US09516785B2
The electronic portable device of the invention includes a housing, a lifting mechanism, a controlling unit, and a heat dissipation fan. The housing includes an opening. The lifting mechanism is movably disposed in the housing and corresponds to the opening. The lifting mechanism is configured to move toward or away from the opening. The control unit is coupled to the lifting mechanism and configured to control the lifting mechanism to move toward or away from the opening. The heat dissipation fan is disposed on the lifting mechanism and corresponds to the opening. When the lifting mechanism moves towards the opening, the heat dissipation fan is lifted toward the opening by the lifting mechanism, and is protruded from an outer surface of the housing through the opening.
US09516781B2
A shelf includes a receptacle having first and second outer sidewalls, a rear sidewall extending between the sidewalls, a pair of tracks extending along lower edge sides of the sidewalls, and a roof extending between upper edge sides of the sidewalls. The roof includes a permanent section and a removable front access panel. The shelf further includes a drawer, having a floor, two side-rails extending along opposite edge sides of the floor, and a front panel extending away from a front edge side of the floor. The receptacle is configured to slidably receive the drawer with the tracks being engaged with the side-rails. The removable front access panel includes a pair of slats configured to engage with the permanent section of the roof and a pair of tabs configured to fixedly attach the removable front access panel to the first and second outer sidewalls of the receptacle.
US09516780B2
The invention relates to an accommodating device having a one-piece support that prevents damage to a circuit board and its contacts even with frequent installation and dismantling of mounting rail module cases. This is achieved in particular by the fact that the module case can be detached from an integral mounting rail of the support by pivoting it in the direction of the circuit board. This special pivoting is made possible by the fact that the integral mounting rail and the holding area of the circuit board are separated from one another spatially so that even in the installed state, the mounting rail module case and the circuit board are mechanically decoupled.
US09516776B2
Provided is an electronic component assembly that can reduce a housing space in a fitting direction of a bus bar and a terminal fitting. An electronic component assembly includes a relay, a diode, a plurality of bus bars, and a plate-shaped resin member. The relay has a relay main body having a rectangular parallelepiped outer shape, and a plurality of terminal portions protruding from a bottom surface of the relay main body. The plurality of bus bars is configured such that one end side is soldered to a terminal portion of the relay or a terminal portion of the diode, and the other end is fitted to a terminal fitting. The one end sides of the plurality of bus bars are embedded in the resin member.
US09516767B2
A portable electronic object is provided with a case including a middle part closed by a back cover and by a glass and a bezel fixed to the middle part. The case contains at least one electronic module formed of a printed circuit board to which is fixed at least one microcontroller sending information to a display. The object further includes a tactile control including at least one base element on which there is arranged at least one electrode. The electrode is electrically connected to the microcontroller by a conductive path.
US09516758B2
In embodiments, the present invention may attach at least two isolated electronic components to an elastomeric substrate, and arrange an electrical interconnection between the components in a boustrophedonic pattern interconnecting the two isolated electronic components with the electrical interconnection. The elastomeric substrate may then be stretched such that the components separate relative to one another, where the electrical interconnection maintains substantially identical electrical performance characteristics during stretching, and where the stretching may extend the separation distance between the electrical components to many times that of the un-stretched distance.
US09516756B2
A circuit module system includes a first and a second circuit module, the first circuit module includes a first circuit board and a first connecting housing, the first connecting housing includes a first base connected to a side of the first circuit board and at least one first conductor. A top surface of the first base forms a fillister connecting to outside, the first conductor is clamped on the first base and electrically connects the first circuit board to outside. The second circuit module includes a second circuit board and a second connecting housing, the second connecting housing includes a second base connected to a side of the second circuit board and at least one second conductor. A protruding part protrudes from an outer side of the second base, the second conductor is clamped on the second base and electrically connects the second circuit board to outside.
US09516753B2
A method for manufacturing a wiring substrate includes forming a through-hole penetrating a core layer from one to another surface of the core layer, forming a first metal layer covering the one and the other surface of the core layer and an inner wall surface of the through-hole, forming a second metal layer on the first metal layer, and forming a patterned third metal layer on the second metal layer toward the one surface of the core layer along with forming a patterned fourth metal layer on the second metal layer toward the other surface of the core layer. The forming of the second metal layer includes covering the one and the other surfaces of the core layer and the first metal layer in the through-hole with the second metal layer and closing up a center part of the through-hole with the second metal layer.
US09516746B2
A metal-clad laminate of the present invention includes an insulating layer and a metal layer disposed on at least one surface of the insulating layer. The insulating layer is formed by laminating at least a center layer and surface resin layers disposed on both surfaces of the center layer. The center layer contains a heat-curable resin and includes a core layer containing at least one fibrous base material and a heat-curable resin layer that does not contain a fibrous base material. The ratio of the thickness of the surface resin layer to the thickness of the heat-curable resin layer is between 0.5 and 10.
US09516738B2
In some aspects, multi-metallic emissive inserts shaped to be disposed within an electrode for a plasma arc torch electrode can include an exposed emitter surface at a distal end of the emissive insert to emit a plasma arc from the electrode, wherein the emissive insert comprises a first emissive material and about 8 weight percent to about 50 weight percent yttrium.
US09516736B2
A system, method and apparatus for recovering mining fluids from mining byproducts uses a plasma arc torch and a screw feed unit. The plasma arc torch includes a cylindrical vessel, a first tangential inlet/outlet connected to or proximate to a first end, a second tangential inlet/outlet connected to or proximate to a second end, an electrode housing connected to the first end such that a first electrode is (a) aligned with a longitudinal axis of the cylindrical vessel, and (b) extends into the cylindrical vessel, and a hollow electrode nozzle is connected to the second end such that the hollow electrode nozzle is aligned with the longitudinal axis, the hollow electrode nozzle is partially disposed within the cylindrical vessel and outside the cylindrical vessel. The screw feed unit has an inlet and an outlet, the outlet aligned with the centerline and proximate to the hollow electrode nozzle.
US09516735B2
Certain embodiments described herein are directed to a torch that includes a lanthanide or actinide material. In some embodiments, the torch can include one or more other materials in combination with the lanthanide or actinide material. In some embodiments, the torch can comprise cerium, terbium or thorium. In other embodiments, the torch can comprise a lanthanide or actinide material comprising a melting point higher than the melting point of quartz.
US09516724B2
A method of automatically programming a new load control device that replaces an old load control device takes advantage of a remote identification tag (e.g., an RFID tag) located in the vicinity of the old device. The remote identification tag stores an identifier that is representative of a location in which the old device is installed. The method includes the steps of: (1) storing a setting of an old device in a memory of a controller; (2) associating the setting with the identifier of the old device in the memory of the controller; (3) the new device retrieving the identifier from the remote identification tag after the new device is installed in the location of the old device; (4) the new device transmitting the identifier to the controller; and (5) the controller transmitting the setting of the old device to the new device in response to receiving the identifier.
US09516722B2
A power supply includes an alternating current input, a rectifier operable to generate a rectified signal based on the alternating current input, a voltage multiplier operable to generate a multiplied voltage based on the alternating current input, and an output operable to yield an electrical current based on the rectified signal from the rectifier and on the multiplied voltage from the voltage multiplier. The rectified signal from the rectifier is connected to the output when a voltage of the rectified signal is higher than the multiplied voltage, and the multiplied voltage from the voltage multiplier is connected to the output when the multiplied voltage is higher than the voltage of the rectified signal.
US09516718B2
An LED luminescence apparatus is provided, which includes a rectifying unit rectifying an AC voltage and generating a rectified voltage; a plurality of LEDs connected in series to an output terminal of the rectifying unit; a plurality of switches having drain terminals connected to cathodes of the plurality of LEDs, respectively; and a switch control unit sensing current through a plurality of resistors connected to source terminals of the plurality of switches, respectively, comparing the sensed current with a set reference current, and outputting a voltage corresponding to a difference between the sensed current and the set reference current to a gate terminal of each of the plurality of switches.
US09516712B2
In some embodiments, a light device for generating light includes light emitting diodes (LEDs), and power supply circuitry including at least one switching regulator including switching elements to provide power to the LEDs. The light device includes a device support structure including a device connector and an LED support to support the LEDs, wherein the device connector is one end of the device support structure, and the power supply circuitry is supported by the device support structure. Other embodiments are described.
US09516708B2
An LLC resonant transformer (19) for a lamp (5) comprises a primary circuit (19) and a secondary side (30) galvanically isolated therefrom. During operation of the LLC resonant transformer (19), a first switch (21) and a second switch (22) of a half-bridge to which an LLC resonant circuit (25-27) of the primary circuit (19) is connected are actuated in a clocked fashion. A load (5) to which an output (35) on the secondary side (30) supplies energy is detected on the basis of a measured variable (iavg) acquired in the primary circuit (20). The half-bridge (21, 22) is variably controlled on the basis of the measured variable (iavg) that is acquired in the primary circuit (20) and indicates the load (5).
US09516699B2
A sensor network system is provided with a plurality of sensor terminals disposed in a predetermined area, and a monitoring center device that collects sensing data wirelessly transmitted from each of the plurality of sensor terminals. The sensor terminals wirelessly and intermittently transmit a transmission signal including sensor identification information and the latest sensing data from the sensors. The monitoring center device has the function of acquiring positional information of the sensor terminals in the predetermined area, and accumulates each item of the sensing data from the sensor terminals as time-series data in association with information about the time of acquisition. On the basis of the positional information of the sensor terminals and the time-series data of the accumulated sensing data, a time-series variation of an environmental element in the predetermined area is visually presented. The sensor network system enables monitoring of detailed environmental changes corresponding to differences in position.
US09516698B2
According to an aspect of this disclosure, a radio communication device is provided including: a first transceiver configured to transmit and receive signals in accordance with a Cellular Wide Area radio communication technology; a second transceiver configured to transmit and receive signals in accordance with a Short Range radio communication technology or a Metropolitan Area System radio communication technology; a processor configured to at least partially synchronize the receiving or transmitting of signals of the first transceiver with the receiving or transmitting of signals of the second transceiver such that at least one of at least a part of the receiving and a part of the transmitting of signals of the first transceiver and of the second transceiver is carried out at the same time.
US09516697B2
A technique for operating a mobile station as wireless local-area network [“WLAN”] gateway. The mobile station is provided with a gateway application to control the following operations: activating (3-0) the WLAN means as a WLAN base station capable of communicating with at least one WLAN terminal over a WLAN network; creating a network identifier (3-2, 3-4) for the WLAN base station; assigning (3-8, 3-10) an internet protocol address for the at least one WLAN terminal; resolving domain name service [“DNS”] queries (3-12 . . . 3-18) in cooperation with an external DNS service system; assigning at least one port number for each protocol supported by the gateway application; and tunneling internet traffic (3-30 . . . 3-36) between the at least one WLAN terminal and an internet host over the broadband connection.
US09516696B2
Systems, methods and products directed toward context aware device disconnection are provided herein. One aspect includes obtaining one or more physical measurements of an information handling device connected to one or more external systems, the one or more physical measurements being measured using one or more physical characteristic measurement elements; analyzing the one or more physical measurements using one or more policy settings configured in one or more disconnection policies stored on the information handling device; and initiating one or more disconnection events responsive to the one or more physical measurements matching the one or more policy settings. Other embodiments are described herein.
US09516658B2
Disclosed is a method for enabling a specific reception point to receive an uplink signal from a terminal on the basis of interference control in a base station cooperative wireless communication system. Particularly, the method comprises the steps of: receiving, from an adjacent reception point, information regarding one or more resource groups for which the occurrence of the same interference is assumed; measuring, in a first resource belonging to the one or more resource groups, interference occurring from another uplink signal transmitted to the adjacent reception point; transmitting, to the terminal, scheduling information of an uplink signal in a second resource belonging to the one or more resource groups such that the measured interference is minimized; and receiving the uplink signal from the terminal in the second resource.
US09516654B2
A network node that serves a host cell in a cellular communication system transmits, at (a) first time interval(s), first control channel information on a control channel that extends over a first bandwidth of a radiofrequency spectrum. The first control channel communicates information necessary to enable a first type of communication device to receive data from the host cell. The first type of communication device can receive first bandwidth-wide signals. At (a) second time interval(s), second control channel information is transmitted on a second control channel of a first M-cell. The second control channel occupies a second bandwidth that is smaller than the first bandwidth. The second time interval(s) do(es) not coincide with any of the first time interval(s). A second type of communication device having reduced receive bandwidth capabilities compared to those of the first type of communication device is thereby made capable of being served by the node.
US09516651B2
Techniques are disclosed for identifying carrier-aggregation band combinations that may be supported by a mobile terminal with limited performance. According to one example method, a mobile terminal sends (710) a band capability information element to the network (e.g., to a 3GPP eNB). The band capability information element contains data indicating which band combinations the mobile terminal supports for carrier aggregation. In addition, the mobile terminal sends (720) additional information (e.g., one or more new parameters) associated with at least one specific band combination. In some cases, this new information indicates that a specific band combination has limited support. In these or in other embodiments, the new information contains information about an amount or type of limitation. This latter information may be present on its own, or in combination with the information that more generally indicates that the mobile terminal is capable of only limited support for a specific band combination.
US09516648B2
A communication apparatus includes a receiver, a combiner, and a transformer. The receiver receives signals mapped on plural frequency bands. A size of at least one of the frequency bands is a multiple of a product of two or more powers of prime numbers, which are integer numbers greater than 1 and are different from each other. An exponent for at least one of the prime numbers is an integer greater than 1. The combiner combines the received signals into a combined signal. The transformer transforms the combined signal in a frequency domain into a symbol sequence in a time domain with an inverse discrete Fourier transform (IDFT) having a size that is a product of powers of plural values. The values are integer numbers greater than 1 and are different from each other. An exponent for at least one of the values is an integer greater than 1.
US09516628B2
A network management device and method for coordination of self-optimization functions in a wireless network. A network management device for coordination of self-optimization functions includes one or more processors and an interface. The interface communicates with a plurality of enhanced node Bs (eNodeBs). The interface is arranged to receive a request to change a coverage or a capacity of an enhanced node B (eNodeB). The interface is further arranged to transmit a query to the eNodeB to obtain a self-optimizing network (SON) coordination state of the eNodeB. The one or more processors are arranged to determine whether to grant or deny the request based on a coordination policy and the SON coordination state.
US09516607B2
There is a provided a method for deciding transmission power to securely transmit data, the method comprising: determining a transmission rate toward an intended receiver, based on an upper limit of a decoding error probability of the intended receiver and a lower limit of a decoding error probability of an unwanted over hearer; and deciding a transmission power toward the intended receiver based on the upper limit and the lower limit. Here, if the upper limit is lower than the lower limit, the transmission toward the intended receiver is not performed.
US09516596B2
This invention suppresses power consumption of a mobile communication terminal apparatus in data exchange in wireless communications. For this purpose, when wireless communications are established between a mobile communication terminal apparatus (200) and MFP (300), the mobile terminal (200) sends a processing request to the MFP (300). Upon reception of this request, the MFP (300) re-establishes communications with the mobile terminal (200) so as to set a communication mode in a passive mode, and to share roles to have the MFP as an initiator, and the mobile terminal as a target.
US09516587B2
A system and method for selecting a wireless network is disclosed. The method relates to selecting a wireless network from plurality of wireless networks. A variation of the invention includes selecting a new platform from a plurality of platforms offered by the current service provider according to a service request from the wireless device. The method comprises determining a requested service associated with the wireless device, determining whether one of the plurality of wireless networks can provide the requested service, and, if one of the plurality of wireless networks can provide the requested service, choosing the one wireless network of the plurality of wireless networks. The method further involves using a variety of parameters in determining which wireless network to choose for servicing the requested service from the wireless device.
US09516572B1
A mobility server receives a tracking area update from User Equipment (UE) indicating UE Identifier (ID) and current tracking area ID and responsively determines if the current tracking area ID is new tracking area ID. If current tracking area ID comprises new tracking area ID, then the mobility server updates a tracking area database with new tracking area ID. The mobility server translates UE ID and current tracking area ID into candidate Access Point Name (APN) data set and determines if candidate APN data set is a new APN data set. If candidate APN data set comprises new APN data set, then the mobility server transfers an instruction for UE to perform a wireless reattachment to obtain candidate APN data set and receives an attachment request from UE indicating UE ID and current tracking area ID and responsively transfers candidate APN data set to a data network gateway.
US09516567B2
Methods and apparatus to provide packet switched service continuity during circuit switched fallback operation are described. One example method includes determining a set of access technologies available to a User Equipment (UE); identifying a WLAN access network from the set of access technologies; identifying a 3GPP RAT from the set of access technologies; prioritizing the WLAN access network type with respect to types of 3GPP RAT; and selecting one access technology from amongst the identified WLAN access network and the 3GPP RAT according to the prioritizing.
US09516556B2
In a mobile communication system including a mobile station, an access apparatus for performing connection control between the mobile station and an access network, and an access network switching apparatus for switching access networks to communicate with the mobile station, the mobile station establishes a first path to communicate with the access apparatus, when the mobile station enters a coverage area of the access apparatus. The access apparatus establishes a second path to communicate with the access network switching apparatus when the first path is established. The access network switching apparatus switches the access networks when a predetermined condition is satisfied.
US09516537B2
The present invention provides a method of anonymously reporting minimization of drive test (MDT) measurements. According to the method, a mobility management entity (MME) obtains MDT data anonymity configuration which indicates whether MDT measurements are to be reported anonymously at a type allocation code (TAC) level; sends a TAC of a UE to a trace collection entity (TCE) if the MDT data anonymity configuration indicates MDT measurements are to be reported anonymously at the TAC level; sends an international mobile subscriber identification (IMSI) or an international mobile equipment identity and software version (IMEISV) of the UE to the TCE if the MDT data anonymity configuration indicates other information, e.g. Trace, is adopted for anonymously reporting MDT measurements. The present invention enables an MME to send different identities of a UE to the TCE according to different requirements for anonymity to implement anonymous reporting of MDT measurements.
US09516533B2
The present invention discloses a method for reporting RLF information. By sending the RLF report to an access system to which a cell which lead to a problem belongs to, the present invention can avoid unnecessary impact to other RAT to the maximum, guarantees that a problem of a RAT is solved in the RAT, and can detect a reason of radio link failure or handover failure correctly, reduces signaling interaction between different RATs, and simplifies the whole process of self-optimization, enhances performance of mobile communication system.
US09516528B2
The invention relates to a method 20 performed in a user equipment 8 for estimating interference within a serving cell 5 of a communication system 1. The user equipment 8 is connected to the serving cell 5 and the communication system 1 further comprising one or more neighboring cells 6, 7 to the serving cell 5. The method 20 comprises: receiving 21 neighboring cell reference signals transmitted in at least one of the neighboring cells 6, 7 and serving cell reference signals transmitted in the serving cell 5; and determining 22 a first interference estimate 1SC,iC of interference within the serving cell 5, the first interference estimate taking into account cancellation of interference from the neighboring cell reference signals. The invention also relates to a user equipment, computer program, and computer program product.
US09516527B2
There is provided an information processing apparatus including an acquisition unit configured to acquire an interference index indicating a degree of interference in wireless communication between a wireless communication apparatus and a base station that is a connection target of the wireless communication apparatus, and position information related to a position concerning the interference index, and a generation unit configured to specify an interference index concerning a target area to detect a communication state of the wireless communication apparatus, based on the acquired position information, and generate communication state information to notify the communication state based on the specified interference index.
US09516523B2
A radio communication system, a radio station, a network operation management apparatus, and a network healing method are provided that can suppress system performance degradation caused when a failure occurs in a radio base station, a network apparatus, or the like. In a radio communication system which includes multiple radio stations (10, 20) and a network operation management apparatus (30) managing the radio stations and in which network optimization is performed, at least one of a first radio station (10) in which a failure occurs, a second radio station (20) different from the first ration station, and the network operation management apparatus (30) sends alarm information regarding the failure.
US09516521B2
Some demonstrative embodiments include devices, systems and/or methods of transferring control of a Remote Radio Head (RRH) between Base-Band Unit (BBU) processing pools. For example, a Base Band Unit (BBU) processing pool may include a transport network interface to communicate with a plurality of Remote Radio Heads (RRHs) via a transport network; and a pool processor to manage a plurality of BBUs, the plurality of BBUs configured to control the plurality of RRHs according to a RRH control protocol, the pool processor being configured to transfer control of at least one RRH of the plurality of RRHs from at least one BBU of the plurality of BBUs to at least one target BBU processing pool.
US09516519B2
In one aspect, a method includes detecting that a mobile device application in a mobile device has generated a TCP based protocol request. The TCP based protocol request is automatically converted by the mobile device to a cellular-data network protocol request with the mobile device application. Two or more IP proxy servers are identified. Wherein the two or more IP proxy servers provide internet access to a mobile device via a cellular data network. A list of physical locations of each of the two or more IP proxy servers is generated. A location of the mobile device is calculated. A distance between the mobile device and each of the two or more IP proxy servers is automatically determined. A step includes selecting a physically nearest IP proxy server of the two or more internet protocol (IP) proxy servers to the mobile device. A step includes communicating the cellular-data network protocol request to the physically nearest IP proxy server via, at least in part, the cellular data network.
US09516508B2
Described herein are systems and methods for telecommunications spectrum sharing between multiple heterogeneous users, which leverage a hybrid approach that includes both distributed spectrum sharing, spectrum-sensing, and use of geo-reference databases.
US09516503B2
A non-transitory computer readable medium for location based access includes instructions which, when executed by one or more devices, causes performance of operations including identifying a physical location of a client device, determining that the physical location of the client device meets a criterion for allowing access through an entryway, identifying a permission level associated with the client device, determining that the permission level associated with the client device meets a criterion for allowing access through the entryway, and, responsive at least to determining that the criterion have been met, allowing access through the entryway.
US09516497B2
Various embodiments of the invention are detection systems and methods for detecting call provenance based on call audio. An exemplary embodiment of the detection system can comprise a characterization unit, a labeling unit, and an identification unit. The characterization unit can extract various characteristics of networks through which a call traversed, based on call audio. The labeling unit can be trained on prior call data and can identify one or more codecs used to encode the call, based on the call audio. The identification unit can utilize the characteristics of traversed networks and the identified codecs, and based on this information, the identification unit can provide a provenance fingerprint for the call. Based on the call provenance fingerprint, the detection system can identify, verify, or provide forensic information about a call audio source.
US09516493B2
This application relates to systems, methods, and apparatus for testing operability of a mobile device with a reader device. In some embodiments, a testing system is set forth for automatically placing the mobile device proximate to the reader device in order to initiate a wireless transaction between the mobile device and the reader device. Depending on whether the mobile device is determined to be operable with the reader device, the testing system can automatically place the mobile device proximate to another reader device for testing. In this way, reductions in testing time can be manifested as a result of automating the testing process.
US09516472B2
An approach and system for determining a level of effectiveness of a device action performed in response to the presence of a user is described. The system identifies a user associated with a presence signal transmitted by a transmitting object in use by the user during an event. The system also initiates a rendering of content associated with the user, an event host, one or more items associated with the event host, or a combination thereof at a sensing device that detects the presence signal. Still further, the system determines a response of the user to the content based on movement information, location information, transaction information, or a combination thereof associated with the transmitting object, the user, or a combination thereof during the event.
US09516471B2
Methods of and systems for estimating the probability of movement of access points in a WLAN-based positioning system are provided. Disclosed are methods to quantify the probability that a particular location estimate of a mobile device made by a Wi-Fi based positioning system is correct to within an arbitrary accuracy. Implementations use observed access point cluster size, age information for access point location determination, and/or the probability that one or more access points detected by the mobile device have relocated based on historic information about the movement of a collection of access points to make the probability determinations.
US09516466B2
Systems and methods to capture, in a first device, a sample of audio data streaming from a server, transmit the sample to the server, and receive, in the first device, access to a secure service provided by the server when the server verifies that the first device is at a location of the audio based on the sample.
US09516463B2
Aspects of the subject disclosure may include, for example, determining a need to provide a service to a first communication device of a plurality of communication devices, detecting a movement of a second communication device of the plurality of communication devices in a direction that will place the second communication device in a communication range of the first communication device, and transmitting a message to the second communication device to provide the service to the first communication device when the second communication device comes into the communication range of the first communication device. Other embodiments are disclosed.
US09516462B2
A location update method for a terminal which supports multiple radio access technologies, according to the present invention, comprises the steps of: a terminal releasing the connection to wireless resources of the base station of a first network, which is able to access different networks simultaneously by using a first and a second radio access technology, in order to maintain an access only to the base station of a second network which uses the second radio access technology; establishing a layer 3 tunnel (L3 tunnel) to a virtual base station of the first network while maintaining an access only to the base station of the second network; and transmitting the location update of the terminal to the virtual base station of the first network to which the L3 tunnel has been established.
US09516459B2
Provided is an apparatus and method for expressing an accuracy of a measured location of a terminal. The apparatus may include a storage unit to store accuracy information used for indicating an accuracy of a measured location corresponding to each of possible locations of the terminal. The apparatus may include a location information obtainment unit to obtain information associated with a location of the terminal. The apparatus may include a controller to express an accuracy of a measured location in the location of the terminal or an accuracy of a measured location in an area comprising the location of the terminal, based on the accuracy information.
US09516458B2
A technique enabling automatic start of a desired application without being dependent on an OS of a mobile terminal only by causing the terminal to touch an image forming apparatus. The apparatus is equipped with an NFC tag capable of performing short-range wireless communication with the terminal. A Web browser operating on the terminal accesses an RUI of the apparatus. User agent information is acquired from the Web browser having accessed the RUI. The OS of the terminal is determined based on the acquired user agent information. Application information is written in the NFC tag based on the determined OS. A mobile NFC reader/writer of the terminal reads the application information, and if the associated application has been installed in the terminal, the application is started, whereas if not, an application download service is started to download the application.
US09516448B2
An information processing device, includes a setting unit configured to set, based on user operations or predetermined rules, a priority order regarding multiple wireless communication devices sharing connection rights to connect to a predetermined network using wireless communication, wherein, in the event that transfer of the connection rights is to be performed between the multiple wireless communication devices using wireless communication, the transfer is performed based on the priority order set to the wireless communication devices which are the object of the transfer.
US09516447B2
An embodiment of the present invention provides a method for generating a downmixed signal, including: performing a time-frequency transform on a received left sound channel signal and a received right sound channel signal to obtain a frequency domain signal, and dividing the frequency domain signal into several frequency bands; calculating a sound channel energy ratio and a sound channel phase difference of each frequency band; calculating a phase difference between the downmixed signal and a first sound channel signal in each frequency band according to the sound channel energy ratio and the sound channel phase difference; and calculating a frequency domain downmixed signal according to the left sound channel signal, the right sound channel signal, and the phase difference between the downmixed signal and the first sound channel signal in each frequency band. This method effectively improves quality of stereo encoding and decoding.
US09516435B2
An open fitted hearing aid adapter allows a user to quickly transition between an open fitted style hearing aid and a closed fitted style hearing aid. This allows the user to conveniently benefit from the different advantages offered by both styles of hearing aids, according to the user's current needs. The open fitted hearing aid adapter has a custom ear mold, at least one receiving surface channel 19, and a tube securing mechanism. The receiving surface channel 19 is the component in which the open hearing aid component(s) (e.g., tubing, wiring, speaker, and/or microphone) of an open fitted hearing aid is positioned. The open hearing aid component(s) is positioned within the receiving surface channel 19 through a tubing slit, rather than being threaded through the custom ear mold and generally affixed in a permanent manner. The tube securing mechanism acts to hold the open hearing aid component(s) in place.
US09516434B2
Embodiments presented herein are generally directed to a coupling arrangement for securing an external component to a recipient of an implantable medical device. The coupling arrangement is configured to magnetically couple the external component to a recipient so as to minimize damage to tissue of the recipient adjacent to the coupling arrangement.
US09516429B2
A hearing aid and a method of controlling a hearing aid are provided. The hearing aid includes a sensor configured to obtain sensor data corresponding to a user movement, a pattern identifying unit configured to identify a pattern in the sensor data, and a control unit configured to determine whether a pattern identifier is present in the pattern of the sensor data and to control operation of the hearing aid.
US09516427B2
An electrode extraction terminal extracting a generated current by contacting with a fixed electrode is disposed inside a unit case, and can change from a cardioid to a hyper cardioid. The electrode extraction terminal includes an electrode rod portion having a projection portion at a tip side; and a pedestal portion having a flat surface surrounded by a peripheral wall portion having a sitting height thereof same as that of the projection portion of the electrode rod portion, and facing the fixed electrode under a shape with a size showing a cardioid in directivity, wherein the flat surface is located orthogonal to an axis direction of the electrode rod portion. In a peripheral surface area of one or more sound holes of the flat surface, a minute concave-convex surface is provided to reduce an acoustic resistance value to show a hyper cardioid in directivity.
US09516423B2
The disclosure relates to a micro-electromechanical membrane arrangement with a substrate, which has a multiplicity of recesses on a surface, a first electrically conductive electrode layer, which is arranged on the surface of the substrate and has a multiplicity of first depressions coinciding with the recesses, and an electrically conductive membrane layer, which can be deflected in a direction perpendicular to the active surface of the substrate, is arranged over the first electrode layer and is kept at a distance therefrom by a first distance value.
US09516419B2
Embodiments described herein involve configuring a playback device based on the detection of a barrier remaining in proximity to the playback device until a gating condition is satisfied. In an example embodiment, a playback device receives sensor data, and determines, based on the received sensor data, that a barrier has remained within a threshold proximity to the playback device for at least a threshold duration of time. In response to determining that the barrier has remained within the threshold proximity to the playback device for at least the threshold duration time, a playback configuration is applied to the playback device. This playback device may adjusts audio output of the playback device at one or more frequency ranges. After applying the playback configuration, the playback device play backs audio content according to the playback configuration.
US09516417B2
A boundary binaural microphone array includes a pair of microphones spaced from one another by a distance between approximately 5 cm and 30 cm. The boundary binaural microphone array has a structural support that locates the microphones no more than approximately 4 cm off of a surface upon which the array is placed. The microphones are separated by a sound barrier that provides an interaural level difference in the amplitudes of the sound signals sensed by the two microphones.
US09516414B2
A communication device and method for adapting to audio accessories are provided. The communication device includes a memory; a first microphone, a connector for receiving data from an accessory device having a second microphone, and a processor interconnected with the memory, the microphone and the connector. The processor is configured to receive audio input and, when the audio input originated at the second microphone, to automatically apply equalization settings corresponding to the second microphone.
US09516407B2
A personal listening system has an active noise control (ANC) controller that produces an anti-noise signal. A head worn audio device for a user has a speaker to convert the anti-noise signal into anti-noise, an error microphone, and a reference microphone. The controller uses signals from the error and reference microphones to produce the anti-noise signal in accordance with an adaptive filter algorithm that has an adjustable parameter which changes so as to move the point at which acoustic cancellation occurs from the error microphone and closer to the user's eardrum. Other embodiments are also described and claimed.
