US09616262B2

A corrosion prevention treatment of wet Fire Protection System (FPS) includes purging the pipes of O2 with an inert gas such as N2, followed by filling the pipes with deoxygenated water generated “on the fly” as the water enters a building, using one or more Gas Transfer Membrane (GTM) devices and N2 gas. The GTM device eliminates the need for a water reuse tank and its associated pipes, valves, recirculation regimen, and the like. Water is pumped directly from the building water supply to a GTM device, where it is deoxygenated to very low O2 levels—such as below 300 ppb (parts per billion). The deoxygenated water then flows directly into the O2-purged pipes of the FPS. When the FPS is drained for testing or repair, the deoxygenated water may be discharged, and replaced, upon return to service of the FPS, with water freshly deoxygenated from the building supply as the FPS piping is filled.
US09616255B1

A safety restraint anchor system may include, but is not limited to: a pole portion; a circumferential frame portion disposed about an axis of the pole; and at least one safety line anchor.
US09616250B2

According to an embodiment, a treatment system includes a plurality of first radiators, a plurality of detectors, a determiner, and a controller. Each of the first radiators irradiates a radioactive beam to a subject. Each of the detectors detects a radioactive beam transmitted through the subject and generates an image based on the detected radioactive beam. The determiner determines whether an object in the subject is included in a first region using a given image that is one of the images. The controller controls the first radiators so that, when the object is not included in the first region, a smaller amount of radioactive beams is irradiated per unit time than when the object is included in the first region.
US09616240B2

The present disclosure provides a cardiac pacing system. The cardiac pacing system includes a right atrial ring electrode, a right atrial tip electrode, a right ventricle ring electrode, and a pacing integrated circuit (IC) including a first pace output node electrically coupled to the right atrial ring electrode, a pace return node electrically coupled to the right atrial tip electrode, and a second pace output node electrically coupled to the right ventricle ring electrode, wherein the pacing IC has a fast discharge configuration that facilitates reducing or eliminating a DC rectification current generated from RF interference during a fast discharge phase.
US09616234B2

A neuro-stimulation system employs a includes a stimulator which may include electrode devices and/or vibration elements. A controller may be employed to drive the stimulating elements with an electrical signal. In response to the electrical signal, the stimulating elements deliver electrical and/or mechanical stimulation to the body part. The stimulation may be an aperiodic stimulation and/or may be a subthreshold stimulation. In one embodiment, the stimulator is disposable and the processor determines usage of the stimulator and ensures that the stimulator is limited to a certain amount of use. Neuro-stimulation systems may be applied to sensory cells of body parts during movement of the body parts to induce neuroplastic changes. Such movement may involve a variety of therapeutic applications, e.g. in stroke patient therapy.
US09616233B2

A therapeutic neuromodulation system configured for providing therapy to a patient. The therapeutic neuromodulation system comprises a plurality of electrical terminals configured for being respectively coupled to a plurality of electrodes implanted within tissue, analog output circuitry configured for delivering therapeutic electrical energy between the plurality of electrical terminals in accordance with a set of modulation parameters that includes a defined current value, a voltage regulator configured for supplying an adjustable compliance voltage to the analog output circuitry, and control/processing circuitry configured for automatically performing a compliance voltage calibration process at a compliance voltage adjustment interval by periodically computing an adjusted compliance voltage value as a function of a compliance voltage margin. The control/processing circuitry may also be configured for automatically adjusting at least one of the compliance voltage adjustment interval and the compliance voltage margin during the compliance voltage calibration process.
US09616230B2

A method of operating an implantable neuromodulator includes calculating an index for each of a plurality of modulation parameter sets, wherein each modulation parameter set includes a respective plurality of modulation parameters from which the respective index is calculated, serially conveying electrical modulation energy to a patient in accordance with each of the plurality of modulation parameter sets, causing the patient to perceive paresthesia in response to the conveyance of the electrical modulation energy to the tissue in accordance with one of the plurality of modulation parameter sets, identifying the calculated index for that one modulation parameter set as a perception threshold index based on the perceived paresthesia, and storing the identified perception threshold index. The method may also include determining a new modulation parameter set based on the identified perception threshold index, and conveying electrical modulation energy to the tissue in accordance with the new modulation parameter set.
US09616226B2

One aspect of the present disclosure relates to a therapy delivery device for treating an obstetric or gynecological disorder other than urinary incontinence in a subject. The therapy delivery device can include a housing, at least one electrode, and a power source. The housing can be configured for implantation in a reproductive system of the subject. The at least one electrode can be connected to the housing and be configured to delivery an electrical signal to an autonomic nervous system nerve target. The power source can be in electrical communication with the at least one electrode.
US09616225B2

The present specification discloses devices and methodologies for the treatment of GERD. Individuals with GERD may be treated by implanting a stimulation device within the patient's lower esophageal sphincter and applying electrical stimulation to the patient's lower esophageal sphincter, in accordance with certain predefined protocols. The presently disclosed devices have a simplified design because they do not require sensing systems capable of sensing when a person is engaged in a wet swallow, have improved energy storage requirements, enable improved LES function while concurrently delivering additional health benefits, and enable improved LES function post stimulation termination.
US09616224B2

A functional electrical stimulation method for rehabilitating, treating, retraining, and/or otherwise improving upper extremity mobility and control in persons having impaired or disabled upper extremities due to stroke or spinal cord injury, comprising stimulation of the lumbricalis muscles.
US09616222B2

A system for providing non-invasive neuromodulation to a patient includes a mouthpiece and a controller. The mouthpiece includes an elongated housing, a printed circuit board, control circuitry mounted within the elongated housing, and a cable for connecting to a controller. The controller includes an elongated u-shaped element, an electronic receptacle, and a microcontroller. A method for providing non-invasive neurorehabilitation of a patient including connecting a mouthpiece to a controller, transmitting a numeric sequence to the mouthpiece, generating a first hash code, transmitting the first hash code to the controller, generating a second hash code, comparing the second hash code with the first hash code, enabling electrical communication between the mouthpiece and the controller only if the first hash code matches the second hash code, contacting the mouthpiece with the patient's intraoral cavity, and delivering neurostimulation to the patient's intraoral cavity.
US09616220B2

An implantable electrical stimulation lead includes a lead body, electrodes disposed along a distal end of the lead body, terminals disposed along the proximal end of the lead body, and conductors coupling the terminals to the electrodes. The electrodes include a tip electrode having an electrode body with an outer stimulating surface. An internal lumen is defined in the electrode body and extends inwardly from an opening in a proximal end of the electrode body. Side apertures are formed between the outer stimulating surface and the internal lumen. A portion of the lead body is disposed within the internal lumen and side apertures through the opening in the proximal end of the electrode body. That portion of the lead body facilitates retention of the tip electrode on a distal tip of the lead body.
US09616216B2

The invention relates to a releasable blocking system (1) of a catheter (4), comprising a base (2) adapted to receive a catheter (4), and a shell (3), mounted in rotation on the base (2) between an open position, in which the shell (3) is away from the base (2), and a closed position, in which the shell (3)is hooked on the base (2) and blocks the catheter (4) in position, in which:the system comprises an actuator (25) provided with a guide aperture (251), mobile in a housing (20) between a rest position and a blocking position, the actuator (25) comprising a first drive element (255),the shell (3)comprises a second drive element (33), adapted to cooperate with the first drive element (255) when the shell (3) is shifted from its open position to its closed position, and shift the actuator (25) to its blocking position.
US09616214B2

A luer connection device is disclosed having a housing including a side wall having an inside surface defining a lumen with a central axis, a proximal end, and a distal end including a male luer tip having a central flow diverter extending outwardly from the central axis of the lumen to direct a fluid to a circumferential dead space distal to the male luer tip. A luer connection device is also disclosed having a flow expansion channel disposed in the lumen tapering outward from the wall of tubular housing and partially extending along a longitudinal axis from the tip opening toward the base opening for increasing mixing and flow through a circumferential dead space in the fluid path distal to the male luer tip.
US09616213B2

A medical valve assembly includes a tube extending between a first tube end and a second tube end to define a passageway extending along a longitudinal axis between the ends. A plunger plate extends radially from the second tube end of the tube, and a valve housing surrounds the tube about the second tube end and extends from a first valve housing end to a second valve housing end. The valve housing includes a flange extending radially inwardly from the second valve housing end and disposed in spaced relationship with the plunger plate to define a distance dimension D extending therebetween. An elastomeric seal is compressed between the plunger plate and the flange, and one of the valve housing and the tube is axially movable relative to the other to vary the distance between said plunger plate and said flange and adjust an inner diameter of the elastomeric seal.
US09616211B2

The invention relates to a device for inserting pigment into the skin comprising a roller head unit comprising 2 or more distal arms; a rotatable structure comprising needles extending therefrom, attached to said roller head unit between said distal arms; a tubular member attached to the proximal end of said roller head unit; an elastic element placed within the distal portion of the inner lumen of said tubular member; a pin placed within said tubular member proximal to said elastic element.
US09616207B2

Presented herein are implantable systems and methods for long-term delivery of treatment substance to the ear of a recipient of an implantable auditory prosthesis.
US09616190B2

A PAP system adapted for treatment of respiratory disease or sleep disordered breathing includes headgear adapted to engage a patient's head, a patient interface adapted to be secured to and sealed against a portion of a patient's face, in use, by the headgear, a flow generator adapted to be connected to the patient interface, and wherein the flow generator is adapted to be secured by a portion of the headgear to the patient's head, and an outlet tube to interconnect the flow generator and the patient interface. The patient interface includes a frame and a sealing arrangement supported by the frame. The sealing arrangement includes a seal portion, a body portion, and an inlet tube in communication with the outlet tube. The frame and the outlet tube are constructed of a relatively rigid material.
US09616189B2

A breathing assistance device may include a turbine for generating flow of pressurized respiratory gas, a duct for carrying pressurized gas to a patient, and a mechanism to control gas pressure capable of elaborating a pressure setting for the turbine. The turbine is connected to a speed sensor for acquiring the rotation speed of a rotating element of the turbine. A mechanism controls a calculation in order to elaborate a pressure setting and to send the pressure setting to the turbine. A method regulates the pressure of a respiratory gas delivered by a turbine to a patient. The method involves elaborating a pressure setting for the turbine. The pressure setting is elaborated using a signal representative of the rotation speed of a rotating element of the turbine.
US09616184B2

A syringe for retracting and storing of the needles for transferring the fluids is provided. The syringe includes a hollow rotatable and retractable syringe plunger body, a hollow syringe barrel slidably disposed inside the hollow rotatable and retractable syringe plunger body a plunger slidably disposed in the hollow syringe barrel, a syringe adapter attached to the front end of the hollow syringe barrel, a syringe plunger adapter attached to the syringe adapter, a hollow retractable barrel body attached to the hollow rotatable and retractable syringe plunger body. The syringe further includes plurality of springs, a first needle and a second needle for injecting and ejecting fluid, on using the first needle, the first needle is retracted and then the second needle stored in the syringe barrel is pushed out the hollow retractable barrel.
US09616182B2

The invention relates to an injection device. Exemplary embodiments of the invention comprise an application element, an injection needle, an injection needle housing, a drive system for the injection movement, and a retraction system. In exemplary embodiments, a substance is injected during the retraction movement of the injection needle.
US09616169B2

A status messaging protocol (140) for a power injector (10) is disclosed. A setup screen (230) may be displayed on a graphical user interface (11) associated with the power injector (10). A status message (268) is displayed in a status message zone (266) on the setup screen (230). As the status of the power injector (10) changes, the status message (268) in the status message zone (266) on the setup screen (230) is updated.
US09616165B2

A glucose sensor product maintains the sterility of the glucose sensor while allowing gaseous manufacturing by-products to be vented from the inside of the glucose sensor package. An exemplary glucose sensor product includes a plastic package tray and a glucose sensor assembly in the plastic package tray. The glucose sensor assembly includes an electrochemical sensor with glucose oxidase enzyme, a sensor base formed at least in part from plastic, a sensor mounting pedestal formed at least in part from plastic, and a sensor introducer formed at least in part from plastic. The glucose sensor product also includes a microbial barrier material coupled to the plastic package tray to seal the glucose sensor assembly in the plastic package tray. The microbial barrier material maintains sterility of the glucose sensor assembly while venting substances outgassed from the plastic package tray, the sensor base, the sensor mounting pedestal, and the sensor introducer.
US09616163B2

A method of sorbent dialysis is provided for enhanced removal of uremic toxins, such as toxic anions and/or organic solutes, from spent dialysate. More highly adsorbable zirconium polymeric complexes of these anions and/or organic solutes can be initially formed in spent dialysate by treatment with zirconium salt solution or other zirconium cation source, and then removed with adsorbent to provide purified or regenerated dialysate. Sorbent dialysis systems for detoxifying spent dialysate containing toxic anions and organic solutes are also provided.
US09616157B2

There is provided a blood pump. An exemplary blood pump comprises an impeller with a rotational axis in a pump housing. The exemplary blood pump also comprises a first element that comprises a Lomakin bearing, and a second element physically separated from the first element, the second element comprising a radial magnetic bearing.
US09616156B2

A device for expression and collection of breast milk includes an actuatable assembly, a breast interface, and a tube. The breast interface is sized to receive a breast and form a fluid tight seal against the breast. The breast interface includes a deformable member disposed within at least a portion of the breast interface. The deformable member deforms in response to actuation of the actuatable assembly and applies vacuum pressure against the breast to express milk. The tube operatively couples the actuatable assembly to the breast interface.
US09616150B2

A method for controlling bleeding from bones, comprising the use of copolymers of oxyethylene and oxypropylene or mixtures thereof to cover the bleeding portions of bones. The copolymers are resorbable by the body, not metabolized, simple to prepare, inexpensive, readily available, and do not interfere with the fusion, osteogenesis, and related tissue healing and repair of the affected bones.
US09616147B2

The present invention is generally related to a device and method for sanitizing a medical instrument with ozone, in particular the invention relates to a system, method and a device for sanitizing a continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) device. The device has an ozone compartment, an ozone operating system and one or more ozone distribution lines that distribute ozone to a continuous positive airway pressure device. The device may further include a heater adapter unit to connect heating systems in CPAP devices while distributing ozone to sanitize the CPAP device in accordance with the present invention.
US09616142B2

The invention describes a method of reducing or preventing the growth of microbes on the surface of an object, wherein the object is of such material that it can act as a working electrode. The method comprises the steps of providing a counter electrode, and a reference electrode. The object is used as the working electrode. Electrical current is passed through the working and counter electrodes. The current through the counter electrode is varied such that the electric potential of the working electrode is constant relative to the electric potential of the reference electrode. Also described is an apparatus for reducing or preventing microbes on an object using a potentiostatic device.
US09616137B2

The present invention provides an aqueous tumor-targeting liposome nanoparticle composition comprising an aqueous dispersion of liposome nanoparticles. The nanoparticles preferably encapsulate an anti-cancer chemotherapeutic agent, which can be added to a pre-formed liposome composition or can be incorporated in the liposomes during the formation of the liposomes. The liposome nanoparticles comprise a legumain-targeting lipid admixed with one or more other micelle or vesicle-forming lipid materials in the form of nanoparticulate liposomes dispersed in an aqueous carrier. A preferred tumor-targeting liposome nanoparticle composition comprises (a) a legumain-targeting lipid component, (b) a zwitterionic lipid component; (c) an amino-substituted lipid component; (d) a neutral lipid component; and (e) polyethylene glycol-conjugated lipid component. The legumain-targeting lipid component comprising a hydrophobic lipid portion covalently attached to a legumain-binding moiety.
US09616136B2

The invention relates to (among other things) N-optionally substituted aryl-2-oligomer-3-alkoxypropionamides and compositions comprising the same. A compound of the invention, when administered by any of a number of administration routes, exhibits one or more advantages over corresponding compounds lacking the oligomer.
US09616128B2

Disclosed herein are injectable compositions containing high concentration of paracetamol or its pharmaceutically acceptable salts wherein the concentration of paracetamol or its pharmaceutically acceptable salt is >150 mg/ml in a judiciously tailored solvent system comprising glycofurol, ethanol, water or a solvent system comprising glycofurol, ethanol, polyethylene glycol, water. The viscosity of the said injectables is <28 cps. Further disclosed is the process for preparing the said injectables. The injectables can be administered by intramuscular route, intravenous route or as intravenous infusion after diluting in one of the routinely used intravenous fluids, infusion solutions of antibacterial, antifungal and amoebicidal drugs and along with anxiolytics (Midazolam injection) or narcotic analgesics (Fentanyl Citrate injection etc) as they remain stable, clear and transparent at least for 6 hours after dilution.
US09616121B2

In alternative embodiments, the invention provides a “triple combination” therapy for treating, ameliorating and preventing Crohn's Disease (or Crohn syndrome, terminal or distal ileitis or regional enteritis) or related disorders and conditions in mammals, such as paratuberculosis in mammals, or Johne's disease, including genetically-predisposed and chronic disorders, where the microbial or bacterial flora of the bowel is at least one causative or symptom-producing factor; and compositions for practicing same. In alternative embodiments, methods and compositions of the invention comprise or comprise use of therapies, medications, formulations and pharmaceuticals comprising active agents that can suppress or eradicate the microbiota super-infection that causes Crohn's Disease or paratuberculosis infection in mammals. In alternative embodiments, the methods and uses of the invention for treating, ameliorating and preventing Crohn's Disease and complications of Crohn's Disease, or related disorders and conditions in mammals, such as paratuberculosis in mammals, or Johne's disease, comprises administration to an individual (human or mammal) in need thereof: (1) an anti-TNFα composition, or a composition capable of down-modulating TNFα activity; (2) a Hyperbaric Oxygen Treatment, or HBOT; and (3) an anti-Mycobacterium avium sub species paratuberculosis (MAP) (an anti-MAP) agent, composition or therapy.
US09616119B2

A mutant HSV-1 (referred to herein as KOS-NA) was generated. KOS-NA contains novel mutations in the UL39 gene, which encodes for a protein that is a large subunit of ribonucleotide reductase (i.e., ICP6). These UL39 mutations were found to alter two amino acids in ICP6 (R950H and L393P) and are responsible for attenuation of KOS-NA in vivo, and resulted in diminished ICP6 protein levels. These novel UL39 mutations regulate the expression and/or stability of ICP6 and severely impact HSV-1 pathogenesis. Mutant HSV viruses containing these mutations appear to protect against HSV infection and can serve as therapeutic vaccines to help combat preexisting HSV infection in infected individuals.
US09616113B2

The present invention provides compositions comprising peptide-coupled biodegradable poly(lactide-co-glycolide) (PLG) particles In particular, PLG particles are surface-functionalized to allow for coupling of peptide molecules to the surface of the particles (e.g., for use in eliciting induction of immunological tolerance).
US09616107B2

Medical systems and methods for treating kidney disease alone, heart failure alone, chronic kidney disease with concomitant heart failure, or cardiorenal syndrome are described. The systems and methods are based on delivery of a natriuretic peptide such as Vessel Dilator to a subject. Methods for increasing and maintaining peptide levels at a certain concentration include direct peptide delivery via either an external or implantable programmable pump.
US09616106B2

Aspects and embodiments of the instant disclosure provide therapeutic methods and compositions comprising interleukin 12 (IL-12) useful for treating radiation-induced damage in a subject. In particular, the instant disclosure provides methods and compositions for radiation protection and/or radiation toxicity mitigation for the treatment of acute radiation syndrome and radiation induced toxicity associated with the treatment of cutaneous T-cell lymphoma.
US09616105B2

The present invention relates to an agent for the treatment and/or prophylaxis of an autoimmune disease, an agent for the formation of regulatory T cells (TReg) in an organism and various methods in which the agents according to the invention are used.
US09616102B2

Analogs of ShK toxin and methods for using such ShK analogs. The ShK analogs generally comprise ShK toxin attached to a chemical entity (e.g. an atom, molecule, group, residue, compound, moiety, etc.) that has an anionic charge. In some embodiments the chemical entity attached to the ShK toxin may comprise an amino acid residue. The ShK analogs may be administered to human or non-human animal subjects to cause inhibition of potassium channels or to otherwise treat diseases or disorders. In some embodiments, the chemical entity to which the ShK toxin is attached may be chosen to provide selective inhibition of certain potassium channels (e.g., Kv1.3 channels) over other potassium channels (e.g., Kv1.1 channels). In come embodiments, the chemical entity to which the ShK toxin is attached may include a fluorophore, thereby providing a fluorophore tagged ShK analog. Such fluorophore tagged ShK analogs may be used in flow cytometry alone, or in conjunction with class II tetramers that can detect autoreactive cells.
US09616097B2

The invention provides low-dose formulations of guanylate cyclase-C (“GCC”) agonist peptides and methods for their use. The formulations of the invention can be administered either alone or in combination with one or more additional therapeutic agents, preferably an inhibitor of cGMP-dependent phosphodiesterase or a laxative.
US09616091B2

The present invention provides methods for reducing, attenuating, diminishing, preventing or inhibiting pulmonary inflammation in an animal by orally administering a plasma fraction comprising at least 30% by weight IgG and 10% or less by weight IgA to said animal prior to or following exposure or challenge of the animal to an endotoxin.
US09616089B2

A polymer of formula (I) where X1 and X2 respectively represent the alpha and omega end groups of the polymer; R1 represents a hydrogen atom or a straight or branched chain alkyl group; R2 represents a straight or branched chain alkyl group which is substituted by a group which may have a positive charge at physiological pH; and n represents the number of repetitive units of the polymer, or a copolymer thereof; for use as a medicament and for treatment of a heparin overdose wherein the polymer of formula (I) has been found to have a selectivity and affinity for heparin.
US09616085B2

The present invention relates to siRNA hydrogel and a method for manufacturing the same, and more particularly, to siRNA hydrogel for targeted gene silencing, which is nano-structured for targeted gene silencing, and a method for manufacturing the same.
US09616083B2

It is described pharmaceutical compositions and methods for the treatment of viral infections, hypercholesterolemia, hypertriglyceridemia, Alzheimer's disease, prion disease and Duchene's muscular dystrophy with oligonucleotide chelate complexes.
US09616077B2

Oral dosage forms of bisphosphonate compounds, such as zoledronic acid, can be used to treat or alleviate pain or related conditions. The oral bioavailability of zoledronic acid can be enhanced by administering the zoledronic acid in the disodium salt form.
US09616069B2

Provided is a technology for suppressing discoloration of a halo-isoquinoline derivative-containing aqueous composition during high-temperature storage. Provided is an aqueous composition containing a compound of formula (1): wherein X is a halogen atom, a salt of the compound, or a solvate of the compound or the salt; and a carbonic anhydrase inhibitor.
US09616068B2

Methods are disclosed to enhance the training potential of a domestic animal during training, thereby shortening the training period and/or increasing the effectiveness of the training. The method involves first administering to the domestic animal a pharmaceutical composition comprising a cognitive enhancing agent in an amount effective to improve cognitive function. The enhanced cognition allows the domestic animal to learn to perform a task and/or to change its existing behavior more effectively and on an accelerated basis. Therefore, while the animal's cognitive function is enhanced, the method then involves conditioning the domestic animal to perform a task or change an existing behavior.
US09616055B2

Controlled release oral dosage forms suitable for administration of methylphenidate are provided. Abuse-resistant controlled release oral dosage forms suitable for administration of methylphenidate are also provided. Methods of treating ADD and ADHD using the oral dosage forms are also provided.
US09616044B2

The present invention relates to a long-acting composition for the treatment of an animal in need thereof wherein the composition includes a therapeutically effective amount of a bioactive agent, characterized in that the composition includes a non-aqueous carrier and a solvent system comprising castor oil and at least one cyclic amide.
US09616042B2

A nutrient composition comprises an essential nutrient in which at least one exchangeable H atom is 2H and/or at least one C atom is 13C. The nutrient is thus protected from, inter alia, active oxygen species.
US09616041B2

The present invention is directed to methods and compositions for the treatment of diverticulosis. It is more specifically directed to compositions including L-glutamine, its salts, or its derivatives, and uses of such compositions in the treatment of diverticulosis. In a method aspect, the present invention provides a method of treating diverticulosis. The method includes ingestion of 0.05 g/kg body weight to 10.0 g/kg body weight of L-glutamine, an L-glutamine salt or an L-glutamine derivative per day by a person who has diverticulosis.
US09616038B2

A composition for administration to a subject, such as oral administration to a subject, for example, has been provided. Such a composition may comprise at least one magnesium-counter ion compound. A magnesium-counter ion composition described herein may be useful for any of a variety of applications provided herein, such as maintaining, enhancing, and/or improving health, nutrition, and/or another condition of a subject, and/or cognitive, learning, and/or memory function. A magnesium-counter ion composition provided herein may be useful for administration to a subject presenting magnesium deficiency, mild cognitive impairment, Alzheimer's disease, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, ALS, Parkinson's disease, diabetes, migraine, anxiety disorder, mood disorder, and/or hypertension. A kit, method, and other associated technology are also provided.
US09616035B2

Disclosed herein are new oral pharmaceutical compositions of MGBG and related polyamine analogs, polyamine biosynthesis inhibitors, polyamine inhibitors of AMD-I and regulators of osteopontin, and their application for the treatment of disease.
US09616025B2

The present invention relates to compressed tablets for peroral delivery of the cannabinoid Δ9-tetrahydrocannabinol(THC). More particularly, the invention provides a compressed tablet having a tablet weight of 25-1000 mg, said tablet being composed of: compressed tablet containing delta 9-tetrahydrocannabinol, method for its manufacture and use of such tablet in oral treatment •30-90 wt % of a granulate; •10-70 wt % of lactose; and •0-30 wt % of other tablet excipients; wherein the granulate contains: a.2-5 wt % of Δ9-tetrahydrocannabinol; b.2-20 wt % of sucrose fatty acid mono-ester; c.50-96 wt % of lactose; d.0.05-0.6 wt % of antioxidant; and e.0-25 wt % of other granulate excipients. The compressed tablets according to the invention can conveniently be used in the treatment of spasticity and pain caused by multiple sclerosis, neurophatic pain, chronic pain, behavioral disturbance by Alzheimer's disease, stroke, spinal cord injury, peripheral neuropathy, neurogenic pain, nociceptive pain and nausea. The invention further provides a method for the manufacture of the compressed tablets.
US09616024B2

The present invention provides a process for preparing a particulate medicament that has greater homogeneity and a lower adhesion between the particles of the active ingredient and the carrier. The process comprises the steps of: (a) combining a pharmaceutically active ingredient in the form of an agglomerate of primary particles having an agglomerate particle size such that the agglomerate is capable of passing through a sieve having a mesh of 50-3000 .mu.m with a pharmaceutically acceptable particulate carrier, and (b) mixing the resultant material in a mixer to break up the agglomerate into primary particles dispersed in the pharmaceutically acceptable particulate carrier such that 90% or more of the pharmaceutically active ingredient exists as primary particles having a particle size of 50 .mu.m or less.
US09616007B2

The present invention is directed to compositions comprising a mixture comprising at least one isostearamide, at least one glycerol ester and water, and also to the use of these compositions as thickeners or shampoos, conditioners, shower gels, body cleaning compositions or skin cleaning compositions or for producing shampoos, conditioners, shower gels, body cleaning compositions or skin cleaning compositions.
US09615995B2

The present invention comprises a cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) feedback device and a method for performing CPR. A chest compression detector device is provided that measures chest compression during the administration of CPR. The chest compression detector device comprises a signal transmitter operably positioned on the chest of the patient and adapted to broadcast a signal, and a signal receiver adapted to receive the signal. The chest compression detector device also comprises a processor, operably connected to the signal transmitter and the signal receiver. The processor repeatedly analyzes the signal received to determine from the signal a series of measurements of compression of the chest, and feedback is provided to the rescuer based on the series of measurements.
US09615993B2

The present invention is a massage chair, having a main frame with specific curve, a chair back located by a chair seat with a rotation angle; wherein the main frame including back section, buttock section and leg section, the buttock section has an upward curve and the leg section has a downward curve, thus, massage provider can provide massage service to human thigh when the rotation angle is more than 110 degree; a seat supporter is restricted by a restriction supporter, then the rotation angle is smaller as a first rotation supporter rotates counter-clockwise and the main frame rotates clockwise, wherein the seat supporter is disposed within the chair seat, and the first rotation terminal is disposed under the main frame.
US09615992B2

A system including a compressible element configured to compress a muscle in a limb of a user, a controller configured to control a sequence, rate or amount of compression of the compressible element, and a generator configured to move a working fluid to compress the compressible element as controlled by the controller. The sequence, rate or amount of compression of the compressible element is established to reduce an amount of effort expended by a heart of a user to move a volume of blood. Another system and a method are also disclosed.
US09615983B2

A patient support includes a patient support surface, a barrier adjacent the patient support surface, with a portion of the barrier or patient support surface including at least one material suspended therein, applied thereto, or embedded therein having an antimicrobial property, and an energy generation system directing energy to the portion or another portion of the barrier or patient support surface, the energy comprising a current, a field, heat, sound waves, or light to provide antimicrobial treatment to the portion or the other portion.
US09615981B2

A patient handling device in combination with a screen for shielding a patient's face. The screen comprises a movable frame which is movable from a retracted position to a shielded position. The screen further includes means for attaching the movable frame to the patient handling device, and a semi-transparent, or translucent, material secured to the movable frame. The patient is not impeded by the screen in the retracted position when the patient is being placed upon or removed from the patient handling device, and the patient's face is shielded by the screen while in the shielded position.
US09615980B2

An absorbent article can include a fastening system configured to attach the rear waist region to the front waist region to define a wear configuration of the absorbent article. The fastening system can include a primary fastening system and a secondary fastening system. The primary fastening system can include at least one primary first fastening component and a primary second fastening component. The secondary fastening system can include at least one secondary first fastening component and at least one secondary second fastening component. The absorbent article can further include a strip coupled to the outer cover. The strip can include the primary secondary fastening component. The at least one secondary first fastening component can be coupled to a first carrier.
US09615976B2

A method for closing a puncture wound on skin. The method including: adhering a first surface of a first member having an unrestrained shape to the skin and over the puncture; and subsequent to the adhering, removing a second member for restraining the first member in a restrained shape from the first member. Where at least a normal force is applied to the puncture wound due to the removal of the second member from the first member which causes the first member to change towards the unrestrained shape. The removing can further cause a force substantially perpendicular to the normal force which tends to close the puncture wound.
US09615967B2

A therapy wrap for treatment of at least a portion of an animate body having improved kink resistance. The therapy wrap may be selectively reinforced for improved kink resistance in only a portion of the wrap. The reinforcement may decrease the kink radius. The wrap may include a kink reducer in all or only a selected kink-prone region. The kink reducer may be selectively configured attachment points or spot welds. The therapy wrap may include a reinforcement layer of one or more discrete reinforcement members. The wrap may be formed by pre-tensioning the material layers while forming the fluid bladder and/or gas pressure bladder. The therapy wrap may be adapted to compensate for conditions that normally cause kinking of the wrap or buckling of the fluidic channels. Also disclosed are methods of manufacturing the wrap and methods of administering a temperature-controlled treatment to an anatomical body part.
US09615961B2

