US09713639B2

The present invention encompasses porcine epidemic diarrhea virus (PEDV) vaccines or compositions. The vaccine or composition may be a vaccine or composition containing PEDV antigens. The invention also encompasses recombinant vectors encoding and expressing PEDV antigens, epitopes or immunogens which can be used to protect porcine animals against PEDV.
US09713627B2

The present invention provides pathogen-inactivated red blood cell compositions suitable for infusion into a subject.
US09713624B1

The synthesis of rutin nanotubes includes the steps of providing rutin powder; mixing the rutin powder with a solvent mixture of methanol, dimethyl sulfoxide, and hydrochloric acid to prepare a rutin solution; adding the rutin solution to boiling water dropwise; maintaining the rutin solution and water under ultrasonic conditions at room temperature for about 20 minutes; continuously stirring the solution until rutin nanoparticles are formed; and isolating the rutin nanotubes by centrifugation. A method of controlling the metastatic activity of cancer cells includes administering an effective amount of rutin nanotubes and nanoparticles prepared as described above to a site of metastatic activity in a mammal.
US09713622B2

The present invention relates to a pharmaceutical composition for treating the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) in humans, including three or four active principles selected as: a nucleoside reverse transcriptase inhibitor (NRTI) selected from lamivudine and emtricitabine; a nucleoside or nucleotide reverse transcriptase inhibitor (NRTI) selected from didanosine, abacavir and tenofovir; and the combination of a boosted or unboosted protease inhibitor (PI) selected from lopinavir, fosamprenavir, atazanavir and darunavir; or an non-nucleoside reverse transcriptase inhibitor (NNRTI) selected from efavirenz and etravirine; or an integrase inhibitor; for daily administration to said human being one to four days per week.
US09713619B2

The invention relates to classes of pharmaceutically-active heterocyclic compounds and pharmaceutically acceptable salts, and hydrates thereof, and compositions comprising the same. The invention also relates to methods for treating or preventing a disease or disorder, which comprises administering a therapeutically or prophylactically effective amount a compound described herein.
US09713608B2

The invention relates to the treatment of actinic keratosis on the trunk (except chest) or Extremities with ingenol 3-(3,5-diethylisoxazole-4-carboxylate).
US09713605B2

The present invention relates to a method of preventing or ameliorating the symptoms of arthritis or preventing or ameliorating cartilage destruction or chondrocyte death in a subject suffered from arthritis, comprising administrating the subject an effective amount of an active component selected from a compound, a mixture, and a mycelium prepared from Antrodia cinnamomea.
US09713597B2

An aqueous pharmaceutical solution composition comprising between about 20 mg/ml to about 100 mg/ml of a radioprotective α,β-unsaturated aryl sulfone, a cosolvent comprising polyethylene glycol (PEG), polypropylene glycol, polyglycerol, DMA, propylene glycol, glycerol, ethanol, sorbitol, isopropyl alcohol, or a combination thereof in an amount between about 25% and about 90% w/v, and a water soluble Vitamin E derivative, wherein the composition has a pH within the range of about 7.0 to about 9.5.
US09713592B2

The present invention relates to an oral pulse release pharmaceutical composition, which comprises a polymer matrix core, wherein at least one pharmaceutically active ingredient is distributed within the core and on the outer surface of the core. Amphetamine salts, among a number of other pharmaceutically active ingredients, can be formulated as a pharmaceutical composition described herein. The present invention also provides a method for preparing an immediate release component on a solid pharmaceutical formulation.
US09713591B2

The present disclosure provides a composition of matter comprising liposomes encapsulating in their intraliposomal aqueous compartment at least one active agent, the liposomes having a diameter of at least 200 nm and being embedded in a water insoluble, water absorbed cross-linked polymeric matrix. In one embodiment, the composition of matter is held within an aqueous medium, preferably being in iso-osmotic equilibrium with the intraliposomal aqueous compartments of the liposomes. The present disclosure also provides a method of removal of non-encapsulated active agent from the composition of matter, a method of preparing said composition of matter, a pharmaceutical composition comprising said composition of matter, use of such composition of matter; a method of providing prolonged delivery of a active agent to a subject in need thereof by administering to said subject the composition of matter disclosed herein as well as a package comprising said composition of matter held within said aqueous medium and instructions for use thereof.
US09713586B2

An oral care composition comprising a diluted sodium calcium alginate gel, wherein the oral care composition is a toothpaste, a gel, a mouthwash or a mouthrinse.
US09713581B2

A magnetic powder to be included in a cosmetic agent being removable by a magnetic attraction force from the cosmetic agent applied to the skin. The magnetic powder comprises a ferromagnetic ferrite, a mean volume particle diameter of 50 to 75 μm when determined from a particle size distribution obtained by a laser diffraction scattering method, a content of particles with a particle diameter of less than 37 μm of 15% by mass or less, and a content of particles with a particle diameter of 105 μm or more of 5% by mass or less. The magnetic powder preferably has a saturation magnetization of 80 Am2/kg or more.
US09713577B2

Baby bottle holder that warns of the poor flow of a baby bottle with teat, bottle bottom teat ring offering up/down maintenance of the baby bottle and a lateral maintenance (45) of the baby bottle which prevents the baby bottle from getting out of his up/down maintenance and which provides a gripping surface to hold the bottle holder characterized in that the bottle holder (40) holds the bottle up and down from top on the upper face of the screwing ring (10) and from the base on the bottom, the bottle holder comprises a weight sensor (42) which captures the weight exerted by the upper face of the screwing ring (10), a weight sensor which senses the weight exerted on the side wall (41) of the bottle, a weight sensor (43) which senses the weight exerted on the bottom of the baby bottle, an inclinometer which senses the inclination of the baby bottle, an accelerometer that senses the vibration of the baby bottle and therefore of the teat, a transceiver module that transmits the data wireless to a remote terminal, a visual, audible or vibrating alarm that restitutes an alarm to the parent.
US09713567B2

Apparatus and method for the conditioning of muscular fibrils by means of the application to a muscle in isometric contraction, a succession of mechanical pulses, where the apparatus comprises means for the production of pressure pulses, means for the application of said pressure pulses on the epidermis adjacent the muscle and means for the transmission of said pulses from said means for the production of pressure pulses to said application means, wherein said application means and said means for the transmission of said pulses from said production means to said application means comprise when said application means are applied to the epidermis a closed circuit inside which a compressed fluid or a substantially uncompressible fluid is present.
US09713566B2

A heating and cooling mat assembly includes a mat having a bottom wall, a top wall and a perimeter wall. A conduit is positioned in the man and has fluid therein. A pump is in fluid communication with the conduit to pump the fluid through the conduit. A heat emitter is thermal communication with the liquid in the conduit. The heat emitter warms the liquid when the heat emitter is turned on. A cartridge is removably couplable to the mat. The cartridge includes a pair of first ports. The conduit is in fluid communication with a pair of second ports. Each of the first ports is removably coupled to one of the second ports to fluidly couple the conduit to the cartridge. The cartridge is fillable with a cold fluid so that the conduit is cooled when the pump is turned on and the cartridge is coupled to the conduit.
US09713565B2

A radio-frequency apparatus is provided for vaginal tightening. The apparatus includes a main engine, a connection device, an applicator, and a negative plate, wherein the applicator includes a hand-held component and a treatment plug. The treatment plug has multiple RF electrodes distributed thereon, and has a size similar to the target tissue such that no movement is necessary during treatment. A controller is employed to connect a RF electrode driving circuit, trigger an electrode driving circuit conduction at a preset frequency as an output RF excitation source. Uneven RF current electrode treatment distribution can thus be resolved by using the RF electrode driving circuit to drive the conduction between the RF electrode and the RF source, at the same time by adopting multiple sets of RF electrode conduction for RF electrode configuration treatment, to ensure uniform distribution between each group of RF electrode currents.
US09713563B2

A micro bleed hole connector for use in intermittent pneumatic compression devices includes a body made of a material that is sturdy, durable and compression resistant. The bleed hole connector resembles industry-standard air tube connectors, and has a micro bleed hose connecting its hollow lumen to the outside, ambient air. In use, the connector is inserted between the air input tube of an intermittent pneumatic compression device and an air supply tube, which is connected to an air pump. The air pump inflates and deflates the intermittent pneumatic compression device, which is placed on a patient's limb. In the event deflation of the compression device is retarded by air pump failure or air supply tube occlusion, the micro bleed hole dissipates air sufficiently to prevent injury to the patient's limb. Air dissipation through the bleed hole during normal operation is minimal and does not impact therapeutic application.
US09713561B2

Exemplary embodiments are directed to a controller and/or a procedure table. The procedure table includes a driver that moves the table, and at least one indicator that indicates status of a condition of the table. The controller includes an unlock actuator that enables the driver to move the table, and a lock actuator that prevents the driver from moving the table while enabling the at least one indicator to continue indicating the status. In some exemplary embodiments, the unlock actuator does not enable the driver to move the table until after expiration of a specified delay period that begins upon actuation of the unlock actuator. Other exemplary embodiments also include a delay period indicator that indicates initiation of the delay period upon actuation of the unlock actuator, and that terminates the indication upon expiration of the delay period.
US09713558B2

An absorbent article including a chassis and a laminate. The chassis has a topsheet side, a backsheet side, and first and second opposing longitudinal edges extending from a rear waist region to an opposing front waist region. The laminate includes a carrier having a first face and a second face and a fastening patch on a portion of the first face of the carrier. The laminate is wrapped around the first longitudinal edge of the chassis in the rear waist region so that the second face of the carrier contacts the topsheet side and the backsheet side of the chassis. The fastening patch includes fastening elements that are exposed on the topsheet side of the chassis. A method of making the absorbent article is also disclosed.
US09713548B2

A urine collection assembly for collecting a urine sample from an infant wherein the urine is prevented from being spilled. The assembly includes a garment that may be worn about an infant's genital area. A reservoir is coupled to the garment. The reservoir may collect the urine from the infant. The reservoir is penetrable by a syringe. The urine is drawn into the syringe without spilling the urine from the reservoir.
US09713546B2

A cervical collar has a chin support slidably connected to an inside surface of an anterior component adapted to secure against an anterior chin and neck of a user. A posterior component connects to the anterior component to circumferentially surround the user's neck. A height adjustment mechanism has spring locks securing the height adjustment mechanism against the anterior component. The cervical collar includes a footplate continuously extending from the height adjustment mechanism generally without a variation in thickness. The posterior component has side portions with a plurality of living hinges located proximate to elongate slots for straps connecting to the anterior component.
US09713540B2

A stemless humeral component for replacing the humeral head of a patient's humerus includes a support flange having a number of cantilevered legs extending distally away from a bottom surface thereof. Instruments and methods for surgically installing the stemless humeral component are also disclosed.
US09713537B2

A bone stabilization plate system. The bone stabilization plate system includes a base plate configured to fit primarily between an anterior portion of a first bone's lip osteophyte and an anterior portion of a second, adjacent bone's lip osteophyte. The bone stabilization plate system includes a plurality of bone screws configured to fit in respective bone screw holes in the base plate to secure the base plate.
US09713523B2

The invention provides a stent-graft system comprising a graft member and a stent having a connection end interconnected with the graft member and a free end opposed thereto. A belt retaining structure is provided at the stent free end. A belt is releasably retained in the belt retaining structure and is configured to constrain the stent free end independent of the stent connection end. A method of securing at least one end of a stent-graft within a vessel is also provided.
US09713521B2

The invention provides a highly aligned and closely packed hollow fiber assembly, wherein the assemblies of fibrous membrane has a width-to-fiber diameter ratio (W/d) larger than 10 and the orientation of the fibers is no larger than +/−10°. Also provided is an electrospinning process for the preparation of the fiber assembly of the invention and its applications.
US09713509B2

An instrument device manipulator (IDM) is attached to a surgical arm of a robotic system and comprises a surgical tool holder and an outer housing. The surgical tool holder includes an attachment interface that can secure a surgical tool in a front-mount configuration (where the attachment interface is on a face opposite of an elongated body of the surgical tool) or a back-mount configuration (where the attachment interface is on the same face as the elongated body of the surgical tool). The surgical tool holder may rotate continuously within the outer housing. In a back-mount configuration, the surgical tool holder may have a passage that receives the elongated body of the tool and allows free rotation of the elongated body about the rotational axis. A surgical drape separates the IDM and robotic arm from a tool, while allowing electrical and/or optical signals to pass therebetween.
US09713507B2

A robotic surgical system comprising a surgical instrument comprising an end effector comprising (i) a blade, (ii) a first jaw member including a first electrode, and (iii) a second jaw member including a second electrode. The robotic surgical system may also comprise a motor and a control circuit configured to: (i) produce control signals comprising a first control signal and a second control signal, (ii) deliver an electrosurgical energy signal to the first electrode and the second electrode via the first control signal, (iii) deliver a drive signal to the motor via the second control signal (iv) receive at least one feedback signal, (v) determine a rate of change based on a first feedback signal of the at least one feedback signal, and (vi) maintain the rate of change at a predetermined rate or within a predetermined range.
US09713504B2

A surgery assistance apparatus includes an organ region extraction unit that extracts a tubular-organ region from a three-dimensional image obtained by imaging a tubular-organ and a blood vessel dominating the tubular-organ, a blood vessel region extraction unit that extracts a blood vessel region dominating the tubular-organ from the three-dimensional image, a branching structure extraction unit that extracts a branching structure of the blood vessel from the extracted blood vessel region, and a dominated region identification unit that identifies, with respect to an arbitrary partial blood vessel corresponding to an upper edge branching at least once to reach an edge including a terminal-end of the extracted branching structure, a dominated region in the tubular-organ region that is dominated by the arbitrary partial blood vessel by using positional relationships between a plurality of terminal end points present after the edge of the arbitrary partial blood vessel branches last and the tubular-organ region.
US09713487B2

A bone screw and a method for manufacturing the same includes a screw thread configuration having one or more grooves cut into a leading face of the thread, a trailing face of the thread, and/or the shaft between the threads. Other implementations include the incorporation of facets into the one or more grooves. The implementation of the one or more grooves increases the surface are of the orthopedic screw and functions to increase in anchoring the bone screw within the bone once inserted therein, and thereby reduce the possibility for the screw backing out after insertion.
US09713481B2

An apparatus includes a monolithically-constructed transmission member that defines a lumen along a longitudinal axis. The transmission member includes a first portion, a second portion, and a third portion. The first portion is configured to be coupled to an ultrasonic energy source. The second portion is configured to contact a bodily tissue to transfer ultrasonic energy from a first portion into the bodily tissue. The third portion is disposed between the first portion and the second portion and defines a cross-sectional moment of inertia that is less than at least one of a cross-sectional area moment of inertia of the first portion or a cross-sectional moment of inertia of the second portion.
US09713479B2

A surgical instrument includes a housing and an elongated shaft extending distally therefrom. The elongated shaft includes a proximal portion, a distal portion and a flexible portion supported therebetween. The flexible portion permits pivotal movement of the distal portion of the elongated shaft and an end effector supported thereon. A locking mechanism is operatively associated with the flexible portion of the elongated shaft to selectively impede pivotal motion of the distal portion. The locking mechanism includes a locking coil disposed about an axis defined by the flexible portion of the elongated shaft. A distal end of the locking coil is coupled to the distal portion of the elongated shaft, and a proximal end of the locking coil is rotatable about the longitudinal axis to laterally approximate the locking coil to flexible portion, and thus frictionally engage the flexible portion of the elongated shaft to selectively impede articulating motion thereof.
US09713476B2

A method of fabrication of a medical balloon, and a balloon device useful for various medical balloon procedures, such as gastrointestinal, vascular, reproductive system, urinary system and pulmonary applications. At least two layers of a thermoplastic film are sealed at their peripheral edges and heat sealed at one or more locations inside an area enclosed by the sealed edges at predetermined locations, in one implementation of the balloon device. Such configuration enables the balloon to articulate to a desired shape upon inflation, with the desired shape being selected to accommodate a specific medical application.
US09713457B2

A groove portion depressed from an unit outer surface toward a first perpendicular direction extends over an entire length of a transmission unit in axially parallel directions, and in the transmission unit, a sectional of a first unit component perpendicular to a longitudinal axis is a first sectional shape and a sectional shape of a second unit component perpendicular to the longitudinal axis is a second sectional shape smaller in sectional area than the first sectional shape. The sectional area changing portion changes from the first sectional shape to the second sectional shape so that a gravity center position in a case where the longitudinal axis is a reference position is consistent over the entire length of the transmission unit in the axially parallel directions.
US09713454B2

A computed tomography (CT) imaging modality includes a stator and a rotor that rotates relative to the stator. The CT imaging modality includes a radiation source and a detector array for detecting at least some of the radiation. A first data communication component is coupled to the stator or the rotor for transmitting data between the stator and the rotor. The first data communication component includes a first circuit board assembly including a first conductive layer and a first dielectric layer and a second circuit board assembly including a second conductive layer and a second dielectric layer. The second conductive layer of the second circuit board assembly faces the first conductive layer of the first circuit board assembly. An insulating layer is disposed between the first conductive layer of the first circuit board assembly and the second conductive layer of the second circuit board assembly.
US09713451B2

An apparatus configured to generate for display a plurality of vasculature views alongside a live fluoroscopy image. The views are selected in such a way that they allow visualizing the 3D structure of the vasculature segment in which the device is currently navigating. The view is best relative to one or a weighted average of a plurality of goodness of view standards. As the device progresses and new fluoroscopy images are acquired, the views are updated accordingly.
US09713450B2

The present disclosure relates to the iterative reconstruction of projection data. In certain embodiments, the iterative reconstruction is a multi-stage iterative reconstruction in which different feature are selectively emphasized at different stages. Selective emphasis at different stages may be accomplished by differentially handling two or more decompositions of an input image at certain iterations and/or by differently processing certain features with respect to each stage.
US09713448B2

A multimodal intravascular analysis uses a structural intravascular analysis modality to compensate for a chemical analysis modality. Examples of structural analysis are IVUS, OCT, including optical coherence domain Reflectometry (OCDR) and optical frequency domain imaging (OFDI), and/or sonar range finding. Examples of chemical or functional analysis are optical, NIR, Raman, fluorescence and spectroscopy, thermography and reflectometry. In one example, the structural analysis is used to characterize the environment structurally, such as catheter head-vessel wall distance. This information is then used to select from two or more algorithms which are depth specific (e.g. shallow vs. deep), to achieve improved accuracy in the chemical or functional analysis.
US09713445B2

A wearable resuscitation system is used for resuscitating a patient. The system comprises at least two defibrillation electrodes adapted to be worn by the patient for extended periods of time; circuitry for monitoring the an ECG of the patient; at least one processor configured for analyzing the ECG of the patient, and determining whether electrical therapy should be delivered to the at least two defibrillation electrodes; circuitry for providing defibrillation pulses to the at least two defibrillation electrodes; and circuitry for providing resuscitation prompts, wherein at least the circuitry for monitoring the ECG, the processor configured for analyzing the ECG, and the circuitry for providing resuscitation prompts are contained in one or more devices adapted to be worn by the patient.
US09713443B2

Novel membranes comprising various polymers containing heterocyclic nitrogen groups are described. These membranes are usefully employed in electrochemical sensors, such as amperometric biosensors. More particularly, these membranes effectively regulate a flux of analyte to a measurement electrode in an electrochemical sensor, thereby improving the functioning of the electrochemical sensor over a significant range of analyte concentrations. Electrochemical sensors equipped with such membranes are also described.
US09713437B2

Apparatus, systems, and methods are provided for localizing lesions within a patient's body, e.g., within a breast. The system includes a microwave antenna probe for transmitting and receiving electromagnetic signals to detect one or more markers that are implanted within or around the target tissue region. During use, the marker(s) are implanted into a target tissue region, and the microwave antenna probe is placed against the patient's skin to transmit a signal to the marker(s) and to receive the reflected signal from the marker(s) in order to determine the location of the marker(s). A tissue specimen, including the lesion and the marker(s), is then removed from the target tissue region based at least in part on the location information from the microwave antenna probe.
US09713432B2

A system comprises a cardiac signal sensing circuit and a processor circuit. To detect a QRS duration, the processor circuit determines an isoelectric amplitude value of the cardiac signal segment, identifies a time where the cardiac signal segment amplitude deviates from the first isoelectric amplitude value by a specified threshold deviation value as a Q time, determines an isoelectric value time after the determined maxima and minima times that the cardiac signal segment returns to the same or a different isoelectric amplitude value, identifies a time that follows both the determined maxima and minima times and precedes the isoelectric value time as an S time, wherein the cardiac signal segment amplitude at the identified S time satisfies a specified amplitude change criterion from an isoelectric amplitude value, and determines a time duration of the QRS complex in the cardiac signal segment using the identified Q and S times.
US09713430B2

The invention provides systems and methods for monitoring the wellbeing of a fetus by the non-invasive detection and analysis of fetal cardiac activity data.
US09713423B2

The present invention provides apparatus and methods for detecting fixation of an eye of a subject on a target. The methods provide for optimization of parameters of the spinning half wave plate and the fixed wave plate in the retinal birefringence scanning (RBS) design to enable uses of the “spinning artifact” frequency component. Frequency of the “spinning artifact” component is determined by half wave plate rotation speed and direction. Amplitude is determined by interaction of the spinning half wave plate with any retardance encountered in the double-pass optics such as the fixed wave plate, corneal birefringence, and small amount of retinal birefringence. With optimum selection of fractional spinning frequency of the half wave plate, and the orientation/retardance of the fixed wave plate, the “spinning artifact” frequency component is essentially independent of fixation direction and is also essentially independent of the normal range of corneal birefringence.
US09713410B2

