US09674753B2
Embodiments of a system and method for reporting uplink control information (UCI) are generally described herein. In some embodiments, a first and second component carrier (CC) is provided for a user equipment (UE). The first and second CC are configured with transmission mode (TM) 10 and TMs 1-9, respectively. A first channel state information (CSI) report for the first CC with TM 10 and a second CSI report for the second CC with at least one of TMs 1-9 are scheduled for transmission in a subframe. A collision is detected between the first and second CSI reports. Priority is assigned to the first CSI report or the second CSI report based on a prioritization parameter. The prioritized CSI report is transmitted based the prioritization parameter.
US09674752B2
A mobile station apparatus receives information indicating an event and parameters for evaluating a condition of the event using a first cell or a second cell wherein the condition of the event is evaluated for a neighboring cell on associated frequency of the second cell. A base station apparatus configures the first cell and the second cell. The mobile station apparatus also determines whether the neighboring cell is an applicable cell based on one or more cell identifications and evaluates the condition of the event, where the second cell is not an applicable cell when the first cell and the second cell are used for a carrier aggregation.
US09674750B2
In a mobile network with a plurality of access networks, a control node controls access of a user equipment to that one of the access networks which is currently used by the user equipment. The control node determines an access capability of the user equipment in the access network. The access capability includes whether an IP Multimedia Subsystem (IMS) voice over Packet Switched (PS) session is supported. The control node provides an indication of the determined access capability to a Home Subscriber Server (HSS) associated with the user equipment. The indication may then be retrieved from the HSS and used to control termination of a connection to the user equipment.
US09674748B2
A method for network handover includes sending a first message that includes first information to a second network, where the first information is used to indicate that a user equipment needs to be handed over from a first network to the second network, so that a target gateway device allocates, to the user equipment according to at least the first information sent by the second network, a second Internet Protocol (IP) address that is the same as a first IP address and used when a second packet data network (PDN) connection is established by using the second network and the target gateway device, where the first IP address is an IP address used when the user equipment establishes a first PDN connection by using the first network and the target gateway device. Therefore, service continuity is ensured after a network handover.
US09674743B2
The present invention relates to a wireless communication system. More specifically, the present invention relates to a method and a device for performing measurement objects in the wireless communication system, the method comprising: receiving measurement configuration indicating an object to be measured; determining activating or deactivating measurement of the object depending on an activation condition; and measuring the object when the measurement of the object is activated.
US09674742B2
A method in a cellular radio network, the method comprising, at a first basestation, synchronizing physical radio resource time-frequency radio resource units for the first basestation and a second, neighboring basestation, and determining that the first basestation intends to transmit at reduced power for, or not transmit on, one or more given time-frequency radio resource units selected from the set of available time-frequency radio resource units and determining that the second basestation intends to transmit normally on the given time-frequency radio resource unit(s). As a result of the determination, a threshold for switching of user equipment (UE) from the first to the second base station is lowered, where the UEs are to be allocated to the one or more given time-frequency radio resource units of the second basestation following switching.
US09674740B2
Cooperating nodes, and methods therein, for mobility procedures in a wireless communication system supporting UE groups. One of the cooperating nodes is a base station being associated with a UE group comprising UEs having correlated mobility related parameters. The method in the base station comprises receiving, from a first UE in the UE group, a mobility related parameter associated with the first UE. The method further comprises determining whether to initiate a mobility related procedure for a second UE in the UE group based on the received mobility related parameter; and further comprises initiating the mobility related procedure for the second UE when it is determined that the mobility related procedure is to be performed. Thereby, prediction and decisions related to mobility events, e.g. handover events, for the second UE or for the whole group may be performed e.g. before or without receiving any mobility information related to the second UE, thereby enabling early prediction and better preparation, which can lead to more robust mobility procedures.
US09674732B2
Methods and apparatus are described for improving the transmission of information over wireless communication channels. These techniques include determining available communication channels for transmitting information and determining possible physical layer packet sizes of the available channels. An information unit is partitioned into portions wherein the size of the portions are selected so as to match one of the physical layer packet sizes of the available communication channels. Another aspect is partitioning the information into a number of slices that correspond to the number of transmissions that occur during the information unit interval and assigning each partition to a corresponding transmission. The techniques can be used for various types of information, such as multimedia data, variable bit rate data streams, video data, or audio data.
US09674727B2
Methods, systems, and devices are described for dynamic cell mode indication and reporting channel and interference feedback for dormant cells in a carrier aggregation environment. Indicators of cell mode for one or more secondary cells are sent using a transmission mechanism and may configure active or dormant sub-periods within the indicated periods. Indicators of cell mode for a secondary cell may be transmitted on a carrier of the primary cell, or the indicators may be transmitted on carriers of the secondary cell. Dormancy may also be indicated by the presence or absence of a cell mode indicator for predetermined time periods. When CSI measurements occur for a carrier of a dormant cell, the UE may report CSI for the dormant periods, suppress CSI reporting for the dormant periods, adjust a reporting frequency for the dormant periods, or report some types of CSI and not others for the dormant periods.
US09674721B2
One embodiment of the disclosure sets for an example method to create a network of devices. The method includes requesting location information from a first mobile device within the wireless range covered by a stationary device, receiving the location information of the first mobile device, determining whether the distance between the first mobile device and a second mobile device is less than a value, and sending an instruction to the first mobile device to become a part of a communication network such that the first mobile device can send data directly to the second mobile device without involving the stationary device.
US09674720B2
Provided herein is a system and method for determining the status of one or more wireless communication links in a network such as a personal area network. One or more nodes within the PAN substantially continuously monitor a plurality of quality of service (QoS) communication indicators and generate a first application link quality indicator (ALQI) based on a first subset of the plurality of QoS communication indicators according to a first time period. The node can then modify the first ALQI with a second subset of the plurality of QoS communication indicators only when a first predetermined threshold number of occurrences of the second subset of the plurality of QoS communication indicators has occurred without regard to the first time period to form a first modified ALQI. The node can then report the modified ALQI to a coordinator node that can then act upon the modified ALQI to possibly correct one or more communication link problems to which the reported ALQI pertains to.
US09674717B2
An apparatus for controlling a radio parameter of radio cells, includes: an evaluation targeted radio cell selection unit configured to decide evaluation targeted candidate radio cells based on a change of a connection target radio cell of a radio terminal, which takes a control targeted radio cell as a serving cell or surrounding radio cells of the control targeted radio cell as a serving cell, associated with a change of a connection range of the control targeted radio cell by control of the radio parameter of the control targeted radio cell, and select at least one of the evaluation targeted candidate radio cells as an evaluation targeted radio cell for evaluating the radio parameter of the control targeted radio cell; and a radio parameter control unit configured to control the radio parameter of the control targeted radio cell based on quality of the evaluation targeted radio cell.
US09674712B2
A radio communication method includes the steps of: storing a beam having a good characteristic and a beam having a bad characteristic on the basis of a result of beamforming setting; reserving a calibration period; changing a beam to the beam having the bad characteristic in the reserved calibration period; performing calibration in the reserved calibration period; and changing the beam having the bad characteristic to the beam having the good characteristic after the reserved calibration period has elapsed.
US09674710B2
Methods, systems, and devices are described for coverage enhancement in a wireless communication system. A base station may select different coverage enhancement techniques for different channels, and transmit the channels using the selected coverage enhancement techniques. Examples of coverage enhancement techniques that may be selected include repetition within subframes, repetition across different subframes, power boosting, and spatial multiplexing. These and other techniques may be used alone or in combination. In some examples, a user equipment (UE) may determine a coverage enhancement need and may monitor a control channel accordingly.
US09674704B1
In embodiments of network connectivity switching utilizing an authentication device for switching network connectivity from a first device to a second device, the authentication device maintains an address of the first device with a memory of a radio-frequency identification (RFID) tag, and the first device is authenticated for wireless communication via the cellular network. The authentication device receives an interrogation of the RFID tag from the second device, which can communicate via the cellular network, and responsive to an RFID tag response indicating the address of the first device, the second device communicates a device switch order to the first device, communicates an attach request to the cellular network, and writes an address of the second device to the memory of the RFID tag. The authentication device can then authenticate the second device to switch the network connectivity to the second device for wireless communication via the cellular network.
US09674698B2
An approach is provided for generating and/or sharing of at least one key upon registering communication identifiers associated with one or more devices for an anonymous communication session. The approach involves causing, at least in part, a generation of at least one key associated with at least one anonymous communication session. The approach also involves causing, at least in part, a transmission of the at least one key to one or more devices. The approach further involves causing, at least in part, a registration of one or more actual communication identifiers associated with the one or more devices to the at least one anonymous communication session based, at least in part, on receiving the at least one key from the one or more devices, wherein the registration does not expose the one or more actual communication identifiers to the one or more devices of the at least one anonymous communication session.
US09674695B2
Embodiments of the present application provide a method, a terminal, and a base station for transmitting information. In the embodiments of the present application, subframe configuration information of a first carrier is obtained, where the subframe configuration information is used to indicate a type-1 subframe of the first carrier and a type-2 subframe of the first carrier, the type-1 subframe is used for the base station to transmit, in system bandwidth, first information including a first CRS, the first CRS is used for demodulation, and the type-2 subframe is not used for the base station to transmit a CRS used for demodulation, so that the terminal can receive, according to the subframe configuration information and on the first carrier, information sent by the base station.
US09674691B2
In some implementations, a universal integrated circuit card (UICC) of a computing device activates a primary mobile network operator (MNO) subscription profile associated with a primary MNO based on: (i) whether the computing device is connected to a network, (ii) whether the primary MNO subscription profile is active, and (iii) a number of unacknowledged messages to a message that is periodically sent from the computer to a server associated with the primary MNO. The primary MNO may provide network services to a first geographic area and a secondary MNO may provide network services to a second geographic area. After the computing device moves to the second geographic location from the first geographic location, the eUICC received a secondary MNO profile associated with the secondary MNO, activates the secondary MNO profile, and deactivates the primary MNO profile.
US09674679B2
A pico-cell is located within a facility. The pico-cell has a wireless protocol for carrying calls placed to and from mobile devices in the facility. A call distributor is in communication with the pico-cell and handles calls carried by the pico-cell. The call distributor includes an embedded wireless switch for routing calls to and from mobile devices in the facility using the wireless protocol.
US09674678B2
An architecture is provided for coupling wireless local area network (WLAN) signals between an internetworking device and a remotely located access point using a transport network. The access point is coupled to the transport network for communicating with the internetworking device. The access point includes a wireless local area network (WLAN) access point and an access point remote converter. The WLAN access point receives wireless local area network signals from wireless computing equipment and converts such signals to local area network compatible signals. The access point remote converter receives the local area network compatible signals from the WLAN access point and converts the signals to transport modulated format signals suitable for transmission over the transport network.
US09674677B2
Provided is a method of routing a message using a home gateway. A message is received at a message originating gateway, which identifies a home gateway of the sender of the message and routes the message thereto. A message communication preference of a receiver of the message is determined and the message is translated into the message communication preference of the receiver. The message is then routed to the receiver.
US09674669B2
Methods and systems for detecting the location of a target, such as an event or another device, and navigating a device to the target are described herein. The device may be located inside of a building, and the target may be located inside the same building (or a nearby building). The location of the device and/or the location of the target may be determined using, for example, short-range wireless sensors, such as Bluetooth (e.g., Bluetooth Low Energy) sensors, Near Field Communication sensors, or other indoor location sensors. The device may navigate a user of the device to the target location.
US09674665B2
Systems and methods relating to location-based applications, such as widgets, are disclosed. In general, in one embodiment, location-based application service obtains an anticipated location of a mobile device and determines whether the anticipated location of the mobile device is associated with one of a plurality of non-adjacent geographic locations associated with an establishment. An application identifier associated with the plurality of non-adjacent geographic locations associated with the establishment is provided based on the determination, wherein the application identifier at least one of identifies an application for the mobile device to activate and references a remote source for the mobile device to obtain the application.
US09674664B1
This disclosure describes an in-motion proximity guidance system that may alert a mobile device user of a likelihood that a projected pathway of an in-motion mobile device will intersect with a projected pathway of another in-motion mobile device or a location of a stationary object. The in-motion proximity guidance may further trigger visual and/or audible alerts to indicate an imminent collision. These alerts may be emitted from the in-motion mobile devices or stationary sensor devices physically coupled to stationary objects. Further, the in-motion proximity guidance system may transmit a corrective action to a collision avoidance system of a vehicle that is communicatively coupled to a mobile device in order to reduce a likelihood of an imminent collision. The in-motion proximity guidance system may also interact with a smart traffic light system, such that a sequence of traffic light indications may be altered to avoid an imminent collision between vehicles.
US09674658B2
Disclosed herein is a geofence service that enables various remote control and automatic operations based a user's current geographic position as determined by the user's mobile device's current geographic location. The geofence service enables the user to define one or more geofences based on specific geographic locations. Such geofences may be applied against several geofence applications for remote and automatic control of devices. In one embodiment, the mobile device's volume or power control settings are adjusted based on the user's location inside or outside a geofence. In one embodiment, temperature setting of a building or house is controlled based on user's proximity to a geofence. In one embodiment, electrical appliances within a home are activated and controlled automatically based on user's current geographic location.
US09674656B2
Disclosed herein are techniques and systems for performing wireless-based localization using a zonal framework. An area (i.e., surface or space) may be partitioned into multiple zones, and one or more signal propagation models for one or more wireless access points (APs) may be generated for each zone. The result is a set of zonal signal propagation models that allow for improved model fitness on a per-zone basis. A process includes receiving a location query associated with a wireless communication device, selecting a target zone among multiple available zones of an area, and estimating a location of the wireless communication device based at least in part on one of a signal propagation model associated with the target zone or a fingerprint-based localization. The signal propagation model associated with the target zone may be generated based on training samples observed exclusively within the target zone.
US09674647B2
An information processing apparatus uses a display device to provide display information. The information processing apparatus includes processing circuitry configured to store information relating to a position of an output device that outputs information relating to the output device, and information relating to the display device corresponding to the position of the output device; receive information of a transmission source and the information of the output device acquired by the transmission source, from the transmission source capable of communicating with the information processing apparatus; identify a position of the transmission source, based on the received information; and control the display device corresponding to the position of the transmission source to display the display information, according to the information of the transmission source.
US09674644B2
A method and system detect directionality between two objects by measuring angles of signals incident on antenna arrays on at least one side to determine angle of incidence. The methods utilize Bluetooth Low Energy communications for both the control protocol and for providing updated information for deriving directionality. Directionality information is broadcast on selected BLE advertising or data channels, or broadcast using a hopping pattern over the BLE data channels, both at a specific interval duty cycle. If a hopping pattern is selected to transmit directionality information, then anchor information is simultaneously broadcast on the BLE advertising or data channels at a different, asynchronous duty cycle. In additional embodiments, signals incident on antenna arrays located on both target and tracking sides are used to determine angle of incidence, separate antennas are combined to form new antennas and antenna models are used to anticipate known antenna structure responses.
US09674643B2
Methods, apparatuses, and computer-readable media for a wireless communication device switching between lower energy and higher energy wireless communication techniques are disclosed. The wireless communication device includes processing circuitry to: receive a packet in accordance with a lower energy wireless peer-to-peer (P2P) network communication technique from a service provider wireless device, wherein the packet indicates one or more services provided by the service provider wireless device. The processing circuitry may be further to: determine to switch to a higher energy wireless P2P communication technique to communicate with the service provider wireless device based on a determination that a target service is provided by the service provider wireless device. The processing circuitry may be further to: perform a connectivity setup with the provider wireless device to use the target service in accordance with the higher energy wireless P2P communication technique.
US09674639B2
A method for vNF chaining management includes receiving virtualized network function (vNF) information from a chaining client associated with a particular vNF. A service chaining catalog is updated based on the vNF information and chaining information is transmitted to peering vNFs of the particular vNF. The vNF information can indicate instantiation of a vNF and identify peering vNFs. Updates received from vNFs can be used to update the chaining catalog. Updated vNF information can then be sent to peering vNFs of the vNF which sent the update.
US09674631B2
A method for controlling a three-dimensional multi-layer speaker arrangement having a plurality of speakers arranged in spaced layers. The method includes: providing information for a sound to be played back from a 3D source position assigned to the sound, wherein the source position is defined with respect to a reference point (RP) within the multi-layer speaker arrangement, extracting a 2D source position (SPXY) from the source position and calculating layer specific speaker coefficients using a 2D calculator to position the sound two dimensional source position, and feeding a vertical pan or 3D source position into a multilayer calculator for obtaining a layer gain factor for each layer for obtaining speaker coefficients used as individual gains enabling the speakers to play back the sound.
US09674627B2
A sound transducer includes a substrate with a cavity with extending from a first surface of the substrate, a body at least partially covering the cavity and being connected to the substrate by at least one resilient hinge, a first set of comb fingers mounted to the substrate, and a second set of comb fingers mounted to the body. The first set of comb fingers and the second set of comb fingers are interdigitated and configured to create an electrostatic force driving the body in a direction perpendicular to the first surface of the substrate. The body and the at least one resilient hinge are configured for a resonant or a near-resonant excitation by the electrostatic force.
US09674624B2
A system and method for resetting an amplifier of an AVN system are provided. The system includes a microphone that is configured to sense whether a non-audible frequency is output from the amplifier through the speaker. In addition, a reset controller is configured to receive a signal from the microphone and determine whether to reset the amplifier.
US09674605B2
A loudspeaker includes a sound transducer, a housing and a unit configured to influence the temperature, such as a pressure compensation element. The sound transducer includes a membrane, the membrane enclosing a gas volume along with the housing. The sound transducer is configured to cause the membrane to vibrate, so that the gas volume is changed in accordance with the vibration. The unit configured to influence the temperature is configured to counteract a change of state, which is due to the membrane vibration, by means of a change in temperature of the gas volume.
US09674597B1
An electrical circuit board assembly that can be used in a headphone includes acoustic elements incorporated into a rigid or flexible circuit board. The electrical circuit board assembly permits the convenient routing of electrical circuitry and acoustic elements, such as an acoustic port, between acoustic chambers in the headphone. The acoustic port includes a channel embedded in in the circuit board. Control of the dimensions of the channel is achieved using conventional circuit board assembly techniques. Advantageously, the circuit board assembly enables convenient and repeatable assembly into headphones, such as earbuds, and results in more consistent acoustic performance from the headphones.
US09674587B2
Systems, methods, apparatus, and articles of manufacture to facilitate discovery and remote configuration of content for playback via a multimedia playback network are disclosed. An example method includes facilitating identification of multimedia content being played, the identification including at least one of a content identifier associated with the content and the content itself. An example method includes relaying at least one of the content identifier and the content to a playback system located remotely from a location of the multimedia content playback, at least one of the content identifier and the content remotely added for playback at the playback system.
US09674586B2
A program guide in which a video layer includes a plurality of video objects including title objects, each title object having associated with it a channel and at least one time slot, the video layer being formed in response to a received video stream; and a graphics layer comprising a plurality of graphics objects including title overlay objects, each of the title overlay objects selectively imparting at least a visual de-emphasis to a respective title object in the video layer, the visual de-emphasis being imparted to title objects not being associated with a desired time slot.
US09674583B2
Systems, computer-readable storage mediums, and methods for discovering and displaying media content related to an electronic document. At a first computing device, document identifying information—which is one of: at least a portion of a network identifier or source code for the electronic document—for the electronic document is obtained. One or more media entities associated with the electronic document are then obtained from a server. The media entities correspond to media content including scheduled TV programming, steaming media or locally stored media. A representation of a subset of the media entities is displayed, and a user selection from the representation of a respective media entity from the subset is obtained. In response, selection information identifying the respective media entity is sent to a second computing device, which is configured to access and display respective media content corresponding to the respective media entity based on the selection information.
US09674579B1
Systems and methods for rating videos based on parental feedback are presented. In an aspect, a method is provided that includes providing supervisory users respectively having a supervisory role over other users access to watch histories of respective ones of the other users and receiving feedback from the supervisory users regarding appropriateness of a video for the other users, respectively. The method further includes determining an age rating for the media item based on an average age of the other users that the feedback indicates the video is appropriate for, and recommending the video to a user for watching based on the user having an age that satisfies the age rating.
US09674577B1
A data storage management and scheduling system schedules the recording, storing, and deleting of television and Web page program material on a client system storage medium. The invention accepts as input a prioritized list of program viewing preferences which is compared with a database of program guide objects which indicate when programs of interest are actually broadcast. A schedule of time versus available storage space is generated that is optimal for the viewer's explicit or derived preferred programs. The preferred programs include television broadcast programs and Universal Resource Locators (URLs). The viewer may request that certain programs be captured, which results in the highest possible priority for those programs, or express preferences using appurtenances provided through the viewer interface. Preferences may additionally be inferred from viewing patterns. The invention correlates an input schedule that tracks the free and occupied time slots for each input source with a space schedule that tracks all currently recorded programs and the programs that have been scheduled to be recorded in the future, to schedule new programs to record and resolve recording conflicts. A program is recorded if at all times between when the recording would be initiated and when it expires, sufficient space is available to hold it. All scheduling conflicts are resolved as early as possible. A background scheduler schedules each preferred program in turn until the list of preferred programs is exhausted or no further opportunity to record is available.
US09674575B2
The system and method for streaming media to a viewer and managing the media comprises an enhanced service routing processor (ESRP), a real time switch management system (RTSMS), a name routing processor (NRP), and a managed media switch (MMS). The RTSMS has a reservation system. The ESRP receives media from an owner, manages the media according to media rules and order rules defined by the owner, and distributes the media to one or more switches, such as the MMS, according to the media rules and the order rules. The RTSMS is configured to receive the media rules and to receive a viewer's media request via the reservation server. The reservation system of the RTSMS processes the media request according to the media rules and builds a reservation for the requested media. The RTSMS generates the reservation to the viewer and to the NRP. The NRP receives the reservation data from the viewer and from the RTSMS. The NRP processes the reservation data and locates an MMS that can stream the media to the viewer. The NRP transmits the IP address of the MMS to the viewer and transmits the reservation data to the MMS. The viewer initiates a session or connection with the MMS using the reservation number. If the reservation data from the viewer matches the reservation data from the NRP, the MMS streams the media to the viewer.
US09674574B2
Media monitoring using multiple types of signatures is disclosed. Example methods disclosed herein include sending a first indication to a device meter to indicate that media monitored by the meter corresponds to first reference media in response to determining that a media signature of a first type reported by the meter matched a first reference signature associated with the first reference media. Disclosed example methods also include, after sending the first indication, comparing media signatures of a second type reported by the meter with reference signatures of the second type associated with the first reference media. Disclosed example methods further include, in response to determining that the media signatures of the second type fail to match the reference signatures of the second type, sending a second indication to the meter to indicate that the media monitored by the meter no longer corresponds to the first reference media.
US09674557B2
A method for converting a sink device and an apparatus for providing a content using the same are provided. The method for converting the sink device includes receiving a sink device conversion command from a first sink device, transmitting the content to a second sink device if a conversion approval of the sink device is received from the second sink device, and transmitting a control authority related to a content provision from the first sink device to the second sink device.
US09674556B2
There are provided methods and apparatus for in-loop artifact filtering. An apparatus includes an encoder for encoding an image region. The encoder has at least two filters for successively performing in-loop filtering to respectively reduce at least a first and a second type of quantization artifact.
US09674549B2
A motion vector predictor candidate constructing unit performs prediction based on a motion vector of one of coded blocks neighboring a coding target block in the same picture as the coding target block, constructs a plurality of motion vector predictor candidates, and adds the motion vector predictor candidates to a motion vector predictor candidate list. A motion vector predictor candidate number limiting unit limits the number of motion vector predictor candidates added to the motion vector predictor candidate list to a maximum candidate number according to a size of a prediction block. A motion vector predictor selecting unit selects a motion vector predictor from the motion vector predictor candidate list. A coding unit codes information representing an index of the selected motion vector predictor in the motion vector predictor candidate list.
US09674544B2
In an example, a method of decoding video data includes decoding data that indicates a picture order count (POC) reset for a POC value of a first picture of a first layer of multi-layer video data, wherein the first picture is included in an access unit. The example method also includes, based on the data that indicates the POC reset for the POC value of the first picture and prior to decoding the first picture, decrementing POC values of all pictures stored to a decoded picture buffer (DPB) that precede the first picture in coding order including at least one picture of a second layer of the multi-layer video data.
US09674535B2
The described embodiments relate to methods and systems for detecting the blockiness of a video signal comprised of a number of pixels. The method includes the steps of determining if the pixel forms a part of at least one visible horizontal transition along a macroblock border, at least one visible vertical transition along a macroblock border, at least one flat area or at least one flat macroblock; calculating a horizontal border transitions count, a vertical border transitions count, a flat area count and a macroblock flat area count; and generating at least one blockiness indicator for the region of interest selected from the group consisting of a block border indicator, a flat area indicator and a flat block indicator, wherein the at least one blockiness indicator is based on at least one of the horizontal border transitions count, the vertical border transitions count, the flat area count and the macroblock flat area count.
US09674527B2
The method may comprise receiving an indication of a size of a parallel motion estimation (PME) area, performing a motion vector prediction process on coding units having a size smaller than or equal to the PME area using a PME style candidate list construction process and the PME area, deriving an implicit PME area for coding units having a size larger than the PME area, and performing the motion vector prediction process on coding units having the size larger than the PME area using the PME style candidate list construction process and the implicit PME area.
US09674526B2
A method for encoding and decoding a digital image signal, and associated devices. A method for encoding a digital image signal represented by a set of digital samples includes applying a segmentor to a reference digital image signal to obtain subsets of digital samples and applying a same filter among a set of predetermined filters to each sample of a subset of digital samples. The method includes a step of selecting (S320) a subset of segmentors from a predetermined set of segmentors based upon at least one characteristic obtained from the reference digital image signal, and a step (S330) of determining one segmentor among the selected subset of segmentors to apply to the reference digital image signal. Advantageously, a large initial set of segmentors can be used, the selection of a subset allowing to limit the computational complexity and adapt the segmentor to the reference digital image to be filtered.
US09674525B2
Aspects of this disclosure relate to a method of coding video data. In an example, the method includes obtaining, from an encoded bitstream and for any view component of a first view, reference view information indicating one or more reference views for predicting view components of the first view. The method also includes including, for decoding a first view component in an access unit and in the first view, one or more reference candidates in a reference picture list, where the one or more reference candidates comprise view components in the access unit and in the reference views indicated by the reference view information, where the number of reference candidates is equal to the number of reference views. The method also includes decoding the first view component based on the one or more reference candidates in the reference picture list.
US09674517B2
In a method and system for assessing video quality, an analog video signal to be assessed is input. At least part of the incoming video signal is converted to digital values. The digital values are stored. A detector determines whether any stored digital value is outside an acceptable range.
US09674510B2
A 3D-display system alternates between directing light representing a left-eye view of a 3D image to a viewer's left eye and directing light representing a right-eye view of a 3D image to a viewer's right eye. To direct the light towards the viewer's eyes, the system receives eye-location data relative to a display device from an eye-tracking system and uses light deflectors, such as acousto-optic, electro-optic, and passive optical deflectors, to aim the light in a particular direction.
US09674508B2
A display apparatus includes a display panel, a light converting element and a display panel driver. The display panel includes a plurality of two-dimensional (“2D”) pixels. At least one of the 2D pixels includes a plurality of 2D subpixels. The light converting element is disposed on the display panel. The light converting element includes a three dimensional (“3D”) pixel. The 3D pixel corresponds to the plurality of 2D pixels. The 3D pixel includes a plurality of 3D subpixels. The display panel driver is connected to the display panel. The display panel driver renders grayscale data of the 2D subpixels such that the 3D pixel disposed at a first position in a first frame is shifted to a second position in a second frame.
US09674505B2
A range is determined for a disparity search for images from an image sensor array. In one example, a method includes receiving a reference image and a second image of a scene from multiple cameras of a camera array, detecting feature points of the reference image, matching points of the detected features to points of the second image, determining a maximum disparity between the reference image and the second image, and determining disparities between the reference image and the second image by comparing points of the reference image to points of the second image wherein the points of the second image are limited to points within the maximum disparity.
US09674503B2
A stereo matching apparatus is provided, where according to the stereo matching apparatus according to an exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure, a cost at nodes of a plurality of stages relative to an image of a current scan line is determined by which level among a same level, an upper level and a lower level of a previous stage a cost of same stage of an upper scan line is determined, and whether a cost of the same stage of the upper scan line is determined by other disparities.
US09674502B2
Provided are method and apparatus for transmitting and receiving a multimedia streaming service via a network. The method of providing a multimedia streaming service includes: dividing encoded data of a video including at least one of a two-dimensional (2D) video and a three-dimensional (3D) video into fragments; determining at least one of 3D signaling information for each fragment and relationship information to be used when the video refers to other videos; and continuously transmitting the fragments including the property information regarding the fragments and encoded video data.
US09674496B2
A method for selecting metering mode and an image capturing device thereof are provided. The method includes: obtaining a first exposure compensation value, a first white balance compensation value and a first focus distance corresponding to a first image; determining whether a first color temperature corresponding to the first white balance compensation value is greater than a predetermined color temperature; if yes, determining whether an ambient brightness corresponding to the first exposure compensation value is greater than a predetermined brightness, and if yes, setting a metering mode to be an average metering mode, while if not, setting the metering mode to be a center-weighted average metering mode; and if not, determining whether the first focus distance is greater than a predetermined focus distance, and if yes, setting the metering mode to be the center-weighted average metering mode, while if not, setting the metering mode to be the spot metering mode.
US09674494B2
An image display apparatus includes a laser light source, a light modulator, a first sensor, a second sensor, a third sensor, and circuitry. The light modulator generates an image based on light from the laser light source. The first sensor measures a first temperature in a vicinity of an air inlet of a housing of the image display apparatus. The second sensor measures a second temperature associated with the laser light source. The third sensor measures a third temperature associated with the light modulator. The circuitry is configured to control output of the laser light source based on at least one of the first, second, or third temperatures.
US09674487B2
A transmission system includes a transmission terminal locally reproducing video and voice data and transmitting and receiving the video and voice data via a network; a relay apparatus transmitting the video data and voice data to another transmission terminal or the transmission terminal; and a transmission management apparatus managing a session for a single transmission terminal. Further, the transmission terminal sends a request for establishing a session for a single site to the relay apparatus via the transmission management apparatus, and the relay apparatus establishes the session for the single site related to the transmission terminal so that a connection check process is performed on the transmission terminal within the single site only.
US09674480B2
There is provided a camera link recorder capable of recording sounds by a clock signal synchronized with a clock signal of a camera.A recorder is linked to a camera by means of an HDMI cable, and others. An HDMI receiver of the recorder reproduces an LRCK signal, which is an audio clock signal of a camera, from the HDMI signal, and outputs the LRCK signal. A CPU outputs a clock signal, which is generated from the LRCK signal when a frequency of the LRCK signal corresponds to a predetermined frequency of an audio CODEC, as a master clock signal to the audio CODEC. In other case, the clock signal generated from the internal clock signal CLK is output as a master clock signal to the audio CODEC.
US09674470B2
To provide a solid-state imaging device with short image-capturing duration. A first photodiode in a pixel in an n-th row and an m-th column is connected to a second photodiode in a pixel in an (n+1)-th row and the m-th column through a transistor. The first photodiode and the second photodiode receive light concurrently, the potential in accordance with the amount of received light is held in a pixel in the n-th row and the m-th column, and the potential in accordance with the amount of received light is held in a pixel in the (n+1)-th row and the m-th column without performing a reset operation. Then, each potential is read out. Under a large amount of light, either the first photodiode or the second photodiode is used.
