US09299911B2
A piezoelectric thin-film multilayer body includes a substrate, an adhesive layer on the substrate, a lower electrode layer on the adhesive layer, and a lead-free piezoelectric thin-film layer on the lower electrode layer. The lead-free piezoelectric thin-film layer is composed of lithium potassium sodium niobate (composition formula (NaxKyLiz)NbO3, 0
US09299910B1
Micromechanical resonators having stub anchors are described. The micromechanical resonators may be suspended, being connected to a substrate or support by one or more anchors. The anchor(s) may include one or more stubs which can impact the acoustic impedance of the anchor(s). The stub(s) may have various shapes and sizes. In some instances, multiple resonators may be coupled together by a connector having one or more stubs.
US09299898B2
In some embodiments, a composition includes: a conversion material and a bisphenol-A polycarbonate; wherein a molded article of the bisphenol-A polycarbonate has a transmission level of greater than or equal to 90.0% at a thickness of 2.5 mm as measured by ASTM D1003-00; and wherein the molded article comprises an increase in the yellow index of less than 2 during 2,000 hours of heat aging at 130° C.; and wherein the conversion material comprises a yellow conversion material, a green conversion material, a red conversion material, or a combination comprising at least one of the foregoing.
US09299896B2
A curable composition is provided. A cured product showing excellent light extraction efficiency, crack resistance, hardness, thermal shock resistance and adhesive strength after a curing, as well as showing excellent processability and workability is provided. Also, surface stickiness may be prevented in the cured product without causing turbidity etc.
US09299895B1
A light emitting diode is provided. The light emitting diode comprises a lead frame, a resin base, an emitting chip and a glue. The lead frame has a plurality of electrode portions thereon. The resin base is provided on the lead frame, the resin base having an outer wall thereon and around an edge to form an opening, and the opening exposing the electrode portions; and an inner wall extending from the outer wall, and the inner side of the inner wall has a slope to decrease the inner diameter of the opening gradually. The emitting chip is attached on the top surface(s) of one or two the electrode portion(s). The glue is filled into a space between the emitting chip and the inner wall to expose the top surface of the emitting chip. Therefore, the illumination of the light emitting diode can be enhanced.
US09299884B2
Provided are a light emitting device and a light emitting device package including the same. The light emitting device comprises a first conductive type semiconductor layer, an active layer comprising a plurality of quantum well layers and a plurality of barrier layers, which are alternately laminated on the first conductive type semiconductor layer, and a second conductive type semiconductor layer on the active layer. The plurality of barrier layers comprise a plurality of first barrier layers comprising an n-type dopant, and the conductive type dopant doped into the plurality of first barrier layers have different doping concentrations for each layer.
US09299881B2
A light emitting device comprises a first layer of an n-type semiconductor material, a second layer of a p-type semiconductor material, and an active layer between the first layer and the second layer. A light coupling layer is disposed adjacent to one of the first layer and the second layer. In some cases, the light coupling layer is formed by roughening a buffer layer of the light emitting device. The light emitting device includes an electrode in electrical communication with one of the first layer and the second layer through a portion of the light coupling layer.
US09299879B2
The present invention provides a simplifying method for a peeling process as well as peeling and transcribing to a large-size substrate uniformly. A feature of the present invention is to peel a first adhesive and to cure a second adhesive at the same time in a peeling process, thereby to simplify a manufacturing process. In addition, the present invention is to devise the timing of transcribing a peel-off layer in which up to an electrode of a semiconductor are formed to a predetermined substrate. In particular, a feature is that peeling is performed by using a pressure difference in the case that peeling is performed with a state in which plural semiconductor elements are formed on a large-size substrate.
US09299865B2
A SPAD-type photodiode has a semiconductor substrate with a light-receiving surface. A lattice formed of interlaced strips made of a first material covers the light receiving surface. The lattice includes lattice openings with lateral walls covered by a spacer made of a second material. Then first and second materials have different optical indices, and further each optical index is less than or equal to the substrate optical index. A pitch of the lattice is of the order of a magnitude of an operating wavelength of the photodiode. The first and second materials are transparent at that operating wavelength. The lattice is made of a conductive material electrically coupled to an electrical connection node (for example, a bias voltage node).
US09299861B2
In an embodiment, a photovoltaic system includes multiple photovoltaic modules and a module-to-module bus. Each photovoltaic module defines a first end and a second end opposite the first end. Each photovoltaic module includes multiple photovoltaic cells and multiple converters. Energy generated by each photovoltaic cell has multiple paths through the photovoltaic cells to the second end. The converters are electrically coupled to the photovoltaic cells at the second end such that energy generated by each photovoltaic cell is receivable at any of the converters. The module-to-module bus is electrically coupled to each of the photovoltaic modules. The module-to-module bus has an output. Energy generated by each photovoltaic module is receivable at the output independent of any other of the photovoltaic modules.
US09299856B2
Fluorine is located in selective portions of a gate oxide to adjust characteristics of the gate oxide. In some embodiments, the fluorine promotes oxidation which increases the thickness of the selective portion of the gate oxide. In some embodiments, the fluorine lowers the dielectric constant of the oxide at the selective portion. In some examples, having fluorine at selective portions of a select gate oxide of a non volatile memory may reduce program disturb of the memory.
US09299842B2
Provided are a fin transistor including a plurality of fins and a semiconductor integrated circuit including a plurality of fin transistors. A width of at least one fin of the plurality of fins is different from widths of the other fins, and each width of the plurality of fins is individually determined based on the electrical characteristics of the fin transistor.
US09299841B2
Semiconductor devices with reduced substrate defects and methods of manufacture are disclosed. The method includes forming at least one gate structure over a plurality of fin structures. The method further includes removing dielectric material adjacent to the at least one gate structure using a maskless process, thereby exposing an underlying epitaxial layer formed adjacent to the at least one gate structure. The method further includes depositing metal material on the exposed underlying epitaxial layer to form contact metal in electrical contact with source and drain regions, adjacent to the at least one gate structure. The method further includes forming active areas and device isolation after the formation of the contact metal, including the at least one gate structure. The active areas and the contact metal are self-aligned with each other in a direction parallel to the at least one gate structure.
US09299832B2
An integrated circuit and method having an extended drain MOS transistor with a buried drift region, a drain diffused link, a channel diffused link, and an isolation link which electrically isolated the source, where the isolation diffused link is formed by implanting through segmented areas to dilute the doping to less than two-thirds the doping in the drain diffused link.
US09299831B2
A field effect transistor and a semiconductor device are provided which enable a drain breakdown voltage in an off state and a drain breakdown voltage in an on state to be improved respectively. There are provided therein a field oxide film disposed on an N-type drift region positioned between a channel region of a silicon substrate and an N-type drain, an N-type drift layer disposed beneath the drift region of the silicon substrate and the drain, and an embedded layer higher in P-type impurity concentration than the silicon substrate. The embedded layer is disposed beneath the drift layer except for below at least a portion of the drain in the silicon substrate.
US09299824B2
A FET disclosed herein comprises a substrate, a first semiconductor layer disposed over the substrate, a second semiconductor layer disposed over the first semiconductor layer, wherein an interface between the first semiconductor layer and the second semiconductor layer has a two-dimensional electron gas. The E-mode FET further comprises a p+ III-V semiconductor layer disposed over the second semiconductor layer and a depolarization layer disposed between the second semiconductor layer and the p+ III-V semiconductor layer.
US09299820B2
A semiconductor device of the present invention includes a semiconductor layer, a plurality of gate trenches formed in the semiconductor layer, a gate electrode filled via a gate insulating film in the plurality of gate trenches, an n+-type emitter region, a p-type base region, and an n−-type drift region disposed, lateral to each gate trench, in order in a depth direction of the gate trench from a front surface side of the semiconductor layer, a p+-type collector region disposed on a back surface side of the semiconductor layer with respect to the n−-type drift region, an emitter trench formed between the plurality of gate trenches adjacent to each other, and a buried electrode filled via an insulating film in the emitter trench, and electrically connected with the n+-type emitter region, and the emitter trench is disposed at an interval of 2 μm or less via an n−-type drift region with the gate trench.
US09299818B2
An object of the present invention is to provide a trench gate type IGBT achieving both retention of withstand voltage and lowering of ON-state voltage and to provide a method for manufacturing the trench gate type IGBT. The IGBT according to the present invention is an SJ-RC-IGBT which includes a drift layer having super junction structure, and includes an IGBT area and an FWD area on the rear surface. In the IGBT according to the present invention, a first drift layer has an impurity concentration of 1×1015 atms/cm3 or higher and lower than 2×1016 atms/cm3, and a thickness of 10 μm or larger and smaller than 50 μm; and that a buffer layer has an impurity concentration of 1×1015 atms/cm3 or higher and lower than 2×1016 atms/cm3, and a thickness of 2 μm or larger and smaller than 15 μm.
US09299811B2
Semiconductor devices may include first and second fins that protrude from a substrate, extend in a first direction, and are separated from each other in the first direction. Semiconductor devices may also include a field insulating layer that is disposed between the first and second fins to extend in a second direction intersecting the first direction, an etch-stop layer pattern that is formed on the field insulating layer and a dummy gate structure that is formed on the etch-stop layer pattern.
US09299806B2
An integrated circuit and a method of forming is provided. The method includes forming a first well in a substrate, the first well having a first conductivity type, and forming a first source/drain region in the first well, the first source/drain region having a second conductivity type. A resistance protection ring is formed on the substrate.
US09299803B2
Provided is a method of forming a semiconductor device. The method includes providing a substrate having n-type doped source/drain features; depositing a flowable dielectric material layer over the substrate; and performing a wet annealing process to the flowable dielectric material layer. The wet annealing process includes a first portion performed at a temperature below 600 degrees Celsius (° C.) and a second portion performed at temperatures above 850° C. wherein the second portion is performed for a shorter duration than the first portion. In embodiments, the second portion has a spike temperature ramp profile with a peak temperature ranging from about 900° C. to about 1,050° C. and a spike duration ranging from about 0.7 seconds to about 10 seconds. The wet annealing process satisfies thermal budget for converting the flowable dielectric material layer to a dense oxide layer while maintaining tensile strain in an n-channel between the doped source/drain features.
US09299795B2
A gate structure in a semiconductor device includes: a gate stack formed on a substrate with three sections, a bottom portion, a top portion, and a sacrificial cap layer over the top portion; gate spacers, source and drain regions, a nitride encapsulation over top and sidewalls of the gate stack after removal of the sacrificial cap layer, an organic planarizing layer over the nitride encapsulation, planarizing the encapsulation, and silicidation performed over the source and drain regions and the bottom portion after removal of the nitride encapsulation, the organic planarizing layer, and the top portion of the gate stack.
US09299782B2
A semiconductor device includes: a plurality of n type pillar regions and an n− type epitaxial layer disposed on a first surface of an n+ type silicon carbide substrate; a p type epitaxial layer and an n+ region disposed on the plurality of n type pillar regions and the n− type epitaxial layer; a trench penetrating the n+ region and the p type epitaxial layer and disposed on the plurality of n type pillar regions and the n− type epitaxial layer; a gate insulating film disposed within the trench; a gate electrode disposed on the gate insulating film; an oxide film disposed on the gate electrode; a source electrode disposed on the p type epitaxial layer, the n+ region, and the oxide film; and a drain electrode disposed on a second surface of the n+ type silicon carbide substrate, wherein each corner portion of the trench is in contact with a corresponding n type pillar region.
US09299777B2
A method for fabricating a semiconductor device comprises forming a nanowire on an insulator layer at a surface of a substrate; forming a dummy gate over a portion of the nanowire and a portion of the insulator layer; forming recesses in the insulator layer on opposing sides of the dummy gate; forming spacers on opposing sides of the dummy gate; forming source regions and drain regions in the recesses in the insulator layer on opposing sides of the dummy gate; depositing an interlayer dielectric on the source regions and the drain regions; removing the dummy gate to form a trench; removing the insulator layer under the nanowire such that a width of the trench underneath the nanowire is equal to or less than a distance between the spacers; and forming a replacement gate in the trench.
US09299773B2
A semiconductor structure and a method for forming the same are provided. The semiconductor structure comprises a first semiconductor region, a second semiconductor region, a dielectric structure and a gate electrode layer. The first semiconductor region has a first type conductivity. The second semiconductor region has a second type conductivity opposite to the first type conductivity. The first semiconductor region is adjoined to the second semiconductor region. The dielectric structure is on the first semiconductor region and the second semiconductor region. The gate electrode layer is on the dielectric structure.
US09299769B2
Semiconductor-on-oxide structures and related methods of forming such structures are disclosed. In one case, a method includes: forming a first dielectric layer over a substrate; forming a first conductive layer over the first dielectric layer, the first conductive layer including one of a metal or a silicide; forming a second dielectric layer over the first conductive layer; bonding a donor wafer to the second dielectric layer, the donor wafer including a donor dielectric and a semiconductor layer; cleaving the donor wafer to remove a portion of the donor semiconductor layer; forming at least one semiconductor isolation region from an unremoved portion of the donor semiconductor layer; and forming a contact to the first conductive layer through donor dielectric and the second dielectric layer.
US09299768B2
A semiconductor device includes a channel having a first linear surface and a first non-linear surface. The first non-linear surface defines a first external angle of about 80 degrees to about 100 degrees and a second external angle of about 80 degrees to about 100 degrees. The semiconductor device includes a dielectric region covering the channel between a source region and a drain region. The semiconductor device includes a gate electrode covering the dielectric region between the source region and the drain region.