A percutaneous ostomy implant for implantation into the abdominal wall of a patient is provided, which includes a connecting member for mounting an external detachable device thereto; a first tubular ingrowth member depending from the connecting member; and a second tubular ingrowth member depending from the connecting member and being radially outwardly spaced from the first tubular ingrowth member. The first tubular ingrowth member is configured and dimensioned to receive a bowel segment within it to allow the stoma and serosal tissue of that bowel segment to infiltrate the first tubular ingrowth member. The second tubular member is configured and dimensioned to abut dermal tissue to allow the dermal tissue to infiltrate the second tubular ingrowth member, thereby securing and sealing the ostomy implant to the dermis.
US09615945B2

A device for connecting a pump, having a through-hold provided in a prosthesis shaft, wherein the device comprises at least one channel having a first outlet for connecting to the through-hole in the prosthesis shaft and a second outlet which can be connected to the pump and at least one valve, wherein the valve can be switched to a first mode and to a second mode, and the valve is a one-way valve in the first mode and a two-way valve in the second mode.
US09615943B2

Disclosed is a modular trial system to select a neck length. The system may be in a hexagonal or click embodiments. A neck member may having at least a locating step with a locating step face. A head member may have at least a first groove and a second groove in an internal bore. The head member may be rotated relative to the neck member to select various trial lengths of the neck.
US09615942B2

A modular femoral hip implant trialing system. The system generally includes a proximal body, a fastener, and a fastener retention member. The proximal body includes a proximal bore, a tapered distal bore, and a passageway connecting the proximal bore to the distal bore. The proximal bore, the distal bore, and the passageway are aligned along a first axis. The fastener includes a head in the proximal bore and a stem in the distal bore, the fastener is aligned along the first axis. The fastener retention member is positioned in the proximal bore and is operable to retain at least a portion of the fastener within the proximal bore.
US09615939B2

A spinal fusion surgery instrument for implanting and an intervertebral cage thereof are provided. The spinal fusion surgery instrument includes a body, a gripper subassembly, a first control subassembly, and a second control subassembly. The first control subassembly is provided to generate a displacement between a first connecting member and a second connecting member of the gripper subassembly to change the angle of gripper of the intervertebral cage. The second control subassembly is provided to enable a first gripper member and a second gripper member of the gripper subassembly separating smoothly from the dowel pins of the intervertebral cage. By means of the operation model, the spinal fusion surgery instrument may be controlled easily, and the orientation of the intervertebral cage may be promoted in the process of the surgery.
US09615932B2

Prosthetic replacement for a posterior element of a vertebra comprising portions that replace the natural lamina and the four natural facets. The prosthetic replacement may also include portions that replace one or more of the natural spinous process and the two natural transverse processes. If desired, the prosthesis replacement may also replace the natural pedicles. A method for replacing a posterior element of a vertebra is also provided.
US09615929B2

In an orthopaedic knee joint prosthesis, an intercondylar fossa of a femoral component cooperates with a spine formed in a tibial component to reproduce the screw home mechanism of a natural knee. When the femoral component and tibial component are positioned to correspond with slight flexion of the knee, the components are mutually rotationally locked against internal or external rotation. At higher degrees of flexion, such as greater than about 10-20 degrees of flexion, internal/external rotation of the tibia is permitted. The tibia is in an externally rotated position when locked, thereby reproducing the screw home mechanism and providing high stability.
US09615924B2

A delivery device for a collapsible heart valve includes an operating handle and a catheter assembly. The operating handle includes a frame defining a movement space therein, a carriage assembly moveable in a longitudinal direction within the movement space, and a coupler having locked and unlocked conditions, the coupler being operatively connected to the carriage assembly for movement therewith. The catheter assembly includes a shaft around which a valve-receiving compartment is defined, the shaft being operatively connected to one of the frame or the carriage assembly, and a distal sheath operatively connected to the carriage assembly for movement therewith between a closed condition adapted to maintain the valve in the compartment and an open condition adapted to fully deploy the valve.
US09615922B2

An assembly and methods for providing a contoured biological tissue are described. The assembly comprises a first plate and a second plate. The first plate is configured to receive a biological tissue. The second plate is configured to apply a compressive force on the biological tissue that is disposed on the first plate. One or both of the first and second plates comprise a defined shape and a contoured area within the defined shape. The contoured area comprises at least first and second elevations and a continuous transition between the first and second transitions. One or more energy sources is associated with one or both of the first and second plates. The one or more energy sources delivers energy while the second plate applies the compressive force on the biological tissue disposed on the first plate.
US09615921B2

A prosthetic heart valve includes an annular frame that is adapted for (1) delivery into a patient's native heart valve annulus in a circumferentially collapsed condition, and (2) circumferential re-expansion when in the annulus, the frame, in an expanded condition. The frame having a longitudinal axis, an inflow end and an outflow end, a first portion of the frame adjacent the inflow end inclining radially outwardly in a direction toward the inflow end, and a second portion of the frame between the first portion and the outflow end bulging radially outwardly, the second portion of the frame being positioned between a first axial distance from the inflow end and a second axial distance from the inflow end. The frame also includes a plurality of commissure members. The heart valve further includes a flexible leaflet structure disposed in the frame.
US09615913B2

Disclosed herein is an improved Bone Tendon Bone graft for use in orthopedic surgical procedures. Specifically exemplified herein is a Bone Tendon Bone graft comprising one or more bone blocks having a groove cut into the surface thereof, wherein said groove is sufficient to accommodate a fixation screw. Also disclosed is a method of harvesting grafts that has improved efficiency and increases the quantity of extracted tissue and minimizes time required by surgeon for implantation.
US09615912B2

An intravascular implant and methods of using the implant within the vasculature of the body, for example near a vascular aneurysm, are disclosed. The method of attaching a second implant, such as a vascular graft, to the intravascular implant is also disclosed. The implant can be made from an anchor, a connector and a seal.
US09615909B2

A blood filter includes a hub, a plurality of legs, and a plurality of arms. Each of the legs includes a hook at a distal end thereof, a first linear segment extending substantially parallel to a hub longitudinal axis, a second linear segment extending obliquely with respect to the longitudinal axis at a first angle, and an intermediate linear segment coupled to the first and second segments, the intermediate segment extending obliquely with respect to the longitudinal axis at a second angle less than the first angle. Each of the arms has a free end closer to the longitudinal axis than the hook of each of the legs. The free ends of the arms are spaced radially transverse to the longitudinal axis at substantially the same radial distance.
US09615903B2

A device having a catheter and a hub which facilitates the transfer of an embryo containing solution into the uterus of a mammal, for example, a small mammal such as a rat or mouse. The catheter's shape and tip is designed to simplify insertion and minimize injury to the mammal. The hub is designed to further control the insertion of the catheter and to interface with a pipette, for example, that provides the force required for the transfer of an embryo containing solution. As a result, the transfer can occur without requiring surgery.
US09615900B2

A male piece for reversible and detachable connection of a dental prosthetic construction to a jawbone, said male piece being designed with a fastening structure, by means of which the male piece can be fastened onto the jawbone, onto an implant that has been implanted in the jawbone, onto a tooth stump or onto a neighboring tooth, comprising a body section having an exterior surface corresponding to a lateral surface of a cylinder, such that the central axis of the cylinder defines a longitudinal axis of the male piece; a snap-on section, which is offset axially with respect to the longitudinal axis of the male piece relative to the body section, said snap-on section, comprising an exterior surface with a convex curvature along the longitudinal axis, which protrudes outward from the longitudinal axis of the male piece beyond the exterior surface of the body section; and a head end, which terminates the male piece axially with respect to its longitudinal axis, wherein the snap-on section is arranged closer to the head end than is the body section, and a concave intermediate section is arranged between and the head end and the convexly curved exterior surface of the snap-on section.
US09615894B2

A combination of a guide sleeve for a surgical template, a drill, and a thread forming tool is disclosed. The guide sleeve has a guide surface for guiding the thread forming tool. The drill has at least one cutting edge for cutting a recess in bone. The thread forming tool has a thread forming section for forming at least one thread in bone, and a guide section for guidance by the guide surface of the guide sleeve, the thread forming section comprising an apical portion, and a coronal portion. A maximum diameter of the apical portion of the thread forming section is smaller than or equal to a maximum diameter of the cutting edge of the drill.
US09615883B2

A patient side cart for a teleoperated surgical system comprises a base, a manipulator portion extending from the base and configured to hold one or more surgical instruments, four wheels mounted to the base to permit movement of the cart, and a suspension system. The suspension system may be configured to transition the cart between a first state in which the cart behaves as a three-wheeled cart and a second state in which the cart behaves as a four-wheeled cart.
US09615882B2

Devices and methods for treating tissue with microwave energy used in applications such as destroying a soft tissue by microwave ablation and/or creating point, line, area or volumetric lesions. Various embodiments of flexible, low-profile devices are also disclosed where such device can be inserted non-invasively or minimally invasively near or into the target tissue such as cardiac tissue. The devices disclosed herein comprise antennas wherein the field profile generated by an antenna is tailored and optimized for a particular clinical application. The antennas use unique properties of microwaves such as interaction of a microwave field with one or more conductive or non-conductive shaping elements to shape or redistribute the microwave field.
US09615863B2

A method of using a multichannel cannula to perform kyphoplasty includes inserting a stabilizing wire into a vertebra damaged by a compression fracture and inserting, over the stabilizing wire, a cannula. The cannula includes a first channel having open proximal and distal ends, and is configured to receive the stabilizing wire, and a second channel having an inlet portal and an exit portal that are in fluid communication. The cannula further includes an expandable portion configured to expand away from the cannula from an outer wall of the second channel. The method also includes inflating the expandable portion to create a void in the bone and to restore the height of the vertebra, and then deflating the expandable portion. When the void has been created, bone cement is delivered through the second channel into the void via the exit portal to at least partially fill the void.
US09615852B2

A laparoscopic port is disclosed which includes a tubular member comprising a proximal end and a distal end and a lumen extending there between. At least one seal member provided in the lumen adapted to prevent pressurized gas flow from the distal end to the proximal end of the tubular member. The laparoscopic port further includes a shielding trigger positioned distal to the seal member in the lumen, the shielding trigger is shaped so as at least a proximal portion of the shielding trigger has a narrowing cross-section that extends towards the seal member, the proximal portion is adapted to actuate a reversibly opening and protection of the seal member upon a proximally projected pressure from a distal end of an artifact.
US09615850B2

An atherectomy catheter is provided for excising and imaging material in a body lumen. In one embodiment, the catheter comprises a catheter body, a cutting blade, and an imaging device. The cutting blade is mounted on the catheter body and configured to move between a first position and a second position relative to an aperture or cutting window. When the cutting blade is in the second position, the blade substantially closes the aperture on the catheter body. The imaging device which is mounted on or otherwise coupled to the cutting blade is configured to be in an imaging position when the cutting blade substantially closes the aperture or cutter window. This allows the imaging device to survey material within the cutting zone of the atherectomy catheter. By allowing the imaging device to view materials within this cutting zone, material may be imaged and then removed from the body lumen without having to reposition the catheter between each step.
US09615845B2

A device for retrieving calculus in a lumen of a living body includes an elongated member positionable in the living body lumen and including an inlet, an outlet and a retrieval space between the inlet and the outlet, and a sealing member movably positioned in the lumen of the elongated member to axially move in distal and proximal directions, wherein the sealing member is in sealing contact with the inner surface of the lumen in the elongated member. A plunger is connected to the sealing member and includes two parts separated from one another to form a divided sealing member when the plunger is moved in the distal direction and that directly contact one another to form an integrated sealing member when the plunger is moved in the proximal direction to draw fluid and the calculus into the retrieval space.
US09615822B2

A soft anchor insertion kit includes a flexible anchor member. A flexible strand extends from the flexible member. A cannulated tool is configured to form a bone tunnel through a first cortex in a bone. A guide tool is configured to guide the cannulated tool. A delivery tool is configured to deploy the flexible member beyond a second cortex of the bone. The cannulated tool guides the delivery tool.
US09615810B2

When a retake button is selected, a CPU causes a dialog screen for inputting a reason for a photographic error to be displayed. On the dialog screen, the name of a radiographer who is logging onto an X-ray photographing apparatus and select buttons indicating possible reasons for photographic errors are indicated. The CPU transmits an unsatisfactorily photographed image to a different server.
US09615807B2

The present invention focuses on an analytical model for fast and accurate scatter estimation. The present invention uses the Klein-Nishina (KN) formula as a starting point, which gives the Compton scattering differential cross-section for an interaction point. For a direct integration of the point scatter kernel over the irradiated volume, the large number of KN formulae (e.g., amount of solid angle subtended) and rays traced required for calculating attenuation makes the computation very expensive. The present invention reduces the 3D formulation into an efficient 2D approach by integrating the KN formula along an interaction line of tissue-equivalent medium. An average attenuation length was assumed for each interaction point on the beam to reduce the number of rays traced. In the case of kilovoltage (kV) x rays as the imaging source and a small imaging field, with in-field scatter, the line integral derived, can be approximated by a compact analytical form.
US09615806B2

A method and apparatus for creation and display of artifact-corrected three dimensional (3D) volumetric data from biplane fluoroscopic image acquisition is disclosed. Orthogonal images of a patient are obtained during an interventional medical procedure, the orthogonal images including an anterior-posterior (AP) image and a lateral image. A common coordinate system is established. The orthogonal images and the patient are plotted onto the common coordinate system. An intersection volume of the images is calculated. The data at each frame of the images are analyzed and a determination made regarding which x,z point of an AP image matches with which y,z point from a lateral image. An artifact correction process is performed and a resulting volumetric data set is plotted and displayed.
US09615805B2

A method of aligning at least two breast images includes aligning a relevant image part in each of the images, the relevant image parts being obtained on the basis of the result of a shape analysis procedure performed on the breast images.
US09615798B2

In a biological information processing apparatus, a body motion detection unit detects a body motion of a subject. A measurement method selection unit selects one measurement method on the basis of a detection result from the body motion detection unit, from among a plurality of measurement methods of measuring a blood glucose level by applying irradiation waves toward a living body of the subject. A measurement result display control unit performs control for displaying a measurement result which is obtained by performing a measurement according to the one measurement method.
US09615789B2

Disclosed herein are systems and methods involving the use of magnetic resonance imaging and optogenetic neural stimulation. Aspects of the disclosure include modifying a target neural cell population in a first region of a brain to express light-responsive molecules. Using a light pulse, the light-responsive molecules in the target neural cell population are stimulated. Multiple regions of the brain are scanned via magnetic resonance imaging. The scans allow for observation of a neural reaction in response to the stimulation in at least one of the multiple regions of the brain.
US09615780B2

Methods and apparatus for providing data processing and control for use in a medical communication system are provided.
US09615777B2

A system for monitoring activity of at least one subject in an environment, comprising at least one sensing assembly, detecting parameters in the environment; and a server communicating with at least one of: i) the subject and ii) the sensing assembly; the at least one sensing assembly comprising at least a first sensor connected to the region of the back of the neck of the subject, the first sensor unit comprising at least one accelerometer.
US09615772B2

A graphical model provides a dynamic representation of the endoscopic view and viewing direction relative to a virtual world. The model can be oriented and adjusted to approximate a real world situation. Angular image navigation coordinates are also provided.
US09615770B2

A patient support assembly for use in a magnetic resonance image (MRI) scanner includes a first and a second patient support structure and a first and a second imaging coil. The patient support assembly provides support for multiple anatomical regions being imaged, improving patient comfort during the procedure. Access to the patient is improved by: providing a flexible coil that wraps around at least one of the anatomical regions being imaged, providing a support structure open to the anterior region of the anatomical region being imaged, and providing a support structure that may be opened and closed about the anatomical region being imaged. The patient support assembly also aligns the two imaging coils to minimize interference between coils during imaging.
US09615768B2

A high-quality image is obtained using a two-dimensional selective excitation method even if the static magnetic field is not uniform. Therefore, non-uniformity of a static magnetic field of a region to be focused in particular in a selective excitation region excited by 2DRF is measured, and a result of the measurement is reflected in an imaging sequence using the 2DRF. For example, a resonance frequency of magnetization obtained from the measurement result is set as an irradiation frequency of the 2DRF. In addition, a shim gradient magnetic field is applied so as to correct the non-uniformity of the magnetization obtained from the measurement result. These are applied only in the imaging sequence using the 2DRF, and an irradiation frequency and a shim gradient magnetic field set in a conventional method are used in other imaging sequences.
US09615765B2

A heterogeneous antenna array containing antenna elements of different antenna element sizes interleaved among one another is disclosed. Heterogeneous antenna arrays as disclosed herein can efficiently cover a broad range of frequencies without loss of optimality at higher frequencies. Also disclosed are methods of frequency-domain oriented image reconstruction which are suitable for use with heterogeneous antenna arrays.
US09615756B2

A device and method for use in monitoring blood pressure. The device comprises a controller configured to monitor a first blood pressure measurement based on a first blood pressure signal. The controller is configured to initiate acquiring a second blood pressure measurement based on a second blood pressure signal if the first blood pressure measurement exceeds a predetermined threshold. The decision to initiate acquiring the second blood pressure measurement is based on only one blood pressure measurement.
US09615755B2

A method of determining fractional flow reserve (FFR) in a blood vessel having stenosis includes injecting fluid into the blood vessel upstream of the stenosis using a power fluid injector, measuring pressure drop across the stenosis, and calculating FFR from measured pressure drop. The injected fluid may comprise a contrast medium. Further action may include placing a pressure sensor proximal of the stenosis, injecting fluid into the blood vessel upstream of the stenosis using the power fluid injector, and measuring pressure in the blood vessel proximal of the stenosis. The pressure sensor may then be repositioned to a position distal of the stenosis, fluid may be reinjected into the blood vessel upstream of the stenosis using the power fluid injector, and pressure may be measured in the blood vessel distal of the stenosis.
US09615736B2

In order to acquire a tomographic image of the eye to be inspected with high precision even in case where an optical path length and intensity vary depending on a scanned position in an OCT apparatus acquiring the tomographic image of a predetermined part of an object to be inspected, based on the intensity of interference light obtained by combining return light from the object that has been irradiated with the measuring light, with reference light corresponding to the measuring light, includes: a scanning optical system which scans the object with the measuring light in an optical path of the measuring light; an image forming unit which generates the tomographic image based on the intensity of the interference light; and an image correcting unit which subjects the tomographic image to a correction process appropriate to the scanned position with the measuring light on the object.
US09615730B2

The invention provides a device for in-vivo imaging, for example, using an in-vivo imaging device including an imager a lens and an illumination source, all positioned behind a single viewing window. The in-vivo imaging device may include an element to block light from reaching a point of reflection on the inner surface of the viewing window, thereby preventing the light from being received by the imager.
US09615729B2

An endoscope system includes an illumination unit which includes a modulation section configured to control a visible light source so that visible light from the visible light source is subjected to intensity modulation in a predetermined pattern, and emits modulated visible light as illumination light, a detection section configured to detect the modulated visible light, and a determination section configured to determine whether an insertion portion of an endoscope is present in an object based on a detection result of the detection section. The illumination unit is arranged outside the object, and the detection section is arranged at the insertion portion.
US09615726B2

Provided is a medical instrument which has improved operability of an insertion portion and can guide a distal end of the insertion portion to an intended position. The medical instrument includes: an insertion portion (10) which is inserted into a body cavity; a rotor (11) which is provided in an outer circumferential surface of the insertion portion (10) and has its rotational axis arranged in a direction along an axis of the insertion portion (10); and a rotary drive unit which rotates the rotor (11) around the rotational axis.
US09615723B2

An insertion apparatus includes a first drive control section controlling a drive state of a drive member in such a manner that a rotary unit rotates toward a first periaxial direction with a first rotation amount during a reference time. The insertion apparatus includes a second drive control section controlling the drive state of the drive member in such a manner that the rotary unit rotates toward a second periaxial direction with a second rotation amount smaller than the first rotation amount during the reference time.
US09615720B2

A dishwasher having a tub defining a wash chamber, a dish rack located within the wash chamber, and pump assembly for recirculating wash liquid is further provided with a spray assembly and a spray manifold with multiple nozzles each having at least one aperture emitting wash liquid into the wash chamber.
US09615718B2

A steam frame for a steam appliance has a body, a passageway in the body for passage of a fluid medium, and a member such as an unbalanced rotatable turbine in fluid communication with the passageway, where the member is capable of being engaged by the fluid medium to produce vibrations in the body for enhanced cleaning performance. A steam attachment includes a body, a pad covering at least a portion of the body, and a heating element coupled to the body. The heating element is configured to increase the temperature of the pad for enhanced cleaning performance. The heating element and vibration-producing member may be used separately or together.
US09615706B1

A floor aspirator is provided. This aspirator features a suction head, having a perimeter, a top surface, a bottom surface, at least one drain between the top surface and the bottom surface, where the at least one drain spans the top surface and the bottom surface, a suction port, which is made up of a suction hole, and a fluid conduit, and a filter, disposed on the suction hole. There exist embodiments where multiple suction ports are featured, as well as embodiments where the top surface is graded towards the at least one drain.
US09615702B2

There is provided in a preferred embodiment a bathtub or shower stall enclosure partition assembly. The partition assembly has an enclosure panel which includes interior and exterior facing major surfaces. The partition assembly also includes a dryer manifold assembly having a manifold array with at least one air exhaust conduit provided with an air receiving end and an air dispensing outlet. The partition assembly further includes an air drive assembly comprising an air transfer duct extending from an air inlet to an air supply interface, and a heating element assembly selectively operable to provide a heated air flow. The supply interface is for fluid communication with the air receiving end whereby actuation of the heating element assembly provides the heated air flow through the air exhaust conduit and outwardly therefrom via the air dispensing outlet as the drying air flow.
US09615700B2

The urinal incorporates hand washing functionality. Clean water is supplied from an array of holes or nozzles located in an overhang so that a user can wash their hands, and then the waste water is used to flush a urinal located below. The combination of these two functions in a single unit provides an inexpensive means for conserving water and efficiently using bathroom facilities while requiring less physical space than that needed for a separate urinal and hand washing station. The overhang can be retrofitted onto existing urinals.
US09615693B1

An adjustable vented chimney cap system has a cylindrical base member with vent openings and a cap member that has a cover member and a cylindrical body with vent openings. The base member may be mounted onto the chimney of a grill. The cap member may be mounted onto the base member whereby the cap member can be rotated relative to the base member such that the vent openings can be adjusted to control the amount of hot gases escaping from the grill. In some embodiments, the vent openings in the cap member and the vent openings in the base member may have the same geometry. In some embodiments, the vent openings in the cap member and vent openings in the base member may have different geometries.
US09615691B2

The present invention relates to manufacturing of kitchen appliances, and particularly to air fryer, comprising fryer body, liner, frying basket provided within the liner, electrical heating tube arranged above the frying basket and fan located above the heating tube. Side wall of the frying basket is thin plate and bottom of the frying basket is grid. Air channel is provided between the liner and the frying basket. Swirl guide cylinder is provided externally at the bottom of the frying basket and is connected with the side wall of the frying basket. Air inlets for forming rotary air flow are opened on the bottom of the swirl guide cylinder. The air inlets divert the air flow in a same direction and form a swirl. With such configuration, the frying basket is simple in structure, the liner is easy to manufacture and clean, and the frying basket is better supported.
US09615687B2

A curtain assembly comprises a rotatable drive element wherein at least one helical guide structure is formed on, or into, the outer surface of the drive element. A drive attachment element having a structure that communicates with the helical guide structure to move the drive attachment element axially along the drive element when the drive element is rotated. Specific embodiments incorporate either a manual or motor-driven rotation assembly for rotating the drive element. Further specific embodiments involve a helical guide structure that comprises a helical groove and a structure that comprises a tooth that engages with the helical groove.
US09615667B2

A printable interchangeable vertically retractable front cover system for a Murphy bed may provide a cover assembly, a cover framing assembly, a cover drive assembly, and a Murphy bed assembly. The cover assembly may vertically deploy to conceal a Murphy bed in the upright position and may vertically retract for the bed frame and mattress to be lowered to the floor. The cover assembly may include a positionable cover having a continuous seamless printable surface that may accept high resolution printed imagery such as photographs and artwork. The cover may vertically retract and deploy with the aid of its own drive assembly. The positionable cover may either roll up or fold up into a compact cover assembly which may be uniquely removably mounted to the cover framing assembly to allow for quick and easy transition from one cover assembly to another, thus making it uniquely interchangeable. For the first time, a Murphy bed owner may have the ability to quickly update the appearance of his or her stowed Murphy bed, such as with changing seasons, styles or interests.
US09615660B2

A wine rack carousel for storing a plurality of wine bottles comprising one or more inner annular frames and outer annular frames where a plurality of support member pairs, extend between each pair of inner and outer annular frames to support wine bottles. Each pair of support members are parallel.
US09615652B2

In respect of the problem of specifying a broom head which can readily sweep up differently sized particles and mixtures of the same, a broom head comprising a basic body (100), from which clusters (1, 3, 5, 7, 8, 9, 10, 13) of bristles project, characterized in that the clusters (1, 3, 5, 7, 8, 9, 10, 13) have a cross section which is neither round nor circular.
US09615644B2

This invention relates to a hair styling device. According to the invention the hair styling device comprises a body adapted to accommodate a length of hair, the body having a primary opening through which the length of hair may pass; a rotatable element adapted to engage the length of hair adjacent to the primary opening; an elongate member around which, in use, the length of hair is wound by the rotatable element; a movable panel having an open position in which the primary opening is open to receive the length of hair, and a closed position in which the primary opening is covered, the movable panel having a heating element.
US09615639B2

The present disclosure provides a contact lens package containing a contact lens in a compressed state. In one exemplary embodiment, the overall internal depth of the package is less than the natural sagittal depth of the contact lens. Different single-use contact lens package shapes and configurations may be used. In some embodiments, a spring disc is included in the packages to help present the contact lens to the user when the package is opened. The contact lens packages may be adhered or clipped to a card or other carrier sheet, and may be housed in a number of different secondary packages.
US09615637B1

An umbrella includes a fixing tube and a coupling member mounted on an end of the fixing tube. A positioning ring is mounted around and not rotatable relative to the coupling member. A rotational sleeve is rotatably mounted to the coupling member and is spaced from the positioning ring. A driving jacket is mounted around the connecting ring and the positioning ring. The driving jacket is fixed to the positioning ring and is movable between an engagement position in which the positioning ring engages with the connecting ring and a disengagement position in which the positioning ring disengages from the connecting ring. The rotational sleeve is rotatable relative to the coupling member when the driving jacket is in the disengagement position, permitting a change in an orientation of a tilted canopy of the umbrella to face the sun for obtaining a better shielding effect.
US09615630B2

A method for modifying a high heel shoe to reduce the angulation of the wearer's foot includes obtaining an external pad defining an outer contour and having a top surface, the external pad being at least as large as the area of the toe region outsole that contacts the ground when a wearer walks and having a thickness within the range of one half inch to two inches. The toe region of the shoe outsole is cleaned and the external pad is affixed to the toe region of the shoe outsole. The outer contour of the external pad is trimmed to conform to the outer contour of the outsole.
US09615626B2

A sole structure for an article of footwear includes an upper layer comprised of a plate member and a lower layer comprised of a plurality of segmented portions separated by flexing regions. The flexing regions may comprise portions of a compressible material. The sole structure accommodates vertical bending and torsion, while limiting lateral bending.
US09615621B2

A sole structure with an integrated cleat member includes a plate member with a protruding portion that forms a first portion of the cleat member. A second portion of the cleat member is attached to the first portion and may be made of a less rigid material than the first portion. A supporting structure can be disposed inside the protruding portion. A method of forming the sole structure can include reshaping a portion of a plate member to form a protruding portion, molding a cleat tip portion onto the protruding portion and molding a supporting structure into a concave inner portion of the protruding portion.
US09615617B2

A baseball cap with an interchangeable bill is disclosed whereby the user can change the bill of the cap with ease. The design of this product creates a separable bill and crown that integrates into one piece, the adjustment means and brim reinforcement means of the cap and maintains the ease at which one can switch out one bill and replace it with another. An embodiment is also disclosed whereby the replaceable bill is secured in place to prevent accidental dislodgement of the bill when one grabs at the hat to put it on. Another embodiment allows the user to replace the entire crown of the cap without even removing it from the user head.
US09615614B2

A pouch having a flap and a closure system featuring a face fastener attached to the front wall of the pouch body, and a mating flap fastener as part of the flap. One fastener of the closure system is a loop fastener component carrying a field of hook-engageable fibers. The other fastener of the closure system is a hook fastener component with an array of hooks. A significant majority of the hooks are oriented such that their heads point in a common lateral direction. The flap is elastically stretchable by pulling on its free edge, such that the flap maintains the loop fastener component securely engaged to the hook fastener component when under tension, and such that stretching the flap reduces engagement between the loop fastener component and the hook fastener component.
US09615598B2

This invention provides a novel method for producing maize flour including at least one treatment step in which a product comprising maize is treated under alkaline conditions, wherein an alkaline solution is sprayed onto the product. Furthermore, a facility for producing maize flour is disclosed, in particular in said method. Moreover, maize flour obtained by this method and foodstuffs containing this flour are disclosed.
US09615596B2

According to one embodiment, a protein product may include a mixture of water and particulate matter comprising protein. The mixture may include medium chain aldehydes and pyrazines. The ratio of a total concentration of medium chain aldehydes in the mixture to a total concentration of pyrazines in the mixture, as determined by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry, may be greater than or equal to 0.5 and less than or equal to 45. The mixture may also include from about 0.5 wt. % to about 8.0 wt. % total protein by weight of the mixture. In addition, the mixture may include from about 40 wt. % to about 98 wt. % water by weight of the mixture and less than or equal to about 4.0 wt. % oil and fat by weight of the mixture. The particulate matter may have an average particle size less than or equal to about 50 μm.
US09615593B2

Methods and apparatuses for thermally treating flowable materials using electromagnetic radiation, and foods and materials obtained thereby. Also provided are methods of continuous flow thermal treatment of biomaterials, apparatuses for performing the same, and products prepared using the methods and/or apparatuses.
US09615586B2

A food cutter has a cutting portion and a movable portion that is movable between a first position in which the movable portion is raised relative to the cutting portion and a second position in which the movable position is lowered relative to the cutting portion. The cutting portion comprises an upstanding wall with a blade formed on a distal end of the upstanding wall. The movable portion is arranged generally traverse to the upstanding wall. A biasing member extends continuously from the upstanding wall to the movable portion. The biasing member urges the movable portion to the first position when the movable portion is moved to the second position.
US09615583B2