A vacuum cleaner with an automated diverter valve is described. The vacuum includes a handle, body, base, an automated diverter valve and air duct including two input ports. An automated diverter valve assembly at the junction of the dirty air intake within the base extends the air duct within the base and connects to the main air duct of the vacuum to the beater bar input and an attachment input. The automated diverter valve causes the air intake of the vacuum to be drawn from either the beater bar (floor) air input or the attachment input depending upon the position of the vacuum handle.
US09713401B1

It is important to have a safe cooking environment when cooking outdoors and this is particularly important when heating cooking oil on an uneven ground surface. This device will support a cooking pot on a platform that is elevated above the ground and allow the oil to be heated while also insuring that the pot remain level and prevent the structure from tipping. In the event that the structure tips or allows any of the oil to splash outside the container personal injury may occur and this device prevent that occurrence.
US09713380B2

A chair includes a deformable seat shell forming a seat part and a backrest, and further includes a frame, the seat part being connected to the frame by means of a first pivot joint and the backrest being connected to the frame by means of a second pivot joint, the pivot joints allowing a twisting of the seat part and of the backrest relative to the frame caused by a deformation of the seat shell. The second pivot joint is connected to the backrest centrally in relation to the transverse direction of the chair.
US09713377B2

A display counter section includes a lower base portion, an upper base portion, and a light. The upper display portion defines a hollow interior, and includes translucent panels and a metal top. The translucent panels enclose the hollow interior of the upper display portion. The metal top extends over the hollow interior and the translucent panels such that the display counter section is configured to only display products on a top of the metal top. The top of the metal top defines a plurality of uniformly shaped sockets to receive a plurality of product display racks. The light is maintained within the hollow interior backlighting the translucent from the hollow interior by the light.
US09713376B2

A table leveler fastens underneath a top of a table and adjusts a level of the top of the table. The table leveler attaches between the top of the table and a riser and includes a body with a plurality of legs that extend outwardly and attach to an underside of the top of the table. An arm pivots about the body and moves the table leveler between a locked position and an unlocked position.
US09713369B2

An appliance for shaping fibrous material where when the appliance is in the closed position, the portion of the fibrous material received between the first inner face and the second inner face can receive light energy from the light source and heat energy from the heating element. Also a method, use and kit.
US09713366B2

A support fixture is provided for holding chain to facilitate addition of pendants thereto. The fixture comprises a polymeric base and a pair of inter-nesting uprights pivotably mounted therein at opposed ends of the base. The uprights can be stably disposed in either an upright usage configuration or a nested horizontal configuration. The base has an upper surface with a generally planar periphery and a major centrally located recess formed therein. The upper extremity of each upright is provided with a retention pin and a padded clamp. Each clamp is formed from a “7” shaped portion and an inverted “L”-shaped arm pivotably joined thereto, with horizontal portions of the “L” shaped arm and the “7” shaped portion defining the jaws of the clamp. A resilient spring is disposed between a vertical leg of the “7” shaped portion and a vertical leg of the inverted “L” shaped arm.
US09713356B2

Exemplary methods for making a golf shoe outsole comprise first forming a lower portion of the outsole of a first material comprising thermoplastic polyurethane, and then forming an upper portion of the outsole by pouring a liquid second material comprising polyurethane or expandable thermoplastic polyurethane onto an upper surface of the lower portion.
US09713354B2

A twist-lock button configured to securely fasten two articles together. Such a twist-lock button may have four pieces: a handle, a locking portion, a negative, and a button adapter. The negative attaches to an article by way of the button adapter. The locking portion attaches to the handle and passes through a button hole in the article to join with the negative by twisting 180 degrees, thereby fastening the two portions of the article together between the handle and the negative. This mechanism is more durable than hook and loop fasteners, more reliable than buttons and snaps, and less prone to jamming than zippers. In addition, the twist-lock button is easier to use for people with muscular or motor disabilities, such as cerebral palsy, ALS, stroke recoverees, and amputees.
US09713352B2

A garment constructed of textile panels that provides proper fit across a variety of postures is provided. A plurality of primary textile panels have a first crumplability. At least one secondary textile panel has a second crumplability, the second crumplability being greater than the first crumplability. A plurality of seams joins the plurality of primary textile panels and the at least one secondary textile panel substantially along the edges of the panels to form a garment that when worn by a person in a non-extended posture covers intended portions of the person fully with only the plurality of primary textile panels extended and the at least one secondary textile panel non-extended. When the garment is worn by a person in an extended posture, the garment covers the intended portions of the person fully with both the plurality of primary textile panels and the at least one secondary textile panel extended.
US09713351B2

An improved, substantially elongated gusset and/or crotch panel, incorporated into garments for humans' lower bodies. This novel, uniquely shaped, and scaled gusset significantly enhances wearers' comfort by eliminating seams, material transitions, stitching, and other mechanisms or methods of attachment from within the boundaries of a defined protected region, which coincides with the wearer's sensitive genital area. The gusset is preferably constructed from at least one layer of material, and may feature additional layers. In preferred embodiments, the elongated gusset and/or crotch panel is incorporated into girl/boy short-style undergarments, bikini-style undergarments, thong-style undergarments, pajama-bottom style garments, and other lower-body garments.
US09713348B2

A phallus retention garment, such as a lower body underwear garment, with localized stabilization of a retained prosthetic phallus in relation to an underwear structure. A crotch portion with a phallus retention aperture can form a phallus retaining portion. The underwear structure has a body portion, a waistband secured to the body portion, and first and second leg openings formed in the body portion, all of which could be resiliently stretchable as could be the phallus retention aperture. One or more panels of substantially non-stretch or inelastic material can partially or completely surround the phallus retention aperture to provide localized stabilization. The garment structure can be formed with one or more layers of elastic material, and at least one layer of substantially inelastic material forming the stabilization portion can be fixed to the layer of elastic material adjacent to the phallus retention aperture, such as by stitching in a pattern.
US09713342B2

A web-enabled standalone application may, in selected implementations, prevent received license-controlled image data from unauthorized re-use, editing, or distribution, and permits image processing, such as applying the International Color Consortium's color correction process, at the local control device. The web-enabled standalone application may further generate a printer specific byte stream based on post-image processed data, providing a color managed workflow independent of local control device operating system print drivers.
US09713334B2

The present invention discloses Hemipteran insect inhibitory proteins, methods of using such proteins, nucleotide sequences encoding such proteins, methods of detecting and isolating such proteins, and their use in agricultural systems.
US09713330B1

The present invention generally relates to deuterium-enriched aldehydes, compositions comprising deuterium-enriched aldehydes, and methods for slowing the rate of aldehyde autoxidation. In one aspect, the present invention provides a composition comprising a compound of structure 1: wherein: there are at least 6×1018 molecules of the aldehyde and Rx is hydrogen, wherein the deuterium isotope in Rx is in an amount greater than 0.10 percent of the hydrogen atoms present in Rx.
US09713327B2

A device for washing a suspension of cells. The device includes a bowl-shaped basin having a top end and a bottom end and an axis extending from the top end to the bottom end, and an inlet port formed in the basin. The inlet port is positioned at an angle to allow for a wash solution to be injected or delivered into the basin and circulate around the basin about the central axis. A suspension of cells can be washed in the circulating wash solution. The circulating wash solution forces the cells to settle at the bottom of the basin, where they can be extracted.
US09713323B2

A dispenser for dispensing a fish attracting liquid during a fishing experience at the discretion of an angler. The dispenser includes a housing having a portion that is hollow; and a reservoir for containing a fish attracting liquid defined in the hollow portion of the housing and including a wall in common with the housing. The wall in common with the reservoir and the housing have at least one hole in communication with the housing exterior. An elongated plunger mounted in the reservoir has a portion extending outside the housing and the plunger has a piston fixed thereto intermediate its ends with a first face of the piston for contacting the fish attracting liquid in the reservoir and a second face for contacting the wall in common with the reservoir. A device is manually operable by an angler for causing the plunger to be pushed into the reservoir to force fish attracting liquid out of at least one through hole extending from the first face to the second face of the piston. The forced out liquid mixes with ambient water and passes out of the housing via at least one hole in communication with the housing exterior.
US09713313B2

This invention is related to a double grab, its rinsing cup and milking machine provided therewith, and the method for automatically applying teat cups to the teats of an udder of an animal to be milked. The double grab according to the invention includes:—a first housing part provided with a first magnet designed to hold a first teat cup;—a second housing part, installed substantially in a horizontal plane next to the first housing part, provided with a second magnet designed to hold a second teat cup;—whereby each housing part is provided with separate pivoting means that can be activated and is designed to make the related housing part pivot around a pivoting axis which in use, extends substantially in a horizontal direction, substantially in a widthwise direction of the arm.
US09713312B1

The present invention provides novel lettuce cultivar Mellita and plant parts, seed, and tissue culture therefrom. The invention also provides methods for producing a lettuce plant by crossing the lettuce plants of the invention with themselves or another lettuce plant. The invention also provides lettuce plants produced from such a crossing as well as plant parts, seed, and tissue culture therefrom.
US09713297B2

Rotor shaft (22) for use in an aerating device (1) for a ground, wherein the rotor shaft (22) comprises at least one connecting disc (4) which extends transversely of the axis of the rotor shaft (22) and on which at least two knives (3) are arranged, wherein each knife (3) is provided with two knife connecting holes (33a, 33b) and is connected between the connecting disc (4) and a connecting ring (6), wherein the connecting disc (4) and the connecting ring (6) are provided with knife connecting holes (44, 54) which coincide with the knife connecting holes (33a, 33b) of the knives (3), wherein bolts (74) are arranged through the coinciding knife connecting holes (33a, 33b) in order to connect the connecting disc (4), the knives (3) and the connecting ring (6), wherein the connecting ring (6) is constructed from at least two ring sectors which together form the connecting ring (6).
US09713296B2

A ridge formation method includes the steps of: providing a sieve instrument immediately after a tilling unit configured to scrape soil to throw the soil backward while rotate a rotor having a plurality of soil scraping pieces to cause the tilling unit to travel, the sieve instrument configured to receive the thrown soil to perform a sieve operation; and moving the sieve instrument in a reciprocating manner in a traveling direction to generate an impact on the received soil so that the soil is finely grained, and to separate the finely-grained soil from other impurities, whereby the finely-grained and separated soil is allowed to pass through a sieve mesh and fall onto a ground so that the falling soil is accumulated on the ground so as to form the ridge substantially the same in width as the sieve instrument on the ground.
US09717168B2

Suppression of the effects of electromagnetic waves on the signals which are transmitted by signal lines and manufacturing composite cables more compactly and with higher efficiency have been sought. For this, provision is made of a composite cable 30 comprised of a center member 32 for supplying the fluid or wire material used for the work of the industrial robot, first signal lines 34 which are arranged at the outer circumferential side of the center member 32, a tubular shield 36 which surrounds the first signal lines 34 and shields them from electromagnetic waves, power lines 40 which are arranged at the outer circumferential side of the shield 36, and a tubular sheath 42 which surrounds the power lines 40.
US09717166B2

Embodiments of the disclosure may include a system for cooling a computer server including a plurality of server modules. The system may include a first cooling system configured to remove heat from the plurality of server modules, the first cooling system including a first plurality of conduits for circulating a first cooling medium through the first cooling system, a second cooling system configured to remove heat from the first cooling system, the second cooling system including a second plurality of conduits for circulating a second cooling medium through the second cooling system, and a manifold configured to couple the first cooling system and the second cooling system, wherein the first plurality of conduits is removably connected to the manifold.
US09717164B2

A current converter apparatus includes a multi-phase current converter having current-converter modules for each phase that are electrically connected to one another and arranged in a current-converter cabinet. Each current-converter module has at least one semiconductor component arranged on a heat sink and includes just two semiconductor components connected to each other and connected to be controlled by a control component. The current-converter modules in the current-converter cabinet are arranged so that the current-converter modules of each current-converter phase form a horizontal row of modules arranged one beside the other and the rows are arranged vertically one above the other.
US09717163B2

An electronic component mounting structure, manufacturing method and an electronic component product are provided. The electronic component mounting structure comprises a printed circuit board, a metal flange, and a plurality of electronic components provided on the metal flange; a groove is provided on the printed circuit board, a metal layer is coated on a wall of the groove, the metal flange is restricted to the metal layer on the wall and is fixed in the groove, the one or more electronic components are connected to each other through a plurality of wires based on a circuit requirement, an input electrode and an output electrode are provided on the printed circuit board in a portion adjacent to the metal flange, and the input electrode and the output electrode are connected to the one or more electronic components mounted on the metal flange through wires respectively.
US09717160B2

A high-density server includes a plurality of server enclosures, each of which includes an enclosure housing with a pair of module insertion/extraction parts, a pair of power source units, a plurality of cooling fans, and two pairs of server modules. Cooling fans are linearly aligned in a crosswise direction and positioned in proximity to the rear opening of the enclosure housing with upper rear openings and lower rear openings, while server modules are installed in module insertion/extraction parts inside the enclosure housing in an insertable/removable manner. Server modules have module trays for mounting electronic components and interface units. Interface units are retractively inserted into upper rear openings or lower rear openings in connection with power source units when server modules are moved in a lengthwise direction along module insertion/extraction parts inside the enclosure housing. The server enclosure is equipped with a redundant power transmitter establishing redundant multipoint-to-multipoint connections between power source units and server modules.
US09717158B2

A system is provided herein. The system includes a cage and a handle mechanism. The handle mechanism includes a handle member and a cam member. The handle member is formed to rotate between a closed position, a top open position, and a bottom open position. In the closed position, a handle latch holds the handle in the closed position. In the top open position, the handle rotates a first amount to the top open position and engages with a top cam surface. Rotation of the handle member to rotate a cage a second amount. In the bottom open position, the handle member rotates the first amount to the bottom open position and engages with a bottom cam surface. Rotation of the handle member to rotate the cage the second amount. The cam member to control a rate of rotation of the handle member and the cage.
US09717148B2

A method of forming a microelectronic device structure comprises coiling a portion of a wire up and around at least one sidewall of a structure protruding from a substrate. At least one interface between an upper region of the structure and an upper region of the coiled portion of the wire is welded to form a fused region between the structure and the wire.
US09717147B2

An electronic device manufacturing system may include a mainframe to which one or more process chambers of different size may be coupled. A different number of process chambers may be coupled to each facet (i.e., side wall) of the mainframe. The process chambers coupled to one facet may be of a different size than process chambers coupled to other facets. For example, one process chamber of a first size may be coupled to a first facet, two process chambers each of a second size different than the first size may be coupled to a second facet, and three process chambers each of a third size different than the first and second sizes may be coupled to a third facet. Other configurations are possible. The mainframe may have a square or rectangular shape. Methods of assembling an electronic device manufacturing system are also provided, as are other aspects.
US09717131B2

The invention relates to a motion detector system (2), a lighting system (14) with such detector system and a method for detecting moving vehicles and/or pedestrians. The motion detector system comprises: —a first motion detector (6a, 6b) for detecting vehicles and/or pedestrians having a speed in a first speed range, the first detector being arranged to detect moving objects in a first detection zone (d1, d2) having a first size, the first size determining the first speed range; and —a second motion detector (8a, 8b) for detecting vehicles and/or pedestrians having a speed in a second speed range, the second detector being arranged to detect moving objects in a second detection zone (d3, d4) having a second size, the second size determining the second speed range.
US09717130B2

A wall-mounted keypad may include a light detector circuit located inside the keypad that is configured to measure an ambient light level in a space. The light detector circuit may receive ambient light through an aperture that is hidden from view by the keypad. The keypad may include a reflector for directing ambient light onto the light detector circuit. The keypad may include an enclosure that houses the light detector circuit. The enclosure may define a recess that exposes at least a portion of the light detector circuit. The enclosure may include a reflector that may focus ambient light received through the aperture onto the light detector circuit. The keypad may include a control circuit that may be configured to illuminate the indicia of respective buttons of the control device in response to actuations of the one or more buttons, in accordance with the measured ambient light level.
US09717126B1

A current control circuit for a driving circuitry system of an LED component is provided. In the driving circuitry system, a rectifier provides a rectified voltage to an anode of the LED component, and a current module sets a current flowing through the LED component. In the current control circuit, input and output terminals of a voltage regulator are respectively coupled to the input terminal of the current module and a non-inverting input terminal of an operational amplifier. An inverting input terminal of the operational amplifier is coupled to an output terminal of the current module, and an output terminal thereof is coupled to one terminal of a capacitor. An output-terminal voltage of the first operational amplifier is provided as a reference voltage for the current module. One terminal of a resistor is coupled to the inverting input terminal of the operational amplifier.
US09717112B2

A method at a UE operating in a hybrid network, the method receiving a separate discontinuous reception configuration at the UE for the macro cell than for a small cell; and configuring a receiver on the UE according to the separate discontinuous reception configurations. Further, a method at a macro cell, the method determining a mobility state of a UE; finding a service at the UE; and limiting the UE to associate only with the macro cell based on at least one of the determining and the finding. Further, a method at a UE in an environment with a macro and small cell using the same frequency, including receiving a first allocation for small cell within a common small HARQ subframe set; and receiving a second allocation for a macro cell within a common macro HARQ subframe set, wherein the sets do not overlap.
US09717110B1

Systems and methods are disclosed for efficient signaling between devices. A leaf device initiates association with chirp signals to relay devices. Relay devices respond with keep alive signals. The leaf device selects a relay (from those that responded) and associates with it. Alternatively, selection of the relay may be offloaded to a base station. In another embodiment, an available relay device transmits a discovery broadcast to leaf devices. A leaf device responds with a chirp signal to the relay and association occurs. After association, the leaf device periodically sends a chirp signal and the relay responds with a keep alive signal. If either device fails to send its signal, link breakage is assumed. The leaf device reverts to uplink communication with a base station while searching for another relay. Downlink paging may be synchronized with the chirp/keep alive signaling. Other aspects, embodiments, and features are also claimed and described.
US09717091B2

Fractional frequency reuse (FFR) is defined based on a mobility condition of an access terminal. For example, upon determining that an access terminal is moving (or at a cell edge, or experiencing poor link conditions, etc., due to mobility), FFR may be defined for the serving access point of the access terminal and/or for neighbor access points to maintain acceptable link quality for the access terminal. In particular, FFR may be defined in a manner that frees-up or otherwise reserves resources for the access terminal. For example, the serving access point may allocate additional sub-bands for the access terminal and/or increase the power levels used on the sub-bands allocated for the access terminal. In addition, neighbor access points may back-off these sub-bands.
US09717090B2

A first near-end terminal is able to conduct voice or video calls with at least one far-end terminal via a packet-based communication system, the first near-end terminal being a mobile user terminal of a near-end user. The first near-end terminal is enabled to discover proximity of at least one second near-end terminal available to provide a resource for use by the near-end user in conjunction with the first near-end terminal when conducting one of said calls, the resource being for use in conducting at least part of the call or in conjunction with the call. The first near-end terminal is also arranged, based on discovering said proximity, to present the near-end user with a message indicating the availability of the second near-end terminal to provide the resource when conducting the call.
US09717089B2

One embodiment of the present invention relates to a method with which a terminal transmits an acknowledgement of reception in a wireless communication system, the method comprising the steps of: acquiring downlink control information (DCI) via an enhanced physical downlink control channel (EPDCCH); receiving downlink data via physical downlink shared channel (PDSCH); and transmitting an acknowledgement of reception on the downlink data via a physical uplink control channel (PUCCH) resource; and when the PDSCH is transmitted on a SCell (secondary cell) and the PDSCH is instructed by the EPDCCH, the PUCCH resource is determined on the basis of the transmit power control (TPC) field included in the DCI.
US09717088B2

A multi-nodal wireless communication system comprises a system controller configured to create a link layer communication network. The system controller comprises a set of hardware finite state machines configured to receive a frame from a device associated with the link layer communication network as a request for data transmission, identify that the frame includes a unique ID value, transmit the unique ID value to an associated hardware queue, the hardware queue configured to construct at least one frame header associated with a base station to facilitate data transmission between the base station and the first device or between the first device and the network using one frame header, and process the frame in the link layer communication network by facilitating communication between the first device and the base station using the at least one frame header or between the first device and the network using one frame header.
US09717087B2

Techniques are described for wireless communication. A first method includes performing a clear channel assessment (CCA) for a first node associated with a first operator in a deployment of operators over an unlicensed radio frequency spectrum band, and transmitting data over the unlicensed radio frequency spectrum band when the CCA is successful. The data may be transmitted by the first node in accordance with an agreement between the first operator and a second operator in the deployment of operators. A second method includes receiving over an unlicensed radio frequency spectrum band, at a user equipment (UE), a first transmission from a first node associated with a first operator in a deployment of operators. The first transmission may include data originating from a second operator in the deployment of operators.
US09717083B2

A method and device for distributing the specific scheduling request resources. The method includes: in the multi-carrier aggregation system, according to the set scheduling principle determine the terminal sending carrier resources which may be used by the specific scheduling, the carrier resources comprises the number of carrier and serial number, the carrier resources of the specific scheduling request resources are distributed and sent to the terminal on the determined carrier according to the set scheduling principle; the distributed carrier and time frequency resources which may be used on every carrier are informed to the terminal.
US09717068B2

An example method is provided in one example embodiment and may include assigning an identifier to each of a plurality of Home Node Bs (HNBs); receiving a cell update for a user equipment (UE) transitioning from a first HNB to a second HNB, wherein the cell update for the UE includes a first identifier associated with the first HNB and wherein the UE is in a cell paging channel (PCH) mode; determining based, at least in part, on the first identifier associated with the first HNB, whether the first HNB is operating within a cluster of HNBs including the second HNB; and withholding registration of the cell update for the UE with an HNB gateway (HNB-GW) if the first HNB is operating within the cluster of HNBs including the second HNB until packet switched (PS) traffic for the UE is received by the second HNB.
US09717046B2