US09516405B2
A multimedia playing system is provided. A portable electronic device includes a first dock port, a second dock port, a power module, an audio processor and a controller. When a first single-ear wireless earphone connects with the first dock port, the power module charges the first single-ear wireless earphone via the first dock port. When a second single-ear wireless earphone connects with the second dock port, the power module charges the second single-ear wireless earphone via the second dock port. The audio processor provides a left sound channel signal and a right sound channel signal. When the first single-ear wireless earphone separates from the first dock port, the controller provides one of the left sound channel signal and the right sound channel signal to the first single-ear wireless earphone according to a relative position between the first dock port and a user.
US09516404B2
An improved wireless communications earplug for use with a magnetic field transmitter. The wireless earplug has a receiver made of a coil of wire on a magnetic bobbin, mounted in close proximity or in contact with a magnetic case of a speaker. The magnetic case of the speaker serves to increase the magnetic flux through the receiver and improves the efficiency of the earplug. The speaker is acoustically coupled to an eartip, and the earplug may be molded into a custom earplug body.
US09516396B2
A bracket for attachment to a first speaker and for suspending a second speaker therefrom. The bracket comprises a suspension member configured for attachment to a second speaker and defining an axis about which a second speaker is free to rotate when attached to the suspension member and an adjustable end stop configured to limit the maximum amount of rotation of a second speaker about the axis of rotation.
US09516393B2
A system for remotely controlling client recording and storage behavior schedules the recording, storing, and deleting of multimedia content on a client system storage device. The viewer may request that certain content be captured. Capture requests also allow the service to determine content to be recorded by the client system in the same manner that a viewer requests that certain content are recorded but are more powerful than what a viewer can request. Recording requests for a capture request can preempt viewer requests or be entered at the same or lower priority as a viewer request. Capture requests can adjust all aspects of a recording request and affect the capture request itself. Client system operational functionality are also manipulated by the service using capture requests.
US09516391B2
Techniques for object based operations may include identifying one or more objects in a multimedia stream. The one or more objects may be classified. An operation may be performed based on the classification of the one or more objects. Other embodiments are described and claimed.
US09516387B2
An exemplary method includes a media program guide user interface system 1) displaying a forward-looking view of a media program guide, the forward-looking view including a matrix grid of cells arranged relative to a channel axis and a forward-looking time axis, the cells representing media programs scheduled for transmission on channels arranged along the channel axis and at times arranged along the forward-looking time axis in accordance with a media transmission schedule, 2) detecting an association between content of the forward-looking view and a recorded media program available to a media content access system, and 3) presenting, together with the forward-looking view in response to the detecting, a selectable option configured to be selected by a user to trigger a display of a backward-looking view of the media program guide. Corresponding methods and systems are also disclosed.
US09516385B2
A method for obtaining a multicast address. A first request message is sent to the EPG device to obtain program guide information. The program guide information is returned by the EPG device. A multicast address matching a current user terminal is obtained according to the program guide information. A multicast request message is sent according to the multicast address.
US09516380B2
Methods and systems for automatically transitioning content based on facial recognition, wherein the method may include receiving a signal from a camera, identifying a face of a viewer within an area, retrieving a user identifier associated with the face of the viewer, selecting a program, and displaying the program.
US09516376B2
A cable television (CATV) entry adapter interfaces to a CATV network and serves as a hub in an in-home network for passively communicating multimedia content or information from the CATV network and between subscriber devices connected to the ports of the CATV entry adapter, using CATV signals in a CATV frequency band and network signals in a different in-home network band.
US09516374B2
An application on a second-screen device can receive an advertisement stream and an interactive component. The application can display at least a partial display of the advertisement stream and the interactive component in a video display area on the second-screen device. The displayed advertisement stream can be associated with an advertisement stream being displayed by a primary display with the two advertisement streams being associated with the same content and substantially synchronized.
US09516373B1
A method comprising the steps of: generating an acoustic fingerprint that is responsive to a playing of a movie on a primary screen device; searching, responsive to the acoustic fingerprint, an acoustic database; identifying, responsive to the searching of the acoustic database, a location within the movie; displaying an information item that is responsive to the identified location within the movie, a predefined playing time separation from a previous display of an information item, and a selecting of information items of each of a plurality of movie related information functions, the selecting being disproportionately in favor of at least one of the plurality of movie related information functions.
US09516361B2
An encoding apparatus adds delay time information DTI indicating initial delay time i_d and delay time d of each group data to a position to be read prior to frame data by a decoding apparatus in the group data of encoding stream data DBI and transmits the same to the decoding apparatus 3. Namely, the encoding apparatus does not transmit initial offset delay time i_of to the decoding apparatus 3. The encoding apparatus starts to read and transmit the encoding stream data DBI from a transmission buffer at a predetermined bit rate R at timing designated by the initial offset delay time i_of.
US09516355B2
A virtual media rendering device acts as a proxy for physical media rendering devices that lack support for a designated common protocol such as UPnP/DLNA. The virtual device conforms to a designated common media rendering control protocol so that media rendering devices on the network that do not support the common protocol may be accessible via the common media rendering protocol through the virtual media rendering device. Requests received by the virtual media rendering device using the common protocol are converted to the media rendering control protocol used by the proxied physical media rendering device. The virtual media rendering device appears to other devices on the network as if it were a physical device.
US09516352B2
An aircraft communications system includes at least one personal electronic device (PED) carried by an aircraft passenger, and an aircraft in-flight entertainment (IFE) system. The PED includes a PED near-field communications (NFC) device, a PED wireless transceiver, and a PED controller for transmitting a registration identifier (ID), and communicating via the PED wireless transceiver. The aircraft IFE system includes an IFE video entertainment source, IFE passenger seat displays, a respective IFE NFC device associated with each of the IFE passenger seat displays, an IFE wireless transceiver, and an IFE controller. The IFE controller is for selectively displaying video from the IFE entertainment source on the IFE passenger seat displays, and communicating with the PED wireless transceiver via the IFE wireless transceiver based upon one of the respective IFE NFC devices receiving the registration ID from the PED NFC device when in proximity thereto.
US09516351B2
To have a very efficient and in some embodiments also backwards compatible with legacy LDR display systems, apparatuses and methods relating to decoding an image encoding (LDR_CONT) corresponding to a first luminance dynamic range (R_oLDR) into a second luminance dynamic range (R_oHDR) output image (HDR_FIN), in which image encoding (LDR_CONT) are encoded pixels of an original image (HDR_ORIG) of a high dynamic range scene, the method comprising: tone mapping with a predetermined tone mapping strategy (FL2H) at least the lumas of pixels in the image encoding (LDR_CONT) onto lumas of pixels in an intermediate image (HDR_PRED) corresponding to the second luminance dynamic range (R_oHDR); and modifying the lumas of at least some of the pixels of the intermediate image (HDR_PRED) by multiplying them with predetermined multiplication factors, resulting in the output image (HDR_FIN) are taught.
US09516345B2
Systems and methods for low complexity forward transforms using mesh-based calculations are described herein. One aspect of the subject matter described in the disclosure provides a video encoder comprising a memory configured to store video information. The video encoder further comprises a processor in communication with the memory. The processor is configured to decompose a transform into multiple transform stages. The processor is further configured to transform the video information using the multiple stages to determine a transform stage output at each transform stage. The processor is further configured to constrain the transform stage output at each transform stage to a predetermined bit depth. The processor is further configured to perform operations on the constrained transform output of a last stage of the multiple stages, wherein the operations are only available for use with data having the predetermined bit depth.
US09516341B2
There are provided methods and apparatus for reduced complexity template matching prediction for video encoding and decoding. The encoding method encodes at least an image block in a picture using template matching prediction, wherein the template matching prediction is selectably constrained using one or more constraining criterion that reduces a complexity of performing the template matching prediction.
US09516339B2
A hierarchical motion prediction apparatus and method. The hierarchical motion prediction method splits a current frame and a reference frame into pixel groups, changes a pixel location of each pixel group, and selects one pixel, and thus resolutions of the current frame and reference frame are reduced. A motion vector of a down-sampled current block is obtained based on a down-sampled current frame and reference frame, and is expanded to a motion vector of an original resolution based on a down sampling rate.
US09516338B2
When a block (MB22) of which motion vector is referred to in the direct mode contains a plurality of motion vectors, 2 motion vectors MV23 and MV24, which are used for inter picture prediction of a current picture (P23) to be coded, are determined by scaling a value obtained from averaging the plurality of motion vectors or selecting one of the plurality of the motion vectors.
US09516337B2
A method and apparatus for variable accuracy inter-picture timing specification for digital video encoding is disclosed. Specifically, the present invention discloses a system that allows the relative timing of nearby video pictures to be encoded in a very efficient manner. In one embodiment, the display time difference between a current video picture and a nearby video picture is determined. The display time difference is then encoded into a digital representation of the video picture. In a preferred embodiment, the nearby video picture is the most recently transmitted stored picture. For coding efficiency, the display time difference may be encoded using a variable length coding system or arithmetic coding. In an alternate embodiment, the display time difference is encoded as a power of two to reduce the number of bits transmitted.
US09516336B2
With use of a simplified program or calculating device for motion compensation, a video decoding device decodes video data compressed by motion detection operations on macroblock units, as in the MPEG-4AVC standard. The video decoding device splits compressed data blocks of the prescribed size, 16×16 pixels for instance, to generate sub-blocks, which are smaller than the blocks and on which the video decoding device is able to execute motion compensation operations. The video decoding device duplicates a motion vector assigned to a given block to generate as many motion vectors as there are sub-blocks in the given block, and executes motion compensation on each sub-block using the corresponding duplicate motion vector. Data resulting from the motion compensation operation on each sub-block is combined to obtain a target block corresponding to the given block.
US09516327B2
The present invention discloses a data transmission method and device. The method comprises: a first terminal collecting image(s) displayed on a display screen of a second terminal through an image collecting module; wherein the image(s) is (or are) generated by encoding binary data of a file to be transmitted by the second terminal, and displayed on the display screen of the second terminal, and wherein a plurality of color gradations of pixels of the image(s) correspond to corresponding binary data; and the first terminal decoding the collected image(s) to obtain binary data and restoring the corresponding file according to the obtained binary data, thus achieving data transmission between terminals.
US09516325B2
An encoder comprising an encoding module and an adaptation module. The encoding module is configured to encode video in at least one region-of-interest and outside the region-of-interest. The encoding comprises quantization, and the encoding module is operable to apply a difference in quantization granularity between the encoding inside and outside the region-of-interest. The adaptation module is configured to determine at least one metric representative of a difference in benefit of the quantization inside and outside the region-of-interest, and to adapt the difference in quantization granularity in dependence on this metric.
US09516315B2
An apparatus is provided for generating perceptually lossless image data or perceptually enhanced image data including: a color transform unit for color transforming a received image to a desired color space, forming converted color-space (CCS) images; a transform unit for receiving CCS images and transforming the CCS images into transformed CCS images each containing a set of transform coefficients; a quantization unit to quantize the transformed CCS images to form quantized CCS images; an image processor for receiving and processing transformed or quantized CCS images to produce optimized CCS images that are perceptually lossless or perceptually enhanced in quality; and an encoder for compressing the optimized CCS images; wherein the compressed optimized CCS images are subsequently prepared for storage and/or transmission.
US09516310B2
Frames of a moving image are configured as a hierarchical structure where each frame is represented with a plurality of resolutions. Some layers are set as original image layers, and the other layers are set as difference image layers in hierarchical data representing a frame at each time step. In the case that an area is to be displayed in the resolution of the difference image layer, to respective pixel values of a difference image of the area, respective pixel values of an image of a corresponding area retained by the original image layer of lower resolution, the image enlarged to the resolution of the difference image layer, are added. A layer to be set as a difference image layer is switched to another layer as time passes.
US09516308B2
Techniques of this disclosure provide an indication of whether a parameter set update can occur in a portion of a bitstream. The indication may enable a video decoder to determine whether an update of a stored parameter set can occur without performing a content comparison between the stored parameter set and a new parameter set of the same type with the same identification value. A parameter set update includes storing a current parameter set with a given identification value to replace a previous parameter set of the same type and having the same identification value. When a parameter set update cannot occur, the video decoder may store and activate a single parameter set of a given type for the entire portion of the bitstream. When a parameter set update can occur, the video decoder may automatically update a stored parameter set, or may determine whether to update the stored parameter.
US09516291B2
Television systems are disclosed that incorporate separate A/V processing systems and television displays. The television displays can receive video driving signals wirelessly from the A/V processing system that can be used to directly drive the display driver of the television display. By separating the electronics used to receive various input sources of audio and video (A/V) content from the television display, the television display can be designed to consume less power, can be manufactured to be significantly lighter and can be installed with fewer cables. Indeed, cables can be eliminated entirely, where the A/V processing system communicates wirelessly with the television display and the television display obtains power wirelessly from a wireless power supply.
US09516275B2
A driving support device outputs, to a display means (103), a superimposed image in which a pair of left and right planar predicted trajectory guide marks (405), (406) corresponding to steering of the vehicle are superimposed onto a captured vehicle-rearview image including the tow vehicle connector (402) and the towed-vehicle connector (404). An image superimposing unit (112) superimposes sides (405a), (406a) of the predicted trajectory guide marks (405), (406) that are on the vehicle-width-center side further towards the outer edge relative to the tow vehicle connector (402), and superimposes sides (405b), (406b) of the predicted trajectory guide marks (405), (406) that are on the outer-edge side in the vehicle-width direction as predicted trajectories of the side edges of the vehicle.
US09516269B2
Computing devices may implement instant video communication connections for video communications. Connection information for mobile computing devices may be maintained. A request to initiate an instant video communication may be received, and if authorized, the connection information for the particular recipient mobile computing device may be accessed. Video communication data may then be sent to the recipient mobile computing device according to the connection information so that the video communication data may be displayed at the recipient device as it is received. New connection information for different mobile computing devices may be added, or updates to existing connection information may also be performed. Connection information for some mobile computing devices may be removed.
US09516253B2
Preferred placement of programming content is provided by a system and method to organize or sequence the display of a set of programmable content elements of an iTV application to a viewer, using business rules that describe the preferred placement conditions or criteria. Such criteria include brand, content owner, application location, current channel, current channel family, current channel category, time of day, content category, current program, current program genre, current iTV application, current content type, and/or subscriber and set-top box profile and behavior data. In one implementation, the present invention allows for managing the ‘shelf space’ within and for iTV applications.
US09516250B2
An exemplary method includes a universal remote control device programming the universal remote control device for remotely controlling a target device configured to process media content associated with the target device for presentation to a user of the target device, adding a new button associated with a configuration for remotely controlling the target device to a device selector palette, the new button being selectable by the user to activate the configuration for remotely controlling the target device, and displaying at least one of text and graphics related to the media content associated with the target device. Corresponding systems, methods, and apparatuses are also disclosed.
US09516249B1
A pixel control circuit includes a first supply rail coupled to provide a first supply voltage. A second supply rail is coupled to provide a second supply voltage. A variable resistance circuit is coupled to the second power supply rail. A plurality of driver circuits is coupled between the first supply rail and the variable resistance circuit. Each one of the plurality of driver circuits is coupled to provide a control signal coupled to control a pixel circuit. The variable resistance circuit is coupled to provide a first resistance between the plurality of driver circuits and the second supply rail during a sampling operation of the pixel circuit. The variable resistance circuit is coupled to provide a second resistance between the plurality of driver circuits and the second supply rail during a non-sampling operation of the pixel circuit.
US09516242B2
An apparatus for image reconstruction comprises an optical system and a control means for controlling the optical system, which control means is configured to control the optical system, for the capture of a plurality of single images, in such a manner that at least one parameter of the optical system is different upon capture of at least two single images. The apparatus comprises a processing device for digitally reconstructing an image in dependence on the plurality of single images and in dependence on information about optical transfer functions of the optical system upon capture of the plurality of single images.
US09516238B2
A method and apparatus apply one of a plurality of different levels of noise suppression to a pixel based on a difference between illuminance values for the pixel in the presence of (a) both a flash and ambient light and (b) without the flash.
US09516236B2
With an image processing method, in response to a control signal from an external device, main imaging is performed by using a predetermined main imaging parameter, main image processing is performed on the acquired image data, a result is sent to a control device, and, during the main image processing, sub-imaging is performed by using at least one sub-imaging parameter, which is different from the main imaging parameter. Sub-image processing is performed on the image data acquired by the sub-imaging, and the result is extracted. If the extracted sub-image processing result falls within a predetermined processing result criteria range, updating is performed by setting, as a new main imaging parameter, the sub-imaging parameter that has generated the processing result.
US09516226B2
An optical device is disclosed. The optical device may generate light for projection into a user's eye. The optical device may have a switch connected to an eyecup. When the eyecup is pressed against the user's face, the switch may be actuated, signaling the optical device to generate light for projection into a user's eye. When the eyecup is not pressed against the user's face, the switch may be unactuated, signaling the optical device to cease to generate light for projection into a user's eye. Various electronics of the optical device may remain active, for example, a controller may continue to generate an image for representation by the generated light, but the optical device may refrain from generating the light, such as by a display. In this manner, inadvertent light leakage may be ameliorated, and power consumption by the optical device lessened when the eyecup is not depressed.
US09516218B1
A user captures images on a user computing device. The user signs in to an application, which transmits the user's images to an account management system, which recognizes objects within the images and assigns one or more object categories to the images and recognizes multiple images comprising objects in a common object category. After receiving user consent, the application groups the images on the user computing device according to object category. The user computing device captures an image of another object. The application transmits the image to the account management system, which detects objects within the image, identifies the object category, and saves the image to the corresponding object category group on the user computing device. After receiving user consent, the account management system finds information for each image in the object category group of images and transmits the information to the user computing device.
US09516213B2
An image processing apparatus comprises an acquiring unit configured to acquire pixel signals in which light fluxes from a subject are stored, each pixel signal being such that a pixel has stored a pupil-divided light flux obtained by performing pupil division on the light flux; a determination unit configured to determine, with respect to pixels of the pixel signals that are associated with a predetermined region, whether or not a pixel value of each pixel satisfies a predetermined relationship to a pixel value of a pixel having stored another light flux from the same subject; and a detection unit configured to detect that there is an external factor that varies the pixel value in the predetermined region if the pixels of the pixel signals include a predetermined number or more of pixels that are determined to satisfy the predetermined relationship.
US09516209B2
An imaging apparatus includes an imaging unit for capturing a subject and generating image data of the subject, an operation input unit for receiving inputs of operation signals containing a release signal for instructing the imaging unit to shoot, an acceleration detector for detecting an acceleration of the imaging apparatus, a state detector for separately detecting a case in which the imaging apparatus is overland, a case in which the imaging apparatus is underwater and a photographer shoots while swimming, and a case in which the imaging apparatus is underwater and the photographer shoots while changing a water depth, and a control unit for performing operation control depending on an input into the operation input unit and/or into the acceleration detector according to a state detection result by the state detector.
US09516208B2
Thermal imaging camera images are obtained from a thermal imaging camera that rotates through a plurality of stop positions. The camera captures images at a constant frame rate and at least some of the images correspond to stop positions. Thermal imaging camera images that correspond to a stop position are retained, while images that do not correspond to a stop position are discarded. Retained images are sent in a video stream to a video processor. The video stream is separated into individual thermal imaging camera images and stored for corresponding virtual camera devices that correspond to specific stop positions. In addition, the position of the camera and individual pixels of images are both correlated to geographical location data, and depth values for the pixels are determined based on the geographical data.
US09516206B2
There is provided an information processing apparatus including an emission unit for emitting a projection image onto a subject, which is to be photographed, so as to allow the subject to perform a predetermined operation, a recognizing unit for recognizing operation performed by the subject, and an execution unit for executing a predetermined processing according to the operation of the subject that is recognized by the recognizing unit.
US09516203B1
A device for holding a gaze-attracting object in a position adjacent to an electronic photographic device such as a digital camera or smart phone is provided. The device includes a body having one or a plurality first projecting members extending across a gap from a secondary projecting member. The device is positionable to an as-used position with a digital camera or smartphone engaged within the gap. Holding members projecting from the body opposite the gap, maintain an object therebetween and adjacent to the lens of the camera or smartphone or other digital photo device.
US09516202B2
Some embodiments are provided for providing a wireless bridge to local devices on personal equipment systems. Personal equipment systems can include wireless communication systems that allow external systems, users, or both to communicate with and access data from local devices on the personal equipment systems. Personal equipment systems are provided having one or more local devices coupled thereto and in wired communication with one another. Personal equipment systems can include a wireless system and local devices attached to a headgear system, the local devices being in wired communication with one another and in wireless communication with external systems. The wireless communication system is configured to establish a wireless connection with external systems for communicating with and accessing local devices that are in wired communication with each other.
US09516199B2
A machine vision system is provided. The machine vision system includes a camera. A first flash unit is in communication with the camera and adapted to emit light or a first range of wavelengths in synchronization with operation of the camera. A second flash unit is in communication with the camera and adapted to emit light of a second range of wavelengths in synchronization with operation of the camera. The light of the first range of wavelengths does not overlap the wavelength of the light of the second range of wavelengths.
US09516194B2
A shading correction of removing a plurality of shading factors is performed. A scanner device performs a shading correction in a manner such that a low-pass filter circuit (14) extracts a broad waveform change component caused by a temperature characteristic and a temporal change in light source or sensor sensitivity as shading factors, a phase/amplitude synchronizing circuit (15) extracts a phase shift of a cycle pattern of a lens array, a first multiplying circuit (16) synthesizes the waveforms of the extracted factors so as to form a correction-purpose image signal waveform, and the correction-purpose image signal waveform is divided from an image signal waveform subjected to a dark level correction (offset).
US09516189B2
Provided is an image processing apparatus including an acquisition section that acquires one or more sets of attribute information which indicates an attribute of a publication, identification information which identifies the publication, and label information which indicates at least one of an arrangement of the publication in an establishment and a period during which the publication is not permitted to be lent, a conversion section that converts the acquired identification information into a code image, a generation section that generates a label image based on the acquired label information, and an image forming section that forms an image which expresses some or all of the acquired attribute information, the code image which is acquired through conversion, and the generated label image on one or more media such that image groups corresponding to one set are formed on one piece of medium.
US09516188B2
The image recording apparatus according to the present invention is provided with a conversion device that converts an optical image of a subject to an electrical signal, a recording circuit that records the electrical signal achieved through the conversion device in a storage device as image data and a display control circuit that detects an available capacity at the storage device and the length of time that power supply by a source is possible and displays them on a display as available capacity information and remaining power supply time information. The available capacity information indicates the length of available recording time remaining at the available capacity that has been detected.
US09516187B2
A laser scanning unit includes a light source, a deflector, and a scanning lens. A surface shape of the scanning lens is formed so as to have: non-uniform-speed scanning characteristics in which a scanning speed with the light beam is the lowest at the one end and the other end of the to-be-scanned surface and is highest at a midpoint between the one end and the other end; and image formation characteristics in which a beam diameter of the light beam is largest at the one end and the other end of the to-be-scanned surface and is the smallest at the midpoint between the one end and the other end. The non-uniform-speed scanning characteristics and the image formation characteristics are characteristics in which a peak value of an intensity distribution of the light beam at each image height is made equal to each other by a combination of both characteristics.
US09516168B2
Embodiments of a system and method are disclosed for initiating a call-back sequence using NFC technology. Embodiments include capturing an image using an NFC reader determining an identification of active queues, displaying an indication of the active queues on a display screen using a session queuing component, obtaining a user selection of a queue as a selected queue using the session queuing component, sending a request to a communication system in a data format for an expected wait time associated with the selected queue, receiving the expected wait time from the communication system, and sending a confirmation to the communication system in a data format for a call-back.
US09516164B1
Embodiments of the invention provide a system and method for providing advertisements to the parties of a communication, such as a telephone call or a video conference. A calling party agrees to view or listen to an advertisement in exchange for communications services, such as a telephone call. A called party may also agree to view or listen to an advertisement in order to receive a call. After an advertisement is broadcast to the calling and/or calling parties, a call connection is completed between the parties. Alternatively, audio and/or video advertisements may be broadcast during a call connection.
US09516161B1
The device may detect a trigger to perform call degradation on audio and/or video of a call. The call may be with another device. The device may identify one or more parameters associated with performing call degradation on the audio and/or video of the call. The one or more parameters may include a parameter associated with degrading the audio and/or video of the call. The device may perform the call degradation on the audio and/or video of the call based on detecting the trigger to perform the call degradation and based on the one or more parameters to generate degraded audio and/or video output. The device may provide the degraded audio and/or video output to the other device.
US09516156B2
An apparatus and a method for providing a bookmark service in a communication terminal are provided. The method includes accessing a website, determining whether a favicon exists in the accessed website, and when the favicon exists in the website, setting the favicon as a bookmark of the website.
US09516153B2
A method and system for integrating telecommunication session output with one or more applications are provided herein. The method for integrating telecommunication session output with one or more applications includes communicating with one or more second devices in a telecommunication session using a first application disposed on a first device; tracking attributes associated with the telecommunication session; recording at least a portion of the telecommunication session on the first device to produce a session recording; and storing the attributes and at least one of the session recording, or a text transcription of the session recording in a second application on the first device.
US09516149B2
Transparent structures for portions of electronic device housings are disclosed. The transparent structures are formed from multiple layers of transparent (optically clear) materials. The multiple layers can include at least an outer glass layer and one or more other transparent layers that can be either glass or polymer layers. The multiple layers can be bonded together with one or more lamination layers. Accordingly, multi-layer transparent structures that are formed from multiple layers bonded together are able to be not only thin but also sufficiently strong and resistant to damage. The multi-layer transparent structures are well suited for use in consumer products, such as consumer electronic devices (e.g., portable electronic devices).
US09516144B2
One embodiment provides a system that facilitates cut-through forwarding of message fragments over a network. During operation, the system receives a packet that corresponds to a fragment of a message and contains a fragment header. The system stores in a data structure a mapping relationship between the fragment header and a hierarchically structured variable-length identifier (HSVLI), wherein the HSVLI comprises contiguous name components ordered from a most general level to a most specific level. The system makes a forwarding decision for the packet based on the fragment header prior to receiving all fragment packets associated with the message, thereby facilitating cut-through forwarding of the message fragments over a network.
US09516142B2
A method, programmed medium and system are provided for preventing the denial of file system access to a plurality of clients accessing a NFS server. In one example, an NFS server is configured to listen on a server port. The server runs a separate daemon which “watches” client requests as they are received at the NFS server. The server processing system tracks the number of times a client sends consecutive TCP zero-window packets in response to a data packet from the server. If the number of zero-window packets crosses a user-defined threshold, then a routine is called to stop responding to that client using a backoff algorithm. When the server reaches a point where the number of available threads or any other relevant resource dips below a user-defined threshold, the server process starts terminating connections to the clients starting from the ones with the oldest entry in the table.
US09516141B2
An approach is described for registering a plurality of gateway devices to a sensor platform operated by a service provider, detecting at the gateway devices, one or more sensors from a personal area network of a subscriber, determining corresponding identifiers of the sensors, collecting data from the sensors over one or more coordinated personal area networks, and designating each of a plurality of agents to process the collected data for local analysis and acting on this analysis, wherein the agents are configured to communicate with other agents.
US09516139B2
A content distribution network includes a first server in communication with an anycast server that provides content via a unicast signal, and with a multicast server that provides the content via a multicast signal. The first server is configured to receive a list of source addresses associated with the content, and to provide a metadata file including an anycast Internet protocol address of the anycast server from the list of source addresses as an Internet protocol address of the content in response to a first request for the content. When the number of client devices requesting the content exceeds a first threshold, the first server receives an updated list of sources including a multicast Internet protocol address of a multicast server, and provides the multicast Internet protocol address of the multicast server as the Internet protocol address of the content in the metadata file.
US09516136B2
A computer-implemented method in a content delivery network (CDN) includes, at a mechanism in said CDN: responsive to a request, determining a particular sequencer to handle the request, the particular sequencer comprising a sequence of one or more handlers, wherein the request is associated with a particular customer of said CDN and wherein a first at least some of the one or more handlers in the particular sequence are determined based on the particular customer; and processing the request in accordance with the particular sequencer by invoking the one or more handlers.
US09516135B2
Apparatus and method of storing user information in a home network. Mapping information is generated by mapping at least one terminal connected to the home network onto a pre-stored house schematic. Based on the mapping information, information associated with at least one adjacent terminal to a particular terminal is generated, where the adjacent terminal is capable of recognizing a user of the particular terminal. User information is generated based on the user-related information transmitted from the adjacent terminal to recognize the user of the particular terminal when a certain function is executed in the particular terminal. The user information is stored in association with usage history information for the certain function.
US09516131B2
A network device stores a mapping configuration to associate client type profiles with particular delivery profiles for media content and receives, from a client device, a request for a link to a content selection. The request includes a content identifier and parameters for the client device. The network device constructs, based on the parameters for the client device, a particular client type profile and maps the particular client type profile to one of the particular delivery profiles in the mapping configuration. The network device constructs a uniform resource locator (URL), based on the one of the particular delivery profiles and the content identifier, that provides the link to the content selection with formatting that is suitable for the particular client type profile and sends the URL to the client device.
US09516123B2
In a group communications system, a group watcher module subscribes to presentities of interest for a particular group by communicating, to at least one presence server module, a set of subscriptions to a plurality of presentities, wherein each subscription contains a set of event notification criteria for a presentity. When the group watcher module detects a change in presence information for the set of subscriptions, it determines current members of the group and distributes the change in presence information to the current members.
US09516122B1
A media player user interface on behalf of a user associated with a user account is generated that has a social network module that includes music updates associated with other users to which the user is linked. Media player actions associated with the user occurring in the media player user interface are also captured, updates are generated and provided to social network modules in a media player user interface associated with other linked users.
US09516118B2
Exemplary methods for allocating multiple local sub-blocks (LsBs) of segment identifiers (IDs) include allocating a first set of LsBs, each LsB associated with a start index and a range, wherein the start index indicates a starting SID of a corresponding LsB and the range indicates a total number of SIDs included in the corresponding LsB, each LsB identified by a sub-block number. In one embodiment, the methods include mapping a plurality of segment routing global block (SRGB) indexes to a plurality of corresponding SIDs of the first set of LsBs, the mapping performed based on the SRGB indexes, start indexes of each LsB, and ranges of SIDs of each LsB. In one embodiment, the methods include advertising the first set of LsBs by transmitting a first advertisement message that includes the start indexes, ranges of SIDs, and sub-block numbers of all LsBs of the first set of LsBs.
US09516116B2
A method and apparatus to manage notification service connections. In one embodiment of the invention, a mobile device schedules a notification service connection message transmission interval for each of a plurality of notification service connections. The mobile device also associates a notification service connection message transmission window with each notification service connection message transmission interval. The mobile device synchronizes transmission of notification service connection messages based on overlapping notification service connection message transmission windows.
US09516113B2
A method for providing content includes transmitting to the content providing server a user's location detection signal; receiving the user's location detection signal from the content providing apparatus; transmitting a user's activity recognition signal; receiving the user's activity recognition signal; transmitting a user's bio-signal; receiving the user's bio-signal; determining a user's status based on the user's location detection signal and the user's activity recognition signal. Further, the method includes estimating a user's biological activity based on the determined user's location and the user's bio-signal; transmitting the content corresponding to the user's biological activity; receiving the content corresponding to the user's biological activity from the content providing server; and providing the received content.