US09299766B2
Method of forming a deep trench capacitor are provided. The method may include forming a deep trench in a substrate; enlarging a width of a lower portion of the deep trench to be wider than a width of the rest of the deep trench; epitaxially forming a compressive stress layer in the lower portion of the deep trench; forming a metal-insulator-metal (MIM) stack within the lower portion of the deep trench; and filling a remaining portion of the deep trench with a semiconductor. Alternatively to forming the compressive stress layer or in addition thereto, a silicide may be formed by co-deposition of a refractory metal and silicon.
US09299765B2
Embodiments include a metal-insulator-metal (MIM) capacitor having: a first electrode; a second electrode disposed proximate the first electrode; an insulator layer between the first and second electrodes; and a reactive layer positioned proximate the insulator layer and configured to allow altering of the reactive layer to change a capacitive value of the MIM capacitor, the reactive layer including a reactive conductor.
US09299759B2
Provided is an organic light-emitting display device that includes: a substrate; a first wiring that extends in a first direction on the substrate and comprises first and second portions with an opening therebetween; a second wiring that overlaps with the opening and extends in a second direction that crosses the first direction; an insulating film that covers the first wiring and the second wiring and comprises a first contact hole that exposes the first portion of the first wiring and a second contact hole that exposes the second portion; and a bridge electrode that is formed on the insulating film, is electrically connected to the first and second portions through the first and second contact holes, and comprises a transparent conductive oxide and a metal.
US09299758B2
Disclosed is a dual display device having a vertical structure, in which a reflective display device and a self-emissive display device are formed on one substrate in a vertical structure so as to enable a reflective display or a self-emissive display according to a situation and provide a high resolution display. The dual display device having a vertical structure includes: a thin film transistor formed on a substrate; a white light emitting device formed on the thin film transistor: a reflection adjusting layer formed on the white light emitting device; and a color converting layer formed on the reflection adjusting layer.
US09299756B2
A pixel includes a driving transistor to control an amount of drain-to-source current flowing from a first electrode to a second electrode based on a voltage applied to a first gate electrode. The current is used to control light emitted from an organic light emitting diode. The pixel also includes a first transistor coupled between the first gate electrode and second electrode of the driving transistor. The first gate electrode is under an active layer of the driving transistor, and the first gate electrode overlaps the active layer of the driving transistor.
US09299754B2
An organic light emitting display includes a substrate, a thin film transistor disposed on the substrate, an overcoat layer having a first thru-hole formed therethrough to expose a portion of the thin film transistor and inclined at an angle with respect to the substrate, an upper passivation layer disposed on the overcoat layer and having a second thru-hole formed threrethrough to expose the portion of the thin film transistor, a first electrode connected to the thin film transistor through the second thru-hole, a light emitting layer disposed on the first electrode, and a second electrode disposed on the light emitting layer.
US09299750B2
An organic light emitting diode (OLED) display device having a built-in touch panel is discussed in which pad parts of a touch panel array are connected on a gate in panel (GIP) circuit unit formed on a lower substrate with an OLED array formed thereon. When an upper substrate is adhered to the lower substrate, occurrence of cracks in routing lines of the touch panel array is prevented. The OLED display device includes a lower substrate provided thereon with an organic light emitting diode array including a thin film transistor and an OLED and a GIP circuit unit, an upper substrate adhered to the lower substrate by an adhesive layer to face each other and provided thereon with a touch panel array including first and second sensor electrodes, and routing lines formed on the GIP circuit unit to be connected to the first and second sensor electrodes.
US09299743B2
A light-emitting apparatus according to the present invention includes: an elongated substrate; a plurality of LEDs arranged in a straight line on the substrate in a longitudinal direction of the substrate; and a sealing member that includes an optical wavelength converter and seals the LEDs, wherein the sealing member is formed in a straight line in a direction of arrangement of the LEDs and seals the LEDs collectively.
US09299739B2
In a photoelectric conversion apparatus that adds signals of a plurality of photoelectric conversion elements included in photoelectric conversion units, each of the plurality of photoelectric conversion elements includes a first semiconductor region of a first conductivity type that collects signal carriers. The first semiconductor regions included in photoelectric conversion elements that are included in each of the photoelectric conversion units and that are arranged adjacent to each other sandwich a second semiconductor region of a second conductivity type. A height of a potential barrier for the signal carriers generated in a certain region of the second semiconductor region is smaller than a height of a potential barrier for the signal carriers generated in a third semiconductor region between each of the first semiconductor regions and an overflow drain region of the first conductivity type.
US09299737B2
An image pickup device includes a sensor substrate. The sensor substrate includes: plural photoelectric conversion elements and driving elements for the plural photoelectric conversion elements which are formed on a substrate; wirings electrically connected to the driving elements; and a shield electrode disposed in a region between the plural photoelectric conversion elements and the wirings in a layer different from that of the wirings.
US09299730B2
A thin film transistor (TFT) array substrate includes: a substrate; a first insulation layer on the substrate; a capacitor including a lower electrode on the first insulation layer, and an upper electrode arranged to overlap with the whole lower electrode and having an opening, and the upper electrode is insulated from the lower electrode by a second insulation layer; an inter-layer insulation film covering the capacitor; a node contact hole in the inter-layer insulation film and the second insulation layer, and within the opening; and a connection node on the inter-layer insulation film and electrically coupling the lower electrode and at least one TFT to each other through the node contact hole.
US09299727B2
An array substrate and a manufacturing method thereof as well as a display panel are provided. The manufacturing method comprises: forming a pattern including a scanning line (32) and a spacer base (33) on a same layer of a substrate (31); forming a gate insulating layer (34); forming a pattern including an active layer (35), a data line, a source electrode and a drain electrode; forming a passivation layer (36); sequentially etching the passivation layer (36) and the gate insulating layer (34) through a dry etching method to form a via hole (38) exposing the spacer base (33), and inducing materials generated from an etching process in a reaction cavity to deposit on a surface of the spacer base (33) through an electric field formed by the spacer base (33) exposed in the via hole (38) and etching gas adopted in the etching process, to form a spacer (39).
US09299721B2
A method for making a semiconductor device may include forming, above a substrate, first and second semiconductor regions laterally adjacent one another and each including a first semiconductor material. The first semiconductor region may have a greater vertical thickness than the second semiconductor region and define a sidewall with the second semiconductor region. The method may further include forming a spacer above the second semiconductor region and adjacent the sidewall, and forming a third semiconductor region above the second semiconductor region and adjacent the spacer, with the second semiconductor region including a second semiconductor material different than the first semiconductor material. The method may also include removing the spacer and portions of the first semiconductor material beneath the spacer, forming a first set of fins from the first semiconductor region, and forming a second set of fins from the second and third semiconductor regions.
US09299717B2
A semiconductor device includes a plurality of first conductive layers stacked on top of one another, a plurality of first slits passing through the first conductive layers, and a plurality of second slits passing through the first conductive layers and crossing end portions of the first slits to form cross-shaped edges.
US09299714B2
A semiconductor device includes a channel layer protruding from a substrate and having protrusions extending from a sidewall thereof. Floating gates surrounding the channel layer are provided between the protrusions. Control gates surrounding the floating gates are stacked along the channel layer. Interlayer insulating layers are interposed between the control gates stacked along the channel layer. A level difference exists between a lateral surface of each of the floating gates, and a lateral surface of each of the protrusions.
US09299712B2
A semiconductor device and method of making a semiconductor device are disclosed. A semiconductor body, a floating gate poly and a source/drain region are provided. A metal interconnect region with a control gate node is provided that capacitively couples to the floating gate poly.
US09299711B2
A fin Field Effect Transistor (finFET) can include a source region and a drain region of the finFET. A gate of the finFET can cross over a fin of the finFET between the source and drain regions. First and second silicide layers can be on the source and drain regions respectively. The first and second silicide layers can include respective first and second surfaces that face the gate crossing over the fin, where the first and second surfaces are different sizes.
US09299709B2
Disclosed herein is a device that includes: a semiconductor substrate; a first insulating layer over a surface of the semiconductor substrate; first and second contact plugs each including side and upper surfaces, the side surfaces of the first and second contact plugs being surrounded by the first insulating film, the upper surfaces of the first and second contact plugs being substantially on the same plane with an upper surface of the first insulating layer; a second insulating layer over the first insulating layer; a first conductive layer including a bottom portion on the first contact plug and a side portion surrounded by the second insulating layer; a third insulating layer over the first conductive layer; and a second conductive layer on the second contact plug, apart of a side surface of the second conductive layer being surrounded by both the second and third insulating layers.
US09299707B2
Provided are three-dimensional semiconductor devices and methods of operating the same. The three-dimensional semiconductor devices may include active patterns arranged on a substrate to have a multi-layered and multi-column structure and drain patterns connected to respective columns of the active patterns. The methods may include a layer-selection step connecting a selected one of layers of the active patterns selectively to the drain patterns. For example, the layer-selection step may be performed in such a way that widths of depletion regions to be formed in end-portions of the active patterns are differently controlled depending on to a height from the substrate.
US09299699B2
A varactor includes at least one semiconductor fin, a first gate, and a second gate physically disconnected from the first gate. The first gate and the second gate form a first FinFET and a second FinFET, respectively, with the at least one semiconductor fin. The source and drain regions of the first FinFET and the second FinFET are interconnected to form the varactor.
US09299694B2
The present disclosure provides a semiconductor device that includes a transistor including a substrate, a source, a drain, and a gate, and a fuse stacked over the transistor. The fuse includes an anode contact coupled to the drain of the transistor, a cathode contact, and a resistor coupled to the cathode contact and the anode contact via a first Schottky diode and a second Schottky diode, respectively. A method of fabricating such semiconductor devices is also provided.
US09299689B2
Semiconductor chip stacks are provided. The semiconductor chip stack includes a semiconductor chip stack including a plurality of first semiconductor chips vertically stacked on a top surface of the interposer, a second semiconductor chip stacked on a bottom surface of the interposer opposite to the semiconductor chip stack, and an external electrode attached to a top surface of the second semiconductor chip opposite to the interposer. Electronic systems including the semiconductor chip stack and related methods are also provided.
US09299688B2
Packaged semiconductor devices and methods of packaging semiconductor devices are disclosed. In some embodiments, a method of packaging a semiconductor device includes forming a mask coating over a carrier, coupling an integrated circuit die over the mask coating, and disposing a molding compound around the integrated circuit die. The method includes forming an interconnect structure over the integrated circuit die and the molding compound.
US09299687B2
Light emitting assemblies comprise a plurality of Light Emitting Diode (LED) dies arranged and attached to common substrate to form an LED array having a desired optimum packing density. The LED dies are wired to one another and are attached to landing pads on the substrate for receiving power from an external electrical source via an interconnect device. The assembly comprises a lens structure, wherein each LED die comprises an optical lens disposed thereover that is configured to promote optimal light transmission. Each optical lens has a diameter that is between about 1.5 to 3 times the size of a respective LED die, and is shaped in the form of a hemisphere. Fillet segments are integral with and interposed between the adjacent optical lenses, and provide sufficient space between adjacent optical lenses so that the diameters of adjacent optical lenses do not intersect with one another.
US09299686B1
A method and structures are provided for implementing individual integrated circuit chip attach in a three dimensional (3D) stack. A plurality of hollow copper pillars is formed, and the hollow copper pillars are coated with lead free solder using vapor deposition.
US09299682B2
Methods of packaging semiconductor devices are disclosed. In one embodiment, a packaging method for semiconductor devices includes providing a workpiece including a plurality of first dies, and coupling a plurality of second dies to the plurality of first dies. The plurality of second dies and the plurality of first dies are partially packaged and separated. Top surfaces of the second dies are coupled to a carrier, and the partially packaged plurality of second dies and plurality of first dies are fully packaged. The carrier is removed, and the fully packaged plurality of second dies and plurality of first dies are separated.
US09299678B2
According to one embodiment, there is provided a semiconductor package including: a semiconductor chip; a resin portion formed to cover the semiconductor chip; a wiring structure formed on the resin portion and electrically connected to the semiconductor chip; and a warpage preventing member provided above the resin portion to have a thermal expansion coefficient closer to that of the semiconductor chip than to that of the wiring structure.
US09299677B2
A embodiment package includes a three dimensional integrated circuit (3D IC) with first input/output pads on a first side and second input/output pads on a second side, a first fan out structure electrically coupled to the first input/output pads on the first side of the three dimensional integrated circuit, and a second fan out structure electrically coupled to the second input/output pads on the second side of the three dimensional integrated circuit.
US09299673B2
Embodiments of the present invention relate to a semiconductor chip comprising a plurality of contact pads, which are arranged in an edge area on a surface of the semiconductor chip. In a semiconductor area of the semiconductor chip, every contact pad of the plurality of contact pads has an associated pad cell provided, which includes at least one of a driver or a receiver and is configured to drive output signals or receive input signals on its associated contact pad, if the driver or receiver is connected to the contact pad. Additionally, for a contact pad which is used as a supply contact pad, the driver or receiver of the associated pad cell is not connected to the contact pad or any other contact pad for driving output signals or receiving input signals on the same.
US09299666B2
A first semiconductor package which is located on an upper side includes a first printed wiring board and an encapsulation resin for encapsulating a first semiconductor chip. A second semiconductor package which is located on a lower side includes a second printed wiring board. The first printed wiring board includes first lands and a first solder resist having first openings for exposing the first lands. The second printed wiring board includes second lands opposed to the first lands, respectively, and a second solder resist having second openings for exposing the second lands and opposed to the first openings, respectively. The first lands and the second lands are solder joined to each other through the first openings and the second openings, respectively. The opening area of the first opening is set to be smaller than the opening area of the second opening. This improves joint reliability.