US09674468B2
An imaging device comprises a solid-state image sensor including a plurality of unit pixels, and a driving unit. Each unit pixel includes a photo-electric converter that converts incident light into a signal charge, a holding unit that temporarily holds the signal charge obtained by the photo-electric converter, a first transfer gate arranged between the photo-electric converter and the holding unit, that transfers the signal charge to the holding unit, a charge-voltage converter that converts the signal charge into a voltage signal, and a second transfer gate arranged between the holding unit and the charge-voltage converter, that transfers the signal charge to the charge-voltage converter, and that is in a non-conductive state in the case where an image capturing operation is performed in the photo-electric converter. The driving unit drives the solid-state image sensor so as to supply three or more mutually different electric potentials to the first transfer gate.
US09674463B2
An image processing apparatus for processing image signals that are obtained from an image pickup element. A correlation operation unit operates a correlation of the image signals of two images that are obtained from the image pickup element, and operates an image shift amount between images that are picked up by photoelectric conversion units, on the basis of the correlation. A detection unit detects whether or not an image signal reaches a predetermined level, and produces count information in a case that the image signal reaches the predetermined level. A controller controls the correlation operation unit, in which the controller normalizes the correlation that is used for the operation of the image shift amount, on the basis of the count information.
US09674455B1
“Programmed manual modes” mimic the processes a digital camera user goes through manually, but at the speed of the processor built in the camera. Each program preferably includes an exposure condition and a set of shooting parameters, with each parameter having a range and a priority. The processor automatically applies the parameters in sequential fashion within their ranges based upon their priorities, causing the camera to take a picture if and when the exposure condition is met. The shooting parameters may include one or more of ISO, aperture and shutter speed, and the ranges generally include upper or lower limits. The program may be created in the camera or downloaded into the camera from an external device, and the program may be written in a format that can be shared with other camera users. The program preferably includes one or more pre-compose settings to establish a set of initial shooting conditions.
US09674450B2
A security camera with an adjustable lens aiming mechanism comprises a base with a camera seat, an eyeball camera, a cover, and a fastener for fastening the cover to the base. The eyeball camera comprises a lens and is movably seated on the camera seat. The cover covers the eyeball camera and comprises a bottom opening for engaging the base, a circular contact ring with a diameter smaller than the camera diameter and defining an opening through which the lens and a portion of the camera protrudes; and a fastener removably fastening the cover to the base such that when fully fastened, the contact ring makes contact with the camera, and applies a sufficient pressure to fix the camera in place, and when partially or completely unfastened, the pressure is reduced such that the camera is movable and the lens is movable within the contact ring.
US09674434B2
An image processing apparatus including an interface that receives an input identifying a subject, and a processor that generates a panoramic image based on captured image data so that the subject is positioned in a reference position in the panoramic image.
US09674432B2
An image capturing apparatus includes a main body and a rotatable image capturing unit. The main body includes a spherical portion having at least three support points. The rotatable image capturing unit includes an image capturing optical system, and is configured to rotationally move while being supported by the support points. In the rotatable image capturing unit, a gravitational point is located so as to overlap a center of gravity of a polygonal plane formed by connecting the support points and present on a side closer to an image sensor the polygonal plane in a direction perpendicular to the polygonal plane.
US09674427B2
An image processing method operable in a hand held image acquisition device comprising at least one camera comprises obtaining an image with the camera and identifying at least one face region detected within the image. A mean intensity of intensity values for pixels of at least one identified face region is determined. Responsive to the mean intensity for a face region being less than a threshold amount, at least some of the pixels of the image are lightened. A contrast of pixels of the image is enhanced as a function of pixel intensity distribution within the image and a contrast of pixels of the face region is enhanced as a function of pixel intensity distribution within the face region. The contrast enhanced pixels of the face region are blended with pixels of the image which have been lightened and/or whose contrast has been enhanced to provide a processed image.
US09674425B2
This application provides an image acquisition method and apparatus, where the method includes: receiving an input gesture performed on an image captured by a camera; determining a filter parameter according to a current filter type and the gesture; performing a filter operation corresponding to the filter type on the image according to the filter parameter; and displaying, in real time, the image processed through the filter operation.
US09674421B2
A focus detection apparatus detects a focus state of a subject using first and second pixel signals obtained by performing photoelectric conversion on subject light beams which have passed through different pupil regions of an imaging optical system. The focus state of a subject is detected from the first and second pixel signals. Further, each of the first pixel signals and second pixel signals are added by a predetermined addition number, and then the added first pixel signals and second pixel signals are relatively shifted. Thereafter, an evaluation value is calculated based on a signal obtained by adding the shifted first pixel signals and the second pixel signals and a defocus amount is detected from the evaluation value. The predetermined addition number is set in accordance with the focus state.
US09674420B2
The interchangeable lens apparatus includes a memory to store first correction information to be used to correct focus state information on a focus state of its image capturing optical system, the focus state being detected in the image capturing apparatus by using a signal from an image sensor thereof, and a lens calculator configured to produce, by performing an interpolation process on the first correction information by using image sensor information that is information on the image sensor and received from the image capturing apparatus, second correction information corresponding to the image sensor information. The lens calculator sends the second correction information to the image capturing apparatus in a case where the lens calculator performs the interpolation process and sends the first correction information to the image capturing apparatus in a case where the image capturing apparatus performs the interpolation process.
US09674414B1
A camera module including a housing having an interior compartment and a lens bore extending from the interior compartment to an exterior of the housing, and a support member having a lens mount portion supporting a lens and an imager mount portion supporting an imager assembly. The support member is supported by the housing with at least a portion of the lens mount portion received in the lens bore, and the imager mount portion abuttingly engaged with a shoulder of the housing.
US09674397B2
An information processing apparatus includes a receiving unit, a first memory unit, an extending unit, a second memory unit, a determining unit, and a correcting unit. The receiving unit receives image data. The first memory unit stores the image data. The extending unit extends the image data. The second memory unit stores the image data which is extended by the extending unit as an extended image data. The extended image data includes an object. The determining unit determines whether the object is arranged outside a print region of the image data. The correcting unit corrects the extended image data if the determining unit determines that the object is arranged outside the print region of the image data.
US09674388B2
An information processing apparatus includes an acceptance unit that accepts a configuration of a cooperative operation to be performed by multiple apparatuses cooperating with each other, an execution order determination unit that determines an executing order of processes included in the cooperative operation, an apparatus determination unit that identifies, for each of the processes included in the cooperative operation, an apparatus that performs the process, and a controller that instructs the identified apparatus to execute the processes included in the cooperative operation in the determined executing order.
US09674377B2
A system and method for distributing at least one digital photographic image is presented, the system and method comprising at least one capturing device and at least one receiving device disposed in a communicative relation with one another via at least one wireless network. In particular, the capturing device is structured to capture the at least one digital photographic image via, for example, a capture assembly, whereas the receiving device is cooperatively structured to receive the digital photographic image via, for example, the at least one wireless network. In addition, the capturing device(s) and receiving device(s) may be disposed in a selectively paired relationship via one or more common pre-defined pairing criteria. Further, the at least one digital photographic image may be filtered via at least one pre-defined transfer criteria disposed on the capturing device and/or receiving device.
US09674371B2
The embodiments of the present invention disclose an online upgrade processing method, an associated apparatus and a system. The online upgrade processing method includes: receiving online upgrade indication information, wherein the online upgrade indication information is used for indicating that a charging system enters into an online upgrade preparation phase; simulating charging environment of the charging system to generate a signal control environment with a charging function when the online upgrade indication information is received; and utilizing the signal control environment to replace the charging environment to accept service when the charging system enters into an online upgrading phase. The technical solution provided by the present invention can effectively solve a problem that it is required to bypass service during online upgrade.
US09674370B2
A device for providing vehicle accident information comprises a memory configured to store a plurality of instructions; and a processor configured to process the plurality of instructions, wherein execution of the plurality of instructions causes the processor to perform following steps of detecting a vehicle accident using a vehicle terminal device wirelessly connected to a server, collecting accident information using the vehicle terminal device when the vehicle accident is detected, transmitting the accident information to the server using the vehicle terminal device, collecting context information using a mobile device wirelessly connected to the server, and transmitting the context information to the server using the mobile device.
US09674367B1
An apparatus is disclosed for providing voice-over-IP (VoIP) services to and configuring contact lists for a plurality of VoIP-enabled devices. The apparatus includes a VoIP server communicatively connected to the plurality of VoIP-enabled devices. The VoIP server includes a call routing circuit configured to route VoIP calls to and from the plurality of VoIP-enabled devices communicatively-coupled to the VoIP server. The VoIP server also includes a device management circuit configured to maintain a list of IP addresses for each of the plurality of VoIP-enabled devices. In response to receiving a first data message, from a first device not included in the plurality of VoIP-enabled devices, that includes contact information and identifies one of the plurality of VoIP-enabled devices, the device management circuit adds a new contact having the contact information to the respective contact list of the identified one of the plurality of VoIP-enabled devices.
US09674357B1
A speech analytics system monitors speech from a remote party and/or agent to determine when a whisper is to be provided to the agent. A whisper is aural information that may assist the agent at certain opportune times. The whisper may be verbal or non-verbal in nature. A whisper bridge is used that allows the whisper to be heard by the agent, but not by the remote party. In one embodiment, the speech analytics system may cause visual-based agent information to be provided to the computer used by the agent, and monitor the agent's speech to ascertain if an expected speech response to the whisper was provided by the agent. If not, the speech analytics system may cause the whisper to be provided to the agent, as a form of reminder.
US09674351B1
According to one or more aspects of the present disclosure operations related to performing captioning may include receiving, from a first user device, first audio data. The operations may further include directing the first audio data to a remotely located call-assistant device and receiving, from the call-assistant device, second audio data that is related to the first audio data and that is derived from speech of a call assistant. The operations may also include accessing, with a captioning software application, voice profile data of the call assistant and generating caption data that includes a transcription of the second audio data. The operations may also include generating, based on the transcription, screen data related to the captioning software application, in which the screen data includes the transcription. In addition, the operations may include directing the screen data to the call-assistant device and directing the caption data to the first user device.
US09674349B2
The present disclosure relates to communications, and more particularly, to a seamless interworking of call control between autonomous systems. In an illustrative embodiment, an electronic device is provided. The electronic device can be connected to multiple autonomous networks, for example, a private network through a Private Branch Exchange and a public network through a Public Switched Telephone Network. The user device can have multiple network interfaces. Alternatively, there can be one network interface to access the autonomous networks. These networks each can provide unique collaboration services. Collaboration services can include, but are not limited to, associations, roles, availability and features. The electronic device can setup connections and initialize a call through both networks. Through the device, each of the networks can add or delete participants to the call under the direction of the user. The networks can also provide the user device with suitable feature keys.
US09674338B2
A communication device and system are disclosed for providing communication and data services to residents of a controlled facility. The device can be restricted to communicating only using an interact protocol so as to restrict the device communication to an internal intranet. Wireless access points may be disposed throughout the environment to route calls and data between the device and a central processing center. By converting a protocol of the communications received from the device to a protocol used by the central processing center, minimal modifications to the central processing center are needed to support a wireless communication infrastructure. Many restrictions and safeguards may be implemented within the phone and system in order to prevent improper use.
US09674330B2
A mobile communication terminal is disclosed. The mobile communication terminal has Receiver Mode and hands-free mode and switchable between the modes. The terminal includes a first sound generator, which works under Receiver Mode and used for receiving and playing voice signal; a second sound generator, which works under Receiver Mode and Hands-free Mode and used for receiving and playing voice signal; when the mobile communication terminal works under Receiver Mode, the first sound generator and the second sound generator receive and play voice signal at the same time. A method of improving sound quality of the mobile communication terminal is also provided.
US09674325B1
Systems and methods of providing a mobile phone cover are described. In some embodiments, the mobile phone cover may include, for example, a processor and lighting devices. The lighting devices may be operatively coupled to the processor. The processor may be configured, for example, to receive first signals based on second signals in which the second signals are generated by the mobile phone. The second signals may be indicative of an incoming call, an incoming message, a pending message, and/or a calendar alert (e.g., an upcoming appointment), for example. The processor may be configured to cause lighting of one or more of the lighting devices based on the first signals.
US09674324B1
The phone case with finger slots is a case that supports an electronic device, such as a smart phone. The case is further defined with a rear surface that includes at least one finger slot integrated therein. The at least one finger slot of the rear surface of the case includes a groove that is recessed below the rear surface of the case. The at least one finger slot includes an elastic member that spans across the groove. A finger opening is provided on a side surface of the case. In use, a finger is adapted to be inserted into the finger opening such that the elastic member stretches upwardly in order to form a contoured fitting over the finger. The case is also further defined with a top surface, and an electronic device is adapted to be inserted into a cavity provided through the top surface of the housing.
US09674303B1
Methods and systems for network communications are disclosed. The target device receives a request for a network connection from an initiator device, the request indicating a desire to bypass transport communication layer processing. The target device accepts the request and sends a response to the initiator device indicating an agreement to bypass the transport layer processing. The target device then receives a frame from the initiator device and processes the frame by bypassing the transport communication layer processing.
US09674299B2
A standby agent apparatus includes an interface and a standby agent controller. The interface is arranged for receiving at least first account information of a first system. The standby agent controller is coupled to the interface. When the first system is operating in a standby mode, the standby agent controller is arranged for keeping an account of the first system on-line in a first application server according to the received first account information of the first system. A connection handling method includes the following steps: receiving first account information of a first system; and when the first system is operating in a standby mode, keeping an account of the first system on-line in a first application server according to the received first account information of the first system.
US09674289B2
A method of optimizing telecommunication services for a plurality of end users of a plurality of service sessions, each service session having a priority level, the method comprising the steps of: receiving compliance measure indicating that the service experience of at least one end user is compliant, for a snapshot, with expectations of the at least one end user within a telecommunication service providing a plurality of service sessions to a plurality of end users; determining if the received compliance measure is less than a predetermined threshold; and if the received compliance measure is determined to be less than a predetermined threshold, throttling at least one of the plurality of service sessions, that has not been throttled and has the lowest priority level, to optimize telecommunication services.
US09674286B2
A participant computing device in a collaboration system, the participant computing device comprising a processing structure; and a memory including computer program code, wherein the memory and the computer program code are configured, with the processing structure, to cause the processing structure to share user defined content displayed on a desktop associated with the participant computing device with other participant computing devices.
US09674281B2
A method of constructing and maintaining a circle-mesh overlay network is disclosed. The method of constructing a circle-mesh overlay network includes: (a) determining a reference member number of a circle overlay by using a total number of participating peers; (b) creating a new circle overlay and adding member peers from among the participating peers to the new circle overlay in consideration of the reference member number; and (c) forming a circle-mesh overlay network by way of interconnection between the new circle overlay and a different circle overlay.
US09674278B1
Aspects of the present disclosure relate to a tile management server. The management server receives, from a client device, a request for geographic data, the request having a management server request format. The management server selects a first geographic server, out of multiple geographic servers, for processing the request. The management server translates the request from the management server request format into a first geographic server request format. The first geographic server request format is for communicating with the first geographic server. A second geographic server from among the plurality of geographic servers communicates using a second geographic server request format different from the first geographic server request format. The management server transmits, to the first geographic server, the request translated into the first geographic server request format in order to cause the first geographic server to provide the geographic data to the client device.
US09674277B1
Systems and methods for request isolation protection at a first server. The first server receives a resource request from a client device. The first server may receive multiple requests from the same client device or other client devices. The first server caches the multiple requests so that only one resource request is made to a second server storing the resource. The first server detects when the client device cancels the request to the resource. In response, the first server cancels the request made to the second server if there are no other requests made to the resource. If there are other requests remaining, then the first server does not cancel the request to the second server.
US09674258B2
A system for optimizing a website for different contexts includes an intermediary component configured to connect to clients and servers via network connections, means for analyzing a HTTP request from a client and determining specific context of the HTTP request, means for configuring optimization settings of selected website properties for the specific context of the HTTP request, and means for applying the configured context-specific optimization settings to redirected HTTP requests and HTTP responses. The intermediary component includes a traffic management system (TMS) and a traffic processing system (TPS). The TMS manages HTTP requests originating from the clients and targeting the servers and HTTP responses targeting the clients and redirects the HTTP requests to the intermediary component. The TPS receives the redirected HTTP requests and the HTTP responses, detects the context and applies relevant optimization techniques for the specific context to the redirected HTTP requests and the HTTP responses.
US09674257B2
Systems, methods and devices are described to encode, deliver and playback a placeshifted media stream via the Internet or another network. The media stream is appropriately encoded at a quality level (e.g., at a bit rate, frame rate, resolution, etc.) that allows content to be delivered faster than it is played back. This sort of “faster than real time” encoding allows the placeshifted media stream to be buffered at the remote device for more effective performance.
US09674256B2
Systems, methods, and computer readable media of providing applications style functionality to a user of a mobile radio terminal are disclosed. In certain embodiments, the systems, methods, and computer readable media include the steps of receiving a data stream transmission having a plurality of states, wherein each state is associated with output instructions and storage instructions, and wherein the plurality of states is configured such that moving through the states creates the appearance of executing an application on the mobile radio terminal; decoding the data stream transmission and caching each of the plurality of states with the associated output instructions according to the associated storage instructions; rendering a first state; responsive to an event on the mobile radio terminal, moving from the first state to a second state by applying the output instructions associated with the second state; and communicating a change of state to a server.
US09674251B2
A device for receiving streaming data includes a broadcast or multicast middleware unit configured to receive the streaming data via a second service and a proxy unit configured to be disposed between the middleware unit and a client application, the proxy unit further configured to receive an indication of whether the streaming data is to be received via a first service or the second service, when the indication indicates that the streaming data is to be received via the first service: disable the middleware unit; and receive the streaming data via the first service, and when the indication indicates that the streaming data is to be received via the second service: activate the middleware unit to receive the streaming data via the second service, wherein the second service comprises at least one of a broadcast service or a multicast service; and receive the streaming data from the middleware unit.
US09674246B2
Certain examples accommodate data routing optimizations. An example method includes receiving, by a first playback device, data to be directed to at least a second playback device. The method further includes transmitting non-audio data to the second playback device via a third playback device and transmitting audio data to the second playback device directly.
US09674243B2
A virtual conferencing system is described which tracks events during a virtual conference, provides a user interface for reviewing the events, and allows a moderator and/or other participant to provide feedback related to the events. For example, one embodiment of a virtual conferencing system comprises: a plurality of clients operated by participants and at least one moderator of a virtual conference, each of the clients comprising state management logic to maintain a current state of the virtual conference; a virtual conferencing service to establish audio and/or video connections between the plurality of clients during the virtual conference, the virtual conferencing service further including a state synchronization service communicatively coupled to the state management logic on each client to ensure that the current state of the virtual conference is consistent on each client; a virtual conferencing graphical user interface (GUI) to be rendered on the plurality of clients, the virtual conferencing GUI configured, via signals sent from the state synchronization service, to display a video stream of one or more current speakers during the virtual conference utilizing the established video connections; and a contribution identification module to identify events related to actions of participants during the virtual conference; an event log to store the events identified by the contribution identification module; and an event filter to provide options for searching for specific types of events within the event log based on input from the moderator and/or participants when reviewing a recording of the virtual conference, the event filter to generate a filtered set of events based on the input from the moderator and/or participants.
US09674242B1
A system for mesh conferencing using Session Initiation Protocol (SIP) signaling includes at least three endpoints communicatively coupled to each other via media paths. The media paths are for exchanging media communications between the at least three endpoints. At least one controller is communicatively coupled to each of the at least three endpoints via control paths separate from the media paths. The control paths are for exchanging SIP messages to setup the media communications between the at least three endpoints as a mesh conference. Upon establishment of the mesh conference, each of the at least three endpoints may be configured to send a media stream via one of the media paths to each of the others of the at least three endpoints and to receive a media stream via one of the media paths from each of the others of the at least three endpoints.
US09674241B2
A system and method for maintaining associations within a social network for a user are provided. A device proximate a user device is identified. It is determined whether the identified device is associated with an entity having a pre-established association with a user of the user device within the social network. The user is associated with the entity within the social network if the identified device is not associated with an entity having a pre-established association with the user if a determination is made that the user is to be associated with the entity. The user-entity association is maintained within the social network based upon whether the entity and the user device remain proximate.
US09674239B2
Disclosed is a media sharing system that provides shared experiencing of licensed media content such as movies. The system includes a web server that communicates with multiple client devices over the internet whereby a user's multiple social contacts can participate in a synchronized stream of licensed media content such as movies. The system is able to schedule the multi-user experiencing of the licensed media content and further synchronize the streaming of the licensed content so the participating users receiving the media streams in a substantially synchronized manner. The system still further provides for social content interaction amongst the multiple recipients so that the multiple users can interact in a time-contextual manner consistent with the substantially synchronized receipt of the licensed media content.
US09674227B2
A set of compliance policy updates are received. The compliance policy updates are sent to workloads for application. A status of the application of the compliance policies to the workloads is received from the workloads and output.
US09674217B2
A system and method for mitigating the effects of malicious internet traffic, including DDOS attacks and email bombs, by utilizing a DNS Traffic Analyzer and Firewall to analyze network traffic intended for a DNS server and preventing some network traffic from accessing the DNS server.
US09674216B2
The embodiments relate to a method and a test system for testing integrity of property data of a device using a testing device within a network, the devices and their respective property data within the network, such as all the measurement or control device distributed inside an industrial automation system, being taken into account in order to simplify testing of a large number of devices. The various property data are tested for an identity and are labelled, and calculations, which are carried out by the testing device for testing purposes, are initiated on the basis of the labelling. By taking other devices in the system into account, security requirements may be fulfilled during testing and the computational effort for the testing device may also be reduced.
US09674215B2
Operations performed by a software application instance executed by a computing device are monitored. A determination is made that a particular operation performed matches an application signature representing a particular software application. In response, a match score is added to a total score for the software application. In response to determining that the total score is greater than or equal to a threshold, the software is classified.
US09674209B2
A method and system for detecting attacks performed using a cryptographic protocol are presented. The method includes upon receiving an indication about a potential attack, establishing an encrypted connection with a client device using the cryptographic protocol; receiving an inbound traffic from the client device, wherein the inbound traffic is originally directed to a protected entity; analyzing the inbound traffic received on the encrypted connection to detect at least one encrypted attack; and causing to establish a new encrypted connection between the client device and the protected entity, when the at least one encrypted attack at the application layer has not been detected.
US09674207B2
In one embodiment, a device in a network identifies a set of traffic flow records that triggered an attack detector. The device selects a subset of the traffic flow records and calculates aggregated metrics for the subset. The device provides the aggregated metrics for the subset to the attack detector to generate an attack detection determination for the subset of traffic flow records. The device identifies one or more attack traffic flows from the set of traffic flow records based on the attack detection determination for the subset of traffic flow records.
US09674205B2
Methods and systems for verifying the identity and trustworthiness of a user of an online system are disclosed. In one embodiment, the method comprises receiving online and offline identity information for a user and comparing them to a user profile information provided by the user. Furthermore, the user's online activity in a third party online system and the user's offline activity are received. Based on the online activity and the offline activity a trustworthiness score may be calculated.
US09674204B2
A method of providing anti-replay protection, authentication, and encryption with minimal data overhead is provided. A sender uses an arbitrary-length pseudorandom permutation to encrypt messages that include plaintext and successively increasing sequence numbers, to produce ciphertext messages. The sender transmits the ciphertext messages. A receiver receives the ciphertext messages and, for each received ciphertext message, performs the following operations. The receiver decrypts the given ciphertext message to recover plaintext and a candidate sequence number from the message. The receiver determines if the candidate sequence number is in any one of multiple non-contiguous acceptable sequence number windows having respective sequence number ranges that are based on at least one of a highest sequence number previously accepted and a last sequence number that was previously rejected, as established based on processing of previously received ciphertext messages.
US09674198B1
A Controlled Environment Secure Media Streaming System manages the delivery of content to Secured Devices. Cloud Services provide content to Integration Hub. The Integration Hub interfaces with various cloud services providers and prepares content for consumption by a resident of a secured facility. Integration Hub utilizes Content Filter to inspect content received from cloud service providers for suitability for use in a secured environment. Once content is retrieved, filtered, formatted, and packaged by Integration Hub, the content is stored in Data Warehouse. Secured Devices request content from the Distribution Hub, the Distribution Hub retrieves the content from the Data Warehouse, and then Distribution Hub manages the transfer of content to the Secured Devices. In some embodiments, Distribution Hub utilizes Content Filter to determine whether or not a particular Secured Device can access particular content.
US09674194B1
A resource owner or administrator submits a request to a permissions management service to create a permissions grant which may include a listing of actions a user may perform on a resource. Accordingly, the permissions management service may create the permissions grant and use a private cryptographic key to digitally sign the created permissions grant. The permissions management service may transmit this digitally signed permissions grant, as well as a digital certificate comprising a public cryptographic key for validating the permissions grant, to a target resource. The target resource may use the public cryptographic key to validate the digital signature of the permissions grant and determine whether a user is authorized to perform one or more actions based at least in part on a request from the user to perform these one or more actions on the resource.
US09674193B1
An apparatus includes an aggregation module that is associated with a first network core and that is operatively coupled to a second network core and a third network core. The aggregation module is configured to receive a first copy of an access point license that authorizes access to a network via an access point and the second network core. The aggregation module receives the first copy of the access point license from the second network core in response to an installation and validation of the access point license on the second network core. The aggregation module is configured to send a second copy of the access point license to the third network core that authorizes a device to access the network via the access point and via the third network core in accordance with the access point license and in response to a failure of the second network core.
US09674183B2
A trust control management method for security, operable on a computer system generates a unique Trust ID value by combining user-defined values with hardware-specific values associated with the user's computer system and storing the Trust ID value in a memory register physically associated with the hardware of the computer system. A Trust Control Suite (TCS) operable with a server OS/hypervisor maintains a database of user-defined values and hardware-specific values for computer systems clustered in a trusted computing pool. An attestation procedure is performed by the trust control server combining the user-defined values with the hardware-specific values from its database and comparing it to the user-stored Trust ID value stored in the memory register associated with a user's computer system. Depending on whether it is a match or mismatch, the TCS can determine if it is a trusted computer or not, and can take appropriate alerts and policy actions.
US09674182B2
Devices, systems, and methods for conducting trusted computing tasks on a distributed computer system are described. In some embodiments, a client device initiates a trusted task for execution within a trusted execution environment of a remote service provider. The devices, systems, and methods may permit the client to evaluate the trusted execution capabilities of the service provider via a planning and attestation process, prior to sending data/code associated with the trusted task to the service provider for execution. Execution of the trusted task may be performed while enforcing security and/or compartmentalization context on the data/code. Systems and methods for managing and exchanging encryption keys are also described. Such systems and methods may be used to maintain the security of the data/code before during, and/or after the execution of the trusted task.
US09674178B2
An electronic device generates mapping information that maps individual symbols of a defined order set of symbols to individual symbols of a random order set of symbols. Symbols of the defined order set of symbols are displayed on a display device arranged adjacent to the mapped symbols of the random order set of symbols, based on the mapping information. A user selection of a symbol of the random order set of symbols is received, and a symbol of the defined order set of symbols that maps to the symbol selected by the user is identified based on the mapping information. The symbol of the defined order set of symbols is provided to an application processed by electronic device as a selection from the user.
US09674167B2
The present invention provides a new method of site and user authentication. This is achieved by creating a pop-up window on the user's PC that is in communication with a security server, and where this communication channel is separate from the communication between the user's browser and whichever web site they are at. A legitimate web site embeds code in the web page which communicates to the security server from the user's desktop. The security server checks the legitimacy of the web site and then signals both the web page on the user's browser, as well as the pop-up window to which it has a separate channel. The security server also sends a random image to both the pop-up window and the browser. If user authentication is requested by the web site the user is first authenticated by the security server for instance by out of band authentication. Then the security server computes a one time password based on a secret it shares with the web site and sends it to the pop up window. The user copies this one time password into their browser which sends it to the web site, which can re-compute the one time password to authenticate the user.
US09674165B2
Various embodiments relate to a method, device, and non-transitory medium including: determining a master key value for use in secure communications with a different device, wherein the master key value is used as a master key; deriving at least one session key using the master key; generating a new master key value based on the master key; deleting the current master key value; and using the new master key value as the master key.
US09674161B2
A device is configured to store a hash value and an encrypted hash value. The device may broadcast a boot label including the encrypted hash value. The device may receive an administrator label from an administrative device based on the boot label. The administrator label may include a decrypted hash value. The device may determine the decrypted hash value matches the hash value. The device may receive access information from the administrative device based on the decrypted hash value matching the hash value. The access information may associate authorization information and an access level. The access level may be associated with particular data that is permitted to be read from the device. The device may selectively provide the particular data to a control device based on the access information.
US09674155B2
A method begins by a dispersed storage (DS) processing module segmenting a data partition into a plurality of data segments. For a data segment of the plurality of data segments, the method continues with the DS processing module dividing the data segment into a set of data sub-segments and generating a set of sub keys for the set of data sub-segments based on a master key. The method continues with the DS processing module encrypting the set of data sub-segments using the set of sub keys to produce a set of encrypted data sub-segments and aggregating the set of encrypted data sub-segments into encrypted data. The method continues with the DS processing module generating a masked key based on the encrypted data and the master key and combining the encrypted data and the masked key to produce an encrypted data segment.
US09674145B2
Identifying a questionable network address from a network communication. In an embodiment, a network device receives an incoming or outgoing connection request, a web page, an email, or other network communication. An evaluation module evaluates the network communication for a corresponding network address, which may be for the source or destination of the network communication. The network address generally includes an IP address, which may be obtained from the payload section of a network packet. The evaluation module determines one or more properties of the network communication, such as time of day, content type, directionality, or the like. The evaluation module then determines whether the properties match or are otherwise allowed based on properties specified in the white list in association with the IP address.
US09674136B2
Techniques for ascribing social attributes to content items and for selecting content to display in a content feed are described. According to various embodiments, accessing one or more content items accessible via a network are accessed, each of the content items having received one or more social activity signals. Thereafter, members of an online social network service that submitted the social activity signals may be identified. Member profile data identifying member profile attributes of the members cemented the social activity signals may then be accessed. Thereafter, social attribute information may be generated and associated with each of the content items, the social attribute information identifying the member profile attributes of the members that submitted the social activity signals associated with each of the content items.
US09674117B2
The present invention relates to a computing apparatus as an element of a network structure using a method for acquiring and maintaining cell locked data transfer amongst a number of computing apparatuses. A predefined number of symbols transmitted as a cell is followed by a variable number of idle symbols to ensure the nominally simultaneous start of the cell transfers throughout the network without a central control. At specific positions of the cells each computing apparatus broadcasts a list of its transmission requests and receiver capabilities to all other computing apparatuses. Each of the interconnected computing apparatuses executes the same arbitration procedure based on the identical data set of transmission requests and receiver capabilities. As a result transmission paths are assigned for direct transmission and for payload forwarding. The transmission paths can be assigned per cell period individually for both directions of each link.
US09674115B2
An exemplary system includes a plurality of connector assemblies. Each of the connector assemblies includes a plurality of ports. Each of the connector assemblies is configured to read information stored on or in physical communication media that is connected to the ports of the respective connector assembly. An aggregation point is communicatively coupled to the plurality of connector assemblies. The aggregation point is configured to automatically discover the connector assemblies and cause each of the connector assemblies to send to the aggregation point at least some of the information read from the physical communication media that is connected to its ports. The aggregation point is configured to store at least some of the information sent by the connector assemblies to the aggregation point. The aggregation point can also be configured to provide at least some of the information it stores to at least one other device via the network.
US09674114B2
Layout-aware modular decoupled crossbar and router for on-chip interconnects and associated micro-architectures and methods of operation. A crossbar and router architecture called MoDe-X (Modular Decoupled Crossbar) is disclosed that supports 5-port routing for use in 2D mesh interconnects and is implemented through use of decoupled row and column sub-crossbar modules in combination with feeder wiring and control logic that enables routing between ports on the row and column sub-crossbar modules. The corresponding MoDe-X router supports 5-port routing between various router input and output port combinations while reducing both router area and power consumption when compared with a conventional 5×5 crossbar design and implementation. The MoDe-X micro-architecture can be configured to support both single and dual local port injection configurations.