US09516112B1
A system is described for sending alert messages collected for cloud computing system to external systems. The alert messages may be sent according to determined protocols, such as the syslog protocol and/or SNMP trap, among other appropriate protocols. Partitioning and/or fragmenting of the alert message may be provided based on the use of various types of message identifications and/or other information in which, by virtue of the partitioning and fragmenting, an alert message, regardless of its length, may be sent and reconstructed at the external system. The system advantageously provides for transmission of alert messages using mechanisms other than the syslog protocol and with additional included alert attribute information.
US09516111B2
According to an embodiment, a communication apparatus includes a receiving unit, an obtaining unit, and an analyzing unit. The receiving unit is configured to receive first obtaining method information, which is sent by an information processing unit to a network and which indicates a method of obtaining first data from the network. The obtaining unit is configured to, on behalf of the information processing unit, obtain the first data based on the first obtaining method information received by the receiving unit. The analyzing unit is configured to extract, from the first data obtained by the obtaining unit, second obtaining method information that indicates a method of obtaining second data which needs to be obtained along with obtaining the first data. The obtaining unit also obtains the second data based on the second obtaining method information.
US09516109B2
According to one general aspect, a method may include determining the validity of a registry entry, wherein the registry entry is included in a deleted items registry, the deleted items registry including registry entries previously determined to be invalid. Upon determining the registry entry is valid, moving the registry entry to a valid items registry, and upon determining the registry entry is invalid, determine if the registry entry has been invalid more than a threshold number of times, upon determining the registry entry has not been invalid more than the threshold number of times, increase a period of time before a next determination as to whether the registry entry in the deleted items registry is valid, and upon determining the registry entry has been invalid more than the threshold number of times, remove the second registry entry from the deleted items registry.
US09516108B1
A distributed backup method includes defining a server group having a plurality of server computers, and providing each server computer with an identical backup policy and an identical storage policy. The method also includes transmitting, at each server computer of the server group to every other server computer of the server group, advertisement messages describing available storage space for storing backups, and receiving, at each server computer from the server, at least some of the advertisement messages. The method also includes identifying, at a first server computer using the backup policy, at least a first service to be backed up, selecting a second server computer using the received advertisement messages, transmitting, from the first server computer to the second server computer, a backup including information corresponding to the at least one service, and storing the backup, by the second server computer using the storage policy.
US09516107B2
Systems, methods, and non-transitory computer-readable storage media for securely accessing locally stored synchronized content using a local web server. A client application on a client device may receive from a web browser on the client device a request to access a local content stored on a client device. The client application may be configured to synchronize the local content with a remote content stored in an online content management system. The client application may issue a challenge for the web browser. The client application or the online content management system may then receive a response to the challenge. If the response is a valid response to the challenge, the web browser may be allowed to access the local content via the client application.
US09516099B1
This disclosure describes an account management service that allows a primary account user to establish weather constraints that will result in access to digital items to be restricted when current weather conditions correspond with the established weather constraints. For example, a primary account user may specify that, when the weather is sunny and between sixty-five degrees Fahrenheit and eighty degrees Fahrenheit, access to digital items by a secondary account user is to be restricted.
US09516085B2
This disclosure describes and adaptive bit rate encoding and distribution techniques for conserving bandwidth usage in a channel. The invention comprises, an encoder or transcoder, a video fragmenter, a video-quality analyzer that output complexity values, a streaming server, a process by which individual fragments are selected for distribution, a video-quality threshold, and, optionally a bandwidth reclamation factor. A video-quality analyzer inspects any combination of the input and output of the encoder, transcoder, or fragmenter, and produces a video-quality metric for each fragment. A fragment-selection process responds to request from a client device. If the video-quality value of the fragment requested exceeds the video-quality threshold, a different fragment having a lower vide-quality value is selected instead. Otherwise, the fragment that would have been selected is selected. In some embodiments, the video-quality threshold can be dynamically adjusted to permit varying amounts of bandwidth reclamation.
US09516080B2
Methods and apparatuses for streaming content including a base layer and an enhancement layer. According to one implementation, a first stream is fetched including the base layer from an internet server storing the base layer. A second stream is fetched including the enhancement layer from a local storage with the local storage being in communication with a media player through a local area network or a bus. The base layer and the enhancement layer are combined to render the content at a higher resolution than just the base layer.
US09516073B2
In some embodiments, a parent object may share its assets with its descendent(s) in a hierarchical asset sharing model. The hierarchical asset sharing model may specify a plurality of asset sharing modes. In a first mode, an asset of the parent is imposed on a child. The child is able to utilize the asset, but unable to modify or delete the asset. In a second mode, the child is able to utilize the asset and a copy of the asset is generated when the child attempts to modify the asset. The child can modify the copy of the asset, which is stored as an asset only of the child. The original asset is no longer shared becomes an asset only of the parent. In a third mode, both the parent and the child can utilize and modify the asset.
US09516071B2
A video conferencing system is provided. The video conferencing system includes a first video conferencing apparatus and a second video conferencing apparatus. A video/audio connection of a video conference between the first and second video conferencing apparatuses is established via an SIP channel. When the video/audio connection of the video conference has been established, a transparent layer is activated on the first and second conferencing apparatuses. When the first and second video conferencing apparatuses are switched to an external output projection mode, first and second touch events are input on the first and second video conferencing apparatus, and the first and second touch events are respectively transmitted to the second and first video conferencing apparatuses via the SIP channel. The first and second video conferencing apparatuses draw the second and first touch events on a first user interface and a second user interface.
US09516070B2
A method can be used for establishing a channel for managing an IPv4 terminal. An identifier of a network port of an IPv4 terminal is sent by a home gateway. A listening port is allocated to the IPv4 terminal according to the identifier of the network port of the IPv4 terminal, so as to establish a channel for managing the IPv4 terminal between the network port and the listening port, so that the IPv4 terminal is remotely managed by a management device. An identifier of a network port of an IPv4 terminal sent by the IPv4 terminal through a home gateway is received and a listening port is opened for the IPv4 terminal according to the identifier of the network port and used for receiving a management message sent by a management device.
US09516067B2
A system and method is disclosed herein for providing a unidirectional outage bypass for outgoing communications from a session initiation protocol (SIP) device in a hosted Voice-over Internet Protocol (VoIP) private branch exchange (PBX) system. An outage monitoring system is in communication with both a bypass configuration system and one or more bypass enablers that act at the direction of the bypass configuration system. The outage monitoring system detects outages and overloads, as well as, network failures between network components, the VoIP PBX, Client Devices and the public switched telephone network (PSTN). The bypass configuration system, in response to a detection of an outage, determines error-handling procedures for the unidirectional outage bypass system based on bypass configuration data. The bypass enablers forward outgoing communications between a client device and the PSTN, in accordance the error-handling procedures, by bypassing components that are currently experiencing failures or overloads.
US09516066B2
Rights management services (RMS) integration with mobile device management (MDM) may be provided. A functionality associated with a document may be restricted according to a document management policy. After the document has been transmitted to a receiving device, a request to un-restrict the at least one functionality associated with the document may be received. If it is determined that the receiving device complies with the document management policy, the functionality associated with the document may be un-restricted.
US09516065B2
A security enhancement to IPSec processing is achieved by changing the algorithms used at each re-key after expiration or termination of a Security Association session between two peer nodes. The solution enables an Internet Key Exchange to negotiate multiple algorithms to ensure that every renewed IPSec Security Association has a different algorithm combination, thereby making attempts at decryption by an attacker more difficult.
US09516059B1
A technique provides protection against malicious activity. The technique involves providing a mock token to fraudster equipment. The mock token appears to be a legitimate user token that identifies a legitimate user (e.g., an actual user token, a token seed, etc.). The technique further involves receiving, from the fraudster equipment, an authentication request which uses the mock token and, in response to receiving the authentication request which uses the mock token from the fraudster equipment, performing a set of authentication server operations to protect against future activity by the fraudster equipment (e.g., deny access to the fraudster equipment, acquire specific information about the fraudster equipment, output a message to subscribers of an eFraud network, and so on).
US09516055B1
A computer system receives a file and instruments an original code of the file in memory. The resulting instrumented code allows for collection of runtime information of the original code. An unpacking routine that includes one or more instructions that execute several times, modify memory locations, and execute instructions in the modified memory locations is identified. The unpacking routine is deemed a malware signature and incorporated into a malware pattern. An unpacking behavior diagram can also be generated from the runtime information.
US09516043B2
An auditing system and method for analyzing email, including capturing email transferred over a network and transferring the email to a data analyzer. The email can be encrypted for safe transfer to the analysis location. Once the email is delivered to the analysis location, it is decrypted and the analysis process begins. The analysis of the email includes scanning the email for specific search terms found in a lexicon and then identifying trends based on scanning results.
US09516040B2
Systems and methods for providing security services during a power management mode are disclosed. In some embodiments, a method comprises detecting with a mobile security system a wake event on a mobile device, providing from the mobile security system a wake signal, the providing being in response to the wake event to wake a mobile device from a power management mode, and managing with the mobile security system security services of the mobile device. Managing security services may comprise scanning a hard drive of the mobile devices for viruses and/or other malware. Managing security services may also comprise updating security applications or scanning the mobile device for unauthorized data.
US09516036B2
Access to protected content is based on a client device being within a region. The region may be a mobile or movable region, and/or a region that is in motion. In some embodiments, the region may be determined based on a distance from a position within the region, or based on a boundary about the position that need not be symmetrical. In some embodiments, the region is a three dimensional region. In some embodiments, being within the region is further based on the region being above a defined altitude. In further embodiments, a determination for access is based on whether the client device is detected to be in motion relative to the region.
US09516035B1
Methods and systems for behavioral profiling, and in particular, utilizing crowd-managed data architectures to store and manage that profile, are described. In some embodiments, a method includes observing behavioral characteristics of user interactions during a current session with the user through one of a plurality of channels. Variations between the behavioral characteristics of the user interactions observed during the current session and a behavioral profile previously developed based on prior usage patterns of the user through the plurality of channels are identified, in real-time or near real-time.
US09516031B2
A system and method are provided for restricting various operations in a file system based on security contexts. An object security context including permissible roles and defining a set of access permissions associated with each of the permissible roles is assigned to a file system object. A user security context is assigned to a user based on authentication information from the user, and the user security context identifies a user role for the user. An executable security context is assigned to an executable program. When the user has launched the executable program, a process is created and assigned the user security context and the executable security context. Responsive to the process attempting to access the file system object, at least one of the user security context and executable security context is verified against the object security context to determine if the attempted access should be allowed.
US09516029B2
Embodiments are directed towards a system and method for a cloud-based front end that may abstract and enable access to the underlying cloud-hosted elements and objects that may be part of a multi-tenant application, such as a search application. Search objects may be employed to access indexed objects. An amount of indexed data accessible to a user may be based on an index storage limit selected by the user, such that data that exceeds the index storage limit may continue to be indexed. Also, one or more projects can be elastically scaled for a user to provide resources that may meet the specific needs of each project.
US09516023B2
A system for collecting and transferring electronic information includes one or more servers, having one or more centralized databases for storing or retrieving the data, connected to a network, one or more computing devices connected to the servers via the network for retrieving the data from the centralized databases, and a plurality of biometric devices connected to the servers via the network, located at different locations. Each biometric device comprises a system for identifying users based on biometric data of the users, a system for storing the biometric data and activity information of the users, and a system for sending the biometric data and activity information to the servers, in communication with the servers in real time via the network.
US09516021B2
A smart card includes a processing circuit, a memory that contains a protected object, an activity detector that receives a signal that describes a planned activity of a person who is in physical possession of the smart card, and an activity analyzer that evaluates features of the planned activity. In response to the activity analyzer determining that a predefined risk associated with the planned activity exceeds a predetermined value, the activity analyzer issues an instruction to a user to provide a biomarker to a biosensor. A blending logic blends real-time biometric data with a security object to generate a hybrid security object. A conversion logic uses the hybrid security object to convert a protected object into a usable object that can be utilized by the processing circuit within the smart card. A matrix barcode generator generates a matrix barcode that contains information about the user of the smart card.
US09516013B2
Disclosed are a communication apparatus and a method of controlling the same. The communication apparatus sets, if it is designated to perform encrypted transmission, whether to not perform transmission to an address with respect to which encrypted transmission is not possible or to perform plain text transmission to the address, and an address is selected in a state where this setting has been configured. The communication apparatus determines whether or not the selected address is an address with respect to which the encrypted transmission is possible, and, if the result of the determination shows that the selected address is not the address with respect to which the encrypted transmission is possible, controls whether to not perform transmission to the selected address or to perform plain text transmission to the selected address, in accordance with the setting.
US09516012B2
A method of managing electronic safes implemented by a server on behalf of at least one user possessing at least a first electronic safe, said method comprising a step of implementing access means designed to provide said user with access, via a second safe belonging to said user, to a set of data forming part of a content accessible via the first electronic safe, said implementation step being intended to be carried out in the event of authentication of said user as the user owning the first electronic safe.
US09516009B2
A redirection service may receive a destination URI plus a set of conditions for reaching the URI. The conditions may include authentication conditions. The service may generate an intermediate URI which may direct to an intermediate service. The intermediate service may execute the various conditions, then redirect to the destination URI. In some cases, the intermediate service may pass data to the destination URI, and such data may include data gathered while executing the various conditions. The intermediate service may accessed through an Application Programming Interface (API). An example use scenario for the redirection service may be to generate publically publishable URIs for a private chat service, where an intermediate URI may be generated for a specific user or group of users, and may permit only those users to access a private chat room through the publically available URI.
US09516008B2
Embodiments of the present invention relate to generating challenge response sets utilizing semantic web technology. In response to detecting an authentication session for a user, a computing device generates a first challenge question that is semantically related to a second challenge question previously responded to by the user, wherein the authentication session seeks to validate an identification of the user. The computing device determines whether a response to the challenge question by the user is valid. In response to determining that the response to the challenge question by the user was valid, the computing device generates a third challenge question or a notification that the response to the challenge question validates the identification of the user.
US09516005B2
A method, system, apparatus, and computer program product are provided for facilitating individual-specific content management. For example, a method is provided that includes receiving information regarding at least one prerequisite condition relating to at least one individual, receiving information regarding the at least one individual, determining whether the at least one prerequisite condition is satisfied, and causing individual-specific content associated with the at least one individual to be transmitted. At least a portion of the individual-specific content comprises protected content configured to be unviewable and/or unmodifiable. The method further includes receiving at least one access credential and causing at least a portion of the protected content to be viewable and/or modifiable.
US09515993B1
A method, a computer program product, and a computer system for automatically migrating servers into an environment of multiple firewalls. A computer creates a graph representing the servers and connectivity, based on connectivity strengths and resource requirements. The computer groups the servers into multiple groups by using a graph based partitioning algorithm which considers the connectivity strengths and the resource requirements. The computer creates two adjacency matrices, one for local rules and the other for global rules. The computer adds endpoints to a local adjacency list, in response to determining that the endpoints are in a respective one of the multiple groups. The computer adds endpoints to a global adjacency list, in response to determining that the endpoints are not in respective one of the multiple groups. The computer converts the adjacency lists to firewall rules for the respective one of the multiple groups.
US09515987B2
A method, an apparatus, and a system for network address translation related to the field of communications technologies. A NAT control apparatus receives a network address migration message after a first data center migrates a NAT mapping entry corresponding to a migrated virtual machine VM to a second data center, verifies the network address migration message, and updates home information of the NAT mapping entry in a network address mapping table from the first data center to the second data center according to the network address migration message. In this way, NAT address resources in each data center can be properly planned, and a release attack problem caused by a fact that applying and using of a VM are not performed in a same data center can be solved.
US09515986B2
A method of obtaining addressing information may include establishing a communication path through a network between first and second peer devices with a router coupled between the first peer device and the communication path through the network. A communication may be received at the first peer device from the second peer device through the communication path and the router. Moreover, a payload of the communication received at the first peer device from the second peer device may include a public reachability address used by the second peer device to transmit the communication through the network and the router to the first peer device. Related methods of providing such addressing information and related devices are also discussed.
US09515982B2
An approach for reducing online charging for voice over LTE users when accessing a roaming network. Users can receive and make voice over LTE calls without allowing background applications to use the resulting bearer for data traffic such as firmware updates, social network applications and other periodic and aperiodic data traffic. This approach has a beneficial impact on charging costs when accessing roaming networks.
US09515981B2
A system for resolving domain name system (DNS) queries, contains a communication device for resolving DNS queries, wherein the communication device further contains a memory and a processor that is configured by the memory, a cache storage for use by the communication device, and a network of authoritative domain name servers, where in a process of the communication device looking up a DNS request within the cache storage, if the communication device views an expired DNS entry within the cache storage, the communication device continues the process of looking up the DNS request in the cache storage while, in parallel, sending out a concurrent DNS request to an authoritative domain name server that the expired DNS entry belongs to.
US09515978B1
A system and method delivers e-mail messages if it can validate the master name server, MX record, or both for the mail domain in the address of the message. Otherwise, the message may be sent by alternate means, such as a message printed and mailed.
US09515976B2
In particular embodiments, a mailbox server is operable to receive, from a client, a message to be delivered to an endpoint; store the message in a mailbox associated with the user; access a set of policies for the client or the endpoint; determine a delivery channel for the message based on the policies; and transmit the message to the endpoint through the delivery channel. In particular embodiments, the mailbox server may transmit SMS messages via a special bind with a recipients SMSC, or via a carrier short code. In particular embodiments, the mailbox server may transmit the message as an email or via an internal messaging system over a packet data connection.
US09515975B2
An approach for delaying social media messages is provided herein. A first computing device receives user preferences. The first computing device detects a social media message of a user. The first computing device determines that the user is not in the physical location. The first computing device determines whether to delay the posting of the social media message based on a comparison of the content of the social media message with the received user preferences.
US09515967B2
This is directed to a method of sharing data among multiple devices, the multiple devices includes a server, a source terminal, and multiple receiving terminals. The method includes: receiving, on the server, account information associated with at least one of the multiple receiving terminals, receiving, on the server, data from the source terminal to be shared with at least one of the multiple receiving terminals, determining, based on the account information, at least one active receiving terminal, alerting the at least one active receiving terminal about the data shared by the source terminal, and receiving a response from the at least one active receiving terminal indicating an action with regard to the data.
US09515966B2
A topic room is provided in which one or more individuals or other entities may collaborate on topics of mutual interest. Multiple individuals or participants may use the topic room to communicate in real or non-real time and may work together to create, browse, modify, comment on, and perform any other suitable action on content. A chat room within the topic room receives, records, and transmits the communications and all activity in the topic room to all participants as messages. Client processes at a participant's user equipment may listen to the messages and take particular actions. For example, one participant can follow another participant as that participant browses through material by using the messages received from that participant.
US09515964B2
Techniques are provided for synchronizing, in a distributed Fiber Channel fabric or a distributed FCoE fabric in which FC frames are encapsulated in Ethernet frames, a controlling FCoE forwarder (cFCF) with the FCoE data-plane forwarder (FDF). The operation includes entering a recovery mode at the FDF. The FDF is modified based on a route distribution message provided by the cFCF which includes fabric-provided MAC addresses (FPMAs). The FDF notifies the cFCF of differences between the FPMAs supplied by the route distribution message with the FPMAs known by the FDF. The FDF leaves the recovery mode and sends an acknowledgement to the cFCF.
US09515956B2
A technique for multi-layer quality of service (QoS) management in a distributed computing environment includes: receiving a workload to run in a distributed computing environment; identifying a workload quality of service (QoS) class for the workload; translating the workload QoS class to a storage level QoS class; scheduling the workload to run on a compute node of the environment; communicating the storage level QoS class to a workload execution manager of the compute node; communicating the storage level QoS class to one or more storage managers of the environment, the storage managers managing storage resources in the environment; and extending, by the storage managers, the storage level QoS class to the storage resources to support the workload QoS class.
US09515950B2
Mechanisms are provided for enabling collaboration across tenants in a multi-tenant environment using single sign-on (SSO) authentication/authorization. Various examples provide for creating a user account and provisioning a subscription to a user (e.g., to enable single sign-on authentication/authorization). The user is allowed to access services (e.g., collaborative services) in a multi-tenant environment by utilizing a subscription authorization of the user without prompting the user to authenticate by logging-in again (that is, without prompting the user to log-in again after the user has already logged-in and been authenticated for a given session). Other examples provide for mapping webspaces through URL hosts where each organization (that is, tenant) has its own set of namespace(s).
US09515949B2
A system, method, and computer readable medium for managing CDN service providers are provided. A network storage provider storing one or more resources on behalf of a content provider obtains client computing device requests for content. The network storage provider processes the client computing device requests and determines whether a subsequent request for the resource should be directed to a CDN service provider as a function of the updated or processed by the network storage provider storage component.
US09515947B1
A multi-tenant virtual network-aware storage array device is disclosed and includes a storage array manager component for storing and managing data associated with a plurality of tenants. The storage array manager component is configured to provide a plurality of storage entities, where each of the plurality of storage entities is associated with a tenant of the plurality of tenants. The storage array manager component generates a virtual network instance (“VNI”) for a first tenant, where the VNI is associated with a first storage entity and with a virtual network identifier (“VNID”) identifying the VNI. In addition, a virtual network tunnel endpoint (“VTEP”) for the VNI is generated. The storage array manager component encapsulates content relating to the first storage entity with the VNID for presentation to a first tenant system of the first tenant over a transport network via the VTEP.
US09515946B2
Incoming frame data is stored in a plurality of dual linked lists of buffers in a pipelined memory. The dual linked lists of buffers are maintained by a link manager. The link manager maintains, for each dual linked list of buffers, a first head pointer, a second head pointer, a first tail pointer, a second tail pointer, a head pointer active bit, and a tail pointer active bit. The first head and tail pointers are used to maintain the first linked list of the dual linked list. The second head and tail pointers are used to maintain the second linked list of the dual linked list. Due to the pipelined nature of the memory, the dual linked list system can be popped to supply dequeued values at a sustained rate of more than one value per the read access latency time of the pipelined memory.
US09515942B2
A method and system for detecting and reducing data transfer congestion in a wireless access point includes determining a round-trip-time value for an internet control message protocol (ICMP) packet transmitted from a source computing device to a first computing device of a plurality of computing devices via the wireless access point. A data rate for data transmissions from the source computing device is increased to a value no greater than a peak data rate value if the round-trip-time is less than a first threshold value. The data rate is decreased if the round-trip-time value is greater than a second threshold value. Additionally, the peak data rate value may also be decreased if the round-trip-time value is greater than the second threshold value.
US09515939B2
A communication device includes a buffer that stores transmission packets. The communication device monitors a free space of the layer 2 transmission buffer. The communication device changes a first window size that is notified from another communication device, to a second window size, based on the free space, and controls an inflow of the transmission packets to the layer 2 transmission buffer, in accordance with the second window size. By providing above-mentioned communication device and a packet control method, a reduction in a throughput caused by overflow in layer 2 transmission buffer is avoided.
US09515933B2
Embodiments relate to managing data flows through a virtual network. An aspect includes receiving, by a network interface card (NIC) connected to a hypervisor of a source computer, flows of data packets from one or more virtual machines managed by the hypervisor. The aspect includes running, by the NIC, an overlay network protocol to encapsulate the data packets, and to manage the flow of data through tunnels for the virtual network to a destination computer based on the overlay protocol, the tunnels transmitting the data packets through an underlying physical network underlying the virtual network.
US09515918B2
A method for maintaining a bridging network communication path table is presented and includes determining a failed communication link between a first bridge computer and a second bridge computer in the bridging network; identifying, in the communication path table, a first path that includes the failed communication link; and indicating that the first path is not active.
US09515908B2
In general, techniques are described that may allow a network element to analyze the performance of a network without using external equipment external to the network. In one example, a method includes injecting a plurality of data units onto the network, forwarding the plurality of data units around the network loop, injecting at least one timing data unit on to the network, forwarding the at least one timing data unit around the network loop, and determining at least one latency statistic correlated to the at least one characteristic of the forwarded plurality of data units.
US09515904B2
Methods, apparatus and articles of manufacture to monitor streaming media content are disclosed. An example method disclosed herein to monitor streaming media content comprises extracting first metering data from media content to be provided to a content presentation device via a transport stream, the first metering data identifying at least one of the media content or a source of the media content, combining the first metering data with second metering data obtained independently of the media content, the combined metering data not being decodable by a meter associated with the content presentation device, and transcoding the combined metering data to form transcoded metering data having a format decodable by the meter associated with the content presentation device.
US09515901B2
Asynchronous handoffs between threads and other software components may be automatically detected, and the corresponding working objects may be tracked. The system may report monitoring information for an overall transaction that includes the original request and corresponding asynchronous requests. Automatically detecting asynchronous requests may include instrumenting a virtual machine, such as a Java Virtual Machine (JVM), to detect the creation of thread handoff objects and the object and/or thread execution. Thread handoff objects may automatically tracked, tracked based on data learned over time, tracked based on user input, and otherwise configured. In some embodiments, after detecting the creation of a thread handoff object, an identification of the object of the call may be identified as being tracked in another server or application.
US09515900B2
Presented herein are techniques to measure latency associated with packets that are processed within a network device. A packet is received at a component of a network device comprising one or more components. A timestamp representing a time of arrival of the packet at a first point in the network device is associated with the packet. The timestamp is generated with respect to a clock of the network device. A latency value for the packet is computed based on at least one of the timestamp and current time of arrival at a second point in the network device. One or more latency statistics are updated based on the latency value.
US09515898B2
The present invention relates to an information processing method and system, and a recording medium for the same. An information processing system includes a place terminal side transceiver for receiving place identification information and network ID information set to a communication network device disposed in a place from a terminal disposed in the place; a storing section for storing the connections among at least one place identification information per a place, the network ID information set to the communication network device disposed in each place, and place information corresponding to each place into a storing medium(1); a wireless terminal side transceiver for receiving identification information of a wireless terminal and communication network ID information accessed with the wireless terminal through an application equipped in a user's wireless terminal; an information checking section for firstly checking the network ID information to be matched with the communication network ID information received by the wireless terminal side transceiver through the storing medium(1), and secondly checking at least one of the place identification information and place information connected to the firstly checked network ID information; a registering requesting section for transmitting at least one of the place identification information and the place information checked through the information checking section by the application equipped in the wireless terminal and requesting automatic output registration of place information for the place; and a registering processing section for processing to register and store the identification information of the wireless terminal connectively with at least one of the place identification information and the network ID information set to the communication network device disposed in the place into a storing medium(2), if registration-approval information corresponding to the automatic output registration request through the registering requesting section is received by the application equipped in the wireless terminal.
US09515890B2
A method, system and controlling bridge (CB) for acquiring port extension (PE) topology information, and a method and system for processing an upstream port, wherein, the method for acquiring the port extension (PE) topology information includes: a CB receiving a link layer discovery protocol (LLDP) message sent by the PE, and perceiving an attachment of the PE; the CB receiving Extended Port Create message sent by the PE, and instantiating corresponding instantiated ports inside the CB. By adopting the above-mentioned technical scheme, the topology information of the PE connected to the CB can be obtained and a channel for forwarding data can be established, effectively.
US09515888B2
Methods, systems, and computer program products for configuring wireless local area network gateways to provide visitors with network access, are provided. A nearby client device of a user is provided a first level of access through the wireless local area network gateway to access a cloud-based service provider in a remote network. A determination is made whether a source Internet Protocol (IP) address associated with a request for authentication received from the nearby client device is matched to a public IP address of the wireless local area network gateway. If a match is determined, a configuration setting associated with the nearby client device of the user is received from the cloud-based service provider and the wireless local area network is reconfigured to provide a second level of access to the nearby client device of the user. Corresponding system and computer readable mediums are also provided.
US09515876B2
Implementations described and claimed herein provided for a system for provisioning network resources. The system includes a network provisioning abstraction layer having an application interface for receiving network provisioning requests from applications and determine provisioning instructions for fulfilling the requests. Each of the received provisioning instructions is queued in a priority queuing system according to a request priority. The provisioning instructions for the highest priority requests are removed from the front of the queue and sent to a resource interface that relays the requests to the appropriate network resources.
US09515874B2
In one embodiment, each of a plurality of devices in a computer network is configured to i) transmit a unicasted dynamic host configuration protocol (DHCP) solicit message to a neighbor device having a route to a border router as an assumed DHCP relay without regard to location of a DHCP server, and ii) operate as a DHCP relay to receive unicasted DHCP solicit messages and relay the solicit message to the border router of the network without regard to location of the DHCP server, and to relay a DHCP reply to a corresponding requestor device.
US09515865B2
A method of handling SIP requests received by an IP Multimedia Subsystem network. The method comprises determining whether or not the SIP destination identity is within a range of identities owned by an operator of the network but is currently unallocated to a subscriber or service of the network and, if yes, routing the message to one or more SIP application servers within the network and implementing service logic at the application server(s) specific to a network owned but unallocated SIP identity.
US09515864B2
A device may be configured to receive an Internet Protocol (IP) packet from a client device. The IP packet may include DiffServ Code Points (DSCP) information and payload data. The device may read the DSCP information included in the IP packet. The device may determine a module to load based on the DSCP information and before reading the payload data included in the IP packet. The device may load the module and provide a service to the client device based on the loaded module and the IP packet.
US09515851B1
Methods and systems for obtaining improved joint channel estimates for a multi-user, frequency-multiplexed data transmission such as SC-FDMA or OFDM begins by estimating separate contributions of users (and/or other signal sources) to the received signal based on joint frequency domain channel estimates. A reduced data set is obtained by subtracting contributions of one or more users from the received data, leaving only the estimated contributions of the remaining users, with noise and residual estimation error signal. Time domain joint channel estimation is then performed on the reduced data set, which is feasible because the number of users has been reduced. In exemplary embodiments, the reduced data set includes only one estimated user contribution. This process is repeated to obtain time domain estimates for all of the users. The method can be repeated by using the TD channel estimates to re-estimate the user contributions and calculate revised TD channel estimates.
US09515848B2
A transmission device that is coupled to a mesh network includes a memory, and a processor coupled to the memory, configured to detect an another transmission device in the mesh network, which receives a first data signal that is same as a second data signal requested to the transmission device, and branch the first data signal to the transmission device from the detected another transmission device.
US09515846B2
A disclosed switch includes: a first applying unit that applies a setting of a virtual subnetwork to a first port that is connected to an external apparatus, upon detecting an instruction to apply the setting to the first port; and a second applying unit that applies, upon detecting that the setting was applied to the first port in the switch or other switches, the setting to a second port that is connected to an external network and is associated with the first port in advance.
US09515832B2
The techniques and systems described herein present various implementations of a model for authenticating processes for execution and specifying and enforcing permission restrictions on system resources for processes and users. In some implementations, a binary file for an application, program, or process may be augmented to include a digital signature encrypted with a key such that an operating system may subsequently authenticate the digital signature. Once the binary file has been authenticated, the operating system may create a process and tag the process with metadata indicating the type of permissions that are allowed for the process. The metadata may correspond to a particular access level for specifying resource permissions.