US09299665B2
A structure fabrication method. An integrated circuit that includes N chip electric pads is bonded to a top side of an interposing shield that includes N electric conductors. N is at least 2. The interposing shield includes a shield material that includes a first semiconductor material. A bottom side of the interposing shield is polished, which exposes the N electric conductors to a surrounding ambient. The bonding includes bonding the integrated circuit to the top side of the interposing shield such that the N chip electric pads are in electrical contact and direct physical contact with corresponding electrical pads of the N electric conductors. The shield material covers the N electric conductors in a manner that the N electric conductors are not exposed to the surrounding ambient. The polishing removes a sufficient amount of the shield material to expose the N electric conductors to the surrounding ambient.
US09299662B2
An exemplary display device includes a transparent substrate and a semiconductor device bonded to the transparent substrate. The transparent substrate includes a first alignment mark. The semiconductor device includes a substrate and a second alignment mark positioned on the substrate. The second alignment mark includes a first pattern structure positioned on the substrate and a second pattern structure positioned on the first pattern structure. The first pattern structure includes a plurality of first non-transparent marks. The second pattern structure includes a second pattern surrounded by the first non-transparent marks. The second pattern is an alignable shape that corresponds to a shape of the first alignment mark on the transparent substrate.
US09299661B2
An integrated circuit package includes a first dielectric layer comprising a dielectric film having a first side and a second side. The package also includes a die having an active surface affixed to a contact location of the first side of the dielectric film. A die stud is affixed to the active surface of the die and extends through the dielectric film to an interconnect location of the second side of the dielectric film.
US09299655B2
An integrated circuit, including at least two integrated circuit portions mutually spaced on a single electrically insulating die and at least one coupling region on the die to provide capacitive coupling between the otherwise mutually isolated integrated circuit portions, the integrated circuit portions being formed by a plurality of layers on the single die, the layers including metal and dielectric layers and at least one semiconductor layer; wherein at least one of the dielectric layers extends from the integrated circuit portions across the coupling region and at least a corresponding one of the metal layers and/or at least one semiconductor layer extends from each of the integrated circuit portions and partially across the coupling region to form capacitors therein and thereby provide the capacitive coupling between the integrated circuit portions.
US09299653B2
This electronic component is provided with an inorganic substrate, a conductor film formed on a surface of the substrate, and bonding wires bonded to a part of said conductor film, and wire bonding sections are formed on at least a part of the electronic component. The part of the conductor film at least forming the aforementioned wire bonding sections contains an Ag-based metal formed of Ag or an alloy having Ag as the main constituent and a metal oxide which coats said Ag-based metal and which has, as a constituent element, any of the elements selected from the group consisting of Al, Zr, Ti, Y, Ca, Mg, and Zn. The coating quantity of the metal oxide is a quantity corresponding to 0.02 to 0.1 parts by mass relative to 100 parts by mass of the aforementioned Ag-based metal.
US09299651B2
A method of making a semiconductor assembly is characterized by the step of attaching a chip-on-interposer subassembly on a base carrier with the chip inserted into a through opening of the base carrier and the interposer laterally extending beyond the through opening. The base carrier provides a platform for the chip-on-interposer subassembly attachment, whereas the interposer provides primary fan-out routing for the chip. In the method, a buildup circuitry is electrically coupled to the interposer and an optional cover sheet or additional buildup circuitry can be provided on the chip.
US09299650B1
An integrated circuit packaging system and method of manufacture thereof including: a base substrate; an integrated circuit die on the base substrate; vertical interconnects attached to the base substrate around the integrated circuit die; and a single metal layer interposer mounted on the vertical interconnects, the single metal layer interposer including: a routing pattern having interposer contacts and traces, and a dielectric layer on the interposer contacts and traces, a top surface of the interposer contacts coplanar with a top surface of the dielectric layer.
US09299648B2
A method of manufacture of an integrated circuit packaging system includes: providing a package substrate having a component side and a system side; depositing a solder resist layer on the component side of the package substrate; patterning groups of access openings and a die mount opening in the solder resist layer; attaching an integrated circuit die in the die mount opening; forming conductive contacts in the access openings; and attaching system interconnects to the system side of the package substrate including controlling a coplanarity of the system interconnects by the solder resist layer.
US09299646B1
A semiconductor device includes a die having first contact pads and a second contact pad. Signal leads, each having embedded portion and an exposed portion, are electrically connected to respective ones of the first contact pads. A power bar extends in an area between the signal lead embedded portions and the die and has a first side opposing the signal leads and a second side opposing the die. The power bar is electrically connected to the second contact pad. An electrically grounded ground bar extends at least partially in the area. The ground bar has a first portion between the signal lead embedded portions and the first side of the power bar, and a second portion between the second side of the power bar and the die.
US09299623B2
An apparatus for performing run-to-run control and sampling optimization in a semiconductor manufacturing process includes at least one control module. The control module is operative: to determine a process output and corresponding metrology error associated with an actual metrology for a current processing run in the semiconductor manufacturing process; to determine a predicted process output and corresponding prediction error associated with a virtual metrology for the current processing run; and to control at least one parameter corresponding to a subsequent processing run as a function of the metrology error and the prediction error.
US09299618B1
A non-planar semiconductor structure containing semiconductor fins that are isolated from an underlying bulk silicon substrate by an epitaxial semiconductor stack is provided. The epitaxial semiconductor material stack that provides the isolation includes, from bottom to top, a semiconductor punch through stop containing at least one dopant of a conductivity type which differs from the conductivity type of the particular device region that the semiconductor fin is formed in, and a semiconductor diffusion barrier layer containing no n- or p-type dopant.
US09299616B1
Integrated circuits employing replacement metal gate technologies with separate workfunction material layers and raised source/drain structures and methods for fabricating the same are disclosed herein. In one exemplary embodiment, a method of fabricating an integrated circuit includes forming a first workfunction material layer over an ILD layer, along the sidewall spacer structures, and over the high-k material layer. The method further includes forming a masking layer over the first workfunction material layer, performing a tilted ion implant wherein ions are implanted at the masking layer over the ILD layer and along the sidewall spacer structures, selectively etching the masking layer and the first workfunction material from over the ILD layer and from along the sidewall spacer structures, and forming a second workfunction material layer over the ILD layer, along the sidewall spacer structures, and over the first workfunction material layer.
US09299609B2
Provided is an apparatus that includes a substrate; a first hard-mask pattern that includes a number of first features disposed over a top surface of the substrate; and a second hard-mask pattern disposed over the first hard-mask layer. The second hard-mask pattern includes a number of second features overlapping one or more of the first features.
US09299603B2
The present disclosure provides a method for forming a semiconductor device. The method includes forming first conductive layer structures in a first dielectric layer on a substrate; forming a patterned photoresist layer having portions that are each disposed over a respective one of the first conductive layer structures; forming an energy removable film (ERF) on the sidewalls of each of the portions; forming a second dielectric layer over the ERFs, the portions of the patterned photoresist layer, and the first dielectric layer; removing the portions to leave behind a plurality of openings; filling a conductive material in the openings, the conductive material defining second conductive layer structures; forming a ceiling layer over the second conductive layer structures, the ERFs, and the second dielectric layer; and applying energy to the ERFs to partially remove the ERFs on the sidewalls of the portions thereby forming air gaps.
US09299594B2
The embodiments described provide apparatus and methods for bonding wafers to carriers with the surface contours of plates facing the substrates or carriers are modified either by re-shaping, by using height adjusters, by adding shim(s), or by zoned temperature control. The modified surface contours of such plates compensate the effects that may cause the non-planarity of bonded substrates.
US09299589B1
A packaged IC having laser vias and methods for making the same. The packaged IC includes a die having bond pads thereon, wire bonds contacting the bond pads, and a substrate configured to electrically connect the wire bonds and external package connectors. The substrate includes mechanical vias through the substrate layers and laser vias in an uppermost substrate layer. Each laser via is closer to the die than the mechanical vias that do not overlap or are not covered by the die. The method includes routing traces on uppermost and lowermost layers, the traces electrically connecting a wire bonds and external package connectors, forming mechanical vias through all layers of the substrate, forming laser vias in the uppermost substrate layer, and electrically connecting each wire bond to one trace on the uppermost substrate layer.
US09299577B2
Methods for eliminating early exposure of a conductive layer in a dual damascene structure and for etching a dielectric barrier layer in the dual damascene structure are provided. In one embodiment, a method for etching a dielectric barrier layer disposed on a substrate includes patterning a substrate having a dielectric bulk insulating layer disposed on a dielectric barrier layer using a hardmask layer disposed on the dielectric bulk insulating layer as an etching mask, exposing a portion of the dielectric barrier layer after removing the dielectric bulk insulating layer uncovered by the dielectric bulk insulating layer, removing the hardmask layer from the substrate, and subsequently etching the dielectric barrier layer exposed by the dielectric bulk insulating layer.
US09299570B2
A method for selectively removing silicon nitride is described. In particular, the method includes providing a substrate having a surface with silicon nitride exposed on at least one portion of the surface and SiGex (x is greater than or equal to zero) exposed on at least another portion of the surface, and dispensing an oxidizing agent onto the surface of the substrate to oxidize the exposed SiGex. Thereafter, the method includes dispensing a silicon nitride etching agent as a liquid stream onto the surface of the substrate to remove at least a portion of the silicon nitride.
US09299563B2
The present disclosure relates to a method for forming a strained semiconductor structure. The method comprises providing a strain relaxed buffer layer, forming a sacrificial layer on the strain relaxed buffer layer, forming a shallow trench isolation structure through the sacrificial layer, removing at least a portion of an oxide layer on the sacrificial layer, etching through the sacrificial layer such that a portion of the strain relaxed buffer layer is exposed, forming the strained semiconductor structure on the exposed portion of the strain relaxed buffer layer.
US09299558B2
A method of depositing a film that includes heterogeneously seasoning a processing chamber is provided. After a processing chamber is cleaned, a heterogeneous seasoning deposition is performed to stabilize the deposition rate drift before a substrate may be positioned therein. A film, such as a SiOx film, may then be deposited on the substrate. The substrate may then be removed from the processing chamber and replaced with a second substrate. A film may then be deposited on the second substrate. The substrate positioning, deposition, and substrate removal cycle may be repeated until the cleaning cycle is complete. The processing chamber may be cleaned a second time, and another series of substrates may be similarly processed.
US09299555B1
An ultrapure mineralizer is formed by vaporization, condensation, and delivery of a condensable mineralizer composition. The mineralizer has an oxygen content below 100 parts per million. The ultrapure mineralizer is useful as a raw material for ammonothermal growth of bulk group III metal nitride crystals.
US09299554B2
A Lucent Waveguide Electromagnetic Wave Plasma Light Source has a fabrication (1) of quartz with an inner closed void enclosure (2) is formed of 8 mm OD, 4 mm ID drawn tube. It is sealed at its inner and outer ends (3,4). Microwave excitable plasma material is sealed inside the enclosure. Its outer end (4) protrudes through an end plate (5) by approximately 10.5 mm and the overall length of the enclosure is approximately 20.5 mm. The tube (71) from which the void is formed is continued backwards from the inner end of the void enclosure as an antenna sheath (72). The 2 mm thick end plate (5) is circular and has the enclosure (2) sealed in a central bore in it.
US09299552B2
A sputter neutral particle mass spectrometry apparatus includes a sample table holding a sample which is a mass spectrometry target, and comprising a temperature control mechanism for the sample, an ion beam irradiation device which irradiates an ion beam on the sample to generate neutral particles, a laser irradiation device which irradiates the neutral particles with a laser to obtain photoexcited ions, a mass spectrometer which draws in the drawn out photoexcited ions and performs mass analysis, a driving system mirror which is provided retractably on a laser light path between the laser irradiation device and the sample table, and reflects the laser when positioned within the laser light path, and, a profiler which is arranged in a reflective direction of the driving system mirror and detects a feature of the laser.
US09299546B2
The invention provides a method for acquiring a mass spectrum with a Fourier transform mass spectrometer, wherein analyte ions and additional reporter ions oscillate at mass specific frequencies in a measuring cell of the frequency mass spectrometer and interact by Coulomb forces; the image current signal induced by the reporter ion is measured; and mass signals of the analyte ions are determined from a sideband signal of the reporter ions in the frequency domain or from the instantaneous frequency of the reporter ions in the time domain.
US09299536B2
In one embodiment an apparatus to provide electrons to a substrate includes a plurality of helicon plasma sources arranged in a helicon source array, wherein each helicon plasma source comprises a helical antenna configured to generate a wave vector parallel to a first axis; and a magnet configured to generate a magnetic field vector parallel to the first axis, wherein each helicon plasma source is further configured to generate a respective magnetic field vector that is opposite that of a magnetic field vector of an adjacent helicon plasma source.
US09299534B2
A defining aperture plate having at least two differently sized apertures is used in conjunction with at least two charge collectors. Because of the difference in aperture width, the two charge collectors receive different amounts of ions, where the amount is proportional to the associated aperture width. By monitoring the ratio of the charge collected by the first charge collector to the charge collected by the second collector, the amount of erosion can be monitored and optionally compensated for.
US09299528B2
A method for manufacturing a printed circuit board is disclosed, which comprises the following steps. A basic board having an upper surface and a bottom surface opposite to the upper surface is provided. A plurality of the electronic components temporarily disposed on the basic board is provided. At least one locating pin temporarily disposed on a place of the basic board is provided, in which the electronic components are not temporarily disposed on the place. Surface mount technology is used simultaneously to joint at least one locating pin and the electronic components on the basic board.