Disclosed are inoculants that include Bacillus bacteria and induce production of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) by a plant that has been treated with the inoculant.
US09615579B2

The present invention relates to compositions and methods for controlling apple powdery mildew comprising treating an apple tree with a silicone containing surfactant and 3-(difluoromethyl)-1-methyl-N-[(3R)-1,1,3-trimethyl-2,3-dihydroinden-4-yl]pyrazole-4-carboxamide.
US09615576B2

This document discloses molecules having the following formula (“Formula One”): and processes associated therewith.
US09615573B1

A product and method for delivering antibacterial protections to a person's body to prevent the transmission of germs from contact surfaces wherein the contact surface is sanitized intermittently, on an as-needed-basis when touch is applied on the biodegradable organic hydrogel solid of said product.
US09615572B1

An article of manufacture includes a liquid tight container that holds a disinfecting solution. The disinfecting solution is dispensed from the container via an atomizing sprayer. The solution is usable to apply a film of the solution on surfaces. The film applied by the atomizing sprayer is operative to destroy bacterial and fungal organisms on the surfaces at the time of initial application and organisms that later come in contact with the film on the surface.
US09615571B2

A basin system is provided comprising a basin, a tissue supporting plate, a platform ring and a suspension rod, the basin system configured to permit a single clinician to effectively and accurately perform the dissection with minimal movement of the resected tissue within the basin system, wherein the platform ring and the suspension rod each comprise a plurality of grooves, permitting a clinician to secure resected tissue within the basin system and tie it down in three dimensions.
US09615569B2

This application belongs to the field of methods of forming animal decoys for outdoor usage. The decoys include a main body, which is made of ethylene vinyl acetate material and is collapsible. The main body is made from two sheets of ethylene vinyl acetate material with edges which are attached to each other. At the bottom of the main body, there is a hole to allow air flow.
US09615559B2

A reel equipped with a line guide. The reel includes: a reel body having a spool; a level winder including a double threaded-shaft mounted ahead of the spool on the reel body; and a line guide having a body having a corresponding fastening portion coupled to the double threaded-shaft of the level winder and having a guide portion that is formed at an upper portion of the body and through which a fishing line passes, in which a line contact-reinforcing member made of a wear resistance material is disposed in the line guide.
US09615557B2

Provided is a reel having a snap button for locking a spool that includes: a frame including a palm-facing first panel, a gear-facing second panel, a spool space between the first and second panel, and a connecting unit maintaining the space and including a first rib connecting the first and second panel to each other and combined with a fishing rod mount; a spool disposed in the space and having a shaft mounted on the first and second panels; a handle connected to the shaft; and a locking unit including a locking gear coupled to the shaft of the spool, a snap button in the first or second panel, a spring pressing the snap button upward; and a locking protrusion connected to the snap button and fitted in a locking groove between teeth of the locking gear when the snap button is pressed.
US09615554B2

A spinning reel includes a reel body. The real body includes a lid portion having a fitting recess and a groove. An axle bearing member fits into the fitting recess. The fitting recess includes an inner surface that contacts the axle bearing member and a bottom surface that contacts the axle bearing member. The groove is formed on the inner surface.
US09615546B2

A multifunction animal collar. The collar including a plurality of electronic components for collecting and transmitting audio and visual information to and from a remote user in real time. The plurality of electronic components including a satellite communication chip, a GPS chip, a camera, a thermographic camera, infrared camera, a microphone, a speaker, and a light. The satellite communication chip capable of transmitting and receiving viewed images and sounds to a remote user for viewing on an external electronic device and back to the animal in real time.
US09615539B2

A pet bed assembly for supporting a pet above a user's bed thereby preventing the pet from disturbing the user when sleeping includes a clamp that may releasably engage a footboard and extend above the footboard. A platform is coupled to the clamp. The platform extends over the bed when the clamp is coupled to the footboard. The platform may support the pet.
US09615538B2

An animal litter-box including granular-material-housing, having a window opening formed in the front side of the granular-material-housing, allowing an animal to walk in and out of the granular-material-housing. The window opening includes an upper edge, a lower edge and two side edges. The animal litter-box further includes a granular-sifting-apparatus, having a container body, and a litter-scooper disposed inside the upper portion of the container body. The litter-scooper includes a scooper container body, wherein sifting-openings are formed at the bottom and optionally, at the lower sides of the scooper body. The granular-sifting-apparatus further includes a paws-sifter, disposed on top of the litter-scooper, for the animal to step on when going in and out of the granular-material-housing.
US09615533B2

The invention provides seed and plants of spinach hybrid SV1846VC and the parent lines thereof. The invention thus relates to the plants, seeds and tissue cultures of spinach hybrid SV1846VC and the parent lines thereof, and to methods for producing a spinach plant produced by crossing such plants with themselves or with another spinach plant, such as a plant of another genotype. The invention further relates to seeds and plants produced by such crossing. The invention further relates to parts of such plants, including the leaf and gametes of such plants.
US09615529B1

The present invention provides an inbred corn line designated MFX7747, methods for producing a corn plant by crossing plants of the inbred line MFX7747 with plants of another corn plant. The invention further encompasses all parts of inbred corn line MFX7747, including culturable cells. Additionally provided herein are methods for introducing transgenes into inbred corn line MFX7747, and plants produced according to these methods.
US09615523B2

The cotton variety FM 1830GLT is disclosed. The invention relates to seeds, plants, plant cells, plant tissue, harvested products and cotton lint as well as to hybrid cotton plants and seeds obtained by repeatedly crossing plants of variety FM 1830GLT with other plants. The invention also relates to plants and varieties produced by the method of essential derivation from plants of FM 1830GLT and to plants of FM 1830GLT reproduced by vegetative methods, including but not limited to tissue culture of regenerable cells or tissue from FM 1830GLT.
US09615522B2

The present invention provides an inbred corn line designated GNA0098ZL, methods for producing a corn plant by crossing plants of the inbred line GNA0098ZL with plants of another corn plant. The invention further encompasses all parts of inbred corn line GNA0098ZL, including culturable cells. Additionally provided herein are methods for introducing transgenes into inbred corn line GNA0098ZL, and plants produced according to these methods.
US09615521B1

An inbred corn line, designated MBB56, the plants and seeds of the inbred corn line MBB56, methods for producing a corn plant, either inbred or hybrid, produced by crossing the inbred corn line MBB56 with itself or with another corn plant, and hybrid corn seeds and plants produced by crossing the inbred line MBB56 with another corn line or plant and to methods for producing a corn plant containing in its genetic material one or more transgenes and to the transgenic corn plants produced by that method. This invention also relates to inbred corn lines derived from inbred corn line MBB56, to methods for producing other inbred corn lines derived from inbred corn line MBB56 and to the inbred corn lines derived by the use of those methods.
US09615509B2

A grain tank includes a generally flat bottom that is oriented at a position that is less than the angle of repose of the grain. A conveyor mechanism conveys grain along the bottom to a cross auger for unloading. One or more sensors may be placed in the grain tank to determine a state of the grain to further determine if the conveyor mechanism should be operated to unload grain from the grain tank.
US09615507B2

A lawn care device (10) may include a mobility assembly (42,44) configured to facilitate movement of the lawn care device over ground, a cutting deck (40) housing at least one blade, an engine (50) operably coupled to the at least one blade via a rotatable shaft to enable the at least one blade to cut vegetation responsive to rotation of the at least one blade, a control unit (110) configured to be in communication with at least one functional unit of the lawn care device, at least one sensor (142) disposed to monitor the at least one functional unit, a transmitter (144) operably coupled to the sensor to wirelessly transmit a signal from the sensor to the control unit based on operation of the at least one functional unit, and an energy harvester (146) configured to convert energy from a source of origin into electrical energy, the electrical energy being employed for powering the at least one sensor and the transmitter.
US09615506B2

The present disclosure describes an agricultural system having a flow path configured to distribute agricultural product from a product storage tank to a row unit across a field via an air flow. The flow path includes an inlet configured to receive the agricultural product, an outlet configured to output the agricultural product, a body extending between the inlet and the outlet, and a first pressure tap and a second pressure tap each extending into the body. The agricultural system also includes a first pressure sensor fluidly coupled to the first pressure tap and configured to output a first signal indicative of a first static pressure of the air flow proximate to the first pressure tap, and a second pressure sensor fluidly coupled to the second pressure tap and configured to output a second signal indicative of a second static pressure of the air flow proximate to the second pressure tap. Further, the agricultural system includes a controller communicatively coupled to the first pressure sensor and the second pressure sensor and configured to receive the first signal and the second signal, and a supplemental air supply fluidly coupled to the flow path proximate to the inlet and configured to selectively provide a supplemental air flow to the flow path. The controller is configured to instruct the supplemental air supply to selectively provide the supplemental air flow to the flow path based on the first signal, the second signal, or a combination thereof.
US09615505B2

A run selection mechanism is provided for selectively directing the flow of particulate material from an air cart. The mechanism includes a chute for receiving metered particulate material. The chute has an output. A first primary conduit has an output communicating with a first pneumatic primary run and a second primary conduit has an output communicating with a second pneumatic primary run. A selector selectively directs the metered particulate material to one of the output of the chute, the first pneumatic primary run and the second pneumatic primary run.
US09615504B2

Systems, methods and apparatus for applying varying agricultural inputs in accordance with a prescription map. The system includes a plurality of input sources each containing different agricultural inputs. A variety selector selectively places the different inputs from the plurality of input sources in communication with a meter for dispensing the inputs in accordance with the prescription map to minimize prescription errors.
US09615499B2

An agricultural implement has a depth control system in which a position sensor directly measures linear translation of a hydraulic cylinder that lifts and lowers a work unit on an implement frame to set and adjust the depth of the work unit without the use of a rockshaft. The position sensor may be positioned adjacent to or integrally formed with the hydraulic cylinder, and provides a voltage to a controller remote from the implement. The controller automatically adjusts the flow of hydraulic fluid to and from the hydraulic cylinder to maintain the depth of each work unit at an operator-selected level and can be used to calibrate the actual position of multiple work units relative to the frame and to one another.
US09622395B2

A guide vane has a devised guide configuration for changing a flow direction of molten solder. The guide vane comprises a half-cylindrical plate 11 having a prescribed inner surface shape and a prescribed height, being stood on a prescribed board and changing a flow direction of fluid; and a half-cylindrical plate 12 having a prescribed inner surface shape and a prescribed height, being stood on the board 13 on which the first member 11 is stood and changing the flow direction of the fluid as shown in FIG. 1. The half-cylindrical plate 11 and the half-cylindrical plate 12 are faced so that an inner surface of the half-cylindrical plate 11 is faced to an edge of the half-cylindrical plate 12 and an inner surface of the half-cylindrical plate 12 is faced to an edge of the half-cylindrical plate 11. This structure allows to jet the molten solder to a target place and uniformize a widthwise distribution of the jetting height of the molten solder.
US09622390B2

An apparatus for cooling inverter is disclosed, whereby an optimum heat radiation effect can be accomplished, because a flow part is divided in response to heat generation amount of an electric element arranged inside a housing to adjust an air flow.
US09622388B1

Systems and methods for providing airflow in an electronic chassis supporting operation in an extended temperature range for components therein include providing airflow in a first configuration in high-temperature operation; and providing airflow in a second configuration, different from the first configuration, in low-temperature operation, wherein the airflow in the second configuration is directed to provide preheated air to one or more components in the electronic chassis which support operation in a limited temperature range, to enable operation of the one or more components in the extended temperature range.
US09622386B2

A bracket for cooling a peripheral component interconnect card is disclosed. The bracket includes a plurality of heat transfer surfaces, mounting systems for a blower fan, fan shroud and liquid cooling system for cooling the peripheral component interconnect card.
US09622381B2

An adsorption heat pump includes: an evaporator configured to generate coolant vapor; a first adsorber and a second adsorber each containing an adsorbent to adsorb the coolant vapor generated in the evaporator; a condenser configured to condense the coolant vapor generated in any of the first adsorber and the second adsorber; and a control unit. The control unit feeds the condenser with cooling water for condensation of the coolant vapor and feeds the condenser with warm water for evaporation of the coolant at predetermined timing.
US09622379B1

Cooling apparatuses and methods of fabrication are provided which facilitate immersion-cooling of an electronic component(s). The cooling apparatus includes a drawer-level enclosure sized to reside within an electronics rack. The drawer-level enclosure includes a compartment which accommodates one or more electronic components to be cooled. A dielectric fluid is disposed within the compartment. The dielectric fluid includes a liquid dielectric which at least partially immerses the electronic component(s) within the compartment(s). A hinged, liquid-cooled heat sink is also disposed within the compartment of the enclosure. The heat sink operatively facilitates cooling the one or more electronic components via the dielectric fluid within the compartment, and is rotatable between an operational position overlying the electronic component(s), and a service position which allows access to the electronic component(s).
US09622362B2

Mount for an access point and an antenna includes a base for attachment to a mounting structure, the base for attaching thereto an access point; and a tray pivotably attached to the base, the tray for attaching thereto an antenna. The tray is disposed above the base and the tray is positionable at an angle relative to a reference plane.
US09622361B2

Enables coupling or retrofitting a golf club with active motion capture electronics that are battery powered, passive or active shot count components, for example a passive RFID, and/or a visual marker on the cap for use with visual motion capture cameras. Does not require modifying the golf club. Electronics package and battery can be easily removed and replaced, for example without any tools. May utilize a weight that is removed when inserting the electronic package in the mount, wherein the weight element may have the same weight as an electronics package, for no net change or minimal change in club weight. May be implemented with a shaft enclosure and expander that may be coupled with a screw aligned along an axis parallel to the axis of the shaft. May utilize non-permanently and/or friction coupling between the mount and shaft. Cap may include a visual marker and/or logo.
US09622357B2

Systems and methods for positioning a component on a surface or substrate including the steps of applying a coating to a selected deposit area of the surface, each deposit area defining at least a portion of a perimeter of an alignment area, depositing an fluid on the coating, and depositing, dropping, or otherwise positioning the component above the alignment area are disclosed.
US09622343B2

The present invention provides a flexible display and a method for preparing the same. The method comprises the steps of: providing a first substrate; forming a bonding agent layer on a first surface of the first substrate; providing a second substrate; attaching the surface of the first substrate, on which the bonding agent layer is formed, to the second substrate, wherein the adhesive force between the bonding agent layer and the second substrate is lower than 5 N/20 mm-wide bonding agent layer; forming a display device body on a second surface of the first substrate; and peeling off the first substrate, on which the display device body is formed, from the second substrate, and obtaining the flexible display.
US09622335B2

An example particle accelerator includes the following: a voltage source to provide a radio frequency (RF) voltage to a cavity to accelerate particles from a plasma column, where the cavity has a magnetic field causing particles accelerated from the plasma column to move orbitally within the cavity; an extraction channel to receive the particles accelerated from the plasma column and to output the received particles from the cavity; and a regenerator to provide a magnetic field bump within the cavity to thereby change successive orbits of the particles accelerated from the plasma column so that, eventually, particles output to the extraction channel. The magnetic field is at least 6 Tesla and the magnetic field bump is at most 2 Tesla.
US09622334B2

A cyclotron includes a pole; a superconductive coil wound so as to cover an outer periphery of the pole; a coil support that supports the superconductive coil; a cooling part that cools the superconductive coil; a first support that is connected to the coil support and is capable of adjusting a position of the coil support in a direction of a winding central axis of the superconductive coil; and a second support that is connected to the coil support and is capable of adjusting the position of the coil support in an orthogonal direction orthogonal to the direction of the winding central axis of the superconductive coil. The second support has a link mechanism that is displaceable in each of the direction of the winding central axis and the orthogonal direction.
US09622333B2

A linac-based X-ray system for cargo scanning and imaging applications uses linac design, RF power control, beam current control, and beam current pulse duration control to provide stable sequences of interleaved pulses having different energy levels, for example alternating 4 MeV and 6 MeV pulses or other energies where the difference in levels is at least approximately 1 MeV and less than approximately 5 MeV. The pulse repetition rate can be 100-400 pulses per second or more. In an embodiment, a cool down calculation is combined with automatic frequency control to provide stable energy and dose per pulse even upon restarting of pulsing after an “off” period of indeterminate duration.
US09622325B2

A two-level LED security light with a motion sensor. At night, the LED is turned on for a low level illumination. When the motion sensor detects any intrusion, the LED is switched from the low level illumination to a high level illumination for a short duration time. After the short duration time, the LED security light returns to the low level illumination for saving energy. The LED security light includes a power supply unit, a light sensing control unit, a motion sensing unit, a loading and power control unit, and a lighting-emitting unit. The lighting-emitting unit includes one or a plurality of LEDs which may be turned-on or turned-off according to the sensing results from the light sensing control unit. When the motion sensing unit detects an intrusion, the illumination of the LED security light can be immediately turned on to the high level to scare away the intruder.
US09622323B2

A street lighting fixture and street lamp used in street lighting containing an accelerometer that is used to detect and characterize acceleration events on a street lighting fixture. The accelerometer readings may be combined with GPS technology to determine a relocation of the street lighting fixture.
US09622316B2

Thermal management and control techniques for light emitting diode and other incandescent replacement light technologies using a current controller are disclosed.
US09622306B2

An LED lighting circuit includes a first node and a second node adapted to couple with an AC input power source; and an LED circuit loop having a plurality of LED light strings each having one or more LED light elements, the LED circuit loop defines a closed loop arranged between the first node and the second node and is connected to the first node and the second node respectively through a capacitive arrangement such that the LED light strings in the LED circuit loop is arranged to be driven with DC power while AC power provided by the AC input power source is transmitted between the first and second nodes.
US09622298B2

A microwave heating system configured to heat a plurality of articles is provided. The microwave heating system can include one or more microwave launchers that define at least one launch opening having a depth of not more than about 0.625λ, wherein λ is the predominant wavelength of the microwave energy passing through the launcher. Additionally, in some embodiments, the launch opening may have a width or depth that is less than the corresponding inlet dimension, such that the microwave launcher has a generally tapered profile. When the microwave launcher includes a single inlet and two or more launch openings, the center points of adjacent outlets may be laterally spaced from one another relative to the direction in which the articles are passed through the heating chamber.
US09622295B1

Apparatus and method are provided for preventing deformation along the longitudinal axis of a workpiece passing through a scan inductor when the workpiece has at least one section with a cross section larger than the cross section of the remainder of the workpiece. An upper and lower pair of opposing jaws transition between opened and closed positions as the workpiece passes through the scan inductor so that deformation is minimized as the workpiece passes through the scan induction apparatus.
US09622294B1

The present invention, as frequently practiced, represents a methodology for carrying out thermal management testing. Inventive practice provides desired temperature characteristics without incurring the safety risks associated with Lithium-ion batteries. An exemplary inventive device includes a spiral-wound electrical resistance heater, and simulates the heat generation profile within a Lithium-ion cell through the use of the resistance heater. The construction of the resistance heater is tailored not only to mimic the localized heating profile of the Lithium-ion cell of interest, but also to match thermal properties of the Lithium-ion cell (such as radial thermal conductivity, axial thermal conductivity, and heat capacity). An exemplary inventive device is constructed out of inert materials and hence is inherently safe to carry out thermal management testing, thereby obviating the need for expensive and time-consuming safety qualifications.
US09622291B2

A wireless communication method and an electronic device are provided. The electronic device includes a transmission module for transmitting a signal to a Circuit Switching (CS) network or a signal to a Packet Switching (PS) network; a first reception module and a second reception module for receiving a signal from the CS network or the PS network; and a communication control module for controlling the transmission module, the first reception module, and the second reception module, wherein, when a signal of the PS network is received through at least one of the first reception module and the second reception module, the communication control module at least temporarily receives a signal received from the CS network in preference to the signal received from the PS network through at least one of the first reception module and the second reception module.
US09622289B2

End-to-end delay adaptation in conjunction with connected discontinuous reception (C-DRX) mode communication during cellular voice calls. A Voice over LTE (VoLTE) call may be established between a first wireless user equipment (UE) device and a second UE. End-to-end delay between real-time transport protocol (RTP) layers of the first UE and the second UE for the VoLTE call may be estimated. The end-to-end delay may be compared with one or more thresholds A C-DRX cycle length for the VoLTE call may be modified based on comparing the end-to-end delay with the one or more thresholds.
US09622280B2

It is provided a method for pairing two devices, one of which is a first device the other is a second device, wherein the method is implemented at the first device, including: generating a pattern to be displayed on either of or both of the first and second devices; sending whole or a part of the tracing pattern to the second device for displaying the tracing pattern on the second device if any; displaying the corresponding pattern on the first device; receiving information indicating the result of tracing the pattern on the second device; and accepting pairing the two devices.
US09622274B2

Automated control of simulcast ratios based on network traffic data provides efficient network capacity management. In one aspect, a remote switching matrix can be utilized at a venue to couple remote transceiver units (RTUs) with different antenna ports, for example, of one or more multi-beam antennas deployed at the venue. A simulcast ratio that can be utilized to support traffic demand at the venue can be determined and implemented by creating dynamic connections between the RTUs and the antenna ports. In one aspect, the simulcast ratio can be modified based on changes in network traffic at the venue that are monitored via self-organizing network devices. In addition, one or more antenna beams of the multi-beam antennas are remotely steered or rotated based on a location of the traffic.
US09622260B2

A radio station (1) includes a first part (1A) and a second part (1B). The second part (1B) can be arranged so as to be physically separated from the first part (1A) and is connected to the first part (1A) via a transmission line (40) so as to be able to communicate with the first part. Each of the first part (1A) and the second part (1B) includes a digital signal processing unit (11A, 11B) and is capable of alternatively performing digital signal processing for user data. An analog signal processing unit (13) arranged in the second part performs analog signal processing including at least one of frequency conversion and power amplification to provide an air interface to a mobile station.
US09622259B2

Methods, systems, and devices are described for providing network access services to mobile users via multi-user network access terminals over a multi-beam satellite system. Quality-of-service (QoS) is controlled for the mobile devices at a per-user level according to user-specific traffic policies Mobile users may be provisioned on the satellite system according to a set of traffic policies based on their service level agreement (SLA). System resources of the satellite may be allocated to mobile users based on the demand of each mobile user and the set of traffic polices associated with each mobile user, regardless of which multi-user network access terminal is used to access the system. Dynamic multiplexing of traffic from fixed terminals and mobile users on the same satellite beam can take advantage of statistical multiplexing of large numbers of users and on different usage patterns between fixed terminals and mobile users.
US09622258B2

A method for generating a time table determines the data exchange times between a control unit and wireless sensors in a vehicle, which includes said control unit. The wireless sensors detect properties of components of the vehicle and/or surrounding parameters, and carrying out data exchange with the control unit by establishing a wireless connection with at least one wireless port provided in the control unit. The method can include calculating the data exchange periods and/or the data exchange durations between each sensor and the control unit; generating a time table having an adjustable table length according to the data exchange periods and/or data exchange durations; splitting the time table into subunits according to the data exchange periods and/or data exchange durations; and entering the times at which each sensor performs data exchange with the control unit into the table according to a predefined priority order.
US09622257B2

The transmission and retransmission of radio link control (RLC) data protocol data units (PDUs) is managed by user equipment (UE). An indication is received, by the UE, that an RLC data PDU was not received by a receiving device. The RLC data PDU, that was not received, is retransmitted and prioritized over other RLC data PDUs. A number of times that the RLC data PDU was retransmitted is tracked by the UE.
US09622254B2

A system that incorporates the subject disclosure may include, for example, facilitating establishing a first interface between a processor and the system where the system performs a policy and charging rules function in a mobile communications network and where the first interface bypasses a packet data network gateway and a serving gateway, facilitating establishing a second interface between the processor and the system where the second interface utilizes the packet data network gateway and the serving gateway, providing a first message from the processor to the system via the first interface where the first message is associated with a quality of service authorization, and receiving a second message from the system via the first interface where the second message is associated with the quality of service authorization. Other embodiments are disclosed.
US09622233B1

Disclosed is a method and system for use of orthogonal coding to manage control channel load. Based on evaluation of downlink air interface load, a base station dynamically toggles use of orthogonal coding of downlink control information (DCI) messages for transmission on a downlink control channel. When downlink load is high, the base station may responsively operate in a state in which the base station orthogonally codes DCI messages to facilitate transmitting multiple DCI messages per set of resource elements on the downlink control channel, possibly boosting transmission power in those resource elements to help facilitate successful transmission. Whereas, when downlink load is not high, the base station may responsively operate in a state in which the base station does not orthogonally code DCI messages and thus sends just one DCI message per set of resource elements.
US09622229B2

In a method of providing downlink retransmissions to a mobile station in a wireless communication network, the wireless communication network comprising a base station communicatively linked to a transparent relay station, the base station receives a request for a retransmission from the mobile station; schedules resources for the retransmission; signals scheduling information for the retransmission to the transparent relay station via a control link; and the transparent relay station receives the scheduling information for the retransmission on the control link; and sends the retransmission to the mobile station in a retransmit subframe on a retransmit frequency band.
US09622225B2

The present application discloses a method of transmitting and receiving a signal by a terminal over a network in a wireless communication system. In particular, the method includes: receiving a downlink signal from the network through a downlink cell and transmitting an uplink signal to the network through a first uplink cell; receiving a specific message for changing an uplink cell from the network; and changing an uplink cell to a second uplink cell according to the specific message and transmitting the uplink signal to the network through the second uplink cell, wherein when changing the uplink cell, the downlink cell is maintained.
US09622223B2

A network device to send to a user equipment (UE) configuration information to configure a power controlled uplink control channel particular to the UE is disclosed. The UE may send a request to utilize a physical uplink shared channel capable of being shared by a plurality of UEs. The request may be received at a first power and other information is received at a second power.
US09622222B2

In a mobile communication system that employs a FDD scheme, a HeNB (100-1) and a UE (200-1) use a pair of a UL CC and a DL CC for radio communication. The HeNB (100-1) and the UE (200-1) change the UL CC of the pair of the UL CC and the DL CC to another CC while maintaining the DL CC during execution of the radio communication.
US09622213B2

A message notification method and an electronic device are provided. The message notification method includes: receiving a message by an electronic device; detecting whether a screen of the electronic device is in an unobservable state when the message is received, the unobservable state indicating that the screen of the electronic device is downward or covered; and controlling a message notification assembly configured at a non-screen side of the electronic device to generate a visual prompt if the screen of the electronic device is in the unobservable state. Thus, the user can be notified to read or answer the received messages even if the electronic device is in the silent mode and the screen is in the unobservable state.
US09622212B2

A paging method includes, when needing to page a user equipment (UE) according to service requirements, a mobile switching center (MSC) analyzing a user identification if finding that subscriber data are lost at present, judging whether the UE has a possibility of residing in a long term evolution (LTE) network, if yes, finding out one or more mobility management entities (MMEs) which are overlapped with the coverage area of the MSC itself, and sending a paging message for the UE to the MMEs. An MSC includes a first module, a second module, a third module and a fourth module. With the paging method and apparatus provided, the UE in the LTE can be successfully paged under the condition that a visitor location register (VLR) loses the subscriber data and a home location register (HLR) fails to return an MME identification.
US09622206B1

A method and apparatus in which (i) a user equipment device registers with a first radio access network (RAN) that provides connectivity with a transport network, (ii) once registered with the first RAN, the device then registers via the first RAN and transport network with a call server, and (iii) in response to the device registering with the call server, but before the device then engages in a call served by the call server, the device registers via the first RAN with a second RAN. The method may thereby help to expedite later handover of a call served by the call server from being via the first RAN to being via the second RAN. Further, by the second RAN registration being conducted in response to registration of the device with the call server, the method may help to ensure usefulness of the registration of the device with the second RAN.
US09622193B2

The present invention concerns a method and system for reducing co-channel interference due to the deployment of N femtocells in a macrocellular network. Said method comprises a step (1) of taking power measurements on signals sent over this network, a step (3) of optimizing the transmission powers of the femtocells according to these measurements, and a step (4) of allocating to each femtocell its transmission power. Said method is characterized in that: during step (1) of taking measurements, the power measurements are only made by the N femtocells and these measurements are ordered temporally by a central facility UC in the system, during the optimization step (3), the transmission powers of the femtocells are maximized under the constraint of maintaining a minimum quality of service of terminals that would be attached to the base stations in the macrocellular network.
US09622189B2

A transmitting wireless device provides channel access information to a receiving wireless device for the receiving wireless device to make a determination of when to transmit and what transmissions parameters to use for the transmission. The channel access information may be used differently by wireless devices operating in a basic service set and an overlapping basic service set. Channel access information may include fields indicative of transmission power used, signal to noise ratio headroom available, and so on. Channel access information may be generated and transmitted at the PHY layer of an implementation, thus providing a fast delivery to the receiving wireless device.
US09622188B2

System(s) and method(s) are provided for inter-cell power control in the presence of fractional frequency reuse in a wireless communication system. Transmission power control of a terminal, and ensuing inter-cell interference mitigation, is accomplished by receiving load indicators from non-serving sectors, decoding those load indicators corresponding to the non-serving sectors that operate in the same frequency bands as the terminal, and adjusting the transmission power according the states of the decoded load indicators in conjunction with the associated non-serving sectors' forward link signal-to-interference-and-noise ratio at the terminal. The states of the load indicators reflect magnitudes of interference metrics with respect to threshold values. Load indicators can also be conveyed by the non-serving sector to a base station serving the terminal through a backhaul communication, and said base station can schedule an adjusted transmission power for the terminal.
US09622187B2

Embodiments disclosed herein provide a method and apparatus for optimizing time-averaged transmitter power of a communications device. A time-averaged SAR is computed over a predefined time window using past transmitter power levels with minimum transmitter power equal to reserve transmitter power for any time interval. Based on the time-averaged SAR a maximum allowable transmitter power for a future fixed time interval is determined. The communication device then transmits at a power equal to or less than the maximum allowable transmitter power. The communication device may back off from high transmitter power to a reserve transmitter power when calculated time-averaged SAR approaches the SAR limit. When old high power transmissions expire, the communication device gains SAR margin and may then transmit at high power. The apparatus comprises: at least one antenna, a transmitter in communication with a power supply, a receiver, a timer in communication with a processor, and a memory.
US09622186B2

Provided is a method for mitigating inter-cell interference generated by the collision of UL transmissions and DL transmissions between adjacent cells in an asymmetric time division duplex (TDD) communication system. The present invention removes or reduces time-frequency resources for UL transmissions which collide with DL transmissions of an adjacent cell, and thus can mitigate inter-cell interference.
US09622178B2

A method and a user equipment (UE) are described for controlling timers in a wireless communication system including a first type network communicating based on a number of orthogonal frequency-division multiplexing (OFDM) symbols and a second type network which is different from the first type network. An update message is received that activates an idle mode signaling reduction (ISR) function of the UE. If the ISR function is activated in the UE, a periodic tracking area updating (P-TAU) timer is started, which is used to periodically notify availability of the UE. If the P-TAU timer expires and a mobility management backoff (MM-BO) timer is running, a deactivate ISR timer corresponding to the first type of network is started. The MM-BO timer is configured to start when a MM-BO time value is received at the UE.
US09622177B2

