connected to the first end of the elution column via a first needle, a collection system connected to the second end of the elution column via a second needle, and a filter in the elution column, the filter being configured to support the radioactive material and prevent the radioactive material from contacting the second needle.
US09240251B2

An electronic device comprising a semiconductor memory unit that may include a plurality of data transfer lines; a plurality of columns including a plurality of memory cells; at least one redundancy column including a plurality of redundancy memory cells and configured to replace at least one column among the plurality of columns; a repair select information generation unit configured to store a column address of the at least one column to be replaced among the plurality of columns and generate a plurality of repair select information in response to the stored column address; and a plurality of repair selection units connected with data transfer lines corresponding to them among the plurality of data transfer lines, columns corresponding to them among the plurality of columns and the at least one redundancy column, and each configured to electrically connect a column selected among a column corresponding to it and the at least one redundancy column, to a data transfer line corresponding to it, in response to repair select information corresponding to it among the plurality of repair select information.
US09240242B1

A method for operating a low-cost EEPROM array is disclosed. The EEPROM array comprises bit lines, word lines, common source lines, and sub-memory arrays. The bit lines are divided into bit line groups. The word lines include a first word line and a second word line. The common source lines include a first common source line. Each sub-memory array includes a first memory cell and a second memory cell, which are respectively connected with the first and second word lines. Each of the first and second memory cells is also connected with the first bit line group and the first common source line. The first and second memory cells are operation memory cells and symmetrically arranged at two sides of the first common source line. The method operates all the operation memory cells and uses special biases to program or erase memory cells massively in a single operation.
US09240241B2

A 3D NAND stacked non-volatile memory device, comprising: a string comprising a plurality of non-volatile storage elements, the string comprises a channel and extends vertically through layers of the 3D stacked non-volatile memory device, and the plurality of storage elements are subdivided into different groups based on group assignments, each group of the different groups comprises multiple adjacent storage elements of the plurality of storage elements; and a control circuit in communication with the string, the control circuit, to perform a Pseudo Block Operation Mode.
US09240229B1

Implementations herein involve control I/O buffer enable circuitry and/or features of saving power in standby mode. In illustrative embodiments, aspects of the present innovations may be directed to providing low standby power consumption, such as providing low standby power consumption in high-speed synchronous SRAM and RLDRAM devices.
US09240217B2

First media segments for a first media program are recorded. The first media program is scheduled to start at a first start time and end at a first end time, whereas a second media program is scheduled to start at a second start time and end at a second end time, the first end time being after the second start time. It is determined whether the first media program and the second media program are on a same channel. If so, one or more shared media segments, one of which is before all other shared media segments in the shared media segments and begins no later than the first time, are recorded. A first media program object is generated to represent a first recording of the first media program, and includes references to the first media segments and the shared media segments.
US09240211B2

A control mechanism may control the height and/or position of a read/write head configured to interact with a rotating information storage surface. A computation unit may compute a detected topography from gap measurements using a dynamic filter including a model of read/write head dynamics. A sensor may detect gap measurements of a side read/write track while the read/write head is interacting with a current read/write track. A memory may store the detected topography. The control mechanism may adjust the height of the read/write head based on the detected and/or stored topography. The control mechanism may be a reactionless control mechanism configured to apply a counterforce to offset movements of the read/write head and/or a slider.
US09240209B1

A command to write data to a virtual location is received at a disk storage system. The virtual location is mapped to a tape storage system. A record is generated including the data, the virtual location, and a sequence value. The sequence value indicates relative sequence when compared to other sequence values. The record is written to a record location on a tape cartridge loaded in a tape drive. Record metadata on the disk storage system is modified to indicate that the first record location contains the first record. The data on the record can be read from the tape cartridge.
US09240198B1

According to one embodiment, a magnetic disk drive includes a disk including a plurality of servo areas for detecting a positioning error, a head to write and to read data, and a processor. The processor detects a current positioning error of the head on the disk, while writing data to tracks of the disk so as to partially overlap with each other, calculates a predicted positioning error in a next servo area, determinates write inhibit, based on comparison between the current positioning error and a first threshold value, sets the first threshold value to a smaller value being used as the first threshold value to determinate the write inhibit in the next servo area.
US09240196B2

An apparatus for processing an audio signal has an overlap-add stage for overlapping and adding blocks of a corresponding one of a plurality of subband signals using an overlap-add-advance value being different from a block extraction advance value. The apparatus further has a transient detector for detecting a transient in the audio signal or a subband signal of the plurality of subband signals. The overlap-add stage is configured for reducing an influence of a detected transient or for not using the detected transients when adding. The apparatus further has a transient adder for adding a detected transient to a subband signal generated by the overlap/add stage. A related method for processing an audio signal has, inter alia, either reducing an influence or discarding a detected transient when overlapping and adding.
US09240188B2

In one embodiment, the system and method for expressive language development; a method for detecting autism in a natural language environment using a microphone, sound recorder, and a computer programmed with software for the specialized purpose of processing recordings captured by the microphone and sound recorder combination; and the computer programmed to execute a method that includes segmenting an audio signal captured by the microphone and sound recorder combination using the computer programmed for the specialized purpose into a plurality recording segments. The method further includes determining which of the plurality of recording segments correspond to a key child. The method also includes extracting acoustic parameters of the key child recordings and comparing the acoustic parameters of the key child recordings to known acoustic parameters for children. The method returns a determination of a likelihood of autism.
US09240182B2

A method for activating a voice assistant function in a mobile device is disclosed. The method includes receiving an input sound stream by a sound sensor and determining a context of the mobile device. The method may determine the context based on the input sound stream. For determining the context, the method may also obtain data indicative of the context of the mobile device from at least one of an acceleration sensor, a location sensor, an illumination sensor, a proximity sensor, a clock unit, and a calendar unit in the mobile device. In this method, a threshold for activating the voice assistant function is adjusted based on the context. The method detects a target keyword from the input sound stream based on the adjusted threshold. If the target keyword is detected, the method activates the voice assistant function.
US09240181B2

An audio stream is segmented into a plurality of time segments using speaker segmentation and recognition (SSR), with each time segment corresponding to the speaker's name, producing an SSR transcript. The audio stream is transcribed into a plurality of word regions using automatic speech recognition (ASR), with each of the word regions having a measure of the confidence in the accuracy of the translation, producing an ASR transcript. Word regions with a relatively low confidence in the accuracy of the translation are identified. The low confidence regions are filtered using named entity recognition (NER) rules to identify low confidence regions that a likely names. The NER rules associate a region that is identified as a likely name with the name of the speaker corresponding to the current, the previous, or the next time segment. All of the likely name regions associated with that speaker's name are selected.
US09240177B2

A system and method are disclosed for generating customized text-to-speech voices for a particular application. The method comprises generating a custom text-to-speech voice by selecting a voice for generating a custom text-to-speech voice associated with a domain, collecting text data associated with the domain from a pre-existing text data source and using the collected text data, generating an in-domain inventory of synthesis speech units by selecting speech units appropriate to the domain via a search of a pre-existing inventory of synthesis speech units, or by recording the minimal inventory for a selected level of synthesis quality. The text-to-speech custom voice for the domain is generated utilizing the in-domain inventory of synthesis speech units. Active learning techniques may also be employed to identify problem phrases wherein only a few minutes of recorded data is necessary to deliver a high quality TTS custom voice.
US09240163B2

A video wall, having screens, cables, synchronization detection modules and a central control unit. The cables are operative to carry image data to be displayed on the screens. The synchronization detection modules are coupled between the screens and the cables for detection of a feature symbol. The central control unit collects detection results from the synchronization detection modules, and the detection results are utilized in the adjustment of the image data before cable transmission. In this manner, image display synchronization between the screens is achieved. The synchronization detection modules may be implemented as connectors, each having a first end connected to a screen and a second end connected to a cable.
US09240151B2

A source driver and a method for determining polarity of pixel voltage thereof are provided. The source driver includes a data register unit, a plurality of data groups and a plurality of polarity determining units. The data register unit receives an image data signal and provides a plurality of display data. The data groups have at least two data channels respectively. The data channels are coupled to the data register unit to receive the corresponding display data and provide a plurality of pixel voltages. The polarity determining units are respectively coupled to the data channels corresponding to different data groups, and each of the polarity determining units determines whether to invert polarities of a part of the pixel voltages provided by the coupled data channels according to the received display data of the coupled data channels and previous display data corresponding to the received display data.
US09240149B2

Disclosed are a liquid crystal display (LCD) device and a method of fabricating the same, the LCD device having a dual link structure for reducing width of a line diverging section where data link wires diverge to come in contact with data lines. A set of data link wires are placed in a first layer and another set of data link wires are placed in a second layer so that the pitch between the data link wires can be reduced.
US09240146B2

A liquid crystal display device includes a liquid crystal panel, a light blocking barrier, and a sensor. The apparatus has a barrier driving controlling unit, a display controlling unit, and a display mode decision unit to decide a display mode of an image to be displayed on the panel. The barrier driving controlling unit controls, when it is decided that the display mode is a first mode, driving of the barrier so that the position of the light blocking section of the barrier is moved in response to the position of the viewer detected by the sensor. The display controlling unit controls, when it is decided that the display mode is a second mode, the display of the panel so that the display position of the left-eye and the right-eye images on the panel is moved in response to the position of the viewer detected by the sensor.
US09240131B2

An adhesive article exhibiting air release or egress, repositionability, and/or slidability characteristics. An adhesive article comprises an adhesive layer comprising an adhesive surface comprising discrete forms of non-adhesive material randomly distributed on the patterned surface and at least partially embedded in the adhesive layer. The discrete forms of non-adhesive material provide areas of no or minimal adhesion and provide the article with some level of repositionability or slidability. The adhesive surface comprising the non-adhesive forms may be patterned to provide an adhesive surface with a contact surface and recessed area or channels that provide the article with a route for air to flow out from under the construction. An article may be formed by providing a release liner, applying discrete forms of non-adhesive material to a surface of the release liner, at least partially embedding the non-adhesive forms, and embossing the release liner.
US09240119B2

A tamper alert band is provided that includes a strap with conductive and non-conductive elements or layers. The tamper alert band includes an electronic or RFID device that is configured to communicate with RFID readers and/or exciters. The strap may be a single unitary body that has a conductive layer and a non-conductive layer.
US09240117B2

Medical devices and systems provide for detection of proper lead insertion by monitoring for electrical continuity between adjacent electrical contacts. The electrical contacts are spaced so that an electrical connector of a medical lead being inserted will span the distance between the electrical contacts and thereby maintain a physical connection with both electrical contacts at one time. Upon the medical device detecting that continuity is achieved between the adjacent electrical contacts, the medical device may provide an indication such as a visual and/or audible cue to a clinician who is inserting the lead and/or by providing a telemetry signal to an external device such as a programmer so that the programmer may then provide a visual and/or audible cue to a technician operating the programmer.
US09240116B1

Systems and methods for detecting chemical substance levels in surrounding environments using an integrated vehicle system are provided. A vehicle is equipped with a vehicle system comprising a detector component, a vehicle telematics component, and mobile gateway component. The detector component monitors a level of one or more chemical substances and determines that a threshold level of the one or more chemical substances has been detected. The vehicle telematics component generates an alert signaling detection of the threshold level of the one or more chemical substances. The alert may be communicated to one or more recipients including a command center. The alert may include, among other things, the level of the one or more chemical substances and the location of the vehicle. Communication of the alert and additional communications with the one or more recipients is facilitated by a mobile gateway component that provides access to a wireless communications network.
US09240115B2

Disclosed is a power transmission apparatus to detect the deterioration state of a timing belt in use, thereby making it possible to detect at a high accuracy whether or not the timing belt reaches an exchanging time. The power transmission apparatus comprises a crankshaft pulley, an intake camshaft pulley, and a timing belt wound around the crankshaft pulley and the intake camshaft pulley. The timing belt contains a stress light emission material capable of emitting light when receiving an external force. The power transmission apparatus further comprises an optical sensor and an ECU. The optical sensor is disposed to measure light emitted from the timing belt. The ECU is operative to judge whether or not the timing belt is deteriorated and to judge that the timing belt reaches the exchanging time when the timing belt is judged to be deteriorated.
US09240110B2

A haptic footswitch treadle for use in microsurgical systems is disclosed. The haptic footswitch treadle includes a haptic surface coupled to a pivotable treadle base and configured to convey vibratory haptic feedback to a surgeon. The haptic footswitch includes a positional sensor coupled to the treadle base and suspension elements and actuators positioned between the haptic surface and the treadle base. The actuators are configured to move the suspension elements and the haptic surface based on command signals generated by haptic software applications in response to data from the positional sensor.
US09240105B2

A slot game and systems and methods for administering the slot game wherein the slot administrator defines game parameters that in turn define the contours of the slot game. Game play consists of wagers made on plays of alphanumeric combinations that a player tries to successfully match with the characters in outcome sets prepared for each character position in the target phrase, wherein the player selects one or more outcome characters from each outcome set.
US09240091B2

A vending arrangement for computerized vending machines, retail displays, automated retail stores, utilizes a centralized, robotic gantry associated with companion modules for vending a plurality of selectable products. The modularized design enables deployment of half-sized or larger, full sized machines. The robotic gantry is deployed in a centralized module disposed adjacent display and inventory modules. Inventory modules can be fitted to both gantry sides, and doors can be fitted to the gantry front or rear. The gantry comprises an internal, vertically displaceable elevator utilizing a central conveyor for laterally, horizontally moving selected items from associated display and inventory positions to a vending position. Computerized software enables the display and vending functions, and controls elevator movement to dispense products from twin sides of the gantry by appropriately controlling the conveyor.
US09240090B2

Systems and methods secure, store and/or dispense one or more retail items, and have at least one shelf and at least one product holder having a front portion, a back portion, a pusher paddle, at least one product stop ramp, and a level actuator. The systems and methods have a hinged front panel hinged, a blocker panel locatable in an engaged position or in an unengaged position, and at least one linkage connecting the front panel and the blocker panel, wherein the at least one portion of the level actuator is movable within the opening formed in the front panel to lift the associated forks above the stop ramp of the at least one product holder.
US09240087B2

Receipting and dispensing module (32-1) for equipments of automatic deposit and withdrawal of banknotes including a banknote seat (234) for storing banknotes (32) with arrangement in superimposition and subdivision in two banknote stacks (238f and 238r) and a couple of insertion and extraction devices (241f and 241r) for the insertion and the extraction of the banknotes. The banknote seat (234) is usable by each banknote stack and the insertion and extraction devices are arranged at the ends of the banknote seat. The module (32-i) comprises an input-output passage (82) and a diverting member (246) controllable for causing the banknotes to transit between the input-output passage (82) and one or the other insertion and extraction device. Guiding and moving elements (247) are provided for guiding and moving the banknotes between the diverting member (246) and one (241r) of the insertion and extraction devices (241f and 241r).
US09240083B2

A method of real-time rotor fault detection includes measuring a set of loads to obtain measured signals and virtually monitoring the set of loads to obtain estimated signals. The estimated signals are subtracted from the measured signals to obtain residuals and the residuals are compared to a categorical model. A categorical output representative of a rotor fault is identified within the categorical model.
US09240078B2

Identifying a vehicle in a toll system includes accessing a set of toll transaction entries. Each entry in the set designates a toll transaction between a vehicle and the toll system and includes a transaction descriptor and a transaction time stamp. A series of toll transaction pictures is accessed. The series includes a plurality of pictures, each of which is associated with a picture time stamp. A toll transaction entry is identified from the set as a violation transaction entry based on the transaction descriptor. A toll transaction picture is selected from the series. The transaction time stamp of the violation transaction is compared, using a processing device, with the picture time stamp of the selected toll transaction picture. The selected toll transaction picture is identified as a violation picture corresponding to the violation transaction entry based on a result of the comparison.
US09240072B2

