US09258931B2
Methods of preventing overheating of computer equipment in a cabinet when a supply coolant to a cooler in the cabinet fails. An example embodiment is a data center that includes a plurality of cabinets configured to house computer equipment. At least two coolant supply lines from which the cabinets receive coolant are made available, with each of the supply lines providing the coolant to multiple cabinets. Moreover, the cabinets are arranged in rows and columns such that the cabinets along a row are spaced closer together than the cabinets along a column. Furthermore, each row of the cabinets receives coolant from alternating coolant supply lines.
US09258929B2
A server and a heat dissipating assembly thereof includes an airflow generating device, a central processing unit, several memory slots, a first cooling fin set, a second cooling fin set and a heat conductive member. The airflow generating device generates an airflow flowing along an airflow direction and is located at a front side of the central processing unit. The several memory slots are used to plug of memories, and they are located at a lateral side of a central processing unit. The first cooling fin set is correspondingly located over the central processing unit and at a lateral side of the memory slots. The second cooling fin set is located at a front side of the memory slots and between the airflow generating device and the memory slots. The first cooling fin set is thermally connected with the second cooling fin set via the heat conductive member.
US09258928B2
According to various aspects of the present disclosure, exemplary embodiments include assemblies and methods for dissipating heat from an electronic device by a thermally-conducting heat path to the external casing. In an exemplary embodiment, a thermally-conductive structure which comprises graphite may be disposed about or define a battery area such that heat may be transferred to the external casing by a thermally-conductive heat path around the battery area through or along the thermally-conductive structure which comprises graphite.
US09258926B2
A system and method for cooling electronic devices disposed with the innermost volume of a hollow-walled fluid-tight sealed enclosure. Thermally conductive fluids that fill one or more volumes within the hollow walls of said sealed enclosure may be circulated away from said sealed enclosure to an external heat exchange mechanism. The innermost volume of the sealed container contains one or more single phase or multi-phase dielectric thermally conductive fluids, which may be circulated passively by convection or actively by means of a pump, bubbler, fan, propeller or other means. Pressure balancing mechanisms may be included to maintain suitable pressure of gaseous fluid in the innermost volume of the sealed container.
US09258923B2
An adjustable bracket for a slide assembly includes a bracket, a support member and an engaging member. The bracket has an aperture and a contact portion. The support member is slidably connected to the bracket and has an opening and a stop portion. The engaging member has a resilient arm and an engaging portion which is connected to the resilient arm and located corresponding to the aperture of the bracket. When the support member slides to a predetermined position, the stop portion is against the contact portion so that the support member is stopped. When the support member slides to an extended position, the opening overlaps the aperture and the engaging portion is inserted into the opening so that the support member is positioned.
US09258919B1
The invention described herein is a fire protection device in the form of an insert designed to be quickly installed in new or existing electrical boxes located in firewalls. This insert is comprised of a material designed to withstand high direct heat and serve as a barrier to the passage of direct heat or smoke and gases through firewalls rated under ASTM E-119. The insert features a flanged open end which overlaps any gaps between the existing electrical box and the wall. The back wall of the insert box may have either openings to permit wires to pass through to the electrical device or a plug-harness assembly which obviates the use of holes in the back of the insert box.
US09258910B2
An apparatus for a multi-directional display that includes a first surface situated in an electronic equipment cabinet, wherein the first surface is capable of extending out of at least two sides of the electronic equipment cabinet. A first electronic display is mechanically coupled to a first mount, such that the first electronic display is capable of rotating independently from the first mount. The first mount is coupled to the first surface, such that the first electronic display is viewable when the first surface is separately extended out of the at least two sides.
US09258909B2
A box used for packaging a display panel component includes a first receiving cavity receiving a panel cell of the display panel component and a second receiving cavity receiving a printed circuit board (PCB) of the display panel component. The second receiving cavity is arranged at one side of the first receiving cavity. A bottom of the second receiving cavity is lower in height than a bottom of the first receiving cavity.
US09258905B2
A first solder is lead-free solder that contains no lead (Pb). The first solder includes a first metal that contains at least Sn; and a second metal that contains at least a Ni—Fe alloy. An electronic component built-in module may include an electronic component and a substrate on which the electronic component is installed, where a terminal of the electronic component and a terminal of the substrate are joined together by using the lead-free solder.
US09258892B2
A circuit subassembly is disclosed comprising a conductive metal layer and a dielectric substrate layer having a dielectric constant of less than about 3.5 and a dissipation factor of less than about 0.006 at 10 GHz, wherein the composition of the dielectric substrate layer comprises about 5 to about 70 volume percent of borosilicate microspheres that have been treated with an alkaline solution.
US09258883B2
A via structure includes a ground conductor, a floated conductor and a signal conductor. The ground conductor is electrically coupled to a reference potential. The floated conductor is electrically insulated from the ground conductor. The signal conductor is located between and insulated from the ground conductor and the floated conductor.
US09258881B2
An electronic device includes a printed circuit board having a top surface, a clip member, a heat sink mounted on the top surface of the printed circuit board, and an anchor having a mounting portion with a solder surface for soldering to the top surface of the printed circuit board and a hook portion used to lock the clip member assembled to the heat sink. The solder surface is mounted to the top surface of the printed circuit board by surface mount technique (SMT).
US09258876B2
Provided herein are systems and methods for operating a traveling wave linear accelerator to generate stable electron beams at two or more different intensities by varying the number of electrons injected into the accelerator structure during each pulse by varying the width of the beam pulse, i.e., pulse width.
US09258873B2
The present invention relates to signal and power supply transmission for an X-ray source. In order to provided an improved signal and power supply transmission with reduced constructional complexity and enhanced operation possibilities, an integrated signal and power supply transmission arrangement is provided, comprising a supply board (12), a main board (14), an insulating plate (16), at least one transformer arrangement (18), and at least one signal transmission arrangement (20). The insulating plate is provided between the supply and the main board. The transformer arrangement is provided to supply electric energy to the driving circuit of a transistor, which in turn feeds an X-ray source. The transformer arrangement comprises a primary electric conductor arranged on the supply board to cause electromagnetic induction in a secondary electric conductor arranged on the main board. The signal transmission arrangement is adapted to transmit a signal between the supply board and the main board; wherein the signal transmission arrangement comprises at least a first optical signal transmission device provided on the supply board, and a second optical signal transmission device (30) provided on the main board. The insulating plate is light-transmissive at least in the part between the first and second optical signal transmission device. The first and the second optical signal transmission devices are arranged in an optical connection path.
US09258872B2
A streetlamp fault detection apparatus and a streetlamp fault detection method thereof are provided. The streetlamp fault detection apparatus is coupled to a streetlamp loop, and stores an impedance condition table defining a reference impedance range and a non-reference impedance range. The streetlamp fault detection apparatus measures a total impedance value of the streetlamp loop in a measurement period, determines that the streetlamp loop is in a normal operating state if the total impedance value stably falls within the reference impedance range in the measurement period, and determines that the streetlamp loop is in a fault state if the total impedance value falls into the non-reference impedance range in the measurement period.
US09258867B2
A light emitting apparatus disclosed herein comprises a first control apparatus, a first light emitting device, a sense apparatus, a second control apparatus, a power source and a second light emitting device, wherein the second light emitting device is electrically connected to the power source which is not connected to the first light emitting device. The sense apparatus senses both temperature and current of the first light emitting device to generate a second driving signal. The second driving signal is then provided to control the second light emitting device to emit a light for compensating the CCT shift of the light emitted by the first light emitting device.
US09258852B2
A system for melting a substance may be provided. The system may include a crucible insulated with fused silica, a microwave generator configured to supply microwaves, and at least one burner probe extending into the crucible. The at least one burner probe may include a wave guide. The wave guide may be configured to receive microwaves from the microwave generator and transmit the microwaves. The at least one burner probe may further include an absorber. The absorber may have a geometry configured to cause a minimal amount of microwave energy to be reflected back into the wave guide. In addition, the absorber may include a one piece cast of silicon carbide configured to dissipate heat along an exterior of the absorber. The absorber may be further configured to receive the microwaves from the wave guide and convert energy from the microwaves into the heat.
US09258850B2
A heating chamber is divided into a plurality of spaces by barrier sections including a conductive material. Phase shifters having different lengths with respect to a direction and including a dielectric body having permittivity higher than air are inserted in positions of a terminal section, in the spaces except for at least one space, to differentiate positions of bottoms of standing microwaves formed in the respective spaces from each other with respect to the direction. In addition, impedance adjusters having different lengths with respect to the direction and including a dielectric body having permittivity higher than air are inserted in positions on an upstream side of a region passed by the object to be heated, in the spaces except for at least one space, to reduce differences in impedance of the spaces from an entrance of the heating chamber to the terminal section including the phase shifters.
US09258834B2
The present invention discloses a method of mobile terminal internal communications, which belongs to the field of mobile communications. The method comprises: a control signal channel is connected within an application processor module and a baseband processor module, and the control signal channel is composed of a first signal channel, a second signal channel and a feedback channel. A first request signal is sent from the application processor module to the baseband processor module via the first signal channel, and then a feedback is sent from the baseband processor module to the application processor module via the feedback channel. After the feedback is sent to the application processor module, the application processor module starts to send data to the baseband processor module. A second request signal is sent from the baseband processor module to the application processor module, and then the baseband processor module starts to send data to the application processor module.
US09258826B2
The present application relates to a method for enabling a terminal to transmit or receive a signal to or from a base station in a wireless communication system. Specifically, the method comprises the steps of: acquiring at least one amongst a downlink grant and an uplink grant in a specific sub-frame; determining the use of a dynamic sub-frame which is changeable for the dynamic use on the basis of the acquired grant information as one amongst an uplink transmission or a downlink reception; and transmitting or receiving the signal to or from the base station according to the determined use.
US09258822B2
A system and method is provided for intelligent bandwidth allocation in a wireless communication device supporting multiple interfaces. A wireless communications device operating in connection with a first communications interface and a second communications interface is capable of switching channels back and forth so as to receive beacons from both interfaces effectively and provide enough bandwidth for each interface for data traffic to continue without any observable interruptions.
US09258810B2
Systems and methodologies are described that facilitate unified, low-complexity processing (e.g., user separation and noise estimation) of a control channel. One or more UEs can respectively transmit one or more control signals, which are multiplexed on a control channel and a base station can receive a control channel signal that includes the one or more control signals. The base station, in a single pass, can separate the control signals by matching the control channel signal with a base sequence and translating the matched signal to a time-domain representation. In the time-domain representation, each control signal resides at a different tap. Further, the base station can identify taps of the time-domain representation corresponding to an unused cyclic shift or orthogonal cover sequence. Such taps can be employed to generate a noise and/or interference estimate.
US09258809B2
Methods of multi-point carrier aggregation configuration and data forwarding are disclosed. In one embodiment of the invention, a primary connection is established between a UE and a primary base station in a primary cell with a first UE-ID. A second connection is configured between the UE and a second base station in a secondary cell with a second UE-ID. Component carriers from the primary and the second connections are configured and aggregated. Mobility management functions are performed on the primary connection. In another embodiment of the current invention, a first UE data is received from a primary connection with a UE connecting to a first base station, a second UE data is received from a second base station. The first UE data and the second UE data are combined. A third UE data from a network entity is distributed to the first and the second base station.
US09258799B2
A method and device for link adaptation in a wireless local area network system, are discussed. The method may include receiving, by a responding station, from a requesting station, a requesting Physical layer Protocol Data Unit (PPDU) for requesting a modulation and coding scheme (MCS) feedback via a plurality of spatial streams, the requesting PPDU including an MCS request (MRQ) field that is set to one to request the responding station to provide the MCS feedback; and transmitting, by the responding station, to the requesting station, the MCS feedback including a recommended MCS field and a recommended stream field. The recommended MCS field indicates a recommended MCS, the recommended stream field indicates a number of at least one recommended spatial stream, and the number of the at least one recommended spatial stream is less than a number of the plurality of spatial streams used for the requesting PPDU.
US09258796B2
A system and method for implementing a low-power local-area network for use with a mobile terminal satellite modem. This low-power local-area network enables sensors on an asset to transmit sensor data to a mobile terminal affixed on the asset. The mobile terminal reports the sensor data along with asset position information to a centralized facility via a communications satellite.
US09258786B2
In a heterogeneous network deployment that includes a macro base station and a low power node, a geometry indicator is transmitted by the low power node to facilitate the calculation of a path loss difference value at a user equipment using power estimates of the received synchronization signal from the macro base station and received geometry indicator signal from the low power node. Using the estimated path loss difference value, the user equipment adjusts the power level of an initial preamble signal transmission to the macro base station.
US09258785B2
A method and an apparatus for transmitting and receiving an uplink signal by a mobile terminal in a wireless communication system are provided. The first mobile terminal includes a receiver configured to receive, from a base station, a power control variable determined based on an interference value for a first receive beam used in order to receive an uplink signal of the first mobile terminal from among a plurality of receive beams of the base station, to receive, from the base station, neighboring receive beam allocation data indicating whether any of the receive beams in the plurality of receive beams, different from the first receive beam, is being used for uplink signal reception, to determine an uplink transmit power value based on the received power control variable and neighboring receive beam allocation data, and to transmit an uplink signal to the base station by using the determined uplink transmit power value.
US09258784B2
A method is provided, comprising transmitting a radio transmission using a radio transmitter circuit connected to a corresponding antenna of a mobile electronic device, detecting a change in transmission conditions, and adjusting the power radiated by said antenna in response to a detected change. A mobile electronic device is provided, comprising a radio transmitter circuit, an antenna connected to said radio transmitter circuit, and a controller adapted for transmitting a radio transmission using said radio transmitter circuit, detecting a change in transmission conditions, and adjusting the power radiated by said antenna in response to a detected change.
US09258783B2
A system and method for managing power in a subnet having a hub in communication with one or more nodes is disclosed. The hub and nodes communicate using one or more non-contention access methods, such as scheduled, polled or posted access. The node may enter a sleep or hibernation state while no scheduled, polled or posted allocation interval is pending. The hibernation state allows the node to hibernate through one or more entire beacon periods. In the sleep state, the node may be asleep between any scheduled, polled and posted allocation intervals for the node or during another node's scheduled allocation interval in a current beacon period. By selecting which access scheme is in use, the node and hub can increase the node's chances to be in hibernation or sleep state and minimize power consumption.
US09258775B1
Techniques for determining appropriate locations to update mobile device software to prevent initiation of unwanted software updates are provided. An example method includes identifying one or more wireless access points within wireless connection range of a mobile device, determining whether a wireless access point of the one or more identified wireless access points is included in a list of preferred wireless access points, the list generated with consideration to previous software updates performed via the preferred wireless access points and durations of network connectivity during the previous software updates, scheduling one or more software updates using the wireless access point, when the wireless access point is included in the list of preferred wireless access points, and performing the scheduled software updates upon connection to the wireless access point.
US09258771B2
A radio communication device may be provided. The radio communication device may include: a measurement circuit configured to measure a reception quality of a signal from a second radio communication device; a memory configured to store signal information indicating the reception quality of the signal measured by the measurement circuit; a configuration information receiver configured to receive configuration information for the radio communication device based on the measured reception quality; a quality indication determination circuit configured to determine a quality indication of a communication with the second radio communication device based on the stored signal information and the received configuration information; and a connection establishing determination circuit configured to determine whether to establish a connection for communication with the second radio communication device based on the determined quality indication.
US09258769B2
Apparatus, method and computer program product providing priority setting for multi-rat interworking
Apparatus, methods and computer program products operate an electronic device to receive through from a wireless communications network a prioritized list of radio access technologies; to store the prioritized list of radio access technologies in a memory of the electronic device; and to consult the prioritized list of radio access technologies during cell selection and reselection operations. In variants the radio access technologies listed in the prioritized list of radio access technologies can be E-UTRAN, UTRAN or GERAN. In a further variant to consult the prioritized list may mean to compare at least one of a signal measurement and a quality measurement with at least one threshold established for a certain radio access technology appearing in the prioritized list, and to select/reselect to the certain radio access technology only if the at least one of the signal measurement and the quality measurement exceeds the threshold.
US09258768B2
A method for using legacy Wi-Fi and Wi-Fi Peer-to-Peer (P2P) simultaneously is provided. The method includes entering a device discovery process of Wi-Fi P2P, if use of a Wi-Fi P2P function is requested while using a legacy Wi-Fi function, acquiring a Group Owner (GO) right of Wi-Fi P2P in the device discovery process, performing a listen state over the same channel as a channel where the legacy Wi-Fi function is in use, through the acquisition of the GO right, and performing a search state over a social channel of Wi-Fi P2P, and repeating the listen state and the search state until the device discovery process is ended.
US09258764B2
A communication device and method for crowdsourcing of information from one or more communication devices. The crowdsourced information can be defined by one or more parameters defined in an operational framework. The operational framework can be, for example, an Access Network Discovery and Selection Function (ANDSF) framework. The operational framework can include, for example, positional and/or movement information of the communication device(s), a signal quality of a communication network, a visibility duration of a communication network, data rate information of a communication network, and/or quality of service (QoS) information of a communication network.
US09258761B2
A method is provided with which a terminal can obtain information relating to a radio environment. The method includes the following steps: a discovery device receives a request from the terminal to discover a radio environment; the discovery device determines a list comprising a plurality of access points that belong respectively to an access network and are provided to supply radio coverage at a current location of the terminal; a piece of information is obtained relating to an access to a service by using the access points on the list; the list is enriched with the information obtained in association with the access point; the enriched list is scheduled according to at least one criterion relating to the service; and the ordered list is sent to the terminal by the discovery device.
US09258743B2
Systems and methodologies are described that facilitate resource scaling for inter-access point fairness in a wireless communication system. As described herein, an offered load of an access point can be determined based on one or more loading metrics relating to associated terminals, throughput, data rate, quality of service (QoS), or the like. Based on the determined offered load of an access point, resources used by the access point and/or power utilized for communication over those resources can be scaled based on a comparison of the offered load of the access point to a nominal or default offered load. Centralized techniques for resource scaling are described herein, wherein one or more centralized controllers coordinate resource scaling with respective access points via backhaul messaging. In addition, distributed techniques for resource scaling are described herein, wherein neighboring access points communicate with each other via over-the-air messaging to determine a local optimal resource apportionment.
US09258738B2
Embodiments relate to a baseband processing apparatus (200) for processing baseband signals to or from at least one remote radio head (204), the at least one remote radio head (204) serving a radio cell of a cellular communication system, the baseband processing apparatus (200) comprising: an interface (208) to connect the baseband processing apparatus (200), as a first node (200-1) of a network (300), to a further baseband processing apparatus as a second node (200-2) of the network (300); a plurality of dedicated user data processors (210; 410; 420), wherein each is operable to process user specific data of first users being associated to the radio cell, the processing of the user specific data of the first users leading to a processing load of the first node (200-1); and a load balancer (212) operable to exchange load information with a load balancer of the second node (200-2) via the interface (208) and to distribute processing tasks between the plurality of dedicated user data processors (210; 410; 420) of the first node (200-1) and/or to distribute processing tasks between plurality of dedicated user data processors (210; 410; 420) of the first node (200-1) and the second node (200-2) in response to the exchanged load information in order to distribute processing load among different nodes of the network (300).
US09258733B2
A method, a device, and a non-transitory storage medium to obtain a traffic volume value that indicates a volume of traffic to and/or from a radio node, a value that indicates a class of the radio node, or a received signal strength value that indicates a received signal strength of a macro signal received by the radio node; calculate a delay time value based on traffic volume value, the value that indicates the class, or the received signal strength value; and transmit the delay time value to the radio node, wherein the delay time value indicates a time period to wait, by the radio node, before attempting to authenticate and register with one or more network devices.
US09258731B2
In one embodiment, a first network device detects load information transmitted by a second network device and selects one of a plurality of modes of communication responsive to the detected load information. The modes of communication include at least a first mode of communication that is selected responsive to a relatively low load condition and a second mode of communication that is selected responsive to a relatively high load condition. In each of the modes particular information is to be transmitted from the first network device to the second network device including at least one identifier and associated data, and in different ones of the modes different portions of the particular information are transmitted from the first network device to the second network device using different channel arrangements. The first and second network devices may comprise, for example, respective sensor and access point nodes of a wireless network.
US09258724B2
A method for automatically identifying wireless signal quality of a region includes receiving signal quality information associated with wireless signals received by each of a plurality of mobile endpoints and receiving location information identifying locations of each of the plurality of mobile endpoints. The method also includes, based on the received signal quality information and the received location information, identifying a first region of an area, the first region having a first signal quality.
US09258723B2
Systems, methods, and devices with different radio link failure timers based on user equipment speed
Systems, methods, and device for adjusting an operation time of a radio link failure timer are disclosed herein. User equipment (UE) may be configured to communicatively couple to an evolved Universal Terrestrial Radio Access Network (E-UTRAN). The UE use different radio link failure timer parameters depending on the speed of the UE. The radio link failure timer may run for a longer time for rapidly moving UEs and run for a shorter time for slowly moving UEs. In an embodiment, the UE may scale the radio link failure timer by a scaling factor. In another embodiment, the UE may include multiple radio link failure timers for different speeds. The radio link failure timer parameters for each speed may be specified by the E-UTRAN in a one-to-one communication. The E-UTRAN may determine which parameters to use for each UE based on characteristics of the UE.
US09258721B2
A method includes receiving a request to bind a port to a requesting application and determining whether an open application is bound to the port. The method further includes binding the requesting application to the port when the open application is not bound to the port.
US09258720B2
A method and apparatus for reducing gaps in data transmission between a device and at least one wireless access point connecting the first device to a central monitoring system. The device includes a radio that enables bidirectional data communication between the device and the at least one wireless access point, the radio being able to operate in a power save mode and an active transmission mode. A control processor selectively monitors a type and amount of data being transmitted between the radio and the at least one wireless access point to predict an occurrence of a gap in data transmission between the device and the at least one access point. The control processor, in response to predicting a gap in data transmission, automatically switches an operational mode of the radio from the power save mode to the active transmission mode for a predetermined amount of time enabling full bidirectional communication between the device and the at least one wireless access point for the predetermined amount of time preventing the gap in data transmission.
US09258713B2
Techniques are presented for detecting rogue wireless beacon devices. Wireless transmissions from beacon devices are received at a plurality of receiver devices. The wireless transmissions of the beacon devices comprise packets that carry information used for location-based services for mobile wireless devices. Content of one or more fields of the packets transmitted by the beacon devices and received by one or more of the receiver devices is obtained. The content of one or more fields of the packets is analyzed to detect an unauthorized beacon device. The analyzing operation may involve comparing the content of the one or more fields of the packets against a list that contains one or more identifiers for authorized beacon devices. In another form, analyzing may involve analyzing the content of the one or more fields of the packets with pattern information related to advertising content or advertising source.
US09258710B2
From a remote control device, a pairing command including an authentication key is transmitted to a slave device by an infrared ray remote control signal by first depression of a push button. The slave device transmits an authentication key, which is generated based on the received authentication key, through a wireless LAN. By second depression of the push button, the remote control device transmits a pairing command, which includes an authentication key, to a master device by an infrared ray remote control signal. The master device compares the authentication key, which is received through the wireless LAN, and the authentication key, which is received by the infrared ray remote control signal, with each other, and transmits a pairing authorization to the slave device through the wireless LAN if both of the authentication keys coincide with each other. The slave device receives the pairing authorization, and establishes pairing.
US09258708B2
A method for providing cellular access to a mobile device when the mobile device is out of a home network operated by a home wireless service provider that has no pre-arranged roaming agreements with any foreign wireless service provider in a location of the mobile device. The method includes implementing an intelligent Mobile Device Access Network Manager (iMDANM) application on a Universal Integrated Circuit Card (UICC). The iMDANM application being configured to allow a foreign wireless service provider to lease a portion of the UICC from the home wireless service provider to provision service credentials to the leased portion of the UICC, thereby providing the mobile device access to a foreign network operated by the foreign wireless service provider.
US09258707B1
Examples disclosed herein provide systems, methods, and software for communication using Common Public Radio Interface. In one example, a system for CPRI communication includes a radio equipment control system configured to generate a timing security flag for a basic frame, insert the security flag into the basic frame, and initiate transfer of the basic frame to a radio equipment system. The radio equipment system is further configured to receive the basic frame, identify validity of the timing security flag, and upon validation, update timing on the radio equipment.
US09258703B2
A device wirelessly receives first and second identifiers contemporaneously from a network. The first identifier indicates that the network operates in a first mode that is not secure. The second identifier indicates that the network operates in a second mode that is secure. In response to wirelessly receiving the first and second identifiers, the device wirelessly connects to the network in the first mode to determine whether the network accepts the device for the second mode, irrespective of whether the network previously accepted the device for the second mode, and irrespective of whether the device already stores authentication information for the second mode. In response to determining that the network accepts the device for the second mode, the device wirelessly connects to the network in the second mode to securely communicate with the network in response to the authentication information.
US09258696B2
The present invention provides a method of route optimization involving a first mobile device associated with a first home gateway. One embodiment of the method is implemented in a first mobility forwarding entity and includes registering the first mobile device at the first mobility forwarding entity. The first mobile device is registered using a session key included in a registration message transmitted by the first mobile device. The embodiment also includes establishing a secure route between the first mobility forwarding entity and a terminating node using the session key. The secure route bypasses the first home gateway.
US09258690B2
Several methods are provided for communicating emergency call capability information between a station and an access point (AP) in a wireless local area network. The methods include advertising by the AP of its emergency call capabilities and announcing by the station of its emergency call capabilities. The AP can advertise its emergency call capabilities in a beacon frame, a probe response frame, a reassociation response frame, or a reauthentication response frame. The station can announce its emergency call capabilities in an association request frame, a reassociation request frame, an authentication request frame, or a reauthentication request frame.
US09258686B2
The present invention enables a user to share his/her listening experience selectively with others without sharing headphones and without disturbing others who do not want to listen. In a preferred embodiment, a first listener can accomplish this by storing in a Portable Electronic Device or similar device a library of listening experiences, listening to one of the listening experiences, and while listening to that one listening experience streaming the one listening experience to at least one other Portable Electronic Device or similar device. A second listener at the other Portable Electronic Device can then listen to the same listening experience as the first listener at the same time. It is expected that the listening experiences will typically be songs or other music but the invention may be practiced with any type of audio content. The first listener may also create a playlist of the listening experiences in the library and make the playlist available to others. Others may use the playlist to access the library and listen to one or more listening experiences stored in the library. Also, utilizing the same interface and communication methodologies as described above, the technology platform detailed in this application can be used for commercial purposes to stream location based content, audio and otherwise, to a connected network of Portable Electronic Devices. Commercial uses of this functionality include providing commercial establishments with the ability to create synchronous (users come into a stream at the exact point that it is being streamed in real time) and or asynchronous (users can select and start a transmission from the beginning) featured channels (location based) where they can stream any self created or otherwise authorized content to other Portable Electronic Devices in their range.
US09258683B2
Delivery of a text message and/or voice mail message may include identifying a recipient of the message, receiving a notification indicative of one of the subscriber's availability, the subscriber's presence and the subscriber's location, recording the message, selectively converting a voice mail message to a text message based on the notification, and delivering either the text message or the voice mail message to a device of the recipient based on the notification. The text message and/or voice mail message may be delivered via a map, wherein selection of a location on the map may retrieve the text message and/or voice mail message.
US09258678B2
An athletic training system includes a personal electronic device having a processor, a memory, and a GPS sensor. The processor runs an application that calculates at least one of distance traveled, elevation change, and speed, of the user carrying the personal electronic device, and based upon location information obtained from the GPS sensor provides a training-related message to the user based upon at least one of the calculated distance traveled, elevation change, and speed.
US09258670B2
A housing (e.g., a wearable structure) includes one or more sensors operative to capture sensor data and a plug operative to electrically communicate data (e.g., the sensor data) to another device via a hard wired connection. A wirelessly enabled cap may be removably coupled with the housing and may include: a cavity operative to house the plug; a RF chip disposed within the housing; and one or more antennas electrically coupled with the chip. The chip is operative to wirelessly communicate data (e.g., the sensor data) in accordance with one or more wireless communication protocols (e.g., short-range, long-range, near field). The one or more antennas may form an exterior portion(s) of the housing and/or may be embedded in a portion(s) of the housing. The chip may be passive powered from an external RF source (e.g., an externally generated RF signal electrically coupled with the chip through one or more antennas).
US09258667B2
A device includes a primary cue module, a secondary cue module, a processing module, and a wireless transceiver. The primary cue module obtains primary data regarding an object of interest and the secondary cue module obtains secondary data regarding the object of interest. The processing module is operably coupled to: convert the primary data and the secondary data into an outbound message; convert the outbound message into an outbound symbol stream; and convert an inbound symbol stream into an inbound message, wherein the inbound message includes information regarding the object of interest. The wireless transceiver is operably coupled to: convert the outbound symbol stream into an outbound wireless signal; and convert an inbound wireless signal into the inbound symbol stream.
US09258664B2
An audio enhancement system can provide spatial enhancement, low frequency enhancement, and/or high frequency enhancement for headphone audio. The spatial enhancement can increase the sense of spaciousness or stereo separation between left and right headphone channels. The low frequency enhancement can enhance bass frequencies that are unreproducible or attenuated in headphone speakers by emphasizing harmonics of the low bass frequencies. The high frequency enhancement can emphasize higher frequencies that may be less reproducible or poorly tuned for headphone speakers. In some implementations, the audio enhancement system provides a user interface that enables a user to control the amount (e.g., gains) of each enhancement applied to headphone input signals. The audio enhancement system may also be designed to provide one or more of these enhancements more effectively when headphones with good coupling to the ear are used.
US09258659B2
A method of detecting enclosure leakage of an electrodynamic loudspeaker mounted in an enclosure or box may include applying an audio signal to a voice coil of the electrodynamic loudspeaker through an output amplifier and detecting a voice coil current flowing into the voice coil. A voltage across the voice coil may be detected and an impedance or admittance of the loudspeaker across a predetermined audio frequency range may be detected based on the detected voice coil current and voice coil voltage. A fundamental resonance frequency of the loudspeaker may be determined based on the detected impedance or admittance and compared with a nominal fundamental resonance frequency of the loudspeaker representing a sealed state of the enclosure. Acoustic leakage of the enclosure may be detected based on a deviation between the determined the fundamental resonance frequency and the nominal fundamental resonance frequency of the electrodynamic loudspeaker.
US09258658B2
The application relates to a test device for a speaker module of a listening device, the speaker module comprising a speaker unit for converting an electric output signal to an output sound. The application further relates to a test system and to a data update device. An object of the present application is to provide an alternative scheme for identifying a receiver (speaker) in a listening device, e.g. a hearing aid. The problem is solved in that the test device being a separate device adapted for being electrically connected to the speaker module in a test situation, but not during normal operation of the listening device. An advantage of the invention is that it provides a flexible alternative to a receiver identification solution that is integrated into the listening device.
US09258654B2
A coil for a transducer includes a pair of first sections, a second section connecting two ends of the first sections, and a third section connecting the other two ends of the first sections for forming a closed loop. The third section includes a pair of first stretch parts each extending from one first section toward the other stretch part, and a first concave part extending from the first stretch parts toward the second section.
US09258649B2
A vibrating film 47 is supported by a cylindrical body frame 31, and a first driving unit 61 for driving the vibrating film 47 based on an applied voice signal, is disposed in the body frame 31 on one surface side of the vibrating film 47, and a second driving unit 75 for driving the vibrating film 47 in the same direction as a vibrating direction of the vibrating film 47 driven by the first driving unit 61 based on the applied voice signal, is disposed in the body frame 31 on the other surface side of the vibrating film 47.
US09258640B2
A compact noise suppression circuit for a small speaker system and having a circuit board with a left signal input connection and a right signal input connection and a ground connection, and further having a left speaker supply connection and a left speaker return connection, and a right speaker supply connection and a right speaker return connection, and further having a left bifilar coil and a right bifilar coil, and left and right coil connections on the circuit board, and means securing said left and right bifilar coils to respective coil connections on the circuit board. Also disclosed is a compact portable audio player system incorporating such a noise suppression circuit, and a noise suppression circuit for a mon-aural signal system.
