US09293638B2
Self-identifying solid-state transducer (SST) modules and associated systems and methods are disclosed herein. In several embodiments, for example, an SST system can include a driver and at least one SST module electrically coupled to the driver. Each SST module can include an SST and a sense resistor. The sense resistors of each SST module can have at least substantially similar resistance values. The SSTs of the SST modules can be coupled in parallel across an SST channel to the driver, and the sense resistors of the SST modules can be coupled in parallel across a sense channel to the driver. The driver can be configured to measure a sense resistance across the sense resistors and deliver a current across the SSTs based on the sense resistance.
US09293635B2
The present invention relates to cost effective production methods of high efficiency silicon based back-contacted back-junction solar panels and solar panels thereof having a multiplicity of alternating rectangular emitter- and base regions on the back-side of each cell, each with rectangular metallic electric finger conductor above and running in parallel with the corresponding emitter- and base region, a first insulation layer in-between the wafer and finger conductors, and a second insulation layer in between the finger conductors and cell interconnections.
US09293627B1
The integration of bilayer graphene with an absorption enhancing sub-wavelength antenna provides an infrared photodetector capable of real-time spectral tuning without filters at nanosecond timescales.
US09293625B2
This invention relates to a method for manufacturing a semiconductor device and semiconductor manufactured thereby, including growing, from a seed island mesa, an abrupt hetero-junction comprising a semiconductor crystal with few crystal defects on a dissimilar substrate that can be used as light emitting and photovoltaic device.
US09293623B2
Techniques for manufacturing a device are disclosed. In accordance with one exemplary embodiment, the technique may be realized as a method for forming a solar cell. The method may comprise: implanting p-type dopants into a substrate via a blanket ion implantation process; implanting n-type dopants into the substrate via the blanket ion implantation process; and performing a first annealing process to form the p-type region and performing a second annealing process to form a second n-type region.
US09293621B2
The present invention relates to a system for generating photovoltaic power. The system for generating photovoltaic power is characterized by including: a light collection part shaped like a dome bulged outward and having a light condenser lens unit for condensing incident light rays; a light diffusion part having a light diffusion lens unit for diffusing the light rays collected by the light collection part; and a solar panel for receiving the light rays diffused by the light diffusion part.
US09293611B1
A solar cell structure with a microsphere-roughened antireflection structure comprises a P-type metal contact electrode, a P-type semiconductor layer, a P-type monocrystalline substrate, an N-type semiconductor layer, an N-type metal contact electrode, and a microsphere-roughened antireflection layer. The N-type semiconductor layer and the P-type semiconductor layer are respectively arranged on an upper surface and a lower surface of the P-type monocrystalline substrate. The P-type metal contact electrode is arranged below the P-type semiconductor layer. The N-type metal contact electrode has a specified pattern and is connected with the N-type semiconductor layer. The microsphere-roughened antireflection layer is arranged on an upper surface of the N-type semiconductor layer without covering the N-type metal contact electrode. The microsphere-roughened antireflection layer reduces the reflection of sunlight and increases the transmittance of sunlight to enhance the efficiency of solar cells.
US09293608B2
A method for producing a heterojunction photovoltaic cell includes formation of at least one anti-reflection layer on which at least one metal track is formed. The method includes heat treatment to make the contact connection between the track and the anti-reflection layer. The heat treatment selectively applies a laser beam on the track to generate a heat input up to anti-reflection layer.
US09293607B2
Provided is a collector sheet for a solar cell, wherein the collector sheet for solar cell can prevent short circuiting between a non-photoreception surface side element and a wiring section, as well as cushioning shocks. This collector sheet (2) for a solar cell has a circuit (22) on the surface of a resin substrate (21). A sealing material layer (23) is stacked on the circuit (22), and in the sealing material layer (23) on the wiring section (221) is formed a conductive recessed part (24) through which the wiring section (221) is exposed, in order to provide conductivity between an electrode (4) on the non-photoreception surface side of the solar cell element (1), and the wiring section (221) corresponding thereto, with the sealing material layer (23) therebetween.
US09293601B2
An object is to provide a semiconductor device having a structure with which parasitic capacitance between wirings can be sufficiently reduced. An oxide insulating layer serving as a channel protective layer is formed over part of an oxide semiconductor layer overlapping with a gate electrode layer. In the same step as formation of the oxide insulating layer, an oxide insulating layer covering a peripheral portion of the oxide semiconductor layer is formed. The oxide insulating layer which covers the peripheral portion of the oxide semiconductor layer is provided to increase the distance between the gate electrode layer and a wiring layer formed above or in the periphery of the gate electrode layer, whereby parasitic capacitance is reduced.
US09293600B2
A semiconductor element includes a semiconductor layer, a first and a second conductive unit, a gate electrode, and a gate insulating film. The semiconductor layer includes a first portion, a second portion, and a third portion provided between the first portion and the second portion. The first conductive unit is electrically connected to the first portion. The second conductive unit is electrically connected to the second portion. The gate electrode is separated from the first conductive unit, the second conductive unit, and the third portion. The gate electrode opposes the third portion. The gate insulating film is provided between the third portion and the gate electrode. A concentration of nitrogen of the first portion is higher than a concentration of nitrogen of the third portion. A concentration of nitrogen of the second portion is higher than the concentration of nitrogen of the third portion.
US09293598B2
The reliability of a semiconductor device is increased by suppression of a variation in electric characteristics of a transistor as much as possible. As a cause of a variation in electric characteristics of a transistor including an oxide semiconductor, the concentration of hydrogen in the oxide semiconductor, the density of oxygen vacancies in the oxide semiconductor, or the like can be given. A source electrode and a drain electrode are formed using a conductive material which is easily bonded to oxygen. A channel formation region is formed using an oxide layer formed by a sputtering method or the like under an atmosphere containing oxygen. Thus, the concentration of hydrogen in a stack, in particular, the concentration of hydrogen in a channel formation region can be reduced.
US09293595B2
A manufacturing method of a semiconductor device having a stacked structure in which a lower layer is exposed is provided without increasing the number of masks. A source electrode layer and a drain electrode layer are formed by forming a conductive film to have a two-layer structure, forming an etching mask thereover, etching the conductive film using the etching mask, and performing side-etching on an upper layer of the conductive film in a state where the etching mask is left so that part of a lower layer is exposed. The thus formed source and drain electrode layers and a pixel electrode layer are connected in a portion of the exposed lower layer. In the conductive film, the lower layer and the upper layer may be a Ti layer and an Al layer, respectively. The plurality of openings may be provided in the etching mask.
US09293588B1
A gate cavity is formed exposing a portion of a silicon fin by removing a sacrificial gate structure that straddles the silicon fin. An epitaxial silicon germanium alloy layer is formed within the gate cavity and on the exposed portion of the silicon fin. Thermal mixing or thermal condensation is performed to convert the exposed portion of the silicon fin into a silicon germanium alloy channel portion which is laterally surrounded by silicon fin portions. A functional gate structure is formed within the gate cavity providing a finFET structure having a silicon germanium alloy channel portion which is laterally surrounded by silicon fin portions.
US09293579B2
Methods and associated structures of forming a microelectronic device are described. Those methods may include forming a structure comprising a first contact metal disposed on a source/drain contact of a substrate, and a second contact metal disposed on a top surface of the first contact metal, wherein the second contact metal is disposed within an IID disposed on a top surface of a metal gate disposed on the substrate.
US09293578B2
Adverse effects can be hardly exerted on a current performance of an LDMOSFET to suppress the amount of carrier implantation from an anode layer of an LDMOS parasitic diode, and improve a reverse recovery withstand of the parasitic diode. The LDMOSFET includes a semiconductor substrate having a first semiconductor region formed of a feeding region of a first conductivity type at a position where a field oxide film is not present on a surface layer of a semiconductor region in which the field oxide film is selectively formed, and a second semiconductor region formed of a well region of a second conductivity type which is an opposite conductivity type, and feeding regions of the first conductivity type and the second conductivity type formed on an upper layer of the well region, and a gate electrode that faces the well region through a gate oxide film. The feeding region of the first semiconductor region is formed at a distance from the field oxide film near an end portion remote from the gate electrode, and desirably the feeding region is intermittently formed at intervals in the longitudinal direction.
US09293577B2
A transistor includes a source region including a first impurity region implanted into a substrate, a drain region including a second impurity region implanted into the substrate, and a gate including an oxide layer formed over the substrate and a conductive material formed over the oxide layer, the oxide layer comprising a first side and a second side, the first side formed over a portion of the first impurity region and the second side formed over a portion of the second impurity region, the first side having a thickness of less than about 100 Å, and the second side having a thickness equal to or greater than 125 Å.
US09293571B2
This disclosure generally relates to a device with a monolayer of metal nanoparticles and a method for making the same. The nanoparticles of the monolayer of metal nanoparticles are grouped in an ultrahigh density with an average distance between each neighboring metal nanoparticle less than or equal to about 3 nanometers. The monolayer can be self-assembled on a substrate to facilitate controllable voltage shifts within the device.
US09293567B2
A laser crystallization apparatus includes a laser generator that generates a laser beam, a stage mounted with an object substrate with an object thin film to which the laser beam is firstly incident, the stage is relatively movable such that the laser beam scans the object thin film for crystallization, and a reflection mirror that secondly reflects a second reflection laser beam to the object thin film from a first reflection laser beam that is reflected from the object thin film to the reflection mirror.
US09293566B2
It is an object to provide a highly reliable semiconductor device which includes a thin film transistor having stable electric characteristics. It is another object to manufacture a highly reliable semiconductor device at lower cost with high productivity. In a method for manufacturing a semiconductor device which includes a thin film transistor where a semiconductor layer having a channel formation region, a source region, and a drain region are formed using an oxide semiconductor layer, heat treatment (heat treatment for dehydration or dehydrogenation) is performed so as to improve the purity of the oxide semiconductor layer and reduce impurities such as moisture. Moreover, the oxide semiconductor layer subjected to the heat treatment is slowly cooled under an oxygen atmosphere.
US09293558B2
A semiconductor device includes at least two device cells integrated in a semiconductor body. Each device cell includes a drift region, a source region, a drain region arranged between the source region and the drift region, a diode region, a pn junction between the diode region and the drift region, and a trench with a first sidewall, a second sidewall opposite the first sidewall, and a bottom. The body region adjoins the first sidewall, the diode region adjoins the second sidewall, and the pn junction adjoins the bottom of the trench. Each device cell further includes a gate electrode arranged in the trench and dielectrically insulated from the body region, the diode region and the drift region by a gate dielectric. The diode regions of the at least two device cells are distant in a lateral direction of the semiconductor body.
US09293555B2
A semiconductor device includes a semiconductor substrate; an insulating film arranged on the semiconductor substrate; an electrode that contacts a portion of a side surface of the insulating film; a first passivation film that is arranged extending from the electrode to the insulating film, and contacts a surface of the insulating film, and contacts a surface of the electrode; and a second passivation film that is arranged on the first passivation film. A difference between a linear expansion coefficient of the first passivation film and a linear expansion coefficient of the insulating film is smaller than a difference between the linear expansion coefficient of the first passivation film and a linear expansion coefficient of the electrode, and a position where the first passivation film contacts a boundary between the electrode and the insulating film is positioned lower than an upper surface of the insulating film.
US09293553B2
A laminated graphene device is demonstrated as a cathode. In one example the devices include organic photovoltaic devices. The measured properties demonstrate work-function matching via contact doping. Devices and method shown also provide increased power conversion efficiency due to transparency. These findings indicate that flexible, light-weight all carbon devices, such as solar cells, can be constructed using graphene as the cathode material.
US09293548B2
According to one embodiment, a semiconductor device includes a first major electrode, a first semiconductor layer, a first conductivity-type base layer, a second conductivity-type base layer, a second semiconductor layer, a buried layer, a buried electrode, a gate insulating film, a gate electrode, and a second major electrode. The buried layer of the second conductivity type selectively is provided in the first conductivity-type base layer. The buried electrode is provided in a bottom portion of a trench which penetrates the second conductivity-type base layer to reach the buried layer. The buried electrode is in contact with the buried layer. The gate electrode is provided inside the gate insulating film in the trench. The second major electrode is provided on the second semiconductor layer and is electrically connected to the second semiconductor layer and the buried electrode.
US09293540B2
To provide a semiconductor device which can be miniaturized or highly integrated. To obtain a semiconductor device including an oxide semiconductor, which has favorable electrical characteristics. To provide a highly reliable semiconductor device including an oxide semiconductor, by suppression of a change in its electrical characteristics. The semiconductor device includes an island-like oxide semiconductor layer over an insulating surface; an insulating layer surrounding a side surface of the oxide semiconductor layer; a source electrode layer and a drain electrode layer in contact with top surfaces of the oxide semiconductor layer and the insulating layer; a gate electrode layer overlapping with the oxide semiconductor layer; and a gate insulating layer between the oxide semiconductor layer and the gate electrode layer. The source electrode layer and the drain electrode layer are provided above the top surface of the oxide semiconductor layer. The top surface of the insulating layer is planarized.
US09293536B2
A bilayer graphene tunnelling field effect transistor is provided comprising a bilayer graphene layer, and at least a top gate electrode and a bottom gate electrode, wherein the at least a top gate electrode and a bottom electrode are appropriately positioned relative to one another so that the following regions are electrically induced in the chemically undoped bilayer graphene layer upon appropriate biasing of the gate electrodes: a source region, a channel region, and a drain region.
US09293534B2
Embodiments of mechanisms for forming dislocations in source and drain regions of finFET devices are provided. The mechanisms involve recessing fins and removing the dielectric material in the isolation structures neighboring fins to increase epitaxial regions for dislocation formation. The mechanisms also involve performing a pre-amorphous implantation (PAI) process either before or after the epitaxial growth in the recessed source and drain regions. An anneal process after the PAI process enables consistent growth of the dislocations in the source and drain regions. The dislocations in the source and drain regions (or stressor regions) can form consistently to produce targeted strain in the source and drain regions to improve carrier mobility and device performance for NMOS devices.
US09293533B2
A semiconductor device includes a semiconductor substrate having an outer rim, a plurality of switchable cells defining an active area, and an edge termination region arranged between the switchable cells defining the active area and the outer rim. Each of the switchable cells includes a body region, a gate electrode structure and a source region. The active area defined by the switchable cells includes at least a first switchable region having a first transconductance and a second switchable region having a second transconductance which is different from the first transconductance.
US09293522B2
Provided is a method of manufacturing a capacitor of a display apparatus, the display apparatus being formed on a substrate and including a thin film transistor, which includes an active layer, a gate electrode, and source and drain electrodes, a display device connected to the thin film transistor, and the capacitor, the method including: forming an electrode layer on the substrate; forming a passivation layer on the electrode layer; patterning the passivation layer to form a first pattern including first branch patterns parallel to each other, and a second pattern including second branch patterns parallel to each other and interposed between the first branch patterns; and forming first and second electrodes by etching the electrode layer using the first and second patterns as masks.
US09293518B2
A thin film transistor includes a gate electrode on a substrate, the gate electrode including a wire grid pattern, an active layer on the substrate, a gate insulating film between the gate electrode and the active layer, and a source electrode and a drain electrode connected to the active layer.
US09293516B2
A display device comprises a substrate, a first pixel on the substrate, the first pixel comprising a first subpixel, a second subpixel, and a third subpixel, a second pixel on the substrate, the second pixel comprising a fourth subpixel, a fifth subpixel, and a sixth subpixel, first, second, third and fourth power supply lines extending in one direction and respectively coupled to the first, third, fifth, and sixth subpixels, and fifth and sixth power supply lines crossing the first, second, third, and fourth power supply lines and respectively coupled to the fourth and second subpixels.
US09293505B2
A method for black coating camera cubes at wafer level includes expanding the gap between individual diced camera cubes of the wafer by stretching tape securing the diced camera cubes. The method includes applying a black coating layer to the stretched camera cubes, laser trimming undesired portions of the black coating layer, and removing the undesired portions of the black coating layer.
US09293502B2
A device including a gate structure formed over a semiconductor substrate, the gate structure having extensions, a device isolation structure formed into the semiconductor substrate adjacent the gate structure, wherein the extensions are over a portion of the device isolation structure, and source/drain regions on both sides of the gate structure, the source/drain regions being formed in a gap in the device isolation structure and being partially enclosed by the extensions of the gate structure.
US09293501B2
An image sensor having pixels that include two patterned semiconductor layers. The top patterned semiconductor layer contains the photoelectric elements of pixels having substantially 100% fill-factor. The bottom patterned semiconductor layer contains transistors for detecting, resetting, amplifying and transmitting signals charges received from the photoelectric elements. The top and bottom patterned semiconductor layers may be separated from each other by an interlayer insulating layer that may include metal interconnections for conducting signals between devices formed in the patterned semiconductor layers and from external devices.
US09293498B2
The present disclosure relates to a solid-state imaging element and an electronic device capable of suppressing occurrence of a dark current and acquiring higher image quality.The solid-state imaging element includes a high-concentration diffusion layer configured to serve as a connection portion by which a wiring is connected to a semiconductor substrate, and a junction leak control film formed to cover a surface of the diffusion layer. Also, to connect the wiring to the diffusion layer, a width of an opening formed in an insulation film stacked on the semiconductor substrate is greater than a width of the diffusion layer. Further, in a charge accumulation portion configured to accumulate a charge generated by a photoelectric conversion portion generating the charge according to an amount of received light, the junction leak control film is also used as a capacitor film of the charge accumulation portion. Furthermore, a stack structure in which a silicon oxide or low interface state oxide film is formed is included between the diffusion layer and the junction leak control film. The present technology can be applied to, for example, a CMOS image sensor.
US09293487B2
In various example embodiments, the inventive subject matter is an image sensor and methods of formation of image sensors. In an embodiment, the image sensor comprises a semiconductor substrate and a plurality of pixel regions. Each of the pixel regions includes an optically sensitive material over the substrate with the optically sensitive material positioned to receive light. A pixel circuit for each pixel region is also included in the sensor. Each pixel circuit comprises a charge store formed on the semiconductor substrate and a read out circuit. A non-metallic contact region is between the charge store and the optically sensitive material of the respective pixel region, the charge store being in electrical communication with the optically sensitive material of the respective pixel region through the non-metallic contact region.
US09293484B2
A thin film transistor display panel includes a gate electrode on a substrate; a gate insulating layer on the substrate and the gate electrode; a planarization layer on the gate insulating layer and at opposing sides of the gate electrode, where the planarization layer exposes the gate insulating layer; a semiconductor layer on the gate insulating layer; and a source electrode and a drain electrode on the semiconductor layer and spaced apart from each other.
US09293483B2
An EL display having high operating performance and reliability is provided. LDD regions 15a through 15d of a switching TFT 201 formed in a pixel are formed such that they do not overlap gate electrodes 19a and 19b to provide a structure which is primarily intended for the reduction of an off-current. An LDD region 22 of a current control TFT 202 is formed such that it partially overlaps a gate electrode 35 to provide a structure which is primarily intended for the prevention of hot carrier injection and the reduction of an off-current. Appropriate TFT structures are thus provided depending on required functions to improve operational performance and reliability.
US09293481B2
An array substrate, and a dual view field display device and a manufacturing method thereof are disclosed. The array substrate includes: a plurality of pixel units defined by gate lines and data lines which intersect each other, each of the pixel units including a pixel electrode and a TFT circuit; the pixel electrode of each of the pixel units comprises at least two first pixel electrodes and at least two second pixel electrodes, which are spaced from each other; the TFT circuit of each of the pixel units comprises a first sub-TFT circuit connected to the first pixel electrodes and a second sub-TFT circuit connected to the second pixel electrodes. According to the above array substrate, a dual view barrier can be produced within the display device, and the production costs can be reduced.
US09293477B2
Semiconductor elements deteriorate or are destroyed due to electrostatic discharge damage. The present invention provides a semiconductor device in which a protecting means is formed in each pixel. The protecting means is provided with one or a plurality of elements selected from the group consisting of resistor elements, capacitor elements, and rectifying elements. Sudden changes in the electric potential of a source electrode or a drain electrode of a transistor due to electric charge that builds up in a pixel electrode is relieved by disposing the protecting means between the pixel electrode of the light-emitting element and the source electrode or the drain electrode of the transistor. Deterioration or destruction of the semiconductor element due to electrostatic discharge damage is thus prevented.
US09293464B2
A FinFet device structure provided with a thin layer of polycrystalline silicon having stress containing material, including a high Ge percentage silicon germanium film and/or a high stress W film on top of a polycrystalline silicon film. Space between the fins enables the stressor films to be positioned closer to the transistor channel. The improved proximity of the stress containing material to the transistor channel and the enhanced stress couple the efficiency defines a ratio between the stress level in the stressor film and stress transfer to the channel for mobility enhancement. The stress level is further enhanced by patterning by removal of the n-type workfunction metal from the p-FinFET. Following the stripping off the soft or hard mask, the p-type workfunction metal ends positioned in the n- and p-FinFET regions. The freed space specifically for p-FinFet between the fins achieves an even higher stressor coupling to further boost the carrier mobility.
US09293459B1
Isolation structures are formed to laterally surround a gate material block such that each sidewall of the gate material block abuts a corresponding sidewall of the isolation structures. Sidewalls of the gate material bock define ends of gate structures to be subsequently formed. The isolation structures obstruct lateral growth of a semiconductor material during a selective epitaxial grown process in formation of source/drain regions, thereby preventing merging of the source/drain regions at the ends of gate structures. As a result, a lateral distance between each sidewall of the gate material block and a corresponding outermost sidewall of an array of a plurality of semiconductor fins can be made sufficiently small without causing the electrical shorts of the source/drain regions.
US09293456B2
According to one embodiment, a semiconductor apparatus divides each of a first area in which a first transistor is formed and a second area in which a second transistor is formed into two or more areas, and alternately arranges the divided areas of the first area and the second area. Further, the semiconductor apparatus according to one embodiment configures the second area to have a total area larger than that of the first area or to have the number of divisions greater than that of the first area. Furthermore, in the semiconductor apparatus according to one embodiment, a gate pad of the first transistor and a gate pad of the second transistor are provided in the second area.
US09293454B2
A Bipolar Junction Transistor with an intrinsic base, wherein the intrinsic base includes a top surface and two side walls orthogonal to the top surface, and a base contact electrically coupled to the side walls of the intrinsic base. In one embodiment an apparatus can include a plurality of Bipolar Junction Transistors, and a base contact electrically coupled to the side walls of the intrinsic bases of each BJT.
US09293451B2
An integrated circuit electrical protection device includes a semiconductor substrate, and first, second, and third doped regions of a first polarity in the semiconductor substrate. The first and second doped regions are separated from one another by a first body region having a second polarity and the second and third doped regions are separated from one another by a second body region having the second polarity. The first and second polarities are different from one another. A fourth doped region of the second polarity directly abutting and in contact with the third doped region. A first gate structure is formed over the first body region between the first and second doped regions. A second gate structure is formed over the second body region between the second and third doped regions.
US09293444B2
A microelectronic package has a dielectric element with first and second parallel apertures. A first microelectronic element has contacts overlying the first aperture, and a second microelectronic element has contacts overlying the second aperture. The second microelectronic element can overlie a rear face of the first microelectronic element and the same surface of the dielectric element as the first microelectronic element. First terminals on a second surface of the dielectric element between said first and second apertures can be configured to carry all data signals for read and write access to memory locations within the first and second microelectronic elements.
US09293438B2
A method of making an electronic device includes forming an electrically conductive pattern on a substrate, forming a cover layer on the substrate and the electrically conductive pattern, and forming openings in the cover layer and being aligned with the electrically conductive pattern. The method also includes positioning an IC on the cover layer so that bond pads of the IC are aligned with the openings, and heating under pressure the cover layer to both mechanically secure and electrically interconnect the IC.
US09293437B2
An embodiment device package includes a fan-out redistribution layer (RDL), a device over and bonded to the fan-out RDL, and a molding compound over the fan-out RDL and extending along sidewalls of the device. The device includes a first functional tier having a first metallization layer and a second functional tier having a second metallization layer. The second functional tier is bonded to the first functional tier. The device further includes an interconnect structure electrically connecting the first metallization layer to the second metallization layer. The interconnect structure includes an inter-tier via (ITV) at least partially disposed in both the first functional tier and the second functional tier, and the ITV contacts the first metallization layer.
US09293429B2
An electronic chip including a semiconductor substrate (1) covered with an insulating layer (4) including metal interconnection levels (3) and interconnection pillars (10) connected to said metal interconnection levels (3), said pillars (110) forming regions (111) protruding from the upper surface of said insulating layer (4) and capable of forming an electric contact, wherein said pillars (110) have a built-in portion (115) in a housing formed across the thickness of at least said insulating layer (4).
US09293426B2
A package structure including a capacitor mounted within a cavity in the package substrate is disclosed. The package structure may additionally include a die mounted to a die side surface of the package substrate, and the opposing land side surface of the package substrate may be mounted to a printed circuit board (PCB). The capacitor may be mounted within a cavity formed in the die side surface of the package substrate or the land side surface of the package substrate. Mounting a capacitor within a cavity may reduce the form factor of the package. The die may be mounted within a cavity formed in the die side surface of the package substrate. Solder balls connecting the package to the PCB may be mounted within one or more cavities formed in one or both of the package substrate and the PCB.
US09293417B2
Disclosed is a film-forming method wherein a manganese-containing film is formed on a substrate having a surface to which an insulating film and a copper wiring line are exposed. The film-forming method includes forming a manganese-containing film on the copper wiring line by a CVD method which uses a manganese compound.
US09293414B2
An electronic fuse includes a body, an anode coupled to the body, and a cathode coupled to the body. Each of the anode and the cathode includes a first line contacting the body. The first line is discontinuous along its length and includes a first portion and a second portion with a space therebetween. A second line is disposed above the first line and a plurality of vias couple the first and second lines. The first portion of the first line is coupled to a first subset of the plurality of vias and the second portion of the first line is coupled to a second subset of the vias.
US09293403B2
A semiconductor package with improved redistribution layer design and fabricating method thereof are disclosed and may include a semiconductor die comprising bond pads, a first redistribution layer (RDL) formed on the semiconductor die. The first RDL has a first end coupled to a bond pad and a second end coupled to a solder bump via under bump metal layers. A second RDL is formed in a same plane of the semiconductor die as the first RDL and is electrically isolated from the first RDL. A first end of the second RDL may be coupled to a bond pad and the second RDL may pass underneath, but be electrically isolated from, the solder bump. A passivation layer may be formed on the first and second RDLs exposing the second end of the first RDL. The under bump metal layers may be formed on the second end of the first RDL exposed by the passivation layer.
US09293400B2
A package (120), wherein the package (120) has at least one electronic chip (124), an encapsulation body (138) that encapsulates the electronic chip(s) (124), and a plurality of terminal pins (122) to connect the electronic chip(s) (124), wherein each of the said terminal pins (122) has an encapsulated section (126), which is encapsulated at least partially by the encapsulation body (138) and has an exposed section (128) that protrudes from the encapsulation body (138), and wherein at least a portion of the exposed sections (128) laterally extends from the encapsulation body (138) up to a reversal point (130) and laterally extends back from the reversal point (130) to the encapsulation body (138), so that a free end (132) of the exposed sections (128) is laterally aligned with or to a corresponding side wall (134) of the encapsulation body (138) or is spaced from the corresponding side wall (134) of the encapsulation body (138) laterally outwardly.
US09293397B1
A power semiconductor package and a method of preparation are disclosed. The power semiconductor package includes a pair of first and second die paddles arranged side by side, a first semiconductor chip attached to the first die paddle, a second semiconductor chip attached to the second die paddle, a metal clip electrically connecting a first electrode at the top surface of the first semiconductor chip and a first electrode at the top surface of the second semiconductor chip to a second pin, a first conductive structure connecting a second electrode at the top surface of a first semiconductor chip to a first pin, and a second conductive structure connecting a second electrode at the top surface of the second semiconductor chip to a third pin. In examples of the present disclosure, double-chip common source technique for the source electrodes of two power MOSFETs is achieved by applying a T-shape metal clip.
US09293395B2
A lead frame for a semiconductor device includes a die paddle and leads situated on a perimeter of the lead frame. The die paddle has a metal frame and a number of substantially linear metal connecting bars within the frame. The connecting bars interconnect different locations of the frame to form a multiple triangles, where a triangular-shaped cavity is formed within each triangle. An overall area of the cavities is greater than an overall area of the connecting bars.
US09293392B2
An interconnect apparatus and a method of forming the interconnect apparatus is provided. Two substrates, such as wafers, dies, or a wafer and a die, are bonded together. A first mask is used to form a first opening extending partially to an interconnect formed on the first wafer. A dielectric liner is formed, and then another etch process is performed using the same mask. The etch process continues to expose interconnects formed on the first substrate and the second substrate. The opening is filled with a conductive material to form a conductive plug.
US09293379B2
A method for forming a structure on a surface of a semiconductor. The method includes: forming the material as a lower layer of the structure using a first deposition process to provide the lower layer with a first etch rate to a predetermined etchant; forming the upper layer of the structure with the material on the lower using a second deposition process to provide the upper layer with a second etch rate to the predetermined etchant higher than the first etch rate; and applying the predetermined etchant to upper layer to selectively remove the upper while leaving the lower layer.
US09293374B1
A method includes forming one or more fin structures on a substrate, the one or more fin structures comprising a first material comprising a first lattice structure and the substrate comprising a second material comprising a second lattice structure. Forming the one or more fin structures on the substrate includes forming one or more trenches in the substrate, and growing the first material in the one or more trenches. The first lattice structure is different from the second lattice structure. Forming one or more trenches comprises selecting a width of the trenches so as to at least partially reduce defects resulting from the lattice mismatch of the first and second materials. The one or more fin structures are self-aligned by the one or more trenches.
US09293372B2
A wafer has a substrate, a functional layer and division lines. The wafer is held on a chuck table with a protective member attached to the front side of the functional layer in contact with the chuck table. The height of the back side of the wafer is detected in a Z direction along each division line while moving the chuck table in an X direction. An X coordinate is recorded for each division line, as well as a corresponding Z coordinate. A cutting blade is positioned on the back side of the wafer and moved in the Z direction according to the recorded X and Z coordinates while moving the chuck table in the X direction to thereby form a cut groove having a depth not reaching the functional layer, with a part of the substrate left between the bottom of the cut groove and the functional layer.
US09293366B2
A device includes a substrate, and a plurality of dielectric layers over the substrate. A plurality of metallization layers is formed in the plurality of dielectric layers, wherein at least one of the plurality of metallization layers comprises a metal pad. A through-substrate via (TSV) extends from the top level of the plurality of the dielectric layers to a bottom surface of the substrate. A deep conductive via extends from the top level of the plurality of dielectric layers to land on the metal pad. A metal line is formed over the top level of the plurality of dielectric layers and interconnecting the TSV and the deep conductive via.
US09293357B2
The width of a heavily-doped sinker is substantially reduced by forming the heavily-doped sinker to lie in between a number of closely-spaced trench isolation structures, which have been formed in a semiconductor material. During drive-in, the closely-spaced trench isolation structures significantly limit the lateral diffusion.