A sense of three-dimensionality and thickness is restored to a subject and a high-quality three-dimensional image with a low sense of a cardboard cutout effect is obtained, regardless of the cause of the cardboard cutout effect. In a three-dimensional image capturing apparatus (three-dimensional image processing apparatus) (1000), a depth generation unit (103) obtains L depth information and R depth information from a three-dimensional image, and an image correction unit (104) executes a shadow enhancement process that is stronger on the inside of an object than on the outside of the object, based on the L depth information and the R depth information. Through this, the occurrence of the cardboard cutout effect can be suppressed, and a high-quality three-dimensional image with a reduced cardboard cutout effect can be obtained.
US09240068B2

A three-dimensional image processing apparatus and a calibration method of the same are disclosed. A display device displays two or more view images. A three-dimensional image filter is disposed at the front of the display device. The three-dimensional image filter has transmission regions and non-transmission regions which are alternately arranged. A controller adjusts positions of the non-transmission regions of the three-dimensional image filter based on a current position of a user and a reference switch mode. Upon detecting a user action to request movement of the non-transmission regions, the controller changes the reference switch mode in response to the user action and adjusts the positions of the non-transmission regions of the three-dimensional image filter based on the changed reference switch mode.
US09240067B2

An image animation method implementable in software includes: fitting a fitting model to at least an object in the image, and animating the object in accordance with a corresponding animation model, where the fitting model is at least as rigid as the animation model, and the animation model is no more rigid than the fitting model.
US09240066B2

Methods and apparatuses for facilitating skeletal animation are provided. A method may include determining a holistic motion path for a skeletal animation. The method may further include determining, independently of the determination of the holistic motion path, a limb animation for the skeletal animation based at least in part upon a plurality of skeletal key frames. The method may additionally include generating the skeletal animation by correlating the holistic motion path with the limb animation. Corresponding apparatuses are also provided.
US09240065B2

There is provided an image processing apparatus including an image processing unit which performs image processing on each of a plurality of images of a same subject having different resolutions, and an image combining unit which combines an image processing result of each of the plurality of images obtained by the image processing unit.
US09240058B1

A user can share digital content with another user or device using dynamically-generated barcodes. A user might request to share an electronic book (“e-book”), stored on a first device, with another user having a second device. The first device can generate a barcode that includes not only information about the identity of the e-book, but also information about the user or the first device, which can help to determine rights and/or access restrictions for the content. The second device can capture an image of the barcode generated on a display of the first device, and use information extracted from that image to attempt to obtain a copy of the e-book. Other types of barcodes can be generated based at least in part upon the context, such as where a user is attempting to locate a physical copy of a type of digital content in a retail location.
US09240057B2

Whether or not a received drawing instruction is an instruction which needs an arithmetic operating process with a background portion is discriminated. When it is determined that the received drawing instruction is not the instruction which needs the arithmetic operating process with the background portion, the drawing instruction is converted into a drawing command and transmitted to a printing apparatus, and the received drawing instruction is stored as intermediate data. When it is determined that the received drawing instruction is the instruction which needs the arithmetic operating process with the background portion, the intermediate data which relates to the received drawing instruction is extracted from the intermediate data stored by the storing step, a drawing command in which the arithmetic operating process of the received drawing instruction has been executed to the extracted intermediate data is formed and transmitted to the printing apparatus.
US09240047B2

In an embodiment, a recognition apparatus includes: an obtaining unit configured to obtain positions of a specific part in a coordinate system having a first axis to an n-th axis (n≧2); a calculating unit configured to calculate a movement vector of the specific part; a principal axis selecting unit configured to select a principal axis; a turning point setting unit configured to set a position at which there is a change in the principal axis, and set a position at which there is a change; a section setting unit configured to set a determination target section, and set a previous section; a determining unit configured to calculate an evaluation value of the determination target section and an evaluation value of the immediately previous section and, determine which of the first axis to the n-th axis is advantageous; and a presenting unit configured to perform the determined result.
US09240041B2

A defect inspection device according to one aspect of the present invention includes a light source, a detector that receives light from an illuminated region of a sample, a stage that changes a relative position between light from the light source and the sample in order to sequentially inspect a plurality of unit inspection regions, a comparator that compares a detection signal output from the detector with a threshold according to scanning in the stage, a mask position setting unit that sets a common position of the plurality of unit inspection regions as a mask position in order to mask the common position when the plurality of unit inspection regions are sequentially inspected, and a defect detection unit that detects a defect based on a comparison result in the comparison unit in another region than the mask position.
US09240030B2

Disclosed is an approach for providing an improved approach for rendering graphics that can utilize both server-side rendering and client-side rendering for the same display frame. In this way, the different visual objects within the same frame can be rendered using either approach, either at the server or at the client.
US09240029B2

A system and method are disclosed for displaying video on a computing device for navigation and other purposes. Video data is collected by traveling along roads in a geographic area and storing the video data along with data indicating the positions at which the video data had been captured. This captured video data is then used in navigation systems and other devices that provide navigation, routing, or other features. A video is presented to a user on the display of a navigation system (or other device). An application associated with the navigation system uses the previously captured video data to create the video shown to the user. The application selects that video data that shows the end user's position from a vantage point. The application further superimposes an indication on the video at a location that corresponds to the position of the end user.
US09240028B2

A computationally implemented system and method that is designed to, but is not limited to: electronically receiving directive information including verification information to electronically verify issuance of the directive information by at least one authorized entity, living being identification associated with a particular individual living being, and reporting directions for electronically recording occurrence information to indicate at least one occurrence of at least partial preparation of a particular ingestible product designated by the reporting directions to be associated with an electronically inputted identification of the particular individual living being as verified using the living being identification electronically received with the directive information; and electronically transmitting the occurrence information to an electronic receiving device to be accessed by at least one recipient identified by the reporting directions as authorized to access the occurrence information subsequent to verification that the electronically received directive information was issued by the at least one authorized entity and subsequent to the electronic inputting of the identification of the particular individual living being, the occurrence information indicating the at least one occurrence of at least partial preparation of the particular ingestible product being associated with the particular individual living being. In addition to the foregoing, other method aspects are described in the claims, drawings, and text forming a part of the present disclosure.
US09240024B2

To provide a comment submission support system capable of supporting submission of such a comment as to enable a person who has viewed the comment to grasp a purchase status of a product or service. A purchase status information acquisition unit (61) acquires purchase status information relating to a purchase status of a product or service that is sold by a sales method in which a unit price of the product or service purchased by a plurality of purchasers within a target period is determined based on a total number of purchases of the product or service purchased by the plurality of purchasers within the target period. A transmission unit (63) transmits link information for access to a communication service device and information based on the purchase status information to a terminal of a user. The link information and the information based on the purchase status information are used by the terminal of the user to request the communication service device for submission screen data being such data as to automatically input the comment relating to the purchase status of the product or service to a comment input field.
US09240009B2

Techniques for managing modules or applications installed in a mobile device are described. To provide authentic and secured transactions with another device, each of the installed applications is provisioned with a server through data communication capability in a mobile device. A provisioned application is associated with the personalized secure element in the mobile device and works with a set of keys that are generated in accordance with a set of keys from the personalized secure element. Further management of controlling an installed application is also described.
US09240007B2

An embodiment includes a system comprising a first vending machine (VM), the first VM comprising: an exterior chassis having a top, bottom, backside, front side, and first and second sides that couple the front side to the backside; a wireless short range communications node included in the chassis; and an actuator coupled to a compartment included in the chassis; wherein (a) the actuator provides a vended good to an aperture in the front side upon actuation, and (b) each of the front side and first and second sides includes no physically manipulatable consumer interface with which the consumer can control the first VM via direct physical manipulation of the first VM. Other embodiments are described herein.
US09240005B2

A payment-enabled mobile device such as a “smart phone” incorporates risk management features that are applicable to its use in contactless payment transactions. Some features may govern when verification of the cardholder's identity is required for consummation of the current transaction. The features may be configurable by the payment card account issuer and/or the user of the mobile device.
US09240000B2

The application discloses systems and methods for physically sharing a hard copy of a document. The systems and methods include presenting to a user a graphical user interface having printing options for printing the document, where the graphical user interface has an input for receiving an indication by the user that the user is willing to share the hard copy of the document; presenting to the user options for defining characteristics of the hard copy of the document in response to receiving the indication; and publishing at least one of the defined characteristics within a profile page of the user.
US09239997B2

The present disclosure relates to systems and processes for environmental and condition monitoring of containerized assets. One illustrative system includes containers that are configured to enclose assets that are potentially hazardous and/or potentially sensitive to electromagnetic (EM)/radio frequency (RF) radiation or emissions. The assets may also be sensitive to various environmental conditions such as temperature, humidity, shock and vibration. An exemplary system uses sensors to measure and track these environmental conditions inside a container for up to multiple years. An illustrative system may also use sensors to measure attributes of the asset. An illustrative system is configured to archive and report on the collected data. An illustrative system includes the ability to issue a warning when an asset may have been compromised. Additionally, the collected data may be used in predictive life analyses. More particularly, the collected data may be analyzed and compared to thresholds for container assets to reach deductive or inductive conclusions about the probability of damage, maintenance needs, or replacement needs.
US09239994B2

A data center management system may include a processor coupled to a network. The network may be further coupled to a primary data center and a secondary data center located at a physical location remote from the primary data center. The processor may be adapted to execute computer implemented instructions to determine a first transition point for the primary data center with respect to a secondary data center on the basis of one or more financial indicators, transfer one or more data center tasks from the primary data center to the secondary data center at substantially the first transition point, and execute the one or more transferred data center tasks at the secondary data center.
US09239991B2

A system and method for remotely supporting users includes receiving identification information of a potential problem with a remotely located equipment from a user and responding to receiving the identification information by providing a recommended work scope to the user. The recommended work scope includes a recommended series of actions to perform to at least one of repair or replace a component subsystem and an instructional representation for display on a mobile device. The first instructional representation both illustrates the series of actions to perform and includes at least one annotation to represent an alert to the user that is related to the action being illustrated. The first instructional representation includes images, videos, and/or a combination thereof that are displayed on the mobile device to guide the user through the recommended work scope.
US09239989B2

A computer-implemented system includes an edge module and at least one input device coupled to the edge module. The at least one input device is configured to generate data input signals. The system also includes a cognitive module coupled to the edge module. The cognitive module includes a perception sub-module coupled to the edge module. The perception sub-module is configured to receive the data input signals. The cognitive module also includes a learning sub-module coupled to the perception sub-module. The learning sub-module is configured to adaptively learn at least in part utilizing the data input signals.
US09239988B2

An apparatus for predicting a network event flood comprises an event rate detector for detecting rates of event emissions from one or more devices; an aggregator for producing an aggregate rate and an aggregate rate trend of the rates of event emissions from a plurality of the devices; a level generator for generating a plurality of levels comprising maximum acceptable event rate values of a plurality of the aggregate rate trends over plural time periods; a storage component for storing the plurality of levels; a comparator for comparing a current aggregate rate trend with at least a selected one of the levels; and a signaller for signalling a predicted event flood responsive to the comparator detecting that the current aggregate rate trend will exceed the at least a selected one of the levels at a first point in time.
US09239985B2

Apparatus and methods for processing inputs by one or more neurons of a network. The neuron(s) may generate spikes based on receipt of multiple inputs. Latency of spike generation may be determined based on an input magnitude. Inputs may be scaled using for example a non-linear concave transform. Scaling may increase neuron sensitivity to lower magnitude inputs, thereby improving latency encoding of small amplitude inputs. The transformation function may be configured compatible with existing non-scaling neuron processes and used as a plug-in to existing neuron models. Use of input scaling may allow for an improved network operation and reduce task simulation time.
US09239979B1

A payment management system includes a synthetic barcode module, which may be part of a smart phone. The module comprises light management components and a controller. The light management components may include an optical receiver (e.g., camera or light sensor) and an optical emitter (e.g., display elements). A processor decodes drive data from files corresponding to barcodes. The decoded data is used to drive the controller which causes the emitter to emit light pulses that emulate light reflected from a series scanned barcode to communicate the payment barcode optically. The barcodes convey payment information to a point of sale.
US09239977B2

It is determined whether printing of an image having a size corresponding to a preset size set as print settings for data to be printed on a print medium is allowed based on the preset size and one or more candidates of the size of the print medium obtained by detecting the size of the print medium using a sensor. If it is determined that the printing is allowed, a screen inquiring whether an image based on the data to be printed having a size corresponding to the preset size is printed is displayed. If the printing is instructed via the screen, the image is printed on the print medium.
US09239972B2

A recording apparatus is capable of forming an image on a recording medium by using a recording head including first and second recording element arrays for one color component wherein each recording element array includes a plurality of recording elements arranged therein. To perform, in a short time, processes including converting of multilevel data to binary data and assigning of the binary data to the recording element arrays, a multilevel data buffer stores multilevel data, a reading unit reads the multilevel data stored in the multilevel data buffer, and a production unit produces binary data from the multilevel data by using a code table including a plurality of code sets depending on a gray level wherein each code set includes codes corresponding to the first and second recording element arrays. A transferring unit transfers the binary data produced by the production unit to corresponding recording element arrays.
US09239970B2

An image forming system (100) is provided with plural image forming apparatuses (200) that form images on can bodies (10), a can-body supply mechanism (300) that supplies can bodies (10) to the plural image forming apparatuses (200) successively, and a can-body discharge mechanism (400) that discharges the can bodies (10) on which images have been formed by the image forming apparatuses (200). Each of the image forming apparatuses (200) receives, at a can-body receiving position (1C), can bodies (10) supplied by the can-body supply mechanism (300). Each of the image forming apparatuses (200) also discharges, at a can-body discharging position (1D), can bodies (10) on which images have been formed. The can-body receiving positions (1C) and the can-body discharging positions (1D) are arranged more to the inner side than a circular virtual line (1B) that passes through the centers of the image forming apparatuses (200).
US09239959B1

An imaging system includes: a transmit side that generates a plurality of switched beam laser signals and scans each of the switched beam laser signals into a respective field of view by two polygon facets simultaneously of a polygonal mirror, the respective fields of view overlapping in at least a portion thereof; and a receive side that receives a plurality of reflections of the laser signals, detects them, and captures them as three-dimensional imagery data. A method includes: generating a plurality of switched beam laser signals from a single laser signal; scanning each of the switched beam laser signals in seriatim into a respective field of view by each of two polygonal facets of a polygonal mirror, the respective fields of view overlapping in at least a portion thereof; receiving reflections of the switched beam laser signals; and generating a set of three-dimensional imagery from the received reflections.
US09239954B2

The disclosure provides an image processing device, image processing method, scanner and storage medium. The image processing device is used for tracing a boundary of an object image in an image, the boundary being continuous and the rate of change in slope between adjacent points on the boundary being slow. The image processing device includes: a boundary estimation unit, adapted to estimate the location of the boundary of the object image; an interfering gradient processing unit, adapted to process an interfering gradient near the estimated boundary, so as to reduce the interfering gradient or remove the interfering gradient from the image; and a boundary tracing unit, adapted to trace the boundary in the image having the interfering gradient processed. By using the technique of the disclosure, the accuracy of tracing a boundary of an image is improved significantly.
US09239951B2

An adaptive interface, predicting a desired user function, based on user history, as well as machine internal status and context. An input is predicted, and the predictive mechanism may be is updated based on this feedback. Also provided is a pattern recognition system for a multimedia device, wherein an input is matched to a media stream on a conceptual basis, allowing inferential programming of the device. The system analyzes a data stream for correspondence with a data pattern. The data stream is subjected to adaptive pattern recognition to extract features of interest. Applications of the interface and system include a VCR, medical device, vehicle control system, audio device, environmental control system, securities trading terminal, and smart house. The system optionally includes an actuator for effecting the environment of operation, allowing closed-loop feedback operation and automated learning.
US09239937B2

An aspect provides a method, including: gathering, with an information handling device, client system identification data of a client system; providing, with the information handling device, the client system with at least one cryptographic key; transmitting, with the information handling device, the client system identification data and a request for security policy override to a third party; receiving, with the information handling device, encrypted approval data from the third party; and transmitting, with the information handling device, encrypted approval data to the client system. Other aspects are described and claimed.
US09239934B2

A mobile computing system for providing a high-security execution environment is provided. The mobile computing system separates execution environments in the same mobile device on the basis of virtualization technology and manages user-specific execution environments using the same hardware security module, thereby facilitating protection of personal privacy.
US09239930B2