US09258638B2
An anti-diffraction plate for including in a planar magnetic transducer. The anti-diffraction plate includes anti-diffraction structures for positioning adjacent to magnets of the planar magnetic transducer. By introducing a shape over top surface of the magnets, the anti-diffraction structures cause the elimination of diffraction patterns as a main audio wavefront passes by the magnets from a diaphragm. A diffusion structure for diffusing reflected sound waves, the diffusion structures reducing or eliminating the power and capacity of the reflected sound waves to create interference patterns with oncoming sound waves.
US09258637B2
An electrical facility includes an earphone socket having a housing which includes a socket opening at one end portion and a compartment in the other end portion and which includes one or more signal terminals and a ground terminal, and a connector mechanism is engaged in the compartment of the housing and includes a socket element directed toward and aligned with the socket opening of the housing, and includes an output terminal electrically connected to the socket element. The connector mechanism may be selected from an RF connector mechanism. The output terminal of the housing is directed toward an outer peripheral portion of the housing.
US09258636B2
In a conventional headphone set, there is a possibility that a headband cannot be put in a suitable position when an ear pad is snugly mounted on an ear. A headphone set of this disclosure includes speaker units which output a sound. The headphone set also includes: speaker housings which are brought into contact with a user; connecting portions which are connected to the speaker housings in a state where the speaker housings are movable in a forward and rearward direction of the user; and a headband which has connecting portions on end portions thereof and is mounted on a head of the user in directions toward a crown of the head of the user. Due to such a constitution, the headphone set can be used in a more stable manner.
US09258634B2
A microphone system has a base forming a base aperture, and a lid coupled to the base to form a package having an interior chamber. The system also has a member coupled with the base within the interior chamber, and a microphone die coupled to the member within the interior chamber. The member is positioned between the base and the microphone die and has a member aperture that is laterally offset from the base aperture. The member aperture, member, and base together form an acoustic path between the base aperture and the microphone die.
US09258633B2
The present invention provides a rear cover of a flat panel electronic device and a flat panel electronic device having the rear cover. A outer surface of the rear cover is provided with a recess and a supporting leg, the supporting leg is pivotably connected in the recess through a pivot means so as to enable the supporting leg to pivot between a retracting position and an unfolding position, the supporting leg is configured to be contained in the recess when being in the retracting position, and to make an angle with the rear cover when being in the unfolding position, a speaker is disposed in the supporting leg, sound holes are disposed at a position on a side wall of the supporting leg which is corresponding to the speaker, a through-hole is formed at a position of the rear cover which is corresponding to the pivot means, and an electric wire of the speaker passes through the through-hole to extend into the rear cover. The angle of the screen of the flat panel electronic device relative to the user can be adjusted through the supporting leg of the rear cover to improve the user's comfort level in watching, and the surface to be placed (such as the table surface) has no influence on the sound effect.
US09258632B2
A speaker box includes an upper case defining at least a first hole, a lower case connected with the upper case for forming an inner cavity and defining at least a second hole, at least an electroacoustic transducer received in the inner cavity, and at least a screw passing through the first hole and the second hole for fixing the speaker box to an external electronic device.
US09258627B2
Disclosed are various embodiments for locating utility metering devices. Utility metering devices are those that are lost or stolen and that are facilitating unauthorized utility service access. Many AMI and/or AMR deployments lack the ability to remotely deactivate a meter. Accordingly, embodiments of this disclosure can generate a zone of interest in which an unauthorized utility metering device is located, and the unauthorized utility metering device can be subsequently located within the zone of interest.
US09258626B2
Embodiments of the present invention provide a visual interlock system for providing product information by displaying video content annotated with virtual information (stored as metadata) such as advertisement information or a social network service (SNS) message from a friend. Specifically, among other things, embodiments of the present invention provide a system that allows a video playing on a television to be simultaneously played on a mobile device. The system searches for virtual information related to a visual object in the video. The virtual information is stored as metadata. The virtual object in the video is annotated with the virtual information. The annotated video is displayed on the user terminal.
US09258615B2
The present invention relates to a method for providing interactive contents for a smart TV, which allows a seller to directly upload contents such that vivid contents can be easily provided.
US09258603B2
Digital data, including audio and video, may be communicated at increased data rates by utilizing non-data signal channels in cables to communicate additional data. For data transmission, a reformatter receives data in a first format adapted for communication over the data signal channels of a cable. The reformatter may convert the received data into a second format with one or more additional data signals. The reformatter then utilizes non-data signal channels of the cable to carry the additional data signals. An example non-data signal channel may include a clock signal channel, and the reformatter may fold a clock signal into one or more of the data signals to allow for clock recovery downstream. Data may also be split into two or more subsets and each subset encoded separately, for example with two or more data encoders such as legacy HDMI encoders.
US09258602B2
The present invention relates to system and method of reading and rewriting EDID in a video transmission system includes a transmitter transmitting a video signal and a receiver receiving the video signal that the transmitter transmitted which are connected to each other through digital interface, the method includes a reading step where the transmitter reads the EDID of the receiver through the digital interface; a first transmitting step where the transmitter transmit the video signal to the receiver on the basis of the EDID which the transmitter read; a second transmitting step where the receiver transmits a first message related to the EDID of the receiver; and a third transmitting step where the receiver transmits a second message related to the EDID of the receiver; wherein the transmitter, which received the first message from the receiver, does not read the EDID of the receiver until the second message is received.
US09258598B2
An information processing apparatus generating and outputting video signals, a video display apparatus connected to the information processing apparatus and displaying a video based on the video signals received from the information processing apparatus, and a video display system including the information processing apparatus and the video display apparatus, in which a display stop instruction signal is output from the information processing apparatus toward the video display apparatus via a signal line for transmitting, to the information processing apparatus, a connection signal indicating that the video display apparatus is connected to the information processing apparatus to stop and resume the display of the video without delay while preventing a malfunction, during which a pseudo connection signal is generated so that the video display apparatus is not deemed to be removed from the information processing apparatus.
US09258597B1
A system and method is provided where, in one aspect, a user signals that the user is interested in a particular image being displayed as part of a video, wherein objects in the image are detected and recognized, and wherein an action is taken based on information associated with the recognized objects. By way of example only, the actions may include recording a show (with or without a user's prior confirmation) or displaying information about a product in the image.
US09258595B2
The processing device is intended to be connected to a network of the second domain so as to receive data encrypted according to an encryption method specific to the first domain. It comprises: a memory for containing a first secret specific to the first domain; means of decryption of the data encrypted with the aid of the first secret so as to obtain decrypted data; means of encryption of the data decrypted according to an encryption method specific to the second domain, so that the data encrypted by said means of encryption cannot be decrypted other than with the aid of a second secret specific to the second domain. The invention also relates to the method for transmitting data encrypted with the aid of the secret specific to the first domain in the network of the second domain.
US09258593B1
Techniques disclosed herein enable automated home security monitoring via a television connected to a set-top box, such as a cable set-top box. Such techniques integrate the television with a home security system. A television viewer can use the television to control, interact, and automatically receive information about home security events in real-time. A television viewer can control lighting, and room temperature, and arm/disarm sensors in the home such as door sensors, motion detectors, cameras, etc, as well as access camera images. Events from such sensors can be monitored or viewed on the television set when they are triggered. For example, when triggered, an icon representing the sensor can be shown on the television screen, or in case of a camera, an image or video can be shown that cause the triggered event.
US09258591B2
A video transmitting system including a plurality of video cameras, a plurality of video monitoring apparatuses, a plurality of local storage devices, a data transmission subsystem, at least one video data collecting and transmitting apparatus, at least one collecting storage device, and at least one interface apparatus is presented. Video data from the video cameras are stored in the local storage devices and transmitted through the data transmission subsystem to be stored in the collecting storage device and to be transmitted to users.
US09258584B2
A method includes receiving, by a client device associated with a particular user, product details for video content including a purchase option identifier (ID) for the video content from a video service provider. The method includes requesting, by the client device based on a single sign on (SSO) protected call, a playback uniform resource locator (URL) for the video content from an orchestration layer associated with the video service provider. The method also includes receiving the playback URL, an entitlement ID associated with the particular user for the video content, and the encrypted content. The method includes obtaining a digital rights management (DRM) license for the encrypted content based on the entitlement ID, and decrypting and playing the video content based on DRM rules associated with the video content.
US09258570B2
Techniques and tools for video coding/decoding with sub-block transform coding/decoding and re-oriented transforms are described. For example, a video encoder adaptively switches between 8×8, 8×4, and 4×8 DCTs when encoding 8×8 prediction residual blocks; a corresponding video decoder switches between 8×8, 8×4, and 4×8 inverse DCTs during decoding. The video encoder may determine the transform sizes as well as switching levels (e.g., frame, macroblock, or block) in a closed loop evaluation of the different transform sizes and switching levels. When a video encoder or decoder uses spatial extrapolation from pixel values in a causal neighborhood to predict pixel values of a block of pixels, the encoder/decoder can use a re-oriented transform to address non-stationarity of prediction residual values.
US09258568B2
A method and apparatus is provided for implementing quantization in encoding/decoding. Firstly, the quantization on the picture transformed coefficient matrix is performed using a quantization parameter model, that is, the coefficient matrix is modeled as a parameter model represented by only several parameters, in which the parameter model includes two sorts of parameters, frequency band distribution parameters and frequency band weighting parameters. Thus, a quantization matrix conforming to the human vision system can be obtained by controlling the model parameters and the subjective quality of the encoded picture can be easily controlled. Secondly, the method does not need to store or transfer the quantization matrix in the bitstream which help to improve the encoding efficiency. Finally, the quantization on picture transformed coefficients using the method is well adapted to the content information of the picture to be encoded. Therefore, the present invention can improve the subjective quality of the encoded picture.
US09258563B2
A filter unit of a video encoder or video decoder can determine a first metric for a group of pixels within a block of pixels, determine a second metric for the group of pixels, determine a filter based on the first metric and the second metric, and generate a filtered image by applying the filter to the group of pixels. The first metric and second metric can be an activity metric and a direction metric, respectively, or can be other metrics such as an edge metric, horizontal activity metric, vertical activity metric, or diagonal activity metric.
US09258560B2
In the present invention, reconstructed images for prediction are stored in uncompressed reference picture memory and compressed reference picture memory. A video decoder stores in uncompressed reference picture memory a reconstructed image of a frame to be decoded which has been generated on the basis of a prediction, and among reconstructed images which have been stored in the uncompressed reference picture memory, compresses a reconstructed image that will not be used for prediction of the frame to be decoded and stores the image in the compressed reference picture memory. Using the reconstructed images which are stored in the uncompressed reference picture memory and the compressed reference picture memory, the video bitstream is decoded into a video.
US09258558B2
An image coding method comprising: obtaining current signals to be coded of each of the processing units of the image; generating a binary signal by performing binarization on each of the current signals to be coded; selecting a context for each of the current signals to be coded from among a plurality of contexts; performing arithmetic coding of the binary signal by using coded probability information associated with the context selected in the selecting; and updating the coded probability information based on the binary signal, wherein, in the selecting, the context for the current signal to be coded is selected, as a shared context, for a signal which is included in one of a plurality of processing units and has a size different from a size of the processing unit including the current signal to be coded.
US09258550B1
A system is provided for adaptively conformed imaging of work pieces having disparate configurations, which comprises a mount unit for holding at least one work piece, and an imaging unit for capturing images of the work piece held by the mount unit. At least one manipulator unit is coupled to selectively manipulate at least one of the mount and imaging units for relative displacement therebetween. A controller coupled to automatically actuate the manipulator and imaging units executes scene segmentation about the held work piece, which spatially defines at least one zone of operation in peripherally conformed manner about the work piece. The controller also executes an acquisition path mapping for the work piece, wherein a sequence of spatially offset acquisition points are mapped within the zone of operation, with each acquisition point defining a vantage point for the imaging unit to capture an image of the work piece from.
US09258547B2
Present invention relates to apparatus and methods for integrating both 3D video recording and 3D movies playing back together on intelligent devices or smart devices, wherein the method of the 3D movies recording can increase the view depth beyond human eye capability and the method and apparatus of 3D movies playing back provide large tolerance to eye motion and viewer is able to avoid the suffers from side effects of vertigo, headache, and eye fatigue; wherein intelligent devices is any one of cell-phone, PDA, iPhone / smartPhone, iPad, Google Glass, pocket/tablet PC, GPS, or eBook, laptop or notebook, computer, TV or iTV, etc.
US09258543B2
A method and a device for generating a three-dimensional image are provided. In the method, in an Nth time slot, an Nth left-eye image is received and stored in a download buffer of a first memory unit by a first control unit. An Nth right-eye image is received and stored in a download buffer of a second memory unit by a second control unit, where N is a positive integer from 1 to M, and M is a positive integer. In an (N+1)th time slot, the Nth right-eye image is received from the second control unit through a data transmission interface and stored in a receive buffer of the first memory unit. In an (N+2)th time slot, the Nth left-eye image and the Nth right-eye image are combined into an Nth three-dimensional image stored in a display buffer of the first memory unit for real time display.
US09258534B2
Systems and methods for determining an inventory condition of objects based on captured images are described. An exemplary inventory control system or method utilizes a highly efficient and economical approach to apply suitable imaging parameters for capturing images of a storage drawer being accessed by a user, or for manipulating the captured images of the drawer. An inventory condition of the drawer is determined based on the captured images or manipulated images.
US09258531B2
A video enhancement system provides automatic enhancement to video data that includes the presence of obscurations. The system provides near-field enhancement of the video data by detecting the presence of near-field obscurations such as snowflakes/raindrops and determining whether the detected obscurations are located over background pixels or foreground objects. The detected obscuration pixels are filled-in depending on whether they are located over the background or foreground to create an enhanced image. The system may also provide local/global adaptive contrast enhancement to enhance video in the presence of far-field obscurations.
US09258530B2
A processing method and an associated device for accessing a spatio-temporal part of a compressed video sequence.The method includes the following steps: obtaining a request for access to the part by identifying a temporal section defined between initial and final times of the initial and final spatial regions—different from the initial region of the sequence at the initial and final times; decomposing the access request into a plurality of elementary requests for access to a video fragment, each elementary request identifying a fixed spatial region to extract in a temporal sub-interval of the temporal section; and exploiting at least one elementary request to access video fragments constituting the part to access.
US09258529B2
A device may include a communication interface configured to receive programming information from a service provider multicast over multiple channels. The device may also include logic configured to decode the programming information received over the multiple channels, assemble a programming guide based on the decoded programming information and output the programming guide to an output device for display.
US09258527B2
A broadcast communication system is presented which includes a broadcast communication transmitter, a broadcast communication receiver, and an information processor. The broadcast communication receiver is configured to receive programming from the broadcast communication transmitter. The receiver is also configured to generate information relating to the operation of the broadcast communicate receiver. In addition, the receiver is configured to connect to the information processor and transfer the information thereto during a time period in accordance with user input accepted by the receiver. The information processor is configured to receive and process the information.
US09258525B2
A system and a method for producing a low-latency video for transmission over a network. The low-latency video may be created by modeling a select portion of original video data and comparing a current frame of the model against previous frames of the model in order to estimate the select portions of the original video data. The estimated, select portions of the original video data may be combined with a remainder of the original video data (such as background images) in order to produce the low-latency video. Model data and the original video data can be transmitted over the network using different paths in order to ensure that the model data is transmitted as quickly as possible, thereby allowing enough time for a morpher to process the model data before combining the model with the original video data.
US09258524B2
A method for streaming playback within a live video conference. The method includes, a computer detecting access to a video conference using a live interface. The method includes, the computer receiving an indication of an interrupt condition. The method includes, the computer retrieving a selected content. The method includes, the computer inserting the selected content into the video conference, and the computer playing the selected content within the video conference.
US09258523B2
Methods, systems, and apparatus are provided for physically and/or logically combining two or more smart devices to enhance user experience and help efficiently design, create, implement, or execute desired applications. According to one embodiment, system of the present disclosure provides a smart device apparatus having one or more processors, a communication interface device, and one or more internal data storage devices that are operatively coupled to the one or more processors. The smart device or a sleeve thereof further includes a housing, also interchangeably referred to as a slot or a docking basin, where the housing is configured to physically receive a second smart device and couple the smart device with the second smart device.
US09258521B2
Machines, systems and methods for providing remote assistance, the method comprising establishing a communications session between a local user and a visitor over a communications network, wherein the local user is positioned in a local physical operating environment and the visitor is positioned in a remote location relative to the local physical operating environment; communicating audio or video data captured at the local physical operating environment to the visitor; and receiving, at the local physical operating environment, imaging data generated as a result of the visitor interacting with a visitor application running on a visitor computing device, wherein the imaging data is used to project, by way of a projector, a first image of one or more annotations created by the visitor onto a local physical work environment to assist the local user, wherein the projector is mounted on a mechanically articulated arm.
US09258519B2
An Encoder Assisted Frame Rate Up Conversion (EA-FRUC) system that utilizes various motion models, such as affine models, in addition to video coding and pre-processing operations at the video encoder to exploit the FRUC processing that will occur in the decoder in order to improve the modeling of moving objects, compression efficiency and reconstructed video quality. Furthermore, objects are identified in a way that reduces the amount of information necessary for encoding to render the objects on the decoder device.
US09258518B2
A method for performing super-resolution comprises steps of generating the high-resolution, low-frequency spatial and temporal bands of the input video sequence by interpolation, synthesizing the high-resolution, high-frequency spatial band by cross-frame spatial high-frequency extrapolation, and fusing these two bands to generate the spatio-temporally super-resolved video sequence. A corresponding system for performing super-resolution comprises a stage where the high-resolution, low-frequency spatial and temporal bands of the input video sequence is generated by interpolation, a stage where the high-resolution, high-frequency spatial band is synthesized by cross-frame spatial high-frequency extrapolation, and a stage where these two bands are fused to generate the spatio-temporally super-resolved video sequence.
US09258504B2
A semiconductor device comprises a plurality of units, each including a sensor unit which accumulates charges upon photoelectric conversion and a storage unit which stores information, and a control unit which controls each of the plurality of units, wherein the control unit sequentially performs, for each of the plurality of units, first operation of comparing a reference voltage with an output signal from the sensor unit based on the amount of accumulated charges and second operation of storing information based on the comparison result in the storage unit corresponding to the sensor unit if an output signal from the sensor unit reaches the reference voltage in the first operation, and the control unit is configured to be able to start the first operation for a next unit upon skipping the second operation and skips the second operation in a predetermined period.
US09258497B2
A correction image creation device includes: an acquisition unit that acquires at least one original image, which is a basis when creating a correction image used in offset correction with respect to an image that has been obtained by imaging; a determination unit that determines whether or not noise from the exterior is superimposed on the original image; and a cancellation unit that cancels creation of the correction image in a case in which it has been determined by the determination unit that noise from the exterior is superimposed on the original image.
US09258495B2
The multi-spectral imaging system for real-time measurement of combustion efficiency of an industrial flare is provided. The system includes four spectral bands, one for a hydrocarbon group (fuel), one for carbon dioxide (CO2), product of complete combustion), one for carbon monoxide (CO, product of partially completed combustion), and one for background reference. More spectral bands can be added to measure combustion efficiency of specific compounds or enhance the background reference adjustment. The analysis apparatus includes a machine readable storage medium, which provides instructions that cause the analysis apparatus to perform operations to obtain the combustion efficiency of the flare. The operations includes acquiring at least three spatially and temporally synchronized intensities from an imaging unit capturing images of the flare, and producing the combustion efficiency of the flare from said at least three intensities, and absorption coefficients of materials contained in the flare.
US09258491B2
Disclosed herein is an imaging method including: by an imaging device, detecting a user that can be present in a predetermined area; calculating three-dimensional coordinates of an eye and a hand of the detected the user; determining an imaging range on a basis of the calculated the three-dimensional coordinates of the eye and the hand of the user; and imaging the determined the imaging range.
US09258490B2
An improved ghost-artifact detection and removal method for high-dynamic range (HDR) image creation and related apparatus are described. A binary ghost map is first generated for each image of the multiple input images by a ghost-artifact detection process, where one of the binary values indicate ghost pixels and the other indicates non-ghost pixels. Each binary ghost map is smoothed to generate a continuous-tone ghost map, by changing the pixel value of each non-ghost pixel of the binary map to a ghost value between the two binary values. The ghost value is calculated using a monotonous function of the distance between the non-ghost pixel of the binary map and the nearest ghost pixel. Ghost pixels in the binary ghost map are kept as fully ghost pixel in the continuous-tone ghost map. This method helps to reduce visibility of artifacts at ghost boundaries without losing small detected ghost regions.
US09258487B2
An auto calibration method and an optical image stabilizer (OIS) camera using the same are provided. The auto calibration method includes removing a DC offset of a gyroscope. A vibrator signal applied by operating a vibrator, and an actual measurement value of the gyroscope is obtained using the applied vibrator signal. A first gain value for compensating for sensitivity of the gyroscope is calculated using the vibrator signal and the actual measurement value of the gyroscope, and an actuator is operated. A displacement of a pixel actually moving on an image is moved under an operation of the actuator. A second gain value for controlling a sensitivity variation of the actuator is calculated based on the displacement of the actually moving pixel. Accordingly, it is possible to reduce processing time and to ensure high performance.
US09258481B2
An object area tracking apparatus has: a face detection unit for detecting a face area on the basis of a feature amount of a face from a supplied image; a person's body detection unit for detecting an area of a person's body on the basis of a feature amount of the person's body; and a main object determination unit for obtaining a priority for each of the objects by using detection results by the face detection unit and the person's body detection unit and determining a main object of a high priority, wherein for the object detected only by the person's body detection unit, the priority is changed in accordance with a past detection result of the object in the face detection unit.
US09258475B2
A wireless apparatus includes a determination unit configured to determine whether the received control information is leading control information for controlling the imaging process or succeeding control information succeeding the leading control information, a decision unit configured to decide a succeeding control timing at which the succeeding control information is output, with reference to a leading control timing at which the leading control information is output, and an output unit configured to output the leading control information to the imaging unit in accordance with the leading control timing and output the succeeding control information to the imaging unit in accordance with the succeeding control timing.
US09258474B2
The TDI sensor includes: a light receiving unit including pixel rows each having a plurality of image capturing elements arranged in a first direction and generating and holding electric charges corresponding to respective exposure amounts, and electric charge holding rows each having a plurality of electric charge holding sections having only a function of holding the electric charges and arranged in the first direction so as to correspond to respective image capturing elements of the pixel rows, one of the pixel rows and one or a plurality of the electric charge holding rows being alternately arranged in a second direction orthogonal to the first direction; and a transfer unit that sequentially, on a row-by-row basis, transfers electric charges held by the image capturing elements and the electric charge holding sections to adjacent rows, and outputs a signal corresponding to electric charges finally accumulated by the transfer.
US09258473B2
A camera module includes an actuator coupled to one or more movable lenses of an optical train and configured to move the one or more lenses relative to the image sensor to provide zoom or autofocus or both to the camera module. The actuator is configured to bias one or more pairs of actuator components, and to measure one or more capacitances of the one or more pairs of actuator components, and to determine an orientation of the camera module based on the one or more measured capacitances, and to provide information accordingly for the actuator to step through an auto-focus process that is specifically tailored to one of multiple sub-ranges of camera pointing angles.
US09258461B2
An NR coefficient (Kf) is calculated on the basis of a representative value (Pm) of a pixel of interest and a low-pass filtered value (La-Ld) nearest to the representative value (Pm) of the pixel of interest among a plurality of low-pass filtered values filtered one-dimensionally in different directions in an input image, and the pixel value of the pixel of interest and a value output by a two-dimensional low-pass filter (25) are weighted by the NR coefficient (Kf) and added (36). The representative value of the pixel of interest may be, for example, a median value obtained by filtering the current frame and a past frame in the time axis direction. The image processing device reduces noise without lowering resolution.
US09258459B2
A system and method for compiling video segments including defining an event; providing a multi-user video aggregation interface; receiving a plurality of video segments through the aggregation interface; determining event-synchronized alignment of the plurality of videos; and assembling a multi-channel video of event, the multi-channel video file configured with at least two video segments that have at least partially overlapping event-synchronized alignment.
US09258447B2
An image forming apparatus capable of receiving a raster image from an image processing controller includes: a transmitting unit transmitting device information of the image forming apparatus to an external device via the image processing controller; a determining unit determining whether the image processing controller is in a first power condition or in a second power condition consuming lower power than the first power condition; and a control unit allowing the transmitting unit to transmit the device information to the external device in a case where the determining unit determines that the image processing controller is in the first power condition, and in a case where the determining unit determines that the image processing controller is in the second power condition, restrict the transmitting unit to transmit the device information to the external device until the image processing controller returns to the first power condition from the second power condition.
US09258443B2
An image forming apparatus which can be remotely operated by an external terminal comprises a touch panel for displaying various information and receiving an operation input from an operator, a status detection part for detecting an apparatus status of the image forming apparatus, a status display part provided separately from the touch panel, for displaying the apparatus status detected by the status detection part, a generation part for generating data of a first image representing a display content on the touch panel and a second image representing a display content on the status display part, and a transmitting part for transmitting the data of the first and second images to the external terminal as display data for a remote operation screen on the external terminal.
US09258441B1
An image forming apparatus according to an embodiment includes an input unit that receives a selection of a menu item from a plurality of menu items. A display control unit displays setting information corresponding to the selected menu item on a display unit. An image forming control unit performs image forming and processing according to the setting information when a predetermined condition is satisfied after the setting information is displayed on the display unit.
US09258438B2
Information processing apparatus, information processing terminal, and information processing system
An information processing apparatus includes: a first receiving unit that receives pieces of user information on a plurality of users from a plurality of information processing terminals used by the users; an authentication processing unit that performs authentication processing of the users based on the pieces of user information; a first generating unit that generates screen information on a screen used to operate the information processing apparatus for each of the authenticated users; and a first transmitting unit that transmits the screen information to the information processing terminals used by the users corresponding thereto.
US09258436B2
A method of setting up a network camera to communicate with a network includes connecting a cable to both the network camera and a computing device, the computing device being in communication with the network. The method also includes transmitting network configuration data from the computing device to the network camera via the cable, and adjusting network settings of the network camera according to the received network configuration data.
US09258433B1
In general, techniques are described for facilitating usage monitoring control in mobile networks. A mobile gateway comprising one or more processors and a memory may be configured to perform the techniques. The one or more processors may be configured to establish a session by which a mobile device is to access a service of a mobile access network, and in response to receiving an incomplete indication to activate usage monitoring with respect to the service provided via the session, configuring the usage monitoring without activating the usage monitoring. The memory may be configured to store the usage monitoring configuration.
US09258431B2
Methods, systems, and computer program products for providing a dynamic and flexible media gateway termination identifier are disclosed. According to one aspect, the subject matter described herein includes a method for flexibly identifying terminations within a media gateway. The method includes receiving a syntax for representing terminations of a media gateway, communicating the syntax to a network node for processing media gateway control messages, and, at the network node, processing a media gateway control message using the syntax to identify a termination of the media gateway.
US09258426B2
Described is a system and method for processing a voice mail. The method comprises receiving a voice mail, converting the voice mail into a text message using a predefined speech-to-text conversion algorithm and transmitting the text message to a wireless computing device.
US09258417B2
A method and system of collecting confidential data by means of initiating a bridge call with a caller and a vendor. The bridge call allows an interconnection between a merchant's Interactive Voice Response unit (IVR) and a vendor's Interactive Voice Response unit (IVR) without the need to loop the caller back to the merchant after the confidential data is collected. An Automatic Number Identification field is present on each call to identify the caller. A caller enters confidential data into a vendor's IVR using the telephone. Once the confidential data is validated and stored, the vendor updates a call management repository record and terminates the bridge call.
US09258395B2
Systems, devices, and methods reduce or attenuate electromagnetic radiation emitted by a wireless client device, e.g. a cellphone or tablet computing device, such that less electromagnetic radiation impinges on a user of the wireless client device. The electromagnetic radiation as measured at or near the front of the wireless client device may be reduced during use by about 90%.
US09258393B2
A mobile terminal includes a terminal main body, a circuit board, an antenna device and a connecting portion. The terminal main body has a plurality of members. The circuit board and an antenna device are built in the terminal main body so as to be spaced apart from each other. The connecting portion electrically connects the circuit board and the antenna device to each other. In the mobile terminal, the connecting portion is a conductive pattern formed on one surface of at least one of the members defining an internal space of the terminal main body.
US09258387B2
Disclosed is a system configured to create, organize, and monitor computer searches across a large number of networked computers. The system allows individual searches to be created and tailored depending upon specific objectives. Once established, the system permits the search parameters to be subsequently edited as needed. A graphical user interface (GUI) allows users to view established searches and to monitor searches once activated. Search results can also be tabulated by way of the GUI.
US09258379B2
In accordance with various embodiments, a set of features are described for enabling an application server platform for telecom based applications. A system for providing an application server for telecom-based applications can include an application server that includes a session initiation protocol (SIP) adapter. The SIP adapter can use a connection oriented protocol and provides interactions with application code in an actor of said application server by means of asynchronized SIP protocol events. The SIP adapter can also provide stateless node mapping to a stateful server node hosting a specific session for the actor.
US09258375B2
A system is described for analyzing user activity in a collaborative environment. The system may include a memory, an interface, and a processor. The memory may store a plurality of data items. Each data item may be related to at least one other data item. The processor may receive a request to alert the user when an action is performed on a selected data item. The processor may also receive a relation threshold identifying at least one other data item related to the selected data item. The processor may detect the action being performed on the data item identified by the relation threshold. The processor may transform data describing the action into an alert. The alert may include the data describing the action, the data item, and a description of the relationship between the data items. The processor may provide the alert to the user via the device.
US09258374B2
A system and method is provided for creating a trail of events. A plurality of data exchange events and a plurality of user interaction events are captured. A frame is generated based on the captured plurality of user interaction events. A cut is generated based on the captured plurality of data exchange events and the frame. The cut represents a historical trail of the plurality of user interaction events associated with the back-end data receive event and the back-end data send event.
US09258363B2
The subject disclosure is directed towards making cube data highly available and efficient to access by separating the read cube server from the processing cube server, on different physical machines. The read cube server may be mirrored, and the write cube server may be mirrored. When the primary read cube server is not operational (e.g., has failed) or is having its read cube synchronized, the read queries are handled by the mirror read cube server. When a processing cube server (or its write cube) is not operational, its mirror processing cube server takes over and performs cube processing operations via its mirror write cube.
US09258360B2
Embodiments of the invention provide techniques for disaster recovery in the event of a database connection failure. In one embodiment, a network address for a secondary server may be stored in multiple data objects of a client computer. In the event of a failed connection to a primary server, the network address of the secondary server may be retrieved from one of the data objects stored in the client computer. When an updated network address for the secondary server is received, it may be propagated to the data objects of the client computer.
US09258356B2
A method for resolving a query received from a first node in a network includes accepting, by a second node in the network, ownership of the query from the first node, receiving, at the second node, an identification of a third node in the network, wherein the identification is received from a user of the second node and the user of the second node believes that a user of the third node has information necessary to resolve at least part of the query, and transferring, by the second node, ownership of the at least part of the query to the third node, wherein the accepting, the receiving, and the transferring dynamically generates a data structure that traces a propagation of the query, and the data structure is accessible to an origin of the query.
US09258351B2
A message routing system that allows applications at either end of the system to run as-is without modification. The system functions in a multithreaded environment and is capable of handling complex routing rules and message transformation. It is also capable of learning and executing new routing rules and message transformations in formats previously unrecognized by the system. The system enables precise and reliable logging of messages throughout processing and supports publication of enterprise-wide broadcast messages. The system further preferably employs cooperating inbound and outbound transport processes for consuming, routing, processing, safely storing and publishing messages in batches of logical units of work to ensure that the logical units of work are not lost in system transactions. The system also preferably utilizes a replay server for preserving and replaying messages that might otherwise fail to reach their intended destinations.
