US09270239B2

An RF PA system that generates its own local characterization information. The RF PA system includes a PA to generate a RF output signal from a RF input signal, the PA powered by a supply voltage. A characterization block generates characterization information corresponding to a relationship between the supply voltage and performance (e.g., gain, power efficiency, distortion, receive band noise) of the RF PA system for a plurality of levels of one or more operating conditions (e.g., temperature, operating frequency, modulation format, antennae mismatch, etc.) of the RF PA system. An amplitude estimator block estimates an amplitude of the RF input signal. A supply control block generates a supply voltage control signal for controlling the supply voltage based on the characterization information and the amplitude of the RF input signal.
US09270231B2

A distortion compensation apparatus that compensates nonlinear distortion of an amplifier that amplifies power of a multi-carrier signal includes a band limiting unit that places a first frequency band limitation on a first signal fed back from the amplifier to output a second signal after the first frequency band limitation, a decision unit that decides a first cutoff frequency of the first frequency band limitation based on a carrier interval of the multi-carrier signal, and an updating unit that updates a distortion compensation coefficient to be used for compensation of the nonlinear distortion, based on an error between the second signal and the multi-carrier signal.
US09270229B2

An object is to provide a power storage device provided with a battery that is a power storage means, for safe and accurate supply of electric power in a short period of time for drive power supply voltage without checking remaining capacity of the battery or changing batteries with deterioration over time of the battery for drive power supply voltage. The power storage device is provided with a battery that is a power storage means as a power supply for supplying electric power and a counter circuit for counting charging time of the power storage means. An electromagnetic wave with electric field intensity, magnetic field intensity, and power flux density per unit time which are transmitted from a power feeder are controlled, and the power storage means is efficiently charged using the electromagnetic wave in a short period of time.
US09270226B2

A method for determining a photovoltaic (PV) current from each of a plurality of PV elements arranged in a differential network is provided. The differential network is controlled with a plurality of control signals, where the differential network includes a plurality of inductors, and each control signal has a duty cycle. A plurality of controller parameters is received from the plurality of differential controllers. The PV current for each of the plurality of PV elements is calculated from the plurality of inductor currents and the duty cycle for each control signal.
US09270221B2

A method for setting parameters of an ECM motor, the method including: 1) energizing the motor and measuring the AC input voltage Vac; 2) allowing the motor to run according to recorded rotational direction data and rotational speed data when Vac>Vset1; 3) enabling the motor to enter a programming state of rotational direction data and rotational speed data when Vac
US09270202B2

An electrosurgical generator is provided. The generator includes a DC-DC buck converter configured to output a DC waveform, the DC-DC buck converter including at least one first switching element operated at a first duty cycle; a DC-AC boost converter coupled to the DC-DC buck converter and including at least one second switching element operated at a second duty cycle, the DC-AC boost converter configured to convert the DC waveform to generate at least one electrosurgical waveform; and a controller coupled to the DC-DC buck converter and the DC-AC boost converter and configured to adjust the first duty cycle and the second duty cycle to operate the at least one electrosurgical waveform in at least one of constant current, constant voltage, or constant power modes.
US09270198B2

A three-phase alternating current (AC) to direct current (DC) converter may include a three-phase AC filter receiving a three-phase AC power supply, a plurality of three-phase current source rectifiers (CSR) connected in parallel with each other and connected to a three-phase AC filter, and an output filter connected to the CSR's to generate a DC output. Each of the CSRs may include six switches and a free-wheeling diode. Each of the three filtered AC inputs from the three-phase AC filter may be connected via a switch of the six switches to selectably send current into a positive line, and each of three filtered AC inputs from the three-phase AC filter may be connected via another switch of the six switches to selectably receive current from a negative line. The free-wheeling diode may have a cathode connected to the positive line and an anode connected to the negative line.
US09270191B2

A power conditioning unit with maximum power point tracking (MPPT) for a dc power source in a photovoltaic panel is provided. The power conditioning unit includes a power injection control block having a sense input coupled to an energy storage capacitor on a dc link for controlling a dc-to-ac converter to control the injected mains power. The power injection control block tracks the maximum power point by measuring a signal on the dc link which depends on the power drawn from the dc power source, and thus there is no need to measure the dc voltage and current from the dc source. The measured signal is a ripple voltage level and the power injection control block controls the amplitude of an ac current output such that the amount of power transferred to the grid mains is dependent on the amplitude of a sinusoidal voltage component on the energy storage capacitor.
US09270169B2

In various embodiments, a control system for an electronic circuit iteratively applies voltage to and senses current from a load to regulate operation of the load.
US09270168B2

A multi-level power converter system includes a multi-level power converter configured to synthesize at least three direct current (DC) voltages into an alternating current (AC) output voltage, and includes a plurality of transistors. A controller generates pulse-width modulation (PWM) signals used to control a state of the plurality of transistors of the multi-level converter by comparing first and second carrier signals to a reference signals, wherein a period of the first and second carrier signals is randomly varied from a nominal period.
US09270166B2

A power factor improvement circuit is configured with two series circuits each having a switching element and a rectifying element connected in series. Two input terminals of a single-phase AC power source are respectively connected between the switching elements and the rectifying elements in the series circuits. An inductor element is connected between an output terminal of the power factor improvement circuit and two terminals, which are on the other side of the rectifying elements, of the switching elements. A capacitor element is connected between the output terminal and the two terminals. According to the above configuration, it is possible to decrease a loss of a bridge circuit and common-mode noise, and to provide a power factor improvement circuit in a smaller size.
US09270163B2

A power source includes a rectifying unit configured to full-wave rectify an AC voltage to be input, a first and second converter configured to convert the voltage rectified by the rectifying unit, a zero cross detection unit configured to detect a zero cross of the AC voltage, a voltage detection unit configured to detect the AC voltage, a first capacitance element connected across a potential after being subjected to rectification by the rectifying unit and a ground, a first discharging resistor configured to discharge electric charges charged in the first capacitance element, a first switch unit configured to cut off a current flowing to the first discharging resistor and a stopping unit configured, in a case where the AC voltage is detected by the voltage detection unit and the detected voltage is smaller than a threshold value, to stop the operation of the second converter.
US09270160B2

A repetitive servomechanism controller for a UPS system has an inner control loop and an outer control loop. The inner control loop regulates inverter current and the outer control loop regulates inverter voltage. The outer control loop includes a repetitive controller in combination with a harmonic servomechanism controller and a feed-forward controller.
US09270157B2

A DC-DC converter includes: a high-side switch; a low-side switch coupled to the high-side switch in series; a capacitor configured to be charged while the low-side switch is turned on and to increase a driving voltage for turning on the high-side switch by a charged voltage; a buffer configured to output a control signal for controlling the high-side switch; a latch configured to receive the control signal at a first input terminal, retain the control signal, and output the control signal to the high-side switch; and a switch configured to receive the control signal from the latch and deactivate the buffer.
US09270153B2

An energy regeneration device of a suspension system for a vehicle, includes a suspension link that connects a wheel carrier to a vehicle body, a bush unit that is disposed between a vehicle body connection portion of the suspension link and the vehicle body and outputs hinge motion of the suspension link through an output gear, a one-way power transmission mechanism that is connected with the output gear of the bush unit, receives the hinge motion transmitted from the output gear through an input gear, and outputs only one-way rotational power, and a generator that is disposed at a side of the vehicle body and generates electricity while being rotated by the transmitted one-way rotational power.
US09270134B2

Devices, systems, and techniques for selecting a period for charging an implantable rechargeable power source are disclosed. Implantable medical devices may include a rechargeable power source that can be transcutaneously charged. A system may control a charging module to begin charging the rechargeable power source of the implantable medical device with a high power level. The system may then determine an estimated heat loss based on power initially delivered to the rechargeable power source when beginning the charging. Based on this estimated heat loss during the initial period of recharging, the system may select a boost period that includes a duration of time that the rechargeable power source is charged with the high power level.
US09270130B2

A system and method for mounting and charging a portable electronic device on or in contiguity to a wireless charging device. The wireless power transferring and charging device includes a suction pump that provides a suction vacuum to mount/hold a portable electronic device onto an induction charging surface of the wireless charging device in a vertical or semi-vertical position to be wirelessly powered and/or charged.
US09270127B2

The present invention relates to a system for charge balancing over a plurality of rechargeable energy storage devices coupled in series, said system comprising a plurality of balancing units each assigned to one of the rechargeable energy storage devices, an AC signal generator for providing an AC signal to the plurality of balancing units, and a capacitive coupling between the AC signal generator and each of the plurality of balancing units for common mode rejection. A first balancing unit comprises a plurality of switches for transferring, on the one hand, charge from the AC signal generator or from an energy storage device assigned to another balancing unit for charging the energy storage device assigned to the first balancing unit, and, on the other hand, for transferring charge to the AC signal generator or to an energy storage device assigned to another balancing unit for discharging the energy storage device assigned to the first balancing unit.
US09270126B2

There is provided a sensing device including a circuit including at least a coil electromagnetically coupled to an outside; a temperature detection unit for detecting a temperature of the coil; a sensing unit for measuring a Q value of the circuit; and a correction unit for correcting the Q value measured by the sensing unit based on temperature information detected by the temperature detection unit.
US09270125B2

A wireless power transfer system comprising a wireless power transmitting apparatus and a plurality of wireless power receiving apparatuses, the wireless power transmitting apparatus comprising: a power transmitting unit adapted to transmit power to the wireless power receiving apparatus; a recognition unit adapted to recognize the wireless power receiving apparatus; and a transmitting unit adapted to transmit predetermined charging delay information according to a recognition result of the recognition unit to the wireless power receiving apparatus recognized by the recognition unit, and the wireless power receiving apparatus comprising: a power receiving unit adapted to receive power transmitted from the power transmitting unit; a receiving unit adapted to receive the predetermined charging delay information transmitted from the transmitting unit; and a display unit adapted to make a display based on the predetermined charging delay information received by the receiving unit.
US09270119B2

A direct current to alternating current inverter sub-system is for a HVDC distribution system. The DC to AC inverter sub-system includes an enclosure and a DC to DC galvanically isolated buck converter having a DC input electrically connectable to a HVDC cable and a DC output. A DC to AC inverter includes a DC input electrically connected to the DC output of the DC to DC galvanically isolated buck converter and an AC output electrically connectable to an AC transmission line. The DC to AC inverter is mounted in an enclosure with the DC to DC galvanically isolated buck converter, in order that the DC output of the DC to DC galvanically isolated buck converter is directly electrically connected within the enclosure to the DC input of the DC to AC inverter.
US09270113B2

A power supply module included in a power distribution cabinet distributes power from one or more power sources to a plurality of internal cabinet modules. The power supply module includes a plurality of input terminals, each input terminal connected to a different power source, wherein availability of each of the plurality of power sources varies during operation of the aircraft or vehicle. A plurality of output terminals connected to one or more of the plurality of input terminals to provide an output that represents a combination of selected power sources.
US09270107B2

A method and device are disclosed for supervising the operation of plural current transformers and for prevention of a malfunction, such as false tripping of power in an electrical system. Exemplary embodiments can include measuring current parameters (e.g., magnitude and phase angle) for each winding in current transformer (CT) sets. A negative sequence current can be calculated from measured phase currents and a fault condition determined. A phase angle difference parameter derived from phase measurements between two healthy CTs can be used as an additional condition parameter for reliable operation of equipment in the electrical system.
US09270106B2

A temperature protection device of an electronic device according to the present technology is inserted and connected in a current-carrying circuit between a power supply unit and an electronic device main body in which a temperature detecting element is installed, and includes a first switch inserted and connected in series in the current-carrying circuit from the power supply unit to the electronic device main body, a cutoff unit for controlling on/off of the first switch, a current fusing element of which one end is connected to the current-carrying circuit to the electronic device main body, a second switch connected to the other end of the current fusing element, and a controller for controlling on/off of the second switch based on a temperature detection signal from the temperature detecting element.
US09270092B2

Roll on floor (ROF) circuit breakers include a plurality of support wheels configured to contact a support surface as the ROF circuit breaker is moved between locations. The support wheels have a rocker configuration whereby weight of the ROF circuit breaker is transferred between different sets of the wheels during movement to thereby facilitate ease of movement.
US09270084B2

Cerium doped magnesium barium tungstate luminescent thin film, manufacturing method and application thereof are provided, said method for manufacturing cerium doped magnesium barium tungstate luminescent thin film comprises the following steps: mixing MgO, BaO, WO3 and Ce2O3, sintering for forming sputtering target, forming the precursor of cerium doped magnesium barium tungstate luminescent thin film by magnetron sputtering, annealing the precursor of cerium doped magnesium barium tungstate luminescent thin film, and then forming cerium doped magnesium barium tungstate luminescent thin film. Said cerium doped magnesium barium tungstate luminescent thin film exhibits high luminescence efficiency and high light emitting peaks in red and blue regions. Said method presents the advantages of simplified operation, less cost, and suitable for industrial preparation.
US09270075B2

A supercontinuum source capable of emitting waves between the infrared range and the ultraviolet range, includes a pulsed laser source (12) capable of generating a laser beam and a non-linear microstructured optical fiber (14) capable of receiving the laser beam, in such a way that the supercontinuum source is capable of generating a beam (F′) over a pulse duration (T′), characterized in that the supercontinuum source includes elements for varying the pulse duration.
US09270065B2

An electrical connector includes an insulative housing and a plurality of conductive terminals fixed in the housing, the housing includes a pair of side walls, a pair of end walls and a plug-receiving cavity with an insertion direction surrounded by an inner surfaces of the said four walls, each terminal defines a plate portion embedded in the inner surface of the side walls, and a soldering portion extends out of the housing, each plate portion defines a contacting surface facing and exposing to the plug-receiving cavity and two corners opposite to the contacting surface, the side walls of the housing define a plurality of holes through an outer surface and the holes are located between every adjacent plate portions of the conductive terminals, seen from a cross-section of the electrical connector perpendicular to the insertion direction, said two corners of each plate portion are exposed to adjacent holes.
US09270061B2

A power device including a power circuit assembly, a first plug assembly, and a second plug assembly is described herein. The first plug assembly is coupled to the power circuit assembly for transmitting power from a power source to the power circuit assembly at a first voltage. The second plug assembly is coupled to the power circuit assembly for controllably transmitting power from the power source to the power circuit assembly at a second voltage and at a third voltage.
US09270055B2

A connector having a connector body defining a first protrusion and a connector position assurance (CPA) device in the form of a sleeve axially surrounding the connector body that is moveable along a mating axis. The sleeve defines a second protrusion configured to engage the first protrusion when a first force is applied to the sleeve as the connector is mated with a corresponding mating connector. The second protrusion is configured to slide over the first protrusion and then disengage the first protrusion when a second force is applied to the sleeve, thereby producing a vibratory response in the sleeve. The vibratory response is a tactile vibration or an audible vibration. The second force applied to the sleeve is greater than the first force and the second force may be applied to the sleeve in the same direction as the first force or in the opposite direction.
US09270052B1

A pass-through connector system is provided that includes a receptacle assembly and a pass-through connector. The receptacle assembly has a mounting ear at least proximate to a mounting end. The mounting ear defines an aperture therethrough that receives a fastener to mount the receptacle assembly to a substrate. A diameter of the aperture of the mounting ear is greater than an outer diameter of the fastener such that a gap is formed between the mounting ear and the fastener. The pass-through connector extends through a window in a panel that at least partially surrounds the substrate. The pass-through connector has a shroud at a plug end that defines an opening to a cavity. The receptacle assembly is floatable radially within the gap relative to the fastener to allow the shroud to guide the receptacle assembly into alignment with the cavity of the pass-through connector during mating.
US09270051B1

A wet mate electrical connector includes a female connector and a male connector. The female connector can include a female connector body defining a central passage. The central passage can include a plurality of female contacts. The male connector can include a male connector body defining a central passage. A male pin can project from the central passage of the male connector body. The male pin can include a plurality of male contacts and be insertible into the central passage of the female connector. The male connector can also include a sleeve slidably displaceable over the male pin between a first position in which the sleeve covers the plurality of male contacts in a protected condition, and a second position in which the sleeve is retracted and exposes the plurality of male contacts.
US09270039B2

A surface mount connector includes a pair of electrical contacts spaced from each other a predetermined distance. Each contact includes a substantially flat base portion having upper and lower surfaces, the lower surface being suitable for soldering to a pad or land on a printed circuit board (PCB). Each contact is provided with an integrally-formed conductor-engaging portion extending from a base portion in a direction substantially normal to the base portion. Electrically non-conductive tape is secured to the upper surfaces of the spaced base portions for maintaining the contacts spaced at a set or predetermined distance from each other. The contacts each including member for physically and electrically engaging another insulated conductor so that the connector can physically and electrically engage and secure two separate insulated or clad conductors while maintaining them electrically isolated.
US09270035B2

A carrier assembly (100) comprises an IC package (200) and a carrier (300) for positioning the IC package (200), the IC package (200) includes a body portion (22), a die portion (21) extending upwardly from the body portion (22) and a ear portion (232) extending from the die portion (21), the ear portion (232) and the body portion (22) defines a space (231), the carrier (300) includes a first side (310), a second side (312) opposite to the first side (310), a position portion (343) extending from the first side (310) and a fixing portion (331) extending from the second side (312) positioned in the space (231) of the IC package (200) to position the IC package (200) on the carrier (300).
US09270034B2

An exemplary wire clamping assembly is disclosed which includes a support body, a clamping strip and at least one clamping screw. The support body can include a first surface and a second surface, the at least one clamping screw being adapted to direct a clamping force to a clamping force receiving portion of the clamping strip for clamping at least one wire between the clamping strip and the first surface of the support body. The clamping strip can be a flexible strip, and the clamping force receiving portion of the clamping strip is, in use, located on the side of the second surface of the support body.
US09270032B2

An electrical connector and a terminal thereof are provided. The electrical connector comprises a housing, a circuit board and a plurality of terminals. The housing comprises a body and an assembly frame. The body is formed with a first surface and a second surface which are opposite to each other, and includes a terminal mounting hole penetrating through the first surface and the second surface. The assembly frame extends outwardly from the second surface and forms a mounting surface. The circuit board is mounted to the mounting surface. The terminal comprises a main body, a plurality of pins and a pressing portion. The main body is mounted to the corresponding terminal mounting hole. The pins protrude out of the first surface from a side edge of the main body adjacent to the first surface.
US09270031B2

A process for manufacturing a jointing assembly for medium or high voltage electrical cables may include: forming a tubular element made from semi-conductive material; cutting out of the tubular element first and second cylindrical elements; machining an end portion of the first and second cylindrical elements to provide the end portions with an at least partially rounded profile; arranging the first cylindrical element at a radially inner surface of an elastomeric sleeve made from dielectric material; arranging the second cylindrical element at a free end portion of the elastomeric sleeve, spaced apart from the first cylindrical element, with the at least partially rounded profile end portion of the second cylindrical element facing the at least partially rounded profile end portion of the first cylindrical element; and elastically expanding the elastomeric sleeve by inserting at least one removable support element in a radially inner position with respect to the elastomeric sleeve.
US09270019B2

Disclosed are exemplary embodiments of multiband multiple input multiple output (MIMO) vehicular antenna assemblies for installation to a vehicle body wall. In exemplary embodiments, a multiband MIMO vehicular antenna assembly generally includes at least one cellular antenna configured to be operable over one or more cellular frequencies (e.g., Long Term Evolution (LTE), etc.), at least one satellite antenna configured to be operable over one or more satellite frequencies (e.g., Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS), satellite digital audio radio services (SDARS), etc.) and at least one Dedicated Short Range Communication (DSRC) antenna configured to be operable over DSRC frequencies.
US09270018B2

An improved rooftop antenna is characterized, inter alia, by the following features: the base (7) has a protruding base foot part (17) on the base lower side (7e) of said base; the base foot part (17) is formed integrally with the remaining part of the base (7) or connected thereto and is electrically conductive or coated, together with the base (7), with an electrically conductive layer; the base foot part (17) has a channel (117), which passes through the foot part (17) transversely and preferably perpendicular to the base (7) in a plug-in and joining direction (Z) for accommodating the at least one coaxial line (21); and the coaxial line (21) is inserted into the at least one channel (117) of the base foot part (17) in such a way that at least one section of the outer circumference of the outer conductor (27) of the coaxial line (21) is pressed mechanically with the electrically conductive inner wall of the channel (117) of the base foot part (17) and DC contact is thereby made therewith.
US09270017B2

An antenna (10) suitable for receiving circularly polarized RF signals from a satellite is integrated with a window (12) of a vehicle (14), such as a roof window (12). The antenna (10) includes a patch element (18) disposed adjacent to the window (12). Radiating strips (26) forming at least one dipole pair are disposed below the patch element (18) and connectable to a transmission line. A coupling element (20) surrounds the radiating strips (26) and a dielectric layer (38) is sandwiched between the patch element (18) and the radiating strips (26). A ground plane (36) is also disposed below the radiating strip (26). A conductive casing (46) perpendicularly surrounds the antenna (10) elements while electrically connecting the ground plane (36) to the coupling element (20) such that the radiating strips (26) are generally disposed within a cavity (24).
US09270016B2

A method and apparatus comprising a resin layer, a number of conductive elements, and a number of layers of reinforcement material. The number of conductive elements is on the resin layer. The number of conductive elements has a configuration that forms an antenna system. The number of layers of reinforcement material forms a reinforcement for a composite structure, and at least a portion of the resin layer forms a matrix for the composite structure.
US09270015B2

A wearable electronic device includes an active antenna and an attachment component for attaching the wearable electronic device to a wearer. The attachment component includes a floating portion adapted to resonate in the presence of a radio frequency (RF) carrier wave transmitted by the active antenna. The floating portion is positioned relative to the active antenna to achieve a target coupling with the transmitted RF carrier wave.
US09270008B2

A transmission line resonator includes a half-wavelength stepped-impedance resonator with two ends short-circuited to ground, and a capacitive element with one end connected to a center portion of the stepped-impedance resonator and the other end short-circuited to ground. The stepped-impedance resonator includes a first transmission line, a second transmission line, and a third transmission line. The second transmission line has a second line impedance and a second line length, with one end being connected to one end of the first transmission line and the other end being short-circuited to ground. The third transmission line has the second line impedance and the second line length, with one end being connected to the other end of the first transmission line and the other end being short-circuited to ground. The first line impedance is lowered in comparison with the second line impedance.
US09270000B2

A waveguide circulator for an electro-magnetic field having a wavelength is provided. The waveguide circulator includes: N waveguide arms, where N is a positive integer; a ferrite element having N segments protruding into the N respective waveguide arms; at most (N−1) quarter-wave dielectric transformers attached to respective ends of at most (N−1) other segments; a first quarter-wave dielectric transformer attached to an end of the first segment; and a coaxial-coupling component. The N waveguide arms include a first-waveguide arm and (N−1) other-waveguide arms. The N segments include a first segment protruding into the first-waveguide arm and (N−1) other segments protruding into respective (N−1) other-waveguide arms. The coaxial-coupling component is positioned within a quarter wavelength of the electro-magnetic field from the first quarter-wave dielectric transformer positioned in the first-waveguide arm.
US09269987B2

Salts with formula X−M+ wherein M+ is Li, Na, K, an ammonium, a phosphonium, an imidazolium, a pyridinium, or a pyrazolium and X− is an anion formed from covalent linking of two negative moieties to a positive onium-type core are provided. Also provided are electrolytes and batteries produced from these salts.
US09269983B2

An electrolyte system for a flow battery has an anolyte including [Fe(CN)6]3− and [Fe(CN)6]4− and a catholyte including Fe2+ and Fe3+.
US09269972B2

Procedure for detecting the sealing state of a fuel cell stack in which, as soon as the fuel cell stack is considered to be extinguished, the sum of the pressures in the anode circuit and in the cathode circuit equal to P1 is recorded. After an additional period of time of 180 seconds, the sum of the pressures in the anode circuit and in the cathode circuit equal to P2 is recorded. If P2 is less than P1, an alarm is triggered.
US09269969B2

A fuel cell stack includes a terminal plate, an insulating member, and an end plate at one end of a stack body formed by stacking a plurality of power generation cells. A heat insulating member and the terminal plate are placed in a recess of the insulating member. The heat insulating member is formed by stacking metal plates and metal plates together alternately. The metal plate is formed by cutting the outer end of a first metal separator of the power generation cell into a frame shape and the metal plate is formed by cutting the outer end of a second metal separator of the power generation cell into a frame shape.
US09269968B2

Devices and methods are provided for generating electrical power using a capacitor. The capacitor has a catalytic working electrode, a dielectric, and a counter electrode. Power is generated by flowing a fuel (e.g., hydrogen gas) over the working electrode, charging the capacitor (e.g. by applying a voltage), flowing an oxidant (e.g., oxygen gas) over the working electrode, and connecting the electrodes to a resistive load, which allows current to flow through the load, between the electrodes. The inverse device (i.e., oxidant first, then fuel) functions similarly.
US09269966B2

A method and device for preparing platinum catalyst are disclosed. The method comprises providing a carbon-based material; immersing the carbon-based material with a platinum precursor solution in a first container; controlling pressure and temperature within the first container to a predetermined temperature and predetermined pressure to form water vapor, and then allowing the water vapor to escape from the first container through a first opening of the first container to a second container; and maintaining the predetermined temperature and predetermined pressure within the first container for a period of time to reduce the catalyst on the carbon-based material.
US09269956B1

The battery includes a cathode configured to generate oxygen ions during discharge of the battery. The battery also includes an oxygen ion-conducting electrolyte that receives the oxygen ions from the cathode during discharge of the battery. The battery further includes an anode that has an anode active medium positioned in the pores of a porous anode current collector. The anode active medium receives the oxygen ions conducted through the oxygen ion conducting electrolyte during discharge of the battery. Additionally, the anode active medium includes an elemental metal that reacts with the oxygen ions to form a metal oxide during discharge of the battery.
US09269950B2

A material C-AxM(XO4)y that is of particles of a compound of the formula AxM(XO4)y, wherein said particles include a carbon deposit deposited by means of pyrolysis on at least a portion of the surface thereof, and where: A is Li alone or partially replaced by at most 10 atomic % of Na or K; M is Fe(II), or Mn(II), or mixtures thereof alone or partially replaced by at most 30 atomic % of one or more metals selected from Mn, Ni and Co and/or at most 5% of Fe(III); XO4 is PO4 alone or partially replaced by at most 10 molar % of at least one group selected from SO4, SiO4 and MoO4; and where said material has a calcium impurity content of lower than about 1000 ppm.
US09269947B2

Glass-fiber composites are described that include a substrate containing glass fibers and particles in contact with the glass fiber substrate. The particles may include an alkali-metal containing compound. In addition, batteries are described with an anode, a cathode, and an electrolyte. The cathode may include alkali-metal containing nanoparticles in contact with glass fibers. Described are methods of making a glass-fiber composite. The methods may include the steps of forming a wet laid non-woven glass fiber substrate, and contacting alkali-metal containing particles on the substrate.
US09269941B2

A molten-salt battery is provided with rectangular plate-like negative electrodes (21) and rectangular plate-like positive electrodes (41) each housed in a bag-shaped separator (31). The negative electrodes (21) and positive electrodes (41) are arranged laterally and alternately in a standing manner. A lower end of a rectangular tab (22) for collecting current is joined to an upper end of each negative electrode (21) close to a side wall (1A) of a container body (1). The upper ends of the tabs (22) are joined to the lower surface of a rectangular plate-like tab lead (23). A lower end of a rectangular tab (42) for collecting current is joined to an upper end of each positive electrode (41) close to a side wall (1B) of the container body (1). The upper ends of the tabs (42) are joined to the lower surface of a rectangular plate-like tab lead (43).
US09269940B2

An electrical power cell system including first and second electrical power cells having first and second terminals, one or more transient voltage suppressors connected in parallel with a relay, the relay having two states, the first state of the relay connects the first and second electrical power cells in series, and the second state of the relay bypasses the first electrical power cell so that the first electrical power cell is not connected in series with the second electrical power cell.
US09269933B2

In a gasket sealing a gap between two opposed surfaces, the gasket is constructed by a tabular main body portion, two lip-like projections which are provided in one surface of the main body portion, and extend in parallel to each other along the main body portion, two small projections which are provided in the other surface of the main body portion and extend in parallel to each other along the main body portion, through holes which are provided at a plurality of positions of the main body portion, and an annular seal portion which is provided in such a manner as to surround the through holes. Accordingly, it is possible to have a good installation property of the gasket and a good stability (seating property) after the installation, and the gasket can be compressed highly by a low reaction force, and has a high reliability.
US09269931B2

In a battery cover, a sealed assembly structure of upper and lower covers of a battery case is configured in such a way that it forms a labyrinth structure that can allow an electrolyte to move upward and downward, thereby increasing an electrolyte leakage resistance of the battery case. Gas discharge holes and micro-holes are formed in the battery cover, and so the battery cover can easily discharge gas from the battery case. In the battery cover, electrolyte recovery ports are arrayed in such a way that the electrolyte can be prevented from leaking from the battery case even when the battery case is turned over or tilts to one side.
US09269923B2

A method and apparatus for depositing an inorganic layer onto a substrate is described. The inorganic layer may be part of an encapsulating film utilized in various display applications. The encapsulating film includes one or more inorganic layers as barrier layers to improve water-barrier performance. An oxygen containing gas, such as nitrous oxide, is introduced during the deposition of the inorganic layer. As a result, the inorganic layer is lower in stress and may obtain a water vapor transmission rate (WVTR) of less than 100 mg/m2-day.
US09269919B2

The present specification discloses an organic electroluminescent device including: an anode; a cathode; and two or more light emitting units provided between the anode and the cathode and including a light emitting layer, in which a light emitting unit among the light emitting units, which is the most associated with the cathode, includes a first n-type organic material layer provided on the cathode side of the light emitting layer, and a first p-type organic material layer is provided between the light emitting unit among the light emitting units, which is the most associated with the cathode, and the cathode.
US09269916B2

An organic thin-film solar cell module according to one embodiment includes solar cell panels and reflective surfaces. Each panel includes a substrate, a 1st electrode, a 2nd electrode and a photoelectric conversion layer. When supposing a 1st plane including the reflective surface, a 1st intersection line as a line of intersection of the 1st plane and the 2nd main surface of the substrate, and a 2nd plane including the 1st intersection line and forming an angle of 45° with the 2nd main surface of the substrate and an angle smaller than 45° with the 1st plane, an edge of the photoelectric conversion layer is in contact with the 2nd plane or the 2nd plane intersects the photoelectric conversion layer.
US09269910B2

A hole transport material for an organic electroluminescence (EL) device, and an EL device including the same, the hole transport material being represented by Formula 1, below:
US09269907B2