A method for setting permissions for a group of users of a computer system. The method includes receiving data that defines a role for a first group of users, the role including one or more permissions each defining a permitted activity of the first group of users with respect to data of users in a second group of users, and setting the one or more permissions based on the defined role.
US09239926B2

Discovering timing attack vulnerabilities in a computer software application by statically analyzing instructions of a computer software application to identify multiple possible execution paths traversing any of the instructions, calculating, for each of the possible execution paths, a cost associated with the execution of the instructions traversed by the possible execution path, comparing the costs of at least two of the possible execution paths having inputs of the same size, and identifying as a timing attack vulnerability any of the compared possible execution paths whose cost differs, by at least a predetermined amount, from the cost of any other of the compared possible execution paths.
US09239925B2

A device comprises a processor arranged to automatically execute boot code upon start-up or reset. The boot code comprises a code authentication procedure to verify whether additional code is authenticated for execution on the processor. A separate security unit comprises a private unlock key and cryptography logic configured to use the private unlock key to sign a portion of data, thereby generating a signed unlock file for supply to a storage location. The processor is arranged to access the unlock file from the storage location, making it available without requiring connection to the security unit. The boot code further comprises an unlocking authentication procedure configured to check for the unlock file in the storage location, and if available to verify whether the unlock file is authenticated for use on the processor based on its signature, so as to de-restrict the boot authentication procedure on condition of verifying the unlock file.
US09239918B2

The present invention discloses a method for software-hardware authentication of an electronic apparatus includes receiving a challenge string (CS) from the electronic apparatus through a challenge string input port (CSIP). The challenge string is a string of trace data generated according to some operations of software running on the electronic apparatus. An authentication result for use in an authentication process for the software to authenticate a hardware unit of the electronic apparatus or for the hardware unit to authenticate the software is generated according to the string of the trace data. The authentication process is performed according to the generated authentication result.
US09239911B2

A subscription proxy receives, from an end user system, a request for a resource provided by a content delivery network, the request comprising a local credential associated with the end user system. The subscription proxy identifies a remote credential associated with the content delivery network and corresponding to the local credential. The subscription proxy replaces the local credential in the request with the corresponding remote credential and sends the request for the resource with the remote credential to the content delivery network.
US09239907B1

Techniques for identifying misleading applications are disclosed. In one particular exemplary embodiment, the techniques may be realized as a method for identifying misleading applications comprising receiving a request for network data, parsing the request for network data, using a processor, to determine if one or more portions of the request match a suspicious indicator, identifying the suspicious indicator without using a known malware domain or a known malware signature, and performing a specified action in the event one or more portions of the request match a suspicious indicator.
US09239899B2

A method and system for transaction-based verification of a design under test (DUT) by a test bench that configures the DUT with at least one configuration including one or more configuration values. At least one input to the DUT is applied to generate at least one output based on a configuration value. A list of changed one or more configuration values is associated with at least one abstract input transaction to generate at least one input transaction. A list of changed one or more configuration values is associated with one or more abstract output transactions to generate at least one output transaction. One or more expected transactions is generated based on the at least one input transaction using one or more transfer functions. An outcome is generated as pass/fail based on comparing the at least one output transaction with each of the one or more expected transactions.
US09239897B2

A core circuit that can be connected in a hierarchical manner, and configured to test a multiple circuits is disclosed. The core circuit includes at least one real input for receiving scan-in data for controlling operation of the core circuit. The core circuit further includes an input register coupled to the at least one real input and configured to store data. The core circuit further includes at least one scan chain coupled a subset if registers of the register chain and configured to generate scan-out data representing the presence of faults in an circuit. Furthermore, the core circuit includes at least one control pseudo-output coupled to the input register and configured to route at least a subset of the data to another register chain in the core circuit or to another core circuit.
US09239896B2

A design methodology which prevents functional failure caused by CDM ESD events. A transistor model is used to model the final states of cells, and a simulator is then used to identify invulnerable cells. Cells that are potential failure sites are then identified. The cells which have been identified as being potential victims are replaced by the previously-identified invulnerable cells that have the identical logic function. On the other hand, if a cell with identical function cannot be found, an invulnerable buffer cell (that will not effect logic function) can be inserted in front of the potential victim transistor as protection. By replacing all the potential victim cells with cells which have been determined to be invulnerable, the resulting design will be guaranteed to be CDM ESD tolerant.
US09239892B2

Embodiments of the present invention include a method for generating a skeletal view of a building including receiving location information and spatial orientation information for a computing device. Further, a field of view may be determined based on the location information and spatial orientation information. The computing device may then receive information about a building at a location near the computing device, and identify a structure in the field of view of the computing device. Based on the information about the building, the structure, and the field of view, a graphical representation of the structure may be prepared and displayed.
US09239884B2

Links to references cited in a given electronic document are automatically generated in conjunction with processing of the electronic document. In one aspect, which may be implemented at least in part in an otherwise conventional electronic document reader or an associated preprocessor, a reference citation is detected in a first electronic document, the reference citation is processed to determine a link that provides access to a second electronic document identified by the reference citation, and the link and at least a portion of the first electronic document are displayed to a user. The link may be determined by providing one or more designated portions of the reference citation to a search engine and processing results provided by the search engine to determine the link. For example, a search query may be formulated based on the detected reference citation and the search query provided to the search engine.
US09239867B2

Systems and methods are provided for identifying data variable roles during initial data exploration. A variable type, unique data value count values, and an overflow count value are determined for a variable. The unique data value count values include a number of occurrences of each of a plurality of unique data values for the variable in a data set. The overflow count value is a number of occurrences of data values other than the plurality of unique data values for the variable in the data set. When a number of the plurality of unique data values is greater than a value for a high cardinality threshold, the variable is determined to be a high cardinality variable. When the variable is not determined to be the high cardinality variable, a class variable role is assigned to the variable. When the variable is determined to be the high cardinality variable, Whether or not the variable is a numeric variable type is determined based on the determined variable type. When the variable is determined to not be the numeric variable type, the overflow count value is compared to the unique data value count values to determine whether or not rare visible values occurred for the variable. When the determination is that rare visible values occurred for the variable, a record identifier variable role is assigned to the variable.
US09239866B2

Methods, systems and devices for automatically connecting similar users wherein similarity is based on live audio listening information. The method comprises receiving and storing audio listening information at a server for a plurality of users and identifying the audio the user is currently listening to. The server uses the stored information to automatically generate a list of users similar to a particular user. The similarity between users can be based on audio users are currently listening to, so that the list of similar users comprises a list of users currently listening to the same audio as the particular user. The server filters the list of similar users to a specific geographic area, such as a town. The server then provides the particular user with information on the similar users which may enable the particular user to communicate with the similar users publicly or privately.
US09239863B2

Methods and apparatuses for updating and searching a graphic code are disclosed. The apparatus receives a graphic query request carrying a graphic code to be searched. If no product information corresponding to the graphic code is found in the graphic code database, the apparatus searches for a recommended keyword corresponding to the graphic code; if a recommended keyword is found, the apparatus returns the recommended keyword, and if not found, returns a search box. The apparatus then receives a search request carrying a search keyword, and, if the search keyword is determined to be inconsistent with the recommended keyword corresponding to the graphic code, makes the search keyword a new recommended keyword of the graphic code, and adds the new recommended keyword to the graphic code database.
US09239858B1

Systems and methods are presented for performing concurrent updates on a shared value. A request to update a shared value is stored in a secondary database table, and the update to the shared value is deferred. Application of an aggregation function to delta values stored in the secondary database table may produce an aggregate value that can be applied to the shared value in a consolidated update.
US09239839B2

The invention concerns a device for multimedia data retrieval, said multimedia data being associated with an active component, said device being characterized in that, depending on an external event, some of the active components trigger an action that make the user aware of the multimedia data associated with said active components.
US09239829B2

A speech recognition device includes: a speech recognition unit 23a that performs speech recognition for input speech; a reading information conversion data base in which a reading information conversion rule L is registered; a reading information conversion unit 27a that converts reading information of the word among the languages based on the rule L; and a speech recognition control unit 24a that performs control such that, when a word in a different language that is different from a predetermined language is included in a recognition subject vocabulary in which a speech recognition unit 23a refers to recognition subject word information E, the unit 27a converts the reading information in the different language into reading information in the predetermined language, and that the unit 23a performs the speech recognition that makes reference to the recognition subject word information of the corresponding word, including the converted reading information in the predetermined language.
US09239824B2

An embodiment of the present application is directed to an apparatus, method, and or computer readable medium for effectively storing an interactive dictionary database in a memory. The interactive dictionary database includes a plurality of symbol sequences, each of the plurality of symbol sequences including at least one polysemous symbol and each of the plurality of symbol sequences being stored in association with at least one word, sentence, phoneme, message, letter, number, morpheme, command and/or phrase. The method includes providing, in the interactive dictionary database, information useable to assign at least a subset of the plurality of symbol sequences at least one of an active and an inactive status.
US09239818B2

An image forming device includes a storage unit registering information on at least one server, a communication unit connected to at least one server registered in the storage via a network and receiving application information, a UI processing unit configuring an integrated UI displaying applications supported by at least one server, a display unit displaying the integrated UI and a control unit, if an application is selected from the integrated UI, requesting a web service to a server supporting the selected application. Therefore, convenience in the use of web services may increase.
US09239811B2

A data processing apparatus includes a data input unit configured to input data to a ring bus, a data output unit configured to output the data input by the input unit, a first communication processing unit configured to control input of the data by the data input unit to the ring bus and to control output of the data by the data output unit, a plurality of data processing units configured to perform data processing, a plurality of second communication processing units configured to control transmission and reception of the data between the plurality of data processing units and the ring bus, and a control unit configured to independently perform initialization on the plurality of second communication processing units or the plurality of data processing units.
US09239809B2

A message is simultaneously broadcast to multiple systems on a 1-wire bus. A first addressed communication session is established between a microprocessor and a first 1-wire I/O expander via a 1-wire bus, where the first 1-wire I/O expander is electrically coupled to a first system. The first 1-wire I/O expander is placed into “fast access mode”, and then removed from the 1-wire bus by opening a switch to the 1-wire bus. A second addressed communication session is established between the microprocessor and a second 1-wire I/O expander before the switch recloses, where the second 1-wire I/O expander is electrically coupled to a second system. The second 1-wire I/O expander is then placed into “fast access mode”. In response to the timer expiring and the switch reclosing, an unaddressed message is broadcast from the microprocessor to the first and second systems via the first and second 1-wire I/O expanders.
US09239796B2

Methods, systems, and computer readable media for caching and using scatter list metadata to control DMA receiving of network protocol data are described. According to one method, metadata associated with partially used scatter list entries is cached in memory of a scatter list caching engine. Data to be written to host system memory is received. The scatter list caching engine provides the metadata associated with partially used scatter list entries to a DMA controller to control the DMA writing of the data into host system memory.
US09239793B2

Provided is a method and system for preloading a cache on a graphical processing unit. The method includes receiving a command message, the command message including data related to a portion of memory. The method also includes interpreting the command message, identifying policy information of the cache, identifying a location and size of the portion of memory, and creating a fetch message including data related to contents of the portion, wherein the fetch message causes the cache to preload data of the portion of memory.
US09239783B2

A storage controller has multiple processors, divided into groups, each of which handles a different stage of a pipelined process of performing host reads and writes. In some embodiments, the storage controller operates with a flash memory module, and includes a first processor group, a second processor group and a third processor group, each having one or more processors for handling a different stage of a pipelined execution of host storage commands. With respect to a first host command, a first processor of the first processor group, a first processor of the second processor group, and a first processor of the third processor group comprise a first pipeline, and with respect to a second host command, a second processor of the first processor group, a second processor of the second processor group, and a second processor of the third processor group comprise a second pipeline.
US09239782B2

Disclosed is a nonvolatile memory device which includes a nonvolatile memory including a plurality of LSB and MSB pages at a plurality of wordlines; and a controller controlling the nonvolatile memory. The controller controls the nonvolatile memory such that an LSB program operation on a first wordline of the plurality of wordlines is programmed and then an LSB program operation on a second wordline of the plurality of wordlines is programmed. When the LSB program operation on the second wordline is performed, the nonvolatile memory stores information about LSB data programmed at the first wordline at a spare area of the second wordline.
US09239774B2

Just My Code debugging allows developers to work on problems within their own code without noise from libraries, plugins and other unrelated code. Typical debugger behaviors may be modified based upon the identification or characterization of JavaScript code as “My Code,” “Library Code,” or “Unrelated Code.” The debugger behaviors that may be automatically determined using heuristics or set using a code-characterization file provided by a host application. The debugger receives project file information from the host application via a debugger-host interface. The debugger applies code-designation heuristics to undesignated code segments. If a code characterization file is received with the project information, the debugger designates application code segments based upon definitions in the code-characterization file. Once the debugger has characterized the code segments, it performs debugging operations on the application code. The behavior of the debugging operations may be selected depending upon the designation of the application code segments.
US09239768B2

In a testing device, a method for implementing distributed pin mapping. The method includes receiving a request from a plurality of CPUs to access a pin map memory at each of a plurality of bridges, implementing accesses to the pin map memories locally at each of the plurality of bridges, and using pin map data from the accesses to the plurality of CPUs to enable access to testing device resources.
US09239766B2

A storage control system adapted to operate as a remote copy pair by communicating between a primary and a secondary of the remote copy pair comprises a selector for selecting writes to be placed in a batch based on one or more criteria, a sequence number requester for requesting a sequence number for the batch, and a sequence number granter for granting a sequence number for the batch. The storage control system also comprises a batch transmitter for transmitting the batch to the secondary, a permission receiver for receiving a permission to write the batch from the secondary, and a write component responsive to the permission receiver to write the batch to completion, wherein the secondary is responsive to the completion to grant a further permission to write for a further batch.
US09239756B2

Systems and methods for performing defect detection and data recovery within a memory system are disclosed. A controller of a memory system writes data to a physical location of a memory and stores the physical location of the memory in a Flash Management Unit Tag cache (“Tag cache”). The controller identifies a data keep cache that is associated with the physical location of memory and updates an XOR sum stored in the identified data keep cache. The controller determines whether to perform a verification operation, and in response to a determination to perform the verification operation, verifies data stored at each physical location that has been stored in the Tag cache since a previous verification operation. Additionally, the controller determines whether to perform a reset operation, and in response to a determination to perform the reset operation, flushes the Tag cache and the plurality of data keep caches.
US09239754B2

A Solid-State Disk (SSD) controller performs soft-decision decoding with a single read, thus improving performance, power, and/or reliability of a storage sub-system, such as an SSD. In a first aspect, the controller generates soft-decision metrics from channel parameters of a hard decode read, without additional reads and/or array accesses. In a second aspect, the controller performs soft decoding using the generated soft-decision metrics. In a third aspect, the controller generates soft-decision metrics and performs soft decoding with the generated soft-decision metrics when a hard decode read error occurs.
US09239752B2

A semiconductor system including a semiconductor circuit configured to compare a first error detection code generated by performing an operation on read data to a second error detection code and determine a data transmission error, and a controller configured to provide the second error detection code, generated by performing an operation on expect data based on the read data, to the semiconductor circuit.
US09239742B2

Embedded systems are provided, which includes a processing unit and a memory. The processing unit simultaneously executes first thread having a flag for performing a data acquisition operation and second thread for performing a data process and output operation for the acquired data in the data acquisition operation. The flag is used for indicating whether a state of the first thread is in an execution state or a sleep state. The memory which is coupled to the processing unit provides a shared buffer for the first and second threads. Before executing the second thread, the flag is checked to determine whether to execute the second thread, wherein the second thread is executed when the flag indicates the sleep state while execution of the second thread is suspended when the flag indicates the execution state.
US09239734B2

An embodiment of a method for scheduling execution of jobs with the resources of a Multi-Core system envisages producing a system model based upon agents representing the jobs, said agents being able to implement a strategy for scheduling execution of the jobs with the resources of the Multi-Core system via respective available moves corresponding to the choice of a given resource of the Multi-Core system for execution of a given job. The agents are configured for implementing said strategy as strategy that integrates MiniMax and Nash-equilibrium strategies, for example operating in an iterative way, identifying an optimal solution deriving from the iteration. The strategy can be implemented by maximizing the probability of optimizing the time of completion of a given job for one of the agents.
US09239733B2