US09258347B2
In a method of encoding a video frame to be transmitted to a plurality of clients over a plurality of network connections, a set of parameters is associated with each connection. The method comprises: for each connection, determining a frame size that can be transported over the connection considering the associated set of parameters; and compressing the video frame to a target frame size based on the minimum of the plurality of determined frame sizes. This method advantageously provides an easy and straightforward way for selecting the appropriate parameters that need to be taken into account for controlling the rate of the generated bitstream, particularly when multiple parameters are associated with each connection.
US09258325B2
A method and a network device are provided to transmit network packets through a network security device. The method, performed by the network device, receives a request to send a network packet from a first computing device to a second computing device over a network that includes the network device and the network security device. The network packet includes a first network interface identifier for identifying the first computing device and a second network interface identifier for identifying the second computing device. The method identifies third and fourth network interface identifiers that cause the network packet to be transmitted through the network security device. The method transmits the network packet over the network through the network security device using the third and fourth network interface identifiers. The method transmits the network packet to the second computing device using the first and second network interface identifiers.
US09258324B2
A method includes receiving from a client device at a client interface application a request to access an application, determining whether the application is external to a communication network, redirecting the request to an external communication server when the application is external to the communication network, sending the request from the external communication server to the application that is external to the communication network, receiving information from the application that is external to the communication network at the external communication server responsive to sending the request, and replicating a screen of the external communication server containing the information received from the application for display at the client interface application.
US09258317B2
The present invention discloses a device and method for data matching and a device and method for network intrusion detection. The method for data matching includes: searching in a regular expression set one or more complex regular expressions causing a sharp increase in number of states generated based on a regular expression during interaction; constructing a corresponding simplified expression for each complex regular expression; compiling a simplified state machine; compiling one or more substate machines, wherein each of the one or more substate machines is compiled based on a corresponding one of the one or more complex regular expressions; and matching data based on the simplified state machine and the one or more substate machines. The present invention further discloses a device for data matching employing the method for data matching and a device and method for intrusion detection employing the device and method for data matching.
US09258310B2
A method and device for processing and tracking a TACACS+ session, wherein, the method includes: registering an attribute value in a TACACS+ packet of a TACACS+ session to be tracked; when a TACACS+ client receives a TACACS+ request packet, analyzing the TACACS+ request packet to judge whether an attribute value in the TACACS+ request packet is the same as the registered attribute value or not; if the two are the same, saving the Session_id value in the TACACS+ request packet; when the TACACS+ client receives a TACACS+ response packet, comparing the Session_id value in the TACACS+ response packet with a saved Session_id value, and if the two Session_id values are the same, setting the status of the corresponding TACACS+ session as successful. The embodiments of the present document track the TACACS+ response packet, so as to implement the function of tracking the whole TACACS+ session that conforms to specific conditions.
US09258304B2
An example touch key system may include a master device, one or more carrier devices and protected devices, and a server. The master device may automatically detect a predefined trigger action. In response, the master device may automatically generate a carrier device credential and a corresponding cloud credential. The master device may then automatically send the cloud credential to the server. The master device may also automatically detect the carrier device in electrical communication with the master device. In response, the master device may automatically determine whether the carrier device credential from the key pair is intended for the carrier device. If so, the master device may automatically transfer the carrier device credential to the carrier device. The carrier device may use the carrier device credential to obtain access to the protected device. Other embodiments are described and claimed.
US09258302B2
A method and an apparatus for distinguishing humans from computers. During user registration, a computer prompts a human user to provide a spoken response to certain authentication information for registration. The computer obtains registration voice data from the spoken response and establishes a registration voiceprint of the human user. During user logon, the computer identifies the user requesting to logon by the user's logon credentials, provides authentication information for logon to the user, and prompts the user to provide a spoken response to the authentication information for logon. The computer obtains logon voice data from the spoken response, and establishes a logon voiceprint of the user. The computer then determines whether the user requesting to logon is human by comparing the logon voiceprint with the registration voiceprint.
US09258298B2
Methods, systems, and computer readable media can be operable to pair a client device with a CPE device. The methods, systems and computer readable media described in this disclosure can enable the pairing of a client device with a CPE device upon a connection of the client device to a whole-network associated with the CPE device. Further, methods, systems and computer readable media can enable the secure pairing of a client device with a CPE device with little to no user-input.
US09258294B2
Systems and methods for remote authentication using Single Sign-On (SSO) credentials are disclosed. An implementation includes transmitting a request for an identification code from an application to a wireless service provider, the request provided through an encrypted transport protocol, receiving the identification code as a messaging service message from the wireless service provider, securely routing the received identification code to the requesting application, upon receipt of the identification code at the application, retrieving an authentication token for the application through the encrypted transport protocol and providing the authentication token to an application content server to allow content transfer between the application content server and the application.
US09258290B2
Methods and systems for performing secure administration of virtual domain resource allocation are provided herein. A cloud service provider (CSP) may provide instances of virtual machines to one or more contracting user entities. The cloud service provider may store an authorization database identifying one or more resources (e.g., storage, CPU, etc.) that each of the different contracting user entities is authorized to use on a virtual machine server device. The CSP may subsequently receive a request from an unverified entity to instantiate a virtual machine with access to one or more resources. The request may include security information. The CSP validates the request by verifying the unverified entity using the first security information (e.g., checking a PKI certificate, requiring a login/password, etc.) and, when the request is validated, provides access to the verified entity to a subset of the requested one or more resources based on the authorization database.
US09258288B2
An approach is provided for authorizing one or more services from service providers in a communications network. The approach includes receiving a request from a first service provider, the request having an associated primary token and a secondary token identifier, the secondary token identifier relating to resources of a second service provider. Based, at least in part, on the secondary token identifier, a secondary token is identified; and then the secondary token is sent to the first service provider, wherein the first service provider and the second service provider belong to different trust domains and the first service provider can use the secondary token to access resources of the second service provider.
US09258283B2
In a key management system, a RFID tag decrypts a first key encrypted by a master key and stores the decrypted first key to a service key storage region, then decrypts a second key encrypted by the first key in a third party server, then, encrypts the decrypted second key by the master key and transmits the second key encrypted by the master key to an application of a mobile information terminal, and then decrypts the encrypted second key returned from the application and stores the decrypted second key to the service key storage region.
US09258280B1
Methods and systems for a flexible, scalable hardware and software platform that allows a managed security service provider to easily provide security services to multiple customers are provided. According to one embodiment, a method is provided for delivering customized network services to subscribers of the service provider. A request is received, at a service management system (SMS) of the service provider, to establish an Internet Protocol (IP) connection between a first and second location of a first subscriber of the managed security service provider. Responsive to the request, the SMS causes a tunnel to be established between a first and second service processing switch of the service provider which are coupled in communication via a public network and associated with the first location and the second location, respectively.
US09258277B1
In general, techniques are described for performing decentralized packet dispatch. A network device comprising one or more service processing units (SPUs) and an interface may implement the techniques. The interface receives a packet associated with a session and selects a first one of SPUs to dispatch the packet based on first information extracted from the packet. The first one of the SPUs dispatches the packet to a second one of the SPUs based on second information extracted from the packet. The second one of the SPUs performs first pass processing to configure the network security device to perform fast path processing of the packet such that second one of the SPUs applies one or more services to the packet and subsequent packets associated with the same session without application of services to the packets by the first one of the service processing units.
US09258263B2
Embodiments of the present invention provide a method, system and computer program product for dynamic, granular messaging persistence in a messaging system. In an embodiment of the invention, a method for dynamic, granular messaging persistence in a messaging system is provided. The method includes monitoring operational performance of a message broker and receiving a message for queuing in a message queue of the message broker. The method also includes parsing the message to extract different fields and corresponding priorities and selectively storing in fixed storage, data for corresponding ones of the different fields based upon consideration of corresponding ones of the priorities and the monitored operational performance. Finally, the method includes queuing the message in the message queue.
US09258262B2
System and methods for effecting communications between a trusted management process and one or more managed processes in a distributed computing environment where direct communications between processes via a data communications network is blocked by a firewall or other security system. The method includes a file server that is accessible to all communicating processes. The file server provides a secure mailbox for each managed process. The mailbox is used to hold messages that are stored as individual files. The management and managed processes communicate by writing and reading files in the mailbox of the managed process. The stateless manner of the message-based communications makes it easy to replicate the management process in order to provide scalability and fault-tolerance for the management functions.
US09258260B2
A messaging application filters electronic messages based on domain attributes without a reputation. A message with a uniform resource identifier (URI) is received and determined to not be included within a trusted or a block list. A total score is computed from weighted scores assigned to factors associated with the message. The message is evaluated for an unsolicited message determination by comparing the total score against a predetermined threshold.
US09258257B2
Rate limiting operations can be implemented at an ingress DMA unit to minimize the probability of dropped packets because of differences between the communication rates of the ingress DMA unit and a packet processing engine. The communication rate associated with each of the software ports of a communication device can be determined and an aggregate software port ingress rate can be calculated by summing the communication rate associated with each of the software ports. The transfer rate associated with the ingress DMA unit can be limited so that packets are transmitted from the ingress DMA unit to the packet processing engine at a communication rate that is at least equal to the aggregate software port ingress rate. If each software port comprises a dedicated rate-limited ingress DMA queue, packets from a rate-limited ingress DMA queue can be transmitted at the at least the communication rate of the corresponding software port.
US09258242B1
In one aspect, a method includes measuring performance parameters for each path, determining classifications of each path based on a service level objective and sending I/Os using load balancing by the classifications determined. In another aspect, an apparatus includes electronic hardware circuitry configured to measure performance parameters for each path, determine classifications of each path based on a service level objective and send I/Os using load balancing by the classifications determined. In a further aspect, an article includes a non-transitory computer-readable medium that stores computer-executable instructions. The instructions cause a machine to measure performance parameters for each path, determine classifications of each path based on a service level objective and send I/Os using load balancing by the classifications determined.
US09258232B2
Embodiments of the invention provide flow control of incoming data packets to data processing resources via a controller that can receive and react to advanced backpressure messages. These advanced backpressure messages are used to rate limit the data packets based one or more of the following factors: traffic class, traffic priority, destination port. The controller can also generate a traffic preference message to an upstream source of the data packets to inform the upstream unit of the most appropriate type of data that should be transmitted downstream at that time, thereby improving the likelihood of the transmitted data being processed in a proper and timely manner by the downstream data processing resources. Embodiments of the invention can improve the performance of a communications system during periods of congestion by ensuring that high-priority traffic has precedence over traffic of lower priority while maximizing utilization of the ingress data path bandwidth.
US09258228B2
Methods and devices for processing packets are provided. The processing device may Include an input interface for receiving data units containing header information of respective packets; a first module configurable to perform packet filtering based on the received data units; a second module configurable to perform traffic analysis based on the received data units; a third module configurable to perform load balancing based on the received data units; and a fourth module configurable to perform route lookups based on the received data units.
US09258217B2
A system to detect anomalies in internet protocol (IP) flows uses a set of machine-learning (ML) rules that can be applied in real time at the IP flow level. A communication network has a large number of routers that can be equipped with flow monitoring capability. A flow collector collects flow data from the routers throughout the communication network and provides them to a flow classifier. At the same time, a limited number of locations in the network monitor data packets and generate alerts based on packet data properties. The packet alerts and the flow data are provided to a machine learning system that detects correlations between the packet-based alerts and the flow data to thereby generate a series of flow-level alerts. These rules are provided to the flow time classifier. Over time, the new packet alerts and flow data are used to provide updated rules generated by the machine learning system.
US09258215B2
Systems and methods are disclosed for modulating, with circuitry of a source node in a communication network, at least one optical carrier to carry data utilizing a format of a soft decision forward error correction (SD-FEC) data field of an overhead portion of a data frame; encoding, with the circuitry of the source node, first data being SD-FEC data and second data being additional data into the SD-FEC data field, the first and second data being accessible without accessing client data traffic; and transmitting, with the circuitry of the source node, the data frame including the soft decision forward error correction data field. In one implementation, the second data comprises automatic protection switching bytes.
US09258214B2
A method, apparatus and computer program product for performing optimized distributed routing for stretched data center models through updating route advertisements based on changes to Address Resolution Protocol (ARP) Tables is presented. Port members of an Internet Protocol I (IP) interface or Virtual Local Area Network (VLAN) are distinguished into Access Interfaces which only lead to hosts on said subnet and Trunk Interfaces which lead to other redundant routers on said subnet. In the subnet of a network a network route for the subnet is always advertised. A separate host route corresponding to an Internet Protocol (IP) address of each Address Resolution Protocol (ARP) table record that points to an Access Interface is advertised and route advertisements are changed for a host in said subnet for tracked access interfaces.
US09258201B2
A building automation system (BAS) comprising a plurality of end devices, at least one communication network, and a server engine comprising a communication state manager for actively managing the state of various devices in building automation system and an associated reconnect manager to reestablish communication with off-line devices. The communication manager and the reconnect manager coordinate the interaction between the server engine and the devices in order to minimizing the load on the communication network, while also working to establish the working state of any of the end devices and to transition off-line to an on-line state.
US09258186B2
A controlling device is used to configure a target device for wireless network communications through use of a setup wizard. The setup wizard is used to obtain information required to perform communications on a wireless network via a wireless network router and a digital representation of the information obtained through use of the setup wizard is provided to the target device via use of the controlling device. The target device will use the digital representation of the information to configure itself for wireless network communications.
US09258180B2
An information processing apparatus is communicable with a device via a first communication channel and communicable with a device management apparatus for managing the device via a second communication channel. The information processing apparatus includes a request generator configured to generate a first device information acquisition request in a second protocol based on a device information acquisition request in a first protocol transmitted from the device management apparatus via the second communication channel; a first transmitter configured to transmit the first device information acquisition request to the device via the first communication channel; a first receiver configured to receive a first device information acquisition response in the second protocol including device information from the device via the first communication channel; and a response generator configured to generate a device information acquisition response in the first protocol based on the first device information acquisition response.
US09258173B2
A wired and wireless vehicle communication network includes network node modules, switch modules, bridge-routing modules, and a network manager. The network manager is operable to determine a wired packet communication mode and/or a wireless packet communication mode. When the network is in the wireless packet communication mode, the network manager coordinates wireless communication of packets among the network node modules, the switch modules, and the bridge-routing modules based on individual content of the packets and wireless channel mapping. When the network is in the wired packet communication mode, the network manager coordinates wired communication of packets among the network node modules, the switch modules, and the bridge-routing modules based on the individual content of the packets and in accordance with a global vehicle network communication protocol.
US09258170B2
This disclosure relates to a converter/multiplexer and associated method of use therefor or converting and multiplexing parallel inputs, a modem, a GPS, or even modem information into a single multimaster broadcast serial bus standard for connecting electronic control units, and more specifically, to a multiplexer for transforming analog, digital, frequency, GPS, or modem inputs into a CAN bus data transmittal over LAN and/or PAN and interrelation with a similarly equipped receiving module. Further, the converter/multiplexer is used alone or in a group as part of a larger system for multiplexing and demultiplexing signals for serial bus processing and also for guidance when the converters are cabled by operators using stored configurations.
US09258168B2
One exemplary embodiment can describe a method for communicating. The method for communicating can include a step for identifying characteristics of a communications channel, a step for identifying a set of nonlinear functions used to generate waveforms, a step for assigning a unique numeric code to each waveform, a step for transmitting a numeric sequence as a series of waveforms, a step for receiving the series of waveforms, and a step for decoding the series of waveforms.
US09258166B2
Embodiments of the present invention provide a timing synchronization apparatus and method for multi-carrier modulation signals. Wherein the apparatus includes: a predicting unit configured to denoise delay of symbols received before a currently received symbol, and to predict delay of the currently received symbol or of a symbol received after the currently received symbol according to the denoised symbol delay and a sampling clock frequency offset; and a timing synchronization unit configured to perform timing synchronization according to a predicted value of the delay of the currently received symbol or of the symbol received after the currently received symbol. With the apparatus and method, a signal to noise ratio of multi-carrier modulation signals may be effectively improved, and an effect of a timing error on a communication system may be lowered, thereby improving performance of the communication system.
US09258165B2
Disclosed herein is a receiving apparatus including a correlation value computer configured, for a digital signal, transmitted on a frame basis, having a correlation between a first section and a second section occupying predetermined intervals at a start part of each frame, to extract signals in two sections separated by time intervals of the first section and the second section and compute correlation values; a maximum value detector configured to detect a maximum value of the correlation values; a digital signal processor configured to execute processing on the digital signal on the basis of a timing with which a maximum value has been detected by the maximum value detector; and a reset processor configured to reset the processing executed in the digital signal processor every time the maximum value is detected.
US09258161B2
The present disclosure is directed to a system and method for extending a reference signal pattern to define additional reference signals using a phase division multiplexing (PDM) technique. The reference signal pattern can be a predefined reference signal pattern in a wireless communication standard and can be extended to support massive MIMO communication.
US09258153B1
An inter-symbol interference (ISI) loss filter device emulates frequency dependent losses to an electrical signal. The ISI loss filter device includes amplifier stages connected in series for cascading programmable poles or zeros in a signal path carrying the electrical signal. Each amplifier stage includes a high performance bypass path, a bandwidth limited path parallel to the high performance bypass path, a controllable signal router for routing a variable first and second portions of the electrical signal through the high performance bypass path and the bandwidth limited path, respectively, and a summing junction to combine outputs of the high performance bypass path and the bandwidth limited path for outputting a test signal with high and low frequency content. The high performance bypass path transmits an entire bandwidth of the first portion of the electrical signal, and the bandwidth limited path transmits a controllable limited bandwidth of the second portion of the electrical signal.
US09258146B2
The present invention discloses methods and systems for providing secure user access to services offered by a service provider to a client application over a network. One embodiment includes receiving an application cookie from the client application and populating a service cookie based on information in the application cookie. Information in the service cookie is utilized as a basis for regulating a provision of services to the client application.
US09258145B2
The interfacing of coded media data packets in the transfer from and to a peer-to-peer network envisages that the data packets are included in groups of packets that may have lengths different from one another. Each group of data packets is encapsulated in a group of chunks of given length. The media data is made available in the network as a multiplicity of different descriptions of a multiple-description coding of one and the same media content. The terminals of the peer-to-peer network are configured for accessing selectively the multiplicity of different descriptions of said media contents, combining them with one another, or else accessing one of the different descriptions in substitution for another preserving access to the media contents. The data may be made available as base layer and at least one enhancement layer of one and the same media content.
US09258143B2
The present invention provides mechanisms for determining contextual information and including at least some of the determined contextual information in a communication. As an example, a multi-modal communications thumbnail providing context and prior communications summary as an attachment to a communication may be provided. The context and prior communications summary may supplement or replace one or more of a typical communications identifier such as subject, title, and distribution information.
US09258142B2
A method of operating a message system can include maintaining a list of users of the message system and maintaining a connection list and a message stream for each user of the message system. After receiving a message from a first user of the message system, the received message can be published on the message stream of the first user and on the message streams of the users identified in the first user's connection list. If the received message is detected to be a reply to an earlier message from a second user, then the earlier message can be published on the message streams of the users identified in the first user's connection list, who are not in the second user's connection list.
US09258129B2
A resilient device authentication system comprising: one or more verification authorities (VAs) including a memory loaded with a complete verification set that includes hardware part-specific data, and configured to create a limited verification set (LVS) therefrom; one or more provisioning entities (PEs) each connectable to at least one of the VAs, including a memory loaded with a LVS, and configured to select a subset of data therefrom so as to create an application limited verification set (ALVS). Also disclosed is a device for use with an authentication system, comprising: a first hardware part and a second hardware part that are adapted to communicate with and perform authentication on each other; and/or a hardware part that contains two or more chips that are adapted to communicate with and perform authentication on each other.
US09258128B1
Systems and methods for creating customer-specific tools for generating certificate signing requests
A method for creating customer-specific tools for generating certificate signing requests may include (1) identifying a request from a customer for a tool for generating a certificate signing request for a digital certificate, (2) creating, in response to the request, a customer-specific version of the tool that is unique to the customer by injecting information into the customer-specific version of the tool that (a) uniquely identifies the customer and (b) identifies a desired encryption algorithm for the digital certificate and/or a desired certificate authority for the digital certificate, (3) configuring the customer-specific version of the tool to generate the certificate signing request using the injected information, and (4) providing the customer-specific version of the tool to the customer to enable the customer to generate, using the customer-specific version of the tool, the certificate signing request without having to manually provide the injected information.
US09258127B2
A method is provided in one example embodiment and includes generating a first document and a second document associated with video data that includes a group of pictures (GOPs). The method also includes hashing a plurality of video frames associated with the video data. Additionally, the method includes appending each of the video frames' respective hash and respective display times to the first document, and appending each of a plurality of I-frames' respective hash and respective display times to the second document. The method further includes communicating the first document and the second document in a reliable manner over a network to a next destination.
US09258123B2
A method of authenticating a user of a computing device is proposed, together with computing device on which the method is implemented. In the method a modified base image is overlaid with a modified overlay image on a display and at least one of the modified base image and modified overlay image is moved by the user. Positive authentication is indicated in response to the base image reference point on the modified base image being aligned with the overlay image reference point on the modified overlay image and selection of a color for a portion of the display that matches a pre-selected color.
US09258119B2
A cryptographic system includes a memory device and a processor. The memory device has at least two sections, including a first section and a second section. The processor is configured to determine a mode of operation, receive a signal, and selectively zeroize at least one section of the memory device based at least in part on the received signal and the determined mode of operation.
US09258116B2
A system and methods for permitting open access to data objects and for securing data within the data objects is disclosed. According to one embodiment of the present invention, a method for securing a data object is disclosed. According to one embodiment of the present invention, a method for securing a data object is disclosed. The method includes the steps of (1) providing a data object comprising digital data and file format information; (2) embedding independent data into a data object; and (3) scrambling the data object to degrade the data object to a predetermined signal quality level. The steps of embedding and scrambling may be performed until a predetermined condition is met. The method may also include the steps of descrambling the data object to upgrade the data object to a predetermined signal quality level, and decoding the embedded independent data.
US09258112B2
A data shuffling and encryption system may include data storage to store a key and a coding module to shuffle and encrypt an input data sequence. The shuffling and encrypting may include determining an n-dimensional space and populating the n-dimensional space with the input data sequence. A quasi-random function may be applied to sample the n-dimensional space, and samples may be used as an index into the n-dimensional space to determine an output data sequence from the n-dimensional space.
US09258111B2
In one embodiment, the memory device includes a first memory area and a second memory area. The first memory area stores secure data. The first memory area is inaccessible by an external device. The second memory area is configured to store encrypted secure data. The second memory area is accessible by the external device, and the encrypted secure data is an encrypted version of the secure data in the first memory area.
US09258094B2
A method and apparatus of feeding back channel state information in a multi-node system are provided. The method includes receiving a reference signal of N nodes, wherein N is a natural number equal to or more than 2, aligning the N nodes in an order of preferring the N nodes based on a result of measuring the reference signal, generating channel state information for the aligned nodes, and transmitting the generated channel state information to the base station, wherein the channel state information is generated with respect to N node combinations configured from the aligned nodes, and wherein the N node combinations are obtained by adding next highest-priority nodes to a first node combination one by one, the first node combination consisting a highest-priority node among the aligned nodes.
US09258090B2
Methods and apparatus are provided for receiving a serving signal from a base station by a user equipment. A signal that includes the serving signal and an interference signal is received. A Log Likelihood Ratio (LLR) of the received signal is calculated according to each of a plurality of modulation orders applicable to the interference signal to obtain a plurality of LLR values. A modulation order of the interference signal is determined, based on the plurality of LLR values. The serving signal is reconstructed, based on the determined modulation order.
US09258081B2
A predistortion function is evaluated with in-phase (I) and quadrature (Q) data words as arguments, while additive I and Q data words are generated in accordance with a comparison of the I and Q data words with a full scale value that generates maximum current in a digital power amplifier. The additive I and Q data words are added to the computed I and Q data words to produce predistorted I and Q data words. The predistorted I and Q data words are provided in a sequence to the digital power amplifier, which generates a corresponding radio-frequency (RF) analog signal.
US09258079B2
A method and an apparatus for generating soft-decision information in a multiple antenna system are provided. The method includes determining Q candidate symbol vectors for a first transmission symbol of a received signal vector by performing parallel detection on a received signal vector and a channel matrix, determining a candidate symbol vector having a shortest Euclidean distance to the received signal vector from among the Q candidate symbol vector, as an approximate Maximum Likelihood (ML) symbol vector, determining (Q−1) candidate symbol vectors for each of the remaining transmission symbols of the received signal vector by performing partial parallel detection on the received signal vector and the channel matrix using the approximate ML symbol vector, and calculating Log Likelihood Ratios (LLRs) of bits of the first transmission symbol using the candidate symbol vectors, wherein Q represents a modulation order.
US09258078B2
A node device is provided. The node device includes forming a jamming signal generation unit configured to generate a jamming signal for a target signal which is transmitted from a base station to an intended receiving device supposed to receive the signal and an unintended receiving device not supposed to receive the signal, a beamforming vector determination unit configured to determine a beamforming vector of the jamming signal based on an amplitude of a received power of the jamming signal at the intended receiving device, and a transmission unit configured to transmit the jamming signal based on the determined beamforming vector.
US09258077B2
The present invention relates to a butterfly filter coefficient setting method and device, a receiver, and a receiving method. The receiver is a DP-CO-OFDM receiver, comprising: a phase recovery device configured to perform a phase recovery of a received signal one OFDM symbol by one OFDM symbol, so as to obtain a phase-recovered first polarization signal and a phase-recovered second polarization signal; a butterfly filter configured to perform butterfly filtration of the phase-recovered first polarization signal and the phase-recovered second polarization signal one OFDM symbol by one OFDM symbol, so as to obtain a butterfly-filtered first polarization signal and a butterfly-filtered second polarization signal; a coefficient setting unit configured to set a filter coefficient used by the butterfly filter for the current OFDM symbol; and a data recovery device configured to recover data from the butterfly-filtered first polarization signal and the butterfly-filtered second polarization signal.
US09258074B2
A wireless communication system that includes a base station and one or more terminals carries out wireless data communication by use of a first frequency band. The wireless communication system includes a wireless access system that employs a CSMA/CA and/or TDMA/TDD system as the wireless access system of the wireless communication system and a control signal at the first frequency band is periodically broadcasts from the base station, where the control signal includes a control information configured to manage wireless data transmission by the one or more terminals. In addition to the first frequency band, one or more frequency bands different from the first frequency band for the wireless data transmission by the one or more terminals can be allocate by the base station, where the control signal at the first frequency band indicate the location of the one or more frequency bands which can be used.
US09258071B1
A wireless communication system wirelessly receives a Frequency Modulation (FM) signal including audio data and Radio Data System (RDS) data. The wireless communication system audibly plays the audio data and graphically displays the RDS data from the FM signal. The wireless communication system detects action codes in the RDS data, and in response, initiates a wireless communication session with a wireless communication network. The wireless communication system also audibly captures user data. The wireless communication system then wirelessly transfers the captured user data for delivery to a server over the wireless communication session.
US09258070B2
A method of simultaneously providing channel quality feedback information in all valid sub-channels is provided to facilitate and improve the performance of dynamic transmission bandwidth adjustment and fast link adaptation. A receiving device receives a sounding signal over a wide channel in a wireless system. The sounding signal is transmitted from a transmitting device over multiple sub-channels of the wide channel. The receiving device estimates channel quality information based on the sounding signal for each sub-channel. The channel quality information includes estimated average SNR and recommended MCS and other channel quality metrics. The receiving device transmits a feedback message to the transmitting device. The feedback message contains the estimated channel quality information for all valid sub-channels within the transmission bandwidth. The transmitting device performs dynamic transmission bandwidth selection and fast link adaptation based on the channel quality information for all valid sub-channels.
US09258060B2
The embodiments of the present invention provide a method and an apparatus for compensating nonlinear distortions in an intensity modulation-direct detection (IM-DD) system; wherein the method comprises: calculating, according to nonlinear coefficients and differences between values of an input signal at different time, nonlinear distortions of the input signal, so as to eliminate the nonlinearity distortions. By applying the method and the apparatus provided by the embodiments of the present invention, nonlinear cost of the IM-DD system can be effectively reduced, thereby improving the system capacity.
US09258054B2
Techniques for improving data rates at mobile terminals that are subject to periodic channel interruptions in a beyond-line-of-sight communication system are disclosed, including improved encoding and decoding systems that identify blockages and modify receiver operation during blockages to reduce data errors. In certain embodiments, encoding, symbol mapping, interleaving, and use of unique periodic identifiers function to enable a series of packets that may be received in a blockage impaired channel with reduced errors.
US09258052B2
Components, systems, and methods for reducing location-based interference in distributed antenna systems operating in multiple-input, multiple-output (MIMO) configuration are disclosed. Interference is defined as issues with received MIMO communications signals that can cause a MIMO algorithm to not be able to solve a channel matrix for MIMO communications signals received by MIMO receivers in client devices. These issues may be caused by lack of spatial (i.e., phase) separation in the received MIMO communications signals. Thus, to provide phase separation of received MIMO communication signals, multiple MIMO transmitters are each configured to employ multiple transmitter antennas, which are each configured to transmit in different polarization states. In certain embodiments, one of the MIMO communications signals is phase shifted in one of the polarization states to provide phase separation between received MIMO communication signals. In other embodiments, multiple transmitter antennas in a MIMO transmitter can be offset to provide phase separation.
US09258051B2
An Adaptive Polarization Array (APA) Algorithm is described for analyzing a wireless signal transmitted by an entity to determine a received polarization of the received wireless signal at a non-coherent receiver. The APA Algorithm determines a transmit polarization state for a transmitter to transmit signals to the entity based in part on the determined received polarization. The transmitter is an arbitrary-polarized transmitter configured to transmit signals at any polarization.
US09258050B2
Embodiments of the present invention relate to the field of wireless communication technologies, and provide a transceiving module, an antenna, a base station and a signal receiving method, which are capable of implementing receiving of four dual-band signals and improving uplink network performance of a base station. The transceiving module includes a combining-splitting network, a set of transceiving unit arrays and a signal processing unit that are connected to each other in sequence, and further includes a combining network setting with a connection point connected to another transceiving module, a co-element filter unit separately connected to the combining-splitting network and the combining network, and a pair of receiving units connected to the signal processing unit, where the pair of receiving units in the transceiving module is disposed with a connection point connected to the another transceiving module. The embodiments of the present invention apply to the field of communication.
US09258049B2
The communication device includes: a phased array antenna having a plurality of antenna elements arranged on a plane for receiving signals transmitted from one or more transmitting devices; a signal converter for combining signals received through antenna elements for each sub-array and converting the combined signal for each sub-array into a baseband signal, the each sub-array being grouped from the plurality of antenna elements; a signal processor for decoding playback data based on respective baseband signals for sub-arrays in each resource block and detecting an error of the decoded playback data; and an orientation controller for controlling orientation of the phased array antenna based on the base band signals for the sub-arrays and a signal of a resource block with the playback data having no error.
US09258047B2
A MIMO beamforming method comprises receiving at a base station information regarding a difference between an ideal beamforming matrix and an averaged beamforming direction, using the information to construct a beamforming matrix at the base station, and performing a beamforming operation using the reconstructed beamforming matrix. Alternatively, the method comprises computing at a subscriber station an averaged beamforming direction, computing at the subscriber station a quantization index corresponding to a differential matrix in a differential codebook, and transmitting the quantization index across a wireless channel of the wireless network. The differential codebook may be constructed by identifying a codebook center and transforming a predefined codebook that is stored in a memory of a component of the wireless network.