A context aware system, for use in a mobile device, includes a context change detector (CCD) coupled to a context classifier (CCL). The CCD is configured to receive sensor data and to detect a change in a current context state of the mobile device based on the received sensor data. The CCL is configured to transition from a low power consumption mode to a normal power consumption mode in response to the CCD detecting the change in the current context state. The CCL is further configured to determine a next context state of the mobile device while in the normal power consumption mode.
US09622176B2

The present disclosure presents a method and an apparatus for packet filtering to save power at a user equipment (UE). For example, the disclosure presents a method for receiving a packet filtering configuration message, at a modem processor (MP) of the UE, from an application processor (AP) in communication with the MP, wherein the packet filtering configuration message includes one or more packet filtering rules for filtering packets associated with one or more applications, configuring a packet filter at the MP based at least on the one or more packet filtering rules received in the packet filtering configuration message, and enabling the configured packet filter at the MP in response to receiving an indication from the AP that the AP entered a low power or sleep mode, wherein the enabled packet filter allows or drops a packet based on the packet filtering rules. As such, packet filtering to save power at UE may be achieved.
US09622175B2

The present disclosure relates to the field of mobile communication technology, and provides a method for implementing discontinuous reception and a base station. The method includes the steps of: receiving, by a first base station, a discontinuous reception DRX configuration recommendation reported by UE; and transmitting, by the first base station, the DRX configuration recommendation or DRX configuration parameters configured by the first base station for the UE in accordance with the DRX configuration recommendation to a second base station when the UE is switched from the first base station to the second base station.
US09622169B2

[Technical problem] To provide a power-save operation supporting apparatus, a power-save operation supporting method, a storage medium and a base station which can reduce power consumption of a wireless access network with restraining emergence of an area whose service quality is degraded.[Solution to problem] The power-save operation supporting apparatus includes an estimation means to estimate degree of degradation of the service quality which is caused in the case that power-save control is carried out to any base station, and a selection means to select the base station as a candidate base station, to which the power-save control should be carried out, in the case that the degree of the degradation of the service quality is not higher than a predetermined reference.
US09622159B2

A system may include a wireless transceiver configured to scan for advertised services; and a processor programmed to receive a service identifier of a service from the wireless transceiver, verify a name included in the service identifier indicates that the service identifier is an in-vehicle component, and decode, from the service identifier, a relative location within the vehicle, a zone controlled by the in-vehicle component, and a category of functionality of the in-vehicle component. A method may include enumerating characteristics of a service of an in-vehicle component describing configurable functions of the in-vehicle component; retrieving a control state of the in-vehicle component using a read characteristic of the service; generating a user interface of the in-vehicle component indicating the configurable functions and the control state; and updating the control state of the in-vehicle component using a write characteristic of the service responsive to user input to the user interface.
US09622158B2

Methods and apparatus, including computer program products, are provided for small cell searching. In one aspect there is provided a method. The method may include searching, in a first mode, for a first cell including a first base station based on a first event; changing, based on a second event, to a second mode having a search rate different than the first mode, wherein the second mode searches for the first cell including the first base station; and establishing a connection from a user equipment to the first base station serving the first cell. Related apparatus, systems, methods, and articles are also described.
US09622155B2

A mobile device may retrieve service information about a network prior to associating with the network. Utilizing an advertisement protocol to transmit service query messages, a mobile device may receive service query responses from a network that identify the services available prior to establishing network capability. In other words, the messaging is prior to the exchange of any authentication parameters between the device and the network as well prior to the establishment of a recognized session between the device and the network.
US09622154B2

A mobile ad hoc network including the communication terminals for cognitive radio communication may have a problem that it takes time for the terminal to newly participate in the network. A radio communication terminal already participating in a mobile ad hoc network includes a pulse pilot generating unit which converts a pulse signal having a predetermined pattern into a radio signal and outputs the obtained radio signal at an unused frequency, after participating in the mobile ad hoc network. A radio communication terminal to participate in a mobile ad hoc network includes a pulse pilot checking unit which checks whether any pulse signal having a predetermined pattern exists in a radio signal for each predetermined frequency and performs a participation process for the frequency of each radio signal including the pulse signal, the participation process including inquiring whether the radio communication terminal can participate in the mobile ad hoc network.
US09622140B2

A base station performs communication with a terminal by using a cell defined as a combination of a frequency and an area reachable by a signal transmitted from the base station. The base station specifies, for each of cells, a first area in which disconnection of communication with a terminal occurs more frequently as compared to another area. The base station controls handover that changes a current cell of a first terminal to another cell, based on information on the specified first area and the current cell of the first terminal, and a position, moving speed, and moving direction of the first terminal.
US09622136B2

A memory includes a number of partitions, each assigned to a respective terminal, each including a first number of subpartitions of a first type, each assigned to a respective cell visited by the respective terminal. The memory includes second number of subpartitions of a second type, each assigned to a respective transition of a terminal between respective cells. Upon each transition of a respective terminal between respective cells, data is received pertaining to the respective terminal from a network entity(les) representing a respective cell. Responsive thereto, in each subpartition of the first type, statistical information is stored that pertains to the terminal in relation to that cell. In each subpartition of the second type, information is stored that pertains to the respective transition of the terminal. It Apparatuses as well as respective related methods, and computer program products are disclosed.
US09622135B1

Systems, methods, apparatuses, and software for providing redirection control of communications over a wide area network for user devices over a wireless local area network are provided herein. In one example, a method of operating a wireless network device is provided. The method includes receiving a connection request from a user device over the wireless local area network, and responsive to the connection request, identifying a traffic plan for the user device based at least on one or more policy factors associated with the user device. When the traffic plan indicates redirected access, then the method includes establishing a tunnel to a cellular communication network associated with the user device and routing the communications of the user device over the tunnel. When the traffic plan indicates local access, then the method includes routing the communications of the user device to the wide area network.
US09622124B2

Techniques for improved allocation of network resources using geolocation and handover management are disclosed. In one particular exemplary embodiment, the techniques may be realized as a system for optimizing a mobile communications network. The system may comprise one or more processors communicatively coupled to a mobile communications network. The one or more processors may be configured identify a neighbors table comprising a handover priority list of target base stations prioritized based on relative signal strength or quality of service of the target base stations apparent to mobile devices in a footprint of a source base station. The one or more processors may also be configured to determine a non-obvious handover plan based on at least one of geolocation data of a mobile device, user information associated with the mobile device, and network resources data. The one or more processors may further be configured to update the handover priority list in the neighbors table based on the non-obvious handover plan to provide improved allocation of network resources and improved signal strength or quality of service to a plurality of mobile devices within the mobile communications network over a sustained period of time.
US09622113B2

A base station apparatus that divides a message into a data of a transmittable size to a terminal apparatus, and transmits the divided data to subordinate all the terminal apparatuses by broadcast, the base station apparatus including: a radio utilization rate calculation unit configured to calculate a radio utilization rate indicating a rate of a time for transmission of one of the message with respect to a transmission period of each the message in case of transmitting the message repetitively, based on a number of repetition times of each the divided data and a transmission period of each the divided data; and a transmission decision unit configured to determine a transmission schedule of the data based on the radio utilization rate.
US09622110B2

Provided are a method and device for ranging in a wireless communication system. A machine-to-machine (M2M) device receives an advanced air interface-system configuration descriptor (AAI-SCD) message including information on a dedicated ranging channel for the M2M device and an M2M parameter change count from a base station, and attempts ranging through the dedicated ranging channel to the base station. At this point, the M2M parameter change count orders information on the dedicated ranging channel in the AAI-SCD message to change.
US09622107B2

A method and apparatus for handling data between a radio network and a service network, the data comprising Network Aware data. A gateway node in a mobile core network receives a message from the radio network. It then determines whether the message comprises Network Aware data. If it does, then the message is routed to a Packet Data Network Gateway node configured to handle Network Aware data. If it doesn't, then the message is routed to a Packet Data Network Gateway node for message handling. This ensures that non-Network Aware data is handled using regular message handling, and Network Aware data is handled by nodes configured to handle Network Aware data.
US09622106B2

The present patent application improves DARP by allowing multiple users on one time slot (MUROS). It comprises means and instructions for sharing signals on a single channel, comprising setting up a new connection, allocating a new time slot if there is an unused time slot on a channel frequency, selecting an used time slot for the new connection to share with an existing connection if there is not an unused time slot on the channel frequency, and selecting a different training sequence code for the new connection if the used time slot on the channel frequency has been selected for the new connection to share with an existing connection. Other aspects, embodiments, and features are also claimed and described.
US09622103B2

A communications network control method by a computer includes obtaining measurement area information indicating a measurement area of a sensor included in a communications node, the computer obtaining the measurement area information for each communications node in a communications node group that is included in a communications network and that is among plural communications nodes arranged in an arrangement area; obtaining divided area information indicating plural divided areas obtained by dividing the arrangement area; deriving for each divided area among the plural divided areas, a first value corresponding to a count of communications nodes that are in the communications node group and at least partially include the divided area in the measurement area indicated by the obtained measurement area information; and providing control of changing among the plural communications nodes, communications nodes included in the communications network, according to the first value derived for each divided area.
US09622096B2

Embodiments of the present invention provide a method and device for subscribing to an RLF report. An integration reference point manager configures a subscription condition for an RLF report for an integration reference point agent. The integration reference point manager obtains an RLF report that is sent by the integration reference point agent and satisfies the subscription condition. The embodiments of the present invention can avoid the case in the prior art that a base station sends an RLF report obtained from a UE, to an IRPManager through an IRPAgent in a best-effort mode, thereby decreasing the load of information transferred between the IRPManager and the IRPAgent.
US09622090B2

A method for generating a wireless virtual network and a wireless network control device are provided. In some feasible embodiments of the present invention, a wireless network control device responds to a wireless virtual network establishment/modification request of a wireless virtual network demander, and configures a base station according to the wireless virtual network establishment/modification request. The wireless network control device receives configuration completion response of the base station, confirms the success of wireless virtual network establishment/modification, and sends a parameter of the wireless virtual network to the wireless virtual network demander. Then, the wireless network control device receives a parameter confirmation message of the wireless virtual network demander, and the wireless virtual network takes effect.
US09622079B2

A method of accessing electronic content received by a mobile device includes: determining a current location of the mobile device; comparing the current location with a zone within which an instance of electronic content may be accessed; when the result of the comparison indicates that the mobile device is located within the zone, accessing by the mobile device the instance of electronic content and providing at least part of the instance of electronic content for display on the mobile device; determining a new current location of the mobile device while the instance of electronic content is being accessed; and checking that the new current location of the mobile device is with the zone. If the mobile device is no longer within the zone, the mobile device terminates the access to the instance of electronic content.
US09622078B2

A mobile application gateway for connecting devices on a cellular network with individual networks, such as enterprise voice and data networks and/or residential networks. The effects of the present invention are far reaching in terms of transferring effective call control from the cellular network into the control of the individual network such as the enterprise, and enabling new business models for the purchase of cellular service from a public cellular carrier by an enterprise. The invention may consist of a primarily of core network and services components based on the IMS network architecture, and is backward compatible to support legacy systems in place in current telecom and data networks.
US09622072B2

The present invention provides a communication method, and a method for forwarding a data message during the communication process and a communication node. Wherein, the configuration mode for identity recognition is clarified, and under the architecture based on access identifier and location separation in the network, a specific method for implementing identity recognition is provided, and the processing performed by each network element is regulated; the requirement for the number of the coding spaces is met, meanwhile the present invention realizes the intercommunication and interconnection with the legacy IP network, realizes the compatibility with the upper application programs of IPv4/IPv6, and supports the various application programs of the IPv4/IPv6 network to transplant smoothly to the architecture based on access identifier and location separation in the network.
US09622068B2

Systems, methods and computer program products that enable efficient roaming of virtual mobile devices. In one embodiment, multiple PoP locations having a set of common master images are maintained. A communication from a mobile device received at a central facility identifies a user, a location and a type of the mobile device. The central facility determines performance measures for the PoP locations and identifies a preferred PoP location in response to the communication. If the preferred PoP location has available capacity, the central facility directs the preferred PoP location to provision resources and instantiate a virtual device from a selected master image corresponding to the mobile device. If the preferred PoP location persistently stores a user data volume for the user, the virtual device is attached to the stored user data volume. Otherwise, data is transferred from the user's data volume to a cache attached to the virtual device.
US09622067B1

A method and system for managing connectivity when a signaling controller is going to be taken out of service. The method involves determining that a WCD served by the signaling controller provides wireless backhaul connectivity for a relay base station, and responsively taking action to proactively transition that WCD from being served by the signaling controller to being served by a different signaling controller without the WCD detaching and reattaching. This may enable the WCD to maintain its network connectivity, including its assigned network address, and may thus enable the relay base station to maintain its network connectivity as well, thereby helping to maintain connectivity for WCDs served by the relay base station and continuity of interfaces between the relay base station and other core network entities.
US09622045B2

The present disclosure relates to computer-implemented systems and methods for managing location profiles for personal area maps. The method may include receiving, from a user, instructions to designate the device as a personal area map (PAM) controller. The method may also include determining a PAM profile associated with the user and identifying one or more objects associated with the PAM profile. Additionally, the method may include determining respective location information associated with the one or more objects. The method may also include generating, based at least in part on the respective location information, a PAM associated with the PAM profile.
US09622043B2

For location-based communication with mobile devices, a condition is received, at a device associated with a caller, where the condition has to be satisfied by a callee at a past location, the past location being a place where different callees with different mobile devices are present at different times. At the device associated with the caller, an instruction is received for making a telecommunication call to a mobile device of a potential callee in a set of potential callees, where each mobile device associated with each potential callee in set of potential callees was present at the past location at a past time, and where each potential callee in the set of potential callees satisfies the condition at the past location. Using a processor and a memory in the device associated with the caller, the telecommunication call is initiated to mobile devices associated with a subset of potential callees.
US09622042B2

Methods and apparatuses are provided which may be implemented in various devices to generate positioning assistance data and/or the like by mobile station with regard to at least one of a plurality of different indoor regions.
US09622039B2

There is provided a technology for retrieving tourist information based on a user location which makes it easy for the user to retrieve accurate tourist information which she/she truly requires. A user's location on the map is measured and the plurality of reference areas are retrieved from memory storing a plurality of reference areas RA, RB, RC and RD allocated to a plurality of target objects A, B, C and D on the map which are correlated with a plurality of tourist information items, using the measured current location as a search key. A reference area including the measured current location is extracted from plurality of reference areas and tourist information, from plurality of tourist information items corresponds to the extracted reference area is provided to the user. Each reference area is defined by location, shape and size of area reflecting the attributes of corresponding target objects on the map.
US09622038B2

In one embodiment, a method includes transmitting at a pre-determined polling frequency an activation signal waking from a sleep mode an application on a mobile computing device and causing the application to activate a location service of the mobile computing device for a pre-determined sampling duration. The pre-determined polling frequency and the pre-determined sampling duration are determined at least in part by detecting a movement of the mobile computing device. The method also includes receiving location data from the mobile computing device after the pre-determined sampling duration. The location data is responsive to a transmission signal.
US09622036B1

A computing system includes or has access to data records that associate (i) radio frequency (RF) signatures of device coverage from a base station with (ii) locations of devices corresponding with the RF signatures. When a device whose location is at issue is then within coverage of that base station, the computing system receives an RF signature of the device's coverage from the base station, and the computing system (i) finds multiple data records whose RF signatures of coverage from the base station most closely match the received RF signature, (ii) based on the device locations in the multiple data records, determines a representative bearing from the base station and a representative distance from the base station, and (iii) estimates the device's location to have the determined representative bearing and determined representative distance. The estimated device's location may then be used as a basis to provide a location-based service.
US09622032B2

Method for monitoring the presence of a mobile station in at least one special area, wherein a radio communication defining device transmits one radio distinctive defining signal that define the special area by its coverage, the mobile station processes a signal received in order to determine whether or not it is defining signal and more precisely a distinctive one that defines the special area, the mobile station sends an updating signal to a mobile telephone network, the network routes the updating signal to special operating means that adapt the value of an operating parameter. According to the invention, the special area is associated to the mobile station by transmitting to the mobile station a checking data used by the mobile station for determining whether or not the defining signal received is distinctive defining signal.
US09622029B2

An identifier of a first location server is received together with information regarding which communication devices the first location server stores geographic location information for. A location request is received from an Operator Location Service (OLS) node for requesting the geographic location information of the communication device. The location request originates from an Over The Top (OTT) service providing node and comprises an identifier of the communication device. The first location server is determined by utilising the received identifier of the communication device and the received identifier of a first location server. The geographic location information of the communication device is obtained from the determined first location server by utilising the received identifier of the first location server. The retrieved geographic location information of the communication device is sent to the OLS node, which forwards the received geographic location information to the OTT service providing node.
US09622019B2

Methods and systems for generating a virtual network topology for machine-to-machine communications. A set of input information including network information and configuration information is obtained. One or more virtual serving gateways for the virtual network are located at one or more physical hosts, and each machine is associated with a respective virtual serving gateway, in accordance with the network information and the configuration information. A set of output information defining the virtual network topology is generated.
US09622018B2

Disclosed are a method and device for processing data transmission by a machine-type communication device. The method comprises: determining, by the network side, the mode for the machine-type communication device to transmit a small amount of user data using a control plane; instructing, by the network side, the machine-type communication device to transmit the small amount of user data using the control plane according to the determined mode; and transmitting, by the machine-type communication device, the small amount of user data using the control plane, according to instructions from the network side. In the present application, on the one hand, the mode of transmitting user data by a control plane can be used in transmitting a small amount of data, so as to improve the system efficiency; and on the other hand, the possibility of causing or increasing the congestion in signalling transmission and/or processing can be avoided when making full use of the mode of transmitting user data by the control plane in transmitting the small amount of data, thus improving the performance of a long-term evolution system in supporting the machine-type communication device.
US09622017B2

According to one configuration, a user is able to activate an application on a mobile phone device without the user having to directly pressing an appropriate sequence of keys on the mobile phone device. For example, a user logs onto a web site to provide a phone number of the mobile phone device. Additionally, via input to the web site, the user also requests activation of a particular application on the mobile phone device. An application server receives notification of the request and generates a text-message to the application on the mobile phone device to initiate activation of the application. In response to receiving the text-message, the application on the mobile phone device initiates retrieval of appropriate configuration information associated with the user from the application server.
US09622016B2

An inter-app switching method on a mobile device is provided. The method includes receiving at least one input associated with mobile app usage from a user and determining whether a pre-defined trigger is enabled based on the at least one received input. The method also includes performing routine user operations on the mobile device when the pre-defined trigger is disabled. Further, the method includes discovering a current user intent by utilizing at least one user interaction, recommending at least one mobile app recommendation and access point including at least an entrance to a function and a type of the function (FUNC) to the user, receiving a selection by the user from the at least one recommended FUNC, and directly switching from a current app page to another app page without returning to any home screen on the mobile device when the pre-defined trigger is enabled.
US09622015B2

A device system is configured to determine an access address for acquiring a control unit that controls the device according to property information of a mobile communication terminal, in response to a request from the mobile communication terminal connected to a network.
US09622009B2

Embodiments are described for an adaptive audio system that processes audio data comprising a number of independent monophonic audio streams. One or more of the streams has associated with it metadata that specifies whether the stream is a channel-based or object-based stream. Channel-based streams have rendering information encoded by means of channel name; and the object-based streams have location information encoded through location expressions encoded in the associated metadata. A codec packages the independent audio streams into a single serial bitstream that contains all of the audio data. This configuration allows for the sound to be rendered according to an allocentric frame of reference, in which the rendering location of a sound is based on the characteristics of the playback environment (e.g., room size, shape, etc.) to correspond to the mixer's intent. The object position metadata contains the appropriate allocentric frame of reference information required to play the sound correctly using the available speaker positions in a room that is set up to play the adaptive audio content.
US09622006B2

A method for performing linear mixing on coupled Head-related transfer functions (HRTFs) to determine an interpolated HRTF for any specified arrival direction in a range (e.g., a range spanning at least 60 degrees in a plane, or a full range of 360 degrees in a plane), where the coupled HRTFs have been predetermined to have properties such that linear mixing can be performed thereon (to generate interpolated HRTFs) without introducing significant comb filtering distortion. In some embodiments, the method includes steps of: in response to a signal indicative of a specified arrival direction, performing linear mixing on data indicative of coupled HRTFs of a coupled HRTF set to determine an HRTF for the specified arrival direction; and performing HRTF filtering on an audio input signal using the HRTF for the specified arrival direction.
US09622005B2

A sound transducer is disclosed. The sound transducer includes a plastic frame having a cavity and a wall surrounding the cavity, the wall having an inside surface face toward the cavity and an outside surface opposite to the inside surface, a number of sinks disposed on the inside surface of the plastic frame in a row, a yoke located in the cavity and including a sidewall for contacting with the plastic frame, a gap formed by the sink cooperatively with the sidewall of the yoke, and bonding adhesive located in the gap for fixing the yoke in the frame firmly.
US09622001B2

A method of remote fitting a hearing aid system (102) adapted to avoid mal-functioning of the hearing aid system as a consequence of an interruption or failure of the remote connection during a remote fitting of the hearing aid system. A hearing aid fitting system adapted for such a method and a hearing aid adapted for such a method.
US09621991B2

An apparatus comprising: an input configured to receive at least one audio signal from a further apparatus; an input configured to receive at least one audio signal associated with the apparatus; an orientation/location determiner configured to determine a relative orientation/location difference between the apparatus and the further apparatus; an audio processor configured to process the at least one audio signal from the further apparatus based on the relative orientation/location difference between the apparatus and the further apparatus; and a combiner configured to combine the at least one audio signal from the further apparatus having been processed and the at least one audio signal associated with the apparatus.
US09621987B2

A wireless speaker audio system configured to receive audio information wirelessly transmitted by an audio source including first and second wireless transceivers. The first wireless transceiver establishes a bidirectional secondary wireless link with the audio source for receiving and acknowledging receipt of the audio information. The first and second wireless transceivers communicate with each other via a primary wireless link. A wireless audio system including an audio source and first and second wireless transceivers. The first and second wireless transceivers communicate via a primary wireless link. The audio source communicates audio information to the first wireless transceiver via a secondary wireless link which is configured according to a standard wireless protocol. The first wireless transceiver is configured to acknowledge successful reception of audio information via the secondary wireless link.
US09621984B1

Devices, systems, and methods provide direction finding of an acoustic signal source with respect to a voice-controlled device. The direction can be found without using elevation data, instead determining the horizontal location based on power values of the received signal. A large number of candidate vectors having values for azimuth, elevation, and power may be generated by a steered response power algorithm. The large number of vectors is reduced to a small number of reference azimuths spanning an azimuth range by associating the vectors with the closest reference azimuth and then calculating an average and/or maximum power of the associated vectors at each reference azimuth. The reference azimuth with the highest average (or maximum) power may be set as the direction of the signal source. Alternatively, each reference azimuth having an average (or maximum) power exceeding a threshold may be considered a direction of one of multiple sources.
US09621979B2

An apparatus include an earpiece including a chamber. The chamber has a passageway. The apparatus includes a valve configured to relieve acoustic pressure in the chamber. The valve control assembly is configured to control the valve based on acoustic pressure in the chamber.
US09621975B2

A micro electro-mechanical system (MEMS) device is provided. The MEMS device includes: a first substrate having a first surface and a second surface, and a port disposed through the first substrate, wherein the port is configured to receive acoustic waves and wherein the first surface is exposed to an environment outside the MEMS device; and a diaphragm coupled to and facing the second surface and configured to deflect in response to pressure differential at the diaphragm in response to the received acoustic waves. The MEMS device also includes a second substrate coupled to and facing the diaphragm, and including circuitry, wherein the second substrate includes a recess region forming an integrated back cavity in the MEMS device. The MEMS device also includes an electrical connection electrically coupling the first substrate and the second substrate and configured to transmit an electrical signal indicative of the deflection of the diaphragm.
US09621974B2

An audio signal analysis method is provided for detecting the opening and closing of a medicine bottle cap in a robust manner using a micro speaker and a microphone along with associated mixed signal electronics. It is also used for robust tamper detection and for monitoring liquid medication consumption accurately. In a preferred embodiment an un-modulated OFDM signal is used that covers the entire operating audio spectrum. In another embodiment, Complimentary code based phase encoding of the subcarrier phases is used to reduce the peak to average power of the OFDM signal, thereby enabling higher transmit power of the audio signal to mitigate against interference. A suitable wireless device can be co-located with the mixed signal electronics for sending the bottle usage, medication reminder alarm, and tamper status to the medication compliance monitoring system or to the user's cell phone. In some embodiments of the patent, electrical capacitance sensing is used to determine if the bottle is opened or closed.
US09621971B2

A system for routing signals in a Distributed Antenna System includes a plurality of local Digital Access Units (DAUs) located at a Local location. Each of the plurality of local DAUs is coupled to each other and operable to route signals between the plurality of local DAUs. Each of the plurality of local DAUs includes one or more Base Transceiver Station (BTS) RF connections. Each of the plurality of BTS RF connections is operable to be coupled to one of one or more sectors of a BTS. The system also includes a plurality of remote DAUs located at a Remote location. The plurality of remote DAUs are coupled to each other and operable to transport signals between the plurality of remote DAUs.
US09621956B2

A transport control interface may be provided by an interactive television program guide application to provide information, control or both for live and recorded video programming. The transport control interface may indicate to the user this time duration of a live or recorded program and any time segments of the program that have been recorded. The transport control interface may automatically adjust the start and end time shown to accommodate various factors such as continuous viewing on a particular channel, multiple recorded segments, buffer size, etc. Various information associated with the live or recorded video programming may be displayed in the transport control interface.
US09621955B2

A computer system determines user scores for each channel. The user scores for a respective channel are based on activity of the users accessing one or more media items of the respective channel. The system determines a channel score for the respective channel using the user scores that correspond to the respective channel The channel score indicates a likelihood of the respective channel to have repeated user visits. The system determines a set of the channels relevant to one or more users, and causes a subset of the set of channels to be selected for promotion to the one or more users based on channel scores for the set of channels.
US09621944B2

An object is to effectively use a surface of a display unit of a mobile communication terminal and to appropriately set a detection area according to display modes, thereby allowing a user to perform an operation easily and intuitively.A mobile communication terminal 110 of the present invention includes a display unit 214, a screen control unit 240 that displays a plurality of screens arranged on the display unit, a touch detection unit 218 that receives a user input to a surface of the display unit 214 and a detection area setting unit 242 that, when the plurality of screens are arranged on the display unit 214, sets, as a detection area of the touch detection unit 218 that receives an operation to each of the screens, an area corresponding to either one screen according to sizes of the screens.
US09621942B2

A display apparatus, a paid broadcast processing apparatus, and a control method thereof are provided. The display apparatus includes: a tuner configured to receive at least one broadcast signal through at least one broadcast channel; a signal processor configured to signal-process the received at least one broadcast signal; a display configured to display the signal-processed at least one broadcast signal; an interface connected with at least one paid broadcast processing apparatus which descrambles at least one paid broadcast signal; and a controller configured to control the signal processor to signal-process the received at least one broadcast signal into a form that is displayable through the display, and, when the received at least one broadcast signal is the at least one paid broadcast signal, transmit the at least one paid broadcast signal to the paid broadcast processing apparatus through the interface.
US09621938B2

A scheme for providing targeted advertisements in a multicast adaptive bitrate (ABR) streaming environment. In one implementation, ads specific to a subscriber's demographic profile and relevant to the genre of a tuned MABR media channel may be downloaded in a gateway (GW) or into a network storage system. In another implementation, multicast ABR streams of ads may be triggered at specific points (e.g., insertion markers in a multicast ABR media channel) that can be selectively joined by a GW node based on demographics and channel genre. In yet another implementation, continuously streaming multicast ad channels may be switched at suitable points in a multicast ABR media channel based on targeting parameters.
US09621937B1

A system to delivery media over a network for rendering by client devices forms a definition of a group of people who have opted-in to experience a defined shared media experience, and augments the shared media as a result of a dynamic measurement of one or more characteristics of the group.
US09621936B2

Log information includes items of information that identify one or more of program titles and performers that are selected by a user as being preferred. Identifiers are displayed, where each of the identifiers identifies an item of information included in the log information. An input to select one of the identifiers is received, and broadcast information for the program title or performer corresponding to the selected identifier is acquired. The broadcast information includes one or more broadcast times of contents that have the program title or that include the performer. The broadcast information is displayed to include the one or more broadcast times and an input is received to select a broadcast time of a content. Detailed information for the content and the broadcast time are displayed when the input to select the broadcast time of the content is received.
US09621927B2

A system for video advertising insertion is presented. In one example, the system includes a transport stream interface to receive multiple video program channels in at least one first video transport stream. The system also includes at least one hardware processor that executes a host process to initiate a plurality of instance processes to execute concurrently, wherein each of the instance processes is assigned a distinct subset of the channels. Each of the instance processes analyzes the at least one first video transport stream to determine advertisement insertion points of the distinct subset of the channels, and inserts at least some of the plurality of video advertisements into the distinct subset of the channels based on the advertisement insertion points and an advertising schedule. The transport stream interface is also to transmit the channels with the inserted video advertisements in at least one second video transport stream.
US09621926B1

Techniques are described for providing a predictive data streaming service associated with a visual media file. For example, third type of frame data for a visual media file may be transmitted to a client device from a streaming service. In embodiments, a selection of the particular visual media file may be transmitted to the streaming service. A request may be made to an interface associated with the client device, via an application program interface call, for a first data stream of a first type of frame data and a second data stream of a second type of frame data for the particular visual media file. The request may be based at least in part on the selection of the particular visual media file and after receipt of the third type of frame data. The third type of frame data, the first data stream of the first type of frame data, and the second data stream of the second type of frame data may be interleaved based at least in part on instructions from the interface.
US09621922B2

Data transforms suitable for transforming data, such as not necessarily limited to those suitable for transforming data from a spatial domain to a frequency domain, is contemplated. The data transforms may correspond with a discrete cosine transform (DCT), an inverse discrete cosine transform (IDCT), a discrete Fourier transform (DFT), an inverse DFT (IDFT), a modulated lapped transform (MLT), an inverse MLT, a modulated complex lapped transform (MCLT), an inverse MCLT, etc. where the corresponding basis functions are optimized depending on whether data being transformed is characterized as square and non-square.
US09621914B2

According to an embodiment, an encoding device includes a deriving unit and an encoding unit. The deriving unit is configured to derive a first reference value based on fixed point precision representing roughness of a weighting factor that is used for multiplying a reference image. The encoding unit is configured to encode a first difference value that is a difference value between the weighting factor and the first reference value and the fixed point precision. The weighting factor is included in a first range of predetermined bit precision having the first reference value at approximate center. The first difference value is in the predetermined range.
US09621905B2