US09293354B2
A calibration wafer may bear one or more different mark types to facilitate inspection of a lithography process. A first mark type may be located on the outer peripheral portion of the wafer to indicate the desired boundary of an edge bead removal (EBR) region. A second mark type may be located on an outer peripheral portion of the wafer to indicate the desired boundary of a wafer edge expose region (WEE). A third mark type may indicate the border of a portion of the wafer expected to bear a wafer identification mark. A fourth mark type may be located at the center of the wafer to allow for precise and uniform application of liquid photoresist material to the calibration wafer. The calibration wafer may be employed in methods of rapidly and easily assessing the accuracy of various phases of photolithography processes.
US09293346B2
In a method for etching an organic film according to an embodiment, a target object that has an organic film is set in a processing chamber. Then, a processing gas containing COS gas and O2 gas is supplied to the processing chamber and a microwave for plasma excitation is supplied to the inside of the processing chamber to etch the organic film.
US09293340B2
A surface planarization method of thin film and a preparing method of an array substrate relate to a display field, and can solve the technical problem that the conventional dry etching severely damages the surface flatness of other film layers below the one being etched, thereby improving the display properties of the LCD. The preparing method of the array substrate comprises patterning a non-metallic layer (4) by a dry etching. And following the step of patterning a non-metallic layer (4) by the dry etching, the method further comprises performing surface planarization on a first film layer (3) to recover the first film layer (3) with a rough surface caused by the dry etching to be planar. The first film layer (3) is located below the non-metallic layer (4).
US09293339B1
A process for chemical mechanical polishing of a substrate having an exposed silicon dioxide feature is provided comprising: providing a chemical mechanical polishing composition, containing, as initial components: water, a colloidal silica abrasive and a zirconyl compound; wherein a pH of the chemical mechanical polishing composition is ≦6; providing a chemical mechanical polishing pad with a polishing surface; dispensing the chemical mechanical polishing composition onto the polishing surface of the chemical mechanical polishing pad in proximity to an interface between the chemical mechanical polishing pad and the substrate; and, creating dynamic contact at the interface between the chemical mechanical polishing pad and the substrate; wherein the substrate is polished.
US09293335B2
A method of fabricating a semiconductor device including forming a charge storage layer, and forming a first tunnel insulating layer covering the charge storage layer, the forming of the first tunnel insulating layer including heat treating the charge storage layer.
US09293329B2
According to a disclosed embodiment, there is provided a method of processing a silicon wafer for use in a substrate for an electronic circuit, comprising: impregnating the silicon wafer with impurities that form one or more deep energy levels within the band gap of silicon, wherein at least one of said deep energy levels is positioned at least 0.3 eV away from the conduction band if the level is a donor level or at least 0.3 eV away from the valence band if the level is an acceptor level; and pre-processing the silicon wafer, prior to or after said impregnation step, so that precipitation of oxide during, after, or during and after, said impregnating step is suppressed.
US09293327B2
The invention relates to a method by means of which the average single crystal size, in particular the diameter of the single crystals, in a semiconductor thin film applied to a foreign substrate can be increased by an order of magnitude with respect to prior methods. The method is characterized in that a thin semiconductor film is applied to the foreign substrate in a first step. Then the foreign substrate is heated to such an extent that the semiconductor thin film melts. Then the temperature is slowly decreased to below the melting temperature of the semiconductor material. During the cooling process, the foreign substrate is heated in such a way that, proceeding from the surface of the foreign substrate, the temperature continuously decreases in a vertical direction perpendicular through the semiconductor thin film to the surface of the thin film. It is thereby ensured that the thin film crystallizes, or rather solidifies, in the opposite direction during the slow decrease of the temperature to below the melting temperature of the semiconductor thin film. In other words, the atom layers directly at the exposed surface of the thin film crystallize first, then the next deeper atom layers crystallize, etc., until finally the atom layers in the immediate vicinity of the surface of the foreign substrate crystallize. The atom layers directly at the exposed surface of the thin film can freely orient themselves without interference during the crystallization, whereby the formation of extensive single crystals several atom layers thick is promoted. Said extensive single crystals are then used as growth nuclei for the next deeper atom layers in such a way that said extensive single crystals grow in thickness in the direction of the surface of the foreign substrate. Only the atom layers in the immediate vicinity of the surface of the foreign substrate are interfered with during the crystallization and degrade into an amorphous or polycrystalline boundary layer. In order to ensure the aforementioned temperature course perpendicular through the thin film, either a heat source applied to the underside of the foreign substrate in a planar manner or heating of the foreign substrate by means of electric current passage must be selected as the heating type. The method is suitable in particular for producing highly efficient thin film solar cells. The method is also suitable for high-quality annealing of high-temperature semiconductor thin films.
US09293326B2
The present invention relates to a fluid phase method for producing indium oxide-containing layers, in which a composition comprising at least one indium oxo-alkoxide of the generic formula MxOy(OR)z[O(R′O)eH]aXbYc[R″OH]d with x=3-25, y=1-10, z=3-50, a=0-25, b=0-20, c=1-20, d=0-25, e=0, 1, M=In, R, R′, R″=organic remainder, X═F, Cl, Br, I, and Y═—NO3, —NO2, where b+c is =1-20 and at least one solvent is applied to a substrate, optionally dried, and converted into an indium oxide-containing layer, to the indium oxo-alkoxides of the indicated generic formula, to coating compositions comprising said indium oxo-alkoxides, to layers that can be produced by means of the method according to the invention, and to the use of said layers.
US09293324B2
Semiconductor devices including a fin and method of forming the semiconductor devices are provided herein. In an embodiment, a method of forming a semiconductor device includes forming a fin overlying a semiconductor substrate. The fin is formed by epitaxially-growing a semiconductor material over the semiconductor substrate, and the fin has a first portion that is proximal to the semiconductor substrate and a second portion that is spaced from the semiconductor substrate by the first portion. A gate structure is formed over the fin and the semiconductor substrate. The first portion of the fin is etched to form a gap between the second portion and the semiconductor substrate.
US09293323B2
Provided is a method of forming a film including a silicon film on a base, including: forming a seed layer on a surface of the base by heating the base and supplying an aminosilane-based gas onto the surface of the heated base; and forming the silicon film on the seed layer by heating the base and supplying a silane-based gas containing no amino group onto the seed layer of the surface of the heated base, wherein a molecule of the aminosilane-based gas used in forming a seed layer comprises two or more silicon atoms.
US09293314B2
A method of mass spectrometry is disclosed comprising automatically and repeatedly performing multiple cycles of operation, wherein a cycle of operation comprises the steps of: (i) mass analyzing first ions; (ii) exposing the first ions to a first photo-dissociation device to form a plurality of second ions and mass analyzing the second ions; and (iii) exposing the first ions to a first photo-dissociation device to form a plurality of second ions, fragmenting the second ions to form a plurality of third ions and mass analyzing the third ions.
US09293312B2
A method is described for identifying the occurrence and location of charging of ion optic devices arranged along the ion path of a mass spectrometer. The method includes repeatedly performing a sequence of introducing a beam of discharge ions to a location on the ion path, and subsequently measuring the intensities of opposite-polarity sample ions delivered to a mass analyzer, with the discharge ions being delivered to a location further downstream in the ion path at each successive sequence.
US09293309B2
The present invention relates to an electron multiplier and others to effectively suppress luminescence noise, even in compact size, in which each of multistage dynodes has a plurality of columns each having a peripheral surface separated physically, and in which each column is processed in such a shape that an area or a peripheral length of a section parallel to an installation surface on which the electron multiplier is arranged becomes minimum at a certain position on the peripheral surface in the column of interest.
US09293307B2
A novel electron multiplier that regulates in real time the gain of downstream dynodes as the instrument receives input signals is introduced. In particular, the methods, electron multiplier structures, and coupled control circuits of the present invention enable a resultant on the fly control signal to be generated upon receiving a predetermined threshold detection signal so as to enable the voltage regulation of one or more downstream dynodes near the output of the device. Accordingly, such a novel design, as presented herein, prevents the dynodes near the output of the instrument from being exposed to deleterious current pulses that can accelerate the aging process of the dynode structures that are essential to the device.
US09293306B2
In various embodiments, joined sputtering targets are formed at least in part by spray deposition of the sputtering material and/or welding.
US09293297B2
A Correlative Light and Electron Microscope (CLEM) is equipped with a TEM column and a light microscope fitted between the pole shoes of the objective lens of the TEM. To enlarge the acceptance solid angle for enhanced sensitivity a truncated lens is used. It is noted that this does not imply that the lens shows astigmatism (it is not a cylindrical lens).Using the light microscope, a first image is made with the sample in a first direction. This image will show in one direction a higher (diffraction limited) resolution than in the direction perpendicular thereto, due to the different NA of the lens in the two directions. By rotating the sample and making a second image, a combined image can be formed showing a better resolution than either of the images in the direction where they show a low NA.
US09293291B2
A method of manufacturing a flexible display device and a carrier substrate for manufacturing the same are disclosed. In one aspect, the method includes preparing a first release area and a first attachment area around the first surface area on a first surface, attaching a base substrate to the first surface, and forming a display unit on the base substrate corresponding to the first release area of the carrier substrate. The method also includes cutting the area of the base substrate corresponding to the first release area of the carrier substrate so as to include the display unit, and separating the cut base substrate from the carrier substrate. Thus, the carrier substrate and the base substrate may be smoothly combined with each other and separated from each other without an additional mask deposition process. Also, damage to a product that may occur during combination and separation of the substrates may be much reduced.
US09293289B2
An assembly in which a housing and cover enclose an electric component and lock the electric component into place is provided. The electric component has two L-shaped terminals with notches formed in them that provide lock surfaces for the housing body. The housing body has locking arms that flex during installation and lock the electric component into place by mating with the lock surfaces. The cover body has bosses which push down upon the electric component during installation and lock pins which lock the flexible locking arms into place. The lock pins occupy the space between the locking arms and the backstops of the housing body thereby preventing the locking arms from moving out of position and disengaging the lock surfaces of the locking arms and terminals.
US09293284B1
Soft-switching gate control circuitry is disclosed. The circuitry includes a first discharge circuit coupled across a first switching device. A first control circuit, upon a first switch input signal transitioning from a disabled state to an enabled state, is adapted to cause the first discharge circuit to transition from a high impedance state to a discharge impedance state, and when a voltage across the first switching device drops below a first threshold value, cause the first switching device to transition from an off state to an on state.
US09293281B2
Mounting structure is provided for mounting a tank to support structure. The tank has a flange extending from a body thereof. The mounting structure includes at least a pair of first bores extending into the flange in a first direction. At least a pair of second bores. Each second bore extends into the flange in a direction generally transverse with respect to an associated first bore so that each second bore communicates with the associated first bore. A pin is disposed in each of the second bores. Each pin has a threaded pin bore that aligns axially with the associated first bore. A bolt is disposed through a bolt hole in the support structure, into an associated first bore and in threaded engagement with the threaded pin bore of an associated pin so as to secure the tank to the support structure.
US09293279B1
A coaxial switch having a housing and a shaft extending through and rotatably mounted to the housing. The shaft extends from opposite ends of the housing. Connector body members are attached to the housing and a support plate is mounted to the shaft. Conductor members are joined to the support plate. Each conductor member has a conductor and is configured to be inserted into a connector body member. The conductors of the conductor members are electrically connected together. When the coaxial switch is engaged, the conductor members are inserted into the connector body members. The coaxial switch becomes disengaged when a force is exerted on the shaft that causes the conductor members to be withdrawn from the connector body members. An axial force-producing mechanism produces a constant axial force on the shaft to maintain the coaxial switch in the engaged state.
US09293278B2
A key assembly is for use in a keyboard of the type including a key guide having a planar translation effecting (PTE) feature. The key assembly includes a key base having a PTE mating feature configured to interact with the PTE feature during a key press, and a key cap configured to be attached to the key base. The key base is made of a first material and the key cap is made of a second material different from the first material. A conductive portion and/or a magnet may be wedged between or secured within the key base or the key cap.
US09293264B2
Disclosed herein is a structural sheet includes an energy storage density that is greater than 10-mWh/ft2 and is capable of withstanding greater than 5-KPa stress under at least 5% strain. Further provided is an energy storing structural sheet comprising an electrically conducting current carrying layer that is print formed over a sub assembly that comprises a separator, a foundation, an electrode, and a current bus.
US09293262B2
The present disclosure describes tuning capacitors with tapered and reconfigurable quality factors. Digitally tuned capacitors (DTCs) that provide a variable quality factor (Q) while maintaining a constant or near constant capacitance as well as DTCs that provide one or more Q values in a tapered distribution while maintaining a constant or near constant capacitance are described. The present disclosure also describes DTCs that provide one or more capacitances in a tapered distribution and one or more Q values in a tapered distribution.
US09293258B2
A multilayer ceramic electronic component including: a ceramic main body including a dielectric layer and having first and second main surfaces opposing one another, first and second lateral surfaces opposing one another, and first and second end surfaces opposing one another; a first internal electrode formed within the ceramic main body, including a capacitance formation part having an overlap region to form capacitance and a first lead out portion extending from the capacitance formation part so as to be exposed to the first lateral surface; a second internal electrode alternately laminated together with the first internal electrode, having a second lead out portion extending from the capacitance formation part so as to be exposed to the first lateral surface; first and second external electrodes; and insulating layers.
US09293256B2
A ceramic material for capacitors uses multilayer technology of the general formula: Pb1−1.5a−0.5b+1.5d+e+0.5f)AaBb(Zr1−xTix)(1−c−d−e−f)LidCeFefSicO3+y.PBO wherein A is selected from the group consisting of La, Nd, Y, Eu, Gd, Tb, Dy, Ho, Er and Yb; B is selected from the group consisting of Na, K and Ag; C is selected from the group consisting of Ni, Cu, Co and Mn; and 0
US09293253B2
A cylindrical superconducting magnet has a number of axially-aligned annular coils of superconducting wire, arranged for cooling by thermal conduction through a cooled surface in mechanical contact with the coils. The coils are provided with a cryogenic radiation shield located between respective radially inner surfaces of the coils and respective axes of the coils. The cryogenic radiation shield is formed of a metal layer in thermal contact with the cooled surface.
US09293248B2
Methods and apparatus for providing a system, such as a power conditioner unit, including terminals to receive three-phase signals, respective filter inductors, and respective filter capacitors that are switched into the EMI filter when the loading is above a given threshold.
US09293246B1
A component printed circuit board is provided between a magnetic component and a main printed circuit board. The magnetic component includes a device such as an inductor or transformer and includes a bobbin for winding one or more coils and a magnetically permeable core. Terminal pins protrude from the bobbin toward the main printed circuit board and provide electrical connection between the magnetic component and the main printed circuit board. The component printed circuit board includes component vias positioned to accept one or more of the terminal pins allowing the terminal pins to be used for electrical connection to both the component printed circuit board and the main printed circuit board. One or more component traces or shielding layers are disposed on the component printed circuit board. Each component trace provides an electrical connection between two or more terminal pins passing through the component printed circuit board.
US09293245B2
A particular device includes a coil and a discontinuous magnetic core. The discontinuous magnetic core includes a first elongated portion, a second elongated portion, and at least two curved portions, where the portions are coplanar and physically separated from each other. The discontinuous magnetic core is arranged to form a discontinuous loop. The discontinuous magnetic core is deposited as a first layer above a dielectric substrate. A first portion of the coil extends above a first surface of the magnetic core. A second portion of the coil extends below a second surface of the magnetic core. The second portion of the coil is electrically coupled to the first portion of the coil. The second surface of the magnetic core is opposite the first surface of the magnetic core.
US09293244B2
A magnetic material constituted by a grain compact 1 obtained by shaping metal grains 11 and then heat-treating them in an oxidizing ambience, wherein the metal grains 11 are made of a Fe—Cr—Si alloy and their FeMetal/(FeMetal+FeOxide) ratio as measured before shaping by XPS, with respect to the sum of integral values at the peaks of 709.6 eV, 710.7 eV and 710.9 eV, or FeOxide, and peak integral value at 706.9 eV, or FeMetal, is 0.2 or more.
US09293241B2
The present invention relates generally to cables suitable for use in plenum applications. In particular, the present invention relates to coaxial cables suitable for use in plenum applications (which exhibit flame spread and smoke generation properties that comply with industry standards, e.g., UL 910 or NFPA 262) without compromising electrical performance. The cable has two or more layers of insulation where the inner layer is made of a material having a high melt flow index and the outer layer is made of a material having a low melt flow index.
US09293229B2
A system for storing high level radioactive waste. In one embodiment, the invention can be a system comprising an overpack body extending along a vertical axis and having a cavity for storing high level radioactive waste, the cavity having an open top end and a floor; an overpack lid positioned atop the overpack body to enclose the open top end of the cavity; an air inlet vent for introducing cool air into the cavity, the air inlet vent extending from an opening in an outer surface of the overpack body to an opening in the floor; and an air outlet vent in the overpack lid for removing warmed air from the cavity.
US09293227B1
A memory control circuit 10 controls an operation of reading stored data from a memory cell 50 connected to a word line WL and a bit line BL based on an address Address including a row address Ax and a column address Ay. When the address Address includes redundancy addresses P1 to P4 designating a word line WLa or a bit line BLc connected to a specific memory cell Cc, redundancy decoders 13-1 to 13-4 replace the specific memory cell Cc with a redundancy memory cell RCc connected to redundancy word lines RWL1 and RWL2 or redundancy bit lines RBL1 and RBL2. Redundancy address latch circuits 12-1 to 12-4 respectively hold the redundancy addresses P1 to P4, and erase the held redundancy addresses P1 to P4 based on a reset signal RS inputted from the memory control circuit 10.
US09293225B2
Semiconductor device includes a first data input/output (I/O) portion suitable for storing data inputted thereto through a first pad in a first cell block in synchronization with a test data strobe signal or a first data strobe signal and suitable for outputting the data stored in the first cell block to the first pad, a second data I/O portion suitable for storing data inputted thereto through a second pad in a second cell block in synchronization with the test data strobe signal or a second data strobe signal and suitable for outputting the data stored in the second cell block to the second pad, and a connection portion suitable for electrically connecting the first and second pads to each other in a test mode. Related semiconductor systems are also provided.
US09293224B1
Briefly, in accordance with one or more embodiments, an apparatus to test a semiconductor device comprises a controller configured to perform one or more tests on the semiconductor device, a reduce low pin count (RLPC) circuit configured to write data to the semiconductor device or read data from the semiconductor device at a double data rate (DDR) with respect to a single data rate (SDR), and pad logic to couple to the semiconductor device, the pad logic configured to provide a trimmable data access time from clock (tAC) signal to select different access times of a single data rate (SDR) or a double data rate (DDR) mode of operation, wherein a loading time or an unloading time of the semiconductor device being tested, or a combination thereof, is reduced when a DDR mode is selected.
US09293218B2
Provided is a semiconductor memory device. The semiconductor includes a One Time Programmable (OTP) cell array, a converging circuit and a sense amplifier circuit. The OTP cell array includes a plurality of OTP cells connected to a plurality of bit lines, each bit line extending in a first direction. The converging includes a common node contacting a first bit line and a second bit line. The sense amplifier circuit includes a sense amplifier connected to the common node, the sense amplifier configured to amplify a signal of the common node.
US09293217B2
A non-volatile memory device and method for programming cells using repeated pulses of program voltages, with interleaved read operations to determine the level of read current, until the desired programming state is achieved. Each successive program pulse has one or more program voltages increased by a step value relative to the previous pulse. For a single level cell type, each cell is individually removed from the programming pulses after reaching a first read current threshold, and the step value is increased for one or more kicker pulses thereafter. For a multi-level cell type, the step value drops after one of the cells reaches a first read current threshold, some cells are individually removed from the programming pulses after reaching a second read current threshold while others are individually removed from the programming pulses after reaching a third read current threshold.
US09293214B2
The present disclosure includes methods, devices, and systems for determining and using soft data in memory devices and systems. One or more embodiments include an array of memory cells and control circuitry coupled to the array. The control circuitry is configured to perform a number of sense operations on the memory cells using a number of sensing voltages to determine soft data associated with a target state of the memory cells, and adjust a sensing voltage used to determine the target state based, at least partially, on the determined soft data.
US09293203B2
A method for reading data stored in a flash memory. The flash memory comprises a plurality of memory cells and each memory cell has a particular threshold voltage. The method includes: obtaining a first threshold voltage distribution representing threshold voltages of a first group of the memory cells; obtaining a second threshold voltage distribution representing threshold voltages of a second group of the memory cells, wherein the second threshold voltage distribution is different from the first threshold voltage distribution, and the first group of the memory cells comprises at least a part of the second group of the memory cells; and controlling the flash memory to perform at least one read operation upon the first group of the memory cells according to the second threshold voltage distribution.
US09293202B2
Embodiments of the present disclosure describe techniques and configurations for word-line path isolation in a phase change memory (PCM) device. In one embodiment, a memory device includes a memory cell of a memory device, a bit-line coupled to the memory cell, a word-line coupled to the memory cell, a bit-line electrode coupled to the bit-line, a word-line electrode coupled to the word-line, current-limiting circuitry of a selection module coupled to one of the word-line electrode and the bit-line electrode having a lower potential, the current-limiting circuitry to facilitate a selection operation of the memory cell by the selection module, sensing circuitry coupled to the one of the word-line electrode and the bit-line electrode having the lower potential, the sensing circuitry to perform a read operation of the memory cell, and write circuitry coupled to the one of the word-line electrode and the bit-line electrode having the lower potential, the write circuitry to perform a write operation of the memory cell. Other embodiments may be described and/or claimed.
US09293201B2
A memory device includes a first metal layer and a first metal oxide layer coupled to the first metal layer. The memory device includes a second metal oxide layer coupled to the first metal oxide layer and a second metal layer coupled to the second metal oxide layer. The formation of the first metal oxide layer has a Gibbs free energy that is lower than the Gibbs free energy for the formation of the second metal oxide layer.
US09293200B2
A multilayer crossbar memory array includes a number of layers. Each layer includes a top set of parallel lines, a bottom set of parallel lines intersecting the top set of parallel lines, and memory elements disposed at intersections between the top set of parallel lines and the bottom set of parallel lines. A top set of parallel lines from one of the layers is a bottom set of parallel lines for an adjacent one of the layers.
US09293198B2
A method for programming gated phase-change memory cells, each with a gate, source and drain, having s≧2 programmable cell-states including an amorphous RESET state and at least one crystalline state includes applying a programming signal between the source and drain of a memory cell to program that cell to a desired cell-state; and when programming the cell from a crystalline state to the RESET state, applying a bias voltage to the gate of the cell to increase the cell resistance.
US09293188B2
In one form, a memory includes a memory bank, a page buffer, and an access circuit. The memory bank has a plurality of rows and a plurality of columns with volatile memory cells at intersections of the plurality of row and the plurality of columns. The page buffer is coupled to the plurality of columns and stores contents of a selected one of the plurality of rows. The access circuit is responsive to an adjacent command and a row address to perform a predetermined operation on the row address, and to refresh first and second addresses adjacent to the row address. In another form, a memory controller is adapted to interface with such a memory to select either a normal command or an adjacent command based on a number of activate commands sent to the row in a predetermined time window.
US09293177B2
Provided are a semiconductor memory device, a memory system including the same, and an operating method thereof. The semiconductor memory device includes a memory cell array including a plurality of memory cells, a peripheral circuit suitable for reading least significant bit data and most significant bit data of neighboring memory cells adjacent to selected memory cells out of the plurality of memory cells, and generating pattern flag data using the least significant bit data and the most significant bit data and a control logic suitable for controlling the peripheral circuit to set a read voltage to be applied to the selected memory cells based on the pattern flag data.
US09293173B2
A non-volatile memory with multiple memory dice manages simultaneous operations so as to not exceed a system power capacity. A load signal bus is pulled up with a strength proportional to the system power capacity. Each die has a driver to pull down the bus by an amount corresponding to its degree of power need as estimated by a state machine of the die. The bus therefore provides a load signal that serves as arbitration between the system power capacity and the cumulative loads of the individual dice. The load signal is therefore at a high state when the system power capacity is not exceeded; otherwise it is at a low state. When a die wishes to perform an operation and requests a certain amount of power, it drives the bus accordingly and its state machine either proceeds with the operation or not, depending on the load signal.
US09293172B2
A vertical type semiconductor device includes a pillar structure protruding from a top surface of a substrate of a cell array region. Word lines extend while surrounding the pillar structure. Word line contacts contact edges of the word lines functioning as pad portions. An insulating interlayer pattern is provided on the substrate of a peripheral circuit region, which is disposed at an outer peripheral portion of the cell array region. A first contact plug contacts the substrate of the peripheral circuit region. A second contact plug contacts a top surface of the first contact plug and has a top surface aligned on the same plane with the top surfaces of the word line contacts. The first and second contact plugs are stacked in the peripheral circuit region, so the failure of the vertical type semiconductor device is reduced.
US09293167B2
Disclosed is a library apparatus capable of indicating an availability state of a slot according to the availability state of the slot that a magazine has.The storage library apparatus 1 rotates the first position P that indicates a usable state of a slot 7 by a first protection lever 4 being pushed by a accessor 3 which can convey, contacts against in a stopper 6, accordingly, is fixed by a lock component 5 and is fixed to the lock component 5 by rotating a second position R that indicates the unusable state of a slot 7.
US09293163B2
Rotational latency is reduced in a standard conventional form factor HDD system by replacing, for example—the prior art rotary arm actuator of a conventional HDD, with one or more belts and pulleys and one or more read/write heads mounted on, or otherwise associated with the belts. Multiple scaled iterations facilitate energy savings and power optimized systems, without compromise to data access performance.
US09293159B2
A data sensor may be configured with a magnetic stack disposed between first and second magnetic shields. The magnetic stack can have a non-magnetic spacer layer disposed between first and second magnetically free laminations respectively coupled to the first and second magnetic shields via first and second electrode laminations. The first magnetically free lamination may have a first sub-layer constructed of a transition metal material and disposed between a second sub-layer constructed of a negative magnetostriction material and a third sub-layer constructed of a positive magnetostriction material.
US09293154B2
An AlTiC-based substrate suitable for a thin-film magnetic head is provided. The Al2O3—TiC based substrate for a thin-film magnetic head including an Al2O3 phase and a TiC phase, wherein a c-axis lattice constant of the Al2O3 phase is 12.992 Å or more and 12.998 Å or less, and a lattice constant of the TiC phase is 4.297 Å or more and 4.315 Å or less.
US09293150B2
A portion of an audio signal is identified corresponding to a spoken word and its phonemes. A set of alternate spoken words satisfying phonetic similarity criteria to the spoken word is generated. A subset of the set of alternate spoken words is also identified; each member of the subset shares the same phoneme in a similar temporal position as the spoken word. A significance factor is then calculated for the phoneme based on the number of alternates in the subset and on the total number of alternates. The calculated significance factor may then be used to lengthen or shorten the temporal duration of the phoneme in the audio signal according to its significance in the spoken word.
US09293144B2
Methods and related apparatuses control concealment for a lost audio frame of a received audio signal. A method for a decoder of concealing a lost audio frame includes detecting in a property of the previously received and reconstructed audio signal, or in a statistical property of observed frame losses, a condition for which the substitution of a lost frame provides relatively reduced quality. In case such a condition is detected, the concealment method is modified by selectively adjusting a phase or a spectrum magnitude of a substitution frame spectrum.
US09293132B2
There is a provided a mobile electronic device and a computer-implemented method. The method includes: receiving, by an electronic device, location parameters comprising a location of the electronic device, a direction of travel of the electronic device and a speed of the electronic device; configuring, by the electronic device, a dynamic geo-fenced area based on the location parameters, wherein the dynamic geo-fenced area surrounds the location of the electronic device; retrieving, by the electronic device, a Voice Recognition (VR) dictionary subset comprising data associated with the dynamic geo-fenced area from a VR dictionary, wherein the data comprises a broadcast station name and a broadcast frequency associated with the broadcast station name; and performing voice recognition using the VR dictionary subset.
US09293130B2
A method for speech recognition, the method includes: extracting time-frequency speech features from a series of reference speech elements in a first series of sampling windows; aligning reference speech elements that are not of equal time span duration; constructing a common subspace for the aligned speech features; determining a first set of coefficient vectors; extracting a time-frequency feature image from a test speech stream spanned by a second sampling window; approximating the extracted image in the common subspace for the aligned extracted time-frequency speech features with a second coefficient vector; computing a similarity measure between the first and the second coefficient vector; determining if the similarity measure is below a predefined threshold; and wherein a match between the reference speech elements and a portion of the test speech stream is made in response to a similarity measure below a predefined threshold. The said reference speech elements correspond to a keyword of interest, wherein Simultaneous Orthogonal Matching Pursuit (SOMP) is used in their alignment.
US09293129B2
Pronunciation issues for synthesized speech are automatically detected using human recordings as a reference within a Speech Recognition Assisted Evaluation (SRAE) framework including a Text-To-Speech flow and a Speech Recognition (SR) flow. A pronunciation issue detector evaluates results obtained at multiple levels of the TTS flow and the SR flow (e.g. phone, word, and signal level) by using the corresponding human recordings as the reference for the synthesized speech, and outputs possible pronunciation issues. A signal level may be used to determine similarities/differences between the recordings and the TTS output. A model level checker may provide results to the pronunciation issue detector to check the similarities of the TTS and the SR phone set including mapping relations. Results from a comparison of the SR output and the recordings may also be evaluation by the pronunciation issue detector. The pronunciation issue detector outputs a list that lists potential pronunciation issue candidates.
US09293122B1
Some embodiments provide drum mounts for mounting a drum to supporting bracket arms, stands, or racks in a manner that does not impede drum shell resonance and that shields the drum mount and structure upon which the drum is mounted from absorbing the drum's vibrational energy during play. The drum mount is comprised of an inner mount plate, outer mount bar, and coupling assemblies. Each of the inner mount plate and outer mount bar couple to a drum shell or tension ring using the coupling assemblies. The coupling assemblies also couple the inner mount plate to the outer mount bar. The coupling assemblies include dampeners and endcaps with protrusions for minimizing surface area contact points from which energy can be transferred to the drum mount.
US09293114B2
A liquid crystal display apparatus includes: a detection unit that detects the luminance of a backlight unit; and a controller that controls a voltage of a counter electrode, shared by pixels, based on a detection result of the detection unit.
US09293113B2
An image processing apparatus includes a storage unit configured to store respective profiles representing visual characteristics of each of a plurality of persons; and a correction unit configured to perform color correction processing on image data on the basis of the plurality of profiles corresponding to the plurality of persons stored in the storage unit.
US09293106B2
A controller controls the driving frequency and voltages for a display device. If image data corresponds to a moving picture, the controller drives a data driver and a gate driver at a moving picture frequency. If image data corresponds to a still image, drives the data driver and the gate driver at a still image frequency lower frequency than the moving picture frequency. When the still image is to be displayed, the signal controller also controls leakage current of a thin film transistor of a pixel based on a representative value of the image data, such that positive leakage current applied for a positive data voltage is equal to negative leakage current applied for a negative data voltage.
US09293104B2
The liquid crystal display device includes a pixel portion including first and second regions and light sources. The first and second regions each include a liquid crystal element whose transmissivity is controlled in accordance with a voltage of an image signal and a transistor for controlling holding of the voltage, whose off-state current is extremely low. The light sources perform first and second drivings: lights whose hues are different from each other are sequentially supplied to the first region in a first rotating order and the lights are sequentially supplied to the second region in a second rotating order which is different from the first rotating order in the first driving; and a light having a single hue is supplied consecutively to one or both of the first and second regions in the second driving. The period for holding the voltage is different between the first and second drivings.