Methods and apparatus, including computer program products, are provided for scheduling batch jobs. In one aspect there is provided a method. The method may receiving, at a progress engine, status information provided by a job scheduler controlling an execution of a plurality of jobs, the status information representative of the plurality of jobs of the batch job; receiving, at the progress engine implemented on at least one processor, reference information representative of past executions of batch jobs; determining, by the progress engine, a completion time for the batch job based on the received status information and the received reference information; and generating, by the progress engine, a page including the determined completion time. Related systems, methods, and articles of manufacture are also disclosed.
US09239727B1

Systems and methods for configuring a virtual machine provided by a remote computing system based on the availability of one or more remote computing resources and respective corresponding prices of the one or more remote computing resources.
US09239725B2

The disclosure provides a computer system and a boot method thereof performing steps of: establishing an order of interrupt vectors for an interruption according to an order of BBS tables of hardware peripherals; preserving empty spaces in a first address space of a memory when the hardware peripherals are being initialized; inserting the BBS tables into the empty spaces if the initialized hardware peripherals are first hardware peripherals, or inserting the BBS tables into the first address space except the empty spaces if the initialized hardware peripherals are not the first hardware peripherals; disabling the hardware peripherals except a second hardware peripheral; and rebooting the computer system to activate the remote operating system under a preboot execution environment via one of the first hardware peripherals after the second hardware peripheral boots the preboot execution environment to install a remote operating system into the one of the first hardware peripherals.
US09239721B2

Embodiments relate to global weak pattern history table (PHT) filtering. An aspect includes receiving a search address associated with a branch prediction, and receiving a prediction strength indicator and a tag from a PHT. Based on determining that the tag matches the search address and the prediction strength indicator is weak, an accuracy counter is compared to a comparison threshold to determine whether a PHT direction prediction from the PHT is more likely accurate than a branch history table (BHT) direction prediction from a BHT. The PHT direction prediction is selected as a direction prediction based on determining that the accuracy counter indicates that the PHT direction prediction is more likely accurate than the BHT direction prediction. The BHT direction prediction is selected as the direction prediction based on determining that the accuracy counter indicates that the BHT direction prediction is more likely accurate than the PHT direction prediction.
US09239718B2

A system for upgrading firmware in multiple units or devices of a building control or automation system. A computer may have a tool that can reflash the firmware with an upgrade. The tool may reflash the firmware of multiple devices automatically without intervention of an operator. Devices having firmware that need an upgrade may be identified and classified as eligible for a firmware upgrade. Devices having firmware similar to firmware in other devices may be grouped with the latter devices for upgrading together, sequentially or in parallel, to simplify and expedite firmware upgrading of the devices. Firmware of devices in the field may be upgraded via a communication network or the like by the computer with the tool. The firmware upgrade, communications and/or associated activity associated with the upgrade may be proprietary and/or secured from public availability.
US09239715B1

At a time after receiving a request to cancel and rollback an update request for a computer system, one or more computer resources within a computer system invoke one or more computer system capabilities at least to cancel computer system operations to update the computer. When the computer system operations to update the computer system are cancelled, one or more computer resources within a computer system invoke one or more computer system capabilities at least to roll back the computer system to a previous good state.
US09239711B1

A system and method for selecting the number of machines from a cloud cluster needed for performing identical tasks with different inputs and outputs are disclosed. An example method receives an administrative task request from a user and determines the number of computing devices necessary to perform the request. The request may then be sharded into tasks across clusters of computing devices and the tasks may be run. The results from each computing device may be combined into a single result output and the output may be provided to a user.
US09239710B2

Techniques to automate the transformation of an application involving programming language constructs from a composite of source grammars to a composite of target grammars, while maintaining the fidelity of the program semantics and functionality, or extending or changing it to explode the capabilities and avoid the limitations of new technologies are disclosed. The different stages of the transformation are persisted in an annotated abstract syntax tree where the annotations represent semantic preserving transformation rules. The abstract syntax tree is then transformed according to the transformational rules. The transformed abstract syntax tree may then be traversed to generate a new translated source code application or be queried to generate output reports. Alternatively, the transformed abstract syntax tree may be subjected to another transformation as part of a chain of transformations.
US09239703B2

A full adder circuit includes a first logical operation unit suitable for outputting an inverse of the second input signal and a first output signal corresponding to either a second input signal or the inverse of the second input signal in response to a first input signal, a second logical operation unit suitable for outputting an inverse of the first output signal and a sum signal corresponding to either the first output signal or the inverse of the first output signal in response to a carry input signal, and a third logical operation unit suitable for outputting a carry output signal in response to the inverse of the second input signal, the first output signal, the inverse of the first output signal, and the sum signal.
US09239699B2

A method includes providing a memory unit in a computing device already including a number of processors communicatively coupled to a memory through a system bus, and providing a non-system bus based dedicated channel between the number of processors and the memory unit. The method also includes rendering a different video frame and/or a surface on each processor of the number of processors, and leveraging the memory unit to store a video frame and/or a surface rendered on a processor therein through the non-system bus based dedicated channel. Further, the method includes copying, to other processors, the stored video frame and/or the surface rendered on the processor from the memory unit through the non-system bus based dedicated channel, and scanning out, through the number of processors, the video frame and/or the surface rendered on the processor following the copying to enable display thereof on a corresponding number of displays.
US09239697B2

A system, method, and computer program product are provided for a display multiplier. First image data is received for a first display device and second image data is received for a second display device, where the second display device has fewer scan lines than the first display device. A scan line of the second image data is duplicated and a display multiplier output stream is generated that includes a first scan line of the first image data, the scan line of the second image data, a second scan line of the first image data, and the duplicated scan line of the second image data.
US09239695B2

A multi-region interactive display is provided. In some embodiments, a multi-region interactive display includes a display including a plurality of display regions, the display configured to provide content in at least a first display region and a second display region; a processor configured to select content for display in at least one of the display regions; and a memory coupled to the processor and configured to provide the processor with instructions, in which the first display region and second display region are configured so that when a first user interacts with the first display region, a second user's view of the second display region is at least partially visible.
US09239688B2

A system and method for maintaining a mapping table in a data storage subsystem. A data storage subsystem supports multiple mapping tables. Records within a mapping table are arranged in multiple levels which may be logically ordered by time. Each level stores pairs of a key value and a pointer value. New records are inserted in a created new (youngest) level. All levels other than the youngest may be read only. In response to detecting a flattening condition, a data storage controller is configured to identify a group of two or more adjacent levels of the plurality of levels for flattening which are logically adjacent in time. A new level is created and one or more records stored within the group are stored in the new level, in response to detecting each of the one or more records stores a unique key among keys stored within the group.
US09239681B2

The present invention provides a storage subsystem accessing a storage resource efficiently to thereby enhance throughput. The storage subsystem adopts a configuration where respective processor packages have ownership of the respective LDEVs, wherein an I/O command from a host specifying an address extending over a division position within a single LDEV is divided, and the I/O processing is executed in a shared manner by multiple processor packages. The I/O processing is executed by allocating a processor package that processes a specific storage area with priority.
US09239679B2

An apparatus comprising a memory and a controller. The memory may be configured to (i) implement a cache and (ii) store meta-data. The cache may comprise one or more cache windows. Each of the one or more cache windows comprises a plurality of cache-lines configured to store information. The controller is connected to the memory and configured to (A) process normal read/write operations in a first mode and (B) process special read/write operations in a second mode by (i) tracking a write followed by read condition on each of said cache windows and (ii) discarding data on the cache-lines associated with the cache windows after completion of the write followed by a read condition on the cache-lines.
US09239676B2

An information management apparatus includes a processor, and a memory configured to store computer-readable instructions. The instructions instruct the information management apparatus to execute steps including acquiring stroke data of a trajectory of an approaching writing device detected by a detection portion capable of detecting the trajectory and including data of the trajectory of the writing device corresponding to schedule information written on a paper medium, generating image data of the trajectory based on the acquired stroke data, generating text data based on the acquired stroke data, and registering and managing the schedule information identified from the text data and the image data.
US09239668B2

Servers, storage medium and methods associated with provision of user interface on a computing device are disclosed herein. In embodiments, a storage medium may have instructions to enable the computing device to monitor interactions with the first computing device by a user of the first computing device. The instructions may enable the first computing device to upload detected interactions or characteristic data of the interactions to a remote computing service to enable accumulation of the characteristic data of the interactions or generation of customizable user interface settings at the remote computing service. The instructions may enable the first computing device to subsequently download of the accumulated characteristic data of the interactions or customizable user interface settings to a second computing device associated with the user, for use to facilitate provision of a user interface on the second computing device, based at least in part on downloaded characteristic data of the interactions or customizable user interface settings. Other embodiments may be disclosed or claimed.
US09239660B2

A method for communicating over a network includes transmitting, by an application server to a remote user computing device, a predefined interface in response to a contact request by the remote user, the predefined interface being customized by the application server based on specified conditions. The method also includes analyzing, by an analysis server in communication with the application server by a communication link different from the network, a natural language inquiry from the remote user based on the type of remote user language of the contact request. The method further includes transmitting, by the application server to the remote user computing device, a customized interface, which includes a customized plurality of communications options for the remote user to route subsequent communications, and customized content based on a context of the natural language inquiry.
US09239656B2

A touch display device and method of manufacturing a touch display device are provided. The touch display device includes: a display panel, an adhesive material layer on the display panel, a touch panel on the adhesive material layer, the touch panel including: a base film, a first touch electrode on a bottom surface of the base film, a second touch electrode on a top surface of the base film, and an insulating pattern at an edge portion of the bottom surface of the base film, and a cover glass on the touch panel.
US09239655B2

A touch sensing system comprising a set of touch surfaces in a touch panel including a population of touch surfaces; and at least one touch alert generator separately alerting for touch on each of, and both of, at least first and second touch surfaces from among the population of touch surfaces, wherein the alert generator is operative to determine capacitance of said first touch surface, determine touch object capacitance of said first and second touch surfaces, and compute a difference between the two capacitances, thereby to generate an approximation for touch object capacitance of said second touch surface.
US09239648B2

The present disclosure provides techniques for determining the position and/or orientation of a pointing device relative to the screen on a touchscreen device. A method may include receiving first orientation data from a first device that may include a capacitive touch surface. A touch point may be received indicating a location of a touch by a user on the capacitive touch surface. Second orientation data may be received from a second device. The first and second orientation data may be correlated to determine a relative orientation of the first device to the second device. A position of a pointing device may be determined based on the touch point and the relative orientation of the first and second devices. Additionally, multiple distances relative to a capacitive touch surface may be received, and based on the multiple distances, a position of a user's finger, hand, and/or arm may be determined.
US09239644B2

In a liquid crystal display device, a second substrate has detection electrodes of a touch panel, each of pixels has a pixel electrode and a counter electrode divided into a plurality of blocks. The counter electrodes of the respective blocks are commonly provided for the respective pixels of plural continuous display lines, the counter electrodes of the respective blocks double scanning electrodes of the touch panel, and a driver circuit that applies a counter voltage and a touch panel scanning voltage to the counter electrodes of the respective blocks is provided. The driver circuit sequentially applies the touch panel scanning voltage to the counter electrodes of the respective blocks in plural times, while a drive pulse for displaying an image on a liquid crystal display panel is not varied, and drive frequencies of the respective touch panel scanning voltages are different from each other.
US09239642B2

An imaging apparatus includes an imaging unit configured to perform imaging on a subject, a transparent display configured to display a live-view of the imaging unit and an imaging-related menu in a direction of a user, a sensor configured to sense a touch with respect to two sides of the transparent display, and a controller configured to perform an operation corresponding to the imaging-related menu, when the imaging-related menu is selected by a touch input on a side of the transparent display corresponding to a direction of a subject.
US09239632B2

A method of selectively operating a rotation function of an electronic device permits selective rotation of a display screen rotation function such that a terminal operation according to a user request may be supported while processing a user function may be performed based on the rotation function as needed. The method includes a receiving step of receiving a request to activate a specific user function, an application determination step of determining whether the rotation function applies to the specific user function of which activation is requested, a direction determining step of determining a rotation direction of a terminal when the specific user function is set to be applied with the rotation function, and an applying step of applying the rotation function to the specific user function according to the rotation direction of the terminal.
US09239621B2

Systems and methods for providing a haptic manipulandum are described. In one described system, a lever arm is pivotably coupled to a housing, and configured to apply a processor-controlled force to a substantially-spherical manipulandum to provide a haptic effect. The described system may include a processor in communication with an actuator for providing the haptic effect.
US09239617B2

An apparatus and method of controlling a mobile terminal by detecting a face or an eye in an input image are provided. The method includes performing face recognition on an input image facing and being captured by an image input unit equipped on the front face of the mobile terminal; determining, based on the face recognition, user state information that includes whether a user exists, a direction of the user's face, a distance from the mobile terminal, and/or a position of the user's face; and performing a predetermined function of the mobile terminal according to the user state information. According to the method, functions of the mobile terminal may be controlled without direct inputs from the user.
US09239616B1

An apparatus simulates motion in a virtual environment. The apparatus has a constraining structure mechanically coupled to an adjustable user support system. Rotational movement of the human user is accommodated by rotation of the adjustable user support system within the constraining structure. A stationary friction reducing platform is proximate the constraining structure. A foot platform is configured to be worn on a foot of a human user. The foot platform is configured to engage the stationary friction reducing platform to simulate motion. A motion simulating device is proximate a foot of the human user. The motion simulating device is communicatively coupled to an electronic foot speed measurement device and an electronic measurement device. A measurement system communicatively coupled to the electronic measurement device and the electronic foot speed measurement device. The adjustable user support system is a user support and belt system.
US09239614B2

A method of dynamically scaling a power level of a microprocessor is provided. The method includes: receiving a plurality of workload rates of a microprocessor in a first duration period; determining a second duration period by adjusting a length of the first duration period; calculating a period workload rate based on the plurality of workload rates in the first duration period; dynamically scaling a power level of the microprocessor; and maintaining the scaled power level of the microprocessor in the second duration period.
US09239612B2

A data processing device includes: a first power-on reset circuit; a second power-on reset circuit with higher power consumption and higher reset voltage accuracy than the first power-on reset circuit; a storage unit storing information for determining whether to keep the second power-on reset circuit in an active state or an inactive state; and a central processing unit initialized in response to respective outputs of the first and second power-on reset circuits and setting the information in the storage unit.
US09239602B2

A portable electrical energy source provides power for a portable electronic device and includes a base, a chargeable battery, and a connector. The base includes a first surface and a second surface facing away from the first surface. The base defines a receiving room between the first surface and the second surface. The chargeable battery is received in the receiving room. The connector is positioned on the first surface and is electrically connected to the chargeable battery, which is electrically connected to the portable electronic device. The chargeable battery charges the portable electronic device through the connector.
US09239595B2

A connecting mechanism for connecting an electronic device to a docking station includes a first socket, a first magnet, a fixing member, a first magnetic induction member, a first engaging member and a first driving member. The first socket is movably disposed in the electronic device and a first engaging recess is formed on a side of the first socket. The first magnet is disposed in the first socket. The fixing member is disposed on the docking station. The first magnetic induction member is disposed on the fixing member and corresponding to the first magnet. The first engaging member is movably disposed on the fixing member and has a first engaging portion. The first driving member is disposed between the fixing member and the first engaging member.
US09239594B2

A display device and a method of controlling the display device are provided. The display device includes: a display unit for displaying visual information to a user on an overall screen region, and being configured to bend with respect to a bending portion between screen regions of the overall screen region that display the visual information; a pressure sensor a location corresponding to the bending portion, and being configured to sense a first pressure applied to the bending portion when the display unit is bent with respect to the bending portion; and a control unit for controlling the visual information provided through the display unit based on sensing information transferred from the pressure sensor.
US09239590B2