US09674113B2
A data bridge controls packet transfers between network fabrics forming a closed network, such as a vehicular network and a home network. The data bridge includes two or more sets of modules, each of which communicates with a different network fabric. When a packet is to be delivered between network fabrics, a first set of modules, which is used to communicate with a first network fabric, decides whether to accept the packet or discard it. If the packet is accepted, it is delivered to a second set of modules, which is used for communicating with a second network fabric. The second set of modules makes a second, independent decision about whether the packet will be sent to the second network fabric. Each set of modules can base its decision on packet content type, and may discard any packet not to be delivered to the other network.
US09674110B2
A method, a UE and a communications system for releasing resources are disclosed. When the UE is in a CELL_FACH state, a resource release indication is transmitted from a network equipment to the UE to instruct the UE to release HS-RACH resources on the UE. Upon receiving the resource release indication, the UE releases previously allocate HS-RACH resources on the UE.
US09674103B2
Methods for managing an address on a switching device, managing an address on a network switch, and screening addresses in a cloud computing environment are provided. One embodiment is directed towards a computer-implemented method for managing an address on a switching device that is communicatively coupled to a plurality of virtual machines. The method includes accessing an address pool that includes an assigned address for each virtual machine from the plurality of virtual machines. The method includes determining, on the switching device, a used address for the virtual machine from the plurality of virtual machines. The method includes determining whether the used address is matching the assigned address for each virtual machine. The method also includes routing traffic from the virtual machine to a hypervisor in response to the used address matching the assigned address.
US09674100B2
In one embodiment, a method determines thresholds for a multiple bitrate algorithm that adjusts which bitrates for a media program are requested. A first threshold is associated with a first buffer length and a first direction of adjustment and a second threshold is associated with a second buffer length greater than the first buffer length and a second direction of adjustment. The method then determines which threshold applies to a buffer length of a buffer buffering the media program. An adjustment to the multiple bitrate algorithm in the first direction or the second direction based on the threshold that applies where the adjustment in the first direction increases an aggressiveness used by the multiple bitrate algorithm to increase the bitrate requested and the adjustment in the second direction decreases the aggressiveness used by the multiple bitrate algorithm to increase the bitrate requested.
US09674094B1
Systems, methods, and other embodiments associated with controlling transmission of packets over a link aggregation group (LAG) using policies arranged in a tree hierarchy are described. According to one embodiment, a device includes a decision logic configured to manage transmission of packets over a link aggregation group by individually evaluating the packets according to a plurality of policies arranged into a tree hierarchy. The link aggregation group includes a plurality of interfaces connected to a remote device. The decision logic is configured to select one of the plurality of interfaces of the link aggregation group for each of the packets by using the plurality of policies. A transmission logic configured to control transmission of each of the packets according to which interface of the link aggregation group is selected for each of the packets as a result of evaluating the packets using the plurality of policies.
US09674088B1
In general, techniques are described for enhancing operations of virtual networks. In some examples, a network system includes a network interface card of a server configured to receive a tunnel packet associated with a virtual network. The tunnel packet comprises an outer header associated with the physical network, the outer header encapsulating an inner packet comprising an inner header associated with the virtual network and a payload. A first processing core of the server is configured to perform, based at least on one of the outer header and inner header of the tunnel packet, a first packet steering operation to identify the second processing core. The second processing core is configured to forward the inner packet to a virtual machine of the virtual machines.
US09674075B1
Techniques are described for enhancements to Protocol Independent Multicast (PIM) in an Any Source Multicast (ASM) mode in order to effectively implement Multicast only Fast Re-Route (MoFRR). According to the PIM ASM mode, a router operating as a last hop router connected to a receiver may initiate establishment of both a shared tree and a shortest path tree over which to receive multicast traffic for a given multicast group. According to the disclosed techniques, the router may use the shortest path tree as a primary path on which to receive the multicast traffic, and may use the shared tree as a secondary or backup path for MoFRR in case a failure occurs on the primary path. The techniques enable the router to perform MoFRR for PIM ASM mode without pruning the multicast traffic from the shared tree, and without building additional trees as secondary paths for MoFRR.
US09674073B2
This invention extends routing mechanisms that use link metrics for route selection so that: A link metric cross correlation vector is determined for all links, where each element in the vector corresponds to some other link, and reflects the change in the link metric value if a data flow would already use this other link. The invention further describes a specific embodiment where all cross-correlating links are adjacent to each other, i.e., they terminate or originate in a common node. A mechanism is described to create an extended routing graph. This extended graph permits the use of standard polynomial time algorithms that simultaneously construct the optimal route and find the optimal route metric (such as shortest-path algorithms) also for the adjacent link cross-correlating case.
US09674072B1
A system and method for performing topology discovery in a data network is provided. Network elements utilizing a distance-vector protocol, such as EIGRP, advertises routes and metric information. A resource control point or other element analyzes the advertised routes and metrics and determines the nexthop, thereby providing a topology map of the network.
US09674071B2
A method for generating a high-precision packet train includes configuring an initial packet generation flow of duration T in a network node and sending a packet to a loopback port to initiate the initial packet generation flow in the network node, where the loopback port loops packets back to the network node or recirculates packets within the network node, and where the loopback port is configured for traffic shaping that establishes a pre-determined inter-packet gap for packets output by the loopback port. The method further includes configuring a main packet generation flow having a duration t1 that commences on expiration of the duration T. Looped back packets in the network node are sent to the loopback port for the entirety of durations T and t1, while one copy of each looped back packet in the network node is sent to a network port during the duration t1.
US09674066B2
A method, system, and computer program product for parsing an information string to extract requested information related to a remotely monitored device communicatively coupled to a network, including accessing the device using an HTTP protocol to obtain an information string associated with the device; determining, based on a type of the requested information, data extraction information for optimally extracting the requested information from the device; parsing the information string according to the data extraction information to identify substrings within the information string; and determining the requested information based on the information string, identified substrings, and the data extraction information.
US09674064B1
Various embodiments are generally directed to techniques for transaction processing in servers. Some embodiments are particularly directed to a transaction processing system that is able to induce random bounded delay in processing transactions at a server. In some embodiments, the transaction processing system may monitor a rate of transaction requests received at a server and determine whether to delay servicing at least one requested transaction based on comparing the rate of transaction requests received, or a value at least partially based thereon, to one or more thresholds.
US09674063B2
Example embodiments disclosed herein relate to managing data usage of a computing device. In example embodiments, an executable component of a computing device is managed, wherein the executable component is to communicate data with a network interface of the computing device.
US09674059B2
A method and system for monitoring availability data of a system management (SM) environment. In response to determining that a retrieved connection configuration establishes communication between a SM environment and a SM portal server that includes a central repository, availability data is collected from an availability module. The availability data pertains to availability of resources at endpoints of one or more terminal systems. The connection configuration is associated with the SM environment. Te SM environment is coupled to the SM portal server and the availability module. The SM environment includes the one or more terminal systems.
US09674057B2
A method of monitoring a network includes receiving by a user plane record aggregator first data associated with a user plane packet, the first data being selected by a user plane network element from second data, the second data being stored in a plurality of information fields, the plurality of information fields being associated with the user plane network element, the second data being obtained by the user plane network element from user plane traffic, the user plane network element processing the user plane packet in accordance with a user plane network function. The method further includes determining by an aggregation device a characteristic associated with the user plane traffic from the first data, thereby monitoring the user plane traffic without requiring a tap.
US09674056B2
A method and system for providing call routing analytics. A virtual session initiation protocol switch is provided and hosted in an Internet cloud-based environment. The switch streams live call detail records to a computer system having a processor configured to process all of the subscriber's call records to monitor route performance for the subscriber. Real-time route performance data is transmitted to the subscriber for display at a subscriber computer. The subscriber can then alter a routing of at least a portion of the call utilizing the switch in response to the real-time route performance data to increase quality of signaling and business performance.
US09674052B2
Techniques for identifying stream fingerprints are provided. A stream of data packets may be received. In one aspect, a stream fingerprint may be determined based on the stream of data packets. An application associated with the stream may be determined based on the stream fingerprint. In another aspect, a stream may be partially matched while a fully matched stream fingerprint has not been determined. As additional packets are received, the stream may become fully matched.
US09674050B2
In various exemplary embodiments, a system and associated method to provide management of a plurality of electronic elements in a datacenter is disclosed. The system includes a datacenter management system coupled to a wireless network to receive information regarding a spatial location of a handheld device within the datacenter. The datacenter management system provides information to the handheld device related to each of the plurality of electronic elements. The datacenter management system includes a management processor to process information related to each of the plurality of electronic elements and a database to store information related to each of the plurality of electronic elements.
US09674044B2
Methods for inserting a middlebox into a network connection include monitoring network state information in a connection between a client and a server. When the connection is idle, a connection entry is created for each device and is initialized using state information gathered by monitoring the network connection. Redirection of the network connection is activated between the client and the server such that the middlebox mediates the connection. Methods for removing a middlebox from a network connection include determining a degree of mismatch between a sequence number in a first connection between the middlebox and a client and a sequence number in a second connection between the middlebox and a server, delaying acknowledgment signals from the middlebox on a connection to decrease the degree of mismatch, and establishing a direct connection between the client and the server without mediation by the middlebox when the degree of mismatch is zero.
US09674040B2
Implementations of the present disclosure involve an apparatus and/or method for a network topology discovery engine that detects one or more network elements and/or one or more connections between a plurality of network elements. The network topology discovery engine transmits a request for operational and connection information from at least one network element. In response, network topology information is received by the network topology discovery engine by one or more elements of the network that provide information on the topology and operational state of the telecommunications network. The received information may then be stored in a network topology database. This network topology database may be utilized by the network or a related component for information or maintenance of the telecommunications network, such as an obsolescence tracker to detect one or more network elements that could be replaced or upgraded.
US09674036B2
Methods and apparatus for dynamic resource management within a distributed control plane of a switch
In some embodiments, a switch fabric system includes multiple access switches configured to be operatively coupled to a switch fabric. The multiple access switches include multiple ports each to be operatively coupled to a peripheral processing device. A first set of ports from the multiple ports and a second set of ports from the multiple ports are managed by a first network control entity when the switch fabric system is in a first configuration. The first set of ports is managed by the first network control entity and the second set of ports is managed by a second network control entity when the switch fabric system is in a second configuration. The second network control entity is automatically initiated when the system is changed from the first configuration to the second configuration.
US09674034B2
A method of repairing communication disruption using a gateway, and an apparatus and a system therefor are disclosed. A method of repairing communication disruption in a gateway includes detecting whether failure in a communication line occurs by monitoring a change in voltage of the communication line, successively transmitting communication line disconnection request signals to first to Nth smart joint blocks when the occurrence of the communication line failure is detected, and determining whether the communication line failure is repaired after transmitting the communication line disconnection request signals. The communication line failure may be repaired by identifying a smart joint block causing the failure according to a result of the determination. Accordingly, the present invention has an advantage of providing more stable in-vehicle communication by automatically repairing communication line failure.
US09674025B2
A four-level pulse amplitude modulation transmitter and corresponding method are provided. The transmitter includes a most significant bit processing section and a least significant bit processing section. The transmitter further includes at least one termination resistor connected to respective outputs of the processing sections to provide a transmitter output. Each of the processing sections include a set of retiming latches arranged in a parallel for aligning input parallel data and providing parallel aligned latched outputs responsive to one phase of a quarter-rate four-phase quadrature clock. Each of the processing sections further includes a serializer for serializing the parallel aligned latched outputs to provide a serialized output using quarter-rates of the quarter-rate four-phase quadrature clock. Each of the processing sections also include an output driver for driving the serialized output.
US09674023B2
Communication signals using a first and a second frequency band in a wireless network is described herein. The first frequency band may be associated with a first beamwidth while the second frequency band may be associated with a second beamwidth. An apparatus may include receiver circuitry arranged to receive first signals in a first frequency band associated with a first beamwidth and second signals in a second frequency band associated with a second beamwidth, the first signals comprising a frame synchronization parameter and the second signals comprising frame alignment signals. The apparatus may further include processor circuitry coupled to the receiver circuitry, the processor circuitry arranged to activate or deactivate the receiver circuitry to receive the frame alignment signals based on the frame synchronization parameter. Other embodiments may be described and/or claimed.
US09674018B2
A mobile wireless terminal includes a communication processor. The communication processor includes an internal memory, a CQI estimating unit, an RBG table creating unit, and a DMPX. A second buffer is arranged in the internal memory. The CQI estimating unit measures the quality of channels for each channel. The RBG table creating unit specifies the plurality of channels in descending order of quality of the channels within the range in which the sum of the amount of data received via the channels is equal to or less than the capacity of the second buffer. The DMPX stores, in the second buffer, data received via the plurality of channels specified by the RBG table creating unit.
US09674012B2
A control method for a decision feedback equalizer (DFE) includes: generating a channel impulse response (CIR) estimation vector according to an input signal at a CIR estimation frequency; generating an FFE coefficient according to the CIR estimation vector at a first frequency; generating an FBE coefficient according to the CIR estimation vector, and the FFE coefficient at a second frequency; generating a feed-forward equalization filtered result according to the input signal and the FFE coefficient; generating a feed-backward equalization filtered result according to a decision signal and the FBE coefficient; and generating an updated decision signal according to the feed-forward equalization filtered result and the feed-backward equalization filtered result. At least one of the first frequency and the second frequency is smaller than the CIR estimation frequency.
US09674007B1
Systems and methods are disclosed herein to provide automatic identification of radio frequency (RF) transmitter chains during the testing of wireless data communication devices and systems, including Multiple Input Multiple Output (MIMO) devices and systems utilizing beamforming. In accordance with one or more embodiments, a signal analysis function is disclosed that identifies the ordinal index of each MIMO RF transmitter chain associated with a Device Under Test (DUT) using the Cyclic Shift Delay (CSD) imposed on the transmitted MIMO signal. Such a system may offer improved capabilities such as automated detection of mis-cabled test setups, automated recovery from mis-cabling, and automated adaptation of transmitted test signals to counteract the effects of mis-cabling.
US09674005B1
A communication device includes: a detecting unit, performing a mobility detection in a time interval to generate a detection result; a selecting unit, selecting a channel estimation method from a plurality of channel estimation methods according to the detection result; and a channel estimating unit, coupled to the selecting unit, performing a channel estimation on a channel for receiving a signal according to the selected channel estimation method.
US09674000B2
A method of controlling a codec negotiation of a gateway (1) providing a codec capability offer, e.g. OLC according to the standard H.245, for establishing a data connection (1A, NA, 5T, 12T) to a communication device (10), comprises the gateway (1) providing a DSP resource (5A, 5B) for encoding (C1E) and/or decoding (C1D) of data to be transmitted using a codec which is negotiated between the gateway (1) and the communication device (10), and controlling the gateway (1) to limit (4B1, 4B2, CA2, CA14) a selection of codecs available at the gateway (1) from at least two codecs reserving different amounts of the DSP resource (5A, 5B) respectively, to be included in the codec capability offer to a codec which reserves the least amount of the DSP resource (5A, 5B) such that the communication device (10) is forced (CA4, CA15) to select the codec which reserves the least amount of the DSP resource (5A, 5B).
US09673997B2
A call is managed between a network and a telecommunications system (10) including a gateway (13), one or more interface devices (14-16) each of which can be connected to the gateway, and one or more sensors (17A, 17B) of information relating to the respective environments of the interface devices. The sensor senses information relating to the respective environments of the interface devices. Then, as a function of the sensed information, an interface device is selected. Finally, the selected interface device is connected with the gateway to enable a call between the selected interface device and the network.
US09673996B1
Disclosed herein is a method and system for providing streaming media to a client device. Specifically, in a streaming media session that is initially ongoing between a content server and a client device via a first proxy server: (i) the first proxy server may determine that an interruption in the streaming media session is going to occur and responsively (a) send a transfer request to the client device and (b) send session information to a second proxy server, the session information comprising information identifying the streaming media session and a progress indicator that indicates a current status of the streaming media session, and (ii) after the transfer request and the session information is sent, continuing the streaming media session via the second proxy server. The second proxy server uses the progress indicator as a basis to continue the streaming media session with the client device.
US09673994B2
One embodiment describes a non-transitory tangible computer-readable medium storing a plurality of instructions executable by a processor of an electronic device in a wide area monitoring system. The instructions include instructions to receive a synchro-command from the wide area monitoring system via a network interface, in which the synchro-command is time synchronized with a global clock by a time stamp encoded on the synchro-command; accept or reject the synchro-command with an input handler based at least in part on a sender ID and a receiver ID encoded on the synchro-command; schedule execution of a control command encoded on the synchro-command with a synchro-command manager based at least in part on a scheduler time encoded on the synchro-command; and execute the control command encoded on the synchro-command with the processor based at least in part on an application ID encoded on the synchro-command.
US09673986B2
A method for increasing the security of private keys is provided that includes generating transaction data at a device operated by a user and processing the transaction data. Moreover, the method includes determining whether the user permits using a private key that is associated with the user and with a public-private key pair of the user. The private key is stored in a computer system different from the device. Furthermore, the method includes authenticating the user when the user permits using the private key, applying the private key to other data after successfully authenticating the user, and transmitting the other data to the device. The method also includes conducting a transaction with the transaction data.
US09673978B2
A method, a host apparatus, and a machine-readable storage medium are provided for authenticating a storage apparatus. The method includes acquiring an identification of the storage apparatus based on a request for using content stored in the storage apparatus; determining whether authentication of the identification of the storage apparatus is revoked; determining whether usage of the content is allowed, based on at least one of additional information about the content and additional information about a certificate revocation of the storage apparatus, when the authentication of the identification of the storage apparatus is revoked; and receiving the content from the storage apparatus, when the usage of the content is allowed.
US09673970B1
This invention relates to methods and systems for estimating and checking synchronization accuracy, in particular frequency synchronization accuracy. It is particularly applicable to synchronization methods and systems which involve a digital phase-locked loop (DPLL) and embodiments provide methods and systems for estimating and tracking how well the DPLL is frequency synchronized to a source frequency. In one embodiment, frequency synchronization accuracy is used as an additional quality metric for mobile call handover between base stations. Call handover is of major importance within any mobile network; without checking frequency synchronization before handover dropped calls and interrupted communication can result.
US09673966B2
Generally, this disclosure describes eye width measurement and margining in communication systems. An apparatus may be configured to: decouple a phase detector from a CDR loop filter of a receiver under test in response to synchronizing a margining clock signal to a receiver clock signal; apply a margining input to the loop filter, the margining input configured to shift a frequency of the margining clock signal by a constant amount related to the margining input; compare a first bit stream and a second bit stream and configured to detect an error, the first bit stream related to a transmitted bit stream; and count cycles of the receiver clock signal or the margining clock signal, wherein an eye width associated with the receiver under test is related to the margining input, the frequency of the receiver clock signal and a count of clock cycles when the error is detected.
US09673961B2
System, methods and apparatus are described that facilitate transmission of data over a multi-wire data communications link, particularly between two devices within an electronic apparatus. A clock extracted from a first sequence of symbols transmitted on a first lane of a multi-lane interface is used to receive and decode the first sequence of symbols and to receive and decode data and/or symbols transmitted on a second lane of the multilane interface. The clock signal may be derived from transitions in the signaling state of N wires between consecutive pairs of symbols in the first sequence of symbols. The first lane may be encoded using N! encoding and the second lane may be a serial or N! link.
US09673960B2
Embodiments of full-duplex systems with reconfigurable antennas are described. In one embodiment, a full-duplex reconfigurable antenna transceiver includes a transmit chain, a receive chain, and a reconfigurable antenna having a plurality of reconfigurable modes. The transceiver may also include an antenna controller configured to set a mode of the reconfigurable antenna. According to other aspects, the transceiver may also include a signal processor configured to transmit a set of training symbols during a training interval. The antenna controller may be further configured to select a respective mode of the reconfigurable antenna for each training symbol in the set of training symbols. Additionally, the antenna controller may be configured to calculate a received Signal-of-Interest to Interferer Ratio (SIR) for each training symbol of the set of training symbols. In this context, a full-duplex system utilizing a reconfigurable antenna may achieve significant rate improvement compared to half-duplex systems.
US09673940B2
The present invention relates to a wireless communication system. More particularly, the present invention relates to a method and a device for a terminal to transmit an uplink signal according to a normal HARQ operation in a wireless communication system supporting a carrier merge, the method comprising the steps of: forming a first cell set with a FDD and a second serving cell set with a TDD; receiving a PHICH signal from a subframe #(n−m−p) of the first serving cell, or receiving a PDCCH signal from a subframe #(n−m) of the first serving cell; and transmitting a PUSCH signal from a subframe #n of the second serving cell, in correspondence to the PHICH signal or the PDCCH signal, wherein n is an integer greater than or equal to 0, m is an integer greater than or equal to 1, and p is an integer greater than or equal to 1.
US09673936B2
Disclosed is a method for providing error correction to a video stream transmitted from a server to a client device, wherein the server is connected to an intermediate module over a bandwidth-limited network and the intermediate module is connected to the client device over a lossy network. The method includes intercepting data transmitted from the bandwidth-limited network to the lossy network by the intermediate module, identifying the video stream for error correction from the intercepted data at the intermediate module, generating error correction data for the video stream by the intermediate module and transmitting a modified stream that includes the video stream and the error correction data over the lossy network to the client device by the intermediate module.
US09673933B2
A method for transmitting a packet in a communication system is provided. The method includes dividing a data stream into data payloads of a predetermined size and adding a common header to each of the data payloads, to generate a source payload, adding a first Forward Error Correction (FEC) payload Identifier (ID) to the source payload and applying an FEC code thereto, to generate an FEC source packet for a source payload, adding a second FEC payload ID to at least one parity payload and applying an FEC code thereto, to generate an FEC parity packet for the at least one parity payload, and transmitting the FEC source packet and the FEC parity packet.
US09673929B2
An optical transmission apparatus including: an attenuator that attenuates a power of a first optical signal generated in a first modulation method to a first target level and attenuates a power of a second optical signal generated in a second modulation method, a modulation level in the second modulation method being lower than the modulation level in the first modulation method, to a second target level, the second target level being lower than the first target level; and a transmitter that sends a WDM signal including the first optical signal and the second optical signal that have been attenuated by the attenuator.
US09673928B2
Some demonstrative embodiments include devices, systems and/or methods of Time-Division Duplexing (TDD) Uplink-Downlink (UL-DL) configuration management. For example, a node may communicate a message including a cell identifier identifying a first cell controlled by the node, and a TDD configuration update to update at least one other node, which controls at least one second cell, with a TDD UL-DL configuration allocated by the node for communication within the first cell.
US09673927B2
A wireless communication apparatus, a wireless communication system, and a wireless communication method enabling any plurality of apparatuses to engage in time division multiplex communication for communicating a plurality of data even if not all apparatuses in the network are accurately synchronized, perform a time division multiplex connection method of an autonomous distributed network that performs a continuous receiving (scan) operation over a frame period so as to obtain a grasp of the wireless communication apparatuses located at the neighborhood at predetermined periods, that includes the steps of receiving beacon signals from other wireless communication apparatuses to obtain a grasp of the wireless communication apparatuses that they are communicable with, calculating the reception slot of the wireless communication apparatus from the received beacon information, setting its own reception slot so as not to collide with the set situation thereof, and forming network autonomously engaging in time division multiplex communication with other wireless communication apparatuses located at the neighborhood.
US09673924B2
A method of linkage-viewing a TV broadcasting program between a mobile communication apparatus and a digital TV, the method includes inputting a TV linkage-viewing command in order to successively view a TV broadcasting program which is being viewed on the mobile communication apparatus, on the digital TV; transmitting data information from the mobile communication apparatus to the digital TV according to the input of the TV linkage viewing command; and selecting a TV channel in the digital TV which is the same as a current channel which is being viewed on the mobile communication apparatus and changing to the selected TV channel based on the data information which the digital TV has received.
US09673921B1
Described herein are technologies related to an implementation of Wi-Fi CCA detection and transmission decision making using a histogram data block. For example, the histogram data block facilitates threshold values that are used for the transmission decision making to avoid Wi-Fi signal retransmission and/or collision.
US09673920B2
A transmitter is configured to change its unique radio signature enough to defeat radio fingerprinting identification without destroying the content of the transmissions. The transmitter may be configured for defeating both transient-signal fingerprinting and steady-state fingerprinting. The transmitter may be configured to obfuscate transient detection. The transmitter may continuously vary spectral, amplitude, and/or phase characteristics of its transmissions to defeat radio fingerprinting. The transmitter may pair radio fingerprints with subscriber terminal identification codes (e.g., MAC addresses or SMSIs) for generating different radio identities. The transmitter may measure another transmitter's radio fingerprint, and, compensating for its own radio fingerprint, spoof the measured radio fingerprint.
US09673917B2
A method calibrates a spread spectrum receiver having a received signal strength below a noise floor. The method includes estimating an input noise power, and measuring a noise power output from the receiver. The method also includes comparing the estimated input noise power with the measured output noise power to determine at least one calibration value. The method further includes calibrating the receiver based upon the at least one calibration value.
US09673912B2
A radio signal emitting node (25, 38) is configured to emit a radio signal when buried in soil (10). The node (25, 38) comprises an antenna (20, 39), an integrated electronic circuit (22) electrically connected to the antenna (20, 39) using a feed line (15, 17, 18), and at least one sensor (30) for generating measurement data (31). The integrated circuit (22) is configured to operate the antenna (20, 39) to emit the radio signal containing the measurement data (31) periodically or upon receiving a wireless request (32). The radio signal emitting node (25, 38) is configured to allow a surrounding medium of the soil (10) to influence the near field of the antenna (20, 39) when the node (25, 38) is buried in soil (10) and to decrease or prevent the radio signal emission in case the influence of the surrounding medium onto the near field is withdrawn.
US09673909B2
An optical receiver module that provides a semiconductor optical amplifier (SOA) is disclosed. The optical receiver module provides the SOA in another housing and a photodiode (PD) enclosed in another housing. The housing for the SOA and the other housing for the PD are fixed as interposing a coupling unit therebetween, which is rigidly fixed to those housings. The coupling unit has a bore that passes light output from a facet of the SOA and received by the PD. A feature of the coupling unit is that a width or diameter of the bore of the coupling unit is smaller than widths of respective housings along a direction perpendicular to the optical axis of the light.
US09673902B2
A visible light communication system is provided. The communication system includes at least one of a FFD and a visible light communication light source, and a RFD, wherein the visible light communication light source is configured to carry data information in a visible light signal and send the visible light signal; the RFD is in communication with the FFD and/or in communication with the visible light communication light source, and is configured to receive the visible light signal and demodulate the received visible light signal to recover data information; and the FFD is configured to achieve at least one of the following functions: the function of the visible light communication light source, the function of the RFD, and a function for forwarding the received visible light signal. In the present invention, the technical problem that visible light resources cannot be used fully because there is no network structure used for the visible light communications in the conventional art is solved, thereby achieving the technical effect of improving the utilization rate of the visible light.
US09673892B2
In a device for transmitting signals on two channels between two sub-assemblies rotatable relative to each other about an axis, a photodetector and a light source are connected via connecting lines to a receiver circuit and transmitter circuit. At least one of the connecting lines has a section extending with a radial directional component. The beam path of one channel extends with an axial directional component radially outside relative to the beam path of the optical signal of the other channel, past the section of the at least one connecting line.
US09673890B2
The apparatus and methodologies used herein leverages RoIP to generically transport either conventional modulation (e.g., AM, FM, phase or pulse) or complex modulation (e.g., GMSK, CDMA, TDMA, OFDM, etc.) in real time or near real time across an internet protocol link, such as Gigabit Ethernet (GBE). The purpose of the invention is a method of creating a live, virtual, modulation transcendent link by using an internet protocol (IP) link to extend the natural range of a connection between an RF signal source (e.g. transmitter) and an RF receiving device (e.g. receiver). This methodology is referred to herein as radio frequency over internet protocol (RFoIP).
US09673887B1
The present disclosure is directed to a method for calibrating a communications device. The method may include the step of determining a first coefficient based on correction data obtained by the transition from an initial open loop power operation to a power level of a closed loop operation. The method may also include the step of determining a second coefficient of transmitter gain based on the power of one or more transmissions by the communications device. A further step of the method may include determining a strength of a downlink signal received by the communications device from a satellite computed from knowledge of a receiver gain represented by the first coefficient. The method may also include the step of determining a transmit power level for the communications device based on the strength of the downlink signal, the first coefficient, and the second coefficient of transmitter gain.
US09673872B2
This disclosure provides systems, methods and apparatus for tuning a transmit antenna for operation in a plurality of frequency bands. In one aspect, a transmitting antenna system is provided. The transmitting antenna system includes an active transmit antenna and a tunable passive antenna. The active antenna is configured to transmit a field over a plurality of operating frequencies. The passive antenna is configured to transmit a field over at least two frequencies of the plurality of operating frequencies. In one aspect, the tunable passive antenna includes a network of a plurality of reactive elements. In another aspect, the plurality of operating frequencies is selected from a set including a charging frequency, an NFC frequency, and a communication frequency.
US09673871B2
A wireless mobile device using a battery as an antenna is provided. The wireless mobile device includes a battery, a system circuit, a RF choke and a DC blocker. The battery has a positive terminal and a negative terminal. The system circuit has a voltage terminal and a RF terminal. The RF choke is connected between the positive terminal of the battery and the voltage terminal of the system circuit. The DC blocker is connected between the positive terminal of the battery and the RF terminal of the system circuit.
US09673863B2
A method for providing information by optimizing the data rate to a vehicle over a three-phase power line utilized to provide power to the vehicle is described. The method includes assigning three separate frequency bands to three respective conductors extending between a ground power system and the vehicle, generating carrier signals in three separate frequency bands and modulating various data onto three carrier signals to generate three transmission signals for sending the various data from the ground power system to the vehicle at frequencies within respective ones of the three separate frequency bands. The frequencies for each of the three separate frequency bands do not overlap one another. The method also includes switching the three transmission signals onto respective conductors of the three-phase power line, demodulating the various data within the vehicle, and providing the various data to one or more vehicle systems.
US09673857B2
Techniques for frequency-hopping sequence-generation are described herein. In one example, a sequence of pseudo random numbers may be used to generate a scrambling sequence. The scrambling sequence may be used to map an unscrambled sequence of channels into a scrambled sequence of channels. Channel-repeats may be detected in the scrambled sequence of channels and resolved. Channel whitening may be performed to reduce channel overuse resulting from the channel-repeat resolutions. The scrambled sequence of channels may be provided to a radio to enable the radio to tune to the channels indicated by the scrambled sequence of channels.
US09673852B1
A system for recharging a mobile phone battery. The system includes a phone case configured to secure to the mobile phone; a cord winding mechanism rotatably attached to the phone case and disposed within a first housing; a resistor and regulator assembly disposed within a second housing, the resistor and regulator assembly is configured to regulate the power to a mobile phone battery; and a cord wrapped around the winding mechanism and conductively coupled to the resistor and regulator assembly.
US09673840B2
A method of encoding data in a data block includes generating a first XOR parity from an XOR of all data bits in the data block and an XOR of all row parities of all rows in the data block besides a last row, storing the first XOR parity in the last row, and generating a second XOR parity from an XOR of all column parities of all columns in the data block and an XOR of a parity of the last row.
US09673839B2
In one embodiment, a method for decoding data includes iteratively C1 decoding all first subsets of a set of data two or more times in each half iteration using two or more C1-decoding methods when a first subset is not decoded successfully using a first C1 decoding, determining whether to stop decoding the set of data after the C1 decoding and output results of the C1 decoding, incrementing a half iteration counter to indicate completion of a half iteration in response to decoding not being stopped, C2 decoding all second subsets of the set of data, determining whether to stop decoding the set of data after the C2 decoding and output results of the C2 decoding, incrementing the half iteration counter to indicate completion of another half iteration in response to decoding not being stopped, and outputting decoded data when all subsets of the set of data are decoded successfully.