US09293099B2
A retention circuit (22) corresponding to each stage of a shift register is configured such that, when SROUT(k−1) is active, an input terminal of an inverter (INV1) and an output terminal of an inverter (INV2) are electrically connected to each other and an output terminal of the inverter (INV1) and an input terminal of the inverter (INV2) are connected to each other. This makes it possible to reduce a circuit scale of a display driving circuit without causing any malfunction of the display driving circuit.
US09293087B2
There is provided a pixel having an improved display quality. The pixel includes an OLED, a first transistor including a first electrode coupled to a data line and a second electrode coupled to an anode electrode of the OLED, and configured to control a current supplied to the OLED based on a voltage applied to a first node; a second transistor coupled between the data line and a second node; a third transistor coupled between the second node and a first power line for supplying reference power; and a first capacitor coupled between the first node and the second node.
US09293085B2
A pixel circuit with a source follower type connection is provided that corrects variation in threshold voltage of a driving transistor, reduces power consumption and realizes high resolution. The pixel circuit includes: a data line for supplying a data voltage; a power source line for supplying a power source voltage; a reference voltage line for supplying a reference voltage lower than the power source voltage; a plurality of control signal lines for supplying control signals; a light emitting element; a driving transistor; a capacitor; and a plurality of switching transistors. The circuit writes the data voltage through one end of the capacitor and subsequently connects the one end of the capacitor to the anode electrode of the light emitting element.
US09293078B2
A display device integrated with a touch screen panel, and a method of driving the same, can prevent parasitic capacitance that would otherwise increase the load during a touch operation, lower the accuracy of touch sensing, or make touch sensing impossible. The display device includes data lines, gate lines, and a plurality of electrodes spaced apart from each other. A common voltage is applied to the electrodes in a display driving mode and a touch drive signal is applied to one or more of the electrodes in a touch driving mode. A data voltage is applied to the data lines in the display driving mode. A scan signal is supplied sequentially to the gate lines in the display driving mode and the touch drive signal or a signal corresponding to the touch drive signal is applied to one or more of the gate lines in the touch driving mode.
US09293073B2
Disclosed is a testing system, which includes a thin film transistor substrate. The thin film transistor substrate includes a plurality of thin film transistors and a plurality of connecting pads. Each of the thin film transistors includes a first electrode, a second electrode, and a third electrode. The thin film transistor substrate further includes a testing pad. One of the first electrode and the second electrode of each of the thin film transistors is electrically connected with one of the connecting pads. The third electrode and the other one of the first electrode and the second electrode of each of the thin film transistors are electrically connected with the testing pad. The testing system of the present invention is capable of decreasing the cost of the testing system and the complexity of disposed circuits.
US09293064B2
A simulated medical device may include a visual display, a processor, a memory, a switch connected to a power supply, a body housing the visual display, the processor, the memory, and the switch, and a simulated probe coupled to the body. The body is configured to receive internally at least a portion of the simulated probe. The switch is configured to provide a supply of power to the processor when the at least a portion of the simulated probe is external to the body and to disconnect the supply of power to the processor if the at least a portion of the simulated probe is inserted in the body. The processor is configured to cause the visual display to display at least a first simulated medical value in response to receiving the supply of power at the processor and after a time duration indicated by a simulated acquisition time.
US09293063B2
A training device that includes a receiving surface on its handle, multiple capacitive sensor elements disposed within multiple grip areas on the receiving surface, a sense circuit configured to compare the capacitance measurements with threshold capacitance values and generate a signal when the capacitance measurements indicate a touch on the grip area and an indicator.
US09293058B2
A computer based simulation system for virtual training for vehicle crews is disclosed. The Vehicle Crew Training System (VCTS) simulates crew positions for different military ground and air vehicles. Two or more crewman modules are networked together to support a partial or full vehicle crew. The crewman modules are self-contained devices that are modular in hardware and software design, easily reconfigurable, and require minimal facility space, allowing use in restricted environments such as trailers. The VCTS is modular at the crew position level; crewman modules are added or deleted as required to meet a particular training need.
US09293051B2
Methods and systems are provided for presenting procedure information for a vertical profile on a display device associated with an aircraft. A method comprises displaying a first segment of the plurality of segments comprising a vertical profile with a first vertical scale and a first horizontal scale, wherein the first horizontal scale is based on a first distance associated with the first segment. The method further comprises displaying a second segment of the plurality of segments with the first vertical scale and a second horizontal scale, wherein the second horizontal scale is based on a second distance associated with the second segment. The first horizontal scale and the second horizontal scale are not equal. In this manner, the vertical profile has a nonuniform horizontal scale and a uniform vertical scale across segments.
US09293050B2
An alerting system and method for producing tactical views of datalink messages is provided. The system comprises a datalink application processor configured to receive and decode an uplink datalink message. The datalink application processor includes a datalink message manager. The system also includes a control processor in operative communication with the datalink application processor and configured to communicate with the datalink message manager. A display unit is in operative communication with the control processor and is configured to show the uplink datalink message. The control processor is configured receive message data from the datalink message manager and output the message data to the display unit to generate an annunciation of the datalink message. The datalink message manager is configured to output display data for generating the datalink message in full based on a single forward field of view interaction by a user with the display unit.
US09293046B2
A travel control device includes a side obstacle detection unit, a rearward movement preparation detection unit, a warning unit, and a suppression unit. The side obstacle detection unit divides a range from a lateral side to a rear side of a vehicle into plural detection angle areas, and detects, for each of the plural detection angle areas, an obstacle entering the detection angle area and a distance to the obstacle. The warning unit provides warning about the obstacle. The suppression unit suppresses the warning by the warning unit, if the rearward movement preparation detection unit detects the vehicle preparing to move rearward and the detection angle area in which the obstacle is detected shifts from the rear side to the lateral side.
US09293043B2
A driving support apparatus which performs driving support regarding a traffic signal includes: a communication device which acquires time-series traffic signal information regarding the lighting state of the traffic signal; a time calculating unit which calculates the time remaining until the lighting state changes on the basis of the traffic signal information; and an output device which notifies a driver of lighting time information regarding the time remaining. When the time remaining is equal to or smaller than a threshold value, the output device does not perform notification of the lighting time information so that it can be difficult for the driver to predict the timing at which a red lighting state of the traffic signal will change. Accordingly, it becomes possible to suppress unsafe action by the driver based on the traffic signal information notification received.
US09293029B2
A system and method for monitoring sensors belonging to multiple organizations, detecting an emergency condition based on sensor information, associating a location with the detected emergency condition and then sending an emergency condition report to an authorized recipient. Sensor configuration data is either entered automatically using a sensor discovery engine or entered by a system administrator. The system monitors sensor information using a database-driven rules engine and reports emergency conditions to authorized recipients using a database-driven rules engine. The emergency condition report includes sensor information for sensors that are proximally located to the detected emergency condition.
US09293028B2
Roundslings with radio frequency identification pre-failure warning indicators comprise radio frequency identification tags, radio frequency identification tag sensors, and radio frequency signal receivers that inform a user of a pre-failure condition with the roundsling. The radio frequency tags may be affixed to one or more of an indicator yarn, a strand of the roundsling core, a dedicated strand of a pre-failure indicator assembly, or a ring of the pre-failure indicator assembly. The radio frequency tags may be active or passive, and active radio frequency tags may comprise a shield that block a signal transmitted from the tag.
US09293018B2
A multifunctional, integrated and programmed anti-theft protection device with a modern control, usage and additional functions for mobile items, combined two or more items respectively parts with a 3D universal-/smart sensor for triggering an alarm as well as menu usage per individual box motion. An alarm tone is composed of individually spoken words, sentences or with combined alarm tones. Motions in 3D area are noticed by 3D sensor and are presentable on a display or per computer applications. One programmable microchip with data capacity undertakes the control, protection, data storage, data management and data transmission per USB flash, bluetooth, radio, etc. The triggering of the alarm is caused by movement or by two parts by overrunning one of the sensors, respectively signal distance. The anti-theft device can be fixed, integrated or removable to items.
US09293017B2
An image processing sensor system functions as a standalone unit to capture images and process the resulting signals to detect objects or events of interest. The processing significantly improves selectivity and specificity of detection objects and events.
US09293003B2
In various embodiments, a secondary player may make a bet that pays based on aggregate data from multiple games of primary players.
US09292992B2
The invention relates to a method for personalizing an electronic device using an encryption device adaptable to standard certified apparatuses. The encryption device makes it possible to ensure the confidentiality of the transfer of a secret code from the user to a possible personalization server.
US09292990B2
Systems and methods for authenticating a document are provided. In one embodiment, a method for authenticating a feature of a document includes capturing a first image of a region of a document while the region is subjected to a first wavelength of electromagnetic radiation. The region includes at least a portion of the document. The method also includes determining a first intensity value associated with the first image of the region, and comparing the first intensity value with a first training intensity value of a region of a training document. The first training intensity value is obtained using the first wavelength of electromagnetic radiation. The method also includes determining whether the document is authentic at least partially based on the comparison between the first intensity value and the first training intensity value.
US09292987B1
The presented invention discloses an electronic web-based election system and method for fully encrypted secure remote voting, wherein the voting data is fully encrypted, including within-the-database encryption, until the end of voting time period. Further disclosed a computer encryption system, wherein the voting result encryption application is additionally installed, such a system being configured to obtain encrypted voting results data and send such a data as a ciphertext to the election central server for encrypted ciphertext storage in the database to prevent everybody, including database administrators, from viewing the data. Method for secure data encryption and public keys computation based on voter's secret PIN code is further presented.
US09292979B2
Various embodiments of the present invention provide systems and methods for managing fault codes triggered by one or more vehicles during operation. In general, various embodiments of the invention involve recording and analyzing fault codes triggered during a particular time period while a vehicle is in operation. As a result of the analysis, various embodiments of the invention may set a state for each of the identified fault codes, the state indicating a level of action to address the identified fault code. In particular embodiments, the states may be one of a caution state indicating one or more components or sub-systems of the vehicle should be monitored, a critical state indicating one or more components or sub-systems of the vehicle should be repaired, or an environmental state indicating failure or potential failure of one or more components or sub-systems of the vehicle may affect one or more environmental conditions.
US09292977B2
A diagnostic tool and method are provided wherein a faulty part and its part number is determined based on a retrieved DTC for a specific vehicle. The part number may include the original manufacturer's number and a generic equivalent manufacturer's number (if available). The diagnostic tool can search a parts database of various parts suppliers for their pricing and location. The diagnostic tool can also provide suggested fixes to the user based on the retrieved DTC.
US09292976B2
A user interface for a vehicle may include an information display configured to display an efficiency gauge having an efficiency indicator. The position of the efficiency indicator may correspond to a range per full charge value. The range per full charge value may be calculated based on an amount of usable energy per full charge for an energy storage device and a distance-based energy consumption rate. An instantaneous energy consumption rate may be used to calculate an instantaneous range per full charge value. Similarly, an average energy consumption rate may be used to calculate an average range per full charge value. The efficiency gauge may include an instantaneous efficiency indicator corresponding to an instantaneous range per full charge value, an average efficiency indicator corresponding to an average range per full charge value, or both.
US09292975B2
A system and method are provided for monitoring vibration data. A vehicle, for example, may include at least one engine component, a sensor coupled to the at least one engine component and configured to monitor a vibration of the at least one engine component, and a processor communicatively coupled to the sensor, the processor configured to determine a plurality of envelope spectrums based upon vibration data from the sensor, determine fault frequencies for each of the at least one engine component based upon a rotating speed of each of the at least one components, and monitor each envelope spectrum for changes at the determined fault frequencies.
US09292967B2
A novel “contour person” (CP) model of the human body is proposed that has the expressive power of a detailed 3D model and the computational benefits of a simple 20 part-based model. The CP model is learned from a 3D model of the human body that captures natural shape and pose variations. The CP model factors deformations of the body into three components: shape variation, viewpoint change and pose variation. The CP model can be “dressed” with a low-dimensional clothing model. The clothing is represented as a deformation from the underlying CP representation. This deformation is learned from training examples using principal component analysis to produce so-called eigen-clothing. The coefficients of the eigen-clothing can be used to recognize different categories of clothing on dressed people. The parameters of the estimated 20 body can be used to discriminatively predict 3D body shape using a learned mapping approach.
US09292960B2
A method and apparatus are provided for compressing vertex parameter data in a 3D computer graphic system, where the vertex parameter data is a data block relating to a plurality of vertices used for rendering an image. The data relating to each vertex includes multiple byte data relating to at least one parameter. The parameters include X, Y and Z coordinates and further coordinates for texturing and shading. The multiple byte data is divided into individual bytes and bytes with corresponding byte positions relating to each vertex are grouped together to form a plurality of byte blocks.
US09292957B2
Described herein are methods, systems, apparatuses and products for portable virtual characters such as virtual characters. One embodiment provides a method for providing a virtual character, including: storing, in device memory, a listing of at least one mobile device having at least one device component selected from the group consisting of an accelerometer, a camera, and a microphone; and transferring, using a processor, to a mobile device information to permit an instantiation of a mobile device version of a virtual character on the mobile device, the instantiation of the virtual character on the mobile device including at least one virtual character attribute matching the at least one device component selected from the group consisting of an accelerometer, a camera, and a microphone. Other embodiments are disclosed and claimed.
US09292956B2
Various technologies described herein pertain to generating a video loop. An input video can be received, where the input video includes values at pixels over a time range. An optimization can be performed to determine a respective input time interval within the time range of the input video for each pixel from the pixels in the input video. The respective input time interval for a particular pixel can include a per-pixel loop period and a per-pixel start time of a loop at the particular pixel within the time range from the input video. Moreover, an output video can be created based upon the values at the pixels over the respective input time intervals for the pixels in the input video.
US09292949B2
A system and method for label placement is disclosed that achieves the twin goals of practical efficiency and high labeling quality by employing cartographic heuristics. A caller defines map and label properties. Then labels are pulled within a map boundary. Labels are next ordered by priority in descending importance. The order of testing labels is determined. Attempts are made to move overlapping labels. This is an iterative process; therefore there must be criteria that halt the procedure. Upon reaching an acceptable solution, the label properties are adjusted to reflect the new label placements.
US09292943B2
An automatic method of setting a desktop background color is disclosed. The method is used for setting a desktop background color of an electronic device such that the desktop background color corresponds to a color of a protective cover, wherein a cover body of the protective cover for covering a touch screen of the electronic device has a conducting area and a non-conducting area. The method includes the following steps: receiving protective cover information generated by the touch screen touching the conducting area; determining whether the protective cover information is in accordance with one of a plurality of preset protective cover information stored in the electronic device; if the protective cover information is in accordance with one of the plurality of preset protective cover information, setting the desktop background color displayed by the touch screen according to color information corresponding to the preset protective cover information.
US09292937B2
A non-keyframe reconstruction technique is described for selecting and reconstructing keyframes that have not yet been included in a reconstruction of an input image sequence to provide a better reconstruction in a structure from motion (SFM) technique. The technique may, for example, be used in an adaptive reconstruction algorithm implemented by a general SFM technique. This technique may add and reconstruct non-keyframes to a set of keyframes already generated by an initialization technique and reconstructed by adaptive and optimization techniques for iteratively selecting and reconstructing additional keyframes. Camera motion and intrinsic parameters may be computed for non-keyframes by optimizing a cost function. Output of the non-keyframe reconstruction technique may include at least camera intrinsic parameters and Euclidean motion parameters for the images in the input image sequence.
US09292935B2
Disclosed herein are techniques and systems for evaluating exercise performance of a user by utilizing one or more intelligent sensors, including at least one camera-based sensor configured to detect image data of the user. The at least one camera-based sensor may be mounted on any suitable structure, including a stationary exercise device. A system including the camera-based sensor may further comprise a performance assessment module stored in memory and executable by one or more processors to determine an exercise performance condition of the user based at least in part on the detected image data. An output module may output an evaluation of the exercise performance condition or an instruction to take corrective action. The fitness machine may thereby provide real-time, constructive feedback regarding the user's exercise performance based on the sensed data and utilizing fuzzy logic and other forms of intelligent software.
US09292933B2
The present invention provides a system and method for simultaneous variational and adaptive segmentation of single non-overlapping and multiple overlapping/occluded-objects in an image scene. The method according to the present invention synergistically combines shape priors with boundary and region-based active contours in a level set formulation with a watershed scheme for model initialization for identifying and resolving multiple object overlaps in an image scene. The method according to the present invention comprises learning a shape prior for a target object of interest and applying the shape prior into a hybrid active contour model to segment overlapping and non-overlapping objects simultaneously.
US09292923B2
Methods, apparatus, and articles of manufacture to monitor environments are disclosed. An example method includes analyzing a first depth value corresponding to a coordinate of an object of an image captured by a depth sensor, the first depth value having been captured with the depth sensor positioned at a first angle relative to a reference axis; moving the depth sensor to a second angle relative to the reference axis, the second angle being different than the first angle; triggering capture of a second depth value at the coordinate with the depth sensor positioned at the second angle; and calculating a depth gradient for the coordinate based on the first and second depth values.
US09292919B2
A medical image diagnosis apparatus of an embodiment includes: an image generation unit configured to generate a first image which is an original image, from a medical image taken by a medical imaging unit; an image conversion unit configured to process the first image to output a second image where a color tone of a predetermined region in the first image is kept and a color tone of a region other than the predetermined region is converted; and an image output unit configured to supply the second image to an output apparatus.
US09292914B2
A device and method for measuring a critical dimension of a pattern on a display substrate is disclosed. In one aspect, the device includes a region of interest (ROI) setting unit setting a region of interest in image data, determining whether the region of interest is larger than a reference region, and generating a pattern image based on the region of interest. The device also includes a design file memory storing a plurality of design patterns, a matching unit matching the pattern image to one of design patterns, and a measurement unit measuring the critical dimension of the pattern in the pattern image. The ROI setting unit selects the image data as the pattern image and outputs the pattern image to the matching unit when the region of interest is larger than the reference region.
US09292912B2
A display apparatus and an image output method thereof are provided. The image output method includes dividing a received image into a plurality of sub-images, correcting quality of each of the sub-images based on a contrast ratio calculated for the received image, and outputting the image by combining the corrected sub-images. Hence, the display apparatus can enhance luminance and chrominance which vary per sub-image segment in the received image.
US09292910B2
When obtaining subband signals by performing multiresolution decomposition on image data using a broad-sense pinwheel framelet or a pinwheel wavelet frame, having a degree, that is a set of an approximate filter with no orientation and a plurality of detail filters with respective orientations, and acquiring processed image data by the subband signals in a decomposition phase of the multiresolution decomposition, or processed image data that has been reconstructed into an image by summing the subband signals in a synthesis phase of the multiresolution decomposition, the present invention performs attenuation or amplification of the subband signals in the decomposition phase of the multiresolution decomposition that correspond to at least one of the filters.
US09292905B2
The invention addresses the problem that traditional Total Variation only enforces the horizontal and vertical intensity continuity and thus fails to reconstruct oblique edges well. In an embodiment, Directional Total Variation is defined which supports multiple gradient directions. It first pre-processes the image and determines the direction of edges/texture; Directional TV is calculated based on the gradients along the determined direction and its orthogonal direction. By utilizing adaptive weights to different directions in the regularization, Directional TV is capable of preserving edges independent from their orientation nicely. Thus, Directional TV regularization based image denoising, compression or super resolution tend to obtain better quality.
US09292904B2
This document discusses systems and methods that track overall time for processing operations such that the processing time can be shared among the resources efficiently. Processing time can be shifted to image processing to provide the most benefit to image quality. Moreover, access time from one process is banked to be used by a subsequent process or on a subsequent group of pixels. This document discusses systems and methods that provide additional processing power on an as needed basis. For example, a processing stage and its controller are outside the normal pixel processing flow path. When it is determined that additional processing is required, the processing stage and its controller are activated to perform the additional processing. This document discusses systems and methods that provide parallel processing in a processing stage such that the data can flow internal to the controller linked to the processing stage and globally.
US09292901B2
The present invention discloses a handheld device and a method for a handheld device to display synchronously with a TV set. The handheld device includes a display management module for converting output display data into data corresponding to a TV set screen resolution and displaying same on the TV set screen, and an output management module for converting the output display data into data corresponding to a handheld device resolution and displaying same on a handheld device screen synchronously with the TV set screen, the handheld device being connected to the TV set via an HDMI cable. A bidirectional synchronous display function is achieved in the present invention.
US09292899B2
Block processing pipeline methods and apparatus in which pixel data from a reference frame is prefetched into a search window memory. The search window may include two or more overlapping regions of pixels from the reference frame corresponding to blocks from the rows in the input frame that are currently being processed in the pipeline. Thus, the pipeline may process blocks from multiple rows of an input frame using one set of pixel data from a reference frame that is stored in a shared search window memory. The search window may be advanced by one column of blocks by initiating a prefetch for a next column of reference data from a memory. The pipeline may also include a reference data cache that may be used to cache a portion of a reference frame and from which at least a portion of a prefetch for the search window may be satisfied.
US09292894B2
A content fingerprint based recognition system employs local caching of portions of a fingerprint database to manage network services for identifying which programs a user's mobile device is exposed to and the timing of events within the program. The system enables background recognition and synchronization of network services in a way that consumes less device power and bandwidth.
US09292876B1
Embodiments are directed towards employing a transaction room in a digital transaction service to provide participants controlled access and editing of a document. In response to a trigger, a first copy of the document is created. The first copy of the document may be provided to a recipient for review such that the first copy is non-editable by the participants, while the document is editable in the transaction room. The document may be prepared for electronic signature such that, when the document has changed after the first copy was provided for review, a second copy of the document is created and tagged for signature; and when the document has not changed after the first copy was provided for review, the first copy may be tagged for signature. Tagging a document copy for signature may include pre-tagging the document for signature based on signing roles of the recipients.
US09292875B1
Transactions using a bank customer's electronic debit or credit card (“e-card”) are monitored by the card owner's consumer electronic (CE) device and reported to a server associated with the financial institution maintaining the e-card records for reconciliation to reveal possible fraud.
US09292871B2
Disclosed herein are methods for providing a buy option to search results. That one location for a search field can be a website, an application, a search bar in a web browser, etc. Rather than navigating to a website to perform a search in the context of that website, a user can instead navigate to or open a generalized search field. Via the generalized search field, the system can analyze the input from the user and the resulting context. A buy button can be included a search result to the user input in the input search field. Payment for an item can be processing using a payment account registered with the system with delivery coordinated from a separate merchant. This approach reduces the number of interactions, starting when the user opens a browser or application, to get to a purchase or a search result.
US09292868B2
In an example embodiment, a system for evaluating published content is provided. The system includes at least one processor and a plurality of components including instructions executable by the at least one processor. The components include a reporting component and an evaluation component. The reporting component is to receive a communication from one of a plurality of users of a network-based system, the communication identifying content accessible via the network-based system as objectionable. An evaluation component is to evaluate the identified content based on a reputation value of the one of the plurality of users to determine an action to take with respect to the identified content. The reputation value is based at least in part on a history of objectionable content reporting by the one of the plurality of users.
US09292864B2
Examples of a communication device and methods for synched distributed advertisement for device-to-device are generally described herein. In some embodiments, a method can include transmitting, from a first device of a publishing group, at a group publishing beacon interval (T), a first publishing beacon (PB) including social information of the first device and social information of (N−1) other devices, wherein the group publishing beacon interval (T) represents a preset interval of time between each successive publishing beacon transmission of the publishing group, and wherein the first publishing beacon and the each successive publishing beacon includes a first value representative of the group publishing beacon interval.
US09292862B2
Methods and systems for sending marketing messages to mobile-device users from a mobile-commerce platform are described. In various illustrative embodiments, a marketing message is transmitted to a mobile-device user before, during, or after a transaction between the mobile-device user's mobile device and the mobile-commerce platform. The marketing message can be generated and timed based on rules input to the mobile-commerce platform by a merchant and can be based on historical transaction data associated with the mobile-device user, transaction parameters associated with a current or a most-recently-completed transaction involving the mobile-device user, a transaction type of a current or a most-recently-completed transaction involving the mobile-device user, or a combination thereof, depending on the particular embodiment.
US09292861B2
An online and offline communication processing and tracking using data processing and data/voice networks is described. A phone address from a phone address number pool is automatically assigned to a first entity. A call quality rating is determined and recorded. A call from a caller directed to the phone address is received at a call bridging system coupled to at least one network, wherein the call is associated with call signaling information. Based at least in part on the call quality associated with the caller call, the caller call is assigned to a first location in a call queue. An outbound call is generated from the call bridging system and the inbound and the outbound calls are bridged. One or more parameters of the bridged call are compared to the call quality rating. An indication is recorded regarding the successful bridging of the calls in association with an entity identifier.
US09292860B2
Methods and systems are provided herein for the analysis of clickstream data of online users. The analysis methods and systems allow for the creation of new offline business methods based on online consumer behavior.
US09292848B2
A system is described for remotely issuing a payment device. The system includes a payment network, a chip card issuer and a remote dispensing device. The remote dispensing device is configured to receive a request from a consumer to purchase a proximity payment card, to transmit a transaction authorization request to the payment network and to receive a transaction authorization. The remote dispensing device then reads proximity payment card information from a pre-personalized proximity payment card, transmits it and a request for personalization data to the chip card issuer, receives the personalization data and transmits it to the pre-personalized proximity payment card to store thereon to create a personalized proximity payment card, and lastly dispenses the personalized proximity payment card to the consumer.
US09292847B2
A card actuated automated banking machine (152, 198, 200) includes a plurality of transaction function devices. The transaction function devices include a card reader (170), a printer (174), a bill dispenser (176), a display (182), a check imaging device (186), and at least one processor (190). The machine is operative, responsive to receiving a check and certification data, to dispense cash in exchange for the check. The person presenting the check to the machine need not provide user identifying inputs through input devices of the machine in order to receive cash for the check. Furthermore, prior to accepting the check as a payment, the person can communicate with at least one computer (204) through at least one consumer interface device (208) to verify that the check is payable for the check amount.
US09292846B2
Methods, systems, and devices are described for providing mobile device transaction approvals utilizing multiple forms of tender. An identifier of a mobile device and a request for a transaction authorization may be transmitted from a mobile device and received at a payment authority system. The payment authority system may generate a payment code for transmission to the mobile device. The payment code may be provided to a point of sale (POS) system. The POS system may transmit a transaction amount, an identifier of a merchant, and the payment code to the payment authority system. A number of forms of tender may be applied to the transaction amount. The payment authority system may generate a unified approval code applying the multiple forms of tender to the transaction. The unified approval code may be transmitted to the POS system and applied to a transaction.
US09292840B1
Identification information for a first account holder at a financial institution is received. The first account holder is authenticated based on the identification information. A second account holder at the financial institution is identified as being known to the first account holder. Inputs are received from the first account holder to configure a message to be displayed to the second account holder. The message is displayed to the second account holder from the first account holder.
US09292830B2
A method and apparatus are implemented in one or more processors for processing various social media data received over a network for collection, analysis, and application to business logic and/or business applications. Based on personally identifying information of an account holder, social media data regarding the account holder is retrieved from one or more social media sources or a clearing house over the network. The retrieved social media data is processed (i.e., parsed and/or filtered, and validated) via certain criteria. A usefulness score for the social media data is computed based on various factors including at least one of an identity match value, a truth confidence value, and a context data relevance value. The social media data and its computed usefulness score can be presented to a user and business applications for further processing and treatment of the account holder.
US09292826B1
A resource such as a server derives multiple streams of data based on particular content. Each of the multiple streams of data is encoded to enable play back of the content according to a different level of quality. The server transmits the multiple streams of data of differing levels of quality on a multicast link downstream to one or more intermediate nodes that, in turn, distribute the streams of data to end users. For example, an intermediate node retrieves a respective stream of data from the multiple streams of data and forwards the selected stream of data over a second portion of the multicast link to a respective client device. The intermediate node can transmit a different stream of data to the respective client device depending on available bandwidth. The client device plays back the transmitted stream of data to produce a rendition of the particular content.
US09292825B2
Embodiments of the present invention address deficiencies of the art in respect to inventory management and provide a method, system and computer program product for multi-tier inventory visibility. In one embodiment of the invention, a multi-tier inventory management data processing system can include an inventory management system coupled to one or more e-commerce applications over an enterprise bus, and multiple different instances of a tier inventory component, each of the instances corresponding to a local inventory cache. Each instance can include program code enabled to manage the local inventory cache and an inventory management API exposing inventory operations on the local inventory cache to other instances of the tier inventory component.
US09292819B2
The present disclosure identifies and/or delivers tailored content based upon a service dialog. For example, the systems may receive a request for tailored content, facilitate a service dialog to obtain information related to the request, and communicate a plurality of tailored content based upon the information related to the request. Further, the systems may identify tailored content based upon a consumer profile, communicate the tailored content to a web client, and/or receive a selection of the tailored content. Further still, the systems may modify a magazine (e.g., content that is presented electronically) based upon tailored content.
US09292817B2
The present disclosure identifies and/or delivers tailored content based upon a service dialog. For example, the systems may receive a request for tailored content, facilitate a service dialog to obtain information related to the request, and communicate a plurality of tailored content based upon the information related to the request. Further, the systems may identify tailored content based upon a consumer profile, communicate the tailored content to a web client, and/or receive a selection of the tailored content. Further still, the systems may modify a magazine (e.g., content that is presented electronically) based upon tailored content.
US09292806B2
An information processing apparatus for managing a network instrument connected to a network is disclosed. This apparatus includes a storage device storing setting information of a network instrument as a management target, a receiving device receiving the setting information of the network instrument, a comparing device comparing the setting information stored in the storage device with the setting information received from the network instrument, a setting device overwriting the setting information stored in the storage device on setting of the network instrument if the setting information stored in the storage device is different from the setting information received from the network instrument as a result of comparison by the comparing device, and a priority setting device setting a network instrument which gives priority on the setting information in the storage device and a network instrument which gives no priority on the setting information in the storage device.
US09292789B2
A computer-based multi-layer artificial network named Continuous-weight neural network (CWNN) configured to receive an input feature set wherein the input feature set comprises a variable number of features is disclosed. A method for classifying input sets based on a trained CWNN is also disclosed. Various implementation examples are also provided.
US09292788B2
The present invention provides an event-driven universal neural network circuit. The circuit comprises a plurality of neural modules. Each neural module comprises multiple digital neurons such that each neuron in a neural module has a corresponding neuron in another neural module. An interconnection network comprising a plurality of digital synapses interconnects the neural modules. Each synapse interconnects a first neural module to a second neural module by interconnecting a neuron in the first neural module to a corresponding neuron in the second neural module. Corresponding neurons in the first neural module and the second neural module communicate via the synapses. Each synapse comprises a learning rule associating a neuron in the first neural module with a corresponding neuron in the second neural module. A control module generates signals which define a set of time steps for event-driven operation of the neurons and event communication via the interconnection network.
US09292782B2
Exemplary embodiments are directed to a transceiver having an adaptive matching circuit. A transceiver may include a matching circuit that is coupled to an antenna and includes an adjustable capacitor. The transceiver may further include an envelope detector coupled to the antenna and a sensor for sensing a voltage at an output of the envelope detector.
US09292776B2
Each of controllers includes an error management section that generates an error command including an error code indicating the content of an error when the controller detects the error. A host apparatus includes a host controller. If the error command from the master controller and the error command from the slave controller are identical to each other, the host controller displays a single piece of error information on a monitor. Specifically, the single piece of error information includes the error code included in the error command and an error message corresponding to the error code.