A compound is shown by the following formula (1). wherein l, m, and n are independently an integer from 1 to 3, Ar1 to Ar4 are independently a substituted or unsubstituted aryl group having 6 to 30 ring carbon atoms, or a substituted or unsubstituted heteroaryl group having 5 to 30 ring atoms, Ar5, Ar6, and Ar7 are independently a substituted or unsubstituted arylene group having 6 to 30 ring carbon atoms, or a substituted or unsubstituted heteroarylene group having 5 to 30 ring atoms, and p is an integer from 0 to 2, and Ar6 and N are bonded via a single bond when p is 0, provided that at least one of Ar1 to Ar4 is substituted with a substituted silyl group, a substituted or unsubstituted alkyl group having 1 to 20 carbon atoms, or a substituted or unsubstituted cycloalkyl group having 3 to 10 carbon atoms, and at least one of Ar1 to Ar4 is substituted with a cyano group.
US09269903B2

[Object] To provide a method and an apparatus for manufacturing a variable resistance element by which a metal oxide layer having a desired resistivity can be precisely formed.[Solving Means] The method of manufacturing the variable resistance element according to an embodiment of the present invention includes a step of forming a first metal oxide having a first resistivity and a step of forming a second metal oxide having a second resistivity different from the first resistivity. The first metal oxide is formed on a substrate by sputtering, while sputtering a first target made of an oxide of metal, a second target made of the metal with a first power. The second metal oxide layer is formed on the first metal oxide layer by sputtering the second target with a second power different from the first power while sputtering the first target.
US09269897B2

A method of forming a resistive device includes forming a first wiring layer overlying a first dielectric on top of a substrate, forming a junction material, patterning the first wiring layer and junction material to expose a portion of the first dielectric, forming a second dielectric over the patterned first wiring layer, forming an opening in the second dielectric to expose a portion of the junction material, forming a resistive switching material over the portion of the junction material in the opening, the resistive switching material having an intrinsic semiconductor characteristic, forming a conductive material over the resistive switching material, etching the conductive material and the resistive switching material to expose respective sidewalls of the resistive switching material and the conductive material, and the second dielectric, and forming a second wiring layer over the conductive material in contact with the respective sidewalls and the second dielectric.
US09269874B2

The present invention is intended to provide a sealing material for a light emitting device, which is able achieve both the adhesiveness and the crack resistance, have the high sulfurization resistance and the wet heat resistance, and seal the light emitting element. The sealing material for a light emitting device for sealing a light emitting element is characterized in that in a solid Si-nuclear magnetic resonance spectrum, a peak has a peak top in a chemical shift within a range of −120 ppm or more and −90 ppm or less, and a half width of 5 ppm or more and 12 ppm or less; in the solid Si-nuclear magnetic resonance spectrum, a peak has a peak top in a chemical shift within a range of −80 ppm or more and −40 ppm or less, and a half width of 5 ppm or more and 12 ppm or less; and a silanol content ratio is 11% by weight or more and 30% by weight or less.
US09269872B1

A method and system are provided for a molded electronic package geometry that enables control of warpage and die stress. A mold tool can be closed to define a space or cavity about a semiconductor die disposed on a substrate. Once the mold tool is closed, a mold material can be applied to the space to produce a mold cap. The mold cap geometry can have a first surface that is in contact with the surface of the substrate and a second surface that is opposite the first surface. The second surface can define a tapered portion of the mold cap in which the larger thickness of the tapered portion of the mold cap is in proximity to the semiconductor die and the smaller thickness of the tapered portion of the mold cap is away from the semiconductor die. The thickness of the tapered portion can vary linearly or non-linearly.
US09269871B2

Disclosed is a light emitting diode (LED) comprising a light emitting stacked structure and an electrode structure formed to have a pattern on the light emitting stacked structure. The electrode structure of the LED includes a cluster of reflectors disposed along the pattern on the light emitting stacked structure, and a pad material layer formed to entirely cover the reflectors.
US09269869B2

In order to provide a highly reliable silicon-germanium semiconductor optical element of high luminous efficiency or of low power consumption that can reduce or prevent the occurrence of dislocations or crystal defects on the interface between a light emitting layer or a light absorption layer and a cladding layer, in a silicon-germanium semiconductor optical element, a germanium protective layer 11 of non-light emission is disposed between a germanium light emitting layer or the light absorption layer 10 and a cladding layer 12 disposed above a substrate. The germanium protective layer 11 has the electrical conductivity different from electrical conductivity of the germanium light emitting layer or the light absorption layer 10.
US09269865B2

A nanostructure semiconductor light emitting device may include a first conductivity-type semiconductor base layer, a mask layer disposed on the base layer and having a plurality of openings exposing portions of the base layer, a plurality of light emitting nanostructures disposed in the plurality of openings, and a polycrystalline current suppressing layer disposed on the mask layer. At least a portion of the polycrystalline current suppressing layer is disposed below the second conductivity-type semiconductor layer. Each light emitting nanostructure includes a first conductivity-type semiconductor nanocore, an active layer, and a second conductivity-type semiconductor layer.
US09269864B2

A light emitting device includes a first electrode layer, a second conductive semiconductor layer on the first electrode layer, an active layer on the second conductive semiconductor layer, and a first conductive semiconductor layer on the active layer. An AlyGa1-yN layer (where, 0 y≦1) is provided over the first conductive semiconductor layer, and an InxGa1-xN pattern (where, 0 x≦1) is provided over the AlyGa1-yN layer. A gallium nitride semiconductor layer is provided over the InxGa1-xN pattern; and a pad electrode is provided on the gallium nitride semiconductor layer.
US09269863B2

The present application discloses a light-emitting apparatus comprising a first light-emitting semiconductor stack, a first intermediate layer formed on the first light-emitting semiconductor stack and a second light-emitting semiconductor stack formed on the first intermediate layer. The first intermediate layer comprises a first conductive semiconductor layer, a second conductive semiconductor layer and an intermediate region. The intermediate region has a discontinuous structure located between the first conductive semiconductor layer and the second conductive semiconductor layer.
US09269862B2

A light-emitting device includes: a Distributed Bragg reflector comprising alternate first semiconductor layers and second semiconductor layers, wherein each first semiconductor layer comprises a low-refractive-index part having a depth; and a light-emitting semiconductor stack associated with the Distributed Bragg reflector; wherein the depths of the low-refractive-index parts of the first semiconductor layers are gradually changed in a direction toward the light-emitting semiconductor stack.
US09269861B2

Embodiments relate to a light emitting device package including a package body, a light emitting structure disposed on the package body, the light emitting structure including a first conductive semiconductor layer, an active layer and a second conductive semiconductor layer, the light emitting structure being divided into at least two light emitting cells, a support substrate located between the package body and the light emitting structure, a first electrode and a second electrode connected to each of the light emitting cells and fluorescent substances disposed respectively on the light emitting cells. At least two layers among the first conductive semiconductor layer, the active layer and the second conductive semiconductor layer included in each of the light emitting cells next to each other are electrically separated from each other.
US09269859B2

A light-emitting device comprises a semiconductor light-emitting stacked layer having a first connecting surface, wherein the semiconductor light-emitting stacked layer comprises a first alignment pattern on the first connecting surface, and a substrate under the semiconductor light-emitting stacked layer, wherein the substrate has a second connecting surface being operable for connecting with the first connecting surface, wherein the substrate comprises a second alignment pattern on the second connecting surface, and the second alignment pattern is corresponding to the first alignment pattern.
US09269851B2

A method of depositing metal on an exposed surface of a p-type semiconductor region of a semiconductor device comprising a p-n junction is disclosed, the method comprising: immersing the exposed surface of the p-type semiconductor region on which the metal is to be deposited in a solution of metal ions; producing an electric field in the semiconductor device such that the p-n junction is forward biased; electrochemically depositing the metal on the exposed surface of the p-type semiconductor region of the semiconductor device by reduction of metal ions in the solution.
US09269850B2

A method and apparatus for an amount of Cu or Sb dopant incorporated into a zinc-based layer as the layer is being formed. The layer is formed over a coated substrate using an electrochemical deposition (ECD) process. In the ECD process, the bias voltage and plating solution composition may be systematically changed during the electrochemical deposition process to change the amount of Cu or Sb dopant incorporated into the plated layer.
US09269838B2

A high electric field radiation detector includes a first and second electrode, a radiation detector layer and a soft polvmer layer. The soft polvmer detector layer located below the radiation detector layer and in contact with at least the first electrode.
US09269835B2

A device that may include A DC power supply coupled to a fixed current source; an avalanche photo-diode (APD); a DC voltage regulator that comprises a regulating transistor; wherein the DC voltage regulator is arranged to (a) maintain a regulated voltage at a fixed value, and (b) output the regulated voltage; and a temperature control module that is arranged to maintain a portion of the temperature control module at a fixed temperature; wherein the DC voltage regulator and the APD are electrically coupled in parallel to each other, so that a sum of currents that pass through the APD and the regulating transistor equals a fixed current supplied by the fixed current source; and wherein the portion of the temperature control module is thermally coupled to the DC voltage regulator and to the APD, and wherein APD and the regulating transistor are thermally coupled to each other.
US09269827B2

A method for manufacturing a thin-film transistor (TFT) is provided, including the following steps. A gate is formed on a substrate. A gate insulating layer is formed on the gate. A patterned semiconductor layer is formed on the gate insulating layer. A source is formed on the patterned semiconductor layer. The peripheral portion of the source is oxidized to form an oxide layer, wherein the oxide layer covers the source and a portion of the patterned semiconductor layer. A protective layer and hydrogen ions are formed, wherein the protective layer covers the oxide layer and the patterned semiconductor layer. The patterned semiconductor layer not covered by the oxide layer is doped with the hydrogen ions to form a drain. A TFT is also provided.
US09269821B2

A transistor including an oxide semiconductor layer can have stable electrical characteristics. In addition, a highly reliable semiconductor device including the transistor is provided. A semiconductor device includes a multi-layer film including an oxide layer and an oxide semiconductor layer, a gate insulating film in contact with the multi-layer film, and a gate electrode overlapping with the multi-layer film with the gate insulating film provided therebetween. In the semiconductor device, the oxide semiconductor layer contains indium, the oxide semiconductor layer is in contact with the oxide layer, and the oxide layer contains indium and has a larger energy gap than the oxide semiconductor layer.
US09269819B2

A semiconductor device including a vertical gate and a method for manufacturing the same are disclosed, which prevent a floating body phenomenon, thereby increasing a cell threshold voltage and reducing leakage current, resulting in improved refresh properties of the semiconductor device. The semiconductor device includes a plurality of pillar patterns, including first pillar patterns arranged along a first direction and second pillar patterns arranged along a second direction, formed over a semiconductor substrate; a gate extending in the first direction, arranged along sidewalls of the first pillar patterns, and configured to couple the first pillar patterns; a junction region formed in an upper portion of the pillar patterns; and a conductive line arranged along the sidewalls of the first pillar patterns and provided in a region disposed below the junction region and over the gate.
US09269818B2

An array substrate for the liquid crystal display device, the array substrate includes: a first insulating film pattern on an insulating substrate and having an opening; a first light shielding film pattern on the first insulating film pattern including the opening; a gate insulating film over the entire surface of the insulating substrate including the first light shielding film pattern; an active layer on top of the gate insulating film and overlapping the first light shielding film pattern; a pixel electrode on top of the gate insulating film to be separated from the active layer; a source electrode and a drain electrode on top of the active layer, the drain electrode being separated from the source electrode and directly connected to the pixel electrode; a passivation film over the entire surface of the insulating substrate including the source electrode and the drain electrode; a second insulating film pattern on top of the passivation film and overlapping the first light shielding film pattern; a second light shielding film pattern on the second insulating film pattern; and a plurality of divided common electrodes on top of the passivation film and overlapping the pixel electrode.
US09269816B2

A thin film transistor (TFT) is provided, which includes a substrate, a first gate layer, an insulation layer, a first source/drain layer, a second source/drain layer, a semiconductor layer, a passivation layer and a second gate layer. The first gate layer is disposed on the substrate. The insulation layer is disposed on the first gate layer. The first source/drain layer is disposed on the insulation layer. The second source/drain layer is disposed on the insulation layer. The semiconductor layer is disposed on the insulation layer and covers the first source/drain layer and the second source/drain layer. The passivation layer is disposed on the insulation layer and covers the semiconductor layer. The second gate layer is disposed on the passivation layer and contacts the first gate layer through a via so that the two gate layers keep a same voltage level.
US09269814B2

The present disclosure relates to a structure and method for fin isolation in bulk FinFETs. A sacrificial portion is formed between the actual fin and the substrate, which gets selectively removed at a later stage of processing to reveal a cavity which extends all the way under the fin. This helps prevent source/drain leakage as there is no path for current flow between the fin and bulk substrate. Furthermore, this method of formation helps in precise control of fin-height in bulk FinFETs.
US09269809B2

When forming semiconductor devices with contact plugs comprising protection layers formed on sidewalls of etch stop layers to reduce the risk of shorts, the protection layers may be formed by performing a sputter process to remove material from a contact region and redeposit the removed material on the sidewalls of the etch stop layers.
US09269808B2

A semiconductor device is provided. The semiconductor device includes a substrate of a first conductivity type and an epitaxial structure of the first conductivity type disposed on the substrate. The semiconductor device further includes a well region having a first doping concentration of a second conductivity type disposed in the epitaxial structure and the substrate. The semiconductor device further includes a drain region and a source region respectively formed in the epitaxial structure inside and outside of the well region. The semiconductor device further includes a body region of the first conductivity type disposed under the source region, and a pair of first and second doped regions disposed in the well region between the drain region and the source region. The first and second doped regions extend outside of the well region and toward the body region.
US09269805B2

Aspects of the present disclosure describe a trench MOSFET with a channel length that may be controlled by counterdoping the body-drain junction to form a straggle region adjacent to the trenches. The channel length is defined between the straggle region at the bottom and a source region at the top. Both of the straggle region and the source region are of the same conductivity type though they may be different ion species. It is emphasized that this abstract is provided to comply with rules requiring an abstract that will allow a searcher or other reader to quickly ascertain the subject matter of the technical disclosure. It is submitted with the understanding that it will not be used to interpret or limit the scope or meaning of the claims.
US09269803B2

The reliability of a field effect transistor made of a nitride semiconductor material is improved. An ohmic electrode includes a plurality of unit electrodes isolated to be separated from each other. With this configuration, an on-state current can be prevented from flowing in the unit electrodes in a y-axial direction (negative direction). Further, in the respective unit electrodes, a current density of the on-state current flowing in the y-axial direction (negative direction) can be prevented from increasing. As a result, an electromigration resistance of the ohmic electrode can be improved.
US09269788B2

A solution for forming an ohmic contact to a semiconductor layer is provided. A masking material is applied to a set of contact regions on the surface of the semiconductor layer. Subsequently, one or more layers of a device heterostructure are formed on the non-masked region(s) of the semiconductor layer. The ohmic contact can be formed after the one or more layers of the device heterostructure are formed. The ohmic contact formation can be performed at a processing temperature lower than a temperature range within which a quality of a material forming any semiconductor layer in the device heterostructure is damaged.
US09269781B2

According to one embodiment, a semiconductor device includes a first, a second, a third, a fourth semiconductor region, a control electrode, and an insulating film. The first region contains silicon carbide. The second region is provided on the first region and contains silicon carbide. The third region is provided on the second region and contains silicon carbide. The fourth region is provided on the third region and contains silicon carbide. The control electrode is provided in a trench. The trench is formed in the fourth, the third, and the second semiconductor region. The insulating film is provided between a side surface of the trench and the control electrode. The insulating film contains a high-dielectric constant region. The high-dielectric constant region contacts with at least the third semiconductor region. The high-dielectric constant region has a higher dielectric constant than a dielectric constant of silicon oxide.
US09269777B2

The present disclosure provides a semiconductor device including a gate stack disposed over a substrate, a source/drain (S/D) feature at least partially embedded within the substrate adjacent the gate stack. The S/D feature includes a first semiconductor material layer, a second semiconductor material layer disposed over the first semiconductor material layer. The second semiconductor material layer is different to the first semiconductor material layer. The S/D also includes a third semiconductor material layer disposed over the second semiconductor material layer, which includes a tin (Sn) material.
US09269774B2

An electronic device (1) includes a semiconductor substrate (3) having a front surface (7), a first electrode (8) and a second electrode (9) disposed on the front surface (7) of the substrate (3), wherein the first electrode (8) and the second electrode (9) each have at least one epitaxial graphene monolayer (10). The at least one epitaxial graphene monolayer (10) of the first electrode (8) forms an ohmic contact with the substrate (3) and the at least one epitaxial graphene monolayer (10) of the second electrode (9) forms a Schottky barrier with the substrate (3).
US09269771B2

An integrated circuit includes a substrate and at least one component unfavorably sensitive to compressive stress which is arranged at least partially within an active region of the substrate limited by an insulating region. To address compressive stress in the active region, the circuit further includes at least one electrically inactive trench located at least in the insulating region and containing an internal area configured to reduce compressive stress in the active region. The internal area is filled with polysilicon. The polysilicon filled trench may further extend through the insulating region and into the substrate.
US09269770B2

An integrated circuit system includes a substrate, forming a gate over the substrate, forming a first drift region having a first counter diffused region and a source diffused region, the first drift region in the substrate adjacent a first side of the gate, and forming a second drift region having a second counter diffused region and a drain diffused region, the second drift region in the substrate adjacent a second side of the gate opposite the first side of the gate.
US09269768B2

An insulation wall separating transistors formed in a thin semiconductor layer resting on an insulating layer laid on a semiconductor substrate, this wall being formed of an insulating material and comprising a wall crossing the thin layer and the insulating layer and penetrating into the substrate, and lateral extensions extending in the substrate under the insulating layer.
US09269762B2

Embodiments of MIM capacitors may be embedded into a thick IMD layer with enough thickness (e.g., 10 KŘ30 KÅ) to get high capacitance, which may be on top of a thinner IMD layer. MIM capacitors may be formed among three adjacent metal layers which have two thick IMD layers separating the three adjacent metal layers. Materials such as TaN or TiN are used as bottom/top electrodes & Cu barrier. The metal layer above the thick IMD layer may act as the top electrode connection. The metal layer under the thick IMD layer may act as the bottom electrode connection. The capacitor may be of different shapes such as cylindrical shape, or a concave shape. Many kinds of materials (Si3N4, ZrO2, HfO2, BST . . . etc.) can be used as the dielectric material. The MIM capacitors are formed by one or two extra masks while forming other non-capacitor logic of the circuit.
US09269744B2

To realize simplification of a process of forming hollow portions in a solid-state imaging apparatus, a plurality of light receiving portions is formed on a semiconductor substrate, and color filter layers as hollow portion forming layers are formed above the semiconductor substrate (FIG. 1A). A sealable layer for opening boundary portions of the color filter layers is formed on the color filter layers (FIG. 1B). Hollow portions are formed on side surfaces of the color filter layer by etching using the sealable layer as a mask (FIG. 1C). The sealable layer is heated and softened to connect mutually adjacent sealable layers to form a sealing layer for sealing the aperture regions of the hollow portions (FIG. 1D).
US09269735B2

The present disclosure provides a method of manufacturing a solid-state imaging device, including, forming on a first substrate a semiconductor thin film which is to be photoelectric conversion sections, forming driving circuits on a face side of a second substrate, laminating the first substrate and the second substrate by disposing the first substrate and second substrate opposite to each other in a condition in which the semiconductor thin film is connected to the driving circuits, and removing the first substrate from the semiconductor thin film in a condition in which the semiconductor thin film is left on the second substrate side.
US09269734B2

According to one embodiment, the method of manufacturing a solid-state imaging device includes: forming a plurality of photoelectric conversion elements by two-dimensionally arranging semiconductor areas of a second conductivity type at a semiconductor layer of a first conductivity type in a matrix pattern; forming the photoelectric conversion elements in a rectangular shape in plan view, the photoelectric conversion elements being formed by forming a grid-like trench in plan view so as to partition the semiconductor layer; forming the photoelectric conversion element formed into the rectangular shape in plan view into a convex polygonal shape in plan view whose number of corners is larger than the number of corners of a rectangular; and forming an element isolation area including a light shielding member at a trench coated with an insulating film after coating an inner peripheral surface of the trench with the insulating film.
US09269730B2

An image sensor such as a backside illumination image sensor may be provided with analog circuitry, digital circuitry, and an image pixel array on a semiconductor substrate. Trench isolation structures may separate the analog circuitry from the digital circuitry on the substrate. The trench isolation structures may be formed from dielectric-filled trenches in the substrate that isolate the portion of the substrate having the analog circuitry from the portion of the substrate having the digital circuitry. The trench isolation structures may prevent digital circuit operations such as switching operations from negatively affecting the performance of the analog circuitry. Additional trench isolation structures may be interposed between portions of the substrate on which bond pads are formed and other portions of the substrate to prevent capacitive coupling between the bond pad structures and the substrate, thereby enhancing the high frequency operations of the image sensor.
US09269725B2

A driver circuit portion of a display device has a function in which image signals are written to a selected pixel successively so as to display an image on a screen and a function in which writing operation of an image signal is stopped and a transistor is turned off so as to maintain one image written to the screen when the one image is continuously displayed on the screen. Such functions are achieved by a transistor whose off current per micrometer in channel width is reduced to an extremely low value that is lower than 10 zA/μm at room temperature and lower than 100 zA/μm at 85° C.
US09269716B2

Disclosed herein is a method includes: forming first and second cavities, the first cavity having a first width, each of the second cavities having a second width narrower than the first width; forming a first conductive layer buried in the second cavities and formed on bottom and side surface of the semiconductor substrate defined by the first cavity so that a third cavity is defined by the first conductive layer formed on the bottom and side surface of the semiconductor substrate; subjecting an etch back process to the first conductive layer so that a first conductive portion is formed at a bottom corner of the first cavity, further a fourth cavity is formed on the semiconductor substrate uncovered with the first conductive portion in the first cavity; and forming a first insulating layer in the fourth cavity and in the second cavity.
US09269714B2

A device includes a substrate, a P-channel transistor and an N-channel transistor. The substrate includes a first layer of a first semiconductor material and a second layer of a second semiconductor material. The first and second semiconductor materials have different crystal lattice constants. The P-channel transistor includes a channel region having a compressive stress in a first portion of the substrate. The channel region of the P-channel transistor includes a portion of the first layer of the first semiconductor material and a portion of the second layer of the second semiconductor material. The N-channel transistor includes a channel region having a tensile stress formed in a second portion of the substrate. The channel region of the N-channel transistor includes a portion of the first layer of the first semiconductor material and a portion of the second layer of the second semiconductor material. Methods of forming the device are also disclosed.
US09269706B2

Methods and systems for processing a silicon wafer are disclosed. A method includes providing a flash memory region in the silicon wafer and providing a bipolar transistor with a polysilicon external base in the silicon wafer. The flash memory region and the bipolar transistor are formed by depositing a single polysilicon layer common to both the flash memory region and the bipolar transistor.
US09269703B2

An ESD protection circuit with a diode string coupled to a diode-isolated, gate-grounded NMOS ESD device. A method of forming an ESD protection circuit with a diode string coupled to a diode-isolated, gate-grounded NMOS ESD device.
US09269700B2

Stacked semiconductor die assemblies with improved thermal performance and associated systems and methods are disclosed herein. In one embodiment, a semiconductor die assembly can include a stack of semiconductor dies and a thermally conductive casing at least partially enclosing the stack of semiconductor dies within an enclosure. A package substrate carries the thermally conductive casing, and an interposer is disposed between the thermally conductive casing and the stack of semiconductor dies. A peripheral portion of the interposer extends laterally beyond the stack of semiconductor dies and is coupled to a plurality of conductive members interposed between the peripheral portion and the package substrate.
US09269695B2

Methods of manufacturing semiconductor device assemblies include attaching a back side of a first semiconductor die to a substrate and structurally and electrically coupling a first end of laterally extending conductive elements to conductive terminals on or in a surface of the substrate. Second ends of the laterally extending conductive elements are structurally and electrically coupled to bond pads on or in an active surface of the first semiconductor die. Conductive structures are structurally and electrically coupled to bond pads of a second semiconductor die. At least some of the conductive structures are aligned with at least some of the bond pads of the first semiconductor die. An active surface of the second semiconductor die faces an active surface of the first semiconductor die. At least some of the conductive structures are structurally and electrically coupled to at least some of the bond pads of the first semiconductor die.
US09269694B2

An embodiment package includes a first die stack on a surface of a package component, a second die stack on the surface of the package component, and a contour lid over the first die stack and second die stack. The contour lid includes a first thermal conductive portion over the first die stack, a second thermal conductive portion over the second die stack, and a thermal barrier portion between the first thermal conductive portion and the second thermal conductive portion. The thermal barrier portion includes a low thermal conductivity material.
US09269686B2

The present subject matter relates to the field of fabricating microelectronic devices. In at least one embodiment, the present subject matter relates to forming an interconnect that has a portion thereof which becomes debonded from the microelectronic device during cooling after attachment to an external device. The debonded portion allows the interconnect to flex and absorb stress.
US09269677B2

A packaging substrate and a semiconductor package using the packaging substrate are provided. The packaging substrate includes: a substrate body having a die attach area, a circuit layer formed around the die attach area and having a plurality of conductive traces each having a wire bonding pad, and a surface treatment layer formed on the wire bonding pads. Therein, only one of the conductive traces is connected to an electroplating line so as to prevent cross-talk that otherwise occurs between conductive traces due to too many electroplating lines in the prior art.
US09269670B2

A bonding structure of a semiconductor package includes: a first conductive member configured to transmit an electrical signal; and a bonding pad configured to be electrically coupled to a surface of the first conductive member and comprising a plurality of sub bonding pads.
US09269666B2

Methods for planarizing layers of a material, such as a dielectric, and interconnect structures formed by the planarization methods. The method includes depositing a first dielectric layer on a top surface of multiple conductive features and on a top surface of a substrate between the conductive features. A portion of the first dielectric layer is selectively removed from the top surface of at least one of the conductive features without removing a portion the first dielectric layer that is between the conductive features. A second dielectric layer is formed on the top surface of the at least one of the conductive features and on a top surface of the first dielectric layer, and a top surface of the second dielectric layer is planarized. A layer operating as an etch stop is located between the top surface of at least one of the conductive features and the second dielectric layer.
US09269661B1

A semiconductor device includes a semiconductor substrate with doped regions of a first type and doped regions of a second type. A first metallization layer connects to the doped regions of the first type through conductive paths, such that current is able to flow within the metallization layer along a plurality of linear axes. A second metallization layer connects to the doped regions of the second type through conductive paths, such that that current is able to flow within the metallization layer along a plurality of linear axes. Contacts on an exterior surface of the semiconductor device can be arranged concentrically.
US09269656B2

A module (1) includes a first functional device (2) and a second functional device (3). The first functional device (2) includes a base electrode, an emitter electrode and a collector electrode. The second functional device (3) includes at least one electrode. The module (1) further includes a conductive frame (4). One of the base electrode, the emitter electrode, and the collector electrode of the first functional device (2) is directly connected to the frame (4). The electrode of the second functional device (3) is also directly connected to the frame (4). The frame (4) includes a portion serving as a terminal for external connection.
US09269655B2

In one implementation, a semiconductor package includes a control conductive carrier having a die side and an opposite input/output (I/O) side connecting the semiconductor package to a mounting surface. The semiconductor package also includes a control FET of a power converter switching stage having a control drain attached to the die side of the control conductive carrier. The control conductive carrier is configured to sink heat produced by the control FET into the mounting surface. The semiconductor package includes a sync conductive carrier having another die side and another opposite I/O side connecting the semiconductor package to the mounting surface, and a sync FET of the power converter switching stage having a sync source attached to the die side of the sync conductive carrier.
US09269648B2

A method and apparatus are provided for manufacturing a lead frame based thermally enhanced package (9) with exposed heat spreader lid array (96) designed to be optimized for compression mold encapsulation of an integrated circuit die (94) by including a perimeter reservoir regions (97r) in each heat spreader lid (96) for movement of mold compound (98) displaced during the mold compression process.
US09269642B2

Aspects of the present invention relate to methods of testing an integrated circuit of a wafer and testing structures for integrated circuits. The methods include depositing a sacrificial material over a first conductor material of the integrated circuit, and contacting a test probe to the deposited sacrificial material. The methods can also include testing the integrated circuit using the test probe contacting the sacrificial material. Finally, the methods can include removing the sacrificial material over the first conductor material of the integrated circuit subsequent to the testing of the integrated circuit.
US09269638B2

A temperature detecting apparatus is provided which is capable of suppressing disconnection of a thermocouple wire or positional deviation of a thermocouple junction portion caused by change over time. The temperature detecting apparatus includes: an insulation rod installed to extend in a vertical direction and including a through-hole in vertical direction; a thermocouple wire inserted in the through-hole of the insulation rod, the thermocouple wire including a thermocouple junction portion at an upper end thereof and an angled portion at a lower end of the insulation rod; and a buffer area installed below the insulation rod and configured to suppress a restriction of a horizontal portion of the angled portion upon heat expansion, wherein an upper portion of the thermocouple wire or a middle portion in the vertical direction are supported by the insulation rod.
US09269636B2

A replacement metal gate transistor is formed with high quality gate dielectric under the high-k dielectric. The high quality gate dielectric is formed on the substrate at a temperature of at least 850° C. A sacrificial gate dielectric is formed on the high quality gate dielectric and a polysilicon replacement gate is formed on the sacrificial gate dielectric. The polysilicon replacement gate is removed leaving a gate trench. The sacrificial gate dielectric is removed from a bottom of the gate. A high-k dielectric is deposited into the gate trench. Metal gate material is deposited on the high-k dielectric.
US09269628B1

One illustrative method disclosed herein includes, among other things, forming a plurality of first and second fins that are made of different semiconductor materials that may be selectively etched relative to one another, forming a first insulating material between the plurality of first and second fins, forming an etch mask above the first and second fins that exposes a portion of at least one first fin and exposes a portion of at least one second fin, performing an etching process to remove the exposed portion of the at least one first fin selectively to the first insulating material and the exposed portion of the at least one second fin so as to thereby define at least one removed fin cavity in the first insulating material, removing the patterned etch mask, and forming a second insulating material in the at least one removed fin cavity.
US09269624B2

Disclosed herein is a wafer processing method including a wafer supporting step of mounting an adhesive film for die bonding on the back side of a wafer, attaching a dicing tape to the adhesive film, and supporting the peripheral portion of the dicing tape to an annular frame, wherein the wafer has already been divided into individual device chips along division lines formed on the front side or a break start point has already been formed inside the wafer along each division line, a protective film forming step of applying a water-soluble resin to the front side of the wafer and/or the peripheral portion of the adhesive film projecting from the outer circumference of the wafer, thereby forming a protective film from the water-soluble resin, and an adhesive film breaking step of expanding the dicing tape to thereby break the adhesive film along the individual device chips.
US09269619B2

A semiconductor device concerning the embodiment includes a semiconductor layer which has a first surface and a second surface which is opposite to the first surface, an interlayer which is provided on the first surface and which consists of only metal whose standard oxidation-reduction potential is not lower than 0 (zero) V in an ionization tendency, and an electrode provided on the interlayer. The semiconductor device further includes an electrical conductive layer which covers an inside of a hole which is formed in the semiconductor layer so as to reach the interlayer the interlayer from the second surface, and which is electrically connected to the electrode via the interlayer which is exposed to a bottom of the hole.
US09269577B2