US09673836B1
An aspect includes receiving a symbol translation table (STT) that includes input symbols and their corresponding codewords. An entropy encoding descriptor (EED) that specifies how many of the codewords have each of the different lengths is also received. Contents of one or both of the STT and the EED are modified to generate a test case and an entropy encoding test is executed. The executing includes performing a lossless data compression process based on contents of an input data string that includes one or more of the input symbols, and on contents of the STT and the EED; or performing a data expansion process based on contents of an input data string that includes one or more of the codewords, and on contents of the STT and the EED. A result of the entropy encoding test is compared to an expected result.
US09673832B2
A successive approximation register analog-to-digital converter (SAR ADC) with high accuracy is disclosed. Within the SAR ADC, a SAR logic circuit combines the output signal of a comparator collected during at least two successive cycles of a plurality of cycles of a search scheme of digital representation of an analog input and, accordingly, makes a one-step control for a voltage difference between a positive and a negative input terminal of the comparator. At least three capacitor network switching choices for a capacitor network of the SAR ADC are provided by the one-step control. By the one-step control, a selection between the at least three capacitor network switching choices is made according to at least two comparison results of the comparator obtained during the at least two successive cycles. In this manner, comparator noise is utilized as an additional quantization level to improve the overall ADC noise performance.
US09673822B2
A system including a first device having a push-pull circuit configured to transmit a synchronization symbol; and a second device coupled to the first device by a single wire interface, and configured to, in response to receiving the synchronization symbol, transmit a data symbol to the first device while the push-pull circuit is in a tristate phase.
US09673809B1
In one embodiment, a control system includes a first voltage domain circuit. The first voltage domain circuit includes circuitry for operating in a first voltage domain. The control system includes a second voltage domain circuit. The second voltage domain circuit includes circuitry for operating in a second voltage domain. The second voltage domain circuit includes a driver circuit. The driver circuit for providing a control terminal driving signal to make conductive a power switch. The second voltage domain circuit includes a replication circuit, the replication circuit having an output to provide a replicated signal of the control terminal driving signal. The control system includes a galvanic isolation barrier signal path between the first voltage domain circuit and the second voltage domain circuit. The replicated signal is provided by the second voltage domain circuit to the first voltage domain circuit via the galvanic isolation barrier signal path.
US09673804B2
The invention relates to a circuit arrangement with an electronic power switch, a capacitor and a plate-shaped direct current laminate. The direct current laminate includes two metal plates insulated from one another for carrying current and multiple connection elements arranged so to electrically connect the metal plates to the capacitor. The capacitor is electrically connected by the connection elements to the direct current laminate, and the capacitor is on one side of the direct current laminate. This circuit arrangement has a significantly reduced space requirement and simultaneously improved scalability. This is achieved because the direct current laminate additionally has multiple connection elements arranged so to connect the direct current laminate to the electronic power switch of the circuit arrangement. The electronic power switch is electrically connected by the connection elements to the direct current laminate and is arranged on the opposing side of the direct current laminate.
US09673799B2
A sensing circuit having a reduced bias clamp and method of operating the sensing circuit are provided. The sensing circuit may include a reference path and a sensing path. The sensing path may include a first transistor, clamping capacitor and a pair of switches. The reference path may include a second transistor, clamping capacitor and another pair of switches. A common gain stage receiving a bias voltage charges the clamping capacitors for the respective paths in a charging mode. The clamping capacitors may be charged in a serial or partially parallel manner during the charging mode. Each path may be coupled to a comparator, which may sense current or voltage changes between the paths during a sense mode. The sensing circuit may be configured to provide for sensing current or voltage changes between multiple sensing and/or reference paths in a parallel or serial manner.
US09673786B2
A circuit including a logic gate responsive to a clock signal and to a control signal. The circuit also includes a master stage of a flip-flop. The circuit further includes a slave stage of the flip-flop responsive to the master stage. The circuit further includes an inverter responsive to the logic gate and configured to output a delayed version of the clock signal. An output of the logic gate and the delayed version of the clock signal are provided to the master stage and to the slave stage of the flip-flop. The master stage is responsive to the control signal to control the slave stage.
US09673782B1
Certain aspects of the present disclosure provide methods and apparatus for calibrating a tunable active filter. One example apparatus is a filter circuit that generally includes a tunable active filter comprising at least one amplifier and a first feedback path coupled between an input and an output of the at least one amplifier, the first feedback path comprising at least one switch; and an amplitude limiter coupled to the tunable active filter and comprising at least one transistor disposed in a second feedback path coupled between the input and the output of the at least one amplifier.
US09673773B2
A signal interconnect includes a transmission line, a termination circuit coupled to the transmission line, and a high pass filter circuit coupled in series along the transmission line. The high pass filter circuit includes a first resistive circuit and a first capacitive circuit coupled in parallel. The first resistive circuit has a resistance based on a difference between a resistance of the transmission line at a high frequency and a resistance of the transmission line at a low frequency.
US09673768B2
Multipath digital microphone systems comprising a multipath digital audio combiner component are described. Exemplary multipath digital microphone systems can switch from conveying one digital audio signal to conveying another digital audio signal based on one or more switching criteria determined by an exemplary multipath digital audio combiner component. Provided implementations can be configured to switch from conveying one digital audio signal to conveying digital audio signal according to an algorithm to provide low-power, high dynamic range digital microphone systems, without audible artifacts associated with conventional digital microphone systems.
US09673766B1
The embodiments described herein provide class F amplifiers and methods of operation. So implemented, the class F amplifiers can be used to provide high efficiency amplification for a variety of applications, including radio frequency (RF) applications. In general, the class F amplifiers are implemented with at least one transistor and an output matching network, where the output matching network includes a plurality of resonant circuits configured to facilitate class F amplifier operation. In addition to facilitating class F amplifier operation, the plurality of resonant circuits can also be implemented with other circuit elements to provide output impedance transformation in a way that facilitates efficient amplifier operation.
US09673757B2
Tunneling field effect transistors and fabrication methods thereof are provided, which include: obtaining a gate structure disposed over a substrate structure; and providing a source region and a drain region within the substrate structure separated by a channel region, the channel region underlying, at least partially, the gate structure, and the providing including: modifying the source region to attain a narrowed source region bandgap; and modifying the drain region to attain a narrowed drain region bandgap, the narrowed source region bandgap and the narrowed drain region bandgap facilitating quantum tunneling of charge carriers from the source region or the drain region to the channel region. Devices including digital modulation circuits with one or more tunneling field effect transistor(s) are also provided.
US09673749B2
Provided is a power equipment which obtains a power saving effect according to the operation of an electric motor by providing a harmonic suppression function on the side of a power trunk line for supplying power to the electric motor without changing the electric motor side. The power equipment includes an electric motor (14) which is supplied with power from a power trunk line (12) connected to a power source transformer (11) to be operated. A harmonic generation unit (13) is provided in the power trunk line (12) and generates a harmonic voltage having a phase opposed to but the same degree as that of a harmonic voltage of a degree acting as a braking force on a rotor (14-2) in a rotational magnetic flux of harmonics generated between a stator (14-1) and the rotor when the electric motor (14) is operated.
US09673742B2
A method of compensating for magnetic flux resulting from variance from a first electric machine to a second electric machine. A magnetic flux change for the first machine is calculated as a function of a flux difference between the first machine and the second machine. Operation of the first machine is controlled using the magnetic flux change.
US09673741B2
This system for supplying electrical power to a load includes an asynchronous generator including a cage rotor intended to be driven by motor means and a rectifier adapted to rectify the voltage delivered by the generator. The rectifier is a rectifier employing unidirectional electronic components. The power supply system further includes a reactive power source for magnetizing the asynchronous generator.
US09673738B2
A power tool including a motor, a first battery pack, a second battery pack, a first switching element coupled between the first battery pack and the motor, a second switching element coupled between the second battery pack and the motor, and controller coupled to the first switching element and the second switching element. The controller includes a first pulse-width modulation (PWM) output coupled to the first switching element and a first PWM signal to selectively close the first switching element. The controller further includes a second PWM output coupled to the second switching element and a second PWM signal to selectively close the second switching element.
US09673737B2
A holding apparatus (100) for electrostatically holding a component (1), in particular a silicon wafer, includes at least one base body (10, 10A, 10B) which is composed of a first plate (11A) and a second plate (12), the first plate (11A) being arranged on an upper side (10A) of the base body (10, 10A, 10B) and the second plate are made of an electrically insulating material, a plurality of projecting, upper burls (13A) which are arranged on the upper side (10A) of the base body (10, 10A, 10B) and form a support surface for the component (1), and a first electrode which is arranged to receive a clamping voltage, wherein the first plate (11A) is made of an electrically conductive, silicon-including ceramic and forms the first electrode. A method for producing the holding apparatus (100) is also described.
US09673728B2
A converter arrangement can include a first rectifier having an AC input and a DC output with two DC output poles, a capacitance (C) connected between the DC output poles of the first rectifier, a second rectifier having an AC input with two AC input poles and a DC output with two DC output poles, wherein the DC output of the second rectifier is connected between the DC output poles of the first rectifier. A magnetic amplifier includes at least one control winding (L2) and at least one AC winding (L11, L12), wherein the at least one control winding is connected between the DC output poles of the first rectifier, and wherein the at least one AC winding (L2) of the magnetic amplifier is connected in series with the AC input of the second rectifier.
US09673726B2
A capacitive power supply device for a control device of an electrical switching apparatus, including a power supply module that has two input terminals and a power supply voltage between the two terminals, and suitable for supplying a power supply current to a control member suitable for controlling the electrical switching apparatus when the power supply voltage is below a predetermined actuation threshold, the power supply module including a first capacitor connected at the input of voltage rectifying means, the control member being connected at the output of a rectifying block, wherein a second capacitor and a first switch, suitable for connecting the second capacitor based on a comparison of the power supply voltage to a capacitor switching threshold value.
US09673717B2
An electrical circuit for providing electrical power for use in powering electronic devices, such as monitors, televisions, white goods, data centers, and telecom circuit boards, is described herein. The electrical circuit includes an input terminal configured to receive an input power signal, an output terminal configured to provide an output power signal, and a plurality of voltage reduction circuit cells coupled between the input terminal and the output terminal. Each of the voltage reduction circuit cells includes a pair of flyback capacitors, a switching circuit, and a hold capacitor. The switching device is configured to operate the corresponding voltage reduction circuit cell at a charging phase and at a discharging phase. The plurality of voltage reduction circuit cells are configured to deliver the output power signal having a voltage level that is less than the voltage level of the input power signal.
US09673711B2
A digital average-input current-mode control loop for a DC/DC power converter. The power converter may be, for example, a buck converter, boost converter, or cascaded buck-boost converter. The purpose of the proposed control loop is to set the average converter input current to the requested current. Controlling the average input current can be relevant for various applications such as power factor correction (PFC), photovoltaic converters, and more. The method is based on predicting the inductor current based on measuring the input voltage, the output voltage, and the inductor current. A fast cycle-by-cycle control loop may be implemented. The conversion method is described for three different modes. For each mode a different control loop is used to control the average input current, and the control loop for each of the different modes is described. Finally, the algorithm for switching between the modes is disclosed.
US09673704B2
A method and circuit for controlling current through an inductive load such as an electromagnetic valve of a vehicle anti-lock braking system includes first and second driver stages, controlled by PWM (pulse width modulation) signals, for providing, respectively, an actuation path for valve current in an “on” phase and a recirculation path for valve current in an “off” phase. A peak value of current flowing in the actuation path at the end of an “on” phase is compared with a peak value of current flowing in the recirculation path at the start of the “off” phase in order to detect any malfunction of the circuit. An embodiment of the invention has the advantage of being able to detect any malfunction at very low and very high PWM duty cycles.
US09673702B2
A switching mode power supply (SMPS) is capable of clearing an overvoltage condition. The overvoltage is determined by detecting that the output voltage has exceeded the input voltage by a limited amount. The overvoltage is cleared by repetitively turning on and then off the switches controlling the flow of energy to the SMPS in sequence until the excess charge resulting from the overvoltage is couple to circuit ground, and the output is reduced to within acceptable limits.
US09673697B2
An AC/DC power conversion apparatus comprises an AC/DC converter for converting AC power to DC power for a load and a controller that maintains a power factor of the load as the load varies. The AC/DC converter includes an inductor and a plurality of switches that alternately connects and disconnects the inductor to and from an AC power source, to generate the DC power for the load. The plurality of switches is controlled by a plurality of switch drive signals generated by the controller, based on comparisons of an AC voltage from the AC power source to a DC output voltage produced by the AC/DC converter. To maintain the power factor of the load, the controller is configured to adjust the frequency of the plurality of switch drive signals in response to variations in the load while holding the duty cycles of the switch drive signals constant.
US09673691B2
An energy balance controller includes a detection unit, a calculation unit and a reset integral module; the reset integral module includes a reset integrator, a comparator and an RS flip-flop; the input terminals of the calculation unit and the reset integrator are connected to the output terminal of the detection unit, respectively; the output terminal of the calculation unit is connected to one input terminal of the comparator, and the output terminal of the reset integrator is connected to the other input terminal of the comparator; the output terminal of the comparator is connected to the reset terminal of the RS flip-flop; the Q terminal of the RS flip-flop is connected to the reset integrator, and the Q terminal of the RS flip-flop is used for controlling a switching device of the converter to switch on or off; the method is implemented by the energy balance controller.
US09673690B2
An electromagnetic retarder rotor (1) for a vehicle, includes: an armature (2) having an inner surface (4); an end (5) having an inner surface that faces the inner surface (4) of the armature (2) and is at a distance therefrom, the end (5) being secured to the armature (2); a ring (13) for coaxial attachment to the armature (2); and an arm (15) defined between an upper edge and a lower edge and having a first end portion secured to the inner surface (7) of the end (5), on the lower edge, and a second end portion secured to the attachment ring (13), the upper edge of the arm (15) being at a distance from the inner surface of the armature (2) over the entire radial dimension of the arm (15).
US09673689B2
Provided is a compound motor (14) comprising a magnet rotor (19) supported by bearings (B3, B4) in a rotatable manner, a winding rotor (20) supported by bearings (B5, B6) in a rotatable manner relative to the magnet rotor (19) at the inner side of the magnet rotor (19) and having rotor winding units (20b), and slip ring mechanisms (25). A space is formed in the inner circumference of the winding rotor (20). At least a part of the slip ring mechanisms (25) is arranged in the space of the inner circumference of the winding rotor (20). The bearings (B3 to B6) include bearings (B3, B6), the internal diameter of each is larger than the size of slip ring mechanisms (25) with respect to the radial direction. The bearings (B3, B6) are arranged outside the slip ring mechanisms (25) with respect to the radial direction.
US09673674B2
In a stator having a stator core and three phase windings, slots are formed in the stator core. The phase winding are accommodated in layers, from one side to the other side in the corresponding slot along a radial direction of the stator core. The phase windings are arranged in a star-delta composite connection structure. The phase winding in each phase is comprised of conductors accommodated in a first slot and a second slot adjacently arranged in the stator core so that the conductor in the n-th layer is electrically connected to the conductor in the (n+1)-th layer, ascending order, per slot. Because each winding has the same length and no difference in electric potential occurs between the star connection and the delta connection, this structure suppress generation of operation noise and a circulating current through the stator core and prevents loss due to the circulating current.
US09673673B2
In one possible embodiment, an aircraft electric motor cooling system is provided having an airflow path through a spinner which includes a first airflow path between an inner rotor and a stator, a second airflow path between an outer rotor the stator and a third airflow path along an outer surface of the outer rotor.
US09673671B2
A permanent magnet rotor for a motor, the permanent magnet rotor including an iron core and a permanent magnet. The iron core includes an annular ring having a central axial bore and a plurality of magnetic induction blocks protruding outward from an outer side of the annular ring. Between two adjacent magnetic induction blocks form a radial recess for mounting the permanent magnets. The magnetic induction blocks at both sides of an opening of the radial recess protrude with a hook block. The section of an outer side surface of the magnetic induction blocks is a circular-arc line and the outer side surface employs a point with a distance deviating from the center of the central axial bore as a center of circle.
US09673660B2
A non-contact power reception apparatus is provided, in which a power reception coil for a charging system and a loop antenna for an electronic settlement system are mounted on a battery pack and a cover case of a portable terminal such that the power reception coil is arranged in the center thereof and the loop antenna is disposed outside the power reception coil, so that a mode of receiving a wireless power signal and a mode of transmitting and receiving data are selectively performed, thereby preventing interference from harmonic components and enabling non-contact charging and electronic settlement using a single portable terminal. A jig for fabricating a core to be mounted to the non-contact power reception apparatus is provided.
US09673658B2
A non-contact type power charging apparatus and a non-contact type battery apparatus may transmit power to each of a plurality of battery cells in a capacitive coupling scheme. The non-contact type power charging apparatus may include a power transmitting apparatus transmitting power in a capacitive coupling scheme, and a power receiving apparatus receiving the power transmitted from the power transmitting apparatus to charge each of a plurality of battery cells with the power. The non-contact type battery apparatus may include a plurality of power receiving electrodes each receiving power transmitted in a capacitive coupling scheme, and a plurality of battery cells each charged with the power transmitted to the plurality of power receiving electrodes.
US09673644B2
The present invention relates to a battery module mounted with an overcharge preventing device, and an overcharge preventing device for a battery module. The battery module mounted with an overcharge preventing device of the present invention includes: a battery cell including a first battery cell and a second battery cell, which are spaced apart from each other; and an overcharge preventing device inserted and disposed between the first battery cell and the second battery cell, and configured to block power supplied to the battery cell when the battery cell is expanded according to overcharge, in which the overcharge preventing device is configured as one module separately from the battery cell, and is replaceably disposed between the first battery cell and the second battery cell, which are spaced apart from each other.
US09673643B2
Embodiments of the present invention provide a battery presence detecting apparatus, including: a detection triggering module, configured to detect a charging current on a battery terminal and trigger a logic control module when the charging current is less than a preset current threshold; the logic control module, configured to turn off a battery charging system and instruct a charging and discharging balancing module to perform a charging operation and then a discharging operation on the battery terminal; and a detection determining module, configured to detect a voltage on the battery terminal when the discharging operation is performed and determine whether the voltage on the battery terminal is less than a preset detection voltage, and if the voltage on the battery terminal is less than the preset detection voltage, determine that the battery is absent, and otherwise, determine that the battery is present.
US09673639B2
Rechargeable battery system including controller and battery backs in daisy chain communication path
A rechargeable battery management unit (controller) controls a plurality of battery packs. A communication path connects the rechargeable battery management unit and the plurality of battery packs in a daisy chain for packet communication and representing a ring topology. The rechargeable battery management unit sends a fixed-length packet divided into segments so as to flow in one direction on the management data communication path, the number of segments being equal to or more than the number of battery packs. Each of the plurality of battery packs stores data related to the battery pack in a segment assigned to the battery pack in the fixed-length packet received from a battery pack preceding in the management data communication path and sends the fixed-length packet to a succeeding battery pack.
US09673634B2
In one aspect, the present invention provides a universal power supply for wired and wireless electronic devices. In a second aspect, the present invention provides a universal power supply that is reconfigurable to provide a wide range of power supply options.
US09673633B2
Provided are an apparatus and method for minimizing a distribution loss which reconstructs the system construction of a distribution system in consideration of section load characteristics of mutually different distribution system. The apparatus for minimizing a distribution loss which determines a loss calculation period for detecting a loss minimization time point using mutually different distribution systems, calculates loss values of mutually different distribution systems set according to each time point of the loss calculation period, and calculates a total loss value, and selects the mutually different distribution systems one by one during the loss calculation period, and calculates a loss value for specific systems of each distribution system in consideration of a change of a section load in each selected distribution system, determines a loss minimization time point using the specific system loss value of each distribution system and the total loss value.
US09673613B2
A surge protection device detects whether a surge voltage occurs at a power input port by using a first Zener diode and a second Zener diode. When the power input port receives a normal voltage, the surge protection device turns on a first transistor to transmit the normal voltage to a load. Otherwise, when the power input port receives the surge voltage, the surge protection device prohibits the first transistor from conducting so as to protect the load from being damaged by the surge voltage. The surge protection device protects the load by controlling conducting or not of the first transistor and is manufactured without a surge protection unit. Therefore, manufacturing cost of the surge protection can be decreased.
US09673611B2
A system for testing over-current fault detection includes a first switch to connect a voltage to a load, a capacitor connected between the first switch and ground, a monitor circuit that monitors a current from the first switch to the load, and a microcontroller configured to detect an over-current fault condition based upon input from the monitor circuit. The microcontroller controls the state of the first switch to connect voltage to the load and verifies over-current detection based upon current generated during charging of the capacitor.
US09673605B2
The boot seal may include an elastomeric body constrictively stretched over an end of a cable and a retainer to grip the cable. The retainer may be a body having a central opening to receive the cable and have a plurality of inclined tines extending radially inwardly from the body with the inclined tines having distal ends forming the central opening. The elastomeric body may have a first sleeve on an end of the boot seal for receiving the end of the cable.
US09673602B2
An improved electrical system may be provided by electrically isolating exposed live fasteners and bus clamps in power distribution systems by attaching electrically insulating snap-based cover assemblies to the live fasteners and bus clamps. A cover assembly may include a plate element and an electrically insulating cap element. The plate element may have a plate opening and a beveled edge, and the electrically insulating cap element may have a cap edge followed by an interior recess. The cap element and the plate element may be held together by snapping the cap element over the plate element such that the beveled edge fits into the interior recess and the cap edge fits below the beveled edge. The cover assembly may be attached to a fastener or bus clamp via the plate opening.
US09673594B2
A touch-safe bus connection device includes a bus extension (160, 260, 360), a non-conductive housing (110, 210, 310), a moveable electrical contact (150, 250, 350) and a moveable non-conductive cover (140, 240, 340). The contact is arranged in the housing, and is moved to connect or disconnect the extension and a stab of an electrical panel across a gap (192, 292, 392). The cover is concurrently and automatically moved to uncover or cover an opening (116, 216, 316) of the housing to allow or restrict, respectively, access to the extension. The contact and cover are concurrently and automatically moveable between a position at which the contact bridges the gap to connect the extension and the stab and the opening of the housing is covered by the cover, and another position at which the extension and the stab are disconnected across the gap and the opening of the housing is uncovered.
US09673588B1
Techniques and architecture are disclosed for managing alkali vapor concentration in a lasing gas at non-condensing levels. In some instances, the disclosed techniques/architecture can be used to control and/or stabilize the concentration of alkali vapor in a lasing gas volume to any desired fraction of its saturation value under dynamically changing thermal loads. In some such instances, the concentration of alkali vapor in a given lasing gas volume can be maintained at a value which is sufficiently far from the saturation point to prevent or otherwise reduce condensation of the alkali vapor, for example, upon accelerating the lasing gas through a pressure drop into an optical pumping cavity of an alkali vapor laser system (e.g., such as a diode-pumped alkali laser, or DPAL, system). In some instances, the disclosed techniques/architecture can be used to establish a temperature gradient and/or an alkali vapor concentration gradient in the flowing lasing gas volume.
US09673584B1
An electrical cord system includes a male plug assembly configured to engage with a wall outlet, an electrical cord conductively coupled to the first male plug connector and the female plug connector, and a female outlet assembly conductively coupled to the electrical cord. The male plug assembly includes a low-profile base sized to cover entirely a first female plug adapter and a second female plug adapter; a first male plug connector attached to and extending from the base and configured to engage with the first female plug adapter of the wall outlet; and a second male plug connector attached to and extending from the base and configured to engage with the second female plug adapter of the wall outlet. The female outlet assembly includes a housing; a female plug secured to the housing and conductively coupled to the cord; a light carried by the housing; and a switch secured to the housing and configured to activate the light.
US09673582B2
A lighting system for LED lights, including a plurality of discrete extruded elements interconectable to create various housing, support and light modifiers to be used in luminaire assemblies.
US09673581B1
An electrical connector comprising an insulating housing, a USB Type-C connector arranged in the insulating housing, a circuit board and a plurality of transferring terminals is disclosed. One side of the circuit board is connected with twenty-four connection terminals of the USB Type-C connector, other side of the circuit board is connected with the plurality of transferring terminals which are corresponding to USB Type-A standard. The circuit board is arranged with a connecting line, which is used to integrate signal transmitted through the twenty-four connection terminals of the USB Type-C connector into USB Type-A standard adopted outputting signal, and outputs the outputting signal through the plurality of transferring terminals.
US09673575B1
The invention is an electrically conductive wall hook. The invention is a means to provide power to an object that is being stored in a hanging position. The invention is made up of two parts. The first part is a housing attached to an object to be stored that contains an opening. The second part is a hook attached to a wall. Both the housing and the hook contain electrical conductors. When the hook is fitted securely inside the opening of the housing, the object is suspended from the hook, and the electrical conductors within the housing and the hook mate with each other. The electrical conductor inside the hook is attached to electrical power so that electrical power is provided to the object that is suspended from the hook.
US09673574B2
A connector terminal includes a press-fit terminal and a shaft portion, the connector terminal being fabricated of a single metal sheet, the shaft portion having a lateral cross section having a size entirely covering therewith a lateral cross section of the press-fit terminal when viewed in an axial direction of the connector terminal, the shaft portion having surfaces extending in the axial direction at an entire circumference thereof, the lateral cross section of the shaft portion being identical in shape with a lateral cross section of a terminal space of a die used for fabricating a housing for the press-fit terminal, the press-fit terminal being fit into the terminal space when the housing is molded with resin.
US09673563B2
A connector (10A) is provided with a housing (20) including a tube (22) and a seal (80) to be fit in the tube (22) in a liquid-tight manner. A holder (60) has a peripheral wall (62) fit externally on the tube (22) and a rear wall (61) configured to prevent the seal (80) from coming out backward. A wire cover (50) is mounted on the housing (20) by being fit externally on the peripheral wall (62) when the wire cover (50) is arranged to cover wires (100) pulled out from the holder (60) and the peripheral wall (62) is disposed in a proper posture on the tube (22). However, the wire cover (50) interferes with the holder (60) and cannot be mounted on the housing (20) when the peripheral wall (62) is in an improper posture inclined with respect to the tube (22).
US09673561B2
It is aimed to prevent a tape from being displaced in the case of taping a connector. In the case of fixing a connector to a wiring harness (WH) by winding a tape, upper-surface side ribs (9) extending in a direction substantially perpendicular to a winding direction of a tape (T) are formed to project on opposite end parts of the upper surface of a connector housing (1). In the case of taping, a winding width is set to be wider than the upper-surface side ribs (9). Since this causes opposite end parts of the upper-surface side ribs (9) in an extending direction to serve as parts for catching the tape (T), a situation where the tape (T) is displaced in the extending direction of the upper-surface side ribs (9) can be prevented.
US09673557B1
A cable management structure for application with an electronic apparatus, such as an Apple Watch device. The cable management structure having a housing and a main body portion. The main body portion includes an interior for receiving a prior art power adapter of a magnetic charging cable, the charging cable in communication with openings on a front plate of the main body portion. The openings sized to receive the plug arrangement to couple the main body portion having the power adapter with a mains power supply. The main body portion further defines a horizontal neck that extends perpendicular to the front plate, and a recess adjacent the neck and sized for receiving the connector of the charging cable. The neck for manually winding the cable of the charging cable. In application, the electronic device rests on the structure in communication with the charging cable's connector, and the length of cable is wound around the neck with one end terminating at the connector disposed in the recess, and the opposite end of the cable terminating at the power adapter disposed in the interior of the main body portion to couple current from the mains power supply.
US09673555B2
A connector plug is disclosed. The connector plug has a housing and a plurality of end walls disposed on the housing. The plurality of end walls each include at least one block notch.
US09673549B2
A connector including: a male terminal; a female terminal having a tube into which the male terminal is inserted; and an elastic member assembled inside the tube, wherein protrusions inwardly protruding are formed on an inner wall of the tube, the protrusions include: first protrusions provided at positions where two straight lines extending from one point on an axis of the tube cross the inner wall, the two straight lines forming a first angle therebetween and each being perpendicular to the axis; and second protrusions provided at positions where two straight lines extending from one point on the axis cross the inner wall, the two straight lines forming a second angle and each being perpendicular to the axis, the first protrusions and two second protrusions being provided in a direction parallel to the axis, and the elastic member urges the male terminal inserted in the tube, toward the protrusions side.
US09673547B2
The present invention aims to provide a plated terminal for connector which requires a smaller insertion force by reducing a friction coefficient and a terminal pair formed using such a plated terminal for connector. An alloy containing layer (1) made of tin and palladium and containing a tin-palladium alloy is formed on a surface of a terminal base material (2) made of copper or copper alloy. Here, the alloy containing layer (1) is preferably such that domain structures of a first metal phase (11) made of an alloy of tin and palladium are formed in a second metal phase (12) made of pure tin or an alloy having a higher ratio of tin to palladium than in the first metal phase (11).
US09673539B2
A spring biased contact pin assembly includes a barrel member having a barrel wall defining an elongate internal cavity with a lower end and an upper end. The assembly also includes a lower plunger member reciprocally mounted in the internal cavity proximate the lower end of the internal cavity. A spring member is positioned in the internal cavity between the lower plunger member and the upper end of the internal cavity. A high electrical resistance spacer member is positioned in the internal cavity in contact with the lower plunger member and the spring member. Spring force exerted through the spacer member urges the lower plunger member into electrical contact with the barrel wall. A method of transmitting electricity through an electrical contact assembly includes urging a plunger member against the wall of a barrel member in which it is reciprocally mounted with a high electrical resistance member.
US09673538B2
An electrical connector has a connector housing, a conductive contact, and a housing cover. The connector housing has a plurality of wire receiving passageways, and a plurality of elastic wire holders. The conductive contact has a plurality of wire insulation cutting blades electrically connected together, each cutting blade having a tapered tip. The housing cover is connected to the conductive contact, and together with the conductive contact, is positioned on the connector housing such that when a plurality of conductive wires are positioned in the plurality of wire receiving passageways, after the housing cover has been positioned on the connector housing, the conductive contact has pierced through an outer insulation sheath of the conductive wires and is in contact with a conductive core thereof.
US09673527B2
Various systems and methods are provided for folded patch antennas. In one embodiment, among others, a folded patch antenna includes a patch disposed on an outer side of a flexible substrate and a ground plane disposed on an inner side of the flexible substrate opposite the patch. The flexible substrate is folded to form an enclosed cavity defined by the inner side of the flexible substrate. The ground plane may provide electromagnetic interference (EMI) shielding of the cavity. In another embodiment, among others, a folded patch antenna platform includes a flexible substrate, a folded patch antenna, and a transceiver mounted on the flexible substrate. The folded patch antenna includes a patch communicatively coupled to the transceiver and a ground plane, which are disposed on opposite sides of the flexible substrate.
US09673524B2
An antenna apparatus including a core member having a support part and first protrusion portions disposed on one surface of the support part, and a coil portion wound around the core member, wherein the core member further includes second protrusion portions disposed on the other surface of the support part, opposite to one surface of the support part, and the second protrusion portions have end surfaces provided as mounting surfaces, respectively.
US09673520B2
An antenna system may include a backplate that includes an end portion. The antenna system may also include first and second antennas spaced apart from each other along the end portion of the backplate. The antenna system may additionally include a parasitic element between the first and second antennas along the end portion of the backplate.
US09673514B2
Some embodiments relate to a multiband antenna array formed on a flexible substrate. Low frequency antenna elements may be formed using nanoink. High frequency elements may be provided on a prefabricated antenna chip. The antenna array may be heated in a low temperature oven to sinter the nanoink into a solid antenna element. In some embodiments, an adhesive insulation layer may be provided which allows the antenna array to be attached to any surface. In other embodiments, the antenna array may be embedded in a composite material.
US09673511B2
An antenna element forms a ring slot antenna comprising a first slot and second slot. The antenna element is located on a first surface of a conductive chassis that encases a body or a volume for wireless communication signals to be received or transmitted. A coupling component is located on an opposite side of the conductive chassis and behind the antenna element. The coupling component facilitates a coupling between a communication component and the antenna element as a function of the orientation and geometric shape of the coupling component to facilitate different resonant frequencies via the first and second slots of the antenna element.