Method for managing the power consumption in a WLAN wireless communication network, comprising an access point device for access to the wireless network and a remote station connected to the access point device. The access point transmitting control and information frames to the remote station, the method comprising the steps of insertion of at least one item of information, into at least one of the control and information frames, relating to a future period of inactivity of the access point, of deactivation of the WLAN access point and of reactivation of the WLAN access point at the end of the period of inactivity.
US09717034B2

A communication control method and a communication system are provided that realize traffic offload while reducing the processing load on a base station. A base station in a mobile network includes a gateway (PO-GW) for connecting a mobile terminal (UE) in the mobile network to a packet data network (PDN), and a control function (MME, DNS, HSS) of the mobile network allows the mobile terminal to access the gateway (PO-GW), in response to a request from the mobile terminal to connect to the PDN via the base station.
US09717030B2

A wireless communication system, and method, including: first, second, and third base stations, and user equipment, the first base station and the second base station performing wireless data connections with the user equipment by adopting different carriers, and a trigger node triggers a transfer procedure in the case of judging a preset transfer condition of transferring a service to the third base station is satisfied. The service is provided by the second base station to the user equipment, so that the user equipment releases the wireless data connection with the second base station and establishes the wireless data connection with the third base station, and thus the first base station and the third base station perform wireless data connections with the user equipment by adopting different carriers, wherein at least part of the service provided by the second base station initially is transferred to the third base station.
US09717029B2

A radio access management system includes a radio access network including a number of base stations, a backhaul network to which the base stations are connected via backhaul links, and a backhaul resource controller configured to acquire information about both the load of the radio access network and of the backhaul network and to at least one of suggest or enforce handovers of user terminals connected to the base stations based on the acquired load information.
US09717025B2

A method of managing neighbour relations between cells in a cellular communication system comprising the steps of: receiving requests (350) for admission of a neighbour relation by an admission policy block (310) having a leaky bucket maintained in respect of that neighbour relation; adding tokens in respect of each request to the leaky bucket; removing tokens from the leaky bucket as time passes; and admitting the neighbour relation (320) if the number of tokens passes a threshold.
US09717022B2

A method of reducing the usable channel bandwidth and increasing the channel bandwidth at run time is provided. The method allows a receiving wireless communications device to inform its corresponding transmitting communications device to either increase, reduce, or maintain the number of usable narrow band channels for the succeeding frame exchange. In a wireless communications channel, channel reduction is accomplished by using a usable channel indicator in a response frame responding to the preceding receiving frame. The usable channel indicator is the means for the receiving communications device to inform the transmitting communications device the preferred narrow band channels that it deems having good channel characteristics.
US09717017B2

The disclosed technology includes methods, systems, and computer readable media for optimizing network traffic management in a mobile network. One method includes determining, by a network optimization client of a mobile device, a packet call quality (PCQ) associated with transmission of packets between the mobile device and a mobile communications network. The PCQ includes a numerical indication of call quality. A congestion recognition (CR) module of the mobile device determines a measure of user congestion based on the PCQ that indicates a total delay experienced by a user of the mobile device during the transmission of packets.
US09717009B2

A method including: determining in device co-existence interference during a communications failure of the device; and determining a failure report generation operation dependent on determining in device co-existence interference during the communications failure.
US09716998B2

A base station system includes a base station apparatus (1) and a wireless transmission apparatus (2). The base station apparatus (1) communicates with mobile stations. The wireless transmission apparatus (2) communicates with the base station apparatus (1) and wirelessly communicate with another apparatus in order to connect the base station apparatus (1) to a mobile backhaul network. The base station apparatus (1) includes a solar cell panel (15) for generating operating power of the base station apparatus (1), and a storage battery (14). The wireless transmission apparatus (2) includes a solar cell panel (25) for generating operating power of the wireless transmission apparatus (2), and a storage battery (24). The base station apparatus (1) and the wireless transmission apparatus (2) wirelessly communicate with each other. This can provide, for example, a base station system that can be easily installed and has high tolerance to accidental or intentional damage to cables.
US09716991B2

A computing system includes: a context module configured to determine a transfer context for invoking a state transfer between a source device and a target device; a modulation module, coupled to the context module, configured to generate a transfer modulation based on the transfer context for adjusting to a modulation scheme suited for the transfer context; and a transmission module, coupled to the modulation module, configured to send a communication packet based on the transfer modulation for detecting the source device and the target device.
US09716976B2

Systems (100) and methods (200) for operating a sensor system. The methods comprise: performing first operations by a Wireless Sensor Network (102) to (a) configure operations of WSN end nodes (104, 134-138) and (b) control Bluetooth Low Energy (“BLE”) link activity within a BLE network; and performing second operations by the BLE network to (a) find people or objects (156) within a specified area and (b) provide services to users of mobile communication devices which are BLE enabled (152) and reside within the specified area.
US09716970B2

A wireless communication system, and an apparatus and method for controlling communication connections with a plurality of user terminals in the system are disclosed. The terminal device includes a communication unit, a storage unit, and a control unit. The communication unit receives a signal, broadcast by at least one beacon device, via wireless communication. The storage unit stores data that is transmitted and received to and from the beacon device. The control unit is functionally connected with the communication unit, scans a signal transmitted from the beacon device, performs an operation for a communication connection with the beacon device using the scanned signal, receives a bit mask via the communication unit and also stores the bit mask in the storage unit when the communication connection has been established, transmits data to the beacon device via the communication unit, and immediately releases the communication connection.
US09716969B2

Disclosed herein are a method and apparatus for controlling, by a first device, a second device in a wireless communication system. There are provided a method and apparatus, including transmitting an advertising message including supportable service information to the second device, receiving a connection request message for a BLE connection from the second device, transmitting a request command to indicate a specific operation related to a specific service included in the service information to the second device, and receiving a response command in response to the request command from the second device. The service information includes at least one of a phone call service related to an incoming call or an outgoing call, a listening audio service related to audio streaming, or an alert service related to a transmission and reception of an urgent message.
US09716938B1

Implementations of a headset mount are provided. In some implementations, a pair of headset mounts may be used to secure the earpieces of an electronic headset to a helmet having a suitable accessory interface (e.g., a rail system) thereon. In this way, a user wearing the helmet may adjustably position the earpieces of the electronic headset over his/her ears. In some implementations, the headset mount may comprise a housing having a body portion and a top portion, a back plate, and a wire form. In some implementations, the top portion is configured to rotate when secured to the body portion of the housing. In this way, the top portion may be used to rotate a wire form having an earpiece of a headset attached thereto into position (e.g., over the ear of a user and/or on top of the helmet to which the headset mount is secured).
US09716932B2

A detachable audio system for a head-mounted display is disclosed. The detachable audio system includes a speaker, an arm coupled to the speaker, a strap connector including a first side coupled to the arm and a second side opposite to the first side, and a coupling subsystem coupled to the second side of the strap connector and to couple to a strap for the head-mounted display. The coupling subsystem includes a base, a plurality of posts, and a spring. The base includes a first side engaged with the second side of the strap connector and a second side opposite to the first side. The plurality of posts extends from the second side of the base to couple to the strap. The spring contacts the second side of the base and is to detach the detachable audio system from the strap when the plurality of posts decouple from the strap.
US09716929B1

An apparatus for positioning two speakers relative to each other includes a link member with a first securing through hole and a first plurality of adjusting through holes. A first anchor plate which can be secured to a first speaker has a second securing through hole. A first pin is able to be passed through the first and second securing through holes to secure the link member and the first anchor plate together at a back, central location of the speaker. A second anchor plate which can be secured to a second speaker has a second plurality of adjusting through holes. A second pin is able to be passed through one of the first plurality of adjusting through holes and one of the second plurality of adjusting through holes to secure the link member and the second anchor plate together.
US09716924B2

An Omedia panel may be provided that includes an at least one network interface device, a housing, and a front panel. The at least one network interface device might be in communication with a service provider network. The housing may be integrated into a wall of a customer premises and positioned within a wall cavity of the wall. The housing might be configured to support the at least one network interface device. The front panel may be communicatively interfaced with the at least one network interface device such that a user can access one or more ports of the at least one network interface device via the front panel.
US09716923B2

A method consistent with certain implementations involves delivering a triggered declarative object (TDO) to a television receiver device that carries out a programmed routine when user activated and includes an announcement definition that announces presence of the TDO to the at the announcement time; and the TDO including data that defines a time of display of an announcement and a location on a video display for display of the announcement of the TDO. This abstract is not to be considered limiting, since other embodiments may deviate from the features described in this abstract.
US09716922B1

Techniques for integrating audio data and image data are described herein. A plurality of image data items associated with a first user account and a plurality of image data descriptors, each associated with at least one of the plurality of image data items may be received. A first audio data item, having at least one associated audio data descriptor, may be selected for playing. Based at least in part on a comparison of the at least one audio data descriptor and the plurality of image data descriptors, at least a first image may be selected from the plurality image data items for presentation with the first audio data item. During at least part of the playing of the first audio data item, the first image may be presented.
US09716913B2

Systems and methods for generating a video mosaic display are disclosed. In an embodiment, an electronic system for generating a video mosaic display of a plurality of video streams includes display buffers, a processor and a display. The processor manages storage of the display buffers for storing video frame windows corresponding to the video streams by scaling resolution of input frames of a first set of video streams that have input frames available and storing the scaled input frames as corresponding video frame windows for the first set of video streams in a first display buffer, and copying, in the first display buffer from a second display buffer, video frame windows corresponding to a second set of video streams for which input frames are not available. The display is configured to display the video mosaic layout based on the video frame windows stored in the display buffers.
US09716910B2

PVR functionality is enabled on a media player of a placeshifting system, which allows a user to record media programs from locations that are physically remote from a source of the media programs. The media player may receive program schedule information and present the program schedule information to the user. Based on user input, the media player identifies a media program and associated schedule information. When the media program is scheduled to play, the placeshifting device directs a media recording device to receive the media program and to store the program. The placeshifting device may digitize, transcode, and/or transrate the media program, if necessary, and transmit the media program to the remote device for playback.
US09716908B2

Systems and methods are disclosed for providing access to media content via a media channel based on associated content being provided over a different channel. In some aspects, it is determined that a media identifier corresponds to media content provided over a first media channel. In response to the determination, a notification facilitation system can identify multiple computing devices that have been configured to receive additional media content that is associated with the media content provided over the first media channel. The notification facilitation system can provide access to the additional media content via a second media channel by the identified computing devices in response to identifying the plurality of computing devices.
US09716895B2

An image processing apparatus includes a division unit configured to divide an input image into a plurality of subblocks subjected to quantization control a subblock quantization parameter calculation unit configured to calculate a quantization parameter of each of the subblocks, a basic block quantization parameter calculation unit configured to set a basic block including at least two subblocks and to calculate a quantization parameter of the basic block, a difference value calculation unit configured to calculate a difference value between the quantization parameter of the basic block and the quantization parameter of each subblock included in the basic block, and a difference value coding unit configured to code the difference value.
US09716892B2

A device for processing video data can be configured to receive in a video parameter set, one or more syntax elements that include information related to session negotiation; receive in the video data a first sequence parameter set that includes a first syntax element identifying the video parameter set; receive in the video data a second sequence parameter set that includes a second syntax element identifying the video parameter set; process, based on the one or more syntax elements, a first set of video blocks associated with the first sequence parameter set and a second set of video blocks associated with the second sequence parameter set.
US09716891B2

An apparatus at an encoding end and an apparatus at decoding end are provided for implementing quantization in encoding and decoding an image in a process of transmission. The apparatus at an encoding end includes a memory storage and a processor coupled to the memory that executes the instructions to perform quantization using a coefficient matrix on an image, the coefficient matrix having a plurality of coefficients which being divided into a plurality of frequency bands, wherein a number of the frequency bands is smaller than a number of coefficients in the coefficient matrix; a scaling value is assigned that every coefficient in said each frequency band has the same scaling value; generate a parameter set having multiple band parameters thereof and write the parameter set into a bitstream to be transmitted. An apparatus at a decoding end performs decoding process thereof.
US09716887B2

Methods to reduce chroma-related artifacts during video coding of high dynamic range images are presented. Given an input signal in a color space comprising a luma component and two chromaticity components, a processor determines the original white point chromaticity coordinates (Du, Dv) of a white point in the color space of the input signal. The input signal is translated using a chromaticity translation function to a second signal in a translated color space comprising two translated chromaticity components, wherein the chromaticity translation function shifts the original white point chromaticity coordinates to a predetermined second set of coordinates in the translated chromaticity color space. The second signal is encoded to generate a coded bit stream.
US09716886B2

Provided is a method that de-multiplexes a bit stream to extract intra prediction mode information and residual signals, restores an intra prediction mode of a current prediction unit using the intra prediction information and intra prediction modes of prediction units adjacent to the current prediction unit, generates reference pixels using one or more available reference pixel if there exist unavailable reference pixels of the prediction unit, adaptively filters the reference pixels based on the restored intra prediction mode, generates a prediction block using the restored intra prediction mode and the reference pixels, decodes the residual signal to generating a residual block, and generates a reconstructed block using the prediction block and the residual block. Accordingly, additional bits resulted from increase of a number of intra prediction mode are effectively reduced. Also, an image compression ratio can be improved by generating a prediction block similar to an original block.
US09716880B2

An image calibrating method for stitching images includes calculating contrast values of a plurality of images, and comparing the contrast values to set the image with maximal contrast value as a reference image; others of the plurality of images are set as target images. The image calibrating method further includes calculating cumulative distribution functions of the reference image and the target images respectively, and obtaining a transform function according to the cumulative distribution functions of the reference image and the target images for pixel adjustment of the target images. Further, a camera with an image calibrating function and a related image processing system are disclosed in the present invention.
US09716879B2

A multi-view stereoscopic display includes multiple viewing areas periodically disposed along a horizontal direction, and each of the multiple viewing areas includes multiple viewpoints. The method comprises obtaining a position of a viewer, determining that if the viewer is located in an inversion region, and if the position of the viewer is located in the inversion region, executing a preset process for left and right eye viewpoint images of the viewpoints respectively corresponding to the viewer's left eye and right eyes so as to decrease the brightness contrast of the left eye and the right eye viewpoint images in order to reduce the discomfort of the viewer for watching in the inversion region and adding the comfort of watching the stereoscopic image.
US09716878B2

A volumetric display system includes a volumetric display stage, a plurality of acoustical actuators, and a control system. A plurality of voxel particles are re-arrangeable within the volumetric display stage via acoustic pressure waves to assume controllable positions in three-dimensional (“3D”) space to collectively assume a unified 3D shape. The plurality of acoustical actuators are disposed about the volumetric display stage to emit the acoustic pressure waves and establish a 3D sound field pattern within the volumetric display stage for physically manipulating the voxel particles. A control system is coupled to the acoustical actuators to manipulate the 3D sound field pattern. The control system includes a volumetric image module configured to receive 3D image data describing the unified 3D shape and compute the 3D sound field pattern for arranging the voxel particles into the unified 3D shape.
US09716877B2

A 3D display apparatus is provided, which includes a display panel which displays a multi-viewpoint image, a barrier arranged on one side of the display panel unit, and a controller which controls the barrier to alternately form light transmitting areas and light blocking areas. The barrier includes a liquid crystal layer, a plurality of upper electrodes arranged to be spaced apart from one another on an upper surface of the liquid crystal layer, and a plurality of lower electrodes arranged to be spaced apart from one another on a lower surface of the liquid crystal layer.
US09716858B2

Techniques for automatically selecting information to be displayed. The displayed information may be automatically and dynamically changed in response to changes in one or more preconfigured conditions.
US09716857B2

An image can be sensed at a first device. The image can have a first orientation. A second orientation expected by or associated with a second device can be determined. The image can be modified so that the image has the second orientation if the first orientation differs from the second orientation. The modified image can be transmitted to the second device.
US09716854B2

A video multiviewer system may include a plurality of video scalers operating in parallel for generating initially scaled video streams by performing video scaling in at least one dimension on a plurality of video input streams. The video multiviewer system may also include a processing unit coupled downstream from the video scalers for generating additionally scaled video streams by performing additional video scaling on the initially scaled video streams, and a display cooperating with the processing unit for displaying multiple video windows based upon the additionally scaled video streams.
US09716849B2

A solid-state imaging device including a plurality of pixels including a photoelectric conversion portion, a charge holding portion accumulating a signal charge transferred from the photoelectric conversion portion, and a floating diffusion region to which the signal charge of the charge holding portion is transferred, wherein the photoelectric conversion portion includes a first semiconductor region of a first conductivity type, and a second semiconductor region of a second conductivity type formed under the first semiconductor region, the charge holding portion includes a third semiconductor region of the first conductivity type, and a fourth semiconductor region of the second conductivity type formed under the third semiconductor region, and a p-n junction between the third semiconductor region and the fourth semiconductor region is positioned deeper than a p-n junction between the first semiconductor region and the second semiconductor region.
US09716845B2

A digital camera has a 2D image sensor designed as a CCD or CMOS sensor that can be used to measure distances based on a runtime measurement in synchronization with a pulsed infrared source. The measured distances are used to carry out a 3D reconstruction of a detected object. The digital camera does not have to have an infrared cut-off filter; however, it can have an infrared cut-off filter that can be dynamically activated in full or in part or deactivated in relation to pixels of the image sensor. In the latter event, individual areas of the image sensor, for which the infrared cut-off filter is deactivated, are used for the 3D reconstruction or for images in the infrared range. The remaining areas of the sensor are used for images of high color quality in the visible light spectrum. In the event that no infrared cut-off filter is present, individual areas of the image sensor are used for the 3D reconstruction or for images in the infrared range. The remaining areas of the sensor are used for images in the visible light spectrum.
US09716841B2

Systems for processing pixel signals generated by an image sensor to create improved images. More particularly, systems and methods are disclosed that adjust the gain on, inter alia, a pixel-by-pixel basis, to improve the dynamic range of the imaging system. The systems may include level detectors that measure the amplitude of a pixel signal and, based on that measurement, amplify that pixel signal by an amount that allows certain subsequent processing of the pixel signal to be more accurate. More accurately processed pixel signals can provide better overall images.
US09716840B2

An image pickup apparatus which is capable of, when performing continuous shooting at high shutter speed under an artificial light source with varying amounts of light, reducing the effects of a change in the amount of light on a picked-up image without decreasing frame speed. A frequency and a characteristic point of a change in the amount of light of flicker are detected based on an image signal read out from an image pickup device. Based on the frequency detected at first timing before continuous shooting is performed and the characteristic point detected at second timing later than the first timing during continuous shooting, a characteristic point of a change in the amount of light of flicker after the second timing is predicted. Timing of light exposure is controlled so as to be coincident with the characteristic point after the second timing.
US09716835B2

In a biological information acquiring device 10, a sensor module 50 captures a biological image of a subject 2. A touch panel 16 has a display region A11 formed with approximately the same size as a measurement region A13 that matches the range of image capturing of the subject 2 by the sensor module 50, and in the display region A11 a biological image is displayed at approximately the same magnification as the range of image capturing. The image capturing direction of the sensor module 50 and the display direction of the touch panel 16 are in opposite directions, and the measurement region A13 and the display region A11 are arranged in layers at about the same position in a plan view. Accordingly, a target location suitable for acquiring the biological information can be easily specified.
US09716832B2

Provided are an apparatus and method for outputting a stabilized image even when a camera sways. The method includes: applying a first compensated motion to the image to acquire a first stabilized image, wherein an accumulation result of first motions, each of which is estimated between adjacent images from a reference image to an arbitrary image, is inversely transformed into the first compensated motion; and acquiring a second motion estimated between the reference image and the first stabilized image and applying the accumulation result of the first motions and a second compensated motion to the image to acquire a second stabilized image. An accumulation result of the second motion is inversely transformed into the second compensated motion.
US09716826B2

Examples are disclosed for determining a suggested camera pose or suggested camera settings for a user to capture one or more images. In some examples, the suggested camera pose or suggested camera settings may be based on an indication of the user's interest and gathered information associated with the user's interests. The user may be guided to adjust an actual camera pose or actual camera settings to match the suggested camera pose or suggested camera settings.
US09716820B2

A remote-camera control method includes: obtaining first remote image data and terminal image data acquired by photography performed by a remote camera and a terminal camera in a same time segment; authenticating the user terminal by comparing the two pieces of image data with each other and by determining that the user terminal is in a photography spot of the remote camera when an identical subject is found in both the pieces of image data; and providing second remote image data acquired by the remote camera to the user terminal after the user terminal is authenticated.
US09716816B2

An imaging apparatus includes a dome cover whose inside is a housing space for housing a lens module, an apparatus main body that is attached with the dome cover, a first support member that is supported at the apparatus main body in a free pan rotation manner inside the dome cover, a second support member that is supported at the first support member in a free tilt rotation manner and supports the lens module, an illumination mount that is provided with an illumination member and is supported at the second support member, and a ring-shaped light shielding cover that is provided on the illumination mount, surrounds the illumination member, and comes into close contact with an inner surface of the dome cover.
US09716815B2

An electronic device can include a camera and a cover glass arrangement disposed over the camera. The cover glass arrangement includes a thinner region or cover glass that is positioned over a light-receiving region of the camera. Additionally, the thinner region or cover glass can be disposed over the light-receiving region and at least parts of one or more non-light receiving regions of the camera.
US09716806B2

A management system includes a management server and one or more image forming apparatuses. The management server includes an operation input unit, a display, a first communication unit, a storage unit, and a manager unit. The manager unit, when the administrator instructs a set value change of a setting item for a specific image forming apparatus, determines which set value management group includes the image forming apparatus to which the change has been instructed, refers to a reflection-range table of a set value management group including the image forming apparatus to which the change has been instructed, determines which image forming apparatus among other image forming apparatuses executes the set value change based on the reference result, and instructs the other determined image forming apparatus to change the set value.
US09716805B2