US09299517B2
An operation key assembly facilitates operation of a plurality of keys disposed in a mutually adjacent manner and facilitates operation by simultaneously operating the keys. The operation multi-direction key assembly includes a plurality of direction keys disposed in a mutually adjacent manner. In the operation key assembly, the plurality of keys can be singly operated or the mutually adjacent keys can be simultaneously operated. On an upper surface of an operation portion of the key, protrusions are formed in at least one part of a portion facing the adjacent key. By touching one key with the fingertip on the protrusion, the key can be singly operated on the basis of the touch of the finger. By simultaneously operating two mutually adjacent keys by simultaneously touching the protrusions of the two keys, the two mutually adjacent keys can be simultaneously operated on the basis of the touch of the finger.
US09299507B2
A mechanical-puffer-type arc-extinguishing chamber includes a fixed main contact, a movable main contact that moves on an opening-and-closing axis in a connectable and disconnectable manner to and from the fixed main contact, and a mechanical puffer chamber that is provided in the movable main contact and blows compressed insulation gas to an arc. A thermal-puffer-type arc-extinguishing chamber includes a fixed contact, a movable contact that moves on the opening-and-closing axis in a connectable and disconnectable manner to and from the fixed contact, and a thermal puffer chamber in which compressed insulation gas is blown to the arc. The mechanical-puffer-type arc-extinguishing chamber and the thermal-puffer-type arc-extinguishing chamber are arranged in series on the opening-and-closing axis, and two breaking portions are electrically connected in series.
US09299505B2
In one embodiment of the invention, a method of forming an energy storage device is described in which a porous structure of an electrically conductive substrate is measured in-situ while being electrochemically etched in an electrochemical etching bath until a predetermined value is obtained, at which point the electrically conductive substrate may be removed from the electrochemical etching bath. In another embodiment, a method of forming an energy storage device is described in which an electrically conductive porous structure is measured to determine the energy storage capacity of the electrically conductive porous structure. The energy storage capacity of the electrically conductive porous structure is then reduced until a predetermined energy storage capacity value is obtained.
US09299500B2
An energy storage module 11 comprises a case 21, a plurality of stacking plates 41, a heat-transferring metal plate 51 and a heat-releasing fin 61. An exposure outlet 23 is provided on the side 21 of the case 22 containing a plurality of energy storage cells 31. The stacking plate 41 having an aperture 42 is located between the plurality of energy storage cells 31 and is latched to another stacking plate 41 to position said plate. The heat-transferring metal plate 51 having a flat plate portion 52 and a bent portion 53 is provided in face-to-face contact with the main face 33 of each cell of the energy storage cells 31. The heat-releasing fin 61 projects from the exposure outlet 23 to the outside of the case 21 and is thermally face-to-face bonded to the bent portion 53 of the heat-transferring metal plate 51 by the insulation sheet 65.
US09299498B2
A multi-layer ceramic capacitor (MLCC) device includes a ceramic chip having electrically conductive layers embedded within the chip that form one or more capacitors connected by one or more vias to one or more upwardly facing wire-bondable pads on the top side of the device. One embodiment includes electrically conductive layers that form at least two stacked capacitors connected by vias to multiple upwardly facing wire-bondable pads on the top side, whereby the MLCC device has a reduced footprint while avoiding solder fillets. The wire-bondable pads may lie in a common plane or be pyramidally stepped. Metallization on the PCB-facing bottom side and at least one of the ends of the ceramic chip of another embodiment forms a downwardly facing capacitor terminal.
US09299497B2
There is provided a multilayer ceramic capacitor including: a ceramic body; an active layer including a plurality of first and second internal electrodes formed to be alternately exposed to both end surfaces of the ceramic body, disposed vertically on upper and lower surfaces of the ceramic body and forming capacitance; an upper cover layer formed upwardly of the active layer; a lower cover layer formed downwardly of the active layer and having a thickness greater than that of the upper cover layer; and first and second external electrodes covering both end surfaces of the ceramic body, wherein the active layer includes a first block in which a first region I and a second region II formed, and a second block in which a third region III, and a fourth region IV formed.
US09299493B2
A ballast circuit is disclosed for inductively providing power to a load. The ballast circuit includes an oscillator, a driver, a switching circuit, a resonant tank circuit and a current sensing circuit. The current sensing circuit provides a current feedback signal to the oscillator that is representative of the current in the resonant tank circuit. The current feedback signal drives the frequency of the ballast circuit causing the ballast circuit to seek resonance. The ballast circuit preferably includes a current limit circuit that is inductively coupled to the resonant tank circuit. The current limit circuit disables the ballast circuit when the current in the ballast circuit exceeds a predetermined threshold or falls outside a predetermined range.
US09299478B2
A carbon nanotube composite film includes a treated patterned carbon nanotube film and a polymer film having the treated patterned carbon nanotube film located therein. The treated patterned carbon nanotube film includes carbon nanotube linear units spaced from each other and carbon nanotube groups spaced from each other and combined with the carbon nanotube linear units. A method for making the carbon nanotube composite film is also disclosed.
US09299474B2
There is provided an oxide for semiconductor layers of thin-film transistors, which oxide can provide thin-film transistors with excellent switching characteristics and by which oxide favorable characteristics can stably be obtained even after the formation of passivation layers. The oxide to be used for semiconductor layers of thin-film transistors according to the present invention includes Zn, Sn, and Si.
US09299468B2
Methods for setting up, maintaining and operating a radiopharmaceutical infusion system, that includes a radioisotope generator, are facilitated by a computer of the system. The computer includes pre-programmed instructions and a computer interface, for interaction with a user of the system, for example, in order to track contained volumes of eluant and/or eluate, and/or to track time from completion of an elution performed by the system, and/or to calculate one or more system and/or injection parameters for quality control, and/or to perform purges of the system, and/or to facilitate diagnostic imaging.
US09299467B2
Methods for setting up, maintaining and operating a radiopharmaceutical infusion system, that includes a radioisotope generator, are facilitated by a computer of the system. The computer includes pre-programmed instructions and a computer interface, for interaction with a user of the system, for example, in order to track contained volumes of eluant and/or eluate, and/or to track time from completion of an elution performed by the system, and/or to calculate one or more system and/or injection parameters for quality control, and/or to perform purges of the system, and/or to facilitate diagnostic imaging.
US09299465B1
Apparatus for electron beam treatment of three-dimensional parts that includes cavities in a shielded rotating drum that preferably includes additional rotation mechanism for rotating parts within cavities in said drum. Radiation associated with the electron beam emitter is substantially shielded by the combination of the drum and the additional radiation shielding. The rotating drum is preferably made of at least four sections axially stacked, and its shielding properties are enhanced by including lead filled holes drilled in the sections.
US09299459B2
Multiple measurements are made with one memory sense operation having a first word line sensing voltage on a memory cell. The multiple measurements include a first measurement, of whether the memory cell stores either: (a) data corresponding to a first set of one or more threshold voltage ranges below the first word line sensing voltage of the one memory sense operation, or (b) data corresponding to a second set of one or more threshold voltage ranges above the first word line sensing voltage of the one memory sense operation. The multiple measurements include a second measurement, of error correction data of the memory cell indicating relative position within a particular threshold voltage range of a stored threshold voltage in the memory cell.
US09299458B1
A method for testing a circuit comprising a memory element, a voltage comparator and a supply selector, the circuit is configured to be connected to two power supplies, the voltage comparator is configured to provide an output indicative of a voltage difference between the two power supplies above a predetermined threshold, the supply selector is configured to select a power supply to feed power to the memory element in response to the output from the voltage comparator. The method comprises connecting the two power supplies to the circuit, wherein said connecting comprises causing the two power supplies to drive power to the memory element and to another element of the circuit, wherein the voltage different between the two power supplies is above the predetermined threshold. The method further comprises that in response to said connecting, the supply selector of the circuit is invoked and disconnects one power supply from the memory element; whereby stress testing the circuit, the stress testing tests the memory element without a voltage difference condition, the stress testing tests the another element with the voltage difference condition.
US09299456B2
Embodiments relate to matrix and compression-based error detection. An aspect includes summing, by each of a first plurality of summing modules of a first compressor, a respective row of a matrix, the matrix comprising a plurality of rows and a plurality of columns of output bits of a circuit under test wherein each output bit of the circuit under test comprises an element of the matrix, and is a member of a row of a column that is orthogonal to the row. Another aspect includes summing, by each of a second plurality of summing modules of a second compressor, a respective column of output bits of the matrix. Yet another aspect includes determining a presence of an error in the circuit under test based at least one of an output of the first compressor and an output of the second compressor.
US09299449B2
Methods of operating a memory include selectively discharging a data line through a memory cell selected for sensing, discharging a sense node to the data line while a voltage level of the sense node is greater than a voltage level of the data line, and inhibiting discharging of the data line to the sense node while the voltage level of the data line is greater than the voltage level of the sense node. Sense circuits include a path between an input node and a sense node facilitating current flow from the sense node to the input node when a voltage level of the sense node is greater than a voltage level of the input node and inhibiting current flow from the input node to the sense node when the voltage level of the sense node is less than the voltage level of the input node.
US09299445B2
A method of operating a nonvolatile memory device may include applying a first voltage greater than a ground voltage to a selected word line during a first time period; applying a second voltage to an unselected word line during a second time period that is later than the first time period; and applying a third voltage greater than the first voltage and the second voltage to the selected word line during the second time period. The second time period includes a third time period during which a voltage level of the unselected word line increases to the second voltage from a fourth voltage that is less than the second voltage, and during which a voltage level of the selected word line increases to the third voltage from the first voltage.
US09299443B1
Techniques are provided for more accurately programming memory cells by reducing program noise caused by charge loss in a programming pass in which the number of verify tests varies in different program loops. In an nth program loop, at least one programming characteristic is modified based on the number (N) of data states which were subject to verify tests in the n-1st program loop. For example, a reduced step size or pulse duration, or an elevated bit line voltage (Vbl) can be used. The reduction in the step size or pulse duration, or the increase in Vbl, is proportional to N. The modification of the at least one programming characteristic results in a slowdown of the programming of the memory cells so that program noise is reduced.
US09299440B2
Methods of changing a centerline voltage of a data signal are described, along with apparatuses to change the centerline voltage. In one such method, portions of a termination circuit coupled to an output pin are selectively activated to change an impedance of the termination circuit to change the centerline voltage of the data signal driven to the output pin. One such apparatus includes pull-up impedances and pull-down impedances that can be activated to change the centerline voltage of the data signal. Additional embodiments are also described.
US09299437B2
Some embodiments include apparatuses and methods having memory cells and access lines coupled to the memory cells. In one such apparatus, the access lines include a first access line and a second access line. The first access line can be adjacent to the second access line. The memory cells include a memory cell associated with the second access line. A module can be configured to apply a voltage to the first access line during an operation of accessing the memory cell associated with the second access line, and to place the second access line in a floating state during at least a portion of a time interval within the operation. Other embodiments including additional apparatus and methods are described.
US09299426B2
A nonvolatile semiconductor memory device comprises a cell array including a plurality of first lines, a plurality of second lines intersecting the plurality of first lines, and a plurality of memory cells arranged in matrix and connected at intersections of the first and second lines between both lines, each memory cell containing a serial circuit of an electrically erasable programmable variable resistive element of which resistance is nonvolatilely stored as data and a non-ohmic element; and a plurality of access circuits operative to simultaneously access the memory cells physically separated from each other in the cell array.
US09299414B1
A self-refresh device, adopted in a memory array including a plurality of memory cells, includes a first word-line selecting module, which is enabled according to a first main-word-line signal, and a self-refresh controller. The first word-line selecting module includes a first selecting device, which selects a first word line according to a first word-line driving signal, and a second selecting device, which selects a second word line according to a second word-line driving signal. The self-refresh controller generates the first word-line driving signal, the second word-line driving signal, and the first main word-line signal to select one of the memory cells corresponding to the selected one of the first word line and the second word line for self-refreshing. When the first word line switches to the second word line, the self-refresh controller maintains the first main word-line signal at the same logic level.
US09299409B2
According to one embodiment, a semiconductor storage device includes a cell array including resistance change elements formed above a semiconductor substrate; first cell transistors formed on the semiconductor substrate and provided in association with the resistance change elements; first gate electrodes included in the first cell transistor and extending in a first direction; a first bit lines electrically connected to the resistance change elements respectively and extending in a second direction perpendicular to the first direction; a second bit lines electrically connected to one end of a current path of the first cell transistors respectively and extending in the second direction; and first active areas in which the first cell transistors are formed, and which extend in a direction crossing the first direction at a first angle.
US09299399B2
The semiconductor device includes a pre-signal generator and a data output portion. The pre-signal generator generates a pre-input control signal and a pre-output control signal. The pre-signal generator also generates a pre-latch pulse signal by detecting when the pre-input control signal and the pre-output control signal are generated. The data output portion receives an input control signal, a latch pulse signal, and a first output control signal. The data output portion receives an input clock signal in response to the input control signal and the latch pulse signal to generate a shift clock signal, and the data output portion also shifts the first output control signal in response to the shift clock signal to generate a second output control signal.
US09299393B2
An object of one embodiment of the present invention is to propose a memory device in which a period in which data is held is ensured and memory capacity per unit area can be increased. In the memory device of one embodiment of the present invention, bit lines are divided into groups, and word lines are also divided into groups. The word lines assigned to one group are connected to the memory cell connected to the bit lines assigned to the one group. Further, the driving of each group of bit lines is controlled by a dedicated bit line driver circuit of a plurality of bit line driver circuits. In addition, cell arrays are formed on a driver circuit including the above plurality of bit line driver circuits and a word line driver circuit. The driver circuit and the cell arrays overlap each other.