US09673501B2
A laminated flat cable includes a laminate, a signal line for high-frequency signal transmission, a reference ground conductor, and an auxiliary ground conductor. The laminate includes a first base layer with first and second principal surfaces and a second base layer with third and fourth principal surfaces, and the second principal surface is opposed to the third principal surface. The signal line is located on the second principal surface. The reference ground conductor is located on the first principal surface and is opposite to the signal line. The auxiliary ground conductor is located on the third or fourth principal surface and is opposite to the signal line. The auxiliary ground conductor includes a plurality of openings arranged along the signal line.
US09673499B2
A notch filter includes a dielectric substrate; and a microstrip transmission line provided on the dielectric substrate and having an arrow-shaped embedded open-circuited stub.
US09673493B2
A battery temperature regulating device a battery module, a temperature detection device, a battery temperature regulating device, and a battery pack case. The battery temperature regulating device includes a cooling heat exchanger configured to cool air that passes therethrough, a condensed water reservoir configured to store condensed water generated in the cooling heat exchanger, and an air blowing device configured to blow the air in the vicinity of the cooling heat exchanger and the condensed water reservoir and circulate the air within the battery pack case. The battery temperature regulating device is configured to cool the air that passes through the cooling heat exchanger, drive the air blowing device to execute the cooling of the battery module when the temperature of the battery module is higher than a predetermined temperature, and drive only the air blowing device regardless of the temperature of the battery module.
US09673491B2
A vehicle battery system has a vehicle battery, a cooling device to cool the vehicle battery and which includes a heat sink in thermal contact with the battery cells to transfer heat from the battery cells to the heat sink. The heat sink has at least one cooling channel through which a coolant may flow and connection ends formed by delimitations of the at least one cooling channel. A coolant distributor is provided at and connected to at least one end of the heat sink at a receiving region which is adhesive bonded to the heat sink, the receiving region of the coolant distributor surrounding the connection ends of the heat sink, in which the end faces of the delimitations of the cooling channel form stops for the coolant distributor which abut contact surfaces of the coolant distributor.
US09673489B2
A battery pack includes at least one battery cell, a protection circuit module electrically connected to the at least one battery cell, and a frame including the at least one battery cell and the protection circuit module. The battery pack also includes a label adjacent to the at least one battery cell, protection circuit module, and frame. The label includes a noise preventing portion in a direction different from a lengthwise direction of the frame.
US09673487B2
A battery includes at least one battery cell in a battery cell housing and includes a housing cover having a monitoring circuit. An electrode of the at least one battery cell is connected in an electrically conductive manner to the battery cell housing via a switching mechanism in the monitoring circuit. The monitoring circuit is configured to open the switching mechanism when a malfunction signal is detected. The switching mechanism is closed during normal operation. Separate contacts provide contact to the cell housing in a module assembly and the electrode is disconnectable from the battery cell housing.
US09673484B2
Disclosed is a secondary battery including an electrolyte and/or an electrode, the electrolyte including an electrolyte salt and an electrolyte solvent, i) a cyclic carbonate compound substituted with at least one halogen element; and ii) a compound containing a vinyl group in a molecule thereof, and the electrode including a solid electrolyte interface (SEI) layer partially or totally formed on the surface thereof by electrical reduction of the two compounds.
US09673477B2
A fuel cell is provided, which includes a fuel cell stack having a stacked structure in which a plurality of unit cells generating electric power are stacked, terminal plate that is joined to end of the fuel cell stack and collects the generated electric power, and insulating plate disposed outside the terminal plate. The terminal plate is provided with a first gas discharge manifold communicating with an in-stack gas discharge manifold on a gas discharge side. The in-stack gas discharge manifold penetrates the fuel cell stack and extends in a stacking direction of the fuel cell stack. The insulating plate is provided with a second gas discharge manifold communicating with the first gas discharge manifold. The insulating plate is formed in a shape so that, in a fuel cell arranging state in which the in-stack gas discharge manifold is substantially horizontal, a manifold lower wall of the second gas discharge manifold is located vertically below a manifold lower wall of the first gas discharge manifold. Accordingly, residual moisture in the gas discharge manifold is reduced, while securing flexibility of a mounting design of the fuel cell.
US09673475B2
A fuel cell stack includes a stacked body, a first terminal plate, a second terminal plate, a first resin end plate, and a second resin end plate. The stacked body has a first end and a second end opposite to the first end in a stacking direction. The first terminal plate is provided on the first end of the stacked body in the stacking direction to have a first surface substantially parallel to surfaces of first and second electrodes. The first terminal plate includes a first reinforcement rib provided in the first surface. The second terminal plate is provided on the second end of the stacked body in the stacking direction to have a second surface substantially parallel to the surfaces of the first and second electrodes. The second terminal plate includes a second reinforcement rib provided in the second surface.
US09673457B2
Various embodiments include interconnects and/or end plates having features for reducing stress in a fuel cell stack. In embodiments, an interconnect/end plate may have a window seal area that is recessed relative to the flow field to indirectly reduce stress induced by an interface seal. Other features may include a thicker protective coating and/or larger uncoated area of an end plate, providing a recessed portion on an end plate for an interface seal, and/or recessing the fuel hole region of an interconnect relative to the flow field to reduce stress on the fuel cell. Further embodiments include providing intermittent seal support to minimize asymmetric seal loading and/or a non-circular seal configuration to reduce stress around the fuel hole of a fuel cell.
US09673455B2
A lithium-ion secondary battery has an electrode sheet having a current collecting foil formed thereon with a mixture layer containing powdered mixture particles. On the current collecting foil, there are provided a binder coated section on which a binder layer is formed having patterned markings; and a binder non-coated section on which a binder layer is not formed. The mixture particles contain at least an electrode active material and a binder. The mixture layer is formed on the binder coated section and the binder non-coated section.
US09673452B2
The loss of sulfur cathode material as a result of polysulfide dissolution causes significant capacity fading in rechargeable lithium/sulfur cells. Embodiments of the invention use a chemical approach to immobilize sulfur and lithium polysulfides via the reactive functional groups on graphene oxide. This approach obtains a uniform and thin (˜tens of nanometers) sulfur coating on graphene oxide sheets by a chemical reaction-deposition strategy and a subsequent low temperature thermal treatment process. Strong interaction between graphene oxide and sulfur or polysulfides demonstrate lithium/sulfur cells with a high reversible capacity of 950-1400 mAh g−1, and stable cycling for more than 50 deep cycles at 0.1 C.
US09673450B2
A lithium ion battery that has a spinel cathode and a nonaqueous electrolyte comprising a fluorinated acyclic carboxylic acid ester and/or a fluorinated acyclic carbonate solvent is described. The lithium ion battery operates at a high voltage (i.e. up to about 5 V) and has improved cycling performance at high temperature.
US09673448B2
Described herein are improved composite anodes and lithium-ion batteries made therefrom. Further described are methods of making and using the improved anodes and batteries. In general, the anodes include a porous composite having a plurality of agglomerated nanocomposites. At least one of the plurality of agglomerated nanocomposites is formed from a dendritic particle, which is a three-dimensional, randomly-ordered assembly of nanoparticles of an electrically conducting material and a plurality of discrete non-porous nanoparticles of a non-carbon Group 4A element or mixture thereof disposed on a surface of the dendritic particle. At least one nanocomposite of the plurality of agglomerated nanocomposites has at least a portion of its dendritic particle in electrical communication with at least a portion of a dendritic particle of an adjacent nanocomposite in the plurality of agglomerated nanocomposites.
US09673437B2
A battery pack includes a plurality of battery cells, a board assembly including first and second boards, the first and second boards extending across electrode tabs of the battery cells and electrically connecting the plurality of battery cells via the electrode tabs, and an insulation member including a base and at least one bent part, the base being disposed between the board assembly and the plurality of battery cells, and the at least one bent part extending from the base toward the board assembly and being bent to cover an edge of the board assembly.
US09673436B2
The nonaqueous electrolyte secondary battery of the present invention has a positive electrode, a negative electrode, a separator interposed between the positive electrode and the negative electrode, and a nonaqueous electrolyte solution. The battery further has a porous heat-resistant layer provided between the separator and at least one of the positive electrode and the negative electrode, wherein the porous heat-resistant layer includes an inorganic filler and a binder. The inorganic filler included in the porous heat-resistant layer has a particle size distribution with two peaks, which are a first peak (P1) at a relatively small particle diameter and a second peak (P2) at a relatively large particle diameter. When the particle diameter of the first peak (P1) is D1 be and the particle diameter of the second peak (P2) is D2 being, the peak particle diameter ratio D1/D2 satisfies the condition 0.2≦D1/D2≦0.7.
US09673434B2
The present invention provides a method for producing a laminated porous film comprising a porous film substrate and a heat-resistant layer. The method comprises forming a heat-resistant layer mainly comprising a filler on the surface of the porous film substrate by applying a coating slurry comprising a solvent, a binder resin and the filler to the surface of the porous film substrate and then removing the solvent, wherein the coating slurry is prepared so as to have a contact angle of 75° or more with an untreated porous film substrate, and the method comprises conducting surface treatment of a porous film substrate so that the contact angle of the coating slurry with the porous film substrate can be 65° or less before applying the coating slurry to the surface of the porous film substrate.
US09673429B2
A battery pack which includes a plurality of contact portions in a terminal accommodating portion provided in each of cell receiving portions of a plurality of battery cells, so that one selected from the plurality of contact portions can be electrically connected to electrode terminals of the battery cells even if the plurality of battery cells have different widths of wide walls. In addition, since the battery pack includes a series/parallel switch provided outside an external pack, a connection method of a plurality of battery cells provided inside the external pack can be switched to series/parallel connection. Further, since the battery pack includes a capacity display unit provided outside an external pack, capacity levels of a plurality of battery cells provided inside the external pack can be identified.
US09673427B2
An embodiment of the present invention provides a battery pack comprising a plurality of battery cells; a protective circuit module coupled to at least two battery cells; and a case accommodating the battery cells and the protective circuit module, wherein the two battery cells are disposed on a surface of the case, and the protective circuit module is disposed between the two battery cells on the surface of the case.
US09673422B2
A display device includes a substrate and a reflection layer. The substrate includes a first emission region, a second emission region, a third emission region, and a non-emission region. The reflection layer overlaps the first emission region, the second emission region, and the non-emission region, and has an opening corresponding to the third emission region. The first emission region, the second emission region, and the third emission region emit different color light.
US09673421B2
An organic light-emitting diode (OLED) display and a manufacturing method thereof are provided. The OLED display includes a plurality of sub-pixel units each including a first region and a second region. The first region includes a first electrode, a first organic material functional layer and a second electrode disposed in order on a base substrate. The second region includes a third electrode, a second organic material functional layer and a fourth electrode disposed in order on the base substrate. The first electrode and the third electrode each include an opaque metal layer, and the second electrode and the fourth electrode are translucent metal electrodes. The first electrode, the first organic material functional layer and the second electrode constitute a first micro-cavity, the third electrode, the second organic material functional layer and the fourth electrode constitute a second micro-cavity, and the first micro-cavity and the second micro-cavity have different micro-cavity effects.
US09673420B2
An organic electroluminescent device includes a first electrode, an insulating layer, an organic light emitting layer, a second electrode, and a light transmissive part. The first electrode has an upper face. The insulating layer is provided on the upper face. The insulating layer includes first to fifth insulating parts. The organic light emitting layer is provided on the upper face in between the insulating parts. The second electrode is provided on the organic light emitting layer. The light transmissive part overlaps the first region of the first electrode when projected onto the plane. The light transmissive part makes a phase of a first light permeating the first region to be different from a phase of a second light permeating the second region of the first electrode.
US09673410B2
A deposition apparatus includes a first nozzle configured to spray a first deposition material toward a substrate and a second nozzle configured to spray a second deposition material, a first deposition source configured to supply the first deposition material to the first nozzle and a second deposition source configured to supply the second deposition material to the second nozzle. The deposition apparatus further includes a barrier member disposed between the first nozzle and the second nozzle and is configured to block the first deposition material evaporated through the first nozzle from being mixed with the second deposition material evaporated through the second nozzle and a vacuum chamber configured to surround the first and second nozzles, the first and second deposition sources and the barrier member.
US09673404B2
Provided is a light-emitting element with high external quantum efficiency and a low drive voltage. The light-emitting element includes a light-emitting layer which contains a phosphorescent compound and a material exhibiting thermally activated delayed fluorescence between a pair of electrodes, wherein a peak of a fluorescence spectrum and/or a peak of a phosphorescence spectrum of the material exhibiting thermally activated delayed fluorescence overlap(s) with a lowest-energy-side absorption band in an absorption spectrum of the phosphorescent compound, and wherein the phosphorescent compound exhibits phosphorescence in the light-emitting layer by voltage application between the pair of electrodes.
US09673403B2
The present specification provides a heterocyclic compound, and an organic light emitting device including: a first electrode, a second electrode, and organic material layers formed of one or more layers including a light emitting layer disposed between the first electrode and the second electrode, in which one or more layers of the organic material layers include the heterocyclic compound or a compound in which a heat-curable or photo-curable functional group is introduced into the heterocyclic compound.
US09673401B2
The present disclosure generally relates to novel compounds containing carbazole and triazine with different number of phenyl units attached to its core. In particular, the disclosure relates to compositions and/or devices comprising these compounds as hosts for PHOLEDs.
US09673390B2
Devices including transition metal dichalcognides and methods of forming and operating such devices are disclosed. In one disclosed method, a layer of a transition metal dichalcogenide is provided, and a phase transformation of at least a region of the layer of the transition metal dichalcogenide is induced.
US09673384B2
A single crystal acoustic electronic device. The device has a substrate having a surface region. The device has a first electrode material coupled to a portion of the substrate and a single crystal capacitor dielectric material having a thickness of greater than 0.4 microns and overlying an exposed portion of the surface region and coupled to the first electrode material. In an example, the single crystal capacitor dielectric material is characterized by a dislocation density of less than 1012 defects/cm2. A second electrode material is overlying the single crystal capacitor dielectric material.
US09673376B1
Methods to utilize piezoelectric materials as gate dielectric in high frequency RBTs in an IC device
Methods to utilize piezoelectric materials as a gate dielectric in RBTs in an IC device to generate and sense higher frequency signals with high Qs and resulting devices are disclosed. Embodiments include forming, on an upper surface of a semiconductor layer, RBTs comprising even multiples of sensing RBTs and driving RBTs, each RBT including a piezoelectric gate dielectric layer, a gate, and a dielectric spacer on opposite sides of the piezoelectric gate dielectric layer and gate, wherein at least one pair of sensing RBTs is directly between two groups of driving RBTs; forming metal layers, separated by interlayer dielectric layers, above the RBTs; and forming vias through a dielectric layer above the RBTs connecting the RBTs to a metal layer.
US09673368B2
A light emitting device having an enhanced surface property and an electrical property is provided. The light emitting device includes a light emitting structure including a first semiconductor layer, an active layer, and a second semiconductor layer, a first electrode disposed on one side of the light emitting structure and electrically connected to the first semiconductor layer, a second electrode disposed on one side of the light emitting structure and electrically connected to the second semiconductor layer, and an ohmic contact including a first layer disposed between the second electrode and the second semiconductor layer and having aluminum (Al), a second layer including at least one MxAly alloy formed by a reaction with Al included in the first layer, and a third layer disposed on the second layer and having gold (Au) is provided.
US09673367B2
A chip mounting substrate including a plurality of conductive portions to apply an electrode voltage to a mounted chip having electrode portions, at least one insulation portion configured to electrically isolate conductive portions, a cavity depressed inward of the conductive portions and providing a space in which the chip is mounted and bumps formed on surfaces of the conductive portions having the cavity and bonded to the electrode portions. In the case of a metal substrate, a tight bonding is enabled between the chip and the substrate by bonding a plating layer formed on the electrode portions of the chip using bumps formed on the metal substrate.
US09673358B2
Disclosed is a light-emitting module capable of not only improving appearance quality but also maximizing light efficiency. The disclosed light-emitting module comprises: a circuit board; a light-emitting diode chip which is flip-bonded on the circuit board; and a housing which is positioned on the circuit board and surrounds the light-emitting diode chip, wherein the housing has a recess and reflective part having a curvature structure formed on an inner wall of the recess.
US09673347B2
Disclosed are minority carrier based mercury-cadmium telluride (HgCdTe) infrared detectors and arrays, and methods of making, are disclosed. The constructions provided by the invention enable the detectors to be used at higher temperatures, and/or be implemented on less expensive semiconductor substrates to lower manufacturing costs. An exemplary embodiment a substrate, a bottom contact layer disposed on the substrate, a first mercury-cadmium telluride layer having a first bandgap energy value disposed on the bottom contact layer, a second mercury-cadmium telluride layer having a second bandgap energy value that is greater than the first bandgap energy value disposed on the first mercury-cadmium telluride layer, and a collector layer disposed on the second mercury-cadmium telluride layer, wherein the first and second mercury-cadmium telluride layers are each doped with an n-type dopant.
US09673346B1
An optimally-angleable solar powered air system is a portable indoor solar heating unit that may stand upright or may be mounted to a door or window. The optimally-angleable solar powered air system has a frame having a solar panel mounted to a first side and a fan mounted to a second side of the frame. In use, the frame may stand inside a room at an angle facing the sun via a removable handle such that the solar panel is able to capture solar energy. The system may then convert solar energy into usable power to power the fan. The second side of the frame includes an air deflector which may direct airflow outwardly from the second side of the frame into the room.
US09673333B2
A method for fabricating a Polysilicon Thin-Film Transistor is provided. The method includes forming a polysilicon active layer, forming a first gate insulation layer and a first gate electrode sequentially on the active layer, conducting a first ion implantation process on the active layer by using the first gate electrode as a mask to form two doped regions at ends of the active layer, forming a second gate insulation layer and a second gate electrode sequentially on the first gate insulation layer and the first gate electrode, and conducting a second ion implantation process on the active layer by using the second gate electrode as another mask to form two source/drain implantation regions at two outer sides of the doped regions of the active layer. Accordingly, impurity concentration of the two doped regions is smaller than that of the two source/drain implantation regions.
US09673330B2
An integrated circuit device includes first and second fin-type active regions having different conductive type channel regions, a first device isolation layer covering both sidewalk of the first fin-type active region, and a second device isolation layer covering both sidewalls of the second fin-type active region. The first device isolation layer and the second device isolation layer have different stack structures. To manufacture the integrated circuit device, the first device isolation layer covering both sidewalls of the first fin-type active region and the second device isolation layer covering both sidewalk of the second fin-type active region are formed after the first fin-type active region and the second fin-type active region are formed. The first device isolation layer and the second device isolation layer are formed to have different stack structure.
US09673319B2
A slotted gate power transistor is a lateral power device including a substrate, a gate dielectric formed over the substrate, a channel region in the substrate below the gate dielectric and gate electrode layer formed over the gate dielectric. The gate electrode layer overlaps the gate dielectric above the channel region, an accumulation region, and a drift region below an oxide filled shallow trench isolation (or STI) or locally oxidized silicon (LOCOS) region. The slotted gate power transistor includes one or more slots or openings on the gate electrode layer over the accumulation region. Electrical connectivity is maintained over the entire gate electrode layer without external wiring.
US09673313B2
A silicon carbide semiconductor device has a first-conductivity-type semiconductor layer having a lower impurity concentration and formed on a first-conductivity-type semiconductor substrate, a second-conductivity-type semiconductor layer having a higher impurity concentration and selectively formed in the first-conductivity-type semiconductor layer, a second-conductivity-type base layer having a lower impurity concentration formed on a surface of the second-conductivity-type semiconductor layer, a first-conductivity-type source region selectively formed in a surface layer of the base layer, a first-conductivity-type well region formed to penetrate the base layer from a surface to the first-conductivity-type semiconductor layer, and a gate electrode formed via a gate insulation film on a surface of the base layer interposed between the source region and the well region. Portions of the respective second-conductivity-type semiconductor layers of different cells can be connected to each other by a connecting portion in a region under the well region.
US09673312B2
A power semiconductor device has an upper transistor and a lower transistor that is coupled in cascode with the upper transistor. The upper transistor comprises an upper drain, upper gate, and an upper source. The lower transistor comprises a lower drain that is coupled to the upper source, a lower gate, and a lower source that is coupled to the upper gate. The upper transistor is a depletion mode device and has a first saturation current. The lower transistor is an enhancement mode device and has a second saturation current, which is lower than the first saturation current.
US09673309B2
A p-layer on a surface layer of one of n− drift layers is separated into a p-base-region and a floating p-region by a plurality of trenches. A first gate electrode is disposed on a side wall of the trench on the p-base-region side via a first insulation film, and a shield electrode is disposed on a side wall of the trench on the floating p-region side via a second insulation film. Between the first gate electrode conductively connected to a gate runner via a contact plug embedded in a first contact hole and the shield electrode conductively connected to an emitter electrode via a contact plug embedded in a second contact hole, an insulation film reaches from the front surface of the substrate to the bottom surface of the trench. Hence, the fabrication process can be shortened to provide a highly reliable semiconductor device with low switching loss.
US09673301B1
One illustrative method disclosed herein includes forming a liner layer above a layer of spacer material, forming an ion-containing region in at least a portion of a first portion of the liner layer while not forming the ion-containing region in a second portion of the liner layer, performing a liner etching process on the first and second portions of the liner layer so as to remove the second portion of the liner layer while leaving at least a portion of the first portion of the liner layer positioned adjacent a gate structure and, with the first portion of the liner layer positioned adjacent the gate structure, performing at least one spacer formation anisotropic etching process on the layer of spacer material so as to define a spacer adjacent the gate structure.
US09673300B2
Semiconductor devices and methods of fabricating the same are provided. The methods may include forming an isolation region defining a fin active region, forming a sacrificial field gate pattern on the isolation region and forming a sacrificial fin gate pattern on the fin active region. The method may also include forming a field gate cut zone comprising a first recess exposing a surface of the isolation region and a fin active cut zone comprising a second recess exposing a surface of the fin active region, forming a fin active recess in the second recess of the fin active cut zone and forming a field gate core and a fin active core by forming an insulation material in the first recess of the field gate cut zone and the fin active recess, respectively.
US09673291B2
According to one embodiment, a semiconductor memory device includes a substrate; a stacked body provided on the substrate and including a first stacked portion, a second stacked portion and an intermediate layer, the first stacked portion and the second stacked portion including a plurality of electrode layers and a plurality of insulating layers, the intermediate layer provided between the first stacked portion and the second stacked portion; a column including a semiconductor film and a charge storage film; and an insulating part provided in the stacked body. The column has a first enlarged portion. The insulating part has a second enlarged portion surrounded by the intermediate layer, the second enlarged portion has a larger width than a width of the portion of the insulating part in the first stacked portion and the second stacked portion.
US09673290B2
A method for forming a semiconductor device includes patterning a gate conductor, formed on a substrate, and a two-dimensional material formed on the gate conductor. Recesses are formed adjacent to the gate conductor in the substrate, and a doped layer is deposited in the recesses and over a top of the two-dimensional material. Tape is adhered to the doped layer on top of the two-dimensional material. The tape is removed to exfoliate the doped layer from the top of the two-dimensional material to form source and drain regions in the recesses.
US09673288B2
In a silicon carbide semiconductor device, a p-type SiC layer is disposed in a corner of a bottom of a trench. Thus, even if an electric field is applied between a drain and a gate when a MOSFET is turned off, a depletion layer in a pn junction between the p-type SiC layer and an n− type drift layer greatly extends toward the n− type drift layer, and a high voltage caused by an influence of a drain voltage hardly enters a gate insulating film. Hence, an electric field concentration within the gate insulating film can be reduced, and the gate insulating film can be restricted from being broken. In this case, although the p-type SiC layer may be in a floating state, the p-type SiC layer is formed in only the corner of the bottom of the trench. Thus, the deterioration of the switching characteristic is relatively low.
US09673287B2
In one implementation, a reliable and robust electrical contact includes a contact pad patterned from a first metal layer situated over a surface of an active die, and multiple dielectric islands situated over the contact pad. The dielectric islands are spaced apart from one another by respective segments of a second metal layer formed between and over the dielectric islands. The contact pad, the dielectric islands, and the second metal layer provide the reliable and robust electrical contact.
US09673282B2
A handle substrate of a composite substrate for a semiconductor is provided. The handle substrate is composed of polycrystalline alumina. The handle substrate includes an outer peripheral edge part with an average grain size of 20 to 55 μm and a central part with an average grain size of 10 to 50 μm. The average grain size of the outer peripheral edge part is 1.1 times or more and 3.0 times or less of that of the central part of the handle substrate.
US09673281B2
III-nitride materials are generally described herein, including material structures comprising III-nitride material regions and silicon-containing substrates. Certain embodiments are related to gallium nitride materials and material structures comprising gallium nitride material regions and silicon-containing substrates.
US09673277B2
A method of forming a semiconductor device includes: forming a superlattice structure atop the top surface of a substrate, wherein the superlattice structure comprises a plurality of first layers and a corresponding plurality of second layers alternatingly arranged in a plurality of stacked pairs; forming a lateral etch stop layer by epitaxial deposition of a material of the first layer or the second layer of the superlattice structure atop a sidewall of the superlattice structure, or by selectively oxidizing edges of the first layers and second layers of the superlattice structure; subsequently forming a source region adjacent a first end of the superlattice structure and a drain region adjacent a second opposing end of the superlattice structure; and selectively etching the superlattice structure to remove each of the first layers or each of the second layers to form a plurality of voids in the superlattice structure.
US09673272B2
A semiconductor device includes a lower electrode on a lower structure, a dielectric layer conformally covering a surface of the lower electrode, an upper electrode conformally covering a surface of the dielectric layer, and a barrier layer on the upper electrode. The barrier layer and the upper electrode define a space on a sidewall of the lower electrode.
US09673271B2
A method of making a capacitor with reduced variance comprises providing a bottom plate in a first metal layer, a first dielectric material over the bottom plate, and a middle plate in a second metal layer to form a first capacitor. The method also comprises measuring the capacitance of the first capacitor, and determining whether to couple none, one, or both of a second capacitor and a third capacitor in parallel with the first capacitor. The method may further comprise the steps of providing a second dielectric material over the middle plate, and providing a first top plate and a second top plate in a third metal layer to form the second capacitor, and a third capacitor. Electrical connections may be formed to couple one or both of the second capacitor and the third capacitor in parallel with the first capacitor based on the measured value of the first capacitor.
US09673266B2
Embodiments of the present disclosure relate to an OLED pixel structure and a method for manufacturing the same, an OLED display panel having the OLED pixel structure, and an OLED display device having the OLED display panel. An OLED pixel structure comprises a plurality of sub-pixel units. Each of said sub-pixel units comprises: a first electrode, an organic material functional layer and a second electrode arranged in that order on said substrate plate; and an intermediate layer arranged between said substrate plate and said first electrode; wherein, a surface of said intermediate layer away from said substrate plate has a recess of arc shape; and said first electrode is located within said recess such that said first electrode, said organic material functional layer and said second electrode each has an arc shape corresponding to the arc shape of said recess. With these technical solutions according to the present disclosure, these problems of the narrow angle of view, and of different strengths and colors of the light as being viewed from different viewing angles, can be alleviated.
US09673231B2
Embodiments of the disclosure provide an array substrate having via-hole conductive layer and display device. The array substrate includes: a thin film transistor; a passivation layer, covering the thin film transistor, the passivation layer having a via hole and the via hole exposing at least a portion of a drain electrode of the thin film transistor; a via-hole conductive layer, covering the portion of the drain electrode exposed at the via hole and connected to the drain electrode, and a reflectivity of the via-hole conductive layer being lower than a reflectivity of the drain electrode; and a pixel electrode, connected with the drain electrode through the via-hole conductive layer.
US09673230B2
A pixel array includes a plurality of scan lines, a plurality of data lines, a first active device, a second active device, a first pixel electrode and a second pixel electrode. The first active device and the second active device are electrically connected to the corresponding scan line and data line respectively. The first pixel electrode is electrically connected to the first active device through a contact hole. The second pixel electrode is electrically connected to the second active device through the contact hole.
US09673224B2
To provide a semiconductor device that is suitable for miniaturization. The semiconductor device includes a first transistor, a second transistor over the first transistor, a barrier layer between the first transistor and the second transistor, a first electrode between the first transistor and the barrier layer, and a second electrode between the hairier layer and the second transistor and overlapping the first electrode with the barrier layer therebetween. A gate electrode of the first transistor, the first electrode, one of a source electrode and a drain electrode of the second transistor are electrically connected to one another. A channel is formed in a first semiconductor layer including a single crystal semiconductor in the first transistor. A channel is formed in a second semiconductor layer including an oxide semiconductor in the second transistor.
US09673218B1
A semiconductor device according to an embodiment of the invention includes a pipe channel layer including a first portion and a second portion protruding from the first portion, first channel pillars protruding from the second portion of the pipe channel layer, and second channel pillars protruding from the first portion of the pipe channel layer.
US09673212B2
A semiconductor device may include pipe channel layer, and a pipe gate surrounding the pipe channel layer. The semiconductor device may include an oxidization layer formed between the pipe gate and the pipe channel layer. The semiconductor device may include a source side channel layer and a drain side channel layer extended from the pipe channel layer to protrude further than the oxidization layer.
US09673209B2
A device comprises a nanowire over a substrate, wherein the nanowire comprises a first drain/source region over the substrate, a channel region over the first drain/source region and a second drain/source region over the channel region, a high-k dielectric layer and a control gate layer surrounding a lower portion of the channel region and a tunneling layer and a ring-shaped floating gate layer surrounding an upper portion of the channel region.
US09673208B2
A method of forming a memory device on a substrate having memory, core and HV device areas. The method includes forming a pair of conductive layers in all three areas, forming an insulation layer over the conductive layers in all three areas (to protect the core and HV device areas), and then etching through the insulation layer and the pair of conductive layers in the memory area to form memory stacks. The method further includes forming an insulation layer over the memory stacks (to protect the memory area), removing the pair of conductive layers in the core and HV device areas, and forming conductive gates disposed over and insulated from the substrate in the core and HV device areas.
US09673201B2
A Static Random Access Memory (SRAM) cell includes a first and a second pull-up transistor, a first and a second pull-down transistor forming cross-latched inverters with the first and the second pull-up transistors, and a first and a second pass-gate transistor. Each of the first and the second pull-up transistors, the first and the second pull-down transistors, and the first and the second pass-gate transistors includes a bottom plate as a first source/drain region, a channel over the bottom plate, and a top plate as a second source/drain region. A first isolated active region is in the SRAM cell and acts as the bottom plate of the first pull-down transistor and the bottom plate of the first pass-gate transistor. A second isolated active region is in the SRAM cell and acts as the bottom plate of the second pull-down transistor and the bottom plate of the second pass-gate transistor.
US09673195B2
According to some embodiments of the invention, a substrate doped with a P type impurity is provided. An N type impurity is doped into the substrate to divide the substrate into a P type impurity region and an N type impurity region. Active patterns having a first pitch are formed in the P type and N type impurity regions. Gate patterns having a second pitch are formed on the active patterns in a direction substantially perpendicular to the active patterns. Other embodiments are described and claimed.
US09673192B1
A semiconductor device including a resistor metallic layer and method forming the same. In one embodiment, the semiconductor device includes a source region and a drain region of a power switch on a substrate. The semiconductor device also includes the resistor metallic layer over the source region and the drain region of the power switch. The resistor metallic layer includes a current sense resistor including a first current sense resistor metallic strip coupled between a first cross member and a second cross member, and a first gain resistor including a first gain resistor metallic strip coupled to the first cross member. The semiconductor device also includes an amplifier over the substrate and coupled to the first gain resistor metallic strip.