This disclosure describes techniques that may enable a video coder to simultaneously implement multiple parallel processing mechanisms, including two or more of wavefront parallel processing (WPP), tiles, and entropy slices. This disclosure describes signaling techniques that are compatible both with coding standards that only allow one parallel processing mechanism to be implemented at a time, but that are also compatible with potential future coding standards that may allow for more than one parallel processing mechanism to be implemented simultaneously. This disclosure also describes restrictions that may enable WPP and tiles to be implemented simultaneously.
US09621903B2

The present invention relates to a method and device for sharing a candidate list. A method of generating a merging candidate list for a predictive block may include: producing, on the basis of a coding block including a predictive block on which a parallel merging process is performed, at least one of a spatial merging candidate and a temporal merging candidate of the predictive block; and generating a single merging candidate list for the coding block on the basis of the produced merging candidate. Thus, it is possible to increase processing speeds for coding and decoding by performing inter-picture prediction in parallel on a plurality of predictive blocks.
US09621902B2

Methods and systems are provided for transmitting multiple video streams to clients based on individual preferences of the clients and network conditions. A cost-function minimization problem is formulated based on various network parameters. The network parameters (e.g., round-trip time (RTT), available bandwidth, packet loss rate, etc.) may be inputs to this optimization problem, which attempts to find optimal resolutions, bitrates, etc., given the network parameters and the video content. Additionally, by incorporating quality prediction, the cost-function may be based on actual content of video sequences.
US09621896B2

A method of optimizing an encoded video stream comprising one or more video frames, each video frame comprising a plurality of macroblocks, each macroblock comprising a plurality of pixels. The method includes receiving an encoded macroblock, decoding the encoded macroblock, and extracting a first quantization parameter. The first quantization parameter corresponds to quantization settings originally used for compressing the encoded macroblock. The method also includes computing a second quantization parameter based at least in part on the first quantization parameter, re-encoding the decoded macroblock based on the second quantization parameter, and providing the re-encoded macroblock.
US09621881B2

A display device may include a signal controller to use a received image signal to generate sectional image signals, to determine a sequence for displaying sectional images that respectively correspond to the sectional image signals, and to use the sectional image signals to generate an image data signal. The sectional images may include a top left image, a bottom left image, a top right image, and a bottom right image. The device may further include a display panel to display the sectional images according to data signals generated based on the image data signal and according to the sequence. The sectional images may be portions of a whole image that has a size substantially equal to a display area of the display panel.
US09621873B2

A single lens imaging apparatus which generates a stereoscopic image includes a single imaging lens section which is rotatable around an axis along a first direction orthogonal to an optical axis so that a relationship of a position of background with respect to a subject in an optical image is changed. A first driving section rotates the single imaging lens section around the axis. An obtaining section including a moveable imaging element obtains two image signals at different times corresponding to two optical images which respectively pass through the single imaging lens section at different times before and after a rotation thereof by the first driving section and in which the relationship of the position of the background with respect to the subject is different. A generating section generates image data of a stereoscopic image based on the two image signals respectively obtained before and after the rotation.
US09621859B2

A time-lapse photography method includes several steps as follows. A determination is immediately made as to whether an image retaining condition is satisfied whenever an electronic device with an image-capturing function collects at least one data set. The data set includes a captured image. When the image retaining condition is satisfied, the captured image of the data set is stored; otherwise, the captured image of the data set is refused to be stored.
US09621857B2

A setting apparatus, that sets a frequency for determining whether an object in a moving image is a predetermined object, determines whether an object in the moving image is the predetermined object, and when it determines that the object is the predetermined object, it sets the frequency for determining to be lower than before determining that the object is the predetermined object.
US09621852B2

A videoconferencing system which encodes different streams of information. The information may include video, audio, speech recognized versions of the audio, and language translated versions of the audio. Text may be sent as part of the videoconference.
US09621839B2

A processing system at least including a processing apparatus including a robot configured to perform, in accordance with operation commands, processes on a container that contains an object to be processed in a biochemistry, biotechnology, or life science field includes an image capturing apparatus and a monitoring apparatus. The image capturing apparatus continuously captures a moving image of the processes. The monitoring apparatus includes a storage unit, a list display unit, and a playback unit. The storage unit stores the moving image captured by the image capturing apparatus. The list display unit displays at least one of a list of the processes and a list of operation information items of each indicating an operation the robot. The playback unit plays the moving image from a timing corresponding to a process specified from the list of processes or an operation information item specified from the list of operation information items.
US09621828B2

An imaging apparatus comprising an image sensor including a plurality of focus detection pixels for generating a focus detection image and a plurality of imaging pixels for generating a captured image, a color ratio detection unit detecting a color ratio based on a pixel value output from a pixel in a position surrounding a processing target pixel, a color conversion unit generating a first pixel value by applying color conversion with the color ratio to a pixel value output from a pixel that is located in the predetermined direction of the processing target pixel, and an adding unit generating a third pixel value by adding a second pixel value output from the processing target pixel with the first pixel value having the same color as the second pixel value.
US09621821B2

A method for shooting a performance making use of umanned aerial vehicles, such as drones for example, to provide the physical markers that are needed to give a physical actor indications on the positioning of virtual elements to be inserted later in the scene, and with which s/he needs to interact.
US09621817B2

A system for digital imaging in a light deficient environment includes an emitter for providing illumination with electromagnetic pulses. The system includes an image sensor that creates image data from the electromagnetic pulses. The image sensor has a plurality of subsets of differing pixels, where each of the pixels comprises a transfer gate transistor. Each transfer gate transistor in one subset of pixels is electrically connected by a TX signal. The TX signal provides global operation of transfer gate transistor (TX) per subset of pixels. The system includes a memory comprising instructions for controlling the emitter so as to pulse for a plurality of exposures that correspond to the subsets of differing pixels and instructions that coordinate the electromagnetic pulses being emitted during a blanking portion of the image sensor frame period. The system includes a processor that combines a plurality of exposures to expand dynamic range.
US09621804B2

A display terminal, in which a supply of electric power from a battery can also be performed, includes an imaging unit that performs imaging to generate an image; a display unit that displays the image generated by the imaging unit; a detection unit that detects whether a direction of the imaging unit while imaging to generate the image to be generated by the imaging unit is being changed; and a power supply interruption unit that interrupts the supply of the electric power from the battery to the imaging unit when the detection unit detects that the direction of imaging to generate the image to be generated by the imaging unit is being changed.
US09621759B2

Systems and methods are provided for revising the time associated with a digital photograph. A digital photograph and data representing an initial time the photograph was taken may not correspond with identified temporal information. In response, a revised time may be generated based on the temporal information and associated with the digital photograph.
US09621758B2

A system for processing document to scan the documents to obtain optical image data representing the document is provided. The system (10) includes elements that reduce or eliminate the effects of debris that can create streaks in the scanned images. One element is a recess (174) in the lens (170) through which an imaging device (60) scans the document. Another element is a guide (80) having an opening (84) opposing the lens (70, 170) of the imaging device (60). The opening (84) reduces or eliminates light reflecting off the guide back to the imaging device so that the area around the document is scanned as black.
US09621748B2

An information processing apparatus is disclosed. The information processing apparatus includes a display unit which displays a screen in which is performed an operation for controlling another apparatus; and a control unit which manages an error occurring in the other apparatus and controls displaying/non-displaying of error information which indicates an occurrence of the error, wherein the control unit controls the displaying/non-displaying of the error information based on a relationship between the error occurring and the screen displayed by the display unit.
US09621746B2

An information processing apparatus generates data by a data generation operation by a user, transmits the data to an information management apparatus, and set a prescribed time capable of a disclosure cancel operation by the user upon generating the data. The information processing apparatus, when the prescribed time has elapsed without the cancel operation by the user, transmits, to the information management apparatus, a notification which allows disclosure of the data to another information processing apparatus.
US09621743B2

A terminal device performs communication with a MFP (Multifunction Peripheral), and each of cloud servers. Terminal device executes transmitting and receiving process for image data with the MFP and the cloud servers via a cooperation application program. The terminal device switches a working application in the terminal device to another application, during the transmitting and receiving process via the cooperation application program. In this instance, the terminal device suspends the transmitting and receiving process. The terminal device executes transmitting and receiving process via the another application for a part of the image data for which the transmitting and receiving process is not executed.
US09621741B2

Techniques are disclosed to adaptively control an image sensor and image signal processor (ISP), collectively known as an image pipeline, such that a minimum amount of power is consumed by an electronic device while producing images that can be accurately analyzed by a computer vision application. The techniques disclosed herein can be implemented in various electronic devices capable of capturing and processing image data, such as, for example, smart phones, wearable computers, laptops, tablets, and other mobile computing or imaging systems. In an embodiment, the techniques disclosed herein are implemented in a system-on-chip device.
US09621737B2

A system and method for rate-limiting phone number lookups. An account look-up application receives an address book of a first user, the address book including a phone number that belongs to a second user, creates a phone edge by associating the phone number in the address book with an account of the second user, receives a request including the phone number from the first user for obtaining the account associated with the phone number, determines an edge cost associated with the phone edge for the first user, determines whether to provide the phone edge to the first user based on the edge cost, and provides the phone edge to the first user responsive to a positive determination.
US09621729B2

An online and offline communication processing and tracking using data processing and data/voice networks is described. A phone address from a phone address number pool is automatically assigned to a first entity. A call quality rating is determined and recorded. A call from a caller directed to the phone address is received at a call bridging system coupled to at least one network, wherein the call is associated with call signaling information. Based at least in part on the call quality associated with the caller call, the caller call is assigned to a first location in a call queue. An outbound call is generated from the call bridging system and the inbound and the outbound calls are bridged. One or more parameters of the bridged call are compared to the call quality rating. An indication is recorded regarding the successful bridging of the calls in association with an entity identifier.
US09621726B2

A computer-implemented system and method for detecting events for use in an automated call center environment are provided. A plurality of messages is monitored by a call center. Those messages sharing one or more keywords representative of one or more potential events are identified. The one or more potential events are detected based on the shared keywords. At least one of the potential events is identified as an event based on the number of messages that share the keywords representative of that potential event. Metadata regarding the event is extracted from the messages sharing the keywords representative of the event. A message regarding the event that includes the extracted metadata is generated. The generated message from the call center is provided to at least one user related to the event.
US09621723B2

In a method for use in Interactive Voice Response (IVR) systems, an IVR is configured such that voice prompts provided to a caller vary systematically and caller hang-up activity is attributed to the particular version of a prompt played to the caller. Voice prompt modifications are chosen based on how long the caller willingly listens to the voice prompt. A relatively short time listening to a prompt before hang-up, indicates dissatisfaction with that prompt. The system compares caller hang-up rates for each of the phrases in a prompt and chooses the optimum solution, which is the variant of the prompt with the longest caller listening time. Optionally, the system compares hang up rates to a threshold and contingent on that comparison chooses an alternative version of the prompt.
US09621714B2

Disclosed is a multi-mode communication notification system and method for improving communication between an inmate and a third party by enabling a third party to send a web-initiated contact request for a specific inmate and further allowing the inmate to check his/her contact requests or be automatically notified of contact requests. Additionally, the system electronically notifies the third party when the specific inmate has been notified of the contact request. Further, the system notifies the third party if they have missed a call from the specific inmate.
US09621711B2

A communication control device for controlling communication performed over a communication line includes a voltage-value acquirer for acquiring a value of a line-to-line voltage of the communication line in an on-hook state, a first determiner for determining whether the voltage value is continuously equal to or lower than a threshold voltage for a first predetermined duration, a current-value acquirer for acquiring a value of a current flowing through the communication line in an off-hook state when the voltage value is continuously equal to or lower than the threshold voltage for the first predetermined duration, a second determiner for determining whether the current value is continuously equal to or smaller than a threshold current for a second predetermined duration, and a disconnection determiner for determining that the communication line is disconnected when the current value is continuously equal to or smaller than the threshold current for the second predetermined duration.
US09621703B2

A user may associate a mobile device such as a smartphone with a public device by imitating a movement pattern for a target with a movement pattern of the mobile device. The physical movement of the smartphone may be compared to the movement data for the target. If there is a match, the public device and the mobile device may be associated with one another. The association may allow a user to interact with the public device using the smartphone.
US09621699B2

A mobile client device, such as a wireless mobile or a palm sized personal digital assistant, is provided with at least a first and second audio resources and companion programming instructions/circuitry to generate various audio signals in a more context sensitive manner, while multi-media resources are being utilized. The instructions/circuitry cause the mobile client device to determine a first audio volume level at which the mobile client device is being utilized by a user for a first audio signal. Once the first audio volume level is determined, instructions/circuitry cause a second audio signal to be provided at a second audio volume level to the user. The second audio volume level being based at least in part on the first audio volume level initially.
US09621695B2

A portable electronic device having a speaker module is provided. The speaker module includes: a speaker unit; a back chamber; an acoustic region coupled between the speaker unit and the back chamber; and a porous material at least partially filling a portion of the front chamber, the back chamber, or the channel, for improving and extending bass performance and relieving a acoustic effect caused by the acoustic region coupling the speaker unit and back chamber. Moreover, the portable electronic device is advantageously able to compensate a resonance degradation caused by the porous material.
US09621694B2

A mobile wireless communications device may include a portable housing including at least one electrically conductive housing portion configured to function as an antenna. The mobile wireless communications device may also include a printed circuit board (PCB) carried by the portable housing, and wireless transceiver circuitry carried by the PCB and including at least one circuit element carried by the PCB. The mobile wireless communications device may also include at least one current shunt component coupled between the at least one electrically conductive housing portion and the at least one circuit element.
US09621693B2

Provided is a wireless communication device that ensures reduced interference between a plurality of antennas without relatively separating the antennas. The wireless communication device includes a first antenna, a second antenna, and a planar conductor. The conductor is arranged adjacent to both of the first and second antennas on one side. A cutout portion is formed in the conductor. The cutout portion extends from an outer edge between positions adjacent to the first and second antennas.
US09621691B2

A handheld electronic device includes a reduced QWERTY keyboard and is enabled with disambiguation software. The device provides output in the form of a default output and a number of variants. The output is based largely upon the frequency, i.e., the likelihood that a user intended a particular output, but various features of the device provide additional variants that are not based solely on frequency and rather are provided by various logic structures resident on the device. The device enables editing during text entry and also provides a learning function that allows the disambiguation function to adapt to provide a customized experience for the user. The disambiguation function can be selectively disabled and an alternate keystroke interpretation system provided. Additionally, the device can facilitate the selection of variants by displaying a graphic of a special key of the keypad that enables a user to progressively select variants generally without changing the position of the user's hands on the device.
US09621688B2

An approach is provided for queuing clients when a web page is temporarily unavailable. The approach includes providing a computer infrastructure operable to: maintain a queue of clients requesting the web page; receive an indication of an availability number from a host of the web page; and release one or more of the clients from the queue equal to the availability number indicated by the host, based on the receiving the indication of the availability number.
US09621644B2

A method may include a device joining a distributed database in a distributed physical access control system. The method may include storing first data in a first memory area of a memory. The first memory area may be designated to store data for a consensus-based distributed database (DB). The first data is to be added to the consensus-based distributed DB that is distributed among other devices in a network. The method may include copying the first data to a second memory area of the memory of the device and adding the device to the network, receiving data from the other devices in the network and adding the received data to the consensus-based distributed DB by storing the received data in the first memory area, and adding the first data to the consensus-based distributed DB by copying the first data from the second memory area to the first memory area.
US09621640B2

A cloud computing system includes a network interface for interfacing with a wide area network. At least one wireless transceiver engages in bidirectional communication with a plurality of vehicle cloud processing devices within a corresponding plurality of vehicles in at least one vehicle aggregation location. A network control device receives requests for at least one cloud computing service via the wide area network and facilitates the at least one cloud computing service via the bidirectional communication with the plurality of vehicle cloud processing devices.
US09621626B2

A method is disclosed for dynamically updating the content of a website or a web service via a text message. A text service may receive, at a text phone number, the text message sent by a user from a text device. The text device may have a user phone number. In preferred embodiments, the text service may have a plurality of text phone numbers that may be called by a plurality of users. The text service may produce an action code based, at least in part, on the text message, the text phone number called by the user, the user phone number or some combination thereof. The text service may transmit the action code to one or more hosting servers to alter a website which may then be published. In another embodiment, the text service may transmit the action code to web server(s) that may alter a web service for the user.
US09621619B2

Embodiments of the present invention disclose a method, computer program product, and system for providing a severity of a notification for a communication. A computing device determines a topic and associated information of a current activity, operating on the computing device. The computing device receives a communication and determines the topic and associated information of the communication. The computing device determines a level of relevance between the topic and associated information of the received communication and the topic and associated information of the current activity. The computing device determines whether the level of relevance exceeds a predefined threshold, and in response to determining that the level of relevance exceeds the predefined threshold, the computing device provides a notification, wherein the severity of the notification for the communication is proportional to the level of relevance.
US09621615B2

A system for communicating media is disclosed. Such a system may include, for example, a media broken into a plurality of independent segment files that may represent sequential portions of the media. One of the segment files can be encoded to have a format that is different than the encoded format of another one of the segment files. The formats may be chosen to allow outputting of information in the segments at different rates. A list may include network addresses for the segment files, and a content delivery system may be deployed to distribute media content to remotely located requesting devices by sending the segment files in response to requests for the segment files.
US09621612B2

Methods and systems for calculating latency variations in a distributed manner, including the steps of: calculating, by first and second switches, first and second local latency variations, of first and second streaming sessions, at first and second output ports of the first and second switches, respectively. Receiving, by the third switch, the first and second local latency variations; wherein a first and second paths of the first and second streaming sessions, respectively, are passing through a third output port of the third switch after passing through the first and second output ports, respectively. And calculating, by the third switch, a third local latency variation of the first streaming session at the third output port, based on the first and second local latency variations.
US09621604B2

Statistical remultiplexing of adaptive bit rate streams may be provided. First a video quality associated with a first representation of a content stream being delivered to a first client on a shared network may be determined. The content stream may be available in a plurality of representations, each representation comprising a plurality of chunks of varying sizes and a manifest having an indication of a quality level and a bit rate for the representation. Next, network conditions may be analyzed to determine whether a bit rate of the content stream being delivered to the first client device should be adjusted to adjust the video quality. Based on the determined video quality and the network conditions, it may then be communicated to the first client device to request a second representation of the content stream.
US09621601B2

Mechanisms are provided, in association with a question and answer system, for generating answers to an input question. An input question is received and processed to generate at least one query. The at least one query is applied to the corpus to generate a set of candidate answers and corresponding selections of evidence portions of the corpus of information providing evidence in support of the at least one candidate answer being a correct answer for the input question. A graphical user interface (GUI) is output comprising a first GUI sub-section comprising the set of candidate answers, and a second GUI sub-section comprising the evidence portions of the corpus. User input modifying at least one of set of candidate answers or the evidence portions of the corpus of information is received via the GUI and an operation of the data processing system is adjusted based on the user input.
US09621593B2

Techniques are described for managing the execution of programs on multiple computing systems, such as on virtual machine nodes executing on the computing systems. A program execution service may in some situations provide the multiple computing systems and manage the program execution on behalf of multiple customers or other users, including to select appropriate computing systems to execute one or more instances of a program for a user, such as based in part on configuration information specified by the user. The described techniques may further include managing communications between multiple intercommunicating computing nodes in some situations.
US09621588B2

Approaches, techniques, and mechanisms are disclosed for implementing a distributed firewall. In an embodiment, many different computer assets police incoming messages based on local policy data. This local policy data is synchronized with global policy data. The global policy data is generated by one or more separate analyzers. Each analyzer has access to message logs, or information derived therefrom, for groups of computer assets, and is thus able to generate policies based on intelligence from an entire group as opposed to an isolated asset. Among other effects, some of the approaches, techniques, and mechanisms may be effective even in computing environments with limited supervision over the attack surface, and/or computing environments in which assets may need to make independent decisions with respect to how incoming messages should be handled, on account of latency and/or unreliability in connections to other system components.
US09621585B1

Computer security threats are increasing in customization and complexity of attacks, expanding the burden on security companies in addressing the wide-array of threats. Functional classification is used here to determine the likely role a client and its user play to personalize computer security according to client/user role. A security module analyzes the client to identify data or applications present on the client or activities performed using the client. Based on this analysis, the security module predicts the role of the client or a user of the client. The module further dynamically generates a security policy that is personalized to and optimized for the client or the user based on the role predicted and on computer security threats expected to affect the client or user based on the role. The module then applies the security policy generated to provide personalized security.
US09621578B2

A network activity detection system is trained to detect network activities of interest such as threats by malicious computer data. The training involves distilling the characteristics of known network activities of interest (e.g., intrusion by computer viruses, exploits, worms, or the like) into a minimal set of meta-expressions. At run-time, the network activity detection system combines the minimal set of meta-expressions with efficient computer algorithms for evaluating meta-expressions to detect known network activities of interest, as well as their unknown variants, among an unknown set of network activity. The network activity detection system may produce appropriate responses upon the detection of network activities of interest.
US09621577B2

Various techniques for mitigating computer network attacks are disclosed herein. In one embodiment, a method includes receiving indications of denial of service attacks from multiple target computing systems and determining one or more sources from which the denial of service attacks are deemed to originate in response to the received indications of denial of service attacks from the target computing systems. The method also includes negotiating with the network aggregation point for permission to divert network traffic originated from the one or more of the determined sources and destined to the target computing systems to the gateway.
US09621576B1

There are disclosed techniques for use in detecting malicious websites. In at least one embodiment, there is disclosed a technique for generating a profile in connection with a website. The profile comprising at least one attribute associated with the website. The technique also comprises collecting information relating to the website during a visit to the website. The technique further comprises detecting a change in connection with the website. The detection of the change comprises identifying a variation between the generated profile and the collected information.
US09621569B1

A method and apparatus for detecting cyber attacks on remotely-operable elements of an alternating current distribution grid. Two state estimates of the distribution grid are prepared, one of which uses micro-synchrophasors. A difference between the two state estimates indicates a possible cyber attack.
US09621560B2

In cases where a user of a social network has lost access to one or more email addresses on file with the social network, the social network may confirm an identity of the user before issuing a new password. The social network may confirm the identity of the user by prompting the user to correctly identify pictures of members of the social network that are connected to the user, selecting or receiving a selection of a plurality of trustees (e.g., members of the social network who are connected to the user), prompting the trustees to confirm with the user that the user has lost the access, and receiving notification that at least a specified number of the trustees have confirmed with the user that the user has lost the access. After the social network confirms the identity, the social network may provide a new password to the user.
US09621559B2

A network appliance is designed and configured to communicate over a data network and to provide secure on-demand remote access and control of a computing system in the context of remote support.
US09621558B2

A computerized method for obtaining collaboration with an object of a computerized system, comprising receiving at an owner party that owns the object a request from a requesting party employing a requesting mechanism of the computerized system to collaborate the object with a recipient party, providing by the owner party a decision to the recipient party whether to grant the recipient party to collaborate with the object, and registering, in a data construct of the computerized system, data comprising a status indicative of the decision, thereby providing for the computerized system to determine whether to allow the recipient party to collaborate with the object, wherein the method is performed on an at least one computer of the computerized system configured to perform the method, and an apparatus for performing the same.
US09621546B2

Disclosed is a technology related to a method of generating an OTP and an apparatus for performing the same. The method includes receiving user secret information that is input according to execution of a process of providing an OTP; authenticating the user secret information by generating a response value based on the received user secret information and a challenge value received from a user verification apparatus, and transmitting the response value to the user verification apparatus; and generating an OTP using at least one of the user secret information, the challenge value and the response value as the user secret information is authenticated, thereby effectively dealing with loss or appropriation of a user terminal and also improving the security of an OTP.
US09621543B2

Example methods disclosed herein include intercepting, with a meter executing on a computing device, a request sent by a client application to establish a secure communication session with a network server. Such disclosed example methods also include receiving, at the meter in response to forwarding the request to the network server, a first public key provided by the network server for encrypting a session key, and providing, from the meter to the client application, a second public key associated with the meter instead of the first public key provided by the network server in response to the request being intercepted. Such disclosed example methods further include using the first public key and a private key associated with the second public key to enable the meter to access an unencrypted version of the session key, and monitoring, with the meter, the network traffic using the unencrypted version of the session key.
US09621542B2

It is inter alia disclosed to provide first identity data stored in an apparatus, the first identity data comprising an identifier and a first certificate, and to provide second identity data stored in the apparatus, the second identity data comprising an identifier and a second certificate, wherein the identifier of the first identity data is the same as the identifier of the second identity data.
US09621532B2

A provider server (100) includes: a receiving section (21) for obtaining a redirection URL (2); an information registering section (11) for registering user information (3); an access authorizing section (12) for authorizing the consumer server (200) to make access to the user information; a sending section (22) for sending the redirection URL (2) to a smartphone (300); an authorization judging section (13) for judging whether or not the access is authorized; and a sending section (22) for sending the user information (3) to the consumer server (200).
US09621531B2

It is an object of the present invention to provide a communication technology that is more convenient. A device according to one embodiment of the present invention includes: equipment information creating request receiving means for receiving an equipment information creating request issued by external equipment; date/time obtaining means for obtaining information for identifying a date/time; path display identifier identifying means for identifying a path display identifier that is associated with a request source identifier of a request source of the equipment information creating request received by the equipment information creating request receiving means; and output means for outputting, to the external equipment, in response to the equipment information creating request, at least the path display identifier identified by the path display identifier identifying means and the information for identifying a date/time.
US09621530B2

The disclosure relates to a trust heuristic model for reducing a control load in an IoT resource access network. For example, an authenticating node may challenge a client node that requests access to a resource and grant the access if the client node correctly responds to the challenge or alternatively deny the access if the client node incorrectly responds to the challenge. Furthermore, based on the response to the challenge, the client node may be assigned a trust level, which may be dynamically updated based on successive challenge-and-response exchanges and/or interactions with other IoT network nodes. For example, to reduce the resource access control load, subsequent challenge-and-response intervals may be increased or eliminated if the client node correctly responds to successive challenges over time, while client nodes that incorrectly respond to successive challenges over time may be blocked from accessing the resource or banned from the IoT network.
US09621524B2

Cloud storage of sensitive data is improved by ensuring that all cloud-based data is encrypted at all times, not only when the data is at rest (i.e., stored), but also while data is being processed or communicated. Cryptographic keys can advantageously be managed via cloud based resources without exposing sensitive data. Instead, a key management system maintains cryptographic functions on administrative hosts and endpoints outside of cloud-based resources so that any vulnerabilities of the cloud-based resources will expose only encrypted data, and keys and sensitive data will never be exposed in unencrypted form. Thus sensitive data is protected end-to-end among hosts and endpoints using, e.g., platform independent cryptographic functions and libraries within a web browser or the like, and the cloud functions simply as a storing and forwarding medium for secure data.
US09621523B2

Embodiments are directed to sharing secure communication secrets with a network monitoring device (NMD). The NMD may passively monitor network packets communicated between client computers and server computers. If a secure communication session is established between a client computer and a server computer, a key provider may provide the NMD a session key that corresponds to the secure communication session. The NMD may buffer each network packet associated with the secure communication session until the NMD is provided a session key for the secure communication session. The NMD may use the session key to decrypt network packets communicated between the client computer and the server computer. The NMD may then proceed to analyze the secure communication session based on the contents of the decrypted network packets.
US09621520B2

A network service packet (NSP) header security method includes receiving an NSP on a communication interface, analyzing, by a processor, the NSP in order to identify a plurality of service functions and an associated service function path for the plurality of service functions, identifying, by the processor, which security function or functions may be performed by each of the plurality of service functions on an NSP header to he generated for the NSP, requesting, by the processor, at least one key for securing at least part of the NSP header, receiving the at least one key on the communication interface, generating, by the processor, the NSP header for the NSP, securing, by the processor, the NSP header based on the at least one key, and sending, on the communication interface, the NSP with the NSP header to one of the plurality of service functions.
US09621515B2

A kernel-level security agent is described herein. The kernel-level security agent is configured to observe events, filter the observed events using configurable filters, route the filtered events to one or more event consumers, and utilize the one or more event consumers to take action based at least on one of the filtered events. In some implementations, the kernel-level security agent detects a first action associated with malicious code, gathers data about the malicious code, and in response to detecting subsequent action(s) of the malicious code, performs a preventative action. The kernel-level security agent may also deceive an adversary associated with malicious code. Further, the kernel-level security agent may utilize a model representing chains of execution activities and may take action based on those chains of execution activities.
US09621509B2

Systems and methods for segmenting network traffic using virtual media access control (vMAC) addresses are disclosed. An intermediary device establishes a plurality of traffic domains to segment network traffic. The device generates a plurality of vMAC addresses to assign to the traffic domains. Each of the vMAC addresses includes an identifier of a traffic domain corresponding to the traffic domain to which the vMAC address is assigned. The device receives, from a second device, an ARP request to determine a MAC address to transmit data packets. The device selects, from the plurality of virtual MAC addresses, the virtual MAC address to use as the MAC address in a response based on an IP address identified via the ARP request. The device transmits, to the second device, a response to the request identifying, as the MAC address, the selected vMAC address of a traffic domain.
US09621506B2

A method for providing a social network service using location information is provided. The method includes receiving at least one content, when the content includes at least one location information, extracting the at least one location information from the content, and providing the social network service using the extracted at least one location information.
US09621505B1

Implementations generally relate to providing images with notifications. In some implementations, a method includes generating a notification to a target user in a social network system. The method also includes selecting one or more of the images associated with the notification based on one or more predefined selection criteria. The method also includes cropping one or more of the selected images based on one or more predefined cropping criteria. The method also includes causing the cropped images to be displayed with the notification.
US09621502B2

A graphical user interface between a user of a computer service and the computer service includes a list of other users of the computer service selected by the user as significant to the user and an icon associated with one of the other listed users indicating that a communication has occurred between the user and the other user.
US09621485B2

The present invention provides a circuit including a multiplexer, a level-shifter circuit, a power-supply circuit, and a switch circuit. The multiplexer has a first input-terminal, a second input-terminal and a third input-terminal, wherein the first and second input-terminals are coupled to a first-interface pin and a second-interface transfer pin of a processor, and the third input-terminal is coupled to a second-interface receive pin or the first-interface pin of the processor. The level shifter circuit converts signals on the second input-terminal of the multiplexer and the signal receiving terminal of a shared-socket. The power-supply circuit couples a first power-source to the signal outputting terminal. The switch circuit couples the signal receiving terminal of the shared-socket to the third input-terminal of the multiplexer.
US09621477B2

A method of operating a browser of a terminal apparatus is provided. The method of operating a browser of a terminal apparatus according to various exemplary embodiments includes: confirming a resource needed for a first computation for operating the browser in the terminal apparatus; requesting an external device perform the first computation when the resource does not exist or is insufficient; receiving from the external device data according to a result of the first computation; and displaying data on the browser using the received data.
US09621475B2