A pistol-grip module includes a handle and a coupling member that is configured to couple, mechanically and electrically, to a battery compartment of an active frame. The active frame, which includes at least one electrically powered device, is intended to receive a data-capture device, such as a smart phone. In versions of the pistol-grip module that include a trigger, the trigger can be used to actuate the electrically powered device of the active frame.
US09239587B2

Disclosed is a shaft inserted member into which a shaft is inserted in a relatively movable manner, and a locking mechanism provided in the shaft inserted member. The tip portion of the shaft includes a locking step portion formed by providing an annular groove or a ring-shaped projection portion. The locking mechanism includes at least two locking pieces arranged around the shaft at an equal interval. The shaft is stopped from slipping off by a tip portion of each of the tip locking portions abutting on the locking step portion. The locking piece can receive the force in a pulling direction in a length direction of the locking piece, whereby a load can be reduced. That is, sufficient strength can be maintained.
US09239573B2

A mechanism for mapping data between different hierarchies within an industrial automation system facilitates the user of the different hierarchies. For example, the mechanism can include at least: locating an instance of data within a first hierarchical tree; and mapping the instance of the data within the first hierarchical tree to an instance of the data within a second hierarchical tree. The first hierarchical tree and the second hierarchical tree include instances of the same data arranged in different structural organizations. Utilizing the mechanism, when an instance of data in the first hierarchical tree is changed, a corresponding instance of the data in the second hierarchical tree can be updated according to the change.
US09239571B2

Portable device for time measurement that counts with the basic functions of time and date, alarm, Timer, Stopwatch, Fixed Interval Timer function, as well as a Variable Interval Timer function. This Variable Interval Timer function allows the user to program multiple different workout or rest intervals, each with a different established time, and without limitation to an amount of fixed and unalterable workout and rest rounds. The user is able to program intervals in order to increase or decrease the workout or rest time. In the same way the user may decide to create intervals of different exercises, some of them for a short time and some of them for a longer time, as well as the rest time. Finally, the user may program the watch to alert them that a change of interval is coming using several different alarms for the different intervals.
US09239570B2

A mechanism (3) for indicating and storing time information, including a transmission device (7) coupling a time information counting system (5) and a member (S′) for displaying time information adapted to display selectively current time information and stored time information, including: a cam (C); a lever device (L) including a lever (L1), a follower (L2) and a first elastic member (R) urging the lever and the follower into a particular relative position; the lever (L1) being kinematically coupled to the display member (S′) for displaying time information, the follower (L2) being urged against the cam (C) by a second elastic member (RL).
US09239556B2

A fixing device includes a fixing belt, a pressuring rotator, a pressing member, a heat source, a supporting member, and an end cap. The fixing belt is rotatably provided. The pressuring rotator is rotatably provided, and comes into pressure contact with the fixing belt to form a fixing nip between the fixing belt and the pressuring rotator. The pressing member presses the fixing belt from inside toward the pressuring rotator. The heat source is disposed outside of the fixing belt, and heats the fixing belt. The supporting member faces the heat source across the fixing belt, and supports the fixing belt from inside. The end cap is mounted to an end part in the direction of a rotation axis of the fixing belt, and is rotatably supported by the supporting member.
US09239551B2

A conveying belt is disposed so as to guide a recording medium on a side opposite to an image carrying belt across an extension line of a stretch surface formed by a transfer nip and a pressure member. Thus, the recording medium delivered from the transfer nip is guided on the side opposite to the image carrying belt across the extension line of the stretch surface. Therefore, even in a case of guiding a recording medium whose bending rigidity is high in particular, it is possible to suppress a rear end of the recording medium to move in a direction of separating from the image carrying belt at upstream of the transfer nip.
US09239549B1

A cleaning device includes a cleaning member that has a plate shape and cleans an outer circumference surface of a revolving cleaning target member with one end side of the cleaning member coming into contact with the outer circumference surface by removing adhering substances adhering to the outer circumference surface, and a detection mechanism that is attached to an end surface of the other end side of the cleaning member and detects vibration of the cleaning member.
US09239540B2

There is provided a method for manufacturing a developing device including a developer carrier having a rotation axis extending in a first direction, a blade and including a first end portion and a second end portion, and a supporting member supporting the blade. The method includes the steps of positioning the blade, and welding the blade onto the supporting member by irradiating a laser beam onto the blade while moving at least one of the blade and the laser beam relative to the other of the blade and the laser beam. The positioning includes positioning the first end portion in the first direction and a second direction perpendicular to the first direction, and positioning the second end portion in the second direction without being positioned with respect to the first direction. The welding includes moving the laser beam from a first end portion side toward a second end portion side.
US09239535B2

There is provided an optical scanning device and an image forming apparatus including the optical scanning device. The optical scanning device includes an optical box containing light source units, a rotating polygon mirror, and a motor. In order to prevent the entire optical box from being deformed by deformation occurring in the installation region due to heat of the driving unit, the optical box includes a connection region between a second sidewall and an installation region where a driving unit is installed. The optical box further includes regions provided next to the connection region and having heights different from each other. A concave portion is formed in the connection region.
US09239533B2

Disclosed is an electrostatic ink composition, comprising a single charge director and a charge control agent that counters the build up of negative optical density memory on the intermediate transfer member of a printing apparatus using the electrostatic ink.
US09239527B2

An electrostatic charge image developing toner includes toner particles containing a binder resin containing a polyester resin forming a sea part and a vinyl resin forming an island part of a sea-island structure, a first release agent existing in the sea part in a domain state, and a second release agent existing in the island part in a domain state, wherein when a cross-sectional area of the second release agent is set to A1 and a cross-sectional area of the first release agent is set to B1 in a cross section of the toner particles, a relationship of 0.2≦A1/B1≦0.8 is satisfied.
US09239508B2

An optical device comprises: an optical structure including a first set of prisms and a second set of prisms which engage with each other, the second set of prisms are formed from electro-optical effect material or provided with electro-optical effect material, when no electric field is applied to the second set of prisms, the first set and the second set of prisms have the same refractivity; at least one pair of electrodes being provided at two sides of the second set of prisms respectively, for generating an electric field therebetween so as to change the refractivity of the second set of prisms in the direction of the electric field; and a control unit connected to the at least one pair of electrodes and performs control to power on the electrodes or power off the electrodes, and controls the intensity of the electric field when the electrodes are powered on.
US09239498B2

The present invention provides a liquid crystal display device, which includes a plurality of pixel units. Each of the pixel units further includes a liquid crystal layer, a pixel electrode and a corresponding electrode. The pixel electrode and the corresponding electrode are disposed on two opposite sides of liquid crystal layer. The corresponding electrode further includes a first electrode pattern disposed oppositely to the pixel electrode, and a second electrode pattern connected to the first electrode pattern for applying an external voltage to the first electrode pattern so as to form an alignment electric field for the liquid crystal layer between the first electrode pattern and the pixel electrode. The present invention changes the way in which the external voltage is applied, and introduces the external voltage from one side of the color filter substrate to improve success rate of liquid crystal alignment, reduce energy-consumption and reduce waste.
US09239487B2

A display device includes a first substrate; a second substrate; a plurality of pixels; a shutter mechanism section formed in correspondence with each of the pixels, a fluid sealed in an space between the first substrate and the second substrate; and an impact absorption section located to face one substrate among the first substrate and the second substrate, on the side opposite to the side on which the fluid is located. The shutter mechanism section is formed on the second substrate and includes a movable shutter section for controlling a light transmittance of each of the pixels. The impact absorption section includes a third substrate located to face the one substrate, on the side opposite to the fluid, a sealing section for bringing together the one substrate and the third substrate, and a predetermined gap formed among the one substrate, the third substrate and the sealing section.
US09239471B2

An imaging lens structure and method of imaging are presented. The imaging lens structure comprising a lens region defining an effective aperture of the lens structure. The lens region comprises an arrangement of lens zones distributed within the lens region and comprising zones of at least two different optical functions differently affecting light passing therethrough. The zones of at least two different optical functions are arranged in an interlaced fashion along said lens region corresponding to a surface relief of the lens region such that adjacent lens zones of different optical functions are spaced apart from one another along an optical axis of the lens structure a distance larger than a coherence length of light at least one spectral range for which said lens structure is designed.
US09239467B2

Optical apparatus includes first and second diffractive optical elements (DOEs) arranged in series to diffract an input beam of radiation. The first DOE is configured to apply to the input beam a pattern with a specified divergence angle, while the second DOE is configured to split the input beam into a matrix of output beams with a specified fan-out angle. The divergence and fan-out angles are chosen so as to project the radiation onto a region in space in multiple adjacent instances of the pattern.
US09239456B2

A widefield microscope illumination system and a method for illumination, the system having a microscope objective with an optical objective axis, an illumination light source sending widefield illumination light along illumination beam paths having corresponding illumination axes along which the illumination light penetrates into the microscope objective through illumination light entry sites located within a predetermined illumination light entry area, a spatially resolving light detector detecting detected light sent from an illuminated sample through the microscope objective along a detected light beam path, and an automatic illumination light beam path manipulation device, controlled by a control system, which is arranged in front of the microscope objective in relation to the direction of the illumination light beam path, and by which illumination light beam path manipulation device the illumination axes are automatically movable at time intervals to a plurality of illumination light entry sites.
US09239454B2

A microscope including an illumination device providing a light sheet illuminating a sample region, said sheet having a planar extension along an illumination axis of an illumination beam path and a transverse axis lying normal to the illumination axis. A detection device detects light emitted from the sample region on a detection axis the illumination axis and detection axis as well as the transverse axis and the detection axis being oriented relative each other at an angle unequal zero. The detection device has a detection lens system arranged in the detection beam path and splitting means for splitting the detection beam path into two beam sub-paths. A dichroic beam splitter in the infinity region of the surface detectors is about 3 mm thick. Wobble plate(s) disposed orthogonal to each other relative to the detection axis arranged in one of the two beam sub-paths so measured values can be automatically superimposed.
US09239453B2

A see-through free-form head-mounted display including a wedge-shaped prism-lens having free-form surfaces and low F-number is provided.
US09239450B2

A zoom lens includes a first lens unit having a positive refractive power and arranged closest to an object side. 0.50
US09239449B2

The anamorphic objective zoom lens includes, along an optical axis and in order from an object space to an image space: at least a negative (−) power spherical first lens group; an anamorphic second lens group, spherical third lens group preferably having positive (+) power, a variable power spherical fourth lens group and a positive (+) power spherical fifth lens group. The aperture stop is located before, after or preferably within the spherical fifth lens group. All spherical lens groups contain spherical and plano refractive optical surfaces. The anamorphic second lens group contains cylindrical and plano optical surfaces with at least one cylindrical surface oriented at substantially 90 degrees about at least one other cylindrical surface. The spherical first lens group may provide focusing. The variable power spherical fourth lens group provides zooming.
US09239427B1

A monolithically integrated optical device. The device has a gallium and nitrogen containing substrate member having a surface region configured on either a non-polar or semi-polar orientation. The device also has a first waveguide structure configured in a first direction overlying a first portion of the surface region. The device also has a second waveguide structure integrally configured with the first waveguide structure. The first direction is substantially perpendicular to the second direction.
US09239424B2

A semiconductor device for use in an optical application and a method for fabricating the device. The device includes: an optically passive aspect that is operable in a substantially optically passive mode; and an optically active material having a material that is operable in a substantially optically active mode, wherein the optically passive aspect is patterned to include a photonic structure with a predefined structure, and the optically active material is formed in the predefined structure so as to be substantially self-aligned in a lateral plane with the optically passive aspect.
US09239402B2

Various embodiments include apparatus and methods to make resistivity measurements in a borehole using tool having an array of electrodes operable to provide focused currents and measure corresponding voltages to determine resistivity. Tools can be configured with a main electrode having a number of spaced apart electrodes within the main electrode such that the spaced apart electrodes are arranged azimuthally with respect to an axis of the tool. Generation of current from the spaced apart electrodes and control of current from additional electrodes on each side of the main electrode can provide for focused measurements. Additional apparatus, systems, and methods are disclosed.
US09239396B2

Systems, methods, and computer programs for monitoring a drilling operation in a subterranean formation include receiving, from a first sensor array, one or more seismic signals caused, at least in part, by the drilling operation in the subterranean formation; receiving, from the first sensor array, one or more electromagnetic signals generated by an electro seismic or seismoelectric conversion of the one or more seismic signals caused, at least in part, by the drilling operation in the subterranean formation; and determining a property of one or more of the drillstring and the subterranean formation based, at least in part, on the seismic signals and the corresponding electromagnetic signals received from the first sensor array. The first sensor array is arranged to monitor the drilling operation.
US09239376B2

Doppler Aided Inertial Navigation (DAIN) facilitates the determination of position, velocity and direction of mobile devices operating in highly obstructed GPS/GNSS environments. Delivering high precision, high resolution positioning information using signals of opportunity, the present invention measures the Doppler shift of a moving device using a variety of signals combined with inertial accelerometers and environmental sensors to deliver an autonomous positioning and navigation capability that does not require external infrastructure or a priori knowledge of signal sources.
US09239367B2

In an embodiment, a method includes processing magnetic resonance (MR) data according to a process including applying a density filter to blades of k-space data rotated about a section of k-space. Each blade may include a first set of encode lines weighted in a first signal weighting and a second set of encode lines weighted in a second signal weighting. The density filter may be configured to preferentially weight each blade in the first signal weighting to produce blades of weighted k-space data.
US09239365B2

A magnetic element control device of the present invention includes an excitation signal generation unit that generates an alternating signal, a feedback signal conversion unit that converts a time width between detection signals of a positive voltage and a negative voltage into voltage information, an adjustment signal generation unit that generates an offset signal that cancels an offset component which is superimposed on a data signal indicating a magnetic field intensity, and an excitation signal adjustment unit that generates an alternating current, a feedback current, and an offset current from the alternating signal, the feedback signal, and the offset signal, respectively, superimposes the feedback current and the offset current on the alternating current, and generates an excitation current which is applied to an exciting coil.
US09239355B1

An interface device for a memory module comprising a plurality of DRAMs includes a memory configured to store DRAM test program instructions, and a programmable processing device coupled to the memory, wherein the programmable processing device is configured to receive input data and input memory addresses from an external processor, wherein the programmable processing device is configured to provide data and memory addresses to the plurality of DRAMs, and wherein the programmable processing device is programmed to perform operations specified by the DRAM test program instructions.
US09239334B2

The present invention provides for a novel lipokine, C16:1n7-palmitoleate, which also serves as a biomarker for metabolic status. More specifically, a low concentration of C16:1n7-palmitoleate in the free fatty acid component of the serum indicates a risk of metabolic disease, and that de novo lipogenesis should be stimulated. Additionally, administering C16:1n7-palmitoleate to a subject (via nutraceutical or other means), positively impacts lipid metabolism.
US09239330B2

The present invention provides a method of diagnosing a cyathostomin infection, said method comprising the step of identifying a level of anti-cyathostomin larval antigen antibodies in a sample, wherein a level of anti-cyathostomin larval antigen antibodies is indicative of a cyathostomin infection.
US09239311B2

Molecularly imprinted conducting polymer (MICP) films were electro-polymerized on glassy carbon electrode having specific recognition sites for amino acid viz. L-tyrosine and/or L-cysteine. The amino acid templates in various imprinted films were ejected out by over-oxidation followed by washing and stabilization. Again, the template leached MICP films were modified with metal oxides [oxides of Cu2+, Hg2+, Pd2+, Au3+, Pt4+ etc]. The resultant leached MICP and metal oxide modified template leached MICP film based GCE will now selectively sense L-tyrosine and/or L-cysteine in aqueous media by direct and catalytic means respectively employing differential pulse voltammetric waveform. The sensitivity and selectivity of the sensors prepared by the invention are high and the stability is good, which will be widely used in clinical diagnostics, chemical industry, environment protection and other related fields.
US09239309B2

A humidity sensor includes a humidity detention section, a pad section, and a dam section. The humidity detention section includes a pair of detection electrodes facing each other on a predetermined surface of a substrate and a humidity-sensitive film covering the detection electrodes. The pad section is spaced from the humidity detection section on the surface and covered with a protection gel section. The dam section is located between the humidity detection section and the pad section on the surface. The dam section includes a dam wire that is made from the same material as the detection electrodes and a dam humidity-sensitive film that is made from the same material as the humidity-sensitive film and covers at least part of the dam wire.
US09239306B2