US09515826B2
A system, method, and apparatus for a network topology aided by a smart agent download are disclosed. The method involves authenticating, with at least one authenticator device, at least one claimant. The method further involves transmitting, by at least one transmission source, the smart agent download to at least one receiving source associated with at least one claimant. In one or more embodiments, at least one transmission source is employed in a Lower Earth Orbiting (LEO) Iridium satellite. Also, the method involves receiving, by at least one receiving source, the smart agent download. In addition, the method involves executing, by at least one processor, the smart agent download. Further, the method involves monitoring, by the smart agent download, network behavior. The monitoring of network behavior includes monitoring the users on the network, monitoring data passing through the network, and monitoring the quantity of data passing through the network.
US09515823B2
A system for performing encryption and/or decryption may include a parent cryptographic device. The parent cryptographic device may be configured to receive a first cryptographic key. The parent cryptographic device may be configured to determine one or more session keys based on the first cryptographic key and/or internally generated random data bits. The parent cryptographic device may be configured to insert the one or more session keys onto one or more child cryptographic devices that are operably connected to the parent cryptographic device. The one or more child cryptographic devices may be configured to receive the one or more session keys from the parent cryptographic device, and perform one or more of encryption or decryption of communications exchanged with another child cryptographic device of the one or more child cryptographic devices. The one or more child cryptographic devices may perform encryption/decryption after separation from the parent cryptographic device.
US09515796B2
Provided are a method and apparatus for allocating a downlink control channel in a wireless communication system. A base station allocates a downlink control channel to cell-specific reference signal (CRS) resource elements (REs) capable of transmitting a CRS and transmits a downlink control signal to a terminal through the allocated downlink control channel.
US09515795B2
Disclosed in present invention is a wireless communication system, comprising: a CAP, for determining a structure of a current physical frame according to scheduled transmission resources, and sending information for indicating the structure of the current physical frame in the current physical frame; and at least one STA communicating with the CAP, for determining the structure of the current physical frame according to the information for indicating the structure of the current physical frame, the length of each physical frame depending on the structure of the current physical frame and being not fixed. Also disclosed are two devices for wireless communication.
US09515786B2
A radio frequency (RF) modem shelf for use in a fixed wireless access network comprising, a plurality of base stations capable of bidirectional time division duplex (TDD) communication with wireless access devices disposed at subscriber premises. The shelf comprises: a) a first RF modem for communicating with wireless access devices using TDD frames, each TDD frame having an uplink for, receiving data and a downlink for transmitting data; and b) a modulation controller associated with the RF modem shelf for determining an optimum modulation configuration for each of the wireless access devices communicating with the first RF modem. The controller causes the first RF modem to transmit downlink data to a first wireless access device in a first data block having a first optimum modulation configuration and to transmit downlink data to a second wireless access device in a second data block having a different second optimum modulation configuration.
US09515784B2
An apparatus and a method for retransmitting data in a wireless communication system using channel bonding are provided. The method for retransmitting data includes transmitting data by mapping the data to at least two channels according to the channel bonding, and retransmitting the data by changing a mapping scheme of the data to the at least two channels.
US09515775B2
The performance of TCP (and other protocols) is improved in a data network by segmenting the TCP path and implementing a protocol over the network. The protocol provides a multiplexed tunnel for a multiplicity of TCP sessions from a client to a cloud proxy. The protocol implements congestion management, flow control, reliability, and link monitoring. Other network protocols (such as UDP) are supported with a reliability protocol based upon network coding that improves the transmission reliability.
US09515772B2
The present disclosure is directed to a method of radio coverage extension and a base station using the same method. According to one of the exemplary embodiments, the base station transmits system information in a radio frame through a broadcast channel and selects a payload structure of repetitive system information from a plurality of predefined payload structures that includes the first payload structure and a second payload structure. The size of first payload structure is greater than the size of second payload structure. The base station transmits within the same radio frame a plurality of the repetitive system information having the payload structure through the broadcast channel in response to transmitting the system information. If the first payload structure mode is selected, there are N1 repetitive system information. If the second payload structure is selected, there are N2 repetitive system information where N2 is smaller than or equal to N1.
US09515769B2
A method for obtaining sensor data about a remote target using one or more pre-existing sensors located in the vicinity of the remote target. The method includes the steps of identifying a remote target of interest, identifying one or more pre-existing target systems with one or more sensors located in the vicinity of the remote target, instructing the identified sensors to obtain sensor data and transmit the data over a communications network without detection, receiving the transmitted sensor data, and analyzing the received sensor data to create information about the remote target.
US09515738B2
The embodiments of this disclosure provide an optical module, which expands the network bandwidth, eases a problem on dynamic bandwidth allocation. The optical module comprises an optical transceiver assembly and a control circuit, wherein the optical transceiver assembly comprises a first optical emitter and a second optical emitter; the control circuit is configured to control the first optical emitter to generate an optical signal of a first waveband, and the first optical emitter is configured to emit the optical signal of the first waveband to a transmission optical fiber; or, the control circuit is configured to control the second optical emitter to generate an optical signal of a second waveband, and the second optical emitter is configured to emit the optical signal of the second waveband to the transmission optical fiber. This disclosure is applied to an optical module of a wavelength division multiplex passive optical network.
US09515736B2
According to one embodiment, a system for transmitting differential optical signals can include an optical modulation device, a multi-core optical waveguide, and a balanced optical receiver. The optical modulation device can include at least one optical input port and multiple optical output ports. The optical modulation device can transform the optical input signal into multiple complimentary modulated optical signals that are transmitted from the multiple optical output ports. The multi-core optical waveguide can include multiple cores disposed within a cladding material. The multiple cores, the cladding material, or both can be configured to mitigate transmission of optical energy between the multiple cores. The balanced optical receiver can include multiple photodetectors. The balanced optical receiver can be communicatively coupled to the multiple cores of the multi-core optical waveguide. Each of the multiple photodetectors can transform at least one of the multiple complimentary modulated optical signals into an electrical signal.
US09515735B2
A device for controlling polarization of an optical fiber and a method of controlling the polarization of an optical fiber using the same are disclosed herein. The device includes optical fiber supports, an optical fiber holder, and an optical fiber curvature changing unit. The optical fiber supports receive an optical fiber, and support both ends of the optical fiber. The optical fiber holder includes an optical fiber guide element that guides the optical fiber, drawn out of the optical fiber supports, through a path. The optical fiber curvature changing unit is located between the optical fiber and the optical fiber guide element, and changes the curvature of the optical fiber by exerting external force onto the optical fiber.
US09515732B2
A spacecraft or satellite optical transmission apparatus (10) including an optical fiber (11) and at least one optical pump source (14) operatively coupled to provide pump energy to the optical fiber (11), the optical fiber (11) comprising an active trivalent dopant such as erbium and at least one passive trivalent dopant such as lanthanum. A method for transmitting electromagnetic radiation in a high radiation environment is also disclosed.
US09515729B2
A free space optical receiver comprising a photodetector and a fiber bundle. The fiber bundle comprises a plurality of optical fibers splayed apart at one of their ends to receive free space optical energy from multiple directions. The splayed apart ends of the plurality of optical fibers may create a hemispherical shape. Each of the plurality of optical fibers has an acceptance cone for which it couples optical energy into the splayed end of the optical fiber. The acceptance cones of the splayed ends of the plurality of optical fibers may overlap to form an omnidirectional acceptance zone. The other, non-splayed ends of the plurality of optical fibers are communicatively coupled to the photodetector, which is positioned to receive the free space optical energy from the non-splayed ends of the plurality of optical fibers. An optical communication system including the free space optical receiver is also described.
US09515717B2
A method is provided for transmitting a multiple input multiple output (MIMO) packet in a wireless local area network. A physical layer convergence procedure (PLCP) protocol data unit (PPDU) is generated including at least one training field, a very high throughput (VHT)-signal field and a plurality of data streams. The PPDU is transmitted to at least one receiver. The VHT-signal field includes first information, second information and third information. The first information indicates that the plurality of data streams in the PPDU are simultaneously received by the at least one receiver. The second information indicates which receiver is targeted for the plurality of data streams. The third information indicates a bandwidth used for a transmission of the plurality of data streams.
US09515715B2
The present invention discloses a channel state information (CSI) feedback method. The CSI feedback method includes: receiving, by user equipment (UE), a reference signal broadcast by a base station; performing channel estimation on a radio channel between the base station and the UE by using the reference signal, to obtain CSI and a channel quality parameter; adjusting the channel quality parameter according to a channel quality weight parameter, to obtain a channel statistic quality parameter; and when the channel statistic quality parameter exceeds a channel quality threshold, feeding back the CSI to the base station. In the present invention, because a channel quality parameter is dynamically adjusted by using a channel quality weight parameter, and it is selected, according to a result of comparing an adjusted channel statistic quality parameter with a channel quality threshold, whether to report CSI. UEs in a system can be evenly scheduled.
US09515705B2
A near field communications (NFC) device is disclosed that detects an envelope of a radio frequency (RF) signal. The NFC device includes a peak detector that determines the envelope of the RF signal. The peak detector compares a first differential signal voltage to a second differential signal voltage. The peak detector delays a rising edge of a first differential signal and provides the first differential signal voltage to the peak detector output when the first differential signal voltage is greater than the second differential signal voltage. The peak detector delays a falling edge of a second differential signal and provides the second differential signal voltage to the peak detector output when the second differential signal voltage is greater than the first differential signal voltage.
US09515702B2
A demodulator for near field communication may include: a scale down circuit configured to receive first and second modulated signals from first and second power electrodes, and configured to provide a scale down signal to a first node by scaling down magnitudes of the first and second modulated signals; a current source coupled between the first node and a ground voltage, and configured to generate a constant current flowing from the first node to the ground voltage; a charge store circuit coupled between the first node and ground voltage, and configured to perform charge and discharge operations alternately, based on the scale down signal and constant current, to output an envelope signal, which corresponds to an envelope of the scale down signal; and/or an edge detector configured to generate input data, which correspond to the first and second modulated signals, based on a transition of the envelope signal.
US09515701B2
Device, comprising a main element (ME) and a set of at least two auxiliary elements (SEi), said main element including a master SWP interface (MINT), each auxiliary element including a slave SWP interface (SLINTi) connected to said master SWP interface of said NFC element through a controllably switchable SWP link (LK) and management means (PRM, CTLM, AMGi) configured to control said SWP link switching for selectively activating at once only one slave SWP interface on said SWP link.
US09515696B2
A method and apparatus for half-duplex (HD) frequency division duplex (FDD) (HD-FDD) operation are disclosed. The method in a wireless transmit/receive unit (WTRU) includes monitoring a first frequency for all downlink sub-frames for downlink communication except during a cell specific uplink frame, retuning to a second frequency and transmitting a scheduling request (SR) during a WTRU specific period of the cell specific uplink frame, wherein the WTRU specific period is based on a duty cycle, and retuning to the first frequency and receiving an uplink grant in a subsequent sub-frame.
US09515692B2
This disclosure relates generally to an apparatus for retaining a portable electronic device on the body of a user. The apparatus includes a cradle with at least two securing regions that stretch to retain portions of front, back, and side portions of an electronic device. The cradle also includes apertures in portions on and/or near the securing regions that allow portable electronic devices of different sizes to be secured. The cradle also includes at least one protrusion that interfaces with at least one corresponding securing aperture in a band of flexible material. Cradles of different sizes may be attached to the band of flexible material using the one or more securing apertures.
US09515682B2
A device for correcting an initial binary word affected by an error in 1 or 2 bits and arising from a corrector code endowed with a minimum Hamming distance of 3 or 4, comprises first means for correcting an error of 1 bit and for detecting an error of more than 1 bit in the initial word and second means for correcting an error of 1 bit in a word arising from an inversion module, able to receive a datum indicative of a binary level of confidence, low or high, assigned to each of the bits of at least one part of the initial word, said inversion module being configured to invert the bits of the initial word which suffer the low confidence level, and a multiplexer with at least two inputs which is driven by the means for detecting an error of more than 1 bit in the initial word, said multiplexer being fed on a first input by the output of the first correction means and on a second input by the output of the second correction means.
US09515675B2
Provided is an interface circuit for transmitting and receiving data according to a communication protocol. The interface circuit includes: an encoder configured to encode input data to generate transmission data; a transmitter configured to output the transmission data; a data sequence detector configured to detect whether the number of successively same logic values in a data string of the transmission data is equal to or greater than a reference succession number; and a recovery section configured to control a recovery operation with respect to the transmission data, based on a detection result of the data sequence detector. With the interface circuit, data loss is prevented and data reliability is guaranteed.
US09515674B2
A signal conversion method including converting an input signal into a 1-bit pulse train representing an analog signal is provided. The 1-bit pulse train has a pulse rising waveform frise and a pulse falling waveform ffall. The pulse rising waveform frise includes a first distortion component with respect to an ideal pulse rising waveform, and the pulse falling waveform ffall includes a second distortion component with respect to an ideal pulse falling waveform. The first distortion component and the second distortion component are substantially line-symmetric with respect to a time axis.
US09515671B1
Apparatus and associated methods are disclosed for gain programming or selection with parasitic element compensation. In one exemplary embodiment, an apparatus includes a first circuit that has a first programmable gain, and includes a first set of components having parasitic elements. The apparatus also includes a second circuit that has a second programmable gain, and includes a second set of components having parasitic elements. The apparatus has a gain that is a product of the first and second programmable gains. A gain error because of the parasitic elements of the first and second sets of components is canceled by setting the first programmable gain as a reciprocal of the second programmable gain.
US09515669B2
A digital phased lock loop includes a digital controlled oscillator configured to produce an output signal at a frequency. A phase comparator compares the output signal, or a signal derived therefrom, with a reference signal to produce a phase error signal. A first loop filter produces a first control signal for the digital controlled oscillator from an output of the phase comparator. A frequency error measuring circuit coupled to the output of the phase comparator produces a frequency error signal. A second loop filter produces a second control signal for the digital controlled oscillator from an output of the frequency error measuring circuit. A circuit combines the first and second control signals and provides the combined control signals to the digital controlled oscillator.
US09515664B2
An oscillator includes an oscillation element, an oscillation circuit, a heat generation element, a temperature control circuit, and a temperature correction signal generation circuit adapted to generate a temperature correction signal used to correct a frequency-temperature characteristic. The temperature correction signal generation circuit includes a temperature sensor, a first-order correction signal generation circuit adapted to generate a first-order correction signal, and a high-order correction signal generation circuit adapted to generate a high-order correction signal. The high-order correction signal generation circuit includes a high-temperature side second-order correction signal generation circuit, a high-temperature side polarity switching circuit adapted to switch a polarity of a high-temperature side second-order correction signal, a low-temperature side second-order correction signal generation circuit, and a low-temperature side polarity switching circuit adapted to switch a polarity of a low-temperature side second-order correction signal.
US09515662B2
A level shifter includes a first and a second transistor coupled to a first power supply voltage terminal supplied with a second power supply voltage in parallel, a third and a fourth transistor coupled to a reference voltage terminal in parallel, a first and a second depression transistor, the first depression transistor being coupled between the first and the third transistor, and a timing control unit placed between a second power supply voltage terminal supplied with a second power supply voltage lower than the first power supply voltage and the reference voltage terminal, that generates the first control signal and the third control signal different from the first control signal corresponding to an inverted signal of an input signal, and generates the second control signal and the fourth control signal different from the second control signal corresponding to a non-inverted signal of the input signal.
US09515659B2
A apparatus, having a processing system and an input buffer coupled with both the processing system and one of two IO pads, and a reference buffer coupled to both the input buffer and the second of the IO pads such that the reference generator controls the input threshold of the input buffer in response to an analog voltage received from an external circuit on the second of the IO pads.
US09515653B1
In a signal generating circuit, a power supply terminal is connected with first terminals of a first switching element, a second switching element, and a third switching element; second terminals of the second switching element and the third switching element are connected to each other at a first node; the first node is connected with a ground and a first input terminal; a conduction control terminal of the third switching element is connected with the power supply terminal and the first terminal of the first switching element; a second terminal of the first switching element is connected with the first node; the second input terminal is connected with conduction control terminals of the first switching element and the second switching element; a first output terminal is connected with a second node; a second output terminal is connected with a third node; a first high-frequency cutoff element is connected with the power supply terminal and the second node; and a second high-frequency cutoff element is connected with the power supply terminal and the third node.
US09515651B2
A galvanically isolated switch system and method comprising a plurality of switches having at least one terminal in series electrical connection, at least one control input electrically connected to at least one of the plurality of switches, wherein the at least one control input is isolated from direct current voltages and at least one passive component connected across the plurality of switches.
US09515648B2
A host power-on reset control circuit includes a comparator connected to receive both a divided version of a supply voltage and a reference voltage. The comparator generates and outputs a high digital state signal when the divided version of the supply voltage is at least as large as the reference voltage. The control circuit includes an output node connected to transmit a power-on reset control signal. The control circuit includes pulldown circuitry connected between the comparator output and the output node. The pulldown circuitry maintains the output node at a reset voltage level as the supply voltage rises to a host operational level, based on a signal present at the comparator output. The control circuit includes pullup circuitry connected between the supply voltage and the output node. The pullup circuitry maintains the output node at a non-reset voltage level after the supply voltage has risen to the host operational level.
US09515645B2
In accordance with an embodiment, a circuit includes a plurality of switching networks coupled between a corresponding plurality of RF ports and a common RF port, and a control circuit. Each of the plurality of switching networks includes a first switch coupled between its corresponding RF port and the common RF port, and at least one of the plurality of switching networks includes a selectable network coupled between the first switch and the common RF port, such that the selectable network provides a DC path in a first state and a series capacitance in a second state.
US09515641B2
A voltage level detector is provided. The voltage level detector includes a comparator and a threshold level changer. The comparator compares a voltage level of an increasing or decreasing input signal with a threshold level, and generates and outputs a voltage level detection signal indicating that the input signal has reached the threshold level. The threshold level changer changes the threshold level of the comparator based on the voltage level detection signal by increasing the threshold level when the input signal is monotonically increasing and decreasing the threshold level when the input signal is monotonically decreasing.
US09515633B1
A transformer coupled capacitive tuning (TCCT) circuit for an inductively coupled plasma (ICP) chamber includes a matching circuit including a first switched capacitor circuit and a first inductor. The first switched capacitor circuit includes a first terminal, a second terminal, a first capacitor connected to at least one of the first terminal and the second terminal, a second capacitor connected to at least one of the first terminal and the second terminal, and a first switch in communication with at least one of the first capacitor and the second capacitor to vary a capacitance value between the first terminal and the second terminal. A power splitter communicates with the matching circuit and an inductive coil of the ICP chamber.
US09515627B2
Systems, devices and methods are provided for audio volume adjustment. For example, a noise volume level of current ambient noise and a first volume level of a first current audio signal of a first application are acquired using a sound collecting device. The first volume level and the noise volume level are compared using one or more data processors to obtain a first comparison result. The first volume level is adjusted based on at least information associated with the first comparison result and a reference volume level.
US09515624B2
A differential amplifier includes a differential circuit section, a gain circuit section amplifying the output of the differential circuit section and outputting the amplified output, and an offset voltage adjusting circuit section carrying out an adjustment so that a voltage equal to the offset voltage of the differential circuit section is added to the input voltage applied across a pair of input terminals and giving the adjusted voltage to the differential circuit section. The offset voltage adjusting circuit section includes a differential pair formed of a pair of MOS-FETs, a MOS-FET forming the load of the differential pair, and two resistor elements each corresponding to one of the MOS-FETs of the differential pair and the load, and giving a voltage equal to the offset voltage to the differential pair. This provides a differential amplifier suitable for detecting the output current of the zero-phase current transformer in an earth leakage breaker.
US09515623B2
An embodiment of an amplifier includes N (N>1) switch-mode power amplifier (SMPA) branches. Each SMPA branch includes two drive signal inputs and one SMPA branch output. A module coupled to the amplifier samples an input RF signal, and produces combinations of drive signals based on the samples. When an SMPA branch receives a first combination of drive signals, it produces an output signal at a first voltage level. Conversely, when the SMPA branch receives a different second combination of drive signals, it produces the output signal at a different second voltage level. Finally, when the SMPA branch receives a different third combination of drive signals, it produces the output signal at a voltage level of substantially zero. A combiner combines the output signals from all of the SMPA branches to produce a combined output signal that may have, at any given time, one of 2*N+1 quantization states.
US09515618B2
In one embodiment, a femtowatt sensitivity optical detector is provided using one or more photodiodes, intended as a replacement for the photomultiplier based photon counting unit.
US09515616B2
Tube amplifier system including a plurality of conductor walls extending parallel to a longitudinal axis and defining an interior space therebetween. The tube amplifier system also including a shorting deck that extends transverse to the longitudinal axis. The shorting deck is electrically coupled to the conductor walls. The tube amplifier system also includes a movable tray assembly having a grounding deck that extends parallel to the shorting deck. The grounding deck and the shorting deck define an output cavity therebetween that has a length. The movable tray assembly is removably mounted to at least one of the conductor walls such that the grounding deck is capable of being positioned at multiple different levels along the longitudinal axis to change the length of the output cavity.
US09515611B2
In a portable radio transceiver, a power amplifier system includes a saturation detector that detects power amplifier saturation in response to duty cycle of the amplifier transistor collector voltage waveform. The saturation detection output signal can be used by a power control circuit to back off or reduce the amplification level of the power amplifier to avoid power amplifier control loop saturation.
US09515610B2
A line driver and a method for driving a load are proposed. The line driver includes a current amplifier and a feedback network. The current amplifier has an input node arranged to receive an input current of the line driver, and an output node arranged to produce an output current. The feedback network is coupled between the input node and the output node of the current amplifier, wherein a portion of the output current of the line driver is guided to the feedback network, and an equivalent impedance obtained by looking into the output node of the current amplifier with the feedback network substantially equals an impedance of the load.
US09515608B2
A multimode oscillator comprising: a resonator including: a moving element; actuators of the moving element according to two symmetric and antisymmetric resonance modes; several detectors of the displacement of the moving element; polarization circuitry of the detectors by signals out of phase with each other; a first calculator carrying out a first operation conserving the frequential components of the first mode and cancelling those of the second mode; a second calculator carrying out a second operation conserving the frequential components of the second mode and cancelling those of the first mode; and in which the resonator and the calculators form two self-oscillating loops making the oscillator resonate simultaneously in the two modes.
US09515605B1
A cross-coupled complementary balanced electro-mechanical oscillator and a method for generating balanced oscillations. The oscillator comprises an electro-mechanical resonator connected to an oscillator core. The oscillator core comprises capacitively cross-coupled complementary programmable inverters and a resistor network. The capacitors inhibit the inverters from latching to a non-oscillatory direct-current (DC) state. The resistor network forms a high pass filter with the capacitors to inhibit relaxation oscillations. The inverters are programmable such that their gain can be varied over time to avoid parasitic oscillations. The oscillator may be frequency-tunable. The method comprises starting balanced oscillations in the oscillator with a low gain to inhibit high-frequency parasitic oscillation modes, inhibiting latching to a DC state using a capacitance, and inhibiting relaxation oscillations using a high pass filter, and varying gain over time to improve phase noise performance. The oscillator may comprise a clock source to excite oscillations in the oscillator core at a frequency close to the resonator frequency to inhibit unwanted oscillations.
US09515603B2
A crystal oscillator start-up circuit capable of reducing a start-up time of a crystal oscillator is disclosed. The crystal oscillator start-up circuit is provided with a crystal oscillation unit including a crystal oscillator, a converter and an external oscillator. The crystal oscillation unit generates an output signal corresponding to the impedance characteristic of the crystal oscillator. The converter converts the output signal of the crystal oscillation unit to a voltage signal. The external oscillator outputs to the crystal oscillation unit an oscillation signal whose frequency is adjusted by the voltage signal to approach a resonance frequency of the crystal oscillator.
US09515600B2
A solar panel installation includes at least one support cable and at least two support structures configured to hold the at least one support cable in suspension therebetween. The solar panel installation includes at least one solar module having a frame and at least one cable retaining structure secured to the frame. The at least one support cable is configured to support the solar module aloft when the at least one support cable is being held in suspension between the first and the second anchor. The solar module is configured to be slid along the at least one support cable between the support structures when the solar module is being held aloft by the at least one support cable.
US09515593B2
The invention relates to a method for automatic regulation of a system in which a plurality of parameters characteristic of the system are measured and in which at least one control parameter (u) is applied as a function of the measured parameters (y). The method includes choosing a nominal operating point of the system, and defining a nominal model (Mn) of the system at this nominal operating point. The method further includes determining a set of representative models ([Mk]) of the possible variations relative to the nominal model (Mn) and parameterizing the error of the nominal model (Mn) of the system by decomposition ([δik]) over all the errors between the models of the set of models ([Mk]) representative of the possible variations and the nominal model (Mn). The method also includes minimizing a given optimization criterion (J) by varying at least one of the previously obtained parameters ([δik]) of the error (Δ) relative to the nominal model (M) of the system. The invention also relates to the regulation device configured for applying the method.
US09515589B2
A motor driving device comprises: an inverter having a plurality of switching elements for driving a motor; an arithmetic section for calculating a rotational speed and a magnetic pole electric angle of a motor rotor based on information about a motor phase voltage and information about a motor phase current; a delay correcting section for correcting a phase delay of the magnetic pole electric angle calculated by the arithmetic section so as to generate corrected magnetic pole electric angle; a driving command generating section for generating a sinusoidal wave driving command based on a difference between the rotational speed and a target rotational speed and the corrected magnetic pole electric angle; and a PWM signal generating section for generating a PWM control signal for controlling on/off of the plurality of switching elements based on the sinusoidal wave driving command.
US09515584B2
A converter for an electric motor includes a semiconductor element connected at at least one contacting for converting a voltage, a voltage measuring device for measuring a voltage drop over the semiconductor component, and a control device for controlling the semiconductor component, the control device being configured to determine a state of the contacting based on the measured voltage drop.
US09515582B2
Disclosed is an analyzing apparatus including a first drive part (71) for rotating a turntable (101) on which an analyzing device is set, a second drive part (72) selectively engaged with the first drive part (71) to reciprocate the analyzing device, and a third drive part (73) for relatively moving the first drive part (71) and the second drive part (72) a position where the first and second drive parts are engaged with each other and a position where the first and second drive parts are not engaged with each other. Thus in the mixing and agitation of a small amount of fluid, necessary acceleration can be obtained even in a short time.
US09515581B2
Provided is a motor control device that includes an inverter circuit that includes a plurality of P-side switching elements and a plurality of N-side switching elements and drives a motor via a plurality of motor terminals; a first dynamic brake that brakes the motor by turning on all the phases of the plurality of P-side switching elements or turning on all the phases of the plurality of N-side switching elements; a second dynamic brake that brakes the motor by connecting dynamic brake resistors between the motor terminals; and a control unit that switches, according to the motor speed, between the first dynamic brake and the second dynamic brake, which are the dynamic brakes that brake the motor.
US09515580B2
Nano-electromechanical systems (NEMS) devices that utilize thin electrically conductive membranes, which can be, for example, graphene membranes. The membrane-based NEMS devices can be used as sensors, electrical relays, adjustable angle mirror devices, variable impedance devices, and devices performing other functions.
US09515564B2
A power conversion apparatus includes a primary side circuit having a primary side port; a secondary side circuit having a secondary side port; and a control unit that derives a control constant suitable for a feedback value according to a relationship rule between the feedback value and the control constant, and adjusts a phase difference between the primary side circuit and the secondary side circuit using the control constant that is derived from the relationship rule, so as to control transmitted power that is transmitted between the primary side circuit and the secondary side circuit, wherein the feedback value is obtained based on current flowing to the primary side port or the secondary side port.
US09515561B2
An output voltage detection portion detects the change of a DC output voltage on a primary side of a transformer. A control circuit outputs a gate signal of a frequency corresponding to the detected change to stabilize the DC output voltage. A load transient detection portion includes capacitors and a capacitor and/or a resistor. The load transient detection portion detects the decrease of the DC output voltage caused by a load transient. Thus, when the control circuit is performing switching control in a long cycle under a light load, the load transient detection portion can detect a timing of the load transient without waiting until the next cycle switching so that the control circuit can vary the frequency of the gate signal to a frequency corresponding to a heavy load. Accordingly, it is possible to suppress the decrease of the DC output voltage at the time of the load transient.
US09515551B2
The present invention relates to a switch relay device, and more particularly, to a switch relay device which is used as an electronic relay that drives electronic components mounted on an automobile. The switch relay device includes: a switching control unit for determining a duty value depending on the kind of a control input signal inputted thereto and generating a first switching control signal and a second switching control signal whose phases are opposite to each other; a switching drive signal generation unit for generating a switching drive signal through R-C charge and discharge in response to the first switching control signal and the second switching control signal applied thereto from the switching control unit; a load output signal generation unit for receiving the switching drive signal from the switching drive signal generation unit and outputting a load output signal; and a constant voltage unit connected to a battery disposed in a vehicle to supply power to the switching drive signal generation unit and the load output signal generation unit and configured to provide a constant voltage to the switching control unit.
US09515549B2
A voltage regulator for controlling an output device in accordance with embodiments includes an error amplifier; a controlled conductance output device; and a load predicting circuit; wherein an output of the error amplifier and an output of the load predicting circuit are summed to control the output device.
US09515547B2
In a DC power supply circuit (1), when an instantaneous value (Vin) of a voltage from a rectifier circuit (2) is higher than or equal to a voltage (VC2) across terminals of a capacitor (C2), in an ON period of a switching element (Q1), current flows along a first current path, from a high-potential output terminal of the rectifier, through a load (11), an inductor (L2), and the switching element in the stated order, and into a low-potential output terminal of the rectifier, and in an OFF period of the switching element, current flows along a second current path, from the high-potential output terminal of the rectifier, through the load, the inductor, a diode (D1), and the capacitor in the stated order, and into the low-potential output terminal of the rectifier.
US09515546B2
A power conversion device 300 includes: an AC/DC converter section 10 which has an initial charging circuit 36 that initially charges a smoothing capacitor 22 provided at an output portion, and converts alternating current power into direct current power; a DC/DC converter section 11 which performs voltage conversion of direct current power supplied from the smoothing capacitor 22; and a control unit 5 which controls output of the AC/DC converter section 10 and output supplied from the DC/DC converter section 11. The control unit 5 performs a predetermined charging from the initial charging circuit 36 to the smoothing capacitor 22 at start-up of the AC/DC converter section 10, and starts the operation of the DC/DC converter section 11 after completion of charging, whereby the circuit can be protected from an inrush current at start-up.
US09515543B2
The present disclosure relates to methods, a system and a module for operating a power converter module. The power converter module comprises a voltage converter, an output circuitry, and a processing circuitry operable for controlling the voltage converter. One method comprises transmitting a first status signal representing operating parameters of the voltage converter to the processing circuitry. Determining whether the first status signal of the voltage converter is acceptable. The method also comprises transmitting a second status signal representing the operating parameters of the output circuitry to the processing circuitry. The method also comprises determining if the second status signal is above a predetermined threshold value. When the second status signal is above said predetermined threshold value and the status of the voltage converter is acceptable, entering a peak output mode operating the voltage converter at maximum power dissipation.