A method and system for distributing content on a network through network-wide transactions is disclosed. The method and system monitors the network using triggered measurement of the performance of an element of the network, dynamically computing, based on the monitoring, the regions of the network with available performance capacity for the transaction to proceed at a given time, determining, based on the computing, a scheduled time for the transaction to proceed, and distributing the content according to a schedule related to the scheduled time.
US09621472B1

A system and methods for dynamically controlling sample rates and data flow in a distributed networked environment by dynamic determination of statistical significance or characteristics for an unlimited number of data collection scripts concurrently executed on concurrently rendering web pages operating an unlimited number of advertisements. Consumer and media behaviors are sampled on all the different components of the distributed environment to gather information, which is transmitted to a downstream statistical analytics system. The system and methods are configured to balance the communication data flow and load among servers and browsers in this distributed networked environment that are engaged in viewing of online content including online content with one or more advertisements.
US09621470B2

Existing resource reservation techniques are inefficient for M2M communications. In an example embodiment described herein, a system comprises a service layer server that resides on a service layer and a control plane node that resides on an access network, wherein the service layer server communicates with the control plane node via a control plane interface. The control plane interface can be used to configure quality of service (QoS) policies (rules) that are based on an object that is being addressed. In this context, for example, an object may be a memory location or value. For example, the service layer may configure one or more QoS rules for the access network based on the object by sending a QoS provisioning message that includes one or more parameters to the control plane node. The control plane node may determine the object that is identified in the one or more QoS rules, and the QoS rules may be distributed to one or more routers that may be used to access the object. The access network may apply the one or more QoS rules in accordance with the parameters.
US09621469B2

An apparatus and method for managing a flow in a server virtualization environment, and a method of applying a QoS policy, the method including a flow processing unit configured to analyze a flow generated by a virtual machine (VM) to extract flow information, determine whether the flow is a new flow by comparing the extracted flow information with preset flow information, and apply a corresponding Quality of Service (QoS) policy to the flow, and a QoS management unit configured to, in a case in which the flow is a new flow, generate a QoS policy for the analyzed flow based on the extracted flow information and prestored virtual machine information, and transmit the generated QoS policy to the flow processing unit.
US09621467B1

One embodiment relates to a data transmission circuit with deterministic flow control that includes a plurality of FIFO buffers, a plurality of transmitter lanes, a transmitter MAC circuit, and a transmitter aligner circuit. The transmitter aligner circuit includes control circuitry that performs one or more iterations of a procedure to optimize a starting offset, where the starting offset provides an initial delay between the writing of the data bits to the plurality of FIFO buffers and the reading of the data bits from the plurality of FIFO buffers. Another embodiment relates to a method of reducing data path latency in a data transmission circuit with deterministic flow control. Other embodiments, aspects, and features of the invention are also disclosed.
US09621457B2

The following describes data structures, communication protocol formats and process flows for controlling and facilitating secure communications between the nodes of a mesh network, such as utility meters and gateway nodes comprising a utility network. The enabled processes include association, information exchange, route discovery and maintenance and the like for instituting and maintaining a secure mesh network.
US09621453B1

Exemplary embodiments identify all viable paths in an ECMP/WCMP enabled network without running traceroute multiple times. Devices in a network may be configured to send a packet including a pre-determined option to an Software-Defined Network Controller (SDNC) upon receipt. If a destination of the packet is within the SDNC-controlled domain, SDNC identifies all viable ECMP/WCMP paths using routing information of the network. If the destination of the packet is outside the SDNC-controlled domain, SDNC identifies at least one egress switch of the SDNC-controlled domain. SDNC may identify internal paths connecting the source of the packet to the at least one egress switch. SDNC may also identify external paths connecting the at least one egress switch to the destination of the packet. SDNC may construct the viable ECMP/WCMP paths by connecting the internal paths to the external paths.
US09621444B2

Disclosed herein is a first network node and a method in the first network node and a charging node and a method in the charging node for handling dropped data packets in a communications network, comprising: obtaining information indicating dropped data packets for a wireless device served by the first network node; detecting based on the obtained information that an amount associated with the dropped data packets reaches a first threshold or that a timer associated with the dropped data packets reaches a second threshold; and transmitting a message to a policy node, which message comprises at least one of information indicating the amount associated with the dropped data packets or information indicating that the amount has reached the first threshold or indicating that the timer has reached the second threshold.
US09621438B2

In an aspect, the present application is directed to managing traffic in a network. A capacity request is received, wherein the capacity request comprises a request for capacity on the network. The capacity request is evaluated to determine whether the capacity requested by the capacity request in view of a measure of currently in-use network capacity on the network would exceed a threshold level. If the threshold level would not be exceeded, the capacity request is fulfilled so that a corresponding network request can be granted for transmission over the network; and if the threshold level would be exceeded, retrieving and analyzing real-time capacity data to determine an available network capacity of the network to be compared to the capacity requested in the capacity request.
US09621436B2

An application information acquisition unit transmits a device list of unconnected devices, which are owned devices recorded in a local storage but not retrieved by a device retrieval unit, and connected devices, which are owned devices retrieved by the device retrieval unit, to an external server via an external network. A service list display unit displays a list of device cooperation services indicated in device cooperation service list information obtained by the application information acquisition unit from the external server and a list of devices determined to be owned devices by an owned device management unit on a display unit, whereby a user is prompted to select a device cooperation service.
US09621434B2

A display apparatus which is controllable by a remote control apparatus is provided. The display apparatus includes: a communicator which communicates with the remote control apparatus, a storage which stores user interface (UI) screen information which is mapped to each application executable in the display apparatus, and a controller which, if a first application is executed based on a user command, controls a transmission of UI screen information corresponding to the first application from among the UI screen information stored in the storage to the remote control apparatus.
US09621429B2

In one example embodiment, a Self Organizing Network (SON) element is provided to communicate with at least one Long-Term Evolution (LTE) wireless network and at least one transport communication network. The SON element is operative to obtain information that relates to updated Neighbor Lists from a plurality of enodeBs (eNBs) belonging to the at least one LTE wireless network, and to convey information that relates to the updated Neighbor Lists obtained, to at least one managing entity belonging to the transport communication network.
US09621426B1

A switching facility has a plurality of input ports for connection to signal sources in multiple categories, each category having multiple members, a plurality of output ports for connection to signal destinations in multiple categories, each category having multiple members, and a switch fabric configurable by a control system to connect any selected input port to any unique group of one or more output ports. A control panel interacts with the control system and has a plurality of actuatable elements and a display area associated with each actuatable element for displaying a legend associated with the actuatable element. The control system is functionally connected to the control panel and is operative to change the legend associated with an actuatable element.
US09621422B2

In embodiments of device to device content upgrades, a computing device includes a peer sharing manager that shares content and upgrades to content with peer devices. The computing device downloads content and upgrades from sources on the Internet, and shares the content and upgrades with peer devices that lack an Internet connection. A lowest supported version of the content can be shared from the computing device to one of the peer devices. The lowest supported version of the content determines capabilities of the peer device and establishes a peer-to-peer communication link with the computing device. The peer device reports the capability information to the computing device and, if the computing device determines that the peer device is capable of supporting an upgraded version of the content, the computing device communicates the upgraded version of the content to the peer device.
US09621421B1

A computer-implemented method for prognostic network management may include (1) monitoring a health indicator of a physical component of a device in a network, (2) using the health indicator to estimate a remaining useful life of the physical component, (3) detecting that the remaining useful life of the physical component has reached a predetermined threshold, and (4) reconfiguring the network in response to detecting that the remaining useful life of the physical component has reached the predetermined threshold so that failure of the physical component does not cause the network to become unavailable to any user of the network. Various other methods, systems, and computer-readable media are also disclosed.
US09621419B2

An adjunct network device includes several ports, an uplink interface, and an adjunct forwarding engine coupled to the ports and the uplink interface. A first port is configured to receive a packet, which includes a destination address. The adjunct forwarding engine is configured to send the packet to the uplink interface if the destination address is not associated with any of the ports. The packet is sent to one of the ports if the destination address is associated with the one of the ports.
US09621416B2

A first communication device communicates with a second communication device based on first setting information stored in a first storage unit of the first communication device. The first communication device transmits the first setting information to the second communication device. The second communication device stores the first setting information received from the first communication device in a second storage unit. The first communication device receives, after first hardware of the first communication device is replaced, the first setting information stored in the second storage unit from the second communication device. The first communication device stores, after the replacement, the first setting information received from the second communication device in the first storage unit of the first communication device after the replacement.
US09621408B2

A gateway device for managing a set of two or more local management devices at a location. A system for networks at a plurality of locations. A method of operating a gateway device in a control network. A method for storing information to operate a gateway device in a control network. A method for storing information to operate a replacement gateway device in a control network.
US09621402B2

In embodiments of load balanced and prioritized data connections, a first connection is established to communicate first data from a first server to a second server over a public network, where the first data is communicated from a private network to a first device or subnet that is connected to the second server. A second connection is established to communicate second data from the first server to the second server over the public network, where the second data is communicated from the private network to a second device or subnet that is connected to the second server. The second server can distinguish the first data from the second data according to an authentication certificate field that identifies one of a first communication interface of the first connection or a second communication interface of the second connection.
US09621398B2

Methods, systems, and apparatus for receiving an input signal, where the input signal includes a carrier signal modulated with a first modulation signal and a second modulation signal, and where the second modulation signal is a TM signal. Demodulating the first modulation signal from the input signal. Modulating an un-modulated carrier signal with the first modulation signal to generate a third signal, where the third signal includes the carrier signal modulated by the first modulation signal. And, removing the first modulation signal from the input signal by subtracting the third signal from the input signal to extract the TM signal from the input signal.
US09621396B2

A transmitter and receiver of a broadcast signal and corresponding methods are provided. The transmitter includes: a preamble symbol inserter configured to insert a preamble symbol including a synchronization part and an information part into a frame; and a transmitting unit configured to transmit the frame including the preamble symbol. The synchronization part includes a plurality of first sequences for measuring frequency offset of the preamble symbol, and the information part includes a plurality of second sequences for measuring a phase shift amount of the information part.
US09621393B2

A method and an apparatus for transmitting broadcast signals thereof are disclosed. The method for transmitting broadcast signals comprises encoding DP (data pipe) data carrying at least one service, mapping the encoded DP data onto constellations, time interleaving the mapped DP data, building at least one signal frame including the time interleaved DP data, modulating data in the built at least one signal frame by an OFDM scheme and transmitting the broadcast signals having the modulated data, wherein the at least one signal frame includes emergency alert information.
US09621390B2

Aspects of the invention include methods and devices for inserting data and pilot symbols into Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiplexing (OFDM) frames having a time domain and a frequency domain. A method involves inserting in at least one zone of a first type a two dimensional array of data and pilot symbols in time and frequency and inserting in at least one zone of a second type a two dimensional array of data and pilot symbols in time and frequency. In some implementations the zone of the first type comprises common pilot symbols that can be detected by all receivers receiving the OFDM frame. In some implementations the zone of the second type comprises dedicated pilot symbols that are only detectable by a receiver that is aware of pre-processing used to encode the dedicated pilot symbols.
US09621387B1

An improved quadrature modulator/demodulator (IQMD) may use two-phase quadrature local oscillator (LO) signal generation for generating 0° and 90° LO signals, and an anti-phase combiner/divider (at 0° and 180°) on the RF (radio frequency) port. The IQMD may include mixers (which may be double-balanced passive mixers) that function as downconverters when a signal is incident at their radio frequency (RF) ports, and function as upconverters when signals are incident on their intermediate frequency (IF) ports. Accordingly, the IQMD may function as an I/Q modulator by connecting digital-to-analog converters (DAC) to the differential I and Q ports, and/or it may also function as an I/Q demodulator by connecting analog-to-digital converters (ADC) to the differential I and Q ports.
US09621385B2

System, methods and apparatus are described that reduce the power consumed by a multi-level encoded communications link. In one example, different logic states of a 4-level pulse amplitude modulation encoded transmission consume greater power than other logic states. The fraction of primary bits in a first logic state in multi-bit data symbols may determine whether the primary bits are inverted prior to transmission. The fraction of secondary bits in the first logic state in the multi-bit data symbols may determine whether the secondary bits are inverted prior to transmission. The primary bits may be swapped with the secondary bits is more secondary bits are in the first logic state than primary bits in the first logic state.
US09621378B2

A router receives, from a BGP peer, a BGP update message including NLRI (VPN-NLRI) specific to a virtual private network, as well as path information including an address of a next hop for the VPN-NLRI. The router determines that there is no route to the next hop, modifies the filtering information to permit propagation of NLRI including the address of the next hop, and sends the modified filtering information to BGP neighbors. Alternatively, a router determines that such a BGP update message is due to be sent to a BGP peer. The router determines that the filtering information does not allow propagation, to the peer, of NLRI including the address of the next-hop, modifies the filtering information so as to permit propagation, to the BGP peer, of NLRI including the address of the next hop, and sends the BGP update message to the peer.
US09621376B2

Providing location information to a supervisory user includes providing a parental control, using a computer automatically to determine a location of a subordinate user, and storing location information indicative of the location of the subordinate user in a database. A request of the supervisory user to locate the subordinate user is received and a user interface informs the supervisory user of the location of the subordinate user based on the stored location information. At least one of the storing and/or the informing are based on the parental control.
US09621371B2

The disclosure relates generally to wireless sensor devices, and more particularly, to remote programming of wireless sensor devices. A wireless sensor device wirelessly may receive messages from a remotely located device to a wireless sensor device. The wireless sensor device may be programmed via the receive messages. In one example, a building controller may be programmed to wirelessly send one or more messages to a wireless sensor device in order to change the behavior of the wireless sensor device, even while the wireless sensor device and building controller are on-line and actively controlling a building control system. In some instances, a technician or installer may use a diagnostic or setup tool to send one or more messages to a wireless sensor device to change the behavior of the wireless sensor device. These are just some examples.
US09621366B2

A network node (10) controls resources (22) in a network. The node (10) includes processing units (12) and assigns, for each set of resources (22), to a unit (12) a master role consisting in reserving and releasing resources (22) and to two processing units (12), named controllers, the role of controlling resources (22). A controller (12c) operates in a first mode when a master role is assigned to a processing unit (12m) and the unit (12m) is available to reserve and release resources (22). A controller (12c) operates in a second mode when no master role is assigned or when a master role is assigned to a unit (12m) which is not available to reserve and release resources (22). In the second mode, a controller (12c) maintains a list (14) of resources (22) to be released and selects a resource (22) from the list (14) to reserve a resource (22).
US09621360B2

A system and method for analyzing network power consumption is disclosed. The system and method for analyzing network power consumption includes the steps of specifying at least one service which will run on said network; defining a plurality of resources provisioned in the network, each having an associated power efficiency; associating a network path with the service; calculating a sum of the power efficiencies for the resources of the network path; and outputting the sum to a display device. The system and method for analyzing network power consumption is particularly useful for identifying power consumption efficiencies throughout a communication network.
US09621358B2

An exemplary method of communicating with a safety device includes obtaining a key from the safety device that is useable for only a single communication session with the safety device. A plurality of messages are sent to the safety device during the single communication session. Each of the plurality of messages includes the obtained key, an identifier of the source of the message, an identifier of the safety device, a sequence number indicating how many of the plurality of messages preceded the message during the communication session, a command for the safety device, and at least one cyclic redundancy code (CRC) based on content of the message. A next one of the plurality of messages is sent only after confirming that the safety device has accepted a most recently sent one of the plurality of messages.
US09621353B2

With the help of a key management protocol, the transmitted key information is authenticated by at least one certificate signed by the terminals, and at least one fingerprint of the public keys or certificate, which were used for authenticating the key information, is added to the useful part of an SIP message. The identity information present in the header of an SIP message is additionally copied into a region of the header or the useful part, and a signature is produced by way of the fingerprint, the datum information presented in the header of an SIP message, the copied identity information, and optionally the certificate reference information, and is inserted into a further region of the header of the SIP message. The additional signature that is produced and inserted can remain uninfluenced during a transmission across several networks of different network operators.
US09621330B2

A communication system includes a conversion module configured to convert a signal between a radio frequency baseband (RF-BB) and an intermediate frequency (IF). At least one RF front-end module converts the signal between the IF and a radio frequency (RF). The RF front-end module is configured as an RF phased array and includes a coaxial interconnect configured to connect the conversion module with the RF front-end module. The signal is transmitted between the conversion module and the RF-front end module via the coaxial interconnect. At least one RF front-end module includes an active front-end (AFE) configured to allow the signal to be transmitted via the coaxial interconnect while minimizing any deterioration of the signal.
US09621328B2

Provided is a communication control device that controls radio communication conducted by one or more terminal devices according to a time-division duplex (TDD) scheme, the communication control device including a configuration section that configures, for each frame that includes a plurality of subframes, a link direction configuration expressing a link direction per subframe, and a control section that signals the link direction configuration configured by the configuration section to each terminal device. The configuration section configures a first link direction configuration for a first terminal group, and configures a second link direction configuration for a second terminal group, and the control section signals the first link direction configuration to a terminal device belonging to the first terminal group on a first cycle, and signals the second link direction configuration to a terminal device belonging to the second terminal group on a second cycle that is shorter than the first cycle.
US09621326B2

One embodiment of the present disclosure relates to a method for random access in a UE in an out-of sync status. The method comprises: sending to a base station a first message including a random access preamble according to a TDD configuration in a SIB; receiving from the base station a second message including a random access response using the random access preamble according to the TDD configuration in the SIB. Another embodiment of the present invention also relates to corresponding method for random access in a base station. According to an aspect of the present disclosure, there are provided corresponding devices.
US09621320B2

A method and an apparatus for selecting a transport format are provided. The method includes: receiving a transport format parameter of a user equipment sent by a base station, where the transport format parameter of the user equipment includes a primary stream grant value and an association between the primary stream and the secondary stream; determining a maximum transport block length of the primary stream according to a preset value of the maximum transmit power of the user equipment and the association between the primary stream and the secondary stream; determining an actual transport block length of the primary stream according to a size relationship between a theoretical transport block length of the primary stream and the maximum transport block length; and determining a transport block length of the secondary stream.
US09621319B2

A method for feeding back Channel State Information (CSI) using a common subband at a user equipment in a wireless communication system is disclosed. The method includes transmitting first CSI to at least one base station at a first transmission time point according to a first CSI feedback configuration, and transmitting second CSI to the at least one base station at a second transmission time point according to a second CSI feedback configuration, wherein the second CSI is generated based on the common subband when the second transmission time point is within a prescribed SubFrame Threshold (SFT) from the first transmission time point.
US09621315B2

The present invention is to provide a method for allocating multi-UEs' Sounding Reference Signal (SRS) uplink resources, and an eNB for allocating multi-UEs' SRS uplink resources with the method. The method may automatically and dynamically allocate multi-UEs' SRS resource in both the time domain resource and the frequency domain resource in accordance with system capacity attribute value and configured SRS transmission period. When multi-UEs' SRS are positioned in the same time domain resource and same frequency domain resource, it is also possible to further divide the multi-UEs' SRS automatically by a method of configuring cyclic shift. According to the method of the present invention, the eNB may allocate SRS resources for multi-UEs more flexibly and effectively, which reduces disturbance to multi-UEs' SRS, improves the decoding performance of physical layer, and thus improves the stability of a system.
US09621307B2

A method for transmitting a plurality of uplink messages may include transmitting a first uplink message to a sink device and monitoring a feedback channel for feedback information from the sink device during one or more default feedback reception periods associated with the first uplink message. The method may further include skipping monitoring of the feedback channel during the remaining default feedback reception periods associated with the first uplink message if a number of consecutive default feedback reception periods containing positive feedback information exceeds a threshold, updating the threshold based on a channel quality measure, transmitting a second uplink message, and monitoring or skipping monitoring of the feedback channel during default feedback reception periods associated with a second uplink message based on the updated threshold.
US09621303B2

Aspects of the disclosure provide a circuit including an encoding circuit and a valid circuit. The encoding circuit is configured to encode data to be transmitted as signals on a data bus to satisfy a requirement that limits a number of bit transitions between consecutive transmissions. The valid circuit is configured to selectively corrupt the signals not to satisfy the requirement that limits the number of bit transitions between the consecutive transmissions to indicate whether the signals to be transmitted on the data bus constitute valid data or invalid data.
US09621297B2

An optical communication system comprising an optical link comprising an optical fiber, a first network element coupled to a first end of the optical link and a second network element coupled to a second end of the optical link. The first network element is configured to generate a first optical signal for transmission to the second network element, the first optical signal having a first propagation mode corresponding to a first guided mode of the optical fiber. The second network element is configured to generate a second optical signal for transmission to the first network element, the second optical signal having a second propagation mode, different to the first propagation mode, corresponding to a second guided mode of the optical fiber.
US09621295B1

Methods, systems, and apparatus for overlaying a passive optical network on a legacy optical access network are disclosed. In one aspect a system includes a legacy optical access network in a copper loop plant. The legacy optical access network provides access to customer premises. The system also includes a gigabit passive optical network (GPON) that is overlaid on the legacy optical access network. A fiber is shared by the GPON and the legacy optical access network. The GPON can provide a plurality of channels on the shared fiber at wavelengths that are separate and independent of wavelengths of the legacy optical access network.
US09621294B2

An inter-cell interference coordination procedure in heterogeneous networks (HetNets) is enhanced based on utilization of cell profile data associated with neighbor access points to improve HetNet spectrum efficiency, mobility performance, and/or overall network capacity. In one aspect, a macro access point can receive cell profile data associated with neighbor access points and modify a power level of reduced-power almost blank subframes (ABS) transmitted by the macro access point to manage macro cell capacity. Further, the macro access point can configure the ABS pattern and transmit the ABS pattern to the neighbor access points. Based on the ABS pattern, the neighbor access points can schedule transmissions to user equipment that are located at (or close to) their cell-edge to reduce inter-cell interference.
US09621291B2

Provided is an optical communication cross-connection device for exchanging an OTN signal through optical communications, including: a plurality of OTN signal processing units (OTNsp units) for asynchronously conducting OTN signal processing; and a space switch connected between the plurality of OTNsp units, for conducting bidirectional signal exchange for the OTN signal, in which a first and a second OTNsp units that conduct signal transmission among the plurality of OTNsp units subject the OTN signal to skew processing on one side and deskew processing corresponding to the skew processing on another side between the first and second OTNsp units or between a communicating end-side one of the first and second OTNsp units and a communicating end-side OTNsp unit of an optical communication cross-connection device of a communication counterpart destination for the optical communication cross-connection device, and share a clock for the signal transmission therebetween.
US09621285B2

A power line communication modem is provided including a transmitter configured to transmit a power line signal on at least one carrier of a plurality of carriers via a power line to a further power line communication modem; and a processor configured to allocate transmit powers to individual carriers of the plurality of carriers, wherein the sum of the transmit powers of individual carriers located in the first frequency range is below or equal to a first predetermined power maximum value for the first frequency range. A corresponding power line communication system and a power line communication method are provided as well.
US09621282B2

Embodiments disclosed herein provide systems and methods for acoustically transferring information between systems. In a particular embodiment, a method provides identifying information for acoustic transfer and determining an amount of time corresponding to the information. The method further provides acoustically transmitting a signal at a first time and, upon the amount of time elapsing since the first time, acoustically transmitting the signal at a second time.
US09621280B2

In an example, the present invention includes an integrated system on chip device. The device has a redundancy block is configured to add at least redundancy bit as a function of one or more data bits associated with data for data error detection and correction data. In an example, the driver module is coupled to the signal processing blocking using a uni-directional multi-lane bus configured with N lanes, whereupon N is greater than M such that a difference between N and M represents a redundant lane or lanes. The device also has a mapping block configured to associate the M lanes to a plurality of selected laser devices for a silicon photonics device.
US09621269B2

A multi-port radiator radiates electromagnetic signal in response to a beat frequency of a pair of optical signals. The radiator includes a multitude of optical paths each carrying an optical signal having first and second wavelengths. A multitude of frequency conversion elements convert the optical signals to electrical signals and deliver them to the radiator's multiple ports. The frequency of the electrical signals, and hence the frequency of the electromagnetic wave, is defined by the difference between the first and second wavelengths. The phases of the optical signals received by the frequency conversion elements are shifted with respect to one another. Optionally, the difference between the phases of the optical signals travelling through each pair of adjacent paths is 90°. The first and second wavelengths are generated by a pair of optical sources and are optionally modulated before being combined and delivered to the optical paths.
US09621265B2

A method and system for controlling and monitoring street lights using optical link signaling through free space which does not require an FCC license for operation. The optical link signaling is accomplished in the space between street lights by using LEDs for both area lighting and optical signaling. A Street lighting system luminaire comprises a structural member such as a pole, a lamp comprising one or more LEDs, and an optical receiver that receives optical signaling from one or more other luminaires in street lighting network. The modulator modulates the output of the lamp to launch data into the street lighting system for transport. The optical receiver and modulator enables strobing and flashing modes such as required to support emergency services.
US09621258B2

Bi-directional personal communication systems and processes may be utilized to control unmanned systems. Such systems and processes may enable operator interface with unmanned systems as a replacement or a supplement to use of specialized hardware and rich, graphical interfaces. The bi-directional communication systems and methods also may be integrated as a subsystem within a ground control station. The system may include a personal communications device with a native interface for an operator to select command, control and/or communication (C3) messages to interact with the unmanned system, and a communication link operable to send the C3 messages selected by the operator to the unmanned system, wherein the unmanned system includes a receiver that receives the C3 messages over the communication link and an onboard computing device that processes and responds to the C3 messages received by the receiver.
US09621253B2

Technologies are generally provided for single-slot bi-directional message exchange that allows two nodes to transmit in the same time-slot at the same frequency. The transmissions may be relayed to the destination node within the same time-slot. An interfering signal generated by each node may appear time-offset in the same time slot as it was transmitted, superimposed on the message signal from the other terminal. Roundtrip and cross-trip delay estimates and channel estimates may be determined at each node. Transmitted signals may be recovered at the destination nodes based on the roundtrip and cross-trip delay estimates and channel estimates.
US09621250B2

It is described a femto access point for providing wireless access for a user equipment to a femto cell of a telecommunication network. The femto access point includes an antenna which is adapted to operate with different spatial characteristic antenna patterns, and a transceiver unit, which is coupled to the antenna and which is adapted to activate at least one of the different spatial characteristic antenna patterns. It is further described a method for providing wireless access for a user equipment to a femto cell of a telecommunication network via a femto access point. The method includes activating at least one spatial characteristic antenna pattern of an antenna of a femto access point, wherein the antenna is adapted to operate with different spatial characteristic antenna patterns.
US09621249B2

Techniques for supporting variable channel bandwidths in a wireless communications network are described. In one embodiment, for example, an apparatus may comprise a processor circuit and a communications management module, and the communications management module may be operable by the processor circuit to determine a channel bandwidth for communication over a channel of a wireless network, transmit a beamforming initiation message comprising a channel bandwidth parameter indicating the determined channel bandwidth, receive a beamforming initiation confirmation message confirming the channel bandwidth parameter, perform a beamforming training sequence to determine one or more beamforming parameters, and transmit one or more messages over the channel according to the determined channel bandwidth and the one or more beamforming parameters. Other embodiments are described and claimed.
US09621242B2

A method of communicating a plurality of transmission layers from at least one cell which is under the control of at least one base station to a user equipment. The plurality of transmission layers includes a data layer and an interference layer which are spatially multiplexed. The data layer includes user data for the user equipment and the interference layer interferes with the data layer. The method includes determining interference layer information relating to the interference layer, transmitting the data layer, the interference layer and a control channel message to user equipment. The control channel message includes a first information field and a second information field.
US09621220B2

A radio device includes: a processor that outputs a transmission signal containing a plurality of signals that are transmitted at different frequencies; an amplifier that amplifies the transmission signal output from the processor; and a transmitter/receiver that transmits by radio the transmission signal amplified by the amplifier and that receives by radio a signal having a frequency different from a frequency of the transmission signal. The processor generates a cancel signal based on the plurality of signals contained in the transmission signal, the cancel signal corresponding to an intermodulation distortion that occurs due to intermodulation among the plurality of signals, and the transmitter/receiver synthesizes the cancel signal generated by the processor with the transmission signal amplified by the amplifier.
US09621212B2

The present disclosure relates to an apparatus for intelligently reducing a specific absorption rate, a protective case and a terminal. The apparatus includes an antenna assembly, a sensing assembly being configured to determine an approach to or a contact of the antenna assembly by a human body; the sensing assembly is also configured to control the antenna assembly for reduction of input power when detecting an approach to or a contact by a human body. By the above means, the apparatus is capable of lowering the input power automatically when the antenna is approached to the human body, therefore reducing the radiation to the human body and reducing the harm thereto.
US09621210B1

A communication device includes a main circuit board, a cable, and an active antenna device. The cable is configured to deliver both a DC (Direct Current) control signal and an RF (Radio Frequency) signal. The active antenna device includes a comparator, a transmission path, a reception path, and an antenna element. The comparator recovers the DC control signal. The antenna element selects the transmission path or the reception path according to the recovered DC control signal, so as to transmit or receive the RF signal.
US09621198B2

With the current initialization procedures defined in the VDSL and ADSL standards, even though the xDSL system could operate in Showtime in an impulse noise environment where symbols are being corrupted, the transceivers would not be able to reach Showtime because initialization would fail due to initialization message failure. Through the use of an improved initialization procedure for communication systems, operation in environments with higher levels of impulse noise is possible.
US09621197B2

An on-off keying (OOK) transmitter and communication method are provided. The OOK transmitter may include a data encoder configured to encode input data into a transmission sequence, a pulse shaper configured to generate pulses based on the transmission sequence, a bi-phase controller configured to generate a control signal to control a random change in phase, between two phases, of a carrier based on the transmission sequence, a bi-phased switch configured to randomly change a phase of the carrier generated by a voltage-controlled oscillator (VCO), based on the control signal, and a power amplifier (PA) configured to generate a transmission signal based on the generated pulses and the carrier with the randomly changed phase. The PA may be a bi-phasing PA, and the bi-phased switch may be included in the bi-phasing PA.
US09621193B1

Various embodiments for data error recovery in a tape storage system, by a processor device, are provided. In one embodiment, a method comprises, in a tape storage system using an iterative hardware decoder, dynamically initializing at least one microcode-initiated decode cycle on a buffered dataset, each iterative decode cycle providing an error feedback loop.
US09621184B2

A ΔΣ D/A converter for converting a digital input data to an analog output signal, includes: a ΔΣ modulator configured to generate a first data by ΔΣ-modulating the digital input data; a digital filter configured to generate a second data by smoothing the first data; and a D/A converter configured to convert the second data to the analog output signal.
US09621180B1