US09292751B2
An object identifier is provided with a data-forming unit and a data-retrieving unit. The data-forming unit forms an integral image having an image region of the same size as an original image and an image to be integrated. The data-retrieving unit obtains compressed data derived by extracting, from a plurality of pixels constituting the integral image, at least every other pixel in at least one direction.
US09292750B2
The present invention provides a method and an apparatus for detecting a traffic monitoring video. The method comprises: determining a background reference model; determining a target area image in the traffic monitoring video according to the background reference model; updating the background reference model by using the target area image; summating all target points in detection area of each frame of image in the traffic monitoring video according to the updated background reference model to obtain a total area of all the target points; segmenting the frame with the biggest total area to obtain a target area at the best position; and extracting vehicle information from the target area at the best position. By using the present invention, the accuracy of a detection result in a complex environment may be improved.
US09292745B2
An object detection apparatus includes a first detection unit configured to detect a first portion of an object from an input image, a second detection unit configured to detect a second portion different from the first portion of the object, a first estimation unit configured to estimate a third portion of the object based on the first portion, a second estimation unit configured to estimate a third portion of the object based on the second portion, a determination unit configured to determine whether the third portions, which have been respectively estimated by the first and second estimation units, match each other, and an output unit configured to output, if the third portions match each other, a detection result of the object based on at least one of a detection result of the first or second detection unit and an estimation result of the first or second estimation unit.
US09292743B1
A video camera surveillance system includes a camera for acquiring a video stream and converting terrain space into image space and a method for processing the video stream so that objects in the foreground are detected in the background and threats are identified. In the method, the camera acquires the video stream, images in the video stream are stabilized, an initial background model is constructed, and pixels are classified as either background or foreground for subsequent processing stages such as morphological filtering, image segmentation, and background model updating. In some embodiments of the invention, the camera is fixed in location and attitude, while in other embodiments, the camera is mounted to a moving platform and can alter its attitude.
US09292723B2
Embodiments of the present invention comprise an indicia reading terminal that is operatively configured to decode visible and non-visible decodable indicia. The terminal can comprise an excitation illumination module for illuminating the decodable indicia with light that has a wavelength selected so as to permit the decodable indicia to emit light. The terminal can also comprise a filter module with an optical filter that has filter regions configured to pass certain wavelengths of light. The terminal can also comprise an image sensor module with an image sensor located so as to receive light emitted from the decodable indicia from the filter region.
US09292718B2
Embodiments of the invention provide a method of reading and verifying a tag based on inherent disorder during a manufacturing process. The method includes using a first reader to take a first reading of an inherent disorder feature of the tag, and using a second reader to take a second reading of the inherent disorder feature of the tag. The method further includes matching the first reading with the second reading, and determining one or more acceptance criteria, wherein at least one of the acceptance criteria is based on whether the first reading and the second reading match within a predetermined threshold. If the acceptance criteria are met, then the tag is accepted, and a fingerprint for the tag is recorded. The invention further provides a method of testing and characterizing a reader of inherent disorder tags during a manufacturing process. The method includes taking a reading of a known inherent disorder tag, using the reading to measure a characteristic of the reader, and storing the measured characteristic for use when reading inherent disorder tags.
US09292717B2
The present invention refers to an apparatus for forming and reading an identification feature on or in an object. The apparatus comprises a formation unit for physically forming an identification feature on or in an object, at least one reading unit adapted to read the identification feature to form a signature, and a housing, wherein the formation unit and the at least one reading unit are both contained in the housing. The at least one reading unit can comprise at least two reading elements. The identification feature can comprise an identification feature based on inherent disorder. The invention also refers to a method of forming and reading an identification feature on or in an object.
US09292709B1
Systems and methods for computing a checksum are provided. In some aspects, an online application code module is written in a first programming language. The online application code module is configured to implement an online application. A checksum compute module is written in a second programming language different from the first programming language. The checksum compute module is separate from the online application code module. The checksum compute module configured to receive one or more parameters from the online application code module. The checksum compute module configured to determine a checksum for the online application code module based on the received one or more parameters. The checksum compute module configured to provide the checksum to a memory.
US09292707B1
A computer-implemented method for de-identifying data by creating tokens through a cascading algorithm includes the steps of processing at least one record comprising a plurality of data elements to identify a subset of data elements comprising data identifying at least one individual; generating, with at least one processor, a first hash by hashing at least one first data element with at least one second data element of the subset of data elements; generating, with at least one processor, a second hash by hashing the first hash with at least one third data element of the subset of data elements; creating at least one token based at least partially on the second hash or a subsequent hash derived from the second hash, wherein the token identifies the at least one individual; and associating at least a portion of a remainder of the data elements with the at least one token.
US09292705B2
A method to provide negotiation control to data such that a person or entity can negotiate the use of data gathered beyond what is needed for a particular use by a third party transaction. The method also provides negotiation for the control and operation of autonomous vehicles such as drones operating in non-public space.
US09292687B2
A method in a computer for detecting a file encryption attack. The computer detects an attempt to overwrite current file data of a file with new file data. The computer then compares the new file data to the current file data to obtain a measure of the difference between the current and the new file data, and if the difference exceeds a threshold, the computer considers this to identify a file encryption attack.
US09292686B2
A micro-virtualization architecture deploys a threat-aware microvisor as a module of a virtualization system configured to facilitate real-time security analysis, including exploit detection and threat intelligence, of operating system processes executing in a memory of a node in a network environment. The micro-virtualization architecture organizes the memory as a user space and kernel space, wherein the microvisor executes in the kernel space of the architecture, while the operating system processes, an operating system kernel, a virtual machine monitor (VMM) and its spawned virtual machines (VMs) execute in the user space. Notably, the microvisor executes at the highest privilege level of a central processing unit of the node to virtualize access to kernel resources. The operating system kernel executes under control of the microvisor at a privilege level lower than a highest privilege level of the microvisor. The VMM and its spawned VMs execute at the highest privilege level of the microvisor.
US09292684B2
Systems and methods are provided for the prevention and mitigation of security attacks in computer systems. Virtualization technology is provided and leveraged to prevent and mitigate exploits in the computer systems. For example, malicious code may be prevented from system execution by inhibiting the delivery of such code in a payload to system memory. In other examples, virtualization technology is leveraged to mask the computer system machine architecture. By masking or otherwise hiding the machine architecture, the delivery of payloads into memory by malicious users can be prevented. In this manner, even if exploits are identified and accessed by malicious users of code, the denial of payload delivery prevents the execution of malicious actions within the computer system.
US09292677B2
A user device is associated with a dynamic trust score that may be updated as needed, where the trust score and the updates are based on various activities and information associated with the mobile device. The trust score is based on both parameters of the device, such as device type, registered device location, device phone number, device ID, the last time the device has been accessed, etc. and activities the device engages in, such as amount of transactions, dollar amount of transactions, amount of denied requests, amount of approved requests, location of requests, etc. Based on a transaction request from the user device, the trust score and a network reputation score is used to determine an overall trust/fraud score associated with the transaction request.
US09292670B2
The invention relates to a system and method for generating and authenticating one time dynamic password based on the context information related to a user. It involves retrieving user context information and generating a dynamic value based on that. The first one time dynamic password is generated at the user device using the first dynamic value and the user PIN. The first dynamic value along with the user identifier is sent to the authentication server. The authentication server sends the user identifier to the context management server. The context management server has access the context information used to generate the first dynamic value and based on that they generate a second dynamic value. The authentication server receives this value and generates the second one time dynamic password and if it matches with the first one time dynamic password then the authentication server authenticates the first one time dynamic password.
US09292669B2
A method inputs a password in an electronic apparatus. In the method, whether an authentication number input request corresponding to a password exists is determined. When the authentication number input request exists, a screen for requiring input of an authentication query number and a corresponding authentication number is displayed. Whether the input authentication number and the input authentication query number match with each other is determined. When they match with each other, relevant approval screen or a relevant function is entered. Since a specific authentication number with respect to a specific authentication query number among a plurality of authentication query numbers is used with a general number or character in a combined manner, a password may be kept safe even when exposed and so use convenience is provided.
US09292668B1
Systems and methods for providing access to secure information are disclosed. In one aspect, a computer-implemented method for providing access to secure information comprises receiving a first one-time password (OTP) from a computing device, and verifying whether the first OTP is valid. The method also comprises, if the first OTP is valid, performing the steps of generating a second OTP for accessing the secure information, and transmitting the second OTP to the computing device. In another aspect, a computer-implemented method for providing access to secure information comprises generating a first one-time password (OTP), and transmitting the first OTP to an OTP device. The method also comprises, in response to the first OTP, receiving a second OTP from the OTP device, and sending the second OTP to a system that controls access to the secure information, wherein the first OTP is different from the second OTP.
US09292660B2
Provided herein are methods and systems of molecular profiling of diseases, such as cancer. In some embodiments, the molecular profiling can be used to identify treatments for a disease, such as treatments that were not initially identified as a treatment for the disease or not expected to be a treatment for a particular disease.
US09292657B2
A method for customizing an interactive boundary based on a patient-specific feature, includes displaying a graphical representation of an implant in virtual coordinate space and displaying a graphical representation of a bone in virtual coordinate space. The method further includes positioning the graphical representation of the implant relative to the graphical representation of the bone based on a user input and extracting reference feature information associated with the virtual representation of the implant. The method further includes mapping the extracted reference feature information to the graphical representation of the bone, receiving information indicative of a positional landmark associated with the bone, and estimating an intersection between the positional landmark and the mapped reference feature. A virtual boundary is generated based, at least in part, on the estimated intersection between the positional landmark and the mapped reference feature.
US09292655B2
A method, apparatus and computer program product are disclosed to provide an interface between an imaging system for presenting medical images acquired by various modalities and a reporting system for generating and presenting reports, such as reports relating to the medical images. In the context of a method, the method may include participating in a transfer of information relating to a context of one or more images presented by the imaging system so as to cause a reporting template to be restructured based upon the context of one or more images presented by the imaging system. The method also includes causing an action to be taken in one of the imaging system or the reporting system based upon data provided by another of the imaging system or the reporting system.
US09292649B2
The present disclosure relates to a method of generating a scaled integrated chip design by scaling a FEOL and a BEOL of an original IC design at different scaling ratios, and an associated apparatus. In some embodiments, the method is performed by forming an original integrated chip (IC) design that is a graphical representation of an integrated chip. The original IC design has a front-end-of-the-line (FEOL) section, a back-end-of-the-line (BEOL) section, and a middle-of-the-line (MOL) section that is disposed between the FEOL and BEOL sections. A scaled integrated chip design is formed by scaling (i.e., shrinking) the FEOL section and the BEOL section of the original integrated chip design at different scaling ratios, and by scaling different design layers within the MOL section at different scaling ratios to avoid misalignment errors between the FEOL section and the BEOL section.
US09292645B2
A method for laying out a target pattern includes assigning a keep-out zone to an end of a first feature within a target pattern, and positioning other features such that ends of the other features of the target pattern do not have an end within the keep-out zone. The target pattern is to be formed with a corresponding main feature and cut pattern.
US09292642B2
Systems and methods are provided for physical layout of superconductor circuits. The physical layout system and method is configured to place and route the superconducting circuits by first placing the gates in the form of gate tiles within unoccupied areas of a predetermined circuit design based on a netlist. Each gate tile type includes a particular gate type and a plurality of unassigned Josephson junctions that can be employed in the gates and/or the active interconnects. Inductive wires are then routed between gates incorporating and assigning the Josephson junctions to produce active interconnects between the I/O terminals of the gates based on connections defined in the netlist.
US09292638B1
A method for designing a system on a target device includes performing register retiming on the system. A critical chain in the system is detected, wherein the critical chain includes a plurality of register-to-register paths and where improving timing on one of the register-to-register paths improves timing on other register-to-register paths. The system is modified in response to properties of the critical chain.
US09292634B2
Methods for compensating for the warp exhibited by three-dimensional glass covers as a result of ion exchange strengthening are provided. The methods use a computer-implemented model to predict/estimate changes to a target three-dimensional shape for the 3D glass cover as a result of ion exchange strengthening. The model includes the effects of ion exchange through the edge of the 3D glass cover. In an embodiment, the inverse of the predicted/estimated changes is used to produce a compensated (corrected) mold which produces as-molded parts which when subjected to ion exchange strengthening have shapes closer to the target shape than they would have had if the mold had not been compensated (corrected).
US09292629B2
Methods, systems, and apparatus, including computer programs encoded on a computer storage medium, for identifying paths for moving equipment into buildings at different stages of building construction using a building information model. The system analyzes the building model and building objects completed before a given time and identifies one or more paths that circumnavigate the building objects and can accommodate dimensions of the equipment moving down the path.
US09292628B2
A method of generating a statistical model for a dataset operates at a computer system having one or more processors and memory. The memory stores one or more programs configured for execution by the one or more processors. The process receives a visual specification. The visual specification defines a graphical representation of a portion of the dataset. The visual specification includes a first field and a second field of the dataset. The method determines a set of data properties for each of the first and second fields. The process then generates a statistical model of a mathematical relationship between the first and second fields based on the data properties of the first and second fields and data values associated with the first and second fields in the dataset. The process displays the graphical representation and the statistical model superimposed on the graphical representation.
US09292627B2
The present invention provides a method for compensating infidelities of a process that transfers a pattern to a layer of an integrated circuit, by minimizing, with respect to a photomask pattern, a cost function that quantifies the deviation between designed and simulated values of circuit parameters of the pattern formed on a semiconductor wafer.
US09292626B2
A Web-based system and method uses a model of the manufacturing setup and knowledge of a designed part with arbitrary geometry to produce process plans in two successive stages. First, the part geometry is analyzed. A query of determining the maximal volume machinable from an oriented machining tool is transformed into determining the visibility of the part surface from the perspective of a hypothetical camera placed at the tip of the oriented machining tool. Second, a collection of the maximal machinable volumes over the set of all tool orientations is collected. Combinations of the maximal machinable volumes covering the entire difference between the raw stock and the desired part are evaluated for providing feedback on manufacturability and process plans. In a further embodiment, manufacturability is analyzed for tools and machines with arbitrary geometric complexity using high dimensional configuration space analysis.
US09292624B2
Metadata associated with at least one field defined in a user interface is identified. The metadata associated with the field defined in the user interface is processed to identify at least one characteristic of the field defined in the user interface. Based on the characteristic(s), a test string is generated for use as an input into the field defined in the user interface to perform validation on the field.
US09292619B2
A sending entity creates a structured document and communicates it to a receiving entity includes a transform to ensure document elements are not moved during communication. The structured document comprises a root element and a set of child elements. A child element is protected by a digital signature, prior to being positioned within the document. This element includes a sending entity security policy. The receiving entity includes a transform that determines whether the signed element is in a given position within the received document. The transform evaluates the data string against a set of ancestor elements of the signed element to determine whether the signed element is in the given position. If so, the transform preferably outputs the signed element itself. If the transform determines that the signed element has been moved, however, preferably it outputs a given value other than the signed element.
US09292617B2
A method and user interface object for invoking a content selection service to operate with a web page are disclosed. Consistent with one embodiment of the invention, a content selection web portal associated with a content selection service provides a web page for selecting one or more user interface objects to be added to a content provider's web page. Each user interface object is displayed with its associated snippet of code, making it simple for a web author to copy and paste the code into his or her own web page. Once embedded in a web page, the code snippet displays a user interface object (e.g., button) on the web page, and when pressed or selected, invokes a content selection service. Alternatively, the content selection service may be automatically invoked without requiring the selection of a button.
US09292614B2
The present invention is to provide a method for transmitting information between multiple electronic pages. The method is applicable to an information transmission system, which includes at least one terminal device, a web server, a toolbar server and an application server. The terminal device obtains a background page from the web server and a toolbar page from the toolbar server and embeds the toolbar page into the background page. When a user clicks on any of at least one application linking object on the toolbar page through the terminal device, the terminal device is able to obtain a status page from the toolbar server and then store page information on the background or toolbar page into the status page and connect to the application server for obtaining an application page corresponding to the application linking object clicked on, so as to enable the application page to access the page information.
US09292613B2
Various arrangements for creating and using generic universal resource indicators are presented. To create a generic universal resource indicator, one or more parameters of a universal resource indicator may be identified. An interface that permits a parameter of the one or more parameters to be selected and mapped to a variable may be presented. A selection of the parameter for mapping may be received. An indication of the variable to map to the parameter of the selection may also be received. The generic universal resource indicator having a generic parameter corresponding to the parameter of the selection may be created.
US09292607B2
Methods, systems, and computer-readable media are provided for updating a search index with new uniform resource locators (URLs) and with metadata for new and known URLs. Data associated with communications made by users using a social network is received. The communications include a URL therein that a user has shared, posted, or otherwise communicated to one or more other users using the social network. When the URL is not found in a search index it is identified as a new URL and is added to the search index. A measure of a trending interest, or virality, of the URL is determined from the data. The determined virality is associated with the URL in a search index as metadata. The virality is useable to inform a ranking of the URL against a plurality of other URLs for identification and presentation as a search result in a search engine results page.
US09292605B2
A method of using a mobile terminal to implement cloud searching is provided. The method includes receiving, by the mobile terminal, searching conditions inputted by a user; executing, by the mobile terminal, local searching; and detecting whether networking is executed If networking is executed, the method includes detecting, by the mobile terminal, whether the local stores user account information; and connecting to a cloud server when the local of the mobile terminal stores the user account information. If networking is not executed, the method includes returning local searching results. The method further includes transmitting, by the mobile terminal, the searching conditions to the cloud server; and executing, by the cloud server, cloud searching according to the searching conditions; and returning searching results to the mobile terminal.
US09292599B2
Systems and methods are disclosed for classifying records by sorting records based on both quantitative and qualitative information at a node in a decision tree. Technologies are also disclosed for determining whether records are linked together by applying quantitative and qualitative information at the same nodes in a decision tree. Furthermore, improvements to decision trees are disclosed in terms of the generation and/or training of decision trees that harnesses additional information in the quantitative and qualitative aspects that a unit of data relevant to a single node, and/or the relationships between these aspects, may provide a machine learning algorithm.
US09292597B2
A computer processor accesses QA forum activity associated with users of a QA forum, wherein the QA forum activity contains historical questions, historical answers, and profiles, each having elements including QA forum information. The processor accesses historical online social activity corresponding to the users of the QA forum, each historical online social activity having elements including at least social activity information. The processor performs a first similarity calculation and selects an at least one model answerer based on the similarity between elements of a question on the QA forum, and the elements of the QA forum activity associated and corresponding to each of the users of the QA forum. Based on a second similarity calculation, the processor determines a similarity between the QA forum user elements and the at least one model answerer elements, and identifies at least one prospect answerer from the QA forum users.
US09292585B2
A technique and mechanism to effect cross-pollination synchronization of PIM (personal information manager) data to multiple sources. Additionally, a novel feature of the subject invention is the ability to effect cross-pollination synchronization with any number of devices and sources in a network. The invention provides for a user to employ a mobile device or set of devices as a central repository for PIM data (e.g., calendar, contacts and tasks) synchronized from multiple sources (e.g., multiple PC's (personal computers), an exchange server). The invention provides for synchronization of PIM data from multiple types of server sources to multiple devices regardless of the synchronization protocol versions and different schemas.
US09292584B1
Data communication techniques and systems that are based on lossless data reduction on large and extremely large datasets and that provide high rates of data ingestion and data retrieval are described. Some embodiments can generate a losslessly reduced representation of a data chunk, wherein the losslessly reduced representation includes a reference to one or more prime data elements stored in a prime data store, and optionally a description of a reconstitution program which, when applied to the one or more prime data elements results in the data chunk. The losslessly reduced representation of the data chunk can then be communicated to another computer over a network.
US09292578B2
Various embodiments provide a Web browser that employs a relevancy algorithm to make an educated guess as to the likelihood of a user's intended destination when the user begins to enter text into a browser's address bar. In one or more embodiments, the relevancy algorithm employs various parameters and assigns weights to the parameters to arrive at a collection of suggestions to provide to the user. By using various rules, associated weightings, and the relevancy algorithm, relevant suggestions can be provided to a user to facilitate their navigation activities.
US09292575B2
Dynamically aggregating data is provided. A server device receives a subscriber request for a report based on a subset of metadata contained in a data dimensions catalog. The server device analyzes data aggregation requirements from a plurality of data sources for the report based on the subset of metadata defined in the subscriber request. The server device generates a data access plan for movement of data from the plurality of data sources based on the data aggregation requirements for the report. Then, the server device executes the data access plan to fetch the data from the plurality of data sources based on the data aggregation requirements for the report.
US09292573B2
A system for calculating analytics uses a relational database to store inputs, calculates results, and stores them in cache. The system also includes an access layer that provides a unified view of the data in server. A dynamic access layer is generated at runtime to run an analytic to provide a flexible framework for creating business logic.
US09292572B2
Database tables can have different types of database indices defined for the database tables and different numbers of database indices. The efficiency of reading the indexes can vary with the different profiles of the indexes, which impacts the costs of access plans that use the indexes. Weights can be predefined to reflect the relative efficiencies of the different characteristics. Costs can be computed in accordance with a variety techniques (e.g., based on edge traversals). The weights can be predefined to reduce costs, increase costs, or a combination thereof. A database management application or associated application or program can also refine or revise these weights based on statistical data gathered about the operation of the database and/or heuristics that are developed based on observations/research. The corresponding weights can be adjusted accordingly.
US09292571B1
In one implementation, a query is received that is related to data stored in a database that is implemented in computer memory. Based on the received query, attributes of data stored in the database that are relevant to generating a response to the received query are identified. Information that is indicative of attributes for which values are recorded in different tables included in the database is accessed. Based on having accessed this information, tables included in the database that record values for the attributes identified as being relevant to generating a response to the received query are identified. These tables then are joined to create, within computer memory, a new table that reflects relationships between values of attributes identified as being relevant to generating a response to the received query.
US09292566B2
Based on events corresponding to operations performed with respect to a data store, a measure is computed that represents an instantaneous consistency level, at a point in time, of data that is subject to the operations.
US09292559B2
A distributed data storage system uses a data distribution and location algorithm based on distance functions and hyper-spheres in a multi-dimensional space. The distributed data storage system uses the algorithm to maintain, over time, a balanced distribution across a number of computers interconnected by a network of a varying set of data items. Each data item includes one or more key fields. The system also includes an efficient partial-match and exact-match search across a whole set of data items using as search criteria the values of any or all of the sought data item's key field(s).
US09292553B2
A method of database indexing is disclosed. Two functions (f and g) from row values to row number values are set. The functions are utilized to determine a row number in a database column containing a target search value, wherein the target search value comprises a search value being sought in the database column. A candidate row number variable is set initially to the function g of the target search value by a processor. Iteratively the following is performed: a current value of the candidate row number variable is used as an address to read a value in a corresponding row in the database column, and the current value of the candidate row number variable is updated to the function f of the most recently read value in a corresponding row in the database column.
US09292549B2
A method and system for index serialization are described. A data structure containing objects using globally unique identifier (GUID) strings for their identification is indexed by creating a unique key object for each GUID. A master lookup table from GUID to key object is created along with a master table for each element type and a number of non-master tables for the other element type attributes. These element type tables are accessed using the key objects. The tables may then be serialized and deserialized.
US09292545B2
Systems and techniques for exploring relationships among entities are disclosed. The systems and techniques provide an entity-based information analysis and content aggregation platform that uses heterogeneous data sources to construct and maintain an ecosystem around tangible and logical entities. Entities are represented as vertices in a directed graph, and edges are generated using entity co-occurrences in unstructured documents and supervised information from structured data sources. Significance scores for the edges are computed using a method that combines supervised, unsupervised and temporal factors into a single score. Important entity attributes from the structured content and the entity neighborhood in the graph are automatically summarized as the entity fingerprint. Entities may be compared to one another based on similarity of their entity fingerprints. An interactive user interface is also disclosed that provides exploratory access to the graph and supports decision support processes.
US09292525B2
Methods and devices for searching are described. In one aspect, the method includes: receiving a search query; identifying a search data file associated with a third party application, the search data file being prepared according to predetermined format rules by the third party application, and stored, prior to receiving the search query; searching, at least a portion of the search data file using the search query to identify information that matches the search query; using the predetermined format rules to identify associated information in the search data file, the associated information being related to the information that matches the search query; obtaining search results from at least one other source; and generating a display of search results based on both the information matching the search query and the associated information, the display including the search results from the at least one other source.
US09292522B2
The present invention is a method and system for automating repetitive user actions during the text editing operations of various computer files. Computer users may commonly perform some repetitive or patterned actions while editing text files such as scripts, or editing markup files like HTML or XML, or editing source code or even regular text files that contain tabular data or lists. The method and system of the present invention determines a pattern transformation, then applies it to any part of the text that matches a “Pattern”. The method thus develops an algorithm that makes the transformation from “Pattern 1” to “Pattern 2”, and formalizes it, by developing a finite-state machine. The pattern transformation is applied to any part of the text that matches “Pattern 1”, and after this transformation has been applied, then the new text will match the user's intentions.
US09292520B1
A system and method for generating a virtual full synthetic backup of a target volume is described. For each zone associated with the target volume in which a corresponding data block has changed since the previous backup or is not represented by the previous backup, the system and method may directly copy the associated data blocks from the target volume. For each zone associated with the target volume in which a corresponding data block has not changed since the previous backup and is represented by the previous backup, the system and method may rebase the offset for the zone in the virtual full synthetic backup file to the corresponding zone in the previous backup file. Using this technique, a more efficient and robust backup may be generated.
US09292519B2
A system and method for generating personalized channels of multimedia content are presented. The method comprises receiving a captured multimedia content from a user; generating a signature based on the captured multimedia content; searching for additional multimedia content that match the captured multimedia content based on the generated signature and at least one compared signature, wherein each compared signature of the at least one compared signature is associated with an additional multimedia content; and generating a personalized channel to be displayed on a web-browser of a user device, wherein the personalized channel comprises the captured multimedia content and at least one multimedia content of the additional multimedia content.
US09292517B2
A method, system and computer program product for efficiently identifying images, videos, audio files or documents relevant to a user. Using either manual annotations or learned functions, the method predicts the relative strength of an attribute in an image, video, audio file or document from a pool of images, videos, audio files or documents. At query time, the system presents an initial set of reference images, videos, audio files or documents, and the user selects among them to provide relative attribute feedback. Using the resulting constraints in the multi-dimensional attribute space, the relevance function for the pool of images, videos, audio files or documents is updated and the relevance of the pool of images, videos, audio files or documents is re-computed. This procedure iterates using the accumulated constraints until the top-ranked images, videos, audio files or documents are acceptably close to the user's envisioned image, video, audio file or document.
US09292516B2
The present embodiments provide methods and systems for use in generating, organizing, and/or playing back multimedia content. Some embodiments provide methods for use in organizing source content by accessing a plurality of media content having parameter data associated with each of the media content, identifying a first organizational style, identifying a first parameter data according to the first organizational style, analyzing the parameter data of each of the plurality of media content relative to the first parameter data, organizing the plurality of media content as the parameter data for each of the plurality of media content relates to the identified first parameter data according to the first organizational style, and generating an output content incorporating the plurality of media content as organized according to the first organizational style.
US09292507B2
Methods, systems and techniques for managing revisions of documents in a collaborative, multiuser document store are provided. Example embodiments provide an Automated Document Revision Management Server (“ADRMS”) to automatically cluster and remove revisions of file content for easy navigation and management. Revisions are trimmed when necessary to conserve storage space. The ADRMS creates logical clusters of revisions based upon some measure of their similarities. That is, revisions that are similar and can be represented by the latest revision in the cluster formulate one cluster, and those that are markedly dissimilar are placed in a different cluster. The logic used to cluster revisions accounts for time-based factors, content-based factors, and context-based factors to determine whether a revision is incremental and can be grouped in the same cluster or is significant enough to warrant a new cluster. Revisions may be trimmed based upon age and/or available space by a revision trimming component.
US09292499B2
The present invention relates to an automatic translation and interpretation apparatus and method. The apparatus includes a speech input unit for receiving a speech signal in a first language. A text input unit receives text in the first language. A sentence recognition unit recognizes a sentence in the first language desired to be translated by extracting speech features from the speech signal received from the speech input unit or measuring a similarity of each word of the text received from the text input unit. A translation unit translates the recognized sentence in the first language into a sentence in a second language. A speech output unit outputs uttered sound of the translated sentence in the second language in speech. A text output unit converts the uttered sound of the translated sentence in the second language into text transcribed in the first language and outputs the text.
US09292485B2
Embodiments relate to systems and methods for extracting a data cell transformable to a model object. Aspects relate to object-based modeling using modeling objects that can be extracted from spreadsheet cells, database entries, or other sources. A modeling client can host modeling logic and an application programming interface (API) to create, access, manipulate, and import/export modeling objects used in modeling applications, such as engineering, medical, financial, and other modeling platforms. In aspects, the source data can be accepted into the modeling client from consumer or business-level applications, whose cell, database, or other data content can be extracted and encapsulated in object-oriented format, such as extensible markup language (XML) format. Modeling operations can therefore be performed on or incorporate data that was not originally strictly configured for object-based modeling applications. The extracted model object can also be exchanged with other applications or platforms.
US09292484B1
A method and system for automatically providing information to an electronic form is disclosed. The method comprises accessing an electronic form wherein the electronic form utilizes at least one designated programming language tag and automatically providing information from a profile to the electronic form. Through the use of a method and system in accordance with the present invention, a user will have the ability to automatically fill in electronic forms based on information in an autofill profile. The autofill profile information is utilized potentially thousands of times. This reuse of information, in place of manual typing, will save hours of time and users will be greatly appreciative of all systems offering this advanced facility.
US09292480B2
The present invention uses XHTML and XML to output a varied resolution PNG (Portable Network Graphics) representation of a document. The resulting image file is too large to be displayed on a standard computer monitor without forcing the user to scroll the document horizontally and/or vertically. The present invention manually rasterizes the image to an acceptable resolution for viewing on a standard computer monitor and allows the user to electronically sign the presented SMART Doc.
US09292479B2
In one implementation, a computer-implemented method includes receiving a request to access an electronic document collection that integrates a plurality of electronic sub-documents that are each of one of a plurality of defined document types. The method also includes retrieving information that is associated with the document collection, wherein the retrieved information identifies a first sub-document of the plurality of sub-documents using a first non-address identifier, and identifying a first software application that is configured to provide access to the first sub-document. The method additionally includes initiating a first connection with a first server that causes execution of the identified first software application and that, using the first non-address identifier, provides access to the first sub-document. The method further includes integrating access to the first sub-document into the document collection through the initiated first connection with the first server that causes execution of the first software application.
US09292471B2
Methods of assessing driver behavior include monitoring vehicle systems and driver monitoring systems to accommodate for a slow reaction time, attention lapse and/or alertness of a driver. When it is determined that a driver is drowsy, for example, the response system may modify the operation of one or more vehicle systems. The response system can modify the control of two or more systems simultaneously in response to driver behavior.
US09292470B2
A microprocessor includes hardware registers that instantiate the Intel 64 Architecture R8-R15 GPRs. The microprocessor associates with each of the R8-R15 GPRs a respective unique MSR address. The microprocessor also includes hardware registers that instantiate the ARM Architecture GPRs. In response to an ARM MRRC instruction that specifies the respective unique MSR address of one of the R8-R15 GPRs, the microprocessor reads the contents of the hardware register that instantiates the specified one of the R8-R15 GPRs into the hardware registers that instantiate two of the ARM GPRs registers. In response to an ARM MCRR instruction that specifies the respective unique MSR address of one of the R8-R15 GPRs, the microprocessor writes into the hardware register that instantiates the specified one of the R8-R15 GPRs the contents of the hardware registers that instantiate two of the ARM Architecture GPRs registers. The hardware registers may be shared by the two Architectures.