US09515534B2
The present invention relates to an electromagnetic coupling device. In the electromagnetic coupling device according to the present invention, ends (5a and 5b) of a winding of an electromagnetic coil (5) are fitted to grooves of a terminal casing, and terminal members (19a and 19b) are press-fitted to a groove crossing the abovementioned groove, so that lead wires (18a and 18b) held by the terminal members (19a and 19b) are electrically connected to the ends (5a and 5b) of the winding. Terminal lines (51a and 51b) made of enameled copper wires are connected to the opposite ends of the winding of the electromagnetic coil (5) made of an aluminum wire, and the terminal lines (51a and 51b) handled as the ends (5a and 5b) of the winding are connected to brass-made connection pieces (29a and 29b) of the terminal members (19a and 19b).
US09515526B2
A motor and a rotor thereof are provided. Taking the distance between the two endpoints of a permanent magnet of a motor rotor that are on the side away from the center of an iron core as the length L of the permanent magnet, and the distance between a line connecting the two endpoints of the permanent magnet that are on the side away from the center of the iron core and the center point on the side of the permanent magnet that is close to the centerline of the iron core as the width H of the permanent magnet, then H/L ≧ 1/10. By adjusting the relationship between the length L and width H of the permanent magnet, the air gap magnetic density of the permanent magnet can be effectively increased.
US09515521B2
A detector arrangement included in an electric circuit arrangement which includes a stand by shut down and which comprises a first power supply (1) which is connected to mains voltage and which converts the mains voltage to a first voltage adapted for an electric motor (5) included in the electric circuit, the first power supply being, by means of a supply conductor (3) across a switch (4) by which the electric circuit may be closed or opened, is connected with its positive pole (2) to said motor, and the motor is, by means of a return conductor (6), connected to the negative pole (7) of said first power supply, as well as a control circuit (15) which, on the one hand, is connected via a first signal conductor (16), to the first power supply and, on the other hand, to an included second power supply (1 1) which feeds the control circuit with a second voltage which is substantially lower than the first voltage and which, with its negative pole, is connected to the return conductor, and detector means for registering the state of the switch, said means being connected to the control circuit for control thereof by the first power supply between the energised state in which the switch is in the on position and in which the power supply emits voltage, and a shut down state in which the switch is in the off position and in which the power supply emits no voltage where the detector arrangement includes a resistor (17) and a first diode (18) which are connected in series and are included in a crosswire.
US09515518B2
An active switch for electrically connecting and disconnecting a power source such as an energy harvester to a charge storage device is disclosed. The active switch allows a minimal amount of reverse back current flow from the charge storage device to the power source having a high off-resistance.
US09515511B1
A system and circuit for recharging a battery using an AC power source. A tuned circuit is created using a capacitor, an inductor, a rectifier and the battery being recharged. The rectifier and battery combine to create circuitry that is equivalent to an AC component. The equivalent circuitry is in series with the inductor. The capacitor is in parallel with the inductor and equivalent circuitry. The resultant circuit is tuned and can be operated at a resonance frequency. In operation, the tuned circuit provides a recharging current to the battery without the need for a transformer or current resistive elements. The result is a recharging system and circuit that is smaller, lighter and far more power efficient than prior art battery chargers.
US09515506B2
A short-circuiting arrangement for capacitors of a high voltage converter are provided, the capacitors each having two connection terminals, the arrangement including a short-circuiting wire configured to be moved along while in sliding contact with the connection terminals and including a short-circuiting section with electrically conductive material connected to a ground potential and a probing section with electrically conductive material and a voltage evaluating unit electrically connected to the short-circuit section and the probing section and configured to detect, as the probing section and short-circuiting section are connected to the respective connection terminals, the voltage across the capacitor, compare the voltage with a discharge threshold and halt or move the short-circuiting wire based on the detected voltage.
US09515495B2
Described herein are improved configurations for a wireless power transfer for electronic devices that include at least one source magnetic resonator including a capacitively-loaded conducting loop coupled to a power source and configured to generate an oscillating magnetic field and at least one device magnetic resonator, distal from said source resonators, comprising a capacitively-loaded conducting loop configured to convert said oscillating magnetic fields into electrical energy, wherein at least one said resonator has a keep-out zone around the resonator that surrounds the resonator with a layer of non-lossy material.
US09515490B2
A power management method utilizes the steps of reading the driving current; determining if a driving current of an electronic device is less than or equal to a first steady current value for a first period of time; turning off a first electronic module to decrease the driving current when the driving current is less than or equal to the first steady current value for the first period of time; determining if the driving current is within a first judging range for a second period of time; updating the first steady current value with a second steady current value when the driving current is within the first judging range for the second period of time; and determining if the second steady current value is less than or equal to an energy saving set value.
US09515469B2
A vacuum feed-through assembly and a method for manufacturing the same including a conductor having a threaded outer diameter end, a plastic seal having a threaded inner diameter matching the threaded outer diameter end of the conductor, and an epoxy to epoxy bond the threaded inner diameter of the plastic seal to the threaded outer diameter end of the conductor.
US09515465B2
A device that can be removable secured inside a metal stud at a construction site is described. The device can include a securement device such as a hook that can hang/support tools at the job site such as electrical cords. Installing the inexpensive hanging device at a desired elevation in a few seconds can improve safety at a construction site and can protect tools from damage due to placement on the floor or on an unstable perch.
US09515463B2
A motor control center system is provided. The system includes an electrical enclosure having buses for routing electrical power to component units. The system also includes a component unit disposed in a compartment of the electrical enclosure. The component unit contains a component for managing a power supply to a load disposed outside of the enclosure. In addition, the system includes a ground element disposed along a support wall of the compartment, wherein the ground element provides a fused ground connection with a load terminal of the electrical enclosure when the component unit is withdrawn from the electrical enclosure.
US09515461B2
A modular electric power distribution system transmits power between a power source and control modules for power consumers. The system includes a power distribution unit mounted on each module and bridge assemblies which connect adjacent distribution units.
US09515457B2
A particular quantum cascade laser includes a ridge-guide. The ridge-guide includes an angled facet that extends across a width of the ridge-guide and a flat facet that extends across the width of the ridge-guide. A first distance between the flat facet and the angled facet along a first side of the ridge-guide is different than a second distance between the flat facet and the angled facet along a second side of the ridge-guide.
US09515450B2
A plurality of cores 51 is disposed around the center axis of a first cladding 52 in a state in which an inter-core distance Λ of cores adjacent to each other is equal, a refractive index n1 of the core 51 is provided higher than a refractive index n2 of the first cladding 52, and the refractive index n2 of the first cladding 52 is provided higher than a refractive index n3 of a second cladding 53. Moreover, 5.8≦Λ/MFD(2λc/(λc+λop))≦8 is satisfied, where the inter-core distance is defined as Λ, a mode field diameter of the core is defined as MFD, a cutoff wavelength is defined as λc, and a wavelength of communication light incident on the core 51 is defined as λop.
US09515449B2
A metal-insulator-metal (MIM) waveguide structure for nano-lasers or optical amplifiers is described. The structure comprises a substrate on which are supported first and second metal layers which form electrical contacts for the waveguide. A narrow ridge of low-band gap semiconductor core, which forms the optical gain material, is sandwiched between the two metal layers. The semiconductor core is surrounded on both sides by a low refractive index material which is also sandwiched between the two metal layers. First and second layers of thin higher-band gap doped semiconductor material are provided between the respective first and second metal layers and the low-band gap semiconductor core and the low refractive index material. The optical mode that propagates down this waveguide is localized in the center of the waveguide structure where the narrow ridge of low-band gap semiconductor core is.
US09515448B2
A microchip laser includes a microchip laser base comprising a gain region and a passive Q-switch region. The microchip laser also includes a solid etalon coupled to the microchip laser base, and an interfacial coating disposed between the microchip laser base and the solid etalon. In some embodiments, the microchip laser further includes a dichroic coating disposed on a surface of the microchip laser base opposite the interfacial coating.
US09515447B2
A microlaser system, including a microlaser, having an elongated generally cylindrical substrate, a thin dopant film encircling at least a portion of the substrate, and a pumping laser positioned to shine onto the thin film. The thin film is between about 2 and about 10 microns thick. When the pumping laser shines on the thin film, the thin film lases in whispering gallery mode. The dopant is preferably selected from the group including transition metals and rare-earth elements. In a most preferred embodiment, the thin film is titanium-doped amorphous aluminum nitride.
US09515440B2
The invention relates to a multiport chamber (1) with current bar (5) for receiving a plurality of cables to be connected to an electrical unit, wherein a plurality of electrically conductive connection chambers (4) are provided for a plurality of cables and the connection chambers (4) are connected to the current bar (5) in order to establish a further electrical connection in the electrical unit. In accordance with the invention the current bar (5) is configured in such a way that it forms a plurality of walls (6) of the connection chambers (4) and also a partition wall (7) between the connection chambers (4). A multiport chamber (1) that can be easily produced is thus provided.
US09515437B2
A wire contact, such as an insulation displacement connector, having a wire receiving gap partially defined by a side portion. The side portion has a cutting portion with a first thickness and a non-cutting portion with a second thickness. The first thickness is less than the second thickness. The cutting portion is configured to cut through the insulation of the wire when the wire is pressed into the wire receiving gap.
US09515436B2
An electrical plug connector includes an insulated housing, a plurality of upper-row plug terminals, a plurality of lower-row plug terminals, and a rear terminal organizer. The insulated housing includes a rear assembling portion defined at the rear of the insulated housing. The rear terminal organizer is assembled to the rear of the insulated housing. The rear terminal organizer includes a plurality of through holes and a buckling portion. The through holes are defined through the rear terminal organizer from the front to the rear. The rear of the upper-row plug terminals and the rear of the lower-row plug terminals respectively pass through the through holes. The buckling portion is defined at the front of the rear terminal organizer. The buckling portion is adapted to be mated and engaged with the rear assembling portion.
US09515435B2
A retractable USB connector includes an outer housing case, an inner housing case, and a positioning assembly. The outer housing case has an opening. The inner housing case includes a USB connector disposed at a first end of the inner housing case, a press portion disposed at a second end of the inner housing case, and the inner housing case disposed in the outer housing case. The positioning assembly is disposed between the outer housing case and the inner housing case. The positioning assembly includes a swinging member defining a positioning sliding-track and a guiding column, disposed in the positioning sliding-track. When the guiding column is located at a positioning area of the positioning sliding-track, the positioning assembly fixes the relative position of the outer housing case with respect to the inner housing case, and the USB connector is protruded from the opening of the outer housing case.
US09515426B2
The disclosure provides an electrical connector and a communication device. The electrical connector includes an insulator, on which at least one docking socket and at least one module socket are provided; a housing provided outside the insulator; a plug-in module provided on the insulator; and a signal display unit, which comprises a signal display circuit board, at least one SMD (surface-mounted-device) LED electrically coupled to the signal display circuit board, and at least two connection terminals electrically coupled to the signal display circuit board used to transmit signal of the signal display unit.
US09515420B2
A quick connect adaptor for conveying data or data and power from a first electronic unit to a second electronic unit. The adaptor includes a connectable interface between a first body part and a second body part, wherein the parts may be coupled with rotationally symmetry such that a 180 degree rotation of an adaptor body part, either clockwise or counterclockwise, results in an identical connection, eliminating the need for checking alignment when making a connection. A magnetic coupling secures the first and second body parts in either of two rotational orientations. In another embodiment, at least one end of the interface includes a “smart sensor” for detecting the magnetic polarity during the docking process and a processor or logic gates that configure communications so as to be correctly wired when coupled in either rotational orientation, even before an electrical connection is made.
US09515418B2
Technical problem to be solved is to provide an energy receiving port device 3 which makes movement of a supply gun 10 to a removing direction during energy supplying impossible only by a lid 5 for opening and closing a receiving port part 4, and improve a situation in which the receiving port part 5 is widely opened during the supplying. The lid 5 for opening and closing the receiving port part 4 comprises a first lid 5a and a second lid 5b that form a plane lid when the lids are closed. An opening and closing device 6a of the first lid 5a and an opening and closing device 6b of the second lid 5b are provided. The supply gun 10 connected to the receiving port 8 is pinched by the first lid 5a and the second lid 5b to make a movement in a removing direction of the supply gun 10 impossible.
US09515417B2
According to various embodiments, a medical monitoring system includes an extension cable for connecting a medical monitoring device to a sensor cable of a sensor. The extension cable includes a head for accepting a plug of the sensor club, wherein the head includes a lid for restraining the plug within an port of the head of the extension cable. Further, the head includes a hinge configured to allow the lid to rotate about the hinge, wherein the hinge is located within the head such that the head includes substantially flat outer surfaces.
US09515401B1
Disclosed aspects relate to an elastomeric electrical connector structure. A first physical hardware plane has a first group of electrical contacts to establish a first portion of a set of electrical connections. A second physical hardware plane has a second group of electrical contacts to establish a second portion of the set of electrical connections. The elastomeric electrical connector structure is to join the first and second portions of the set of electrical connections. The elastomeric electrical connector structure includes a first state having a first distance between the first and second physical hardware planes, and a second state having a second distance between the first and second physical hardware planes. The first distance exceeds the second distance.
US09515391B2
A method of operation and system for a radio frequency identification (RFID) tag assembly having an RFID semiconductor chip with an antenna interface, a mounting surface substrate, the RFID semiconductor having a predetermined operating frequency, a conductor electrically coupling the RFID chip antenna interface to an antenna, the antenna including a first radiating element lying in a first plane and a second radiating element lying in a second plane, the second plane being at an angle relative to the first plane, and a reflector having a substantially planar reflecting plane spaced apart from and substantially parallel to the first plane, the reflector being composed of reflecting material adapted for reflecting the predetermined operating frequency, wherein the reflector is positioned apart from the first radiating element with the reflective plane being a distance of about ¼ of a wavelength of the predetermined operating frequency.
US09515386B2
An antenna arrangement comprising at least a first and a second elongated structure, e.g., a coaxial cable, for guiding an electromagnetic wave is provided. Each of said structures comprises a plurality of radiation elements. The structures are positioned alongside each other in their longitudinal direction of extension forming a bundle. The elongated structures are arranged within the bundle such that the radial positions of said structures are alternated in the longitudinal direction of extension.
US09515375B2
An antenna for submarines comprises a base member extending along a main direction of extension between its bottom end, which is fixable to a structure of a submarine, and its top end, at least one movable stem, juxtaposed with the base member and extending along the main direction of extension between its bottom end and its top end, electrical connection means between the stem and the base member and movement means by which the stem is moved relative to the base member along the main direction of extension between a lowered position and a raised position. The connection means comprise a wire-shaped element extending between two end portions connected to the stem and to the base member, respectively, where at least the end portion connected to the stem is equipped with an underwater connector.
US09515367B2
A metallic waveguide is mounted on a multilayer substrate. The metallic waveguide has an open end formed by a top, bottom and sides configured to receive a core member of a dielectric waveguide, and an opposite tapered end formed by declining the top of the metallic waveguide past the bottom of the metallic waveguide and down to contact the multilayer substrate. A pinnacle of the tapered end is coupled to the ground plane element, and the bottom side of the metallic waveguide is in contact with the multiplayer substrate and coupled to the microstrip line.
US09515364B1
Provided are three-dimensional microstructures and their methods of formation. The microstructures are formed by a sequential build process and include microstructural elements which are affixed to one another. The microstructures find use, for example, in coaxial transmission lines for electromagnetic energy.
US09515359B2
A heat removal unit that removes heat from air in a battery pack in which a battery cell is accommodated to cool or dehumidify the air is provided.Further, a circulation route that connects the battery pack and the heat removal unit to each other to recirculate the air is provided.Furthermore, a direction controller that controls a flow direction of the air in the circulation route in opposite direction upon cooling and upon dehumidification is provided.
US09515357B2
A battery thermal management system according to an exemplary aspect of the present disclosure includes, among other things, a heat spreader, a coolant channel attached to the heat spreader and a supply manifold fluidly connected with the coolant channel and configured to supply a heat transfer medium to the coolant channel. A return manifold is fluidly connected with the coolant channel and configured to expel the heat transfer medium from the coolant channel.
US09515354B2
An energy store is provided having a first electrode, a second electrode, an electrolyte in between, a first redox pair having a first oxidation reactant and a first oxidation product, and a housing, wherein a fluidic redox pair is present in the housing and comprises a fluidic oxidation reactant and a fluidic oxidation product, wherein during the discharge of the energy store, the fluidic oxidation product is reduced, and wherein during the charging of the energy store, the fluidic oxidation reactant is oxidized, wherein the fluidic redox pair in the housing is gaseous, and a pump or a compressor is adapted such that the fluidic redox pair within the housing is held at a pressure which is above the ambient pressure outside the housing. A method for charging or discharging an energy store is also provided.
US09515347B2
An object of the present invention is to provide a lithium secondary battery cathode which can more improve characteristics of the battery. The cathode of the present invention includes an electroconductive cathode current collector, a plurality of plate-like particle formed of a cathode active material, and a binder containing microparticles formed of the cathode active material and being smaller than the plate-like particles. The plate-like particles are formed so as to have an aspect ratio of 4 to 50. The plate-like particles are arranged such that the particles cover the surface of the cathode current collector surface at a percent area of 85 to 98%. The binder is disposed so as to intervene between two adjacent plate-like particles.
US09515343B2
An exemplary embodiment provides a rechargeable battery maintaining a bent state of a case by minimizing a deformation of the case of the bent state. A rechargeable battery according to an exemplary embodiment includes an electrode assembly; a case receiving the electrode assembly; a cap plate sealing an opening of the case; and an electrode terminal installed to the cap plate and electrically connected to the electrode assembly, wherein the case includes a first curved surface portion bent toward a center of the electrode assembly and a second curved surface portion bent to be far from the center, and a reinforcing member adhered to the first curved surface portion.
US09515338B2
One embodiment of the present invention is a unique fuel cell system. Another embodiment is a unique desulfurization system. Yet another embodiment is a method of operating a fuel cell system. Other embodiments include apparatuses, systems, devices, hardware, methods, and combinations for fuel cell systems and desulfurization systems. Further embodiments, forms, features, aspects, benefits, and advantages of the present application will become apparent from the description and figures provided herewith.
US09515336B2
A method of supplying fuel to a fuel cell system wherein a flexible diaphragm controls ingress and egress of liquid reactant. The method utilizes a pump assembly including a first subassembly and a second subassembly. The first subassembly includes a fluid conduit; an inlet fluidly coupled to the liquid reactant dispenser and the fluid conduit; an outlet fluidly coupled to a reaction chamber and the fluid conduit; and a diaphragm, defining a portion of the fluid conduit, that flexes to pump the liquid reactant from the inlet to the outlet. The diaphragm preferably includes an actuation point coupled to the diaphragm, wherein the liquid reactant is substantially contained within the first subassembly during pumping. The second subassembly is couplable to the first subassembly, and is fluidly isolated from the liquid reactant wherein operation of the actuator causes diaphragm flexion.
US09515332B2
The present invention relates to a fuel cell system for vehicles and a method for controlling the same which stably maintains an output of a fuel cell by precisely estimating a recirculated hydrogen amount to a stack. A fuel cell system according to the present invention may include: a stack comprising a plurality of unit cells for generating electrical energy by electrochemical reaction of a fuel and an oxidizing agent; a blower for recirculating a gas exhausted from the stack so as to supply the gas back to the stack; an ejector for recirculating the gas exhausted from the stack, receiving hydrogen so as to mix the hydrogen to the recirculated gas, and supplying the mixture to the stack; a sensor module for detecting a driving condition of the vehicle; and a control portion for controlling operations of the blower and the ejector by using the driving condition of the vehicle and performance maps of the blower and the ejector.
US09515331B2
A fuel cell including a stack in which a plurality of cells are stacked includes an air manifold and a hydrogen manifold on a first side and a second side of the stack, respectively, a jet array including a tubular body inserted in the air manifold or the hydrogen manifold and a plurality of orifices formed in the tubular body and arranged in a longitudinal direction of the tubular body, a pump or a valve for supplying air or hydrogen to the jet array; and a controller that operates the pump or the valve.
US09515324B2
A separator is provided that has a metal substrate and a conductive resin layer on the surface of the metal substrate. The conductive resin layer contains a resin and a conductive substance dispersed in the resin. The separator is configured such that the proportion of the conductive substance to the resin increases continuously from the metal substrate toward the surface of the separator.
US09515323B2
A method of preparation of metal-chalcogen-nitrogen-carbon (M-Ch-N—C) catalytic material utilizing a sacrificial support approach and using inexpensive and readily available precursors is described. Furthermore, the catalytic materials synthesized using the disclosed methods include multiple types of active sites.
US09515319B2
According to one embodiment, a battery active material is provided. The battery active material includes monoclinic complex oxide represented by the formula LixTi1-yM1yNb2-zM2zO7+δ (0≦x≦5, 0≦y≦1, 0≦z≦2, −0.3≦δ≦0.3). In the above formula, M1 is at least one element selected from the group consisting of Zr, Si and Sn, and M2 is at least one element selected from the group consisting of V, Ta and Bi.
US09515309B2
Disclosed herein is a secondary battery pack including a cylindrical battery cell having an electrode assembly of a cathode/separator/anode structure mounted in a battery case together with an electrolyte in a sealed state, an insulative mounting member having an opening, through which a cathode terminal of the battery cell is exposed upward, the insulative mounting member being configured to have a structure in which a protection circuit module (PCM) assembly is disposed at the top of the insulative mounting member, the insulative mounting member being mounted to the top of the battery cell, a PCM assembly including a PCM having an external input and output terminal formed at the top thereof and connecting members coupled to the bottom of the PCM, the connecting members being connected to a protection circuit of the PCM, and an insulative cap coupled to the top of the battery cell so that the insulative cap surrounds the PCM assembly in a state in which the external input and output terminal is exposed, wherein the cathode terminal and an anode terminal of the battery cell are electrically connected to external input and output terminals via the connecting members through the PCM in a state in which the insulative mounting member and the PCM assembly are disposed on the battery cell.
US09515308B2
A battery pack includes one or more bare cells, a protective circuit module, and one or more terminals. The protective circuit module is electrically coupled to the bare cell. The one or more terminals are on a first surface of the protective circuit module. The one or more terminals are configured to be electrically coupled to an external device. In the battery pack, one of the terminals includes a support portion coupled to the protective circuit module, a pair of body portions extended in a direction away from the first surface of the protective circuit module at the support portion, and a plurality of extending portions extended in different directions from opposite sides of the pair of body portions. The extending portions extend parallel to the first surface of the protective circuit module.
US09515298B2
According to one embodiment, a nonaqueous electrolyte battery includes a container, a positive electrode, and a negative electrode. The container satisfies Formula (1) of 0.15≦(Tmin/Tmax)≦1. The positive electrode includes a positive electrode active material represented by the composition formula Li1-aNixCoyMnzO2. The negative electrode includes a spinel type lithium titanium oxide. A nominal capacity of the nonaqueous electrolyte battery is in a range of from 5 Ah to 200 Ah. When a state of charge based on the nominal capacity is 50%, an open circuit voltage is in a range of from 2.12 V to 2.24 V.
US09515294B2
A laser beam irradiation apparatus includes a laser light source, a controller for controlling energy of light generated by the laser source, a first optical system for adjusting a shape of light that has passed through the controller, a scanner for adjusting the direction of light that has passed through the first optical system, and an F-theta lens for reducing a beam that has passed through the scanner.
US09515292B2
A method of manufacturing an organic EL element having a pair of electrodes and an organic functional layer disposed therebetween, the pair of electrodes consisting of an upper electrode and a lower electrode, comprising: forming the upper electrode on the organic functional layer by a magnetron sputtering method with a film-forming power density no less than 4.5 W/cm2 and no greater than 9.0 W/cm2.
US09515290B2
An organic light emitting display device includes a substrate, a thin film transistor on the substrate, an organic light emitting element including a first electrode connected to the thin film transistor, an organic light emitting layer on the first electrode, and a second electrode on the organic light emitting layer, and a pixel definition film disposed on the substrate to expose a part of the first electrode. The pixel definition film includes nanoparticles that change a path of light emitted from the organic light emitting layer.
US09515288B2
The invention relates to the field of organic electronic devices (1) with diffusion barriers and to a method to manufacture such organic electronic devices (1) to provide an organic electronic device (1) with excellent performance, which is as stable as possible over time. The organic electronic device (1) with a substrate (2), a first electrode (3) arranged on top of the substrate (2) and a functional layer stack (FLS) arranged on top of the first electrode (3) comprising one or more organic layers (41, 42, 43) and a second electrode (5), wherein the organic electronic device (1) further comprises at least one essentially transparent and electrically conductive graphene layer (6) arranged in contact to at least one of the organic layers (41, 42, 43) acting as a diffusion barrier against diffusion of atoms, ions or molecules into this organic layer (41, 42, 43).
US09515274B2
This disclosure features an article that includes first and second electrodes, a photoactive layer between the first and second electrodes, and a hole carrier layer between the first electrode and the photoactive layer. The hole carrier layer includes a Cu(I)-containing material. The article is configured as a photovoltaic cell.
US09515262B2
Resistive RAM (RRAM) devices having increased uniformity and related manufacturing methods are described. Greater uniformity of performance across an entire chip that includes larger numbers of RRAM cells can be achieved by uniformly creating enhanced channels in the switching layers through the use of radiation damage. The radiation, according to various described embodiments, can be in the form of ions, electromagnetic photons, neutral particles, electrons, and ultrasound.
US09515259B2
A phase change memory includes a substrate, a number of row electrode leads located on the substrate, and a number of column electrode leads located on the substrate and intersected with the number of row electrode leads to define a number of sections. A number of phase change memory units is received in the number of sections and includes a first circuit and a second circuit. The first circuit includes a carbon nanotube wire electrically connected between the first row electrode lead and first column electrode lead, the carbon nanotube wire includes a bending portion. The second circuit includes the first row electrode lead, the carbon nanotube wire, a phase change layer, and the second row electrode lead electrically connected in series, wherein the phase change layer is electrically connected between the bending portion of the carbon nanotube wire and the second row electrode.
US09515235B2
A silicone-grafted core-shell particle is described wherein the silicone-grafted core-shell particle comprises a core of an inorganic particle and a shell of a grafted poly(dimethylsiloxane) polymer formed from a bi-terminated poly(dimethylsiloxane) having reactive groups at each terminal end. The silicone-grafted core-shell particles may be dispersed in a polysiloxane polymer matrix and employed as an LED encapsulant.
US09515234B2
A light emitting diode package includes a substrate, several light emitting diodes mounted on the substrate, and a package member enveloping the light emitting diodes. The light emitting diodes are electrically coupled to the substrate. The package member includes at least two layers, the first layer and the second layer. The first layer is spread on the substrate and completely covers the light emitting diodes and the wires. The second layer is formed on the first layer. Fluidity of colloid forming the second layer is worse than that of the first layer. A method is also provided to manufacture the present light emitting diode package.
US09515229B2
A method of making a semiconductor light emitting device having one or more light emitting surfaces includes positioning a stencil on a substrate such that a chip disposed on the substrate is positioned within an opening in the stencil. Phosphor-containing material is deposited in the opening to form a coating on one or more light emitting surfaces of the chip. The opening may or may not substantially conform to a shape of the chip. The phosphor-containing material is cured with the stencil still in place. After curing, the stencil is removed from the substrate and the coated chip is separated from the substrate. The chip may then be subjected to further processing.
US09515227B2
A light emitting device (10) comprises a body (12) of a semiconductor material having a first face (14) and at least one other face (16). At least one pn-junction (18) in the body is located towards the first face and is configured to be driven via contacts on the body into a light emitting mode. The other face (16) of the body is configured to transmit from the body light emitted by the at least one pn-junction (18) in the near infrared part of the spectrum and having wavelengths longer than 1 μm.
US09515223B2
A semiconductor light emitting device substrate including an uneven structure on one surface, the uneven structure including numerous convex portions and a flat surface between the convex portions, and multiple areas in which the central portions of seven adjacent convex portions are continuously and positionally aligned to become six vertices and intersection points of diagonal lines of a regular hexagon, and the area, shape and lattice orientation of the plurality of areas are random. A semiconductor light emitting device including the semiconductor light emitting device substrate; and a semiconductor functional layer laminated on the semiconductor light emitting device substrate.
US09515211B2
A detection device, along with methods of its manufacture and use, is provided. The detection device can include: a SiC substrate defining a substrate surface cut from planar to about 12°; a buffer epitaxial layer on the substrate surface; a n-type epitaxial layer on the buffer epitaxial layer; and a top contact on the n-type epitaxial layer. The buffer epitaxial layer can include a n-type 4H—SiC epitaxial layer doped at a concentration of about 1×1015 cm−3 to about 5×1018 cm−3 with nitrogen, boron, aluminum, or a mixture thereof. The n-type epitaxial layer can include a n-type 4H—SiC epitaxial layer doped at a concentration of about 1×1013 cm−3 to about 5×1015 cm−3 with nitrogen. The top contact can have a thickness of about 8 nm to about 15 nm.
US09515200B2
A photovoltaic module capable of suppressing separation of a tab electrode can be obtained. The photovoltaic module includes a plurality of semiconductor layers including a photoelectric conversion layer, a plurality of photovoltaic elements including a finger electrode for collecting generated currents, formed on the semiconductor layers on a side of a light receiving surface, and a tab electrode for electrically connecting the plurality of photovoltaic elements, in which the tab electrode is electrically connected to the finger electrode in a region corresponding to a power generation region of the photovoltaic element and bonded on the light receiving surface through an insulating bonding material.
US09515199B2
A semiconductor device has a drift region having an upper surface and a lower surface. A first contact is on the upper surface of the drift region and a second contact is on the lower surface of the drift region. The drift region includes a first semiconductor pillar that has a tapered sidewall and that is doped with first conductivity type impurities and a second semiconductor pillar on the tapered sidewall of the first semiconductor pillar, the second semiconductor pillar doped with second conductivity type impurities that have an opposite conductivity from the first conductivity type impurities.
US09515194B2
Embodiments of the invention include a method for fabricating a nano-ribbon transistor device and the resulting structure. A nano-ribbon transistor device including a substrate, a nano-ribbon channel, a core region in the center of the nano-ribbon channel, a gate formed around the nano-ribbon channel, a spacer formed on each sidewall of the gate, and a source and drain region epitaxially formed adjacent to each spacer is provided. The core region in the center of the nano-ribbon channel is selectively etched. A dielectric material is deposited on the exposed portions of the nano-ribbon channel. A back-bias control region is formed on the dielectric material within the core of the nano-ribbon channel and on the substrate adjacent to the nano-ribbon transistor device. A metal contact is formed in the back-bias control region.
US09515186B2
A semiconductor device includes a semiconductor substrate including a group III element and a group V element, and a gate structure on the semiconductor substrate. The semiconductor substrate includes a first region which contacts a bottom surface of the gate 5 structure and a second region which is disposed under the first region. The concentration of the group III element in the first region is lower than that of the group V element in the first region, and the concentration of the group III element in the second region is substantially equal to that of the group V element in the second region.