US09258041B2
In a transmitter or transceiver, signals can be precoded by multiplying symbol vectors with various matrices. For example, symbol vectors can be multiplied with a first column subset of unitary matrix which spreads symbols in the symbol vectors across virtual transmit antennas, a second diagonal matrix which changes a phase of the virtual transmit antennas, and a third precoding matrix which distributes the transmission across the transmit antennas.
US09258008B2
An asynchronous SAR ADC to convert an analog signal into a series of digital pulses in an efficient, low power manner. In synchronous SAR ADC circuits, a separate and cumbersome clock signal is used to trigger the internal circuitry of the SAR ADC. Instead of triggering the components of the SAR DAC synchronously with a clock signal, the asynchronous solution uses its own internal signals to trigger its components in an asynchronous cyclic manner. Further, in order to increase efficiency and guard against circuit failures due to difficulties arising from transient signals, the asynchronous SAR ADC may also include a delay circuit for introducing a variable delay to the SAR ADC cycle.
US09258006B2
A digital-correction-type A/D converter which is a charge sharing type and performing successive approximation is realized in a small area. The A/D converter is configured with an A/D conversion unit which is a charge sharing type and performing successive approximation, a digital correction unit which receives a digital output of the A/D conversion unit and performs digital correction to the digital output, and a holding unit which holds a test signal. A test signal of a common value from the holding unit is inputted into the A/D conversion unit in the first period and the second period. The A/D conversion correction coefficient for the digital correction unit is calculated on the basis of the digital correction result of the digital correction unit in the first period, and the digital correction result of the digital correction unit in the second period.
US09258004B2
A method is provided for supplying a customized data converter fabricated from a universal function die. The method initially fabricates a plurality of universal data converter dice. Each universal data converter die is capable of performing a first plurality of data conversion algorithms. After the dice are made, each universal data converter die is tested to verify the performance of the first plurality of data conversion algorithms. Subsequently, a request is received for a customized data converter capable of performing a first data conversion function, which is selected from among the first plurality of data conversion algorithms. The method then fabricates a customized data converter capable of performing the first data conversion function, using a tested universal data converter die. The unselected data converter functions are disabled (not enabled). A configuration interface may be used to enable the requested data conversion function.
US09258002B2
An optical module for an atomic oscillator using a quantum interference effect includes a first light source unit that emits first resonance light, a gas cell in which an alkali metal atom is sealed, a first light detection unit that detects the intensity of the first resonance light having passed through the gas cell, a determination unit that determines whether or not the first light source unit has failed, a second light source unit that irradiates the gas cell with second resonance light when the determination unit determines that the first light source unit has failed, and a second light detection unit that detects the intensity of the second resonance light having passed through the gas cell, and the optical path length of the first resonance light in the gas cell and the optical path length of the second resonance light in the gas cell are equal to each other.
US09258000B1
A detector for detecting a locked state and an out-of-lock state of a phase locked loop includes an out-of-lock detector circuit that receives a reference signal and an input signal representing a PLL oscillator signal. The out-of-lock detector detects an out-of-lock state of the PLL and generates an out-of-lock signal indicating whether an out-of-lock state is detected. The detector further includes a lock detector circuit that receives the reference signal and the input signal, detects a locked state of the PLL, and generates a lock signal indicating whether a locked state is detected. A logic circuit receives both the out-of-lock signal and the lock signal and combines both signals to obtain an output signal indicative of whether the PLL is in a locked state or an out-of-lock state.
US09257999B1
Systems and methods for compensating for a known interferer to a Controlled Oscillator (CO) of a Phase-Locked Loop (PLL) are disclosed. In one embodiment, a system includes a PLL and a compensation system. The compensation system is configured to generate a compensation signal based on a complex correlation of an output signal of a phase detector of the PLL and a signal derived from a replica of a known interferer to the CO. The compensation system is further configured to apply the compensation signal to the control signal provided by the low-pass filter of the phase-locked loop to thereby provide the compensated control signal for the CO of the phase-locked loop. In this manner, the compensation system mitigates the known interferer at the CO of the PLL.
US09257993B2
Disclosed are microelectromechanical system (MEMS) devices and methods of using the same. In some embodiments, a MEMS device comprises a micro-oven comprising a MEMS oscillator configured to generate a reference signal. The device further comprises a control unit comprising at least one input node configured to receive a parameter set, where the parameter set comprises at least a first parameter indicative of a sensed ambient temperature, and where the control system is configured to (i) based on the parameter set, select from a plurality of pre-characterized operation temperatures an operation temperature for the MEMS oscillator, and (ii) generate a temperature-setting signal indicating the selected operation temperature. The device still further comprises a temperature control system communicatively coupled to the control unit and configured to (i) receive the temperature-setting signal and (ii) maintain the MEMS oscillator at the selected operation temperature.
US09257992B2
A communication device is provided in the present invention. The communication device comprises an oscillation signal source, a tunable capacitor array, a frame counter; and a control module. The control module is configured to jointly or separately control the tunable capacitor array and the frame counter to compensate a first frequency offset of the oscillation signal source when the communication device operates in a first mode, and to jointly or separately control the tunable capacitor array and the frame counter to compensate a second frequency offset of the oscillation signal source when the communication device operates in a second mode.
US09257991B2
A programmable high-speed frequency divider architecture is provided that is programmable to divide an input clock signal frequency by a selectable division N. The frequency divider architecture has a shift register circuit having N/2 shift register stages, connected in series when N is an even integer and trunc[N/2]+1 shift register stages when N is an odd integer. The frequency divider architecture includes a feedback logic circuit that performs a logical NAND of the output clock signal with the logical ORed result of a pre-output signal provided from a shift register stage prior to the output stage and another signal that indicates whether the selectable divisor N is odd or even.
US09257982B2
A packaged component may include an interposer and integrated circuit dies mounted on the interposer. At least one of the dies may be a radiation-hardened integrated circuit die, whereas the remaining dies may be non-radiation-hardened dies. If desired, the interposer may be a radiation-hardened interposer whereas the integrated circuit dies may be non-radiation-hardened dies. The radiation-hardened die or the radiation-hardened interposer may include monitor circuitry that is used to test non-radiation-hardened circuitry of the packaged component. Test results may be stored in a database at the monitor circuitry or transmitted to external devices such as a server. The monitor circuitry may be used to reconfigure failed circuitry or may control multiplexing circuitry in the interposer to functionally replace the failed circuitry. If desired, the monitor circuitry may adjust power consumption of non-radiation-hardened circuitry based on the test results.
US09257975B2
A semiconductor apparatus is provided. The apparatus includes a transmission control unit configured to generate, in response to a received pulse signal having a first pulse width, transmission control signals with a second pulse width larger than the first pulse width and synchronization control signals with a third pulse width larger than the second pulse width. The apparatus also includes a reception control unit configured to generate reception control signals in response to the synchronization control signals.
US09257974B1
A low voltage quadrature phase wideband relaxation oscillator. An ultra-wideband tuning range from Mega to Giga Hz order is also realized by tuning the I/Q coupling factor, zeros and poles. Preferably, a novel synchronous quadrature injection lock is proposed to validate low noise performance.
US09257972B1
A flip-flop circuit is disclosed. The flip-flop circuit includes pull-up and pull-down circuits each coupled to a data input and configured to be activated responsive to a clock signal transition from a first phase to a second phase, depending on the input data. A write circuit is configured to write data into a latch of the flip-flop responsive to activation of one of the pull-up and pull-down circuits. An output driver circuit includes a dynamic portion and a static portion, with the dynamic portion being activated responsive to activation of one of the pull-up and pull-down circuits. Activation of the dynamic portion may occur concurrently with writing of the data into the latch. The output driver circuit also includes a static portion. After the clock transitions back to the first phase, the static portion may drive and hold the output while the dynamic portion is deactivated.
US09257970B1
A device includes a first free layer, the first free layer being capable of magnetic polarization using a first electrical current, a fixed layer, the fixed layer having a static magnetic polarization, and a first spacer layer disposed between the first free layer and the fixed layer. The device may also include a second free layer, the second free layer being capable of magnetic polarization using a second electrical current, and a second spacer layer disposed between the second free layer and the fixed layer, wherein the device is operable, via the first electrical current, to store a binary value, the binary value being represented by a resistance characteristic of the first spacer layer, and wherein the device is operable, via the second electrical current, to store a compliment of the binary value, the compliment being represented by a resistance characteristic of the second spacer layer.
US09257965B2
A driver circuit using a power converter allows free-wheeling detection and/or provision of supply voltage. A circuit controls a switching state of a power switch. A first port of the switch is coupled to an inductor. The circuit is coupled to a control port of the switch wherein the control port of the switch is different from the first port of the switch. The circuit comprises a unit generating a signal for controlling the switching state of the switch wherein the signal is provided to the control port of the switch. Furthermore, the circuit comprises free-wheeling sensing means to detect an oscillation of a voltage at a measurement port of the switch wherein the measurement port of the switch is different from the first port of the switch and wherein the oscillation of the voltage at the measurement port indicates free-wheeling of the inductor.
US09257961B2
A resonator element includes: at least one resonating arm which performs flexural vibration; a base portion connected to an end of the resonating arm; and a tapered portion which is axisymmetrical with respect to a centerline which bisects the width of the resonating arm, and which has a width increasing toward a portion of the tapered portion connected to the base portion from a portion of the tapered portion connected to the resonating arm, wherein assuming that the length and width of the resonating arm are L and W and the length and width of the tapered portion are Lt and Wt, the shape of the tapered portion is controlled to satisfy a taper length occupancy η=Lt/L and a taper width occupancy ξ=2 Wt/W.
US09257944B2
Disclosed is a differential microphone pre-amplifier circuit (120) for providing an amplified differential signal at a first (A) and a second (B) output terminal of the microphone pre-amplifier (120), including a first voltage controlled current generator (101), a second voltage controlled current generator (102) and a third voltage controlled current generator (103) all being configured to receive, amplify and convert a voltage signal generated by an associated microphone (110) to a current signal output.
US09257936B2
A circuit for driving a plurality of capacitive actuators, the circuit having a low-voltage side, a high voltage side and a flyback transformer between the two. The low-voltage side comprises first and second pairs of low-side switches connected in series across an input voltage. The flyback transformer has a primary winding connected to the two pairs of switches. The high-voltage side has a pair of switches connected between the secondary winding of the flyback transformer and a ground and a plurality of capacitive loads and bidirectional switches to connect the loads to the secondary winding of the flyback transformer and a ground.
US09257934B2
To perform an anti-windup control without interference with a cross current compensating function even in case of voltage saturation.There is provided a feedback value calculating section to calculate an average of voltage commands V1_cmd, V2_cmd after output limitation, as a feedback value. As a deviation used for an integral calculation of a current control section 6a, 6b, a sum obtained by adding a product to a deviation between a current command value Id_cmd, Iq_cmd and a current detection value Id_det, Iq_det is used. The product is a quantity obtained by multiplying a saturation quantity by a feedback gain Kfb. The saturation quantity is a saturation quantity of an operation quantity limited by a voltage command limiting section 3a, 3b, and the saturation quantity is a deviation or difference between a feedback value V_fb (Vd_fb, Vq_fb) and the voltage command Vd_cmd.
US09257931B2
A power conversion apparatus is equipped with switching devices to perform power conversion of input AC power supplied from an AC power supply to output AC power having a predetermined voltage and a predetermined frequency, and to supply the power to a motor connected thereto. The apparatus includes a controller controlling switching of the switching devices, a capacitor smoothing a ripple generated by the switching of the switching devices, a current controller controlling a current flowing to the motor, and a voltage distortion corrector detecting a harmonic component caused by distortion in motor input power, and superimposing compensation values on an output of the current controller in accordance with a value of the harmonic component.
US09257924B2
A method for determining the rotary position of the rotor of an electric machine, which includes star-connected phase conductors, wherein a measurement signal representing the rotary position of the rotor within a magnetic half-period is determined from the potential at the star point. At a measurement time a specified voltage is applied to the ends of all the phase conductors by forcing the star point to a specific potential. At a time following the measurement time a voltage that deviates from the specified voltage is applied to the ends of one of the phase conductors. Then the measurement signal is derived from the current that develops from the measurement time in a connection of the star point to the specified potential.
US09257916B2
A method and apparatus is disclosed for intelligently inverting DC power from DC sources such as photovoltaic (PV) solar modules to single-phase or three-phase AC power to feed the power grid for electricity generation. A power inverter with multiple input channels or input ports that can connect to multiple DC sources is disclosed.
US09257915B2
A bridge rectifier circuit has first to fourth diode groups which are bridge-connected and each include a main diode and sub-diodes being enabled to be respectively connected in parallel to the main diode, first and second input terminals to which AC power is supplied, a first output terminal connected to the first input terminal via the first diode group and connected to the second input terminal via the second diode group, a second output terminal connected to the first input terminal via the third diode group and connected to the second input terminal via the fourth diode group, and a control circuit configured to detect a current flowing through at least one diode group and increases the number of sub-diodes connected in parallel to the main diode of the diode group through which the detected current flows in accordance with an increase in the detected current.
US09257912B2
In a switching power supply device, a partition portion that includes a slit divides a winding portion of a bobbin. A primary winding of a transformer is wound to a height h1 in a first section, and a secondary winding is wound to a height h2 in a second section. A low side drive winding and a high side drive winding are wound around the primary winding to a height h3 with the high side drive winding being located toward the secondary winding.
US09257910B2
An isolated boost power converter comprises a magnetically permeable multi-legged core (102) comprising first and second outer legs (132; 136) and a center leg (134) having an air gap (138) arranged therein. A boost inductor (Lboost) is wound around the center leg (134) or the first and second outer legs (132; 136) of the magnetically permeable multi-legged core (102). The boost inductor (Lboost) is electrically coupled between an input terminal (104) of the boost converter and a transistor driver (106) to be alternatingly charged and discharged with magnetic energy. A first and second series connected secondary transformer windings (SW1; SW2) with a center-tap (116) arranged in-between are wound around the first and second outer legs (132; 136), respectively, of the magnetically permeable multi-legged core (102). In a first discharge state, the magnetic energy stored in the boost inductor (Lboost) is discharged by directing a discharge current from the boost inductor through a primary transformer winding (PW1; PW2) and in a second discharge state, the magnetic energy stored in the boost inductor (Lboost) is discharged by discharging a magnetic flux through the first and second secondary transformer windings (SW1; SW2).
US09257907B2
A switching loss is reduced by reducing a deviation from the operational principle of zero-volt switching (ZVS). A semiconductor integrated circuit includes high-side switch elements Q11 and Q12, a low-side switch element Q2, and a controller CNT. A decoupling capacitance Cin is coupled between one end of a high-side element and an earth potential, and the high-side element includes the first and second transistors Q11 and Q12 coupled in parallel. In changing the high-side elements from an on-state to an off-state, CNT controls Q12 from an on-state to an off-state by delaying Q12 relative to Q11. Q11 and Q12 are divided into a plurality of parts inside a semiconductor chip Chip 1, a plurality of partial first transistors formed by dividing Q11 and a plurality of partial second transistors formed by dividing Q12 are alternately arranged in an arrangement direction of Q11 and Q12, inside the semiconductor chip Chip 1.
US09257901B2
In a DC power supply circuit, a first period and a second period are alternately repeated a plurality of times during each half cycle of AC supplied to the DC power supply circuit. The first period is a period during which current flows along a first current path extending from an output terminal at a high-potential side of a rectifier circuit to an output terminal at a low-potential side of the rectifier circuit, via an inductor and a switching element. The second period is a period during which current flows along a second current path extending from the output terminal at the high-potential side of the rectifier circuit to the output terminal at the low-potential side of the rectifier circuit, via the inductor, a charging current supply path, and a capacitor.
US09257894B2
A passive filter for connection between an AC source and a load, in either three-phases or in a single-phase arrangement. The filter includes, for each phase, a trap circuit having an inductor in series with a capacitor, the trap circuit having at least two terminals. A line reactor is connected between the AC source and the load, the line reactor having at least an input terminal, an output terminal and a tap terminal. A switch selectively connects at least one of the trap circuit terminals to a selected one of the line reactor terminals. The switch is capable of selecting which of the trap circuit terminals to connect to which of the line reactor terminals on the basis of a level of voltage distortion being experienced by the AC source, or on the basis of a calculated level of background voltage total harmonic distortion.
US09257893B2
A universal serial bus (USB) power supply is disclosed as including a main body (12) and a cable (24) releasably connectable with each other, the main body (12) being releasably connectable to a direct current (DC) power source and having a USB receptacle (20) electrically connectable with the DC power source. The cable (24) includes a USB plug (26) releasably connectable with the USB receptacle (20) to establish electrical connection and data communication there-between and a connector (30) electrically connected with the USB plug (26). The power supply is operable in a detached mode in which the main body (12) is out of connection with the cable (24) and in an attached mode in which the main body (12) is releasably connected with the cable (24). The power supply is adapted, when in the attached mode, to automatically change the voltage of a DC power output from the connector (30).
US09257886B2
A rectifier assembly includes a diode pack. A bus bar includes a first layer electrically connected to the diode pack. The first layer has a first yield strength and a first coefficient of thermal expansion. A second layer of copper is joined to the first layer and includes a second yield strength less than the first yield strength. In one example, the second layer has a second coefficient of thermal expansion within 5% of the first coefficient of thermal expansion.
US09257883B2
An electric machine includes a stator, a rotor interacting magnetically with the stator, a housing surrounding the stator and rotor, and a hollow shaft provided for arrangement of the rotor and mounted on the housing. A radial fan is mounted rotationally fixed on the hollow shaft on the ventilation side. A section of a fan blade of the radial fan extends axially away from the housing to a greater extent than the hollow shaft. A guide element with radially extending plate is arranged in the hollow shaft, wherein the plate is arranged axially further away from the housing than the end side of the hollow shaft on the ventilation side. An inner coolant flow can thus be delivered from the section of the fan blade out of the hollow shaft through a passage between the end side of the hollow shaft on the ventilation side and the plate radially outwards.
US09257877B2
A superconducting machine is disclosed, in particular for use as a generator in a stand-alone power system. In at least one embodiment, the superconducting machine includes a stator and a rotor capable of rotating with respect to the stator. At least one superconducting coil for generating at least two magnetic poles is provided on at least one component part, in particular the rotor, which superconducting coil is cooled via a cooling device; and at least two parallel winding elements are provided on the respective other component part, in particular the stator, in the armature winding for each phase, which winding elements can be connected either in series or in parallel via at least one switching device.
US09257876B2
An electronic device includes a first structural part, a first electronic substrate correspondingly mounted on the first structural part, and a motor. The motor includes a second structural part and a second electronic substrate, a base directly formed on the second structural part, a rotor having at least one load, and a stator. The first and second structural parts are integrally made. The first and second structural parts are combined to a single electronic structural part. The stator has a plurality of winding coils and a driving circuit directly shaped on the second electronic substrate respectively for driving the rotor. The first and second electronic substrates are integrally made. The first and second electronic substrates are combined to a single electronic substrate. Alternatively, the driving circuit is directly shaped in the second electronic substrate.
US09257862B2
A method and apparatus for removing the sulfation from the plates of the battery and driving the sulfate crystals back into the electrolyte solution without overheating the battery is presented. The present invention includes a rotary magnetic hub and coil assembly to produces a unique output not found in other charging systems on the market. The battery desulfation method and apparatus of the present invention is self-adjusting to the battery, regardless of voltage and works by removing the sulfate crystals from the plates of lead acid batteries. As a result, the normal life of the average battery may be greatly extended. Heavily sulfated batteries may be brought back to working condition. When used for short durations for healthy batteries, the present invention keeps the sulfate crystals off the plates and in solution to extend the working life of the battery.
US09257861B2
Disclosed herein is a control apparatus, including: a supplying section to which a voltage which varies in response to a variation of a state is supplied from an electric power generation section; and a control section configured to change the number of battery units, for which charging is to be carried out, in response to a relationship between the voltage and a reference value.
US09257857B2
A cable positioning device and a charger using the cable positioning device is disclosed to include a cable positioning device mounted in a mounting structure inside the charger to secure a cable. The cable positioning device includes a polygonal column that can be forced by an external pressure to deform non-elastically and to further tightly fit the cable, having at least one surface thereof abutted against an inner wall of the mounting structure in the axial direction of the cable to prevent displacement of the cable positioning device and the internal electric wires of the cable due to accidental twisting of the external part of the cable, improving the cable installation efficiency.
US09257856B2
A method and a wireless power transmitter for transmitting charging power to a wireless power receiver are provided. The method includes applying the charging power to the wireless power receiver; determining whether a current value of the charging power is greater than a predetermined threshold; and driving the overcurrent protection circuit upon a determination that the current value of the charging power is greater than the predetermined threshold.
US09257846B2
A method for responding to a change in electric power demand includes (1) charging an energy storage subsystem from an electric power grid, (2) discharging the energy storage subsystem into the electric power grid at a discharge rate that is less than a maximum rate of discharge of the energy storage subsystem, and (3) adjusting the discharge rate in response to a signal selected from the group consisting of a signal to provide a regulation up service and a signal to provide a regulation down service. An energy storage system includes an energy storage subsystem for storing electric power, an interface for interfacing the energy storage subsystem with an electric power grid, and a controller configured to control operation of the interface in response to a signal to provide a regulation up service and a signal to provide a regulation down service.
US09257835B2
An output-stage circuit is disclosed. The output-stage circuit includes high-side output driver, first body selector, low-side output driver, second body selector and inductance. When output current is larger than current threshold value so as to make the low-side output driver generate overcurrent, the low-side output driver controlled by second control signal is disabled, and the high-side output driver controlled by first control signal is enabled so as to create first current channel. When output current is larger than current threshold value so as to make the high-side output driver generate overcurrent, the high-side output driver controlled by the first control signal is disabled, and the low-side output driver controlled by the second control signal is enabled so as to create second current channel to avoid current flowing through low-side output driver's body, and thus reduce the output current and voltage spiking of the output voltage.
US09257834B1
An isolator assembly is disclosed. The assembly comprises a laminate consisting essentially of a block of homogenous material and a set of electrical contacts. A first die is coupled to a surface of the laminate. An isolation barrier is located entirely above the surface of the laminate. A second die is coupled to the laminate. The second die is galvanically isolated from the first die by the isolation barrier. The second die is in operative communication with the first die via the isolation barrier and a conductive trace on the laminate. The first die, the second die, the laminate, and the isolation barrier are all contained within an assembly package.
US09257830B2
In a semiconductor device, a surge voltage is lowered on turning OFF of a switching element, and output current is reduced on turning ON of the switching element in a non-saturated condition to achieve a reduced amount of self-heating. The semiconductor device can comprise a semiconductor switching element, an overvoltage protection circuit, and a resistance circuit to transmit a control signal for turning the switching element ON and OFF to a control terminal of the switching element. The semiconductor device can further comprise a voltage detecting switch that receives a signal corresponding to a voltage appearing at the output terminal of the switching element on turning OFF of the switching element, and a gate resistor change-over switch that operates according to a voltage of a timing capacitor connected to the output side of the voltage detecting switch to increase a resistance value of the resistance circuit.
US09257828B2
An electronic appliance powered by a power supply unit connected to a mains type electricity network, and for connection to a transmission line having two conductor elements and to a terminal in order to transfer data between the line and the terminal. The appliance has a front-end component connected to the line via an isolating transformer. Also, various additional components are connected to an electrical ground of the appliance. A discharge component is connected to the conductor elements of the line and becomes conductive in the event of a voltage surge due to a lightning strike. This eliminates the surge by establishing a flow of current from the line to electrical ground. A capacitive and/or resistive type divider component is interposed between the discharge component and electrical ground in order to co-operate with the power supply unit and/or one or more additional components to constitute a divider bridge.
US09257826B2
A cable organizing apparatus includes a housing member having a base member, one or more posts extended from the base member for winding or engaging with one or more cables, and one or more flaps extended outwardly from the base member and foldable relative to the base member for forming and defining a chamber in the flaps of the housing member and for receiving and accommodating the post within the chamber in the flaps of the housing member, and the flaps are foldable relative to the base member for receiving the post and the cable within the chamber in the flaps of the housing member and for preventing the cable from being disengaged from the post.
US09257819B1
An electrical wire fishing system provides assistance in the pulling of cable through drop ceiling cavities. The system comprises a first component which is used at the entrance to the drop ceiling cavity and comprises a tube held in place by clamps. The first component utilizes a pair of spring-loaded cams which allow the cable to only travel in a single direction. Should the cable attempt to fall down, the cams will lock in place preventing such an action. A second component is used at the exit of the ceiling cavity and utilizes a pair of guideposts. These guideposts guide the cable out of the ceiling cavity and prevent it from becoming caught up on ceiling grid. With the system properly in place, cable can be pulled through a ceiling cavity by a single person.
US09257816B2
A vertical cavity surface emitting laser includes: a substrate; a first mirror layer; an active layer; a second mirror layer; a first electrode which is electrically connected to the first mirror layer; a second electrode which is electrically connected to the second mirror layer; and a pad which is electrically connected to the second electrode, in which the first mirror layer, the active layer, and the second mirror layer configure a laminated body, the laminated body includes a resonance portion, an insulation layer is provided on a side surface of the laminated body, in a plan view, the insulation layer has a shape line-symmetrical with respect to a virtual straight line passing through a center of the resonance portion, the pad is provided over the insulation layer, and in the plan view, the pad is only provided on one side of the virtual straight line.
US09257810B2
An optical device includes a first medium which (i) has a refractive index lower than (a) a refractive index of an outermost shell part in a first outer shell removed area of a first optical fiber and (b) a refractive index of an outermost shell part in a second outer shell removed area of a second optical fiber and (ii) surrounds an entire side surface of the first outer shell removed area. Moreover, the optical device includes a second medium which (i) has a refractive index higher than a refractive index of an outermost shell part in the second outer shell removed area and (ii) surrounds at least a part of a side surface in the second outer shell removed area. The second outer shell removed area has a diameter larger than a diameter in the first outer shell removed area.
US09257809B2
A laser device for an exposure apparatus may include: a MOPA-type or MOPO-type laser device including a seed laser and at least one gas discharge-pumped amplifier stage that receives output light from the seed laser as an input, amplifies the light, and outputs the amplified light; and at least one of a laser gas control device that at least changes the total pressure of a laser gas in said amplifier stage in accordance with requested energy and a laser power source control device that at least changes pump intensity of discharge electrodes in said amplifier stage in accordance with said requested energy, in a case where the energy of laser output light from said laser device is to be changed discontinuously in response to a request from an exposure apparatus.
US09257807B2
A wire handheld tool including a handle contiguous to a shank with a wire securing portion. The wire securing portion may be a relatively flat portion with one or more wire passageways used to secure one or more wires thereto. The wire handheld tool can be used to insert, remove, and/or replace wires contained in wire harness conduits. Some embodiments can include a plurality of passageways traversing the relatively wire securing portion in non-parallel diagonal directions relative to each other. In some embodiments, one wire passageway can be included and configured for a wire to traverse a length of the wire securing portion securing itself thereto. The handle of the tool can be ergonomically designed for comfort and practicality, and additionally, may include non-conductive components or coatings to prevent electrically shocking a user.
US09257805B2
A rotatable frame is provided for accommodating a connector. The rotatable frame can be used with a plate and includes a frame body, two positioning portions, and two pivots. The frame body has a first sidewall, a second sidewall, a top plate, and a bottom plate, wherein the first sidewall, the second sidewall, the top plate, and the bottom plate are connected to enclose an accommodation space for accommodating the connector and to form a connector inserting opening. The two positioning portions are respectively formed on the top plate and the bottom plate at one side that is near the connector inserting port. The two positioning portions respectively have a blocking surface, wherein the blocking surface obliquely extends away from the connector inserting opening. The two pivots respectively protrude from the outer side of the first sidewall and the outer side of the second sidewall coaxially.
US09257800B2
A cable connector assembly for mating with a mating connector, including: a printed circuit board (PCB), a mating member mounded on the PCB, an insulative housing receiving the PCB, and a cable extended from the insulative housing. The PCB includes a first portion made of flexible material, a second portion bent and extended from one side of the first portion, and a third portion bent and extended from another side of the first portion. The mating member is soldered on the first portion. The cable is soldered with the second portion and the third portion.
US09257789B2
A slider (19) to be slid by rotating a lever (20) is mounted in a first lever-side connector (L1). The slider (19) is held at an initial position where cam followers (17) provided on the first lever-side connector (L1) can be received into cam grooves (29). When the slider (19) is at the initial position, a part of the slider (19) projects out from the connector. Lever plates (20A) of the lever (20) are so configured that protecting edge portions (38) formed on parts of side edges of the lever plates (20A) are located substantially at the same position as or behind a projecting end part of the slider (19) when the slider (19) is at the initial position. Further, the protecting edge portions (38) are located closer in distance to rotary shafts (34) than an operating portion (20B).
US09257785B2
An electronic device having a fool-proof feature is provided, including a first magnet, an output terminal, a hall sensor and a power supply unit. The first magnet generates a magnetic field. The output terminal is disposed in the range of the magnetic field and is mated with an input terminal of a second electronic device. The hall sensor generates a hall voltage according to the magnetic field. The power supply unit is coupled to the output terminal and provides power to the output terminal according a control signal outputted from the hall sensor, in which the hall sensor outputs the control signal when the output terminal is coupled to the input terminal and the hall voltage exceeds a specific voltage, such that the power supply unit provides power to the output terminal according to the control signal, and the second electronic device receives power from the output terminal.
US09257784B2
A plug includes male contacts, a core and an envelope. Each of the male contacts includes a stopper. The core includes a first member and a second member. The stoppers are in contact with the first member and the male contacts are in contact with the second member, so that the male contacts are prohibited from being displaced with respect to the core in a first direction along which the male contacts protrude from an end face of the core.
US09257772B2
An electric connector includes an outer housing and an inner housing located within the outer housing. A connector terminal is located within the inner housing. A primary lock retains the connector terminal within the inner housing, and a secondary lock also retains the connector terminal within the inner housing.
US09257767B2
A connector adaptor facilitates coupling of a mating card edge with a corresponding female card-edge connector disposed on a circuit board. A gathering bevel at the face of the connector adaptor guides the mating card edge from the face of the connector adaptor to the slot at the connection surface of the female card-edge connector, thereby reducing the risk of damage to the female card-edge connector or the mating card edge during a blind mating attempt. In some embodiments the connector adaptor includes at least one connector tab such that the adaptor can be securely inserted into a cage preceding the slot opening of the female card-edge connector. In another embodiment the connector adaptor overlies the female card-edge connector to protect at least the connection surface of the female card-edge connector and can be fastened to the circuit board with any variety of fastening components.
US09257760B2
A coupling member for receiving wire strands of a stranded composite core conductor includes a substantially cylindrical body having first and second ends. A first through hole extends from a first opening at the first end to a second opening at the second end of the body for receiving a wire strand of the stranded conductor. A first protrusion extends axially outwardly from the first end of the body. A first recess in the second end of the body is adapted to receive a protrusion of an adjacent coupling member.
US09257759B2
A connection structure connects a plate-like terminal main body (11) on the ground terminal fitting (10) in surface contact with a grounding member (20) that has female screw holes (41, 42) and a receiving portion (23). A wire connecting portion (12) on the ground terminal fitting (10) is connected to a wire (60). A lock (13) on the terminal main body (11) engages the receiving portion (23) and is on an axis line extension (70) of the wire (60). Mounting holes (151, 152) formed on the terminal main body (11) and aligned with the female screw holes (41, 42) by locking the lock (13) to the receiving portion (23). The ground terminal fitting (10) is connected to the grounding member (20) by screwing bolts (51, 52) inserted through the mounting holes (151, 152) into the female screw holes (41, 42).
US09257756B2
A dual band antenna having a directive element and a reflective element is disclosed. A first and second antennas are arranged substantially parallel to each other and spaced between approximately 0.5-0.8 times the wavelength of the first antenna. The dual band antenna provides high gain at the zenith and at the horizon and enable v variation in the antenna beam shape as well as a reduction in cross polarization.