US09299389B2
A method, system, and computer-readable storage medium are disclosed for interpretation of free-form timelines into compositing instructions. An array comprising a plurality of items is generated. Each of the plurality of items comprises one or more instructions representing one or more operations occurring at a point in time in a video sequence. For each one of a plurality of patterns, the array is scanned to determine if one or more groups of items in the array match the pattern. For each group of items matching one of the plurality of patterns, the matching group of items is replaced in the array with a merged item. Each merged item comprises an ordered sequence of the one or more instructions in the corresponding matching group of items. A frame of the video sequence is composited dependent on the array comprising the one or more merged items.
US09299388B2
The present invention provides a video playback apparatus, and more particularly, an apparatus, a method and a playback program for promptly and accurately playing back a video image. The apparatus comprises a means for receiving a video playback request from a predetermined video playback position; and a means for playing back the video forwardly or backwardly from a position separated from the predetermined video playback position by a predetermined time up to the predetermined video playback position at a predetermined speed upon receiving the request for playing back the video.
US09299386B2
Systems and methods are provided for using a hidden audio signal. In one exemplary embodiment, the method includes registering, at a central database, one or more of an identifier and a destination resource associated with the identifier, and encoding the one or more of the identifier and the destination resource in a hidden audio signal. The method further includes transmitting the hidden audio signal, including the one or more of the identifier and the destination resource, in connection with an acoustic signal, and receiving the acoustic signal at a user device. In addition, the method includes decoding the encoded one or more of the identifier and the destination resource at the user device; and requesting, from the central database, information associated with the one or more of the identifier and the destination resource. Further, the method includes receiving, at the user device, the requested information.
US09299385B2
A method and computer program product are provided for eliminating access to data within a writable storage media cartridge. If it is determined if at least a first portion of data on the writable storage media is encrypted then a second portion of data within the writable storage media cartridge related to said encrypted first portion of data is shredded. The first portion of data and the second portion are not the same portions of the writable storage media cartridge.
US09299384B1
A disk drive having a hub comprising a top surface and a non-circular protrusion extending upward from the top surface, a disk clamp comprising a wall portion and a non-circular opening formed through the clamp, the opening configured to receive the non-circular protrusion extending upward from the top surface of the hub; and at least one disk supported by the hub, wherein the non-circular protrusion extending upward from the top surface of the hub is inserted into the opening formed in the clamp, and wherein an outer annular portion of the clamp engages the disk to provide clamping force.
US09299382B2
A method of manufacturing a glass substrate for a magnetic disk includes a polishing step of polishing a main surface of a glass substrate by sandwiching the glass substrate between a pair of surface plates each having a polishing pad on its surface and by supplying a polishing liquid containing polishing abrasive particles between the glass substrate and the polishing pads. In the polishing step, the polishing liquid and each polishing pad are adjusted so that the friction coefficient falls in a range of 0.02 to 0.05.
US09299380B2
Provided herein is a method including oxidizing tops of features of a patterned magnetic layer to form oxidized tops of the features; removing an excess of an applied first protective material down to at least the oxidized tops of the features to form a planarized layer; and applying a second protective material over the planarized layer.
US09299377B2
A storage medium including a servo layer, a data recording layer, a heat sink layer, and a diamond-like carbon layer with a lubricant covering. The servo layer is configured to store servo information on the storage medium. The servo information is used to position a read/write head over the storage medium during a read/write operation performed by the read/write head on the storage medium. The data recording layer is configured to store data on the storage medium during the read/write operation performed by the read/write head on the storage medium. The heat sink layer is disposed between the servo layer and the data recording layer. The diamond-like carbon layer with the lubricant covering is disposed above the data recording layer.
US09299371B1
A disk drive slider is disclosed comprising a first read element for generating a first read signal, and a first sense amplifier comprising a first input terminal coupled to the first read element, a first output terminal coupled to a first output line, and a first supply terminal coupled to a supply line. The first sense amplifier is for amplifying the first read signal to generate a first amplified read signal, the first output line is for transmitting the first amplified read signal to a preamp, and the supply line is for coupling to the preamp in order to supply power to the first sense amplifier and supply a first bias to the first read element.
US09299370B1
A system, according to one embodiment, includes a magnetic head having sensor structures disposed laterally along a cross-track direction, each sensor structure having a free layer, a soft bias layer positioned laterally to each sensor structure, an antiparallel coupling layer above each soft bias layer, a magnetic layer above each antiparallel coupling layer, wherein magnetic moments of the soft bias layer and the magnetic layer are antiparallel coupled, and a stabilizing layer above each magnetic layer for stabilizing a magnetic orientation of the magnetic layer. Moreover, opposing faces of the magnetic layers are positioned apart by a distance that causes each magnetic layer to form a magnetic circuit with the associated free layer and the associated soft bias layer.
US09299363B2
A time warp contour calculator for use in an audio signal decoder receives an encoded warp ratio information, derives a sequence of warp ratio values from the encoded warp ratio information, and obtains warp contour node values starting from a time warp contour start value. Ratios between the time warp contour node values and the time warp contour starting value are determined by the warp ratio values. The time warp contour calculator computes a time warp contour node value of a given time warp contour node, on the basis of a product-formation having a ratio between the time warp contour node values of the intermediate time warp contour node and the time warp contour starting value and a ratio between the time warp contour node values of the given time warp contour node and of the intermediate time warp contour node as factors.
US09299362B2
An audio signal processing device 100 includes a period detecting unit 102 for detecting the fundamental period of an input audio signal 101; a square wave generating unit 106 for generating, according to the fundamental period the period detecting unit 102 detects, a square wave 107 whose period is an integer multiple of the fundamental period; an amplitude correction coefficient generating unit 103 for calculating an amplitude correction coefficient 109 approximately equal and proportional to the intensity of the input audio signal 101; a first multiplier 108 for generating an amplitude-corrected square wave 110 by multiplying the square wave 107 by the amplitude correction coefficient 109; and an adder 104 for adding the amplitude-corrected square wave 110 to the input audio signal 101.
US09299353B2
A method and apparatus to encode audio with spatial information in a manner that does not depend on the exhibition setup, and to decode and play out optimally for any given exhibition setup, maximizing the sweet-spot area, and including setups with loudspeakers at different heights, and headphones. The part of the audio that requires very precise localization is encoded into a set of mono tracks with associated directional parameters, whereas the remaining audio is encoded into a set of Ambisonics tracks of a chosen order and mixture. Upon specification of a given exhibition system, the exhibition-independent format is decoded adapting to the specified system, by using different decoding methods for each assigned group.
US09299346B1
A speech recognition platform configured to receive an audio signal that includes speech from a user and perform automatic speech recognition (ASR) on the audio signal to identify ASR results. The platform may identify: (i) a domain of a voice command within the speech based on the ASR results and based on context information associated with the speech or the user, and (ii) an intent of the voice command. In response to identifying the intent, the platform may perform a corresponding action, such as streaming audio to the device, setting a reminder for the user, purchasing an item on behalf of the user, making a reservation for the user or launching an application for the user. The speech recognition platform, in combination with the device, may therefore facilitate efficient interactions between the user and a voice-controlled device.
US09299336B2
A method of determining a focused output signal of a sensor array comprising a plurality of sensors, each sensor being operable to output a sensor output signal responsive to a measured quantity, the focused output signal being indicative of a calculated quantity at a focus point; the method comprising: receiving a respective measured sensor output signal from each of the sensors; computing the focused output signal by performing a focusing calculation with respect to the measured sensor signals; wherein the method further comprises determining a subset of mesh points of a set of predetermined mesh points, each mesh point having at least one pre-computed filter parameter associated with it; and wherein computing the focused output signal comprises performing an interpolation with respect to the subset of mesh points so as to obtain an interpolated focused output signal.
US09299320B1
Techniques for providing visual feedback on a display of an electronic device by sequentially and/or independently controlling the illumination of the lighting output by the display. In some implementations, the techniques may be employed following an interaction with the device having one or more light source controllers instructing one or more light sources, such as Light Emitting Diodes (LEDs), in a lighting apparatus, such as for a display which renders content on the device. For instance, a lightguide of the lighting apparatus may sequentially receive light from the one or more light sources as directed by the one or more light source controllers and may direct the light to provide illumination for a display. In some cases, the display may be a reflective display that is front-lit by the lighting apparatus. In other cases, the display may be a backlit display that is backlit by the lighting apparatus.
US09299317B2
In a method to generate a tone-mapped image from a high-dynamic range image (HDR), an input HDR image is converted into a logarithmic domain and a global tone-mapping operator generates a high-resolution gray scale ratio image from the input HDR image. Based at least in part on the high-resolution gray scale ratio image, at least two different gray scale ratio images are generated and are merged together to generate a local multiscale gray scale ratio image that represents a weighted combination of the at least two different gray scale ratio images, each being of a different spatial resolution level. An output tone-mapped image is generated based on the high-resolution gray scale image and the local multiscale gray scale ratio image.
US09299297B2
The present invention resides in an image display apparatus for displaying an image on the basis of image data; the image display apparatus comprising light emitting unit having a plurality of light sources for performing light emission that can be independently controlled respectively; setting unit which sets light emission control blocks for controlling one light source or the plurality of light sources with a common brightness; brightness determining unit which determines the light emission brightness of each of the light emission control blocks on the basis of the image data; and control unit which controls the light emission of the light emitting unit for each of the light emission control blocks in accordance with the light emission brightness determined by the determining unit; wherein the setting unit sets a size of the light emission control block of the light emitting unit depending on an amount of motion of the image.
US09299287B2
A self-luminous display device includes: pixel circuits; and a drive circuit, wherein each of the pixel circuits includes a light-emitting diode, a drive transistor connected to a drive current channel of the light-emitting diode, and a holding capacitor coupled to a control node of the drive transistor, the drive circuit applies a light emission enabling bias to the light-emitting diode after correcting the drive transistor and writing a data voltage to the control node, provides, during a light emission enabled period in which the light emission enabling bias is applied, a light emission interruption period adapted to change the light emission enabling bias to a non-light emission bias with the data voltage held by the holding capacitor, and performs a light emission disabling process, adapted to reverse-bias the light-emitting diode to stop the light emission, for a constant period after the light emission enabled period.
US09299281B2
A display device and manufacturing method thereof are disclosed. In one aspect, the display device includes a substrate including a display area and a peripheral area surrounding the display area, wherein the display area includes a plurality of pixels configured to display images and a plurality of inspection pads formed in the peripheral area and configured to transmit a plurality of inspection signals to the pixels. Each of the inspection pads includes a poly resistor formed over the substrate, at least one insulating layer formed over the poly resistor, first and second conductive wires formed over the insulating layer and respectively connected to opposing ends of the poly resistor, and a protective layer formed over the insulating layer and substantially overlapping the poly resistor.
US09299276B1
A mobile motionable sign apparatus for supporting and moving a sign relative to the base apparatus. The mobile motionable sign apparatus includes a base assembly including a base member with wheels mounted thereto; a motive support assembly removably coupled to the base member and including a pivot member; and a sign support assembly movably coupled to the pivot member and including a motor support member coupled and movable relative to the pivot member and further including a motor mounted to the motor support member and also including sign support members connectable to the motor support member.
US09299274B2
Various embodiments of methods and systems for designing and constructing displays from multiple light emitting elements are disclosed. Display elements having different light emitting and self-organizing characteristics may be used during display assembly.
US09299268B2
Generating an emotional representation of received data content is provided. Data content corresponding to a user is received. In responsive to determining that the user requested an emotional representation of a predicted emotional reaction by the user to the received data content, the emotional representation of the received data content is generated based on the predicted emotional reaction by the user to the received data content.
US09299266B2
A system for educational assessment without testing is provided that includes one or more client systems that are connected to a network allowing students or school officials to communicate with an education framework that performs and manages educational assessment. The one or more client systems issue a message to the education framework requesting a task to be performed. The educational assessment is administered independent of one or more educators so as to avoid interruption of instruction time. A server system receives the message and the education framework proceeds to process the contents of the message. The education framework includes a plurality of programming modules being executed on the server system that provides to educators specific information used for the educational assessment based on the contents of the message. The programming modules assist in calculating and determining one or more parameters for the educational assessment of the students as well as providing specific reports to educators as to the progress of the students.
US09299263B2
The present disclosure provides a method that includes displaying a first graphic figure for a period of time to a person; receiving a second graphic figure by a touch screen of a first electronic device, wherein the second graphic figure is drawn on the touch screen by the person based on the first graphic figure after the first graphic figure disappears; comparing the first and second graphic figures to determine a difference between the first and second graphic figures; and showing a result associated with the difference by the first electronic device.
US09299259B2
Systems and methods for detecting a vehicle. One system includes a controller. The controller is configured to receive images from a camera mounted on a first vehicle, identify a surface of a second vehicle located around the first vehicle based on the images, and generate a three-dimensional model associated with the second vehicle. The model includes a first plane and a second plane approximately perpendicular to the first plane. The first plane of the model is associated with the identified surface of the second vehicle. The controller is further configured to track a position of the second vehicle using the three-dimensional model after the identified surface falls at least partially outside of a field-of-view of the at least one camera.
US09299250B1
A method of processing requests to establish wireless communication sessions in a mobile vehicle communications system. The method comprises receiving a request to establish a communication session between a telematics unit of a vehicle and a remote facility, wherein the request takes the form of one or more electrical signals. The method further comprises determining whether less than a predetermined number of requests to establish a communication session between the telematics unit and remote facility have been received from the sender of the request within a predetermined period of time. When it is determined that less than the predetermined number of requests have been received from the sender within the predetermined period of time, the method still further comprises establishing a communication session between the telematics unit and the remote facility. A system for performing or utilizing the above-described methodology is also provided.