US09515185B2
A structurally stable SiGe-on-insulator FinFET employs a silicon nitride liner to prevent de-stabilizing oxidation at the base of a SiGe fin. The silicon nitride liner blocks access of oxygen to the lower corners of the fin to facilitate fabrication of a high-concentration SiGe fin. The silicon nitride liner is effective as an oxide barrier even if its thickness is less than about 5 nm. Use of the SiN liner provides structural stability for fins that have higher germanium content, in the range of 25-55% germanium concentration.
US09515184B2
Among other things, one or semiconductor arrangements, and techniques for forming such semiconductor arrangements are provided. An etch sequence is performed to form a first etched region over a planar region of a semiconductor arrangement. The first etched region exposes a planar structure, such as an alignment mark used for alignment during semiconductor fabrication. The etch sequence forms a second etched region over a semiconductor fin region of the semiconductor arrangement. In an embodiment, the etch sequence forms a first trench, a first fin nub and a first pillar in the semiconductor fin region, where the first trench is formed in a semiconductor substrate of the semiconductor fin region. A multi-depth STI structure is formed over at least one of the first trench, the first fin nub, or the first pillar.
US09515182B2
A semiconductor device includes a substrate including a first active region, a second active region and a field region between the first and second active regions, and a gate structure formed on the substrate to cross the first active region, the second active region and the field region. The gate structure includes a p type metal gate electrode and an n-type metal gate electrode directly contacting each other, the p-type metal gate electrode extends from the first active region less than half way toward the second active region.
US09515173B2
Non-planar semiconductor devices including semiconductor fins or stacked semiconductor nanowires that are electrostatically enhanced are provided. The electrostatic enhancement is achieved in the present application by epitaxially growing a semiconductor material protruding portion on exposed sidewalls of alternating semiconductor material portions of at least one hard mask capped semiconductor-containing fin structure that is formed on a substrate.
US09515171B1
Techniques for producing radiation tolerant device structures are provided. In one aspect, a method for forming a radiation-hardened device includes the steps of: forming fin masks on a SOI layer of an SOI wafer, wherein the SOI wafer includes the SOI layer separated from a substrate by a buried insulator; patterning fins in the SOI layer using the fin masks; and implanting at least one dopant into exposed portions of the buried insulator between the fins to increase a radiation hardness of the device structure by providing a path in the buried insulator for charge to dissipate, wherein the fin masks are left in place during the implanting step to prevent damage to the fins. Implementations with a bulk substrate, as well as the resulting devices, are also provided.
US09515129B2
An organic light emitting display apparatus includes pixel areas, each pixel area having emission and non-emission areas; a first electrode corresponding to the emission area of each pixel area; a bus electrode corresponding to at least a portion of the non-emission areas; an adherent pattern on a portion of the bus electrode; a separation pattern covering a top portion of the bus electrode and having an inverted tapered shape cross section defining a crevice under the separation pattern and above the bus electrode; an organic layer on the first electrode and the separation pattern, and further formed on a remaining portion of the bus electrode except a portion corresponding to the crevice under the separation pattern, the organic layer having an emission layer; and a second electrode on the organic layer and disposed in the crevice, the second electrode electrically contacting the bus electrode via the crevice.
US09515103B2
A method of forming an LTPS TFT substrate includes: Step 1: providing a substrate (1) and depositing a buffer layer (2); Step 2: depositing an a-Si layer (3); Step 3: depositing and patterning a silicon oxide layer (4); Step 4: taking the silicon oxide layer (4) as a photomask and annealing the a-Si layer (3) with excimer laser, so that the a-Si layer crystallizes and turns into a poly-Si layer; Step 5: forming a first poly-Si region (31) and a second poly-Si region (32); Step 6: defining a heavily N-doped area and a lightly N-doped area on the first and second poly-Si regions (31) and (32), and forming an LDD area; Step 7: depositing and patterning a gate insulating layer (5); Step 8: forming a first gate (61) and a second gate (62); Step 9: forming via holes (70); and Step 10: forming a first source/drain (81) and a second source/drain (82).
US09515094B2
A storage device with long data retention time is configured to include a first transistor, a second transistor, and a third transistor. The first transistor controls electrical connection between a first wiring and a gate of the second transistor. The second transistor controls electrical connection between a second wiring and a gate of the third transistor. The off-state current of the first transistor is lower than that of the third transistor. The leakage current of the second transistor is lower than that of the third transistor.
US09515092B2
A display device and a method of manufacturing the same are disclosed. In one aspect, the display device includes a display area formed over a substrate and configured to display an image, and a pad area formed over the substrate surrounding the display area and configured to provide an electrical signal to the display area. The pad area includes a first electrode layer formed over the substrate and electrically connected to the display area and a second electrode layer formed over the first electrode layer and electrically connected to the first electrode layer. The pad area also includes a first organic layer bonded to a portion of the second electrode layer at a first adhesion strength, a third electrode layer bonded to the first organic layer at a second adhesion strength and electrically connected to the second electrode layer, and a flexible PCB electrically connected to the third electrode layer.
US09515083B2
A nonvolatile memory device includes a memory cell array including a plurality of memory cells, a first metal layer, a peripheral circuit configured to control the memory cell array, a second metal layer, and a pad. The first metal layer is disposed on the memory cell array and includes a plurality of cell region interconnections connected to the memory cell array. The second metal layer is disposed on the peripheral circuit and includes a plurality of peripheral region interconnections connecting the peripheral circuit and the plurality of cell region interconnections. The pad is disposed on the second metal layer and exchanges data, an address, or a command with the peripheral circuit during operation of the device. The second metal layer is lower than the first metal layer relative to a substrate of the device.
US09515080B2
A vertical NAND string device includes a semiconductor channel, where at least one end portion of the semiconductor channel extends substantially perpendicular to a major surface of a substrate, at least one semiconductor or electrically conductive landing pad embedded in the semiconductor channel, a tunnel dielectric located adjacent to the semiconductor channel, a charge storage region located adjacent to the tunnel dielectric, a blocking dielectric located adjacent to the charge storage region and a plurality of control gate electrodes extending substantially parallel to the major surface of the substrate.
US09515071B2
A semiconductor device includes a substrate having a first region and a second region, an n-type transistor in the first region, the n-type transistor comprising a first set of source/drain features, and a p-type transistor in the second region, the p-type transistor comprising a second set of source/drain features. The second set of source/drain features extend deeper than the first set of source/drain features.
US09515058B2
Disclosed are a light emitting device package. The light emitting device package includes a body having recess; a first lead frame including a first and second portions on a first region of the body; a second lead frame including a third and fourth portions on a second region of the body; a third lead frame between the first and second lead frame. The body has a length of the first direction greater than a width of the second direction, wherein the second portion of the first lead frame extends toward the second lead frame and has a small width, and wherein the fourth portion of the second lead frame extends toward the first lead frame. A first light emitting device is disposed on the first portion of the first lead frame and a second light emitting device is disposed on the third portion of the second lead frame.
US09515050B2
A first semiconductor component and a second semiconductor component are attached together via an adhesion layer so that the first semiconductor component and the second semiconductor component are electrically connected with each other via a through electrode. The through electrode is formed to fill a through hole formed in the second semiconductor component and a through hole formed in a portion the adhesion layer. The through hole formed in the portion the adhesion layer is positioned between the through hole formed in the second semiconductor component and a second connection surface of a first semiconductor component through electrode.
US09515049B2
Embodiments of a flexibly-wrapped integrated circuit die device and a method for mounting a flexibly-wrapped integrated circuit die to a substrate are disclosed. In some embodiments, the flexibly-wrapped integrated circuit die device includes a substrate and a flexible integrated circuit die coupled to the substrate in a substantially vertical orientation with reference to a surface of the substrate.
US09515045B2
A chip handling apparatus, unit and method is presented. The chip handling apparatus comprises a chip supply station; a chip mounting station; and one or more chip handling units configured to pick a chip from the supply station, transport the chip to the mounting station, and place the chip at a mounting location; wherein each chip handling unit is configured to temporarily retain the chip in a defined position relative to the chip handling unit. The chip handling apparatus further comprises means for inducing sonic vibrations in the chip when retained by one of the chip handling units; and means for measuring the vibrations induced in the chip.
US09515043B2
A semiconductor device includes a semiconductor chip, wiring that is included in the semiconductor chip and has a coupling part between parts with different widths, a pad being formed above the wiring and in a position overlapping the coupling part, a bump being formed on the pad, a buffer layer being formed in a position between the coupling part and the pad so as to cover the entire couple part, and inorganic insulating layers being formed between the wiring and the buffer layer and between the buffer layer and the pad, respectively. The buffer layer is made of a material other than resin and softer than the inorganic insulating layer.
US09515032B1
A high-frequency package comprises a ground lead, connected to a die, occupying a side of the high-frequency package, wherein a slot is formed within the ground lead; and a signal lead, connected to the die, disposed within the slot; wherein the ground lead surrounds the signal lead, and the ground lead and the signal lead form as a ground-signal-ground structure.
US09515025B2
The present invention provides stretchable, and optionally printable, semiconductors and electronic circuits capable of providing good performance when stretched, compressed, flexed or otherwise deformed. Stretchable semiconductors and electronic circuits of the present invention preferred for some applications are flexible, in addition to being stretchable, and thus are capable of significant elongation, flexing, bending or other deformation along one or more axes. Further, stretchable semiconductors and electronic circuits of the present invention may be adapted to a wide range of device configurations to provide fully flexible electronic and optoelectronic devices.
US09515024B2
A through via contains a conductor (244, 262) passing through a substrate (140). The substrate can be SOI or some other substrate containing two semiconductor layers (140.1, 140.2) on opposite sides of an insulating layer (140B). The through via includes two constituent vias (144.1, 144.2) formed from respective different sides of the substrate by processes stopping on the insulating layer (140B). Due to the insulating layer acting as a stop layer, high control over the constituent vias' depths is achieved. Each constituent via is shorter than the through via, so via formation is facilitated. The conductor is formed by separate depositions of conductive material into the constituent vias from each side of the substrate. From each side, the conductor is deposited to a shallower depth than the through-via depth, so the deposition is facilitated. Other embodiments are also provided.
US09515020B2
A semiconductor device includes a plurality of transistors formed over a substrate, a support body including a horizontal portion and protrusions, wherein the horizontal portion covers at least one of the transistors, and the protrusions are formed over the horizontal portion and located between the transistors, and conductive layers and insulating layers alternately stacked over the support body and protruding upwardly along the sidewalls of the protrusions.
US09515014B2
In one implementation, a semiconductor package includes a first patterned conductive carrier including partially etched segments. The semiconductor package also includes a control FET having a control drain attached to a first partially etched segment of the first patterned conductive carrier. In addition, the semiconductor package includes a sync FET having a sync source and a sync gate attached to respective second and third partially etched segments of the first patterned conductive carrier. The semiconductor package further includes a second patterned conductive carrier having a switch node segment situated over a control source of the control FET and over a sync drain of the sync FET, as well as an inductor coupled between the switch node segment and an output segment of the second patterned conductive carrier.
US09515008B2
An integrated circuit die includes conductive connection sites located at least on a surface of the integrated circuit die within a contiguous region thereof. The integrated circuit also includes a core circuit located outside the contiguous region. The core circuit is coupled to at least one of the connection sites.
US09515006B2
A method for 3D device packaging utilizes through-hole metal post techniques to mechanically and electrically bond two or more dice. The first die includes a set of through-holes extending from a first surface of the first die to a second surface of the first die. The second die includes a third surface and a set of metal posts. The first die and the second die are stacked such that the third surface of the second die faces the second surface of the first die, and each metal post extends through a corresponding through-hole to a point beyond the first surface of the first die, electrically coupling the first die and the second die.
US09515004B2
A thermal interface material is configured for use with an electronic device for transferring heat between heat generating components and heat removing components of the electronic device. The thermal interface material generally includes a first material (e.g., a gap filler, etc.) incorporating a contact resistance reducing material. The contact resistance reducing material operates to fill interstitial voids of surfaces of components in which the first material is installed to thereby reduce surface contact resistance between the first material and the component surfaces. The contact resistance reducing material may be applied to one or more side surfaces of the first material. Or, alternatively, the contact resistance reducing material may be blended in the first material.
US09514999B2
Methods and systems for semiconductor line scribe centering are provided. A method includes placing and measuring substantially identical test macros within a chip and in a scribe line. The method also includes establishing an estimate correlation between scribe line measurements taken during a manufacturing process and product measurements taken on a final product. The method also includes determining empirical scribe line specification limits consistent with established product screen limits. The method also includes adjusting the manufacturing process in order to optimize performance to the empirical scribe line specification limits.
US09514993B2
A method for manufacturing semiconductor devices includes following steps. A substrate including a first gate structure and a second gate structure formed thereon is provided. The first gate structure and the second gate structure are complementary to each other. Next, a first mask layer covering the second gate structure is formed and followed by forming first recesses in the substrate at two respective sides of the first transistor. Then, forming the first recesses, a first epitaxial layer is formed in each first recess. After forming the first epitaxial layers, a local protecting cap is formed on the first epitaxial layers and followed by removing the first mask layer.
US09514983B2
A metal interconnect comprising cobalt and method of forming a metal interconnect comprising cobalt are described. In an embodiment, a metal interconnect comprising cobalt includes a dielectric layer disposed on a substrate, an opening formed in the dielectric layer such that the substrate is exposed. The embodiment further includes a seed layer disposed over the substrate and a fill material comprising cobalt formed within the opening and on a surface of the seed layer.
US09514974B2
A substrate processing apparatus including a frame defining a chamber with a substrate transport opening and a substrate transfer plane defined therein, a valve mounted to the frame and being configured to seal an atmosphere of the chamber when closed, the valve having a door movably disposed to open and close the substrate transport opening, and at least one substrate sensor element disposed on a side of the door and oriented to sense substrates located on the substrate transfer plane.
US09514968B2
Methods and apparatus for improving selective oxidation against metals in a process chamber are provided herein. In some embodiments, a method of oxidizing a first surface of a substrate disposed in a process chamber having a processing volume defined by one or more chamber walls may include exposing the substrate to an oxidizing gas to oxidize the first surface; and actively heating at least one of the one or more chamber walls to increase a temperature of the one or more chamber walls to a first temperature of at least the dew point of water while exposing the substrate to the oxidizing gas.
US09514967B2
A plasma processing apparatus includes a processing chamber for processing a sample with a plasma, an RF power supply for generating the plasma within the processing chamber, an RF bias power supply for supplying RF bias power to a sample stage on which the sample is mounted, a pulse generation unit for creating first pulses for modulating the output from the RF power supply for generating the plasma and second pulses for modulating the output from the RF bias power supply, and a controller for providing control of the processing of the sample with the sample. The pulse generation unit creates the first pulses and the second pulses synchronized based on a pulse delay time transmitted from the controller. The pulse delay time is established to delay the second pulses relative to the first pulses.
US09514965B2
A substrate having metallized surface is provided. The substrate having metallized surface includes a silicon substrate, an adhesive layer and a metallic layer. The silicon substrate has a silanated surface and the adhesive layer is disposed on the silanated surface. The metallic layer bonds to the silanated surface through the adhesive layer. The adhesive layer is formed with a plurality of colloidal nanoparticle groups, the colloidal nanoparticle groups each include at least one metallic nanoparticle capped with at least one polymer, and the metallic layer and the adhesive layer have chemical bonds formed there between.
US09514956B2
Process for producing silicon oxide containing thin films on a growth substrate by the ALCVD method. In the process, a vaporisable silicon compound is bonded to the growth substrate, and the bonded silicon compound is converted to silicon dioxide. The invention comprises using a silicon compound which contains at least one organic ligand and the bonded silicon compound is converted to silicon dioxide by contacting it with a vaporised, reactive oxygen source, in particular with ozone. The present invention provides a controlled process for growing controlling thin films containing SiO2, with sufficiently short reaction times.
US09514949B2
Whereas, conventionally, ashing had been used at the time of removal, the present invention provides a material for forming an organic hard mask that can be removed by an alkaline aqueous solution, and thus can be expected to reduce damage to the substrate at the time of the removal. A composition for forming an organic hard mask layer comprising: a polymer (A) including a structural unit of Formula (1) and a structural unit of Formula (2); a crosslinkable compound (B) including at least two of blocked isocyanate groups, methylol groups, or C1-5 alkoxymethyl groups; and a solvent (C), wherein an organic hard mask layer obtained from the composition for forming an organic hard mask layer is used at the lowest layer in a lithography process using a multi-layer film, wherein R1 to R4 have the same definition as ones in the specification.
US09514941B2
In a TFT substrate, a common signal line is arranged on top of a common electrode and below a pixel electrode through intermediation of an insulating film. The metal piece in a pixel having a bright spot is irradiated with laser from the rear surface side of the TFT substrate. The common electrode and the pixel electrode are short-circuited by the melted metal piece.
US09514939B2
A dual coating and lift-off method for protecting patterned dielectric-metal coatings using a 2-layer lithography process that is exposed and developed to create an undercut and then, after the wafer is coated with a metal/dielectric filter ending with an incomplete final layer, the top lithography layer is lifted off exposing metal layer edges and leaving the bottom lithography layer intact on the wafer such that the final filter layer(s) can be deposited to complete the coating and passivate the exposed metal layer edges is disclosed.
US09514937B2
Non-planar semiconductor devices including at least one semiconductor nanowire having a tapered profile which widens from the source side of the device towards the drain side of the device are provided which have reduced gate to drain coupling and therefore reduced gate induced drain tunneling currents.
US09514936B2
Manufacturing a particle may include inserting a supporting body into a receiving groove on a first substrate to accommodate a first surface of the supporting body into the receiving groove and to expose a second surface of the supporting body to outside; forming a first coating layer on the second surface; attaching a second substrate to the supporting body on which the first coating layer is formed; exposing the first surface of the supporting body on which the first coating layer is formed to outside, by separating the supporting body on which the first coating layer is formed and which is attached to the second substrate from the first substrate; forming a second coating layer on the first surface of the supporting body; and separating the supporting body, on which the first coating layer and the second coating layer are formed, from the second substrate.
US09514933B2
Provided are atomic layer deposition methods to deposit a film using a circular batch processing chamber with a plurality of sections separated by gas curtains so that each section independently has a process condition.
US09514931B2
A matrix with at least one embedded array of nanowires and method thereof. The matrix includes nanowires and one or more fill materials located between the nanowires. Each of the nanowires including a first end and a second end. The nanowires are substantially parallel to each other and are fixed in position relative to each other by the one or more fill materials. Each of the one or more fill materials is associated with a thermal conductivity less than 50 Watts per meter per degree Kelvin. And, the matrix is associated with at least a sublimation temperature and a melting temperature, the sublimation temperature and the melting temperature each being above 350° C.
US09514925B1
Various approaches discussed herein enable techniques for protecting die units made of silicon substrate. A substrate, or wafer, is provided that has multiple die units built onto it, as well as saw streets between the die units. The substrate is cut into along the saw streets at a first width, after which a coating is applied to a side of the wafer so that the side of the wafer is covered with the coating as well as the channels created by the cutting being substantially filled with the coating. After curing the coating, a second cut is made along the saw streets and through the cured coating, so that the individual die units, once separated, have a protective layer of the coating attached to one side and the periphery of the die unit.
US09514917B1
Systems, methods, and apparatuses for triggering electrical arcs are disclosed. Such arcs are useful for testing combustible fluids and equipment operating near ignition hazards. Arcs may be produced with a defined energy at a defined time with little variation in arc energy. Consistent production of arcs is facilitated by one or more of conditioned electrodes, control and/or reduction of parasitic capacitance, avoidance of corona sources, and non-interfering arc triggers. Electrodes may be conditioned by repeated application of conditioning arcs. Conditioned electrodes have relatively physically consistent and chemically consistent tips. Arc triggers may be charged particle sources such as light sources operating in cooperation with a target to produce free electrons proximate the electrodes.
US09514916B2
Disclosed is a thermosyphon system for cooling a platen in an ion implantation system. The thermosyphon system may include a vacuum chamber housing at least one wafer platen and a phase separator tank operative to contain both a liquid and gas phases of an element. A re-condensing cold head is exposed within the phase separator tank and is operative to condense the element from its gas phase to its liquid phase. This creates a convection driven closed loop pipe configuration. The closed loop pipe configuration includes a liquid phase pipe to carry the lower temperature liquid phase from the phase separator tank to the platen in the vacuum chamber. A reaction with the warmer platen converts the liquid phase to the gas phase. A gas phase pipe carries the higher temperature gas phase from the platen in the vacuum chamber back to the phase separator tank.
US09514910B2
In a radiation tube, a conductive member having an opening formed therein is disposed, and a dielectric is disposed in the conductive member. Thus, foreign matter that has entered the conductive member through the opening is trapped by the dielectric. As a result, discharge due to foreign matter can be reduced.
US09514906B2
A temperature switch performs switching according to temperature of a heater. The temperature switch includes a bimetal that is deformed when the temperature of the heater reaches set temperature, a switch mechanism that is opened and closed by deformation of the bimetal, and a housing member that houses the bimetal and the switch mechanism, and that is able to conduct heat to the bimetal. The heater includes a pair of heat generation units that is adjacent to each other. The housing member includes a contact portion that is formed to project and that is inserted between the pair of heat generation units.
US09514905B2
Some embodiments include a fuse having a tungsten-containing structure directly contacting an electrically conductive structure. The electrically conductive structure may be a titanium-containing structure. An interface between the tungsten-containing structure and the electrically conductive structure is configured to rupture when current through the interface exceeds a predetermined level. Some embodiments include a method of forming and using a fuse. The fuse is formed to have a tungsten-containing structure directly contacting an electrically conductive structure. An interface between the tungsten-containing structure and the electrically conductive structure is configured to rupture when current through the interface exceeds a predetermined level. Current exceeding the predetermined level is passed through the interface to rupture the interface.
US09514903B2
A gas-insulated circuit breaker may include: a fixed contact having a hollow formed therein; a fixed arc contact disposed in the hollow of the fixed contact; a fixed-side conductor provided to surround the fixed contact and configuring a gap between the fixed-side conductor and the fixed contact as a discharge path for an insulation gas; a movable contact having a hollow formed therein; a movable arc contact disposed in the hollow of the movable contact; a movable-side conductor provided to surround the movable contact and configuring a gap between the movable-side conductor and the movable contact as a discharge path for an insulation gas; a first extension part formed on the fixed-side conductor and extending the discharge path for the insulation gas of the fixed-side conductor; and a second extension part formed on the movable-side conductor and extending the discharge path for the insulation gas of the movable-side conductor.
US09514893B2
An electrical storage unit that includes a positive electrode, which includes a positive-electrode collector electrode and a positive-electrode active material layer on the positive-electrode collector electrode, a negative electrode, which includes a negative-electrode collector electrode and a negative-electrode active material layer on the negative-electrode collector electrode, the negative-electrode active material layer facing the positive-electrode active material layer, and a first insulating layer bonded to the positive electrode and the negative electrode and separating the positive electrode from the negative electrode. The first insulating layer is bonded to part of a surface of the positive electrode and part of a surface of the negative electrode and includes a communication path for connecting the outside of the electrical storage unit to the inside of the electrical storage unit.
US09514882B2
There is provided a multilayer ceramic electronic component, including: a ceramic body having internal electrodes formed therein; external electrodes formed on external surfaces of the ceramic body and connected to the internal electrodes; and buffer layers formed on contact surfaces between the internal electrodes and the external electrodes, among external surfaces of the ceramic body, in an interior direction of the ceramic body, wherein when a thickness of the internal electrode is denoted by Te, a number of laminated internal electrodes is denoted by N, a thickness of the buffer layer is denoted by t, and a width of a margin of the ceramic body in a length direction of the ceramic body is denoted by L, Te≦0.6 μm, N>200, and 3 μm≦t
US09514881B2
A semiconductor structure is provided. The semiconductor structure includes a substrate; and a plurality of parallel first conductive layers formed on the substrate. The semiconductor structure also includes a composite magnetic structure having a plurality of magnetic layers and a plurality of insulation layers with a sandwich arrangement formed on a portion of the substrate and portions of surfaces of the plurality of first conductive layers. Further, the semiconductor structure includes a plurality of first conductive vias and a plurality of second conductive vias formed on the first conductive layers at both sides of the composite magnetic structure. Further, the semiconductor structure also includes a plurality of second conductive layers formed on a top surface of the composite magnetic structure, top surfaces of the first conductive vias, and top surfaces of the second conductive vias to form at least one coil structure wrapping around the composite magnetic structure.
US09514865B2
The object of the invention is a multi-contact element for a varistor wherein the multi-contact element has a sandwich structure, wherein the sandwich structure has two or more contact elements in a lowermost layer, and wherein the sandwich structure has at least one common connection electrode in an uppermost layer, wherein a first intermediate layer made of an electrically insulating layer of material is provided at least in segments between the lowermost layer (US) and the uppermost layer, wherein fuses are located in the first intermediate layer that are configured such that they are capable of sustaining a specified surge current, the specified surge current per fuse being less than the specified surge current of the varistor, wherein the fuses are embodied as vias within the first intermediate layer, wherein the fuses in the first intermediate layer are in direct electrical contact with the common connection electrode, wherein each of the fuses is in direct or indirect electrical contact with a subset of the contact elements (KE1, KE2), wherein the fuses provide blow-out channels in the first intermediate layer so that in the event of a thermal overloading of a fuse of the first intermediate layer, the affected fuse can vaporize through the blow-out channel.
US09514863B2
An inverter surge-resistant insulated wire has a baked enamel layer(s) around the outer periphery of a conductor having a rectangular cross-section, an extrusion-coated resin layer(s) around the outer side thereof, and an adhesive layer having a thickness of 2-20 μm between the baked enamel layer and the extrusion-coated resin layer. A cross-sectional shape of the baked enamel layer and the extrusion-coated resin layer in the cross-section of the wire is rectangular. In the cross-sectional shape formed by the baked enamel layer and the extrusion-coated resin layer surrounding the conductor in a cross-sectional view, at least a pair of two sides of two pairs of two sides opposing at the upper side and the downside or at the right side and the left side with respect to the conductor meet the conditions that a total thickness of the baked enamel layer and the extrusion-coated resin layer is 80 μm or more.
US09514848B2
A solid state drive includes: a processing circuit for receiving a read command from the host; a flash memory connected to the processing circuit; and a buffer connected to the processing circuit. An error check and correction method includes following steps. Firstly, a read data retrieved from the flash memory is verified according to a predetermined algorithm when receiving the read command. Then, the read data is outputted by the processing circuit when the read data has no uncorrectable error. Furthermore, a retry action is performed according to a retry table when an error of the read data is uncorrectable. A usage order of a plurality of algorithms is defined in the retry table.
US09514846B2
Embodiments of the inventive subject matter include receiving, from an interface module, status data for a memory module, wherein the memory module includes a plurality of status indicators. Embodiments further include determining, based on the status data, a set of the plurality of status indicators to illuminate. Embodiments further includes generating, in accordance with the determining the set of the plurality of status indicators based on the status data, a plurality of commands for controlling illumination of the set of the plurality of status indicators. Embodiments further include transmitting the plurality of commands to circuitry of the memory module that controls the plurality of status indicators.
US09514844B2
Logic and methods for diagnostic testing of memory and, more particularly, auto shift of failing memory diagnostics data using pattern detection are disclosed. The method includes detecting fails in the memory during a built in self test (BIST) pattern. The method further includes passing the fail information to a tester through a diagnostic pin. The method further includes pausing shift operations when it is determined that the shifting of the fail information is complete for the detected fail.
US09514843B2
An embodiment of a method for accessing a storage unit of a flash memory, performed by a control unit, is disclosed to include at least the following steps. A transaction is appended to a bad-column table each time a bad column of a block within the storage unit is inspected. It is determined whether a total number of the transactions within the bad-column table is odd when the control unit determines that the last column of the block is a regular column. A transaction is appended to the bad-column table to indicate that the last column of the block is a bad column when the control unit determines that the total number of the transactions within the bad-column table is odd.
US09514841B1
A method and circuit for implementing Electronic Fuse (eFuse) visual security of stored data using embedded dynamic random access memory (EDRAM), and a design structure on which the subject circuit resides are provided. The circuit includes EDRAM and eFuse circuity having an initial state of a logical 0. The outputs of the eFuse and an EDRAM are connected through an exclusive OR (XOR) gate, enabling EDRAM random data to be known at wafer test and programming of the eFuse to provide any desired logical value out of the XORed data combination.
US09514839B2
A nonvolatile memory according to an embodiment includes a memory cell, the memory cell including: a memory transistor including a source, a drain, a gate electrode disposed above a channel between the source and the drain, and a gate insulating film disposed between the channel and the gate electrode; and a fuse element disposed between the gate electrode and a wiring line to which the gate electrode of the memory transistor is connected.
US09514835B2
A number of techniques for determining defects in non-volatile memory arrays are presented, which are particularly applicable to 3D NAND memory, such as that of the BiCS type. Word line to word shorts within a memory block are determined by application of an AC stress mode, followed by a defect detection operation. An inter-block stress and detection operation can be used determine word line to word line leaks between different blocks. Select gate leak line leakage, both the word lines and other select lines, is consider, as are shorts from word lines and select lines to local source lines. In addition to word line and select line defects, techniques for determining shorts between bit lines and low voltage circuitry, as in the sense amplifiers, are presented.
US09514827B1
A memory device is provided as follows. A memory cell region includes a plurality of blocks, each block including a plurality of NAND strings. A control logic divides the plurality of blocks into a plurality of block regions based on a smaller distance of a first distance with respect to a first edge of the memory cell region and a second distance with respect to a second edge of the memory cell region and controls an operation performed on the memory cell region using a plurality of bias sets of operation parameters for the operation. Each bias set is associated with one of the block regions.
US09514826B2
The invention provides a programming method for a NAND-type flash memory capable of reducing the drop in reliability due to data-rewriting. The programming method includes: when a block program mode is executed to perform programming for a plurality of pages in a block, while the data to be programmed is being loaded into a cache memory; and erasing the selected block; and programming the data to be programmed which is loaded into the cache memory to the erased block.
US09514814B1
Disclosed are methods, systems and devices for operation of non-volatile memory devices. In one aspect, a non-volatile memory device may be placed in any one of multiple memory states in a write operation by controlling a current and a voltage applied to terminals of the non-volatile memory device. For example, a write operation may apply a programming signal across terminals of non-volatile memory device having a particular current and a particular voltage for placing the non-volatile memory device in a particular memory state.
US09514812B2
According to an example, a method for storage device reading may include receiving an input signal indicative of a period of oscillation of a ring oscillator coupled to a storage device of a plurality of storage devices, and measuring the period of oscillation of the ring oscillator by a time-to-digital circuit. The method for storage device reading may further include determining a value of data stored in the storage device based on the measurement.