US09292467B2
In a client/server environment wherein resources are returned in response to client requests, a resource can be in-lined the first time it is requested, and then cached locally for use in connection with subsequent requests. When a user returns to the page for a subsequent visit, the resource requests are served from the local cache, thus avoiding the need for re-transmission with each response. According to various embodiments, the system and method of the present invention can be implemented in connection with delivery of any content in a client/server system, including for example HTML responses to requests for web pages. In at least one embodiment, the techniques described herein are tailored to mobile data network constraints; however, these techniques can be applied to any data network.
US09292460B2
Each PCIe device may include a media access control (MAC) interface and a physical (PHY) interface that support a plurality of different lane configurations. These interfaces may include hardware modules that support 1×32, 2×16, 4×8, 8×4, 16×2, and 32×1 communication. Instead of physically connecting each of the hardware modules in the MAC interface to respective hardware modules in the PHY interface using dedicated traces, the device may include two bus controllers that arbitrate which hardware modules are connected to a internal bus coupling the two interfaces. When a different lane configuration is desired, the bus controller couples the corresponding hardware module to the internal bus. In this manner, the different lane configurations share the same lanes (and wires) of the bus as the other lane configurations. Accordingly, the shared bus only needs to include enough lanes (and wires) necessary to accommodate the widest lane configuration.
US09292454B2
A cache manager application provides a data caching policy in a multiple tenant enterprise resource planning (ERP) system. The cache manager application manages multiple tenant caches in a single process. The application applies the caching policy. The caching policy optimizes system performance compared to local cache optimization. As a result, tenants with high cache consumption receive a larger portion of caching resources.
US09292452B2
Memory performance in a computer system that implements large page mapping is improved even when memory is scarce by identifying page sharing opportunities within the large pages at the granularity of small pages and breaking up the large pages so that small pages within the large page can be freed up through page sharing. In addition, the number of small page sharing opportunities within the large pages can be used to estimate the total amount of memory that could be reclaimed through page sharing.
US09292449B2
A cache memory data compression and decompression technique is described. A processor device includes a memory controller unit (MCU) coupled to a main memory and a cache memory. The MCU includes a cache memory data compression and decompression module that compresses data received from the main memory. The compressed data may then be stored in the cache memory. The cache memory data compression and decompression module may also decompress data that is stored in the cache memory. For example, in response to a cache hit for data requested by a processor, the compressed data in the cache memory may be decompressed and subsequently read or operated upon by the processor.
US09292444B2
Cache lines in a multi-processor computing environment are configurable with a coherency mode. Cache lines in full-line coherency mode are operated or managed with full-line granularity. Cache lines in sub-line coherency mode are operated or managed as sub-cache line portions of a full cache line. Each cache is associated with a directory having a number of directory entries and with a side table having a smaller number of entries. The directory entry for a cache line associates the cache line with a tag and a set of full-line descriptive bits. Creating a side table entry for the cache line places the cache line in sub-line coherency mode. The side table entry associates each of the sub-cache line portions of the cache line with a set of sub-line descriptive bits. Removing the side table entry may return the cache line to full-line coherency mode.
US09292440B2
A method for data storage includes, in a memory that includes multiple memory blocks, specifying at a first time a first over-provisioning overhead, and storing data in the memory while retaining in the memory blocks memory areas, which do not hold valid data and whose aggregated size is at least commensurate with the specified first over-provisioning overhead. Portions of the data from one or more previously-programmed memory blocks containing one or more of the retained memory areas are compacted. At a second time subsequent to the first time, a second over-provisioning overhead, different from the first over-provisioning overhead, is specified, and data storage and data portion compaction is continued while complying with the second over-provisioning overhead.
US09292436B2
A method, apparatus, and system are described, which generally relate to an interconnect routing transactions to target IP cores, including two or more channels making up a first aggregate target. The two or more channels populate an address space assigned to the first aggregate target and appear as a single target to the initiator IP cores. The interconnect implements chopping logic to chop an individual transaction from a first initiator IP core whose address sequence crosses a channel address boundary from a first channel to a second channel within the first aggregate target into two or more burst transactions. A first chopped burst transaction is chopped to fit within the address boundaries of the first channel and a second chopped burst transaction is chopped to fit within the address boundaries of the second channel.
US09292435B2
A memory device includes a data block storing first data, and a log block storing second data that is an updated value of the first data. A spare area of the log block stores a first mapping table including mapping information between the first data and the second data.
US09292434B2
A method and apparatus configured to restore a flash translation layer (“FTL”) in a non-volatile (“NV”) storage device are disclosed. After reactivating the NV storage device from an unintended system crash, a process of recovering FTL, in one embodiment, receives a request for restoring at least a portion of the FTL or FTL database. After identifying sequence numbers (“SNs”) associated with flash memory blocks (“FMBs”) which are generated during write cycle(s), the SNs are retrieved from the information storage locations such as state information in the FMBs. A portion of the FTL database is subsequently reconstructed in a random access memory (“RAM”) according to the SNs. In an alternative embodiment, logical block addresses (“LBAs”), LBA lists, and/or index tables can also be used to restore the FTL database or table.
US09292433B2
A memory card includes a memory controller configured to perform control for sending and receiving a command signal, a response signal, a data signal, and a status signal in synchronization with a clock signal, and a memory-side pattern signal storage unit configured to store a tuning pattern signal to be sent to a host device. The tuning pattern signal is used by the host device to adjust the phase of the clock signal for use as a sampling clock signal. The memory card sends a first tuning pattern signal through a command line and a second tuning pattern signal through a data line concurrently.
US09292429B1
The present disclosure includes systems and techniques relating to non-volatile memory. A described technique includes iteratively issuing read command sequences to a non-volatile memory device based on a predetermined address, using different probing parameters, until a read result includes an indication of a successful read of the non-volatile memory device; accessing one or more access parameters from the read result; and issuing one or more additional read command sequences to the non-volatile memory device based on the one or more access parameters to retrieve additional data. The different probing parameters can include different address lengths, different command lengths, or both. The non-volatile memory device can be configured to store device information at the predetermined address.
US09292428B2
According to one embodiment, a memory system includes a nonvolatile semiconductor storage device, a first storage module, a second storage module, a controller, a random number generator, and a randomizing module. The first storage module stores a plurality of management data. The second storage module stores seed data. The controller issues a first command to designate one of the management data, and issues a second command to command writing in or reading from the storage device. The random number generator generates random number data, by shuffling the seed data, based on the management data that is designated by the first command. The randomizing module randomizes written data or read data, based on the random number data.
US09292408B2
A method for automated detection of a real IT system problem may include obtaining monitor measurements of metrics associated with activities of a plurality of configuration items of the IT system. The method may also include detecting anomalies in the monitor measurements. The method may further include grouping concurrent anomalies of the detected anomalies corresponding to configuration items of the plurality of configuration items which are topologically linked to be regarded as a system anomaly. The method may further include calculating a significance score for the system anomaly, and determining that the system anomaly relates to a real system problem based on the calculated significance score.
US09292405B2
Data for simulation are selected from an in-memory database of an in-memory database server or simultaneous scenarios simulation at a business application server. The simulation results of a plurality of scenarios received from the business application server are temporarily stored at the in-memory database. One scenario from the plurality of scenarios is selected based on using user-defined rules at the in-memory database server. The selected scenario is communicated to the business application server.
US09292402B2
Novel tools and techniques that offer more robust solutions for application service management. Some such solutions provide a service management framework for managing a software application. In some cases, the framework can include multiple tools to detect and/or remedy application problems at a variety of different levels. In another aspect, some solutions can define multiple application lifecycle phases, ranging from minor impairment to catastrophic failure. For each of such phases, the service management framework can define one or more diagnostic criteria and/or one or more corrective actions that can be taken to remedy a suboptimal condition of the application.
US09292399B2
Embodiments relate to design-based weighting for logic built-in self-test (LBIST). An aspect includes a computer program product for implementing design-based weighting for LBIST. The computer program product includes a tangible storage medium readable by a processing circuit and storing instructions for execution by the processing circuit for performing a method. The method includes analyzing, by the processing circuit, a plurality of integrated circuit design organizational units to determine preferred weightings of the integrated circuit design organizational units that provide a highest level of failure coverage when applied to a random pattern generator. Based on determining the preferred weightings, the processing circuit creates an integrated circuit layout that includes a plurality of weighted test paths to respectively apply the preferred weightings to the integrated circuit design organizational units. The integrated circuit layout is incorporated in a device under test.
US09292388B2
According to certain aspects, a computer system may be configured to obtain information indicating a plurality of groupings of data stored in a data source, the information indicating a number of data items included in each of the plurality of groupings; determine a first grouping of the plurality of groupings including one or more data items that have changed by comparing a first number of data items included in the first grouping and a historical first number of data items included in a corresponding local version of the first grouping; access data items included in the first grouping from the data source; compare the data items included in the first grouping to data items of the corresponding local version of the first grouping to determine which data items have changed; extract the changed data items of the first grouping; and forward the extracted data items to a destination system.
US09292377B2
Methods and apparatus are provided for detection and decoding in flash memories using a correlation of neighboring bits or errors in neighboring bits. Data from a flash memory device is processed by obtaining one or more read values for a plurality of bits in one or more pages of the flash memory device; converting the one or more read values for the plurality of bits to a reliability value, such as a log likelihood ratio (LLR), for a given bit among said plurality of bits based on a probability that a data pattern was written to the plurality of bits given that a particular pattern was read from the plurality of bits; and decoding the given bit in a given page of the one or more pages using the reliability value. The probability may be obtained from one or more transition probability tables, or may be based on one or more reference cells, prior decoded decisions or performance factors.
US09292371B1
A computer-implemented method for preventing failures of nodes in clusters may include (1) identifying a node that is part of a cluster of nodes and that communicates, via a heartbeat sent at a regular interval to the cluster, that the node is functional and connected to the cluster, (2) calculating a current workload for the node based on a utilization of computing resources on the node, (3) determining, based on the current workload, that the node is functional and connected but is in an excessive load condition and a failure to send the heartbeat within the regular interval is due to the excessive load condition, and (4) setting a new interval for the heartbeat of the node that is longer than the regular interval in response to determining that the node cannot send the heartbeat at the regular interval. Various other methods, systems, and computer-readable media are also disclosed.
US09292369B2
An agent unit acquires apparatus status information that indicates a status of the electronic apparatus from an electronic apparatus. A remote maintenance server transmits an acquisition instruction of the apparatus status information to the agent unit and receives the apparatus status information from the agent unit if acquisition of the apparatus status information succeeded. The remote maintenance server (a) acquires operation schedule information on the electronic apparatus, (b) transmits an acquisition instruction of the apparatus status information to the agent unit, (c) registers a retransmission schedule of the acquisition instruction so as to transmit the acquisition instruction at a timing within an operation period of the electronic apparatus determined from the operation schedule if acquisition of the apparatus status information failed, and (d) transmits the acquisition instruction to the agent unit at the timing of the retransmission schedule.
US09292362B2
In an embodiment, a processor includes at least a first core. The first core includes execution logic to execute operations, and a first event counter to determine a first event count associated with events of a first type that have occurred since a start of a first defined interval. The first core also includes a second event counter to determine a second event count associated with events of a second type that have occurred since the start of the first defined interval, and stall logic to stall execution of operations including at least first operations associated with events of the first type, until the first defined interval is expired responsive to the first event count exceeding a first combination threshold concurrently with the second event count exceeding a second combination threshold. Other embodiments are described and claimed.
US09292361B1
Methods, systems, and apparatus, including computer programs encoded on a computer storage medium, for managing application program interface calls. In one aspect, a method includes generating a first API call to an advertising service. The first API call requests first entities corresponding to a campaign management entity. A set of first entities is received in response to the API call. An instruction for a request for second data associated with a particular first entity is processed. A determination is made, in response to the processing, that the second data associated with particular first entity is not stored in the local cache. In response to the determining, the request for second data associated with the particular first entity is expanded to a request for second data associated with each of a multitude of additional first entities in the set of first entities.
US09292360B2
Concepts and technologies are described herein for cross-platform application programming interfaces for applications. In accordance with the concepts and technologies disclosed herein, the cross-platform APIs support interoperability and extensibility with various application programs using a single language and/or set of APIs. Extensions authored for a particular application program may be used with other application programs that expose the same or a similar set of APIs, even if other object models or APIs associated with the application programs differ from one another. Thus, the APIs support cross-platform, cross-device, and cross-version compatibility of extensions.
US09292355B2
The present invention concerns a broker system for a plurality of brokers (20), clients (10) and servers (30) in a heterogeneous network, the broker system comprising: a. a configuration and controlling broker (CCB) (1) adapted for scanning broker configuration data (200) of the plurality of brokers (20) and for synchronizing the broker configuration data (200) with CCB configuration data (100) of the CCB (1).
US09292354B2
Automatically improving a deployment. A method includes, in a live distributed computing environment, adjusting operating parameters of deployment components. Effects of the adjusted operating parameters are observed. At least a portion of a behavior model function is defined based on the adjusted operating parameters and observed effects. Based on current distributed computing environmental conditions, operating parameters defined in the behavior model function are adjusted to improve the deployment.
US09292350B1
Various systems and methods for management and provisioning of virtual machines are disclosed. For example, embodiments include selecting a potential node to host a virtual machine, where the node is selected from among a plurality of potential nodes. The selection may be based on a virtual machine (VM) configuration of a virtual machine, which may include various requirements needed to host the VM. Embodiments also include provisioning the VM on the host node after the host node is selected from among the plurality of potential nodes, and determining whether a currently-hosted node are operating in accordance with various criteria needed for the VM.
US09292346B1
A processing system includes a processor pipeline, a detector circuit, and a task scheduler. The detector circuit includes a basic block detector circuit to determine that the processor pipeline received a first instruction of a first instance of a basic block, and to determine that a last-in-order instruction of the first instance of the basic block is a resource switch instruction (RSWI), and an indicator circuit to provide an indication in response to determining that the processor pipeline received the first instruction of a second instance of the basic block. The task scheduler initiates a resource switch, in response to the indication, at a time subsequent to the first instruction being received that is based on a cycle count that indicates a first number of processor cycles between receiving the first instruction and receiving the RSWI.
US09292333B2
A method and system for image instance mapping is provided. The method includes receiving from change agents on virtual machine instances periodic monitoring data indicating changes for each virtual machine instance. The periodic monitoring data is analyzed and unique updates are applied to the virtual machine instances. High level semantic updates to the virtual machine instances are identified and updates associated with a golden master image are tracked. High level semantic updates to the golden master image are identified and in response, a version tree configured to track drift of each virtual machine instance with respect to golden master image is maintained.
US09292328B2
Approaches for enabling Supervisor Mode Execution Protection (SMEP) for a guest operating system which does not support SMEP. A guest operating system (OS), which does not support SMEP, is executed within a virtual machine. A hypervisor instructs hardware to enable SMEP for the virtual machine executing the guest operating system. When the hypervisor is notified that the hardware has detected the guest operating system instructing a central processing unit (CPU) to execute code stored in virtual memory accessible by user space while the CPU is in supervisor mode, the hypervisor may consult a policy to identify what, if any, responsive action the hypervisor should perform.
US09292327B1
A method for backing up virtual machine (VM) data is described, and includes determining a disk layout of a VM disk associated with the first VM to be backed up, the disk layout having a plurality of nodes in a hierarchical structure, each node corresponding a VM, and traversing the VM disk layout to identify one or more parent nodes with respect to a first node representing the first VM. The method further includes, for each second VMs that is related to the first VM as a parent node, determining whether the second VM has been previously backed up by examining a predetermined tag. If the second VM has not been previously backed up, then back up a list of changed blocks representing a difference between the second and third VMs. Otherwise, back up the second VM and tag the second VM to indicate that it has been backed up.
US09292324B2
An arrangement in a virtual machine for virtual machine supervision is provided. The arrangement comprises a translator operable in the virtual machine. The translator comprises a receiving unit adapted to receive program code to be executed on the virtual machine and a rule referring to the execution of the program code. The arrangement further comprises a code unit adapted to create rule infused machine code based on the program code and the rule, such that the rule is enforced when the machine code is executed on the virtual machine.
US09292318B2
A method, system and computer-usable medium are disclosed for managing virtual processor operations. A dynamic loader receives a request to initiate the creation of a new process, followed by a virtual processor being assigned to an isolated execution environment. The dynamic loader then initiates the creation of the new process by mapping kernel data associated with the virtual processor into the address space of the process. The dynamic loader completes the creation of the new process, and its execution is initiated within the isolated execution environment.
US09292316B2
A system and an article of manufacture for providing a cloud environment for provisioning a guest virtual machine instance include selecting at least one machine from a collection of machines as a management node, wherein the at least one machine includes a hypervisor enabled with nested virtualization capability, deploying a plurality of cloud managers on each management node, selecting at least one machine from the collection of machines as a host node, deploying a plurality of level two hypervisors on each host node, forming a plurality of virtual clouds, wherein each virtual cloud contains at least one of the plurality of cloud managers and one of the plurality of level two hypervisors, and provisioning, via the at least one cloud manager, at least one guest virtual machine instance on top of the at least one level two hypervisors.
US09292310B2
Systems and methods are disclosed for displaying notifications received from multiple applications. In some embodiments, an electronic device can monitor notifications that are received from the multiple applications. Responsive to receiving the notifications, the electronic device can control the manner in which the notifications are displayed while the device is operating in a locked or an unlocked state. In some embodiments, the electronic device can allow users to customize how notifications are to be displayed while the device is in the locked and/or unlocked states.
US09292306B2
The invention provides a computer implemented, methods, systems, software program devices, and a Multi-Tier Graphical Interface level General User Interface (GUI) screen designed to support data integration processes for IT and Subject Matter Experts User access and use of structured data sources. The software enables create, extract, transform, programs, processes, and load data integration application Data Integration Application (Composite Object)s through an object based software design enabling efficient and rapid retrieval, processing, and positioning of structured data directly from one or multiple data sources to the required formats, processes, and application support at the skills set levels of the user. The software is a command and processes design for Data Integration Application (Composite Object) that can be transaction oriented, recurring process, as well as periodic The software is an open, data oriented system design for rapid generation and support of Data Integration Application (Composite Object)s using a Multi-Tier three dimensional graphical interface design for cell based data applications. The Data Integration Application (Composite Object) are compiled, independent object applications residing in an object library designated by the user/user IT organization. The compiled data application object are run on the organization's existing computing systems under standard compute processing procedures as either independent applications or in support of the organizations ongoing business/operational requirements for data use requirements.
US09292302B2
Provided is a method for temporarily skipping a secure boot function. A computer is configured so that a secure boot function is set as enabled by default. Depression of a power button of the computer in a power-off state generates a startup signal. At the time of startup from S4/S5 state, a switch is turned ON and PP bit indicating physical presence is set at a register. Depression of a specific key on a keyboard causes DE bit to be set at a register. When PP bit and DE bit are found, UEFI firmware stored in a firmware ROM temporarily skips integrity validation of a boot program only for boot this time.
US09292301B1
In some embodiments, an apparatus includes an integrated circuit such as a system on chip that operates in part from harvested power and that uses information about power harvesting conditions to alter a power-on sequence or boot sequence based on that information. In some embodiments, a method uses information about power harvesting and energy harvesting conditions to alter a power-on sequence or boot sequence.
US09292293B2
The various aspects provide for a device and methods for intelligent multicore control of a plurality of processor cores of a multicore integrated circuit. The aspects may identify and activate an optimal set of processor cores to achieve the lowest level power consumption for a given workload or the highest performance for a given power budget. The optimal set of processor cores may be the number of active processor cores or a designation of specific active processor cores. When a temperature reading of the processor cores is below a threshold, a set of processor cores may be selected to provide the lowest power consumption for the given workload. When the temperature reading of the processor cores is above the threshold, a set processor cores may be selected to provide the best performance for a given power budget.
US09292291B2
A computer system for optimizing instructions is configured to identify two or more machine instructions as being eligible for optimization, to merge the two or more machine instructions into a single optimized internal instruction that is configured to perform functions of the two or more machine instructions, and to execute the single optimized internal instruction to perform the functions of the two or more machine instructions. Being eligible includes determining that the two or more machine instructions include a first instruction specifying a first target register and a second instruction specifying the first target register as a source register and a target register. The second instruction is a next sequential instruction of the first instruction in program order, wherein the first instruction specifies a first function to be performed, and the second instruction specifies a second function to be performed.
US09292282B2
Embodiments of the present invention address deficiencies of the art in respect to server-side processing and provide a novel and non-obvious method, system and computer program product for performing server-side translation for custom application support in client-side scripts. In an embodiment of the invention, a method for supporting custom applications in client-side scripts can be provided. The method can include retrieving a client-side script, for execution in a client-environment and detecting an incompatibility of the retrieved client-side script resulting from a dependency of the client-side script upon an expected occurrence of an event in the client-environment. Thereafter, the retrieved script can be rewritten to manually invoke the expected event in the client-environment. Finally, the rewritten script can be compiled and cached, and the compiled and cached rewritten script can be delivered to the client-environment for execution therein.
US09292274B2
The present invention reduces the time required to apply an update package for generating a new image from an original image within a non-volatile memory device by effectively reducing the number of flash blocks requiring modification by use of whatever free space is available at the end of the image as required. A set of software development guidelines and an improved firmware development tool chain (i.e. compiler, linker, etc.) are utilized to produce new firmware for the client device. A firmware programmer follows or applies this set of guidelines when developing new features and fixes for distribution via a new firmware image. The improved firmware development tool chain executes on a collection of function blocks, available from the development of the original image, used to create new firmware source code, which when complied and linked yields a new image, prior to the delta or differencing processing.
US09292268B2
Systems and methods for uniquely defining fortran run time type descriptors for polymorphic entities
Systems and methods disclosed herein uniquely define each type of Fortran type descriptor within an executable file or shared library to allow for a rapid determination of how the dynamic type of one object (e.g., a first polymorphic entity) relates to that of another object (e.g., a second polymorphic entity) while allowing for the lazy loading of shared libraries. In one aspect, type descriptor definitions are instantiated (e.g., during compile-time) in each of a number of object files in which polymorphic entities are defined, each type descriptor definition is marked with a singleton attribute, and each group of common type descriptor definitions is associated with a COMDAT group to ensure that only a single copy of each type descriptor is defined in a corresponding executable file at a particular address in memory to which polymorphic entities can reference. Type descriptor addresses can be compared to determine dynamic type relations between two or more polymorphic entities.
US09292264B2
A software development kit for providing advertising in a mobile device user interface is provided. The software development kit includes computer executable program instructions for generating a wrapper view object that wraps an advertising corner control view object. The kit allows an application developer to create an application interface and wrap it in the wrapper view object. When the resulting computer executable instructions are executed, a user interface is displayed with an advertising corner control interface area and an application interface area. The user can select the advertising corner control interface area using a first selection technique to display an advertising interface area and remove the advertising control interface area and the application interface area. The user can select the advertising corner control interface area using a second technique to remove the application corner control interface area while continuing to display the application interface area.
US09292262B2
A dynamically evolving cognitive architecture system based on contributions from third-party developers is described. A system receives a span of natural language annotated with an object from a first third-party developer. The system forms an intent based on a user input, which includes a natural language span which corresponds to an action object, a first concept object, and/or a second concept object. The action object, the first concept object, and/or the second concept object is provided by a second third-party developer. The annotating object is the action object, the first concept object, or the second concept object. Forming the intent enables executing the action object to transform the first concept object into the second concept object based on the annotated span of natural language, and also enables outputting a value associated with the second concept object associated with a goal of the intent.
US09292261B1
A system for collaborating on a component includes a computing device having a memory and a processor, the computing device configured to execute a first multi-user CAx environment, a data module configured to access data corresponding to a component design having at least one feature corresponding to a group of feature types from at least one current state database in a memory storage device, and a time stamp tool included in the multi-user CAx environment and configured to cause at least one computing device executing the multi-user CAx environment to apply a timestamp to each revision of a part model and save each revision including the timestamp to a revision database.
US09292258B2
There is provided a method that can quickly perform a secure sum-of-product computation by cooperative computation by three parties (computation apparatuses) that is easy to implement. In a secure computation method in which a party X performs a party-X random number generation step, a party-X first computation step and a party-X second computation step, a party Y performs a party-Y random number generation step, a party-Y first computation step and a party-Y second computation step, and a party Z performs a party-Z random number generation step, a party-Z first computation step and a party-Z second computation step, computation processings performed by the parties are symmetrical to each other.
US09292256B2
A decimal floating point finite number in a decimal floating point format is composed from the number in a different format. A decimal floating point format includes fields to hold information relating to the sign, exponent and significand of the decimal floating point finite number. Other decimal floating point data, including infinities and NaNs (not a number), are also composed. Decimal floating point data are also decomposed from the decimal floating point format to a different format. For composition and decomposition, one or more instructions may be employed, including a shift significand instruction.
US09292254B2
A system, method and computer program for performing voice commands on a mobile device and presenting the results on an interactive timeline is disclosed. A user may utter a voice command into the microphone of their mobile device while an application is running. The voice command is processed to derive the intention of the user, specifically by determining the domain, at least one task and at least one parameter for the task from the voice command. A services component performs the task identified and presents the results on the mobile device screen. In various embodiments, the results are presented on a timeline and may be grouped together by domains and sorted by the time that the results were obtained. A search history view may also be viewed that includes search results sorted chronologically each of which is represented graphically by an icon that represents the category of each search. When a user utters a voice command, the text representation is displayed together with an edit button, a resay button, and a progress bar. A user may modify the text representation at any time while the natural language processing is being performed.
US09292251B2
Example systems and methods for configuring media devices utilizing audio codes and/or signatures are disclosed. Example methods disclosed herein include, responsive to determining that an audio code is not present in audio data received by a device, generating a signature from the audio data. Such example methods also include determining whether the signature is associated with a first command to be executed by the device to modify operation of the device. Such example methods further include, when the signature is determined to be associated with the first command, executing the first command to modify the operation of the device.
US09292247B2
Methods and systems of co-browsing may provide for detecting a selection of clipped content at a local peer device during a co-browsing session between the local peer device and a remote peer device. The clipped content can correspond to a page from a server associated with the co-browsing session. Dependent content and style element data associated with the clipped content may be identified, wherein an event can be sent to the remote peer device via the server. The event may include the clipped content, the dependent content, and the style element data.
US09292246B1
Some of the embodiments of the present disclosure provide a method comprising: receiving, by a peripheral device, a file for printing; transmitting, by the peripheral device to a server, the file in order to enable the server to render the file in a format that can be printed by the peripheral device; based on transmitting the file to the server, receiving, by the peripheral device from the server, (i) the file rendered in the format that can be printed by the peripheral device, and (ii) an advertisement; printing, by the peripheral device, the file rendered in the format that can be printed by the peripheral device; and displaying the contents of the advertisement on a display of the peripheral device.
US09292245B2
Systems and methods are provided for predictively tracking expected print jobs. The system comprises a memory that identifies categories of print jobs, and that stores rules that indicate how often print jobs will be received at a presentation system. The system also comprises a control unit operable to identify a rule for a category of print jobs, to analyze the rule to generate a predicted schedule of print jobs expected for receipt at the presentation system, and to determine whether expected print jobs have been received at the presentation system in accordance with the schedule. The control unit is further operable to generate an alert if an expected print job has not been received at the presentation system in accordance with the schedule.
US09292242B2
A wireless communication unit includes a low-speed communication IF and a high-speed communication IF. A controller includes a low-speed communication IF and a high-speed communication IF. The low-speed communication IFs are SDIO communication IFs and the high-speed communication IFs are USB communication IFs. The controller switches SDIO and USB according to a state of an image forming apparatus.
US09292241B2
To provide a printing apparatus where printing is possible by easily and rapidly acquiring a desired image, a multi-functional tablet device is provided with an imaging section which acquires an image, a display section which displays the image, an designating section for designating using a fingertip with regard to the displayed image, a printing section which prints an imaging image on a medium, and a control section which creates the imaging image, which is based on the image, based on designation from the designating section and which prints the created imaging image in the printing section, where the control section determines the printing range with regard to the image which is captured by the imaging section based on the designation from the designating section, creates the imaging image by editing the image in the printing range, and determines a printing position where the imaging image is printed on the medium.
US09292225B2
A method, non-transitory computer readable medium, and device that sends an outgoing storage device frame to a storage device, the outgoing storage device frame converted from an incoming storage device frame received from a host device based on a protocol supported by the storage device. An incoming host device frame is received from the storage device in response to the outgoing storage device frame. Whether an outgoing host device frame has been sent to the host device is determined, the outgoing host device frame converted from the incoming host device frame based on a protocol supported by the host device, wherein the protocol supported by the host device requires a different frame sequencing than the protocol supported by the storage device. A next incoming storage device frame received from the host device is retrieved when the outgoing host device frame is determined to have been sent to the host device.
US09292223B2
A micro-threaded memory device. A plurality of storage banks are provided, each including a plurality of rows of storage cells and having an access restriction in that at least a minimum access time interval must transpire between successive accesses to a given row of the storage cells. Transfer control circuitry is provided to transfer a first amount of data between the plurality of storage banks and an external signal path in response to a first memory access request, the first amount of data being less than a product of the external signal path bandwidth and the minimum access time interval.
US09292212B2
A method begins by a dispersed storage (DS) processing module detecting, in accordance with a rebuilding process, a storage error of an encoded data slice stored in a storage node of a dispersed storage network (DSN) and identifying the encoded data slice for rebuilding. The method continues with the DS processing module identifying one or more storage traits associated with the encoded data slice and identifying encoded data slices having at least one storage trait in common with the one or more storage traits of the encoded data slice to produce identified encoded data slices. The method continues with the DS processing module prioritizing storage error detection analysis of the identified encoded data slices over other encoded data slices stored in the DSN and when a storage error is detected for one of the identified encoded data slices, identifying the one of the identified encoded data slices for rebuilding.
US09292210B1
Thermally sensitive wear leveling for a flash memory device that includes a plurality of flash memory modules, the flash memory device included in a computing system that includes a plurality of additional computing components, including: identifying a thermal sensitivity coefficient for each flash memory module in dependence upon a physical topology of the flash memory device and one or more of the additional computing components; identifying wear leveling information for each flash memory module; receiving a request to write data to the flash memory device; selecting, in dependence upon the thermal sensitivity coefficient for each flash memory module and the wear leveling information for each flash memory module, a target flash memory module for servicing the request to write data to the flash memory device; and writing the data to the target flash memory module.
US09292209B2
A mechanism is provided to optimize performance of a storage system. A plurality of I/O requests is received. A subset of the plurality of I/O requests is selected. The size of each I/O request of the subset of the plurality of I/O requests is less than a predetermined size, but the combined size of the subset of the plurality of I/O requests is greater than the predetermined size. Furthermore, the subset of the plurality of I/O requests is associated with a single logical unit number. A data transfer command which includes the subset of the plurality of I/O requests is generated. The data transfer command is transmitted.