US09299249B2
A remotely controllable electronic device comprises an infrared receiver, a control unit and a toggle detector. The infrared receiver is for wirelessly receiving a plurality of control signals. The control unit is coupled to the infrared receiver and generates a plurality of function signals. Each function signal is corresponding to one of the control signals received by the infrared receiver. The toggle detector is coupled to the control unit and receives electricity from a power source through a switching element. The toggle detector determines the power status of the electricity coming from the switching element in a predetermined period and generates a learning mode signal to the control unit when the switching element is switched a plurality of times during the predetermined period. The remotely controllable electronic device could be control by the control signals of any infrared remote control.
US09299248B2
There is disclosed a muscle interface device for use with controllable connected devices. In an embodiment, the muscle interface device comprises a sensor worn on the forearm of a user, and the sensor is adapted to recognize a plurality of gestures made by a user to interact with a controllable connected device. The muscle interface device utilizes a plurality of sensors, including one or more of capacitive EMG sensors and an IMU sensor, to detect gestures made by a user. Other types of sensors including MMG sensors may also be used. The detected user gestures from the sensors are processed into a control signal for allowing the user to interact with content displayed on the controllable connected device.
US09299246B2
An aspect of the present disclosure facilitates reporting results of processing of continuous event streams. In one embodiment, a matching condition indicating a pattern of interest as a part of an alert definition in relation to a set of continuous event streams is received, with the occurrences of said pattern of interest being desirable to be reported as corresponding alert instances. Also, a suppression condition associated with the pattern of interest is received, with the suppression condition indicating the specific occurrences of the pattern of interest that are not to be reported as corresponding alert instances. Accordingly, a sequence of occurrences of the pattern of interest is determined in the set of continuous event streams. For each occurrence in the sequence of occurrences, an alert instance corresponding to the occurrence is generated only if the suppression condition is not satisfied for the occurrence.
US09299244B2
Methods and apparatuses are disclosed that allow an electronic device to autonomously adapt one or more user alerts to the current operating environment of the electronic device. For example, some embodiments may include a method comprising providing a plurality of alert devices in an electronic device, determining an operating environment of the electronic device using a sensor of the electronic device, and actuating at least one of the plurality of alert devices that corresponds to the determined operating environment.
US09299243B2
A system is provided that includes a security system that protects a secured area, a wireless portable device that arms and disarms the security system through a wireless interface, the wireless portable device having a camera, a microphone and a global positioning system (GPS), and a processor of the wireless portable device that detects disarming of the security system by a user under duress through the wireless portable device and captures information of an environment of the wireless portable device from the GPS and one or more of the camera and microphone and sends the captured information to a central monitoring station of the security system through the wireless interface.
US09299238B1
Systems and related methods are provided for measuring a ketone in the fluid of a patient or other user. The systems include a portable measurement device for analyzing a plurality of fluid samples and for generating a corresponding plurality of ketone measurement results. The systems also include an electronic or communications device, for example, such as a cell phone or smartphone, configured to communicate with the measurement device. The system further includes a software application. The systems and related methods according to one aspect provide reminders, preferably interactive reminders that facilitate user compliance with a weight management or diabetic ketoacidosis (DKA) monitoring or prevention program. The systems and related methods according to another aspect incorporate ketone tags and/or trigger points to improve accuracy of results and to advance user compliance.
US09299235B2
There is provided a computer-readable medium storing a program causing a processor to execute a procedure. The processor is provided in a portable electronic apparatus. The procedure includes detecting acceleration in the gravitational acceleration direction of the portable electronic apparatus, determining whether or not the acceleration in the gravitational acceleration direction is a threshold value or less, the threshold value being stored in a determination threshold value table, and raising an alarm for prediction of stumbling of a user when the acceleration in the gravitational acceleration direction is the threshold value or less.
US09299229B2
Techniques for detecting one or more events are provided. The techniques include identifying one or more segments in a video sequence as one or more candidates for one or more events by a temporal ordering of the one or more candidates, and analyzing one or more motion patterns of the one or more candidates to detect the one or more events.
US09299220B2
Various embodiments of the gaming system, gaming device, and gaming method disclosed herein provide a primary game and a free activation bonus sequence, wherein the gaming system enables the player to select one or more of a plurality of different volatility options for use in the free activation bonus sequence. Each option is associated with a different number of free activations and a different pool of symbols or different symbol functionality. The gaming system provides this variation in the pool of symbols or symbol functionality in various embodiments by enabling the player to replace one or more symbols of a pool or set of symbols of the primary game (i.e., the primary set of symbols) with the symbol associated with a player selected option. The symbols of this modified set of symbols (i.e., the secondary set of symbols) are used in the free activation bonus sequence).
US09299212B2
A medication dispensing device has: a medication preparation unit provided with a storage section that can store and discharge one package at a time of a solid medication supplied by a medication supply unit; and a counting unit that can count the solid medication discharged from the storage section. The counting unit is provided with: a monitoring platform on which the solid medication discharged from the storage section rests; an vibration unit that can vibrate the monitoring platform horizontally; an imaging unit that can image the solid medication on the monitoring platform that has been vibrated; and an image recognition unit that can count the solid medication on the basis of the image obtained by the imaging unit.
US09299196B2
Methods and systems for using ink-jet technology for high speed printing are provided. Print growth between pixels in an image is significantly reduced or eliminated by adjusting the printing of the pixels based on the status of the following pixel to be printed, i.e., whether the following pixel is either black or white. If a black pixel, formed by a plurality of columns of dots, is being followed by a white pixel, the column of dots closest to the white pixel will not be printed, and the column of dots in the black pixel next to the column of dots closest to the white pixel are staggered such that the pixel appears filled despite the absence of the column of dots closest to the white pixel and will still be properly read as a black pixel by a scanner reading the image.
US09299187B2
Non-opaque primitives (e.g. translucent or punch-through primitives) often include some fragments which do not need to be treated as non-opaque fragments. For example, some fragments of a translucent primitive may be entirely opaque or entirely transparent. However, typically, the opacity states (e.g. alpha states) of the fragments are not known until texturing has been applied because it is the texture that includes the opacity information (e.g. the alpha values). However, as described herein, an opacity test is performed up front (e.g. before texturing is applied to fragments of a non-opaque primitive) to see if the processing of the fragments can be simplified. For example, if fragments are fully transparent then they may be discarded. As another example, if fragments are fully opaque then they may be handled as if they have an opaque object type such that the subsequent processing of the fragments is simplified.
US09299183B2
System and methods for user interface elements for use within a 3D scene. The 3D scene may be presented by at least one display, which includes displaying at least one stereoscopic image of the 3D scene by the display(s). The 3D scene may be presented according to a first viewpoint. One or more user interface elements may be used. The 3D scene may be updated in response to the use of the user interface elements.
US09299172B2
The invention relates to an image generation apparatus for generating an image of an object. An image providing unit (11, 16) provides a first image of the object and a second image of the object, wherein the first image has a smaller noise level than the second image. A display window providing unit (12) provides a display window being indicative of the range of image values shown on a display (14), and a combining unit (13) generates a combination image by combining the first image and the second image depending on the window width of the provided display window. This allows considering the influence of the display window on the noise appearance. Thus, by taking into account the first image and the second image having different noise levels and the provided display window, a combined image can be generated, which has an improved noise appearance.
US09299170B1
Information is presented on a map that resembles a city map, with related information grouped into distinct “neighborhoods.” Such a display scheme takes advantage of spatial cognition in order to provide an organizational and presentational scheme by which users can more easily remember where to look for and find the right information. Metadata, notifications, and/or other auxiliary information can be presented alongside or superimposed upon the data itself.
US09299166B2
Described herein are methods and devices that employ parallel compression of image data using a lossless compressor and a quantization compressor. As described, the lossless compressor generates a variable length compressed bit stream and the quantization compressor generates a fixed length compressed bit stream. The fixed length bit stream is always equal in size to a size requirement of an output memory block. The variable length bit stream may be stored in the output memory block unless it exceeds the memory requirement in size, in which case the fixed length bit stream may be stored to the output memory block.
US09299158B2
Generating an analysis of a motion is disclosed. A first computing device receives image data that includes a set of user images. Each user image in the set corresponds to a stage of a plurality of consecutive stages of the motion and depicts a user at the corresponding stage. For each stage of the plurality of consecutive stages, a plurality of motion point locations in the corresponding user image is determined. Based on the plurality of motion point locations and reference motion data associated with a reference motion, a user motion report is generated.
US09299156B2
A system, method, software arrangement and computer-accessible medium for performing electronic cleansing of CT colonography images are provided. In this system, method, software arrangement and computer-accessible medium, the digital bowel cleansing can be performed to remove tagged bowel contents from the images. The digital bowel cleansing can apply a local shape analysis throughout the images and use a shape-based speed function to detect the folds and polyps structures while removing the tagged bowel contents region. The system, method, software arrangement and computer-accessible medium can enable a medical examiner to perform an accurate virtual colonoscopy on a patient, without the need for thorough patient preparation.
US09299151B2
A depth calculation device for calculating depth information on an object from captured first image and second image with different blur, the depth calculation device comprising: an extraction unit configured to extract a first frequency component and a second frequency component from each of the first image and the second image, the first frequency component being a component of a first frequency band, the second frequency component being a component of a second frequency band, the second frequency band being lower than the first frequency band; and a depth calculation unit configured to calculate the depth information from the frequency components extracted by the extraction unit.
US09299144B2
A method for facilitating comparison of image data from a given medical imaging protocol with archive image data, includes obtaining subject image data from a scan of a subject using the medical imaging protocol, obtaining archive image data differing from the subject image data in a given variable, determining a modifier usable to reduce the difference between the archive and subject image data, using the modifier to modify one of the subject image data and the archive image data to reduce the difference, and comparing the modified archive or subject image data with the subject or archive image data.
US09299142B2
A perfusion imaging data processor (122) includes an agent peak characteristic-time determiner (206) configured to determine two or more agent peak characteristic-times respectively for two or more circulatory sub-systems represented in a same sub-set of voxels of a set of time-series data of perfusion imaging data, an agent peak argument determiner (210) configured to determine an agent peak argument for each of the two or more agent peak characteristic-times, an agent peak argument relation determiner (212) configured to determine a relationship between the agent peak arguments of the two or more agent peak characteristic-times, and a perfusion map generator (214) configured to generate, based on the determined relationship and the perfusion imaging data, at least one perfusion map, wherein the at least one perfusion map includes volumetric image data visually presenting at least one of a relationship or a difference between the two or more circulatory sub-systems.
US09299138B2
Technologies for generating a patient-specific surgical plan from medical image data include receiving an orthopaedic surgical plan request from a computing device of a healthcare facility via a network, receiving a medical image of bony anatomy of a patient, and receiving constraint data corresponding to an orthopaedic surgical procedure to be performed upon the bony anatomy of the patient. Such technologies may further include determining whether the orthopaedic surgical procedure to be performed upon the bony anatomy of the patient is a difficult orthopaedic surgical procedure, generating a first surgical plan for the orthopaedic surgical procedure to be performed in response to determining that the orthopaedic procedure to be performed is not a difficult orthopaedic surgical procedure, and generating a second surgical plan for the orthopaedic surgical procedure to be performed in response to determining that the orthopaedic procedure to be performed is a difficult orthopaedic surgical procedure.
US09299134B2
Provided is an optical tomographic imaging apparatus including: a unit for creating a measuring beam and a reference beam from beam of a light source, and generating interference light by combining a return beam resulting from the measuring beam and the reference beam; a unit for detecting the interference light to generate a detection signal; a unit for forming an image of the object based on the detection signal; a unit for designating a specific area in the image; a unit for setting a calculation index and a determination reference range used for determining image quality of the specific area; and a unit for applying calculation processing to a luminance value of the specific area based on the calculation index, determining whether a calculated value obtained as a result of the calculation processing is within the determination reference range, and outputting a detection result.
US09299127B2
A method of splitting of elliptical images performed by a processor is provided. The method includes: receiving an image whose pixels span a range along each of two orthogonal axes; segmenting the image into indexed sub-images; storing the sub-images as texture maps; responding to a request for a value of a texture element having S1, T1 and H coordinates by returning the value of the texture element of the sub-image indexed by H whose X and Y coordinates are S1 and T1.
US09299126B2
An image processing apparatus and method including an encoder circuitry for generating encoded data blocks from input data blocks of an image, and write circuitry for storing the encoded data blocks to memory for subsequent access by decoding circuitry. For each input data block, identifier generation circuitry generates an identifier value that is dependent on the input data block. A lookup storage stores predetermined information relating to at least one encoded data block and stored within the lookup storage in association with the identifier value for the corresponding input data block. For a current input data block, a check is performed to determine whether a match exists between the identifier value generated for the current input data block and an identifier value stored in the lookup storage. In a match, the predetermined information is used by the write circuitry when performing the required write operation.
US09299125B2
Embodiments are described for a method for using anti-aliasing hardware to generate a higher resolution image at the processing of a lower resolution image with anti-aliasing. A graphics image comprising allocating a buffer used in a multisample anti-aliasing process, wherein the allocated buffer has a dimension comprising a reduction in at least one of the width or height of an original dimension of an original buffer provided by the anti-aliasing hardware; rendering sampled image data to the allocated buffer at a sampling rate proportional to the reduction; and expanding the allocated buffer back to the dimension of the original buffer.
US09299122B2
A block processing pipeline in which blocks are input to and processed according to row groups so that adjacent blocks on a row are not concurrently at adjacent stages of the pipeline. A stage of the pipeline may process a current block according to neighbor pixels from one or more neighbor blocks. Since adjacent blocks are not concurrently at adjacent stages, the left neighbor of the current block is at least two stages downstream from the stage. Thus, processed pixels from the left neighbor can be passed back to the stage for use in processing the current block without the need to wait for the left neighbor to complete processing at a next stage of the pipeline. In addition, the neighbor blocks may include blocks from the row above the current block. Information from these neighbor blocks may be passed to the stage from an upstream stage of the pipeline.