US09514810B1
A memory has a word line, a bit line, a plurality of resistive non-volatile memory (RNVM) cells coupled to the word line, and a first source line and a second source line. A first RNVM cell of the plurality of RNVM cells includes a first RNVM element having a first terminal coupled to a common node and a second terminal coupled to the first source line. A second RNVM element has a first terminal coupled to the first RNVM element at the common node and a second terminal coupled to the second source line. The coupling transistor is coupled to the word line, the bit line, and the common node that couples the common node to the bit line during sensing. A sense amplifier is capacitively coupled to the bit line to read a logic state of the first RNVM cell during sensing.
US09514806B2
A flash memory device employs a low current auto-verification programming scheme using multi-step programming voltage and cell current detection. The low current auto-verification programming scheme performs programming of memory cells by the application of programming voltages in step increments. For each programming pulse, the cell current of the memory cell is sensed to determine when the memory cell is programmed. The programming pulse is terminated when the cell current decreases below a reference current level.
US09514788B1
The present invention relates to a differential amplifier circuit. A differential amplifier circuit has an advantage in that it can improve a voltage drop characteristic attributable to a load current by enhancing response speed. Furthermore, the differential amplifier circuit can improve a bandwidth characteristic by reducing the quiescent current of a class AB amplifier and also improve a slew rate characteristic by adaptively changing a tail current because a signal path is diversified. Accordingly, response speed can be enhanced by an improved bandwidth characteristic, and the current driving ability can be also enhanced by an improved slew rate characteristic.
US09514774B1
During a self-servo write process, servo sectors that have uniform radial spacing are written on a disk surface. As part of the in-drive writing of the servo sectors, a radial offset between a reader element and a writer element of a magnetic head is measured. The measured radial offset, or micro-jog, is compared to a known nominal micro-jog value for the current radial position of the magnetic head. When the measured micro-jog value does not match the nominal micro-jog value, an appropriate correction to the self-servo write step size is applied to the radial spacing between the servo sectors being written. Variations from ideal servo spiral slope that are inherent in some servo spirals can be compensated for, thereby improving the uniformity of radial spacing of data tracks associated with the servo sectors.
US09514773B2
A head stack assembly (HSA) includes a flexible printed circuit (FPC) having a mouth with an upper mouth edge and a lower mouth edge. The FPC includes a first plurality of conductive terminals immediately adjacent the upper mouth edge and a second plurality of conductive terminals immediately adjacent the lower mouth edge. The mouth is bisected by a mouth centerline that is substantially parallel to and substantially equidistant from first and second actuator arms of the HSA. A head gimbal assembly (HGA) is attached to each of the first and second actuator arms. Each HGA includes a flexure tail laminate having a dielectric layer disposed between a plurality of conductive traces and a structural layer. The plurality of conductive traces is electrically connected to either the first or second plurality of conductive terminals via a plurality of openings in the structural layer and in the dielectric layer.
US09514771B2
A magneto-resistive effect element has a first shield layer, a second layer, and a multilayer film that is positioned between the first shield layer and the second shield layer. The multilayer film has a free layer, a first pinned layer, a nonmagnetic spacer layer, a second pinned layer that fixes a magnetization direction of the first pinned layer, and an antiferromagnetic layer that is exchange-coupled with the second pinned layer. The antiferromagnetic layer is positioned away from an air bearing surface (ABS). The second pinned layer has a first part that is positioned away from the ABS, and a second part that makes contact with the first part, and that extends to the ABS parallel to the first pinned layer; and the first part has a first layer that makes contact with the antiferromagnetic layer, a second layer that makes contact with the second part, and a layer that is positioned between the first layer and the second layer, and that exchange-couples the first layer and the second layer in an anti-parallel orientation.
US09514770B2
A tape drive-implemented method according to one embodiment includes determining, by a tape drive, a format of a magnetic recording tape, and reading from and/or writing to the magnetic recording tape, by the tape drive, according to the format. The format specifies a number of active channels and a contiguous spare area on the magnetic recording tape. The format also specifies compatibility with a second format. The second format specifies a different number of active channels than the number of active channels specified by the format.
US09514769B2
A method for writing a servo pattern to a magnetic tape medium by a write head is described. The write head includes a coil configured to generate a magnetic flux when applying an electric current thereto, and a pole piece structure configured to guide the generated magnetic flux. The method includes moving the magnetic tape medium with its servo band above the two gaps in a direction along the longitudinal extension of the magnetic tape medium, applying a current pulse to the coil, continuing to move the magnetic tape medium, and applying another current pulse to the coil. The magnetic tape medium includes at least one servo band along the longitudinal extension of the tape medium having servo patterns organized in servo frames for supporting to determine positional information.
US09514767B2
A device for producing a frequency-shifted audio signal based on an audio input signal is provided. The device has an interface and a frequency-shifting unit. The interface is configured for receiving the audio input signal. The frequency-shifting unit is configured for producing the frequency-shifted audio signal. The frequency-shifting unit is additionally configured to produce one of the second subband values based on one of the first subband values such that the second phase angle of this second subband value differs from the first phase angle of this first subband value by a phase angle difference, the phase angle difference being dependent on frequency information indicating by which frequency difference the audio input signal is to be shifted in order to obtain the frequency-shifted audio signal, and the phase angle difference being dependent on a frequency bandwidth of one of the first subbands.
US09514762B2
The present invention relates to an audio signal coding method and apparatus. The method includes: categorizing audio signals into high-frequency audio signals and low-frequency audio signals; coding the low-frequency audio signals by using a corresponding low-frequency coding manner according to characteristics of low-frequency audio signals; and selecting a bandwidth extension mode to code the high-frequency audio signals according to the low-frequency coding manner and/or characteristics of the audio signals.
US09514751B2
Described herein is a speech recognition device comprising: a communication module receiving speech data corresponding to speech input from a speech recognition terminal and multi-sensor data corresponding to input environment of the speech; a model selection module selecting a language and acoustic model corresponding to the multi-sensor data among a plurality of language and acoustic models classified according to the speech input environment on the basis of previous multi-sensor data; and a speech recognition module controlling the communication module to apply a feature vector extracted from the speech data to the language and acoustic model and transmit speech recognition result for the speech data to the speech recognition terminal.
US09514750B1
A method and system manage voice communications provided over a network and include establishing a conversation between an originating station and a terminal station where audible communications are permitted between stations. At least a portion of the conversation is allowed to proceed. The audio data content of the conversation is processed to recognize verbal content and the recognized verbal content is matched with phrases to detect content containing a particular phrase or topic that is disallowed for the conversation. In response to detecting the particular phrase or topic that is disallowed for the conversation, the audio data content is filtered to remove the particular phrase or topic from the audio data content.
US09514742B2
A conversation management system includes: a training unit that generates an articulation speech act and an entity name of a training corpus, that generates a lexical syntactic pattern, and that estimates a speech act and an entity name of a training corpus; a database that stores the articulation speech act, the entity name, and the lexical syntactic pattern of the training corpus; an execution unit that generates an articulation speech act and an entity name of a user, that generates a user lexical syntactic pattern, that estimates a speech act and an entity name of a user, that searches for an articulation pair corresponding to a user articulation at the database using a search condition including the estimated user speech act and the generated user lexical syntactic pattern, and that generates a final response by selecting an articulation template using a restriction condition including an estimated entity name among the found articulation pair; and an output unit that outputs a final response that is generated by the execution unit.
US09514740B2
Training speech recognizers, e.g., their language or acoustic models, using actual user data is useful, but retaining personally identifiable information may be restricted in certain environments due to regulations. Accordingly, a method or system is provided for enabling training of a language model which includes producing segments of text in a text corpus and counts corresponding to the segments of text, the text corpus being in a depersonalized state. The method further includes enabling a system to train a language model using the segments of text in the depersonalized state and the counts. Because the data is depersonalized, actual data may be used, enabling speech recognizers to keep up-to-date with user trends in speech and usage, among other benefits.
US09514710B2
A method of enhancing a visual image of a display is described. The visual image is displayed on a first display of a display device having a first display pixel density and a first display dimension. The display device detects an enhancer device oriented in an operable position to the display device. The enhancer display device has a second display having a second display pixel density higher than the first display pixel density and a second display dimension less than the first display dimension. A spatial orientation is determined between the first display of the display device with the second display of the enhancer display device. The display device sends the visual image and the spatial orientation to the enhancer display device to display a portion of the visual image that is defined by the spatial orientation on the second display in the second display pixel density.
US09514706B1
A transparent display apparatus and an image adjustment method thereof are provided. The image adjustment method includes following steps. A background image information is obtained according to a background scenery at a first side of the transparent display panel. At least one of a plurality of color attributes of a display image is adjusted according to the background image information. The adjusted display image is output at a second side of the transparent display panel.
US09514703B2
Provided are a timing control unit and method for adjusting a speed of a system and a display apparatus and method using the same. The display apparatus includes: a panel unit including a plurality of cells and a plurality of electrodes for driving the plurality of cells; and a driving controller which, when a three-dimensional (3D) image signal is input, sends a common signal to an electrode group combining a certain number of electrodes of the plurality of electrodes.
US09514697B2
When there are a plurality of rows with the same display content, a scanning order calculating portion (23) provided in a display control circuit (200) determines addresses sequentially such that scanning signal lines corresponding to the rows are selected at the same time. A scanning order setting portion (24) controls an address output portion (26) such that the scanning signal lines are selected in such an order, and also controls digital image signals DV outputted by output frame memory (22). In this case, the number of changes in potential for video signal lines can be reduced by the number of rows selected at the same time, resulting in reduced power consumption for driving the video signal lines.
US09514694B2
The present disclosure provides an array substrate, which includes a flexible substrate and an array layer formed on the flexible substrate. The array layer includes: data lines, gate lines, thin film transistors and a driving unit. The driving unit is configured to output data driving signals to connected data lines. The data lines includes a first data line connected to thin film transistors of a first number and a second data line connected to thin film transistors of a second number. The number of sub-signals in a data driving signal outputted to the first data line by the driving unit within a time period of one frame is the first number. The number of sub-signals in a data driving signal outputted to the second data line by the driving unit within a time period of one frame is the second number.
US09514690B2
A liquid crystal display includes a liquid crystal display panel that is divided into a first display surface and a second display surface including data lines and gate lines, a first data driving circuit configured to drive data lines of the first display surface, a second data driving circuit configured to drive data lines of the second display surface, a gate driving circuit configured to sequentially supply a gate pulse for scanning the first display surface to gate lines of the first display surface and sequentially supply a gate pulse for scanning the second display surface to gate lines of the second display surface, a timing controller configured to divide a unit frame period into a first sub-frame period and a second sub-frame period, a backlight unit configured to provide light to the liquid crystal display panel wherein the backlight unit includes a plurality of light sources, and a light source driving circuit configured to turn off all the plurality of light sources during the first sub-frame period and turn on all the plurality of light sources at a turn-on time within the second sub-frame period.
US09514688B2
A liquid crystal display includes: a light source unit that includes a light-guiding plate with a light-exit plane partitioned into emission subsections, and one or plural sides, and light sources; a liquid-crystal-display panel that includes pixels, and modulates light emitted from the light source unit, thereby performing image display; and a display control unit that includes a partitioning-drive processing section generating each of a light-emission pattern signal and a partitioning-drive image signal, performs light-emission driving for each light source, and performs display driving for each pixel. The partitioning-drive processing section performs a gain correction of multiplying each pixel signal in the input image signal by a predetermined gain factor that is set so that a value increases as a pixel position of the pixel signal goes away from the light source, and generates the light-emission pattern signal and the partitioning-drive image signal, by using gain-corrected pixel signal.
US09514687B2
A method of displaying an image on a display panel including pixels arranged in an m-by-n matrix (m and n being natural numbers), including measuring a complexity of image data based on an entropy or a most significant bit, the image data including a plurality of unit data corresponding to the pixels; and adjusting the amount of light supplied by a backlight unit according to the measured complexity of the image data.
US09514682B2
An organic light-emitting display device displays a grayscale level by time-dividing each frame into N sub-frames, the organic light-emitting display device including: a plurality of pixels arranged in a matrix; a plurality of scan lines to be provided with a plurality of scan signals to turn on the plurality of pixels; and a plurality of data lines to be selectively provided with a plurality of data voltages or a plurality of sensing voltages to be applied to a number of the pixels that are turned on by each of the plurality of scan signals, wherein the scan signals are provided to N scan lines (where N is a natural number greater than 1) that are randomly selected from among the plurality of scan lines at intervals of a sub-horizontal period.
US09514680B2
A pixel driving circuit includes a light emitting diode (LED), a data writing unit, two transistors and two compensation units. The gate of the first transistor is coupled to the data writing unit for determining the current flow of the LED. The first compensation unit is coupled to the first transistor for providing a current path from the gate of the first transistor to a first voltage source and a current path from the gate of the first transistor to a second voltage source. The second compensation unit includes a first capacitor coupled to the gate of the first transistor for voltage coupling and providing a differential voltage that equals to the OLED to the gate of the first transistor. The second transistor is coupled between the first voltage source and a second voltage source for enabling or disabling the current flow between the first and second voltage sources.
US09514677B2
A method of driving an OLED display includes: during a scanning period of a first frame, turning off a relay transistor and turning on a switching transistor to enable a second data voltage applied to a data line to be stored in a first capacitor; and during a light emitting period of the first frame, performing an operation to turn on a light emitting transistor and a compensation transistor to enable a voltage into which a first data voltage and a threshold voltage of a driving transistor are reflected to be applied to a second node for enabling the OLED to emit light by a driving current which flows into a driving transistor. The scanning period and the light emitting period temporally overlap each other.
US09514676B2
Provided are a pixel circuit and driving method thereof and a display apparatus. The pixel circuit comprises a first transistor (T1), a second transistor (T2), a third transistor (T3), a storage capacitor (C1), a parasitic capacitor (C2) and a light emitting device (L). A first electrode of the first transistor (T1) is connected to a first power source signal terminal, and its second electrode is connected to a first electrode of the third transistor (T3); the gate of the second transistor (T2) is connected to a first control signal terminal (S1), its first electrode is connected to a data signal terminal (DATA), and its second electrode is connected to the gate of the first transistor (T1); the gate of the third transistor (T3) is connected to a second control signal terminal (S2), and its second electrode is connected to one terminal of the light emitting device (L); one terminal of the storage capacitor (C1) is connected to the gate of the first transistor (T1), and the other terminal of the storage capacitor is connected to one terminal of the light emitting device (L); one terminal of the parasitic capacitor (C2) is connected to one terminal of the light emitting device (L), and the other terminal of the parasitic capacitor (C2) is connected to the other terminal of the light emitting device (L); and the other terminal of the light emitting device (L) is also connected to a second power source signal terminal (ELVSS). The pixel circuit can effectively compensate for the threshold voltage shift of the TFTs and improve the display effect.
US09514675B2
A method and device for controlling power of an active matrix organic light-emitting diode are provided. The method for controlling power of an active matrix organic light-emitting diode includes: calculating a frame data rate, which is a ratio of a light emitting pixel quantity representing a specific color in an image data to be displayed; determining a luminance reducing amount mapped to the frame data rate; and controlling and displaying an entire luminance of an image according to the luminance reducing amount.
US09514672B2
A pixel circuit including a first through fifth PMOS transistors, a storage capacitor and an organic light emitting diode is disclosed. The first and second PMOS transistors are connected in serial between a first voltage and a first node. The third and fourth PMOS transistors are connected in serial between a second voltage and the first node. Gate electrodes of the first and third PMOS transistors are connected to a scan line. A gate electrode of the second PMOS transistor is connected to a first data line. A gate electrode of the fourth PMOS transistor is connected to a second data line. The fifth PMOS transistor is connected between a first power supply voltage and the organic light emitting diode and has a gate electrode connected to the first node. The storage capacitor is connected between the first node and a first electrode of the fifth PMOS transistor.
US09514666B2
A display driving module including a driving circuit portion and a non-driving circuit portion is provided. The driving circuit portion is controlled by a system circuit block. The driving circuit portion includes driving channels for driving a display panel. First ESD protection devices are disposed in the driving circuit portion corresponding to the driving channels for providing at least one discharge path. The non-driving circuit portion electrically connects the system circuit block, the driving circuit portion and the display panel. At least one of second ESD protection devices is disposed in at least one of the driving circuit portion, the non-driving circuit portion, the system circuit block and the display panel corresponding to the first ESD protection devices. The second ESD protection devices cooperate with the first ESD protection devices to provide the discharge path. An image display system including the foregoing display driving module is also provided.
US09514653B2
A service unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) includes a flight system, a status component, a navigation system, and a surveillance component. The flight system is for flying the service UAV. The status component is configured to determine that a first UAV is disabled. The navigation system is configured to fly the service UAV to a landing location of the first UAV in response to the status component determining that the first UAV is disabled. The surveillance component is configured to observe the first UAV and an area surrounding the first UAV.
US09514651B2
Systems, methods, and apparatuses are provided for determining an optimal warning distance for a vehicle. For example, the geographic location of the vehicle is received along with a reaction profile of the operator of the vehicle. Based on the geographic location, a roadway condition is determined. An optimal warning distance is then determined based on a braking distance of the vehicle and the reaction profile of the operator of the vehicle. The operator of the vehicle, or a navigation system of the vehicle itself, is alerted to the roadway condition when the vehicle is located at the optimal warning distance.
US09514648B2
An alerting apparatus issues an alert regarding a moving obstacle to a driver of a host vehicle when the host vehicle enters an intersection of a crossroad that is connected to a traveling road on which the host vehicle is traveling, and the traveling road, in a left-hand traffic jurisdiction. This alerting apparatus includes an ECU. The ECU is configured to issue the alert regarding the moving obstacle when it is determined that a path of the moving obstacle intersects with an intersect determination range, and set the intersect determination range to be shorter in length in a front-rear direction of the host vehicle when the traveling direction of the host vehicle is a left turn than when the traveling direction of the host vehicle is a right turn.
US09514636B2
A system is provided including a plurality of inter-connected premises management devices, each including one or more sensors that generate data about an environment, and a control device to control one or more operations of the premises management system, the control device including a movement detector. The premises management system detects an attempt by an intruder to damage the control device based on data from the movement detector indicating an abnormal movement applied to the control device, historical data obtained from the sensors, and current data obtained from the sensors.
US09514631B2
Systems and methods for using multi-criteria state machines to manage alarming states and pre-alarming states of a hazard detection system are described herein. The multi-criteria state machines can include one or more sensor state machines that can control the alarming states and one or more system state machines that can control the pre-alarming states. Each state machine can transition among any one of its states based on sensor data values, hush events, and transition conditions. The transition conditions can define how a state machine transitions from one state to another. The hazard detection system can use a dual processor arrangement to execute the multi-criteria state machines according to various embodiments. The dual processor arrangement can enable the hazard detection system to manage the alarming and pre-alarming states in a manner that promotes minimal power usage while simultaneously promoting reliability in hazard detection and alarming functionality.
US09514628B2
A computer implemented method performed by a composite electrical load monitoring system includes determining, at a first time instant during a duration, a first margin between a first reading of a first electrical parameter and a first electrical parameter limit for a first power source, and determining, at the first time instant during the duration, a second margin between a second reading of a second electrical parameter and a second electrical parameter limit for a second power source. The method further includes determining, after the first time instant, that the first margin is less than the second margin in response to determining the first margin and the second margin, and displaying, in a display device and within the duration, an identifier for the first power source in response to determining that the first margin is less than the second margin.
US09514622B1
A tamper-proof building alarm system comprising a number of sensing devices for sensing when a building entry point has been opened and an alarm unit comprising a tamper-proof housing and an alarm assembly. The tamper-proof housing includes a mounting base and a cover. The cover at least partially encloses the housing and prevents lateral access to the alarm assembly. The tamper-proof housing may include a locking system such that only authorized users have access to the alarm assembly.
US09514620B2
A system provides haptic feedback based on media content. The system processes the media content into components including a first component and a second component. The system further determines a first priority value related to the first component and a second priority value related to the second component. The system further compares the first priority value with the second priority value. The system further generates a first control signal and a second control signal based on the comparison, where the first control signal is configured to cause a first haptic feedback to be output and the second control signal is configured to cause a second haptic feedback to be output that is the same or different than the first haptic feedback.
US09514618B2
A signaling system according to one embodiment of the present invention includes: a first device configured to transmit signaling order information indicating a signaling order, to a second device different from the first device; and a second device configured to signal a message based on the signaling order information.
US09514588B2
The invention relates to a modular vehicle system, having an electric vehicle (2, 2′), in particular a lightweight electric vehicle, and at least one module (3, 120) which can be connected to the electric vehicle (2, 2′). The electric vehicle (2, 2′) has at least one on-board power supply system (13, 101) for supplying energy to an electrical drive unit (114), one or more interfaces (4, 114) which are connected to the on-board power supply system (13, 101) and are intended for connecting at least one module (3, 120), and a first locking means (9) which is arranged on the interface (4, 4′, 114). The at least one module (3, 120) has at least one electrical arrangement, a connecting element (6, 6′, 121) which can be connected disconnectably to the interface (4, 4′, 114) and has the purpose of connecting the electrical arrangement to the on-board power supply system (13, 101), and a second locking means (11) which is arranged on the connecting element (6, 6′, 121) and which is designed to engage with the first locking means (9). In order to provide a modular vehicle system (1) which has increased operational reliability and in which the connection to a module (3, 120) can be made in a particularly easy and secure fashion such that it is protected against intervention by unauthorized persons, at least one of the locking means (9, 11) can be moved between a free position and a locking position, wherein in the free position the connecting element (6, 6′, 121) can be disconnected from the interface (4, 4′, 114), and in the locked position the connecting element (6, 6′, 121) is mechanically locked to the interface (4, 4′, 114).
US09514583B2
A door operator comprises a door driver for opening and closing a door, a controller including a microprocessor connected to and controlling the door driver, a graphical user interface comprising a display screen with touch select input coupled to the microprocessor to display information stored in the controller and to receive instructions selected from the display screen by a user, and a memory module coupled to the microprocessor and storing code executed by the microprocessor. The microprocessor under control of the code displays to the user various menu items on the graphical user interface display and enables the user to select among the menu items using the display screen with touch select input such that the microprocessor derives a control signal. Circuitry is configured to receive the control signal from the microprocessor and to carry the control signal to the door driver.
US09514578B1
Methods and systems for improving vehicular safety by utilizing a driving tip model are provided. According to embodiments, an analysis server can analyze telematics data associated with operation of one or more vehicles to identify driving tips that may be aimed to mitigate certain risks or warn of various conditions. The analysis server can provide the driving tips to the vehicles and, in response, receive updated telematics data from the vehicles that reflects operation data for the vehicles subsequent to receiving the driving tips. The analysis server can analyze the updated telematics data to associate certain driving tips with certain telematics data and identify effective driving tips and delivery techniques. The analysis server can update the driving tip model accordingly.
US09514576B2
A method for detecting wear on at least one component of an electric bicycle includes: monitoring the operating condition of the at least one component with the aid of at least one sensor; detecting the stress on the component over the duration of operation; and displaying the need for service on a display unit as soon as a long-term load threshold defined for this component is reached, to inform the cyclist promptly of the need for service.
US09514573B2
A computer tool generates user-defined diminished reality images of a subject environment from source images. The diminished reality images display less real-world objects in the subject environment than that displayed in the source images. A 3D model of the subject environment in diminished reality is formed from the diminished reality images. The 3D model supports augmented reality user interaction with views of the subject environment diminished in reality and tidied/decluttered of user-selected objects.
US09514569B2
The present disclosure provides a method for converting a Two-Dimensional image into a Three-Dimensional image, comprising: obtaining high-frequency components and low-frequency component of the current frame, and high-frequency components of the reference frame; establishing triangular geometric models in the three directions of horizontal, vertical and diagonal, respectively; performing a motion search on the high-frequency components of the reference frame in the three directions of horizontal, vertical and diagonal, respectively, so as to obtain motion vectors in the corresponding directions, and calculating depth variations of the corresponding directions according to the motion vectors in the corresponding directions; performing an interpolating operation on the triangular geometric models in the three directions of horizontal, vertical and diagonal, respectively, according to the depth variations in the corresponding directions, so as to obtain high-frequency depth graphs in the corresponding directions; and completing a filtering reconstruction by performing an inversion wavelet transform on the high-frequency depth graphs in the three directions of horizontal, vertical and diagonal and the low-frequency component of the current frame, respectively, so as to construct a three-dimensional video image. With the present disclosure, a conversion to the 3D image from the 2D image may be realized.
US09514566B2
A computer-based system forms a more accurate intensity value for virtual light reflected from computer-generated images. The reflected light intensity from the images is computed pixel by pixel using the mean and variance of the depth values of a filter region associated with the pixel, as well as the maximum and minimum values of the depth values in the filter region. The computations use the normalized, incomplete beta function algorithm.
US09514557B2
An embodiment provides a system to generate visualization layouts. A timeline upon which a playhead indicator is moved or positioned. Changes to a displayed visualization (such as a node-edge graph) that are within a predetermined interval of the playhead indicator's time position are shown graphically on or near the graph. Actor icons are positioned on or near the displayed graph. The actor icons correspond to different entities (e.g., a person, group, organization, software agent, etc.) that has made a change to the graph. Change indicators both on the timeline and in association with the actor icons can be color-coded to indicate addition, deletion, modification or other operations to graph items or to other objects being displayed.
US09514554B2
When a new element is interactively arranged in cooperative with an input device and a display device, an element arranged just before is specified based on the time relation of the new element to already arranged elements, the association is made to provide a relation between the specified element and the newly arranged element, and the relation between them is displayed on the display device. Therefore, an actual condition in that a series of relational elements is arranged successively in time is utilized, to thereby associate the elements according to the time relation thereof to provide a relation therebetween. Hence, the relation between the elements is easily provided while reflecting the intention of user as much as possible.
US09514549B2
A method for reducing metal artifacts in computed tomography (CT) is disclosed. The method for reducing metal artifacts in CT includes: obtaining a sinogram reduced in size from an original sinogram; setting up a linear algebraic equation according to remaining data excluding data damaged by a metal based on the obtained sinogram; restoring a low-resolution image based on the set up linear algebraic equation; calculating a sinogram from the restored low-resolution image; restoring a sinogram by disposing the calculated sinogram data in the original sinogram and by utilizing the calculated sinogram data as pre-information; and restoring a final CT image from the restored sinogram. Through introduction of a novel metal artifact reduction (MAR) technique referred to as an algebraic correction technique (ACT) using an intermediate image of an attenuation coefficient of an outside of a metal area, an image closest to an original image can be obtained by minimizing metal artifacts in CT.
US09514545B2
Important information about an object is detected using less arithmetic processing. An object detection unit generates an edge image from a color image. The object detection unit evaluates symmetry of an image included in the edge image by performing processing in accordance with the position of a target pixel. The object detection unit identifies a symmetry center pixel forming an object having symmetry. The object detection unit detects an object width for each symmetry center pixel. The object detection unit identifies the width of the object in the vertical direction based on the width of the symmetry center pixels in the vertical direction, and identifies the width of the object in the horizontal direction based on the object width identified for each symmetry center pixel.
US09514529B2
A diagnostic reading request system includes: a request information creation unit which creates diagnostic reading request information by adding identification information to clinical image data collected by a medical image diagnostic device; a request information update unit which updates the diagnostic reading request information by adding determination image data having already acquired a diagnostic reading result thereof; a diagnostic reading result evaluation unit which performs, based on a new diagnostic reading result of the determination image data supplied from a diagnostic reading request destination facility, an evaluation of the diagnostic reading result in the diagnostic reading request destination facility; a diagnostic reading report creation unit which creates a diagnostic reading report based on the evaluation of the diagnostic reading result and the diagnostic reading result supplied from the diagnostic reading request destination facility; and a display unit which displays the diagnostic reading report.
US09514526B2
An evaluation value indicative of the extent of lines in each direction is calculated for a pre-processed image in which 0s are filled in and extended in the lateral direction of the inputted image and which has been reduced ⅛th in the longitudinal direction. To obtain the angle of rotation of an image from the change in the evaluation value obtained while the angle relative to the lateral direction of the pre-processed image is modified in small steps, a parallel line is drawn for each direction, a projection is taken, and the sum of squares serves as the evaluation value of the direction. The direction having the highest evaluation value serves as the obtained direction of rotation from the normal position. The projection of each direction references the point of intersection between the parallel line drawn for each direction and the coordinate line of the horizontal axis.
US09514525B2
A temporal filter in an image processing pipeline may perform filtering using spatial filtering and noise history. A given pixel of a current image frame may be received for filtering at a temporal filter. A filtering weight may be determined for blending the given pixel with a corresponding pixel of a reference image frame that was previously filtered at the temporal filter. The filtering weight may be determined based on neighboring pixels of the given pixel in the current image frame and corresponding pixels in the reference image frame. The filtering weight may be adjusted according to a quality score indicating noise history for the corresponding pixel in the reference image frame. Based on the filtering weight, a filtered version of the given pixel may be generated, blending the given pixel and the corresponding pixel to store as part of a filtered version of the current image frame.
US09514521B2
In ultrasound images, there are many stationary echoes in the region superficial to the deep region comprising the heart. In the present invention, a HPF processing unit (20) filters frame data by applying a high pass filter, the characteristics of which have been set according to the depth in the frame, on the frame data at said depth. The high pass filter can be achieved, for example, with a digital filter and the characteristics of the high pass filter are adjusted by the filter-setting unit (22) setting the filter coefficient of said digital filter. That is to say, the filter coefficient in the HPF processing unit (20) is controlled by the filter-setting unit (22) so that the deeper the region, the higher the offset level is set.
US09514517B2
A method of processing a pixellated image to retrieve a phase distribution representative of the image. The phase distribution representative of the image is in the Fourier domain. The method includes padding the image pixels with padding, or non-image, pixels to increase the total number of pixels in the pixellated image. The method further includes processing the padding or non-image pixels differently to the image pixels in each iteration of the iterative method.
US09514513B2
Advances in optical coherence tomography (OCT) have prompted a transition from time domain OCT, providing 2D OCT images, to spectral domain OCT, which has a 3D imaging capability. Yet conventional technology offers little toward the goal of inter-device compatibility between extant 2D OCT images and newer 3D OCT images for the same or comparable subjects, as in the context of ongoing monitoring the quantitative status of a patient's eyes. The inventive methodology is particularly useful to identify the scan location of tissue in a 2D OCT image within the 3D OCT volumetric data, thereby allowing clinicians to image a patient via 3D OCT, based on available 2D OCT images, with minimal inter-device variation.
US09514495B2
A method and system for sharing data between a plurality of users in an online group on a communications system includes receiving data from a plurality of users. The data includes personal characteristics about the users. The personal characteristics are analyzed to determine groups of personal characteristics. The users are clustered into closely matched groups based on the groups of personal characteristics. A plurality of activity information is generated about the users in each of the closely matched groups. The activity information may include a physical activity, a location, and a time of day. User may be allowed access to the activity information about other users in each of the closely matched groups, respectively.
US09514489B2
A process detects, at a first proximity-based device within a first object, presence of a second proximity-based device within a second object. The presence is within a proximity. Further, the process modifies a first display associated with the first object based upon a second display associated with the second object.