US09257749B2
An antenna assembly includes a feed end, a pair of ground ends, a first antenna, and a second antenna connected to the ground ends. The first antenna is connected to the feed end. The first antenna activates a high frequency band resonance mode. The second antenna is connected to the ground ends, and coupled with the first antenna to activate a low frequency band resonance mode. The feed end and the pair of ground ends are parallel to each other. The feed end and the pair of ground ends are coplanar to form a coplanar-waveguide feed structure.
US09257744B2
A wireless communication apparatus includes a first antenna, a second antenna, a first receive circuit coupled to the first antenna and a second receive circuit coupled to the second antenna. The first receive circuit is configured to measure one or more downlink performance characteristics of the first antenna and the second receive circuit is configured to measure one or more downlink performance characteristics of the second antenna during at least part of a same time period. The wireless communication apparatus further includes a controller configured to determine a difference between the one or more downlink performance characteristics of the first antenna and the second antenna, and determine a next time to use the second receive circuit to measure the one or more downlink performance characteristics of the second antenna based on the determined difference between the one or more downlink performance characteristics of the first antenna and the second antenna.
US09257742B2
An antenna includes an electrical excitation component and a core component. The electrical excitation component has and input, an output and a conducting component. The conducting component is disposed between the input and the output and can conduct current from the input to the output. The core component has a concentrically wound magnetic film having a substrate and a magnetic material layer. The core component can have a magnetic current loop induced therein. The electrical excitation component is arranged such that concentric magnetic fields associated with current conducted through the electrical excitation component are additionally associated with a magnetic current loop within the core component.
US09257741B2
An antenna structure includes a dipole antenna element, a closed-loop conductor, and a reflection plane. The dipole antenna element is configured to transmit an electromagnetic signal. The closed-loop conductor is disposed adjacent to the dipole antenna element. The dipole antenna element is substantially between the closed-loop conductor and the reflection plane, or the closed-loop conductor is substantially between the dipole antenna element and the reflection plane. The reflection plane is configured to reflect the electromagnetic signal from the dipole antenna element so as to enhance the total gain of the antenna structure. The mutual coupling effect between the closed-loop conductor and the dipole antenna element effectively causes the distance between the dipole antenna element and the reflection plane to be shorter.
US09257735B2
An antenna apparatus comprises a lower assembly and an upper assembly, which together forming a cavity to contain an RF circuit device. The upper assembly comprises a waveguide flange interface at an external surface of the upper assembly. The waveguide flange interface comprises a waveguide channel extending from the external surface to an internal surface forming a surface of the cavity. An opening of the waveguide channel at the internal surface is substantially centered about a first centerline of the upper assembly parallel with the external surface and offset from a second centerline of the upper assembly parallel with the external surface, whereby the second centerline perpendicular is to the first centerline. The upper assembly is removably attachable to the lower assembly in either of a first orientation or a second orientation, whereby the second orientation represents a 180 degree rotation of the upper assembly relative to the first orientation.
US09257730B2
A heater module (22L, 22R) of the present invention is provided along a heated surface (13CLa) of an object to be heated (13CL, 13CR). The heater module includes: a plate-like heater body (34) that faces the heated surface of the object to be heated; an L-shaped member (31) including a module main surface (31m) to which the plate-like heater body is provided, and a bent arm portion (31c) bent with respect to the module main surface; and a power source connection terminal (35) provided in the bent arm portion and connected to the plate-like heater body.
US09257729B2
A controller identifies a condition of a hazardous internal short by comparing patterns of series element voltages to the last known balance condition of the series elements. If the loaded or resting voltage of one or more contiguous series elements uniformly drop from the previously known condition by an amount consistent with an over-current condition, an over-current internal short circuit fault is registered. The desired response is to prevent the affected series elements from heating to a hazardous temperature by summoning the maximum heat rejection capability of the system until the short ceases and the affected elements cool, the cooling function is no longer able to operate due to low voltage, or the affected series string has drained all of its energy through the short. Also includes are responses that allow the battery pack to continue to power the cooling system even though it may enter an over-discharged state.
US09257728B2
A battery pack has battery cells and bus bars. Each of the battery cells is covered with an exterior case. All the battery cells are electrically connected in series through the bus bars. The battery cells are divided into a first stacked group and a second stacked group arranged adjacent to each other in a lateral direction of the battery pack. The battery cells in each stacked group are stacked in a thickness direction of the battery pack. The stacked groups have a different number of the battery cells in order to make a stair structure. An electrode terminal of one end terminal of the battery cells connected in series is arranged adjacent to the stair structure. A control board is arranged on a lower step part of the stair structure. Devices formed on the control board detect a state of each battery cell.
US09257724B2
A reaction chamber arrangement is provided, the reaction chamber arrangement including a first chemical reaction chamber; a second chemical reaction chamber; an isolation member between the first chemical reaction chamber and the second chemical reaction chamber, wherein a first electrode is mounted on a first side of the isolation member, an exposed surface of the first electrode facing into the first chemical reaction chamber and wherein a second electrode is mounted on a second side of the isolation member, an exposed surface of the second electrode facing into the second chemical reaction chamber; and an electronic component configured to measure or control at least one of the first chemical reaction chamber and the second chemical reaction chamber, wherein the electronic component is arranged between and connected to the first electrode and the second electrode, and at least partially surrounded by an isolation material of the isolation member.
US09257717B2
In a wound electrode group, a positive electrode includes positive electrode active material layers formed on both surfaces of a band-like positive electrode current collector, and a negative electrode includes negative electrode active material layers on both surfaces of a band-like negative electrode current collector. Charge capacity of the negative electrode falls within a range of 83-99% of theoretical capacity of the negative electrode in a full charge state of a nonaqueous electrolyte secondary battery. An active material mass M1 per unit area of a negative electrode active material layer formed on an outer circumference of the negative electrode current collector, and an active material mass M2 per unit area of a negative electrode active material layer formed on an inner circumference satisfy a relational expression of M1/M2<(R1+t/2)/(R1−t/2), where the electrode group has an innermost diameter of R1, and the negative electrode has a thickness of t.
US09257713B2
A solid oxide fuel cell system has a carbon monoxide generator using ash-free coal or graphite, which includes a carbon supply unit, a carbon dioxide supply unit, a carbon monoxide generating unit, and a fuel cell unit. The carbon monoxide generating unit supplies CO to the anode of the fuel cell unit, and CO2 discharged from the fuel cell unit is recycled to the carbon dioxide supply unit. Because ash-free coal or graphite is used, a separate reformer does not need to be used, and thus energy can be produced with high efficiency even at low costs. Because CO2 discharged from the solid oxide fuel cell, which uses carbon monoxide as a fuel, after a fuel cell reaction, is reused as reactant gas, carbon dioxide is not emitted into the atmosphere. Gasification can be smoothly achieved by the carbon monoxide generating unit including heating powder or a heating reaction chamber.
US09257705B2
A method for synthesizing a nitrogen-doped carbon electrocatalyst by performing selective catalytic oxidative polymerization of solid aniline salt on a carbon support with a catalytic system containing Fe3+/H2O2 to obtain a mixture, and then heat treating the mixture under a nitrogen atmosphere at 900° C.
US09257697B2
A positive electrode material that can form a positive electrode mixture containing composition with reduced changes over time and high productivity, a manufacturing method thereof, a non-aqueous rechargeable battery less likely to swell and having a high storage characteristic during storage at high temperatures, and a positive electrode that can form the battery are provided. The object is solved by providing a positive electrode material having a coating layer of an organic silane compound on a surface of a positive electrode active material made of a lithium nickel composite oxide represented by the general compositional formula (1): Li1+xMO2 where −0.5≦x≦0.5, M represents a group of at least two elements including at least one of Mn and Co and Ni, and 20≦a<100 and 50≦a+b+c≦100 when the ratios (mol %) of Ni, Mn, and Co in the elements forming M are a, b, and c, respectively.
US09257684B2
The purpose of the present invention is to provide a battery block that serves as a member that contains a plurality of battery cells, wherein if abnormal heat generation occurs, the resulting heat is evenly, rapidly, and efficiently distributed throughout the entire block, and the portions in which the battery cells are accommodated have high dimensional precision. The present invention provides a battery block that contains the following: a metal case that contains a plurality of pipe-shaped members; and battery cells accommodated, respectively, in said plurality of pipe-shaped members. The pipe-shaped members are joined to each other, forming a single unit, and join parts that join adjacent pipe-shaped members to each other are at least 70% as long as the pipe-shaped members themselves.
US09257681B2
In a method of manufacturing an organic electroluminescent display, a substrate, in which a plurality of pixel areas is defined, is prepared, and first electrodes are formed in the pixel areas. Organic light emitting layers are formed on the first electrodes and a second electrode is formed on the organic light emitting layers. Resonant controllers are formed to control a resonant distance between each of the first electrodes and the second electrode. The resonant controllers are formed by providing solutions to at least two pixel areas, which emit lights having different colors, with a same amount in a one-to-one correspondence, and removing a solvent from the solutions. The solutions have different concentrations from each other.
US09257672B2
An organic light emitting display apparatus, including a first electrode; a second electrode on the first electrode, the second electrode including silver and magnesium; an organic emission layer between the first electrode and the second electrode; a metal layer between the organic emission layer and the second electrode; and a barrier layer between the organic emission layer and the second electrode.
US09257670B2
A novel display device with higher reliability having a structure of blocking moisture and oxygen, which deteriorate the characteristics of the display device, from penetrating through a sealing region and a method of manufacturing thereof is provided. According to the present invention, a display device and a method of manufacturing the same comprising: a display portion formed by aligning a light-emitting element using an organic light-emitting material between a pair of substrate, wherein the display portion is formed on an insulating layer formed on any one of the substrates, the pair of substrates is bonded to each other with a sealing material formed over the insulating layer while surrounding a periphery of the display portion, at least one layer of the insulating layer is made of an organic resin material, the periphery has a first region and a second region, the insulating layer in the first region has an opening covered with a protective film, the sealing material is formed in contact with the opening and the protective film, an outer edge portion of the insulating layer in the second region is covered with the protective film or the sealing material.
US09257662B2
There is provided a quantum dot light-emitting device including: a light-emitting layer containing a quantum dot luminescent material; and a metal-based particle assembly layer being a layer consisting of a particle assembly including 30 or more metal-based particles separated from each other and disposed in two-dimensions, said metal-based particles having an average particle diameter in a range of 200 to 1600 nm, an average height in a range of 55 to 500 nm, and an aspect ratio, as defined by a ratio of said average particle diameter to said average height, in a range of 1 to 8, wherein said metal-based particles that compose said metal-based particle assembly layer are disposed such that an average distance between adjacent metal-based particles may be in a range of 1 to 150 nm. The quantum dot light-emitting device provides enhanced emission via the metal-based particle assembly layer and thus presents high luminous efficiency.
US09257661B2
In an electroluminescence device, highly efficient light emission is realized without reducing the durability thereof. The electroluminescence device includes electrodes, a plurality of layers deposited between the electrodes, a light emitting region between the plurality of layers, the light emitting region emitting light by application of an electric field between the electrodes. The plurality of layers include a metal thin-film in the vicinity of the light emitting region. The metal thin-film induces plasmon resonance on the surface thereof by the emitted light. Surface modification is provided on at least one of the surfaces of the metal thin-film. The surface modification includes an end group having polarity that makes the work function of the metal thin-film become close to the work function of at least a layer next to the metal thin-film.
US09257653B2
An organic light-emitting diode including: a first mixed layer between an emission layer and a first electrode and including first and second compounds; a second mixed layer between the emission layer and the first mixed layer and including third and fourth compounds; a first charge generation layer between the first mixed layer and the first electrode and including the first and second compounds and a first charge generation material; a second charge generation layer between the first mixed layer and the second mixed layer and including the third and fourth compounds and a second charge generation material; and a buffer layer between the emission layer and the second mixed layer, the first and the third compounds are each independently a compound represented by Formula 1 below, and the second compound and fourth compounds are each independently a compound represented by Formula 2 below:
US09257649B2
An organic layer deposition apparatus, a method of manufacturing an organic light-emitting display device by using the same, and an organic light-emitting display device manufactured using the method, and in particular, an organic layer deposition apparatus that is suitable for use in the mass production of a large substrate and enables high-definition patterning, a method of manufacturing an organic light-emitting display device by using the same, and an organic light-emitting display device manufactured using the method.
US09257641B2
Provided is a three-dimensional resistance memory including a stack of layers. The stack of layers is encapsulated in a dielectric layer and is adjacent to at least one opening in the encapsulating dielectric layer. At least one L-shaped variable resistance spacer is disposed on at least a portion of the sidewall of the opening adjacent to the stack of layers. An electrode layer fills the remaining portion of the opening.
US09257639B2
Improved phase-change memory cells are provided for storing information in a plurality of programmable cell states. A phase-change material is located between first and second electrodes for applying a read voltage to the phase-change material to read the programmed cell state. An electrically-conductive component extends from one electrode to the other in contact with the phase-change material. The resistance presented by this component to a cell current produced by the read voltage is less than that of the amorphous phase and greater than that of the crystalline phase of the phase-change material in any of the cell states.
US09257637B2
A STT-MRAM comprises a method to form magnetic random access memory (MRAM) element array having ultra small dimensions using double photo exposures and etch of their hard masks. The memory cells are located at the cross section of two ultra-narrow photo-resist lines suspended between two large photo-resist bases. Array of MRAM cells with small dimension is formed by a third magnetic etch.
US09257635B2
Spin transfer torque memory elements and memory devices are provided. In one embodiment, the spin transfer torque memory element includes a first portion including CoFeB, a second portion including CoFeB, an intermediate portion interposed between the first and second portions, a third portion adjoining the second portion opposite the intermediate portion, and a fourth portion adjoining the third portion opposite the second portion. The intermediate portion includes MgO. The third portion includes at least one of Ag, Au, Cr, Cu, Hf, Mo, Nb, Os, Re, Ru, Ta, W, and Zr. The fourth portion includes at least alloy of CoPt, FePt, and Ru.
US09257630B2
The present invention relates to a piezoelectric device. A piezoelectric device in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention includes a piezoelectric member and a connection member which are coupled to each other, wherein the piezoelectric member includes a polycrystalline member made of a polycrystalline piezoelectric material, a single crystal member made of a single crystal piezoelectric material and coupled to the connection member, and a textured member provided between the polycrystalline member and the single crystal member and having intermediate properties of the polycrystalline piezoelectric material and the single crystal piezoelectric material.
US09257623B2
A light-emitting diode package includes a light-emitting structure, a first electrode pad and a second electrode pad connected with the light-emitting structure, an insulating pattern layer in contact with a bottom surface of the light-emitting structure and abutting the first and second electrode pads, a substrate including via-holes in contact with a bottom surface of the insulating pattern layer and exposing a portion of the first electrode pad and a portion of the second electrode pad, a first penetrating electrode and a second penetrating electrode that are disposed in the via-holes and respectively connected with the first and second electrode pads, a fluorescent material layer disposed on the light-emitting structure, a glass disposed on and spaced apart from the light-emitting structure with the fluorescent material layer therebetween.
US09257618B2
The present invention provides a Light Emitting Diode (LED) package, comprising a Printed Circuit Board (PCB), an LED mounted on the PCB, a pillar placed higher than the LED around the LED on the PCB, a transparent plate disposed on the pillar, spaced apart from the LED, and configured to transmit light emitted from the LED, and a fluorescent layer formed on a surface of the transparent plate, facing the LED, and conformably coated with a substance for converting the light emitted from the LED into white light by changing a wavelength of the light, wherein an electrical pad of the LED and an electrical pad of the PCB are electrically connected to each other, and the LED and the fluorescent layer are spaced apart from each other.
US09257615B2
The present invention relates to a light emitting device package and a method of manufacturing the same. There is provided a light emitting device package including a metal core; an insulating layer formed on the metal core; a metal layer formed on the insulating layer; a first cavity formed by removing parts of the metal layer and the insulating layer to expose a top surface of the metal core; and a light emitting device directly mounted on the top surface of the metal core in the first cavity and further there is provided a method of manufacturing the light emitting device package.
US09257614B2
A warm-white-light LED structure combines a red light wafer and a blue light wafer via a bonding layer. A reflecting layer is arranged over upper and lower surfaces of the bonding layer respectively; the lower surface of the red light wafer takes up one-third or less of the upper surface of the blue light wafer, which effectively reduces packaging structure volume and time of bondings so as to optimize process flow and save fabrication cost.
US09257613B2
Disclosed is a semiconductor light emitting device. The light emitting device includes a first conductive type semiconductor layer; an active layer on the first conductive type semiconductor layer; and a first electrode pad including a plurality of reflective layers on the first conductive type semiconductor layer.
US09257612B2
A method for producing an optoelectronic semiconductor chip is specified, comprising the following steps: providing an n-conducting layer (2), arranging a p-conducting layer (4) on the n-conducting layer (2), arranging a metal layer sequence (5) on the p-conducting layer (4), arranging a mask (6) at that side of the metal layer sequence (5) which is remote from the p-conducting layer (4), in places removing the metal layer sequence (5) and uncovering the p-conducting layer (4) using the mask (6), and in places neutralizing or removing the uncovered regions (4a) of the p-conducting layer (4) as far as the n-conducting layer (2) using the mask (6), wherein the metal layer sequence (5) comprises at least one mirror layer (51) and a barrier layer (52), and the mirror layer (51) of the metal layer sequence (5) faces the p-conducting layer (4).
US09257611B2
An optoelectronic semiconductor chip includes a multiplicity of active regions, arranged at a distance from one another, and a reflective layer arranged at an underside of the multiplicity of active regions, wherein at least one of the active regions has a main extension direction, one of the active regions has a core region formed with a first semiconductor material, the active region has an active layer, covering the core region at least in directions transversely with respect to the main extension direction of the active region, the active region has a cover layer formed with a second semiconductor material and covers the active layer at least in directions transversely with respect to the main extension direction of the active region, and the reflective layer reflects electromagnetic radiation generated during operation in the active layer.
US09257607B2
The invention relates to a novel red emitting material of (Ba1—x—y—zSrxCayEuz)2Si5—a−bAlaN8−a−4bOa+4b having an average particle size distribution d50 of >6 μm, with 0.3≦x≦0.9, 0.01≦y≦0.1, 0.005≦z≦0.04, 0≦a≦0.2 and 0≦b≦0.2.
US09257593B2
There is provided a method of producing a photovoltaic element comprising: a first step in which an i-type amorphous silicon layer (16) and an n-type amorphous silicon layer (14) are formed over a light-receiving surface of an n-type monocrystalline silicon substrate (18); a second step in which an i-type amorphous silicon layer (22a) and an n-type amorphous silicon layer (23a) are formed over a back surface of the n-type monocrystalline silicon substrate (18); and a third step in which, after the first step and the second step are completed, protection layers are formed over the n-type amorphous silicon layer (14) and the n-type amorphous silicon layer (23a).
US09257592B2
The present invention provides a translucent solar cell and a manufacturing method thereof. The translucent solar cell comprises, in stacking order, a substrate, a first electrode layer, a photoconductive layer and a second electrode layer. The translucent solar cell is characterized in that there are formed a plurality of first light-transmissive apertures on the second electrode layer and the plurality of first light-transmissive apertures are further extended in a depth direction to the photoconductive layer to form a plurality of second light-transmissive apertures corresponding to the first light-transmissive apertures. A projected area of each of the second light-transmissive apertures is equal to or smaller than that of a corresponding first light-transmissive aperture.
US09257589B2
A first semiconductor layer serves as a first implanted layer of a first conductivity type. A second semiconductor layer of a second conductivity type is provided under the first semiconductor layer. The second conductivity type is opposite to the first conductivity type. The second semiconductor layer is buried in an epitaxial layer grown above a substrate. The second semiconductor layer becomes fully depleted when an appropriate bias voltage is applied to the device.
US09257588B2
The invention is directed to an avalanche photodiode containing a substrate and semiconductor layers with various electro-physical properties having common interfaces both between themselves and with the substrate. The avalanche photodiode may be characterized by the presence in the device of at least one matrix consisting of separate solid-state areas with enhanced conductivity surrounded by semiconductor material with the same type of conductivity. The solid-state areas are located between two additional semiconductor layers, which have higher conductivity in comparison to the semiconductor layers with which they have common interfaces. The solid-state areas are generally made of the same material as the semiconductor layers surrounding them but with conductivity type that is opposite with respect to them. The solid-state areas may be made of a semiconductor with a narrow forbidden zone with respect to the semiconductor layers with which they have common interfaces.
US09257585B2
In various embodiments, photovoltaic modules are hermetically sealed by providing a first glass sheet, a photovoltaic device disposed on the first glass sheet, and a second glass sheet, a gap being defined between the first and second glass sheets, disposing a glass powder within the gap, and heating the powder to seal the glass sheets.
US09257584B2
A solar cell device and a method of fabricating the device is described. The solar cell is fabricated by providing a substructure comprising an absorber over a back contact having a P1 line therein and scribing a P2 line in the absorber by mechanical scribing and laser scribing after the mechanical scribing. The scribing can be performed with an integrated scriber, including a scribing tip and a light source mounted adjacent the scribing tip and operable concurrently with the scribing tip.
US09257578B2
The invention provides an inorganic reaction system for the preparation of electroconductive paste. Particularly, an inorganic reaction system comprises conductive glass. The inorganic reaction system may comprise a silver containing matrix forming composition. The silver containing matrix composition may comprise at least one of silver oxide or silver halide, or both. The invention also provides solar cells manufactured utilizing an electroconductive paste comprising an inorganic reaction system comprising conductive glass, and methods of manufacturing solar cells utilizing an electroconductive paste comprising an inorganic reaction system comprising conductive glass.
US09257569B2
A semiconductor device includes an oxide layer, a source electrode layer in contact with the oxide layer, a first drain electrode layer in contact with the oxide layer, a second drain electrode layer in contact with the oxide layer, a gate insulating film in contact with the oxide layer, a first gate electrode layer overlapping with the source electrode layer and the first drain electrode layer and overlapping with a top surface of the oxide layer with the gate insulating film interposed therebetween, a second gate electrode layer overlapping with the source electrode layer and the second drain electrode layer and overlapping with the top surface of the oxide layer with the gate insulating film interposed therebetween, and a third gate electrode layer overlapping with a side surface of the oxide layer with the gate insulating film interposed therebetween.
US09257565B2
A display panel manufacturing method includes forming a gate electrode on a substrate and a gate insulator, a semiconductor layer, and an etch stop layer covering the gate electrode. A photoresist layer covering on the etch stop layer is pattern from two opposite side of the substrate by two photolithography processes to form a photoresist pattern. The etch stop layer is dry etched to form an etch stop pattern via the photoresist pattern. The photoresist pattern is formed again by two photolithography processes. The semiconductor layer is wet etched to form a semiconductor pattern via the photoresist pattern. A source electrode and a drain electrode is formed corresponding to two opposite sides of the gate electrode to orderly cover the etch pattern, the semiconductor pattern, and the gate insulator.
US09257562B2
It is an object to provide a method of manufacturing a crystalline silicon device and a semiconductor device in which formation of cracks in a substrate, a base protective film, and a crystalline silicon film can be suppressed. First, a layer including a semiconductor film is formed over a substrate, and is heated. A thermal expansion coefficient of the substrate is 6×10−7/° C. to 38×10−7/° C., preferably 6×10−7/° C. to 31.8×10−7/° C. Next, the layer including the semiconductor film is irradiated with a laser beam to crystallize the semiconductor film so as to form a crystalline semiconductor film. Total stress of the layer including the semiconductor film is −500 N/m to +50 N/m, preferably −150 N/m to 0 N/m after the heating step.
US09257548B2
A nitride semiconductor element includes a Si substrate; a buffer layer including (a) an AlN layer formed on a primary surface of the Si substrate; and (b) an AlGaN deposit layer formed by laminating multiple AlGaN layers on the AlN layer and having a total thickness ranging from 100 nm to 500 nm; a GaN electron transfer layer formed on the AlGaN deposit layer and having a thickness ranging from 500 nm to 2000 nm provided that the GaN electron transfer layer is thicker than the AlGaN deposit layer; and an AlGaN electron supply layer formed on the GaN electron transfer layer, wherein the AlGaN deposit layer includes an AlGaN layer that is provided closer to the AlN layer and has an Al component that ranges from about 40% to about 60%, and a reference AlGaN layer that has an Al component (%) that is lower than that of the AlGaN layer.
US09257533B2
A method for fabricating a high voltage semiconductor transistor includes growing a first well region over a substrate having a first conductivity type, the first well region having a second type of conductivity. First, second and third portions of a second well region having the first type of conductivity are doped into the first well region. A first insulating layer is grown in and over the first well portion within the second well region. A second insulating layer is grown on the substrate over the third portion of the second well region. An anti-punch through region is doped into the first well region. A gate structure is formed on the substrate. A source region is formed in the first portion of the second well region on an opposite side of the gate structure from the first insulating layer. A drain region is formed in the first well region.
US09257531B2
A metallic top surface of a replacement gate structure is oxidized to convert a top portion of the replacement gate structure into a dielectric oxide. After removal of a planarization dielectric layer, selective epitaxy is performed to form a raised source region and a raised drain region that extends higher than the topmost surface of the replacement gate structure. A gate level dielectric layer including a first dielectric material is deposited and subsequently planarized employing the raised source and drain regions as stopping structures. A contact level dielectric layer including a second dielectric material is formed over the gate level dielectric layer, and contact via holes are formed employing an etch chemistry that etches the second dielectric material selective to the first dielectric material. Raised source and drain regions are recessed. Self-aligned contact structures can be formed by filling the contact via holes with a conductive material.
US09257530B1
One exemplary embodiment provides a method of making an integrated circuit. The method includes forming a dummy gate structure above a semiconductor substrate, etching an exposed semiconductor substrate outside the dummy gate structure, depositing silicon oxide over the dummy gate structure and the semiconductor substrate to form a silicon oxide layer, etching source and drain contact vias through the silicon oxide layer, implanting source and drain dopants through the source and drain contact vias, removing the dummy gate structure, forming a final gate structure, etching substantially all of the silicon oxide layer, and depositing an ultra low K dielectric to form an ultra low K dielectric layer.
US09257523B2
The invention relates to an avalanche diode that can be employed as an ESD protection device. An avalanche ignition region is formed at the p-n junction of the diode and includes an enhanced defect concentration level to provide rapid onset of avalanche current. The avalanche ignition region is preferably formed wider than the diode depletion zone, and is preferably created by placement, preferably by ion implantation, of an atomic specie different from that of the principal device structure. The doping concentration of the placed atomic specie should be sufficiently high to ensure substantially immediate onset of avalanche current when the diode breakdown voltage is exceeded. The new atomic specie preferably comprises argon or nitrogen, but other atomic species can be employed. However, other means of increasing a defect concentration level in the diode depletion zone, such as an altered annealing program, are also contemplated.
US09257522B2
Some embodiments relate to a memory cell to store one or more bits of data. The memory cell includes a capacitor including first and second capacitor plates which are separated from one another by a dielectric. The first capacitor plate corresponds to a doped region disposed in a semiconductor substrate, and the second capacitor plate is a polysilicon or metal layer arranged over the doped region. The memory cell also includes a transistor laterally spaced apart from the capacitor and including a gate electrode arranged between first and second source/drain regions. An interconnect structure is disposed over the semiconductor substrate and couples the gate electrode of the transistor to the second capacitor plate.
US09257515B2
A split gate flash cell device with floating gate transistors is provided. Each floating gate transistor is formed by providing a floating gate transistor substructure including an oxide disposed over a polysilicon gate disposed over a gate oxide disposed on a portion of a common source. Nitride spacers are formed along sidewalls of the floating gate transistor substructure and cover portions of the gate oxide that terminate at the sidewalls. An isotropic oxide etch is performed with the nitride spacers intact. The isotropic etch laterally recedes opposed edges of the oxide inwardly such that a width of the oxide is less than a width of the polysilicon gate. An inter-gate dielectric is formed over the floating gate transistor substructure and control gates are formed over the inter-gate dielectric to form the floating gate transistors.
US09257514B2
A semiconductor device includes: a first electrode; a second electrode; an interlayer insulating film made of a porous insulating material and formed above the first electrode and the second electrode; and connection parts electrically connected to the first electrode and the second electrode respectively, wherein a cavity is formed between the interlayer insulating film and a surface of the first electrode, a surface of the second electrode, and parts of surfaces of the connection parts.
US09257496B2
A method of fabricating a capacitor structure includes the following steps. Firstly, a substrate is provided. A first conductive layer, a first insulation layer, a second conductive layer and a second insulation layer are sequentially formed over the substrate. A hard mask material layer is formed on the second insulation layer. Then, the hard mask material layer is defined with a photo resist pattern, so that a hard mask is formed. After the photo resist pattern is removed, the second conductive layer is defined with the hard mask, so that a first electrode of the capacitor structure is formed.
US09257487B2
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.
US09257481B2
An LED array includes: a first LED unit having a first active layer and a first side; a second LED unit having a second active layer and a second side facing the first side; a trench separating the first LED unit from the second LED unit; and a light-guiding structure formed between the first LED unit and the second LED unite for guiding the light emitted by the first active layer and the second active layer away from the LED array.
US09257479B2
A method of manufacturing an active pixel sensor having a plurality of pixels, each of the pixels having a photodiode formed by a part of a first semiconductor region of a first conductive type and a second semiconductor region of a second conductive type, and a transfer transistor for transferring a charge carrier from the photodiode, includes the steps of preparing a substrate on which the first semiconductor region of the first conductive type is formed, forming a mask to form the second semiconductor region on the substrate, forming the second semiconductor region using the mask, and forming a gate of the transferring transistor after forming the second semiconductor region. The gate of the transferring transistor overlaps the second semiconductor region in a planar view.
US09257474B2
There is provided a solid-state imaging device including a substrate having a surface over which a plurality of photodiodes are formed, and a protection film that is transparent, has a water-proofing property, and includes a side wall part vertical to the surface of the substrate and a ceiling part covering a region surrounded by the side wall part, the side wall part and the ceiling part surrounding a region where the plurality of photodiodes are arranged over the substrate.
US09257461B2
An image device including a pixel array and a controller, The pixel array having first pixels and second pixels and corresponding channel drivers. The controller may perform operations of a dynamic vision sensor (DVS), an ambient light sensor (ALS) and a proximity sensor (PS).
US09257454B2
A pixel electrode is connected to a drain electrode of TFT via a first aperture formed on a second interlayer insulating film, a second aperture, which includes a bottom portion of the first aperture and is formed on a common electrode, and a third aperture, which is included in the bottom portion of the first aperture and is formed on a first interlayer insulating film and a third interlayer insulating film. The common electrode is connected to a common wiring via a fourth aperture formed on the second interlayer insulating film, and a fifth aperture that is included in a bottom portion of the fourth aperture and is formed on the first interlayer insulating film, and a contact electrode that is formed in the fourth aperture and the fifth aperture.
US09257447B2
A semiconductor device includes word lines and interlayer insulating layers alternately stacked, a channel layer penetrating the word lines and the interlayer insulating layers, a tunnel insulating layer surrounding the channel layer, and first charge trap layers surrounding the tunnel insulating layer, interposed between the word lines and the tunnel insulating layer, respectively, and doped with first impurities.
US09257445B2
Semiconductor structures and methods for making semiconductor structures include a split gate non-volatile memory (NVM) cell in an NVM region. A charge storage layer, a first conductive layer, and a capping layer are formed over the substrate, which are patterned to form a control gate stack in the NVM region of the substrate. A high-k dielectric layer, a metal layer, and a second conductive layer are formed over the substrate. The second conductive layer and the metal layer are patterned to form remaining portions of the second conductive layer and the metal layer over and adjacent to a first side of the control gate stack. The remaining portion of the second conductive layer is removed to form a select gate stack, which includes the remaining portion of the metal layer. A stressor layer is formed over the substrate.