US09673186B2
The present invention relates to a compound semiconductor integrated circuit chip having a front and/or back surface metal layer used for electrical connection to an external circuit. The compound semiconductor integrated circuit chip (first chip) comprises a substrate, an electronic device layer, and a dielectric layer. A first metal layer is formed on the front side of the dielectric layer, and a third metal layer is formed on the back side of the substrate. The first and third metal layer are made essentially of Cu and used for the connection to other electronic circuits. A second chip may be mounted on the first chip with electrical connection made with the first or the third metal layer that extends over the electronic device in the first chip in the three-dimensional manner to make the electrical connection between the two chips having connection nodes away from each other.
US09673183B2
Methods of making semiconductor device packages may involve providing a fan out wafer including semiconductor-device-package locations. Each semiconductor-device-package location may include at least two mutually spaced semiconductor dice and a dielectric material laterally surrounding each of the dice and extending between adjacent semiconductor-device-package locations. Electrically conductive traces may extend over active surfaces of the dice and laterally beyond peripheries of the dice over the dielectric material to locations of electrically conductive vias extending from the electrically conductive traces through the dielectric molding material. Semiconductor dice may be stacked on a side of at least some semiconductor-device-package locations of the fan out wafer opposite the electrically conductive traces. The stacks of semiconductor dice may be electrically connected to electrically conductive vias of the at least some semiconductor-device-package locations. The semiconductor-device-package locations having stacks of semiconductor dice thereon may be singulated from the fan out wafer.
US09673181B2
Various embodiments of mechanisms for forming through package vias (TPVs) with multiple conductive layers and/or recesses in a die package and a package on package (PoP) device with bonding structures utilizing the TPVs are provided. One of the multiple conductive layers acts as a protective layer of the main conductive layer of the TPVs. The protective layer is less likely to oxidize and also has a slower formation rate of intermetallic compound (IMC) when exposed to solder. The recesses in TPVs of a die package are filled by solder from the other die package and the IMC layer formed is below the surface of TPVs, which strengthen the bonding structures.
US09673179B1
The invention relates to a method for embedding a discrete electronic device in a chip module. The chip module comprises a multilayer substrate which comprises a plurality of electrically conductive layers stacked above each other and an electrically non-conductive layer arranged between each pair of electrically conductive layers. The chip module is configured to receive one or more chips to be mounted onto a top surface thereof. Each electrically conductive layer comprises one or more electrically conductive structures. A recess is provided in a side surface of the chip module. The discrete electronic device is inserted into the recess. A first electrically conductive connection between a first electrical contact of the discrete electronic device and a first electrically conductive structure is established. Further, a second electrically conductive connection between a second electrical contact of the discrete electronic device and a second electrically conductive structure is established.
US09673175B1
A package-on-package (PoP) device has a first package and an interposer heat spreader. The first package includes a die and a substrate. The substrate has die contact pads, top contact pads, bottom contact pads, and interconnects between the die contact pads, the top contact pads, and the bottom contact pads. The die is electrically connected to the die contact pads. The top contact pads are adapted to be electrically connected to a second package to form the PoP device. The heat spreader has a central section thermo-conductively connected to the die. The heat spreader includes at least one arm connected to the central section and extending out past an edge of the first package. The heat spreader also has openings for electrical interconnects between the first package and the second package.
US09673164B2
A system and method for packaging a semiconductor device that includes a structure to reduce electromagnetic coupling is presented. The semiconductor device has a substrate on which a first circuit and a second circuit with inputs and outputs are formed proximate to each other. An isolation structure of electrically conductive material is located between components of the first and second circuits, the isolation structure being configured to reduce inductive coupling between those components during an operation of the semiconductor device. The isolation structure may be positioned on or over exterior surfaces of the semiconductor device housing or inside the housing. In one embodiment, the isolation structure includes a first leg extending transverse to the surface of the substrate and a first cross member connected to and projecting from the first leg over the substrate.
US09673162B2
A method and apparatus for incorporation of high power device dies into smaller system packages by embedding metal “coins” having high thermal conductivity into package substrates, or printed circuit boards, and coupling the power device dies onto the metal coins is provided. In one embodiment, the power device die can be attached to an already embedded metal coin in the package substrate or PCB. The power device die can be directly coupled to the embedded metal coin or the power device die can be attached to a metallic interposer which is then bonded to the embedded metal coin. In another embodiment, the die can be attached to the metal coin and then the PCB or package substrate can be assembled to incorporate the copper coin. Active dies are coupled to each other either through wire bonds or other passive components, or using a built-up interconnect.
US09673157B2
In an embodiment of the present invention, a method of forming a semiconductor device includes providing a semiconductor substrate including a first chip region and a second chip region. A first contact pad is formed over the first chip region and a second contact pad is formed over the second chip region. The first and the second contact pads are at least as thick as the semiconductor substrate. The method further includes dicing through the semiconductor substrate between the first and the second contact pads. The dicing is performed from a side of the semiconductor substrate including the first contact pad and the second contact pad. A conductive liner is formed over the first and the second contact pads and sidewalls of the semiconductor substrate exposed by the dicing.
US09673153B2
A semiconductor device includes a TSV that penetrates a silicon substrate. A seal ring is provided from a first low relative permittivity film that is closest to the silicon substrate to a second low relative permittivity film that is farthest from the silicon substrate. The seal ring is formed to surround the TSV in bird's eye view on the silicon substrate from a wafer front surface. This achieves suppression of generation or progress of a crack in a low relative permittivity film in a semiconductor device including the low relative permittivity film and a TSV.
US09673150B2
An encapsulated semiconductor device package with an overlying conductive EMI or RFI shield in contact with an end of a grounded conductive component at a lateral side of the package, and methods of making the semiconductor device package.
US09673149B2
A method for manufacturing a semiconductor device is provided. The method comprises the steps of: providing a transparent substrate having a visible region and an invisible region; forming a gate and at least an alignment mark coplanarly on the transparent substrate, wherein the gate is located in the visible region and the alignment mark is located in the invisible region; forming a gate insulation layer to cover the gate and cover the alignment mark; forming an oxide semiconductor layer on the gate insulation layer above the gate; and forming an etching stop layer above the gate and the alignment mark.
US09673141B2
A mounting member includes a plurality of internal connecting portions, each of which is electrically connected to an electronic device, and a plurality of external connecting portions, each of which is soldered, wherein the plurality of external connecting portions include a first connecting portion in communication with at least any of the plurality of internal connecting portions, and a second connecting portion different from the first connecting portion, and surfaces of the first connecting portion and the second connecting portion include gold layers, and a thickness of the gold layer of the second connecting portion is smaller than a thickness of the gold layer of the first connecting portion.
US09673139B2
A semiconductor device includes a first insulating film, a first wiring, a second insulating film, and a second wiring. The first insulating film is formed on a semiconductor substrate. The first wiring is formed on the first insulating film. The second insulating film is provided on the first insulating film to cover the first wiring. The second wiring is formed on the second insulating film. Furthermore, the second insulating film has a first opening part and a second opening part which expose the first wiring. The second wiring has a seed layer and a first plating layer. The first plating layer covers an entire side surface of the seed layer. The seed layer is not provided in the second opening part and a periphery thereof.
US09673136B2
A housing arrangement includes a plurality of interconnected housings for electronic components, each housing including a leadframe section of a leadframe, wherein the leadframe section is formed from an electrically conductive material and has a receiving region that receives the electronic component and/or a contact region that contacts the electronic component, a molding material into which the leadframe section is embedded and which has at least one receiving opening in which the receiving region and/or the contact region are exposed, and at least one stress reduction opening formed in the molding material and free of the receiving region and/or the contact region, wherein the housings connect to one another via the leadframe and the molding material, the stress reduction openings are formed at transitions from in each case one of the housings to another of the housings.
US09673130B2
A cooler 20 of a semiconductor device includes an inlet portion 27 and an outlet portion 28 for a cooling liquid, an inlet path 24, an outlet path 25, and a cooling flow path 26. The inlet path 24 and the outlet path 25 have asymmetrical planar shapes. A connection portion 271 between the inlet path 24 and the inlet portion 27 is opposed to the cooling flow path 26 of a part immediately below plural circuit substrates 13 arranged on the cooler 20. A connection portion 281 between the outlet path 25 and the outlet portion 28 is opposed to the cooling flow path 26 of a part immediately below plural circuit substrates 13 arranged on the cooler 20.
US09673098B2
Methods of packaging semiconductor devices and structures thereof are disclosed. In one embodiment, a method of packaging a semiconductor device includes providing a carrier wafer, providing a plurality of dies, and forming a die cave material over the carrier wafer. A plurality of die caves is formed in the die cave material. At least one of the plurality of dies is placed within each of the plurality of die caves in the die cave material. A plurality of packages is formed, each of the plurality of packages being formed over a respective at least one of the plurality of dies.
US09673090B2
One embodiment of the present invention is a method for depositing two or more PVD seed layers for electroplating metallic interconnects over a substrate, the substrate including a patterned insulating layer which includes at least one opening surrounded by a field, the at least one opening having top corners, sidewalls, and bottom, the field and the at least one opening being ready for depositing one or more seed layers, and the method includes: (a) depositing by a PVD technique, in a PVD chamber, a continuous PVD seed layer over the sidewalls and bottom of the at least one opening, using a first set of deposition parameters; and (b) depositing by a PVD technique, in a PVD chamber, another PVD seed layer over the substrate, using a second set of deposition parameters, wherein (i) the second set of deposition parameters includes at least one deposition parameter which is different from any of the parameters in the first set of deposition parameters, or the second set of deposition parameters includes at least one deposition parameter whose value is different in the two sets of deposition parameters, (ii) at least one of the PVD seed layers includes a material selected from a group consisting of Cu, Ag, or alloys including one or more of these metals, (iii) the PVD seed layers have no substantial overhangs sealing or pinching-off the top corners of the at least one opening, (iv) the combined thickness of the seed layers over the field is sufficient to enable uniform electroplating across the substrate, and (v) the combined seed layers inside the at least one opening leave sufficient room for electroplating inside the at least one opening.
US09673088B2
An integrated circuit includes a silicon-on-insulator wafer and interconnect layer providing a support for a coplanar waveguide formed above a top side of the support. A through-silicon via is formed from a back side of the support and passing through the silicon-on-insulator wafer to reach the interconnect layer. A trench is formed from the back side of the support underneath the coplanar waveguide. The trench extends over at least an entire length of the coplanar waveguide. The trench passes through the silicon-on-insulator wafer to reach the interconnect layer and may have a substantially same depth as the through-silicon via.
US09673080B2
A semiconductor piece manufacturing method includes: a process of forming a fine groove on a front surface side including a first groove portion having a width that is gradually narrowed from a front surface of a semiconductor substrate W toward a rear surface thereof; a process of attaching a dicing tape having an adhesive layer on the front surface after the fine groove on the front surface side is formed; a process of forming a groove on a rear surface side having a width greater than the width of the fine groove on the front surface side along the fine groove on the front surface side from a rear surface side of the substrate by a rotating dicing blade; and a process of separating the dicing tape from the front surface after the groove on the rear surface side is formed.
US09673072B2
A second control device of a second substrate processing apparatus determines whether the processing-start expected time for a substrate is equal to or earlier than a processing-start time limit. If the processing-start expected time is equal to or earlier than the processing-start time limit, the second control device allows the second substrate processing apparatus to execute a first schedule and a second schedule that are initial schedules. On the other hand, if the processing-start expected time is later than the processing-start time limit, the second control device changes the initial first schedule and the initial second schedule so that the processing-start expected time becomes equal to or earlier than the processing-start time limit, and the second control device allows the second substrate processing apparatus to execute the first schedule and the second schedule that have been changed.
US09673065B2
An assembly (101) comprising a semiconductor device (110) with solderable bumps (112); a substrate (120) with a layer (130) of a first insulating compound and an underlying metal layer (140) patterned in contact pads (141) and connecting traces (142), the insulating layer having openings (132) to expose the surface (142a) and sidewalls (142b) of underlying traces; the device bumps soldered onto the contact pads, establishing a gap (150) between device and top insulating layer; and a second insulating compound (160) cohesively filling the gap and the second openings, thereby touching the underlying traces, the second insulating compound having a higher glass transition temperature, a higher modulus, and a lower coefficient of thermal expansion than the first insulating compound.
US09673062B1
To provide a plasma processing device, a plasma processing method and a method of manufacturing electronic devices capable of performing high-speed processing as well as using the plasma stably. In an inductively-coupled plasma torch unit, a coil, a first ceramic block and a second ceramic block are arranged in parallel, and a long chamber has an annular shape. Plasma generated in the chamber is ejected from an opening in the chamber toward a substrate. The substrate is processed by moving the long chamber and the substrate mounting table relatively in a direction perpendicular to a longitudinal direction of the opening. A discharge suppression gas is introduced into a space between the inductively-coupled plasma torch unit and the substrate inside the chamber through a discharge suppression gas supply hole, thereby generating long plasma stably.
US09673060B2
A device and method for integrated circuits with surrounding gate structures are disclosed. The device includes a semiconductor substrate and a fin structure on the semiconductor substrate. The fin structure is doped with a first conductivity type and includes a source region at one distal end and a drain region at the opposite distal end. The device further includes a gate structure overlying a channel region disposed between the source and drain regions of the fin structure. The fin structure has a rectangular cross-sectional bottom portion and an arched cross-sectional top portion. The arched cross-sectional top portion is semi-circular shaped and has a radius that is equal to or smaller than the height of the rectangular cross-sectional bottom portion. The source, drain, and the channel regions each are doped with dopants of the same polarity and the same concentration.
US09673058B1
A method for etching features in a silicon oxide containing etch layer disposed below a patterned mask in a chamber is provided. An etch gas comprising a tungsten containing gas is flowed into the chamber. The etch gas comprising the tungsten containing gas is formed into a plasma. The silicon oxide etch layer is exposed to the plasma formed from the etch gas comprising the tungsten containing gas. Features are etched in the silicon oxide etch layer while exposed to the plasma formed from the etch gas comprising the tungsten containing gas.
US09673041B2
The embodiments herein relate to methods and apparatus for depositing an encapsulation layer over memory stacks in MRAM and PCRAM applications. The encapsulation layer is a titanium dioxide (TiO2) layer deposited through an atomic layer deposition reaction. In some embodiments, the encapsulation layer may be deposited as a bilayer, with an electrically favorable layer formed atop a protective layer. In certain implementations, gaps between neighboring memory stacks may be filled with titanium oxide, for example through an atomic layer deposition reaction or a chemical vapor deposition reaction.
US09673038B2
A method for gas phase oxide removal and passivation of germanium-containing semiconductors and compound semiconductors is disclosed in various embodiments. According to one embodiment of the invention, a method is provided for processing a semiconductor substrate. The method includes providing a substrate containing a germanium-containing semiconductor or a compound semiconductor, and exposing the substrate to a process gas containing a sulfur-containing gas and a nitrogen-containing gas that passivates a surface of the germanium-containing semiconductor or the compound semiconductor with sulfur. According to another embodiment, the germanium-containing semiconductor or the compound semiconductor has an oxidized layer thereon and the exposing to the process gas removes the oxidized layer from the substrate. According to another embodiment, the substrate may be treated with hydrogen fluoride (HF) gas and ammonia (NH.sub.3) gas to remove the oxidized layer from the substrate before passivating the germanium-containing semiconductor or compound semiconductor with sulfur.
US09673034B2
A mass spectrometer is disclosed comprising a time of flight mass analyzer. The time of flight mass analyzer comprises an ion guide comprising a plurality of electrodes which are interconnected by a series of resistors forming a potential divider. Ions are confined radially within the ion guide by the application of a two-phase RF voltage to the electrodes. A single phase additional RF voltage is applied across the potential divider so that an inhomogeneous pseudo-potential force is maintained along the length of the ion guide.
US09673029B2
A method of ion imaging is disclosed comprising testing a first portion of a sample by automatically varying one or more parameters of a laser or other ionization device and manually or automatically determining from the first portion one or more optimum or preferred parameters of the laser or other ionization device. A second portion of the sample is then analyzed using the one or more optimum or preferred parameters.
US09673023B2
A method and a system for imaging an object, the system may include electron optics that may be configured to scan a first area of the object with at least one electron beam; wherein the electron optics may include a first electrode; and light optics that may be configured to illuminate at least one target of (a) the first electrode and (b) the object, thereby causing an emission of electrons between the first electrode and the object.
US09673020B2
A charged particle beam device capable of observing a sample in an air atmosphere or gas atmosphere has a thin film for separating the atmospheric pressure space from the decompressed space. A vacuum evacuation pump evacuates a first housing; and a detector detects a charged particle beam (obtained by irradiation of the sample) in the first housing. A thin film is provided to separate the inside of the first housing and the inside of a second housing at least along part of the interface between the first and second housings. An opening part is formed in the thin film so that its opening area on a charged particle irradiation unit's side is larger than its opening area on the sample side; and the thin film which covers the sample side of the opening part transmits or allows through the primary charged particle beam and the charged particle beam.
US09673014B2
A method of manufacturing a display panel includes forming a mother panel on a base substrate, attaching an upper passivation film to the mother panel, detaching the base substrate from the mother panel, attaching a lower film to the mother panel, and cutting the mother panel to which the upper passivation film and the lower film are attached to form the display panel, the display panel being in a form of a cell unit. The display panel includes a display substrate, a display device layer, and a thin film encapsulation layer.
US09673011B2
The circuit breaking system contains a power circuit whose voltage is greater than 600 volts, at least a circuit breaking device, at least a current detection device, a current reduction unit, at least an actuation device, and a linking device. The circuit breaking system is applicable to a high or ultra-high voltage power circuit, and the power circuit is interrupted through purely mechanical means without additional electricity provision. Even when there are major disasters that existing protection means fails, the present invention can still function and provides a trip free, ultimate self-protection mechanism so that a power system can be readily reset.
US09673008B2
An electromagnetic switch includes a contact housing case; a plurality of contact mechanisms each having a fixed contact and a movable contact contacting to and separating from the fixed contact, and disposed in parallel inside the contact housing case; a movable contact holding portion holding the movable contacts of the plurality of contact mechanisms; and an electromagnet unit having a movable plunger moving the movable contact holding portion.
US09673001B2
Differing from the conventional rotary switches, a rotary switch provided by the present invention is design to perform bidirectional rotation by double shaft, such that this rotary switch has the maximum switching levels of 32. Particularly, two retaining members having a spring accommodating trough are adopted for accommodating the compression springs; therefore, when switching the rotary switch from one switching level to another one switching level, each the retaining member does ensured to fully embed into one of the rotary grooves formed around the disk side edge of the corresponding rotary disks; the reason is that the compression springs suffer to pressing force would not bend during switching the novel rotary switch, such that the functions of the electric product can be switch smoothly and completely.
US09672998B2
Provided is a push switch that can be made thin without requiring that a notch be made into a mounting board. The push switch includes a substrate having a L-shaped cross section and wherein the substrate has a front surface, a back surface and a side face, an accommodating recess provided on the front surface, a center contact provided so as to be substantially centralized in the accommodating recess, a pair of peripheral contacts each provided at a circumferential edge of the accommodating recess, a movable contact spring constructed so as to extend across the pair of peripheral contacts and designed to be brought into contact with the center contact when pressed, a connection pad provided on the back surface and electrically connected to the mounting substrate, and an electrode provided on the side face and electrically connected to the connection pad.
US09672996B2
The control device possesses a rigid main part combining most of the functional elements of this type of control device. It is made up of two portions of a rotary shaft, having placed between them a cam and a support arm that are connected together by a pivot that is offset relative to the axis of rotation. A toothed wheel having an inner set of teeth is placed around the support arm that is provided with a rachet system. The toothed wheel has an outer set of teeth-driven by a motor, via an intermediate gearwheel. The pivot controls the compression of the actuator spring by the assembly rotating. The device is applicable to high and medium voltage circuit breakers and switches.
US09672985B2
A capacitor includes a capacitor element that is a wound element or an element other than the wound element, and that includes electrode bodies each of which is in an anode side and a cathode side, and separators that intervenes between the electrode bodies; a sealing member that seals an opening of a case member accommodating the capacitor element; at least one electrode protrusion that protrudes from one of the electrode bodies on an element end-face of the capacitor element, at least one of current collector plate that is connected to the electric protrusion; and at least one terminal member that is disposed in the sealing member, and is superposed on the current collector plate, a side face part of the terminal member being welded to a side face part of the current collector plate.
US09672984B2
There are provided a multilayer ceramic electronic component capable of preventing problems occurring due to a difference in sintering behavior between ceramic layers and internal electrodes and having excellent reliability, and a manufacturing method thereof. The multilayer ceramic electronic component may include a ceramic body including a plurality of ceramic layers; and internal electrodes disposed in the ceramic body. The internal electrodes may contain a conductive ceramic oxide.
US09672973B2
A wireless power transmission device includes a power feeding unit and a power receiving unit. The power feeding unit and the power receiving unit are disposed so that a principal surface of a primary magnetic core and a principal surface of a secondary magnetic core face each other across a primary winding and a secondary winding. The distance from a surface of a feeding-side shield member which faces a feeding-side coil to a surface of the feeding-side coil which faces the feeding-side shield member, is longer than the distance from a surface of a receiving-side shield member which faces a receiving-side coil to a surface of the receiving-side coil which faces the receiving-side shield member.
US09672971B2
A coil component includes a coil section and an outer package made of magnetic material in which the coil section is embedded. Both ends of the coil section are drawn out as outer electrodes from a first lateral face of the outer package, and the drawn-out sections are bent toward a bottom face of the outer package, and further bent along the bottom face and a second lateral face, then bent toward a cut-out section provided to the top face of the outer package before engaged with the cut-out section. Recesses are provided on the bottom face at places where the outer electrodes overly, and the outer electrodes are bent toward the recesses, respectively. Inside the bent section of each of the outer electrodes, a notch is formed and the notch includes an opening that spreads over the two faces. A vertex portion of the bent section inside the notch is curved.
US09672970B2
An inductor bridge is configured to bridge-connect a first circuit and a second circuit to each other, and includes a flexible flat plate base body, a first connector at a first end portion of the base body and connected to the first circuit, a second connector at a second end portion of the base body and connected to the second circuit, and an inductor section in the base body between the first connector and the second connector. The inductor section includes conductor patterns including a plurality of layers. The inductor bridge further includes a bending portion between the inductor section and the first connector, and a slot at an inner side of the bending portion that reduces a thickness of the base body.
US09672961B2
A synthetic resin plate (1) includes a plurality of accommodating parts (2) which accommodate at least one of bus bars, terminals, and electric wires which are connected to the terminals, hinges (7) which make first accommodating parts and second accommodating parts of the accommodating parts (2) connected and relatively movable, and projecting parts which are provided on the top surfaces of peripheral wall parts of the first accommodating parts, and which abut against parts of the second accommodating parts to restrict the movable ranges in the movable directions of the second accommodating parts relative to the first accommodating pans.
US09672959B2
The invention of the present application provides a wire harness with an improved accuracy of the dimension, that can be manufactured with an easy operation. A protector (4) defines at least either one of a bending shape and a branching shape of a plurality of electric wires (2). A cable tie (10) is attached to the electric wires (2), and includes a distal portion (11a) to be attached to the protector (4). The protector (4) includes an engaging portion (13) engageable with the distal portion (11a). Positions of the electric wires (2) and the protector (4) relative to each other are settled by engagement of the distal portion (11a) of the cable tie (10) attached to the electric wires (2) with the engaging portion (13).
US09672957B2
A shielded electrical cable (50) includes conductor sets (51a, 51b) spaced apart along a width of the cable and extending along a length of the cable. Each conductor set includes first and second insulated conductors (52a, 52b), one or two drain grounding wires (54) disposed between the first and second insulated conductors, first and second conductive shielding films (56a, 56b) disposed on opposite first and second sides of the conductor set, and an adhesive layer (59) bonding the first shielding film to the second shielding film.
US09672952B2
Disclosed is a polymer having a chemical formula: wherein x is 10%˜90%, y is 10% to 90%, and x+y=100%; R1 is —H, —CH3, —CH2CH3, —OCH3, —O(CH2)nCH3, wherein n=1˜12, —NH2, —N(CH3)2, N(CH2)nCH3, wherein n=1˜12, —Br, —Cl, —OH, —SO3Na, —SO3H, or —SO2Cl; R2 is —H, —COOH, —COOCH3, —COO(CH2)nCH3, wherein n=1˜12, —SO3Na, —SO3H, —SO2Cl, —OH, —CONH2, —CON(CH3)2, —CON(CH2)n(CH3)2, wherein n=1˜12, —Br, or —Cl; and R3 is —SO3Na, —SO3H, —PO3H, —SO2Cl. —OH, —H, —COOH, —COOCH3, —COO(CH2)nCH3, wherein n=1˜12, —CONH2, —CON(CH3)2, —CON(CH2)n(CH3)2, wherein n=1˜12, —Br, or —Cl.
US09672950B2
This disclosure is related to low-haze transparent conductors, ink compositions and method for making the same.
US09672946B2
A passive high-pressure safety injection system includes a compressor which generates high-temperature and high-pressure steam, a cooling water supply tank which supplies cooling water using the compressed steam, a nuclear reactor which receives the cooling water so that the nuclear reactor is maintained in a cooled state, and an internal circulation prevention structure which is provided in the cooling water supply tank and prevents the cooling water from circulating in the cooling water supply tank.
US09672944B2
An object of the present invention is to efficiently improve uniformity of energy lines to be irradiated. A method of determining nuclear fusion irradiation coordinates according to the present invention is a method of calculating irradiation coordinates when energy lines are irradiated onto a nuclear fusion target, and comprises an initial arrangement step S202 of virtually arranging electric charges Qi at initial coordinates of the number of irradiation coordinates NB on a spherical surface S0 set by using random numbers, a coordinate analysis step S203 of analyzing coordinates ri of the electric charges Qi in time series based on coulomb forces acting among the electric charges Qi by constraining the coordinates ri onto the spherical surface S0, potential evaluation steps S205 and S206 of determining a timing at which potential energies of the electric charges Qi were stabilized based on the coordinates ri, and an irradiation coordinate deriving step S207 of deriving coordinates ri at the timing at which potential energies were stabilized as irradiation coordinates of energy lines in a case where a nuclear fusion target is arranged at the center of the spherical surface S0.
US09672939B2
Testing systems and methods, as well as memory devices using such testing systems and methods, may facilitate testing of memory devices using a read-modify-write test procedure. One such testing system receives a signal indicative of at least some of a plurality of bits of data read from an address differing from each other, and then masks subsequent write operations at the same address. Therefore, any address at which the bits of read data do not all have the same value may be considered to be faulty. Failure data from the test can therefore be stored in the same array of memory cells that is being tested.
US09672937B2
A semiconductor device includes a word line coupled to a mask ROM memory cell, a bit line pair coupled to the memory cell, a differential sense amplifier for amplifying the potential difference of the bit line pair, and a logic circuit for detecting whether the logic states of the bit line pair match or not. In this way, when there is a failure in the memory cell, it is possible to prevent the semiconductor device from passing the test as a result of the determination that the actual value is the same as the expected value in the test even if there is no potential difference in the bit line pair.
US09672935B2
One aspect relates to a memory circuit that has a programmable non-volatile memory (NVM) cell configured to generate an NVM output signal indicative of a program state of the NVM cell and to configure a volatile output based on the program state of the NVM cell. The NVM cell comprises a first anti-fuse device, a first select device connected in series with the first anti-fuse device at a first node, and a first pass device. The memory circuit also may have a programmable (independently of the NVM cell) volatile memory (VM) cell configured to receive the NVM output signal at a VM input node and to generate a VM output signal indicative of the program state of the VM cell. The NVM cell may have two NV elements that are separately programmable and are separately selectable via separate access transistors to drive the VM input node.
US09672934B2
Systems and methods are disclosed for programming data in a non-volatile memory array are disclosed. A data storage device includes a non-volatile memory array including a plurality of non-volatile memory cells and a controller configured to receive a signal indicating a temperature of at least a portion of the data storage device. The controller determines a first offset program verify level associated with a first programming level based at least in part on the temperature and programs a first set of the memory cells of the non-volatile memory array using the first offset program verify level.
US09672932B2
A nonvolatile memory device includes a memory cell array and a voltage generator. The memory cell array includes a plurality of planes, and each plane receives one of a first ground selection voltage and a second ground selection voltage. The voltage generator is configured to provide selectively one of the first ground selection voltage and the second ground selection voltage independently to each of the planes based on a result of an erase verification operation on each of the plurality of planes.
US09672930B2
The present invention relates to a circuit and method for low power operation in a flash memory system. In disclosed embodiments of a selection-decoding circuit path, pull-up and pull-down circuits are used to save values at certain output nodes during a power save or shut down modes, which allows the main power source to be shut down while still maintaining the values.
US09672919B2
A method includes, in a memory including analog memory cells, storing first data in a group of the memory cells using a first type of storage command that writes respective analog values to the memory cells in the group. Second data is stored in the memory cells in the group, in addition to the first data, using a second type of storage command that modifies the respective analog values of the memory cells in the group. Upon detecting imminent interruption of electrical power to the memory during storage of the second data, a switch is made to perform an alternative storage operation that is faster than the second type of storage command and protects at least the first data from the interruption.
US09672918B2
A semiconductor memory includes a first selection transistor and a second selection transistor on one end of a memory string. The first selection transistor includes a channel region in a semiconductor substrate, a channel region in a semiconductor pillar, and a gate electrode connected to a first line. The second selection transistor includes a channel region in the semiconductor pillar and a gate electrode connected to a second line. The first line is connected to a first voltage circuit, and the second line is connected to a second voltage circuit.
US09672916B2
Methods for performing memory operations on a memory array that includes inverted NAND strings are described. The memory operations may include erase operations, read operations, programming operations, program verify operations, and erase verify operations. An inverted NAND string may include a string of inverted floating gate transistors or a string of inverted charge trap transistors. In one embodiment, an inverted floating gate transistor may include a tunneling layer between a floating gate of the inverted floating gate transistor and a control gate of the inverted floating gate transistor. The arrangement of the tunneling layer between the floating gate and the control gate allows electrons to be added to or removed from the floating gate via F-N tunneling between the floating gate and the control gate. The inverted NAND string may be formed above a substrate and oriented such that the inverted NAND string is orthogonal to the substrate.
US09672914B1
Provided herein are a semiconductor memory device and an operating method thereof. The semiconductor memory device may include a memory cell array, peripheral circuits, and a control logic. The memory cell array may include a plurality of memory strings. The peripheral circuits may program the memory cell array. The control logic may control the peripheral circuits and execute instructions for performing a first program operation by applying a program voltage to at least two selected word lines, among a plurality of word lines of the memory cell array, at a same time, and, after the first program operation, performing a second program operation by applying the program voltage to each of the selected word lines one at a time.
US09672912B2
A technique for reducing power consumption of a content addressable memory (CAM) system is provided. In a CAM system, an equalizer circuit is coupled to a border portion between a plurality of match line parts generated by dividing each match line corresponding to a piece of entry data, and a precharge circuit precharges each of the match line parts collectively corresponding to a piece of entry data to voltage VDD or VSS. When comparing the entry data and search data, the equalizer circuit couples, in accordance with a control signal, the match line parts after the match line parts are precharged by the precharge circuit. In an equalization period, search operation through the search line is started. A search transistor for comparing search data and entry data includes an NMOS search transistor.
US09672911B2
A memory device includes a volatile memory cell and a non-volatile memory cell. The non-volatile memory cell includes a first resistive element having a first terminal and a second terminal and a second resistive element having a first terminal and a second terminal. The first terminal of the first resistive element is coupled to the first terminal of the second resistive element at a first node. The second terminal of the first resistive element is coupled to a first source line voltage. The second terminal of the second resistive element is coupled to a second source line voltage. A first transistor includes a first current electrode coupled to a first data storage node of the volatile memory cell, a second current electrode coupled to a supply voltage, and a control gate coupled to the first node.