An abnormality diagnosis apparatus for an electric pump prevents an erroneous decision that a normally functioning electric pump has an abnormality. When a motor is driven by a current of the driving motor using an upper limit current Iα before a predetermined time T1 passes, it is decided that there is a probability that an abnormality occurs in the pump and the decision is reported to an external device when the number of rotations of the motor is less than the lower limit number of rotations set under lower limit temperature of a hydraulic oil. When the motor is driven by limiting the current of the motor by Iβ and Iγ (
US09239296B2

An in situ inspection system and method to inspect a honeycomb body skin in a skinning system. The inspection system includes a line illuminator to generate a line illumination on the skin perpendicular to an axial direction of the honeycomb body travel, and a detector to detect the line illumination scattered from the skin and generate a signal based on the detected line illumination. A controller is configured to receive the signal generated by the detector, compare the received signal to a previously stored defect free signal in real-time, and control at least one skinning process parameter based on the comparison. The method includes in situ inspecting the skin and controlling at least one skinning process parameter based on the inspection. In the method, the in situ inspection includes illuminating a line of the skin perpendicular to the axial direction and detecting the illuminated line scattered from the skin.
US09239291B2

The detector in accordance with the present invention includes: a light emitter; a light receiver; and a light guiding member which includes a detection space for determining a state of a predetermined gas and is configured to guide light emitted from the light emitter to the at least one light receiver through the detection space. An internal surface of the detection space of the light guiding member includes a reflective surface causing reflection of light emitted from the light emitter. The reflective surface is a concave ellipsoidal surface having a long axis defined by a straight line determined by the light emitter and the light receiver. The reflective surface has a first focal point at a position of the light emitter and a second focal point on an opposite side of the light receiver from the first focal point.
US09239281B2

An objective is to provide a method and an apparatus for accurately extracting a region of an object particle from a urine particle image obtained by taking an image of urine particles in a urine specimen having varying properties. First, a first object region is extracted using one or more of an R image, a G image, and a B image of a urine particle image taken by an image input optical system configured to input particle images. Then, a density distribution and a size of the first object region of one or more of the R image, the G image, and the B image are calculated. Based on these feature parameters, the first object region is classified into a predetermined number of groups. A second object region is extracted from a local region including the first object region, by using one or more of the R image, the G image, and the B image, depending on each of the groups. This configuration allows stable region segmentation for each particle image even for a urine specimen in which urine particles having different sizes and tones coexist.
US09239275B2

A direct line sampling system includes a flow line for a process flow, a diluent flush line for a diluent, and a sampling valve structure disposed in the flow line. The sampling valve structure includes a sampling chamber and has a first position in which the sampling chamber is in communication with the flow line so as to provide a path for the process flow through the sampling chamber. The sampling chamber captures a sample from the process flow when the sampling valve structure switches to a second position in which the sampling chamber is in communication with the diluent flush line. The diluent flushes the sample to a mixing chamber disposed downstream of the diluent flush line where the sample is diluted. An outlet line extends from an outlet of the mixing chamber to an analysis instrument configured to analyze particles in the diluted sample of the process flow.
US09239274B2

Acquisition device for taking a digital relief image of the surface of a tire having two color cameras for the acquisition of stereoscopic images. Each camera has N primary image sensors in a given primary color (R, G, B), where N is equal to or greater than two. Each camera is placed so as to acquire the light emitted (E) towards a predetermined area (Z) of the surface of the tire by N lights and reflected (F) by the surface of the tire. The N lights simultaneously project each independently and along the same direction onto the predetermined area of the surface of the tire. The projected light has a wavelength that corresponds to one of the primary colors of the cameras, according to a fringe system (S1, S2, . . . SN) consisting of an alternation of illuminated and non-illuminated bands of given width (L1, L2, . . . LN).
US09239272B2

An automatic monitoring and alarming device based on large strain of a power transmission tower comprises a solar cell (7), a wireless alarm sending device (6), an insulation basement (5) and a truss with great probability of generating large strain on the power transmission tower. One end of two invar alloy fine rods is respectively fixed on the insulation basement (5). The first invar alloy fine rod (1A) is fixedly adhered to the truss with great probability of generating large strain on the power transmission tower, and the arrangement direction of which is the same as the strain generating direction of the truss. The second invar alloy fine rod (1B) is sleeved with an insulation bushing (4) and is suspended on the outside of the truss with great probability of generating large strain. The solar cell (7), the wireless alarm sending device (6), a metal probe (2) and a metal contact (3) together form an alarm circuit. The strain of the service power transmission tower is automatically monitored and alarmed by the automatic monitoring and alarming device, which solves the problem that the large strain of the power transmission tower body can not be detected in time in the prior art.
US09239270B2

A piezoelectric sensing element includes a ring type piezoelectric device, two ceramic structural adhesives, two electrode sheets, two structural adhesives, a ring type sheet, and a disk-shaped cylindrical ceramic sheet. The two ceramic structural adhesives, respectively located above and below the ring type piezoelectric device. The two electrode sheets, respectively located above and below the two ceramic structural adhesives. The two structural adhesives, respectively located above and below the two electrode sheets. The ring type sheet, located above or below one of the two structural adhesives. The disk-shaped cylindrical ceramic sheet, located below or above another of the two structural adhesives.
US09239260B2

The invention relates to an optical measuring device (1) comprising a housing (3), in which at least one optical transmitter (20) for emitting at least one transmission beam (22, 24) and at least one optical receiver are arranged, a covering plate (5) closing off the housing and forming a transmission window (10) and a reception window (7), with the at least one transmission beam (22, 24) emerging from the housing through the transmission window (10).In order to provide a measuring device (1) with an outer surface (14) which is as flat as possible and in order to achieve a reduction in disturbance signals which can be traced back, inter alia, to the reflection of the transmission beam (22, 24) on the transmission window (10), the outer side (5.1) of a covering plate (5) is arranged substantially perpendicular to the emission direction and the transmission window (10) is embodied with a tilt with a predetermined tilt angle (α).
US09239259B2

An optical measurement system includes an integrating sphere having a reflecting surface on its inner wall and having a first window. The optical measurement system further includes a support member for supporting a light source at a substantially central position of the integrating sphere, and a first baffle arranged on a line connecting the first window and the light source supported by the support member. The support member is connected, in a region opposite to the first window with respect to the light source, to the inner wall of the integrating sphere.
US09239256B2

A flow-rate measurement device includes a first transducer and a second transducer which are provided in a fluid flow path to transmit and receive an ultrasonic signal, a timer unit which measures a propagation time of the ultrasonic signal propagating between the first transducer and the second transducer, and a flow-rate calculation unit which executes a unit measurement step a predetermined number of times and calculates a flow rate of a fluid flowing in the fluid flow path on the basis of the propagation times measured the predetermined number of times, the unit measurement step being an operation in which a direction of transmission to reception between the first transducer and the second transducer is switched and the timer unit measures the propagation times of the ultrasonic signal in both directions. The flow-rate calculation unit measures a flow rate value of the fluid by a precise measurement step in which the unit measurement step is executed a plural number of times to calculate the flow-rate and an exploratory measurement step in which the unit measurement step is executed a smaller number of times than the number of executions in the precise measurement step to calculate the flow rate.
US09239250B2

A safety pin system for a product is provided and includes a safety pin disposable in a receiving element to disable the product, an obstruction disposable in a blocking position of a product disability indicator and a streamer configured to pass through an opening associated with the product and attached at opposite ends thereof to the safety pin and the obstruction. The opening and the obstruction are sized such that, when the obstruction is disposed in the blocking position with the streamer passed through the opening and the safety pin disposed in the receiving element, the obstruction is irremovable from the blocking position until the safety pin is removed from the receiving element.
US09239248B2

Magnetic proximity sensor, comprising a magnetic sensor element, and a magnet assembly having a first pole surface and a second pole surface, wherein the first pole surface of the magnet assembly is positioned adjacent to a sensor target surface of the magnetic proximity sensor, and the sensor element is positioned at a first distance from the second pole surface of the magnet assembly remote from the sensor target surface.
US09239234B2

A work system includes an arm mechanism, a position and an orientation of which are configured to be changed so as to process an object placed on a work area, a member arranged at a distal end portion of the arm mechanism to receive a light projection pattern for calculating a position and an orientation of the distal end portion of the arm mechanism, and an irradiation unit configured to form the light projection pattern on the member and on the object by irradiating the member and the object with pattern light. In addition, an image sensing unit senses an image of the object and is fixed at a position independent of the arm mechanism, and a first calculation unit calculates a position and an orientation of the distal end portion of the arm mechanism and an irradiation plane of the pattern light based on the light projection pattern formed on the member. A second calculation unit calculates a position and an orientation of the object based on the calculated irradiation plane and the light projection pattern formed on the object.
US09239233B2

A projection control apparatus for controlling a projection apparatus is configured to: receive a video signal including a plurality of color components; extract, as control information, information of a specific color component for each frame of the received video signal; generate, frame by frame, projection control information for controlling operation of the projection apparatus based on the extracted control information; and provide the generated projection control information to the projection apparatus.
US09239230B2

In a method to measure widths of measured parts placed on a platform, a computing device connects to one or more charge coupled device (CCD) cameras. The method controls each of the CCD cameras to capture a digital image from a measured part that is placed near the CCD cameras, obtains the digital image of the measured part from each of the CCD cameras in a predefined order, and obtains a binary expression from the digital image of the measured part. When the measured part is placed in a correct position on the platform, the method further obtains three points from an upper boundary of the measured part in the binary expression and another three points from a lower boundary of the measured part in the binary expression, and calculates width of the measured part according to the obtained six points.
US09239229B2

Microlithographic illumination system includes individually drivable elements to variably illuminate a pupil surface of the system. Each element deviates an incident light beam based on a control signal applied to the element. The system also includes an instrument to provide a measurement signal, and a model-based state estimator configured to compute, for each element, an estimated state vector based on the measurement signal. The estimated state vector represents: a deviation of a light beam caused by the element; and a time derivative of the deviation. The illumination system further includes a regulator configured to receive, for each element: a) the estimated state vector; and b) target values for: i) the deviation of the light beam caused by the deviating element; and ii) the time derivative of the deviation.
US09239226B2

An apparatus for measuring the quantity and optical parameters of a liquid in a container using the principle of optical low coherence reflectometry is provided, the apparatus having: a source arm with a low coherence light source; a reference arm including a reference lens, a mirror, means for adjusting the distance between the reference lens and the mirror and means for measuring the distance between the reference lens and the mirror; a test arm with a test lens; means for dividing the output of the source arm between the test arm and the reference arm; means for combining light reflected back into the reference arm and the test arm to create an interference signal; and means for detecting and analyzing the interference signal.
US09239224B2

Disclosed is a Natural Light Interferometer. The interferometer measures the amplitude and phase distribution of a coherent or incoherent electromagnetic signal, including natural light. In principle, the amplitude and phase distribution of any signal of any wavelength, incoherent or coherent, may be measured using this technique. The corresponding image may be reconstructed as well. The interferometer exploits Fourier transform heterodyne techniques but extends this technology to incoherent signals. The interferometer generates the analyzing signal by exploiting nanotechnology-based signal generation stimulated by the original signal. The Natural Light Interferometer applications include surveillance and reconnaissance; metrology; space-based free-flying, tethered or rigid interferometer arrays; and ground-based sparse interferometer arrays. There is also disclosed a homodyne embodiment of the Natural Light Interferometer that exploits quadrature phase techniques.
US09239218B2

A size inspection device includes an inspection frame, a transferring belt, a positioning assembly, an inspection assembly, a suction assembly, and a controller. The transferring belt is slidably mounted on the inspection frame. The positioning assembly, the inspection assembly, the suction assembly, and the controller are mounted on the inspection frame. The controller is electrically connected to the inspection assembly and the suction assembly. When the positioning assembly positions the workpiece on the transferring belt below the inspection assembly, the inspection assembly obtains size value of the workpiece and transfers it to the controller, the controller compares the size value to a preset standard range to determine whether or not the workpiece has passed quality inspection, and controls the suction assembly to handle the workpiece which is not of passing quality away from the transferring belt.
US09239215B2

A method is provided for improving athletic performance in a sport in which participants employ a projectile during competition. The method includes training for the sport with a sensing system included in the projectile, where flight characteristics of the projectile remain substantially unchanged with the sensing system included in the projectile relative to the flight characteristics of the projectile as used in competition without the sensing system. The method also includes evaluating at least one flight characteristic measured by the sensing system when the projectile is employed with the sensing system, and if the act of evaluating finds that adjusting at least one physical characteristic of the projectile may assist in improving the participant's performance, changing the at least one physical characteristic.
US09239213B2

A sight and methods of operation thereof are provided. In some embodiments, an image is captured via an image capture unit, and a center position is calculated according to the positions of at least three impact points in the image, and a predefined view center of a display unit is set to the center position. In some embodiments, an angle of dip of the sight to a plane is detected via a dip angle detector. A predictive impact point is calculated according to the angle of dip and at least one calculation parameter, and an impact point indication is accordingly displayed in the display unit. When the angle of dip is changed, the predictive impact point is recalculated according to the new angle of dip, and the corresponding impact point indication is displayed.
US09239210B2

An accessory mounting interface for a firearm is provided. The accessory mounting interface has a firearm accessory, a first elongated fastener, a second fastener, and an elongated slot in a firearm. The second fastener has two straight edges parallel to each other, and at least one of the two straight edges prevent the second fastener from rotating beyond a closed position once a portion of the second fastener has passed through and at least partially cleared the elongated slot.
US09239207B2

An extendable slide member on a pistol slide action, providing leverage and a gripping base for a user to pull back or “rack” the slide along guides on a pistol frame, in a longitudinal motion relative to the pistol frame. The slide member facilitating racking the slide when in an extended position the slide member rotates either laterally outwards from a side surface of the slide or vertically upwards from a top surface of the slide, and presents a gripping segment for the user to pull the slide towards the breech end of the pistol.
US09239204B2

A barrel cap for attachment to a muzzle of a gun barrel and to cover the muzzle opening of the gun barrel.
US09239192B2

A method and apparatus for rapid thermal heat treatment of semiconductor and other substrates is provided. A number of heat lamps arranged in an array or other configuration produce light and heat radiation. The light and heat radiation is directed through a heat slot that forms a radiation beam of high intensity light and heat. The radiation beam is directed to a platen that includes multiple substrates. The apparatus and method include a controller that controls rotational and translational motion of the platen relative to the heat slot and also controls the power individually and collectively supplied to the heat lamps. A program is executed which maneuvers the platen such that all portions of all substrates receive the desired thermal treatment, i.e. attain a desired temperature for a desired time period.
US09239187B2

A process for reducing the cost associated with the transportation and disposal of waste material by extracting water ad other liquids from municipal solid waste, construction and demolition debris, and putrescible waste to thereby significantly reduce the weight of the material prior to transport. In one embodiment, the process involves waste product being turned through a heated auger system, wherein the waste material is indirectly heated by high temperature oil to remove the liquid (including water) and moisture content from the waste product. In another embodiment, the process involves manual or automated movement of the waste material through an environmentally contained area that houses heating devices (e.g., heat lamps) for simulating sunlight, fans, and a water purification and filtration system for drying the waste material and delivering the water content to the water filtration and purification system.
US09239182B2

A refrigerator comprising a refrigerator body having a freezing compartment and a refrigeration compartment; a cooling circuit including a compressor, a first condenser, and a first evaporator to cool the freezing compartment and the refrigeration compartment using a first refrigerant; a thermosiphon that includes a second condenser provided at the refrigeration compartment and a second evaporator provided at the freezing compartment for a second refrigerant to flow; a valve provided to control a flow of the second refrigerant in the thermosiphon; a first heat transfer plate provided between the second condenser and the freezing compartment; a second heat exchange plate provided between the second evaporator and the refrigeration compartment; and a dew collection device provided at an inner side wall of the refrigerator compartment and positioned to correspond to a position of the second heat exchange plate to collect dew formed on the inner side wall of the refrigerator compartment.
US09239180B2