US09257441B2
Methods of forming semiconductor devices may be provided. A method of forming a semiconductor device may include patterning first and second material layers to form a first through region exposing a substrate. The method may include forming a first semiconductor layer in the first through region on the substrate and on sidewalls of the first and second material layers. In some embodiments, the method may include forming a buried layer filling the first through region on the first semiconductor layer. In some embodiments, the method may include removing a portion of the buried layer to form a second through region between the sidewalls of the first and second material layers. Moreover, the method may include forming a second semiconductor layer in the second through region.
US09257440B2
In an embodiment of the invention, a non-volatile anti-fuse memory cell is disclosed. The memory cell consists of a programmable n-channel diode-connectable transistor. The poly-silicon gate of the transistor has two portions. One portion is doped more highly than a second portion. The transistor also has a source with two portions where one portion of the source is doped more highly than a second portion. The portion of the gate that is physically closer to the source is more lightly doped than the other portion of the poly-silicon gate. The portion of the source that is physically closer to the lightly doped portion of the poly-silicone gate is lightly doped with respect to the other portion of the source. When the transistor is programmed, a rupture in the insulator will most likely occur in the portion of the poly-silicone gate that is heavily doped.
US09257437B2
A semiconductor device includes a bit line structure on a substrate, the bit line structure having a polysilicon layer pattern doped with impurities, and a metal layer pattern on the polysilicon layer pattern, a first spacer surrounding and contacting a sidewall of the bit line structure, the first spacer having a constant thickness, and a capacitor contact structure on the substrate, an air gap being defined between the capacitor contact structure and the first spacer.
US09257432B2
A highly integrated gain cell-type semiconductor memory is provided. A first insulator, a read bit line, a second insulator, a third insulator, a first semiconductor film, first conductive layers, and the like are formed. A projecting insulator is formed thereover. Then, second semiconductor films and a second gate insulating film are formed to cover the projecting insulator. After that, a conductive film is formed and subjected to anisotropic etching, so that write word lines are formed on side surfaces of the projecting insulator. A third contact plug for connection to a write bit line is formed over a top of the projecting insulator. With such a structure, the area of the memory cell can be 4F2 at a minimum.
US09257424B2
A semiconductor device is provided that includes a composite semiconductor body including a high voltage depletion-mode transistor and a low voltage enhancement-mode transistor. The high voltage depletion-mode transistor is stacked on the low voltage enhancement-mode transistor so that an interface is formed between the high voltage depletion-mode transistor and the low voltage enhancement-mode transistor. The low voltage enhancement-mode transistor includes a current path coupled in series with a current path of the high voltage depletion-mode transistor, and a control electrode is arranged at the interface.
US09257414B2
A method for forming a stacked semiconductor structure comprises providing a first chip comprising a plurality of first active circuits and a first aluminum connection pad, depositing a first dielectric layer on a first side of the first chip, forming a first copper bonding pad on the first aluminum connection pad, providing a second chip comprising a plurality of second active circuits, depositing a second dielectric layer on a first side of the second chip, forming a second copper bonding pad in the second dielectric layer, stacking the first chip on the second chip, wherein the first copper bonding pad is in direct contact with the second copper bonding pad and bonding the first chip and the second chip to form a uniform bonded feature.
US09257413B2
Embodiments of a stack package may include an upper chip on a lower chip, a backside passivation layer covering the backside surface of the lower chip and having a thickness which is substantially equal to a height of the protrusion portion of a lower through via electrode, a backside bump substantially contacting the protrusion portion, and a front side bump electrically connected to a chip contact portion of the upper chip and physically and electrically connected to the backside bump. The backside passivation layer may include a first insulation layer provided over a sidewall of the protrusion portion and the backside surface of the lower chip. Embodiments of fabrication methods are also disclosed.
US09257403B2
An integrated circuit copper wire bond connection is provided having a copper ball (32) bonded directly to an aluminum bond pad (31) formed on a low-k dielectric layer (30) to form a bond interface structure for the copper ball characterized by a first plurality of geometric features to provide thermal cycling reliability, including an aluminum minima feature (Z1, Z2) located at an outer peripheral location (42) under the copper ball to prevent formation and/or propagation of cracks in the aluminum bond pad.
US09257402B2
A preferred terminal structure comprises a base material; an electrode formed on the base material; an insulating covering layer formed on the base material and on the electrode and having an opening exposing at least part of the electrode; an under bump metal layer containing Ni, formed in a region in the opening on the electrode so that an upper surface of the metal layer is at a position lower than an upper surface of the insulating covering layer in a peripheral edge portion of the opening; and a dome-shaped bump containing Sn and Ti, formed in a region in the opening on the under bump metal layer, wherein an end portion of a boundary between the under bump metal layer and the bump is in contact with an inner wall of the opening portion in the insulating covering layer.
US09257396B2
A method of forming a semiconductor package includes providing a substrate having one or more conductive elements disposed therein. Each conductive element extends from a first surface of the substrate toward a second surface of the substrate extending beyond the second surface. The second surface comprises one or more substrate regions not occupied by a conductive element. A first die is attached within a substrate region, and the first die is coupled to at least one of the conductive elements. The first die may be coupled to at least one of the conductive elements by a wire bond connection. Alternatively, an RDL is formed over the second surface, and the first die is coupled to at least one conductive element through the RDL. A second die may be attached to an outer surface of the RDL, and the second die is electrically coupled to the first die through the RDL.
US09257382B2
A semiconductor device has a plurality of conductive vias formed into a semiconductor wafer. An insulating lining is formed around the conductive vias and a conductive layer is formed over the insulating lining. A portion of the semiconductor wafer is removed so the conductive vias extend above a surface of the semiconductor wafer. A first insulating layer is formed over the surface of the semiconductor wafer and conductive vias. A first portion of the first insulating layer is removed and a second portion of the first insulating layer remains as guard rings around the conductive vias. A conductive layer is formed over the conductive vias. A second insulating layer is formed over the surface of the semiconductor wafer, guard rings, and conductive vias. A portion of the second insulating layer is removed to expose the conductive vias and a portion of the guard rings.
US09257365B2
Cooling assemblies and power electronics modules having multiple-level porosity structures with both a micro- and macro-level porosity are disclosed. In one embodiment, a cooling assembly includes a jet impingement assembly including a fluid inlet channel fluidly coupled an array of orifices provided in a jet plate, and a heat transfer substrate having a surface. The heat transfer substrate is spaced apart from the jet plate. A first array of metal fibers is bonded to the surface of the heat transfer substrate in a first direction, and a second array of metal fibers is bonded to the first array of metal fibers in a second direction. Each metal fiber of the first array of metal fibers and the second array of metal fibers includes a plurality of metal particles defining a micro-porosity. The first array of metal fibers and the second array of metal fibers define a macro-porosity.
US09257358B2
A chip stacking packaging structure is provided for achieving high-density stacking and improving a heat dissipation efficiency of the chip stacking packaging structure. The chip stacking packaging structure includes a main substrate and at least one stacking substrate in which a main chip is disposed in the main substrate, at least one stacking chip is disposed on the stacking substrate, and a side edge of the stacking substrate is disposed on the main substrate, so that the stacking chip is connected to the main chip.
US09257342B2
In one embodiment, a method of forming a semiconductor device includes forming openings in a substrate. The method includes forming a dummy fill material within the openings and thinning the substrate to expose the dummy fill material. The dummy fill material is removed.
US09257337B2
A method for fabricating a semiconductor device is provided. The method includes: providing a first wafer having a first active surface and a first rear surface opposite to the first active surface, the first wafer comprising a first circuit formed therein; providing a second wafer having a second active surface and a second rear surface opposite to the second active surface, the second wafer comprising a second circuit formed therein; bonding the first active surface of the first wafer with the second active surface of the second wafer so as to electrically connecting the first circuit and the second circuit; thinning the second wafer from the second rear surface; and forming at least a conductive through via in the second wafer, wherein the conductive through via is electrically connected to the first circuit through the second circuit.
US09257335B2
An electronic device includes a substrate including a front side, a back side, a thickness between the front side and back side, one or more front-side vias extending from the front side into a part of the thickness, and an interconnect via extending from the back side toward the front side; a contact pad on the front side and including one or more protrusions extending through corresponding front-side vias and into the interconnect via; and an interconnect extending through the interconnect via and into contact with the protrusion(s).
US09257308B2
A packaged assembly is disclosed, including thermal interface material dispensed on an organic package and methods of manufacturing. The method includes dispensing a thermal interface material (TIM) on an electronic assembly. The method further includes removing volatile species of the TIM, prior to lid placement on the electronic assembly. The method further includes placing the lid on the TIM, over the electronic assembly. The method further includes pressing the lid onto the electronic assembly.
US09257306B2
A lead frame includes a die pad and a plurality of lead portions each including an internal terminal and an external terminal. The external terminals of the plurality of lead portions are arranged in an alternately staggered form such that the respective external terminals of a pair of lead portions adjacent to each other are alternatively located on an inside or an outside. A lead portion has an inside region located on the inside of a first external terminal, an outside region located on the outside of the first external terminal, and an external terminal region having the first external terminal. The inside region and the outside region are each formed thin by means of half etching. A maximum thickness of the outside region is larger than a maximum thickness of the inside region.
US09257303B2
Metallic layers can be selectively deposited on surfaces of a substrate relative to a second surface of the substrate. In preferred embodiments, the metallic layers are selectively deposited on copper instead of insulating or dielectric materials. In preferred embodiments, a first precursor forms a layer or adsorbed species on the first surface and is subsequently reacted or converted to form a metallic layer. Preferably the deposition temperature is selected such that a selectivity of above about 90% is achieved.
US09257302B1
Provided are methods of filling gaps on a substrate by creating flowable silicon oxide-containing films. The methods involve introducing vapor-phase silicon-containing precursor and oxidant reactants into a reaction chamber containing the substrate under conditions such that a condensed flowable film is formed on the substrate. The flowable film at least partially fills gaps on the substrate. In certain embodiments, the methods involve using a catalyst in the formation of the film. The catalyst may be incorporated into one of the reactants and/or introduced as a separate reactant.
US09257300B2
A method for etching features into an etch layer disposed below a patterned mask is provided. At least three cycles are provided, where each cycle comprises providing an ion bombardment, by creating a plasma, of the etch layer to create activated sites of surface radicals in parts of the etch layer exposed by the patterned mask, extinguishing the plasma, exposing the etch layer to a plurality of fluorocarbon containing molecules, which causes the fluorocarbon containing molecules to selectively bind to the activated sites, wherein the selective binding is self limiting, and providing an ion bombardment of the etch layer to initiate an etch reaction between the fluorocarbon containing molecule and the etch layer, wherein the ion bombardment of the etch layer to initiate an etch reaction causes the formation of volatile etch products formed from the etch layer and the fluorocarbon containing molecule.
US09257298B2
Methods of patterning a target material layer are provided herein. The method includes steps of positioning a semiconductor wafer having the target material layer thereon in an etch chamber and of providing a flow of etch gases into the etch chamber, the flow of etch gases etchant gas comprising a plurality of gases. The semiconductor wafer has a patterned hardmask feature formed from a compound on the target material layer. The method also includes steps of etching the target material layer using the patterned hardmask feature as a mask feature, wherein one of the gases chemically alters the patterned hardmask feature and at least one of the gases chemically repairs the patterned hardmask feature so that the patterned hardmask feature retains its dimensions during the etching. Associated semiconductor wafer are also provided herein.
US09257290B2
The present disclosure relates to a low temperature poly-silicon thin film transistor which possesses electrical characteristics and reliability, and a method of manufacturing the thin film transistor. The low temperature poly-silicon thin film transistor at least includes a gate insulating layer which is a composite insulating layer comprising at least three dielectric layers, wherein the compactness of each dielectric layer successively increases in order of the formation sequence thereof in the manufacturing process. Because the relation between the compactness of each layer of the composite insulating layer and that of the others thereof is taken into account according to the present disclosure, each layer in the composite insulating layer of the low temperature poly-silicon thin film transistor manufactured by the method according to the present disclosure can have enhanced surface contact characteristic and thin film continuity. The thickness of each layer in the composite insulating layer is further considered, so that the parasitic capacitance can be effectively reduced, and thus the response rate of the transistor can be improved. Namely, by improving the GI film forming quality, the electrical characteristic and reliability of the low temperature poly-silicon thin film transistor can be improved.
US09257288B2
A method and system for monitoring crystallization of an amorphous silicon (a-Si) thin film, and a method of manufacturing a thin film transistor (TFT) by using the method and system are disclosed. The method of monitoring the crystallization of the a-Si thin film includes: irradiating light from a light source onto a monitoring a-Si thin film to anneal the monitoring a-Si thin film; annealing the monitoring a-Si thin film and concurrently measuring a Raman scattering spectrum of light scattered by the monitoring a-Si thin film at set time intervals; and calculating a crystallization characteristic value of the monitoring a-Si thin film based on the Raman scattering spectrum.
US09257287B2
A laser annealing device for compensating wafer heat maps and its method are disclosed. A laser annealing device comprises a pump laser source array including of a plurality of pump laser sources for irradiating a tunable mask, each pump laser source emitting pump laser, an annealing laser source for emitting annealing laser and irradiating the tunable mask, and a tunable mask for transmitting at least part of the annealing laser after being irradiated by the pump laser.
US09257286B2
A novel method for ion implanting isotopically enriched selenium containing source material is provided. The source material is selected and enriched in a specific mass isotope of selenium, whereby the enrichment is above natural abundance levels. The inventive method allows reduced gas consumption and reduced waste. The source material is preferably stored and delivered from a sub-atmospheric storage and delivery device to enhance safety and reliability during the selenium ion implantation process.
US09257283B2
A semiconductor device is disclosed along with methods for manufacturing such a device. In certain embodiments, the semiconductor device includes a source electrode formed using a metal that limits a shift, such as due to bias temperature instability, in a threshold voltage of the semiconductor device during operation. In certain embodiments the semiconductor device may be based on silicon carbide.
US09257281B2
A method of fabricating a pattern comprising sequentially forming a pattern formation layer and a neutral layer on over a substrate having in a first regions and a second regions, forming guide patterns on first portions of over the neutral layer in the second regions, forming a first block copolymer layers on over second portions of the neutral layer in the first regions, phase-separating the tint block copolymer layers such that each of the first block copolymer layers includes to form first polymer blocks having a first phase and first polymer blocks having a second phase, removing the guide patterns to form openings that expose the first portions of the neutral layer in the second region, forming a second block copolymer layer on over the phase-separated first block copolymer layers and in the openings, phase-separating the second block copolymer layer into to form second polymer blocks having the first phase and second polymer blocks having the second phase removing the second polymer blocks having the second phase and the first polymer blocks having the second phase, and etching the neutral layer and the pattern formation layer using the first polymer blocks having the first phase and the second polymer blocks having the first phase as an etch masks.
US09257279B2
A method of forming a semiconductor device, and a product formed thereby, is provided. The method includes forming a pattern in a mask layer using, for example, double patterning or multi-patterning techniques. The mask is treated to smooth or round sharp corners. In an embodiment in which a positive pattern is formed in the mask, the treatment may comprise a plasma process or an isotropic wet etch. In an embodiment in which a negative pattern is formed in the mask, the treatment may comprise formation of conformal layer over the mask pattern. The conformal layer will have the effect of rounding the sharp corners. Other techniques may be used to smooth or round the corners of the mask.
US09257276B2
Electronic assemblies and their manufacture are described. One embodiment relates to a method including depositing an organic thin film layer on metal bumps on a semiconductor wafer, the organic thin film layer also being formed on a surface adjacent to the metal bumps on the wafer. The wafer is diced into a plurality of semiconductor die structures, the die structures including the organic thin film layer. The semiconductor die structures are attached to substrates, wherein the attaching includes forming a solder bond between the metal bumps on a die structure and bonding pads on a substrate, and wherein the solder bond extends through the organic thin film layer. The organic thin film layer is then exposed to a plasma. Other embodiments are described and claimed.
US09257274B2
Provided herein are methods and apparatus for filling one or more gaps on a semiconductor substrate. The disclosed embodiments are especially useful for forming seam-free, void-free fill in both narrow and wide features. The methods may be performed without any intervening etching operations to achieve a single step deposition. In various implementations, a first operation is performed using a novel PEALD fill mechanism to fill narrow gaps and line wide gaps. A second operation may be performed using PECVD methods to continue filling the wide gaps.
US09257267B2
A composition, method, and kit for calibrating a mass spectrometer including a predetermined concentration of a calibrant having a mixture of amino acid polyethylene glycol compounds and a solvent for dissolving the calibrant. The calibrant can be used in either positive or negative ionization mode, and it can be used in calibrating an atmospheric pressure chemical ionization or an electrospray mass spectrometer. The calibrant can include a mixture to enable calibration across a broad range of masses.
US09257264B2
A gas cartridge is described that is configured to provide sufficient gas to support cold plasma generation for a specific medical process. The gas cartridge has a seal that is pierced upon connection of the gas cartridge to the cold plasma delivery system. Different embodiments are described that use different connection locations between the gas cartridge and the cold plasma delivery system. A shroud is also described that shields the user if the cold plasma delivery system is dropped and the gas cartridge ruptures. Use of an ID system assists in ensuring that the correct gas mixture, correct gas cartridge and correct power supply settings are used for the particular medical treatment process.
US09257263B2
The invention provides an arc coating apparatus having a steering magnetic field source comprising steering conductors (62, 64, 66, 68) disposed along the short sides (32c, 32d) of a rectangular target (32) behind the target, and a magnetic focusing system disposed along the long sides (32a, 32b) of the target (32) in front of the target which confines the flow of plasma between magnetic fields generated on opposite long sides (32a, 32b) of the target (32). The plasma focusing system can be used to deflect the plasma flow off of the working axis of the cathode. Each steering conductor (62, 64, 66, 68) can be controlled independently. In a further embodiment, electrically independent steering conductors (62, 64, 66, 68) are disposed along opposite long sides (32a, 32b) of the cathode plate (32), and by selectively varying a current through one conductor, the path of the arc spot shifts to widen the erosion corridor. The invention also provides a plurality of internal anodes, and optionally a surrounding anode for deflecting the plasma flow.
US09257261B2
A method for rapid switching between operating modes with differing beam currents in a charged particle system is disclosed. Many FIB milling applications require precise positioning of a milled pattern within a region of interest (RoI). This may be accomplished by using fiducial marks near the RoI, wherein the FIB is periodically deflected to image these marks during FIB milling. Any drift of the beam relative to the RoI can then be measured and compensated for, enabling more precise positioning of the FIB milling beam. It is often advantageous to use a lower current FIB for imaging since this may enable higher spatial resolution in the image of the marks. For faster FIB milling, a larger beam current is desired. Thus, for optimization of the FIB milling process, a method for rapidly switching between high and low current operating modes is desirable.
US09257258B2
A method of making a transmission electron microscope micro-grid includes following steps. A carbon nanotube layer is provided, and the carbon nanotube layer includes a first surface and a second surface opposite to each other. A first metal layer is electroplated on the first surface and a second metal layer is electroplated on the second surface. A number of first through holes are formed by etching the first metal layer, and a number of second through holes are formed by etching the second metal layer, wherein the carbon nanotube layer is exposed through the number of first through holes and the number of second through holes.
US09257257B2
Provided is a Schottky emitter having the conical end with a radius of curvature of 2.0 μm on the emission side of an electron beam. Since a radius of curvature is 1 μm or more, a focal length of an electron gun can be longer than in a conventional practice wherein a radius of curvature is in the range of from 0.5 μm to not more than 0.6 μm. The focal length was found to be roughly proportional to the radius of the curvature. Since the angular current intensity (the beam current per unit solid angle) is proportional to square of the electron gun focal length, the former can be improved by an order of magnitude within a practicable increase in the emitter radius. A higher angular current intensity means a larger beam current available from the electron gun and the invention enables the Schottky emitters to be used in applications which require relatively high beam current of microampere regime such as microfocus X-ray tube, electron probe micro-analyzer, and electron beam lithography system.
US09257253B1
The present invention generally relates to systems and methods for generating controllable beam of electrons using a hollow-cathode triode electron gun that substantially mitigate impact of back-streaming electrons.
US09257252B2
This invention discloses a type of intelligent magnetic-hold miniature circuit breaker and its control method, comprising a casing, a magnetic-hold relay, and a drive circuit, wherein said drive circuit receives control signal and then drives operation of said magnetic-hold relay; said magnetic-hold relay comprises a dynamic spring assembly, a static spring assembly, a deflector rod, a pushing piece, and a magnetic steel assembly; rotation of said magnetic steel assembly drives said deflector rod and then closing or opening of contacts of said dynamic spring assembly and said static spring assembly via said pushing piece; said miniature circuit breaker also includes a central processor, a communication chip, and a voltage state circuit; and said deflector rod extends out through a hole on said casing to allow manual operation. This invention breaks through traditional miniature circuit breaker design concept, and in terms of functions, realizes manual operation with priority and coordination between manual operation and remote operation in normal state, as well as protection in abnormal state, i.e. in case of interruption of commercial power supply followed by its restoration, clearing and addition of manual opening record.
US09257251B2
Method and apparatus for a mechanical latching of at least one pole of an hybrid switch selected from SPST, SPDT, DPDT, reversing DPDT, multi pole MPST and MPDT including the integration of one of a single and plurality of hybrid SPDT or DPDT switches using springy element to maintain the engagement between the poles and one of the contacts including PCB assembly, for operating electrical loads via the switch manual key including the introduction of a key-plunger combination into the latching hybrid switch and remotely by powering the coil by a power pulse, including a CPU program for providing any of the manual keys of each SPDT or DPDT connected in a traveler lines to the integrated switch-relay to switch on-off group of loads and all the loads of home automation network or grid via optical cable, RF, IR in line of sight and bus line.
US09257247B2
A motion-sensitive low-G MEMS acceleration switch, which is a MEMS switch that closes at low-g acceleration (e.g., sensitive to no more than 10 Gs), is proposed. Specifically, the low-G MEMS acceleration switch has a base, a sensor wafer with one or more proofmasses, an open circuit that includes two fixed electrodes, and a contact plate. During acceleration, one or more of the proofmasses move towards the base and connects the two fixed electrodes together, resulting in a closing of the circuit that detects the acceleration. Sensitivity to low-G acceleration is achieved by proper dimensioning of the proofmasses and one or more springs used to support the proofmasses in the switch.
US09257245B2
An electronic device includes a housing, a support member coupled to the housing, a trigger member coupled to the support member, a sliding member, a first magnet member coupled to the sliding member, and a second magnet member coupled to the support member. The first magnet member includes two first magnets and a second magnet coupled to the corresponding first magnet. The magnetic pole of the first magnets is opposite to the magnetic pole of the second magnet. The second magnet member includes a third magnet and two fourth magnets. The magnetic pole of the third magnet is same as the magnetic pole of the second magnet. The magnetic pole of the fourth magnets is same as the magnetic pole of the first magnets.
US09257241B2
A switch body portion attached to a center console includes a dial switch. The switch body portion is held on the side of the enter console for attachment through engaging of front engagement portions and a rear engagement portion. When an external force having a specified magnitude or greater acts on the dial switch from the rear, the engaging of the front engagement portions is released, so that the switch body portion falls off downward, rotating around the rear engagement portion. Accordingly, an impact which may occur when some object hits against the dial switch projecting upward from an upper face of the center console from the rear can be properly absorbed.
US09257239B2
An object of the invention is to provide an electrode material slurry for preparation of lithium-ion secondary batteries favorable in properties and superior in storage stability and an aqueous binder composition for lithium-ion secondary batteries that can be used for production of lithium-ion secondary batteries superior in discharge rate characteristics and cycle characteristics.Provided is a binder composition for lithium-ion secondary battery electrode, comprising polymer particles containing (a) an ethylenic unsaturated carboxylic ester compound and (b) an ethylenic unsaturated sulfonic acid compound at a (a)/(b) mass ratio of (98 to 91)/(2 to 9) in a total (a) and (b) amount of 70 mass % or more, based on the monomeric raw materials.
US09257235B2
An electrochemical capacitor includes a positive electrode, a negative electrode disposed proximally to the positive electrode, and a non-aqueous electrolyte, wherein the positive electrode and the negative electrode are immersed in the non-aqueous electrolyte, and a case is presented in the energy storage system to accommodate the non-aqueous electrolyte, the positive electrode, and the negative electrode. The positive electrode has a porous matrix having a plurality of micrometer sized pores and nanostructured metal oxides, wherein the porous matrix is a 3-dimensional (3D) mesoporous metal or a 3D open-structured carbonaceous material, and the nanostructured metal oxides are coated inside the plurality of pores of the porous matrix. The non-aqueous electrolyte includes organic compounds having at least one acylamino group and lithium salts characterized as LiX, wherein Li is lithium and X comprises SCN−; the organic compounds are cyclic compounds; and the cyclic compounds comprise 2-oxazolidinone, ethyleneurea, or the combination thereof.
US09257230B2
A multilayer ceramic capacitor may include: a ceramic body including a plurality of dielectric layers and having first and second main surfaces, first and second side surfaces, and first and second end surfaces; a capacitor part formed in the ceramic body and including first and second internal electrodes, the first internal electrode having a first lead exposed to the second main surface and the second internal electrode having a second lead exposed to the first main surface; resistor parts including first and second internal connection conductors formed on the same dielectric layers among the plurality of dielectric layers in the ceramic body; and first to fourth external electrodes, first and third connection terminals, and second and fourth connection terminals. The capacitor part and the resistor parts may be connected in series to one another.
US09257229B2
A coil for a transformer includes first and second coil segments with each coil segment being defined by successive layers of wound conductor sheeting. The coil segments are electrically connected together and are adjacent, defining a space there-between. A plurality of cooling duct pairs are disposed between certain of the layers in each of the first and second coil segments such that, for each cooling duct pair, an end of a cooling duct disposed in the first coil segment is adjacent to an end of a cooling duct disposed in the second coil segment, with the ends being disposed in the space. A connector connects the adjacent ends of each pair of cooling ducts.
US09257228B2
A method is provided for making a transformer core assembly using a work table positioned proximate to a rotatable rack assembly having first and second racks. Core segments are created by a segment forming machine. The core segments are transferred to a core block of the second rack. After a predetermined number of core segments are stacked on the core block to form a core segment assembly, the rack assembly is rotated so that the second rack is positioned proximate to the work table. The second rack is then moved onto the work table and one or more finishing steps are performed on the core segment assembly. During the performance of the one or more finishing steps, core segments may be transferred to a core block attached to the first rack.
US09257213B2
A dielectric insulation medium including sulphur hexafluoride (SF6) and/or tetrafluoro methane (CF4), in a mixture with at least one further component being an at least partially fluorinated fluoroketone.
US09257208B2
A system for producing a controllable beam of radiation is controllable electronically, and includes no parts that must move relative to one another while in operation to form the beam. The direction and cross-section of the beam may be controlled electronically by controlling an electron beam. Various embodiments provide an X-ray collimator that allows forming a scanning X-ray beam of desired size and flux independently of the aperture material thickness without requiring movement of the aperture or physical components that create the aperture. Some embodiments provide an X-ray collimator that allows forming a scanning X-ray beam of desired size and flux independently of the beam angle.
US09257204B2
A read voltage setting method for a rewritable non-volatile memory module is provided. The method includes: reading test data stored in memory cells of a word line to obtain a corresponding critical voltage distribution and identifying a default read voltage corresponding to the word line based on the corresponding critical voltage distribution; applying a plurality of test read voltages obtained according to the default read voltage to the word line to read a plurality of test page data; and determining an optimized read voltage corresponding to the word line according to the minimum error bit number among a plurality of error bit numbers of the test page data. The method further includes calculating a difference value between the default read voltage and the optimized read voltage as a read voltage adjustment value corresponding to the word line and recording the read voltage adjustment value in a retry table.
US09257201B2
A method and an apparatus for testing a memory are provided, where the memory includes a plurality of sectors each of which includes a plurality of bytes, and the testing is performed to the memory byte by byte. The method includes: during the testing, once a first byte in a first sector fails the testing, stopping testing the rest bytes in the first sector which haven't been tested, and skipping the testing to a second byte in a second sector. Accordingly, if one byte of the first sector fails the testing, the testing will be skipped to a second sector, and the remained bytes of the first sector will not be tested any more, and other testing items will not be implemented to the first sector within the whole testing flow. Therefore, redundant testing steps can be avoided and testing efficiency can be improved.
US09257190B2
A level shifter includes a differential input pair circuit, a current mirror circuit, a switching circuit, a first keeper circuit, a second keeper circuit, and an output buffering circuit. The differential input pair circuit is connected with a first node, a second node and a first voltage. The differential input pair circuit receives an input signal and an inverted input signal. The current mirror circuit is connected with a third voltage, and includes a first current output terminal connected with a third node and a second current output terminal generating an output signal. The switching circuit includes a first control terminal receiving the inverted output signal. The second keeper circuit is connected between the third voltage and the second node, and includes a third control terminal receiving the inverted input signal and a fourth control terminal receiving the inverted output signal.
US09257182B2
Methods, and apparatus configured to perform methods, including loading trim settings into a trim register of a memory device associated with a command for an access operation, receiving the command for the access operation at the memory device, setting trims for the access operation in response to the trim settings of the trim register associated with the command for the access operation, and performing the access operation using the trims for the access operation; and including performing an access operation on a memory device using trims corresponding to trim settings, receiving a command to suspend the access operation, loading updated trim settings into a particular trim register of the memory device, setting updated trims for the access operation in response to the updated trim settings of the particular trim register, and resuming the access operation using the updated trims.
US09257167B2
According to one embodiment, a resistance change memory comprises a memory cell array, a write and read circuit, a temperature sensor, and a memory controller. The memory cell array comprises memory cells including magnetic tunnel junction (MTJ) elements. The write and read circuit performs a write operation and a read operation for the memory cells. The temperature sensor outputs temperature information corresponding to a temperature of the memory cell array. The memory controller controls the write operation and the read operation by the write and read circuit in accordance with the temperature information.
US09257158B2
A semiconductor device includes: a plurality of repair fuse circuits configured to each program a repair target address; and an enable signal generation circuit configured to generate at least one enable signal in response to a source signal and provide the enable signal to each of the repair fuse circuits in common. Since the semiconductor device may iteratively generate a rupture enable signal through a feedback scheme, the area occupied by a circuit, such as a shift register or a D flip-flop may be saved.
US09257154B2
Apparatuses and methods for compensating for source voltage is described. An example apparatus includes a source coupled to a memory cell and a read-write circuit coupled to the memory cell. The apparatus further includes a sense current generator coupled to a node of the source and to the read-write circuit, the sense current generator configured to control provision of a sense current by the read-write circuit responsive to a voltage of the node of the source.
US09257153B2
A microcontroller system is determining to exit a power saving mode and, in response, enable a reference current source to begin providing a reference current for a memory module. The microcontroller system determines that the reference current has reached a substantial fraction of a target reference current, and, in response to determining that the reference current has reached a substantial fraction of the target reference current, enables the memory module to begin performing one or more memory operations.
US09257150B2
Embodiments of the invention provide techniques for using operational data and/or video footage to identify and diagnose operational issues. In some embodiments, business metrics represented in data produced by a restaurant's operational systems are identified and stored, conditions which warrant attention are identified, and the metrics that may indicate potential causes for those conditions are identified. Video footage may be correlated with business metric data to assist in diagnosing and remediating issues.
US09257149B2
Embodiments of the present invention provide for broadcast pause and resume for enhanced television. In some embodiments, software key frames identifying a state of a browser at a plurality of points in time may be used for synchronizing a series of graphics to a video stream. Other embodiments may be described and claimed.
US09257143B1
In preparing to send a write command to store data in at least one Data Storage Device (DSD), a request is sent to the at least one DSD to request environmental information indicating an environmental condition of the at least one DSD. The environmental information is received from the at least one DSD and it is determined whether the environmental information is within a threshold. The write command is sent to the at least one DSD if the environmental information is within the threshold and a precautionary measure is performed if the environmental information is not within the threshold.