US09299114B2
Embodiments of the present invention address deficiencies of the art in respect to messaging and provide a method, system and computer program product for business object integration with messaging. In an embodiment of the invention, a method for messaging integration of a business object can be provided. The method can include embedding a business object in message text in a messaging session provided by a messenger, and applying an action to the business object from within the messaging session of the instant messenger. The method further can include indexing the messaging session with keywords in the message text and tags for the business object.
US09299113B2
One or more techniques and/or systems are provided for populating an information interface based upon social media data. For example, users may post, share, and/or discuss various information through social media sources. Accordingly, social media data may be obtained from such social media sources. The social media data may be grouped into sets of social media data based upon temporal information. Within the sets of social media data, social media entries may be clustered into topic clusters (e.g., a royal wedding topic cluster, a plane crash topic cluster, etc.). Event summaries may be generated for respective topic clusters. The event summaries may be used to populate timeslots of an information interface, such as a calendar or timeline, to create annotated timeslots. In this way, the information interface may provide users with an interactive view of events over a time period, such as a year-in-review, based upon social media data.
US09299112B2
Program on a server computer generates a list having at least a string of plain text defined based on rules, wherein the rules also define a news feed of an electronic media source. The program code subscribes to the news feed. The program code computes a number of times the string of plain text is identified within the news feed, and a score for the string of plain text. Based on the score, the program code generates an electronic notification that alerts of an anticipated change in computer hardware capacity requirements for a build, support, and maintenance of a networked computer system. The program code estimates the requirements. Based on the score, the program code generates a request to adjust allocation of the computer hardware within the networked computer system to satisfy the requirements estimated. The program code sends the request generated to a client computer for viewing.
US09299107B2
Techniques for managing the charging and/or discharging of an energy storage device are disclosed. The techniques include obtaining clearing price data points spanning a plurality of dates and for each date: generating a distribution of the clearing price data points corresponding to the date; determining a lower quantile price point of the distribution based on a capacity of the device and a charge rate of the device; and determining an upper quantile price point of the distribution based on the capacity and a discharge rate of the device. The techniques include selecting a first set of the lower quantile price points from the lower quantiles and a second set of the upper quantile price points from the upper quantiles. The techniques include determining a buy bid based on the first set and a sell bid based on the second set and selectively transmitting the buy bid and/or the sell bid.
US09299100B2
Methods for making gift recommendations are disclosed. The interests of an intended recipient are identified as are the interests associated with a particular product. Products corresponding to the recipient's interests are identified and then ranked according to giftability. Giftability indicates the appropriateness of a product for giving as a gift. Products may also be ranked according to appropriateness for a category or occasion. Giftability may be specified or inferred from one or more of gift-wrapping requests, gifting references in comments or reviews, and sales surges during holidays. A Naïve-Bayes-type method may be used to infer the giftability of products for which such data is not available.
US09299092B1
In an embodiment, a digital data specification of a compound advertisement comprising a plurality of ad units is received at an advertisement delivery server computer, where the digital data specification of the compound advertisement specifies one or more sequential dependencies between one or more ad units of the plurality of ad units and a bid value for each ad unit of the plurality of ad units. Based at least in part on a particular sequential dependency of the first ad unit upon a second ad unit of the same compound advertisement and a bid value associated with the first ad unit, a first ad unit of the compound advertisement is selected for display at a separate user computing device using the advertisement delivery server computer. The first ad unit is caused to display at the particular user computing device.
US09299090B1
A method for rendering advertisements on touchscreen devices having small screens is provided. Components of the existing GUI (i.e., controls) are used for rendering advertisement (or other) data. Existing mobile device GUI elements have visible surfaces filled with a background color (or pattern). These surfaces are “painted” by an advertisement data similar to a wall painted by graffiti. The advertisement data can be static or it can be generated on-the-fly. The GUI controls can be used independent of each other. Thus, the advertising data can be selectively displayed only on some of the controls without distracting the user from the main tasks.
US09299083B2
An electronic method for generating group data indicative of the collective response of at least a subset of respondents to at least one portion of a time-varying stimulus the method comprising: receiving responses to the time-varying stimulus from respective ones of a plurality of respondent devices, each response including data indicative of a response of a respondent associated with the respective respondent device to the time-varying stimulus; filtering the responses to generate a filtered response data set that excludes responses outside of a timing tolerance relative to a portion of the time-varying stimulus to which the group data is intended to relate; and processing at least a subset of the filtered response data set to generate the group data.
US09299080B2
In various embodiments, the number of virtual universe avatars within a predetermined proximity from a designated first object in a virtual universe is determined. A condition that affects a load on a server computer supporting the designated first object in the virtual universe is determined. A second object is dynamically spawned within the virtual universe in response to determining that the number of virtual universe avatars within the predetermined proximity from the designated first object is greater than a first predetermined threshold and that the determined condition on the server computer is greater than a second predetermined threshold. The second object is associated with transmissions of information within the virtual universe.
US09299077B2
A method and apparatus enabling the distribution of hyper-relevant advertising to consumers who have confirmed interests in specific content, products, and services is described. Users define “who they are” and “what they want” in a spontaneous, guided, voluntary disclosure of rich, candid, personal information conceived to attract individuals who seek or share common relationships, experiences, objectives, skills, knowledge, acquaintances, interests, needs, or desires for mutual gain. The information is converted into encrypted user codes; these codes are used to generate precisely controlled electronic encounters, the creation and delivery of highly personalized hyper-relevant advertising, and the gathering of amounts of research data through the ad hoc interaction of unique mobile devices.
US09299075B2
Methods and systems for activating a software application while provisioning a web service to operate with the software application are described. Consistent with some embodiments, a product activation procedure is performed during a workflow to provision a web service to operate with a software application. By activating the software application during the web service provisioning workflow, an end-user can establish ownership of a proper license for the software application without having to input any license information, such as a serial number or product key, associated with the end-user's license.
US09299069B2
Apparatus for electronically notifying an individual of an incomplete transaction associated with a received correspondence item is provided. The apparatus may include a receiver for receiving a single paper correspondence item associated with a first correspondence. The apparatus may include a processor for deriving a digital image from the paper correspondence item. The processor may be configured to determine, based on the derived digital image, whether the correspondence item is a paper check. In response to the determination of the correspondence item as a paper check, the processor may be further configured to use a real-time notification channel to notify the individual of receipt of the paper check. The notification may be based, at least in part, on the identification of the individual. The processor may be further configured to use the real-time notification channel to present at least one option for identification of an account to which the check should be applied.
US09299066B2
A method and apparatus for managing messages is disclosed. A data processing system identifies a presence of a person in a meeting at a location using calendar information. The data processing system also identifies a computing device in the location having a connection to a network. The data processing system then sends a notification to the computing device identified in the location, responsive to the data processing system identifying a message for the person when the person is meeting in the location.
US09299060B2
An example implementation includes processing message-related information of a first user for a cluster of related users and determining interaction levels for the cluster of related users. The interaction levels describe a level of interaction between the first user and the related users of the cluster. The users of the cluster are ranked based on the interaction levels and a group suggestion is generated suggesting a group be created on a social networking service based on the ranking of the cluster of related users. The group suggestion is sent to the first user for presentation and a response is received from the first user including user input provided in response to the group suggestion being sent. A group of users is created on the social networking service based on the response.
US09299054B2
The present invention relates to a radio frequency identification (RFID) device and method for book tagging, using which a RFID tag which is designed to attach to a book is first being scanned and detected in view of optimizing the RFID tag's signal strength and its effective reading rate as well so as to determine a position on the book for the RFID tag to attach thereat while allowing the detection to the RFID tag to be prevented from being adversely affected by metals or magnetic materials that are situated ambient to the book.
US09299049B2
The present disclosure describes methods, systems, and computer program products for providing contract-based process integration. One computer-implemented method includes selecting a process integration (PI) scenario definition and a desired party with which to establish communication using an interface, determining at least one semantic contract associated with the selected PI scenario definition, querying the desired party to determine familiarity with the selected PI scenario definition and the semantic contract, analyzing known contract definitions with contract usages for each determined semantic contract to generate first party analysis results, computing an intersection between the first party analysis results and corresponding received analysis results received from the desired party, determining an agreed upon set of processing types with the second party by performing an intersection with contract usage processing types exchanged with the desired party, and generating a technical specification for a message signature based upon the agreed upon set of processing types.
US09299042B2
Embodiments of a system and method for predicting a future state of a set of data are generally described herein. In some embodiments, a set of data in a first domain is obtained. The set of data in the first domain may be represented as a network graph. The set of data in the first domain is mapped into a set of data in a second domain. A plurality of prediction models are applied to the set of data in the second domain to produce a plurality of predicted sets of data. The predicted sets of data are combined to generate a combined predicted set of data having a best match. The combined predicted sets of data having the best match are reverse mapped to the first domain.
US09299039B1
A method and system for assisting a user to generate a task list based on a task description is presented. The task description can be provided as user input or detected based on information about the user. The generated task list includes a series of actions (subtasks) which as a whole complete a task specified in the task description and relevant information. During the task list being generated, some actions are automatically executed without user intervention, or remembered for future execution.
US09299037B2
Customer management for an establishment involves operating a server that hosts system software and interacts with various computing devices over internet and wireless network gateway connections. The server communicates with devices at the establishment and customer computing devices in real-time, providing system performance updates, text messaging communications to the customer regarding table availability and marketing information and synchronizing the information communicated within the system. A computer user interface at the establishment communicates with the server and allows an establishment host to capture and transmit customer information to the server and make of the server processing requests that can include sending text message alert notifications to a customer mobile device informing of an available table and providing marketing messages. A secondary device, operated by a waiter of the establishment, communicates with the computing devices of the system and can receive communications, such as customer attention requests, from the customer mobile device.
US09299036B2
An example embodiment includes a life pattern detection system. The life pattern detection system includes a sensor, a data acquisition device, and a first processor. The sensor is configured to monitor actions of a user. The data acquisition device is configured to harvest signals from the sensor and produce sensor data. The first processor is configured to receive the sensor data and background data, and to execute a life pattern application including a first series of analytical steps that determines a predictable set of actions from the sensor data and the background data.
US09299035B2
A method for refining a process model includes mining a process model from a set of execution traces; determining whether the process model is too dense or too sparse; learning a predictive model from the execution traces to predict an outcome; modifying the predictive model; and mining a refined process model from updated traces based on attributes present in the modified predictive model. Modifying the predictive model includes making the predictive model more specific if it is determined that the process model is too dense; and making the predictive model more general if it is determined that the process model is too sparse.
US09299031B2
Access is obtained to a plurality of information technology services problem tickets. At least a first subset of the tickets include free text tickets with server names embedded in unstructured text fields. The server names are extracted from the first subset of the tickets via a statistical machine learning technique. Using the extracted server names, those of the first subset of the tickets from which the server names have been extracted are linked to corresponding server entries in a configuration information database to facilitate resolution of problems associated with the first subset of the tickets from which the server names have been extracted; and/or at least one of the extracted server names is identified as missing from a list of known server names.
US09299029B1
Techniques and systems are provided for predictive modeling based on interactions with a network device. For example, a method may include receiving interaction data corresponding to a set of interactions associated with a function performed by a network device. Contextual data corresponding to a set of contexts can be received from a different source. The interaction and contextual data can be analyzed to identify a correlation between a context and an interaction. A prediction can be generated using the identified correlation. Interaction data corresponding to a new set of interactions and contextual data corresponding to a new set of contexts including the correlated context can be received. The prediction can be tested to determine whether the network device performed the function when the correlated context occurred. Contextual data corresponding to a present set of contexts including the correlated context can be received, and an automation request message can be transmitted.
US09299026B2
This disclosure relates generally to a tool, system, and method for searching input data. The system may include a pattern input module, configured to receive regular expression patterns of symbols. An interpreter module may be configured to access individual ones of the symbols of the input data and upon accessing each symbol and compare a thread against the symbol. For each pattern, the thread corresponding to the pattern is compared against the symbol prior to the at least one thread being compared against a subsequent symbol of the input data. An output module may be configured to output an indication of ones of the patterns determined to be contained within the input data based on the comparison of the corresponding at least one thread to the symbols of the input data.
US09299022B2
Apparatus and methods for an extensible robotic device with artificial intelligence and receptive to training controls. In one implementation, a modular robotic system that allows a user to fully select the architecture and capability set of their robotic device is disclosed. The user may add/remove modules as their respective functions are required/obviated. In addition, the artificial intelligence is based on a neuronal network (e.g., spiking neural network), and a behavioral control structure that allows a user to train a robotic device in manner conceptually similar to the mode in which one goes about training a domesticated animal such as a dog or cat (e.g., a positive/negative feedback training paradigm) is used. The trainable behavior control structure is based on the artificial neural network, which simulates the neural/synaptic activity of the brain of a living organism.
US09299020B2
A financial transaction card includes a card substrate formed as a material sheet having first and second substantially planar card faces bounded by a peripheral edge. A machine-readable financial information storage device is on or within the material sheet. The storage device stores card specific data in digital machine readable form. Human readable symbolic information is viewable on the first and second card faces. At least one item of the symbolic information is formed as a cutout pattern of one or more light-transmitting apertures extending completely through the material sheet.
US09299019B2
A method for improving a data collection process is provided. The method comprises: (A) providing at least one Data Generation device, whereas each Data Generation device is configured to obtain a set of data; (B) attaching an ID tag to at least one Data Generation device; whereas each ID tag includes an externally readable code; and (C) employing a Data Collection device having an ID tag reader configured to identify at least one Data Generation device by reading the externally readable code corresponding to its ID tag; whereas the Data Collection device is located within the pre-determined range from the Data Generation device; and whereas the Data Generation device is configured to transmit a set of data to the Data Collection device.