When an operating state indicated by a set of operation data measured during normal operation becomes a state satisfying an operation data obtaining condition, the set of operation data at the time is obtained as a set of operation data for initial learning, and an inner volume of a refrigerant extension piping is calculated based on the obtained set of operation data for initial learning. A total amount of refrigerant in a refrigerant circuit 10 is calculated based on the calculated inner volume of the refrigerant extension piping and the current set of operation data, and the calculated total refrigerant is compared with a reference amount of refrigerant to determine a presence or absence of refrigerant leakage.
US09239179B2

An air conditioner is provided. The air conditioner may include a compressor, a condenser, an evaporator, a receiver storing a portion of a refrigerant passing through the condenser, an accumulator receiving refrigerant stored in the receiver and refrigerant passing through the evaporator to separate gas refrigerant from refrigerant introduced therein and supply the gas refrigerant to the compressor, and a bypass line supplying refrigerant from the receiver to the accumulator. The receiver and the accumulator may be integrally formed or provided as separate parts coupled each other. An outlet end of the bypass line may be connected to an upper portion of the accumulator. Such an arrangement may prevent refrigerant from flowing backward from the accumulator into the receiver.
US09239176B2

A magnetic heating and cooling device is provided that comprises a heat exchanger that includes a magnetic body having a magnetocaloric effect; a magnetic field applying and removing unit that selectively applies to or removes from the magnetic body a magnetic field; and a liquid refrigerant moving unit that reciprocates a liquid refrigerant from one end to the other end, or from the other end to the one end, of the heat exchanger to exchange heat with the magnetic body inside the heat exchanger. The magnetic body is constituted by a plurality of flat magnetic members. At least one flat magnetic member has at least one slit that opens in the direction perpendicular to the movement direction of the liquid refrigerant, and the open end of each slit forms a corner to increase heat exchange efficiency.
US09239174B2

A cascade heat pump system is configured with variable-speed compressors which allow operation at a high system coefficient of performance for a given thermal load. An electronic control module may be utilized to dynamically vary the speed of the compressors to achieve maximum energy efficiency. Variable-speed fans or blowers may also be used.
US09239172B2

The invention relates to a solar concentrator with a supporting and solar tracking system, which proposes a solar concentrator comprising one or several lenses and one or several collectors and at least two attachment structures (2) for attaching the collector solar and the lens and at least two fastening structures (1) which allow a rotation according to a longitudinal axis. The attachment structure can be rotated or displaced, allowing the displacement of the lens (3) and the collector (4) in opposite directions and the variation of their relative distance, which solves the problem of the variation of the focal distance for each individual angle of incidence of the radiation.
US09239162B2

A recessed light liner assembly according to the principles of the present disclosure includes a hollow body and an annular flange. The hollow body is configured to fit within the recessed light to prevent airflow through the recessed light, the body having an open bottom, a closed top, and a sidewall extending between the open bottom and the closed top. The annular flange is connected to the body and extends around the open bottom of the body.
US09239160B1

A light emitting diode (“LED”) lighting apparatus has vents to cool the LED lighting apparatus. The LED lighting apparatus comprises one or more strips, a base having vents, and one or more glass tubes. Each strip has LEDs and a transparent backing. The vents comprise a central vent and side vents, were the central vent and certain ones of the side vents are connected to allow for gas flow. The one or more strips and the one or more glass tubes are coupled to the base, where the one or more glass tubes encapsulate the one or more strips. The central vent is disposed adjacent to the one or more glass tubes, and a heat transfer medium within selected ones of the one or more glass tubes flows out of the selected ones of the one or more glass tubes for cooling.
US09239157B2

The invention relates to luminaires, especially luminaires to be operated in lamp holders for fluorescent lamps. In order to prevent individuals from experiencing electric shocks when inserting a luminaire, for example in the lamp holder of a fluorescent lamp, and in order to be able to operate the luminaire without complications once it is inserted in the lamp holder, the luminaire comprises a contact section to be inserted into a socket base, comprising two contact pins (B1, B2) and a centering device (BX) for centering the luminaire in the socket, which is mounted in the center between the contact pins (B1, B2). The centering device (BX) can be rotated about a main axis of the luminaire to actuate a switch or a protective device.
US09239119B2

There is disclosed a diaphragm for a high pressure gas diaphragm valve. The diaphragm comprises a sealing body defining a sealing face for seating against a valve seat of the valve to close the valve; an outer flange for attaching the diaphragm to the valve, the outer flange defining a flange plane; and a deformable web that extends between the outer flange and the sealing body, the deformable web including a gusset that has at least one convolute portion. The gusset is deformable to allow the sealing body to move between a natural configuration in which the sealing body is on a first side of the flange plane, and a raised configuration in which at least part of the sealing body is on the opposing side of the flange plane, and wherein the at least one convolute portion biases the sealing body towards the natural configuration.
US09239117B1

One embodiment of the seal housing for a face seal described herein include a base with a seal element support and a shroud both extending from the base in a common direction. The seal element support and the base define a space for receiving a seal element. The shroud includes a tip having a head portion that tapers toward a neck portion that is reduced in size relative to the head portion. The tip is secured to a stem of the shroud through a set of circumferentially distributed countersunk holes.
US09239112B2

A metal gasket 10 includes a pair of bead plates 14 and 14 having a cylinder hole 12 corresponding to a cylinder bore, a full bead 22 surrounding the cylinder hole, a first intermediate plate 18 interposed between the pair of bead plates, and a shim plate 16 interposed between the first intermediate plate and one bead plate in an area around the cylinder hole. The shim plate 16 is disposed to overlap with the full bead 22, and the thickness of a contact portion 19 to contact with the shim plate 16 of the first intermediate plate changes in the peripheral direction of the cylinder hole.
US09239111B2

A cylinder liner with high strength and wear resistance and a manufacturing method thereof. The composition (% by mass) of the cylinder liner is as follows: C: 3.0-3.3%, Si: 2.0-2.3%, P: 0.3-0.6%, S: <0.1%, Mn: 0.3-0.6%, Mo: 0.1-0.3%, Nb: 0.08-0.15%, and the balance Fe. The structure of the cylinder liner is phosphorus-containing acicular ferrite and carbon-rich austenite, wherein the phosphide eutectic is no less than 3%. The cylinder liner has a hardness of HRC38-43, Rm>400 MPa, high strength and good wear resistance, solves the problem of pearlite cylinder liner with low wear resistance and cast bainite with bad corrosion resistance.
US09239106B2

A method for operating a powertrain of a motor vehicle may comprise: providing a powertrain comprising an automatic transmission arranged between a drive unit and an axle drive, wherein an input shaft of the automatic transmission is connected with the drive unit by means of a controllable clutch and an output shaft is connected with the axle drive, and wherein the powertrain comprises also a gearbox-sided, transient auxiliary drive that is selectively connected for activating or engaging a gearbox-sided connecting point or disconnected for deactivating or disengaging from the connecting point; determining, when the gearbox-sided transient auxiliary output is activated or engaged, a load to be borne at the performance of a gearshift; and specifying, depending on the determined load, whether the gearshift is going to be performed and what synchronous elements of the powertrain are being used to perform the gearshift.
US09239094B2

This face gear has a plurality of annularly arranged gear teeth. A recess for holding grease or another lubricant is formed in the tooth surface of each gear tooth. A recess forming area, which is the area in which the recess is formed, is provided between the tooth bottom and the pitch point in each gear tooth. In other words, a recess is not formed in the part of the tooth surface that is located between the tooth tip and the pitch point. As a result, the gear teeth can be effectively lubricated while minimizing instability in the meshing state between gears.
US09239093B2

A decoupling pulley having a rim attached to a first power transmission element, and a torsion spring mounted in a receptacle attached to a second power transmission element, one of the power transmission elements being driving and the other of the power transmission elements being driven, the receptacle is a bell inside which is centered the spring, which spring has a first and a second end region, each of which bears on a bearing face of the bell, wherein the rim has a first drive abutment having a first face cooperating with the first end region of the spring to drive the latter in the direction of closure in a first relative rotational direction between the rim and the bell, the bell includes a first bell abutment, the angular position of which defines a first given maximum value α1 for the travel of the first end region of the spring driven to close by the first drive abutment.
US09239090B2

A vehicle damper comprising a cylinder and a piston; a working fluid within the cylinder; a reservoir in fluid communication with the working fluid to receive working fluid from the cylinder in a compression stroke; and a remotely-operable valve, the valve operable to permit and restrict flow of the working fluid between the cylinder and the reservoir.
US09239088B2

A brake lining, particularly for a commercial vehicle disc brake, and an associated adapter (5, 6), and a disc brake having said brake lining and the adapter (5, 6) for commercial vehicles have a carrier plate (1) with a friction lining (2) disposed thereon and at least one force application region (3, 4) on the side thereof facing away from the friction lining (2). An adapter (5, 6) is in a contact position with the force application region (3, 4) in the operating position of the brake. The adapter, in turn, is in working contact with a brake plunger or a brake piston. In order to fix the adapter (5, 6) and the carrier plate (1) at least in the radial direction (11) and circumferential direction (12), mounting means (7, 8) are provided on the carrier plate (1), with corresponding mounting means (9, 10) provided on the adapter. The adapter (5, 6) is thereby simply disposed on the force application regions of the carrier plate (1) and releaseably connected thereto.
US09239085B2

A method is provided for controlling a hydraulic system having at least an implement pump, a fan-steering-braking (FSB) pump, a valve assembly, a fan drive system and one or more accumulators. The method may determine an operational state of a power source associated with the hydraulic system, actuate one or more valves of the valve assembly such that the FSB pump charges the accumulators and operates at least the fan drive system if the power source is operating at less than maximum power, and actuate one or more valves of the valve assembly such that the accumulators operate at least the fan drive system and such that the FSB pump supplements the implement pump as needed if the power source is operating at maximum power.
US09239083B2

A universal joint includes a pair of yokes and a joint cross. The pair of yokes have mutually identical shapes. Each of the yokes has a proximal portion and a pair of arm portions at which the joint cross is mounted. The proximal portion has an insertion hole for mounting a shaft, a slit formed along the insertion hole and a bolt insertion hole for fastening the slit. A positional relationship between the proximal portion and the pair of arm portions is set such that a line segment that connects the pair of arm portions to each other and an insertion direction in which a bolt is inserted in the bolt insertion hole intersect with each other at 45°. The bolt insertion holes of the pair of yokes coupled by the joint cross face the same side.
US09239074B2

A seal of a fastening element, having the fastening element and a washer, wherein the fastening element and the washer are arranged coaxially and axially adjacent to one another, wherein the washer has a sealing bead of a rubber-elastic sealing material on the outer circumference, and wherein the sealing bead contacts the fastening element underside in a sealing manner during the correct use of the seal. The fastening element has a flange on the underside, which axially faces the washer, wherein the a washer top side axially faces the flange, wherein the flange underside and the washer top side abut in a sealing manner during the correct use of the seal, wherein the flange underside and the washer top side are substantially congruent, and wherein the sealing bead abuts the outer circumferential boundary of the flange underside in a sealing manner.
US09239071B2

The disclosure describes a direct tension indicator (DTI) plate. The DTI plate may include a hub having an opening, and an annular array of circumferentially-spaced legs extending radially outwardly from the hub. Each leg may include a knee portion extending from the hub, a foot portion, and an ankle portion joining the knee and foot portions, and the foot portions may be oriented at least partially in a common, circumferential direction. In addition, the ankle portion may be narrower than the knee portion.
US09239066B2

In a hydraulic controller of driving force distribution device, including: a hydraulic circuit composed of an oil pump for supplying hydraulic fluid to a piston chamber of a clutch (or a driving force distribution device), an opening and closing valve installed in an oil passage between a check valve and the piston chamber, and an accumulator communicating to the piston chamber; control is performed so that the piston chamber reaches a target hydraulic pressure based on the 1st characteristic by closing the opening and closing valve and driving the oil pump at the time of pressurizing the piston chamber; and control is performed so that the piston chamber reaches a target hydraulic pressure based on the 2nd characteristic by prohibiting the driving of the oil pump along with opening the opening and closing valve.
US09239065B2

A hydraulic soft-start system includes a first flow restricting orifice and a flow control valve both being in fluid communication with a pressure source and an inlet of a motor. Also provided is a second flow restricting orifice disposed between a pilot for actuating the flow control valve and the inlet of the motor. A first flow is passed from the pressure source via the first orifice to an inlet of the motor, placing the motor in a partially-actuated state. The flow control valve is actuated after a threshold pressure of the pilot is reached allowing a second flow to pass from the pressure source to the motor inlet. The second flow is higher than the first flow, thereby placing the motor in a fully-actuated state.
US09239064B2

Disclosed is a fail-safe fluidic actuation system (1) having a safety position, comprising a control element (2) having at least one first and one second chamber (3, 4); having a working circuit (5) with a motor/pump device (6), wherein the control element can be actuated by means of the working circuit at least in the operational state. Furthermore, the actuating system comprises a discharge valve (9) which, in a failure state, is placed into a pass-through position in order to discharge fluid from the second chamber, and the safety circuit is designed such that, in the operational state, an inflow decoupled from the store can be generated into the control element by means of the working circuit with the motor/pump device, wherein by means of the safety circuit, in a failure state, an inflow fully decoupled from the working circuit with the motor/pump device is provided into the first chamber by means of the store, wherein the control element has three chambers, and wherein the safety circuit is designed such that, in the operational state, an inflow decoupled from the store can be generated into the third chamber (15) by means of the working circuit with the motor/pump device.
US09239062B2

A fan blade for a gas turbine engine includes: a straight axial dovetail, an airfoil, and a transition section disposed between the dovetail and the airfoil, the fan blade having opposed pressure and suction sides, and further including at least one shoulder protruding from a nominal surface of a selected one of the pressure and suction sides, wherein the at least one shoulder includes a boss defining a side face, and an upper section extending radially outward from the boss and tapering inward to join a nominal surface of the selected side.
US09239059B2

Disc pump systems and methods relate to a disc pump system that includes a first disc pump having a first actuator and a second disc pump having a second actuator. The systems and methods utilize sensors to measure the displacements of the actuators and a processor to determine the pressure differential across each actuator as a function of the measured displacements of the actuators. The disc pumps are fluidly coupled by a known restriction and the processor determines the flow rate of the disc pump system based on the determined pressure differentials across each actuator and the characteristics of the known restriction.
US09239057B2

A magnetic-drive coupling pump configuration including an attachment/detachment mechanism allowing simple and reliable positioning and fixation is provided. Thrust-direction positioning and radial-direction positioning are achieved, respectively, by surface contact of a convex portion of a pump unit (10) inserted up to a predetermined position in a concave portion (31) of a drive motor unit (30), and contact between an outer circumferential surface of the convex portion (11) and an inner circumferential surface of the concave portion (31). A claw (15) protruding on the outer circumferential surface of the pump unit (10), an engaging portion (32) protruding upward from an upper outer circumferential portion of the drive motor unit (30) to restrict, by engagement, claw upward movement when the pump unit (10) is rotated with the convex portion (11) inserted up to the predetermined position in the concave portion (31), and a locking mechanism (50) holding the pump unit (10) at an engagement position of the claw (15) and the engaging portion (32) are included.
US09239053B2

In the hermetically sealed scroll compressor, an injection pipe for injecting a fluid to a compression chamber is connected to an injecting port of a fixed scroll. The injecting port includes a first injecting port which is provided in the vicinity of a fixed scroll inner curve and injects the fluid to an orbiting outer compression chamber, and a second injecting port 22b which is provided in the vicinity of a fixed scroll outer curve and injects the fluid to a orbiting inner compression chamber 8b. The second injecting port is placed in parallel in a radius direction with respect to the first injecting port and is placed so that an orbiting scroll wrap does not practically communicate with the orbiting outer compression chamber in the state in which the orbiting scroll wrap is in contact with the outer side of a fixed scroll wrap.
US09239050B2