US09292205B2
The invention may be embodied in a multiple-disk data storage system including a controller module that initiates an optimization algorithm to set maximum queue depth of each disk of the data storage system to desired queue depth of each disk. Desired queue depth of each disk may be associated with performance factors including, but not limited to, input/output operations per second (IOPs), average response time, and/or maximum response time of each disk. Desired queue depth of each disk may be further associated with priority rankings of performance factors.
US09292192B2
A method includes, detecting a first touch input representing a selection of multiple rows of text displayed on a touch-sensitive display of the electronic device, determining whether a complete row of text has been selected from a start point or to an end point of the selected text, and, displaying a paragraph selection handle proximal to said row, the paragraph selection handle being responsive to a second touch input to place the electronic device in a paragraph selection mode for the selection of text.
US09292188B2
An information processing apparatus includes a display unit and a display control unit. The display unit displays a plurality of pieces of content. The display control unit causes, during scrolling the plurality of pieces of content displayed on the display unit, a display of content satisfying a specific condition in a form different from that of other content. The display control unit switches whether to display the content satisfying the specific condition in the form different from that of other content depending on whether scroll of the plurality of pieces of content is caused by a specific operation.
US09292183B2
Establishing a preferred mode of interaction between a user and a multimodal application, including evaluating, by a multimodal application operating on a multimodal device supporting multiple modes of interaction including a voice mode and one or more non-voice modes, user modal preference, and dynamically configuring multimodal content of the multimodal application in dependence upon the evaluation of user modal preference.
US09292168B2
A computer-implemented system for managing an electronic signature is provided. A data collector receives one or more contact information items. A signature builder builds a graphic-based electronic signature based on at least one of the contact information items. The graphic-based electronic signature includes a set of icons. Individual icons in the set of icons are respectively associated with at least one of the contact information items. Individual icons in the set of icons are configured to initiate a communication application when one of the icons is selected in order to communication via the communication application using the contact information item associated with the selected icon.
US09292161B2
A pointer tool in a touch-screen display is disclosed. The method includes activating a pointer tool in a touch screen display in response to contact with an area of the touch screen and persisting the displaying of the pointer tool in the touch screen display after the contact with the touch screen is removed. Once editing data is received, the pointer tool is removed from the touch screen display.
US09292153B1
Systems and methods for providing efficient and focused visualization of data are provided herein. An exemplary method may include determining a default view layout for a user, the default view layout including representations of table records for the user, the default view layout and representations are selected based upon a table record count for the user, generating a graphical user interface having the selected default view layout, and providing the graphical user interface to a display device.
US09292144B2
In one embodiment, a method includes controlling a touch sensor of a device. The control of the touch sensor includes a first processing cycle executed by the controller that comprises acquisition of touch-sensor signals from the touch sensor; a second processing cycle executed by the controller that comprises pre-processing of the touch-sensor signals; and a third processing cycle executed by the controller that comprises processing of the touch-sensor signals to determine whether a touch or proximity input has occurred with respect to the touch sensor. If the touch or proximity input has occurred with respect to the touch sensor, a location of the touch or proximity input is determined. The method also includes controlling other sensors of the device. The control of the other sensors includes one or more fourth processing cycles executed by the controller concurrently with the first processing cycle or the second processing cycle.
US09292127B2
Provided are systems and methods for providing enhanced touch sensing. One system providing enhanced touch sensing includes a multi-mode touch screen and a processor configured to apply at least one test signal to a sense element of the multi-mode touch screen, detect at least one return signal from the sense element, and then determine a relative position of an object corresponding to the at least one return signal, the multi-mode touch screen being capable of sensing the first object using first and second detection modes. One multi-mode touch screen comprises a multi-mode multi-touch touch screen. One processor is configured to apply an adaptive test signal to a sense element of a touch screen.
US09292126B2
According to an aspect, a display device with a touch detection function includes: a variable focus lens unit that includes a first substrate including a first electrode, a second substrate including a second electrode, and a variable focus layer that is provided between the first substrate and the second substrate; a display unit including a display region that displays an image via the variable focus lens unit; a drive electrode that is arranged in the display unit or at a position opposed to the display region, and divided into a plurality of pieces; and a touch detection unit configured to detect a position of a proximity object using one of the first electrode and the second electrode as a touch detection electrode based on change in capacitance with respect to the drive electrode.
US09292121B2
An adaptive sensing apparatus, including: a sensor array, having N sensing points, wherein N is a positive integer; a driver unit, coupled with the sensor array; and a control unit, coupled with the driver unit; wherein the control unit has at least one adaptive sampling modes for controlling the driver unit to drive the sensor array and derive M sensed data, wherein M is a positive integer and M
US09292118B2
Embodiments of the present invention generally relate to a touch sensible organic light emitting device. The organic light emitting device according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention comprises: a substrate; a thin film transistor disposed on the substrate; an organic light emitting element connected to the thin film transistor and receiving a data voltage; a plurality of encapsulation thin films disposed on the organic light emitting element, and encapsulating the thin film transistor and the organic light emitting element; a planarization layer disposed on the encapsulation thin film; and a touch sensor disposed on the planarization layer.
US09292116B2
A method for customizing operation of a digitizer system operated with an electronic device is described, the electronic device including software applications. The method includes operating the digitizer system in a first mode of operation, the first mode of operation defined by a plurality of operating parameters, receiving instructions for adjusting one or more operating parameters of the digitizer system, wherein the instructions are defined by a software application, the software application operative to receive input from the digitizer system, and updating operation of the digitizer system responsive to the instructions defined by the software applications.
US09292115B2
An apparatus including: an first electrode arrangement including a plurality of electrodes configured for use in detecting a location of a user input; a second electrode arrangement configured for use in detecting strain; and an inter-electrode layer extending between the first electrode arrangement and the second electrode arrangement.
US09292114B2
For one disclosed embodiment, an apparatus includes a first housing and a touch input device supported by the first housing. The touch input device includes a first touch surface layer, a second touch surface layer, and a touch sensor disposed between the first touch surface layer and the second touch surface layer. The touch sensor is configured to detect a first touch input associated with the first touch surface layer and a second touch input associated with the second touch surface layer.
US09292113B2
The present disclosure provides a driving circuit, which includes a switch, a driver unit, a fault detection circuit, and a processor. The switch is coupled between a power terminal and an anode of a light emitting diode (LED) of a light source. The driver unit is coupled between a cathode of the LED and a ground for generating a driving current according to a control signal. The fault detection circuit operatively detects whether the cathode of the LED is shorted and generate a fault signal when detected that the cathode of the LED is shorted. The processor initiates a fault detection period, during which the processor turns off the switch and the driver unit causes the cathode of the LED to be floating while activates the fault detection circuit to detect whether the cathode of the LED is shorted.
US09292107B1
A mobile telephone includes an active-pixel sensor in conjunction with a DSP chipset and a light source allowing the telephone to detect horizontal movement across a flat surface. When moved horizontally, the telephone detects relative position movement and transmits a new position to a nearby computer. The computer interprets this new position as a cursor control position and moves its cursor. The telephone is placed into a mode such that physical buttons or displayed buttons on a touch screen operate as a mouse click when pressed. The mouse click is interpreted by the telephone and transmitted to the computer to affect the mouse click. The telephone is also placed into a mode such that raising it from the flat surface indicates that a subsequent three-dimensional movement is interpreted as a mouse click. A shake, rotation or sharp movement is interpreted as a mouse click which is transmitted to the computer to implement the mouse click in conjunction with its cursor.
US09292101B2
Methods and apparatuses are provided for entering characters into an electronic device. As part of a device configuration process, languages and associated character sets are stored in the electronic device. Responsive to user input as part of a device operation process, the electronic device presents a menu of language character sets for selection, with the language character sets assigned to particular positions within the menu. In response to the selected language character set, the electronic device presents a menu of language variant characters for selection, with the language variant characters assigned to particular positions within the menu. In response to selection of a language variant character, the electronic device displays the character within the display window.
US09292084B2
A head-mounted information system is provided, the head-mounted information system comprising a frame configured to be mounted on a head of a user, a display unit coupled to the frame, a sensor unit coupled to the frame comprising one or more motion sensors, and, a processor unit coupled to the frame and connected to receive signals from the motion sensors. The processor unit comprises a processor and a memory accessible by the processor. The processor unit is configured to monitor the received signals and enter a gesture control mode upon detection of a gesture control enable signal. In the gesture control mode the processor is configured to convert signals received from the motion sensors into menu navigation commands.
US09292079B2
A mechanism is provided for an integrated circuit with power gating. A power header switch is configured to connect and disconnect any one of multiple circuits to a common voltage source, where a powered off circuit is disconnected from the common voltage source. A power-up sequencer includes an initial stages power-up component and a final stages power-up component. The final stages power-up component is configured to execute final stages of a power-up process for the powered off circuit, and the initial stages power-up component is configured to execute initial stages of the power-up process for the powered off circuit. The initial stages power-up component is activated in response to a predictive power-up request.
US09292074B2
Embodiments include collecting, from each of a plurality of controllers of a node having a plurality of components, component power consumption. Each of the plurality of controllers is associated with one or more of the components. The component power consumptions are provided to the controllers. A node power consumption for the node is determined based, at least in part, on the component power consumption. The power cap is determined for the plurality of components. A power differential power is determined as a difference between the node power consumption and the power cap for the plurality of components. A proportion of the node power consumption consumed by the component is determined based on the component power consumption of the component. A local power budget is computed for the component based, at least in part, on the power differential and the proportion of the node power consumption consumed by the component.
US09292073B2
Systems and methods may provide for determining an absolute energy break-even time for a first low power state with respect to a current state of a system. A relative energy break-even time may also be determined for the first low power state with respect to a second low power state based on at least in part the absolute energy break-even time. In addition, an operating state may be selected for the system based on at least in part the relative energy break-even time.
US09292067B2
Systems and methods for managing rechargeable power in a portable computing device (“PCD”) having two or more usage modes. One embodiment method involves logically dividing a rechargeable power source in the PCD into a first logical power source and a second logical power source. The first logical power source is assigned to a first usage mode. The second logical power source is assigned to a second usage mode. The first and second logical power sources are managed according to the respective first and second usage modes.
US09292053B2
A computing device includes a housing and a display assembly having a screen. The housing at least partially circumvents the screen so that the screen is viewable. A first touch sensor is provided with a first portion of the housing. For example, the first touch sensor may be provided on a sidewall, a front surface, or a back surface of the housing. A processor is provided within the housing to detect a first user interaction and a second user interaction with the first touch sensor. The first user interaction corresponds with a user making contact with the first touch sensor, and the second user interaction corresponds with the user releasing contact with the first touch sensor. The processor further executes a first set of instructions in response to detecting the second user interaction.
US09292052B2
An information display method for an electronic device is provided, wherein the electronic device includes a display apparatus, a processor and a sensor unit. The display apparatus displays at least a stacked icon composed of a plurality pieces of information. The information display method includes processing the sensing signal received from the sensor unit by the electronic device. According the sensing signal, a launching signal is provided by the processor. According the launching signal, the stacked icon is spread out by the processor to display each piece of the information.
US09292050B2
An embodiment provides an electronic device, including: a detachable display portion; a base body; the base body including an attachment portion to which the detachable display portion attaches; the attachment portion being located a depth from a rear edge of the base body; and a cover extending from a point of the base body behind the attachment portion and proximate to the rear edge of the base body.
US09292042B2
A display device includes a rear set cover, an upper end guide frame, a lower end guide frame, a panel, a first adhesive member, a second adhesive member, a panel driver, and a lower finishing material. The upper end guide frame is secured to an upper end portion inside the rear set cover, and coupled to the rear set cover. The lower end guide frame is secured to a lower end portion inside the rear set cover, and coupled to the rear set cover. The panel is secured to the upper end guide frame and lower end guide frame. The first adhesive member couples the upper end guide frame and panel. The second adhesive member couples the lower end guide frame and panel. The panel driver is placed inside the rear set cover, and drives the panel.
US09292038B1
A synchronization circuit receives an external clock input. The circuit includes an internal oscillator; a clock detection circuit, coupled to the external clock input, for determining whether a clock signal at the external clock input is valid; circuitry for keeping the frequency of the internal oscillator constant until the clock detection circuit determines that an external clock signal is valid; and circuitry for switching the output of the synchronization circuit from the internal oscillator to the external clock input when the clock detection circuit determines than an external clock signal is valid.
US09292037B2
The techniques for resolving asynchronous clock times include determining at least a high resolution time period and a low resolution time period for a clock of a first time domain, generating a plurality of sequenced transition signals for the high resolution time period where each sequenced transition signal corresponds to a respective bit transition period of the high resolution clock of the first time domain, encoding the plurality of sequenced transition signals for the high resolution time period into a high resolution vector, and encoding the low resolution time period into a low resolution vector.
US09292034B2
A locking turret knob includes an adjustment member, a first member, and a second member. The adjustment member is adjustably positionable about an axis of rotation. The first member is disposed in proximity to the adjustment member and has at least one engagement member. The second member is disposed in proximity to the adjustment member and has at least one engagement surface. The adjustment member is adjustably positionable about the axis of rotation when each engagement member does not engage an engagement surface. The adjustment member is locked in a selected position about the axis of rotation when at least one engagement member engages an engagement surface. The adjustment member can be coupled to an adjuster of an optical enhancement device, such as a telescopic sight, a telescope or a microscope.
US09292030B2
A circuit includes a band-gap reference circuit and a start-up circuit. The band-gap reference circuit includes an operational amplifier, a first current path between a power supply node and a reference node, a second current path between the power supply node and the reference node, and a feedback path between an output of the operational amplifier and the first and second current paths. A first input of the operational amplifier is coupled to the first current path, and a second input of the operational amplifier is coupled to the second current path. The start-up circuit includes a current source and at least one switch coupled between the current source and the band-gap reference circuit. The at least one switch is configured to electrically couple the current source with the first and second current paths during a start-up phase.
US09292026B2
An overshoot reduction circuit within a low dropout voltage regulator eliminates an overshoot at an output terminal resulting from a transient fault condition occurring at an input or output terminal. The overshoot reduction circuit monitors to sense if there is a transient fault condition occurring at the input or output terminal and provides a Miller capacitance at the output terminal of a differential amplifier of the low dropout voltage regulator to prevent the output of the differential amplifier from being discharged to ground during the transient. A control loop circuit balances current within an active load of the differential amplifier to clamp the output of the differential amplifier to its normal operating point. When the transient fault condition ends, the output voltage of the differential amplifier is set such that a pass transistor of the low dropout regulator responds quickly to resume the regulation to reduce or eliminate the overshoot.
US09292025B2
The performance, thermal and power management system is configured to perform DVFS calibration, temperature compensation adjustment, aging calibration, and DC offset calibration in an IC. The initial voltage supplied to the IC may be set to an initial value which takes chip-to-chip process variations into account and then dynamically adjusted according to temperature variations, DC offset and/or aging effects. Therefore, the performance, thermal and power management system may achieve optimized thermal and power performance of the IC.
US09292020B2
A fail-safe engine coolant thermostat includes a body having a bore with an inlet and an outlet. A thermal actuator capable of extended and retracted positions due to coolant temperature is disposed in the body. A valve plate is pivotally mounted in the body to open and close fluid flow through the body. A connecting member is coupled between the thermal actuator and the valve plate to pivot the valve plate to the closed flow position. A pivot connection of the valve plate to the body is diametrically off center to the valve plate to pivot to the fluid flow open position under coolant fluid flow pressure unless the thermal actuator, at cold fluid temperatures, pivots the value plate to the closed position through the connecting member. An adjustment is provided for the connecting member to enable adjustment of the valve plate to the full closed position.
US09292012B2
In certain embodiments, a control/optimization system includes an instantiated model object stored in memory on a model server. The model object includes a model of a plant or process being controlled. The model object comprises an interface that precludes the transmission of proprietary information via the interface. The control/optimization system also includes a decision engine software module stored in memory on a decision support server. The decision engine software module is configured to request information from the model object through a communication network via a communication protocol that precludes the transmission of proprietary information, and to receive the requested information from the model object through the communication network via the communication protocol.
US09292011B2
A hydraulic shovel includes: a storage unit which stores an operation history of a target component of the shovel targeted for life span estimation, a discrimination threshold value used for classifying usage of the target component into a plurality of usage modes based on the operation history, and a usage mode-specific estimated life span indicative of an estimated life span of the target component in each of the usage modes; and an arithmetic and control unit which calculates an operating time of the target component in each of the usage modes in accordance with the operation history and the discrimination threshold value, and estimates the life span of the target component based on the operating time calculated for each of the usage modes and on the usage mode-specific estimated life span.
US09292008B1
A watchband with integrated electronics designed to be attachable to any standard mechanical or digital timepiece. The watchband has a flexible circuit board sandwiched between layers of watchband material, allowing for the flexibility of a normal watchband with the electronics capability of a mobile computer and fitness tracker. The watchband has an embedded heart rate sensor, body temperature sensor, ambient temperature sensor, vibration generator, inertial sensors, and wireless communication device. The watchband is powered by a rechargeable battery, which is recharged using a charging port that can be connected to a battery charger.
US09292005B2
Shock resistant bearing for a timepiece including an elastic structure and a central portion carried by the elastic structure, the central portion having a blind hole intended to receive a pivot of a rotating wheel set of the timepiece. The elastic structure and the central portion are formed by a single-piece part formed of single crystal quartz and the blind hole has at least partially the shape of a truncated or non-truncated trigonal pyramid against which the end of the pivot abuts. The invention also concerns a method of manufacturing a shock resistant bearing of this type wherein the single-piece wafer is machined in an anisotropic etching bath for single crystal quartz. Preferably, two masks are respectively arranged on the two sides of the wafer to simultaneously etch the quartz from both sides.
US09292004B2
A gong for a striking-work device of a timepiece. The gong includes a spring blade forming a main body of the gong and is adapted to act as a vibrating member so as to produce a sound following an actuation. The spring blade includes at least one opening formed in its main body. The invention also includes a timepiece, such as a mechanical watch, comprising such a gong.
US09291992B1
An imaging unit for an electrophotographic image forming device having positional control features for aligning the imaging unit in a supporting frame in the image forming device. The positional control features include on each end wall, first and second bullet noses and a stop arm positioned between the two bullet noses. The first and second bullet noses engage support or datum surfaces provided in corresponding openings in the frame. The stop arm receives a biasing force that rotates the imaging unit into its final operating position. A latching assembly is provided on one end wall to prevent the imaging unit from ejecting from the frame.
US09291986B2
A process unit has an image carrying unit having an image carrying member configured to be rotatable about a first axis extending in a first direction, and a developing agent removing member, a developing unit having a developing agent carrying member configured to be rotatable about a second axis parallel to the first axis, and a waste developing agent collecting unit configured to collect the developing agent removed by the removing member from the image carrying member. The waste developing agent collecting unit is arranged on one side in the first direction with respect to the developing unit such that the waste developing agent collecting unit faces the developing unit, and the developing unit is connected to the waste developing agent collecting unit such that the developing unit being movable in a second direction which is perpendicular to the first direction with respect to the waste developing agent collecting unit.
US09291978B2
A setting device sets a print page to be clear-coated. When print data is obtained, the setting device displays a preview of a print page image represented by the print data (step S1040). The setting device further receives a designation for a print page image of which preview is displayed, and sets a print page corresponding to the print page image of which designation has been received as a print page to be clear-coated (step S1050).
US09291977B1
Provided is a printing medium conveying unit that includes: a first contact section; a second contact section disposed adjacent to the first contact section in a first direction; a printing medium conveying section configured to convey a printing medium in a second direction that is substantially orthogonal to the first direction, in which the printing medium conveying section allows a first edge in the first direction of the printing medium to come into contact with one of the first contact section and the second contact section to displace one of the first contact section and the second contact section in the first direction; and a position detecting section configured to detect a position in the first direction of the first edge, based on an amount of the displacement of one of the first contact section and the second contact section that has come into contact with the first edge.
US09291967B2
A fixing device that fixes an image on a recording medium includes a rotatable endless belt, deployed in a loop supported by rollers, a nip forming member provided inside the loop formed by the belt, a support member that supports the nip forming member, a counter rotation body disposed outside the loop formed by the belt and configured to form a nip with the belt by being in contact with the nip forming member through the belt, and a heat source configured to heat the belt directly by a radiant heat except at the nip. The support member includes a base portion that contacts the nip forming member and two arms extending from the base portion in a direction away from the nip forming member to partially surround a part of heat generating portion of the heat source.
US09291958B2
An image heating apparatus includes: an endless belt; a heater for heating the belt, the heater forms a sliding portion between an inner surface of the belt and the heater; a rotatable member cooperative with the heater to sandwich the belt to form a nip between an outer peripheral surface of the belt and the rotatable member; a temperature detector provided on a surface of the heater relatively more remote from the sliding portion than the heater; a controller for controlling the timing of feeding the sheet to the nip on the basis of an output of the detector; and lubricant provided in at least a part of the sliding portion except for a range which is in an opposing relation with the detector. The sliding portion is free of the lubricant in the range.
US09291953B2
A transfer member includes a support, an elastic layer, and a resin layer having a sea-island structure on the elastic layer, wherein elongation at break of the resin layer is from 20% to 180%, and an average diameter of an island portion thereof is from 0.5 μm to 3 μm.
US09291951B2
Disclosed herein is an image forming apparatus that has a developing unit, an intermediate transfer body, and a transfer roller and may prevent contamination of the transfer roller and a printing medium by the toner remaining in a test pattern forming area of the intermediate transfer body. The image forming apparatus includes a developing unit to allow an image to be formed by a developing agent, an intermediate transfer body provided with an image forming area and a test pattern forming area, the image being transferred from the developing unit to the image forming area and the test pattern forming area, and a transfer roller allowing the image to be transferred from the image forming area to a printing medium, wherein a maximum transfer length of the transfer roller is less than a maximum image forming length of the developing unit.
US09291947B1
A developer unit for a dual component development electrophotographic image forming device includes a housing having a reservoir for storing a developer mix that includes toner and magnetic carrier beads. An axial sealing rib projects from an inner side of the housing toward the outer surface of a sleeve of a magnetic roll. The axial sealing rib extends along an axial length of the sleeve. A distal end of the axial sealing rib is positioned in close proximity to and spaced from the outer surface of the sleeve. The axial sealing rib is positioned to impede the flow of developer mix in the reservoir in a direction counter to an operative rotational direction of the sleeve.
US09291937B2
An image forming apparatus includes a rotating polygon mirror configured to rotate and reflect the first laser beam and the second laser beam, a first generation unit configured to generate a first signal based on timings at which the respective first laser beams, a second generation unit configured to generate a second signal for determining a timing to form an electrostatic latent image on the second image bearing member with the second laser beam based on the first signal and a correction value, and a calculation unit configured to calculate the correction value based on the output of the detection unit, in which the calculation unit calculates the correction value based on the signal output from the detection unit in a period of time that has passed until the rotating polygon mirror reaches steady rotation since it has started to be driven to rotate.
US09291923B2
An electrophotographic photoreceptor includes a cylindrical conductive substrate, an undercoat layer containing a cured product of a resin and a blocked isocyanate and being disposed on the conductive substrate, and a photosensitive layer on the undercoat layer. The degree of curing of the undercoat layer defined by the equation below is about 1.5 or less in both a region A and a region B defined below:Region A (B): A region between a position distant from a first (second) end of the conductive substrate by about ⅛ of a length of the conductive substrate and a position distant from the first (second) end of the conductive substrate by about ⅕ of the length of the conductive substrate Degree of curing=[Amount (g) of blocking agent separated from blocked isocyanate in undercoat layer]/weight of undercoat layer (g)×100.
US09291913B2
A pattern generator includes a mirror array plate having a mirror, at least one electrode plate disposed over the mirror array plate, a lens let disposed over the mirror, and at least one insulator layer sandwiched between the mirror array plate and the electrode plate. The electrode plate includes a first conducting layer and a second conducting layer. The lens let has a non-straight sidewall formed in the electrode plate. The pattern generator further includes at least one insulator sandwiched between two electrode plates. The non-straight sidewall can be a U-shaped sidewall or an L-shaped sidewall.
US09291902B2
The present invention relates to customizing individual workpieces, such as chip, flat panels or other electronic devices produced on substrates, by direct writing a custom pattern. Customization can be per device, per substrate, per batch or at some other small volume that makes it impractical to use a custom mask or mask set. In particular, it relates to customizing a latent image formed in a patterning sensitive layer over a substrate, merging standard and custom pattern data to form a custom pattern used to produce the customized latent image. A wide variety of substrates can benefit from the technology disclosed.
US09291894B2
A colored photosensitive resin composition, and a colored filter and a display device including the same. The colored photosensitive resin composition comprises a pigment dispersion solution, an alkaline soluble resin, a light polymerizable compound, a photoinitiator, an adjuvant and a solvent, wherein the solvent includes 60%-85% of propylene glycol methyl ether acetate and 15%-40% of a dibasic acid ester, based on the total weight of the solvent. The colored photosensitive resin composition has good stability.
US09291886B2
An image generating system having at least two fixed projection devices that are provided with still images which are projectable onto a surface where each projection device has a light generating source controlled by an electronic or mechanical sequencing controller to selectively illuminate each projector in a predetermined sequence.
US09291882B2
A projection-type display apparatus includes a setting unit configured to set a vertical keystone correction value used to correct a vertical distortion of a projection image and a horizontal keystone correction value used to correct a horizontal distortion of the projection image, and an image generator configured to generate an image representing a current vertical keystone correction value and a current horizontal keystone correction value that are set by the setting unit, and a settable range of each of the vertical keystone correction value and the horizontal keystone correction value from the current vertical keystone correction value and the current horizontal keystone correction value.
US09291879B2
A hidden camera system for a vehicle includes a cover, a camera, a drive motor and a linkage connecting the drive motor to the cover and the camera. A first stop establishes a repeatable and fully deployed position for the camera. An abutment engages that stop when the camera is fully deployed. A biasing element biases the camera into the fully deployed position to ensure that the camera is always fully deployed into the same position.
US09291872B1
The present invention is directed to electrophoretic displays comprising microcups of a first shape and the microcups of a second shape, wherein each of the microcups of the first shape is surrounded by the microcups of the second shape, and the second shape is 90% or less of the first shape in area. The present electrophoretic displays comprise novel microcup designs, which may reduce the appearance of defects in the display images.
US09291870B2
A thin film transistor includes a semiconductor pattern on a base substrate, the semiconductor pattern including an input area, an output area, and a channel area between the input area and the output area, a first insulating layer covering the semiconductor pattern, a control electrode on the first insulating layer, the control electrode overlapping the channel area, a second insulating layer covering the control electrode, an input electrode connected to the input area, an output electrode connected to the output area, and a heat discharge electrode on the second insulating layer, the heat discharge electrode being connected to the control electrode.
US09291866B2
A liquid crystal display panel including a bottom layer, a first alignment layer, a liquid crystal layer, a second alignment layer, a top layer and a plurality of conductive connectors electrically connecting the top layer and the bottom layer is provided. Each of the plurality of conductive connectors includes conductive powders.
US09291863B2
This invention offers a liquid crystal display device according to FFS technology. A pixel electrode is formed of a first layer transparent electrode. A common electrode made of a second layer transparent electrode is formed above the pixel electrode interposing an insulation film between them. The common electrode in an upper layer is provided with a plurality of slits. The common electrode extends over all the pixels in a display region. An end of the common electrode is disposed on a periphery of the display region and connected with a peripheral common electric potential line that provides a common electric potential Ycom. There is provided neither an auxiliary common electrode line nor a pad electrode, both of which are provided in a liquid crystal display device according to a conventional art.
US09291855B2
A light modulation layer of a display panel in the present invention includes shape-anisotropic members and liquid crystal molecules. The projected area of the shape-anisotropic members on a first substrate and a second substrate is changed by altering the voltage applied to the light modulation layer, which changes the orientation of the liquid crystal molecules. According to the present invention, it is possible to increase light use efficiency with a simple configuration and to control light/dark switching in both directions at a high switching speed. The present invention is applicable to a television.
US09291838B2
An object of the present invention is to provide an optical waveguide element that effectively diffuses charges accumulated in a substrate, and suppress DC drift or temperature drift. The optical waveguide element includes a substrate having an electro-optical effect, optical waveguides formed in the substrate, a buffer layer (BF layer) formed on the substrate, and modulation electrodes (signal electrode and ground electrode) that are formed on the buffer layer and modulate optical waves propagating through the optical waveguides, a charge diffusion layer that diffuses charges generated in the substrate is formed between the substrate and the buffer layer, and the charge diffusion layer is electrically connected with a ground electrode constituting the modulation electrode.
US09291833B1
A removable packaging eyewear blank including a perforated boundary disposed to delimit eyewear in a packaging, whereby the eyewear is removable from the packaging and wearable by a user.
US09291818B2
A self-cleaning optical system for the transmission or reflection of light to and/or from a process region comprises a liquid bath and a transparent or reflective optical component continuously rotatable about a non-vertical axis so that a lower part of the component continuously rotates through the bath. When the component emerges from the bath, a coating of the liquid remains thereon which forms a substantially uniform film on at least a part of the component through which the light is transmitted or from which the light is reflected.
US09291817B2
An optical deflecting device includes a mirror having a reflecting surface and a support unit to support the mirror. The support unit includes a first drive unit. The first drive unit includes a plurality of continuously meandering first beams and a plurality of first piezoelectric members respectively provided to the plurality of first beams to swing the mirror around a first axis to deflect light incident on the reflecting surface of the mirror. Two voltages having non-similar waveforms are respectively applied in parallel to each two of the first piezoelectric members respectively provided to adjacent two of the first beams.
US09291814B2
A spatial light modulator has a plurality of mirror elements each of which is controllable into a first state in which the mirror element reflects incident light with a change in a phase thereof by a first phase and a second state in which the mirror element reflects the incident light with a change in the phase thereof by a second phase 180° different from the first phase; and a boundary portion arranged between the mirror elements, which changes the phase of the incident light by a third phase substantially (90°+k·180°) (where k is an integer) different from the first phase. In projecting a pattern with the use of the spatial light modulator, an error caused in the pattern can be reduced even if the light quantity of light passing a gap region between the optical elements in the spatial light modulator is large.
US09291813B2
Systems and methods for a display having an array of pixels, a substrate, and a control matrix formed on the substrate are described. The array of pixels includes mechanical light modulators that can be referred to as micro-electro-mechanical or MEMS light modulators. The MEMS light modulators may be shutter-based light modulators, and an array of apertures may be formed on the substrate corresponding spatially to the shutters in the array of shutter-based light modulators. Each modulator is configured to be driven from a-light-blocking state to a-light-transmissive state through a movement direction. The array of light modulators are arranged to reduce the correlations in movement directions of neighboring pixels, thereby reducing the amplitude of acoustic emissions from the display.
US09291811B2
According to certain embodiments of the invention, an electrowetting device and a method for improving the response speed of an electrowetting device may be provided. The electrowetting device can includes: an electrode; an insulation film including a dielectric material that is coated over the electrode; a droplet positioned over the insulation film; and a power control unit configured to control a voltage applied to the electrode, where the power control unit reaches a particular contact angle by applying a first voltage that is higher than a second voltage corresponding to the particular contact angle, and applies the second voltage once the particular contact angle is reached. According to certain embodiments of the invention, the response speed of an electrowetting device can be improved by applying different voltages according to the contact angle of the droplet in an electrowetting device.