US09257135B2
A system for reading data from a storage medium. The system includes a reader and a data determination circuit. The reader is configured to receive a first signal from a first position relative to the storage medium and read a second signal from a second position relative to the storage medium. Each of the first signal and the second signal includes a combination of first data stored in a first track and second data stored in a second track. The data determination circuit is configured to determine third data stored at a predetermined position using the combination of the first data stored in the first track and the second data stored in the second track as received in the first signal and the combination of the first data stored in the first track and the second data stored in the second track as received in the second signal.
US09257133B1
A computing device senses speech or other user input. One or more physical variable pertaining to a user of the computing device are also sensed, and respective signals are analyzed or compared to the user input. The analysis determines if the user input is likely that of an authorized user, and assigns a confidence metric to that determination. The computing device may then perform actions corresponding to the speech or user input content in accordance with the determination.
US09257126B2
A method of encoding samples in a digital signal is provided that includes receiving a frame of N samples of the digital signal, determining L possible distinct data values in the N samples, determining a reference data value in the L possible distinct data values and a coding order of L−1 remaining possible distinct data values, wherein each of the L−1 remaining possible distinct data values is mapped to a position in the coding order, decomposing the N samples into L−1 coding vectors based on the coding order, wherein each coding vector identifies the locations of one of the L−1 remaining possible distinct data values in the N samples, and encoding the L−1 coding vectors.
US09257125B2
An audio frame timing correction method and a wireless device are provided. A controller generates a reference clock for audio coding/decoding such that the reference clock runs fast and moved forward within an audio data sampling interval with the remaining time becoming a margin of the interval. An audio codec decodes demodulated data based on the reference clock, and codes an audio signal based on the reference clock. A demodulator detects wireless frame deviation and determines an adjustment timing whereat the wireless frame symbol timing and the audio frame timing are corrected based on the deviation and the margin. Upon the adjustment timing, the controller synchronizes audio sampling timing with the wireless frame symbol timing.
US09257120B1
Methods, systems, and apparatus, including computer programs encoded on computer storage media, for identifying a user in a multi-user environment. One of the methods includes receiving, by a first user device, an audio signal encoding an utterance, obtaining, by the first user device, a first speaker model for a first user of the first user device, obtaining, by the first user device for a second user of a second user device that is co-located with the first user device, a second speaker model for the second user or a second score that indicates a respective likelihood that the utterance was spoken by the second user, and determining, by the first user device, that the utterance was spoken by the first user using (i) the first speaker model and the second speaker model or (ii) the first speaker model and the second score.
US09257113B2
From at least a first microphone, first microphone signals are received that represent first sound waves. From at least a second microphone, second microphone signals are received that represent second sound waves. In response to the first microphone signals, first noise in the first sound waves is estimated, and first cancellation signals are output for causing a speaker array to generate first additional sound waves via at least a first acoustic beam for cancelling at least some of the first noise. In response to the second microphone signals, second noise in the second sound waves is estimated, and second cancellation signals are output for causing the speaker array to generate second additional sound waves via at least a second acoustic beam for cancelling at least some of the second noise.
US09257100B2
A display device includes: a display panel displaying a still image and a motion picture; a display panel which displays a still image and a motion picture; a signal controller which controls signals to drive the display panel; and a graphics processing unit which transmits input image data to the signal controller, where the signal controller includes a frame memory which stores compressed image data generated by compressing the input image data, and a mixer which mixes compression recovered image data generated by recovering the compressed image data and the input image data to generate mixed image data.
US09257097B2
Methods, systems, and devices are described for remote display of content in a wireless network. A source device capable of displaying content may identify one or more rendering instructions for content to be displayed remotely on a sink device. The source device may transmit the one or more rendering instructions to the sink device via a wireless peer-to-peer connection. The sink device may receive the one or more rendering instructions and may execute the one or more rendering instructions to render a display of at least part of the content. Further, the source device may receive data from the sink device via the wireless peer-to-peer connection. The identifying of the one or more rendering instructions by the source device may thus include identifying at least one rendering instruction based at least in part on the received data.
US09257093B2
An image display apparatus includes: an image signal processing unit which adjusts an input grayscale values included in an input image signal according to a predetermined grayscale characteristic; a display unit which displays an image based on an image signal included in an output grayscale value adjusted by the image signal processing unit; and a grayscale characteristic changing unit which changes a correlation between the input and output grayscale values defined based on the grayscale characteristic.
US09257091B2
An in-vehicle display device communicates with a mobile information terminal and displays image information of the mobile information terminal on a vehicular display. The in-vehicle display device includes: a mode detecting device that detects whether the mobile information terminal is in a normal operation mode or a power saving mode; and a display control device that changes a display mode of the vehicular display from a normal display mode to a power saving display mode for reducing an electric power consumption relating to the image display under a condition that the mobile information terminal is switched from the normal operation mode to the power saving mode.
US09257080B2
A scanning line driving circuit includes an arithmetic circuit for generating an operation result for specifying a unit register for outputting an output signal by means of an arithmetic process on an output number control signal for specifying the number of signals to be outputted. An input stage of each unit register is provided with a signal control circuit for controlling whether to allow the unit register to output an output signal based on the operation result.
US09257078B2
A light emitting diode (LED) backlight driving circuit includes a power supply, an LED light bar coupled to the power supply, a constant current driving chip that drives the LED light bar to light, and a comparing unit. The constant current driving chip includes an under-voltage protection pin that receives an under-voltage protection signal. An overvoltage collecting unit of the LED backlight driving circuit and an under-voltage collecting unit of the LED backlight driving circuit are coupled to an input end of the power supply, and an output voltage of the under-voltage collecting unit is directly input to the under-voltage protection pin. A reference voltage is input to a first input end of the comparing unit, and a second input end of the comparing unit is coupled to the overvoltage collecting unit. When an output voltage of the overvoltage collecting unit exceeds the reference voltage, the comparing unit sends the under-voltage protection signal to the under-voltage protection pin.
US09257059B2
A device includes a substrate and at least 1,000 flakes resting upon the substrate, each flake including a magnetic layer. The plurality of flakes are aligned so as to form a plurality of rings or curves, wherein within each ring or curve, flakes are tilted at a same angle with respect to the substrate and planes extending from surfaces of said flakes intersect with one another. The device provides a visible image of a single ring or curve when illuminated with a single light source, and three rings or curves are visible when three light sources illuminate the device. The device may be used as a printed light detector.
US09257058B2
An anti-counterfeiting apparatus for a document (10, 70, 90), in particular a credit title, an insurance document, a permit or a transport document (10, 70, 90), comprises a means for printing (25) on said document (10, 70, 90) at least one printed data field in visible characters (12, 14, 17, 19, 72, 92), means for reading (30, 30′) the data of said printed data field (12, 14, 17, 19, 72, 92) and means for generating a cutting signal (45) responsive to said reading step (30, 30′) of the data of the printed data field (12, 14, 17, 19, 72, 92). Furthermore, it comprises a cutting means of the document (10, 70, 90) in a predetermined zone thereof on the basis of said cutting signal (45). In particular, the cutting means is configured to make on the document, near the printed data field (12, 14, 17, 19, 72, 92), a cut data field (12a, 14a, 17a, 19a, 72a, 92a) in an inerasable and visible way. The cut data field (12a, 14a, 17a, 19a, 72a, 92a) consists of visible cut characters that are a duplication of the data shown of said printed data field (12, 14, 17, 19, 72, 92), that are arranged to allow a visual comparison by a user between said cut data field and said printed data field.
US09257056B2
A system and method determines ambiguous or missing information about map features, generates questions to address the ambiguity or the missing information and determines users from whom to request feedback to clarify the ambiguity or supply the missing information.
US09257055B2
It is possible to provide a small intestine endoscope training simulator (11) which allows to obtain a feeling similar to that of inserting an endoscope (38) into the small intestine (34) of the living body (30) and learn the actual operation of the endoscope (38). This training simulator (11) includes a plurality of longitudinal elastic members (32) for applying an elastic force to each of a plurality of portions of a simulated small intestine (13). One end portion sides of the plurality of longitudinal elastic members (32) are respectively attached to the first attachment portions (27) on the simulated small intestine (13) side. The other end portion sides of the plurality of longitudinal elastic members (32) are respectively attached to the second attachment portions (33, 57) on the case (12) side.
US09257048B1
A method and apparatus for managing a landing site for an aircraft is presented. The landing site is selected from a group of landing sites. A description is communicated to a platform about a state of the aircraft along a route of the aircraft over time to the landing site. The aircraft is flown to the landing site using the description of the state of the aircraft along the route of the aircraft over time.
US09257046B2
A method for navigation by road users in the area of a traffic congestion, includes the steps of determining a group of road users in the area of the traffic congestion, who are users of a predetermined service, the capturing of travel data of the members of the group, the determining of driving maneuvers for the members of the group based on the captured driving data and the outputting the driving maneuvers to the associated members of the group. The driving maneuvers are coordinated with one another, in order to reduce the effects of the traffic congestion for the members of the group.
US09257045B2
A method of detecting a roadway edge and/or a traffic lane on a roadway includes: acquiring at least one image of surroundings of a vehicle with a camera; detecting a driving corridor from the at least one image; and performing a structure detection on the at least one image while taking the determined driving corridor into consideration in order to determine a course of a roadway edge from the at least one image.
US09257031B2
The invention relates to a method for detecting crack formation in a hoisting member, comprising the steps of measuring a stress under load at two points of the hoisting member, comparing the measured stresses and generating a warning signal when the measured stresses differ too much from each other.The invention also relates to a device for detecting crack formation in a hoisting member, comprising means arranged at two points of the hoisting member for measuring a stress under load, means connected to the measuring means for comparing the measured stresses, and means connected to the comparing means for generating a warning signal when the measured stresses differ too much from each other.Finally, the invention relates to a hoisting frame, comprising a number of hoisting members which are mounted thereon close to its corners, and crack detection devices connected thereto.
US09257025B2
Electronic article surveillance system includes an antenna system comprised of two or more of resonant circuits. Each resonant circuit includes an exciter coil having at least one wire turn aligned on a common coil axis. A transmitter is coupled to the antenna system and is arranged to generate an antenna system composite exciter signal. The composite exciter signal is comprised of a plurality of co-exciter signals having the same predetermined frequency. The composite exciter signal is capable of exciting an EAS security tag when applied to the antenna system. The transmitter has two or more transmitter output ports, each independently coupled to one of the plurality of resonant circuits. Each of the plurality of co-exciter signals is respectively provided separately from a transmitter output port to one of the of resonant circuits.
US09257024B2
A system and method for protecting a merchandise item is presented. An alarm system for protecting the merchandise item includes: an alarm logic, a cable, and a switch. The cable has first and second ends with the first end adapted to be plugged into the alarm system. The switch is located at the second end of the cable and indicates when the second end of the cable is attached to the merchandise item and when the second end of the cable is not connected to the merchandise item. The second end of the cable can be connected to a standard port located on the merchandise item. The alarm system generates an alarm when the second end of the cable is not connected to the merchandise item.
US09257009B2
A jackpot triggering method comprising: determining a jackpot trigger value from a current value of at least one jackpot trigger parameter; generating a submission value in response to receipt of a contribution associated with a gaming device participating in the jackpot, by using a value of at least one contribution parameter associated with the contribution as a seed value to randomly generate the submission value; and making a jackpot award if the submission value corresponds to the jackpot trigger value.
US09257008B2
Gaming methods and apparatus are described for providing a plurality of progressive prizes for a gaming system. Separate progressive prizes are maintained for each of a plurality of different wager options for a game playable on the gaming system. The progressive prizes can be maintained so as to reduce the difference in contribution to the expected return to player between the wager options.
US09257007B2
A method of customizing offers for sales of combinations of virtual items at discounted prices is disclosed. A combination of virtual items of a computer-implemented game is selected such that the sum of the values of each of the combination of virtual items has a proportion to an amount of currency in an account of a user of the computer-implemented game, the selecting being performed by a processor. An offer for a sale of the combination of the virtual items at a discounted price is generated for the user of the computer-implemented game. The offer for the sale of the combination of virtual items at the discounted price is presented to the user.
US09257006B2
A wagering game system and its operations are described herein. In some embodiments, the operations can include receiving first application data from a first application, where the first application data describes a first characteristic of first content from the first application. The first application presents the first content during a wagering game session. The operations can further include determining a relationship between the first characteristic and a second characteristic of second content of a second application that presents the second content during the wagering game session while the first application presents the first content. The operations can further include modifying the second content dynamically based on the relationship between the first characteristic and the second characteristic.
US09257004B2
A motorized reel assembly for a gaming machine includes a reel assembly, and an encoder disc. The reel assembly includes a central hub defining a central opening and a pair of flange-receiving apertures on opposing sides of the central opening. The encoder disc includes a disc hub, a flagged exterior ring, and coupling flanges. The disc hub defines a disc cavity extending through a center of the disc hub. The flagged exterior ring is concentrically positioned and extends around the disc hub. The coupling flanges each protrude from the disc hub toward the central hub on opposite sides of the disc cavity. Each of the coupling flanges extends through a different flange-receiving aperture of the pair of flange-receiving apertures of the central hub and interfaces with a surface of the reel assembly facing away from the disc hub to at least partially secure the encoder disc to the reel assembly.
US09257003B2
A gaming machine includes a display device and a processor coupled to the display device. The processor is configured to cause the display device to display a game using a first frame. The processor is also configured to divide the first frame into a plurality of second frames during play of the game in the first frame, cause the display device to display the plurality of second frames, and enable continued play of the game separately within each second frame. In addition, the processor is configured to merge the plurality of second frames into the first frame, cause the display device to display the first frame, and enable continued play of the game within the first frame.
US09257000B2
In a method of wagering, one or more primary bettors place wagers having an applicable base take-out or rake rate, and thus yielding a base payout for winning wagers. One or more secondary bettors may place wagers having an applicable modified take-out or rake rate (preferably lower than the base take-out or rake rate), thus yielding a higher payout for winning wagers than the base payout. The wagering may occur relative to card games such as poker, or other types of games or events, including sports betting. Bets may be placed with a host, such as a casino or track, or an off-track entity.
US09256998B2
A banknote handling machine according to the present invention efficiently utilizes stacking units so as to efficiently process banknotes by returning odd banknotes of a first predetermined type in every transaction whereas keeping odd banknotes of a second predetermined type in a stacking unit, and performing subsequent transaction when banknote processing including depositing, taking-in, recognizing, sorting/stacking, and bundling of banknotes and confirming the deposit amount for one transaction is sequentially performed for a plurality of transactions.
US09256995B2
An apparatus for diagnosing driving behavior includes a storage unit that stores ideal running information defining a relationship between a vehicle speed and a vehicle position corresponding to a road situation, a generation unit that generates actual running information expressing a relationship between an actual vehicle speed and an actual position when a vehicle passes through a road, a condition identification unit that identifies a matching condition where the degree of correlation of the actual running information with the ideal running information exceeds a predetermined value, and a diagnosis unit that diagnoses a driving behavior of a driver of the vehicle, based on a degree of similarity between the ideal running information and the actual running information under the matching condition identified in the condition identification unit.
US09256994B2
Methods, systems, and apparatus, including computer programs encoded on computer storage media, for unmanned aerial vehicle authorization and geofence envelope determination. One of the methods includes maintaining, by a cloud system in wireless communication with Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs), allocated geofence envelopes for one or more of the UAVs, with each geofence envelope being a virtual barrier for a real-world geographic area. A request for approval of an updated geofence envelope is received from a first UAV in flight. The cloud system determines that the updated geofence envelope has not been allocated and/or the updated geofence envelope does not interfere with allocated geofence envelopes. In response to the determination, a response indicating approval of the request is generated. The generated response is provided to the first UAV.
US09256990B2
Apparatus 10 for detecting inadequate maintenance of a system 12 of an aircraft or other vehicle is provided. The apparatus comprises: computer readable medium or media 14 configured to store data 18 relating to operation or non-operation of the system 12 over a period of time; and a data processing unit 16 configured to evaluate the data to identify at least one event indicative of the inadequate maintenance of the system.
US09256989B2
A first driving instability determining unit estimates driving instability based on a difference value between plural traveling state distributions of different time ranges on the basis of the traveling state data. A second driving instability determining unit estimates driving instability by a process different from the process used in the first driving instability determining unit. A learning completion determining unit determines that the learning is completed when a predetermined learning time elapses from the start of collection of the traveling state data, depending on a degree of learning at which the traveling state distribution calculated by a first traveling state distribution calculating unit is matched with the driving characteristic of a driver. An instability selecting unit selects the instability estimated by the first driving instability determining unit when the learning is completed and selects the instability estimated by the second driving instability determining unit when the learning is not completed.
US09256982B2
Medical image rendering is described. In an embodiment a medical image visualization engine receives results from an organ recognition system which provide estimated organ centers, bounding boxes and organ classification labels for a given medical image. In examples the visualization engine uses the organ recognition system results to select appropriate transfer functions, bounding regions, clipping planes and camera locations in order to optimally view an organ. For example, a rendering engine uses the selections to render a two-dimensional image of medical diagnostic quality with minimal user input. In an embodiment a graphical user interface populates a list of organs detected in a medical image and a clinician is able to select one organ and immediately be presented with the optimal view of that organ. In an example opacity of background regions of the medical image may be adjusted to provide context for organs presented in a foreground region.
US09256977B2
A virtual frequency selective inversion (VFSI) method receives at least one MR image representative dataset and an associated phase reference dataset, and classifies anatomical material into a first component representing anatomical material having a first range of resonance frequencies associated with a first range of phase differences between the MR image representative dataset and the associated phase reference image dataset, and a second component representing anatomical material having a second range of resonance frequencies associated with a second range of phase differences between the MR image representative dataset and the associated phase reference image dataset. The method assigns different visual attributes to first and second components derived using phase differences between the MR image representative dataset and the reference image dataset and displays an image.
US09256972B2
Techniques are disclosed for performing flood-fill operations on vector artwork. In one embodiment, a region under a point of interest (POI) of vector artwork is rasterized and flood-filled, and an initial bounding shape around that area is used as a first guess as to the area to be filled. In other cases, the initial bounding shape is created around some initial area that includes the POI (no rasterization). In any such case, vector objects having bounding shapes that intersect the initial bounding shape are identified and fed into a planar map. After map planarization, a new bounding shape is created around a new area resulting from the planarizing and that includes the POI. In response to that bounding shape not extending beyond the initial bounding shape, a vector-based flood-fill operation can be performed on that new area. Process repeats if new bounding shape extends beyond previous bounding shape.
US09256970B2
Visual analytics for multivariate session data using concentric rings with overlapping periods includes displaying an interactive graph in a display. The interactive graph includes at least a portion of multiple concentric rings where each one of at least some of the multiple concentric rings represents periodic time units. At least some of the multiple concentric rings are divided into cells where the cells represent smaller time periods than the time units. A color of each of the cells represents a value of a metric. Also, an overlapping period ring displayed with the multiple concentric rings where the overlapping period ring comprises segments that represent overlapping metrics from the cells of the concentric rings that correspond with the segments.
US09256966B2
Featured are methods and systems to multiparametric non-linear dimension reduction (NLDR) methods for segmentation and classification of radiological images. Such methods for segmentation and classification of radiological images, includes pre-processing of acquired image data; and reconstructing the acquired image data using a non-linear dimension reduction technique so as to yield an embedded image representing all of the acquired, where the acquired image data comprises a plurality of different sets of image data of the same region of interest. Such NLDR methods and systems are particularly suitable for the ability to combine multiple input images into a single unit for increased specificity of diagnosis.
US09256956B2
A mobile platform visually detects and/or tracks a target that includes a dynamically changing portion, or otherwise undesirable portion, using a feature dataset for the target that excludes the undesirable portion. The feature dataset is created by providing an image of the target and identifying the undesirable portion of the target. The identification of the undesirable portion may be automatic or by user selection. An image mask is generated for the undesirable portion. The image mask is used to exclude the undesirable portion in the creation of the feature dataset for the target. For example, the image mask may be overlaid on the image and features are extracted only from unmasked areas of the image of the target. Alternatively, features may be extracted from all areas of the image and the image mask used to remove features extracted from the undesirable portion.
US09256954B2
An image-capture device 1 includes: an image acquisition unit 111 that acquires a plurality of images that are successively captured; an identification unit 112 that identifies a golf ball B as a predetermined object in each of the plurality of images; a rotation calculation unit 113 that calculates the number of rotations of the predetermined object; a movement amount calculation unit 114 that calculates a total movement amount that the golf ball B has moved; and a slippage amount calculation unit 115 that calculates a slippage amount based on the number of rotations as well as the total movement amount.
US09256951B2
A system and method for automatic segmentation, performed by selecting a deformable model of an anatomical structure of interest imaged in a volumetric image, the deformable model formed of a plurality of polygons including vertices and edges, displaying the deformable model on a display, detecting a feature point of the anatomical structure of interest corresponding to each of the plurality of polygons and adapting the deformable model by moving each of the vertices toward the corresponding feature points until the deformable model morphs to a boundary of the anatomical structure of interest, forming a segmentation of the anatomical structure of interest.
US09256950B1
Implementations relate to detecting and modifying facial features of persons in images. In some implementations, a method includes receiving one or more general color models of color distribution for a facial feature of persons depicted in training images. The method obtains an input image, and determines a feature mask associated with the facial feature for one or more faces in the input image. Determining the mask includes estimating one or more local color models for each of the faces in the input image based on the general color models, and iteratively refining the estimated local color models based on the general color models. The refined local color models are used in the determination of the feature mask. The method applies a modification to the facial feature of faces in the input image using the feature mask.
US09256945B2
According to one embodiment, a plurality of moving objects is detected from a plurality of frames acquired in time series. Each of the moving objects is corresponded among the frames. A tracklet of each moving object corresponded is extracted and stored. A frame to calculate a position of a moving object is set to a notice frame. The frames are grouped into a first block including at least the notice frame, a second block positioned before the first block in time series, and a third block positioned after the first block in time series. A secondary tracklet included in the second block is acquired from the stored tracklets. The secondary tracklet is corresponded with tracklets included in the first block and the third block, based on a similarity between the secondary tracklet and each of the tracklets. The secondary tracklet is associated with the corresponded tracklets, as a tertiary tracklet.
US09256941B2
An analysis of a digitized image is provided. The digitized image is repeatedly convolved to form first convolved images, which first convolved images are convolved a second time to form second convolved images. Each first convolved image and the respective second convolved image representing a stage, and each stage represents a different scale or size of anomaly. As an example, the first convolution may utilize a Gaussian convolver, and the second convolution may utilize a Laplacian convolver, but other convolvers may be used. The second convolved image from a current stage and the first convolved image from a previous stage are used with a neighborhood median determined from the second convolved image from the current stage by a peak detector to detect peaks, or possible anomalies for that particular scale.
US09256940B2
An apparatus and a related method of processing a 2D projection image (110a-b) taken of a tubular structure comprising two or more tubes. One of the tubes branches off from the other at a sidewall opening. The apparatus is configured to estimate a position of the sidewall opening. The estimation is based on a segmentation of the one or more projection images. A marker for the estimated position of the sidewall opening can be displayed overlaid on the projection image.
US09256938B2
A method and an apparatus for determining primary and secondary escape probabilities for a large photon-counting detector without pile-up. A model for the detector with no pile-up is formulated and used for spectrum correction in a computed tomography scanner. The method includes computing primary K-escape and secondary K-escape probabilities occurring at a certain depth within the photon-counting detector. Further, a no pile-up model for the photon-counting detector is formulated by determining a response function, based on the computed primary and secondary K-escape probabilities and geometry of the photon-counting detector. The method includes obtaining a measured CT scan of an object and further performs spectrum correction by determining the incident input spectrum based on the response function and the measured spectrum of the large photon-counting detector.
US09256935B2
A gripping element may be commanded to move to pre-determined robot-frame locations, and markings may be punched into a calibration sample capture substrate at each location. A calibration image may be obtained, and fiducial markings on the gripping element may be detected. A set of calibration regions of interest may be predicted, and the previously punched markings may be detected. A sampling system may then create a mapping transfer function between detected image locations and real-world locations resulting from the commanded locations of the gripping element when the markings were punched. An indication may subsequently be received that a biological sample capture substrate is ready to be processed. An image of the sample capture substrate may be obtained, and the fiducial markings may be detected. Based on those image locations and the mapping transfer function, biological sample portions may be automatically taken from the sample capture substrate.
US09256931B2
A method is used for inspecting at least one copy of a printed product. At least one element, which is spatially constant with respect to a fixed reference point and at least one element which is spatially variant with respect to the same fixed reference point are reliably inspected by reference image data being used for a desired-actual value comparison of the at least one spatially variant element. The reference image data takes account of the variable position of the at least one element; i.e. the spatial variance thereof.
US09256923B2
An image processing apparatus includes: a representative value calculation unit that selects a designation area from a first image, and that calculates a representative value of each of the color components in the designation area, a class classification unit that performs class classification on the designation area, a coefficient reading unit that reads a coefficient that is stored in advance, a color component conversion unit that sets the pixel value relating to a predetermined pixel within the designation area to be a prediction tap, sets the pixel value of one color component, to be a reference, and converts the pixel value of each color component into a conversion value, and a product and sum calculation unit that sets the conversion value to be a variable and calculates each of the pixel values of a second image, by performing product and sum calculation which uses the coefficient which is read.
US09256916B2
An image processing method for registering first and second images including the same subject is provided. The method includes the repeating the following steps multiple times: a first step including determining feature vectors related to gradients of pixels values at coordinates on the first and second images for each of the coordinates, a second step including calculating for all mutually corresponding coordinates on the first and second images, correlation values each equivalent to a value obtained by an N-th (where N is a natural number) power of an absolute value of an inner product of the feature vectors at the coordinates and determining an evaluation value including an integrated value of the correlation values calculated for each of the coordinates, and a third step including changing the second image in such that the evaluation value becomes larger.
US09256906B2
Systems and methods are discussed for providing sensor enhanced safety, recovery, and activity evaluation systems. Sensors that monitor user activity and behavior are worn by a user and/or placed in the user environment. Data from the sensors are processed to obtain a safety, recovery, and/or activity evaluation. Based on the evaluation, recommendations or adjustments to the terms of an insurance policy covering the user, the user's employer, or a facility providing health care to the user to accurately reflect the risks associated with the user, employer, and/or facility.
US09256900B2
Embodiments of the present invention provide an approach for implementing service level agreements (SLAs) having variable service delivery requirements and pricing in a networked (e.g. cloud) computing environment. Under embodiments of the present invention, a plurality of SLAs, each having a different price level, is made available to a consumer. The consumer may select one or more of the plurality of SLAs that reflects the consumer's service delivery requirements in a cloud computing environment. A consumer having relatively inflexible service delivery requirements may select one of the SLAs having a relatively higher price, whereas a consumer having relatively flexible service delivery requirements may select one of the SLAs having a relatively lower price. In one embodiment, the SLAs may dynamically provide for relatively lower variable pricing in response to the consumer receiving deferred or a relatively lower level of service during a peak service demand load. In another embodiment, the SLAs may dynamically provide for relatively higher variable pricing in response to consumer service requests that are fulfilled during a relatively higher overall service demand load. In yet another embodiment, the SLAs may dynamically provide for relatively lower variable pricing in response to consumer service requests that occur during a relatively lower overall service demand load.
US09256899B2
A system, method, and computer-readable medium are disclosed for separating the purchase of digital assets from their fulfillment. Information associated with the purchase of a system and digital assets to be processed by the system is received, including the system's unique system identifier. The unique system identifier is associated with the digital assets to generate digital assets entitlement data. A personalization agent installed on the system determines the system's unique system identifier and automatically downloads the purchased digital assets and their associated digital assets entitlement data. Once downloaded, the personalization agent uses the digital assets entitlement data to install the purchased digital assets on the system, thereby entitling the system to process the installed digital assets.
US09256898B2
Generally speaking, systems, methods and media for managing shared inventory in a virtual universe are disclosed. Embodiments of the method may include receiving notification of a user session being established between a user and a virtual universe simulator. The method may also include accessing a list of shared inventory items for the user where the list of shared inventory items includes one or more shared inventory items each having an inventory source associated with it. Embodiments may also include retrieving at least one shared inventory item from its associated inventory source and passing the retrieved shared inventory item to the virtual universe simulator. Further embodiments may include retrieving an updated listing for the shared inventory items from their associated inventory sources and passing the updated shared inventory item list to the virtual universe simulator. Further embodiments may include passing metadata for shared inventory items to the virtual universe simulator.
US09256896B2
After a change of location of an avatar in a virtual universe, an avatar is encouraged to remain at that location and avoid an immediate further or return change of location (e.g. by teleportation) by prioritizing rendering of objects such that objects most likely to be of interest to the avatar is performed prior to rendering of objects less likely to be of interest. Prioritization is performed by comparing metadata concerning objective(s) of the avatar and metadata of preferences of the avatar and objects in the avatar's inventory and/or implied from the avatar's activity history with metadata corresponding to objects at the location to which the avatar moves. Preferably, the metadata corresponding to the avatar is ranked in order of the number of occurrences of metadata terms and synonyms in metadata of the avatar.
US09256886B2
A system and method of recommending and rating content and/or for generating a determined affinity between content consumers and reviewers. The method includes determining a rating for one or more user-surveyed content items and determining a rating for one or more reviewer-surveyed content items for each of a plurality of content reviewers. Comparisons are then performed between user ratings and reviewer ratings for commonly surveyed content items. As a result, affinities between user(s) and content reviewers are established and the user is provided with reviews and ratings produced by high-affinity content reviewers.
US09256883B2
Various embodiments of the invention comprise a method and apparatus for planning a schedule of a multimedia advertisement across one or more broadcasting channels is disclosed. In one embodiment, the method includes accessing user data, processing survey data using the user data, generating a file having a list of one or more broadcasting channels using analyzed survey data, and scheduling a multimedia advertisement across the one or more broadcasting channels. Additionally, the file includes one or more inventory spots associated with the one or more broadcasting channels. The method further includes assigning the multimedia advertisement to the one or more inventory spots associated with the one or more broadcasting channels.
US09256882B2
Methods, communications devices, and computer program products for selecting an advertisement to initiate communications between communication devices using an Internet protocol enabled television infrastructure are provided. Input of a call back number is received. Advertisement data of an enterprise is accessed via an Internet protocol enabled device. A selection is received to initiate a communication to the enterprise. A selection of the call back number is received. The call back number is contacted, in response to an indication that the enterprise has been contacted for initiation of the communication.
US09256881B2
A system for authenticating and managing the ownership of an item comprises a tagging device affixed to the item, wherein the tagging device comprises tagging device data, an item information system receiving the tagging device data and associated item data and storing the tagging device data and the item data, an owner registration and transfer system receiving owner registration data and ownership change requests and storing the ownership history, and an authentication system receiving authentication requests and generating a response based upon the information stored in the system or a connected system.
US09256880B2
In a safety operation for LP gas, a safety inspector selects an inspection slip and determines whether an inspection item is necessary depending on the facility. Therefore, mistakes and omissions in the inspection content occur, and problems occur, such as visiting the actual site again to perform re-inspection. Furthermore, inspection slips that were manually filled are taken back to his or her office to input into a PC. Therefore, problems occur such as increases in workload due to erroneous entry of data and data re-entry, and time lags until inspection results are reflected in the safety management system. By reading a two-dimensional code attached to the main body of LP gas supply facility and consumption facility, the inspection slip (inspection items) related to each safety operation is downloaded to a mobile terminal in real-time at the operating sites, and inspection results are aggregated on a server by data communication.
US09256868B2
A data processing center (DPC) computer receives billing information, including a mobile telephone number, and a bill issuance notification request from an acquirer computer. The DPC computer then determines, based on the mobile telephone number, a mobile payment platform (MPP) computer having an account holder as a customer, transmits the billing information to the MPP computer for relaying a billing issuance notification to a mobile device of the account holder, and then receives information indicating that the account holder has been authenticated and has elected to pay the bill associated with the billing issuance notification. The DPC computer then determines a payment card account number of the account holder, and transmits it to the acquirer computer for bill payment processing.