US09299015B2
This disclosure discloses a non-transitory computer-readable recording medium storing a template processing program for executing an editing accepting step, a template producing step, a text main body data acquisition step, and a template transmission step. In the template producing step, a template including at least one the print object is produced. In the search target setting step, a setting whether or not the print object included in the template is set to a key word search target is accepted. In the text main body data acquisition step, text main body data extracted from the print object to be set to the key word search target and expresses text contents of the print object, is acquired. In the template transmission step, the template is transmitted to a template server and stored therein.
US09299013B1
Visual task feedback for workstations in a materials handling facility may be implemented. Image data of a workstation surface may be obtained from image sensors. The image data may be evaluated with regard to the performance of an item-handling task at the workstation. The evaluation of the image data may identify items located on the workstation surface, determine a current state of the item-handling task, or recognize an agent gesture at the workstation. Based, at least in part on the evaluation, one or more visual task cues may be selected to project onto the workstation surface. The projection of the selected visual task cues onto the workstation surface may then be directed.
US09299006B2
An authentication device includes: a memory; and a processor coupled to the memory and configured to: acquire a plurality of images with regard to a certain living body, extract first biometric information from each of the plurality of images, perform an alignment between the plurality of images, based on the first biometric information, calculate a coefficient based on feature of the certain living body, the feature being identified by a result of the alignment, and generate a normalized image by normalizing at least one image from among the plurality of images based on the coefficient.
US09299003B2
Provided is an image processing apparatus including a characteristic information acquisition unit that acquires characteristic information indicating a characteristic relating to at least any one of distribution of a specific brightness region and a size of a dark and flat region in a luminance image, an enhancement degree information generation unit that generates enhancement degree information indicating a degree of enhancement of a specific component that affects image quality of the luminance image, based on the characteristic information, and a luminance reproduction image generation unit that generates a luminance reproduction image obtained by reproducing the specific component of the luminance image so as to be enhanced to a degree of enhancement indicated by the enhancement degree information.
US09298984B2
An object detection apparatus comprises a detection unit configured to calculate a detection likelihood from each of the plurality of frame images obtained by an image obtaining unit, and to detect a target object from each of the frame images based on the detection likelihood; and a tracking unit configured to calculate a tracking likelihood of the target object from each of the plurality of frame images, and to track the target object over the plurality of frame images based on the tracking likelihood, wherein the detection unit detects the target object from the frame images obtained by the image obtaining unit based on the tracking likelihood of the target object that is calculated by the tracking unit from the frame images, and the detection likelihood of the target object that is calculated by the detection unit from the frame images.
US09298977B2
An information processing device includes a recognition unit which recognizes a facial expression of a user taken on a captured image, and a control unit which controls equipment to permit the user to use the equipment when the facial expression recognized by the recognition unit is a specific facial expression.
US09298959B2
A method of capturing an image on a surface of an object by line sensor(s), wherein consecutive line images are taken from a plurality of surfaces or surface portions having a different inclination to a given reference plane with a predetermined frequency during a relative movement of the object with regard to the line sensors(s) and a two-dimensional first image of the surfaces or surface portions is formed from these line images, includes resampling the two-dimensional first image so as to reduce the surface resolution of an image or of images of one or more surfaces or surface portions with regard to a direction oblique to the direction of the lines corresponding to consecutive line images taken by a line sensor in such a way that differences in the surface resolution of images of surfaces or surface portions with different inclination to the reference plane are reduced or eliminated.
US09298957B2
A method of operating a workstation includes capturing multiple monitoring images each being captured with the imaging sensor while the illumination light source is energized during one of multiple short exposure-time-periods, and detecting a checkup-condition that includes analyzing the multiple monitoring images to determine the presence of any adverse feature on workstation's window. Each of the multiple short exposure-time-periods is shorter than four times of a threshold exposure-time-period but no shorter than 25% of the threshold exposure-time-period. The threshold exposure-time-period is a minimal exposure-time-period needed for the imaging sensor to capture recognizable patterns of a barcode that is in directing contacting with the window while the illumination light source is energized.
US09298955B2
A proximity check ensures that a card is physically close to the reader device in order to inhibit relay attacks. The proximity check makes relay attacks more difficult because an additional channel must be intercepted and/or spoofed or relayed. This solution can be used for any kind of short-range communication, including Near Field Communications (NFC).
US09298951B2
A data processing and storage apparatus has a hardware security module and a data storage medium storing encrypted data objects and a hierarchical data maintenance structure of encrypted partition tables and hash-nodes forming a rooted tree, where a given partition table comprises a first reference to a given encrypted data object and a first cryptographic key for decryption thereof, where a given hash-node comprises a second reference to a partition tables or hash-node and a second cryptographic key being suitable for decryption thereof, and where the root node is decipherable using a master cryptographic key stored in the hardware security module, the given data object being assigned to the root node via the first and second references of the given partition table and the given hash-nodes forming a set of successive nodes in the rooted tree.
US09298949B2
The invention provides a method for programming a chip for a mobile end device, wherein, in a preparatory step, a serial number is programmed into the chip and thereafter, in a programming step, the serial number is verified and a programming of at least one further datum into the chip is only carried out if the serial number has been successfully verified. The serial number is verified here by means of a security module (HSM), while employing a secret information item stored in the security module (HSM) and different from the serial number.
US09298945B2
Systems, methods, computer-readable storage mediums including computer-readable instructions and/or circuitry for control of transmission to a target device with communicating with one or more sensors in an ad-hoc sensor network may implement operations including, but not limited to: wirelessly transmitting one or more sensor operation activation signals to one or more sensors according to one or more transmission authorization parameters; and powering one or more sensing operations of a sensor via the one or more sensor operation activation signals.
US09298943B2
A system and method are disclosed for controlling metadata associated with content on an electronic device that includes displaying interface screens for user entry of metadata control instructions, accepting user instructions, modifying metadata of applicable content, and associating the modified metadata with the applicable content. The system can export and/or store the applicable content along with modified metadata. The system can automatically modify metadata according to one or more profiles. Relevant profiles can be determined based on the export mechanism, destination or type of content. The system can add watermarks to indicate metadata modification. The system can display metadata for user modification. The content can include photos, videos or other content. The system can display metadata and geolocation indicators for each content item that indicate whether that item has associated metadata and geolocation information. The user can selectively modify meradata of selected content.
US09298942B1
Methods, systems, and apparatus, including computer programs encoded on a computer storage medium, for storing and retrieving encrypted data. In one aspect, a method includes receiving, at a server computer separate from a user device, a first encrypted resource encrypted by use of a public encryption key, wherein the public encryption key is paired with a private encryption key according to an asymmetric encryption key scheme; retrieving, by the server computer, a second encrypted resource encrypted by use of the public key; augmenting, by the server computer, the first encrypted resource with the second encrypted resource to form an encrypted data tuple; encrypting, by the server computer, the encrypted data tuple; and storing, by the server computer, the encrypted data tuple as the second encrypted resource.
US09298937B2
The present invention provides a method and system for securing sensitive data from unauthorized access or use. The method and system of the present invention is useful in a wide variety of settings, including commercial settings generally available to the public which may be extremely large or small with respect to the number of users. The method and system of the present invention is also useful in a more private setting, such as with a corporation or governmental agency, as well as between corporation, governmental agencies or any other entity.
US09298931B2
In one example of digital media privacy protection, a computer-readable medium stores computer-executable instructions that, when executed, cause one or more processors to execute operations including capturing at least one image file, obfuscating at least all facial images included in the captured image file, comparing all facial images included in the captured image file against a locally stored privacy policy, unobfuscating those of the facial images included in the captured image file for which the comparison against the locally stored privacy policy results in a positive match, and rendering the captured image file.
US09298929B2
System and methods are disclosed for governing digital rights management systems and other applications through the use of supervisory governance applications and keying mechanisms. Governance is provided by enabling the supervisory applications to revoke access keys and/or to block certain file system calls, thus preventing governed applications from accessing protected electronic content.
US09298927B2
A virtual asset creation template associated with a class of virtual assets is identified and analyzed to identify any vulnerabilities in the virtual asset creation template. If one or more vulnerabilities are identified in the virtual asset creation template, an appropriate remedy for each identified vulnerability identified in the virtual asset creation template is applied. If no vulnerability is identified in the virtual asset creation template, or once each vulnerability identified in the virtual asset creation template is remedied, each virtual asset of the virtual asset class generated using the virtual asset creation template is assigned an initial status of verified virtual asset.
US09298922B2
A method, system, and program product for remotely attesting to a state of computing system is provided. Specifically, the present invention allows a remote system to establish trust in the properties of the computer system. The properties to be trusted are expanded from the usual system software layers and related configuration files to novel types of data such as static data specific to the computer system, dynamic data determined at system startup, or dynamic data created as the computer system runs applications.
US09298918B2
An embodiment or embodiments of an electronic device can comprise an input interface and a hardware component coupled to the input interface. The input interface can be operable to receive a plurality of taint indicators corresponding to at least one of a plurality of taints indicative of potential security risk which are injected from at least one of a plurality of resources. The hardware component can be operable to track the plurality of taints.
US09298916B2
A system and method for using file system events to trigger a security scan. A file system watches all writable directory paths for defined file system events on files in the watched paths. Upon occurrence of a watched event, the file is scanned using known security methods. A data structure stores events and can be used to update and track events. Cookies can be used to correlate MOVE events. A timer can be used to avoid repetitive scanning after discrete WRITE events.
US09298912B2
Recording, analyzing and categorizing of user interface input via touchpad, touch screens or any device that can synthesize gestures from touch and pressure into input events. Such as, but not limited to, smart phones, touch pads and tablets. Humans may generate the input. The analysis of data may include statistical profiling of individual users as well as groups of users, the profiles can be stored in, but not limited to data containers such as files, secure storage, smart cards, databases, off device, in the cloud etc. A profile may be built from user/users behavior categorized into quantified types of behavior and/or gestures. The profile might be stored anonymized. The analysis may take place in real time or as post processing. Profiles can be compared against each other by all the types of quantified behaviors or by a select few.
US09298910B2
A method is provided in one example embodiment that includes receiving in an external handler an event notification associated with an event in a virtual partition. A thread in the process in the virtual partition that caused the event can be parked. Other threads and processes may be allowed to resume while a security handler evaluates the event for potential threats. A helper agent within the virtual partition may be instructed to execute a task, such as collecting and assembling event context within the virtual partition, and results based on the task can be returned to the external handler. A policy action can be taken based on the results returned by the helper agent, which may include, for example, instructing the helper agent to terminate the process that caused the event.
US09298907B2
A method for authorizing an electronic device includes: detecting, with a capacitive touch sensor, a first set of interaction data from an interaction between the electronic device and a capacitively interactive hardware tool; computing a first set of parametric descriptors from the first set of interaction data; transmitting the first set of parametric descriptors to a remote database system; generating, on the remote database system, a first set of identity data from a comparison of the first set of parametric descriptors with a known set of parametric descriptors; and authorizing, in response to the first set of identity data, the electronic device to perform the action.
US09298904B2
The invention relates to a method for enabling the user of at least one mobile terminal to access a plurality of services, said method consisting of: creating (E1) a user account containing user identification data; installing (E2) a software application for accessing the plurality of services on said mobile terminal; creating (E5) an image containing at least one software application identifier on the mobile terminal using the software application; decoding (E6) the data contained in the image using a secure entity for managing the software application; and authorizing (E8) or not authorizing (E9) the access of the user to the plurality of services based on the decoded data.
US09298903B2
Provided are techniques for transmitting a lightweight domain access protocol (LDAP) request from an user interface application (UIA) to a LDAP server, receiving, at the UIA, a LTPA token in response to the transmitting of the LDAP request; transmitting, from the UIA, to a command line interface associated with an application, the LTPA token in conjunction with a command to be executed by the application; verifying by the application the LTPA token; and in response to the verifying, executing, by the application the command. The techniques also include transmitting, from the application, to a second command line interface associated with a second application, the LTPA token in conjunction with a second command to be executed by the second application; verifying by the second application the LTPA token; and in response to the verifying by the second application, executing, by the second application the second command.
US09298901B1
A tool for credential validation using multiple computing devices. The tool selects at least one challenge question. The tool selects one or more user owned devices, wherein selecting the one or more user owned devices includes querying a database for each user owned device associated with a user account. The tool selects at least one device order, based, at least in part, on a level of security desired in credential validation. The tool presents the at least one challenge question to the one or more user owned devices, wherein the at least one challenge question includes the at least one device order for returning at least one response. The tools determines whether the at least one response received from the one or more user owned devices is a correct response relative to the at least one challenge question and the at least one device order.
US09298900B2
Disclosed herein are example embodiments for behavioral fingerprinting via inferred personal relation. For certain example embodiments, at least one indication of personal relation for at least one authorized user may be inferred via at least one user-device interaction, and the at least one indication of personal relation may be incorporated into at least one behavioral fingerprint that is associated with the at least one authorized user, with the at least one behavioral fingerprint including one or more indicators of utilization of one or more user devices by the at least one authorized user.
US09298888B2
A weight management system can be implemented which assists a user in losing a target amount of weight before the conclusion of a weight loss program. Such a system can assign the user to a behavioral segment, and may further assign the user to an attitudinal segment as well. The weight management system can provide recommendations for the user's diet and exercise based on health information provided by the user and the segment or segments to which the user is assigned. These recommendations can be updated during the course of the weight loss program based on the user's continued progress or lack of the same.