Forming a group III nitride semiconductor layer having p-type conductivity on at least one layer or more formed on an Si substrate or sapphire substrate using at least one of an epitaxial growth or ion implantation method. When forming the group III nitride semiconductor layer, at least one type of metal element selected from Zn, Li, Au, Ag, Cu, Pt, and Pd having a formation energy of a group III element substitute higher than that of Mg is doped simultaneously with Mg of a p-type dopant to introduce an interstitial site. Subsequent to activation of Mg as an acceptor, the metal element is removed from the group III nitride semiconductor layer, and the concentration of the metal element is not more than 1/100 of the concentration of Mg to realize a hole concentration of not less than 1018 to 1019 cm−3.
US09269576B2

A silicon carbide semiconductor substrate is made of a silicon carbide single crystal and is formed with a stamp on at least a surface as an identification indication formed of a crystal defect. When a silicon carbide single crystal is allowed to grow using the silicon carbide semiconductor substrate as a seed crystal, the stamp can be propagated to the silicon carbide single crystal as a crystal defect. When silicon carbide semiconductor substrates are manufactured using the silicon carbide single crystal, the stamp has already been formed on each of the silicon carbide semiconductor substrates.
US09269566B2

A substrate processing apparatus capable of forming an oxide film on a substrate by forming a layer on the substrate by supplying a source gas into a process vessel accommodating the substrate via the first nozzle, and simultaneously supplying an oxygen-containing gas through a second nozzle and a hydrogen-containing gas through a first nozzle into the process vessel having an inside pressure thereof lower than atmospheric pressure; mixing and reacting the oxygen-containing gas with the hydrogen-containing gas in a non-plasma atmosphere within the process vessel to generate atomic oxygen; and oxidizing the layer with the atomic oxygen to change the layer into an oxide layer is disclosed.
US09269564B2

A thin film deposition apparatus includes a reaction chamber, a main disk installed in the reaction chamber, and a gas discharging unit disposed outside the main disk. The gas discharging unit recollects a gas in the reaction chamber, and includes: a base member that includes an outer sidewall, an inner sidewall, and a lower wall that connects the outer and inner sidewalls, and is ring-shaped with an open upper portion. At least one through hole is formed in the lower wall. A discharge sleeve is configured to be inserted into the through hole, wherein a gas outlet is formed in the discharge sleeve. An upper cover that is ring-shaped covers the open upper portion of the base member. A plurality of gas inlets are formed in the upper cover.
US09269563B2

Methods and apparatuses for forming a dual damascene structure utilizing a selective protection process to protect vias and/or trenches in the dual damascene structure while removing a hardmask layer from the dual damascene structure. In one embodiment, a method for removing a patterned hardmask layer from a substrate includes forming an organic polymer material on a dual damascene structure that exposes substantially a patterned hardmask layer disposed on an upper surface of the dual damascene structure, removing the patterned hardmask layer on the substrate, and removing the organic polymer material from the substrate.
US09269562B2

Embodiments of the present invention generally relate to a method for cleaning a processing chamber during substrate processing. During a first substrate processing step, a plasma is formed from a gas mixture of argon, helium, and hydrogen in the processing chamber. In a second substrate processing step, an argon plasma is formed in the processing chamber.
US09269561B2

Methods are provided for handling a device wafer. For example, a method includes providing a stack structure having a device wafer, a handler wafer, and a bonding structure disposed between the device wafer and handler wafer, and irradiating the bonding structure with long-wavelength infrared energy to ablate the bonding structure.
US09269553B2

Systems and methods are used to rapidly screening samples. A fast sample introduction device that is non-chromatographic is instructed to supply each sample of a plurality samples to a tandem mass spectrometer using a processor. The fast sample introduction device can include a flow injection analysis device, an ion mobility analysis device, or a rapid sample cleanup device. The tandem mass spectrometer is instructed to perform fragmentation scans at two or more mass selection windows across a mass range of each sample of the plurality of samples using the processor. The two or more mass selection windows across the mass range can have fixed or variable window widths. The tandem mass spectrometer can be instructed to obtain a mass spectrum of the mass range before instructing the tandem mass spectrometer to perform the fragmentation scans.
US09269546B2

Electron beam-confining electromagnets of an electron beam generator are aligned with an electron beam axis, each of the electromagnets being folded to define a main section and a pair of angled wing sections disposed at respective angles relative to said main section, and a conductor wound around the edge.
US09269544B2

A plasma system is disclosed. The system includes a plasma device including an inner electrode and an outer electrode coaxially disposed around the inner electrode, wherein at least one of the inner electrode and the outer electrode is temperature controlled; an ionizable media source coupled to the plasma device and configured to supply ionizable media thereto; and a power source coupled to the inner and outer electrodes and configured to ignite the ionizable media at the plasma device to form a plasma effluent.
US09269543B2

An exposure pattern is computed which is used for exposing a desired pattern on a target by means of a blanking aperture array in a particle-optical lithography apparatus which has a finite number of defects, said desired pattern being composed of a multitude of image elements within an image area on the target: A list of defective blanking apertures is provided, comprising information about the type of defect of the defective blanking apertures; from the desired pattern a nominal exposure pattern is calculated as a raster graphics over the image elements disregarding the defective blanking apertures; the “compromised” image elements (1105) are determined which are exposed by aperture images of defective blanking apertures; for each compromised element (1105), a set of neighboring image elements is selected as “correction elements” (1104); for each compromised element, corrected dose values are calculated for the correction elements, said corrected dose values minimizing an error functional of the deviation of the dose distribution including the defects from the nominal dose distribution, under the constraint that each of the corrected dose values falls within the allowed doses; and a corrected exposure pattern (1103) is generated by substituting the corrected dose values for the nominal dose values at the correction elements.
US09269542B2

In one embodiment, a system for patterning a substrate includes a plasma chamber; a power source to generate a plasma within the plasma chamber; and an extraction plate system comprising a plurality of apertures and disposed along a side of the plasma chamber. The extraction plate system is configured to receive an extraction voltage that biases the extraction plate system with respect to the plasma chamber wherein the plurality of apertures are configured to extract a plurality of respective charged particle beamlets from the plasma. The system further includes a projection optics system to direct at least one of the plurality of charged particle beamlets to the substrate.
US09269534B2

In an upper main body of a sample holder, a laminate of an insulative thin film and a secondary electron emission protective thin film is provided. An electron beam emitted from an electron gun enters the secondary electron emission protective thin film side. The undersurface of the insulative thin film is a sample adhesion surface, where a sample to be an observation target is held by adsorption or the like. The secondary electron emission protective thin film is made of a material having a low secondary electron emission coefficient δ and, preferably, is non-insulative. That is, the secondary electron emission protective thin film is conductive even though the electric resistance is high. Accordingly, the charge level of a site irradiated with the electron beam has a low charge level.
US09269531B2

In a direct electron detector, backscattering of electrons into the detector volume from below the sensor is prevented. In some embodiments, an empty space is maintained below the sensor. In other embodiments, a structure below the sensor includes geometry, such as multiple high aspects ratio channels, either extending to or from the sensor to trap electrons, or a structure of angled surfaces to deflect the electrons that pass through the sensor.
US09269528B2

A method of setting up a medium current ribbon beam for ion implantation is provided. It includes providing an ion source fed with a process gas and a support gas. The process ion beam is separated from the support gas beam with a mass analyzing magnet, and the intensity of the process ion beam is controlled by varying the ratio of process gas to support gas in the ion source gas feed. Process beam intensity may also be controlled with one or more mechanical current limiting devices located downstream of the ion source. An ion beam system is also provided. This method may control the total ribbon beam intensity at the target between approximately 3 uA to about 3 mA.
US09269519B2

An efficient deposition process is provided for fabricating reliable RF MEMS capacitive switches with multilayer ultrananocrystalline (UNCD) films for more rapid recovery, charging and discharging that is effective for more than a billion cycles of operation. Significantly, the deposition process is compatible for integration with CMOS electronics and thereby can provide monolithically integrated RF MEMS capacitive switches for use with CMOS electronic devices, such as for insertion into phase array antennas for radars and other RF communication systems.
US09269518B2

An electric charging apparatus and a failure determination method therefor are provided. In the electric charging apparatus, a relay allows a current to flow inside the electric charging apparatus by switching of a switch. An acceleration sensor detects a vibration of the relay and generating an acceleration sensing signal. A control unit receives the acceleration sensing signal from the acceleration sensor and detects failure of the electric charging apparatus.
US09269517B2

A kind of anti-adhesion device for a relay. The device can include a control circuit and adhesion detecting circuit of first and second relays, which are used to respectively control power on and power off of the first and second electric heater. Closing a switch of the control circuit of the first and second relays is used to lead out the line and the output elements of the adhesion detecting circuit, to form a detecting loop. An interlocking circuit is bridged between the control circuit of the first and second relay. Therefore the first and second relay won't be closed at the same time, to avoid the fault caused by parallel connection of electric heaters. The adhesion detecting circuit can output a square wave when a relay has adhesion. The square wave avoids mixing with a low level output of the detecting circuit.
US09269508B2

The invention relates to a tap changer for voltage regulation with semiconductor switching components on a regulating transformer having a regulating winding. The tap changer is of a modular design and each module comprises, respectively, one partial winding of the regulating winding that is connectable or disconnectable by means of semiconductor switching components. Varistors and capacitors are additionally integrated for protecting the semiconductor switching components against high voltages.
US09269504B2

Disclosed herein is an electrode for energy devices such as electric double layer capacitors, which includes conductive fibers made of carbon, such as carbon nanotubes, as an electrode active material and has a high capacitance. The electrode for energy devices includes a current collector and a plurality of conductive fibers (e.g., carbon nanotubes) provided to stand on a surface of the current collector so that their one ends are electrically connected to the surface of the current collector, wherein the conductive fibers are made of carbon and have carboxyl group-containing functional groups or oxo group-containing functional groups and hydroxyl group-containing functional groups attached thereto. The conductive fibers preferably carry a quinone group-containing compound.
US09269502B2

The present application is directed to carbon materials comprising an optimized pore structure. The carbon materials comprise enhanced electrochemical properties and find utility in any number of electrical devices, for example, as electrode material in ultracapacitors. Methods for making the disclosed carbon materials are also disclosed.
US09269498B2

An example includes a capacitor case sealed to retain electrolyte, at least one anode disposed in the capacitor case, the at least one anode comprising a sintered portion disposed on a substrate, an anode conductor coupled to the substrate in electrical communication with the sintered portion, the anode conductor sealingly extending through the capacitor case to an anode terminal disposed on the exterior of the capacitor case with the anode terminal in electrical communication with the sintered portion, a cathode disposed in the capacitor case, a separator disposed between the cathode and the anode and a cathode terminal disposed on an exterior of the capacitor case and in electrical communication with the cathode, with the anode terminal and the cathode terminal electrically isolated from one another.
US09269494B2

Solder-repellent portions are each arranged so as to extend over all or substantially all of a portion of a corresponding one of outer electrodes provided on a corresponding one of end surfaces of a monolithic ceramic electronic component and partially on portions of the outer electrode provided over two side surfaces of the monolithic ceramic electronic component. When the monolithic ceramic electronic component is mounted on the circuit board, solder does not adhere to the end surfaces and portions of the outer electrode provided on portions of the two side surfaces. Thus, expansion and contraction that occur as a result of application of an AC voltage is not transmitted or is not significantly transmitted to the circuit board. Consequently, vibrations of the circuit board are significantly reduced or prevented.
US09269487B2

A common mode noise filter includes a first insulating layer, a first coil conductor on an upper surface of the first insulating layer, a second coil conductor on a lower surface of the first insulating layer, a second insulating layer on the upper surface of the first insulating layer to cover the first coil conductor, a third insulating layer on a lower surface of the second insulating layer to cover the second coil conductor. The first insulating layer contains glass and inorganic filler, and contains pores dispersed therein. The second insulating layer covers the first coil conductor, contains glass and inorganic filler, and contains pores dispersed therein. The third insulating layer covers the second coil conductor, contains glass and inorganic filler, and contains pores dispersed therein. This common mode noise filter has excellent high-frequency characteristics at a high yield rate.
US09269485B2

A method for fabricating an inductor structure having an increased quality factor (Q) is provided. In one embodiment, a substrate is provided and a plurality of metal layers are formed on the substrate. A spirally patterned conductor layer is formed over and in the substrate and in the metal layers to produce a planar spiral inductor. A via hole is formed over and in the substrate and in the metal layers within the spirally patterned conductor layer, the via hole being formed by a through silicon via (TSV) process. Thereafter, the via hole is filled with a core layer, wherein the core layer extends from a bottom surface of the substrate to a top surface of the metal layers.
US09269484B2

An electromagnet comprising a ferromagnetic yoke which comprises a yoke. Mutually opposing first and second pole pieces are provided. The first pole piece is provided with a planar coil having a first side facing the yoke and a second side facing the yoke. A balancing member is arranged on the second side of the planar coil to counterbalance the attractive force between the planar coil and the yoke. The other pole piece may also be provided with a corresponding balancing member.
US09269482B2

Magnetic structure production may relate, by way of example but not limitation, to methods, systems, etc. for producing magnetic structures by printing magnetic pixels (aka maxels) into a magnetizable material. Disclosed herein is production of magnetic structures having, for example: maxels of varying shapes, maxels with different positioning, individual maxels with different properties, maxel patterns having different magnetic field characteristics, combinations thereof, and so forth. In certain example implementations disclosed herein, a second maxel may be printed such that it partially overwrites a first maxel to produce a magnetic structure having overlapping maxels. In certain example implementations disclosed herein, a magnetic printer may include a print head comprising multiple parts and having various properties. In certain example implementations disclosed herein, various techniques for using a magnetic printer may be employed to produce different magnetic structures. Furthermore, description of additional magnet-related technology and example implementations thereof is included herein.
US09269481B2

Oxide-coated Fe powder for producing various electromagnetic circuit components requiring high resistivity is provided. The oxide-coated Fe powder is a Mg-containing oxide film-coated iron powder coated with an Mg—Fe—O ternary-based deposition film at least containing (Mg, Fe)O. The (Mg,Fe)O is a crystalline MgO-dissolving wustite. The Mg—Fe—O ternary-based oxide deposition film has a sulfur-enriched layer containing a higher concentration of sulfur than that of central portion of the iron powder, fine crystalline texture having a grain size of 200 nm or less, and the outermost surface is substantially composed of MgO. A composite soft magnetic material using the Mg-containing oxide film-coated iron powder is also provided.
US09269478B2

Provided are a method for preparing a transparent conductive layer and a transparent conductive layer prepared by the method. The method for preparing a transparent conductive layer includes: 1) forming a cellulose derivative film by coating a transparent substrate with a cellulose derivative coating liquid; 2) hydrolyzing the cellulose derivatives by treating the cellulose derivative film using an alkaline agent; 3) forming a metal film by coating the hydrolyzed cellulose derivative film with an organic metal ink and reducing metals on the cellulose derivative; and 4) forming a conductive metal layer by heat-treating the cellulose derivative film with the metal film formed, and a transparent conductive layer prepared by the method. According to the present invention, a process can be simplified, and also a transparent conductive layer having excellent conductivity, transmittance, bending resistance, and low haze can be prepared.
US09269472B2

Fluorine-doped tin oxide particles having a structure characterized by peaks at at least 123±5 cm−1, 139±5 cm−1, and 170±5 cm−1 in Raman spectroscopy. The particles preferably have additional Raman spectral peaks at 78±5 cm−1, 97±5 cm−1, 109±5 cm−1, 186±5 cm−1, and 207±5 cm−1. The particles preferably have a specific surface area of 10 to 300 m2/g.
US09269469B2

An arrangement for inverse x-ray phase contrast imaging includes a photon-counting x-ray detector and a multibeam x-ray tube. Focal points of the x-ray tube are collimated such that a narrow x-ray beam that is directed toward an optical axis of the arrangement and toward the x-ray detector may be generated. An active surface of the x-ray detector is at least as large as a cross-sectional surface of the narrow x-ray beam. The arrangement also includes a source grating arranged between the x-ray tube and the x-ray detector. The arrangement includes a defraction grating arranged between the source grating and the x-ray detector, and an absorption grating arranged between the defraction grating and the x-ray detector.
US09269465B2

A method and device for limiting the degassing of tritiated waste issued from the nuclear industry are provided. The method reduces an amount of generated tritiated hydrogen (T2 or HT) and/or tritiated water (HTO or T2O) including at least one piece of tritiated waste from the nuclear industry. The method includes placing the package in contact with a mixture including manganese dioxide (MnO2) combined with a component that includes silver; and placing the package in contact with a molecular sieve.
US09269462B2

Disclosed embodiments include a vented nuclear fission fuel module system. Given by way of non-limiting example and not of limitation, an illustrative vented nuclear fission fuel module system includes a nuclear fission fuel element capable of generating a gaseous fission product. A valve body is associated with the nuclear fission fuel element, and the valve body defines a plenum therein for receiving the gaseous fission product. A reclosable valve is in operative communication with the plenum for controllably venting the gaseous fission product from the plenum, and the valve body includes a flexible diaphragm coupled to the valve for moving the valve to a closed position.
US09269461B2

Exemplary embodiments provide automated nuclear fission reactors and methods for their operation. Exemplary embodiments and aspects include, without limitation, re-use of nuclear fission fuel, alternate fuels and fuel geometries, modular fuel cores, fast fluid cooling, variable burn-up, programmable nuclear thermostats, fast flux irradiation, temperature-driven surface area/volume ratio neutron absorption, low coolant temperature cores, refueling, and the like.
US09269453B2

A fuse array may include: an E-fuse including a plurality of active regions having a floating node and a contact node, and a plurality of gates overlapping the respective active regions and separated from each other between the floating node and the contact node; and a plurality of fuse sets each including two or more E-fuses and sharing the floating node or the contact node.
US09269447B1

A nonvolatile semiconductor memory device according to an embodiment comprises a control unit, in a data write, determining at least one of: a first requirement that the number of times of a data read on first through n1-th pages (where n1 is an integer of 1 to N−1) of a target block executed after the most recent data erase on the target block, is less than a reference number of times; and a second requirement that the number of memory cells whose threshold voltage is higher than a reference voltage, of a plurality of memory cells of a reference page of n1+1-th through N-th pages of the target block, is less than a reference number, and when the determined requirement is satisfied, writing additional data to the n1+1-th through N-th pages of the target block.
US09269443B2

A semiconductor device includes a memory block including even memory cells configured to form an even page and odd memory cells configured to form an odd page. The semiconductor device may also include an operation circuit configured to perform a program operation on the even memory cells and the odd memory cells. A first verify operation may separately verify the even memory cells and the odd memory cells, and a second verify operation may simultaneously verify the even memory cells and the odd memory cells. Further, the operation circuit may be configured to selectively perform the first verify operation and the second verify operation depending on a number of adjacent program fail cells in response to a verify result value.
US09269434B2

A resistive memory apparatus and a write-in method thereof are provided. The memory controller provides unselected bit-lines and unselected word-lines both not coupled to a selected resistive memory cell respectively with a first bit-line voltage and a first word-line voltage in one of a setting duration and a resetting duration, wherein the first bit-line voltage is equal to a product of a writing-in voltage VW and (n−1)/n and the first word-line voltage is equal to VW×1/n. The memory controller provides the unselected bit-lines not coupled to the selected resistive memory cell with a second bit-line voltage and the unselected word-lines not coupled to the selected resistive memory cell with a second word-line voltage in the other one of the setting duration and the resetting duration, wherein the second bit-line voltage is equal to VW×1/n and the second word-line voltage is equal to VW×(n−1)/n.
US09269431B2

This disclosure relates to generating a reference current for a memory device. In one aspect, a non-volatile memory device, such as a phase change memory device, can determine a value of a data digit, such as a bit, stored in a non-volatile memory cell based at least partly on the reference current. The reference current can be generated by mirroring a current at a node that is biased by a voltage bias. A configurable resistance circuit can have a resistance that is configurable. The resistance of the configurable resistance circuit can be in series between the node and a resistive non-volatile memory element. In some embodiments, a plurality of non-volatile memory elements can each be electrically connected in series between the resistance of the configurable resistance circuit and a corresponding selector.
US09269430B1

In a method of operating a memory device having a cross point array structure, the memory device includes multiple tiles, and each of the tiles includes memory cells of multiple layers. The method includes accessing, in a first tile, multiple memory cells of a first layer disposed in a region where at least one first line and at least one second line cross each other, accessing, in the first tile, multiple memory cells of a second layer disposed in a region where at least one first line and at least one second line cross each other, and accessing, after the memory cells of the multiple layers of the first tile are accessed, multiple memory cells included in a second tile. Related memory devices and memory systems are also discussed.
US09269429B2

A resistive memory device includes a memory cell array including a plurality vertically stacked layers having one layer designated as an interference-free layer and another layer designated as an access prohibited layer, wherein the interference-free layer and the access prohibited layer share a connection with at least one signal line and access operations directed to memory cells the access prohibited layer are prohibited.
US09269425B2

A three-dimensional array of memory elements that reversibly change a level of electrical conductance in response to a voltage difference being applied across them. The memory elements can be set to a low resistance state and reset to a high resistance state during standard operation by biasing appropriate voltages on the word lines and bit lines. Prior to standard operation, the memory elements undergo a forming operation, during which current through the bit lines is limited. A forming voltage is applied to the memory elements during forming with a polarity such that a higher voltage is applied to anodes and a lower voltage to cathodes.
US09269422B2

A two transistor ternary random access memory (TTTRAM) circuit includes an voltage/current input, an input/output switch, a first transistor, a first pull up resistor, a second transistor, and a second pull up resistor. The first transistor has a first emitter, a first collector connected to the input/output switch, and a first base. The first pull up resistor is connected to the first emitter and the voltage/current input. The second transistor has a second emitter connected to ground, a second collector, and a second base connected to the input/output switch. The second pull up resistor is connected to the first base, the second collector, and the voltage/current input.
US09269421B2

A semiconductor memory may include: a storage unit suitable for storing a minimum operation interval between row command operations, a detection unit suitable for detecting whether row command signals inputted for the row command operations are activated at the minimum operation interval, a latching unit suitable for generating flag signals by latching the row command signals, and a shifting unit suitable for shifting the flag signals based on the minimum operation interval in response to an output signal of the detection unit, and generating an internal row command signals.
US09269413B2

Semiconductor device capable of preventing off-leakage of the transistor may include a pulse voltage generator configured to generate a pulse voltage, and a transistor configured to have a gate provided with the pulse voltage. The transistor is in an off state in response to the pulse voltage.
US09269410B2

Described examples include leakage measurement systems and methods for measuring leakage current between a word line at a boosted voltage and a word line at a supply voltage. The boosted voltage may be generated by charge pump circuitry. Examples of leakage measurement systems described herein may be included in memory devices.
US09269404B1

A package on package (PoP) apparatus includes a shared ZQ calibration path and a shared ZQ calibration resistor for calibrating multiple channels of DRAM on a memory package of the PoP apparatus. Arbitration circuitry on a processor package of the PoP apparatus is coupled to separate memory controllers for the multiple memory channels. The arbitration circuitry is configured to indicate availability of the shared ZQ calibration resistor. The memory controllers are configured to communicate with the arbitration circuitry before performing a ZQ calibration and to delay the ZQ calibration when the arbitration circuitry indicates the ZQ calibration resistor is busy.
US09269400B2

Provided herein is an apparatus, including: a component drawer, a chassis including an opening configured to removably receive the component drawer therethrough, a cover for the component drawer, and means for locking the component drawer in the chassis during movement of the component drawer into the chassis with the cover in a storage position, and for releasing the component drawer from the chassis when the cover is the non-storage position.
US09269395B2

Disclosed is a display control apparatus for performing display control in order to display an image on a display apparatus; the display control apparatus comprising an input unit configured to input image group data composed of a plurality of images to be sequentially played; an acquiring unit configured to acquire information of a display size of a specific object included in each of the images; and a deciding unit configured to decide a play speed at which the plurality of images are sequentially played one by one in accordance with the display size of the specific object included in each of the images.
US09269389B2

A magnetic sputtering target which contains B and is obtained by a melting and casting method, wherein the B content is 10 at % or more and 50 at % or less, and the remainder is one or more elements selected from Co, Fe, and Ni. Based on the method of the present invention, the sputtering target, in which gaseous impurities are few, there are no cracks and fractures, and segregation of its main constituent elements is minimal, is obtained. Consequently, when sputtered with a magnetron sputtering device comprising a DC power supply, this sputtering target yields a significant effect of being able to inhibit the generation of particles during sputtering, and improve the production yield upon forming thin films.
US09269386B1

A data storage device is disclosed comprising a head actuated over a disk comprising tracks defined by servo sectors. A location of the head is generated based on the servo sectors, and a position error signal (PES) representing a difference between a target location for the head and the measured location for the head is generated. An actuator control signal (ACS) is generated in response to the PES, a disturbance compensation signal (DCS) is generated based on the PES and the ACS, and the DCS is filtered with a disturbance observer filter. The DCS is filtered with a plurality of band-pass filters, and an output of one of the band-pass filters is filtered with a peak detection filter configured to detect a peak frequency corresponding to a peak in a frequency response of the band-pass filter, wherein the disturbance observer filter is adjusted based on the peak frequency.
US09269385B1

An apparatus for storing data includes a storage medium, a head assembly disposed in relation to the storage medium and operable to read and write data on the storage medium, an analog high pass filter operable to filter an output from the head assembly to yield a filtered analog signal, wherein a high pass corner frequency of the analog high pass filter is below a servo data frequency in the data, an analog to digital converter operable to sample the filtered analog signal to yield digital samples, and a digital filter operable to perform pole-zero compensation for the analog high pass filter on the digital samples to yield filtered digital samples, with a zero at the high pass corner frequency of the analog high pass filter, and with a pole at a frequency higher than the high pass corner frequency of the analog high pass filter.
US09269378B2

The present invention relates to stray magnetic shielding in PMR systems. The stray magnetic fields can funnel through the magnetic write head into the recording medium and lead to degradation in performance, even erasure. By placing a magnetic shield around the return pole, and spaced from the main pole by a nonmagnetic material, the stray magnetic flux is diverted into the additional stray field magnetic shields such that the stray magnetic fields travel mainly through the shield, away from the main pole. This ensures the stray magnetic flux density will be decreased greatly before reaching the recording medium, unable to negatively affect performance. To further ensure ease of manufacturing, the magnetic shield is made from the same material as the main pole, the return pole, or both.
US09269370B2

According to a preferred aspect of the instant invention, there is provided a system and method that allows the user to attenuate ambient noise in speech recordings in the audio part of a video recording. The user does not need to define particular sections or samples or individual parameters. The system is automatically analyzing the input signal and in a plurality of individual steps detects the ambient noise, determines an adaptive filter, implements the filter and therewith attenuates the ambient noise accordingly.
US09269367B2

A method of processing audio signals during a communication session between a user device and a remote node, includes receiving a plurality of audio signals at audio input means at the user device including at least one primary audio signal and unwanted signals and receiving direction of arrival information of the audio signals at a noise suppression means. Known direction of arrival information representative of at least some of said unwanted signals is provided to the noise suppression means and the audio signals are processed at the noise suppression means to treat as noise, portions of the signal identified as unwanted dependent on a comparison between the direction of arrival information of the audio signals and the known direction of arrival information.
US09269353B1

A content is divided into tokens. Tokens can represent sounds, symbols, letters, words, sentences, paragraphs, or documents, among other possibilities. Probable measures of meaning (PMMs) are determined for each token. Given a target token, a proximity function for other tokens can be calculated, which in turn can be used to modify the PMMs for the other tokens. These modified PMMs for the other tokens can then be used in conjunction with the PMM for the target token to generate a relative measure of meaning (RMM) for the target token.
US09269345B2

The electronic device and a corresponding signal processing method disclosed herein reduces electromagnetic noise. To that end, the electronic device includes a delay line, an oscillator, and a modulator. The delay line generates a spread spectrum clock signal from an input clock signal, where a timing jitter and a period of jitter of the spread spectrum clock signal are controlled at each period of the spread spectrum clock signal based on a digital code. The oscillator uses the spread spectrum clock signal to generate a processing signal. The modulator modulates the processing signal as a function of an audio signal.
US09269342B2

An active noise reduction earphone. The earphone includes structure for positioning and retaining the earphone in the ear of a user without a headband, active noise reduction circuitry including an acoustic driver with a nominal diameter greater than 10 mm oriented so that a line parallel to, or coincident with, an axis of the acoustic driver and that intersects a centerline of the nozzle intersects the centerline of the nozzle at angle θ>±30 degrees. A microphone is positioned adjacent an edge of the acoustic driver. The earphone is configured so that a portion of the acoustic driver is within the concha of a user and another portion of the acoustic driver is outside the concha of the user when the earphone is in position. An opening coupling the nozzle to the environment includes impedance providing structure in the opening.
US09269337B2

A floor tom-tom is mounted on three floor tom-tom legs via three tom-tom mounting devices. Each tom-tom mounting device is composed of a memory lock and a floor tom-tom bracket located on the memory lock. The tom-tom mounting device is configured to be capable of fixing the floor tom-tom bracket to the memory lock.
US09269332B2

There is provided a method for preloading the glyphs required to display the content of a system. In accordance with an embodiment of the present technique, only those glyphs which are present in the system upon startup or synchronization of an electronic device are preloaded. The glyphs present upon startup or synchronization of the electronic device may be determined by scanning the system. In an illustrated embodiment, scanning the system may include analyzing models and views to determine the glyphs present in the system.
US09269331B2

The present invention is directed to providing, in a plurality of information processing apparatuses which transmits and receives objects, a technique for causing the display contents in the apparatuses to be related by the apparatuses performing simple exchange of information. An information processing apparatus includes a display control unit configured to cause, based on the information on the azimuth direction in which an object displayed on a screen has been moved, from other apparatus that transmits the information and the information indicating the azimuth direction in which the screen of the information processing apparatus has been directed, an object which is the same as an object displayed on a screen of the other apparatus to appear from an azimuth direction opposite of the azimuth direction in which the object displayed on the screen of the other apparatus has been moved, in the screen of the information processing apparatus.
US09269330B2

A head mounted display apparatus and a backlight adjustment method thereof are disclosed. The head mounted display apparatus comprises a display module, a backlight module, an application processor, an eye image capture apparatus, an infrared (IR) light emitting diode (LED) and an application specific integrated circuit (ASIC). The backlight module provides a backlight to the display module. The eye image capture apparatus captures an eye image. The IR LED provides an auxiliary light source to the eye image capture apparatus. The ASIC calculates a current pupil size according to the eye image. The application processor adjusts the backlight intensity of the backlight module according to the current pupil size in an adjustment mode.
US09269329B2