US09256867B2
A system and method for adding value to a customer account are provided. An identifier associated with a value is distributed to a customer. The identifier is usable to add the value to an account. A request to add the value to a customer account is received via short message service (SMS). The request comprises the identifier and account identification information associated with the customer account. In some embodiments, the identifier may be entered into the device using text auto-completion software. The request is received from a user communication device as an SMS message. The value associated with the identifier and the customer account associated with the account identification number are identified based on the request. The value is caused to be added to the customer account. A confirmation that the value was added to the customer account is passed to the user communication device.
US09256865B2
A mobile point-of-sale system includes a cart frame and a battery housed in the cart frame. The cart frame includes a front having a bottom, a back having a bottom edge and a bottom. The bottom includes a pair of upper flanges and a lower housing. The pair of upper flanges have components for receiving wheels for supporting the cart frame and the lower housing includes at least one aperture for venting heat from the battery that is supported by the lower housing. At least a portion of the lower housing and the battery are located below the pair of upper flanges and are located below the bottom edges of the front and the back.
US09256862B2
A method of automating incoming message prioritization. The method including training a global classifier of a computer system using training data. Dynamically training a user-specific classifier of the computer system based on a plurality of feedback instances. Inferring a topic of the incoming message received by the computer system based on a topic-based user model. Computing a plurality of contextual features of the incoming message. Determining a priority classification strategy for assigning a priority level to the incoming message based on the computed contextual features of the incoming message and a weighted combination of the global classifier and the user specific classifier. Classifying the incoming message based on the priority classification strategy.
US09256855B2
A user-content generated network is provided for presenting business listings, as well as commentary and reviews of businesses, by participants of the network. In an embodiment, businesses can participate in the network and receive referrals from members of the network. The network can track and monitor referrals that individual businesses receive as a mechanism for promoting the business to other users in the network's user base.
US09256843B1
A system for implementing a situational awareness includes a plurality of data gathering devices for observing the physical environment and transforming observations of physical phenomena into digital information; a plurality of field monitoring units with each of the plurality of units communicating with a corresponding plurality of data gathering devices to obtain data therefrom; and an aggregate monitoring unit communicating with each of the plurality of field monitoring units to monitor and control each of the plurality of field monitoring units and collect and store data from the plurality of data gathering devices.
US09256841B2
Embodiments of the present invention provide methods and systems for automated change audit of an enterprise's IT infrastructure, including independent detection of changes, reconciliation of detected changes and independent reporting, to effectuate a triad of controls on managing changes within the IT infrastructure, preventive controls, detective controls and corrective controls.
US09256833B2
Some embodiments disclosed herein relate to generating fuzzy inferences of procedure types based on fuzzy logic. Membership functions can be used to relate item variables to a degree of correspondence to various item types. Fuzzy rules can specify processing to be conducted using membership values produced by evaluations of membership functions. An output of the processing can include an inference that a content object corresponding to the item variables relates to one or more procedure types. Further, some embodiments disclosed herein relate to querying hierarchical data structures to identify related items. A hierarchical data structure can associate each of a set of procedure types with one or more item types and/or item identifiers or characteristics.
US09256832B2
A system to infer place data is disclosed that receives location data collected on a user's mobile electronic device, recognizes when, where and for how long the user makes stops, generates possible places visited, and predicts the likelihood of a user to visit those places.
US09256819B2
An apparatus includes an acquiring unit configured to acquire information for specifying an attribute of a printing medium, a first control unit configured to, in a case where an attribute of a printing medium corresponding to a first printing and an attribute specified by the information newly acquired by the acquiring unit for a second printing are different, control the printing apparatus so that the second printing is not executed, a display control unit configured to cause a display to display a screen for confirming an attribute of a printing medium, in accordance with an instruction by the user, and a second control unit configured to control the printing apparatus so that the control by the first control unit is not executed and the second printing is executed, on the condition that the screen be displayed before the acquisition of the information corresponding to the second printing.
US09256817B1
Certain embodiments provide an image forming apparatus, including: an image forming part to form an image made of plural pixels by using plural printing colors and a special color different from the plural printing colors; an input part of image data of the image; an image processing part to output component data of the plural printing colors from the image data for each of the pixels; a user interface to specify a condition for converting the component data of the plural printing colors into component data of a multi color in which the special color is added to the plural printing colors; and a conversion part to convert the component data of the plural printing colors from the image processing part into the component data of the multi color to the image forming part based on the condition of the user interface.
US09256808B2
Annotating and classifying an image based on a user context includes determining a location data of an object captured in an image, determining an attribute data of the object, obtaining sensor data from sensors that are associated with the location data based on the attribute data, determining a recommended user context from one or more predefined user contexts based on a comparison of the location data, the attribute data, and the sensor data with location data, attribute data, and sensor data of one or more images associated with the one or more predefined user contexts, determining a recommended class of the captured image based on the recommended user context, selecting one or more annotation data from the location data, the attribute data, and the sensor data based on the recommended class or the recommended user context, and annotating the image with the one or more annotation data.
US09256806B2
Image data, such as from a mobile phone camera, is analyzed to determine a colorfulness metric (e.g., saturation) or a contrast metric (e.g., Weber contrast). This metric is then used in deciding which of, or in which order, plural different image recognition processes should be invoked in order to present responsive information to a user. A great number of other features and arrangements are also detailed.
US09256802B2
An information representation method for representing an object or a shape includes: dividing a contour shape of an entirety or a part of the object or the shape into one or a plurality of curves; and representing the contour shape of the object or the shape by parameters including a degree of curvature and a positional relationship of each curve obtained by the dividing. Therefore, there is provided an information representation method for an object or a shape, which is capable of robust object recognition against a change in image by geometric transformations and occlusions.
US09256801B2
A method, system, and machine-readable medium for classifying an image element as one of a plurality of categories, including assigning the image element based on a ratio between an unoccluded perimeter of the image element and an occluded perimeter of the image element and coding the image element according to a coding scheme associated with the category to which the image element is classified. Exemplary applications include image compression, where categories include image foreground and background layers.
US09256800B2
A target line detection device includes a processor configured to execute a process. The process includes: detecting transition points in a brightness image obtained from a brightness component of an input image between pixels with a luminosity gradient in a first direction and pixels with a luminosity gradient in a second direction opposite to the first direction; and, based on a shape or a length or a combination thereof, of lines connecting together transition points that are within a specific distance of each other, extracting a line representing a detection target from the lines connecting together the transition points.
US09256797B2
A game apparatus obtains a captured image captured by a camera. First, the game apparatus detects an object area of the captured image that includes a predetermined image object based on pixel values obtained at a first pitch across the captured image. Then, the game apparatus detects a predetermined image object from an image of the object area based on pixel values obtained at a second pitch smaller than the first pitch across the object area of the captured image.
US09256795B1
Various embodiments enable the identification of semi-structured text entities in an imager. The identification of the text entities is a relatively simple problem when the text is stored in a computer and free of errors, but much more challenging if the source is the output of an optical character recognition (OCR) engine from a natural scene image. Accordingly, output from an OCR engine is analyzed to isolate a character string indicative of a text entity. Each character of the string is then assigned to a character class to produce a character class string and the text entity of the string is identified based in part on a pattern of the character class string.
US09256788B2
A system and method is described herein for solving for surface normals of objects in the scene observed in a video stream. The system and method may include sampling the video stream to generate a set of keyframes; generating hypothesis surface normals for a set of mappoints in each of the keyframes; warping patches of corresponding mappoints in a first keyframe to the viewpoint of a second keyframe with a warping matrix computed from each of the hypothesis surface normals; scoring warping errors between each hypothesis surface normal in the two keyframes; and discarding hypothesis surface normals with high warping errors between the first and second keyframes.
US09256782B2
An apparatus for and a method of processing a document image are provided. The method comprises: generating a luminance component image from the document image; estimating a luminance image from the luminance component image; and adjusting the luminance component image according to the estimated luminance image. Luminance values of pixels at least in horizontal edge areas of the luminance component image are estimated according to luminance values of pixels in a part of background of the luminance component image. If the estimated luminance values are acceptable according to a predetermined criterion, the luminance image is estimated according to the estimated luminance values. If the estimated luminance values are unacceptable, the luminance image is estimated by using the largest one of the luminance values of the pixels in each column of pixels in the luminance component image as the luminance values of all of the pixels in the column.
US09256776B2
A method and system for de-identifying a video sequence are provided. The method may include the steps of capturing a video sequence, comprising a number of individual frames, including one or more users performing one or more actions, and using activity recognition to recognize one of the one or more actions. One or more of the plurality of frames may be defined as comprising the recognized one or more actions, and a portion of the one or more of the plurality of frames may be identified to remain visible. The non-identified portions of the one or more of the plurality of frames and the non-defined frames may be de-identified. This method may be applied to the determine of whether a user has ingested a medication pill.
US09256761B1
A data storage system or service is provided for the data that is generated by the personalization system. The data storage system can be configured to support storing, retrieving or querying, and updating of data such as user information, personalized content such as personalized business information and collection information, statistics information related to users, collections, businesses, and the like. The data model design of the data storage system may be configured to optimize performance associated with specific features of the personalized system such as following and/or sharing of collections. Additionally, the data storage system may be configured to detect and provide user notifications of trigger events.
US09256758B2
Mechanisms are provided to implement framework level mode specific file access operations. In a mode such as a work or enterprise mode, read and write accesses are directed to one or more secured locations. File data and metadata may be secured with encryption and/or authentication mechanisms. Conventional mobile solutions provide only for mode encryption distinctions at the application level, e.g. one work application may prevent access to certain data, but a different application may want to allow access to that same data. Various embodiments provide framework level mode sensitive encryption that does not require different, mutually exclusive, or possibly conflicting applications or platforms. A device and associated applications may have access to different data based on a current mode.
US09256755B2
Methods, systems, and computer-readable media for granting application permissions and providing notifications of API activity are provided. An example method may include receiving a first API call by an installed application. The method may further include determining a sensitivity level of the received first API call. The method may further include when the determined sensitivity level of the received first API call is associated with a restricted API classification, determining whether an author of the installed application is an authorized author, and when the author of the installed application is determined to be an authorized author, allowing the received first API call access to its associated API. An example system may include instructions that, when executed by the one or more processors, cause the one or more processors to detect an API call by an application, the API call for accessing data associated with a computing device, determine a sensitivity level of the API call based on the associated data, and provide an indication of the API call based on the determined sensitivity level.
US09256752B2
A method and system for authorizing access to a product to limit suspected cross-region access is provided. The system receives from a customer device a product key that identifies a product and a product region. The system identifies a customer region indicating where the customer device is located. The system authorizes the customer's access to the product unless the product region does not match the customer region and the blocking of access is confirmed by applying a blocking rule so that access to the product is authorized even though a cross-region access is suspected.
US09256749B2
A method for invoking an application in a Screen Lock screen is disclosed herein. The method for invoking an application in a user equipment includes the steps of selecting at least one unlock application that is to be displayed on a Screen Lock screen among multiple applications, and displaying an unlock application icon respective to each of the select at least one unlock application on the Screen Lock screen.
US09256742B2
Methods and systems may provide for selecting a hypervisor protocol from a plurality of hypervisor protocols based on a communication associated with a remote agent. The selected hypervisor protocol may be used to conduct a trust analysis of one or more digitally signed values in the communication, wherein a cloud attestation request may be processed based on the trust analysis. Processing the cloud attestation request may involve generating a trustworthiness verification output, a geo-location verification output, etc., for a cloud computing node corresponding to the remote agent.
US09256741B2
A method performed by a computer system determines propagation relationships of Trojan horse files. A current Trojan horse file is stored into a corresponding current level of a propagation relationship tree. A condition of the current Trojan horse file or of the propagation relationship tree is assessed. The following steps are repeated until the condition is satisfied: search Trojan horse files for a parent, child or sibling relative to the current Trojan horse file, identify one of the Trojan horse files as the current Trojan horse file, and store the current Trojan horse file into a corresponding current level of the propagation relationship tree. When the condition is satisfied, the propagation relationship tree is displayed. The storing of the current Trojan horse file may include storing an identifier of the current Trojan horse file, which may include data abstraction output, and/or a downloading address of the current Trojan horse file.
US09256735B2
Systems and methods of detecting emergent behaviors in communications networks are disclosed. In some embodiments, a method may include decomposing a plurality of data packets into a plurality of component data types associated with a candidate alert representing a potential security threat in a network. The method may also include retrieving, from a database, a count for each of a plurality of historical data types matching at least a subset of the component data types, each of the counts quantifying an amount of data of a corresponding historical data type previously detected in the network in a given time period. The method may further include calculating a score that indicates a discrepancy between an amount of data in each of the subset of the component data types and the counts for each corresponding historical data type in the same time period, and handling the candidate alert based upon the score.
US09256733B2
A client system interacts with a sandbox environment to host a web browser control within the sandbox. A webpage URL, a URL to a script file to be injected into the webpage, a name of the script method to be invoked, and the event to look for to trigger the script method sent to the sandbox environment from the client. The sandbox environment downloads the script file from the cloud using the script URL and loads a rendering engine with the specified webpage URL. The specified script file is subsequently injected into the loaded webpage at the sandbox environment. After the specified event is fired, the sandbox environment triggers the specified script method and stores the results within a results array, accessible to the client system.
US09256725B2
There is disclosed a method for use in credential recovery. In one exemplary embodiment, the method comprises determining a policy that requires at least one trusted entity to verify the identity of a first entity in order to facilitate credential recovery. The method also comprises receiving at least one communication that confirms verification of the identity of the first entity by at least one trusted entity. The method further comprises permitting credential recovery based on the received verification.
US09256722B2
A method executes at a personal user device associated with a user. The method receives a request from a shared user device, the request seeking access to personal information associated with the user. The personal information is stored at a resource server. The method receives access authentication information from the user. The method then sends the access authentication information to an authentication server, and receives an access token. The access token grants access privileges to the personal information. The method sends the access token to the shared user device, thereby permitting an application executing on the shared user device to use the access token for retrieving at least a portion of the personal information. The method detects a physical movement of the personal user device, then sends a message to the authentication server to revoke access privileges associated with the access token.
US09256718B2
System and methods for licensing of dynamic mobile applications are disclosed herein. In one embodiment, a non-transitory computer readable medium storing executable instructions is provided. The instructions, when executed by a processor, cause the processor to communicatively couple to a mobile device and to receive a user login, a user password, and a client identification from the mobile device. The instructions additionally cause the processor to validate a client as a licensed client based on the based on the user login, user password, and client identification and to derive a connectivity data based on the user login, user password, and client identification if the client is a valid licensed client, wherein the connectivity data comprises a first connectivity data configured to communicatively couple the mobile device to a first system; and wherein the mobile device is configured to download a first API from the first system.
US09256716B2
A precedence constraint solving means generates a set of authorities without a precedence constraint into a temporary storing means from a set of authorities having a precedence constraint extracted for a role. At this moment, the precedence constraint solving means derives an authority in accordance with an order satisfying the precedence constraint from the set of authorities having the precedence constraint and, when an object of the derived authority includes an object of an authority having the same action already generated in the temporary storing means and permission/denial identifiers of both the authorities are different from each other, divides the derived authority into a plurality of authorities having objects of the same granularity as that of the included object, and stores only an authority having a different object from the included object into the temporary storing means.
US09256710B2
Embodiments are provided for digital dental modeling. One method embodiment includes receiving a three-dimensional data set including a first jaw and a second jaw of a three-dimensional digital dental model and receiving a two-dimensional data set corresponding to at least a portion of the first jaw and the second jaw. The method includes mapping two-dimensional data of the two-dimensional data set to the three-dimensional digital dental model by transforming a coordinate system of the two-dimensional data to a coordinate system of the three-dimensional data set. The method includes positioning the first jaw with respect to the second jaw based on the two-dimensional data mapped to the three-dimensional data set. The method includes using at least a portion of the two-dimensional data mapped to the three-dimensional data set as a target of movement of the first jaw with respect to the second jaw in the three-dimensional digital dental model.
US09256702B2
Systems and methods for determining an appropriate parameter order for a building energy use model are provided. A described method includes receiving an energy use model for a building site, obtaining a plurality of data points, calculating a first regression statistic indicating a fit of the energy use model to the plurality of data points under a null hypothesis and a second regression statistic indicating a fit of the energy use model to the plurality of data points under an alternative hypothesis, and comparing a test statistic to a threshold value. The test statistic is a function of the first regression statistic and the second regression statistic. The method further includes determining an appropriate parameter order for the energy use model based on a result of the comparison.
US09256700B1
An improved technique involves providing application workload simulation capability via a centrally located synthetic data generation service to an external party. Along these lines, a client inputs a description of an application scenario into a web form which sends a request to a central server to generate a synthetic data simulation program. The central server extracts parameters values from the request corresponding to the application scenario and finds a model in a model database based on the parameter values. From the model, the central server derives a Java program that generates synthetic data for simulating the operation load of the application scenario described by the client, and sends the Java program to the client. The client is then able to generate synthetic data using the Java program on various configurations to determine which will successfully handle the synthetic data load continuously over a given period of time.
US09256698B2
A system for creating and editing mark up language forms and documents in a manner that is user friendly. The system dynamically generates a user interface that is customized to the particular form or document selected by the user. The user then enters information into the plurality of fields in the user interface for the form or document. Once the form or document is completed, the user can save the form or document in a document repository. The user can also transmit the form or document as an electronic filing document. Additionally, the data entry fields of the form or document can automatically expand or contract to accommodate data of varying length. Moreover, the user can create templates that include frequently used data.
US09256677B2
An apparatus for, computer software for, and method of providing personalized search capabilities of internet web pages comprising providing an index server maintaining a dynamic index to internet web pages and employing a tree structured hierarchical plurality of topic categories, permitting a non-administrative end-user to specify any subset of the plurality of topic categories, and adding to an internet web page controlled by the user link information permitting execution of searches of the index server in any category of the subset but only of categories in the subset.
US09256673B2
Methods and systems for identifying content in a data stream are provided. In one example, a client device receives a continuous data stream and substantially continuously performs a content identification of content in the data stream based on content patterns stored on the client device. The content patterns stored on the client device may include information associated with extracted features of a media file, or a temporally mapped collection of features describing a media file. The client device may determine whether the continuous data stream includes media content, and based on the determination, continuously perform the content identification of content in the data stream at the client device. The client device may query a server to determine an identity of content in the data stream based on receiving an instruction.
US09256663B2
A system and method for analyzing social media data by obtaining social media data from a social media platform, where the social media data includes documents from multiple users of the social media platform; classifying the documents using a sentiment classifier; tokenizing the documents into terms; associating a sentiment with each term; detecting a first event based on a number of occurrences of a first term in the documents; and providing information associated with the event to a user, where the information includes the first term and a sentiment associated with the first term.
US09256658B2
Embodiments of the present invention address deficiencies of the art in respect to time stamp based data synchronization and provide a method, system and computer program product for scalable, ranging time stamp based data synchronization. In an embodiment of the invention, a ranging time stamp synchronization method can include computing a time range for a specified time, and producing time stamp synchronization anchors using the time range for each of the anchors. Optionally, a drift value can be computed for the time range and the computing and producing steps can be repeated when the drift value exceeds a threshold. Finally, the anchors can be used to determine whether to update data items in a remote data source in the remote host computing platform with data items from a primary data source in the primary host computing platform.
US09256653B2
A data processing system receives a first user input comprising a search query. The data processing system displays in a search interface accessible across a plurality of computer application programs, a plurality of results matching the search query. The results are categorized into a plurality of categories and only a first subset of all results are displayed for each of the plurality of categories. The data processing system receives a second user input comprising a selection of one of the plurality of categories. In response to the second user input, the data processing system displays, in the search interface, a second subset of results, wherein the second subset is categorized into one or more subcategories of the selected category.
US09256648B2
The present invention relates to a method for data handling in a computing environment. A data access request is generated to access data by a requesting VM. VMs of an ordered list are sequentially checked for data cache hit corresponding to the data in an order given by a ranking. The data is read from the checked VM in response to at least one data cache hit of a checked VM being found, and thereafter a ranking value of the checked VM is updated, thereby updating ranking based on the ranking value. The data is requested from the at least one storage server in response to no data cache hot being found.
US09256641B1
A method includes receiving a first database query, in which the first database query requests particular data associated with a first object that is stored on a data source. The method also includes determining whether the first database query includes an aggregation function. The method also includes sending an instruction to generate current aggregate data based on the aggregation function to the data source in response to determining that the first database query includes the aggregation function, in which the current aggregate data corresponds to the particular data. The data source is configured to generate the current aggregate data in response to receiving the instruction. The method includes generating a second database query based on the first database query, in which the second database query requests the current aggregate data. The method also includes retrieving the current aggregate data using the second database query and providing the current aggregate data.
US09256638B2
The compiled code of a computer program is stored in multiple pieces within a database. Each piece is optionally stored within a separate data record. Execution of the computer program includes using database queries to retrieve pieces of the compiled code for execution. The database and associated database management logic are used to provide numerous advantages in execution and management of the computer program. For example, in some embodiments, database queries are used to help facilitate program flow logic. In another example, database queries are based on a command line or universal resource locator. These queries may be used to select functionality of a computer program in response to the command line or universal resource locator.
US09256635B2
A method, program and/or system for determining whether a data storage is encrypted. A file is written through a first path to the data storage. The file is read through a second path from the data storage. First data known to have been written in the file is compared to second data that has been read from the file. When the first data matches the second data, the first path is determined not to have encrypted the file when writing to the data storage. When the first data does not match the second data, the first path is determined to have encrypted the file when writing to the data storage.
US09256634B2
Systems and methods for resuming data transformations, such as broken or otherwise unsuccessful data transformations, are described. In some example embodiments, the systems and methods receive a message that indicates a broken data transformation of a data table between a source database and a destination database, identify a maximum and/or largest and greatest value for a date attribute contained within an index column for all rows of the data table that were successfully loaded to the destination database during the data transformation, and select a group of rows of data of the data table stored in the source database by querying the source database to identify rows that include a value for the date attribute that is greater than the identified value.
US09256631B2
Techniques for performing database operations using vectorized instructions are provided. In one technique, a hash table build phase involves executing vectorized instructions to determine whether a bucket in a hash table includes a free slot for inserting a key. A number of data elements from the bucket are loaded in a register. A vectorized instruction is executed against the register may be used to determine a position, within the register, that contains the “smallest” data element. If the data element at that position is zero (or negative), then it is determined that the corresponding position in the bucket is an available slot for inserting a key and corresponding data value.
US09256630B2
According to one embodiment, a method includes storing instances of a file in a first storage tier and a second storage tier of a storage system, wherein the second storage tier uses less expensive and/or slower-to-access storage media than the first storage tier. Each instance of the file on the first and second storage tier is associated with a unique program identifier (UPI). A request to access the file or instance thereof is received from a user in a group of users, and a UPI associated with an instance of the file that exists on the first storage tier is searched for. Remote access to the instance of the file on the first storage tier is provided to the user requesting access to the file. Additional embodiments are also presented.
US09256623B2
A system, method, and computer program product for scheduling tasks associated with continuation thread blocks. The method includes the steps of generating a first task metadata data structure in a memory, generating a second task metadata data structure in the memory, executing a first task corresponding to the first task metadata data structure in a processor, generating state information representing a continuation task related to the first task and storing the state information in the second task metadata data structure, executing the continuation task in the processor after the one or more child tasks have finished execution, and indicating that the first task has logically finished execution once the continuation task has finished execution. The second task metadata data structure is related to the first task metadata data structure, and at least one instruction in the first task causes one or more child tasks to be executed by the processor.
US09256621B2
A social networking system allows its users to perform a structured search that returns objects (e.g., other users and pages) in the social networking system. A searching user may remove or add objects to the search by interacting with the returned objects. Adding or removing an object generates a claim stored by the social networking system that an object has or does not have, respectively, characteristics based on the search query. Additionally, the searching user may also request presentation of the search query to other users, which may be selected by the social networking system based on their predicted expertise. A dialog between the searching user and a selected other user may be provided to allow the searching user to provide the search query to the selected other user and to receive a response.
US09256616B2
An image processing apparatus comprises a storage unit configured to store feature information of a predetermined object, a determination unit configured to detect feature information of an object from an image to be searched and determine a similarity to the feature information of the predetermined object stored in the storage unit, a search unit configured to search a candidate image containing the predetermined object as a result of the determination by the determination unit, and a control unit configured to control, based on attribute information associated with image-shooting conditions, the order in which images are subjected to the determination processing by the determination unit.
US09256612B1
A computer-implemented method for managing references in deduplicating data systems may include (1) identifying a first instance of a data segment stored within a deduplicating data system that reduces redundant data storage by storing at least two data objects such that each of the two data objects references the first instance of the data segment, (2) identifying an additional data object to be stored by the deduplicating data system that includes the data segment, (3) determining whether a reference limit associated with the first instance of the data segment has been reached, and (4) storing, based at least in part on determining that the reference limit associated with the first instance of the data segment has been reached, a second instance of the data segment within the deduplicating data system. Various other methods, systems, and computer-readable media are also disclosed.
US09256597B2
A computer implemented machine translation system and method is provided that improves the accuracy of output from one or more machine translation systems by applying one or more data correction routines. A data correction routine is provided that includes information distance analysis of one or more sets of machine translation information to a set of text elements related to the domain and stored to a database. The system and method generate as output corrected text elements related to a meaning intended by a user from whom the machine translation information was captured.
US09256580B2
A word pattern recognition system improves text input entered via a shorthand-on-keyboard interface. A core lexicon comprises commonly used words in a language; an extended lexicon comprises words not included in the core lexicon. The system only directly outputs words from the core lexicon. Candidate words from the extended lexicon can be outputted and simultaneously admitted to the core lexicon upon user selection. A concatenation module enables a user to input parts of a long word separately. A compound word module combines two common shorter words whose concatenation forms a long word.
US09256569B2
Certain aspects relate to monitoring and managing storage drives installed on a backplane and performing backplane controller firmware update through a universal serial bus (USB) interface. When the backplane controller is connected to a host computer via the USB interface, the backplane controller sends USB descriptors to the host computer through the USB interface such that the host computer recognizes the backplane controller as a specific human interface device (HID) device based on the USB descriptors. Thus, the backplane controller and the host computer may transmit backplane drive management messages, such as the result to monitor and manage the storage drives, or the control commands and control data to monitor and manage the storage drives and to update the firmware of the backplane controller, as USB HID reports in a predefined format based on the USB descriptors.
US09256568B2
A PCI-based interfacing device with mappable port addresses to legacy I/O port addresses has an addressing circuit, a PCI controller connected to the addressing circuit and a PCI port, and an equipment controller connected to the PCI controller and an equipment port. The addressing circuit sets up a legacy I/O port address. The PCI controller transmit and receive data packets having data and one of the set of legacy I/O port addresses encapsulated therein to be processed to and from the PCI port, and output the received data packets to the equipment controller. The equipment controller converts the data packets into equipment data corresponding to the equipment port, and transmits the equipment data to the equipment port. Accordingly, the PCI-based interfacing device can perform data communication with legacy I/O port addresses.
US09256567B2
Provided is an apparatus including a first storage device. The apparatus also includes an expansion slot configured to receive a removable card with a second storage device. The removable card with the second storage device is configured to provide faster read/write times to the second storage device than read/write times of the first storage device. The first and second storage devices are seen as a single storage device by a host computing device.
US09256563B2
A dual-operating-system architecture for sharing USB apparatus in provided. The apparatus includes: a first operating system; a second operating system; a USB hub, connected to at least one USB apparatus; and a switch, for disconnecting the first operating system from the USB hub and connecting the second operating system to the USB hub for gaining control over the at least one USB apparatus when the first operating system is switched to the second operating system.
US09256559B2
The present disclosure includes a method for migration of a first virtual function of a first device located on a PCI bus and accessible by a device driver using a virtual address. A second virtual function is created on a second device. A base address is determined for the second virtual function as a function of a logical location of the second device within the PCI structure. An offset is determined for the second virtual function as a function of the base address and the virtual address. The device driver is notified that the first virtual function is on hold. The offset is stored in a translation table. The device driver is notified that the hold has been lifted. Accesses to the virtual address and by the device driver to memory of the second virtual function are routed based upon the offset in the translation table.
US09256554B2
A progress recording method and a corresponding recovering method adapted to an encoding operation performed on a storage area of a storage device are provided. The progress recording method includes the following steps. A variable set is initialized and stored. The encoding operation includes a plurality of sub-operations, and each of the sub-operations is corresponding to at least one flag variable in the variable set. The flag variables are used for recording execution progresses of the sub-operations. When each of the sub-operations is executed, the corresponding flag variable in the variable set is updated according to the execution progress of the sub-operation.
US09256553B2
A memory access operand of an instruction that accesses memory may be treated as a transaction atomic access. Non-default atomicity handling of memory accesses is enabled based on successful comparison by the processor of specified storage values at run-time. Upon executing a transaction policy override instruction, the default conflict detection policy is overridden for one or more subsequent memory accessing instructions.
US09256548B2
In one embodiment, rule-based virtual address translation is performed for accessing data (e.g., reading and/or writing data) typically stored in different manners and/or locations among one or more memories, such as, but not limited to, in packet switching devices. A virtual address is matched against a set of predetermined rules to identify one or more storing description parameters. These storing description parameters determine in which particular memory unit(s) and/or how the data is stored. Thus, different portions of a data structure (e.g., table) can be stored in different memories and/or using different storage techniques. The virtual address is converted to a lookup address based on the identified storing description parameter(s). One or more read or write operations in one or more particular memory units is performed based on the lookup address said converted from the virtual address.
US09256539B2
Sharing cache in a computing system that includes a plurality of enclosure attached servers, including: identifying, by an enclosure, a first enclosure attached server that is not meeting a first predetermined performance threshold; identifying, by the enclosure, a second enclosure attached server that is meeting a second predetermined performance threshold; blocking, by the enclosure, access to a predetermined amount of cache on the second enclosure attached server by the second enclosure attached server; determining, by the enclosure, whether the second enclosure attached server is meeting the second predetermined performance threshold; responsive to determining that the second enclosure attached server is meeting the second predetermined performance threshold, lending, by the enclosure, the predetermined amount of cache on the second enclosure attached server to the first enclosure attached server.
US09256532B2
A method and a computer system for memory management on a virtual machine system are provided. The memory management method includes the following steps. A least recently used (LRU) list is maintained by at least one processor according to a last access time, wherein the LRU list includes a plurality of memory pages. A first portion of the memory pages are stored in a virtual memory, a second portion of the memory pages are stored in a zram driver, and a third portion of the memory pages are stored in at least one swap disk. A space in the zram driver is set by the at least one processor. The space in the zram driver is adjusted by the processor according to a plurality of access probabilities of the memory pages in the zram driver, an overhead of a pseudo page fault, and an overhead of a true page fault.
US09256529B2
A flash memory controller for controlling a flash memory module includes a communication interface for receiving a first data and a second data; and a processing circuit for dynamically controlling a data writing mode of the flash memory module according to an amount of stored data in the flash memory module. If the amount of stored data in the flash memory module is less than a first threshold when the communication interface receives the first data, the processing circuit controls the flash memory module so that the first data is written into the first data block under an one-bit-per-cell mode. If the amount of stored data in the flash memory module is greater than the first threshold when the communication interface receives the second data, the processing circuit controls the flash memory module so that the second data is written into the second data block under a two-bit-per-cell mode.
US09256521B1
A controller comprising a transport layer, an internal memory, and a link list manager block. The internal memory stores pending instruction entries. The link list manager block is configured to read instructions stored in an external memory, update an active vector, the active vector for storing indications of instructions from the external memory; update the pending instruction entries in the internal memory; and update the instructions stored in the external memory. The link list manager block configured to dispatch a instruction from the pending instruction entries in the internal memory to the transport layer.