An image forming system that includes an image forming apparatus which forms a predetermined identification mark on a recording medium and a reading apparatus which reads the identification mark formed on the recording medium, the image forming system including: a color information acquisition unit which acquires color information indicating a color of the recording medium; an identification mark color setting unit which sets a color of the identification mark to be formed on the recording medium by the image forming apparatus to a color distinguishable by the reading apparatus from the color indicated by the color information that is acquired by the color information acquisition unit; and an image forming control unit which controls the image forming apparatus to form the identification mark in the color set by the identification mark color setting unit on the recording medium.
US09716804B2

An image forming apparatus includes an extracting unit, a verifying unit, and a memory. The extracting unit extracts a form from image formation data related to an image formation instruction. The verifying unit verifies a verification target version of a module to be compatible in a case where a difference between a first image formed by using the module of a predetermined version in accordance with the form extracted by the extracting unit and a second image formed by using the module of the verification target version in accordance with the form extracted by the extracting unit is within a permissible range and verifies the verification target version of the module to be incompatible in a case where the difference between the first image and the second image is not within the permissible range. The memory stores a verification result obtained by the verifying unit.
US09716796B2

A user terminal associated with a first user, the user terminal comprising a communication client application for managing communications with at least one further user terminal over a first network, the communication client application being configured to: determine with respect to at least one incoming call whether a further user terminal at the call origin point comprises the communication client application; and manage the reception of the call based on the determination of whether the further user terminal at the call origin point comprises the communication client application.
US09716793B2

Detecting an IP address mismatch in a contact center includes receiving a workstation login request from a workstation of the center that include login credentials associated with an agent of the center for logging into the workstation. The method also includes retrieving from a database a predetermined first IP address assigned to the agent; receiving an application login request related to an application from a workstation of the center on which the application is executing; extracting a second IP address from the application login request; and comparing the predetermined first IP address with the second IP address and granting the agent access if the addresses match.
US09716790B2

Embodiments disclosed herein provide systems, methods, and computer readable media for facilitating engagement with a plurality of agents in a contact center. In a particular embodiment, a method provides detecting a log-in/out event for a first agent of the plurality of agents operating a first agent system of a plurality of agent systems to a communication distribution system configured to distribute communications with the contact center among the plurality of agent systems. In the communication distribution system, the method provides determining that the first agent system should communicate with a second agent system of the plurality of agent systems and initiating a first communication between the first agent system and the second agent system.
US09716788B2

To control secondary devices of a subscriber whose primary device is subscribed to a mobile network, a secondary mobile directory number (“MDN”) and secondary device identifiers are employed. After the primary device is rung, an Authentication and Call Waiting Engine receives a request from a Telephony Gateway to retrieve identifiers of any secondary devices that are linked to a primary MDN of the primary device. Next, the Authentication and Call Waiting Engine retrieves a secondary device identifier for each secondary device that is paired with the primary device by searching a secondary device identifier database with the primary MDN to find all linked secondary device identifiers. A rules database may be applied to exclude secondary device identifiers based on time of day and day of the week. The Authentication and Call Waiting Engine transmits the list of qualified secondary device identifiers to the Telephony Gateway for ringing.
US09716776B2

A physical keyboard and a network access method are provided. The physical keyboard is provided with a card slot, and after a wireless network card is inserted into the card slot, the physical keyboard is connected to a wireless network by the wireless network card so that the mobile terminal can achieve network access through the wireless network connected to the physical keyboard while the key-in data input of the mobile terminal is accomplished. The physical keyboard of the present disclosure not only has the key-in data input function but also can achieve the network access by means of the wireless network card. Moreover, the network connected to the wireless network card may be converted into the WLANs such as a Wi-Fi network by the physical keyboard 10 to provide access points for other terminals, and this improves the using experience and meanwhile saves the consumption cost of the user.
US09716769B2

A file-mapping method and system can better manage the number of items (i.e., files, subdirectories, or a combination of them) within any single directory within a storage medium. The method and system can be used to limit the number of items within the directory, direct content and content components to different directories, and provide an internally recognizable name for the filename. When searching the storage medium, time is not wasted searching what appears to be a seemingly endless list of filenames or subdirectory names within any single directory. A client computer can have requests for content fulfilled quicker, and the network site can reduce the load on hardware or software components. While the method and system can be used for nearly any storage media, the method and system are well suited for cache memories used with web servers.
US09716766B2

The present disclosure discloses a method and a distributed system server for instant information push in a network information service, wherein the method comprises: sending distributed information to a proxy server and transferring it onto a distributed-information server, by an information distribution user; sending information in need to the proxy server and transferring it onto an information-in-need server, by an information-needs user; storing and synchronizing in real-time, by the proxy server, an IP address, a category list, and a tag list of the distributed-information server and the information-in-need server; receiving the information in need, searching for a tag group, looking for a match in the distributed-information server, and sending a match result; and receiving the distributed information, searching for a tag group, looking for a match in the information-in-need server, and sending a match result. The present disclosure also discloses a corresponding distributed system server. Thus, the present disclosure provides a system that promptly acquires useful information once the information is distributed, while the system avoids risk of failing to work by a distributed storage when suffering from a malfunction or being under attack.
US09716756B2

Technologies for monitoring data storage location for cloud data include a cloud monitoring server configured to communicate with one or more cloud customer computing devices and cloud service providers. The cloud monitoring server receives monitoring requests from the cloud customer computing devices and retrieves provider information from the cloud service providers. The cloud monitoring server compiles response data based on the monitoring requests and the provider information, and sends response data to the cloud customer computing devices. Cloud customer computing devices may send on-demand monitoring requests and/or continuous, policy-based monitoring requests. For policy-based monitoring, the cloud monitoring server continually monitors the provider information and provides response data when one or more conditions specified in the policy are satisfied. The cloud monitoring server may also make recommendations and provide feedback based on the monitoring requests or the provider information. Other embodiments are described and claimed.
US09716753B2

Shared content items are migrated between accounts on a content management system. Users store content items synchronized between one or more client devices and the content management system. A user may have multiple accounts including personal and organization accounts. Content items may be shared with accounts belonging to other users to enable those other users to view or manipulate the content items. A user initiates a migration of content items between accounts of different categories via a user interface, e.g., by dragging and dropping a folder from one account to another. The content management system recognizes that the user has deleted the folder from the user's first account and determines that an identical folder has been created in another account belonging to the same user. In response the content management system joins the second account to the shared folder, and removes the first account from the shared folder.
US09716746B2

A system and method for achieving Business Continuity and Application Continuity with the system comprising one or more resources of multiple end users or service providers logically connected to one or more cloud infrastructures wherein the collection of resources forms a Continuity Grid or a part of Continuity Grid or sub Grid for which continuity is needed and wherein the Continuity Grid or part of continuity grid or sub Grid are paired with the Continuity Peer Grids located in the same or different cloud infrastructures to satisfy continuity requirements of the Continuity Grid or part of Continuity Grid or sub Grid.
US09716745B2

A method for tailoring help systems to the expertise of users includes recording data related to a user's interaction with a product. The data is then analyzed to ascertain a level of expertise of the user relative to using the product. Upon receiving a request for assistance from the user with respect to the product, a help system may be selected based on the determined level of expertise of the user. The method may automatically provide assistance to the user through a more advanced help system in the event the user is ascertained to have a more advanced level of expertise. Similarly, the method may automatically provide assistance to the user through a less advanced help system in the event the user is ascertained to have a less advanced level of expertise. A corresponding apparatus and computer program product are also disclosed.
US09716734B2

A system and method are provided for use with streaming blocks of data, each of the streaming blocks of data including a number bits of data. The system includes a first compressor and a second compressor. The first compressor can receive and store a number n blocks of the streaming blocks of data, can receive and store a block of data to be compressed of the streaming blocks of data, can compress consecutive bits within the block of data to be compressed based on the n blocks of the streaming blocks of data, can output a match descriptor and a literal segment. The match descriptor is based on the compressed consecutive bits. The literal segment is based on a remainder of the number of bits of the data to be compressed not including the consecutive bits. The second compressor can compress the literal segment and can output a compressed data block including the match descriptor and a compressed string of data based on the compressed literal segment.
US09716730B2

In accordance with embodiments, there are provided mechanisms and methods for sharing content via links. These mechanisms and methods for sharing content via links can enable customizable features associated with the operations related to those links. These features may include generating customized reports on usage of the links, and/or exposing one or more application programming interfaces (APIs) enabling applications to access the links and/or logic associated with operations related to those links.
US09716729B2

A system and method for transforming inter-communications in a computing platform that includes establishing platform policies; isolating components of a platform; channeling communications of a component through a semantic pipeline; progressively processing a communication through stages of the semantic pipeline; and delivering the processed communication to the destination component in accordance with the semantic pipeline.
US09716725B2

In certain embodiments, virtualization mechanisms used to defend against spying can also be used by attackers as a means to execute spying attacks more effectively. In certain embodiments, attack methods may use the virtualization mechanisms to surreptitiously activate input peripherals without the user's knowledge or authorization. In certain embodiments, a virtualized network interface may be employed in which all network traffic transiting a portable wireless system is routed through a remote control component within a peripheral control domain. The remote control component may be used by an attacker to communicate remotely with the portable device to send it peripheral activation commands. The remote control component can then activate peripherals via the peripheral access module without the user's or general-purpose operating system's knowledge or authorization. All other network traffic may be passed through as normal and expected to the general-purpose operating system.
US09716715B2

Embodiments are provided for mutually authenticating a pair of electronic devices. According to certain aspects, the electronic devices may connect to each other via an out-of-band communication channel. The electronic devices may each output audio signals and detect audio signals output by the other electronic devices. Based on timestamps associated with audio output and detection events, each of the electronic devices may calculate relevant time and distance parameters, and transmit the calculated parameters to the other electronic device via the out-of-band communication channel. The electronic devices may compare the calculated parameters to determine mutual authentication.
US09716709B1

Systems and methods for managing certificates are described. A system comprises modules to receive requests related to a digital certificate, receive responses related to authorization of the digital certificate related to the requests, and store the requests and responses. A system comprises modules to communicate audit requests, receive responses related to the audit requests, and store the responses. A system comprises modules configured to communicate audit requests related to different certificate authorization entities, receive responses related to the audit requests, and store the responses. Other embodiments are described.
US09716699B2

An embodiment of the invention may include a method, computer program product and computer system for password management. The embodiment may include a computing device that creates a password inventory. The password inventory may be a list of one or more passwords, where each of the one or more passwords corresponds to a password key. The embodiment may update the password inventory without input from a user. The embodiment may receive a first login request from a first device. The embodiment may transmit information detailing a first password key to the first device, where the first password key corresponds to a first password from the list of one or more passwords. The embodiment may receive information detailing a first entered password from the first device. The embodiment may determine whether the first entered password is identical to the first password from the list of one or more passwords.
US09716687B2

Techniques provided herein enable a set of independent, unconnected devices in a network to support distributed Layer 3 (L3) gateway functionality for an overlay based virtual network by intelligently triggering proxy addressing information updates.
US09716686B2

Methods and systems for obtaining device information include sending a device description request message to a remote device. The device description request message includes indications of criteria for a responding device, and the indications of criteria for the responding device include a fabric identifier for the responding device. Moreover, the fabric identifier identifies a fabric to which the responding device is connected. The indications of criteria also include a device mode for the responding device. The device mode indicates a mode for the responding device. The indications of criteria further include a vendor identifier for the responding device with the vendor identifier identifies a vendor for the responding device. Obtaining device information also includes a product identifier for the responding device that identifies a product type for the responding device.
US09716680B2

A graphical user interface utility for message data sent from a sender personal communications device to a recipient personal communications device displays a base response prompt, according to an instruction from the sender, in the message data that appears on the recipient personal communications device. The graphical user interface utility changes the appearance of the base response prompt when the base response prompt is selected by the recipient by displaying one or more recipient-actuable selection elements along with the message content. At least one of the one or more recipient-actuable selection elements has an associated response signal that is transmitted back to the sender according to recipient selection.
US09716677B2

Embodiments of the present invention address deficiencies of the art in respect to discussion forum management and provide a method, system and computer program product for instant conversations in a thread within a discussion forum. In an embodiment of the invention, a method for instant conversations in a thread within a discussion forum can be provided. The method can include providing a discussion forum and initiating a thread in the discussion forum and measuring a temporal proximity of postings between two or more users in the thread. In response to determining a close temporal proximity, an instant messaging session can be launched between the two or more users and entries in the instant messaging session can be inserted as responses to the thread in the discussion form.
US09716672B2

One embodiment of the present invention provides a switch. The switch includes a port to couple to a second switch. The switch also includes a control mechanism configured to maintain a set of configuration information for a virtual cluster switch which includes a number of member switches. The set of configuration information includes global configuration information for the virtual cluster switch and switch-specific configuration information for one or more member switches. In addition, the set of configuration information is replicated and stored at each member switch.
US09716671B2

According to an example, a method for provider bridged network communication includes receiving traffic including a source and a destination address at a first virtual local area network (VLAN) for redirection to a second VLAN. The method further includes forwarding the traffic based on the source and the destination address to a provider edge bridge (PEB) of the first VLAN, and forwarding, by a processor, the traffic from the PEB of the first VLAN to a PEB of the second VLAN.
US09716667B2

A communication terminal is described comprising a quality determiner configured to determine a quality parameter for a wireless communication link between the communication terminal and a radio access network component based on one or more signals received via the wireless communication link, a throughput determiner configured to determine, based on the quality parameter, a throughput of a communication connection between the radio access network component and a server to be used for transmitting data from the server to the communication terminal via the communication connection and the wireless communication link and a controller configured to send an instruction for the server to transmit data via the communication connection between the radio access network component and the server according to the determined throughput.
US09716656B2

In accordance with disclosed embodiments, there are provided methods, systems, and apparatuses for implementing a slipstream bandwidth management algorithm including, for example, means for executing an application a computing device, in which the application is to communicate with a remote computing device over a public Internet; means for approximating outgoing bandwidth for communications from the computing device to the remote computing device; means for approximating incoming bandwidth for communications received at the computing device from the remote computing device; means for allocating multiple simultaneous Transmission Control Protocol (TCP) connections in support of the application based at least in part on the approximated outgoing bandwidth and based further on the approximated incoming bandwidth; and means for iteratively adjusting bandwidth communicated for the application between the computing device and the remote computing device based at least in part on latency between the computing device and the remote computing device. Other related embodiments are disclosed.
US09716652B2

A method for handling, by a ring node of a network having a ring topology, a data transfer of data packets through the network via which the data packets are transmitted to their destination node, wherein each ring node has two neighboring ring nodes. The method includes detecting data packets of an incoming data transfer received from a non ring node to be transmitted through the network to their destination node. Furthermore, a ring direction is added to the data packets of the incoming data transfer, the indication indicating in which direction the data packets of the incoming data transfer are passed through the network having the ring topology. The data packets of the incoming data transfer are forwarded to one of the two neighboring ring nodes based on the added indication.
US09716651B2

A method and device for distributed link aggregation group service handover are disclosed in the present document. The method includes: when an unavailable port appears in a distributed link aggregation intra-end system, the intra-end system determining a service currently corresponding to the unavailable port as a service to be handed over; or, when an unavailable intra-end system appears in a distributed link aggregation portal, an adjacent intra-end system of the intra-end system determining a service currently corresponding to the unavailable intra-end system as a service to be handed over; and the intra-end system that determines the service to be handed over determining a backup port of the service according to a port sequence configured for the service in advance, canceling a corresponding relationship between the service and the unavailable port, and establishing a corresponding relationship between the service and the backup port.
US09716647B2

The system and method of the present disclosure relates to technology for a network system supporting multiple topology transparent zones (TTZs) on an edge node. TTZs have a topology including TTZ nodes consisting of edge nodes and internal nodes connected together by internal links. The edge nodes may also be connected to external nodes outside of the TTZ. The edge node is responsible for generating and distributing link state advertisements (LSAs) to generate virtual paths from the edge node to other edge nodes in each of the TTZs. Each TTZ sharing the edge node and each external node neighboring one of the other edge nodes of the TTZs is virtualized by distribution of the LSAs. However, the internal topology of each TTZ is concealed from each of the other TTZs sharing the edge node and from any neighboring external node connected to one of the other edge nodes.
US09716643B2

The present invention discloses methods and systems for monitoring a network connected device by a monitoring server. The monitoring server sends notifications to the network connected device periodically according to a time interval. The time interval is set to a normal value and the notifications include a request for the monitoring data. Then the network connected device sends the monitoring data to monitoring server upon receiving the notifications. Monitoring server receives and stores the monitoring data from the network connected device. When one condition is satisfied, the time interval is changed to a lower value. Therefore, the frequency of sending notifications to network connected device from monitoring server is changed.
US09716638B1

A monitoring device responds to status data pushed from a network device, and also manages a link with another network device, the link allowing the monitoring device to pull status data from the second network device. The monitoring device receives packets including status, the data indicating activity for one or more clock ticks. The monitoring device can compute statistical measures, rather than the network device. The monitoring device maintains the status data in a buffer. The monitoring device lags actual activity, but has is more likely to capture delayed packets. The network device sends packets as wrappers, each wrapper indicating sets of status information. When the information in a wrapper crosses a clock tick boundary, the monitoring device allocates reported activity among clock ticks, assuming that activity follows a uniform distribution.
US09716635B2

In one embodiment, a first computing device determines a number of data packets available to transmit from the first computing device to a second computing device. The determination is based on an available bandwidth and a payload capacity, and each of the data packets has a payload with the payload capacity. The first computing device determines a plurality of data items to transmit from the first computing device to the second computing device. The first computing device then ranks the data items and selects, based at least in part on the ranking of the data items and the payload capacities of the data packets, one or more particular ones of the data items to transmit from the first computing device to the second computing device in the data packets. The first computing device writes the particular ones of the data items to the payloads of the data packets.
US09716632B2

A system to generate an interactive layered visualization of a software system includes a storage device to storage a model of the system that defines entities and relationships among entities. The system also includes a visualization tool to generate nodes representing the entities and assign nodes to layers in a set of ordered layers in accordance with rules associated with each layer. A layered layout of the software system is thereby generated and an interactive visualization of the layered layout is rendered for display to the user.
US09716628B2

A method is provided in one example embodiment and includes receiving from an orchestrator element for a new Virtual Routing and Forwarding element (“VRF”) created in a communications network a name of the VRF and interconnect identification; selecting a border element for the VRF; and creating in a database a VRF entry for the selected border element, the entry identifying a configuration profile for the selected border element. The method further includes forwarding a VRF create notification to the selected border element; and providing the configuration profile from the corresponding entry to the selected border element in response to a query to the database from the selected border element. The selected border element applies the configuration profile automatically to configure the selected border element.
US09716623B2

A device may receive a first device identifier associated with a first device management (DM) device associated with a local area network. The device may identify a second DM device, associated with the local area network, based on receiving the first device identifier. The device may provide the first device identifier to the second DM device. The first device identifier may be provided to the second DM device to allow the first DM device to be managed by the second DM device via the local area network. The device may determine a second device identifier associated with the second DM device. The device may provide the second device identifier to the first DM device. The second device identifier may be provided to the first DM device to allow the second DM device to manage the first DM device via the local area network.
US09716613B2

Alerts may be received from an event monitoring system that monitors computing resources of a computer system. Based on an alert ruleset, an alert management module may determine whether to provide notification of the alert. If the alert management module decides to provide notification of the alert, then the alert management module may initiate the creation of an issue ticket corresponding to the alert in an issue tracking system. If the alert management module decides not to provide notification of the alert, then the alert management module may discard the alert.
US09716608B2

Disclosed is a multi-element code modulation mapping method and device, relating to communications and designed to improve communication reliability. The method includes that: multi-element domain coding is performed on a first sequence including K multi-element codes to obtain a second sequence including N multi-element codes; K1 and K2 are calculated according to a multi-element domain element number q and a modulation order M, wherein K1*log2 q=K2*log2 M, both K1 and K2 are integers not smaller than 2, and both q and M are power of 2; the second sequence is divided into z groups of multi-element codes with each group including K1 multi-element codes, wherein C=formula (I), and formula (II) represents rounding up; each group of multi-element codes is mapped to a constellation diagram to form K2 Mth-order modulation symbols; and z groups of Mth-order modulation symbols are sequentially cascaded to form a modulation symbol to be sent. The present disclosure further discloses a computer storage medium.
US09716597B2

A method for quickly carrying out effective automatic interlocking logic detection based on a GOOSE communication mechanism, comprising: introducing an automatic system device model and configuration satisfying the IEC61850 standard, and simulating a GOOSE communication behavior in which an intelligent electronic device acts as a quick packet transmitter and receiver, so as to realize the closed-loop detection function by independent publishing and feedback monitoring GOOSE information.
US09716584B2

Various embodiments of the invention implement countermeasures designed to withstand attacks by potential intruders who seek partial or full retrieval of elliptic curve secrets by using known methods that exploit system vulnerabilities, including elliptic operation differentiation, dummy operation detection, lattice attacks, and first real operation detection. Various embodiments of the invention provide resistance against side-channel attacks, such as sample power analysis, caused by the detectability of scalar values from information leaked during regular operation flow that would otherwise compromise system security. In certain embodiments, system immunity is maintained by performing elliptic scalar operations that use secret-independent operation flow in a secure Elliptic Curve Cryptosystem.
US09716581B2

A mobile communication system. The system has a housing comprising an interior region and an exterior region and a processing device provided within an interior region of the housing. The system has an rf transmit module coupled to the processing device, and configured on a transmit path. The system has a transmit filter provided within the rf transmit module. In an example, the transmit filter comprises a diplexer filter comprising a single crystal acoustic resonator device.
US09716578B2