US09514474B2
Embodiments of the invention are directed to systems, methods and computer program products for determining offers based on life events. An exemplary apparatus is configured to determine a life event based on at least one of user information or account information associated with a user of a financial institution account; project a timeline of future events based on the life event; determine an offer associated with a future event, wherein the offer enables the user to receive at least one of a discount or a rebate on a purchase transaction; and transmit the offer to the user near in time to the future event's projected occurrence.
US09514473B2
A location-based cognitive and predictive communication system includes an interface connected to sensors to receive transactional data for an individual measured by the sensors. A memory stores the transactional data. The transactional data may be associated with a current travel path for the individual and includes a time and geographic location for the individual on the travel path. A prediction module may determine a current activity for the individual based on a prediction determined from the transactional data and may determine a choice set for the individual based on the current activity and based on predictions for a group for which the individual is a member. The choice set may include choices associated with transportation for the current travel path of the individual.
US09514471B2
The present disclosure relates to a system and method for tracking an individual's interaction with objects in a physical environment by pairing the movement of an RFID tagged object to a mobile device based on time and proximity.
US09514464B2
Embodiments of the invention provide a process in which a gas comprising biomethane having a heating value of about 350-950 BTU/cubic foot is introduced to a pipeline system at a combination point that is downstream of natural gas in the pipeline system having a heating value of at least about 950 BTU/cubic foot. This produces a mixed gas downstream of the combination point. At least a portion of the mixed gas downstream of the combination point is withdrawn for use by a user that combusts the mixed gas to generate heat and/or electricity. A corresponding amount of natural gas is withdrawn at an upstream location for use as a transportation fuel, a fuel intermediate or as a feedstock for producing a fuel. The process can enable fuel credit generation.
US09514457B2
Data can be protected in mobile and payment environments through various tokenization operations. A mobile device can tokenize communication data based on device information and session information associated with the mobile device. A payment terminal can tokenize payment information received at the payment terminal during a transaction based on transaction information associated with the transaction. Payment data tokenized first a first set of token tables and according to a first set of tokenization parameters by a first payment entity can be detokenized or re-tokenized with a second set of token tables and according to a second set of tokenization parameters. Payment information can be tokenized and sent to a mobile device as a token card based on one or more selected use rules, and a user can request a transaction based on the token card. The transaction can be authorized if the transaction satisfies the selected use rules.
US09514455B2
A method including receiving, from a mobile device, a payment method and a payment amount. The method also can include validating the payment amount. The method additionally can include generating a gift card for the payment amount. The gift card can include a gift card identifier. The method further can include sending the gift card identifier to the mobile device. The method additionally can include facilitating displaying the gift card identifier on the mobile device. The gift card can be devoid of being generated as part of a gift-card purchase transaction. Other embodiments are provided.
US09514450B2
The present invention refers to system for accessing POS terminals (10), with or without pin pad, using a client system (15) to connect such POS terminal (10) to a network comprised by at least one server (30), the system enabling any POS terminal (10) to execute applications (25) located in such servers, through a plurality of specific protocols (20) in a process similar to the Internet, as well to download and update applications from application servers (30) and to perform electronic operations in transaction serves (35).
US09514446B1
Methods, systems, and apparatus, including computer programs encoded on a computer-readable storage medium, and including a method for selecting content. The method comprises anonymously linking plural identifiers, each associated with a user and specific requesting source. Anonymously linking includes linking at least two different identifiers associated with two different requesting sources used to access content, and linking the two different identifiers using an identifier not including any personally identifiable information. The method further comprises identifying a user list associated with a topic and including plurality of entries, each entry satisfying the topic and having an identifier associated with a requesting source and further including information about a type of requesting source. The method further comprises linking an entry in the user list to other identifiers using the anonymous linking, and selecting content for delivery to a user device associated with an entry in the user list based on the linking.
US09514445B2
A sender selection is detected at a sender computer system within a user interface of at least one suggested folder name for a composed electronic message for a recipient receiving the electronic message to select as a folder name for filing the electronic message. The at least one suggested folder name is attached to the electronic message at the sender computer system for distribution to the recipient. The electronic message is sent with the suggested filing folder name from the sender computer system to a recipient, wherein a recipient receiving the electronic message receives the at least one suggested folder name specified by the sender in the electronic message for selecting a folder for filing the electronic message in a messaging filing directory for the recipient.
US09514443B2
Embodiments of the present invention provide an approach for locating previously communicated electronic messages (e.g., emails, etc.). Specifically, the system will receive a request to locate/retrieve a previously communicated electronic message (“message”). The request can be issued by a sender or a recipient of the message. In any event, the request will include a set (one or more) of characteristics pertaining to the message such as a set of recipients thereof. One or more electronic messaging databases will then be searched based on the set of recipients and the message located. Once located, an alert will be sent to the requester and/or other message parties. The alert will indicate the message that was located. If the alert is validated (e.g., the message was the correct message), the message will be displayed.
US09514436B2
The present invention is directed to a method and system for predicting the behavior of an audience based on the biologically based responses of the audience to a presentation that provides a sensory stimulating experience and determining a measure of the level and pattern of engagement of that audience to the presentation. In particular, the invention is directed to a method and system for predicting whether an audience is likely to view a presentation in its entirety. In addition, the present invention may be used to determine the point at which an audience is likely to change their attention to an alternative sensory stimulating experience including fast forwarding through recorded content, changing the channel or leaving the room when viewing live content, or otherwise redirecting their engagement from the sensory stimulating experience.
US09514419B2
A user may be exposed to multiple token instances representing stimuli that may influence the affective state of the user. Described herein are embodiments of systems, method, and computer programs for estimating affective response to a token instance of interest, selected from among the token instances. The token instance of interest is selected based on attention levels computed utilizing a model for predicting interest in token instances. In one example embodiment, the token instance of interest is a token instance for which attention level of the user is higher than at least one other token instance.
US09514416B2
An apparatus and a method for diagnosis are provided. The apparatus for diagnosis lesion include: a model generation unit configured to categorize learning data into one or more categories and to generate one or more categorized diagnostic models based on the categorized learning data, a model selection unit configured to select one or more diagnostic model for diagnosing a lesion from the categorized diagnostic models, and a diagnosis unit configured to diagnose the lesion based on image data of the lesion and the selected one or more diagnostic model.
US09514415B2
A target quantum circuit expressed in a first quantum gate basis may be transformed into a corresponding quantum circuit expressed in a second quantum gate basis, which may be a universal set of gates such as a V gate basis set. The target quantum circuit may be expressed as a linear combination of quantum gates. The linear combination of quantum gates may be mapped to a quaternion. The quaternion may be factorized, based at least in part on an amount of precision between the target quantum circuit and the corresponding quantum circuit expressed in the second quantum gate basis, into a sequence of quaternion factors. The sequence of quaternion factors may be mapped into a sequence of quantum gates of the second quantum gate basis, where the sequence of sequence of quantum gates is the corresponding quantum circuit.
US09514411B2
A method for generating an operational rule associated with a building management system includes identifying, with a processing device, a first pattern associated with a series of operational observations corresponding to a property of the building management system, correlating a first contextual attribute with the first pattern, and deriving the operational rule at least in part based on the first pattern and the first contextual attribute.
US09514409B2
An apparatus includes an execution module, a determination module, and a generation module. In one embodiment, the execution module parses a business rule as input into a meta rule on a rule engine. The meta rule includes a first expression defining one or more style conditions for business rules. The business rule includes a second expression defining logic for an entity. The determination module, in one embodiment, determines that a business rule violates a style condition defined by the meta rule. The business rule and the meta rule conform to a common business rule syntax. The generation module, in one embodiment, generates a notification in response to determining that the business rule violates the style condition of the meta rule.
US09514396B2
A printing apparatus, when a sheet is fed from a sheet feeding unit in a state where size information indicating the size of sheets stacked in the sheet feeding unit is not stored in a storage unit, detects and stores the size of the sheet during conveyance. The printing apparatus controls the execution of the print processing, without using size information in a case where a print instruction is received in a state where the size information is not stored, and using the size information in a case where the print instruction is received in a state where the size information is stored. Furthermore, the printing apparatus clears the size information stored in the storage unit when a particular key is operated in a state where the size information is stored while print processing is not being executed.
US09514390B2
Systems, methods, and non-transitory computer-readable media can receive a first image including a representation of a first user. A second image including a representation of a second user can be received. A first set of poselets associated with the first user can be detected in the first image. A second set of poselets associated with the second user can be detected in the second image. The first image including the first set of poselets can be inputted into a first instance of a neural network to generate a first multi-dimensional vector. The second image including the second set of poselets can be inputted into a second instance of the neural network to generate a second multi-dimensional vector. A first distance metric between the first multi-dimensional vector and the second multi-dimensional vector can be determined.
US09514375B2
An authentication apparatus for authenticating using biometric information of a plurality of kinds including first information related to a first body part input into a first information inputting area and second information related to a second body part input into a second information inputting area includes an information existence detecting unit that detects a lack of the second information, a determination information acquiring unit that acquires information for lack determination based on third information related to the second body part input into the first information inputting area, and a pseudo lack determining unit that determines whether the lack is an actual lack or a pseudo lack based on the information for lack determination.
US09514373B2
An imaging system and method for fog detection are disclosed herein. An imager is configured to image a scene external and forward of a controlled vehicle and to generate image data corresponding to the acquired images. A controller is configured to receive and analyze the image data. When exterior lights of the controlled vehicle are operated in a low beam state, the controller is able to detect light sources of interest in the image data, determine if each light source of interest is a foggy light or a clear light, and generate a first signal if a fog entry condition is satisfied.
US09514357B2
In various embodiments, methods, systems, and computer program products for processing digital images captured by a mobile device are disclosed. Myriad features enable and/or facilitate processing of such digital images using a mobile device that would otherwise be technically impossible or impractical, and furthermore address unique challenges presented by images captured using a camera rather than a traditional flat-bed scanner, paper-feed scanner or multifunction peripheral.
US09514344B2
Systems and methods for data reading are disclosed wherein one or more images of an item bearing an optical code are captured and the captured images are analyzed to determine whether the item has a reflective surface or not. Based on such a determination, operating parameters of the system, such as one or more of: the amount of time dedicated to 1D code decoding and the amount of time dedicated to 2D code decoding, the order in which 1D code and 2D code decoding are performed, termination of a decoding operation, restarting an image capture and decoding operation, and image preprocessing may be automatically adjusted by the system to decode an optical code.
US09514343B1
A barcode and chip inventory and payment management system is disclosed. A product information label with a bar code and an embedded barcode chip incorporating an antitheft device is fixed to each product shipped with the embedded chip containing an individual product code and bank account routing data. The chip may be programmed to further contain pricing and markup information so that when the product is purchased (or returned) and scanned, the money involved is automatically transferred from the customer to the correct accounts and the item is added to or subtracted from the appropriate inventory.
US09514337B2
A card reader which is attached and used in a host device may include a detection switch disposed on the card reader side attaching face and structured to detect whether the card reader has been detached from the host device; and a first sealing member disposed so as to be sandwiched between the host device side attaching face and the detection switch, the first sealing member covering the detection switch and being structured to prevent penetration of water to the detection switch. The detection switch may include a pressed part and is structured to turn to “ON” or “OFF” when the pressed part is pressed. The first sealing member may be formed with a pressing protruded part structured to press the pressed part.
US09514336B2
A method and system for adaptive operation of a power amplifier of an RFID reader device enables more efficient power management of the reader device. The method includes transmitting an RF interrogation signal from an antenna of the RFID reader device (step 505). A reflected signal is then received as a partial reflection of the interrogation signal (step 510). A return loss value is then estimated by comparing at least one parameter of the interrogation signal and at least one parameter of the reflected signal (step 515). Finally, an operating point of the power amplifier is adjusted in response to the return loss value (step 520).
US09514330B2
The invention described herein generally relates to systems and methods of securely storing data so that the data contains information about the data and/or the encryption of the data, systems and methods of providing secure access to real world data through data transformations, and systems and methods of managing security parameters for data.
US09514315B2
A first information processing device holds data and a key for encryption. A second information processing device does not have rights to share data not encrypted with the first information processing device and a client. The first information processing device transmits data and key to the client when receiving a request to use the data. The first information processing device generates first encrypted data encrypted with the key, and transmits it to the second information processing device. The client transmits information obtained by encrypting the result of processing on the data with the key to the second information processing device until the use of the data ends. The first information processing device acquires second encrypted data received by the second information processing device from the second information processing device, and decrypts and stores it when notified that the use of the data has ended.
US09514309B1
A computer-implemented method for protecting files from malicious encryption attempts may include (1) detecting an attempt to alter a file, (2) identifying at least one characteristic of the attempt to alter the file, (3) determining, based on the characteristic of the attempt to alter the file, that the attempt to alter the file represents a malicious attempt by a third party to encrypt the file, and (4) performing a security action in response to determining that the attempt to alter the file represents a malicious attempt by the third party to encrypt the file. Various other methods, systems, and computer-readable media are also disclosed.
US09514300B2
A communication system having a policy server coupled to a communications network for managing secure communication with and among end instruments (EI). The EI comprises a memory, and a processor coupled to the memory with processor-executable instructions, including instructions for an operating system kernel; and instructions for a protection core that monitors operations of the operating system kernel in accordance with a security policy for the EI. Security policies can intercept calls to an operating system kernel and for each call, determining whether the call is allowed under the security policy(ies). Policies are stored in a policy library and transmitted to an EI over a wireless communication network.
US09514296B2
A method, which is performed in a first electronic device, for authorizing access to a second electronic device is disclosed. The method may include establishing communication between the first electronic device and the second electronic device. The method may also obtain data indicative of a motion of at least one of the first and second electronic devices in response to a movement of the at least one of the first and second electronic devices. Based on the data, a control signal authorizing access to the second electronic device is generated, and transmitted to the second electronic device.
US09514295B2
Determination of a quantified identity using a multi-dimensional, probabilistic identity profiles is contemplated. The quantified identity may be used to authenticate a user entity provided to a point-of-sale device or other interface associated with identity requester in order to verify the corresponding users as who they say they are. The user identity may be determined initially as a function of user inputs made to the identity requester and/or as a function of wireless signaling exchange with devices associated with the user.
US09514294B1
A method, and an associated computer system and computer program product. A login request is received from a user, to log into a computing resource, wherein the login request includes a password and a user identifier of the user. The received password is compared with a stored password to determine whether to grant access to the computing resource. Responsive to determining that the received password does not match the stored password, an authenticity of the login request is determined, based on one or more characteristics of the user and/or one or more checks performed against the received password. A score is calculated based on the determined authenticity of the login request. The login request is denied. Based on the calculated score, it is decided whether to lock the user and deny the user further access to the computing resource.
US09514289B2
License management methods for use in a license management system are provided. The license management system includes licenses and first devices, each of which obtains one of the licenses. First, a license request from a second device is received and a license grade for each of the first devices and the second device is separately calculated based on a historical record of license usage corresponding to the first devices and the second device and an algorithm in response to the license request. Then, whether to agree the second device to obtain one of the licenses is determined according to the calculated grades and the number of remaining available licenses within the licenses.
US09514286B2
A method, apparatus and computer program product for evaluating a context-based (e.g., XACML) policy having a set of attributes using a weighted index tree having one or more leaves extending from a root node. Each leaf of the tree represents a policy rule. A depth-first path down the leaf represents one or more attributes of the set of attributes that must be present in a request for the rule to be applicable. An input is evaluated against the weighted index tree to generate a response. One type of input is an authorization request, in which case the response is an authorization decision (e.g., permit or deny). Another type of input is a query for a set of entitlements, in which case the response is a set of entitlements.
US09514282B2
A data-enabled pharmaceutical container and methods for reminding at dose time, then tracking and communicating valid dose events and/or dose exception events are disclosed. Examples of dose exception events include, but are not limited to, missed doses, extra doses, early doses, and late doses. The data-enabled pharmaceutical container includes control electronics for processing and communicating information about valid dose events and/or dose exception events. For example, using a dose detection algorithm, a dose event is deemed valid based on (1) sensing the open state of the data-enabled pharmaceutical container (e.g., sensing that the closure is not present), (2) sensing a certain orientation or tilt of the data-enabled pharmaceutical container, and (3) sensing that the data-enabled pharmaceutical container is both opened and tilted simultaneously for a certain amount of time (e.g., a few seconds).
US09514280B2
A method of creating a model of an organ, includes creating a shape model, including a blood vessel structure, of the organ based on three-dimensional (3D) images of the organ, and compartmentalizing the shape model into areas based on an influence of a blood vessel tree with respect to a deformation of the shape model, the blood vessel tree indicating the blood vessel structure. The method further includes deforming the blood vessel structure of the shape model to fit a blood vessel structure of a two-dimensional (2D) image of the organ, and creating the model of the organ based on the deformed blood vessel structure and the areas.
US09514279B2
A medication delivery monitoring device is disclosed. The device includes a user interface configured to receive input information, and a sensor configured to measure a plurality of fluid state parameters of a fluid delivery channel through which the medication is delivered by a vascular access device (VAD) to an infusion site region of the patient. The device also includes a processor configured to determine a state of the infusion site region based on the plurality of measured fluid state parameters and the input information, and an output device configured to provide a communication regarding the state of the infusion site region. Methods and computer-readable mediums for monitoring medication delivery are also disclosed.
US09514276B2
An external defibrillator can include a bump sensor for generating motion information and a bump detector for determining whether the external defibrillator has been subjected to a local bump event. The external defibrillator can transmit wirelessly a data signal encoding resuscitation event data to a second external defibrillator over a wireless communication link between the two devices.
US09514273B2
A detection device for detecting a blood count parameter of a blood component in a blood vessel comprising a transmitter, a receiver, a loss detector, and a processor. The transmitter injects a first transmit signal into the blood vessel at a first frequency and a second transmit signal into the blood vessel at a second frequency. The receiver receives a first receive signal at the first frequency and a second receive signal at the second frequency. The loss detector determines a first loss value on the basis of the first transmit signal and the first receive signal, and determines a second loss value on the basis of the second transmit signal and the second receive signal. The processor determines a relaxation time constant of the blood component in accordance with the frequency having the greater loss value, and determines the blood count parameter in accordance with the determined relaxation time constant.
US09514272B2
Various short reads can be grouped and identified as coming from a same long DNA fragment (e.g., by using wells with a relatively low-concentration of DNA). A histogram of the genomic coverage of a group of short reads can provide the edges of the corresponding long fragment (pulse). The knowledge of these pulses can provide an ability to determine the haploid genome and to identify structural variations.
US09514269B1
Example methods and systems for determining failure modes of balloons within a balloon network are described. One example method includes: (a) determining at least one cohort balloon of a first balloon, where the first balloon is operating as part of a balloon network and where each cohort balloon shares at least one property with the first balloon, (b) determining at least one expected failure mode based at least in part on at least one failure of at least one cohort balloon, (c) determining a predicted failure mode of the first balloon based at least in part on the at least one expected failure mode, and (d) causing the first balloon to operate within the balloon network based at least in part on the predicted failure mode of the first balloon.
US09514267B2
Formal verification of connectivity of a circuit, for example, a circuit representing a system on chip I/O ring is performed with low power considerations. The formal verification determines whether the connectivity of a circuit remains valid when low power design specification is introduced. The system receives assertions representing connectivity of the circuit. The system receives low power design specification for a circuit that describes power states of power domains of the circuit. The system generates combinational constraints representing valid power states of power domains of the circuit. The system performs formal verification based on the assertions representing the connectivity of the circuit and the combinational constraints representing the power states of power domains of the circuit. The result of the formal verification is used to determine whether the connectivity of the circuit is valid in view of the low power design specification.
US09514258B2
A memory structural model is generated directly from memory configuration information and memory layout information in an efficient manner. Information on strap distribution is generated by analyzing configuration information of the memory and the corresponding memory layout. Information on scrambling of addresses in the memory layout is generated by programming the memory layout with physical bit patterns, extracting corresponding logical bit patterns and then analyzing the discrepancy between the physical bit patterns and the logical bit patterns. The strap distribution information and the address scrambling information are combined into the memory structural model used for designing an efficient test and repair engine.
US09514245B2
In one embodiment, a system includes a database; and a cache layer comprising one or more cache nodes, the one or more cache nodes operative to: maintain in a memory one or more data structures storing association information describing associations between nodes in a graph a plurality of distributed cache clusters for storing information in the form of a graph, the graph comprising a plurality of nodes, each uniquely identified by a node identifier, and edge information indicating associations between nodes; respond to queries for associations between nodes in the graph by accessing the memory; and forward other queries to the database for processing.
US09514242B2
Methods, systems, and techniques for presenting dynamically changing images in a limited rendering environment are described. Example embodiments provide a client display manager that is configured to receive image blocks representing modifications or updates to a dynamically changing image. The client display manager may then layer the received image blocks upon one another, and then cause the layered image blocks to be presented on a display device as a single, composited image. In some embodiments, multiple image blocks may be coalesced or otherwise combined into a single image transmitted to the client display manager, where regions of the single image that are not occupied by the multiple image blocks are transparent.
US09514232B1
A system provides news alerts. For example, the system may receive topics of interest to users and periodically obtain news articles that originate from multiple sources of news articles and relate to the topics of interest to the users. The system may generate news alerts that include information associated with one or more of the news articles and provide the news alerts to the users.
US09514231B2
A computer-based system to facilitate providing advisory services to clients, comprising a networked server computer having a data accumulation engine that accepts user information, client information of clients of the users, and a plurality of user-defined tags. The data accumulation engine is operable to accumulate data regarding actions of the user and information associated with the user's clients in accordance with the clients' respective associated tags. The server also has a filtering engine that filters the data responsive to user requests; and a service engine for use in providing services targeted to clients based on the filtered data.
US09514219B2
A system and method for classifying documents via propagation are provided. Text highlighted by a user within at least one document is identified. The document is associated with a classification code based on the highlighted text. At least a portion of the highlighted text is compared with one or more unclassified documents. Those unclassified documents with text that is the same as the compared portion of the highlighted text in the document are identified. The classification code of the document is automatically assigned to the identified unclassified documents with text that is the same. Further, those unclassified documents with text that is similar to the compared portion of the highlighted text in the document are identified. The unclassified documents with similar text are provided to the user for review and classification.
US09514217B2
During a storage technique, multiple messages (such as emails) associated with a user of a communication application are received. Then, the multiple messages are stored in a message table associated with the user and the multiple messages are indexed in an index associated with the user. This index may be divided into multiple divisions if a total number of messages stored in the message table exceeds a threshold value, where each division corresponds to messages received during a different time interval.
US09514210B2
Methods and systems for a copy-offload operation are provided. A soft range lock is placed for a data container for generating a token for a copy-offload operation for copying the data container from a source location to a destination location, where presence of the soft range lock indicates that content of the data container has not changed during the copy-offload operation. A token for the copy-offload operation represents the content of data container and includes information regarding the soft range lock. The token with the soft range lock information is provided to the client that requests the copy-offload operation. If the soft range lock exists, then the data container is copied without using a point in time copy of the data container.
US09514208B2
In one exemplary embodiment, a method includes the step of executing, with at least one processor, a main database node server in a source-database node of a source-database cluster. The main database node server manages database server operations. The main database node server communicates a source-database cluster state and a specified server operation metadata to a data-shipping daemon. The specified server operation metadata, includes an information about server operation occurring on the source-database node. Another step includes executing a data-shipping daemon in the source-database node. The data-shipping daemon receives the specified server operation metadata and stores the specified server operation metadata in a digest log. The data log includes a file of the specified server operation metadata. The data-shipping daemon reads the digest log and communicate data referred to in the specified server operation metadata in the digest log to a destination database node in a destination database cluster.
US09514206B2
Provided are a system and method for providing a content list through a social network service (SNS). A server for providing a content list to a device using an SNS, the server includes: a content receiver that receives content from a first device; a content list generator that generates a content list according to categories by using metadata included in the received content; and a content list provider that provides a content list of a category selected by a second device to the second device.
US09514199B1
A system and machine-implemented method including receiving a request for a set of content items within a session, identifying, in response to the request, one or more content items, determining if the session is associated with a continuation token, wherein the continuation token provides information regarding the content items provided for display during the session, generating a continuation token for the session when the session is not associated with a continuation token, providing at least one of the one or more content items for display and updating the continuation token with information regarding the at least one of the one or more content items provided for display and a time stamp.
US09514196B2
In one embodiment, one or more computing devices receive, from a client device of a first user, a query from the first user. The computer devices search a social graph to identify one or more nodes of the social graph that are relevant to the query. The computer devices obtain a static rank for each identified node. The static rank is based at least in part on a number of edges of a particular edge type that are connected to the node in the graph or attributes of edges connected to the node in the graph. The computer devices send to the client device of the first user for display, a search-results page responsive to the received query. The search-results page includes reference to one or more nodes having a static rank greater than a threshold rank.
US09514193B2
A plurality of linkable nodes may be ranked based on their intrinsic scores. The intrinsic scores may be assigned to each node based on an analysis of the respective node with respect to one or more criteria. Links may be identified between the nodes, and a ranking score for each node may be generated based on the intrinsic scores of nodes linked therewith.
US09514190B2
A question relating to an individual is received and context from the question is extracted. Subject matter criteria can be identified from the context of the question. A database containing history data that includes recorded positional data for physical objects relative to the location of the individual at the time of recording can be accessed and relevant physical objects from the history data can be identified based upon the subject matter criteria. A set of answers can be generated for the question from a corpus of data and ranked based upon the identified physical objects and physical distance between the individual and the relevant physical objects.
US09514183B1
A computer-implemented method of searching large amounts of machine generated data collected from disparate sources, comprises steps of: receiving data from the disparate sources into a multi-level system of storage blocks; high-speed searching at a broad level for groups of the storage blocks containing records of interest; nested searching at an intermediate level to determine specific storage blocks containing the records of interest, within the groups of the storage blocks; distributed searching at a fine level to identify the records of interest, within the specific storage blocks; and displaying the records of interest to a user. In a computer data storage device, a data structure comprises: plural data files each holding a data group from a large data set, wherein the data groups are permitted to contain overlapping data; and plural index trees within each data file, each index tree representing a key into a data group; wherein an absence of a key in one data file results in an absence of a corresponding index tree in the one data file. A computer storage medium has stored thereon instructions for a computer to perform the method described above.
US09514174B2
Various technologies described herein pertain to classifying data in a main memory database system. A record access log can include a sequence of record access observations logged over a time period from a beginning time to an end time. Each of the record access observations can include a respective record ID and read timestamp. The record access log can be scanned in reverse from the end time towards the beginning time. Further, access frequency estimate data for records corresponding to record IDs read from the record access log can be calculated. The access frequency estimate data can include respective upper bounds and respective lower bounds of access frequency estimates for each of the records. Moreover, the records can be classified based on the respective upper bounds and the respective lower bounds of the access frequency estimates, such that K records can be classified as being frequently accessed records.
US09514172B2
In embodiments of the disclosed technology, indexes, such as inverted indexes, are updated only as necessary to guarantee answer precision within predefined thresholds which are determined with little cost in comparison to the updates of the indexes themselves. With the present technology, a batch of daily updates can be processed in a matter of minutes, rather than a few hours for rebuilding an index, and a query may be answered with assurances that the results are accurate or within a threshold of accuracy.
US09514152B2
Method and data access unit for storage of data records for creating a serialized charging record formatted for insertion into a charging database. The method includes traversing the hierarchical charging record and for each part node of said hierarchical charging record identifying an attribute of the part node and determining if said attribute is a key attribute or a search attribute and if affirmative storing an attribute value of said attribute in a field of the serialized charging record based on a charging database configuration definition. A part segment comprising the attribute value and a data value token is stored in a payload body field of the serialized charging record with a part node indicator representing the location of the part node in the hierarchical charging record based on a hierarchical charging record configuration definition. A method and data access unit for creating a hierarchical charging record is also disclosed. An advantage is that a serialized charging record may be stored in one storage entity such as a table row.
US09514139B2
Embodiments for space-efficient cascading point-in-time copying of source data by creating a plurality of cascading point-in-time target copies, the target copies being created at different points in time, are provided. Data is physically copied form the source to a repository to create a physical copy, and a data mapping is created that associates the physical copy with a most recent target copy.
US09514128B2
A system and method to facilitate translation of communications between entities over a network are described. Multiple predetermined language constructs are communicated to a first entity as a first transmission over the network. Responsive to selection by the first entity of a language construct from the predetermined language constructs, a translated language construct corresponding to the selected language construct is identified. Finally, the translated language construct is communicated to a second entity as a second transmission over the network.
US09514116B2
Gadgets integrate with spreadsheets and the spreadsheet calculation engine. A gadget is bound to a range of cells (one or more) within a sheet. When one or more of the cells of the bound range is accessed (e.g. selected, hovered over, edited, deleted, added), the gadget is notified. The gadget may use this information for updating a display rendered by the gadget and/or performing some other action. The gadget uses an Application Programming Interface (API) to create the binding, communicate with the spreadsheet, and perform actions in the spreadsheet. The gadget is a Named Item object within the spreadsheet such that the gadget may be viewed/displayed differently from other objects. Out of date requests from the gadget are attempted to be detected and prevented from being processed such that the gadget is not acting on the latest data.
US09514114B2
A computer-implemented method, carried out by one or more processors, for managing product configuration files. In an embodiment, the method comprises the steps of receiving, by one or more processors, a document containing one or more annotations, wherein the one or more annotations are associated with one or more files; determining, by one or more processors, an annotation has been selected from the one or more annotations to access a particular file associated with the selected annotation; linking, by one or more processors, a storage location for the particular file associated with the selected annotation to the received document; and displaying, by one or more processors, content of the particular file associated with the selected annotation in the received document.
US09514110B2
Systems and methods for editing electronic documents in collaborative environment are described. In one implementation, a document collaboration system comprises a processor, and a scheduling module, coupled to the processor. The scheduling module receives request of a user for either one of collaborative editing and collaborative reviewing a section of the electronic document during a schedule time selected by the user. The scheduling module further retrieves a schedule from the user from an electronic calendar of the user. The scheduling module ascertains the electronic document availability in the selected schedule time slot. On ascertaining the availability of the electronic document during the selected time slot, the scheduling module determines availability of users in the selected schedule time slot. The scheduling module provides permission to either one of the collaborative editing and collaborative reviewing the section of the electronic document, for the selected schedule time, based on determining.
US09514092B2
A system and method for interconnecting a plurality of processing element nodes within a scalable multiprocessor system is provided. Each processing element node includes at least one processor and memory. A scalable interconnect network includes physical communication links interconnecting the processing element nodes in a cluster. A first set of routers in the scalable interconnect network route messages between the plurality of processing element nodes. One or more metarouters in the scalable interconnect network route messages between the first set of routers so that each one of the routers in a first cluster is connected to all other clusters through one or more metarouters.
US09514091B2
Methods, systems and computer readable media for link aggregation using digests are described. In some implementations, the method can include obtaining information about each port in a group of one or more ports. The method can also include computing a digest corresponding to each port in the group of one or more ports, the digest being based on the information about the corresponding port. The method can further include determining whether each port in the group of one or more ports is suitable for aggregation in a link aggregation group by comparing the digest corresponding to each port with a digest of a port in the link aggregation group.