A data converter includes a single-end capacitive digital to analog converter (DAC); a transconductance (GM) buffer having an output, a positive input coupled to the DAC and a negative input coupled to the output; a resistor and a capacitor load in parallel coupled to the output at one terminal and to ground at the other terminal. The developed architecture of comprising single end capacitive DAC and GM-based buffer provides fast conversion rate, low current consumption, small silicon area and wide supply range for general-purpose auxiliary DAC applications.
US09621176B2

The present invention is directed to data communication. More specifically, embodiments of the present invention provide an offset correction technique for a SERDES system. A CTLE module for receiving input data signal is set to an isolation mode, and one or more sense amplifiers perform data sampling asynchronously during the isolation mode. During the isolation mode, CLTE(s) that are not directly connected to the sense amplifiers are shut. Data sampled during the isolation mode are used to determine an offset value that is later used in normal operation of the SERDES system. There are other embodiments as well.
US09621175B2

Provided are, among other things, systems, apparatuses, methods and techniques for converting a continuous-time, continuously variable signal into a sampled and quantized signal. One such apparatus includes an input line for accepting an input signal that is continuous in time and continuously variable, multiple processing branches coupled to the input line, and an adder coupled to outputs of the processing branches, with each of the processing branches including a bandpass noise-shaping circuit, a sampling/quantization circuit coupled to an output of the bandpass noise-shaping circuit, a digital bandpass filter coupled to an output of the sampling/quantization circuit, and a line coupling an output of the sampling/quantization converter circuit back into the bandpass noise-shaping circuit. A center frequency of the digital bandpass filter in each processing branch corresponds to a stopband region in a quantization noise transfer function for the bandpass noise-shaping circuit in the same processing branch.
US09621173B1

Circuits of a TAF-DPS clock generator implemented on programmable logic chip comprise: 1) a base time unit generator created from configurable blocks, or on-chip PLL, or on-chip DLL, said base time unit generator produces a plurality of phase-evenly-spaced-signals; 2) a TAF-DPS frequency synthesizer created by configuring configurable blocks of said programmable logic chip, said TAF-DPS frequency synthesizer takes said plurality of phase-evenly-spaced-signals as its input. Methods of creating flexible clock signal to drive application comprise: 1) selecting one or more strategic areas in said programmable logic chip; 2) creating one or more TAF-DPS clock generator for each said area by using the configurable resource in said area; 3) creating control function to control the frequency and duty-cycle of the TAF-DPS clock generator output, said control function can be circuit created from configuring configurable blocks, said control function can also be achieved by software; 4) driving the circuits in application by the flexible clock generated from said TAF-DPS clock generator.
US09621166B1

Certain aspects of the present disclosure provide methods and apparatus (e.g., a level shifter) for buffering an oscillating signal generated by an oscillator. One example apparatus generally includes an amplifier having a first amplification stage configured to amplify the oscillating signal generated by the oscillator and a second amplification stage configured to amplify an inverse of the oscillating signal generated by the oscillator; and a sensing circuit configured to adjust an operational bandwidth of the amplifier based on a frequency of the oscillating signal.
US09621160B2

Integrated circuit devices and methods of operating integrated circuit devices are useful in impedance adjustment. Integrated circuit devices include a signal driver circuit having an output node, a voltage node, and a first termination device and a second termination device connected in parallel between the voltage node and the output node. The first termination device and the second termination device each have a particular configuration of switchable resistances, and different strengths. Methods include connecting a node of the integrated circuit device to a first voltage node through a reference resistance, connecting the node to a second voltage node through a termination device, adjusting a resistance value of the termination device and comparing a resulting voltage level to a reference voltage. The reference voltage has a voltage level different than half-way between a voltage level of the first voltage node and a voltage level of the second voltage node.
US09621159B2

According to an embodiment, a reconfigurable semiconductor integrated circuit includes first and second blocks. The first block includes first memories; and second memories; a selector selecting one first memory and one second memory; a first logic circuit whose logic is determined according to data read from the selected first memory; and a first switch circuit that is connected to first wires and switches connection between the first wires according to data read from the selected second memory, a part of the first wires being connected to the first logic circuit. The second block includes third and fourth memories; a second logic circuit whose logic is determined according to data read from the third memory; and a second switch circuit that is connected to second wires and switches connection between the second wires according to data read from the fourth memory, a part of the second wires being connected to the second logic circuit.
US09621157B2

A sampling circuit for sampling an input voltage and generating an output voltage, comprising six switches, a capacitor and a voltage buffer. The first switch has a control terminal and makes the output voltage equal to the input voltage when switching on. The second switch is coupled to a first terminal of the capacitor and a first level. The third switch is coupled to a second terminal of the capacitor and a second level. The fourth switch is coupled to the first terminal of the capacitor and the control terminal. The fifth switch is coupled to the control terminal and the second level. The voltage buffer has large input impedance, and has an input receiving the input voltage, an output providing a voltage equal or close to the input voltage. The sixth switch is coupled to the second terminal of the capacitor and the output of the voltage buffer.
US09621151B2

A driver IC includes a ring-shaped termination area, and a first area and a second area that are respectively arranged outside and inside the termination area on a layout. A sense MOS that is arranged between floating terminal and a first sense node and is driven at a power supply voltage is formed in the termination area. A fault detection circuit that detects presence of a fault when a voltage of the first sense node is higher than a decision voltage that has been deteLutined in advance in a period of time that a low side driver is driving a low side transistor into an ON state is formed in the first area.
US09621148B2

Switching circuits are implemented in a manner that facilitates fast switching, which can be effected while also maintaining relatively low power dissipation. As may be implemented in connection with one or more embodiments, an apparatus includes a transistor connected between an input port and an output port, and a gate that switches between on and off states. A charge storage circuit stores a charge, and a switching circuit operates by switching the transistor between the on and off states as follows. In a first charging mode, a voltage is coupled across the charge storage circuit and a charge is stored therein, while decoupling the transistor from the charge storage circuit. In a second discharge mode, the transistor is switched from the off state to the on state, while coupling the stored charge across the gate and one of the source and drain of the transistor.
US09621146B2

A digital current equalization method includes: acquiring a current value from a counter preset value loading module in each synchronization period; generating a continuous variable frequency pulse according to the current value, and receiving a synchronization signal transmitted by a phase inverter connected to the PFM generator; transmitting, according to the synchronization signal, the continuous variable frequency pulse to the digital current equalization bus through an OC gate of a triode connected to the PFM generator; counting a frequency of the continuous variable frequency pulse on the digital current equalization bus, where an acquired frequency count value is used to represent a current magnitude of a power supply module, which currently outputs a greatest current, of the foregoing power supply module and a power supply module connected in parallel with the foregoing power supply module to accordingly adjust the output current of the foregoing power supply module.
US09621141B1

In an integrated circuit, a resettable data latch and a second resettable data latch at ends of a pipeline in a frequency-comparison circuit receive input clocks. This pipeline operates asynchronously and includes at least a pair of flow-control elements separated by a NAND-gate detector circuit. Moreover, the resettable data latch and the second resettable data latch selectively generate tokens and spaces based on rising or falling edges of the input clocks. Then, the frequency-comparison circuit moves the tokens and the spaces in the pipeline between the ends based on a difference in fundamental frequencies of the input clocks. Furthermore, arbiter circuits in the frequency-comparison circuit provide output signals based on changes in numbers of tokens proximate to the ends, to indicate how at least one of the input clocks should be adjusted so that the fundamental frequencies converge on a common value.
US09621140B1

An electronic circuit has a current generator circuit that generates a two-state output current signal for which a transition between states is altered.
US09621135B1

A voltage level shifter including a voltage converting unit to convert an input voltage into a current; a voltage level shifting unit to drive a driving voltage based on the current and shift a voltage level of the driving voltage when a modulation voltage is applied at a first voltage level to a floating ground; a circuit driving voltage supply unit to supply a circuit driving voltage and further to generate a shifted voltage level of the circuit driving voltage when the modulation voltage is applied at the first voltage level; and an output unit to supply an output voltage based on the circuit driving voltage and the driving voltage, and further supply the output voltage at a second voltage level based on the shifted voltage level of the driving voltage and the circuit driving voltage when the modulation voltage is applied at the first voltage level is disclosed.
US09621134B2

A level shifter in a primary voltage domain has a control module receiving an input signal from a secondary voltage domain for controlling operation of the level shifter. The control module includes a complementary pair of transistors and a first native transistor connected in a series current conduction path in the primary voltage domain. The complementary pair of transistors have gates connected to receive the input signal and the first native transistor has a gate connected to limit to a leakage current the current in the series current conduction path.
US09621131B2

Systems and methods are provided for an adjustable filter engine. In particular, an electronic system is provided that can include a focus module, memory, and control circuitry. In some embodiments, the focus module can include an adjustable filter engine and a motor. By using the adjustable filter engine to generate a filter with a large number of filter coefficients, the control circuitry can accommodate a variety of system characteristics. For example, by generating a set of cumulative coefficients and re-arranging the order of the cumulative coefficients, the control circuitry can reduce the bit-width requirements of the adjustable filter engine hardware. For instance, the control circuitry can reduce the number of multipliers required to perform a convolution between an updated filter and one or more input signals. In some embodiments, the updated filter can be generated to reduce oscillations of the motor movement due to a new position request.
US09621123B2

Embodiments herein include a replica communication path and monitor circuit to provide increased common mode transient immunity. As its name suggests, the monitor circuit monitors the replica communication path and produces an adjustment signal (common mode transient adjustment signal) to cancel presence of a common mode transient signal in one or more other communication paths conveying data signals.
US09621117B2

Methods and systems for a configurable low-noise amplifier with programmable band-selection filters may comprise a receiver with a low-noise amplifier (LNA) with differential output terminals; a low pass filter operably coupled to the LNA; a high pass filter operably coupled to the second input terminal of the LNA; and a signal source input coupled to the low pass filter and the high pass filter. The LNA may be operable to receive signals in a pass band of the high pass filter and a pass band of the low pass filter. The receiver may be operable to amplify input signals in the pass band of a first filter but not signals in the pass band of the second filter by operably coupling the second to ground.
US09621111B2

Apparatus and methods for envelope shaping in power amplifier systems are provided. In certain implementations, a power amplifier system includes a modulator for generating a RF signal, a power amplifier for amplifying the RF signal, a gain control circuit for controlling the gain of the power amplifier, and an envelope tracking system for controlling a voltage level of the power amplifier's supply voltage based on an envelope signal corresponding to the RF signal's envelope. The gain control circuit includes a gain adjustment table, and the envelope tracking system includes an envelope shaping circuit including an isodistortion table. The isodistortion table can be used to map the envelope signal to a shaped envelope signal so as to maintain a substantially constant distortion in the system's transmit and/or receive bands across the envelope signal's range.
US09621110B1

A power amplifier of the present invention comprises a first cascode including a MOSFET and a JFET and a first capacitor electrically connected between the source and the drain of the JFET. Two such power amplifiers in parallel form a differential power amplifier. In the differential amplifier a second capacitor can be electrically connected between the source and the drain of the second JFET. Another differential power amplifier comprises a first capacitor electrically connected between the gate of the first MOSFET and the source of the second MOSFET, and a second capacitor electrically connected between the gate of the second MOSFET and the source of the first MOSFET. Some of these differential power amplifiers also include capacitors electrically connected between the sources and the drains of the JFETs.
US09621103B2

A circulating current and oscillating current suppressing method and parallel inverter driver system are disclosed. Each inverter driver outputs a suppressing three-phase current to a motor and has an entity inductance device and a virtual inductance device. The virtual inductance device receives and sums the suppressing three-phase current of the inverter drivers, and generates a compensated three-phase current according to the suppressing three-phase currents, an impedance of the motor and an ideal impedance value generated by a virtual inductance unit and the entity inductance device. Consequently, the oscillating current of the transition three-phase current outputted from a switch device of the inverter driver can be reduced. In addition, the circulating current suppressing device generates a corrected three-phase voltage command according to a zero-sequence current and/or the circulating current quantity of the parallel inverter driver system, thereby suppressing the zero-sequence current and the circulating current of the parallel inverter driver system.
US09621100B2

To provide a vehicular AC electric generator provided with a highly reliable electric power conversion unit. A stator of a rotary electric machine is configured to have a plurality of sets of three-phase windings, an electric power conversion unit is configured to have a plurality of sets of three-phase bridge circuits corresponding to the plurality of sets of three-phase windings, each of the three-phase windings of the stator is connected to a DC power supply via the corresponding three-phase bridge circuits of the electric power conversion unit, the plurality of sets of three-phase bridge circuits are controlled to be at different switching timings from each other, and semiconductor switches constituting respective arms in the plurality of sets of three-phase bridge circuits are configured to be one-chip MOSFETs.
US09621092B2

An induction motor control apparatus controls an induction motor connected to drive wheels by setting a motor torque command value on the basis of vehicle information. The induction motor control apparatus calculates a first torque current command value and a first excitation current command value on the basis of the motor torque command value and estimates a rotor magnetic flux on the basis of the first excitation current command value. The induction motor control apparatus calculates a first torque command value on the basis of an estimated value of the rotor magnetic flux and the first torque current command value. Further the induction motor control apparatus calculates a second torque command value by applying filter processing to the first torque command value, a natural vibration frequency component of a drive shaft torque transmission system in a vehicle being removed in the filter processing. Then the induction motor control apparatus controls drive of the induction motor on the basis of the first excitation current command value and the second torque current command value.
US09621091B2

A system for controlling an automotive vehicle three-phase electric machine supplied via chopped voltages, including: a mechanism determining settings of current of phases of the electric machine as a function of a torque request from a driver; a regulating mechanism to determine voltages of each phase as a function of corresponding settings of current; a mechanism correcting torque oscillations, which can determine powers of each phase, to determine whether speed of rotation of the magnetic field exceeds a threshold value, to carry out a bandpass filtering of the powers, and to determine attenuation currents relating to each phase as a function of the post-filtering powers; subtractors configured to subtract the attenuation currents relating to each phase from the settings of current of the corresponding phases, destined for the regulating mechanism.
US09621089B2

A control apparatus of an AC generator for a vehicle can obtain large regeneration energy without making the size of the generator large. In the control apparatus in which an AC output current is rectified and supplied to a vehicle mounted battery (6) and an electric load of the vehicle, provision is made for a regulator (5) that controls a continuity rate of electric power supply to a field coil (3) of a generator (1) by controlling an output voltage of the generator (1). The regulator (5) suppresses the continuity rate of electric power supply to the field coil (3) at the time of steady operation of the vehicle, and switches a suppression value of the continuity rate of electric power supply so as to increase the continuity rate of electric power supply at the time of deceleration operation of the vehicle.
US09621084B2

A thrust compensation system of a dual-winding voice coil motor, which is used for driving the voice coil motor having main windings (100) and secondary windings (200), wherein the secondary windings (200) of the voice coil motor are between each pair of the main windings (100). The system includes a switch drive circuit of the main windings (800) which is powered by a first controlled voltage source to drive the main windings (100) adopted as the main working windings of the voice coil motor and used for providing the output electromagnetic force required by the driving system of the voice coil motor in work; a switch drive circuit of the secondary windings (900) which is powered by a second voltage source to drive the secondary windings (200) adopted as compensation windings, and used for providing the thrust ripple opposite to the main windings (100) so as to compensate the thrust ripple of the main windings (100) and keep the resultant force of the output of the main windings (100) and the secondary windings (200) of the voice coil motor in constant; wherein the voltages Udc1 and Udc2 of the first and second controlled voltage sources of the main windings (100) and the second windings (200) are configured as meeting a certain relationship.
US09621063B2

A power converter can be controlled to generate a target output power based on a reactive power reference and an active power reference. The control process may include monitoring a time-varying power signal (e.g., a power grid voltage signal from a power grid), and filtering the time-varying power signal to derive a filtered sine component of the time-varying power signal and a filtered cosine component of the time-varying power signal. A sine coefficient and cosine coefficient each based on at least the reactive power reference and the active power reference can be determined, and applied to the filtered sine component and filtered cosine component of the time-varying power signal, respectively. A target current reference of the power converter can then be set to include a sum of the current reference sine component and the current reference cosine component.
US09621062B2

An apparatus may include a dimmer output voltage emulator for causing a power converter interface circuit to draw current from a capacitor in the power converter interface during a period of time when a dimmer coupled to the power converter interface circuit is non-conducting to generate an emulated dimmer output voltage. The emulated dimmer output voltage may emulate part of a cycle of a non-zero AC dimmer output voltage of the dimmer after a triac of the dimmer prematurely stops conducting that would occur if the triac continued conducting during the part of the cycle. The dimmer output voltage emulator may include a pull-down circuit to pull down current of the interface circuit and generally decrease the emulated dimmer output voltage during a first period of time and a hold circuit to maintain the emulated dimmer output voltage below a substantially non-zero threshold value during a second period of time.
US09621052B2

A switched mode power supply comprises a switched mode converter (12) and a controller for controlling the switched mode converter, wherein the switched mode converter is provided for converting an input voltage (Vin) to an output voltage (Vout) and includes, on a primary side, a primary winding (X1) and a controllable switch based circuitry (31) connecting the input voltage over the primary winding; and, on a secondary side, a secondary winding (X2) coupled to the primary winding, and a capacitive element (C) connected over the secondary winding, wherein the output voltage is obtained as the voltage over the capacitive element. The primary winding comprises a first winding portion (np1) and at least one further winding portion (np2); and the switch based circuitry comprises controllable switches (Q11, Q41, Q12, Q42, Q21, Q31) capable of switching between a first operation state wherein the input voltage is connected only over the first winding portion and at least a second operation state wherein the input voltage is connected over the first and the at least one further winding portions, thereby enabling switching between two different transformer ratios (n1, n2).
US09621050B2

A switch mode power converter (SMPC) includes a switching control system to control the turn off time delay of a switching device. The SMPC also has an inductive component including an input winding to receive power from an input and a switching device to conduct input winding current. The switching control system applies turn on and turn off signals to the switching device. The turn off signal initiates turning off of the switching device and a sensing signal from a further winding inductively coupled to the input winding is detected to indicate an end of a turn off time delay or duration. The turn on signal for a subsequent switching cycle of the SMPC device is controlled to regulate the turn off delay time.
US09621032B2

Voltage generation circuits are useful in the generation of internal voltages for use in integrated circuits. Voltage generation circuits may include a stage capacitance and a voltage isolation device connected to the stage capacitance. The voltage isolation device may include a first current path between an input and an output of the voltage isolation device through a diode, and a second current path between the input and the output of the voltage isolation device through a gate. The gate is responsive to the contribution of a low-pass filter between the output of the voltage isolation device and the gate, and to the contribution of a high-pass filter between a clock signal node and the gate.
US09621030B2

A DC voltage conversion module includes a substrate, an input terminal, an output terminal, a ground terminal, a DC voltage conversion control element mounted on the substrate, a coil mounted on the substrate and connected to the DC voltage conversion control element and the output terminal, an input-side capacitor mounted on the substrate and connected to the input terminal and the ground terminal, and an output-side capacitor mounted on the substrate and connected to the output terminal and the ground terminal. The input terminal, the output terminal and the ground terminal project in a predetermined projecting direction parallel to each other. The ground terminal is arranged between the input terminal and the output terminal in a direction perpendicular to the projecting direction.
US09621028B2

A PFC circuit having a switching circuit and a control circuit, the control circuit controls an operation mode of the switching circuit based on an input current and a switching frequency of the switching circuit, when the switching circuit works under a continuous current mode, the switching circuit is turned ON when the input current is less than an OFF current reference signal, and when the switching circuit works under a first discontinuous mode or a second discontinuous mode, the switching circuit is turned ON after a turn ON delay time period when the input current is less than the OFF current reference signal.
US09621027B2

An apparatus is capable of improving the power factor of a power supply powered by a high power line and a ground power line. The apparatus comprises a line voltage detector and an ON time controller. The line voltage detector provides a scaled voltage to represent a line voltage of the high power line. The ON time controller has a valley voltage detector, which provides, in response to the scaled voltage, a valley representative representing a valley voltage of the line voltage. The ON time controller controls an ON time of a power switch in the power supply in response to the valley representative.
US09621024B2

A power supply device supplies DC power to a load and includes: a shunt resistor connected in series to a low-potential side of the load; a power supply control device for controlling a power supply state to the load according to an amount of a voltage drop across the shunt resistor; a ground fault detection element connected in series to the low-potential side of the load to cause a voltage drop; and a limiting device for limiting a supply of power by the power supply control device by determining that a ground fault occurs in a case where an amount of a voltage drop, which occurs when a detection current flows through the ground fault detection element, is less than a predetermined threshold.
US09621020B2

A control circuit for controlling a switching device having a first terminal, a second terminal, and a control terminal is disclosed. The control circuit includes a first diode for coupling to the first terminal of the switching device, a second diode for coupling to the second terminal of the switching device, a first transistor for coupling to the control terminal of the switching device, and a second transistor coupled to the second diode. The first transistor is coupled to the first diode. The control circuit is configured to allow current flow in only one direction between the first and second terminals of the switching device.
US09621019B2

A controller includes a multiplier block that is coupled to receive an input voltage signal, an input current signal, and an output voltage signal that are representative of a power conversion system. The multiplier block outputs a multiplier block output signal responsive to a product of the input voltage signal and the input current signal divided by the output voltage signal. A signal discriminator outputs a error signal responsive to the multiplier block output signal. The error signal is representative of a difference between a portion of the multiplier block output signal that is greater than a reference signal and a portion of the multiplier block output signal that is less than or equal to the reference signal. A switch controller generates a drive signal responsive to the error signal to control switching of a power switch to regulate an average output current of the power conversion system.
US09621011B2

An electric machine, such as a generator, providing for the generation of electricity and includes a rotor generating a magnetic field and a stator having stator windings. The interaction of the magnetic field with the stator windings generates current in the windings. The generator may provide the generated current to a power output of the generator, where it may be further transmitted to an electrical load to power the load.
US09621008B2

A power generator has a power generation unit for generating electric power, a rotary unit and a power transmission unit. The power generation unit includes a stator having a stator core and a rotor disposed in the stator. The rotor has a rotor shaft and a driven gear disposed on the rotor shaft and is configured to be driven to rotate the rotor shaft. The rotary unit has a driving gear for undergoing rotational movement to rotate the rotor shaft via the driven gear to generate electric power. The power transmission unit has an intermediate gear for transmitting a rotational force of the driving gear of the rotary unit to the driven gear of the rotor shaft. The intermediate gear has at least one rotary shaft disposed inside of the stator core.
US09621003B2

A method may involve winding a stator of a motor having m phases, wherein the stator includes n teeth. The method may include winding a wire around a first tooth of the stator and winding the wire around a second tooth of the stator, wherein the second tooth is ( n 2 ⁢ m - 1 ) teeth from the first tooth. The method may also include winding the wire around a third tooth of the stator, wherein the third tooth is [ ( m - 1 ) * ( n 2 ⁢ m ) ] + 1 teeth from the second tooth. The method may also include winding the wire around a fourth tooth of the stator, wherein the fourth tooth is ( n 2 ⁢ m - 1 ) teeth from the third tooth. The method may also include winding the wire around a fifth tooth of the stator, wherein the fifth tooth is [ ( m - 1 ) * ( n 2 ⁢ m ) ] + 2 teeth from the fourth tooth.
US09621001B2

A rotor assembly for an electric machine includes a plurality of lamination sheets. Each of the lamination sheets defines an aperture. The lamination sheets are disposed adjacent each other to define a laminated stack. The apertures are aligned with each other to define a slot extending parallel with a central axis of the laminated stack. A magnet is disposed within the slot. The lamination sheets include a group of recess lamination sheets and a tab lamination sheet. The tab lamination sheet includes a tab that extends into the slot, and into abutting engagement with the magnet to bias the magnet against a wall of the slot. The apertures of the group of recess lamination sheets include a groove portion that defines a groove. The tab of the tab lamination sheet is at least partially disposed within the groove defined by the recess lamination sheets.
US09620999B2

A method for synchronizing a high inertial load with a line-start synchronous motor involves providing a rotor core with rotor bars being formed of a highly conductive material. In accordance with one aspect of the method, a user is directed to operatively couple a load to the motor and drive the load from start to at least near synchronous speed during steady state operation of the motor with the load coupled thereto. The load has an inertia that is greater than an inertia associated with a load driven by a like motor subjected to an equivalent range of starting current but having rotor bars formed from a conductive material having a conductivity lower than that the highly conductive material.
US09620997B2

The present invention relates to a flux-switching machine, including a stator having phase windings and field coils, wherein, in the machine, at least one field coil is arranged in a pair of notches separated by at least three teeth.
US09620992B2

A power safety circuit comprises a power sense terminal; an output terminal; an output driver unit connected to the output terminal; an input terminal connectable to receive a first power from a power source and arranged to supply the first power to the output driver unit; and a power detection unit arranged to detect a state of the input terminal and provide a power sense signal to the power sense terminal; wherein the power sense terminal is arranged to supply a second power to the output driver unit when the power sense signal indicates a level of the first power below a minimum level for driving the output terminal. An integrated circuit device comprises at least one power safety circuit. A safety critical system comprises at least one integrated circuit device with at least one power safety circuit.
US09620973B2

An object of the present invention is to provide a portable electronic device, a method, and a computer-readable recording medium, all of which are capable of preventing the portable electronic device from being taken away by another person while charging. The smartphone includes: a touch-screen display; a power receiving unit that receives power from electromagnetic waves that are supplied from a battery charger; and a controller that restricts execution of predetermined functions in a case in which the portable electronic device is separated from the battery charger in a state where the battery charger is supplying electromagnetic waves to the power receiving unit, and enables the predetermined functions to be executed in a case in which an authentication operation is performed via the touch-screen display after restricting execution of the predetermined functions.
US09620966B2

A power receiving device including: a power receiving coil configured to receive power when a power feeding device supplies the power via a magnetic field; an alternating-current power supply configured to apply an alternating voltage to the power receiving coil; and a foreign matter detecting section configured to generate an amount of change in impedance of the power receiving coil from a current induced in the power receiving coil to which the alternating voltage is applied and the alternating voltage, and detect foreign matter between the power receiving coil and the power feeding device on a basis of the amount of change.
US09620963B2

A portable electronic device is provided. The portable electronic device includes a host, a power adapter and a signal transmission interface. The host generates state information according to present operating state, and the power adapter is used to provide a voltage to the host. The power adapter receives the state information of the host via the signal transmission interface, and adjusts the output voltage according to the state information. By transmitting information between the host and the power adapter, the power adapter can be adjusted according to the operating state of the host. Moreover, the host can adjust the operating state according to the specification information of the power adapter. Consequently, the power consuming of the portable electronic device has best efficiency thus to reduce carbon emission.
US09620962B2

A power supply device is connected to an external power supply and supplies electric power to a load. The power supply device includes a battery terminal that is used to connect a secondary battery, a superposition unit that superposes second electric power output from the secondary battery on first electric power supplied from the external power supply, and that outputs resultant electric power to the load; a power consumption amount retrieve unit that retrieves a power consumption amount of the load; and a controller that controls an amount of the second electric power to be output from the secondary battery, based on the power consumption amount.
US09620959B2

A power grid stabilizing system may include a processor and a network interface executable by the processor to monitor for new event data from power consumption devices over a network. The new event data may include information such as device location, operating information, and sensor data. The system may include an estimation engine operable to analyze the new event data to determine power consumption behavior of a consumption device, and a predictor operable to anticipate an occurrence of a future event responsive to the analysis. The predictor may also predict the outcome of the future event based on analysis of the new event data in relation to past behavior data of the consumption device. The network interface may further communicate the anticipated future event and the predicted outcome to one or more of the other consumption devices.
US09620956B2

The present disclosure relates to a junction box for a solar panel, having a protective circuit that defines an operating state and a protected state. The protective circuit includes a short-circuiting switch between the output-side connecting elements of the first and second external connecting lines and an isolating switch between the short-circuiting switch and one of the poles of the solar panel, in which in the protected state, the short-circuiting switch short-circuits the output-side connecting elements of the first and second connecting lines to each other and the isolating switch disconnects the short-circuiting switch from the solar panel on at least one side.
US09620951B2

An overcurrent protection device comprises a maximum-allowed-current unit and a power switch. The maximum-allowed-current unit determines a maximum allowed current in real-time. The maximum allowed current is determined at least partially on an instantaneous level of a load voltage. The load voltage is a voltage across a load to be powered. The power switch is connectable with a switch input to a voltage supply and with a switch output to the load, for providing power to said load. The power switch has a conductive state and a nonconductive state, and is arranged to assume the nonconductive state in response to an indication that a current through the power switch is exceeding the maximum allowed current. A method of operating a power switch is also described.
US09620943B2

A tool for preparing a cable for connectorization. The tool has a portion for stripping a cable jacket and another portion for cutting fibrous strength elements, such as aramid strength elements, relative to the exposed fiber. The strength element cutting portion includes a blade enclosed in a cover that also serves as a handle for the tool. The cover also has a stop edge to ensure that a desired excess length of the strength element remains after cutting the strength element. The excess strength element length can then be used to connectorize the cable.
US09620934B2

A known flip-chip assembly manufacturing process is augmented by process steps of the invention to create a VCSEL flip-chip assembly comprising a plurality of semiconductor devices having respective arrays of a small number of VCSELs thereon, which are mounted on a substrate to form a large array of VCSELs that are precisely optically aligned with their respective optical coupling elements.
US09620932B2

The present invention describes a self mode locking laser and a method for self mode locking a laser. The laser (1) comprises a resonator terminated by first (3) and second (4) mirrors and folded by a third mirror (5). The third mirror comprises a single distributed Bragg reflector (17) upon which is mounted a multilayer semiconductor gain medium (18) and which includes at least one quantum well layer and an optical Kerr lensing layer (22). Self mode locking may be achieved by configuring the laser resonator such that the lensing effect of the Kerr lensing layer acts to reduce an astigmatism deliberately introduced to the cavity mode. The self mode locking of the laser may be further enhanced by selecting the length of the resonator such that a round trip time of a cavity mode is matched with an upper-state lifetime of one or more semiconductor carriers located within the gain medium.
US09620923B2

A device for laterally coupling pump light into a fiber. A fiber runs in a longitudinal direction, having an optically active medium to be pumped and a lateral wall running approximately in the longitudinal direction, and at least one light coupler, at least some part of which runs parallel to the fiber along the lateral wall. The light coupler is an optical waveguide which is optically coupled to the fiber such that pump light propagating in the optical waveguide can be coupled into the fiber via the lateral wall. The efficiency of the pump light coupling is improved by a plurality of windings of the fiber being located alternately with waveguides on a substrate. The pump light can be coupled into all waveguides simultaneously, for example by a prism.
US09620922B2

Disclosed is a lamp block comprising a lamp which is a glass tube having an internal final end and an external final end, wherein said internal final end ends with an electrode that fits directly into a connector placed on the machine into which said lamp is mounted and said external final end ends with an electrode to which a cable is connected, at least one portion of said cable being inserted in a key which is a hollow cylinder. Also disclosed is a laser apparatus suitable to house said lamp block and a method for extracting and housing said lamp block in said laser apparatus. In a preferred embodiment, said apparatus further comprise a system for electronic recognition.
US09620914B2