The present invention is designed to minimize the increase of user terminal power consumption even when downlink control channels are extended. A radio base station apparatus having: an allocation section that allocates downlink control information in a first control region from a top of a radio frame to a predetermined OFDM symbol and in a second control region that is frequency-divided with a data region in a region that is time-divided with the first control region, and also allocates decoding control information that indicates a user terminal to perform a decoding process for the second control region, in the first control region; and a transmission section that transmits the downlink control information and the decoding control information; and a user terminal having: a receiving section that receives the downlink control information and the decoding control information from the radio base station apparatus; and a decoding section that controls the decoding process for the second control region based on the decoding control information received, are provided.
US09716553B2

An RF signal transceiver comprising a mode-locked laser to output an optical signal having a plurality of phase-locked modes, an optical splitter to power split the optical signal into a transmitter optical signal and a receiver optical signal; a transmitter apparatus to receive the transmitter optical signal and comprising an optical filter to select two of the modes, an optical modulator to modulate a part of the transmitter optical signal to form at least one phase modulated optical signal, and a photodetector to heterodyne the phase modulated optical signal with one of the modes without a corresponding phase modulation to form an RF signal for transmission; and a receiver apparatus arranged to receive an RF signal and the receiver optical signal and comprising an optical modulator to modulate the receiver optical signal with the received RF signal; and an optical to electrical signal conversion apparatus to convert the modulated receiver optical signal into a corresponding electrical signal.
US09716551B2

A method includes receiving a first optical signal at a first communication terminal from a second communication terminal through a free space optical link and determining a receiving power for the optical link based on the first optical signal. The method further includes adjusting an output amplification at the first communication terminal based on the receiving power for the optical link. The output amplification is adjusted to provide a second optical signal with a minimum transmission power for maintaining the optical link. The method transmits the second optical signal from the first communication terminal to the second communication terminal through the optical link.
US09716548B2

A data center for executing a data processing application includes processing units, sub-units or servers. Each of the processing units, sub-units or servers can execute a part or all of the data processing application. The processing units, sub-units or servers are electrical disjoint with respect to data communications, but can communicate with each other over free space optical links.
US09716543B2

Methods, systems, and computer readable media for managing aircraft radiofrequency communications on board an aircraft are disclosed. In some aspects, a method can include determining at least one communication frequency, the at least one communication frequency corresponding to a communication center within a radio horizon of the aircraft, displaying the at least one communication frequency at an interface, and where there is more than one communication frequency displayed on the interface: filtering the more than one communication frequency according to a flight step of the aircraft in order to reduce a number of the more than one communication frequency displayed on the interface, and sorting the more than one communication frequency according to occupation rate in order to prioritize the more than one communication frequency displayed on the interface, and thereby aid in predicting a communication frequency communicated to the aircraft.
US09716535B2

A base station which performs Multiple Input Multiple Output (MIMO) transmission. A processor configured to generate reference signals by spreading with four groups of orthogonal code sequences, each group of orthogonal code sequences including four orthogonal sequences, wherein the orthogonal code sequences correspond to transmission layers and each of the orthogonal code sequences has a length of four, and a transmit circuit configured to transmit the reference signals. The four groups include a first group where the orthogonal code sequences are Walsh code sequences, a second group where the orthogonal code sequences are represented by mirroring of the orthogonal code sequences in the first group, a third group where the orthogonal code sequences are represented by cyclic shifts of the orthogonal code sequences in the first group, a fourth group where the orthogonal code sequences are represented by mirroring of the orthogonal code sequences in the third group.
US09716508B1

Mechanisms for generating dummy signals for use in reducing data dependent noise in DACs are disclosed. Disclosed mechanisms differentiate between odd and even bits of a digital data signal to be converted and generate dummy signals by inverting some of these bits and leaving other bits as they are (i.e. including them in their non-inverted form). One dummy signal is generated as a sequence of bits that is the same as a sequence of bits of a data signal except that every odd bit of the data signal is inverted. An alternative dummy signal is generated as a sequence of bits that is the same as a sequence of bits of a data signal except that every even bit is inverted. Generating dummy signals in this manner eliminates the need to use calibration, feedback, or transition detectors, advantageously resulting in increased timing margins and substantial power savings over existing implementations.
US09716507B1

A delay circuit includes a delay line configured to output an output signal by imposing a delay value on an input signal. The delay circuit further includes an arithmetic unit configured to calculate a control code for the delay value based on delay codes. The delay circuit further includes a delay locked loop (DLL) configured to generate the delay codes based on a clock signal. The delay circuit further includes a controller configured to suspend operation of the DLL when the clock signal operates at a first frequency, to set the DLL to operate based on a second frequency when the DLL is suspended, and to resume operation of the DLL when the clock signal operates at the second frequency without the need to relock the DLL.
US09716504B2

A power control device 9 of the present invention includes: a power-supply target value obtaining unit 21 configured to obtain electric power being currently consumed by a load as a power-supply target value; a generated-power detection unit 22 configured to detect a generated-power value generated by a fuel cell 2 with respect to the power-supply target value; a power compensation amount calculation unit 23 configured to calculate a deviation of the generated-power value from the power-supply target value and determine an amount of power compensation to be supplied to the load from a storage cell 6; and an output power control unit 24 configured to determine current transient response characteristics of the storage cell 6, and perform control so that output power from the storage cell 6 becomes equal to the amount of power compensation based on the current transient response characteristics.
US09716499B2

A current amplifier and a transmitter using the same. The current amplifier has a first and second transistor and a voltage level shifting unit. The first transistor has a gate receiving an input current and a drain receiving a driving current. The voltage level shifting unit providing a voltage shift is coupled between the drain of the first transistor and the gate of the second transistor. An output current is generated at the drain of the second transistor.
US09716492B1

A duty cycle detection circuit, comprises a charge storage component and compare logic. The charge storage component has at least one capacitor, at least one switch, and, at least one current source. A clock signal is used to operate the at least one switch for charging the at least one capacitor using the at least one current source. The charge storage component outputs a first signal indicative of an amount of charge stored when the clock signal is logic high and a second signal indicative of an amount of charge stored when the clock signal is logic low. The compare logic compares the first signal and the second signal to determine a duty cycle for the clock signal.
US09716491B2

Various techniques are provided to efficiently implement user designs in programmable logic devices (PLDs). In one example, a programmable logic device (PLD) includes a plurality of programmable logic blocks (PLBs) and at least first and second logic cells within at least one of the PLBs, where each logic cell includes a lookup table (LUT) and associated mode logic configured to receive a LUT output signal from the LUT. The associated mode logic is configured to use a single physical signal output to provide a logic cell output signal corresponding to a selected logic function operational mode, ripple arithmetic operational mode, or extended logic function operational mode for each logic cell.
US09716487B1

A latency compensation circuit and method. A three dimensional (3D) package is disclosed having a latency compensation circuit to address timing delays introduced by a through silicon via (TSV), including: an input for receiving a reference data signal from a redundant TSV and for receiving a local clock signal; a timing slack sensor that outputs a digital value reflecting a delay between a clock pulse of the local clock signal and the reference data signal; a look-up table that converts the digital value into a set of control bits; and an adjustable delay line that adjusts the local clock signal based on the set of control bits.
US09716485B2

A frequency divider apparatus includes a micro-electro-mechanical system (“MEMS”) divider that is configured to be driven by an input signal. The MEMS divider includes a passive mechanical device that generates multiple output signals. Each of the output signals has a frequency less than a frequency of the input signal.
US09716484B2

A resonator element includes a quartz crystal substrate having a main surface along a plane including an X-axis and a Z′-axis, and a thickness in a Y′-axis direction. The quartz crystal substrate includes a vibrating portion including a side along the X-axis, a side along the Z′-axis, and a peripheral portion having a thickness smaller than that of the vibrating portion, which is provided along an outer edge of the vibrating portion. The vibrating portion includes a first portion and a second portion having a thickness smaller than that of the first portion, which is provided on at least an outer edge on a +X side of the X-axis and an outer edge on a −X side thereof, among outer edges of the first portion. When Z is a length of the quartz crystal substrate along the Z′-axis, and t is a thickness of the first portion, 11
US09716478B2

A multi-channel Class D audio amplifier is provided to substantially reduce channel-to-channel crosstalk by employing in each channel a local triangle ramp generator controlled by a single global digital timing signal. The noise critical timing/integrating capacitor for the triangle ramp generator resides locally in each channel and adjacent to the PWM comparator of that channel and referenced to the local ground of that channel. The amplifier can also include a duty cycle limitation circuit to limit output power availability depending on the impedance of any attached loads (speakers).
US09716476B2

An apparatus and method for DC offset compensation. An amplifier receives an input signal (AIN) and provides an amplified output signal (SOUT) and a feedback path provides DC offset compensation. The feedback path comprises at least one voltage controlled oscillator (VCO) and a counter. The VCO provides, over time, a first VCO output signal based on said amplified output signal and a second VCO output signal based on a reference signal (VREF). The counter generates first pulse counts based upon the first VCO output signal and second pulse counts based upon the second VCO output signal and provides a compensation signal based on a comparison of the first and second pulse counts. One voltage controlled oscillator may sequentially receive a signal based on said amplifier output signal and the reference signal from a multiplexer so as to sequentially produce the first and second VCO output signals.
US09716470B2

Provided herein are apparatus and methods for compensating an operational amplifier (op-amp). In certain configurations, a compensation network is electrically connected between an output node of the op-amp and an input differential pair coupled source/emitter tail-current node. The compensation network can include a capacitor having a relatively low value of capacitance. In this manner, op-amp bandwidth is improved while power consumption is reduced to meet a “green” standard.
US09716467B2

Compact apparatus for the semi-automatic horizontal assembly of photovoltaic panels with solar cells, made up of a multi-function workstation in the form of a pilot system integrating multiple working and conveying means which carry out the various operations concomitantly and in a coordinated way. On the sides of the working surface there is the loading zone of the cells, the loading zone of the conductive ribbons and a pair of longitudinal rails which are intended to guide two mobile gantries, which roto-translate above the working surface, from one loading zone to the other, being equipped for the purpose of assembly. In particular, the compact apparatus is versatile in use and allows to obtain already in the experimental laboratory phases the levels of accuracy and control of an industrial system, for the purpose of optimizing the product and the assembly technologies reducing wastes and faults.
US09716456B2

In a rotary electric machine, a modulation signal generator generates a modulation signal including information indicative of rotation of a rotor based on change of a voltage at an output end of a stator winding, and outputs the modulation signal. A rectifying unit alternately turns on and off the switch to rectify the voltage at an output end of the stator winding, thus generating a rectified voltage. An excitation current supplying circuit is communicably connected to the modulation signal generator via a communication line, and starts a supply of an excitation current to the excitation winding of the rotor to induce a rotating magnetic field in the stator winding when the modulation signal output from the modulation signal generator is input thereto via the communication line.
US09716450B2

The invention relates to an electronically commutated electric motor with a stator and a rotor, which is designed as a permanent magnet rotor in particular. The electric motor also has a control unit which is connected to the stator. The control unit is designed to generate control signals for energizing the stator coils of the stator in order to generate a rotational magnetic field. The electric motor is designed to at least partly compensate for a torque ripple of a torque generated by the rotor. According to the invention, the electric motor has a rotor position sensor and a current sensor. The current sensor is designed to detect currents flowing in the stator coils and to generate a current signal which represents the currents. The control unit preferably has a processing unit which is designed to ascertain harmonics of the electromotive force dependent on the current signal, a voltage applied to the stator coils, and a rotor position signal generated by the rotor position sensor and to generate a control signal which compensates for the effect of the harmonics. The control unit, in particular the processing unit, is designed to superimpose the compensating control signal with the control signal so as to completely or at least partly compensate for the effect of the harmonics and thus the torque ripple.
US09716444B2

Provided is a method for controlling operation of semiconductor gates in a power conversion system including one or more multilevel inverters coupleable to a modulator and a controller. The method includes generating, via the controller, a control signal responsive to an output current power factor associated with the inverters and producing a discontinuous pulse width modulation reference signal based upon the control signal and a target output power, the discontinuous pulse width modulation reference signal being indicative of shifting a phase angle between current and voltage. A gating signal is generated for output from the modulator, as a function of the reference signal and a carrier waveform. The gating signal adjusts the phase angle to prevent switching of the semiconductor gates.
US09716443B2

A radio frequency transponder circuit, comprising: an AC-DC converter (70) connected to an RF input terminal (21a) and a DC output terminal (81) and operable to convert an RF signal (RFA) at the RF input terminal (21a) to a DC output signal (VDD) at the DC output terminal (81); and a voltage limiting circuit (50) connected to the RF input terminal (21a) and operable to limit the amplitude of the RF signal (RFA); wherein the voltage limiting circuit (50) comprises a NMOS limiting transistor (51) in parallel with a complimentary PMOS limiting transistor (52).
US09716438B2

An integrated circuit controls a switch power supply including: a primary feedback terminal, a primary feedback sampling module, an error amplifying module, a first control module, a secondary control module, a secondary feedback terminal, a second control module, and a driving module; the second control module, connected with the first control module and the secondary control module, respectively, and configured to generate a logic control signal according to the constant voltage control signal, or according to the secondary control signal and the constant voltage control signal; and the driving module, connected with the second control module and configured to generate a driving signal according to the logic control signal and to output the driving signal.
US09716427B2

A power factor correction circuit includes: an ON time setting unit, which sets an ON time period of the switching element based on the output voltage; a bottom detection unit, which detects a bottom when a voltage between both ends of the switching element is damped-oscillated while the switching element is being turned off; and a bottom skip controller, which causes the switching element to perform quasi-resonant if a ratio of the ON time period set by the ON time setting unit to a regeneration period of a current flowing through the reactor while the switching element is being turned off is less than or equal to a predetermined value, and turns on the switching element at a timing when a next bottom is reached after one bottom skipped from an initial bottom if the ratio is greater than the predetermined value.
US09716413B2

An electric machine stator is provided and includes laminations consolidated along an axial direction to form a core element such that the core element includes an end lamination at an axial end of the core element. The end lamination includes a body extending in a plane and a plurality of spacer protrusions protruding along the axial direction from the plane. Each of the spacer protrusions of the plurality of spacer protrusions is configured for consolidation with another core element to define a radial vent between the core element and the another core element.
US09716412B2

This rotor for a rotating electric motor includes a hollow cylindrical rotor core with a plurality of laminated electromagnetic steel plates. The inner and outer circumferential surfaces of the rotor core each face a magnetic gap. The rotor core is interposed between a first rotating support member and a second rotating support member. A flange is formed on a first end of a tubular pin protruding from a first hole of the first rotating support member. A tubular expansion part of the tubular pin plastically deforms due to fluid pressure so as to come into close contact with a through hole of the rotor core, the first hole of the first rotating support member, and a second hole of the second rotating support member.
US09716411B2

A rotor core includes low permeability areas having lower permeability than that of a material of the rotor core, between an outer circumference of each magnetic pole and a side surface of each permanent magnet. The low permeability areas are formed asymmetrically with respect to a geometric center of each magnetic pole so that a magnetic center of the magnetic pole is displaced toward one side with respect to the geometric center. The rotor cores are placed upside down relative to each other so that a relative position in the circumferential direction of the low permeability areas with respect to the permanent magnets differs.
US09716402B2

Exemplary embodiments are directed to wireless power. A wireless charging device may comprise a charging region configured for placement of one or more chargeable devices. The charging device may further include at least one transmit antenna configured for transmitting wireless power within the charging region. Furthermore, the charging device is configured to exchange data between at least one chargeable device of the one or more chargeable devices.
US09716400B2

A wireless charging system with auto-detection with an inductive loop for detecting an induced electric field resulted from the approach of an electrical receiver device to determine whether the electrical receiver device is close enough and thus adjust the output to the inductive loop from the power loop.
US09716396B2

A control method of a wireless power receiving unit receiving charging power from a wireless power transmitting unit to perform wireless charging is provided. The control method includes receiving the charging power from the wireless power transmitting unit; detecting a change in a wireless charging environment; generating a signal indicating detection of the change in the wireless charging environment; and transmitting the signal indicating the detection of the change in the wireless charging environment to the wireless power transmitting unit.
US09716395B2

An electronic circuit is disclosed. The electronic circuit includes a substrate having GaN, and a power switch formed on the substrate and including a first control gate and a first source. The electronic circuit also includes a drive circuit formed on the substrate and including an output coupled to the first control gate, and a power supply having a supply voltage and coupled to the drive circuit, where the output can be driven to the supply voltage.
US09716390B2

A power feeding coil unit includes a power feeding coil, and first and second auxiliary coils arranged so that a wire of the first auxiliary coil and a wire of the second auxiliary coil do not overlap a wire of the a power feeding coil when viewed from a direction perpendicular to an axial direction of the power feeding coil. A direction of circulation of a magnetic flux generated by the first auxiliary coil and a magnetic flux generated by the second auxiliary coil are opposite to a direction of circulation of a magnetic flux generated by the power feeding coil. An axes of the first and second auxiliary coils are substantially perpendicular to a power feeding direction of the power feeding coil, and are not aligned with the axis of the power feeding coil.
US09716383B2

A system for delivering a voltage to at least one power domain has at least one component. Each power domain functions according to at least two operating points, each operating point requiring a distinct supply voltage. The system includes at least two power supply units, alternatively delivering controllable supply voltages. The system also includes a control unit that selects one of the power supply units to be connected to a power domain, based on a current operating point of the power domain. The control unit also controls the supply voltage delivered by the selected power supply unit, to deliver the required voltage level associated with the current operating point of the power domain.
US09716372B2

A switchboard is for a power distribution system having a number of electrical lines. The switchboard includes: an enclosure assembly having a chassis; a switching assembly including a plurality of circuit breakers each coupled to the chassis, each of the circuit breakers having a number of terminal lugs structured to be electrically connected to a corresponding one of the electrical lines; and an isolating assembly including a plurality of isolating apparatus, at least one isolating apparatus being coupled to one of the plurality of circuit breakers. The isolating apparatus separates the number of terminal lugs of the one circuit breaker from the number of terminal lugs of each of the other circuit breakers.
US09716366B1

An optical image amplifier device capable of amplifying low-intensity backscattered illumination includes an optical port having an input, an output, and a controller having an ON state and an OFF state, the controller connecting the input and the output to form an optical loop in the ON state and disconnecting the input and the output in the OFF state, and an optical relay housing the optical loop and connected to the optical port having a gain medium configured for amplifying a signal beam propagating inside the optical loop in the ON state.
US09716360B1

The present invention provides an electric connector including a male and a female connectors used for being mounted in ends of trunk portions of an artificial tree. The male connector includes a plug tube, a first support received in the plug tube, and a first electrical connector assembly mounted on the first support. The female connector includes a receptacle tube, a second support received in the receptacle tube, and a second electrical connector assembly mounted on the second support. A first end of the plug tube includes an external flange. When the first end of the plug tube is inserted in the receptacle tube with the flange being clamped tightly between the receptacle tube and the second support, the first electrical connector assembly is electrically coupled to the second electrical connector assembly. Thus, a stability of the electrical and mechanical connections of the electric connector can be insured.
US09716359B1

Provided are multifunctional tools functioning as a cigarette lighter socket adapter, safety hammer and cutter used in a car. The multifunctional tool comprises a body portion, a striking mechanism, means for adapting the electricity from the cigarette lighter socket, and blades disposed in a inner surface of the a hook-shaped structure. The tool can be used as an electricity adapter converting the electricity from the cigarette lighter socket into various outlet ports, such as USB ports or any other types of outlet ports or connectors for electronic devices. The striking mechanism enables the striking member in the tool to be shoot out with a high impact force, breaking objects such as a car window. The blade is used to cut objects such as a seat belt when the user is trapped in a car in an emergency.
US09716358B1

A linear power distribution outlet is generally presented. The power distribution outlet includes a housing having at least one side including an opening therein. An insert may be positioned within the housing and formed of an electrically insulating material. The insert may comprise a first slot, second slide and a dividing wall between the first and second slots. The first and second slots may be accessible through the opening in the housing. A first power distribution rail may extend along a length of the insert. The first power distribution rail may be positioned to be exposed to and accessible to the first slot. A second power distribution rail may extend along a length of the insert and may be positioned to be exposed to and accessible to the second slot. The first and second slots may be uniquely shaped and the first and second power distribution rails may be positioned to prevent reverse polarity connections.
US09716352B1

An electrical cord having improved safety features comprises a plug having a first body portion surrounding respective first ends of first, second, and third electrical wires. A live blade is in electrical communication with the first end of the first electrical wire. A neutral blade is in electrical communication with the first end of the second electrical wire. A ground pin receptacle is in electrical communication with the first end of the third electrical wire. A removable ground pin is configured to be removably secured within the ground pin receptacle to place the ground pin receptacle and third electrical wire in electrical communication with the ground pin. The first body portion surrounds and maintains the live blade, neutral blade, and ground pin receptacle in spaced apart orientation corresponding to sockets on an electrical outlet.
US09716349B1

An electric connector structure, being a female connector, includes: a metal shell, including a upper surface defined on an inner side of thereof, two side surfaces extended from two respective end edges of the upper surface opposite to each other, and a lower surface extended from one side of each side surface far away from the upper surface; a plurality of first protrusions, respectively formed on the upper surface and lower surface; and a plurality of second protrusions, respectively formed on the two side surfaces and staggered with the first protrusions. Therefore, when a male connector is inserted in the female connector, the first and second protrusions are in contact with the outer wall of the male connector, thereby increasing insertion stability and generate multi-step noise blockage.
US09716348B2