US09291807B2
There is provided an image acquisition device including a light source configured to emit laser light and to be capable of controlling a wavelength of the laser light, a measurement unit configured to scan a sample using the laser light and to measure an intensity of measurement target light from the sample by receiving the laser light, and a control unit configured to generate an image of the sample based on intensity distribution of the measured measurement target light. The control unit controls a wavelength of the laser light based on the intensity distribution of the measured measurement target light.
US09291806B2
This disclosure provides systems, methods and apparatus for a beam pattern projection device that includes a modulating array of light sources. In one aspect, the beam pattern projection device may include a lens. The array of light sources can be positioned such that its output plane is substantially one focal length away from the lens along the optical axis. The output of the array of light sources can be controllable to create an adjustable beam pattern out of a plurality of possible beam patterns that are each associated with a power level of each light source in the array of light sources. The device can project at a distance the adjustable beam pattern created by the array of light sources.
US09291804B2
A zoom lens includes, in order from an object side to an image side, first to third lens units having negative, positive, and negative refractive power, respectively, and a rear lens group including a plurality of lens units and having overall positive refractive power, a distance between every adjacent lens unit included in the zoom lens is variable during zooming. The second lens unit moves in a direction nonparallel to an optical axis during image shake correction, the third lens unit moves in an optical axis direction during focusing, each of the second and third lens units consists of a single lens element, and a focal length of the entire zoom lens at a wide-angle end, a focal length of the second lens unit, and a focal length of the third lens unit are appropriately set.
US09291794B2
The invention provides a temperature balancing device for a projection objective of a lithography machine. The device comprises at least one temperature sensor, at least one heat-absorbing light-transmitting layer and an objective temperature balancing control unit, wherein the temperature sensor is disposed adjacent to the projection objective for sensing the temperature difference of the projection objective in different areas; the heat-absorbing light-transmitting layer is positioned below the projection objective for absorbing radiation energy in the laser beams transmitted from the lithography machine and transmitting the laser beams; and the objective temperature balancing control unit is used for controlling the absorption degree and light transmission degree of the heat-absorbing light-transmitting layer according to the temperature difference sensed by the temperature sensor. The invention also discloses a method for balancing temperature of a projection objective of a lithography machine.
US09291788B2
A splice cassette includes a base and a cover. The base includes an outer channel and an inner storage region separated by a spool wall. The cover is configured to mount to the base to enclose the inner storage region. The outer channel extends radially outwardly from a perimeter of the cover. The cover includes guide spools and a chip receiving arrangement disposed on an inwardly-facing surface that faces the base when the cover mounts to the base. The splice chip remains on the cover when the cover is removed from the base.
US09291763B2
Light-emitting device with remote scattering element and total internal reflection extractor element
A variety of light-emitting devices are disclosed that are configured to output light provided by a light-emitting element (LEE). In general, embodiments of the light-emitting devices feature a light-emitting element, a scattering element that is spaced apart from the light-emitting element and an extractor element coupled to the scattering element, where the extractor element includes, at least in part, a total internal reflection surface. Luminaires incorporating light-emitting devices of this type are also disclosed.
US09291761B2
A backlight and a liquid crystal module having the same are provided. The backlight comprises: a light guide plate, a light-guide-plate fixing element for fixing the light guide plate, and at least one light source disposed adjacent to the light guide plate, wherein the light-guide-plate fixing element is made of thermal-contractive material. As the light-guide-plate fixing element is made of thermal-contractive material, in a test environment of high temperature and high humidity, it is possible to ensure that the light guide plate can expand and contract freely without resistance; meanwhile; while at normal temperatures, as the tight-guide-plate fixing element is in contact with the light guide plate without gap therebetween.
US09291751B2
An imaging optical unit (7) serves for imaging an object field (4) in an object plane (5) into an image field (8) in an image plane (9). The imaging optical unit (7) has a plurality of components (M1 to M6, GI) which guide imaging light (3). The imaging optical unit (7) is embodied as a pupil-obscured system. The imaging optical unit (7) has at least one mirror (GI) for grazing incidence of the imaging light (3). The result is an imaging optical unit having a handleable combination of low imaging aberrations and compact construction.
US09291747B2
An optical article having anti-fogging properties is disclosed. The optical article includes an anti-reflecting coating having anti-fogging properties even when the optical articles are provided with an anti-soiling top coat layer. The optical article may particularly find use in ophthalmic lenses, including eyeglass lenses.
US09291745B2
The present invention discloses an antistatic optical laminate. The optical laminate comprises a light transparent base material and at least an antistatic layer provided on the light transparent base material, where the antistatic layer comprises an electroconductive polymer as an antistatic agent. Further, the surface of the antistatic layer has a concavoconvex shape, and the height of convexes in the antistatic layer are not less than 40 nm and not more than 300 nm.
US09291740B2
Sensors, systems and methods for downhole electromagnetic field detection, including a downhole micro-opto-electro-mechanical system (MOEMS) electromagnetic field sensor that includes a first surface that is at least partially reflective, a second surface that is at least partially reflective and suspended by one or more flexible members to define an optical cavity having a variable distance between the first and second surfaces, and a first conductive layer attached to the second surface and having a first electric charge. An electric field passing through the optical cavity interacts with the first electric charge and displaces the second surface to alter the variable distance and cause a spectrum variation in light exiting the sensor.
US09291734B2
A system, method and computer program product for seismic imaging implements a seismic modeling algorithm utilizing Forward Wave Inversion technique for revising Reverse Time Migration models used for sub-surface modeling. The technique requires large communication bandwidth and low latency to convert a parallel problem into one solved using massive domain partitioning. The partitioning of a velocity model into processing blocks allows each sub-problem to fit in a local cache, increasing locality and bandwidth and reducing latency. The RTM seismic data processing utilizes data that includes combined shot data, i.e., shot data selected from amongst a plurality of shots that are combined at like spatial points of the volume. An iterative approach is applied such that the correction term RTM generates at each iteration in the iterative approach is used for refining the model, and the updated model is used for generating a further refined RTM model.
US09291731B2
An apparatus includes particle motion sensors and a streamer that contains the particle motion sensors. The streamer is to be towed in connection with a seismic survey, and the towing of the streamer produces a turbulent flow. The streamer includes an inner cable that contains the particle motion sensors and a fluid containing layer to surround the inner cable to reduce noise otherwise sensed by the particle motion sensors due to the turbulent flow.
US09291723B2
An instrument for assaying radiation includes a flat panel detector having a first side opposed to a second side. A collimated aperture covers at least a portion of the first side of the flat panel detector. At least one of a display screen or a radiation shield may cover at least a portion of the second side of the flat panel detector.
US09291718B2
An altitude information acquiring device includes a measuring unit which measures atmospheric pressure; a wireless communication unit which performs near field communication with an external device; and an altitude information acquiring unit which acquires altitude information from an external positioning device through the wireless communication unit. An inversion detecting unit detects an inversion of a changing direction of the atmospheric pressure periodically measured by the measuring unit, and a communication control unit controls a timing to acquire the altitude information through the wireless communication unit at a set timing, based on the inversion detected by the inversion detecting unit. An integrated altitude change acquiring unit acquires a rise altitude integrated value obtained by integrating an amount of altitude change in a rising direction and a fall altitude integrated value obtained by integrating an amount of altitude change in a falling direction, based on the acquired altitude information.
US09291717B2
A satellite signal navigation receiver can reduce channel resource usage and matched filter requirements by producing a single-bit local replica code from the combined incoming signals of each in view satellite. In one embodiment, the E1-B and E1-C signals from a Galileo satellite are received and converted into single-bit digital representations (B and C, respectively). A modified local replica code D is created by modifying (B−C) by replacing all “−2” values with “−1” values, by replacing all “+2” values with “+1” values, and by replacing all zero values such that a sum of the replaced zero values over a predetermined period will approximately equal zero. For instance, the “0” values can be replaced with alternating “−1” and “+1” values. Another modified replica code D* can be created by modifying (B+C) in a similar manner.
US09291714B2
According to a first aspect, the invention relates to a method for checking the integrity of position information output by a satellite (GNSS) positioning device (1) including a bank (3) of Kalman filters each producing a navigation solution (dX0, dXi, dXn) from raw measurements of signals transmitted by the satellites, characterized in that the method comprises the steps of, for each filter in the bank: (i) correcting the navigation solution produced by the filter according to an estimate of the impact of a failure of a satellite on the navigation solution; (ii) calculating a cross-innovation reflecting the deviation between an observation corresponding to a raw measurement from a satellite not used by the filter and an a posteriori estimate of said observation from the navigation solution produced by the filter and corrected in accordance with step (i); and (iii) performing a statistical test of the cross-innovation in order to declare whether or not the satellite, the raw measurement of which is not used by the filter, is faulty.
US09291713B2
Providing real-time segment performance information is disclosed. In some embodiments, a segment associated with a user's current activity is determined based at least in part on at least a portion of location information recorded so far. In some embodiments, real-time segment performance information associated with the user's current activity on the segment is communicated.
US09291712B2
A position location system comprises transmitters that broadcast positioning signals. Each broadcasted positioning signal comprises a pseudorandom ranging signal. The position location system includes a remote receiver that acquires and measures the time of arrival of the positioning signals received at the remote receiver. During an interval of time, at least two positioning signals are transmitted concurrently by the transmitters and received concurrently at the remote receiver. The two positioning signals have carrier frequencies offset from one another by an offset that is less than approximately twenty-five percent of the bandwidth of each positioning signal of the two positioning signals. Cross-interference between the positioning signals is reduced by tuning the remote receiver to a frequency of a selected signal of the two positioning signals and correlating the selected signal with a reference pseudorandom ranging signal matched to a transmitted pseudorandom ranging signal of the selected signal.
US09291699B2
Systems and methods for locating one or more radio frequency identification (RFID) tags are provided. A phase difference of received information signals of illuminated RFID tags is utilized to locate the RFID tags. One or more exciters transmit interrogation signals to illuminate the RFID tags in which the exciters may have a plurality of antenna selectively configured to transmit through two or more antennas and to receive on one antenna. Multiple reads of the same RFID tag can also be performed to generate a probability model of the location of the RFID tag. An enhanced particle filter is applied to probability model to determine the exact location of the RFID.
US09291690B2
Molecular structures of organic molecules in a geological formation are determined. The organic molecules may include kerogen, coal, and/or other organic molecules. In particular, the technique implemented may operate to convert nuclear magnetic resonance data into a multi-dimensional space that permits identification of molecular structures through comparisons of intensity information across the multi-dimensional space with a cutoff map of the space. This may not only simplify the identification of molecular structures of the organic molecules, but also use exact mathematical model for mixture samples to derive both structural and dynamic parameters plus their variation.
US09291682B2
Provided is a degradation state estimating method which decreases degradation in a secondary battery caused by estimating the degradation state. The degradation state estimating method is a method of estimating the degradation state of a secondary battery, includes: controlling application of current to the secondary battery; obtaining, as measurement information, at least a voltage value of the secondary battery measured while the current is flowing through the secondary battery; and estimating the degradation state of the secondary battery, based on a model for estimating the degradation state of the secondary battery and the measurement information obtained in the obtaining. In the controlling, at least one of a current value of the current and duration during which a predetermined current value is maintained is determined according to a provisional degradation state of the secondary battery.
US09291680B2
A circuit measures a cell voltage of a cell in a battery. The circuit includes a measurement circuit and a current generator. The measurement circuit includes a first terminal coupled to a positive terminal of a cell via a first resistive element and includes a second terminal coupled to a negative terminal of the cell via a second resistive element. The measurement circuit consumes a first current. The current generator generates a first compensation current according to the first current. The first current and the first compensation current flow from the positive terminal through the first resistive element to the first terminal. The measurement circuit calculates the cell voltage according to a first voltage difference between the first and second terminals when the first compensation current is disabled and according to a second voltage difference between the first and second terminals when the first compensation current is enabled.
US09291668B2
The invention relates to a tester apparatus of the kind including a portable supporting structure for removably holding and testing a substrate carrying a microelectronic circuit. An interface on the stationary structure is connected to the first interface when the portable structure is held by the stationary structure and is disconnected from the first interface when the portable supporting structure is removed from the stationary structure. An electrical tester is connected through the interfaces so that signals may be transmitted between the electrical tester and the microelectronic circuit to test the microelectronic circuit.
US09291667B2
An adaptive thermal control system maintains and regulates an accurate and stable thermal environment for a device under test. The adaptive thermal control system includes (i) pre-trigger communications from automatic test equipment (ATE) to automatic thermal control (ATC) allowing slow-responding ATC to start responding to an imminent thermal change before the thermal change occurs, (ii) a control profile which indicates to the ATC, prior to anticipated thermal change, that a change is imminent and the nature of the change over time. The generation and fine-tuning of the control profile can be done by two different methods (i) with the semi-automatic approach the tester does some pre-tests in order to determine a typical response profile which the test program then adjusts using adaptive techniques, (ii) With the fully automatic adaptive circuitries same typical response profile is algorithmically adjusted and utilized to control the ATC.
US09291662B2
Disclosed are a device and a method for detecting a reversed insertion of the SIM card into a SIM card socket unit in the terminal. The device includes a SIM card socket unit including a detection terminal that is disposed at a position to be contacted with a GND terminal of the SIM card, and when the SIM card is inserted, and outputs a voltage received from a contacted terminal of the SIM card. The SIM card socket unit having received the voltage from the detection terminal is transmitted to a controller as a SIM card insertion direction detection signal. When the SIM card insertion direction detection signal received from the SIM card socket unit is a reversed insertion detection signal, the controller is configured to inform the user that the SIM card is inserted in a reversed direction.
US09291653B2
In accordance with an embodiment, a method of detecting a phase difference between a first signal and a second signal include latching a state of the first signal using the second signal as a clock to produce a first latched signal, latching a state of the second signal using the first signal as a clock to produce a second latched signal summing the first latched signal and the second latched signal to produce an indication of whether the first signal is leading or lagging the second signal.
US09291652B2
A passive intermodulation test device includes a first signal generator that generates a first signal and a second signal generator that generates a second signal. A combiner combines the first signal and the second signal to generate a combined signal. A duplexer receives a test signal based, at least in part, on the combined signal and filters the first signal and the second signal from the test signal to generate an intermodulation signal. A variable low-noise amplifier amplifies the intermodulation signal in accordance with a variable gain based at least in part on a selected power level. A receiver, upon receipt of the intermodulation signal, measures intermodulation generated by a device under test.
US09291649B2
A radio frequency sensor system includes a printed circuit board (PCB). The PCB includes a first exterior layer, a second exterior layer, a first interior layer, a second interior layer, and an inner perimeter that defines an aperture through the PCB. The PCB also includes a first loop. The first loop includes a first plurality of sensor pads coupled to a first plurality of vias by a first plurality of traces. The first plurality of sensor pads is arranged on the inner perimeter. The PCB also includes a second loop. The second loop includes a second plurality of sensor pads coupled to a second plurality of vias by a second plurality of traces. The second plurality of sensor pads is arranged on the inner perimeter. A core ring is embedded within the first interior layer proximal to the first plurality of sensor pads, the first plurality of vias, and the first plurality of traces. A center conductor, for carrying RF current, extends through the aperture. The first and second loops generate an electrical signal based on the first and second plurality of sensor pads, the first and second plurality of vias, the first and second plurality of traces, and the core ring.
US09291642B2
A near field optical imaging device includes: a light source for radiating light of a far field optical system; and an optical head including thin film layer for formation of dynamic optical nano apertures, combined with a measured object in one piece to generate a near field by a beam radiated from the light source, in which the measured object can be scanned in a depth direction by adjusting a depth of the near field, and the depth of the near field is adjusted by modifying a shape of an opening of the thin film layer for formation of dynamic optical nano apertures by adjusting an amount of the light radiated from the light source.
US09291641B2
A method of driving a probe of a scanning probe microscope. The intensities of first and second radiation beams are modulated; and the beams are directed simultaneously onto the probe whereby each beam heats the probe and causes the probe to deform, typically by the photothermal effect. The optical system is arranged to direct the centers of the beams onto different locations on the probe. This enables the location of each beam to be chosen to optimize its effect. A lens receives the first and second beams and focuses them onto the probe. A beam combiner is arranged to receive and combine the beams and direct the combined beams towards the probe.
US09291635B2
A process analytic instrument includes an analytical module configured to analyze a process fluid and a removable tube carrier coupled to the analytical module. The analytical module has a plurality of inlet ports in a sealing surface. The removable tube carrier has an end with a plurality of apertures aligned with the plurality of inlet ports of sealing surface of the analytical module. The removable tube carrier fluidically couples a plurality of tubes to the analytical module when the end of the removable tube carrier is biased into the sealing surface of the analytical module.
US09291629B2
Methods of detecting a first species' Ig-CTF in a biological sample comprising exposing the biological sample to a first antibody of a second species that preferentially binds the first species' Ig-CTF or an antigen binding fragment of the antibody, forming a mixture, exposing the mixture to a second antibody or antigen-binding fragment of a third species that preferentially binds the first species' Ig, and detecting the Ig-CTF in the biological sample.
US09291625B2
The present disclosure provides methods for identifying early stage non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC) patients who will have an unfavorable prognosis for the recurrence of lung cancer after surgical resection. The methods are based in part on the discovery of chromosomal copy number abnormalities that can be used for prognostic classification. The methods preferably use fluorescence in situ hybridization with fluorescently labeled nucleic acid probes to hybridize to patient samples to quantify the chromosomal copy number of these genetic loci.
US09291615B2
Methods of identifying a xenohormetic induced phenotype in an organism are provided. Also provided are methods if using organisms having a known xenohormetically induced phenotype in a number of different applications, such as the identification of xenohormetic agents and the generation of chemical entities and foodstuffs under specific conditions of production governed by xenohormetic effects.
US09291605B2
A valve for use in high-performance liquid chromatography has a spherical seat and a ball that, when it abuts against the seat, constrains a fluid from flowing through the valve and is capable of moving axially in order to allow the fluid to flow through the valve. The spherical seat has beveled outer faces in order that a force acting on the valve along the axial direction will generate a force acting on the ball. The inclination of the beveled outer face is such that a force acting on the ball counteracts a force exerted on the spherical seat by the ball and essentially compensates it.
US09291604B2
Method for measurement of vibration property of structure, and vibration property measurement device
A method for generating vibration and measuring vibration properties of a structure, such as information equipment, micro-electrco/mechanical systems, and large-equipment, using a non-contact type laser excitation in a non-contact type vibration property measurement system.
US09291599B2
A magnetic testing apparatus 100 according to the present invention comprises: a first magnetizing device 1 for applying a DC bias magnetic field to a test object P in substantially parallel to the direction in which a flaw F to be detected extends; a second magnetizing device 2 for applying an AC magnetic field to the test object P substantially perpendicularly to the direction in which the flaw F to be detected extends; and a detecting device 3 for detecting leakage flux produced by the magnetization of the test object P accomplished by the first magnetizing device 1 and the second magnetizing device 2.
US09291596B2
A semi-dry, one step electroblot transfer buffer composition for rapid transfer of proteins or polypeptides from polyacrylamide gel to a suitable membrane such as nitrocellulose or polyvinylidene difluoride (PVDF). The composition contains components that minimized electrical resistance and enabled high efficiency rapid semi-dry transfer using conventional readily available filter paper, i.e., cotton cellulose fiber.
US09291589B2
A wearable article for wearing by a user and comprising wetness sensing electrodes, wherein the wetness sensing electrodes are to be in contact with a wetting electrolytic liquid during normal use when the wearable article is wetted by the electrolytic liquid, and to operate as a capacitor upon application of a direct current at contact terminals of the wetness sensing electrodes when so wetted to facilitate capacitance measurement through the wetness sensing electrodes whereby wetness information of the wearable article is provided.
US09291586B2
A sensor for detecting one or more materials includes a substrate, a passivation layer formed on the substrate, a self-resonant structure and a high surface area material disposed on the passivation layer. The self-resonant structure includes a planar spiral inductor and a plurality of planar interdigitated capacitor electrodes disposed within the passivation layer. The planar spiral inductor includes an electrically conductive trace formed on the substrate in a planar spiral pattern having at least two turns and an inter-winding space between parallel segments of the electrically conductive trace. The plurality of planar interdigitated capacitor electrodes are electrically connected to the electrically conductive trace of the planar spiral inductor and formed on the substrate within the inter-winding space of at least one outermost turn of the planar spiral inductor. The high surface area material includes a conformal polymer coating to increase a sensitivity to the one or more materials.
US09291584B2
The method of steel grade determination for a steel material having a substantially circular cross-section comprise: a detection step in which while a measurement section 2 including an irradiation section 21 for performing X-ray irradiation and a detection section 22 for detecting fluorescent X-rays is relatively moved along an outer peripheral surface of the steel material 4 with respect to the steel material for a predetermined time period necessary for analysis, the steel material is irradiated with X-rays from the irradiation section, and fluorescent X-rays radiated from the steel material are detected by the detection section; a calculation step of calculating a composition of the steel material based on fluorescent X-rays detected in the detection step; and a determination step of determining a steel grade of the steel material according to the composition calculated in the calculation step.
US09291577B2
An apparatus for inspecting a glass substrate is provided, which comprises at least one support arm including an optical sensor that senses incident light and supporting the glass substrate, and a control portion determining whether the glass substrate and the optical sensor overlap each other or a state of the glass substrate based on characteristics of the light sensed by the optical sensor.
US09291574B2
A defect inspection method and device for irradiating a linear region on a surface-patterned sample mounted on a table, with illumination light from an inclined direction to the sample, next detecting in each of a plurality of directions an image of the light scattered from the sample irradiated with the illumination light, then processing signals obtained by the detection of the images of the scattered light, and thereby detecting a defect present on the sample; wherein the step of detecting the scattered light image in the plural directions is performed through oval shaped lenses in which elevation angles of the optical axes thereof are different from each other, within one plane perpendicular to a plane formed by the normal to the surface of the table on which to mount the sample and the longitudinal direction of the linear region irradiated with the irradiation light.
US09291572B2
A pH measuring method includes: illuminating a medium solution, which includes: a first material; and a second material, with a plurality of light beams, which includes: a first light beam, a wavelength of which corresponds to a first absorption peak; a second light beam, a wavelength of which corresponds to a second absorption peak or a second convergence point; a third light beam, a wavelength of which corresponds to a third absorption peak or a third convergence point; and a fourth light beam, a wavelength of the fourth light beam at which an absorbance of at least one of the first and second materials is converged irrespective of a pH; receiving transmitted or reflected light beams of the first to fourth light beams; measuring absorbances at the wavelengths of the received light beams respectively; and calculating a pH of the medium solution based on the absorbances.
US09291569B2
Optics collection and detection systems are provided for measuring optical signals from an array of optical sources over time. Methods of using the optics collection and detection systems are also described.
US09291558B2
A sensor comprising a substrate (100) having a first surface (105) and a second surface (110) is described. The first surface has at least one sensor site (115) provided thereon. The substrate is configured such that on excitation of a sample provided at the sensor site, luminescence originating from the sensor site propagates into the substrate, the second surface of the substrate being configured to selectively transmit the luminescence propagating within the substrates at angles greater than the critical angle out of the substrate where it may be detected by a detector (160) provided below the substrate.
US09291554B2
Electromagnetic modeling of finite structures and finite illumination for metrology and inspection are described herein. In one embodiment, a method for evaluating a diffracting structure involves providing a model of the diffracting structure. The method involves computing background electric or magnetic fields of an environment of the diffracting structure. The method involves computing scattered electric or magnetic fields from the diffracting structure using a scattered field formulation based on the computed background fields. The method further involves computing spectral information for the model of the diffracting structure based on the computed scattered fields, and comparing the computed spectral information for the model with measured spectral information for the diffracting structure. In response to a good model fit, the method involves determining a physical characteristic of the diffracting structure based on the model of the diffracting structure.
US09291551B2
An imaging apparatus for imaging a two-dimensional image of an imaging object comprises a holder which holds a sample container carrying a biological sample as the imaging object on a carrying surface, a light emitting part which emits light toward the carrying surface, an imager which includes a strip-like light receiving part, receives the light incident on the light receiving part and thereby images an image of a strip-like region of the carrying surface, a strip-like light shield which shields a part of light emitted from the illuminator toward the strip-like region, and a mover which integrally and relatively moves the light emitting part, the light receiving part and the light shield with respect to the sample container.
US09291537B2
Disclosed herein are systems, devices and methods for stress-rupture testing selected materials within a high-temperature liquid salt environment. Exemplary testing systems include a load train for holding a test specimen within a heated inert gas vessel. A thermal break included in the load train can thermally insulate a load cell positioned along the load train within the inert gas vessel. The test specimen can include a cylindrical gage portion having an internal void filled with a molten salt during stress-rupture testing. The gage portion can have an inner surface area to volume ratio of greater than 20 to maximize the corrosive effect of the molten salt on the specimen material during testing. Also disclosed are methods of making a salt ingot for placement within the test specimen.
US09291530B1
An apparatus and method are disclosed for sampling and analyzing the exhaust gas or liquid from an internal combustion engine or other device that generates a flow of exhaust gas or liquid during use. The apparatus includes a connector that is adapted to be secured adjacent to an aperture formed through an outlet conduit of an engine or other device that generates a flow of exhaust gas or liquid therethrough during use. A conduit communicates with the connector and is adapted to receive and pass therethrough at least a portion of the exhaust gas or liquid from the outlet conduit. A sensor chamber communicates with the conduit and is adapted to receive and pass therethrough at least a portion of the exhaust gas or liquid from the conduit. A one-way valve only allows the exhaust gas or liquid in the sensor chamber to exit therefrom. Lastly, a sensor senses at least one characteristic of the exhaust gas or liquid in the sensor chamber and generates a signal that is representative of such characteristic.
US09291525B2
A gas sensor element and a gas sensor incorporating the gas sensor element. The gas sensor element (100) includes a detection portion (150) including a solid electrolyte body (105) and a pair of electrodes (104) and (106) disposed on the solid electrolyte body; and a porous protection layer (20) covering the detection portion. The porous protection layer includes an inner porous layer (21) and an outer porous layer (23). The inner porous layer has a higher porosity than the outer porous layer. Further, the inner porous layer contains, as main components, ceramic particles (21a), and ceramic fiber filaments (21b), and the amount of the ceramic fiber filaments is 25 to 75 vol % based on the total amount of the ceramic particles and the ceramic fiber filaments taken as 100 vol %.
US09291524B2
Provided is an operation data collection device for construction machines that is capable of efficiently collecting operation data indicative of impending failure of a construction machine by reducing the amount of information to be collected and stored without degrading the quality of information used for maintenance. The device receives operation data containing values measured by a plurality of sensors, a value indicating the operating status and an operation data storage section. The device includes a normal reference value storage section that stores a normal reference value for each of the sensors generating the operation data, a deviation calculation section that calculates the deviation of each of the sensors from the normal reference value, and a stored sensor item extraction section that extracts sensor items of operation data to be stored in the operation data storage section in accordance with the calculated deviation of each sensor.
US09291518B2
In a knocking sensor, including: a metal shell having a cylindrical portion, and a flange portion that is located on the cylindrical portion, and projected toward an outside of the cylindrical portion in a circumferential direction, an annular weight that is fitted onto an outer circumference of the cylindrical portion, and has an upper surface, an annular piezoelectric element that is fitted onto an outer circumference of the cylindrical portion, and interposed between the flange portion and the weight, and an insulating body that is interposed between the flange portion and the piezoelectric element, a protruding portion that is protruded while being plastically deformed from an inner surface of the cylindrical portion outward in a circumferential direction, and locks the weight in contact with the upper surface of the weight directly or through a member is disposed on an outer circumferential surface of the cylindrical portion.
US09291516B2
Systems and methods for an internally switched multiple range transducer are provided. In one embodiment, a method comprises receiving, at a first sensor, a pressure, wherein the first sensor is associated with a first pressure range; measuring, at the first sensor, the pressure to generate a first pressure signal; in response to determining that the first pressure signal is not associated with the first pressure range, activating a second sensor, wherein the second sensor is associated with a second pressure range that is different from the first pressure range; and measuring, at the second sensor, the pressure to generate a second pressure signal.
US09291512B2
A sensor for measuring pressure and/or force includes at least one measuring assembly having at least one piezoelectric measuring element subjected to compressive stress for dynamic pressure and/or force measurement, and a diaphragm for introducing the pressure and/or the force onto at least the piezoelectric measuring element. The sensor also includes a further measuring assembly that is based on a different physical measuring principle for measuring static pressure and/or force.
US09291510B2
A measuring apparatus includes a sensor unit that includes a coil and a conductive cylinder arranged such that an area of an overlap zone varies as a position of an object changes; a capacitor and a resistor that make up a series circuit with the coil; a voltage applier that applies an input voltage Vi to the series circuit; a phase detector that detects a phase of a voltage Vo across the capacitor; a magnitude detector that detects a magnitude of the voltage Vo; feature data in which the phase, the magnitude, a temperature of the sensor unit, and an area of the overlap zone are associated with one another; and a calculator that calculates the temperature and the area based on the feature data using the phase and the magnitude detected by actual measurement of the voltage Vo.
US09291509B2
Systems and methods are provided for ultrafast optical waveform sampling based on temporal stretching of an input signal waveform. Temporal stretching is performed using a time lens based on four-wave mixing in a nonlinear medium. The signal is passed through an input dispersive element. The dispersed signal is sent into the time lens, which comprises a chirped pump pulse and a nonlinear medium. The chirped pump pulse is combined with the signal. The four-wave mixing process occurs in the nonlinear device or medium, which results in the generation of a signal at a new optical frequency (idler). The idler is spectrally separated from the signal and pump pulse using a bandpass filter and sent into an output dispersive element. The output dispersive element is longer than the input dispersive element and the temporal stretching factor is given by the ratio between the dispersions of these two elements.
US09291505B2
A system and method to obtain and process interferometer output scans is described. The interferometer-based sensor system includes a tunable laser to transmit a transmit signal and a polarization scrambler to produce a polarization state change on the transmit signal. The system also includes an interferometer to provide an output scan based on the transmit signal with the polarization state change and a processor to process the output scan.
US09291501B2
A multi-channel imaging spectrometer and method of use thereof. One example of the multi-channel imaging spectrometer includes a single entrance slit, a double pass reflective triplet and at least a pair of diffraction gratings. The spectrometer is configured to receive and collimate an input beam from the entrance slit, to split the collimated beam into two spectral sub-bands using a beamsplitter, and to direct each sub-band to one of the pair of diffraction gratings. The diffraction gratings are each configured to disperse the received portion of the collimated beam into its constituent colors, and redirect the dispersed outputs through the reflective triplet to be imaged into an image sensor located at a focal plane aligned with the entrance slit.
US09291499B2
A radiometer includes a substrate; a radiation absorber disposed on the substrate to absorb radiation; a thermal member disposed on the substrate to change electrical resistance in response to a change in temperature of the radiometer; and a thermal link to connect the radiometer to a thermal reference, wherein the radiation absorber, the thermal member, or a combination comprising at least one of the foregoing includes a plurality of carbon nanotubes, the carbon nanotubes being mutually aligned with respect to the substrate, and the radiometer being configured to detect optical power.
US09291493B2
The invention presents methods and instrumentation for measurement or imaging of a region of an object with waves of a general nature, for example electromagnetic (EM) and elastic (EL) waves, where the material parameters for wave propagation and scattering in the object depend on the wave field strength. The invention specially addresses suppression of 3rd order multiple scattering noise, referred to as pulse reverberation noise, and also suppression of linear scattering components to enhanced signal components from nonlinear scattering. The pulse reverberation noise is divided into three classes where the invention specially addresses Class I and Class II 3rd order multiple scattering that are generated from the same three scatterers, but in opposite sequence.