A data processor for a display device that includes a plurality of pixels, each of which includes red, first green, blue, and second green sub-pixels, may include an input gamma processor for processing image data including red, green, and blue grayscale data into linearized image data by applying a gamma function to the image data, a first sub-pixel rendering unit for rendering the linearized image data according to layout of a plurality of sub-pixels included in the plurality of pixels using a 3×1 rendering filter to output linearized second sub-pixel data, and an output gamma processor for processing the linearized second sub-pixel data into non-linearized second sub-pixel data by applying an inverse gamma function to the linearized second sub-pixel data.
US09269316B2

A shift register, a gate driving device and a liquid crystal display device aim to solve the problem that the lifespan of the gate driving device is shortened since some transistors in an existing shift register are in a turn-on state all the time during a non-operational period to reduce noise on a corresponding gate line. The shift register includes an output module (12) for connecting a control signal output terminal (OUTPUT) of the shift register and a clock signal input terminal (CLKIN) under the control of the signal output from a driving module (11); a first pull-down module (13) for connecting the pull-up node (PU) and the second level signal input terminal (15) and connecting the control signal output terminal (OUTPUT) of the shift register and the second level signal input terminal (15) under the control of the signal output from a driving module (11); and a second pull-down module (14) for connecting the pull-up node (PU) and the second level signal input terminal (15) and connecting the control signal output terminal (OUTPUT) of the shift register and the second level signal input terminal (15) under the control of the signal output from a driving module (11).
US09269314B2

The display driver includes an image memory which is configured by including a plurality of memory mats, a plurality of power supply switches which can perform an ON and OFF control of power supply to each of the plurality of memory mats, and a control circuit which turns on or off the power supply switches. The control circuit turns on the plurality of power supply switches in such a manner that the power supply to the memory mat to which the image data is written at an initial time, among the plurality of memory mats, becomes stable earlier than the power supply to the other memory mats.
US09269310B1

Techniques for performing progressive updates on displays of respective electronic devices. The techniques may update a display in two or more steps for the purpose of first providing a quick response and thereafter providing a higher quality rendering of the update. For instance, when the techniques receive an indication that the device has received an instruction to perform an update on a particular portion of the display, the techniques may compare one or more aspects of the update to one or more predefined criteria. If the update satisfies the criteria, then the techniques may instruct a display controller to first perform the update in black and white and may set a timer for later instructing the display controller to perform the update in grayscale.
US09269308B2

Display backlight units are controlled with a signal. A message has an address header specifying one of an array of backlight units, and instructions for individually controlling each of the backlight units, particularized accordingly. The message is routed from a controller to a first controllable backlight unit of the display, which controllably responds to its corresponding particularized instructions. The message is sequentially routed in order from each backlight unit to the next in a chained ring configuration. Data from the backlight units is similarly routed back to the controller.
US09269292B2

A method of setting target locations for reducing image sticking is provided. According to the method, a plurality of images, each of the images being displayed during each frame by an organic light emitting display device are acquired. The target locations at which image sticking frequently occurs are set by comparing the images. Image data corresponding to the target locations are stored in a memory unit. A plurality of pixel circuits may simultaneously emit light in the organic light emitting display device.
US09269290B2

A display device is provided. The display device includes pixels, a data driver, a signal controller, a data processor. The data driver is configured to apply a first data voltage to a first pixel. The signal controller is configured to transfer an image data signal and a data control signal for controlling an operation of the data driver. The data processor is configured to detect a first region including a moving in a first image signal, to apply a first dynamic capacitance control (DCC) to the first region, to apply a second DCC to a second region other than the moving pattern region, to generate the second image signal by combining the first region to which the first DCC is applied and the second region to which the second DCC is applied, and to transfer the second image signal to the signal controller.
US09269288B2

The present disclosure provides a method for generating a test chart for Gamma value of a display device and a method for testing Gamma value thereof. The method includes: determining a grayscale corresponding to a generated test chart for Gamma value of the display device, and determining luminance of a standard picture area represented by the test chart for Gamma value of the display device; determining a grayscale voltage of a test picture area according to the grayscale corresponding to the standard picture area in the display panel, and determining the luminance of the test picture area displayed by the display panel under the grayscale voltage; comparing the luminance of the test picture area and the luminance of the standard picture area, and determining the Gamma value of the display device according to the result of the comparison.
US09269285B2

An array substrate includes a display area including a plurality of pixels coupled to a plurality of gate lines and a plurality of data lines; a data driving unit, coupled to a fan-out unit and configured to drive the data lines; a first switching circuit between the display area and the data driving unit and configured to control the data lines to share electric charges in an image display mode; and a second switching circuit coupled to the fan-out unit via a fuse unit and configured to be disconnected from the fan-out unit in the image display mode.
US09269284B2

An escape route marking for an airplane with a long luminous strip consisting of a photoluminescent material, a housing in which the luminous strip is arranged and that is designed clear or transparent at least on its top side, and a holding rail for the housing. The holding rail possesses a seating recess for the housing of the luminous strip and cover wings that project laterally on both sides of the holding rail in the longitudinal direction. The top side of the housing inserted in the holding recess is exposed, the cover wings are designed to be elastic, and at least the cover wings of the holding rail consist of a material that is more elastic than the material of the housing.
US09269272B2

A system and method of monitoring received instrument landing system (ILS) signals onboard an aircraft includes performing a pre-approach sampling of the received ILS signals to thereby generate pre-approach phase ILS data. A statistical approach course of the aircraft is determined based at least in part on the pre-approach phase ILS data. A determination is made as to when the aircraft is below a predetermined activation altitude and, when it is, approach sampling of the received ILS signals is performed to generate approach phase ILS data. The approach phase ILS data is compared to the statistical approach course to determine a course deviation. An alert signal is selectively generated when the course deviation exceeds a predetermined magnitude.
US09269261B2

The present invention relates to an operating method for a communication device (DC) for remote control of an actuator (ACT) for a piece of mobile equipment (ME) in a building, comprising the steps consisting of: analysing a first received signal (RS) to determine if at least one sequence of the first received signal (RS) can be interpreted as being in accordance with a configuration communication mode which can be used by the communication device (DC); on receipt of at least one sequence of the first received signal which is in accordance with a configuration mode, defining said configuration communication mode (MCi) as the identified configuration communication mode; defining an operational communication mode (MUO) on the basis of the identified configuration communication mode (MCi); receiving a second signal (RS2) according to the operational communication mode (MUO); and interpreting the second received signal (RS2) according to the operational communication mode (MUO), in such a way as to identify control data in the second received signal (RS2).
US09269256B2

Embodiments of the invention provide a method, system and computer program product for dynamic activation of service indicators based upon service personnel proximity. In an embodiment of the invention, a method for dynamic activation of service indicators based upon service personnel proximity is provided. The method includes receiving at an enclosure of different hardware devices in a data center, a message for personnel proximity based activation of a service indicator lamp and activating a presence sensor in response to receiving the message. The method also includes responding to presence sensing an individual by the presence sensor by activating the service indicator lamp of the enclosure.
US09269254B2

A signalling device for divers (3) has, along a shoulder strap (4) for compressed air bottles, a clip (12) which is pivotably attached in the shoulder region to the shoulder strap (4) and is detachably connected at the other free end to the shoulder strap (4) by means of a closure (13, 13′). The closure (13, 13′) can be opened manually or opens automatically when an alarm is triggered, for example when a limiting value which is set on a diving computer is exceeded. The clip (12) then floats above the shoulder in the manner of a torch which is held upright, especially since the clip (12) has a signal light (14) as an all-round light at the free end. An antenna (21) of an ultrasonic transmitter (20) can be provided on the clip (12), and if appropriate also a GPS transmitter (22) or transponder which makes it easier to locate the diver (3) above the water. A hose (10) leading to a compressed air bottle (9) is clamped in between the clip (12) and the shoulder strap (4), which hose (10) has a reserve mouthpiece (11). This alternative supply of breathing air is released when the clip (12) is opened.
US09269251B2

A communicator facilitates communications with a remote server via a wireless network supporting a plurality of disparate data transport mechanisms having differing characteristics. A processor coupled to memory is disposed in a communicator housing, which is configured for portability. The memory stores wireless radio firmware and data transfer instructions that are executable by the processor for transferring data to the remote server in accordance with a priority level. The priority level is based in part on criticality of the data and the communicator status. A radio disposed in the housing effects communications via the wireless network in accordance with the firmware. A power source in the housing supplies power for communicator components. The processor executes program instructions for selecting a data transport mechanism among the plurality transport mechanisms based on the priority level, and transmits the data via the wireless network via the radio using the selected transport mechanism.
US09269248B2

An aspirated smoke detector includes at least one ambient atmosphere inflow collection pipe with a plurality of inflow ports arranged along the pipe. The ports of the pipe are defined at least in part by temperature sensitive materials which alter the area of the respective inflow port in response to physical and/or chemical changes. As the temperature increases the area increases, thereby drawing more of the local ambient air and airborne particulate matter into the flow pipe, and then onto the smoke sensing chamber. This increased flow off-sets the dilution present due to other air in the respective pipe from other inflow ports which might not be near the developing fire condition.
US09269246B2

A copper theft alarm system is disclosed. The alarm system can be deployed on existing grain bins or other electrically powered equipment, allowing persons to receive an automated phone call, text message notification, or other desired notification when the system has sensed that a copper cable is being pulled out of a conduit. The notification can aid in potentially disrupting a thief's activity.
US09269236B2

An RFID key dispenser. The tag dispenser has a simple mechanical construction that enables the tag dispenser to be located in unattended locations. The tag dispenser can, even with very simple construction, dispense a large number of tags between being restocked. Simple motions may be used to retrieve an individual tag for programming, move the tag to a programming station, and then route the tag to a dispensing portion of the tag dispenser or to a storage area for defective tags.
US09269227B2

A method of playing a wagering game that comprises the player making multiple wagers to play a single-outcome game, the multiple wagers being made on multiple predetermined paytables for said game. One single-outcome game and at least two differing paytables for said game are offered to the player. The paytables may be for different game versions or for a single game version with differing risk levels. The payback percentage of each of the said differing paytables may vary according to the amount of the wager. The player makes one wager for each predetermined paytable to be utilized in the resolve of the wagers. Multiple same paytables, multiple differing paytables or combinations thereof may be wagered for the play of a single game having a single outcome. The said single outcome is then compared to each wagered predetermined paytable, and each wager is resolved according to that same wagered predetermined paytable.
US09269223B2

A gaming system including a central server linked to a plurality of gaming devices. Upon the central server determining that a game transfer event has occurred, the central server selects a game played by a first player at a first gaming device to be displayed to a second player at a second, gaming device in the gaming system. The first player at the first gaming device and the second player at the second gaming device are provided any awards for the outcomes generated in association with the game currently played by the first player at the first gaming device.
US09269218B2

By rendering lower half of 30 FPS in the processing of even numbered frame of 60 fps and rendering upper half of 30 fps in the processing of odd numbered frame, the processing load of the processor 70 can be reduced to half. Thus, by delaying image rendering, the image quality degradation can be prevented, therefore stable high-quality images can be displayed.
US09269213B2

A gaming system includes a controller linked to a plurality of gaming devices. The central server tracks: (i) a quantity of gaming devices being actively played by players, or (ii) a quantity of players actively playing at the gaming devices. The controller determines the players' eligibility for different awards based on the tracked quantity. When the controller tracks a first quantity, the controller provides the active players with an opportunity to win a first award. When the central server tracks a second quantity, the central server provides the active players with an opportunity to win a second award. As the tracked quantity changes, the controller determines or modifies the number of awards available to the players actively playing at the gaming devices.
US09269209B2

The invention relates to a device (20) for transport and/or storage of notes of value. The device (20) comprises a roller storage (20) having a winding drum (1, 30). Further, the device (20) comprises a sensor (26, 34) for detecting a rotary motion of the winding drum (1, 30).
US09269205B1

An environmental impact measurement system for an aircraft includes a one-way data interface and a processing system. The one-way data interface is adapted to continuously receive and transmit aircraft data and flight plan data. The processing system is in operable communication with the one-way data interface to receive the aircraft data and the flight plan data transmitted therefrom. The processing system is configured, upon receipt of the aircraft data and the flight plan data, to generate at least data representative of real-time environmental impact of the aircraft, and recommendations for improving the real-time environmental impact of the aircraft.
US09269200B2

A real-time performance evaluation system can compare machine performance to a performance standard. A Fleet Operations Subsystem (FOS) can determine a machine status such as Parked, Idle, Working, Travel or Turning. The FOS can be configured to determine machine performance by determining the amount of time spent in each status. The performance can be compared to predetermined performance standards, for example a minimum number of hours spent working, or a maximum number of hours spent idle. A performance score can be generated based on the comparison. A report of the performance evaluation can be provided. A report can be in the form of a performance marker graphic on a visual display. The performance marker can represent the performance score. The performance marker can be in the form of an alarm symbol for a poorly performing machine. The system provides an operator or manager the opportunity to improve machine performance.
US09269199B2

A location of a downhole asset relative to a first environment may be tracked. The configuration information for the downhole asset is acquired, where the configuration information includes a measurement of one or more forces applied to the downhole asset during assembly of the downhole asset in the first environment. A service life of the downhole asset is determined from the configuration information. One or more parameters related to usage of the downhole environment in a second environment are measured. A remainder of the service life of the downhole asset is determined by reducing the service life by an amount proportional to usage of the downhole asset as indicated by the measurement related to usage of the downhole asset. The remaining service life may be used to automatically initiate an order for new parts.
US09269192B2

A head-mounted display device that allows a user to visually recognize a virtual image in a state where the head-mounted display device is mounted on the head of the user, including: an image processing unit that performs a process of generating an image; and an image display unit having an image light generating unit that generates image light representing the image, and configured such that the user can visually recognize the virtual image and the outside world, wherein the head-mounted display device is configured such that in a partial area of an area where the virtual image can be displayed in a visual field of the user, the outside world can be visually recognized preferentially.
US09269189B1

Methods, systems, and apparatus, including computer programs encoded on a computer storage medium, for constructing a trim-free T-spline surface and control mesh for a NURBS surface control grid of a B-rep face; modifying the trim-free T-spline control mesh to align the trim-free T-spline surface boundary with a functional trimming curve; and redefining one or more faces in the modified trim-free T-spline control mesh that is adjacent to the trimming curve as a variable knot spline face.
US09269188B2

Image data obtained from an image sampling of a physical surface is integrated with position data obtained from a three-dimensional surface sampling of the same physical surface by combining data from the images with the measured surface points from the surface sampling to create additional “implied” surface points between the measured surface points. Thus, the originally obtained point cloud of measured surface points is densified by adding the implied surface points. Moreover, the image data can be used to apply colors to both the implied data points and the measured data points, resulting in a colored three-dimensional representation of the physical surface that is of higher resolution than a representation obtained from only the measured surface points.
US09269180B2

A computer graphics processor and a method for rendering a three-dimensional image on a display screen. The computer graphics processor comprises a rasterizer configured to perform pixel traversal of a primitive after projection of the primitive. Furthermore, the rasterizer is configured to perform the pixel traversal of a first primitive for a plurality of views prior to performing pixel traversal of a next primitive for one or several views.
US09269179B2

A system, method, and computer program product are provided for generating primitive-specific attributes. In operation, it is determined whether a portion of a graphics processor is operating in a predetermined mode. If it is determined that the portion of the graphics processor is operating in the predetermined mode, only one or more primitive-specific attributes are generated in association with a primitive.
US09269176B2

Methods and systems for dynamically splitting content are disclosed. In some embodiments, content may be received that includes one or more elements to be animated. It may be determined that a size of at least one element of the one or more elements to be animated exceeds a threshold. The at least one element having the size that exceeds the threshold may be split into a plurality of sub-elements. A transform of at least one of the sub-elements may be modified.
US09269175B2

In a game apparatus, a trajectory WP on which a waist W of a player character moves and an elliptic trajectory ArP on which an ankle Par of the player character moves are set. When the player character moves in a game space, the waist moves on the trajectory WP and the ankle moves on the elliptic trajectory ArP in accordance with a movement amount of the player character. In this case, while the ankle makes one round on the elliptic trajectory ArP, the waist makes two shuttle movements on the trajectory WP. Thus, motion images in accordance with the movements of legs and feet are not required to be previously prepared and a variety of motions of the legs and feet of the player character can be realized.
US09269172B2

Example embodiments relate to providing pixel-based visualizations of time series data using nested helices. In example embodiments, helix portions in the time series data may be identified according to a measured time interval, where each of the helix portions represents the measured time interval in the time series data. A helical time period may then be determined and used as a helical revolution in a helical pixel representation. At this stage, the helical pixel representation may be generated using the helix portions, where proximate helix portions along a common line parallel to an axis of the helical pixel representation are chronologically separated by the helical time period.
US09269165B2

A method for radiographic imaging obtains a radiographic image of a patient's chest and processes the obtained image to generate a default radiographic image and a bone-enhanced image. At least a portion of one or more ribs within the default radiographic image is detected and a rib mask generated according to the at least the detected portion of the one or more ribs. The rib mask is applied to the bone-enhanced image to define masked enhanced image content that includes the detected at least the portion of one or more ribs. A composite image that combines the masked enhanced image content with the default radiographic image is generated and displayed.
US09269164B2

The method comprises for a pixel of an output grid which is not on an input grid on which pixel values are received in an input signal: determining a loss value for each of a plurality of candidate interpolators by analyzing the pixel values of the input grid along a direction associated with the candidate interpolator; selecting at least one interpolator by minimizing the loss value; and determining an output pixel value. At least two interpolation modes are provided, including: a first mode in which one interpolator is selected and the output pixel value is determined as an interpolated value obtained by applying locally the selected interpolator to pixel values of the input grid; and a second mode in which more than one interpolator is selected and the output pixel value is determined as a weighted sum of a plurality of interpolated values obtained by applying locally the selected interpolators.
US09269161B2

The present invention relates to anti-counterfeiting field, and more particularly, to an anti-counterfeiting method, device and system based on textures of an object to be tested. The method includes: providing a light source based on a pre-determined anti-counterfeiting test model, projecting light emitted by the light source on a pre-determined test area, obtaining a pre-determined number of pictures of the pre-determined test area by means of a pre-determined optical sensor, acquiring texture characteristics of the pre-determined test area from the pictures, computing similarity between the texture characteristics and pre-stored texture characteristics and outputting a test result based on the similarity. The present invention implements anti-counterfeiting function by using the texture characteristics of the object itself and improves the anti-counterfeiting level greatly without increasing complexity of the production of the object.
US09269158B2

In an example embodiment a method, apparatus and computer program product are provided. The method includes facilitating selection of a region of interest (ROI) in a plurality of frames of a multimedia content. The ROI is associated with a motion of at least one object. An object mobility data matrix associated with the ROI is determined in the plurality of frames. The object mobility data matrix is indicative of a difference in motion of the at least one object in the plurality of frames. A projection of the object mobility data matrix is determined on a line. The motion of the at least one object in the ROI is determined across the plurality of frames to as a periodic motion or a non-periodic motion based on the projection of the object mobility data matrix.
US09269138B2

Methods for dispensing a fluid sample on a substrate include obtaining an image of a sample applicator in proximity to the substrate, where the image includes a first image of the sample applicator and a second image of the sample applicator, determining a height of the sample applicator relative to a surface plane of the substrate based on a distance between common portions of the first and second images, and dispensing the fluid sample onto the substrate using the sample applicator, where the dispensing includes: translating the sample applicator, translating the substrate, or translating both the sample applicator and the substrate to effect a relative translation between the sample applicator and the substrate; and maintaining the sample applicator within 2 microns of a target height relative to the surface plane of the substrate during the translating.
US09269124B2

A distorted image (S) is acquired through a photographing operation using a wide-angle lens or an omnidirectional mirror. A cutting reference point (P) for cutting a partial cut region from the distorted image is set. The cut region is set according to the cutting reference point. An eye vector (n) corresponding to the cutting reference point is set with a photographing viewpoint of the distorted image as a base point. The cut region is shifted by a predetermined distance from the cutting reference point. The shifted cut region is transformed through image transformation to transform the distorted image into a planar regular image (T′) according to the eye vector. The shifted cut region (E′) is transformed.
US09269121B2

An apparatus may include a memory to store one or more graphics rendering commands in a queue after generation. The apparatus may also include a processor circuit, and a graphics rendering command manager for execution on the processor to dynamically determine at one or more instances a total execution duration for the one or more graphics rendering commands, where the total execution duration comprises a total time to render the one or more graphics rendering commands. The graphics rendering command manager also may be for execution on the processor to generate a signal to transmit the one or more graphics rendering commands for rendering by a graphics processor when the total execution duration exceeds a graphics rendering command execution window.
US09269120B2

According to some embodiments, performance bottlenecks that arise in particular resources within a graphic processor unit may be alleviated by dynamically rebalancing workloads among the resources, with the goal of removing the current performance bottleneck, while at the same time maintaining power dissipation within a currently allocated power budget. In some embodiments this may be achieved by defining a separate clock domain for each of the plurality of graphics processor resources whose performance may then be rebalanced.
US09269119B2

In one aspect, a device includes at least one storage medium bearing instructions executable by a processor, and at least one processor configured for accessing the storage medium to execute the instructions to configure the processor for receiving input pertaining to at least a first health parameter, monitoring at least one biometric of a user, and determining whether the user's biometric conforms to the first health parameter. The instructions also configure the processor for providing an indication that the biometric conforms to the first health parameter in response to determining that the user's biometric conforms to the first health parameter, and providing a recommendation for conforming to the first health parameter in response to determining that the user's biometric does not conform to the first health parameter.
US09269118B2

An abnormality score calculating means calculates abnormality scores which are information indicating abnormality of medical data, based on specificity of the medical data. An abnormality score vector generating means creates at least one or more abnormality score vectors which are information obtained by integrating the abnormality scores. Further, a side effect detecting means which decides a likelihood of a side effect indicated by the abnormality score vector, based on a predetermined rule, and detects an abnormality score vector the likelihood of which is set in advance and which satisfies conditions as information indicating the side effect.
US09269115B2

A method, system, and computer-readable storage media for licensing an application using sync providers are provided herein. The method includes receiving a request for a license for an application from a client sync provider at a licensing service and receiving information relating to the license from a commerce partner offering the application via a commerce partner sync provider. The method also includes returning the license for the application to a client computing device, receiving information relating to a state of the license from the client sync provider, and adjusting conditions of the license according to the state of the license.
US09269114B2

A content recording system comprises a digital media recording device to record content. A rights-management module is in electrical communication with the digital media recording device to detect a desired recording performed by the digital media recording device. The rights-management module further communicates digital rights information of a rights-managed content to the digital recording device. The recording of the rights-managed content is performed according to the digital rights information.
US09269100B2

Social graphs using shared personal data are described, including techniques for capturing data from a social data source, determining one or more connections associated with an item using the data, and creating a social graph using the one or more connections, the social graph comprising the one or more connections associated with the item. Embodiments of the invention also include techniques for updating social graphs.
US09269096B2

Methods and systems for synchronizing communication of different versions of an advertisement to multiple, disparate devices associated with a user are provided. The advertisement is received on a first device associated with the user. Incident to receiving the advertisement, the first device establishes a communication path with a second device associated with the user. Utilizing the communication path, capabilities of the second device are determined. A version of the advertisement is rendered for the second device, where the version rendered is dependent upon the determined capabilities of the second device. And, utilizing the communication path, the rendered version of the advertisement is communicated to the second device.
US09269095B1

Disclosed are methods and systems for creating, evaluating, and tuning a predictive engine for machine learning, and for replaying performance of the predictive engine, including steps to deploy a variant of the predictive engine; receive a plurality of queries to the predictive engine variant from an end-user device; apply a query segment filter to the plurality of queries to generate a replay group of queries, wherein for each query in the replay group, the engine variant generates a corresponding predicted result, receives a corresponding actual result, and computes a corresponding prediction score; group queries in the replay group into one or more segments; and generate, as a replay of the performance of the engine variant, an accumulated prediction score over each of the one or more query segments of the replay group by applying an accumulation function. The present invention substantially improves on systems that utilize predictive engines.
US09269086B2

A server is operable to receive a media device identifying number (ID) and establish an association between a media device and a payment account and, in one embodiment, supports at least one of payment authorization and payment clearing based at least in part on the media device ID and the payment account. A network and system includes a payment card processor server that is operable to receive a payment authorization request and to determine if an authorized media device generated a purchase selection message and to determine to approve a received payment authorization request based, in part, if the media device was authorized for the purchase selection based upon a received media device ID. The system is further operable to perform a key rotation to protect payment account information.
US09269084B2

An apparatus for effecting commercial transactions with a server using a transaction card via a communication device is provided. The apparatus includes a transaction device coupled with the communication device for capturing information from the transaction card and a controller for converting the captured card information into an encrypted audio signal and for transmitting the audio signal to the communication device. The communication device delivers the audio signal to the server for processing the commercial transaction.
US09269072B2

In various embodiments, an attendee of a live online meeting selects screen data from an earlier point in time in the online meeting for playback while the meeting is still ongoing. Automatically generated image thumbnails of the screen data for the online meeting may be employed to navigate to the earlier point in time. Attendees may annotate screenshots associated with the thumbnails, and a summary document may be generated that includes the screenshots and the annotations.
US09269071B2

Various embodiments of systems and methods for coordination of collaboration partners are described herein. Data from a plurality of collaboration partners is received during a collaboration process. The collaboration process involves one or more of the collaboration partners at one or more stages of the collaboration process. The data comprises process data relevant to the collaboration process. The received data is stored in one or more collaboration objects. In response to a request from a collaboration partner, a customized view of the one or more collaboration objects is generated and provided to the requesting collaboration partner based on access controls. The customized view includes information about the process data that is allowed to be viewed according to the access controls associated with the requesting collaboration partner.
US09269069B2

A user interface display comprises a plurality of selectable icons and a control symbol in a toolbar. The control symbol can be selected by a user to display additional selectable icons within the toolbar. Incoming events, such as customer support requests or other work items, can be received from a communication server and displayed via a selectable icon or work button in the toolbar. The user interface can notify the user of the incoming event, such as by causing the work button to blink. The user can send a command to the communication server via the user interface relating to the event, such as accepting an incoming work item or releasing a telephone call. The communication server can perform the appropriate event response.
US09269062B2

A method, non-transitory computer readable medium, and energy optimization device that optimizes energy consumption includes generating an energy model for each of a plurality of sites in an enterprise network. A plurality of service windows is determined for each of the sites. An energy consumption forecast is generated for each of the sites based on the generated energy models and the determined service windows. Current energy consumption information is obtained for one of the sites. Optimization recommendation(s) are determined for the one site based on a deviation of the obtained current energy consumption information for the one site from the generated energy consumption forecast for the one site in an active one of the determined service windows for the one site, and the optimization recommendation(s) are output.
US09269056B2

A method and system are provided for determining at least one combined forecast value of non-conventional energy resources. An Input/output Interface receives an adaptively selected historical dataset and a current dataset from one or more predictive forecast models and/or measurements. An adaptive forecast module generates one or more variants of machine learning models to model the performance of the one or more predictive forecast models by training the one or more variants of machine learning models on the historical dataset. The adaptive forecast module correlates the current dataset with the historical dataset to adaptively obtain a filtered historical dataset. The adaptive forecast module evaluates the one or more variants of machine learning models on the filtered historical dataset. The adaptive forecast module derives a statistical model to determine the at least one combined forecast value by combining outputs obtained based on the evaluation.
US09269055B2

An illustrative data classifier device includes data storage and at least one processor configured to operate as a query engine and a passive classifier that is configured to predict classification labels for data. The processor is configured to determine a relationship between the data and training data with associated training classification labels. The processor is also configured to assign a weighted version of at least one of the training classification labels to at least one member of the data based on the determined relationship. An illustrative method of classifying data includes predicting classification labels for data by determining a relationship between the data and training data with associated training classification labels. A weighted version of at least one of the training classification labels is assigned to at least one member of the data based on the determined relationship.
US09269054B1

Systems and methods are disclosed for building and using decision trees, preferably in a scalable and distributed manner. Our system can be used to create and use classification trees, regression trees, or a combination of regression trees called a gradient boosted regression tree (GBRT). Our system leverages approximate histograms in new ways to process large datasets, or data streams, while limiting inter-process communication bandwidth requirements. Further, in some embodiments, a scalable network of computers or processors is utilized for fast computation of decision trees. Preferably, the network comprises a tree structure of processors, comprising a master node and a plurality of worker nodes or “workers,” again arranged to limit necessary communications.
US09269051B2

In a corpus of scientific articles such as a digital library, documents are connected by citations and one document plays two different roles in the corpus: document itself and a citation of other documents. A Bernoulli Process Topic (BPT) model is provided which models the corpus at two levels: document level and citation level. In the BPT model, each document has two different representations in the latent topic space associated with its roles. Moreover, the multi-level hierarchical structure of the citation network is captured by a generative process involving a Bernoulli process. The distribution parameters of the BPT model are estimated by a variational approximation approach.
US09269041B2

This disclosure describes embodiments for a hardware based neural network integrated circuit classifier incorporating natively implemented Radial Basis functions, Restricted Coulomb Energy function, and/or kNN to make it more practical for handling a broader group of parallel algorithms.
US09269040B2

A device (10) for processing events (4), including an identifier (8) identifying the event's type, and at least one parameter carrying information about a process, includes an event selector (20) and an event type recognizer (30). The device (10) is configured for receiving an event (4), providing the event (4) to the event selector (20), and providing the identifier (8) to the event type recognizer (30). The event selector (20) stores the provided event (4). The event type recognizer (30) determines, using at least one neural network unit, whether the identifier (8) corresponds to a type for which a subscription exists, and, if so, it causes the event selector (20) to transmit the event (4S) for processing by one or more applications. Furthermore, the device (10) is configured for allowing one or more types of event to be subscribed to. The invention also relates to methods for processing events (4).
US09269037B2

A smart charm bracelet that includes an elongated band or other base, at least one smart charm or other token that may be coupled to or otherwise associated with the elongated band or base, wherein the elongated band is able to communicate with the charm. The band and/or charm may also be able to communicate with a computing device, including but not limited to a mobile device. In addition, the band and/or charm may produce a light, sound, and/or vibration indication to a user upon the occurrence of an event.
US09269036B2

A portable electronic device includes a housing, a first display operably coupled to the housing, and a second display operably coupled to the housing. A processor is operably coupled to the first display and to the second display. A wireless receiver is coupled to the processor for receiving data comprising, for example, an electronic ticket having a scannable optical indicia, and the processor and the second display are operable to display of the optically scannable indicia. The second display is operable to display the optically scannable indicia such as a barcode with at least one of a lower reflectance, a higher resolution, and a higher contrast compared to display of the optically scannable indicia on the first display.
US09269031B2

A method receives an intermediate graphical representation (IGR) of a document, the IGR including a plurality of non-intersecting edges and determines a plurality of vertices using the IGR. The vertices include endpoints of the edges and a split point, being determined by splitting a first edge into two or more portions using an endpoint of at least one second edge, wherein the first edge and the second edge are from the plurality of non-intersecting edges, associates vertices from the plurality of vertices with at least one edge from the IGR using endpoints of the one edge, wherein the associating includes selecting, from the determined plurality of vertices, a plurality of neighbouring vertices to said one edge to define a region with the endpoints of the one edge. The method processes the region using at least the endpoints of said one edge and the associated neighbouring vertices.
US09269015B2