A vane pump including a cam ring, a rotor, slits formed in the rotor, vanes inserted slidably into the slits, pump chambers defined by the vanes, back pressure chambers defined between respective base end portions of the vanes and the slits, back pressure grooves capable of communicating with the back pressure chambers as the rotor rotates, and connecting grooves connecting back pressure grooves that are adjacent in a circumferential direction of the rotor to each other, wherein a connecting groove that communicates with a back pressure groove positioned in a suction region formed above a rotary center of the rotor so as to suction a working fluid into the pump chambers is formed to have a larger passage sectional area than a connecting groove that communicates with another back pressure groove positioned in another suction region formed below the rotary center of the rotor.
US09239042B2

Some examples relate to a system for monitoring the condition of rotor blades at wind turbines. A plurality of sensor nodes can be coupled to a rotor blade. A respective at least one sensor can be present at the individual sensor nodes for the spatially resolved detection of vibrations and/or acoustic waves of the rotor blade and the sensor nodes can be connected via optical fibers to a central supply and reception unit. A light source can be present at the central supply and reception unit and electromagnetic radiation can be conducted from it via an optical fiber to a photovoltaic converter with which the received electromagnetic radiation can be converted into electric energy. The electric energy can be utilized.
US09239040B2

An assembly configuration between a wind turbine rotor blade and a rotor hub includes a rotor hub having one or more pitch bearings, with each pitch bearing having an outer diameter race and an inner diameter race. Rotor blades are affixed to the respective pitch bearing rings, with the rotor blades having a root end with an outer diameter. An adaptor is configured between the root end and the pitch bearing, with the adaptor affixed to the inner diameter race and the root end affixed to the adaptor. The adaptor defines a mounting surface for the root end radially inward of the pitch bearing such that the root end outer diameter is less than the diameter of the inner diameter race.
US09239037B2

Various methods and arrangements for operating a skip fire engine control system are described. In one aspect of the invention, a distinct firing sequence is determined for each bank of working chambers that is used to operate the bank in a skip fire manner. Each firing sequence uses a different firing fraction. In another aspect of the invention, a determination is made as to whether a firing sequence should be dynamically generated or selected from a set of predefined firing sequences.
US09239031B2

An exhaust gas cooling module for an internal combustion engine includes an exhaust gas recirculation valve comprising an exhaust gas recirculation valve housing having an inlet, an exhaust gas heat exchanger, an exhaust gas non-return valve comprising an exhaust gas non-return valve housing, and two exhaust gas channels. The two exhaust gas channels are arranged in the exhaust gas cooling module so as to separately extend from the inlet of the exhaust gas recirculation valve housing to the exhaust gas non-return valve housing via the exhaust gas heat exchanger.
US09239028B2

A bearing holding portion supporting a crankshaft in a manner to rotate freely via a bearing and fittingly holding the bearing is formed in a crankcase. A second cross section passing through a crankshaft axis line and along an orthogonal direction to a cylinder axis line is set to have a larger cross-sectional area than a first cross section passing through the crankshaft axis line and along a direction of the cylinder axis line in the bearing holding portion.
US09239026B2

In an engine that includes a liquid fuel injector and a gaseous fuel injector connected to an intake pipe via a fuel passage and that switches fuel supplied into intake air between liquid fuel and gaseous fuel, an electronic control unit increases fuel in an amount required to fill the fuel passage with gaseous fuel at the time of initial fuel injection from the gaseous fuel injector after switching from liquid fuel to gaseous fuel.
US09239019B2

Methods and systems are provided for passive regeneration of a particulate matter filter coupled to a gasoline engine. During vehicle deceleration conditions, an engine is operated leaner than stoichiometry over two subsequent lean phases, including an initial longer and leaner phase followed by a shorter and less lean phase. By passively regenerating the filter using intermittent lean engine operation, engine performance can be improved.
US09239015B2

An engine control system for a vehicle includes a pressure determination module, an adjustment determination module, a target determination module, and a pump control module. The pressure determination module determines a first pressure for a hydraulic fluid provided to fully flexible intake and exhaust valve actuators of an engine. The adjustment determination module determines a pressure adjustment for the first pressure based on a pressure within a cylinder. The target determination module determines a target pressure for the hydraulic fluid based on the first pressure and the pressure adjustment. Based on the target pressure, the pump control module controls a hydraulic fluid pump for an opening timing of an exhaust valve of the cylinder.
US09239010B2

A fuel flowmeter for being fed by a pump including an inlet and an outlet, including: a metering valve including an inlet and an outlet, and arranged downstream from the outlet of the pump; a return circuit connecting the inlet of the metering valve to the inlet of the pump; and a pressure regulator device including: a movable valve member to close and open the return circuit, a pressure difference detection surface fastened to the valve member and axially separating a first chamber in communication with the inlet of the metering valve from a second chamber in communication with the outlet from the metering valve, a piston axially separating the second chamber from a third chamber connected to the outlet of the metering valve, and a channel putting the second chamber in communication with the third chamber.
US09239006B2

One embodiment of the present invention is a unique gas turbine system having a system for modulating secondary air flow. Another embodiment is a compressor vane stage with a plenum employed in providing secondary air flow. Other embodiments include apparatuses, systems, devices, hardware, methods, and combinations for secondary air flow systems. Further embodiments, forms, features, aspects, benefits, and advantages of the present application shall become apparent from the description and figures provided herewith.
US09239004B2

A gas turbine engine has a fan at an axially outer location. The fan rotates about an axis of rotation. The fan delivers air into an outer bypass duct, and across a booster fan positioned radially inwardly of the outer bypass duct. The booster fan delivers air into a radially middle duct, and across a cold turbine into a radially inner core duct being directed into a compressor. From the compressor, air flows axially in a direction back toward the fan through a combustor section, and across an exhaust of the turbine section as directed into the middle duct. A gear reduction drives the fan from a fan drive turbine section. A method is also disclosed.
US09238991B2

An internal combustion engine has an exhaust treatment system with a fluid injection system and a swirl can plenum mixer for mixing injected fluid with exhaust gas exhausted from the engine. The mixer comprises a canister having an inner plenum. A bulkhead separates the inner plenum into an exhaust gas collector and a diffuser chamber. A flow port opens through the bulkhead to a tangential flow director on the downstream side of the bulkhead to collect the exhaust gas. A fluid injector port receives a fluid injector for dispensing a fluid into the exhaust gas for mixing with the exhaust gas in the swirl can plenum mixer. A tangential flow director nozzle is configured to dispense the exhaust gas and fluid into the downstream plenum in a tangential flow trajectory, wherein mixing and vaporization of the exhaust gas and fluid mixture with the exhaust gas is accomplished.
US09238989B2

Provided is an exhaust apparatus provided in a construction machine with an engine and an engine room, the exhaust apparatus capable of suppressing vibration of an exhaust gas pipe and securing required strength thereof. The exhaust apparatus includes a duct provided in the engine room, a fan to suck air into the engine room and discharge through the duct the air to an outside as exhaust wind, and an exhaust gas pipe guiding exhaust gas of the engine into the duct. The exhaust gas pipe includes a duct inner portion inside the duct and a duct outer portion connected to the duct inner portion outside the duct. The duct inner portion has a plurality of discharge holes to allow the exhaust gas to be injected into the duct therethrough and discharged to the outside together with the exhaust wind. The duct inner portion is connected to the duct.
US09238985B2

To estimate an amount of reducing agent adsorbed to a selective reduction type NOx catalyst with a higher degree of precision, an amount of variation over a predetermined time in a reducing agent amount adsorbed to a selective reduction type NOx catalyst is calculated from an upper limit value of a reducing agent amount that is adsorbed to the selective reduction type NOx catalyst when the reducing agent is supplied continuously by a supply unit, which is calculated on the basis of a temperature of the selective reduction type NOx catalyst, and the reducing agent amount adsorbed to the selective reduction type NOx catalyst, whereupon a reducing agent amount adsorbed to the selective reduction type NOx catalyst following the elapse of the predetermined time is estimated by adding the variation amount to the reducing agent amount adsorbed to the selective reduction type NOx catalyst.
US09238971B2

A device for directing gas impingement to an inner casing of a gas turbine may include a plate configured for attachment to the outer surface of the inner casing. The plate has a first surface opposing the inner casing when the plate is attached to an area of the inner casing and a second surface opposite the first surface. The plate defines a plurality of holes through the plate from the first surface to the second surface. The holes are arranged with a predetermined non-uniform distribution in the plate corresponding to a desired preferential impingement pattern for providing non-uniform heat transfer from the area during operation of the gas turbine so as to control temperature of the inner casing across the area. Various options and modifications are possible. Related gas turbine assemblies are also disclosed.
US09238969B2

A turbine arrangement includes first and second platforms forming a section of a main fluid path, aerofoils, and an impingement plate. Each aerofoil extends from the first to the second platform. The second platform has a surface opposite to the main fluid path with recesses surrounded by a raised edge, which provides support for the mountable impingement plate. The edge is formed as a first closed loop surrounding a first recess and further surrounding a first aperture of a first aerofoil and as a second closed loop surrounding a second recess and further surrounding a second aperture of a second aerofoil. A portion of the edge defines a continuous barrier between the first recess and the second recess for blocking cooling fluid. The barrier forms a mating surface for a central area of the impingement plate.
US09238968B2

A vane is provided for directing hot gases in a gas turbine engine. The vane includes a hollow aerofoil portion, which in use spans the working gas annulus of the engine. The vane further includes an impingement tube which forms a covering over the interior surface of the aerofoil portion and which has jet-forming apertures formed therein for the production of impingement cooling jets. The impingement tube includes two tube portions which are separately insertable into position into the aerofoil portion to form the covering. The impingement tube further includes an expansion member which, when the tube portions are in position in the aerofoil portion, is locatable in the aerofoil portion to urge each tube portion outwardly and thereby holds the tube portions in position against the aerofoil portion.
US09238964B2

Systems, methods, and devices are provided for compressing a variety of signals, such as measured signals from a hydrocarbon operation, that may be stored and/or transmitted in compressed form. Segmentation tools and techniques are used to compress the signals. Segmentation techniques include breaking a signal into segments and representing the data samples of the signal as segment boundary points, which may reflect where changes occur in the signal, and segment parameters, which may be utilized to model the segmented data. Embodiments can be used in real-time or in batch modes. New data samples can influence previous segment boundary points and/or segment parameters in some cases. Systems may modify what has already been stored or displayed as a result in revising segmentation information based on analysis utilizing the new data samples. Embodiments may utilize different Bayesian analysis techniques including the use of prior probability distributions and maximum a posteriori analyses.
US09238960B2

A method for using markers with a drilling plan uses a first log file of a first well in order to identify and store one or more markers that have a name, a true vertical depth (TVD) and a waveform. Second well log data generated while a second well is being drilled is monitored in real time. The second well log data is compared to the one or more markers to located a match to at least one marker in a predetermined TVD range. An estimated TVD value and an uncertainty range value are assigned to each of the at least one planned marker. When a matching marker is located for one of the one or more markers in the predetermined TVD range a report is generated.
US09238957B2

A downhole injection apparatus having a sleeve disposed in a tubular housing. The sleeve and housing define an annular orifice through which steam flows prior to injection into the wellbore. Water condensate collects at the orifice or restriction proximate the orifice and is mixed with or entrained into the flow of steam. The sleeve preferably has a plurality of generally radial ports such that steam flows from interior the sleeve to the annulus. Preferably the injection ports and sleeve ports are angled to reduce or eliminate radical changes in direction of the steam flow.
US09238955B2

Systems and methods comprise structures and methods for using a plurality of chemicals which are mixed subsea, resulting in a heated fluid which can be delivered by various means to an area about a subsea structure such as a pipe or other structure which has been compromised by a plug such as a solid gas hydrate or paraffinic plug. Various embodiments allow for selective use of insulated chambers and baffled conduits and the like, or combinations thereof, to aid in the mixing of the various chemicals and achieving a desired temperature.
US09238952B2

An apparatus comprising a first casing string comprising one or more profiled seats furrowed into the first casing string's inner casing wall, a second casing string comprising an upper casing joint, a lower casing joint, and a tension-set external mechanical casing (EMC) packer positioned between the upper casing joint and the lower casing joint, wherein the tension-set EMC packer comprises a mandrel that is attached to the upper casing joint and to the lower casing joint, wherein the second casing string is disposed within the first casing string such that a casing casing annulus (CCA) is formed between the first casing string's inside diameter (ID) and the second casing string's outside diameter (OD), and wherein the recessed seats are positioned below the tension-set EMC packer prior to any engagement of the tension-set EMC packer with the first casing string.
US09238949B2

Disclosed are systems and methods for providing a casing exit. One method includes introducing into a wellbore a casing section having an outer sleeve and an inner sleeve rotatably received within the outer sleeve, the outer sleeve defining an outer window and the inner sleeve defining an inner window rotationally alignable with the outer window, wherein the inner sleeve defines a first alignment portion engageable to rotate the inner sleeve, advancing the casing section to a wellbore location with the inner window rotationally misaligned with the outer window, extending a deflector tool within the casing section such that a second alignment portion provided on the deflector tool engages the first alignment portion, and rotating the deflector tool such that the inner sleeve rotates with respect to the outer sleeve and moves the casing section into an open configuration where the inner window is rotationally aligned with the outer window.
US09238948B2

A gas analysis system for determining the gas content of subterranean strata. A boring operation is commenced to form a borehole into or through a subterranean formation, such as a coal or shale formation to determine the gas content thereof. The drill fluid, cuttings and any desorbed gas is carried from the downhole location to surface analysing equipment in a closed system, so that the desorbed gases are not exposed to the air. The drill stem is capped or sealed at the surface, as well as the wellbore annulus to effectively seal the drill liquid, cuttings and desorbed gasses. The drill fluid, cuttings and desorbed gasses from the formation are coupled from the wellhead apparatus to the gas processing equipment via a closed system so that the constituents and volume of the gas can be determined.
US09238926B2

A keyless lock assembly for selectively locking and unlocking a door includes a plate that is coupled to a door. A guide is coupled to the plate. A tubular housing is coupled to the plate. A shaft is operationally coupled to the tubular housing. A locking pin is coupled to the shaft and is positioned within a pin groove. A rotation slot extends into the tubular housing. The rotation slot is in communication with the pin groove. A locking slot extends into the tubular housing. The locking slot is in communication with the rotation slot so the locking slot retains the locking pin. A handle is coupled to the shaft. A locking bracket is coupled to the door. The handle engages the locking bracket. A shaft cup extends into a support surface proximate the door so the shaft cup receives the shaft so the door is locked.
US09238925B2

A water seal system is provided for a latch assembly that comprises a housing having a receptacle in which a handle extends therein. A trigger extends from the handle through an aperture in the receptacle to a latching mechanism on a rear side of the housing. The trigger is operative to cause the latching mechanism to operate, responsive to movement of the handle. The water seal system includes a gasket mounted to a metal backing plate, with slots extending through the backing plate and gasket. The trigger extends through the slots such that the backing plate abuts a stop surface of the trigger. Movement of the handle from the extended position to the retracted position is operative to cause the stop surface to urge the backing plate to compress the gasket adjacent portions of the receptacle that extend around the aperture.
US09238924B2

A structure including a first end panel, a second end panel, and a side panel that spans between the first end panel and the second end panel. The various panels are supported by a plurality of hubs and rods. When erected, the structure appears similar in shape to a hay bale. The structure may be manually collapsed into a very compact form for transport and storage.
US09238917B2

Floor panels with a flexible tongue in an insertion groove, the flexible tongue is designed to cooperate, in a connected state with a tongue groove of another panel, the panels are adapted to be locked together by vertical folding, the flexible tongue has a projection portion which, in a connected state projects outside the insertion groove and cooperates with the tongue groove, said projecting portion has a beveled and/or rounded sliding surface and the panels have a sliding surface adapted to cooperate therewith during vertical folding, the flexible tongue during the vertical folding is displaced twice in the horizontal direction, a first displacement is effected by the vertical folding of the fold panel whereby at least a part of the flexible tongue is bent, a second displacement of the flexible tongue towards its initial position is accomplished substantially by a spring effect caused by said bending of said flexible tongue.
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