In one implementation, a device includes: one or more data terminals, where each of the one or more data terminals provides a respective mating interface between a respective data transmission path and a corresponding device data port; a first power terminal having a power portion and a ground portion separated by a dielectric, where the ground portion is arranged in association with the one or more data terminals in order to shield the one or more data terminals from electromagnetic interference from the power portion, and where the first power terminal provides a respective mating interface between a respective power transmission path and a corresponding device power port; and a support member provided to maintain the arrangement of the one or more data terminals in combination with the first power terminal.
US09716343B2

The arrangement includes at least one modular part of a first type (60), at least one modular part of a second type (60′), an adjustable coding (10, 10′), which has coding settings, which allow or prevent a joining together of the modular parts, and a holding appliance (62-64, 62′-64′) for holding one modular part on the other modular part when these are joined together. Coding elements (10, 10′) are provided, which in each case are received in a receiving space (51, 51′) formed in the modular part of the first or second type (50, 50′, 60, 60′) and which in each case have a projection (31, 31′) projecting out of the receiving space. The respective coding element is disposed so as to be movable to and fro in order to assume at least two coding positions, which can be selected so that a) for joining together of the modular parts a respective projection of a coding element is disposed offset in the direction of movement with respect to the projection of an opposing coding element, and b) for prevention of a joining together of the modular parts at least one projection of a coding element abuts the projection of an opposing coding element.
US09716326B2

An electrical connector includes a plurality of connecting members arranged in an arrangement direction in parallel to a circuit board; and a joining member extending in the arrangement direction over an arrangement range of the connecting members for holding the connecting members. Each of the connecting members includes a terminal to be connected to a mating connector, and a terminal holding member for holding the terminal. The connecting members are arranged so that the connecting members arranged adjacently form a gap in between. The joining member is formed of a material having a coefficient of thermal expansion the same as that of the circuit board.
US09716321B2

An antenna system for wireless communication of data includes at least two antenna modules constructed from a plurality of electrically-conductive layers and a first waveguide network configured to communicate data with the at least two antenna modules. Each antenna module includes at least two radiating elements. Each radiating element is configured to support communications at a first polarization and a second polarization that are orthogonal to one another. Each antenna module also includes a first microstrip line network configured to communicate with the at least two radiating elements at the first polarization and a second microstrip line network configured to communicate with the at least two radiating elements at the second polarization. At least one of the electrically-conductive layers is located between the first and second microstrip line networks.
US09716318B2

Disclosed herein are exemplary embodiments of multilayer printed circuit board assemblies (PCBAs) that integrally define or include patch antenna radiating elements. The radiating elements may be defined or formed from electrically-conductive layers of the PCBAs. Also disclosed herein are exemplary embodiments of antenna assemblies, systems, or modules comprising such multilayer PCBAs.
US09716315B2

A method includes pointing a receive beam of a retro-directive antenna array attracted to a jammer circuit instead of a remote transmitter away from the jammer circuit toward the remote transmitter by a first angle based on coarse manual means therefor implemented in electronic circuitry associated with the retro-directive antenna array. The electronic circuitry includes a number of mixers, each of which is configured to mix a Local Oscillator (LO) signal generated from a Voltage Controlled Oscillator (VCO) with a signal received at an antenna element of the retro-directive antenna array. The method also includes automatically fine pointing the receive beam toward the remote transmitter by a second angle following the coarse pointing thereof by the first angle such that the receive beam exactly points to, and tracks, the remote transmitter. The automatic fine pointing is effected through a secondary automatic servo loop implemented in the electronic circuitry.
US09716312B2

An example ultra-wideband (“UWB”) multiple-input multiple-output (“MIMO”) antenna operating across a continuous, wide-range frequency band can include a ground plane, a wideband monopole antenna arranged over the ground plane, and a ring antenna arranged over the ground plane and around the wideband monopole antenna. The ring antenna can include a plurality of pairs of dipole antennas, where these dipole pairs are configured for symmetric, out-of-phase coupling with the wideband monopole antenna. The wideband monopole antenna and the ring antenna can also be configured to generate respective electric fields having orthogonal polarizations.
US09716311B2

A system that incorporates teachings of the present disclosure may include, for example, a tuning system for a communication device having an antenna, where the tuning system includes at least one first tunable element connected with at least one radiating element of the antenna for tuning the antenna where the adjusting of the at least one first tunable element is based on at least one of a use case associated with the communication device and location information associated with the communication device, and a matching network having at least one second tunable element coupled at a feed point of the antenna, wherein the matching network receives control signals for adjusting the at least one second tunable element to tune the matching network. Additional embodiments are disclosed.
US09716294B2

A battery controller with monitoring logic for a model-based battery control of a battery performs battery current characterizing, parameter and state variable abnormality detection, and bound checking of error signals between measured and predicted output variables to generate an output. Switching between closed-loop operation (i.e., the model-based battery control) and open-loop operation (i.e., a traditional battery control) is done based on the output of the monitoring logic such that closed-loop stability and performance are reasonably guaranteed.
US09716289B1

A solid-phase electrolyte is provided having a magnesium salt. The salt contains a magnesium cation and a boron cluster anion and can include an ether or other weakly-coordinating molecule in dative interaction with the magnesium cation. A magnesium electrochemical cell is also provided. The magnesium electrochemical cell includes the solid-phase electrolyte, and also includes an anode in ionic communication with the solid-phase electrolyte. The anode, when charged, contains reduced magnesium.
US09716283B2

Provided is a method of starting a fuel cell system including a hydrogen concentration acquisition process of acquiring a concentration of hydrogen in the anode, a threshold value determination process of determining whether or not the concentration of hydrogen which is acquired by the hydrogen concentration acquisition process is greater than or equal to a predetermined second threshold value, and a starting pressure setting process of setting a pressure of hydrogen supplied to an anode from a hydrogen tank when supplying hydrogen to the anode from the hydrogen tank in a state in which a contactor is shut off.
US09716282B2

The present invention relates to a fuel cell assembly having a fuel cell and an actuating element, which is activated by a control unit, for bringing residual gas out of a fuel flow of the fuel cell. The invention is provided with the control unit having an open-loop and/or closed-loop control system which takes into consideration the fuel concentration in the fuel flow.
US09716279B2

Embodiments of the disclosure relate to electrocatalysts. The electrocatalyst may include at least one gas-diffusion layer having a first side and a second side, and particle cores adhered to at least one of the first and second sides of the at least one gas-diffusion layer. The particle cores includes surfaces adhered to the at least one of the first and second sides of the at least one gas-diffusion layer and surfaces not in contact with the at least one gas-diffusion layer. Furthermore, a thin layer of catalytically atoms may be adhered to the surfaces of the particle cores not in contact with the at least one gas-diffusion layer.
US09716269B2

An electrode material is provided in which a coating of a carbonaceous material is formed efficiently, uniformly and strongly on the surfaces of electrode active material particles, and therefore electron conductivity and the charge and discharge capacity of batteries are improved. The electrode material includes composite particles, which includes a carbonaceous substance and an electrode active material, wherein a carbonaceous material is provided on surfaces of electrode active material particles, and a standard rate constant of a redox reaction of ferrocene occurring on the surfaces of the composite particles is 1×10−5 cm/s or more.
US09716260B2

A battery case provided with a safety valve (4) in which a breakage groove (45) is used, wherein in order to stabilize the operation pressure, a lid (2) of the battery case has formed thereon: a thin plate portion (30) obtained by thinning a plate part (3); and a first recessed part (40) comprising a curved part (44) in which the thin plate portion (30) is indented inward, with respect to the case, in a curved shape. The breakage groove (45) for the safety valve (4) is formed at the bottom part (440) of the curved part (44). A first connecting portion (46) and a second connecting portion (47) of the plate part (3), which connect to the curved part (44) on both sides flanking the curved part (44), are at positions protruding toward the outside of the case from the plate part (3).
US09716256B2

A battery pack includes a battery assembly including battery cells and spacers that are alternately arrayed, a side plate extending across a side of the battery assembly, and a motion prevention unit protruding from the side plate toward the battery assembly so as to cover a portion of the battery assembly, the motion prevention unit being arrayed on the spacers.
US09716254B2

Provided are a pack main body of a substantially rectangular parallelepiped shape in which a battery cell is embedded, and a terminal portion provided on a front face of the pack main body. The pack main body includes bevelled portions at corner portions formed by a top face and a bottom face and opposite side faces. The terminal portion is provided, in a protruding manner, on the front face at a position biased with respect to center lines in a width direction and a height direction. The corner portions on one side have a chamfered shape and the corner portions on the other side have a rounded shape.
US09716245B2

An organic electroluminescent device and a preparation method thereof, and a display device are provided. The organic electroluminescent device comprises a substrate (1), a first electrode (2) formed on the substrate (1), a light-emitting layer (3) formed on one side of the first electrode (2) away from the substrate (1), and a second electrode (4) formed on one side of the light-emitting layer (3) away from the first electrode (2), and only a portion of a projection of the light-emitting layer (3) on the substrate (1) is positioned at an overlapping portion of projections of the first electrode (2) and the second electrode (4) on the substrate (1). The organic electroluminescent device can facilitate realizing a high resolution design of a display screen.
US09716240B2

The present invention relates to novel compounds that are useful as ligands in organometallic dyes. More particularly, the invention relates to dyes comprising the compounds, said dyes being sensitizing dyes useful in solar cell technology. According to an embodiment, the present invention discloses new ruthenium dyes and their application in dye-sensitized solar cells (DSC). The referred ruthenium dyes with new structural features can be easily synthesized, show more than 85% light-to-electricity conversion efficiency and a higher than 9% cell efficiency.
US09716238B2

Provided are an organic EL device which is practically satisfactory in terms of a light-emitting characteristic, a driving voltage, and durability, and a compound for organic EL devices to be used in the device. The organic EL device is an organic EL device produced by laminating, on a substrate, an anode, a plurality of organic layers including a light-emitting layer, and a cathode, the organic EL device containing, in at least one organic layer selected from the light-emitting layer, a hole-transporting layer, an electron-transporting layer, a hole-blocking layer, and an electron-blocking layer, a boron compound having two indolocarbazolyl groups in a molecule thereof. The boron compound is represented by Y-L-B(A)a-L-Y or Y-L(Z)b-Y, where Y represents an indolocarbazolyl group, L represents an aromatic group, and Z represents a boron-containing group.
US09716235B2

The invention relates to organic electroluminescent materials and provides 9,10-bis[2-(p-substituted phenyl)pyrimidin-4-yl] anthracene compounds and methods of preparing the same, organic electroluminescent devices comprising the compounds, and organic electroluminescent display apparatus comprising the devices. The compounds of the invention are easy to be synthesized and can be used as blue-phosphorescent organic electroluminescent materials. Due to the inherent ability of the materials to block holes, there is no need to arrange a hole-blocking layer between a light-emitting layer and an electron transport layer, which simplifies the manufacturing process of full color display panels of organic electroluminescent display apparatus and reduces the manufacture cost and time. The organic electroluminescent devices made from the materials exhibit high luminous efficiency.
US09716220B2

Disclosed is a graphene-based terahertz device that includes a top graphene layer, a bottom graphene layer, and a middle layer disposed between the top graphene layer and the bottom graphene layer. The middle layer is a liquid crystal layer, a piezocrystal layer, an ionic liquid layer, or an ion gel layer. Also disclosed are methods of preparing different embodiments of the above-described graphene-based terahertz device.
US09716218B2

A manufacturing method of a thermoelectric module comprises forming a first wax model in which the first thermoelectric elements are arranged in a predetermined pattern, forming a first mold from the first wax model, casting a group of the first thermoelectric elements by pouring molten metal of a first thermoelectric material into the first mold to solidify the molten metal, forming a second wax model that represents arrangement of second thermoelectric elements to form the thermoelectric module by being connected with the first thermoelectric elements, forming a second mold from the second wax model, casting the group of the second thermoelectric elements by pouring molten metal of a second thermoelectric material into the second mold to solidify the molten metal, and connecting the group of the first thermoelectric elements with the group of the second thermoelectric elements electrically in series.
US09716212B2

A light emitting device including a light emitting element that has a peak light emission wavelength of from 400 nm to 455 nm, a first fluorescent material that has a peak fluorescence wavelength in the range of from 650 nm to 670 nm, and a second fluorescent material that has a peak fluorescence wavelength in the range of from 520 nm to 550 nm, wherein the light emitting device exhibits a light emission spectrum with an average light emission strength of 30% or less in the range of from 600 nm to 620 nm, when the maximum light emission strength in the range of from 520 nm to 550 nm is taken as 100%.
US09716208B2

Occurrence of a crosstalk phenomenon is prevented in a light-emitting device including a tandem element. The light-emitting device includes an insulating layer, a first lower electrode over the insulating layer, a second lower electrode over the insulating layer, a partition positioned over the insulating layer and between the first lower electrode and the second lower electrode, a first light-emitting unit over the first lower electrode, the partition, and the second lower electrode, intermediate layers over the first light-emitting unit, a second light-emitting unit over the intermediate layer, and an upper electrode over the second light-emitting unit. The partition has a first depression.
US09716201B2

A photovoltaic device including a single junction solar cell provided by an absorption layer of a type IV semiconductor material having a first conductivity, and an emitter layer of a type III-V semiconductor material having a second conductivity, wherein the type III-V semiconductor material has a thickness that is no greater than 50 nm.
US09716195B2

A method for texturing silicon includes loading a silicon wafer into a vacuum chamber, heating the silicon wafer and thermal cracking a gas to generate cracked sulfur species. The silicon wafer is exposed to the cracked sulfur species for a time duration in accordance with a texture characteristic needed for a surface of the silicon wafer.
US09716189B2

A polyester film including a cyclic carbodiimide compound represented by the following Formula (O-1) has good film thickness uniformity without increase in viscosity. R1 and R5 represent an alkyl group, an aryl group, or an alkoxy group; R2 to R4 and R6 to R8 represent a hydrogen atom, an alkyl group, an aryl group, or an alkoxy group; X1 and X2 represent a single bond, —O—, —CO—, —S—, —SO2—, —NH—, or —CH2—; and L1 represents a divalent linking group.
US09716185B2

A field effect transistor includes: a semiconductor substrate having a main surface; a plurality of source electrodes and a plurality of drain electrodes alternately disposed and ohmic-connected with the main surface of the semiconductor substrate; a plurality of gate electrodes Schottky-connected with the main surface of the semiconductor substrate and respectively disposed between the plurality of source electrodes and the plurality of drain electrodes; and a Schottky electrode Schottky-connected with the main surface of the semiconductor substrate, wherein each of the plurality of drain electrodes has first and second portions separated from each other, a sum of widths of the first and second portions of each drain electrode is smaller than a width of one source electrode, the Schottky electrode is disposed between the first portion and the second portion of the drain electrode.
US09716184B2

In an embodiment, this disclosure relates to a method of creating an alignment feature within a sidewall image transfer process by the addition of a block mask. The presence of the alignment feature would enable better overlay and alignment for subsequent lithographic stacks.
US09716176B2

FinFET semiconductor devices and methods of forming the same are provided. The finFET semiconductor devices may include an insulator layer, a bottom semiconductor layer on the insulator layer, a channel fin on the bottom semiconductor layer, a source region on the bottom semiconductor layer and adjacent a first side of the channel fin, and a drain region on the bottom semiconductor layer and adjacent a second side of the channel fin opposite the first side.
US09716175B2

A quasi-nanowire transistor and a method of manufacturing the same are provided, the quasi-nanowire transistor comprising: providing an SOI substrate comprising a substrate layer (100), a BOX layer (120) and an SOI layer (130); forming a basic fin structure on the SOI layer, the basic fin structure comprising at least one silicon/silicon-germanium stack; forming source/drain regions (110) on both sides of the basic fin structure; forming a quasi-nanowire fin from a basic fin structure and an SOI layer thereunder; and forming a gate stack across the quasi-nanowire fin. The method can effectively control gate length characteristics. A semiconductor structure formed by the above method is also provided.
US09716172B2

A semiconductor device and method of forming the same are described. A semiconductor device includes an active area adjacent a channel in a semiconductor composite. The active area includes a first active area layer having a first dopant concentration, a second active area layer having a second dopant concentration over the first active area layer, and a third active area layer having a third dopant concentration, over the second active area. The third dopant concentration is greater than the second dopant concentration, and the second dopant concentration is greater than the first dopant concentration. The channel includes a second channel layer comprising carbon over a first channel layer and a third channel layer over the second channel layer. The active area configuration improves drive current and reduces contact resistance, and the channel configuration increases short channel control, as compared to a semiconductor device without the active area and channel configuration.
US09716169B2

A lateral double diffused metal oxide semiconductor field-effect transistor includes semiconductor substrates, body regions positioned in the semiconductor substrates, drift regions positioned in the semiconductor substrates, source regions and a body leading-out region which are positioned in the body regions and spaced from the drift regions, a field region and drain regions which are positioned in the drift regions, and gates positioned on the surfaces of the semiconductor substrates to partially cover the body regions, the drift regions and the field region, wherein the field region is of a finger-like structure and comprises a plurality of strip field regions which extend from the source regions to the drain regions and are isolated by the active regions; and the strip field regions provided with strip gate extending regions extending from the gates.
US09716147B2

A method for making a semiconductor device may include forming a plurality of stacked groups of layers on a semiconductor substrate, with each group of layers including a plurality of stacked base semiconductor monolayers defining a base semiconductor portion and at least one non-semiconductor monolayer constrained within a crystal lattice of adjacent base semiconductor portions. The method may further include implanting a dopant in the semiconductor substrate beneath the plurality of stacked groups of layers in at least one localized region, and performing an anneal of the plurality of stacked groups of layers and semiconductor substrate and with the plurality of stacked groups of layers vertically and horizontally constraining the dopant in the at least one localized region.
US09716143B2

An embodiment semiconductor device includes a nanowire extending upwards from a semiconductor substrate, a source/drain region in the nanowire, and a channel region in the nanowire over the source/drain region. The source/drain region further extends into the semiconductor substrate past edges of the nanowire. The semiconductor device further includes a gate structure encircling the channel region and a silicide in an upper portion of the source/drain region. A sidewall of the silicide is aligned with a sidewall of the gate structure.
US09716137B1

An integrated circuit includes 3D memory blocks and 3D capacitor blocks. The 3D capacitor comprises a plurality of stacks of conductive strips alternating with insulating strips, and a first terminal connected to conductive strips in consecutive levels in one or more stacks, whereby the conductive strips act as a first plate of the 3D capacitor. A second terminal is insulated from the first terminal, either connected to conductive strips in consecutive levels in another or other stacks, or connected to a plurality of pillars. No intervening conductive strip is disposed between the conducive strips in consecutive levels.
US09716121B1

The invention relates to a majority current assisted detector device, comprising a semiconductor layer of a first conductivity type epitaxially grown on a semiconductor substrate, at least two control regions of the first conductivity type, at least two detection regions of a second conductivity type opposite to the first conductivity type, and a source for generating a majority carrier current in the semiconductor layer between the two control regions, the majority current being associated with an electrical field. The detection regions surround the control regions, thereby forming at least two taps. The device is configured for backside illumination and further comprises a well of the first conductivity type between the two detection regions for insulating the detection regions. The well comprises pixel circuitry elements.
US09716106B2

An integrated circuit (IC) may include at least one cell including a plurality of conductive lines that extend in a first direction and are in parallel to each other in a second direction that is perpendicular to the first direction, first contacts respectively disposed at two sides of at least one conductive line from among the plurality of conductive lines, and a second contact disposed on the at least one conductive line and the first contacts and forming a single node by being electrically connected to the at least one conductive line and the first contacts.
US09716097B2

Some embodiments of the present disclosure relate to a flash memory device. The flash memory device includes first and second individual source/drain (S/D) regions spaced apart within a semiconductor substrate. A common S/D region is arranged laterally between the first and second individual S/D regions, and is separated from the first individual S/D region by a first channel region and is separated from the second individual S/D region by a second channel region. An erase gate is arranged over the common S/D. A floating gate is disposed over the first channel region and is arranged to a first side of the erase gate. A control gate is disposed over the floating gate. A wordline is disposed over the first channel region and is spaced apart from the erase gate by the floating gate and the control gate. An upper surface of the wordline is a concave surface.
US09716093B1

A semiconductor device including a substrate, insulators, a gate dielectric layer, a first gate structure and a second gate structure is provided. The substrate includes trenches, a first semiconductor fin and a second semiconductor fin. The first gate structure is disposed on the gate dielectric layer and partially covers the first semiconductor fin. The first gate structure includes a first metal gate and a first dielectric cap covering the first metal gate. The second gate structure is disposed on the gate dielectric layer and partially covers the second semiconductor fin. The second gate structure includes a second metal gate and a second dielectric cap covering the second metal gate. Work function of the first metal gate is smaller than work function of the second metal gate and thickness of the first dielectric cap is smaller than thickness of the second dielectric cap.
US09716092B2

A semiconductor device employs surrounding gate transistors (SGTs) which are vertical transistors to constitute a CMOS NAND circuit. The NAND circuit is formed by using a plurality of MOS transistors arranged in m rows and n columns. The MOS transistors constituting the NAND circuit are formed on a planar silicon layer disposed on a substrate, and each have a structure in which a drain, a gate, and a source are arranged in a vertical direction, the gate surrounding a silicon pillar. The planar silicon layer includes a first active region having a first conductivity type and a second active region having a second conductivity type. The first active region and the second active region are connected to one another via a silicon layer formed on a surface of the planar silicon layer. This provides for a semiconductor device that constitutes a NAND circuit.
US09716080B1