A digital image of the object is captured and the object is recognized from plurality of objects in a database. An information address corresponding to the object is then used to access information and initiate communication pertinent to the object.
US09269012B2

Systems and approaches are provided for tracking an object using multiple tracking processes. By combining multiple lightweight tracking processes, object tracking can be robust, use a limited amount of power, and enable a computing device to respond to input corresponding to the motion of the object in real time. The multiple tracking processes can be run in parallel to determine the position of the object by selecting the results of the best performing tracker under certain heuristics or combining the results of multiple tracking processes in various ways. Further, other sensor data of a computing device can be used to improve the results provided by one or more of the tracking processes.
US09269011B1

Various embodiments crowd source images to cover various angles, zoom levels, and elevations of objects and/or points of interest (POIs) while under various lighting conditions. The crowd sourced images are tagged or associated with a particular POI or geographic location and stored in a database for use by an augmented reality (AR) application to recognize objects appearing in a live view of a scene captured by at least one camera of a computing device. The more comprehensive the database, the more accurately an object or POI in the scene will be recognized and/or tracked by the AR application. Accordingly, the more accurately an object is recognized and tracked by the AR application, the more smoothly and continuous the content and movement transitions thereof can be presented to users in the live view.
US09269010B2

A system and a method for conducting credit card transactions through a mobile device of a user. The mobile device comprises an image acquisition unit and a mobile application operated by the mobile device. The system enables acquiring an image of a client's credit card, using the image acquisition unit; analyzing data of the image; outputting details of the credit card from the analysis; verifying the output details, wherein the verification is further carried out through the mobile application; verifying authorization of inputted monetary transaction, wherein the mobile application enables verifying the authorization by communicating with the billing center, associated with at least one credit company associated with the credit card over at least one communication network, wherein the communication is carried out by the mobile application using the mobile device; and conducting monetary transactions using the verified credit card details.
US09269009B1

Various embodiments enable a computing device to incorporate frame selection or preprocessing techniques into a text recognition pipeline in an attempt to improve text recognition accuracy in various environments and situations. For example, a mobile computing device can capture images of text using a first camera, such as a rear-facing camera, while capturing images of the environment or a user with a second camera, such as a front-facing camera. Based on the images captured of the environment or user, one or more image preprocessing parameters can be determined and applied to the captured images in an attempt to improve text recognition accuracy.
US09269006B2

A dynamic expansion operation of an index value image is performed by specifying an index value range before correction (Gmin to Gmax) for one index value image, calculating magnification K for which to be expanded to an ideal index value range (0 to 1023), and correcting an index value before correction G by the magnification K. An effective magnification Kthre to expand a maximum effective index value range (215 to 747) that can be taken by the index value before correction G calculated from transmittance of a filter to the ideal index value range (0 to 1023) is stored, and in a case where the calculated magnification K is smaller than the effective magnification Kthre, the expansion operation is performed by use of the effective magnification Kthre.
US09269004B2

An information processing terminal includes a recognition unit that recognizes an identifier projected over an image, an acquisition unit that acquires data of an object corresponding to the identifier, a processing unit that changes the orientation of the object according to the positional relationship between the information processing terminal itself and the identifier specified based on the image and, when it is no longer able to recognize the identifier, changes the orientation of the object according to the positional relationship between the information processing terminal itself and the identifier specified based on sensor data, and a display control unit that causes the object of which the orientation is changed according to the positional relationship between the information processing terminal itself and the identifier to be displayed over the image in a superimposed manner.
US09268998B2

An image determining apparatus of the present invention includes an image type determining section (81) which determines whether an image is a scanned image or a captured image; and a compact PDF file generation determining section (82) which (a) extracts (i) a feature regarding a resolution from the scanned image or (ii) a feature regarding a blur from the captured image and (b) determines, on the basis of the extracted feature, whether or not the image is suitable for the conversion.
US09268991B2

A system and method is disclosed for comparing biometric image data to a stored enrollment template that may comprise collecting a set of biometric image data for a biometric object image from a biometric object imaging sensor; storing the biometric object image data in a memory as an enrollment template for further comparison to find a match with subsequently imaged biometric object image data; collecting a subsequent set of biometric image data for a biometric object image from the biometric object imaging sensor; updating the enrollment template; determining if a limited enrollment window remains open; and repeating the collecting of a subsequent set of biometric data step if the enrollment window remains open. Determining if the enrollment window remains open may be by determining the existence of one of a stability indicator and an instability indicator.
US09268988B2

An novel sensor is provided having a plurality of substantially parallel drive lines configured to transmit a signal into a surface of a proximally located object, and also a plurality of substantially parallel pickup lines oriented proximate the drive lines and electrically separated from the pickup lines to form intrinsic electrode pairs that are impedance sensitive at each of the drive and pickup proximal locations.
US09268987B2

Provided are a method of recognizing a quick response (QR) code in image data, and an apparatus and method for converting a QR code in content data into a touchable object. The method of converting a QR code in content data into a touchable object includes a step in which a computer device receives content data including a QR code, a step in which the computer device recognizes the QR code in the content data, and a step in which the computer device converts an image in which the QR code is shown into a touchable object for executing a command included in the QR code. The converting step includes interpreting, at the computer device, the command included in the recognized QR code, and modifying, at the computer device, a code of the content data to convert the image into the touchable object for executing the command.
US09268984B2

The invention relates to a code support (60a, 60b) adapted to be associated with or part of a capsule intended for delivering a beverage in a beverage producing device by centrifugation of the capsule. The support comprises a code formed by at least a first sequence of symbols and a second sequence of symbols. The code is represented on the support so that each symbol is sequentially readable by a reading arrangement (100) of an external reading device while the capsule is driven in rotation along an axis of rotation (Z). The first sequence comprises at least one first preamble sequence of symbols, and at least one first data sequence of symbols. The second sequence comprises at least one second preamble sequence of symbols and at least one second data sequence of symbols. The first preamble sequence is distinct from the second preamble sequence.
US09268982B2

The device for the acquisition and automatic processing of data obtained from optical codes comprises a CMOS optical sensor; an analog processing unit connected to the optical sensor; an analog/digital conversion unit connected to the analog processing unit; a logic control unit connected to the CMOS optical sensor, the analog processing unit and the analog/digital conversion unit; and a data-processing unit connected to the logic control unit and the analog/digital conversion unit. The CMOS optical sensor and at least one of the analog processing, analog/digital conversion, logic control and data processing units are integrated in a single chip. The data processing unit processes the digital signals corresponding to the image acquired by the CMOS sensor and extracts the optically coded data.
US09268970B2

A security-aware master is provided, such that a master can determine its security state before attempting access to secure resources or before requesting secure access level. An exemplary system include a system interconnect; one or more masters coupled with the system interconnect; and a master security check register coupled with the system interconnect. The master security check register is configured to receive a request from a master via the system interconnect to access the master security check register, wherein the request includes a master operating state signal that indicates a security state of the master requesting access, and return a data value to the master based on the master operating state signal, wherein the data value indicates a current security state of the master requesting access.
US09268959B2

A method of trusted data communication. The method comprises executing a data communication application in a trusted security zone of a processor, wherein the processor is a component of a computer, commanding a controller of a peripheral device to execute a control application in a trusted security zone of the controller, wherein the controller is a component of the computer, commanding at least one of another peripheral device or a user interface device to not access a data bus of the computer, verifying that the controller is executing the control application in the trusted security zone of the controller, sending data from the processor to the controller over the data bus of the computer, and the controller one of transmitting the data sent by the processor on an external communication link, reading a memory storage disk, or writing to a memory storage disk.
US09268957B2

Decryption apparatus includes an input memory (48), which is coupled to receive encrypted data, and an output transducer (28), for presenting decrypted data to a user. A decryption processor (50) is coupled to read and decrypt the encrypted data from the input memory but is incapable of writing to the input memory, and is coupled to convey the decrypted data to the output transducer for presentation to the user.
US09268956B2

A computer-implemented subject monitoring method is provided. The method includes providing an online-monitoring agent configured for monitoring a personal computing device, receiving identifying information associated with at least one of an account, email address, site, and service from the personal computing device via the online-monitoring agent, and monitoring via a network the at least one of the account, email address, site, and service based on the identifying information received via the online-monitoring agent.
US09268945B2

Systems, methods, and apparatus, including computer program products, for detecting a presence of at least one vulnerability in an application. The method is provided that includes modifying instructions of the application to include at least one sensor that is configurable to generate an event indicator, wherein the event indicator includes at least some data associated with the event; storing the event indicator with other stored event indicators generated by the at least one sensor during the execution of the application; analyzing the stored event indicators; detecting a presence of at least one vulnerability in the application based on the analysis of the stored event indicators; and reporting the presence of at least one vulnerability.
US09268944B2

This disclosure relates to methods and systems for performing software security audit for an executable code, the method comprising: receiving, by a hardware processor, the executable code along with a plurality of life-cycle artifacts associated with the executable code; performing a security assessment on the executable code and the plurality of life-cycle artifacts associated with the executable code to identify one or more potential security issues associated with the executable code; determining a first set of questions based on the identified one or more security issues associated with the executable code; determining a second set of questions based on a requirements specification associated with the executable code; and performing a security audit session with one or more audit participants based on the first set of questions and the second set of questions.
US09268938B1

Some embodiments described herein include a system that collects and learns reference side-channel normal activity, process it to reveal key features, compares subsequent collected data and processed data for anomalous behavior, and reports such behavior to a management center where this information is displayed and predefine actions can be executed when anomalous behavior is observed. In some instances, a physical side channel (e.g. and indirect measure of program execution such as power consumption or electromagnetic emissions and other physical signals) can be used to assess the execution status in a processor or digital circuit using an external monitor and detect, with extreme accuracy, when an unauthorized execution has managed to disrupt the normal operation of a target system (e.g., a computer system, etc.).
US09268932B2

Various aspects are discussed, for example, a method is described for authentication of devices in a wireless network involving NFC (Near Field Communication), wherein a device periodically switches its mode from a read mode, in which it is able to receive authentication data from one or more other devices, to a write mode, in which it sends out authentication data to the one or more other devices, according to a random time slot scheme. The device authenticates itself after having received authentication data from another device during the read mode, and the device switches permanently its mode to the write mode after being authenticated.
US09268916B1

Polymorphic application of a policy is disclosed. An indication is received that a retention policy is to be applied with respect to an object. A rule is evaluated associated with the retention policy, in light of a circumstance of the object, to determine a manner in which the retention policy is to be configured to behave with respect to the object.
US09268910B2

A system for managing the food intake of a person comprises means for collecting information about food consumed by the subject, and means for providing feedback to the subject regarding the food consumed. It further comprises a sensor (57) for obtaining a signal related to the person and monitoring means for generating the information by performing a pattern recognition of the obtained signal for detecting whether the person is consuming food. The sensor comprises a camera and the pattern recognition comprises image processing. The image processing comprises the detection of a mouth and of a hand and of food. The system further comprises means for causing an audio/video-rendering device (56) to deliver the feedback. The camera is attached to the rendering device. The system further comprises means for identifying available rendering devices (56) arranged for being caused to deliver feedback.
US09268903B2

A computer-implemented method for classifying alignments of paired nucleic acid sequence reads is disclosed. A plurality of paired nucleic acid sequence reads is received, wherein each read is comprised of a first tag and a second tag separated by an insert region. Potential alignments for the first and second tags of each read to a reference sequence is determined, wherein the potential alignments satisfies a minimum threshold mismatch constraint. Potential paired alignments of the first and second tags of each read are identified, wherein a distance between the first and second tags of each potential paired alignment is within an estimated insert size range. An alignment score is calculated for each potential paired alignment based on a distance between the first and second tags and a total number of mismatches for each tag.
US09268902B2

Embodiments include a system for determining cardiovascular information for a patient. The system may include at least one computer system configured to receive patient-specific data regarding a geometry of the patient's heart, and create a three-dimensional model representing at least a portion of the patient's heart based on the patient-specific data. The at least one computer system may be further configured to create a physics-based model relating to a blood flow characteristic of the patient's heart and determine a fractional flow reserve within the patient's heart based on the three-dimensional model and the physics-based model.
US09268899B2

Improved PMOS and NMOS transistor designs for sensing circuitry use in advanced nanometer flash memory devices are disclosed.
US09268886B2

Recycling energy in a clock distribution network is provided. A method includes creating a resonant clocking circuit including a clock grid. The method further includes providing resonant structures distributed in the clock grid. The method further includes providing switches that control the resonant structures to switch between a non-resonant mode and a resonant mode. The method further includes determining a switch size that minimizes power consumption of the resonant clocking circuit by iteratively increasing sizes of the switches and, for each iterative increase in size, determining power consumed by the resonant clocking circuit.
US09268880B2

Methods and apparatus related to identifying aspects of media files that are provided to users and ranking query suggestions based on the aspects. Some implementations are directed to ranking the query suggestions of the user who was provided the media file. Some implementations are directed to ranking the query suggestions of a second user that is in the same grouping as the first user. Some implementations are directed to ranking the query suggestions of the first user based on aspects that are related to the provided media file, but not directly associated with the provided media file.
US09268878B2

Summaries of entities (e.g., people, places, things, concepts, etc.) may provide additional useful information to user. For example, a search engine may provide a summary of an entity within search results. A category (e.g., “writer”, “politician”, etc.) of the entity that is short and concise may be advantageous to provide within a summary of the entity. The category may allow a user to quickly determine whether the information of the entity relates to the intended entity (e.g., search results of an entity as “a writer” vs. search results of an entity as “a politician”). Potential categories and summary text may be extracted from pre-labeled data. The potential categories and summary text may be intersected to determine a set of candidate categories that may be ranked. An entity category having a desired ranked may be determined as the entity category that describes the entity in a desired way.
US09268872B2

A computing device is configured to receive a configuration file. The configuration filed includes at least one reference to a static file associated with a web page of a website. The static file is ranked as a most-downloaded static file, of a plurality of static files, by a provider of the configuration file and the website. The computing device is further configured to retrieve the static file based on the reference; store the static file in a memory local to the computing device; receive a request for the web page; identify the static file for the web page; and use the static file to display the web page in a browser associated with the computing device.
US09268857B2

In one embodiment, in response to a user accessing a search tool and before the user submitting any search query or portion thereof to the search tool, compiling a first set of search results based on information known about the user and presenting the first set of search results to the user.
US09268852B2

Embodiments of the disclosed innovations provide systems and methods for locating data associated with rendered documents. Some embodiments support the use of a handheld document data capture device.
US09268842B2

A work flow is extracted based on data operation history data. Main data, which is major data within data that constitute the extracted work flow, is estimated and extracted. A name string that expresses an access path for accessing the extracted main data is analyzed, and a character string of a target element is estimated and extracted from the name string. A work flow name, which is the name of the work flow, is determined using a connection of a character string of the extracted target element.
US09268826B2

A system and method for searching information based on crowd-sourced templates comprising a user input subsystem for entering one or more search terms, a database for storing a plurality of crowd-sourced templates, wherein each template is a representation of a data collection process from a plurality of sources. Subsequent search entries with tags results in display of stored templates in descending order of rank Templates may be ranked using crowd voting or their social relevancy. Templates may be viewed, edited, and stored on the database by other users through social network sites.
US09268824B1

Methods, systems, and apparatus, including computer programs encoded on computer storage media, for using search entity transition probabilities. In some implementations, data identifying entities and transition probabilities between entities is stored in a computer readable medium. Each transition probability represents a strength of a relationship between a pair of entities as they are related in search history data. In some implementations, an increase in popularity for a query is identified and a different query is identified as temporally related to the query. Scoring data for documents responsive to the different query is modified to favor newer documents. In other implementations, data identifying a first session as spam is received, and a spam score is calculated for either a second session of queries or a single query using transition probabilities. The second session (or single query) is identified as spam from the spam score.
US09268799B1

A method includes receiving a request to restore a memory of a client and determining a selected full session from a plurality of full sessions, each full session comprising a respective copy of data received from the memory of the client and a respective backup time stamp. The selected full session includes a most recent full backup having a respective backup time stamp prior to a selected restore time. The method further includes copying the selected full session to a restore session and determining a selected incremental session from a plurality of incremental sessions. Each incremental session includes a respective incremental backup time stamp, and respective changes to the data received from the memory of the client. The method further includes modifying the restore session in a cloud computing environment based on the selected incremental session, and transmitting the modified restore session across a network to the client.
US09268791B2

According to one exemplary embodiment, a method for image processing selects at least one image from a plurality of images, and stores the plurality of images into a buffer, until a storage space of the buffer reaches a criterion. When the storage space of the buffer reaches the criterion, a procedure of image processing is performed for a plurality of temporary images stored in the buffer, which includes constructing an image dictionary according to the at least an image selected, and performing an image recovery and reconstruction procedure for the plurality of temporary images in the buffer according to the image dictionary, thereby obtaining a plurality of reconstructed images.
US09268779B2

An apparatus for dispersing content may include a processor. The processor may be configured to receive a request associated with a content item and generate a hashed identifier based at least in part on the request associated with the content item. The processor may further be configured to generate a respective container within a hierarchy of one or more containers based at least in part on the hashed identifier and store the content item in one of the one or more containers based at least in part on the hashed identifier. Associated methods and computer program products may also be provided.
US09268771B2

In one aspect, a method for managing documents or partial documents in an electronic document folder is provided. A validity indication, which is individual to the document or partial document and specifies a validity expiry time is assigned to a respective document, e.g. an e-mail, or a partial document, e.g. an e-mail attachment and is stored, the indication being assigned to an executable validity program. Once the validity expiry time has been reached, the executable validity program, assigned to the validity indication, is executed for the document or partial document with an assigned validity indication. The executable validity program comprises a deletion routine for deleting the document or partial document with the assigned validity indication in the electronic document folder.
US09268769B1

A system, method, and computer program are provided for identifying message content to send to users based on the users' language characteristics. Language characteristics are extracted from user-generated content and language characteristic scores are assigned to each user. The users are clustered into groups using the language characteristic scores. The system sends test messages with different message content to at least a subset of each group's users and the response rates are measured. For each group, a message content to which the group is most responsive is identified and is associated with the group. Language characteristics from a new user's user-generated content are extracted and language characteristic scores are assigned to the new user. The group to which the new user belongs is identified using the new user's language characteristic scores. A message is sent to the new user with the message content previously associated with the identified group.
US09268760B2

Determining correspondence, association, and/or correlation between nodes of electronic forms based on schemas of those forms is described. Importing, merging, and/or annotating data from one electronic form into another electronic form based on correspondence, association, and/or correlation between nodes is also described.
US09268759B2

Systems, methods, and computer program products for interacting with an interactive form. A plurality of values for a plurality of controls of an interactive form are received at a server. The server determines a plurality of recommendation rules based upon the values for interrelated controls. Each value comprises a portion of a travel-related search query entered into one control of the interactive form by each of a plurality of users. Each recommendation rule logically connects two or more of the interrelated controls.
US09268757B2

Systems and methods for detecting annotation digital ink strokes and further associating annotation digital ink strokes with word digital ink strokes are presented. Ink strokes are captured on a writing surface and then classified as words or annotations. Annotations are then anchored to corresponding words. When words are relocated or edited on the writing surface, the anchored annotations are also relocated and may even be reshaped according to the changes in the anchored words.
US09268749B2

A method of updating a suffix tree includes providing an initial suffix tree based on a first sequence of symbols drawn from an alphabet. The suffix tree includes existing nodes representing respective subsequences occurring in the first sequence of symbols. The existing nodes are associated with information relating to membership of the subsequences in at least one class of repeat subsequences. A second sequence of symbols is received and the initial suffix tree is updated to form an updated suffix tree by adding new nodes representing subsequences occurring in the second sequence of symbols that are not represented by the existing nodes. The subsequences represented by the new nodes are ordered in a new node data structure which is processed to updating the information relating to the at least one class of repeat subsequences associated with at least some of the nodes in the updated suffix tree.
US09268743B2

The electric behavior of a reverse-biased PN junction diode is modeled by measuring the value of voltage V present across the diode and the value of the corresponding current I running through this diode, the voltage V varying within a range of values including the value of diode breakdown voltage. A representation of a function ln ⁡ ( I - I s ) according to voltage V is established from the measured values of current I and of voltage V, IS being the saturation current of the diode. A linear function representative of a substantially linear portion of the function, characterized by voltages V greater than breakdown voltage VBK in terms of absolute value, is determined. An avalanche multiplication factor MM is then calculated by MM = 1 + ⅇ ( - slbv · V + bv bv ) , with parameter slbv equal to the ordinate at the origin of the linear function, and parameter slbv/bv equal to the slope of the linear function.
US09268742B2

The invention addresses the problem of parameter optimization for best filter performance and, in particular, the influence from the requirements on radio or fiber to radio repeaters utilizing those filters, that often proves to be conflicting for an FIR filter. The FIR filters are implemented in a programmable circuit and are not thereby restricted for use in communication repeaters although this particular usage may put the most serious restrictions on the filter performance. Within the imposed constraints, this disclosure illustrates a method to strike a middle ground while minimizing the trade-offs. The advantage of the concept presented allows the choice of a suitable filter pertaining to a particular traffic configuration, meaning a particular choice of individually filtered frequency bands set at different gain and intended to support a diversity of traffic formats. The disclosed approach banks on the reconfigurable variable length FIR filter architectures. Implementation architecture and results in brief are also presented.
US09268739B2

A method that acquires data on a processing module of a substrate processing apparatus using a sensor substrate efficiently and highly precisely is provided. The method includes: holding a sensor substrate by a first holding member, the sensor substrate having a sensor section for acquiring data on the processing modules and a first power supply section with a rechargeable electricity storage section for supplying electric power to the sensor section; advancing the first holding member to transfer the sensor substrate to a processing module; acquiring data on the processing module by the sensor section of the sensor substrate; and causing the first holding member to receive the sensor substrate, whose electric charge is consumed, from the processing module and retract, and with that state, charging the first power supply section of the sensor substrate in a non-contact manner by a second power supply section that moves together with the base.
US09268737B2

Computer-implemented systems and methods for managing virtual computing services. A service interface may receive from an administrative user an instruction indicating a configuration change for a first virtual computing service. A plurality of agents comprises a leader agent and at least one other agent. The leader agent may assign to the at least one other agent a plurality of jobs for implementing the configuration change. The at least one other agent may execute at least one of the plurality of jobs, where executing the at least one of the plurality of jobs comprises modifying a configuration of a virtual desktop site associated with the first virtual computing service.
US09268736B2

The present application is directed towards systems and methods for generating and maintaining cookie consistency for security protection across a plurality of cores in a multi-core system. A packet processing engine executing on one core designated as a primary packet processing engine generates and maintains a global random seed. The global random seed may be used as an initial seed for creation of cookie signatures by each of a plurality of packet processing engines executing on a plurality of cores of the multi-core system using a deterministic pseudo-random number generation function such that each core creates an identical set of cookie signatures.
US09268735B2

A CAS device receives streaming media content encrypted utilizing a CAS, decrypts the received streaming media content utilizing a CAS module associated with the CAS, and transmits the unencrypted streaming media content to a rendering device. The CAS device may be operable to receive and store an additional CAS module associated with an additional CAS. The CAS device may also be operable to receive unencrypted streaming media content, encrypt the streaming media content utilizing a CAS module, and transmit the encrypted streaming media content. In another embodiment, the CAS device receives streaming media content encrypted utilizing a first CAS, decrypts the received streaming media content utilizing a first CAS module, transmits the unencrypted streaming media content from the first CAS module to a second CAS module, encrypts the unencrypted streaming media content utilizing the second CAS module, and transmits the encrypted streaming media content to a rendering device.
US09268732B2

A tunnel for a communication system includes first and second bridges. The first bridge has a first port adapted to couple to a first link and a second port, and has a first programmable bus number and a first programmable function number. The second bridge has a first port coupled to the second port of the first bridge, and a second port, and has a second programmable bus number and a second programmable function number. In a hoist enabled mode, the first bridge forwards a packet on the first link to the second bridge if the second programmable bus number is equal to the first programmable bus number, a bus number of the packet is equal to the first programmable bus number, and a function number of the packet is equal to the second programmable function number.
US09268730B2

A system for the management of rack-mounted field replaceable units (FRUs) that affords the enhanced availability and serviceability of FRUs provided by blade-based systems but in a manner that accommodates different types of FRUs (e.g., in relation to form factors, functionality, power and cooling requirements, and/or the like) installed within a rack or cabinet.
US09268726B2

An information processing apparatus able to normally unmount a memory and disconnect communication with a first external apparatus when receiving a processing request from a second external apparatus in a state that the first external apparatus mounts the memory connected to the apparatus. A multi-function peripheral as the processing apparatus (20) includes a controller OS. When receiving a processing request from a second host PC (10B) as the second external apparatus in a state where the multi-function peripheral is in communication with a first host PC (10A) as the first external apparatus (S3100), the controller OS requests the first host PC to unmount the memory (S3201), if the memory is mounted thereon. When receiving an unmount instruction from the first host PC (S3004), the controller OS unmounts the memory, disconnects the connection with the first host PC (S3005), and starts communication with the second host PC (S3101).
US09268722B1

Apparatus having corresponding methods and computer-readable media comprise: a memory having a plurality of ports; a plurality of processors, wherein each processor is configured to access a respective port of the memory, and wherein each processor is configured to wait responsive to assertion of a respective wait signal; and an arbiter configured to assert the wait signals responsive to memory enable signals asserted by the processors such that the memory is accessed by only one of the processors at a time.
US09268716B2

In one embodiment, data generated via a map process and/or reduce process may be obtained. A request message may be sent to a server, where the request message indicates a request for a location in storage at which the data is to be stored. Upon receiving the location from the server, the data may be copied to the location in the storage. A commit message may be sent to the server, where the commit message indicates that the data has been copied to the location. In addition, the data may be deleted.
US09268711B1

A method, computer program product, and computing system for receiving a read request on a first cache system, wherein the read request identifies previously-written content included within a data array. A read request content identifier associated with the previously-written content identified in the read request is received from the data array. The read request content identifier associated with the previously-written content identified in the read request is compared to a plurality of content identifiers included within a content directory for the first cache system to determine if a matching content identifier exists. Each of the plurality of content identifiers is associated with a piece of previously-written content included within the first cache system.
US09268709B2

According to various embodiments, a storage controller configured to control storage of data in a pre-determined area of a storage medium may be provided. The storage controller may include a memory configured to store a write pointer, a reclaim pointer, and a wrapped around pointer. The write pointer may indicate a location of the storage medium to write incoming data. The reclaim pointer may indicate a location of the storage medium to perform a space reclamation. The wrapped around pointer may indicate a location of the storage medium where writing is to continue if writing of data reaches an end of the pre-determined area.
US09268695B2

Methods and structure within a storage controller for using region locks to efficiently divert an I/O request received from an attached host system to one of multiple processing stacks in the controller. A region lock module within the controller allows each processing stack to request a region lock for a range of block addresses of the storage devices. A divert-type lock request may be established to identify a range of block addresses for which I/O requests should be diverted to a particular one of the multiple processing stacks.
US09268692B1

Systems and methods are disclosed for intelligent data caching behavior. In an embodiment, a method may comprise receiving an indication a user has selected specific data for caching, and storing the specific data to a cache memory. In another embodiment, a system may comprise a host device including a driver configured to monitor the system for an indication a user has selected specific data for caching, and store the specific data to a cache memory. In yet another embodiment, an apparatus may a data storage device including a nonvolatile data storage medium, a cache memory, and a processor. The Processor may be configured to receive an indication a user has selected specific data for caching, and copy the specific data form the nonvolatile data storage medium to the cache memory.
US09268689B1

The present disclosure provides for performing virus scans at a storage device that stores one or more virtual machine disk image files (VMDK files). A secure AV module can coordinate communication between a file system on the storage device, a file system (FS) decoder, and an anti-virus engine to perform a virus scan of files contained within a VMDK file. A secure AV module can determine a subset of files that include changed data, where the subset of files is stored in a file system volume within a VMDK file. The secure AV module can use an FS decoder to translate file addresses relative to the file system volume into file addresses relative to the network storage file system. A secure AV module can provide the network storage file system addresses of the subset of files to the anti-virus engine, which can perform a virus scan on the files.
US09268683B1

A memory circuit, such as an embedded DRAM array, stores information as groups of bits or data using information coding in storage and retrieval data, instead of each bit being stored separately. Write data words can be mapped to storage format words that are stored and defined by a Hadamard matrix. The storage format word is stored as charge levels in an addressable memory location. For retrieving stored data, charge levels are read from the storage cells and interpreted to a valid storage format word. Hadamard code maximal likelihood decoding can be used to derive a read data word corresponding to a previously written write data word. The write data word is then output as the result of a read of the selected addressable location, or a portion thereof. The mapping can be two or more Hadamard matrix mappings concatenated for each of a plurality of storage format words.
US09268673B2

Load testing an online game server environment using a web-based interface includes: configuring a load test with configuration parameters including client behavior parameters and server parameters, wherein the client behavior parameters provide settings for various behaviors such as cheating and aggressiveness, and wherein the server parameters provide a setup for server states and messages; building and deploying simulation client and game server binaries; scheduling and running the load test; and collecting test data output from the load test. Keywords include load test automation, load test service, load test resource management.
US09268670B1

Systems and methods are described for generating a test executable used for testing an application locally on a host device. A user interface allows selection of particular test modules for use. Based on the selected modules a test executable is generated. The test executable functionality may integrated with the application or be independent of the application. The host device executes the test executable which enables testing and debugging on the local device.
US09268669B2

Techniques for application quality testing time predictions are described that provide customized processing time predictions for application testing. Testing times for various stages of testing are collected during application testing. The collected testing data may be stored in association with various attribute values ascertained for the applications. The collected timing data is used to predict processing times for applications that match defined profiles. The profiles may be defined to include selected attributes and values used to identify applications having corresponding attributes and values. The collected timing data may be processed to derive predictions for processing times on a profile-by-profile basis. When a new application is submitted, the application is matched to a particular profile based on attribute values possessed by the application. Then, processing time predictions associated with the matching profile may be obtained, assigned to the application, and output for presentation to a developer of the application.
US09268664B2

A system and method for synchronous and asynchronous monitoring of network resources is provided. In an example system, an asynchronous monitoring engine is in communication with the network resources and receives asynchronous data from a portion of the network resources. The asynchronous data is collected at an application layer or at an end-user application layer. A synchronous monitoring engine is also in communication with the network resources and accesses synchronous data in the application layer in response to receiving a request from the asynchronous monitoring engine. The system further identifies an anomaly corresponding to the asynchronous characteristic and the synchronous characteristic.
US09268659B2