An electronic device is provided which includes an insertion terminal, a body part, and a support plate part. The insertion terminal has an insertion hole into which an insertion jack is inserted. The body part supports the insertion terminal at one side of the insertion terminal. The support plate part has a support surface being a surface opposite to the insertion terminal and supports the insertion terminal at the other side of the insertion terminal. The body part has an opposite surface opposite to the support surface, a step difference surface having a step difference with the opposite surface and placed to be deeper from the insertion hole on the basis of an insertion direction of an insertion jack than the opposite surface, and an inclined surface joining the opposite surface and the step difference surface. The support plate part transmits the force by which the insertion terminal shakes, to the body part through the inclined surface.
US09620913B2

The present invention provides a flat optical fiber light-streaming cable, wherein a first connection part conforming to the USB specification is installed on one side of the circuit board on which light emitting diodes is installed, and a plurality of junction points are connected to the signal line set and the electric power line set respectively enveloped by a middle cladding layer, optical fibers respectively corresponding to the LEDs and the transparent outer protective layer wrapped on the peripheries thereof are installed between the signal line set and the electric power line set. When the controller drives LEDs to respectively project light sequentially toward the optical fibers, light can pass through the light spots on the surface and present a stream-wise lighting state demonstrating successive and progressive light chasings sequentially per segment, thereby presenting various dynamic lighting effects such as blinking color, colorful water flow or the like.
US09620912B2

Disclosed is a connector module comprising an insulation main body including a slot and groups of connection terminals fixed to the insulation main body, with each group of connection terminals including a first contact piece and a second contact piece. The first contact piece provides an external first contact and internal second and third contacts, arranged along a first direction in the slot. The second contact piece provides an external fourth contact and internal fifth and sixth contacts, arranged along the first direction in the slot and in resilient contact with the second and third contacts, respectively. When an external object enters into the slot in the first direction, contact between the second and fifth contacts or the third and sixth contacts is released.
US09620893B2

Various disclosed embodiments generally relate to connector modules, and more particularly to magnetic connector modules. The connector module includes a board having a concave section formed at a first side, and the concave section has a base surface having formed thereon a plurality of first electrodes. A plurality of second electrodes are formed at a second side of the board opposite the first side and on a rear surface facing away from the base surface. A plurality of holes are formed through the concave section and have conductors formed therethrough to electrically connect the first electrodes and the second electrodes. The connector module additionally includes a magnet inserted into the concave section and an insulating layer interposed between the magnet and the first electrodes.
US09620889B1

Connectors for connecting light emitting diode (LED) strip light to power are disclosed. The connectors include a housing with a first opening sized to accept an LED strip light and a second opening for a power cord or electrical leads. The openings open into an interior cavity with an internal vertical barrier to separate power and ground leads. Gripping structures proximate to the first opening retain the strip light. A gasket or gaskets within the connector seal the connector from the elements. The second opening may carry a strain relief molded to the power cord. Additionally, an adapter or nipple may be provided to connect the connector to conduit.
US09620882B2

A battery connector includes an insulated housing and conductive terminals. The insulated housing includes slots. The conductive terminals are disposed in the slots, respectively. Each conductive terminal includes an elastic connecting portion, a contacting portion, and a fixing portion. The elastic connecting portion includes elastic arms and connecting portions. Each elastic arm is obliquely extending leftwards and rightwards, separated from each other, and arranged sequentially. The connecting portions are formed at two sides of the elastic arms, where each elastic arm forms a rectangular structure by being enclosed from one end to the other end. The contacting portion extends beyond one side of the corresponding slot. The contacting portion includes a bent contacting portion extending from a front side of the elastic connecting portion and bent backwards. The fixing portion extends from a back side of the elastic connecting portion and extends beyond the other side of the corresponding slot.
US09620880B2

A direct plug element for contacting an electrical contact includes: a two-piece flexible direct contact having a first, separate spring element, and a second, separate spring element, the first spring element and the second spring element being situated one behind the other in a contact direction, and a first spring force of the first spring element and a second spring force of the second spring element is directed in essentially the same direction, and the second spring element includes a contact region.
US09620874B2

A circuit board connecting device comprises a first connector having a first fixing metallic member attached to a first insulating housing, a second connector having a second fixing metallic member attached to a second insulating housing, a resilient movable holding member provided on the first connector to have a pair of end portions supported respectively by the first fixing metallic member, and a pair of engaging portions formed on the second fixing metallic member so that the end portions of the resilient movable holding member are caused to engage respectively with the engaging portions when the second insulating housing is coupled with the first insulating housing, wherein each of the engaging portions is constituted with a hole through which the end portion of the resilient movable holding member passes from the outside to the inside of the second fixing metallic member.
US09620869B2

An electrical contact for an electric connector is disclosed having a looped spring portion. The looped spring portion has a connecting end, a contacting end curved back towards the connecting end, and at least one contacting region positioned on the contacting end.
US09620858B2

A compact random media size antenna employing random magnetic and dielectrics nm to mm range size particles in polymer hosts is used to transfer E & M oscillations in 1 kHz to 900 Mhz range using a 1 cm to 1 meter length antenna. This is achieved by using small size particles and a random mean path length of E & M wavefront travel in and about a core tube of effective length matching Leff=L2/2ltr, equivalent to λ/2 for transmitting and receiving E & M radiation, where L is the physical size of the antenna, ltris the transport scattering random walk length between particles and λ is the frequency wavelength.
US09620856B2

Methods for generating weights for the antenna elements (110) in an AESA antenna (100). In one embodiment, transmitting weights are selected to have unit amplitude and quadratic phase, and receiving weights are selected to provide a two-way antenna pattern which is uniform over a useful portion (300) of the main lobe, and decreases rapidly outside of the uniform portion. In another embodiment the transmitting weights have unit amplitude over a central portion of the array and the receiving weights are selected to provide a two-way antenna pattern which is uniform over a useful portion (300) of the main lobe.
US09620844B2

A connector joint support module includes a boss including at least one projection; a connector joint disposed in an area adjacent to the boss, and a bracket disposed to be engaged with the boss while covering at least a portion of the connector joint. An electronic device includes a boss including at least one projection, a connector joint disposed in an area adjacent to the boss, a bracket disposed to be engaged with the boss and to cover at least a portion of the connector joint, a screw recess formed in a female screw shape at a center of the projection of the boss, an antenna carrier or a rear frame disposed to enclose the bracket, and a screw passing through one side of the antenna carrier or the rear frame and engaged with the screw recess of the boss.
US09620840B2

A high-frequency transmission line in which the alternating-current resistance is low and that is hard to disconnect is provided. A high-frequency transmission line 2 is a high-frequency transmission line 2 to transmit an alternating-current electric signal, and contains metal and carbon nanotube, and the carbon nanotube is unevenly distributed at a central part 6 of a cross-section that is of the high-frequency transmission line 2 and that is perpendicular to a transmission direction of the alternating-current electric signal.
US09620839B2

A nonreciprocal device is described. It includes a housing, a waveguide layer and at least one layer of magnetic nanofiber composite. The magnetic nanofiber composite layer is made up of a polymer base layer, a dielectric matrix comprising magnetic nanofibers. The nanofibers have a high aspect ratio and wherein said dielectric matrix is embedded in the polymer base layer.
US09620837B2

A bandpass filter for microwave-frequency wave which is frequency tunable, comprises at least one resonator. Each resonator comprises a cavity having a conducting wall substantially cylindrical in relation to an axis Z, and at least one dielectric element disposed inside the cavity. The resonator resonates on two perpendicular polarizations having respectively distributions of the electromagnetic field in the cavity that are deduced from one another by a rotation of 90° and according to one and the same frequency. The wall of the cavity comprises an insert section facing the element having a different shape from a section not situated facing the element. The insert section and the element are able to perform a rotation with respect to one another in relation to the axis Z so as to define at least a first and a second relative position differing by an angle substantially equal to 45° to within 20°.
US09620833B2

An electric energy store includes a positive electrode, a negative electrode and an oxygen ion conducting electrolyte separating the positive electrode and the negative electrode from each other. The negative electrode includes a first reservoir having a gas-permeable oxidizable material and, contained therein, a gaseous, oxygen-exchanging redox pair. The positive electrode comprises a second reservoir having a gas-permeable oxidizable material and oxygen transport is effected by means of an oxygen-containing gaseous compound, wherein the positive electrode is closed with respect to the atmosphere.
US09620831B2

A cooling element to cool a component of a battery system, and a battery system having at least on cooling element. The cooling element includes a top cooling element part, a bottom cooling element part spatially under the top cooling element part, at least one cooling duct between the top cooling element part and the bottom cooling element part, and through which a cooling medium is to flow, and a Peltier element arranged resting against the bottom cooling element part so as to lie at least partially at the height of the at least one cooling duct.
US09620830B2

A battery pack apparatus is disclosed that reduces the possibility of thermal runaway by improving the transfer of heat from the battery body and apparatus to the coolant by increasing the surface area of contact between the two. Principles of shape charge are used to drive debris, splinters and other particles towards the ground in an automobile in the event of an explosion, thereby reducing the possibility of harm to the driver, occupants and automobile. Fire retardant cartridges are suitably embedded to deter fire and incidental harm to person and automobile.
US09620827B2

A battery system includes a plurality of electrochemical cells provided within a housing. The battery system also includes a thermal management system configured to provide at least one of heating or cooling to the electrochemical cells. The thermal management system includes a solid state coating having a first metal and a second metal different from the first metal. The solid state coating is configured to pass a current therethrough to create a temperature differential across a first surface of the solid state coating and a second surface of the solid state coating to provide the at least one of heating or cooling to the cells.
US09620824B1

Embodiments include methods and products for evaluating microbatteries. The microbattery includes a cathode layer, an anode layer physically separated from the cathode layer, and an electrolyte layer in contact with the anode and the cathode. The microbattery also includes at least one auxiliary electrode in physical contact with the electrolyte layer, the auxiliary electrode containing at least one metal coating and at least one non-conductive film, wherein the at least one metal coating is physically separated from the cathode and the anode.
US09620822B2

The present disclosure provides a method for charging a battery. The method receives a plurality of battery parameters during the period of the battery charging, and the plurality of battery parameters are turned into fuzzification and corresponded to fuzzy rules to map out a fuzzy output. Then the fuzzy output is turned into defuzzification to obtain the value of the charging current. Therefore, the present disclosure can change the charging current adaptively to enhance the charging effect.
US09620816B2

A nonaqueous electrolytic solution that is capable of improving the electrochemical characteristics in a broad temperature range, and an energy storage device using the same are provided, and the nonaqueous electrolytic solution contains a nonaqueous solvent having dissolved therein an electrolyte salt, in which the nonaqueous solvent contains two or more kinds of cyclic carbonates selected from ethylene carbonate, propylene carbonate, 1,2-butylene carbonate, 2,3-butylene carbonate, 4-fluoro-1,3-dioxolan-2-one, trans- or cis-4,5-difluoro-1,3-dioxolan-2-one, vinylene carbonate, vinyl ethylene carbonate and 4-ethynyl-1,3-dioxolan-2-one, and the nonaqueous electrolytic solution further contains a cyclic acid anhydride represented by the following general formula (I) having bonded thereto a side chain that has 3 or more carbon atoms and has a double bond or a triple bond at an end thereof in an amount of from 0.01 to 10% by mass: wherein R1 and R2 each independently represent a hydrogen atom, a halogen atom or an alkyl group having from 1 to 6 carbon atoms, at least one hydrogen atom of which may be substituted by a halogen atom; and R3 represents a linear or branched alkenyl group having from 2 to 4 carbon atoms and having a double bond at an end thereof or a linear or branched alkynyl group having from 2 to 4 carbon atoms and having a triple bond at an end thereof.
US09620812B2

There is provided a lithium ion battery having high flame retardancy and good cycle characteristics on a long-term basis. The lithium ion battery according to this exemplary embodiment is a lithium ion battery comprising a nonaqueous electrolytic solution or gel electrolyte containing a Li salt and an oxoacid ester derivative of phosphoric acid; a group of stacked electrode in which positive electrodes comprising a positive electrode layer comprising a positive electrode active material disposed on at least one surface of a positive electrode current collector, and negative electrodes comprising a negative electrode layer comprising a negative electrode active material disposed on at least one surface of a negative electrode current collector are alternately stacked via separators; and a package containing the nonaqueous electrolytic solution or gel electrolyte and the group of stacked electrode, wherein both of two electrodes A disposed on outermost sides of the group of stacked electrode, respectively, satisfy 0≦(Wc/Wb)≦0.55 when a mass of an electrode active material contained in an electrode active material-coated layer B disposed on a group-of-stacked-electrodes side of an electrode current collector is Wb, and a mass of an electrode active material contained in an electrode active material-coated layer C disposed on a package side of the electrode current collector is Wc.
US09620809B2

A clamping device for an electrochemical cell stack is provided. The clamping device can include a first plate and a second plate. The second plate can be positionable relative to the first plate such that a space between the first plate and the second plate can be sized to receive an electrochemical cell stack. The device also can include a coupling member coupling the first plate to the second plate. At least one of the first and second plates can be movable away from the other plate. The coupling member can have a first end portion and a second end portion. The device further can include an elastic member disposed between the first end portion and the second end portion.
US09620806B2

A battery having flat, stacked, anode and cathode layers. The battery can be adapted to fit within an implantable medical device.
US09620805B2

A solid oxide fuel cell includes a first cell, a second cell and an interconnector. The first cell and the second cell respectively include an anode containing NiO and CaZrO3, a cathode, and a solid electrolyte layer disposed between the anode and the cathode. The interconnector is connected to the anode of the first cell and the current collector of the second cell. The interconnector contains LaCaCrO3. The molar ratio of Ca to Zr in the anode is greater than 1.0.
US09620801B2

An ion exchanger configured to remove an impurity ion of a coolant for cooling a fuel cell, the ion exchanger includes an inflow portion having an inflow path where the coolant enters, a discharge portion having a discharge path for discharging the coolant, an outer casing having an upstream end where the inflow portion is provided and a downstream end where the discharge portion is provided, an inner casing housed inside the outer casing, an outer path formed between the inner casing and the outer casing to cause the inflow path and the discharge path to communicate with each other, and an inner path that is formed inside the inner casing to cause the inflow path and the discharge path to communicate with each other and is configured to enclose an ion exchange resin capable of removing an impurity ion of the coolant. The inner casing has a through-hole that causes the inner path end the outer path to communicate with each other.
US09620800B2

A cell voltage monitoring (CVM) pick-up assembly for a fuel cell stack includes a tab and a contact wire having two ends. A loop is located between the two ends to mount the wire on the tab to resiliently urge one end towards a fuel cell to provide electrical contact with it. Also disclosed is a fuel cell stack that includes a plurality of assemblies.
US09620798B2

Disclosed herein is a humidification device for a fuel cell. The humidification device for a fuel cell, which performs membrane humidification of exhaust gas exhausted from a cathode of a fuel cell and dried air supplied through an air compressor and supplies the humidified air to the cathode, includes: a main membrane module including several bundles of first hollow-fiber membranes disposed in the main membrane module and a sub-membrane module connected to the main membrane module and including several bundles of second hollow fiber membranes disposed in the sub-membrane module.
US09620796B2

A fuel cell system comprises a compressor configured to supply the cathode gas to the fuel cell, an intercooler provided downstream of the compressor and configured to cool the cathode gas discharged from the compressor, a pressure regulating valve configured to adjust a pressure downstream of the intercooler, and a controller. The controller computes a first target pressure of the intercooler downstream pressure according to a target output of the fuel cell and computes a second target pressure of the intercooler downstream pressure according to the intercooler downstream temperature. Then, the controller sets smaller one of the first and second target pressures as a target pressure of the intercooler downstream pressure and controls the compressor and the pressure regulating valve according to the target pressure.
US09620791B2

A flow cell includes a separator and anode that define a flow cavity. The flow cell also includes an electrically conductive corrugated flow screen disposed within the cavity and electrically connected with the anode such that the flow screen, during charge, provides an electric shield to hinder deposition of metal between the anode and flow screen and to promote deposition of metal between the separator and flow screen.
US09620790B2

A method for recycling a plurality of battery cells, the method includes the steps of orienting a plurality of battery cells along a processing path having at least two fluid jets, moving the plurality of battery cells along the processing path proximate the at least two fluid jets, wherein the at least two fluid jets are positioned to cut first and second ends of each of the plurality of battery cells, and cutting the first and second ends of each of the plurality of battery cells with the at least two fluid jets to expose an interior volume of each of the plurality of battery cells.
US09620787B2

In one embodiment, a composition for use in reforming is provided comprising a catalyst material comprising molybdenum dioxide and/or MO2 (where M=Mo, W, Ru, Re, Os, Ir) nanoparticles having an average particle size from about 2 nm to about 1,000 nm; and a substrate, wherein both the molybdenum dioxide and/or MO2 (where M=Mo, W, Ru, Re, Os, Ir) nanoparticles are substantially immobilized on the substrate. In another embodiment an anode for use in a fuel cell is provided comprising the forgoing composition. And in another embodiment a fuel cell is provided comprising the forgoing anode.
US09620786B2

The present application provides a method for fabricating core-shell particles, including: forming a first solution by adding a first metal salt and a first surfactant to a first solvent; forming core particles including a first metal included in the first metal salt by adding a first reducing agent to the first solution; forming a second solution by adding the core particles, a second metal salt, and a second surfactant to a second solvent; and forming core-shell particles by adding a second reducing agent to the second solution and forming shells on the surface of the core particle, in which the first surfactant and the second surfactant are polyoxyethylene, polyoxyethylene sorbitan monolaurate or polyoxyethylene oleyl ether, and core-shell particles fabricated by the method.
US09620779B2

A method is provided for preparing electrically conductive polymer and cellulose nanocomposite particles and nanocomposite materials. Cellulose microparticles coated with a conductive polymer are added to an acid solution for initiating an acid hydrolysis reaction for a prescribed time interval to form conductive polymer coated cellulose nanoparticles. After quenching the acid hydrolysis reaction, the nanoparticles are separated to obtain a colloidal solution of conductive nanoparticles. The conductive nanoparticles may be subsequently formed into a solid nanocomposite material such as a conductive film. Transparent conductive films may be prepared by forming thin layers having a thickness on a micron or submicron scale.
US09620776B2

The present invention relates to a method for preparing a lithium iron phosphate nanopowder coated with carbon, including the steps of (a) preparing a mixture solution by adding a lithium precursor, an iron precursor and a phosphorus precursor in a reaction solvent, (b) putting the mixture solution into a reactor and reacting to prepare amorphous lithium iron phosphate nanoseed particle, and (c) heat treating the lithium iron phosphate nanoseed particle thus to prepare the lithium iron phosphate nanopowder coated with carbon on a portion or a whole of a surface of a particle, and a lithium iron phosphate nanopowder coated with carbon prepared by the above method. A lithium secondary battery including the lithium iron phosphate nanopowder coated with carbon thus prepared as a cathode active material has good capacity and stability.
US09620754B2

A polyolefin microporous membrane that can realize a lithium ion secondary battery having favorable resistance against foreign matters or the like, and high cycle characteristics at a high temperature is provided. The present invention provides a polyolefin microporous membrane having a ratio of tensile strength in a length direction to that in a width direction of 0.75 to 1.25, and a thermal shrinkage rate in the width direction at 120° C. of less than 10%.
US09620749B2

Provided is an electric storage apparatus including: an electric storage device; a circuit module; and an enclosure for housing the electric storage device, wherein: any one thereof includes an engaging portion; any one of the remaining ones includes an engaged portion; and the engaging portion and the engaged portion are engageable with and disengageable from each other.
US09620738B2

A flat panel display device provides a sealing structure for comprising and sealing a display unit disposed in a first region on a substrate. The display unit includes the first region and a second region, and a barrier is disposed in the first region on the substrate, on an outer side of the display unit, and adjacent to the second region. The sealing structure contacts the barrier, and includes at least one first layer of an inorganic material and at least one second layer of an organic material. A method of manufacturing the flat panel display device is also disclosed.
US09620736B2

An organic EL device includes an element substrate above which an organic EL element is provided; a counter substrate arranged so as to face the element substrate; a sealing layer arranged between the organic EL element and the counter substrate, and having at least a first sealing layer made from an inorganic material, a planarized second sealing layer, and a third sealing layer formed from an inorganic material; and a filler arranged between the sealing layer and the counter substrate, in which the counter substrate is arranged in a region spaced by a predetermined gap from any end portion of the element substrate, the filler is arranged so as to protrude to the gap from between the element substrate and the counter substrate, and the end portion of the second sealing layer is covered by the filler.
US09620733B2

Provided are an organic light-emitting display apparatus and a method of manufacturing the same. An organic light-emitting display apparatus includes: a substrate including an active area and a pad area, an anode electrode in the active area, an organic emission layer on the anode electrode, a cathode electrode on the organic emission layer, an auxiliary electrode connected to the cathode electrode, a signal pad in the pad area, and a first pad electrode connected to the signal pad, the first pad electrode covering a top of the signal pad, the first pad electrode being configured to prevent the top of the signal pad from being corroded, wherein the auxiliary electrode includes a first auxiliary electrode and a second auxiliary electrode connected to the first auxiliary electrode through a contact hole, and wherein the first pad electrode includes a same material as the first auxiliary electrode.
US09620723B2

Disclosed is a novel organic semiconductor material which has a twisted quaterphenylene skeleton as a central unit and simultaneously possesses a skeleton having an electron-transporting property and a skeleton having a hole-transporting property at the terminals of the quaterphenylene skeleton. Specifically, the organic semiconductor material has a [1,1′:2′,1″:2″,1′″]quaterphenyl-4-4′″-diyl group, and one of the terminals of the [1,1′:2′,1″:2″,1′″]quaterphenyl-4-4′″-diyl group is bonded to a skeleton having an electron-transporting property such as a benzoxazole group or an oxadiazole group. A skeleton having a hole-transporting property such as diarylamino group is introduced at the other terminal. This structure allows the formation of a compound having a bipolar property, a high molecular weight, an excellent thermal stability, a large band gap, and high triplet excitation energy.
US09620709B2

Embodiments disclosed herein may relate to heating a phase change memory (PCM) cell.
US09620706B2

An apparatus includes a capping layer disposed on top of a free layer. The apparatus also includes a magnetic etch stop layer disposed on top of the capping layer. The capping layer and the magnetic etch stop layer are included in a spin-transfer torque magnetoresistive random access memory (STT-MRAM) magnetic tunnel junction (MTJ) device.
US09620702B2

The present invention relates to an electronic component package, an electronic component package sealing member, and a method for producing the electronic component package sealing member. A through hole 49 is formed in a base 4 so as to pass through between both main surfaces 42 and 43 of a base material of the base 4. An inner side surface 491 of the through hole 49 includes a curved surface 495 that expands outward in a width direction of the through hole 49.
US09620697B2

The present invention provides a thermoelectric conversion material of which the structure is controlled to have nano-order microscopic pores and which has a low thermal conductivity and has an improved thermoelectric performance index. In the thermoelectric conversion material having a thermoelectric semiconductor layer formed on a block copolymer substrate that comprises a block copolymer having microscopic pores, wherein the block copolymer comprises a polymer unit (A) formed of a monomer capable of forming a homopolymer having a glass transition temperature of 50° C. or higher, and a polymer unit (B) formed of a conjugated dienic polymer.
US09620696B2

Compound semiconductors, expressed by the following formula: Bi1-xMxCuwOa-yQ1yTeb-zQ2z. Here, M is at least one element selected from the group consisting of Ba, Sr, Ca, Mg, Cs, K, Na, Cd, Hg, Sn, Pb, Eu, Sm, Mn, Ga, In, Tl, As and Sb; Q1 and Q2 are at least one element selected from the group consisting of S, Se, As and Sb; x, y, z, w, a, and b are 0≦x<1, 0
US09620680B2

An optoelectronic semiconductor body for emitting electromagnetic radiation from the front side with a semiconductor layer sequence and a first electrical contact layer, wherein the semiconductor layer sequence comprises at least one opening that penetrates fully through the semiconductor layer sequence in the direction from the front side to the rear side that is opposite the front side, the first electrical contact layer is arranged at the rear of the semiconductor body, a section of the first electrical contact layer extends from the rear side through the opening to the front side and covers a first sub-region of a front-side main face of the semiconductor layer sequence, and a second sub-region of the front-side main face is not covered by the first electrical contact layer.
US09620675B2

Solid state lighting devices and associated methods of manufacturing are disclosed herein. In one embodiment, a solid state lighting device includes a substrate material having a substrate surface and a plurality of hemispherical grained silicon (“HSG”) structures on the substrate surface of the substrate material. The solid state lighting device also includes a semiconductor material on the substrate material, at least a portion of which is between the plurality of HSG structures.
US09620670B2

Solid state lighting dies and associated methods of manufacturing are disclosed herein. In one embodiment, a solid state lighting die includes a substrate material, a first semiconductor material, a second semiconductor material, and an active region between the first and second semiconductor materials. The second semiconductor material has a surface facing away from the substrate material. The solid state lighting die also includes a plurality of openings extending from the surface of the second semiconductor material toward the substrate material.
US09620664B2

A tool useful in the manufacture of a semiconductor is disclosed. A mold is providing having an interior defining a planar capillary space. A coating substantially covers at least the planar capillary space of the graphite member. The coating is substantially non-reactive to silicon at temperatures greater than approximately 1420 degrees Centigrade.
US09620655B1

Laser foil trim approaches for foil-based metallization of solar cells, and the resulting solar cells, are described. For example, a method of fabricating a solar cell includes attaching a metal foil sheet to a surface of a wafer to provide a unified pairing of the metal foil sheet and the wafer, wherein the wafer has a perimeter and the metal foil sheet has a portion overhanging the perimeter. The method also includes laser scribing the metal foil sheet along the perimeter of the wafer using a laser beam that overlaps the metal foil sheet outside of the perimeter of the wafer and at the same time overlaps a portion of the unified pairing of the metal foil sheet and the wafer inside the perimeter of the wafer to remove the portion of the metal foil sheet overhanging the perimeter and to provide a metal foil piece coupled to the surface of the wafer.
US09620650B2

The present invention provides a transistor having electrically stable characteristics. In addition, the reliability of a semiconductor device including such a transistor is increased. The semiconductor device includes a gate electrode layer, a gate insulating film over the gate electrode layer, an oxide semiconductor stacked film overlapping with the gate electrode layer with the gate insulating film provided therebetween, and a pair of electrode layers in contact with the oxide semiconductor stacked film. In the semiconductor device, the oxide semiconductor stacked film includes at least indium and includes a first oxide semiconductor layer, a second oxide semiconductor layer, and a third oxide semiconductor layer which are sequentially stacked. Further, the first oxide semiconductor layer has an amorphous structure, the second oxide semiconductor layer and the third oxide semiconductor layer include a crystal part whose c-axis is substantially perpendicular to a top surface of the oxide semiconductor stacked film.
US09620646B2

Embodiments of the present invention relate to an array substrate, a manufacturing method thereof and a display device. The manufacturing method of the array substrate comprises: preparing a base substrate; forming a gate electrode pattern on the base substrate; forming a gate insulating layer pattern on the base substrate with the gate electrode pattern formed thereon; and forming an active layer pattern, a pixel electrode pattern and source and drain patterns above the gate insulating layer pattern through a three-gray-tone mask process in one patterning process, wherein the gate electrode pattern, the active layer pattern, the source pattern and the drain pattern constitute a thin film transistor.
US09620637B2

A semiconductor device formed in a semiconductor substrate includes a source region, a drain region, a gate electrode, and a body region disposed between the source region and the drain region. The gate electrode is disposed adjacent at least two sides of the body region, and the source region and the gate electrode are coupled to a source terminal. A width of the body region between the two sides of the body region is selected so that the body region is configured to be fully depleted.
US09620636B2

A semiconductor device includes field electrode structures regularly arranged in lines in a cell area and forming a first portion of a regular pattern. Termination structures are formed in an inner edge area surrounding the cell area, wherein at least portions of the termination structures form a second portion of the regular pattern. Cell mesas separate neighboring ones of the field electrode structures from each other in the cell area and include first portions of a drift zone, wherein a voltage applied to a gate electrode controls a current flow through the cell mesas. At least one doped region forms a homojunction with the drift zone in the inner edge area.
US09620626B2

Methods of fabricating semiconductor structures involve the formation of fins for finFET transistors having different stress/strain states. Fins of one stress/strain state may be employed to form n-type finFETS, while fins of another stress/strain state may be employed to form p-type finFETs. The fins having different stress/strain states may be fabricated from a common layer of semiconductor material. Semiconductor structures and devices are fabricated using such methods.
US09620619B2

A borderless contact structure or partially borderless contact structure and methods of manufacture are disclosed. The method includes forming a gate structure and a space within the gate structure, defined by spacers. The method further includes blanket depositing a sealing material in the space, over the gate structure and on a semiconductor material. The method further includes removing the sealing material from over the gate structure and on the semiconductor material, leaving the sealing material within the space. The method further includes forming an interlevel dielectric material over the gate structure. The method further includes patterning the interlevel dielectric material to form an opening exposing the semiconductor material and a portion of the gate structure. The method further includes forming a contact in the opening formed in the interlevel dielectric material.
US09620609B2

A thin film transistor display panel according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention includes a substrate, a first insulating layer formed on the substrate, a semiconductor layer formed on the first insulating layer, a second insulating layer formed on the semiconductor layer, and a gate electrode formed on the second insulating layer, in which the first insulating layer includes a light blocking material, and a thickness of the first insulating layer is greater than or equal to a thickness of the second insulating layer.
US09620608B2

An object is to use an electrode made of a less expensive material than gold (Au). A semiconductor device comprises: a first titanium layer that is formed to cover at least part of a semiconductor layer and is made of titanium; an aluminum layer that is formed on the first titanium layer on opposite side of the semiconductor layer and mainly consists of aluminum; a titanium nitride layer that is formed on the aluminum layer on opposite side of the first titanium layer and is made of titanium nitride; and an electrode layer that is formed on the titanium nitride layer on opposite side of the aluminum layer and is made of copper.
US09620606B2

The present disclosure relates to the field of liquid crystal display, and provides a method for manufacturing a TFT and the TFT thereof. The TFT includes: a base substrate; a gate electrode with a three-dimensional structure formed on the base substrate; a gate insulating layer for completely covering a top face and two side faces of the gate electrode; a semiconductor layer for completely covering a top face and two side faces of the gate insulating layer; a buffer layer for covering a top face and two side faces of the semiconductor layer at two ends of the semiconductor layer; and source and drain electrodes for completely covering a top face and two side faces of the buffer layer, wherein the semiconductor layer of the TFT is of a three-dimensional structure.
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