A thin fan-out multi-chip stacked package structure including a plurality of stacked chips is provided. The electrodes of the stacked chips and the active surface of the top chip are exposed. A dummy spacer is disposed on the active surface. Each bonding wire has a bonding thread bonded to a chip electrode and an integrally-connected vertical wire segment. A flat encapsulant encapsulates the chip stacked structure and the bonding wires. Polished cross-sectional surfaces of the bonding wires and a surface of the dummy spacer are exposed by the flat surface of the encapsulant. A redistribution layer structure is formed on the flat surface. A passivation layer covers the flat surface and the surface of the dummy spacer but exposes the polished cross-sectional surfaces. Fan-out circuits are formed on the passivation layer and are connected to the polished cross-sectional surfaces of the bonding wires.
US09716075B2

A microelectronic assembly may include a substrate including a rigid dielectric layer having electrically conductive elements, a microelectronic element having a plurality of contacts exposed at a face thereof, and conductive vias extending through a compliant dielectric layer overlying the rigid dielectric layer. The vias electrically connect the substrate contacts respectively to the conductive elements, and the substrate contacts are joined respectively to the contacts of the microelectronic element. The vias, compliant layer and substrate contacts are adapted to appreciably relieve stress at the substrate contacts associated with differential thermal contact and expansion of the assembly.
US09716074B2

An integrated circuit structure includes a semiconductor substrate having a front surface and a back surface; a conductive via passing through the semiconductor substrate; and a metal feature on the back surface of the semiconductor substrate. The metal feature includes a metal pad overlying and contacting the conductive via, and a metal line over the conductive via. The metal line includes a dual damascene structure. The integrated circuit structure further includes a bump overlying the metal line.
US09716065B2

Various embodiments include methods and integrated circuit structures. One method includes: forming a via opening through a trench to expose a portion of an underlying metal line; electrolessly plating a metal layer at a bottom of the via opening over the exposed portion of the underlying metal line, the electrolessly plated metal layer formed of a metal not including copper; depositing a cobalt layer to cover the bottom of the via opening over the electrolessly plated metal layer and sidewalls of the via opening; and growing a copper layer over the cobalt layer to form a line within the trench and a via filling the via opening.
US09716058B2

A power module includes one control IC and a plurality of reverse conducting insulated gate bipolar transistors (RC-IGBTs). The control IC has the functions of a high-voltage IC and a low-voltage IC. The plurality of RC-IGBTs are disposed on three of four sides of the control IC and connected to the control IC through only wires.
US09716053B2

A semiconductor device includes a wiring substrate, a semiconductor element mounted on the wiring substrate, and a heat dissipation component arranged on the wiring substrate. The heat dissipation component includes a cavity that accommodates the semiconductor element and includes an inner surface opposing the wiring substrate. The semiconductor element is located between the inner surface of the cavity and the wiring substrate. A heat conductor is bonded to the semiconductor element and to the inner surface of the cavity. The heat conductor includes linear heat conductive matters arranged between the semiconductor element and the heat dissipation component. A first alloy layer bonded to the semiconductor element covers lower ends of the heat conductive matters. The heat dissipation component includes a through hole extending through the heat dissipation component toward the heat conductor from a location outside of the heat conductor in a plan view.
US09716052B2

A ground working tool comprising a tubular base body with an inner receiving space for receiving a cylindrical core of solid ground material, connector mechanism for connecting the tubular base body with a rotary drive and locking mechanism for locking the core in the receiving space of the tubular base body. The locking mechanism involves at least one locking unit having a guide rail being disposed at an inner side of the tubular base body and arranged with a deviation angle relative to a tangential direction of the tubular base body and the locking unit further comprises at least one locking element, which is moveably mounted on the guide rail between a radially outer releasing position and a radially inner locking position, in which the core is clamped within the receiving space by means of the at least one locking element.
US09716049B2

A semiconductor device includes: a substrate; a semiconductor element disposed on the substrate; a plurality of electrodes disposed on the substrate separately from one another and arranged so as to surround the semiconductor element in a plan view; a lid that cover the semiconductor element, the lid including an inner portion and a periphery portion that is outer than the inner portion in a plan view, the lid including a plurality of first protruding members that is provided separately from one another, the first protruding members being disposed in the inner portion; and conductive members disposed between the plurality of electrodes and the plurality of protruding members disposed in positions opposed to the plurality of electrodes respectively, the conductive members being joined to the plurality of electrodes and the plurality of protruding members respectively.
US09716048B2

Provided is a semiconductor device including an interconnection structure provided on a cell region of a substrate to include a first line and a second line sequentially stacked on the substrate, and a defect detection structure provided on a peripheral region of the substrate to include first and second defect detection lines provided at the same levels as those of the first and second lines, respectively.
US09716029B2

A method for transferring a layer of semiconductor by providing a donor substrate that includes a useful layer of a semiconductor material, a confinement structure that includes a confinement layer of a semiconductor material having a chemical composition that is different than that of the useful layer, and two protective layers of semiconductor material that are distinct from the confinement layer with the protective layers being arranged on both sides of the confinement layer; introducing ions into a donor substrate, bonding the donor substrate to a receiver substrate, subjecting the donor and receiver substrates to a heat treatment that provides an increase in temperature during which the confinement layer attracts the ions in order to concentrate them in the confinement layer, and detaching the donor substrate from the receiver substrate by breaking the confinement layer.
US09716025B2

Provided is temporary bonding laminates for used in a manufacture of semiconductor devices, by which a member to be processed (a semiconductor wafer or the like) can be temporarily supported securely and readily during a mechanical or chemical process of the member to be processed and then the processed member can be readily released from the temporary support without damaging the processed member even after a high temperature process, and processes for manufacturing semiconductor devices. The temporary bonding laminate includes (A) a release layer and (B) an adhesive layer, wherein the release layer (A) comprises (a1) a first release layer having a softening point of 200° C. or more and adjoining the adhesive layer (B), and (a2) a second release layer adjoining the first release layer (a1); the second release layer (a2) contains a resin; and the resin after curing has a capable of being dissolved at 5% by mass or more, at 25° C., in at least one kind of solvents selected from hexane and the like.
US09716022B2

A method of determining thermal stability of an upper surface of a substrate support assembly comprises recording time resolved pre-process temperature data of the substrate before performing a plasma processing process while powering an array of thermal control elements to achieve a desired spatial and temporal temperature of the upper surface. A substrate is processed while powering the array of thermal control elements to achieve a desired spatial and temporal temperature of the upper surface of the assembly, and time resolved post-process temperature data of the assembly is recorded after processing the substrate. The post-process temperature data is recorded while powering the thermal control elements to achieve a desired spatial and temporal temperature of the upper surface. The post-process temperature data is compared to the pre-process temperature data to determine whether the data is within a desired tolerance range.
US09716014B2

A method according to an embodiment includes (i) a step of preparing a workpiece in a processing container of a plasma processing apparatus, (ii) a first plasma processing step of generating a plasma of a first processing gas, which contains chlorine, in the processing container, (iii) a second plasma processing step of generating a plasma of a second processing gas, which contains fluorine, in the processing container, and (iv) a third plasma processing step of generating a plasma of a third processing gas, which contains oxygen, in the processing container. A plurality of sequences, each of which includes the first plasma processing step, the second plasma processing step, and the third plasma processing step, are performed.
US09716005B1

Atomic layer deposition in selected zones of a workpiece surface is accomplished by transforming the surfaces outside the selected zones to a hydrophobic state while the materials in the selected zones remain hydrophilic.
US09716003B2

Provided are an oxide semiconductor layer in which the number of defects is reduced and a highly reliable semiconductor device including the oxide semiconductor. A first oxide semiconductor layer containing a single metal element as a constituent element is formed over a substrate by a thermal chemical vapor deposition method. A second oxide semiconductor layer containing two or more metal elements as constituent elements is formed successively after the first oxide semiconductor layer is formed. The second oxide semiconductor layer is formed by epitaxial growth using the first oxide semiconductor layer as a seed crystal. A channel is formed in the second oxide semiconductor layer.
US09715999B2

A chromatograph mass spectrometer including an optimum gas pressure search controller that performs an MRM measurement for a target compound while changing a collision-gas pressure, investigates an optimum collision-gas pressure giving a highest signal strength based on the measured result, and stores the same gas pressure for each compound in a compound-related information storage section. When a target compound is specified in a simultaneous multicomponent analysis, a control sequence determiner reads the optimum collision-gas pressure and retention time information corresponding to the specified compound from the storage section, prepares a control sequence which sets the gas pressure in a collision cell at the optimum gas pressure at the timing where each compound is eluted, and stores the sequence in a control sequence storage section.
US09715982B2

An alarm circuit for electronic device includes a detection unit, a signal conversion circuit, and an alarm control circuit. The detection unit is configured to detect a working status of an electronic device, and output a control signal of a first voltage level when the detection circuit determines the presence of smoke in the electronic device. The signal conversion circuit is configured to receive the control signal of the first voltage level, and convert the control signal of the first voltage level to an alarm signal of a first voltage level. The alarm control circuit is configured to receive the alarm signal of the first voltage level and transmit an alarm.
US09715981B2

A multiple relay arrangement having a plurality of relay sockets which are arranged next to each other and a plurality of relays. The relay sockets contain additional plug connections with which the relays are controlled by the system cabling. The system cabling contains a distribution section having cable sections and plug connectors and allows the plurality of relays to be controlled.
US09715977B1

A keyboard with height-adjustable keys is provided. The keyboard includes a key supporting plate, the keys and a movable plate. Each key includes a supporting element. Moreover, plural bulges are disposed on the supporting element. The movable plate is disposed under the key supporting plate. The key is fixed on the key supporting plate. The key is connected with the key supporting plate through the supporting element. Moreover, the plural bulges are penetrated downwardly through the key supporting plate and inserted in the movable plate. While the movable plate is moved, the bulges are pushed and the key is moved toward the key supporting plate with the supporting element. Consequently, the height of the key is lowered.
US09715975B2

A keyswitch includes a board, a cap, and a support device disposed between the board and the cap. A first abutting side of a first support member of the support device has a first hole formed toward a first bending arm of the board. The first bending arm is disposed through the first hole for pressing the first abutting side to abut against the board. The first abutting side has a second magnetic portion formed toward the second support member. A support portion extends from a second abutting side of the second support member toward the first support member for supporting the second magnetic portion. When the cap is pressed to make the second magnetic portion separate from a first magnetic portion of the board with rotation of the first and second support members relative to the first and second abutting sides, the cap moves to a pressed position.
US09715972B2

A trip assembly is for an electrical switching apparatus. The electrical switching apparatus includes a housing, an electrical communication assembly coupled to the housing, separable contacts enclosed by the housing, and an operating mechanism for opening and closing the separable contacts. The trip assembly has an indication assembly including a plunger member and a number of auxiliary switches each structured to be coupled to the housing. The plunger member is structured to actuate each of the number of auxiliary switches, thereby electrically communicating a circuit status to the electrical communication assembly.
US09715970B2

An electric double-layer ultracapacitor configured to maintain desired operation at an operating voltage of three volts, where the capacitor includes a housing component, a first and a second current collector, a positive and a negative electrode electrically coupled to one of the first and second current collectors, and a separator positioned between the positive and the negative electrode. The capacitor may also include an electrolyte in ionic contact with the electrodes and the separator, the electrolyte having acetonitrile and a quaternary ammonium salt with a molarity of less than one.
US09715968B2

In a multilayer capacitor, a multilayer capacitor main body includes first and second main surfaces, first and second side surfaces, and first and second end surfaces, the first and second main surfaces extending in a length direction and a width direction, the first and second side surfaces extending in the length direction and a thickness direction, and the first and second end surfaces extending in the width direction and the thickness direction. The second main surface is depressed in a portion extending from opposite ends of the second main surface toward a center of the second main surface in the length direction.
US09715954B2

A cable including a conductive composite core formed from braided carbonized fibers and fiberglass fibers. At least a portion of the fiberglass fibers are coated with magnetic material to suppress electromagnetic interference noise. Methods of forming such cables is also provided herein.
US09715950B2

A single cell apparatus and method for single ion addressing are described herein. One apparatus includes a single cell configured to set a frequency, intensity, and a polarization of a laser, shutter the laser, align the shuttered laser to an ion in an ion trap such that the ion fluoresces light and/or performs a quantum operation, and detect the light fluoresced from the ion.
US09715949B2

The radiation monitor includes: a shutter; a calculation section; an AC solenoid; a temperature switch which is attached to the AC solenoid; a circuit protector which has a contact and is connected in series to the AC solenoid; and a mode selection switch connected in series to the AC solenoid. The shutter is maintained in a closed state when the mode selection switch is set to a normal mode; the mode selection switch is changed from the normal mode to a check radiation source mode, thereby flowing an AC current through the AC solenoid to change the shutter from the closed state to an opened state; and the contact of the temperature switch is reversed from the opened state to the closed state, thereby disconnecting the contact of the circuit protector to interrupt the AC current that flows through the AC solenoid.
US09715946B2

A nuclear fuel assembly is provided for a boiling water reactor. The nuclear fuel assembly includes a base, a head, and a bundle of full length fuel rods and partial length fuel rods, said bundle extending upwardly and longitudinally from the base to the head. The nuclear fuel assembly includes at least one clamp for longitudinally retaining a lower plug of a partial length fuel rod with respect to the base. The clamp is an additional part fitted to the base, the clamp is at least partially received in a housing provided in the base, and the clamp is assembled to the base by mechanical engagement of complementary assemblies.
US09715941B2

A sample-and-hold circuit includes a sampling capacitor, a first transistor, a first switch between a gate electrode and a source electrode of the first transistor, a current source connected to the source electrode of the first transistor, and a resistive element and a second switch connected in parallel between a drain electrode of the first transistor and a predetermined voltage. The resistive element may include a second transistor biased to operate in a linear region according to a gate control signal at a gate electrode of the second transistor, or may include multiple transistor banks connected in parallel, each including a second transistor biased to operate in a linear region according to a gate control signal at a gate electrode of the second transistor. The gate control signal may originate from a circuit including a state machine.
US09715928B2

Embodiments of the invention are directed towards a memory device comprising a plurality of wordlines each coupled to a row of memory cells in a subtile of the memory device, a plurality of level one column select circuits coupled to each cell in a plurality of groups of cells in a subtile, a plurality of level two column select circuits coupled to each of the plurality of groups of cells in the subtile, a common bit line coupled to the plurality of level one column select circuits and the plurality of level two column select circuits, the common bit line also coupled to a sense and program circuit, wherein the sense and program circuit addresses each first cell in each of the groups of cells to form a single page of memory.
US09715927B2

Methods for reading and programming one or more resistive change elements within a 1-R resistive change element array are disclosed. These methods include using measurement and storage elements to measure the electrical response of one or more selected cells within an array and then comparing that stored electrical response to the electrical response of a reference element within the array to determine the resistive state of the one or more selected cells. These methods also include programming methods wherein selectable current limiting elements are used to permit or inhibit programming currents from flowing through selected and unselected cells, respectively. These methods further include programming methods that use specific biasing of array lines to provide sufficient programming currents through only selected cells.
US09715926B2

A method to program a memristive device includes applying a pulse sequence including at least a series of pulses in alternating polarity to set the memristive device. The series has an odd number of pulses where odd numbered pulses have a first electrical polarity that switches the device to the state and even numbered pulse or pulses have a second electrical polarity.
US09715925B2

Methods for operating a non-volatile storage system are described. The non-volatile storage system includes a plurality of bit lines, a plurality of word line combs each comprising a plurality of word lines, and a plurality of resistance-switching memory elements. Each resistance-switching memory element is coupled between one of the bit lines and one of the word lines. The method includes calibrating a plurality of bias voltages for the word lines and bit lines based on estimates of data values stored in the resistance-switching memory elements.
US09715924B2

A non-volatile memory system includes a plurality of non-volatile memory cells, one or more control circuits that perform programming of the memory cells, a power supply line that provides a supply used to program the memory cells, and a current measurement circuit. The current measurement circuit senses an indication of current on the power supply line. The one or more control circuits determine whether the programming of the memory cells is successful based on the indication of current.
US09715919B1

Methods, systems, and apparatuses for memory array bit inversion are described. A memory cell (e.g., a ferroelectric memory cell) may be written with a charge associated with a logic state that may be the inverse of the intended logic state of the cell. That is, the actual logic state of one or more memory cells may be inverted, but the intended logic state of the memory cells may remain unchanged. Different sets of transistors may be configured around a sense component of a cell to enable reading and writing of intended and inverted logic states from or to the cell. For instance, a first set of transistors may be used to read the logic state currently stored at a memory cell, while a second set of transistors may be used to read a logic state inverted from the currently stored logic state.
US09715916B1

In one embodiment, a bit state in a supply-switched dual cell memory bitcell in accordance with the present description, may be read by coupling a supply line to a common node of the bitcell to drive complementary currents through complementary resistance state storage cells for a pair of complementary bit line signal lines of the bitcell. The bit state of the bitcell may be read by sensing complementary bit state signals on the pair of first and second complementary bit line signal lines. In one embodiment, each resistance state storage cell has a resistance state ferromagnetic device such as a magnetic-tunneling junction (MTJ). In one embodiment, a supply-switched dual cell memory bitcell in accordance with the present description may lack a source or select line (SL) signal line. Other aspects are described herein.
US09715912B2

An integrated circuit device comprises a first data processing element having a first data interface configured to synchronously communicate data according to a first clock signal at a first clock speed, and a second data interface configured to synchronously communicate data at a second clock speed lower than the first clock speed; and a second data processing element configured to operate in response to a second clock signal at the second clock speed and to synchronously communicate data with the first data processing element via the second data interface according to the second clock speed; the first data processing element being configured to derive, from a source clock signal, the first clock signal and the second clock signal; and the first data processing element and the second data processing element each comprising a clock signal interface by which the second clock signal is provided by the first data processing element to the second data processing element.
US09715901B1

A system and method including: a source video for broadcast by a social media platform may be received; a set of video snippets may be extracted from the source video; a subset of the video snippets may be joined to form a preview video; a request for content for an account of the social media platform may be received from a client device; and the preview video may be provided to the client device for automatic playback by the client device in a playback area displayed inline with a message stream of the account.
US09715889B1

A magnetic read apparatus has a media-facing surface (MFS) and includes a read sensor, a magnetic bias structure and an insulating layer. The read sensor has a side, a front occupying part of the MFS and a back. The read sensor includes a free layer, a pinned layer and a barrier layer between the free and pinned layers. The barrier layer has a barrier layer coefficient of thermal expansion. The magnetic bias structure is adjacent to the side of the free layer. The insulating layer includes first and second portions. The first portion of the insulating layer is between the read sensor side and the magnetic bias structure. The second portion of the insulating layer adjoins the read sensor back. The insulating layer has an insulating layer coefficient of thermal expansion that is at least ⅓ of and not more than 5/3 of the barrier layer coefficient of thermal expansion.
US09715888B1

A data writer may be configured with at least a write pole continuously extending from an air bearing surface to a via. The write pole can contact at least one yoke that contacts the write pole. The write pole and yoke may each be disposed between and separated from a write coil that has a single turn and continuously extends to opposite sides of the write pole.
US09715885B2

This invention provides a signal processing apparatus for effectively detecting an abrupt change in an input signal. The signal processing apparatus includes a converter that converts an input signal into a phase component signal and an amplitude component signal in a frequency domain. The signal processing apparatus further includes a calculator that calculates feature amounts of the phase component signal and the amplitude component signal derived by the converter. The signal processing apparatus further includes a determiner that determines presence probability of an abrupt change in the input signal based on the feature amounts calculated by the calculator.
US09715880B2

The present document relates to audio coding systems. In particular, the present document relates to efficient methods and systems for parametric multi-channel audio coding. An audio encoding system (500) configured to generate a bitstream (564) indicative of a downmix signal and spatial metadata for generating a multi-channel upmix signal from the downmix signal is described. The system (500) comprises a downmix processing unit (510) configured to generate the downmix signal from a multi-channel input signal (561); wherein the downmix signal comprises m channels and wherein the multi-channel input signal (561) comprises n channels; n, m being integers with m
US09715876B2

Methods and systems for requesting a transcription of audio data. One method includes displaying a send-for-transcription button within an email-client interface on a computer-controlled display, and automatically sending a selected email message and associated audio data to a transcription server as a request for a transcription of the associated audio data when a user selects the send-for-transcription button.
US09715872B2

A sound attenuating material having a homogenous mixture of an organic man-made fiber, an inorganic man-made fiber, a binder, and a cellulose material wherein the organic man-made fiber is polyester, the inorganic man-made fiber is fiberglass, and the binder is a thermosetting resin. A sound attenuating composite is defined by the sound attenuating material and a ground EVA or a mixture of EVA and one or more recycled materials to define a gradient density sound attenuating composite material. Further, the gradient density composite may optionally include a polyfilm upon which the ground EVA or recycled materials may be disposed or two layers of polyfilm to surround the EVA or EVA mixture. The EVA may be pure EVA or may include a mineral fill.
US09715861B2

A display device includes a display panel including gate lines which extends in a first direction, data lines which extends in a second direction, and sub-pixels connected to corresponding gate and data lines, a gate driver configured to drive the gate lines, a data driver configured to apply a gray-scale voltage to the data lines, and a timing controller configured to generate and apply control signals to the gate and data drivers, where a unit pixel of the display panel is defined by an even number of adjacent sub-pixels among the sub-pixels, each of the data lines is connected to corresponding sub-pixels of the sub-pixels, the data driver inverts a polarity of the gray-scale voltage every two data lines, and two adjacent sub-pixels in the unit pixel are applied with the gray-scale voltages having different polarities.
US09715855B2

A pixel unit includes a first pixel, a second pixel, a third pixel, a fourth pixel and a light-shielding structure. The first pixel has a plurality of first sub-pixels, the second pixel has a plurality of second sub-pixels, the third pixel has a plurality of third pixels, and the fourth pixel has a plurality of fourth sub-pixels. The first sub-pixel has a first electrode extending along a first tilting direction. The second sub-pixel has a second electrode extending along a second tilting direction. The third sub-pixel has a third electrode extending along a third tilting direction. The fourth sub-pixel has a fourth electrode extending along a fourth tilting direction. The first pixel, the second pixel, the third pixel and the fourth pixel surround the light-shielding structure collectively. The first tilting direction, the second tilting direction, the third tilting direction and the fourth tilting direction are different from each other.
US09715853B2