In one example, a method for detecting failover in a database mirroring system that begins when a determination is made as to the time of the most recent backup of the principal database. Next, the time of the most recent backup of the mirror database is determined. Then, the time of the most recent backup of the principal database is compared to the time of the most recent backup of the mirror database to determine if the principal database was backed up most recently. Finally, if the mirror database is the database that was backed up most recently, it is established that failover has occurred.
US09268653B2

In one embodiment, a cluster uses an extent store layer and a set of hash tables having a plurality of slots embodying extent metadata that describe write data of one or more write requests organized into one or more extents. One or more non-volatile logs (NVLogs) are maintained in the cluster. The one or more NVLogs include an extent store layer log maintained by the extent store layer. The extent store layer log records changes to the set of hash tables as a plurality of log stream structures, where each log stream structure is associated with a hash table. One or more storage devices of the cluster are organized as a plurality of log streams, where each log stream is associated with a corresponding log stream structure of the extent store layer log.
US09268644B1

A RAID module for a RAID controller that includes a thin RAID layer and a thin disk layer. The thin RAID layer sits between an operating system layer and a RAID stack, and intercepts and fields requests and I/Os made the between operating system and the RAID stack. The thin disk layer sits between the RAID stack and the disks that comprise the array, and intercepts and fields requests and I/Os made between the RAID stack and the array. The module may maintain a bitmap with an entry corresponding to each stripe of the array. When the module detects that a stripe has zero data, the entry in the bitmap for the stripe is set to 0. When the module detects that data has been written to a stripe, the entry in the bitmap for the stripe is set to 1.
US09268643B2

Aspects of the subject matter described herein relate to querying and repairing data. In aspects, a component may detect that data on storage has become corrupted. In response, the component may request data from one or more redundant copies of the data and may determine which of the redundant copies, if any, are not corrupted. If a non-corrupted copy is found, the component may send a request that the corrupted data be repaired and may identify the non-corrupted copy to use to repair the corrupted data.
US09268642B2

A system for monitoring virtual machines includes a master host and a slave host. The slave host includes a primary virtual machine and a secondary virtual machine. The slave host is configured to identify a failure that impacts an ability of at least one of the primary virtual machine and the secondary virtual machine to provide service. If the failure is a Permanent Device Loss failure, the slave host is configured to terminate each impacted virtual machine. If the failure is an All Paths Down failure, the master host is configured to apply one of the following: a first remedy if the primary virtual machine is impacted and the secondary virtual machine is not impacted; a second remedy if the secondary virtual machine is impacted and the primary virtual machine is not impacted; or a third remedy if both the primary virtual machine and the secondary virtual machine are impacted.
US09268640B1

A method, computer program product, and computing system for sensing the occurrence of an uncorrectable condition within a data stripe of a RAID array. The data strip includes a plurality of data portions and a parity portion. One or more invalid data portions included within the plurality of data portions are identified. The one or more invalid data portions are populated with filler data having a known pattern, thus defining one or more filler portions. The parity portion is updated based, at least in part, upon the one or more filler portions, thus defining an updated data stripe that includes an updated parity portion.
US09268633B2

Certain aspects of the present disclosure generally relate to wireless communications and, more particularly, to techniques for accurately determining a number of data symbols in a data packet. The techniques provided herein may allow a receiving terminal to correct number of symbol calculations based on such ambiguous length field values.
US09268625B1

A method, computer program product, and computing system for receiving, on a first storage processor, a configuration IO request concerning a data array coupled to the first storage processor. The configuration IO request is provided to the data array for execution. A failure indication that the configuration IO request failed to execute is received. In response to receiving the failure indication, a status indicator is determined for a second storage processor coupled to the data array. Whether to reset the first storage processor is determined based, at least in part, upon the status indicator of the second storage processor.
US09268622B2

A system and method may generate executable block diagrams having blocks that run in accordance with message-based execution semantics. A message may include an input data payload that does not change over time, and the message may persist for only a determined time interval during execution of block diagram. A verification engine may provide one or more tools for evaluating and verifying operation of message-based blocks. The verification engine may support one or more verification blocks that may be added to the block diagram and associated with the diagram's message-based blocks. The verification blocks may capture and present messages exchanged among the message-based blocks. The verification blocks may also specify an expected interaction of messages, and determine whether the actual messages are equivalent to the expected interaction.
US09268617B1

Provided are methods of providing dynamic messages on a software bus. Such methods may include generating a dynamic message that corresponds to a service request from an application that is connected to a software bus. The dynamic message includes an executable portion that is executed to perform an action. The dynamic message is submitted to the bus for execution at a time after submission.
US09268609B2

Techniques are described for assigning an application thread to a cache. A newly created application thread may be assigned to a plurality of caches. The cache assignment that optimizes performance may be determined. The newly created application thread may be associated with the determined cache.
US09268604B1

A computer (205) has at least one database (210) which contains information such as a list of tasks to be performed when manufacturing, upgrading, or servicing an aircraft, the status of the tasks, the resource listing for each task, and the configuration of the resources. When a crew (110) receives a task, the crew requests the flight deck operator FDO (150) to capture the resources listed for the task. The FDO uses a terminal (220) to query the computer to determine whether the resource is available. If available, the FDO then captures the resources for that task and configures the resource in the manner listed for that task. If a required resource has been captured for another task and is not available then the FDO can determine whether to interrupt the other task and release the resource for the assigned task.
US09268593B2

An information processing apparatus extracts information for identifying virtual machines as a transmission source and a transmission destination from a packet corresponding to a communication request when the communication request from a virtual machine is acquired, and determines whether the extracted virtual machines as the transmission source and the transmission destination use the same virtual bridge based on a first management table and a second management table. The information processing apparatus, when it is determined that the same virtual bridge is used, executes processing of the virtual bridge based on the information relating to the virtual bridge and relays the packet corresponding to the communication request to the virtual machine as the transmission destination, and notifies the first virtual machine relaying the virtual network interface of the virtual machine as the transmission source of arrival of the packet when it is determined that the same virtual bridge is not used.
US09268592B2

Methods and apparatus to generate a customized application blueprint are disclosed. An example method includes determining a first virtual machine within an application definition, automatically identifying a property for the first virtual machine, and generating an application blueprint based on the identified property of the virtual machine.
US09268588B2

A virtualization computing platform may host a virtual machine. The virtual machine may be hosted by a first set of resources of the virtualization computing platform. A second set of resources for hosting the virtual machine may be identified. The second set of resources may comprise resources of the virtualization computing platform that are distinct from the first set of resources. At least a portion of a plurality of files associated with the virtual machine may be copied from the first set of resources to the second set of resources. A virtual memory swap file may be identified from among the plurality of files associated with the virtual machine. Based on identifying the virtual memory swap file as a virtual memory swap file, the virtual memory swap file may be treated differently from one or more other of the plurality of files associated with the virtual machine.
US09268579B2

This paper describes various embodiments that relate to personal computer systems, and accurate initialization of computer hardware of personal computer systems from a low-power and/or power-off state. According to one embodiment of the invention, a computer system includes a device operative to be powered down to the power-off state dependent upon an amount of user activity on the computer system. The computer system also includes a device controller operative to initialize the device from the power-off state to a power-on state responsive to user activity on the computer system. The device controller has at least one sensor device operative to determining a physical variable related to the device, and operating characteristics of the device are related to the physical variable.
US09268568B2

In accordance with embodiments disclosed herein, there are provided methods, systems, and apparatuses for enabling an agent interfacing with a pipelined backbone to locally handle transactions while obeying an ordering rule including, for example, receiving a transaction which requests access to a backbone; decoding routing destination information from the transaction received, in which the decoded routing destination information designates the transaction to be processed either locally or processed via the backbone; storing the decoded routing destination information and the transaction into a First-In-First-Out (FIFO) buffer; retrieving the decoded routing destination information and the transaction from the FIFO buffer; and processing the transaction locally or via the backbone based on the decoded routing destination information retrieved from the FIFO buffer with the transaction.
US09268564B2

An embodiment includes a method for computing operations, such as modular exponentiation, using a mix of vector and scalar instructions to accelerate various applications such as encryption protocols that rely heavily on large number arithmetic operations. The embodiment requires far fewer instructions to execute the operations than more conventional practices. Other embodiments are described herein.
US09268557B2

Wrapping a computer software application by unpackaging the computer software application into constituent components including a data file that includes a listing of any of the components, modifying the data file to include a reference to a library, where the library is configured to cause communications between the computer software application and a computer operating system to be intercepted and processed by instructions within the library when the computer software application is executed by a computer, and repackaging the computer software application to include the library and any of the components listed in the modified data file.
US09268555B2

In one embodiment, a client computing device may execute software from a first portion of memory of the client computing device. The client computing device may request from a server an over-the-air (OTA) update to the software. The client computing device may receive from the server a manifest for the OTA update. The client computing device may download from the server a payload pursuant to the manifest. The client computing device may install the payload into a second portion of memory of the client computing device, and execute the software from the second portion of memory.
US09268552B1

A processing device determines a memory layout for an executable comprising a plurality of functions and data, wherein the memory layout is determined based on one or more object files. The processing device updates the memory layout by inserting an unused memory region between a first function and a second function of the plurality of functions in the memory layout, wherein the first function and the second function have adjacent memory locations in the memory layout prior to insertion of the unused memory region. The processing device resolves references between the plurality of functions. The processing device then generates an executable comprising the plurality of functions and the data arranged in accordance with the memory layout, the executable having the resolved references.
US09268550B2

Various exemplary embodiments relate to a method of managing the distribution of images in a distributed cloud network by a network management system, including: receiving, by the network management system, a request for an image for a network node; identifying, by the network management system, an image from a plurality of images compatible with the network node; and initiating, by the network management system, installation of the image on the network node.
US09268548B1

Methods and systems are disclosed for automatically installing software applications on multiple target computers having different computing platforms from a central location. The methods and systems provide an infrastructure comprising a centralized repository and server and a plurality of remote target computers. The centralized repository stores platform-specific installation files for each software application and computing platform of interest, and one or more non-platform-specific deploy jobs for installing the software applications. The non-platform-specific deploy jobs allows a user to automatically install one or more software applications on any target computer regardless of computing platform, and to reuse any installation logic that may have been custom-developed for the software applications. A common command syntax is created that may be used to define and execute the deploy jobs across the multiple computing platforms.
US09268547B2

A tag/content management system delivers customized content and/or program instructions to a user terminal. The system may deliver several groups of program executable instructions, including instructions that are global to all web domains controlled by a client server and those that are specific to a web page/group of web pages. The program instructions and/or content may also be delivered to the user terminal based on the evaluation of one or more conditions, including those related to the location of the user terminal, various HTTP header fields, the presence of specific HTML objects in a web page accessed by the user terminal, and the screen resolution of the user terminal, among other things.
US09268546B2

Method, system, and programs for deployment of applications are disclosed. An application capable of being executed in a plurality of different formats is provisioned. The application is deployed for execution by a client device and a server. Resources are dynamically allocated for execution of the application.
US09268540B2

Embodiments relate to generating short displacement instructions. An aspect includes performing code generation by a compiler to generate an instructions. Another aspect includes determining whether the generated instruction supports long displacement. Another aspect includes based on a determination that the generated instruction does not support long displacement, determining whether a short displacement budget is full. Another aspect includes based on a determination that the short displacement budget is not full, marking data associated with the instruction in a symbol table maintained by the compiler. Another aspect includes incrementing the short displacement budget using a size of the marked data associated with the instruction. Another aspect includes based on a determination that the short displacement budget is full, performing a low cost fix up.
US09268539B2

A user interface component is displayed according to an implementation language independent description. An implementation language dependent specification for the user component is created from the implementation language independent description. The user interface component is created and displayed according to the implementation language dependent specification.
US09268524B2

An apparatus includes an input unit, a microphone, a control unit, and a voice recognition unit. The input unit is configured to receive a first type input and a second type input. The microphone is configured to receive an input sound signal. The control unit is configured to control a display to display feedback according to a type of input. The voice recognition unit is configured to perform recognition processing on the input sound signal.
US09268523B2

An electronic method for matching a user with a golf ball includes playing a first digital audio file to a user via a computer and playing a second digital audio file to the user via the computer. Each of the first digital audio file and the second digital audio file correspond to an acoustic response of a respective golf ball to a standardized impact force. The method then includes receiving an input from the user via the computer, where the input corresponds to a preferred acoustic response selected from the acoustic response of the first golf ball and the acoustic response of the second golf ball. Once the preferred response is determined, the method includes displaying a golf ball model that corresponds to the preferred acoustic response.
US09268522B2

Various methods and devices for vehicles are provided, wherein directional output of sound is used. In some embodiments, speech signals assigned to different speakers in a telephone conference are reproduced with different directional characteristics. In other embodiments, menu items of a menu are reproduced using different directions. In some embodiments, a loudspeaker arrangement may be provided at a dashboard or in a backrest of a seat of the vehicle.
US09268520B1

Systems and techniques for determining when content is being projected onto a predefined surface and, in response, altering the projection are described herein. For instance, the systems may project content onto one or more surfaces of an environment. The content may comprise electronic books, images, videos, animations, interactive menus, and/or any other type of visual content. While projecting the content, the systems projecting the content may determine when some or all of the content is projected onto a predefined surface, either due to the system dynamically projecting the content throughout different locations and surfaces in the environment, due to the predefined surface moving within the environment, or a combination thereof. When the systems determine that all or a portion of the content is being projected onto a predefined surface, the systems may alter the projection of content by dimming the content, altering a location of the projection, or the like.
US09268519B2

An exemplary embodiment of a system for updating electronic shelf labels (ESLs) comprises multiple ESLs, and a gateway connected to the multiple ESLs to update data of the multiple ESLs. Each ESL comprises a transceiver having a media condition detector to detect whether other ESL(s) perform an update at the time slot, a controller, a memory, and a random number generator randomly selecting one of multiple time slots of a frame when an ESL update procedure begins, wherein the time slot corresponds to an index stored in the memory by the controller. The ESL performs the update at this time slot when none of said other ESL(s) performs the update at the time slot. When said other ESL(s) performs the update at the time slot, the controller enables the random number generator to randomly select another time slot from a next time frame.
US09268518B2

Methods and devices for selectively presenting a user interface or “desktop” across two devices are provided. More particularly, a unified desktop is presented across a device and a computer system that comprise a unified system. The unified desktop acts as a single user interface that presents data and receives user interaction in a seamless environment that emulates a personal computing environment. To function within the personal computing environment, the unified desktop includes a process for docking and undocking the device with the computer system. The unified desktop presents desktops or windows based on a set of pre-determined rules.
US09268517B2

Techniques for establishing a screen sharing session are described. Consistent with some embodiments, a web conferencing application executing at a mobile computing device enables a user to specify the identity of a remote computer. The identity of the remote computer is communicated to a web conferencing service, directing the server operating the web conferencing service to establish a remote desktop connection with the remote computer. Once established, the web conferencing service receives from the remote computer a stream of information representing a user interface of the remote computer, and then broadcasts the user interface to all computing devices participating in the web conferencing session, while enabling the mobile computing device to manipulate the user interface of the remote computer.
US09268514B2

Data from different sources and having different formats is converted to a format useable by a device to which the data is to be sent. The conversion is performed based on configuration data and can be performed by an application server configured to provide a network application service to a user terminal associated with the entity.
US09268507B2

A image forming apparatus acquires an amount of a printing material for image data of each page included in the print job formed from a plurality of pages; and transmits, to an image forming unit, image data of an Mth page included in the print job after transmitting, to a temperature control unit, information of the acquired amount of the printing material for the image data of the Mth page included in the print job. Particularly, when another job to be executed with a higher priority, the transmission unit transmits image data of a page included in the other job to the image forming unit after transmitting, to the image forming unit, the image data of the page corresponding to the information of the amount of the printing material transmitted to the temperature control unit.
US09268506B1

Embodiments of the present disclosure provide a method comprising coupling an apparatus to a peripheral device and coupling the apparatus to a computing device. The apparatus is configured to (i) receive a first job request from the computing device to be performed by the peripheral device and (ii) transmit the first job request to the peripheral device. The method further comprises instructing a user of the computing device to create a first predetermined situation at the peripheral device. The method further comprises In response to the apparatus transmitting the first job request to the peripheral device, waiting, by the apparatus, for a first status message from the peripheral device. The first status message corresponds to the first predetermined situation created by the user at the peripheral device.
US09268504B2

An information processing device transmits, to a plurality of image forming devices, a registration request to the service providing device, and receives location information for accessing the service providing device corresponding to each the image forming device from among the plurality of image forming devices that have received the registration request, accesses the service providing device on the basis of the received location information, and receives and displays an authentication screen for inputting authentication information. After authentication information has been input on the displayed screen, a user corresponding to the authentication information and the plurality of image forming devices are associated with each other and managed by the service providing device.
US09268497B2

Exemplary embodiments for increased in-line deduplication efficiency in a computing environment are provided. Embodiments include incrementing the size of data samples from fixed size data chunks for each nth iteration for reaching a full size of an object requested for in-line deduplication, calculating in nth iterations hash values on data samples from fixed size data chunks extracted from the object, and matching in a nth hash index table the calculated nth iteration hash values for the data samples from the fixed size data chunks with a corresponding hash value of existing objects in storage, wherein the nth hash index table is built for each nth iteration of the data samples belonging to the fixed data chunks.
US09268493B2

An information handling system is provided. The information handling system includes a plurality of storage subsystems a back-end switch connected to each storage subsystem to communicate information about each of the plurality; and a redundant array of independent disks (RAID) volume. Each storage subsystem includes a RAID engine, a storage drive; and a plurality of input ports and output ports. The RAID volume includes the storage drive on a first storage subsystem of the plurality and the storage drive on a second storage subsystem of the plurality. Methods for providing such a system are also disclosed.
US09268483B2

This document describes tools having or interacting with a touch-sensitive device with one or more contact detectors that detect a tactile input from a user making contact with the contact detectors and an input/output module that persistently identifies contact data representing the detected tactile input. This identification is unique, thereby differentiating one or more tactile inputs from other current tactile inputs represented in the contact data. Using this unique identification, the input/output module can initiate an application to provide a function, such as data entry or a mapped function, associated with the detected tactile input. These data or mapped functions may, in many instances, provide a greater depth or breadth of functions by which users may interact with applications and computer systems.
US09268473B2

A system is provided that includes a security system having a plurality of sensors and actuators within a building and a respective control feature embodied as a programmed processor and associated with operation of the security system and at least some of the plurality of sensors and actuators, a user display of a portable wireless device that depicts a portion of the building using a building information model (BIM), a user interface of the wireless device that receives a symbol drawn by a human user over part of the building portion and a processor that correlates the symbol with a control feature of the security system based upon proximity of the symbol on the display with a location of an associated sensor or actuator of the control feature within the BIM model of the building.
US09268469B2

Methods, systems, and apparatus for processing image content items. In one aspect, a method includes generating an image display environment for a first image content item on an image content item page resource between a first row and a second row of image content items. The user device expands a thumbnail of the image content item from first dimensions to second dimensions, and displays the expanded thumbnail in the image display environment. Concurrently with the thumbnail processing, the user device requests a first image resource referenced by the first image content item, and, upon receipt of the first image resource, generates an adjusted version of the first image resource that meets the second dimensions. The user device then displays the adjusted version of the first image resource in the image display environment in place of the expanded version of the first image content item.
US09268467B2

A system for generating, on a user terminal, a user interface having at least two interface items, where the system is configured to store at least two sets of data each corresponding to the interface items. A first set of data includes data for generating and controlling the performance of an operation associated with a first of interface items, and a second said set of data includes data for generating and controlling the performance of an operation associated with a second of the interface items. When a user interacts with the first interface item, the system is configured to perform the action associated with the first interface item, independent of the second interface item and without performing any other action corresponding to the user interface.
US09268459B2

Techniques for automatically completing a partially completed UI design created by a user are described. A UI query including attributes of UI components in the partially completed UI design is created. Design examples with similar UI components are identified. UI components of one such design example are displayed to automatically complete the partially completed UI design (also called an “auto-complete suggestion”). The user can systematically navigate the design examples and accept auto-completed suggestions to include into the partially complete UI design.
US09268454B2

Business owners in a virtual universe may want to create a data source that transmits a data feed when certain parameters are met. Functionality can be implemented within a virtual universe to create a data feed when a trigger event occurs. The data feed may include data about the trigger event itself and/or about an avatar that caused the trigger. Triggered data feeds can be used to derive statistics, monitor use of objects and space and bill for such use, etc. In such cases, the user may be notified, such as via email, of the new data feed, as well as instructions on how to subscribe to it in their RSS reader or other client. Alternatively, users may be given individual feeds wherein additional feeds are distributed as separate categories of the user's feed as opposed to creating a separate feed.
US09268452B2

A method and system for enabling a near field communication antenna to be disposed adjacent to electrodes of a touch sensing device, the near field communication antenna being operated, and the magnetic field inductance and electric field coupling between the electrodes and the near field communication antenna being minimized in order to substantially reduce or eliminate induced currents on the electrodes.
US09268449B2

A touch panel including a substrate, first sensing series, second sensing series, first lines and second lines is provided. Each first sensing series includes first electrode portions and first crossing portions. Each second sensing series includes second electrode portions and second crossing portions. Any adjacent two among the first electrode portions and the second electrode portions are separated by a spacing region. Each first crossing portion crosses one second crossing portion. The first lines respectively connect to the first sensing series and extend to a bonding region of the substrate. The second lines are disposed along the spacing region to respectively connect to the second sensing series and extend to the bonding region. One second line connected to an Nth second sensing series crosses one second crossing portion of an Mth second sensing series, wherein N and M are different positive integers.
US09268437B2

A display device; a method for driving the display device; and electronic equipment, each enabling a detection device to perform detection with a frequency higher than a refresh frequency of the display device and with improved accuracy are provided. The display device has a screen including pixels and repeatedly alternates between a scanning frame during which the pixels are scanned to be sequentially brought into a selected state and a pause frame during which the pixels are not scanned, and includes a detection instructing circuit configured to output detection operation control signals corresponding to touch panel detection periods to the detection device in at least one pause frame. The detection instruction signal instructs the detection device to detect at least one of detection targets which are input by touching or approaching the screen and a radio wave coming from outside the display device.
US09268427B2

Operating touch screens by applying more than one voltage modes, including a first voltage mode corresponding to a display phase and a second voltage mode corresponding to a touch sensing phase, is provided. An integrated touch screen device can include a multi-mode power system that can select a first voltage mode corresponding a display phase and a second voltage mode corresponding to a touch sensing phase. Each of one or more voltages can be applied to the touch screen at the corresponding first voltage level during the updating of the image. A touch sensing system can sense touch during a touch sensing phase. Each of one or more voltages can be applied to the touch screen at the corresponding second voltage level during the sensing of touch.
US09268426B2

Described is a remote control method of a multi-mode remote controller, comprising the following steps of: determining a current control mode, the remote controller comprising various control modes; obtaining a touch control signal of a user on a touch screen; and analyzing the touch control signal, generating a remote control instruction corresponding to the touch control signal under the current control mode, and sending the instruction to a user terminal, so that the user terminal operates currently displayed content. It is further provided a multi-mode remote controller, a user terminal and a system. Seamless automatic switching among multiple control modes in the remote controller with a touch screen can be realized, so as to meet various interaction requirements of different kinds of users.
US09268425B2

A portable device with a display unit and a rear surface input unit of a touch-input type including a state assessment unit which assesses that a position designation state is applied when detecting a state a contact object is kept contacting the rear surface input unit in a prescribed time or longer; an index display unit for displaying an index on the display unit, corresponding to a position of the contact object contacting the rear surface input unit; a provisionally determined position storage unit for storing in a storage device, an index position when the contact object is removed from the rear surface input unit as a provisionally determined position; and an input determination unit which makes a definite determination of an input at the provisionally determined position stored in the provisionally determined position storage unit based on a definite determination operation.
US09268422B2

A touch panel with photovoltaic conversion function includes a touch zone and a non-touch zone located immediately around the touch zone. The touch zone includes, from top to bottom, a first transparent substrate, a photovoltaic conversion layer, a touch electrode layer and a second transparent substrate. The photovoltaic conversion layer has an upper side attached to a lower side of the first transparent substrate, and the touch electrode layer is formed on an upper side of the second transparent substrate and attached to a lower side of the photovoltaic conversion layer. The touch panel having the above arrangements enables the photovoltaic conversion layer to have effectively increased light-absorption areas to convert more light into more electric current.
US09268419B2

The present relates to a display panel and the driving circuit thereof. A scan driving circuit of the driving circuit of the display panel according to the present invention produces a plurality of scan signal for scanning a plurality of pixel structures of the display panel. In addition, a data driving circuit produces a plurality of data signals corresponding to the plurality of scan signals and transmits the plurality of data signals to the plurality of pixel structures, where a common electrode of the plurality of pixel structures is coupled to a ground. Moreover, the data driving circuit according to the present invention adjusts the signal levels of a plurality of gamma voltages according to a compensation signal of a compensation circuit, and thus further adjusting the levels of the data signals.
US09268418B2

A method, system, and computer-readable storage medium are disclosed for simulation of an erodible tip. A brush tool representing an erodible media is modeled as a height map. Information is collected about a user manipulation of a stylus representing a stroke made on a virtual canvas with the brush tool. A mark to be made on the virtual canvas is determined dependent on the brush tool model and the collected information. The determined mark is rendered. A change in the height map of the brush tool due to the stroke is determined dependent on the brush tool model and the collected information. One or more subsequent marks are rendered in response to manipulation of the brush tool dependent on the determined change in the height map.
US09268414B2

A method for measuring relative motion between an illuminated surface and an optical sensing device comprising a coherent light source and a photodetector array is described. The method includes illuminating under a determined gradient, using the coherent light source, a surface portion at a determined flash rate; detecting, using the photodetector array, speckled light intensity pattern of the illuminated surface portion for a first flash; detecting a second speckled light intensity pattern of the illuminated surface portion for a second flash; extracting motion features of two different types from the detected first and second speckled light intensity patterns; determining a measurement of relative motion between the optical sensing device and the illuminated surface portion based on comparison of motion features extracted; wherein the method further comprises a filtering step in order to adjust, and preferably decrease, the number of motion features used in the step of determining a measurement of relative motion.
US09268411B2

The invention describes a method for controlling a display, which method comprises the steps of displaying a portion of a visual presentation (VP) on the display (4) and aiming a pointing device (1) comprising a camera (2) at a target area (A) to indicate a target (PT) in the visual presentation (VP), whereby the target (PT) may be inside or outside of a portion (14) of the visual presentation (VP) currently visible on the display (4). An image (3) of the target area (A) aimed at by the pointing device (1) is generated and interpreted to determine the location of the target (PT) within the visual presentation (VP). The visual presentation (VP) is adjusted as necessary to display that portion of the visual presentation (VP) which encompasses the target (PT). The invention also describes a pointing device (1), a display control interface (8, 8′, 8″) and a system comprising such a pointing device (1) and display control interface (8, 8′, 8″) suitable for applying this method.
US09268409B2

A method and system provide light to project to an operation space so that a received image from the operation space will include, if an object is in the operation space, a bright region due to the reflection of light by the object, and identify a gesture according to the variation of a barycenter position, an average brightness, or an area of the bright region in successive images, for generating a corresponding command. Only simple operation and calculation is required to detect the motion of an object moving in the X, Y, or Z axis of an image, for identifying a gesture represented by the motion of the object.
US09268405B2

In an approach to allowing a user to operate a computing device while preventing and/or rehabilitating an injury, three-dimensional gestures of a user are translated into corresponding movement of a cursor on a display device. Different gestures can indicate the same motion of the cursor. As the user gestures to move the cursor, the software determines, based on a history of use specific to the user, whether the user can continue without feeling pain or fatigue. If it is determined that continued use will cause or is likely to cause pain or fatigue, the software can request the user to take a break, or can switch the gesture or motion required by the user to move the cursor in a similar manner.
US09268402B2

An operator control device has an operating element with haptic feedback. The operating element has a touch-sensitive operator control area and is operated through an input element. The device includes a first and a stationary second flat component that are composed of a ferromagnetic material and arranged to face each other in parallel by way of their large areas. The operator control device also includes a coil or an electrical conductor that is arranged between the first and second flat components and associated with a first pole shoe that is connected to the second flat component and projects in relation to the first flat component. A magnetic field can be generated by applying current to the coil or to the conductor, and the first flat component is driven by the magnetic field such that the first flat component can be displaced horizontally with respect to the stationary second flat component.
US09268401B2

A multidirectional control system with shear feedback, comprising at least one stationary body, a plurality of tactors disposed within the at least one movable body or the at least one stationary body. In some embodiments, a moveable body is included, such that the tactors have at least one degree of freedom of motion with respect to the stationary body or the moveable body within which they are disposed and are operable to engage target areas of a user's skin; and a plurality of actuators capable of moving the tactors.
US09268399B2

Disclosed is a system, apparatus, computer readable storage medium, and method to perform a context inference for a mobile device. In one embodiment, a data processing system includes a processor and a storage device configurable to store instructions to perform a context inference for the data processing system. Data may be received from at least a first sensor, and a first classification of the data from the sensor may be performed. Confidence for the first classification can be determined and a second sensor can be activated based on a determination that the confidence fails to meet a confidence threshold. A data sample classification from the activated second sensor may be classified jointly with the data from first sensor.
US09268392B2

An information processing apparatus to which an external device is attachable includes an initialization unit configured to, when the information processing apparatus is activated from a power-off state, execute initialization of the external device, and not to, when the information processing apparatus is returned from a power-saving state, execute the initialization of the external device.
US09268375B2

A semiconductor device is disclosed that includes a clock signal distribution network and a logic circuitry. The clock signal distribution network is configured to receive a first power. The logic circuitry is configured to receive a second power independent from the first power.
US09268368B2

A display device and a data displaying method thereof are disclosed. The device includes at least one sensor including a touch sensor to generate touch events according to touch events, a flexible sensor to generate a bend signal to detect bend events, and a pressure sensor to generate a pressure signal to detect pressure events, a storage unit to store a function table, and a controller to control the components of the device. The function table is configured to define control operations to reproduce currently output contents based on the touch events, the bend events, the pressure events, and events combined thereof.
US09268367B2

A device may have a plurality of displays, such as a high-power display and a low-power display. The low-power display may be used to display various types of information. Some examples of information that may be displayed on the low-power display include personal customizations of the device (e.g., skins, tattoos, text or graphics, etc.), a battery meter, a signal strength meter, the date and time, or any other type of information. In one example, the device has a separate processor that drives the low-power display, so that the low-power display can be used while the device is in sleep mode or off. In another example, an application that runs on the device's regular processor uses the high- and low-power displays cooperatively to display output from an application. The low-power display can be wrapped around the edges and/or corners of the device, to make effective use of the device's surface area.
US09268366B2

In one general aspect, an apparatus can include a display portion, a base frame coupled to the display portion where the base frame includes a channel defined by a top wall opposite a bottom wall and a side wall coupled to the top wall and to the bottom wall. The side wall can have an outer surface defining at least a portion of an outer perimeter of the base frame. The channel can have a first portion on a first side of the base frame and a second portion on a second side of the base frame opposite the first side of the base frame. The apparatus can include a midplane having a first edge disposed in the first portion of the channel and having a second edge disposed in the second portion of the channel.
US09268362B2