US09672907B2
A resistive random access memory device includes: a first control line, a second control line, a RRAM cell, a first programmable current source and a first programmable voltage source. The RRAM cell is coupled between the first control line and the second control line, and has a programmable resistive element. The first programmable current source is coupled to the first control line, and for selectively providing a configuration current to the RRAM cell. The first programmable voltage source is coupled to the first control line, and for selectively providing a configuration voltage to the RRAM cell. Additionally, a state of the programmable resistive element of the RRAM cell is configured according to the configuration current and the configuration voltage. Under architecture of the RRAM cell of the present invention, a reading circuit for the RRAM device can be implemented with a simple inverter instead of a complicated current sensing amplifier.
US09672893B2
A semiconductor device includes a decoded signal generation circuit suitable for executing a counting operation to generate a decoded signal in response to an oscillation signal during a refresh section, a refresh pulse generation circuit suitable for generating a refresh pulse for executing a refresh operation in response to the decoded signal and a temperature code, and a reset pulse generation circuit suitable for generating a reset pulse initializing the decoded signal in response to the refresh pulse.
US09672892B2
A memory device includes a plurality of memory blocks; an address counter suitable for generating a counted address which is used for a normal refresh operation and changed when all the memory blocks are refreshed; a target address generator suitable for generating a target address used for a target refresh operation, wherein the target address corresponds to an address of a word line to be additionally refreshed in the memory blocks; and a refresh controller suitable for controlling the memory blocks to be refreshed at different times during a first normal refresh operation, controlling a memory block among the memory blocks, which is first refreshed in the first normal refresh operation, to be refreshed through the target refresh operation, and controlling the memory block, which is first refreshed in the first normal refresh operation, to be refreshed last during a second normal refresh operation, based on the refresh command.
US09672891B2
A memory module is provided. A plurality of DRAMs is mounted on a PCB. At least one DRAM has an operating parameter different from other DRAMs according to a position where the at least one DRAM is mounted on the PCB.
US09672877B2
A memory device includes a memory die package including a plurality of memory dies, an interface device including an interface circuit, and a memory controller configured to control the interface with control data received from at least one of the plurality of memory dies. The interface device of the memory device is configured to divide and multiplex an IO channel between the memory die package and the memory controller into more than one channel using the control data receive from the at least one of the plurality of memory dies. The interface device for a memory device includes a control input buffer configured to receive an enable signal through a control pad, a first input buffer configured to receive a first data through a first IO pad in response to a first state of the enable signal, and a second input buffer configured to receive a second data through a second IO pad in response to a second state of the enable signal. The interface device further includes an input multiplexer configured to multiplex the first data and the second data to provide an input data.
US09672874B2
In a storage device including a plurality of storage regions, in order to synchronize input/output control of data into/from the storage region, a writing sequence or a reading sequence of the data into or from the storage region is stored, one of the storage regions to be accessed is selected in accordance with the stored sequence, and the synchronization control of input/output processing into/from an intermediate buffer is carried out, which allows an intermediate buffer control mechanism to be applied to various intermediate buffers.
US09672869B2
A method and an apparatus for retrieving information for managing video data involving link information associating metadata with the video data. A metadata indicator is used to indicate that metadata exists in a stream with the linking information. Link information also associates the metadata with location information to identify where additional information on the video data, which is described by the metadata, may be found. Using the method or apparatus, a single metadata unit is able to be associated with a plurality of video data units, or a plurality of metadata units are able to be associated with a single video data unit, in order to provide more information on the video data.
US09672859B2
The present disclosure relates to a reproduction apparatus. The reproduction apparatus may comprise an optical filter and electric filters. The optical filter may be configured to provide electrical signals corresponding to regions of an optical beam returning from an optical medium, the optical beam being incident on the optical filter, the regions of the optical beam corresponding to different bands in a line density direction and/or a track density direction. The electric filters may be configured to provide outputs based, at least in part, on the electrical signals provided by the optical filter, wherein the reproduction apparatus is configured to obtain a reproduced signal by combining the outputs of the electric filters.
US09672857B2
A lubricant for a magnetic recording medium of the present invention includes an organic compound having a fullerene skeleton, and the organic compound having the fullerene skeleton is expressed by the following general formula (i).
US09672854B2
A stack includes a substrate and a magnetic recording layer. Disposed between the substrate and magnetic recording layer is an MgO—Ti(ON) layer.
US09672852B2
A tape head assembly includes a set of data readers configured to simultaneously read data from a set of adjacent data tracks of a tape storage medium, each data track having a width; wherein the width of each data reader of the set along a lateral extension of the tape head assembly is equal to or less than the width of a data track wherein the lateral extension of the tape head assembly is orthogonal to a longitudinal extension of the tape storage medium when arranged in a tape drive containing the tape head assembly spanning at least the set of data tracks during reading; and a servo reader arrangement containing at least one servo reader arranged laterally offset from one of the data readers by less than the width of a data track.
US09672847B2
Micrometer scale components comprise a component body comprising an alloy of a first solder metal and a second solder metal, the alloy having a higher liquidus temperature than the second solder metal; and a base region of the structure body wetted to a substrate, wherein the component body has a molded surface profile.
US09672818B2
Technology for improving the predictive accuracy of input word recognition on a device by dynamically updating the lexicon of recognized words based on the word choices made by similar users. The technology collects users' vocabulary choices (e.g., words that each user uses, or adds to or removes from a word recognition dictionary), associates users who make similar choices, aggregates related vocabulary choices, filters the words, and sends words identified as likely choices for that user to the user's device. Clusters may include, for example, users in a particular location (e.g., sets of people who use words such as “Puyallup,” “Gloucester,” or “Waiheke”), users with a particular professional or hobby vocabulary, or application-specific vocabulary (e.g., word choices in map searches or email messages).
US09672817B2
According to one embodiment, an apparatus for optimizing a speech recognition result comprising: a receiving unit configured to receive a speech recognition result; a calculating unit configured to calculate a pronunciation similarity between a segment of the speech recognition result and a key word in a key word list; and a replacing unit configured to replace the segment with the key word in a case that the pronunciation similarity is higher than a first threshold.
US09672816B1
Systems and methods are provided to select a most typical pronunciation of a location name on a map from a plurality of user pronunciations. A server generates a reference speech model based on user pronunciations, compares the user pronunciations with the speech model and selects a pronunciation based on comparison. Alternatively, the server compares the distance between one the user pronunciations and every other user pronunciations and selects a pronunciation based on comparison. The server then annotates the map with the selected pronunciation and provides the audio output of the location name to a user device upon a user's request.
US09672813B2
Systems, devices and methods are provided for configuring matching rules related to voice input commands. For example, a first mapping relation between one or more first original terms in a preset term database and one or more first identification terms is established; the first mapping relation is stored in a first mapping relation table; one or more first voice input commands are configured for the first identification terms or one or more first statements including the first identification terms; and a second mapping relation between the first identification terms or the first statements and the first voice input commands is stored into a second mapping relation table.
US09672811B2
Phoneme boundaries may be determined from a signal corresponding to recorded audio by extracting auditory attention features from the signal and extracting phoneme posteriors from the signal. The auditory attention features and phoneme posteriors may then be combined to detect boundaries in the signal.
US09672809B2
A speech processing device includes a processor; and a memory which stores a plurality of instructions, which when executed by the processor, cause the processor to execute: obtaining input speech, detecting a vowel segment contained in the input speech, estimating an accent segment contained in the input speech, calculating a first vowel segment length containing the accent segment and a second vowel segment length excluding the accent segment, and controlling at least one of the first vowel segment length and the second vowel segment length.
US09672806B2
An apparatus for determining a measure for a perceived level of reverberation in a mix signal consisting of a direct signal component and a reverberation signal component, has a loudness model processor having a perceptual filter stage for filtering the dry signal component the reverberation signal component or the mix signal, wherein the perceptual filter stage is configured for modeling an auditory perception mechanism of an entity to obtain a filtered direct signal, a filtered reverberation signal or a filtered mix signal. The apparatus furthermore has a loudness estimator for estimating a first loudness measure using the filtered direct signal and for estimating a second loudness measure using the filtered reverberation signal or the filtered mix signal, where the filtered mix signal is derived from a superposition of the direct signal component and the reverberation signal component. The apparatus furthermore has a combiner for combining the first and the second loudness measures to obtain a measure for the perceived level of reverberation.
US09672797B2
A support assembly includes a support rotatably disposed with respect to a frame; a jack support portion connected to the support; a jack having a recessed portion in a lower portion of the jack, the jack having the jack support portion inside the recessed portion and being rotatably disposed to the support; and an acting portion fixed to the jack and receiving a downward action. The recessed portion has an open end with a width larger than a width of the jack support portion. The recessed portion may have an open end with a width larger than a width of the jack support portion.
US09672796B2
An electronic device includes a flexible display, a sensing unit configured to obtain bending information including at least one of a bending degree, the number of times of bending, a bending maintaining duration, and a bending speed of the display, and a controller configured to additionally display a second image on the display when the display is bent in a state in which a first image is displayed, and complementarily change transparency of the first image and that of the second image to reflect the bending information obtained by the sensing unit.
US09672788B2
Methods, systems, and apparatuses, including computer programs encoded on computer readable media, for modifying displayed text in a gaze-contingent way to reduce crowding, thus increasing the observer's visual span, and thus increasing the observer's reading rate. The trick is to introduce only a few differences between characters (not enough to produce a pattern) of text so as to reduce crowding. For example, differences between characters near the left and right extremes of the observer's estimated visual span can be altered to reduce crowding.
US09672783B2
A gate signal line drive circuit whose power consumption is reduced, is provided. In the gate signal line drive circuit having plural basic circuits outputting respective gate signals, each basic circuit includes a high voltage application switching element to which a first basic clock signal having high voltage in a signal high period is input, a low voltage application switching element that turns on at timing starting a signal low period, and outputs a low voltage, and a first low voltage application on control element having an input terminal to which a second basic clock signal subsequent to the first basic clock signal is input, and which turns on according to the signal high period, and outputs the voltage of the second basic clock signal to the control terminal of the low voltage application switching element.
US09672782B2
A display panel includes an amorphous silicon gate driver in which a lower voltage than the gate-off voltage output from the gate driver is applied to an adjacent stage as a low voltage transmission signal.
US09672777B2
A liquid crystal display (LCD) panel and a driving method thereof are provided. The LCD panel includes display pixels each including RGBW display sub-pixels. The method includes: receiving an image data for representing a to-be-displayed image including image pixels; calculating RGBW image sub-pixel data corresponding to the image pixels according to the image data; using a first predetermined number of image pixels as a repeat unit and generating RGBW display sub-pixel data corresponding to a second predetermined number of display pixels by using each repeat unit in a pixel sharing manner, the first predetermined number being greater than the second predetermined number; and using the RGBW display sub-pixel data to drive RGBW display sub-pixels of corresponding display pixels. Accordingly, the edge blur phenomenon can be effectively improved by the image pixel sharing.
US09672776B2
A driving circuit for liquid crystal panels and the liquid crystal devices are disclosed. The driving circuit includes a source driver, and at least one selection circuit. A number of the selection circuit is the same with the number of rows of the sub-pixel cells. Each of buffer data output ends of the source driver respectively connect to an input end of one selection circuit. A first output end of each of the selection circuit connects to the sub-pixel cells in one row. A second output end of each of the selection circuit connects to the sub-pixel cells in another row. The sub-pixel cells connecting with the first input end are within the same pixel row combination having the same color. In this way, the power consumption of the source driver of the driving circuit is reduced.
US09672769B2
A display apparatus includes a display panel having a first portion and a second portion, a gate driver configured to drive a first gate line group in the first portion of the display panel starting at a first scan start point and to drive a second gate line group in the second portion of the display panel starting at a second scan start point, the second scan start point being different from the first scan start point, a first data driver configured to output a first data voltage to a first data line group in the first portion and a second data driver configured to output a second data voltage to a second data line group in the second portion.
US09672767B2
An organic light emitting display device includes: a display panel including a red sub-pixel, a green sub-pixel, a first blue sub-pixel, and a second blue sub-pixel connected to scan lines and data lines; a scan driver configured to drive the plurality of scan lines; a data driver configured to output a data output signal in response to a data signal; a de-multiplexer circuit configured to sequentially provide the data output signal to a first data line, a second data line, a third data line, and a fourth data line, respectively to the red sub-pixel, the green sub-pixel, the first blue sub-pixel, and the second blue sub-pixel, in response to selection signals; and a timing controller configured to provide the data signal to the data driver, control the scan driver, and output the selection signals in response to an image signal and a control signal.
US09672762B2
A low side driver includes a first transistor coupled in series with a second transistor at a low side voltage node for a load. A capacitance is configured to store a voltage and a voltage buffer circuit has an input coupled to receive the voltage stored by the capacitance and an output coupled to drive a control node of the second transistor with the stored voltage. A current source supplies current through a switch to the capacitance and the input of the voltage buffer circuit. The switch is configured to be actuated by an oscillating enable signal so as to cyclically source current from the current source to the capacitance and cause a stepped increase in the stored voltage which is applied by the buffer circuit to the control node of the second transistor.
US09672758B2
A kit for replicating an implantable prosthetic devices includes a model implant, a geometric tool, and an insert. The model implant may include a first curved surface, and the first curved surface may include a first cutout formed. The geometric tool may include a second curved surface having a second cutout. The geometric configuration of the second cutout may be substantially identical to the geometric configuration of the first cutout of the model implant. The insert may be configured to be engaged with both the first cutout and the second cutout.
US09672757B2
A welding training system includes a welding training software having three or more modes. The three or more modes include a live-arc mode, a simulation mode, a virtual reality mode, an augmented reality mode, or some combination thereof. The live-arc mode is configured to enable training using a live welding arc, the simulation mode is configured to enable training using a welding simulation, the virtual reality mode is configured to enable training using a virtual reality simulation, and the augmented reality mode is configured to enable training using an augmented reality simulation.
US09672755B2
Systems and methods for rewarding a child for behaving well while dining. One embodiment includes the steps of: generating indications proportional to the weight of food on a plate, calculating the rate of removing the food from the plate (Rr), and comparing Rr with a predetermined max eating rate (Rm). When Rr
US09672752B2
A learning assistance server 10 receives, for each question, the answer information indicating the answer to each question in the test questions input to an answer input area 103 on the test screen; updates the test progress information by registering the answer indicated in the received answer information in the test progress information about an appropriate student; and determines with reference to the competitive relationship information whether the student whose test progress information has been updated is linked as the competitor student. When determining that the student is linked as the competitor student, the learning assistance server 10 generates the competitor progress information based on the test progress information about the competitor student. To display the progress in a competitor progress display area 101 that is provided on the test screen and that displays the progress of the competitor student indicated in the competitor progress information, the learning assistance server 10 transmits the generated competitor progress information to the student terminal of the student to whom the competitor student is linked. This can increase the registered user's (student's) motivation for learning and thus can provide a learning assistance technique that can enhance the learning effect.
US09672748B2
An aircraft defining an upright orientation and an inverted orientation, a ground station; and a control system for remotely controlling the flight of the aircraft. The ground station has an auto-land function that causes the aircraft to invert, stall, and controllably land in the inverted orientation to protect a payload and a rudder extending down from the aircraft. In the upright orientation, the ground station depicts the view from a first aircraft camera. When switching to the inverted orientation: (1) the ground station depicts the view from a second aircraft camera, (2) the aircraft switches the colors of red and green wing lights, extends the ailerons to act as inverted flaps, and (3) the control system adapts a ground station controller for the inverted orientation. The aircraft landing gear is an expanded polypropylene pad located above the wing when the aircraft is in the upright orientation.
US09672732B1
An integrated pedestrian access system comprising of wireless push buttons adapted to transmit and receive wireless signals and receivers connected to pedestrian crosswalk signal systems, wherein said one or more receivers are configured to communicate with the wireless push buttons through wireless signals, communicate among the receivers, determine whether source device from which a request for registering a pedestrian signal is received through the said communication is the wireless push button or the receivers, determine status of pedestrian signal based on signals received from the pedestrian signal system, register request for pedestrian crosswalk signal if walk signal of the pedestrian signal is not on in the desired direction as per the status of pedestrian signal and provide acknowledgement corresponding to the status of pedestrian signal through the said source device.
US09672727B1
Techniques are described for handling duress input. For example, techniques are described for handling duress input provided to a mobile application that controls a monitoring system located at a fixed property.
US09672716B2
An interactive life system for increasing the safety of person in water having a base station configured to communicate with a remote node; the base station having a first controller having a first microcontroller; and a transceiver means; wherein the base station further includes an alert for alerting a monitor, a pager; a NOAA weather receiver; wherein the remote node comprises a second controller, a second transceiver, a GPS, a buoy, a panic button, a pressure transducer, a visual indicator, a vibrating motor, and a mount; wherein the second controller comprises a second microcontroller; wherein the panic button communicates with the base station; wherein the visual indicator includes light; wherein the vibrating motor includes a mechanical indicator; and where the monitee can wear the device on the wrist.
US09672714B2
An indicating system and method having a parent unit communicable with a child unit is provided. In an embodiment for the indicating system and method of the present invention, the child unit may be responsive to receiving a signal from the parent unit for communicating instructions (e.g., traffic signal based, protective based etc.) which may result in a visual, and/or audio and/or tactile indication being provided to the user of the child unit. In an embodiment of the present invention, the system may communicate instructions, praise or other information, educational or otherwise to a child unit via actuators on the parent unit or by an auto mode feature utilizing signal strength detection/proximity sensing technology. Safety enhancing features, entertainment and encouragement features may be incorporated into the system.
US09672713B2
Systems and methods to detect and warn proximate entities of interest are described herein. An example method includes sending an interrogation signal generated by a vehicle within a first area, detecting the interrogation signal from the first area, in response to detection of the interrogation signal from the first area, receiving a first responsive signal from a first transponder in the first area, and determining a directional resolution of the first responsive signal.
US09672700B2
A temporary task lighting system used on job sites has an alarm mode. The system may be used to provide an alarm indication using the light units of the system. The alarm indication may be cycling the lights through on and off conditions or full on and dimmed conditions. Different systems and methods may be used to activate the alarm. The alarm activation may come from a typical fire alarm switch, a button on the power supply, a button on a central control computer, or a signal from an emergency response system such as a 911 system. The disclosure also provides central control for remote drivers and ballasts. The central control allows different zones of low voltage lighting systems or different zones of low voltage lights to set up, identified, and individually controlled from a central interface.
US09672699B2
Methods, systems, and computer programs are presented for adjusting bonus winning odds while playing an online slots game. One method includes an operation for receiving user input during a session of an online slots game, where the user input is defined to spin wheels of the online slots game. In addition, the method includes an operation for defining an initial tier and one or more additional tiers for play of the online slots game during the session, each tier being assigned an odds value that changes with each assigned tier, and each tier being defined to have a set of spins. Further, the method includes operations for assigning tiers with changed odds when an option to play a bonus game is not presented during the predefined set of spins for each tier, and for assigning the initial tier upon determining that the bonus game was played during the session.
US09672697B2
An exemplary method comprises receiving information associated with a game-playing transaction conducted, via a Bluetooth interface (e.g., a Bluetooth Low Energy interface), between a user device and a game-playing terminal, wherein the game-playing transaction is associated with a request for playing a game; determining a location of the user device associated with the game; determining the user device is located in an approved location associated with the game; and processing the game-playing transaction based on determining the user device is located in the approved location associated with the game. The game-playing transaction is conducted on a first communication interface, and the information associated with the game-playing transaction is received on a second communication interface.
US09672696B2
A computer implemented method is provided for integrating winning enhancements with a video game performed by a video gaming computer device comprising: selecting on a random basis a first set of chance elements, that determine a first gaming outcome; retrieving one or more rules for generating and displaying video gaming output based on the first set of chance elements, the video gaming output including a first set of gaming elements organized in a first array; displaying the first set of gaming elements; selecting on a random basis a second set of chance elements that determine a second gaming outcome; retrieving one or more rules for generating and displaying video gaming output based on the second set of chance elements as a second set of gaming elements that produce winning enhancements, the second set of gaming elements being organized in a second array; and displaying the winning enhancements in way that simulates the second set of gaming elements interacting physically with the first set of gaming elements. In another aspect, the second set of gaming elements interact with the first set of gaming elements via a grid overlay. A gaming device, gaming computer system, and gaming computer program that incorporates the wining enhancements is also provided.
US09672695B2
A gaming machine stores a plurality of notification patterns of the backlight unit displayable at least in the symbol rearrangement regions of the reel unit including the regions where the symbols are rearranged, a notification pattern being assigned to each of the notification patterns. The gaming machine randomly determines the symbols to be rearranged on the reel unit. The gaming machine determines a combination formed by the determined symbols. The gaming machine selects a notification pattern based on the determined combination. The gaming machine executes a selected notification pattern by the backlight unit, at a notification timing which is before the rearrangement of the symbols on the reel unit.
US09672693B2
Examples disclosed herein relate to systems and methods, which may receive primary wagers on a first payline and a second payline. The systems and methods may receive one or more secondary wagers on one or more selected paylines. The selected paylines may be based on data received from a player. The systems and methods may determine a selected paylines payout based on the one or more selected paylines.
US09672690B2
Systems and methods in accordance with embodiments of the invention operate a controlled entity hybrid game. A controlled entity hybrid game includes a real world engine constructed to provide a randomly generated payout of real world credits from at least one wager in a gambling game, an entertainment software engine constructed to execute an entertainment game providing outcomes based upon a player's skillful execution of the entertainment game; and a game world engine constructed to manage the entertainment software engine and communicate, to the gambling game, a gameplay gambling event occurrence based upon a player's instruction of a controlled entity to consume an element of the entertainment game that triggers a wager in the gambling game, and change the element on the basis of the randomly generated payout and an entertainment game variable.
US09672689B2
An electronic gaming machine (EMG) includes a locating sensor generating an electronic signal based on a player's location in a sensing space. The EGM also includes a movable connector controllable by an electronic control signal. The electronic control signal controls an amount of movement of the movable connector. The EGM also includes an ultrasonic emitter configured to emit an ultrasonic field when the ultrasonic emitter is activated. The ultrasonic emitter coupled to the movable connector to allow the ultrasonic emitter to move. The EGM also includes one or more processors coupled to the locating sensor, the ultrasonic emitter and the movable connector. The processors configured to: identify a location of a player feature based on the electronic signal generated by the locating sensor; and control the movable connector and the ultrasonic emitter based on the identified location.
US09672688B2
Various embodiments directed to systems and methods that enable cross platform persistent gaming sessions using a mobile device in a mobile device-enhanced system are disclosed herein. In one embodiment, a method may include enabling a cross platform gaming session in a system that includes a gaming machine that presents a game, and a computing device distinct from the gaming machine, both in communication with one another. The method may include associating the computing device with the gaming machine. The computing device may have one or more displays. The method may include receiving, by the computing device, reformatted graphical data from the gaming machine. The method may include presenting the game on the one or more displays of the computing device using the reformatted graphical data.
US09672667B2
In one embodiment, a system for presenting fleet vehicle operation information in standardized forms includes a telematics module and a data standardizing module. The telematics module receives measurements related to operation of multiple vehicles in a fleet. The data standardizing module, using a first technique, estimates a first value for a parameter for at least one vehicle of the multiple vehicles based at least on the measurements. Further, the data standardizing module, using a second technique, estimates a second value for the parameter for at least one vehicle of the multiple vehicles based at least on the measurements. The second technique including using some measurement to estimate the second value different from the measurements used to estimate the first value according to the first technique. The data standardizing module outputs one or both of the first value and the second value for presentation to a user.
US09672666B2
A method and apparatus for collecting vehicle data is provided. The method for collecting vehicle data in a vehicle data collection server communicating with a vehicle through a wireless network includes receiving vehicle data corresponding to first to Nth data items from a first vehicle. When alternative data collection vehicles are needed, the method searches for the alternative data collection vehicles in a group of vehicles, for each of the first to Nth data items, receives vehicle data corresponding to at least one of the first to Nth data items through the searched alternative data collection vehicles, and stores the vehicle data received from the first vehicle and the vehicle data received from the alternative data collection vehicles.
US09672665B1
Computing systems for vehicle diagnostics are provided. In accordance with some aspects, a computing system may receive, from a vehicle (e.g., from a computing device installed in and/or at the vehicle), a diagnostic code generated by an on-board diagnostic (OBD) system of the vehicle. The computing system may determine an issue with the vehicle based on the diagnostic code and may determine, based on the issue, a remedial action for addressing the issue and a timeframe for performing the remedial action. The computing system may store data identifying the issue, the remedial action, and the timeframe in a record associated with the vehicle.
US09672663B2
There is provided a management apparatus for an electrical apparatus, the management apparatus including a communication unit configured to receive conduction state information from an electrical apparatus, a storage unit configured to store reference conduction state information of the electrical apparatus, and a determination unit configured to compare the conduction state information of the electrical apparatus with the reference conduction state information of the electrical apparatus to determine a state of the electrical apparatus.
US09672661B2
A damage detection and repair system is provided for performing a damage detection and repair preparation process, and includes an image-capturing device having at least one camera lens, a first positional sensor, and an orientation sensor. At least three second positional sensors are provided for the object to detect a corresponding three-dimensional (3D) position of the object relative to the image-capturing device. A location determination module determines a positional information of the damage of the object based on signals received from the first positional sensor, the orientation sensor, and the second positional sensors. A 3D generation module generates a 3D digital mockup model for illustrating the damage of the object and associated parts needed for repairing the damage.
US09672654B2
Provided is a method of accelerating ray tracing. The method includes extracting characteristics of an input ray at a ray scanner, determining a ray with characteristics similar to that of the input ray based on comparing characteristics of the input ray with characteristics of rays used in previous renderings, and conducting a set up for ray tracing of the input ray based on a ray tracing of the determined ray.
US09672653B2
A stereo viewpoint graphics processing subsystem and a method of sharing geometry data between stereo images in screen-space processing. One embodiment of the stereo viewpoint graphics processing subsystem configured to render a scene includes: (1) stereo frame buffers configured to contain respective pixel-wise rendered scene data for stereo images, and (2) a sharing decision circuit operable to determine when to share geometric data between the stereo frame buffers for carrying out screen-space effect processes to render the scene in the stereo images.
US09672651B2
A method for four dimensional reconstruction of regions exhibiting multiple phases of periodic motion includes the operation of building one or more 3-D reconstructions using a set of 2-D projections. The method further includes the operation of deriving one or more 3-D model segments from each of the one or more 3-D reconstructions, wherein a plurality of 3-D model segments are formed thereby, and wherein each of the one or more 3-D model segments is derived from a single one of the one or more 3-D model segments. The plurality of derived 3-D model segments forms a 4-D reconstruction of the region of interest.
US09672642B2
An apparatus and method for tile binning with respect to a Bezier curve. The apparatus may include a curve identification unit to identify a Bezier curve included in input data, a bounding box generation unit to generate a plurality of bounding boxes corresponding to the Bezier curve, and a tile binning unit to perform tile binning with respect to the Bezier curve based on the plurality of bounding boxes.
US09672635B2
A method for analyzing related images corresponding system and vehicle including such system as well as a computer program product for executing the method. The method comprises obtaining at least a first and a second image, defining a pixel patch in the first image for which a correlation shall be calculated, calculating matching cost values between each pixel of the pixel patch in the first image and its corresponding pixel in each of a plurality of pixel patches in the second image, wherein the pixel patches in the second image differ in position in the second image and include the pixel patch with a target position, aggregating the matching cost values of those corresponding pixels of all patches in the second image which match best to generate an aggregation window associated with the target position, and producing a signal including information on the target position.
US09672630B2
A contour line measurement apparatus includes an edge line extraction unit for setting a picture processing region and extracting an edge line from an object picture in each of the regions, an edge point generation unit for generating edge points which are intersections of the edge lines and epipolar lines, a corresponding point selection unit for selecting, from the plurality of edge points, a pair of edge points corresponding to the same portion of the reference contour line, and a three dimensional point calculation unit for calculating a three dimensional point on the contour line of the object on the basis of lines of sight of cameras which pass the pair of edge points.
US09672627B1
A computing device with multiple image capture elements can selectively activate those elements in order to keep an object of interest within the field of view of at least one of those elements, while conserving resources by not keeping all the image capture elements active. The object can be located using an appropriate object recognition process. The location, and thus the motion, of the object then can be tracked over time using one or the image capture elements. The motion can be monitored to determine when the object is likely to pass into the field of view of another image capture element. The determination can be made based upon factors such as location, direction, speed, acceleration, and predicted time within the current field of view. Such an approach allows an identified object to be tracked and kept in a field of view while conserving resources on the device.
US09672626B2
A method and a system for generating adaptive fast forward of egocentric videos are provided here. The method may include the following steps: obtaining a video footage containing a sequence of image frames captured by a non-stationary capturing device; estimating a moving direction of the non-stationary capturing device for a plurality of frames in the sequence of image frames; and generating a shortened video footage having fewer frames than said video footage, by sampling the sequence of image frames, wherein the sampling is carried out by selecting specific image frames and that minimize an overall cost associated with a deviation from a specific direction related to the moving direction, calculated for each of said plurality of image frames.
US09672624B2
Provided is a method for estimating and calibrating an absolute misalignment between an attitude control sensor of a satellite or a flight vehicle imaging and transmitting ground images having high resolution and an imaging payload.
US09672614B2
An image data processor (106) includes a structural image data processor (114) that employs a multi-structure atlas to segment a region of interest from structural image data that includes tissue of interest and that segments the tissue of interests from the region of interest. The image data processor further includes functional image data processor (116) that identifies the tissue of interest in functional image data based on the segmented tissue of interest. An image data processor includes a multi-structure atlas generator (104) that generates a multi-structure atlas. The multi-structure atlas physically maps structure to tissue of interest such that locate the structure in structural image data based on the multi-structure atlas localizes the tissue of interest to the region of interest.
US09672608B2
An image processing device includes a memory configured to store a plurality of captured images; and a processor comprising hardware, wherein the processor is configured to implement: an image selection unit configured to: select a reference image from among the plurality of captured images stored in the memory; and select candidate images to be combined with the reference image from a first group of images being captured earlier than the reference image and a second group of images being captured later than the reference image among the plurality of captured images, if the reference image is neither the earliest captured image nor the latest captured image stored in the memory, wherein; and a composition processing unit configured to compose the images to be combined selected by the image selection unit with the reference image selected by the image selection unit to generate a composite image.
US09672606B2
Even when the brightness of an image in a video changes, detection of an object in the background is realized by accurately separating the object in the background from the background of the image. An image processing device in accordance with the present invention executes a process of converting a color space of a processing target image and acquiring color information on the converted color space, a process of calculating, for the target image, an average value of the brightness of color information on a target region that contains an object to be detected, and a process of comparing, for the target region, the brightness of color information on each pixel with the calculated average value, a process of generating a corrected image with corrected brightness/darkness, and a process of extracting the object on the basis of the corrected image (See FIG. 1).
US09672604B2
A computing device may obtain an input image. The input image may have a white point represented by chrominance values that define white color in the input image. Possibly based on colors of the input image, the computing device may generate a two-dimensional chrominance histogram of the input image. The computing device may convolve the two-dimensional chrominance histogram with a filter to create a two-dimensional heat map. Entries in the two-dimensional heat map may represent respective estimates of how close respective tints corresponding to the respective entries are to the white point of the input image. The computing device may select an entry in the two-dimensional heat map that represents a particular value that is within a threshold of a maximum value in the heat map, and based on the selected entry, tint the input image to form an output image.
US09672595B2
There is provided an ultrasound image processing apparatus which displays an ultrasonic image with a higher resolution. For each pixel of interest on a previous frame, a pattern matching process is applied between the previous frame and a current frame, to calculate, for each pixel of interest, a mapping address to the current frame as a movement destination or a two-dimensional movement vector. The mapping address includes an integer value and a fractional value. The current frame is re-constructed into a high-density frame including a plurality of interpolation lines based on an original group of pixels of the current frame and an additional group of pixels defined by a pixel value and the mapping address of each pixel of interest on the previous frame. In generation of the mapping address, a sub-pixel process is applied.