US09291491B2
A wading indicator system for a vehicle comprising: at least one sound wave pulse emitter device; at least one sound wave pulse receiver device; and a control unit. The control unit configured to measure one or more of the following variables: (i) the time of flight of a sound pulse between the at least one sound wave pulse emitter device and the at least one sound wave pulse receiver device; (ii) the amplitude of a sound pulse emitted by the at least one sound wave pulse emitter device when received by the at least one sound wave pulse receiver device; and (iii) the wavelength of a sound pulse emitted by the at least one sound wave pulse emitter device when received by the at least one sound wave pulse receiver device. Thereby the control unit is configured to determine whether at least a portion of the vehicle is immersed in water.
US09291480B2
A control unit of a linear scale includes: excitation current supplying device for causing excitation currents each having two different angular frequencies to flow through slider coils; sampling device for sampling induced voltage V induced in a scale coil, at a timing of t=(2j+1)π/(2ω) (j: an integer); position detecting device for calculating Va(j) which is a sum of samples of the induced voltage at multiple sampling points, calculating an excitation position α at which the Va(j) is equal to 0, and setting the α as a detected position X; and abnormality detecting device for calculating Vb(j) which is a sum of absolute values of the induced voltage at multiple sampling points, comparing the Vb(j) with a threshold value, and determining that the electromagnetic induction type position detector is in an abnormal state when the Vb(j) is equal to or lower than the threshold value.
US09291476B2
Methods, systems, and computer-readable media are described herein for displaying MPA procedures on a display unit of an aircraft. An assigned MPA approach path to an arrival runway is received at the aircraft. Data regarding a number of predefined MPA approach paths associated with the arrival runway are retrieved, and the assigned MPA approach path is displayed on the display unit in conjunction with other of the predefined approach paths associated with the arrival runway.
US09291472B2
Techniques are described for providing additional content that is relevant to an upcoming service appointment in an audible format. The additional content can be retrieved from remote sources and aggregated to form an audio package to be played back to the technician as the technician travels to a destination address that corresponds with the upcoming service appointment. The additional content retrieved can depend on the estimated travel time to the destination address. By presenting the additional content audibly at the same time as route directions are being presented graphically, the driver can multi-task which results in time savings since the additional content has been consumed during the drive to the upcoming appointment rather than when the technician arrives at the destination address.
US09291470B2
An apparatus and method are disclosed for providing route guidance based on emotion. The apparatus includes an emotion information acquisition unit, a route information calculation unit, and a route guidance unit. The emotion information acquisition unit obtains information about a user's emotion using an emotion acquisition sensor. The route information calculation unit calculates emotion route information using the obtained emotion information and map information. The route guidance unit provides route guidance to the user using the calculated emotion route information.
US09291469B2
A method for planning a travel route for a vehicle including an energy storage unit includes a) transmitting a destination sequence to an arithmetic logic unit coupled to a data memory storing data concerning a road network, b) calculating a route sequence for the destination sequence, c) calculating a projected amount of energy remaining in the energy storage unit for the route sequence, d) ascertaining, at least for one destination in the destination sequence, based on the projected amount of energy remaining, the road network and a projected energy consumption, points in the road network still reachable from this destination with the projected amount of energy remaining, and e) generating, for at least the one destination, a graphic map depiction in which this destination and the points in the road network still reachable from this destination are visually represented. A corresponding device for carrying out the method is also described.
US09291462B2
A method for position determination for a motor vehicle includes the acts of: satellite based determination of a geographical position of the motor vehicle, providing digital road map data, which include at least information about road segments in the surroundings of the geographical position; carrying out a first determining step for determining at least a first road segment, on which the motor vehicle is located with high probability, wherein the first determining step is based on a matching of the geographical position with the digital road map data; retrieval of traffic lane data, regarding at least the number of traffic lanes for the first road segment, from the road map database; determining the traffic lane, in which the motor vehicle is currently traveling, by use of at least the traffic lane data; and carrying out a second determining step for determining a second road segment, on which the motor vehicle is located with high probability, wherein the second determining step is based on a matching of the geographical position with the digital road map data and at least the traffic lane, in which the vehicle is traveling.
US09291453B2
This disclosure relates to a system configured to display current surf information to a user on a device worn by the user, track physical surfing activity of the user across multiple surf sessions, and/or alert the user when current surf conditions match previously highly rated surf conditions and/or any user selected criteria based on surf/weather forecast data. The system may comprise a first device (a watch) worn by the user, a second device (the user's smartphone) associated with the user but physically separate and unconnected from the first device, external resources, and/or other components.
US09291449B2
Technology for detecting a change in a configuration position of one or more elements in an illumination system is described. A light source generates an illumination signal, and an element of the system directs a portion of the light of the signal back to a light detector. In one example, the portion of light is reflected back to the light detector. By monitoring an output signal of the light detector based on the directed light, control circuitry can detect that a position of an element of the system has changed. In one example, an off-the-shelf integrated circuit laser diode package including a monitor photodiode can be used with a reflective element. In one example, the reflective element is a tilted optical element. Changes can be detected in the configuration of one or more optical elements of the illumination system which are outside the laser diode package.
US09291443B2
The present invention relates to a radar level gauge system comprising PLL circuitry for generating an output signal. The PLL circuitry is configured to indicate a lock state of the PLL circuitry; and signal modifying circuitry is connected to the PLL circuitry for receiving the output signal and for modifying at least one property of the output signal for forming the transmit signal. The signal modifying circuitry is arranged and configured to receive a PLL status signal indicative of the lock state of the PLL circuitry, and to modify the at least one property of the output signal in response to the PLL status signal indicating that the PLL circuitry is in a locked state.
US09291440B2
Ballistic resistant composite articles having improved resistance to backface deformation. The composite articles incorporate one or more vacuum panels that mitigate or eliminate shock wave energy resulting from a projectile impact to minimize transient compression of materials behind the armor.
US09291435B2
An improved shaped charge apparatus and method of manufacturing is provided including a composite wave shaper, a main charge, and a metal liner. An exemplary embodiment's wave shaper can be adapted to manipulate a shock front so that an interaction of the main charge and the metal liner occurs lower along the liner's profile such that the apparatus restricts an initial elongation of a resulting jet. An embodiment can have a thickness of the metal liner sufficient to provide a mass necessary to generate a first size diameter aperture in a target material. An embodiment an also provide a combination of the liner thickness and shock interaction point resulting in the jet having an improved length to diameter ratio among other advantages. An embodiment of the invention can also provide other advantages such as an explosive to mass ratio of less than 3 or 2 to 1.
US09291427B2
A scope includes a scope assembly and a head lighting arrangement. The scope assembly includes a tubular scope body having an objective end and an opposed sight end to define a scope axis, an objective lens and an eyepiece lens supported at the objective end and the sight end of the scope body respectively for generating a scope reticle, and an attachment base extended from a bottom side of the scope body for detachably mounting the scope body on the firearm to parallelly align the scope axis with a barrel axis of the firearm. The head lighting arrangement includes a plurality of illumination elements formed at a rim of the objective end of the scope body for generating navigation light at a direction aligned with the scope axis of the scope body.
US09291426B2
A carrying device for wearing a holster component, preferably for the concealed placement of law-enforcement equipment placed in a holster component inside the trouser-leg, wherein a slit opening is formed in the trousers to provide access to the equipment, such a way that inside the trouser-leg (3), positioned in a way to be accessible through the slit opening (4), there is a carrying component (5) suitable for wearing the holster component (2), which is fastened to the trousers' waistband (6), at a given distance from it, by holding components (7), furthermore the carrying component (5) is equipped with thigh-fasteners (8), and there are joining components (9) placed on the holster component (2) and on the carrying component (5) for the purpose of joining together the holster component (2) and the carrying component (5).
US09291420B1
A simulated weapon or firearm is provided that is formed with a mechanical operating or firing mechanism similar to that of an actual firearm. The firing mechanism is formed with components found in an actual firearm that are interconnected with components of an electronic mechanism that can monitor and control the mechanical operation of the simulated firearm. This allows for the mechanical operating mechanism to function in a manner similar to that of an actual firearm, while the electronic mechanism can introduce various mechanical failures that do not otherwise occur in the electronics-only operating mechanisms of prior simulated firearms. In addition, the operational cycles of the mechanical and electronic mechanisms are synchronized to provide a highly realistic feel to the simulated weapon.
US09291401B2
A condensing heat exchange economizer wherein upwardly flowing hot flue gas is apportioned by a damper among a plurality of reverse flow passages and redirected to flow in a downward direction through the reverse flow passages over respective bundles of heat exchange tubes carrying a counter-flowing heat exchange medium to form condensate and cool the flue gas. The economizer may comprise a housing having a main flow duct defining a main flow passage in which the damper is located, a pair of conduits opposing one another across the main flow duct and defining respective reverse flow passages, and a pair of return channels opposing one another across the main flow duct and defining respective return flow passages. The cooled flue gas may be merged with the main flow passage at a location above the damper.
US09291392B2
A drying device for bulk material, comprises a conveyor on which a first majority of perforated plates with location surfaces for the bulk material is guided along a rail comprising an upper rail section, a lower rail section and a first deflection rail section at an end, in which the perforated plates are deflected from the upper into the lower rail section, and a second deflection rail section at an opposite end in which the perforated plates are deflected from the lower into the upper rail section. A scraper device comprises one or more scraping elements arranged so that the location surface of a perforated plate moving along the first or second deflection rail section comes into contact with the scraping elements, and is cleaned by means of a relative movement between the scraping elements and the perforated plate.
US09291384B2
A refrigerator includes a secondary cooling path for circulating liquid coolant through the refrigerator wherein the liquid coolant is cooled by the freezer compartment and wherein the liquid coolant cools the ice maker and the ice bin as the liquid coolant circulates through the secondary cooling path. A pump is positioned along the secondary cooling path for pumping the liquid coolant through the secondary cooling path. A tube having a first end proximate the pump and an opposite end exposed to atmosphere may control suction pressure associated with the pump. The refrigerator reduces frost build up through configuration of the secondary cooling path or performing ice harvesting operations which melt frost. The secondary cooling path may be used to provide for circulating hot liquid. The secondary cooling path may be used to provide for circulating liquid coolant during a power outage.
US09291381B2
An ice making machine includes a heat pipe that extends between a freezer compartment and a refrigerator compartment. The heat pipe has a first end in the freezer compartment and a second end in the refrigerator compartment. A heat exchanger is located in the freezer compartment and is in contact with the first end of the heat pipe. A heat block is located in the refrigerator compartment and is in contact with the second end of the heat pipe. A removable ice cube tray is mounted on the heat block with a surface in contact with the heat block such that when the removable ice cube tray is filled with water, ice forms from the surface of the removable ice cube tray in contact with the block.
US09291377B2
An air conditioning system. The system includes apparatus for circulating a refrigerant in a path, further having apparatus for compressing the refrigerant and generating heat in the refrigerant. The system further includes apparatus for providing a driving force to the apparatus for compressing in response to the generated heat.
US09291365B2
A solar concentrator assembly includes a tripod, a base, a reflective dish, a receptacle, and a thermoelectric module or a heat transfer module. The tripod includes legs and a top tripod connector coupled to top portions thereof. The base includes a rod coupled to the tripod; a bottom support structure coupled to the rod; a top support structure coupled to the bottom support structure; an extension coupled to the bottom support structure and the top support structure; and a cap with recesses mounted to the top support structure. The reflective dish includes support rods received within the recesses; a pliable material forms panels, wherein the support rods are inserted into seams between the panels; and a reflective material disposed on the pliable material. The receptacle is connected to the base and disposed within the reflective dish. The thermoelectric module or the heat transfer module is partially disposed within the receptacle.
US09291362B2
An electrical heating device includes a frame and a layer structure arranged in the frame and comprising layers of corrugated ribs and PTC-based heat generating elements. The electrical heating device includes at least two corrugated-rib elements. The frame has two frame elements forming openings and at least one frame intermediate element arranged between them. A frame, formed solely by the frame elements, forms an accommodation space extending in the passage direction of the medium to be heated, which is appropriately formed for the accommodation of a layer structure with a level of corrugated ribs and heat generating elements. A frame, formed by the frame elements and the frame intermediate element, forms an accommodation space extending in the passage direction of the medium to be heated, which is formed for the accommodation of a layer structure with several levels of corrugated ribs and heat generating elements.
US09291361B2
A fan assembly includes a nozzle and a body on which the nozzle is mounted. The nozzle has a rear section having at least one first air inlet, at least one first air outlet, and a first interior passage for conveying air from the at least one first air inlet to the at least one first air outlet; and a front section having at least one second air inlet, at least one second air outlet, and a second interior passage for conveying air from the at least one second air inlet to the at least one second air outlet. A first air flow through the first interior passage and a second air flow through the second interior passage are each generated within the body. At least one of the temperature, humidity, and electrical charge of the second air flow is changed before it enters the second interior passage.
US09291355B2
Controlling a modulating gas furnace by monitoring a differential pressure associated with the modulating gas furnace using a low pressure limit switch configured to actuate at a first pressure, an intermediate pressure limit switch configured to actuate at a second pressure, and a high pressure limit switch configured to actuate at a third pressure, the second pressure being between the first and third pressure, selectively operating the modulating gas furnace in one of a cycling mode, a modulating mode in a lower range, and a modulating mode in an upper range, the modulating mode in the lower range being associated with an output capacity range between the output capacity ranges of the cycling mode and the modulating mode in the upper range, and selectively operating the furnace in response to at least one of the low pressure limit switch, the intermediate pressure limit switch, and the high pressure limit switch.
US09291354B2
A home appliance and method including an appliance body having an oven access opening; an oven door for selectively covering the oven access opening; and a window in the oven door for viewing the oven contents, the window having a treated window portion for obscuring the view of the oven contents behind the treated window portion, the treated window portion being fabricated using a window treatment apparatus for supporting a window for treatment, the window treatment apparatus including a support stand defining a window support area, a blocking element mounted to the window stand for movement into and out of a covering relation with the window support area, the blocking element having a window cover plate having a window cover area smaller in area than the window support area, with the difference in the area of the window support area and the window cover area defining a window treatment area.
US09291352B2
A system including a multi-tube fuel nozzle, including a plurality of tubes extending in an axial direction relative to a central axis of the multi-tube fuel nozzle, wherein each tube of the plurality of tubes includes an air inlet, a fuel inlet, and a fuel-air mixture outlet; and an inlet flow conditioner, including a plate extending in a radial direction relative to the central axis of the multi-tube fuel nozzle; an outer wall extending circumferentially about the plate, wherein the outer wall is coupled to the plate; and a plurality of air openings in the plate, the outer wall, or a combination thereof, wherein the plurality of air openings are disposed upstream from the air inlets in the plurality of tubes.
US09291347B2
A method controls mass and heat loading of sludge feed into a fluidized bed combustor (FBC) controlled via regulation of a polymer dosage or a sludge feed rate including: continuously monitoring at least one performance characteristic of the FBC; producing an input signal characteristic; analyzing the input signal and determining a first rate of change of the characteristic; generating an output signal based on the first rate of change to control addition of polymer to the FBC; generating a second output signal to control addition of sludge feed to the FBC; and determining a transition point between the addition of polymer and addition of sludge, which transition point is an upper limit of a first rate change to maintain flow so that the value of the characteristic is maintained proximate at the upper limit.
US09291343B2
Provided is a boiler structure that allows for appropriate flow-rate distribution for each furnace wall by using a simple configuration without any moving parts in a wide thermal-load range of a furnace from a partial load to a rated load. In a boiler structure having a furnace water-wall formed of multiple boiler evaporation tubes and configured to generate steam by heating water inside the furnace when the water that is pressure-fed to the boiler evaporation tubes flows inside the tubes, the boiler structure includes a pressure-loss adjusting section, for an internal fluid, provided in an outlet connection tube that connects outlets of water walls obtained by dividing the furnace water-wall into multiple parts.
US09291337B1
A paintless dent removal LED light module has a plurality of selectively illuminated LED strips. There is a small gap between a generally planar diffuser panel and the LED strips, so an image formed upon the diffuser panel has parallel bright strips separated by dark regions. The LED strips are supported upon a tray bottom surface, the tray also having a circumferential and vertically rising side wall, and a lip defining a second plane generally parallel with but displaced from the tray bottom. The diffuser panel rests upon the lip, and is secured by a band having an elastomeric exterior. The tray bottom may incorporate one or more ribs to provide additional strength and rigidity. A power supply has an entirely non-marring exterior with a supporting suction cup. A ball and socket neck having an entirely non-marring exterior mechanically and electrically couples the PDR light to the power supply.
US09291322B2
A headlamp assembly comprising a housing forming an internal chamber and forming an opening to one side, at least a first light source having a first illumination axis, the first light source mounted in a central portion of the internal chamber substantially at a first depth, at least a second light source having a second illumination axis, the second light source mounted in a circumferential portion of the chamber substantially at a second depth wherein the first depth is greater than the second depth, a first aspherical lens formed about a first optic axis, the first aspherical lens mounted within the opening with the first optic axis coaxially aligned with the first illumination axis and a second aspherical lens formed about a second optic axis, the second aspherical lens mounted within the opening with the second optic axis coaxially aligned with the second illumination axis.
US09291318B1
A programmable light rope system is a wirelessly operated rope light assembly having an LED rope light with a programmable light controller, a transmitter, a receiver, and a remote controller. The light rope is constructed with color chambers that are formed by the space between LEDs. The LEDs are positioned perpendicularly to the linear axis of and within the inner volume of the transparent tube and the color control wires diagonally connect the LEDs forming a 7-shaped profile within each color chamber. The programmable light controller allows over 44 million possibilities of color and flashing combinations with 11 colors and multiple shades of each color.
US09291313B2
A wavelength conversion element includes a phosphor layer that includes phosphors and a binder. The thickness of a phosphor region obtained by multiplying the thickness of the phosphor layer by the volume concentration of the phosphor is equal to or larger than 15 μm.
US09291304B1
A skateboard wall mounting device for quickly displaying a bare skateboard deck or a completely assembled skateboard with trucks and wheels attached to the deck. The skateboard wall mounting device generally includes a mounting base, a pair of specific and continuous diameter posts extending from the mounting base and aligned with the deck holes of a skateboard. Due to the specific and continuous diameter design of the posts, the device can accommodate the hanging and mounting of all skateboards from different manufacturers and periods of manufacture without incurring modification and damage to the skateboard.
US09291303B2
A fastening apparatus having a base part (4) for fastening and/or adjusting a light grid housing (1) having a partly round housing cross-section (34) in a housing section at an assembly body (12), wherein the base part (4) has an open receiver (24) for the light grid housing (1), wherein the receiver (24) forms a circular section (30) in cross-section and the circular section (30) has an angle (α) of more than 180 degrees, wherein the receiver (24) of the base part (4) is slightly smaller than the partly round housing cross-section (34) of the housing section, wherein the light grid housing (1) is arranged in the receiver (24) and is held by the receiver (24) by force transmission.
US09291300B2
An active vibration isolation system for isolating a suspended platform from vibration input to the vibration isolation system base includes an exoskeleton which supports the suspended platform relative to the base. The exoskeleton includes first and second scissors mechanisms with main links of unequal length. The main links pass through a parallel condition as the suspended platform moves over its intended range of travel relative to the base. The vibration isolation system may include a rotary actuator and a drive mechanism separate from the exoskeleton for providing force output from the rotary actuator to the suspended platform. The rotary actuator may include inner and outer rotors which rotate relative to each other and may be free to rotate relative to the exoskeleton. The rotary actuator may be free to translate relative to the vibration isolation system base and the suspended platform.
US09291294B2
A quick connect/disconnect system includes a first component and a second component. The first component includes a tube coupling portion. The second component defines a channel configured to receive the tube coupling portion. The channel opens to a first end portion of the second component. The second component further includes a first resilient seal positioned within the channel adjacent to the first end portion and sized to sealingly engage the tube coupling portion, a second resilient seal positioned within the channel and spaced apart from the first resilient seal, the second resilient seal sized to sealingly engage the tube coupling portion, and an annular expansion area located between the first resilient seal and the second resilient seal and in fluid communication with the channel.
US09291288B2
A modular system for supporting, on an underlying framework, and at plural pipe-underside locations, an elongate linear pipe. The system includes (a) for each such location, a shoe anchorable to the pipe's underside at that location, (b) for one pipe-underside location only, an anchor securable to the framework for receiving and anchoring the shoe, and thus the pipe also, at this one location, against any motion relative to the framework, and (c) for each other pipe-underside location, a guide securable to the framework for guidably receiving the adjacent shoe in a manner permitting it, and thus the pipe also, at this other location, solely reversible sliding motion relative to the framework along a line substantially paralleling the pipe's long axis.
US09291282B2
A stackable noise attenuating disk includes an inner perimeter edge and an outer perimeter edge. A plurality of inlet passages is disposed along the inner perimeter edge and a plurality of outlet passages disposed along the outer perimeter edge. The plurality of outlet passages includes first outlet passages having a first width and second outlet passages having a second width, which is greater than the first width. Each of the plurality of outlet passages defines a longitudinal axis that is offset by a predetermined angle from a radial axis extending through a corresponding outlet passage. The plurality of inlet passages and the plurality of outlet passages are arranged such that fluid entering one of the plurality of inlet passages exits through at least one of the plurality of outlet passages.
US09291272B2
A labyrinth seal assembly, bearing assembly therewith, and method of construction thereof, has an outer rigid carrier and an inner sleeve. The carrier has an outer cylindrical flange and a radially inwardly extending leg and the sleeve has a cylindrical wall and a radially outwardly extending flange. A seal body is attached to at least one of the leg and the flange, wherein a labyrinth passage extends between the seal body and the sleeve, from an air side of the assembly to an oil side of the assembly, during normal use of the assembly.
US09291259B2
A shift device includes a knob that is rotatable about an axis and movable when pushed in the axial direction. An alternating action generation unit switches the knob, whenever the knob is pushed, between a base position and a hold position, which is separated from the base position in the axial direction. A base position return unit returns the knob to the base position when the knob has been rotated from the base position. A push restriction unit restricts pushing of the knob that has been rotated from the base position. A rotation restriction unit restricts rotation of the knob that is located at the hold position.
US09291256B2
Methods and systems are described for heating a powertrain prior to an engine start. One method includes heating a coolant by circulating the coolant through a radiator and operating an electric radiator fan, and flowing the coolant across the powertrain. The coolant is heated and circulated across the powertrain when a temperature of the powertrain is lower than ambient temperature.
US09291255B2
A planetary gear device includes: a sun gear having external teeth; a plurality of planet gears having external teeth and meshed with the sun gear; a ring gear having internal teeth and meshed with the planet gears; and a baffle unit disposed between the planet gears adjacent to each other and configured to collect lubricant oil into a collection chamber. The baffle unit includes: a discharge outlet to discharge a portion of the lubricant oil collected in the collection chamber in an axial direction; and a ring gear oil supply hole to discharge another portion of the lubricant oil in a radially outward direction and supplied to the ring gear, and a weir member separable from the baffle unit and configured to cover a portion of the discharge outlet to reserve the lubricant oil to be discharged through the ring gear oil supply hole.
US09291239B2
It is an object to provide a mooring device capable of connecting weight members to each other easily and tightly and of preventing electric conduction between weight members and generating no noise or heat which causes malfunction. It is an object to provide a steering mooring mechanism using the mooring device. The mooring device has fixing members fixed to two electrically conductive members to be moored, and a metal connecting member connecting the fixing members, wherein at least one of the fixing members is configured as a non-conductive fixing member having a metal fixing body fixed to the member to be moored, and a coupling body made of non-conductive material for coupling the fixing body and the connecting member in a manner not to contact each other, such that the connecting member is non-conductive with respect to the member to be moored on the side of the non-conductive fixing member.
US09291238B2
A liquid ejecting apparatus includes a first pulley; a second pulley; a head unit ejecting a liquid; a carriage in which the head unit is provided; a motor that generates power for driving the carriage; a power supply that supplies the power for ejecting the liquid from the head unit; and a belt that is hung on the first pulley and the second pulley, drives the carriage by the power supplied from the motor, and transmits the power to the head unit, in which the belt includes a first member for electrically connecting the power supply and the head unit, and a second member having an electric resistivity higher than an electric resistivity of the first member.
US09291228B2
A vibration absorber for damping vibrations of motor vehicle components. The vibration absorber comprises an absorber mass including a passage, and an elastomeric spring member inserted in the passage of the absorber mass. The elastomeric spring member comprises an outer sleeve connecting the elastomeric spring member to the absorber mass, and an inner sleeve for attachment to the motor vehicle component to undergo vibration absorption. An elastomer body interconnects the inner sleeve and the outer sleeve. The elastomeric spring member also includes a securing element. The vibration absorber includes stops that are spaced apart in an axial direction and that cooperate with the securing element to secure the absorber mass in the axial direction.
US09291225B2
A brake backing plate is provided in which a non-compressible core material is sandwiched between two sheet metal stampings to make a lightweight, composite brake backing plate. Each of the stampings has a textured face with a plurality of integrally formed piercing members. By rolling or pressing, the piercing members of the textured faces are fully embedded in the core material, and thus lock the stampings and the core material together.
US09291217B2
A pulley assembly with a radially oriented decoupling mechanism is disclosed. The pulley assembly includes a pulley body having a bore therethrough, a hub, and a one-way clutch mechanism. The pulley body is rotatable in a predominate direction. The hub defines an axis of rotation. The hub is disposed within the pulley body. The one-way clutch mechanism radially surrounds the hub. The one way clutch mechanism includes an engaged position and a disengaged position. The hub and the pulley body rotate together in the predominate direction if the one-way clutch mechanism is in the engaged position. The hub freely rotates with respect to the pulley body if the one-way clutch mechanism is in the disengaged position.
US09291214B2
A hydraulic system for a double piston includes a double piston that includes an operation piston with a first operation side and a second operation side, a first piston port for supplying hydraulic pressure to the first operation side, and a second piston port for supplying hydraulic pressure to the second operation side, a solenoid valve that receives a clutch control pressure and communicates with the first piston port through a first channel, a switch valve that receives the clutch control pressure from the solenoid valve, may be connected with the second piston port through a second channel, and selectively transmits the clutch control pressure to the second piston port, and a manual valve that receives a line pressure and selectively transmits the line pressure to the switch valve such that the clutch control pressure may be selectively transmitted to the second operation side through the second channel.
US09291210B2
A dual mass flywheel and dual clutch module assembly includes a connector plate and a drive plate. The connector plate is fastened to a center plate of the dual clutch module and has a plurality of castellation tabs disposed on an inner periphery of the connector plate. The drive plate drivingly connected to a flywheel member of the dual mass flywheel and includes a plurality of castellation tabs disposed on an inner periphery of the drive plate. The plurality of castellation tabs of the connector plate are interleaved with the plurality of castellation tabs of the drive plate.
US09291209B2
A rotation clamping mechanism includes a rotating member and at least two engagement members that are attached to the rotating member and transmit rotational power. The engagement members engage a rotated object placed in a predetermined positional relationship with the engagement members. The rotated object is rotated by rotating the rotating member. The engagement members are supported on the rotating member so as to swing to an engagement position where power is transmitted to the rotated object and to a release position where engagement is released. The rotation clamping mechanism further includes: an opening/closing mechanism that moves the engagement members between the engagement position and the release position; and a biasing member that biases the engagement members toward the engagement position. At the engagement position, the engagement members clamp the rotated object in a floating state with the engagement members pressed onto the rotated object by the biasing member.
US09291207B2
A constant velocity universal includes an outer joint member having an inner peripheral surface including track grooves that are formed at a plurality of positions on the inner peripheral surface and extend in an axial direction, and an inner joint member having an outer peripheral surface including track grooves that are formed at a plurality of positions on the outer peripheral surface and in pairs with the track grooves of the outer joint member, the track grooves extending in the axial direction. Balls are interposed between the track grooves of the outer and inner joint members. A track chamfer is provided at each boundary portion between each of the track grooves and the inner peripheral surface of the outer joint member, and a track chamfer is provided at each boundary portion between each of the track grooves and the outer peripheral surface of the inner joint member.
US09291170B2
In one embodiment a blower comprises a case comprising a first surface, a second surface opposite the first surface, and a side wall extending between portions of the first surface and the second surface, wherein the side wall comprises an air inlet and an air outlet, an impeller disposed in the case and rotatable about an axis of rotation extending through a hub, wherein the impeller comprises a plurality of blades which define a gap with the hub, wherein portions of the side wall are disposed at least a first distance from the axis of rotation and the impeller is to define a circumferential airflow path within the case, wherein the impeller is to create an airflow in the circumferential airflow path between the air inlet and the air outlet, and a feature disposed in the gap to impede recirculation of air in the case.
US09291167B2
An apparatus and method for cooling a compressor motor (152)having a motor stator (162) and rotor (166)in a refrigerant system(100). The method cools the rotor and the stator, electromagnetic bearings (160)located within a compressor housing providing refrigerant liquid to the stator internal channels, the channels being in fluid communication with a rotor passageway (172), and a flow-control device (168) controlling refrigerant flow into the stator. A temperature monitoring device (176) in communication with a controller (140) monitors motor temperature. The controller (140)evaluates the motor temperature and adjusts refrigerant flow through the flow control device (168), maintaining the motor (152) within a predetermined temperature range.
US09291166B2
A cooling system provided for a motor powering a compressor in a vapor compression system. The cooling system includes a housing enclosing the motor and a cavity located within the housing. A fluid circuit has a first connection with the housing configured to provide a liquid or two phase cooling fluid to the motor. The two phase cooling fluid is separable into a vapor phase portion and a liquid phase portion. The fluid circuit further has a second connection with the housing to remove cooling fluid in fluid communication with the fluid circuit. The cooling fluid conveyed through the second connection is two phase cooling fluid. The fluid circuit further has a third connection with the housing for receiving and circulating in the cavity the vapor phase portion conveyed through the second connection.
US09291163B2
A pump includes a second housing member in which a suction-side groove and a discharge-side groove are formed at a predetermined interval in a circumferential direction of a bottom of a pump chamber so as to be recessed in the bottom of the pump chamber. Fitting portions that are fitted to bosses are formed on an outer surface of the second housing member. A protruding portion, which overlaps with the bosses in a thickness direction, is formed so as to protrude from a surface of the housing on which the fitting portions are formed. A relief valve is provided in the protruding portion, and the relief valve discharges fluid from the discharge-side groove when pressure in the discharge-side groove is equal to or higher than predetermined pressure.
US09291157B1
An automated system for dampening pulsation of a medium, wherein the system comprises a pressure pulsation dampener, a transducer, and a control unit for instructing a motor to move the choke plate depending on signals sent from the transducer. The pressure pulsation dampener has a housing, a choke plate, a shaft, an indicator plate, a stop pin and a removable fastener for engaging at least one of the plurality of indicator openings and securing to a portion of the outlet half housing.
US09291154B2
Methods and systems for use in monitoring a tachometer are provided. A method for use in correcting a signal from a tachometer coupled to a rotating shaft in a wind turbine includes receiving a raw tachometer signal from the tachometer coupled to a wind turbine shaft, the signal indicating the speed and/or angular position of the shaft, determining a cyclic error exists in the raw tachometer signal, and providing a corrective signal to adjust a torque within the wind turbine using the determined cyclic error.