A method for controlling a cursor of a portable electronic apparatus having a display screen and a motion sensor is provided. The motion sensor detects a first-axis rotation angle and a second-axis rotation angle of the apparatus. A first-axis coordinate of a cursor is determined according to the first-axis rotation angle, a-first axis maximum rotation angle and a length of a short side of the display screen. A second-axis coordinate of the cursor is determined according to the second-axis rotation angle, a maximum second-axis rotation angle and a length of a long side of the display screen. The cursor is moved according to the first-axis coordinate and the second-axis coordinate.
US09268357B2

In accordance with embodiments of the present disclosure, a method may include sliding a slider slidably coupled to the structural member and mechanically coupled to the structural member by an ejection spring with an ejection spring force configured to bias the slider in a first position relative to the structural member in absence of a force other than the rejection spring force, wherein the sliding is in a direction opposite the ejection spring force and away from the first position, and wherein the structural member defines at least a portion of a bay for receiving an information handling resource. The method may also include engaging the slider with a release latch mechanically coupled to the structural member, such that when engaged with the release latch, the slider is biased in a second position away from the first position.
US09268354B1

Lever assemblies are provided that can include: an enclosure; a lever pivotably coupled to the enclosure; one member extending from one end to another end, the one end of the one member floating within the enclosure and the other end of the one member pivotably coupled to the lever; and another member extending from one end to another end, the one end of the other member pivotably coupled to the lever and the other end of the other member pivotably fixed to the enclosure. Methods for providing force from a lever associated with an enclosure are provided with the methods including: providing a lever pivotably coupled to an enclosure and extending along a length of the enclosure in one cross section; compressing the lever toward the enclosure to extend a member within the enclosure and provide force along the length of the enclosure with the member.
US09268352B2

A circuit for outputting reference voltage includes: a detecting unit, a feedback unit and an output unit which are respectively connected with an external power source, wherein a plurality of field effect transistors (FETs) are provided in the detecting unit, wherein the detecting unit is for detecting foundry corners of the FETs therein, the feedback unit is for feeding back and comparing a detecting result of the detecting unit, and outputting information after feeding back and comparing, and the output unit is for outputting reference voltage corresponding to the foundry corners of the FETs to an external output terminal. The reference voltage outputted by the circuit for outputting reference voltage of the present invention is capable of varying with foundry corners of the FETs, and achieves compensating for foundry corners of the FETs.
US09268339B2

A hydraulic valve arrangement, in particular a control valve arrangement of an axial piston machine, includes at least two valves that have springs supported in each case on a spring seat. The two spring seats are connected to one another with a material-to-material fit in one or more of a non-positive manner and a positively locking manner.
US09268335B2

An autonomous vehicle comprises at least one distance measurement means for measuring a distance to a road surface disposed in a vehicle main body, inclination calculation means for calculating an inclination of the vehicle main body based on the distance measured by the distance measurement means, posture calculation means including a sensor that detects at least one of an angular speed and an acceleration of the vehicle main body, the posture calculation means being configured to calculate the inclination of the vehicle main body based on a sensor value detected by the sensor, and failure determination means for determining a failure in each distance measurement means and the posture calculation means by comparing the inclination of the vehicle main body calculated by the inclination calculation means with the inclination of the vehicle main body calculated by the posture calculation means.
US09268334B1

A method of operating an automated guided cart may include directing, using a controller, the cart on a production operation path; automatically detecting a state-of-charge in an on-board battery pack; signaling to a remote station the state-of-charge; and when the state-of-charge is below a predetermined charge limit, the remote station automatically signaling the cart to automatically veer from the production operation path to a low battery charge path and stop at a battery station.
US09268326B2

A method and system for real-time optimization of a process scheduled using a single-period or multi-period, steady-state planning model and optimization program, and is controlled by means of linear or non-linear multivariable constraint controls. A steady-state model based on first principles of chemistry and physics of a plant is applied with a non-linear optimizer to calculate the optimum operating point of said oil refinery at any desired frequency such that the refinery can be considered to be operating in steady-state. The optimum is a function of the price of feedstocks, products and intermediate streams as provided by the refinery planning optimization. The solution is implemented automatically by linear or non-linear multivariable constraint controllers operating each of the processing units of said plant.
US09268325B2

According to one embodiment, a manufacturing process monitoring system for monitoring anomaly in a manufacturing process for products, the system includes an information storage section, a selection information section, a reference space formation section and a monitoring section. The information storage section is configured to store previously collected data. The selection information section is configured to create information used in classifying the data stored in the information storage section. The reference space formation section is configured to form a reference space based on data subjected to anomaly monitoring acquired in the manufacturing process and the data classified by the information from the data stored in the information storage section. The monitoring section is configured to monitor anomaly of the data subjected to anomaly monitoring based on the reference space.
US09268321B2

An apparatus that can be configured for various functions such as a digital oscilloscope, logic analyzer or frequency analyzer is disclosed. The apparatus includes a symbol generator, a multi-symbol FSM, and a controller. The symbol generator generates an ordered sequence of symbols from an ordered sequence of digital values. The symbol generator generates one symbol corresponding to each of the digital values. The digital values have a greater number of possible values than the symbols. The controller causes the multi-symbol FSM to search for a pattern in the sequence of symbols that identifies a corresponding pattern in the sequence of digital values. A portion of the digital sequence is then displayed based on the location of the pattern in the sequence of symbols.
US09268316B2

Systems and methods for estimating an inertia and a friction coefficient for a controlled mechanical system are provided. In one or more embodiments, an inertia estimator can generate a torque command signal that varies continuously over time during a testing sequence. The velocity of a motion system in response to the time-varying torque command signal is measured and recorded during the testing sequence. The inertia estimator then estimates the inertia and/or the friction coefficient of the motion system based on the torque command data sent to the motion system and the measured velocity data. In some embodiments, the inertia estimator estimates the inertia and the friction coefficient based on integrals of the torque command data and the velocity data.
US09268298B2

A process cartridge is detachably mounted on an apparatus main body of an image forming apparatus. An embodiment of the cartridge includes a developer bearer arranged to be opposed to an image bearer in a developing device and rotates; a positioning member that supports the image bearer and the developer bearer at respective ends thereof, and fixes a distance between rotating shafts of the image bearer and the developer bearer; a rotating shaft arranged on a rotating member arranged on the developing device, and having a part protruding from an outer surface of a housing frame of the process cartridge; a gear that is arranged at a distal end of the rotating shaft and transmits a rotational driving force transmitted from the apparatus main body; and a bearing that is arranged between the positioning member and the gear, is fixed to the housing frame, and supports the rotating shaft.
US09268290B2

An apparatus configured to operate in a first power state and in a second power state that consumes less power than the first power state. In a case where a predetermined condition is satisfied, when a power-supply-off drive for switching a switch to an off side using a drive unit is executed and if it is detected that a power supply to the apparatus is not cut after executing of the power-supply-off drive, a control unit shifts a power state of the apparatus from the first power state to the second power state.
US09268289B2

An image forming apparatus includes a first photosensitive member and a second photosensitive member that form images having different colors, a transfer belt that transfers the images formed on the first photosensitive member and the second photosensitive member onto a recording sheet, a first motor that rotatingly drives the first photosensitive member and the transfer belt, and a second motor that rotatingly drives the second photosensitive member. After the startup process of the first and second motors has been completed, the rotation speed of the second motor is controlled while maintaining the rotation speed of the first motor unchanged so that the second rotation phase of the second photosensitive member rotatingly driven by the second motor is the same as the first rotation phase of the first photosensitive member rotatingly driven by the first motor.
US09268288B2

An image forming apparatus includes an image forming portion, a curling correction portion, a curling direction determination portion, and a rotation control portion. The image forming portion forms an image on a recording medium. The curling direction determination portion determine a direction of curling in a recording medium in which images forms on both surfaces thereof, based on an image density of each of both surfaces of the recording medium in which the images forms on both surfaces thereof. The rotation control portion is configured to rotate the curling correction portion such that the curling correction portion is set in an orientation for correcting the curling that has occurred in the recording medium, in a direction opposite to the direction of the curling determined by the curling direction determination portion.
US09268279B1

In an image forming apparatus, a processor is configured to: determine whether prescribed criterion is met, the prescribed criterion indicating that a non agitation period of time, during which the agitator has not agitated the toner, has passed a predetermined period of time; perform a mark data generating process in which mark data is generated by forming a mark and reading the formed mark when the prescribed criterion is met; perform another mark data generating process in which another mark data is generated by forming another mark and reading the formed another mark after performing the mark data generating process; determine whether a difference between the mark data and the another mark data is within a prescribed range; and determine an adjustment value on a basis of at least one of the mark data and the another mark data when the difference is within the prescribed range.
US09268278B2

An image forming apparatus includes an image forming section, a body housing, a protruding housing, a light diffusing portion, a light source, a light guide path, and a control unit. The image forming section performs image formation on a sheet. The body housing is formed by a box body with a top surface, and contains the image forming section. The protruding housing is located on the top surface, and has a top portion protruding upwardly above the top surface. The light diffusing portion is located in or near the top portion of the protruding housing. The light source is located inside the body housing or the protruding housing, and emits light. The light guide path guides light emitted by the light source to the light diffusing portion. The control unit controls illumination of the light source based on the information related to the image formation.
US09268273B2

A pressing rotatable member for use with an image heating apparatus including a base layer; and a porous elastic layer provided on the base layer, wherein the elastic layer has a thermal conductivity in an axial direction thereof and a thermal conductivity in a circumferential direction thereof which are not less than 6-times and not more than 900-times a thermal conductivity in a thickness direction thereof.
US09268272B2

An endless heat-generation belt 10 includes a heat-generation layer 11 and a pair of metal electrodes 12 and 12. The heat-generation layer 11 is composed of an electroconductive resin composition and the heat-generation layer 11 can be heated by supplying electricity. The metal electrode 12 is bonded to the heat-generation layer 11 with an electroconductive adhesive 13. The electroconductive adhesive 13 contains an adhesive matrix and an electroconductive filler. The adhesive matrix is a modified silicone resin or an epoxy resin. The heat-generation belt 10 has excellent heat resistance, durability, and resistance stability, and it can be used for a fixing device of an image forming apparatus.
US09268269B2

An image heating apparatus includes a heating member for heating a toner image on a sheet; a fan; a duct provided with an opening for discharging air supplied by the fan, toward the heating member; a shutter for the opening; a motor for moving the shutter; a detector for detecting that the shutter is in a predetermined position; and a controller for controlling the motor; wherein when the detector does not detect the shutter after a predetermined time elapses from production of first instruction for moving the shutter toward the predetermined position, the controller produces second instruction for moving the shutter in a direction away from the predetermined position.
US09268268B2

In a heating device, a detector detects AC voltage of the AC power source. A control device detects a zero-cross timing of the AC voltage by using the detector and generate a signal having a high level period of time, a low level period of time, a rising transition changing from a low level to a high level, and a falling transition changing from the high level to the low level. The signal is such a form that at least one of the rising transition and the falling transition is in incoincidence with the zero-cross timing. The control device controls the heating switch to perform a switching action in which the heating switch is rendered on when the zero-cross timing is detected during the high level period of time and rendered off when the zero-cross timing is detected during the low level period of time.
US09268261B2

A developing device includes a frame, a developing roller, a blade unit, and a first seal member. A blade unit extends in an axial direction of the developing roller and in contact with the peripheral surface thereof. The first seal member is configured to seal a boundary between the frame and the axial end portions of the developing roller. The frame has a fixing portion to which end portions of the blade is fixed. The fixing portion has a support surface having an outer edge and an inner edge in the axial direction. The outer edge is positioned outward of an inner edge of the first seal member in the axial direction, and the inner edge of the support surface is positioned inward of the inner edge of the first seal member in the axial direction.
US09268252B2

An image forming apparatus applies a dither matrix to multi-valued image data. Then, the apparatus performs an exposure on a photoreceptor drum based on the image data obtained by using the applied dither matrix. In this process, the apparatus performs additional amount of exposure on the photoreceptor drum in a cycle equal to the cycle of the dither matrix, in addition to an amount of the exposure based on the obtained image data.
US09268244B2

An electrostatic image developing toner including: toner base particles each including a binder resin and a colorant; and an external additive, wherein the toner base particles each have protrusions on a surface thereof, an average of lengths of long sides of the protrusions is 0.1 μm or more but less than 0.5 μm, a standard deviation of the lengths of the long sides of the protrusions is 0.2 or less, a coverage rate of the protrusions on the surface of each toner base particle is 10% to 90%, and the external additive includes an external additive (A) which is fine inorganic particles each containing silicone oil.
US09268237B2

An exposure apparatus exposes a substrate by projecting a pattern image onto the substrate through a liquid. The exposure apparatus includes a projection optical system by which the pattern image is projected onto the substrate, and a movable member which is movable relative to the projection optical system. A liquid-repellent member, at least a part of a surface of which is liquid-repellent, is provided detachably on the movable member, the liquid-repellent member being different from the substrate.
US09268229B2

A composition for forming a resist underlayer film includes a polysiloxane, and a solvent composition. The solvent composition includes an organic solvent which includes a compound represented by the following formula (1) or a carbonate compound and which has a standard boiling point of no less than 150.0° C. R1 and R2 each independently represent a hydrogen atom, an alkyl group having 1 to 4 carbon atoms or an acyl group having 1 to 4 carbon atoms. R3 represents a hydrogen atom or a methyl group. n is an integer of 1 to 4. In a case where n is no less than 2, a plurality of R3s are identical or different.
US09268228B2

Various techniques for patterning a substrate are disclosed. Specifically, implantation of the first species into an anti-reflective coating layer is contemplated to reduce stress in the layer that may be generated during the exposure stage or development stage. During these steps, the resist layer or the resist structure may under mechanical changes (e.g. shrinkage) while it is in contact with the anti-reflective layer. Such changes may introduce stress in the anti-reflective layer, which may contribute to excessive line edge roughness (LER) or line width roughness (LWR). By implanting the first species before, during, or after these steps, the stress in the anti-reflective layer may be avoided or compensated, and excessive LER or LWR may be avoided or reduced.
US09268221B2

Provided is a positive photosensitive resin composition that includes (A) a polybenzoxazole precursor including a first polybenzoxazole precursor including a repeating unit represented by Chemical Formula 1 and a repeating unit represented by Chemical Formula 2, and having a thermally polymerizable functional group at least one terminal end; (B) a photosensitive diazoquinone compound; (C) a silane compound; (D) a phenol compound; and (E) a solvent. A photosensitive resin film fabricated using the positive photosensitive resin composition is provided.
US09268212B2

A light-shielding film 2 is formed on a transparent substrate 1. A hard mask film 3 is formed on this light-shielding film 2. The entire hard mask film 3 is made of a chromium-containing material including tin. The film made a chromium-containing material including tin can cause a significant increase in the etching rate at the time of chlorine-containing dry etching. Furthermore, comparing with a film made of a chromium-containing material in which part of chromium is replaced with a light element, the above film has an equal or higher level of etching resistance to fluorine-dry etching. Thus, burden on a photoresist at the time of etching the chromium-containing material film can be reduced. Therefore, high-precision pattern transfer can be performed even in the case that the resist film is thinned.
US09268209B2

A method of forming a pattern is disclosed. At first, a layout pattern is provided to a computer system. The layout pattern includes at least a first strip pattern and at least a second strip pattern, and a width of the second strip pattern is substantially larger than a width of the first strip pattern. Subsequently, the second strip pattern neighboring the first strip pattern is defined as a selected pattern. Then, an assist pattern is formed in the selected pattern, and the assist pattern does not overlap a center line of the selected pattern. The layout pattern and the assist pattern are further outputted through the computer system onto a mask.
US09268200B2

A camera housing comprises a four-sided frame. A first side of the four-sided frame includes a first segment, a second segment, and a latch mechanism with a first latch component and a second latch component. The first latch component and the second latch component are pivotally coupled such that in a closed position, the frame securely encloses a camera and in an open position, the first segment and the second segment are separable.
US09268188B2

By increasing an interval between electrodes which drives liquid crystals, a gradient of an electric field applied between the electrodes can be controlled and an optimal electric field can be applied between the electrodes. The invention includes a first electrode formed over a substrate, an insulating film formed over the substrate and the first electrode, a thin film transistor including a semiconductor film in which a source, a channel region, and a drain are formed over the insulating film, a second electrode located over the semiconductor film and the first electrode and including first opening patterns, and liquid crystals provided over the second electrode.
US09268184B2

The present application relates to a sub-pixel structure, a liquid crystal display device and a method for reducing color shift, the sub-pixel structure comprises a main area, a sub area and a signal wire, and the sub-pixel structure further comprises a first voltage dividing unit, the signal wire is connected to the main area and is connected to the sub area via the voltage dividing unit; the signal wire respectively provides different driving voltages for the main area and the sub area for reducing color shift in a liquid crystal display device. The present application has advantages on solving the color shift in relation to viewing angle in LCDs and greatly reducing cost.
US09268177B2

A pixel electrode structure including a first electrode and a second electrode is provided. The first electrode has a first stripe electrode extended along a first direction and pleural first branch electrodes connected to the first strip electrode. The first branch electrodes include pleural first branch domain electrodes extended along a second direction and pleural second branch domain electrodes extended along a third direction substantially perpendicular to the second direction. The second electrode has a second stripe electrode extended along the first direction and pleural second branch electrodes connected to the second stripe electrode. The second branch electrodes include pleural third branch domain electrodes extended along the second direction and pleural fourth branch domain electrodes extended along the third direction. The first and the third branch domain electrodes are alternated to each other. The second and the fourth branch domain electrodes are alternated to each other.
US09268164B2

A manufacturing method of a liquid crystal display includes: providing a pixel electrode on an insulation substrate; providing a sacrificial layer on the pixel electrode; providing a common electrode on the sacrificial layer; providing a photoresist layer on the common electrode; exposing a portion of the photoresist layer, common electrode and the sacrificial layer with light; developing the portion of the photoresist layer exposed with the light; etching a layer between the photoresist layer and the sacrificial layer using the developed photoresist layer as a mask to expose the portion of the sacrificial layer exposed with the light; removing the portion of the sacrificial layer exposed with the light; providing a roof layer on the insulation substrate and etching the roof layer to form a liquid crystal injection hole therein; and removing the sacrificial layer exposed through the liquid crystal injection hole to form a microcavity.
US09268153B2

Disclosed herein is a device that includes a host lens and a dynamic lens adapted to adjust its optical power based upon an input. The dynamic lens is in optical communication with the host lens. The device further comprises a photosensor, a controller electrically connected to the photosensor, and an actuator electrically connected to the controller. The actuator is also connected to the dynamic lens. The actuator provides an input interface to the dynamic lens, which is actuated based upon a signal received from the photosensor. The dynamic lens having a first zone of changeable optical power adapted to adjust its optical power within the range of −0.75 D to +0.75 D and an “optional” second zone of changeable optical power adapted to adjust its optical power within the range of +50 D to +1.25 D.
US09268149B2

Provided is an optical filter and a display device. In the optical filter, patterns of first and second regions therein may be stably maintained, and therefore the optical filter capable of ensuring excellent light division characteristics for a long time may be provided.
US09268133B2

Provided is an optical scanning apparatus including: a deflector capable of deflecting an entering beam while switching an advancing direction thereof among a plurality of direction at a predetermined switching timing; a mirror array including a plurality of angle setting mirrors that are placed at angles different from one another on respective optical paths of the beams deflected by the deflector, each of the angle setting mirrors reflecting the beam while giving thereto a relative angle on the same plane for each optical path, and gathering the beam on the same point; and a first scanner that is provided so as to be swingable about an axial line perpendicular to the plane in synchronization with the switching timing, the first scanner reflecting each beam that is caused by the mirror array to enter the same point from a different direction and applying for scanning the beam along the same trajectory.
US09268130B2

A micromechanical component is described as having a mounting support, an actuator plate having a coil, situated on and/or in the actuator plate, which is connected to the mounting support via at least one supply line spring. A mirror element and/or filter element is connected to the mounting support via the actuator plate and the at least one supply line spring. A spacer has a first end that contacts an inner side of the mirror element and/or the filter element that is directed away from an incident light surface of the mirror element and/or the filter element. The spacer has a second end that contacts a carrier side of the actuator plate that is aligned towards the mirror element and/or the filter element. Also described is a method for producing a micromechanical component.
US09268125B2

Systems and methods are provided for illuminating a surface to be observed microscopically using a retractable beamsplitter. The retractable beamsplitter allows the use of coaxial illumination when the beamsplitter is positioned in the operator's line of sight. The retractable beamsplitter allows the use of non-coaxial illumination without reducing the amount of illumination that reaches the operator when the beamsplitter is retracted from the operator's line of sight. As a result a single system can be used effectively to provide various types of illumination.
US09268118B2

A zoom lens includes, in order from an object side to an image side, a first, a second, a third, a fourth, a fifth, a sixth and a seventh lens units respectively having positive, negative, positive, negative, positive, negative and positive refractive powers. A distance between adjacent lens units change during zooming so that a distance between the fourth lens unit and the fifth lens unit at a telephoto end is shorter than the distance at a wide angle end and a distance between the fifth lens unit and the sixth lens unit at the telephoto end is longer than the distance at the wide angle end. And the fourth lens unit moves during focusing.
US09268116B2

An image capturing optical lens assembly includes six lens elements with refractive power, in order from an object side to an image side, a first lens element, a second lens element, a third lens element, a fourth lens element, a fifth lens element, and a sixth lens element. The first lens element with positive refractive power has a convex object-side surface and a concave image-side surface. The second lens element has refractive power. The third lens element with refractive power has a convex object side surface and a concave image-side surface. The fourth lens element has refractive power. The fifth lens element with refractive power has an aspheric object-side surface and an aspheric convex image-side surface. The sixth lens element with refractive power has an aspheric object-side surface and an aspheric concave image-side surface, and the sixth lens element has at least one inflection point on the image-side surface thereof.
US09268113B2

A scanning lens molded of resin includes: a lens portion having an elongate shape extending in a main scanning direction and having an optical surface; a slant portion having at least one slant surface slanting relative to the main scanning direction; and an ejector pin mark formed on the slant surface when thrusting out the scanning lens by ejector pins. The ejector pin mark is formed along a slanting direction of the slant surface.
US09268112B2

A lens barrel of the disclosure includes: a first frame which has a lens and an adhesive reservoir which is provided at a position projecting from the lens in a radial direction of the lens with an indentation formed between the lens and the adhesive reservoir, the first frame holding the lens by injection of an adhesive into the adhesive reservoir; and a second frame which is movable relative to the first frame in an optical axis direction of the lens, the second frame having a through hole formed at a place corresponding to the adhesive reservoir as viewed in the optical axis direction.
US09268111B2

A lens structure is provided. The lens structure comprises a first barrel, a second barrel and a third barrel. The first barrel has a first groove and comprises a first pin. The second barrel has a second groove and comprises a second pin. The third barrel has a third groove. The first barrel is rotatably disposed outside of the third barrel. The second barrel is disposed in the inside of the third barrel. The second pin of the second barrel slides along the third groove of the third barrel and the first groove of the first barrel. The first pin of the first barrel slides along the second groove of the second barrel.
US09268105B2

An optical connector includes a printed circuit board, at least one emitter, at least one receiver, a coupler, and a number of positioning poles. The printed circuit board includes an assembling surface defining a number of first positioning recesses therein. The emitter and the receiver are electrically connected to the assembling surface of the printed circuit board. The coupler includes a bottom surface facing toward to the printed circuit board and at least two first lenses corresponding to the emitter and the receiver. The coupler defining a number of second positioning recesses in the bottom surface corresponding to the first positioning recesses. The positioning poles are positioned between the printed circuit board and the coupler, with one end of each positioning pole inserting and being fixed into a first positioning recess and the other end of each positioning pole inserting and being fixed into a second positioning recess.
US09268103B2

Adaptors for providing a connection between fiber-optic cables may be configured to be interlocked in both side-by-side and top-to-bottom orientations with adjacent adaptors to eliminate wasted spaced between adjacent rows and/or columns of adaptors in a junction panel.
US09268102B2

The present disclosure relates to a fiber optic connector assembly having a fiber optic connector including a main connector body and a rear insert secured within a rear cable termination end of the main connector body. The fiber optic connector assembly has a fiber optic cable that includes an optical fiber, a strength layer and an outer jacket. The optical fiber has a ferrule-less end portion accessible at a front mating end of the main connector body. A first shape recoverable sleeve secures the optical fiber to a substrate anchored to the rear insert. An axial gap exists between the forward end of the outer jacket and the rearward end of the rear insert. A second shape recoverable sleeve secures the outer jacket to the rear insert. An adhesive material at least partially fills the axial gap.
US09268100B2

A fiber optic adapter includes a mounting block having a first opening and a through opening extending into the mounting block from the first opening with a seat for receiving a body portion of a fiber optic connector and at least one flexible projection with a first end defining an aperture that is smaller than the first opening. The at least one flexible projection is configured to flex away from a rest position and away from a longitudinal axis of the through opening to allow the body portion of the fiber optic connector to reach the seat and configured to return toward the rest position when the fiber optic connector reaches the seat and to substantially prevent the removal of the fiber optic connector in a direction opposite its insertion direction when the at least one flexible projection is in the rest position.
US09268097B2

A system and method for creating a robust anti-reflective surface on a fiber end using various etching techniques to create a shallow grating that creates an effective index of refraction region to transition from air or the input material to the material of the fiber optical cable.
US09268094B2

Optical system has a passive optical chip on the top surface with a first wave guide and a laser diode arranged on the edge of the chip. The chip has a reflecting structure on the top surface at the wavelength of the laser diode and a thin layer portion powered by the laser diode and covering a part of the first wave guide. The first wave guide input is linked to the laser diode, passing through the reflecting structure. The chip has a second wave guide on the top surface, a first coupler formed by two first portions of the first wave guide not covered by the thin layer portion and situated on either side of the thin layer portion along the optical path, and a second coupler formed by two second portions, respectively of the first and second wave guides, not covered by the thin layer portion.
US09268093B2

Systems and methods are disclosed for converting a legacy 850 nm optical-fiber link in a data center to a 1310 nm optical-fiber link. The methods include accessing the primary optical fiber of the legacy 850 nm optical-fiber link and optically connecting thereto one or more sections of compensating optical fiber. The resulting 1310 nm link has a peak wavelength of nominally 1310 nm and supports a bandwidth of greater than 2 GHz·km and a data rate of at least 25 Gb/s.
US09268092B1

The various technologies presented herein relate to various hybrid phononic-photonic waveguide structures that can exhibit nonlinear behavior associated with traveling-wave forward stimulated Brillouin scattering (forward-SBS). The various structures can simultaneously guide photons and phonons in a suspended membrane. By utilizing a suspended membrane, a substrate pathway can be eliminated for loss of phonons that suppresses SBS in conventional silicon-on-insulator (SOI) waveguides. Consequently, forward-SBS nonlinear susceptibilities are achievable at about 3000 times greater than achievable with a conventional waveguide system. Owing to the strong phonon-photon coupling achievable with the various embodiments, potential application for the various embodiments presented herein cover a range of radiofrequency (RF) and photonic signal processing applications. Further, the various embodiments presented herein are applicable to applications operating over a wide bandwidth, e.g. 100 MHz to 50 GHz or more.
US09268085B2

A liquid crystal display device including a liquid crystal panel in a display area and a non-display area; a plurality of optical sheets under the liquid crystal panel; a light guide plate under the optical sheets; a light source configured to apply light to the light guide plate; and a support main connected to the liquid crystal panel, the optical sheets and the light guide plate and including a first support guide in back of the liquid crystal panel; a second support guide in back of the optical sheets and extending from a side surface of the first support guide; and a third support guide extending from a side surface of the second support guide. An inside portion of the third support guide is narrower than an outside portion of the third support guide.
US09268084B2

A backlight assembly includes a light emitting part, a light guide plate and a lower receiving container. The light guide plate includes a side surface and a light exiting surface. The lower receiving container includes a heat sinking part and a rigid part having a strength greater than the heat sinking part.
US09268077B2

A projection device includes a light source, a galvano-mirror, a polarizing selector, an optical module, a light modulator, a lens, and a prism group. The light source is configured to provide a light beam. The galvano-mirror is configured to deflect the light beam to different directions in sequence. The polarizing selector is configured to selectively convert the polarization state of the light beam. The optical module has an entrance and an exit. The light beam passing through the polarizing selector enters the optical module from the entrance, and the optical module guides the light beam to the exit. The optical module includes a polarization beam splitter, a reflector, a first wavelength retarder, a right-angled triangular prism, and a second wavelength retarder. The polarization beam splitter guides the light beam that entering the entrance to different optical paths according to the polarization state of the light beam.
US09268068B2

A display panel assembly and an electronic device including the assembly are disclosed. In one aspect, the assembly includes a window cover including a display area and a non-display area and a display panel disposed on a location of a rear surface of the window cover corresponding to the display area. The assembly further includes a dielectric mirror layer disposed on a location of the rear surface of the window cover corresponding to the non-display area which selectively reflects light incident through the window cover to provide a metallic color sense to a user and a light absorbing layer absorbing light transmitted through the dielectric mirror layer.
US09268056B2

A method for pulsed neutron well logging of a subsurface formation, includes irradiating the formation with a plurality of bursts of neutrons of a group of selected durations; detecting gamma rays resulting from interaction of the neutrons during a group of selected time gates which contains at least some early and late gamma ray counts. The gamma rays are detected at at least two axially spaced apart locations from a position of the irradiating. A weighted sum of the numbers of gamma rays detected in each of the time gates is calculated. A ratio of the weighted sum of detected gamma rays at a first axial spacing to the weighted sum at a second axial spacing is determined. The ratio is used to determine a hydrogen index of the subsurface formation.
US09268048B2

A detonation wave pressure harnessing system includes a detonator tube that generates a detonation wave. The detonation wave produces a pressure in a coupling chamber that is substantially sealed when the detonation wave is generated. An interface between the coupling chamber and a target converts the pressure into a force that is applied to the target. The system includes an inflow valve assembly and an outflow valve assembly and a control system that controls the outflow valve assembly.
US09268043B2

At least one pair of hodoscope radiation monitors arranged to simultaneously monitor a target region that contains a source of radiation. The hodoscopes are preferably arranged so that their fields of view of the region are approximately orthogonal. The fields of view of the two detectors will overlap in a region that contains the source of radiation. Each of the two detectors will record radiation from the overlap region and, in addition, will record background radiation emanating from other regions within detector fields of view. The present invention provides statistical correlation techniques to estimate the extent to which unusually high radiation originates in the overlap region, irrespective of background in the field-of-view of individual hodoscope detectors. The source of radiation might be spontaneous, might be from an activation process, or might be scattered in from an external beam.
US09268032B2