US09672580B2
An automated method is provided for generating summary data regarding task items that must occur to achieve a database lock for a clinical trial study that is performed based on a previously defined clinical trial protocol. The clinical trial study is managed using a processor and a database in communication with the processor. The database includes clinical trial data and the status of the data for a plurality of patients participating in the clinical trial study. At least one clinical database lock criterion is defined for the study from at least a plurality of user-selected subsets of the clinical trial data. The processor receives the at least one clinical database lock criterion for the study, and the clinical trial data and the status of the data, as retrieved from the database, for the plurality of patients participating in the clinical trial study as defined by the clinical database lock criteria. The processor then automatically and programmatically generates summary data regarding task items that must occur to achieve the database lock as defined by the at least one clinical database lock criterion, using the clinical trial data and the status of the data. Different summary data will be generated for different clinical database lock criteria.
US09672576B2
A system and a method are provided for enabling effective work force management of a smart grid. The method includes receiving a first Session Initiation Protocol (SIP) message comprising a state of an electrical component on an electrical grid; and notifying a third party of the state of the electrical component by sending a second SIP message.
US09672575B2
Disclosed are methods, apparatus, systems, and computer readable storage media for capturing information regarding an interaction to a database. A client device receives an indication of an interaction with the client device that satisfies a user-defined trigger. A user interface is provided to the client device having input controls capable of receiving one or more information items. The one or more information items include values for a first data field regarding a user-selected expression and a second data field regarding at least one entity associated with the interaction. The one or more information items may generate a custom object that is stored in a database of the on-demand database service. A profile object for the at least one entity may be generated based on an aggregation of the stored one or more items with attributes of the at least one entity.
US09672569B2
A system and method are disclosed herein to receive preliminary telematics data collected by a smartphone and actual telematics data collected by a data collection device. The system includes a computer memory and a processor in communication with the computer memory. The computer memory stores the data indicative of preliminary telematics data collected by the smartphone, including at least one of geo-position information of the vehicle and vehicle kinematics data. The processor is configured to calculate an initial benefit based upon the preliminary telematics data, and apply the initial benefit in exchange for receiving the data indicative of actual telematics data via the data collection device within the vehicle. When the received data indicative of the actual telematics data meets a pre-determined condition, the processor may compute a final benefit based on the actual telematics data.
US09672568B1
At least a method for determining risk behavior of a driver is described. While a vehicle is being driven, data is obtained related to the position and movement of a wireless communications device. The data may indicate the type of behavior exhibited by the driver while the vehicle is being driven.
US09672566B2
A system allowing traders, etc. to use instant messaging (IM) (or other non-FIX based) communications to input trading instructions directly into a broker's Order Management System (OMS) for managing/executing trades. Accordingly, trading instructions may be provided electronically directly from a buy-side trader, and directly to a sell-side broker's/brokerage's OMS, without the need for the sell-side broker to manually re-key the order into the sell-side firm's OMS. Further, trading instructions are provided in electronic format directly to the broker's OMS without the need for the buy-side trader to have an expensive FIX based OMS or associated FIX connection, which is also expensive, thereby allowing relatively smaller investment houses/buy-side organizations to enjoy the benefits of electronic delivery of trading instructions directly to brokers' OMS.
US09672563B2
Various embodiments disclosed herein relate to order entry. In the electronic trading process, order entry involves setting one or more order entry parameters, sending one or more order entry parameters, or both setting and sending one or more order entry parameters. As will be described in more detail below, various order entry actions, such as moving a cursor across an order entry line, moving a cursor into an order entry region, pressing an order entry button, or performing a gesture, may be used to trigger the setting, sending, or both setting and sending of one or more order entry parameters. At least some embodiments relate to enabling an order entry action before the order entry action is able to set, send, or both set and send one or more order entry parameters.
US09672560B2
A distributed order orchestration system provides a plurality of representations of a product, such as a sales-centric representation of a product and a fulfillment-centric representation of a product. The distributed order orchestration system captures an order associated with the product, and creates a sales order based on the sales-centric representation of the product. The distributed order orchestration system then transform the sales order into a fulfillment order, where the fulfillment order is based on the fulfillment-centric representation of the product. As part of the transformation, product information that is associated with the sales order is transformed into product information that is associated with the fulfillment order, using one or more product transformation rules.
US09672556B2
Systems and methods for programmatically classifying text are discussed herein. Some embodiments may provide for a system including circuitry configured to programmatically classify a block of text. For example, the circuitry may be configured to identify topics associated with the block of text and identify one or more categories for each of the topics. The circuitry may be further configured to determine unique categories across the one or more categories for each of the topics. For each unique category, an actual category frequency may be determined based on a number of times each of the topics in the block of text is associated with the unique category. The circuitry may be further configured to associate a unique category with the block of text based on the actual category frequency for each the unique category and one or more other actual category frequencies for one or more other unique categories.
US09672553B2
Electronic content that has a tactile dimension when presented on a tactile-enabled computing device may be referred to as tactile-enabled content. A tactile-enabled device is a device that is capable of presenting tactile-enabled content in a manner that permits a user to experience tactile quality of electronic content. In one example embodiment, a system is provided for generating content that has a tactile dimension when presented on a tactile-enabled device.
US09672547B2
A handheld computing device for editing images and a method thereof. The handheld computing device can include a screen, a memory for storing an application for at least one of image acquisition, image uploading, and image editing, and a processor. The handheld computing device can receive a notification message from a first external device over a communication network, the notification message containing location information for accessing a specific image, the location information indicating an internet-address of the specific image, access the specific image by using the location information, display the specific image on the screen, and perform an image editing option on the screen to edit the displayed specific image based on the application stored in the memory. Also, the image editing option can include a selection function to determine a portion of the specific image to be edited by selecting at least one position of an upper left corner and a lower right corner of an expandable window on the displayed specific image.
US09672543B1
Described herein is a platform and method for providing a device valuation for an electronic device based on parameter values of the electronic device. The method may comprise obtaining a model information of the electronic device and identifying a base value of the electronic device. In some embodiments, a device specific performance evaluation may be executed on a hardware component contained with the electronic device. Upon execution of the performance evaluation, a set of parameter values may be generated using input collected with respect to the performance evaluation. A valuation of the electronic device may subsequently be generated based upon the base value and the set of parameter values.
US09672540B2
Systems and methods of identifying ad elements of web pages via a computer network are provided. A script configured to identify an ad slot on a web page can be obtained by at least one data processing system having an ad slot evaluation module. The script can be executed to obtain advertisement parameters of the ad slot and web page parameters of the ad slot and generate a unique identifier of the ad slot. The generated unique identifier is associated with a URL identifier of the web page. The data processing system evaluates at least one database to determine one of a presence and an absence of the historical ad slot data. The data processing system provides content for display in the ad slot of the web page based at least in part on a result of the evaluation of the database.
US09672532B2
The monetization of downloadable files associated with a custodial host site based on resolving custodianship to a referrer publisher with subsequent presentation of monetized content within a modal overlay is disclosed. A request from a client device has a resource identifier and a referrer publisher identifier. The request for the downloadable file is evaluated against one or more publisher and custodianship policy rules, which relate to a file extension of the downloadable file, a format of the resource identifier, a custodial domain on which the downloadable file is stored, and a referral domain as specified in the referrer publisher identifier. When custodianship is resolved, a modal overlay on which monetized content is incorporated is presented on the client device. The modal overlay is concurrently displayed with the transfer of the downloadable file to the client device.
US09672528B2
The present invention relates to systems and methods for rewarding entertainment consumers, and more specifically to a system and method for rewarding people for watching or otherwise engaging in various forms of media and entertainment (e.g. broadcast TV, on-demand TV, games, live entertainment, movies, and radio) to promote loyalty to or improve recognition of all entertainment, while collecting useful data about the media consumption habits as well as the rewards consumption patterns associated with those consumers.
US09672526B2
The systems and methods may be used to recommend an item to a consumer. The methods may comprise determining, based on a collaborative filtering algorithm, a consumer relevance value associated with an item, and transmitting, based on the consumer relevance value, information associated with the item to a consumer. A collaborative filtering algorithm may receive as an input a transaction history associated with the consumer, a demographic of the consumer, a consumer profile, a type of transaction account, a transaction account associated with the consumer, a period of time that the consumer has held a transaction account, a size of wallet, and/or a share of wallet. The method may further comprise generating a ranked list of items based upon consumer relevance values, transmitting a ranked list of items to a consumer, and/or re-ranking a ranked list of items based upon a merchant goal.
US09672516B2
Systems and methods implementing a communication protocol for the authorization of transfer of resources in a computer system having a plurality of computers, including a centralized router connecting to source account controllers and destination account controllers that are connected to readers. A reader communicates a first authorization request having a source identifier to a portal coupled with a data storage storing data linking the source identifier to a linked identifier. The portal communicates with a respective linked account controller to obtain a response identifying an available resource. Based on the response, the reader generates a further authorization request for a requested resource from a source account identified by the source identifier to a destination account associated with the reader.
US09672514B2
Systems and methods are provided for performing transactions and managing communications using a trusted third party. In one embodiment, a sender transfers an encrypted version of a file (such as a digitally encoded audio track, movie, document, or the like) to someone who wishes to receive it. The receiver computes a first hash of at least a portion of the encrypted data content, and sends the first hash to a third party configured to compare at least a portion of the first hash to at least a portion of a second hash. The receiver receives a file decryption key from the third party, and decrypts at least the portion of the received encrypted data content with the decryption key. In some cases, multiple hashes of the encrypted data content may be computed, each using a different portion of the encrypted data content.
US09672510B2
Real-time evaluation of high quality preview images of a document prior to capturing a final image of the document on a mobile device is disclosed. In one aspect, an image capture device is activated on the mobile device. A plurality of preview images of the document is then captured, each of which has a lower image quality than a final image to be captured by the image capture device. Next, for each of the plurality of preview images, the system measures a parameter associated with the image capturing, and related to the ability to accurately extract text and other content from a captured preview image of the document. Next, the system selects a preview image among a subset of the captured preview images that passes the image quality measurement. When a predetermined condition is met, the system chooses the selected preview image as a final captured image of the document.
US09672507B2
A point of sale system capable of operating in an indicia-reading mode or a verification mode is disclosed. In the indicia-reading mode, the point of sale system configures its illumination, imaging, and processing to read indicia as part of a normal checkout process. If triggered by a user or by an event, the point of sale system may operate in a verification mode. In the verification mode, the point of sale system enables the necessary illumination, imaging, and processing to verify an item. This verification includes illuminating the item in a way that causes a noticeable response from a security mark (or marks) on the item. An image of the response may be captured and processed to authenticate/verify the item. The point of sale system may then respond to the verification and/or may store the image/results as a record of the verification.
US09672493B2
Described are systems and methods for detecting and processing recurring electronic communications. A graphical user interface (GUI) event is detected that includes a selection and a drag-and-drop of a first electronic communication object onto a second electronic communication object. A similarity is determined between the first and second electronic communication objects. At least one search criteria rule is automatically generated from the at least one similarity in response to detecting the GUI event.
US09672492B2
According to some embodiments, a system may detect an occurrence of a trigger event in connection with a first insurance agent of a plurality of insurance agents. For example, the system might detect that a person has added a friend on Facebook, changed his or her status, or that he or she is currently visiting a local coffee shop. Responsive to said detection, some embodiments may automatically post information to at least one social network server in connection with the first insurance agent. For example, an offer to meet at a particular location and/or a discount or other benefit associated with an insurance product might be posted or otherwise provided via one or more social networks.
US09672480B2
A system and method for adaptive and dynamic synchronization includes a data synchronization controller which enables synchronization of a plurality of different data types between a main computer and one or more remotely disposed computer elements. The controller includes an orchestrator which responds to requests for data synchronization for components in accordance with predetermined policies maintained by a policy management system. A synchronization interface is controlled by the orchestrator in accordance with the policies to select a synchronization engine to service requests for synchronization of different data types from the orchestrator. Synchronization may be handled for on demand and/or for on schedule requests for synchronization in the policy-based system and method.
US09672479B2
A system, method and apparatus provide management of power to meet demand of consumers that consume the power. An interface is configured to receive a pricing signal that indicates a price for the power. Wherein the interface is configured to control an appliance coupled to the interface to shift adjusting power consumption sooner in time than the appliance is predetermined to shift its power consumption.
US09672471B2
Systems, devices, and methods are described for detecting an embolus, thrombus, or a deep vein thrombus in a biological subject.
US09672460B2
In some aspects, consumables for a material processing head can include a body that is substantially axially symmetric about a central longitudinal axis; and a ring-shaped data tag attached to the body, the data tag having a central axis that is substantially coaxial to the central longitudinal axis of the body, the data tag having a conductive coil formed around the central axis of the data tag.
US09672459B2
In various embodiments, a chip card module is provided that can have: a chip card module support; a wiring structure that is arranged on the chip card module support; an integrated circuit that is arranged on the chip card module support and is electrically coupled to the wiring structure; a chip card module antenna that is arranged on the chip card module support and is electrically coupled to the wiring structure, and a lighting device that is arranged on the chip card module support and is electrically coupled to the wiring structure.
US09672458B2
In response to detecting a configured quick response (QR) code change event in a retail environment, a changed dynamic QR code is displayed that includes an encoded new unique value. The changed dynamic QR code is changed from a previously-displayed dynamic QR code and is changed based upon a set of contemporaneous data elements associated with an item displayed in the retail environment.
US09672457B2
An image forming apparatus, provided with an image forming part that performs an image formation on each of individual medium pieces that are attached to a long base sheet with specified gaps wherein a long medium is configured with the long base sheet and the medium pieces, a length of the gaps being defined as a gap length, a carrying part that carries the long medium to the image forming part in a medium carrying direction, a cutting part that cuts the long medium that is being carried by the carrying part, and a cut position determining part that determines a cut position where the long medium is cut by the cutting part, the cut position being located at one of the gaps, wherein the cut position determining part changes the cut position according to the gap length.
US09672455B2
When acquired information contains setting information indicating to output first format file, a first output process is executed, wherein a reading process is performed and an inquiry is executed as to whether to continue reading. Every time when receiving an instruction to continue reading, a reading process is performed and the inquiry is executed. A first format file, in which is stored image data that has been generated until when an instruction not to continue reading is received, is outputted. When the acquired information contains setting information to output second format file, a second output process is executed, wherein a reading process is performed, and one or more second format files, whose number is equal to a number of sets of image data generated through the reading process, is outputted such that each set of image data is stored in a corresponding second format file.
US09672449B2
A method, apparatus, and system for calibration of a media processing device are provided. The method may include providing a calibration sub-routine where the calibration sub-routine includes a plurality of calibration operations to be performed in sequence. The method may further include associating an audible note with each calibration operation and generating the audible note for each calibration operation as each respective calibration operation is performed, where the audible note is generated by a frequency of operation of a motor. The audible note associated with one calibration operation may be different from the audible note associated with another calibration operation.
US09672448B2
Systems and techniques are provided for pruning a node from a possible nodes list for Hidden Markov Model with label transition node pruning. The node may be a label transition node. A frame may be at a predicted segmentation point in decoding input with the Hidden Markov Model. The node may be scored at the frame. The node may be pruned from the possible nodes list for the frame when score for the node is greater than the sum of a best score among nodes on the possible nodes list for the frame and a beam threshold minus a penalty term. A possible nodes list may be generated for a subsequent frame using label selection. A second node may be pruned from the possible nodes list for the subsequent frame with early pruning.
US09672445B2
Disclosed are systems and methods for improving interactions with and between computers in a content generating, hosting and/or providing system supported by or configured with personal computing devices, servers and/or platforms. The systems interact to identify and retrieve data across platforms, which can be used to improve the quality of data used in processing interactions between or among processors in such systems. The disclosed systems and methods provide systems and methods for automatic discovery of high quality digital content. According to embodiments, the present disclosure describes improved computer system and methods directed to analyzing raw image data, such as features and descriptors of images in order to identify a high quality image(s). Such images can be identified from a database of images, and such images can be identified in real-time, or near real-time during the capture of an image(s) by a camera.
US09672443B2
According to an embodiment, a dimension reduction apparatus includes an obtaining device to obtain a first vector made up of elements; a generator to generate first partial vectors each made up of one or more elements of the elements; a first mapping controller to transform each first partial vector into a second partial vector by reducing number of elements constituting the first partial vector using first mapping corresponding to the first partial vector, concatenate the second partial vectors, and generate a second vector by reducing number of dimensions of the first vector; and a second mapping controller to apply, to the second vector, second mapping which maps the second vector into a space having number of dimensions not larger than that of the second vector, and generate a third vector by reducing the number of dimensions of the second vector to not larger than that of the second vector.
US09672434B2
A spatiotemporal system and method for parking occupancy detection. The system can generally include suitable image acquisition, processing, transmission and data storage devices configured to carry out the method which includes generating and processing spatiotemporal images to detect the presence of an object in a region of interest, such as a vehicle in a parking stall.
US09672431B2
In an example detection system for vehicles or other objects of interest, objects are detected in real-time at full VGA 30 frame per second resolution. A preprocessor may perform run-length encoding (RLE) to provide detected edges. The image may then be scanned from the bottom up to identify vertical clusters or “stacks” or RLEs. Vertical clusters with low vertical density may be eliminated as poor vehicle candidates. Vertical clusters not eliminated may then be processed with a histogram of gradients algorithm, and confirmed with a support vector machine algorithm. A range to the nearest object may also be calculated, and a warning provided if the object is too close.
US09672425B2
A method and apparatus for detecting an object is provided. The method includes recognizing a predetermined object from at least one of an image and a video and determining a position of the recognized object, displaying on the image or the video a location of a predetermined part of the recognized object, rearranging the displayed location of the predetermined part of the recognized object based on an input signal, and renewing the position of the recognized object based on a result of the rearranging of the displayed location of the predetermined part of the recognized object.
US09672420B2
The present invention relates to a method for obtaining information from a medication package. In the method, an image of the medication package is provided, the image is analyzed to determine positions and formats of patterns in the image, a layout, which has similar pattern formats in the same positions as the image, is selected from a set of layouts stored in the medication dispenser, the selected layout defining the type of information for each pattern in the image, and the information contained in at least one of the patterns of the image is interpreted by linking the content of the pattern to the type of information defined in the selected layout. The invention also relates to a medication dispenser.
US09672419B2
Methods and systems detect markings or flaws on the backs of playing cards. The method includes: providing ambient radiation at a gaming table and reflecting some of that radiation off a back surface of a playing card; capturing reflected radiation with a radiation sensor; the radiation sensor transmitting signals based on the reflected radiation captured by the radiation sensor; the transmitted signals providing data that contains image data of the back of the playing card; and displaying an image of the back of the playing card based on the image data. The transmitted signals provide image data of the back of the playing card and are also received by a processor that evaluates or compares that data. The system may be an installed casino system (with eye-in-the-sky technology), a portable box, or a component within a shuffling device or dealer shoe.
US09672396B1
Methods, systems, and apparatus, including computer programs encoded on computer storage medium, to facilitate real-time inventory tracking using an RFID-enabled light bulb. In one aspect, an apparatus includes a device comprising a light bulb housing having a base with electrical contacts, a lighting element, an RFID reader module, and a network interface configured to provide a connection to a computer network. The apparatus may also include a processor and a data storage device storing instructions that are operable, when executed by a processor, to cause the processor to perform operations. The operations may include causing the RFID reader module to transmit interrogation signals, causing the RFID reader module to detect replies from multiple RFID tags, obtaining the information that uniquely identifies a particular RFID tag from each reply, and transmitting the obtained information over a wireless network connection using the wireless transceiver.
US09672388B2
A computer return apparatus includes a processor. The apparatus includes a memory connected to the processor. The apparatus includes a display. The apparatus includes a return screen that the processor automatically causes to appear during or after boot-up of the processor on the display, that displays information concerning an owner who owns the computer, concerning user information about who the user is who the computer is assigned to for use, and return information for returning the computer to the owner from data stored in the memory. A method for displaying information to assist with returning a computer to its owner.
US09672379B2
Techniques described herein can be implemented as one or a combination of methods, systems or processor executed code to form embodiments capable of improved protection of data or other computing resources based at least in part upon limiting access to a select number of delegates. Limited access to cloud data based on customer selected or other criterion, reducing the possibility of security exposures and/or improving privacy is provided for.
US09672378B2
A client receives sensitive data to be tokenized. The client queries a token table with a portion of the sensitive data to determine if the token table includes a token mapped to the value of the portion of the sensitive data. If the mapping table does not include a token mapped to the value of the portion of the sensitive data, a candidate token is generated. The client queries a central token management system to determine if the candidate token collides with a token generated by or stored at another client. In some embodiments, the candidate token includes a value from a unique set of values assigned by the central token management system to the client, guaranteeing that the candidate token does not cause a collision. The client then tokenizes the sensitive data with the candidate token and stores the candidate token in the token table.
US09672376B2
Web session security techniques which protect displayed sensitive information. In one example embodiment, the method includes setting, by a processor, a timer following a last user action during use of a web application; determining, by the processor, that a threshold time period since the last user action exceeds a predetermined time period; and making, by the processor, displayed sensitive information unreadable.
US09672372B2
An archival storage cluster of preferably symmetric nodes includes a data protection management system that periodically organizes the then-available nodes into one or more protection sets, with each set comprising a set of n nodes, where “n” refers to a configurable “data protection level” (DPL). At the time of its creation, a given protection set is closed in the sense that each then available node is a member of one, and only one, protection set. When an object is to be stored within the archive, the data protection management system stores the object in a given node of a given protection set and then constrains the distribution of copies of that object to other nodes within the given protection set. As a consequence, all DPL copies of an object are all stored within the same protection set, and only that protection set. This scheme significantly improves MTDL for the cluster as a whole, as the data can only be lost if multiple failures occur within nodes of a given protection set. This is far more unlikely than failures occurring across any random distribution of nodes within the cluster.
US09672365B2
Systems and methods for controlling the use of audio, video and audiovisual content are provided. A data structure includes content usage rights for multiple release windows. The usage rights may be encoded in the content or otherwise bound to the content. Playback devices are configured to access the appropriate usage rights and control usage in accordance with the usage rights.
US09672361B2
A Basic Input/Output System (BIOS) of a device is modified to: obtain a first value from a medium interfaced to the device, produce a second value from boot data resident on the medium, compare the first value to the second value, and boot from the boot data of the medium when the first value is equal to the second value.
US09672358B1
An apparatus can include a processor that can extract, from an input binary file, an image data structure, and can scale the image data structure to a predetermined size, and/or modify the image data structure to represent a grayscale image. The processor can calculate a modified pixel value for each pixel in the image data structure, and can define a binary vector based on the modified pixel value for each pixel in the image data structure. The processor can also identify a set of nearest neighbor binary vectors for the binary vector based on a comparison between the binary vector and a set of reference binary vectors stored in a malware detection database. The processor can then determine a malware status of the input binary file based on the set of nearest neighbor binary vectors satisfying a similarity criterion associated with a known malware image from a known malware file.
US09672354B2
Described systems and methods enable a host system to efficiently perform computer security activities, when operating in a hardware virtualization configuration. A processor is configured to generate a VM suspend event (e.g., a VM exit or a virtualization exception) when a guest instruction executing within a guest VM performs a memory access violation. In some embodiments, the processor is further configured to delay generating the VM suspend event until the execution stage of the pipeline for the guest instruction is complete, and to save results of the execution stage to a specific location (e.g. a specific processor register readable by security software) before generating the event.
US09672344B2
Computing apparatus and method for operating an application are provided. The computing apparatus includes: a communicator which communicates with a paired external device; a storage unit in which applications are installed; a controller which, if one of the applications installed in the storage unit is selected, controls the communicator to request login information corresponding to the selected application from the external device and, if the login information is received from the external device, performs a login by using the login information; and a display unit which displays an operation screen corresponding to the selected application. Therefore, a user further easily and conveniently uses services of applications respectively installed devices.
US09672338B1
Techniques to manage applications, such as mobile apps, across multiple management domains are disclosed. In various embodiments, a set of one or more application management policies to be enforced with respect to a mobile device is received from a management entity to which a scope of authority to manage applications with respect to the mobile device has been delegated. A management agent on the mobile device is used to enforce the one or more application management policies with respect to applications and application data that are within the scope of authority delegated to the management entity.
US09672333B2
In one embodiment, a method for authenticating access to encrypted content on a storage medium, wherein the encrypted content is encrypted according to a full disk encryption (FDE) key, the storage medium including an encrypted version of the FDE key and an encrypted version of a protected storage area (PSA) key, and wherein the encrypted version of the FDE key is encrypted according to the PSA key, the method comprising: providing an authenticated communication channel between a host and a storage engine associated with the storage medium; at the storage engine, receiving a pass code from the host over the authenticated communication channel; hashing the pass code to form a derived key, wherein the encrypted version of the PSA key is encrypted according to the derived key; verifying an authenticity of the pass code; if the pass code is authentic, decrypting the encrypted version of the PSA key to recover the PSA key; decrypting the encrypted FDE key using the recovered PSA key to recover the FDE key; and decrypting the encrypted content using the FDE key.
US09672330B2
A product ion spectrum is created on the basis of MS2 analysis data respectively obtained for a parent compound and a metabolite (S1 and S2). Additionally, a neutral loss spectrum, in which the mass of each product ion is replaced with a mass difference between the mass of the product ion and that of a precursor ion, is created (S3). Then, a common peak having the same mass on the neutral loss spectrums of both the parent compound and the metabolite is extracted (S4), and a complementary peak appearing on the product ion spectrum of the metabolite is extracted (S5); this peak appears at a position corresponding to the difference between the mass of the common peak and that of the precursor ion. The ion corresponding to the complementary peak is designated as a precursor ion for the next MS3 analysis (S6), and this MS3 analysis is performed (S7). By a dissociation operation, if a portion common to the parent compound and the metabolite is desorbed in the form of a neutral molecule while a different portion remains in the form of an ion, an MS3 analysis in which the ion of the different portion is used as the precursor ion is performed to obtain structural information of a site of metabolism.
US09672328B2
Methods, systems, and devices are disclosed for administering a medicament to a patient. In one aspect, a system includes an injection pen device in wireless communication with a mobile communication device. The injection pen device includes a housing including a chamber to encase a cartridge containing medicine, a dose setting and dispensing mechanism to set the mechanism to dispense a particular dose of the medicine from the loaded cartridge, a sensor unit to detect a dispensed dose based on positions and/or movements of the dose setting and dispensing mechanism, and an electronics unit in communication with the sensor unit to process the detected dispensed dose and time data associated with a dispensing event and to wirelessly transmit the dose data to a user's device. The mobile communication device provides a software application to provide the user with health information using the processed dose data.
US09672323B2
A method that minimizes adjustment of a wiring layer in reducing a warpage of a multilayered substrate and enables location of a part of a wiring layer that needs correction in order to reduce the warpage. The difference in average coefficient of thermal expansion, Δα, varies in a substrate. The method focuses in on the difference in Δα with a great length scale (low frequency) having a relatively significant effect on the warpage compared to the difference in Δα with a smaller length scale (high frequency) and corrects only the difference in Δα with a greater length scale. The distribution of the difference in Δα in a plane of substrate is determined. Then digital filtering is performed to extract only the difference in Δα with a low frequency and the difference in Δα between before and after correction, thereby revealing a part that requires correction.
US09672320B2
A method of manufacturing an integrated circuit (IC) includes: receiving a target layout of the IC, decomposing the target layout into a plurality of sub-layouts for a multiple patterning process, identifying re-locatable pattern edges in the sub-layouts, and relocating the edges to improve manufacturability of the IC. In an embodiment, relocating the edges includes: choosing an evaluation index based on a target manufacturing process, moving one or more of the edges, calculating a score of manufacturability based on the evaluation index, and repeating the moving and the calculating until the score meets a threshold.
US09672319B1
Disclosed are techniques for model-based electronic design implementation with a hybrid solver. These techniques generate an extruded via from a linkage node to a reference metal plane that is added to an analysis model for at least a portion of an electronic design. The analysis model for the at least the portion is generated at least by re-establishing interconnection between the at least the portion and a linkage circuit element with the extruded via. At least the portion of the electronic design may further be implemented using the analysis or simulation results that are generated by using the hybrid solver on the model, without using three-dimensional solvers, for a three-dimensional model of the electronic design.
US09672311B2
Embodiments of the present invention provide a system and method for SAV (self-aligned via) retargeting. The SAV (Self Aligned Vias) process aids in the alignment of the vias with the metal above (Mx+1) during the dual damascene process. The retargeting enables an increase the area of the via during photolithography without affecting the final critical dimension. SAV retargeting is the via retargeting during the mask tape-out to reshape the via and protect it against possible via-to-Mx+1 overlay error. With embodiments of the present invention, the via edge movement is linked to the actual driver behind the SAV retargeting, which is maintaining a minimum area coverage with the metal above at extreme overlay error conditions. Accordingly, for a via edge to get SAV retargeted, a calculation is first made to determine how much its opposite via edge is subject to be cut during SAV due to overlay error.
US09672307B2
Various techniques are provided to efficiently implement user designs in programmable logic devices (PLDs). In one example, a computer-implemented method includes determining clock resources in a design identifying operations to be performed by a PLD, determining available clock resources of the PLD, determining a flow network model corresponding to the design and the PLD, and determining a clock resource placement based on the flow network model. The flow network model may include a plurality of levels of vertices disposed between source and sink vertices, where vertices are coupled to each other using edges with unit capacity.
US09672305B1
A method for designing clock gates which may reduce timing requirements associated with clock gating control signals may include identifying a clock gating function included in a Hardware Description Language of an integrated circuit, wherein the clock gating function may include capturing a state of an enable signal dependent upon a clock signal. The method may include determining a delay time for capturing the state of the enable signal dependent on a time difference between transitions of the enable signal and the clock signal. The method may include creating a gating circuit, in which the gating circuit includes a delay unit coupled to a source of the clock signal, and wherein a delay value is dependent upon the amount of time to delay capturing the enable signal. The method may include modifying the HDL model dependent upon the clock gating circuit.
US09672291B2
The disclosure includes a system and method for summarizing social interactions between users. The system includes a processor and a memory storing instructions that when executed cause the system to: receive a signal stream from at least one of a hardware sensor and a virtual detector, filter the signal stream and outputting filtered signal stream including data defining human-understandable actions, identify activities associated with a first user from the filtered signal stream, generate a summary of the first user's activities, determine that the first user is within proximity to a second user, determine a degree of separation between the first user and the second user in a social network, determine a time elapsed since a last interaction between the first user and the second user, classify the first user's relationship with the second user as being a first type of relationship, a second type of relationship or a third type of relationship, responsive to having the first type of relationship, generate a first summary for the first user that includes a notification that the second user is nearby, a last interaction with the second user and recent interactions with the second user, responsive to having the second type of relationship, generate a second summary for the first user that includes the notification that the second user is nearby, the last interaction with the second user and events that the first user and the second user share in common, and responsive to having the third type of relationship, generate a third summary for the first user that includes the notification that the second user is nearby and events that the first user and the second user share in common.
US09672288B2
Briefly, embodiments of methods and/or systems for providing enhancements to search query processing are disclosed.
US09672287B2
A content searching technique that includes sensing at least three types of input gestures from a user, each of the at least three input gestures representative of a respective one of a search term, a class of assets to be searched and a location to be searched. The sensed at least three types of input gestures are translated into the search term, the class of assets to be searched and the location to be searched. The specified location is searched for the class of assets corresponding to the search term. A list of assets residing or available from at the searched location corresponding to the search term are presented in a user interface display.
US09672284B2
Groups of users of a social networking system are categorized based on their association with a type of malicious activity. A set of predetermined malicious groups is identified. Users associated with the malicious groups are selected based on their level of interactions with the malicious groups. Other groups associated with the selected users are identified as being potentially malicious groups. The potentially malicious groups are further analyzed based on occurrences of keywords associated with the type of malicious activity and manual verification by experts. The potentially malicious groups are either classified as being malicious or non-malicious or assigned a score based on their likelihood of being associated with the type of malicious activity. The methods and system disclosed can be used for categorizing other types of social network objects based on their association with a type of malicious activity, for example, users, events, and content.