A sensing element for electromagnetic wave detection, electrical radiography imaging system applying the element and method thereof is provided. The sensing element may include a substrate, an active component on the substrate, a plurality of first electrodes on the substrate, a plurality of second electrodes on the substrate, a first blocking layer, a photo-conversion layer on the first blocking layer, and a third electrode on the photo-conversion layer. The plurality of first electrodes is coupled together. The plurality of first electrodes is interlaced with the plurality of second electrodes and is coupled together. The first blocking layer is on the active component, the plurality of first electrodes, and the plurality of second electrodes. The photo-conversion layer is for absorbing electromagnetic wave transmitted through an object being imaged by a radiography imaging system and generates electric charges collected by the plurality of first and second electrodes, and the third electrodes.
US09268029B2

The present invention provides a method for measuring a two-dimensional distribution of ionizing radiation doses with high spatial resolution. The method comprises exposing radiation sensitive film to a pattern of ionizing radiation to form a measurement film, exposing areas of radiation sensitive film to a plurality of known doses of the ionizing radiation to form a calibration film(s), scanning all the exposed films together with an unexposed radiation sensitive film at a single time to produce a digital image, measuring those areas of the digital image corresponding to the unexposed film and the calibration film(s) exposed to different known doses, associating the measured responses in the areas to the known doses and using the association to convert the values in the scanned image corresponding to the measurement film from scanner response values to dose values. In a preferred embodiment, all of the radiation sensitive films are the same type of film.
US09268021B2

This disclosure provides a detection device, which includes a transceiver for transmitting a transmission signal and receiving an echo caused by the transmission signal to output a reception signal according to an intensity of the echo, the reception signal in one measurement including one or more reception signals, and an interference detector for detecting an interference signal from the one or more reception signals. The interference detector performs a switching operation of switching interference detection processing between first interference detection processing and second interference detection processing that has a higher interference detection sensitivity than in the first interference detection processing, according to the number of the reception signals detected as the interference signals.
US09268015B2

Apparatus and methods are described that include ultrasound imaging devices, which may operate in a transmissive ultrasound imaging modality, and which may be used to detect properties of interest of a subject such as index of refraction, density and/or speed of sound. Devices suitable for performing high intensity focused ultrasound (HIFU), as well as HIFU and ultrasound imaging, are also described.
US09268007B2

A mobile communication and localization device cooperating with a plurality of mobile network devices includes a processing unit; a data structure containing a plurality of entries, each entry containing information about a corresponding mobile network device and a corresponding time stamp; a unit for sending data packets at respective transmission instants, each data packet containing position data indicating the position of corresponding mobile network devices; a unit for receiving data packets sent by sender mobile devices belonging to the plurality of mobile network devices; and a unit for determining the relative position of corresponding mobile network devices based on position data contained in the data packets.
US09267995B2

Systems and methods for improvements in battery state of charge accuracy, charge termination consistency, capacity estimation, and energy delivery consistency. More specifically, embodiments herein detail systems and methods using an algorithm to calculate the change in state of charge for a given voltage change (dSOC/dV) at a given temperature in a region around the present voltage measurement or estimation and to set a signal indicating when the measurement should not be used due to potential error.
US09267992B2

A switch failure diagnosis device for using in a current path between an electric device and an electric storage device includes plural switches, a switch terminal voltage detector, and a controller. The switches are connected parallel to each other in the current path. The switch terminal voltage detector outputs a switch terminal voltage detection signal. The controller is configured to: select the switches at different time in sequence and input an open instruction signal to each switch at the time when the switch is selected; and determine, based on the switch terminal voltage detection signal output while the open instruction signal is given, that at least one of the switches has a failure if the detected voltage is in a failure determination range.
US09267991B2

A test pattern is encoded using a run length limited line encoding to produce an encoded block of data. The encoded block of data is sent via a channel. A plurality of bits in the received block of data that are subsequent to a maximum length run in the sent data is compared to an expected plurality of bits. A type of bit error is classified based on a mismatch between the expected plurality of bits and the plurality of bits in the received block of data.
US09267988B2

An eye diagram capture device includes a delay line arranged to receive a digital signal and output time delayed version of the digital signal. An edge detection circuit is arranged to receive the digital signal and the time delayed version of the digital signal, the edge detection circuit operating to output a signal corresponding to a logical value of the digital signal received coincident with an edge of the time delay version of the digital signal. A voltage comparator is arranged to receive the digital signal and a reference voltage. The voltage comparator operates to output a first signal when the a voltage of the digital signal and the reference voltage are equal to each other.
US09267983B2

An apparatus for testing light emitting diodes (LEDs) comprising a chamber which is configured to heat or cool LEDs inside the chamber by ambient heating or cooling of the LEDs and an optical sensing unit configured to sense light emitted by the LEDs while the LEDs are inside the chamber. A method for testing LEDs is also described.
US09267978B2

Various aspects of the disclosure are directed to methods, systems, and apparatus, including computer programs encoded on a computer storage medium, for identifying network events. In one aspect, a method includes monitoring signal characteristic values for signals transmitted over a communications channel of a power line communications system and determining that a signal level value for the channel is less than a threshold signal level value for the channel. In response to determining that the signal level value for the channel is less than the threshold signal level value for the channel, a signal to noise ratio for the communications channel is computer and it is determined that the signal to noise ratio for the channel exceeds a threshold value. In response to determining that the signal to noise ratio for the communications channel exceeds the threshold value, storing data received over the communications channel is stored as valid data.
US09267957B2

A junction for transporting sample racks in an analytical system having one or more work cells for processing samples are disclosed. In one embodiment, the junction may include a main transport line, a turntable having a rotatable transport line, and one or more bypass transport lines. The main transport line can transport first sample racks and second sample racks having different sizes via the turntable. The turntable further comprises a recess for diverting second sample racks from the main transport line to the bypass transport line or vice versa when rotated.
US09267956B2

Methods for producing stimulated, positive and negative control reference standard for monitoring intracellular cytokine levels and cytokine release in test samples by stimulating cells to produce cytokines in the presence of a cytokine release inhibitor, fixing the stimulated cells with a fixative such as paraformaldehyde, washing to remove excess fixatives and freeze-drying the stimulated, fixed cells. Methods for producing labeled reference standards for cell proliferation assays are also disclosed, in which proliferation-competent mammalian cells, isolated from a human or animal body are labeled with a label, such as a dye, that is divided between daughter cells during cell proliferation (e.g., carboxyfluorescein succinimidyl ester), the cells are stimulated to proliferate, the proliferated cells are fixed by addition of a fixative and then preserved by freeze drying or cryopreservation.
US09267951B2

This invention relates to a composition comprising a micelle for use in biological applications, the micelle comprising: a substantially water-insoluble conjugated polymer which exhibits luminescence or fluorescence from about 300 nm to about 1500 nm of the electromagnetic spectrum: a biocompatible surfactant and/or lipid: and a MRI active agent.
US09267946B2

The present invention relates to peptides biomarkers that are specifically recognized by autoantibodies present in the sera of patients with Rheumatoid Arthritis (RA). More specifically, the invention provides epitopes of PAD4, of BRAF, and of calpastatin as well as methods and kits for using these sequences for the diagnosis of RA, in particular for the diagnosis of RA in CCP-negative subjects.
US09267935B2

The described invention relates to the identification of biomarkers for gastrointestinal diseases and provides methods utilizing the biomarkers for in drug discovery, monitoring of treatment efficacy, and diagnostics. The invention further provides methods for identifying a therapeutic target to treat ulcerative colitis, colorectal cancer, and Crohn's disease.
US09267924B2

It is presented a method for detecting a gas (G). Acoustic waves (Wt) are generated and transmitted via a wave generating and sensing means (2) towards a reflecting wall (3) and thereafter reflected acoustic waves (Wt) are detected by the wave generating and sensing means (2) wherein a presence of the gas (G) is detected by determining a change in an output signal of the wave generating and sensing means (2). A gas detector (1) is also presented.
US09267918B2

A flow cell for a microfluidic device can include a chamber, first microfluidic entry and exit channels, second microfluidic entry and exit channels, a first electrode, and a second electrode. A microfluidic device can include a microfluidic channel, a laser to excite fluorescent material, and a detector to detect fluorescence emission. Methods of merging a droplet from an emulsion in to a second stream of fluid and of detecting a content of a droplet in a stream are further disclosed.
US09267913B2

A pH sensor may include a reference electrode including a p-channel field effect transistor (FET) whose gate includes a diamond surface having a hydrogen ion insensitive terminal, and a working electrode.
US09267910B2

The ability to switch at will between amperometric measurements and potentiometric measurements provides great flexibility in performing analyses of unknowns. Apparatus and methods can provide such switching to collect data from an electrochemical cell. The cell may contain a reagent disposed to measure glucose in human blood.
US09267909B2

A method for determining a salt concentration of a hydrocarbon fluid using a conductivity sensor and a hydrocarbon testing solution includes forming the hydrocarbon testing solution. The electropolymerizable monomer is operable to form a resultant associated polymer at a peak potential of the electropolymerizable polymer. The method includes introducing the hydrocarbon testing solution into the conductivity sensor. The method includes inducing a range of potential across the hydrocarbon testing solution such that at least a portion of the electropolymerizable monomer polymerizes. The range of induced potential includes the peak potential of the electropolymerizable polymer. The method includes detecting a range of electrical current associated with the range of potential induced. The method also includes the step of determining the salt concentration of the hydrocarbon fluid using the range of potential induced and the range of electrical current detected.
US09267890B2

A nucleic acid analyzer includes a nucleic acid purification kit yielding a nucleic acid solution by isolating and purifying nucleic acid from a specimen; a nucleic acid analysis chip having a rotation axis positioned at a center thereof, with reaction containers at an outer portion than the rotation axis, and feeding the acid to the containers through centrifugal force; a specimen-introducing part on which the kit is placed; an analysis chip holder at the specimen-introducing part and supporting the chip; a purification treatment unit injecting the nucleic acid solution containing the nucleic acid into the chip; a centrifugal liquid feed unit feeding the nucleic acid solution to the containers by rotating the chip about the rotation axis; an analysis unit analyzing reaction products in the containers; and a transport part transporting the specimen-introducing part to the purification treatment unit, the centrifugal liquid feed unit, and the analysis unit.
US09267881B2

Gas analyzer systems and methods for measuring concentrations of gases and in particular dry mole fraction of components of a gas. The systems and methods allow for rapid measurement of the gas density and/or dry mole fraction of gases for a number of environmental monitoring applications, including high speed flux measurements. A novel coupling design allows for tool-free removal of a cell enclosing a flow path to enable infield cleaning of optical components and to enable re-configuration between open- and closed-path analyzer configurations. In closed path configurations, the sample flow path is thermally isolated from the remainder of the gas analyzer to provide more accurate temperature measurements. Composite plastic/metal sample cells are presented with achieve this thermal isolation without compromising analyzer performance.
US09267876B2

The present invention relates to a cell for optical analysis, wherein a flow space of a low depth is formed by attachment, using a simple double-coated tape without out special processing, of a micro flow channel through which a liquid sample passes, thereby enabling: a very easy manufacturing method; a reduction of manufacturing costs, thereby allowing the cell to be more widely used; a maintenance of a short path length of light with respect to the flow space in which the liquid sample flows, thereby enabling accurate optical analysis without diluting a sample with high absorbance; an expansion of a flow space region along the plane vertical to the light-passing direction, thereby enabling smoother optical analysis and improving the accuracy of optical analysis.
US09267873B2

A material sorting system is disclosed. The system has an electrical charge device arranged to produce electrical charging conditions for substantially all particles of a material sample such that an electrical charge at least partially dependent on particle capacitance is imparted to one or more particles, and a particle delivery device operably connected to the electrical charge device and arranged to cause the one or more particles to move along a flowpath. The system also has a deflection device arranged to cause each particle to deviate from the flowpath an amount at least partially dependent on the electrical charge imparted to the particle, and a collection device in fluid communication with the deflection device. The collection device is arranged to collect the one or more particles at one or more locations corresponding to the amount of deviation of the one or more particles from the flowpath. A corresponding method is also disclosed. The material sorting system and method are suitable for sorting cells according to the level of cell differentiation.
US09267872B2

A fluid properties measurement device includes a symmetric resonant element having a first mass and a second mass, balanced to the first mass and coupled to the first mass by a torsional spring, having a nodal support between the first mass and the second mass. Also, a chamber having at least one opening accommodates the first mass, free of mechanical constraint and a driving and sensing assembly, is adapted to drive the first mass in torsion and sense resulting torsional movement of the first mass. The torsional spring passes through the opening which is sealed about the torsional spring at the nodal support and the second mass is free to be placed into a fluid, for fluid property measurements.
US09267866B2

A capillary microextractor of volatiles (CMV) allows the sampling of diagnostic volatiles that can be an explosive, explosive taggant, drug, poison, decomposition products thereof, a mixture of chemicals comprising an odor signature determined from detector dog trials, or volatile organic compounds indicative of a disease or other medical condition. The CMV has a thermally stable housing with orifices to allow the contact of a gas that contains one or more diagnostic volatiles with an absorbent that extracts and concentrates the diagnostic volatiles. After sampling, the CMV with the absorbed diagnostic volatiles can be placed in an ionized gas beam and introduced into a mass spectrometer or placed in a thermal desorption unit (TDU), where, upon heating, the diagnostic volatiles are released to an inlet port of an analytical instrument. Analytical instruments that can be used include gas chromatographs and ion mobility spectrometers for separation and mass spectrometers for unambiguous identification of the diagnostic volatiles.
US09267865B2

A method for detecting particles, for example in an exhaust gas stream of a vehicle in which the exhaust gas stream is guided along a duct, includes using a particle sensor that has at least two electrodes arranged in the duct. The method includes applying a first voltage and a second voltage to the electrodes to produce a first electric field and a second electric field between the electrodes. The method also includes ascertaining a first capacitance value corresponding to the first electric field and a second capacitance value corresponding to the second electric field of a capacitor formed by the electrodes. Information relating to the particles contained in the exhaust gas stream is ascertained from the first capacitance value and the second capacitance value.
US09267863B2

A propeller system with two propellers, arranged one behind the other and separated by a propeller gap, respectively comprising a propeller hub and at least one rotating force measuring device, comprises at least two differential pressure sensors and an evaluation unit. The rotating force measuring devices are mechanically connected to the respective propellers and are adapted for determining the individual thrust force of each propeller. At least one of the said differential pressure sensors is arranged on or in each propeller and is adapted for measuring a differential pressure between the propeller gap and the respectively opposing side of the propeller. By adding the measured individual thrust forces and by subtracting the gap area forces that are based on the respectively measured differential pressures, the evaluation unit can determine a precise overall thrust force for the propeller system.
US09267861B2

The invention relates to a method and device for monitoring the confinement of an enclosure including walls delimiting an interior volume and an external environment, according to which a differential pressure (ΔP) is maintained between the interior volume and the external environment. According to the invention, the enclosure includes a port in one of the walls thereof establishing a fluid communication between the interior volume and the external environment, the port is traversed by a gas stream having a speed (V) at least equal to a reference speed Vréf, under the effect of the differential pressure (ΔP). Method according to which the following steps are performed, measuring the speed (V) of the gas stream at predetermined time intervals or continuously, and comparing the speed (V) measurement with reference speed Vréférence, and when the speed (V) measurement is less than reference speed Vréférence, transmitting at least one alarm signal.
US09267854B2

A fiber Bragg grating cross-wire sensor may be used to independently determine strain and temperature variation. An example fiber Bragg grating cross-wire sensor comprises a first fiber Bragg grating (FBG) that reflects a first percentage, R1, of light of a first wavelength, λ1, and a second FBG that reflects a second percentage, R2, of light of a second wavelength, λ2. The second FBG is positioned orthogonal to the first FBG, and λ1 is substantially equal to λ2, but R1 is different from R2. As the FBG cross-wire sensor experiences a strain and/or a temperature variation, the wavelengths of light reflected by the first FBG and the second FBG will shift from the first and second wavelength, λ1 and λ2, to first and second shifted wavelengths, λA and λT, respectively. Based on R1, R2, λ1, λA, and λT, the strain and/or the temperature variation may be independently determined.
US09267847B2

An infrared sensor for temperature sensing comprises a cap covering a substrate; an IR-radiation filtering window in the cap transparent to IR radiation; a first sensing element comprising a set of N thermocouples on the substrate covered by the cap, whose hot junctions may receive radiation; a second sensing element comprising a set of N thermocouples on the substrate covered by the cap whose hot junctions may not receive radiation; first connection modules for connecting a number N1 of thermocouples of the first sensing element, second connection modules for connecting a number N2 of thermocouples of the second sensing; connecting means for connecting an output of the first connection modules of the first sensing element with an output of the second connection modules of the second sensing element, and an output of the combined outputs of the sensing elements.
US09267842B2

An analysis system includes a moveable focusing lens, a laser (typically an eye safe laser) having an output directed at the focusing lens, and a spectrometer outputting intensity data from a sample. A controller system is responsive to the spectrometer and is configured to energize the laser, process the output of the spectrometer, and adjust the position of the focusing lens relative to the sample until the spectrometer output indicates a maximum or near maximum intensity resulting from a laser output focused to a spot on the sample.
US09267838B2

A collecting chute of a combination weigher has three discharge paths and can discharge objects so as to not get stuck in a discharge path. The collecting chute includes an inner funnel which discharges in an inward direction, a right outer funnel which discharges in an outward direction from the hoppers in a right group, and a left outer funnel which discharges in an outward direction from the hoppers in a left group, and a right chute member in which an edge of the right outer funnel is coupled to an outer surface of a right funnel section constituting the inner funnel and a left chute member in which an edge of the left outer funnel is coupled to an outer surface of a left section constituting the inner funnel are removably mounted to a frame.
US09267813B2

On-board device mounted in a vehicle includes output device including a display device and a speaker. The on-board device comprises a communications device that communicates with a mobile device having an information processing function. The on-board device also comprises an output controller that receives through the communications device information produced by the mobile phone and controls output of the received information to the output device. The output controller is configured to determine if the received information satisfies one or more certain conditions that are determined from the standpoint of safety of the vehicle, and further configured to output the received information to the output device if the determination is positive, and to process the received information to satisfy the one or more certain conditions or retards the output until it satisfies the one or more certain conditions if the determination is negative.
US09267812B1

A navigation application can be configured to output a navigation map corresponding to directions to a selected point of interest (POI). The navigation application can also be configured to detect that a location of an end-user device is within a predetermined parking proximity of the selected POI. The navigation application can further be configured to provide a request to a navigation server for parking options associated with the selected POI.
US09267801B2

The subject matter disclosed herein relates to a system and method for determining navigation instructions in a navigation environment. A location estimate may be determined for a mobile device within an indoor pedestrian navigation environment. A user input indicating one or more destinations within the indoor pedestrian navigation environment may be received. A lowest cost path from the location estimate to the one or more destinations may be determined based at least in part on an expected number of navigation instructions associated with the lowest cost path. Such a lowest cost path may be presented to a user.
US09267798B2

Generating elevation data for maps is disclosed, including: selecting a barometric data candidate user activity from a plurality of user activities that matches an edge; normalizing a recorded elevation corresponding to each of at least a subset of a plurality of data points associated with the selected barometric data candidate user activity based at least in part on obtained elevation data associated with the edge; storing the normalized recorded elevation corresponding to each of the at least subset of the plurality of data points associated with the barometric data candidate user activity as a set of elevation data associated with the edge in a user preference map; and using the set of elevation data associated with the edge in the user preference map to determine a suggested route based at least in part on a user input route preference associated with a desired route elevation.
US09267789B2

A method for absolute measurement of flatness of surfaces of optical elements. In the method, an interferometer having a measurement axis is used for applying a three-flat method to three optical elements, by conducting actual measurements on the elements, surfaces of the elements are reconstructed by an iterative processing operation in which measurements are simulated and simulated measurements are compared with the actual measurements. At least two actual measurements are made after having performed a rotation around the measurement axis and/or a translation perpendicular to the measured axis, of a measured optical element relative to the other.
US09267787B2

Mapping apparatus includes a transmitter, which is configured to emit, in alternation, at least two beams comprising pulses of light along respective beam axes that are mutually offset transversely relative to a scan line direction of a raster pattern. A scanner is configured to scan the two or more beams in the raster pattern over a scene. A receiver is configured to receive the light reflected from the scene and to generate an output indicative of a time of flight of the pulses to and from points in the scene. A processor is coupled to process the output of the receiver so as to generate a 3D map of the scene.
US09267785B2

A centrifugal analysis system includes a driving device, a carrying device, a number of cassettes, and an optical sensor device. The carrying device includes a tray disposed on the driving device, a number of limitation mechanisms disposed at the tray. The cassettes are detachably disposed at the tray and respectively and correspond to the limitation mechanisms. When the driving device drives the carrying device to rotate, the optical sensor circularly detects the cassettes in sequence.
US09267784B2

A method for measuring three-dimensional coordinates of an object surface with a line scanner, the line scanner including a projector and a camera, the projector projecting onto the object surface a first line of light at a first time and a second line of light at a second time, the integrated energy of the second line of light different than the first line of light, the camera capturing the reflections of the first line of light and the second line of light, a processor processing the collected data after discarding portions of the image that are saturated or dominated by electrical noise, and determining three-dimensional coordinates of the object surface based at least in part on the processed data and on a baseline distance.
US09267764B2

A portable ballistic shield for law enforcement, military, and private security contractors operating in high threat cases. More specifically, a ballistic shield with a viewing window, a handle, a ball turret, an aiming laser, and at least one disruptor light used to disorient possible attackers. The shield provides protection to a user's entire upper body and enables a user to fire from a position in which the head of the user is better aligned with the weapon site.
US09267761B2

This invention relates to the mounting and programming of a camera for the capturing of the images of a target, and/or the shooter, at the time around the discharge of a gun, bow, or shooting device. More particularly, the present invention relates to the process of mounting a digital video camera onto a gun barrel or shooting device and the programming of the video camera for the shooting environment associated with being mounted on a gun barrel or shooting device. This invention will allow a camera to survive repeated vibration and shock from the gun discharges and allow the user to program the camera for their specific shooting device characteristics.
US09267758B2

A pointer illuminator device for autonomous use and with a toy weapon, having means for producing an incoherent light for illumination and at least one laser unit for producing a laser marking light, characterized in that it has: a light emission unit; a control and supply unit structurally separate from the light emission unit; and electric circuit connection means of supply, control and push button means of the control and supply unit relative to lighting means, indicator means and coherent light emission or laser marker means of the light emission unit. Moreover, the device has detachable mechanical connections of certain parts such that said same device can be used selectively in combination with the toy weapon and as an autonomous and portable entity with handgrip, for pointing of the same toy weapon, for lighting and/or as indicator light.
US09267749B1

A modular firearm magazine assembly that is adapted to accept a “plug” piece to restrict and reduce the number of cartridges that can be contained in a magazine housing. The assembly in one construction is comprised of a base plate retainer collar, base plate, resistance spring, and cartridge follower plate that attach to and mount inside a cartridge magazine housing. In alternative constructions, the base plate and cartridge follower plates are modified to provide plug pieces that cooperate to restrict and limit the maximum possible travel distance of the cartridge follower plate to reduce the cartridge storage capacity of the magazine and accommodate governmental regulations.
US09267747B2

Systems, mechanisms and methods are disclosed herein for absorbing recoil within a firearm. A first recoil absorption mechanism and second recoil absorption mechanism may be moved relative to each other in response to one or more recoil forces. At a certain point, the second recoil absorption mechanism moves toward and collides with the first recoil absorption mechanism. These forces, which are in part translated to the springs, reduce the amount of recoil experienced by the user of the firearm.
US09267745B2

A composite heat spreader (10) having an in-plane thermal conductivity of greater than 600 W/m*K and a thickness of greater than 50 microns, the composite heat spreader including a first element (20) which includes at least one sheet of compressed particles of exfoliated graphite having a density of at least about 1.4 grams/cc; and a second element (30) which includes at least one sheet of synthetic graphite having a density of at least 1.8 grams/cc and an in-plane thermal conductivity of at least 700 W/m*K, where the first element and the second element are joined into a composite sheet without the use of adhesives.
US09267739B2

Substrate support assemblies for a semiconductor processing apparatus are described. The assemblies may include a pedestal and a stem coupled with the pedestal. The pedestal may be configured to provide multiple regions having independently controlled temperatures. Each region may include a fluid channel to provide a substantially uniform temperature control within the region, by circulating a temperature controlled fluid that is received from and delivered to internal channels in the stem. The fluid channels may include multiple portions configured in a parallel-reverse flow arrangement. The pedestal may also include fluid purge channels that may be configured to provide thermal isolation between the regions of the pedestal.
US09267734B2

An apparatus and method for microwave vacuum-drying of organic materials such as food products. The dehydration apparatus (20) has a vacuum chamber (24) with an input module (28) at one end and a discharge module (32) at the other. The vacuum chamber has access doors (80) spaced between the input end (30) and the discharge end (34) which provide operator and maintenance access. Microwave generators (86) are mounted on each access door and arranged to radiate through a microwave chamber and microwave-transparent window on the access door into the vacuum chamber. A pair of rollers (60) in the vacuum chamber rotates the container of organic material (112) about a horizontal axis, and a chain drive (64) pulls the containers along the rollers through the vacuum chamber.
US09267733B2

A sheet conveyor includes a first conveyance belt, a second conveyance belt, a first driving roller, a second driving roller, a first gear, and a second gear. In switching between sandwich and separation states, an axial center of a rotation shaft of the first or second gear moves on a movement plane substantially perpendicular to a direction in which the first conveyance belt and the second conveyance belt convey a sheet. Where L represents diameter of a tooth edge circle of the second gear in unit of millimeter and T1 represents a chordal tooth thickness of the second gear, an acute-side angle θ in unit of degree (°) formed by the movement plane and an interaxial-center plane including the axial center of the rotation shaft of each of the first gear and the second gear in the sandwich state is within a range represented by the following Formula 1: Tan−1(2×T1/L)<|θ|<45°.
US09267728B2

A system for fastening a furniture front to a door of a built-in refrigerator is provided and includes at least two retaining fittings interposed between the back of the furniture front and the front of the door of the built-in refrigerator. An ice/water dispenser is provided on the door of the built-in refrigerator, the dispenser being actuatable through a recess in the furniture front, and one of the retaining fittings is arranged directly next to the dispenser between the door and the furniture front.
US09267719B2

A heat pump operation method includes: obtaining, on a per time unit basis, generated power which is an amount of power generated by a power generation device, load power which is an amount of power consumed by an electric load, and surplus power which is a difference between the generated power and the load power; and controlling operation of the heat pump, wherein in the controlling, an amount of power consumed by the heat pump for generating heat is adjusted to follow a per unit time increase or decrease in the surplus power when a first condition is met, the first condition being that the surplus power remains greater than or equal to a predetermined threshold value for a given period of time extending back from the present time.
US09267716B2

A heat exchanger included in an air conditioner includes a first header pipe to have a refrigerant, compressed by a compressor, to flow therein and a first heat exchange unit coupled to the first header pipe to receive the refrigerant flowing in the first header, a second header pipe to have the refrigerant to flow therein and a second heat exchange unit coupled to the second header pipe to receive the refrigerant flowing in the second header pipe in the air cooling operation. A bypass pipe couples the first heat exchange unit with the second header pipe and a bypass valve controls a flow of the refrigerant through the bypass pipe. A controller controls the bypass valve such that the refrigerant is allowed to flow from the first heat exchange unit to the second header pipe in the air cooling operation.
US09267699B1

A protective vent line cap for protecting sanitary plumbing vent lines is described. The vent line cap includes an open bottom conically flared shroud that attaches to the vent line using a mounting strap having an adjustable strap clamp fastener and a mounting bracket. The mounting bracket is fastened at its top to the shroud and at the bottom to the strap clamp. The vent line cap is designed to be easily installed and removed using common hand tools. The vent line cap prevents foreign material from entering the vent line and subjacent plumbing while still allowing air to flow from the vent line as well as preventing rain water from entering sewer system.
US09267692B2

A cooking equipment includes an oven cavity (2); at least one energy source (3), operable to provide energy to food placed inside the oven cavity (2); a plurality of sensors (5), configured to provide respective measurement signals (STC, STWR, STWI, STE, STF1, . . . , STFN, SH), indicative of respective quantities relating to a cooking process for cooking food in the oven cavity (2); and a control device (8), having at least one cooking program stored therein and configured to drive the at least one energy source (3) in accordance with the cooking program, based on the measurement signals (STC, STWR, STWI, STE, STF1, . . . , STFN, SH) from the sensors (5). The cooking equipment also includes a storage unit (13), which contains first data (14, 15) indicative of energy required to carry out the at least one cooking program; and a processing unit (11), configured to determine, for the cooking program, an expected energy consumption level (EECL) from the first data (14, 15) and an actual energy consumption level (AECL) and to detect the presence of a malfunction based on a comparison of the expected energy consumption level (EECL) and of the actual energy consumption level (AECL).
US09267688B2

A head part of an annular combustion chamber for a gas turbine, the head part comprising: an end wall with a passage opening for accommodating a burner, the end wall comprising a back side which faces towards the combustion chamber; a burner collar adapted to fit within the passage opening and receive the burner, the burner collar comprising a protruding portion radially protruding from an outer surface of the burner collar; and a ring member for receiving the protruding portion of the burner collar; wherein the head part of the annular combustion chamber is configured such that in an installed configuration a radially outer portion of the ring member engages with the end wall and a radially inner portion of the ring member receives the protruding portion of the burner collar.
US09267683B2

A method and a process to treat coke generated from a process application. The method includes the steps of recovering a mixture of coke particles and water or steam removed from at least one process application vessel. The mixture is directed to a cyclonic separator utilizing centrifugal force and gravity. Water is separated from the mixture in the cyclonic separator. Coke particles are separated from the mixture in the cyclonic separator and are directed to a thermal oxidizer. Coke particles are oxidized and gasified in the thermal oxidizer to produce gas and reduced particulate matter. The gas and reduced particulate matter are thereafter directed to a burner in the process application vessel.
US09267676B2

A luminous net, for example for sports equipment made of flexible elongate elements (10) that are contiguous at specific points, wherein at least some (10) of the flexible elements are luminous, and each includes: an elongate sheath (100) which is transparent to light and made of a synthetic material; a series of luminous members (102) distributed in the elongate sheath (100) in at least one row; and a flexible reinforcing cord (101) which is arranged in the sheath (100) and which extends across the entire length thereof, and which is capable of imparting tensile strength to the flexible element (10), the length of the cord in the sheath being equal to the length of the sheath.
US09267673B2

Provided is a light emitting diode (LED) streetlamp device. The LED streetlamp device includes a body frame comprising a first flat part and a first inclined part formed being extended from a rim portion of the first flat part with a certain incline angle θ1, a light emitting part installed on the first flat part and the first inclined part, comprising a plurality of LED lamps, and a transmission plate comprising a second flat part located being separated from the first flat part with a certain distance and a second inclined part extended from a rim portion of the second flat part with a certain incline angle θ2 separated from the first inclined part with a certain distance and covering the body frame.
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