An organic light emitting diode display and a method for driving the same are disclosed. The organic light emitting diode display includes a display panel including data lines and gate lines crossing each other, subpixels each including one or more thin film transistors (TFTs), and sensing paths connected to the subpixels. The display panel includes a first block including a plurality of subpixels having a first TFT structure, a second block including a plurality of subpixels having a second TFT structure different from the first TFT structure, and a sensing circuit which simultaneously senses the plurality of subpixels of the first block through the sensing path and simultaneously senses the plurality of subpixels of the second block through the sensing path.
US09715848B2

An organic light emitting display device includes a display panel having a plurality of sub-pixels; a memory configured to accumulate and store data displayed by each sub-pixel; and a panel driver configured to: calculate a degradation compensation gain value for increasing or decreasing a luminance of each sub-pixel based on accumulated data of each sub-pixel stored in the memory, generate modulated data of each sub-pixel by modulating input data to each sub-pixel according to the calculated degradation compensation gain value, convert the modulated data into a data voltage, and accumulate the modulated data from the accumulated data of the corresponding sub-pixel and then store the data in the memory.
US09715843B2

It is provided a method of estimating an image sticking grade of a display, comprising steps of: displaying a first image in a first frame and a second image in a second frame on the display; switching the display, at at least two sampling times, to display the first image, and then obtaining brightness change factors and image sticking area factors for an image sticking displayed on the display at each sampling time to determine at least two image sticking grades corresponding to each sampling time, wherein an image sticking fading period is set as interval time between two adjacent sampling times to perform an image sticking fading process of the display; and determining a change trend of the image sticking grades of the display during the image sticking fading process based on the at least two image sticking grades when the image sticking stops fading. From the change trend, adverse influences of the image sticking on the display performance may be reflected accurately and fully such that related comprehensive modifications may be made by the skilled based on defects caused by the image sticking in the display.
US09715840B1

A display apparatus includes a shroud having first and second sheet portions disposed in opposition to one another, the first and second sheet portions being connected to one another at a first side by a first joint and at a second side by a second joint. A support member is disposed between the first and second sheet portions and between the first and second joints, the support member being affixed to the first and second sheet portions and movably disposed relative to the first and second joints, the support member being positionable between a closed position and an open position, the open position outwardly biasing the support member against the first and second sheet portions to cause the shroud to assume a curvilinear cross-sectional shape along a length of the shroud. Notches are formed in the first and second joints at a first position along the length of the shroud. One or more elastic members couple the support member the first and/or second joints and bias the support member into the open position and toward engagement with the notches.
US09715837B2

The present invention is a visual prosthesis which restores partial vision to patients blinded by outer retinal degeneration. While visual prosthesis users have achieved remarkable visual improvement to the point of reading letters and short sentences, the reading process is still fairly cumbersome. In the present invention the visual prosthesis is adapted to stimulate visual braille as a sensory substitution for reading written letters and words. The visual prosthesis system, used in the present invention, includes a 10×6 electrode array implanted epiretinally, a tiny video camera mounted on a pair of glasses, and a wearable computer that processes the video and determines the stimulation current of each electrode in real time.
US09715825B2

A method for automatically transmitting an activation signal from a trainable transceiver to a remote electronic system, includes receiving, at a control circuit of the trainable transceiver, image data from an image data source; determining, using the control circuit, if the received image data matches one or more reference images stored in memory and associated with the remote electronic system; and determining, in response to a match between the received image data and the one or more reference images, if the trainable transceiver is approaching the remote electronic system. The method includes, in response to determining that the trainable transceiver is approaching the remote electronic system, formatting an activation signal to control the remote electronic system and transmitting, using a transceiver circuit, the activation signal formatted to control the remote electronic system.
US09715820B1

An approach to providing a group alarm clock wherein the next group alarm is specified by a group member acknowledging a previous group alarm. The approach allows members to join a group alarm clock and provide alarm preferences to the group alarm clock. When the approach determines that the conditions of activating a group alarm are met, the group alarm is sent to the group members. The first group member to acknowledge the group alarm selects the alarm for the next round and is removed from the group. Iterations of group alarms continue until the group alarm clock no longer has any members.
US09715817B2

A system and method is provided for monitoring hygiene compliance.
US09715816B1

Systems and methods for providing a reminder to a mobile device are provided. After receiving a request to establish a reminder from a user, a plurality of reminder options are provided. Each reminder option corresponds to a different category of reminders, and a first reminder option of the reminder options corresponds to a connection state of the mobile device with a processor of a vehicle. A selection of the first reminder option for the reminder is received. An indication of a transition that is to trigger the reminder is also received. The transition corresponds to the mobile device establishing a wireless connection to a processor of the vehicle or the mobile device disconnecting from the vehicle processor. Content for the reminder is received. In response to detecting the transition between the mobile device and the processor of the vehicle, the content of the reminder is provided to the user.
US09715815B2

Systems, methods and computer-readable mediums are disclosed for wirelessly tethered device tracking. In some implementations, a method comprises: determining, by a first wireless device, an estimated distance between the first wireless device and a second wireless device, the second wireless device paired with the first wireless device; selecting, by the first wireless device, a first alarm to be generated by the first wireless device based on the estimated distance; and causing, by the first wireless device, the selected first alarm to be generated on the first wireless device.
US09715810B2

A logistics monitoring system includes: a conveying device configured to transport a product along a conveyance path including a plurality of nodes, generate node-based position information based on a node visited by the conveying device from among the plurality of nodes, and generate driving information related to driving of the conveying device; a monitoring device configured to monitor a state of the conveying device and generate a state parameter based on a result of monitoring; and a diagnostic device configured to determine a position of the conveying device based on map data and at least one of the node-based position information and the driving information, the map data including node information of each of the plurality of nodes and link information of each of a plurality of links, the plurality of links respectively connecting at least two of the plurality of nodes.
US09715809B2

A fall protection harness has a magnetic sensor coupled to it, and a computer processor is coupled to the magnetic sensor. Upon damage to the fall protection harness, the magnetic sensor senses the damage, the magnetic sensor generates a first signal to the computer processor, and the computer processor generates a second signal indicating the damage.
US09715801B2

A system of pressure sensors for tracking displacement of an object and communicating with a user when one or more objects are moved or otherwise displaced is provided. The system includes one or more pressure sensors in communication with at least one personal communication device through a remote database. One or more contact groups are stored on the remote database, and contacts of the one or more contact groups are alerted when the one or more pressure sensors detect a pressure change.
US09715796B2

A communicating circuit breaker architecture with automatic load center position identification links circuit breakers having electronics for reporting a self-status signal including operating data and a position identifier. Each breaker has light pipes with optical ports at its sides for communicating with its neighbors and preferably a mechanically operated optical shunt providing an optical path through the breaker in the event of a trip. Each breaker has optical data transceivers for the light pipes which transmit self-status information through the light pipes and receive and repeat neighboring breaker status signals to its neighbors. The breakers form a network via their aligned optical ports reporting to an aggregator device in a known position of the Load Center which transmits breaker status reports outside the load center. Each breaker has a logic unit for determining its position in the load center based on the received position of a neighboring device.
US09715795B2

Embodiments include a system that includes a first modular computing unit comprising a first signal communication interface, and an indicator module coupled to the first modular computing unit. The indicator module comprises, on a first side wall of the indicator module, a second signal communication interface adapted to register with the first signal communication interface of the first modular computing unit, thereby communicatively coupling the indicator module with the first modular computing unit in order to propagate signals from the first modular computing unit for display on the indicator module.
US09715793B1

A cash handling device may receive a request to perform a deposit transaction at a deployment location of the device. The device may receive at least one deposit item. The device may validate the at least one deposit item and generate a deposit transaction record, which may include information directing a server to apply a provisional credit to at least one treasury account. The device may send the deposit transaction record to the server. The device may receive a request to perform a change order transaction and may receive at least one change order item. The device may validate the at least one change order item and may dispense one or more currency items to complete the change order transaction. The device may generate and send, to the server, a change order transaction record, which may include information directing the server to update one or more transaction history records.
US09715792B2

Methods, apparatuses, and systems for awarding gaming payouts in slot games are provided. Embodiments are directed to initiating a reelspin and moving at least one modifying symbol to a new symbol location. If a predetermined symbol appears in the new symbol location as a result of the reelspin, the predetermined symbol is replaced with the modifying symbol.
US09715791B2

A method for playing a double draw poker casino card game comprises providing a standard fifty-two card deck of playing cards and two joker cards shuffled together with the standard fifty-two card deck. Each of the two joker cards is valued as an ace, as a fill-in card for a straight, or as a fill-in card for a flush. Each player places an ante bet and a bonus bet and receives five dealt cards. Each player folds or makes a first optional draw card bet and discards and draws up to three draw cards. Each player folds or makes a second optional draw card bet and discards and draws up to one draw card, producing a final double draw five card poker hand that receives a payout against a first payout table, for the ante bet and draw bets, and against a second payout table for the bonus bet.
US09715788B2

A method of gaming with multiple players comprising: determining a set of eligible multi-player game players; assigning each eligible multi-player game player a number of multi-player game turns depending on a wager amount; and conducting the multi-player game turns with the eligible multi-player game players and determining multi-player game turn outcomes until a multi-player game end condition occurs.
US09715786B2

An electronic method of gaming comprising: displaying a sequence of first awards including a current first award; receiving one or more selections with respect to a plurality of second awards until an award condition is met; modifying the display of the sequence of first awards to sequentially advance the display of the sequence of first awards to thereby change the current first award whenever the one or more selections are received; and making the current first award when the award condition is met.
US09715783B2

A regulated hybrid gaming system comprised of a terminal including an entertainment software controller coupled to a gaming environment multiplexer, wherein the entertainment software controller receives credit and provides an entertainment game; a real world controller provides a gambling game; and the gaming environment multiplexer which receives from a game world controller a request to couple the game world controller to the entertainment software engine providing the entertainment game; determines that the game world controller is approved for a regulatory regime; and couples the game world controller to the entertainment software controller, when the multiplexer determines that the game world controller is approved for the regulatory regime.
US09715782B2

A method of presenting a game selection screen in a multi-game environment on a gaming machine is taught. The method being executed by a computerized game controller, the method comprising: (a) for each game Gi in the multi-game environment, where i=1:the maximum number of games: (ai) preparing frame buffers FBi by rendering the respective game's associated game screen into the respective FBi; and (aii) recording a first time stamp; (b) recording a second time stamp, where the second time stamp is indicative of a time later than the first time stamp; and determining if one of the frame buffers FBi requires updating, and when a positive determination is made, preparing said frame buffer by rendering the respective game's associated game screen into the respective FBi using a delta time between the second time stamp and the first time stamp; and (c) forming dynamic icons for display on the game selection screen by rendering each previously prepared frame buffer FBi while controlling one or more visual aspects of the dynamic icons. Further provided is a game controller for a gaming machine having a display for presenting a game selection screen in a multi-game environment.
US09715768B2

An electronic tracking system for electronically tracking a vehicle includes a vehicle. A decal is adhered to the vehicle and a tracking unit is coupled to the decal. The tracking unit is in electrical communication with an extrinsic communications network thereby facilitating a location of the vehicle to be tracked via the extrinsic communications network.
US09715748B2

Method for displaying and identifying relevant paths through a graph by displaying them in a tabular format and providing user defined and computed values and filters. Each graph is represented as a set of nodes and edges. Each path through the graph is displayed as a row in a table where the user can apply sorting, filtering, and compute intrinsic or extrinsic information to augment the data.
US09715746B2

A curve rendering method includes calculating a step size based on a length of a straight line connecting a start point and an end point among control points of a curve to be rendered, and calculating initial values of a forward differencing algorithm (FDA) based on the calculated step size and coefficient values of an equation of the curve that is determined based on the control points. The method further includes generating an FDA table based on the initial values, and calculating a coordinate value of a pixel based on the FDA table.
US09715739B2

A method of determining bone fragment navigation may include receiving pre-operative 2D image data of a reference bone structure and a bone fragment. The reference bone structure may include a first set of fiducial markers provided thereon, and the bone fragment may include a second set of fiducial markers provided thereon. The method may further include performing a 2D-3D registration between the pre-operative 2D image data and a 3D model of the reference bone structure and the bone fragment, after manual repositioning of the bone fragment, receiving second 2D image data, performing 2D-2D registration of the first set of fiducial markers and the second set of fiducial markers between the pre-operative 2D image data and the second 2D image data, and determining 3D movement of the bone fragment based at least in part on the 2D-2D registration.
US09715730B2

The three-dimensional measurement apparatus includes: a base camera for capturing a workpiece to acquire a first image; a reference camera for capturing the workpiece from a view point different from the base camera to acquire a second image; and a camera control unit for extracting multiple edge lines from the first and second images, calculating line-of-sight errors with respect to provisional three-dimensional coordinates, wherein the line-of-sight errors are calculated at an endpoint of a first edge line selected from the multiple edge lines of the first image and an endpoint of a second edge line extracted from the multiple edge lines of the second image to correspond to the first edge line, setting an evaluation function from the line-of-sight errors, and a three-dimensional constraint condition set based on a shape of the workpiece, and making an optimization calculation of the evaluation function to measure the three-dimensional coordinates of the workpiece.
US09715716B2

Provided is a data processing apparatus of an organic light emitting display device, which performs encoding and decoding through different schemes according to frequency components and data components, thereby preventing loss of a high frequency component included in data.
US09715713B1

The inappropriate use of a mobile device and/or a motor vehicle may be ameliorated through audit by a supervisor, parent or peer using a system that monitors vehicle movements and mobile device use and notifies the supervisor, parent or peer of potentially inappropriate use, such as simultaneous vehicle and mobile device use, use of the mobile device generally at times when such use is normally inappropriate according to a calendar of events, and use of the motor vehicle generally at a location or at a time and location that is normally inappropriate.
US09715704B2

A system and method for assisting ordering and payment processing of an order invoice associated with a product selected by a customer. The system comprises collecting product data about the product and generates the order invoice information for use by at least an accounting system of the merchant. The system receives symbology information in an aggregated barcode associated with the order invoice, the symbology information including at least a portion of the order invoice information encoded using a coding scheme of a barcode. The system provides an image of the aggregated barcode to the customer for use in generating a transaction request for settlement of the order invoice, and receives a transaction response indicating transaction approval or transaction denial of the order invoice.
US09715702B2

Business rules can govern a single price or they can define relationships between different products involving two or more decision prices. One problem that retailers can face is that business rules are generally not codified and are rarely followed consistently, and thus it can be difficult to articulate existing business rules or generate new business rules. However, existing price information inherently contains industry knowledge and experience, even if retailers find it difficult to express that knowledge. The disclosed technology generates business rules by reverse engineering rule bounds and coefficients from existing price information. The reverse engineered rule bounds and coefficients can be used in price optimization to generate recommended prices for retail products that optimize revenue and profit while complying with a set of business rules.
US09715697B2

The present disclosure includes a system, method, and article of manufacture for targeting ad impressions. A list of customer records may be transmitted to a service provider system that identifies a matched customer and installs a cookie on a web client associated with the matched customer. The system may further receive a campaign request from a merchant and transmit the campaign request to the service provider system which may add a flag to the cookie based on the campaign request as well as instruct a media buyer system to bid on an ad impression for the matched customer based on the flag. The system may further receive an expenditure associated with the matched customer who received the ad impression and compare the expenditure to an expenditure associated with a customer who did not receive targeted ad impression but fits parameters associated with the campaign request.
US09715693B2

An exemplary method for distributing an offer to a mobile device includes identifying a location of a first mobile device, identifying offer preferences for a user of the first mobile device, and distributing the offer to the first mobile device. The offer is an offer for the purchase of goods or services, the offer meets the offer preferences of the user of the first mobile device, and the offer is encoded with a first offer identifier corresponding to the user of the first mobile device.
US09715692B1

An Internet/world-wide-web based keyword bid management system that allows advertisers on pay-per-click search engines (“PPCSEs”) to influence position (ranking) on said PPCSEs with the use of a rules based bidding engine. Keyword bid rules allow advertisers to influence desired rankings on PPCSEs based on time-of-day, competitor ranking, bid gaps, etc, or combination of said rules and allow advertisers to mimic human bidding behavior through an automated means. The system comprises of specialized software (“rules based bidding system”) that is hosted by an ASP (“application service provider”) so that all of the advertiser's interactions with said software can take place from any personal computer with Internet access and relatively recent Internet browser software without the requirement of having to download any additional software locally.
US09715689B1

A computer-implemented system and method that includes receiving, by a messaging hub computer system, from a point of sale (POS) device of a merchant, a request to process a refund for a transaction that occurred between the merchant and a mobile device of a payor, the request comprising a previously used code that was exchanged between the POS device and the mobile device. The method includes determining, by the messaging hub computer system, a first financial institution based at least partially on a portion of the code, and receiving, from a computer system of the first financial institution, payment credential information of an account held by the payor to process the refund using the payment credential information. The method may further include transferring, by the messaging hub computer system, the refund from an account held by the merchant to the account held by the payor.
US09715688B1

In various embodiments, two-dimensional (“2D”) barcodes are used in conjunction with a general purpose reloadable debit card (“GPR card”) to facilitate various user administration and management actions. The 2D barcode allows a user to easily perform various actions without having to enter account information. The actions may be initiated upon reading the 2D barcode, and may include accessing a web site, initiating a voice call, sending a text message, or sending an email message. The communications may include indication of the account number, so that a contact center, upon receiving the communication, can quickly ascertain the purchase transaction history. In addition, a destination address encoded in the 2D barcode may be used to uniquely identify the brand of GPR card and/or type of card within a brand. An originating address associated with the communication may be verified against address information associated with the account number.
US09715685B2

Techniques for safe food ordering by voice while driving are described. A customer driving a vehicle decides to order food from a restaurant. The customer launches a food-ordering app on the customer's smartphone. The app detects that the vehicle is moving, disables manual input into the smartphone, and connects to a terminal at a call center. A customer service representative (“CSR”) at the call center communicates with the customer using spoken language to obtain the details of the food order, enters the food order into an ordering system, and transmits the food order via the ordering system to the restaurant for fulfillment. Finally, the customer picks up the ordered food at the restaurant, possibly using a drive-thru window at the restaurant. Thus, the customer is able to complete an order for food without having to stop driving and without averting their eyes from the road.
US09715675B2

The invention relates to a system and method for customizing and storing workflow processes for use in remediation incidents such as security events. One aspect of the invention relates to providing tools to enable creation of customized workflow processes for event driven incident remediation, monitoring and analyzing system activity to identify occurrence of incidents, assigning a workflow process to an incident, applying the assigned workflow process to remediate the incident, and tracking and graphically displaying the status of the workflow process, among other things.
US09715673B2

A system and a method for managing replacement of consumables, the system including an installed base of equipment assemblies, an installed base of consumables, the consumables including recyclable gas purifiers having a limited lifetime and being used in combination with a said equipment assembly. The system includes a server for registering the consumables and having a module for calculating a replacement advice with respect to the consumable that has been registered in the server. A web portal provides a provider or an end user access to the server via the internet. Various data relating to the end user, its equipment assemblies and its consumables may be inputted via the web portal and the replacement advice that is associated with the registered consumables may be outputted via the web portal.
US09715672B2

A self-checkout kiosk enables a patron to purchase or allocate to an account a product displayed in a vending area and carrying a Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) tag. The patron exits the vending area through a security portal. The kiosk, a bill acceptor, a computer monitor and/or a mobile device enables the patron to complete a purchase or allocate transaction prior to exiting the vending area through the portal. The portal includes RFID reading antennas for marking products stolen when transferred through the portal without a transaction. Alternatively, a smart shelf keeps track of products on the smart shelf and keeps a checkout tally of removed products. If the patron does not complete a purchase or allocate transaction, or returns the product to the smart shelf within a user-defined set of time, the smart shelf will mark the product as stolen. A security system responds to products marked as stolen.
US09715670B2

In various embodiments, a method for processing industrial identifiers includes receiving unstructured data. An encoding scheme is determined for the unstructured data based on an execution tree associated with a plurality of industrial identifiers. The encoding scheme is then output to an application. Data may be received for one or more fields associated with one of the plurality of industrial identifiers. An industrial identifier may be generated based on the execution tree in response to the data.
US09715651B1

An active RFID device includes at least one solar cell, and the solar cell includes: a substrate; a first conductive layer, disposed on the substrate; an electron supplying layer, disposed on the first conductive layer; an electron receiving layer, disposed on the electron supplying layer; and a second conductive layer, disposed on the electron receiving layer; and a RFID tag, including a RFID chip and an antenna, and installed on the substrate, and coupled to the solar cell through a telecommunication connection structure.
US09715650B2

A secure transaction card does not interact with an interrogating radio frequency field without user interaction. The user interaction may include pressing on the card to cause a smartcard chip to connect to a coil on the card. The user interaction may also include exposing the card to light, motion, touch, or the like. Control of the secure transaction card may be active or passive.
US09715649B2

An electronic transaction card communicates with an add-on slot of an intelligent electronic device. The add-on slot may be a memory card slot. The intelligent electronic device may be a mobile phone or other device with or without network connectivity. The electronic transaction card may have magnetic field producing circuitry compatible with magnetic card readers, smartcard circuitry, other point-of-sale interfaces, or any combination thereof.
US09715648B2

An information recording medium includes a substrate; a laser marking layer that has a reduced reflectance to light with a wavelength of 780 nm or more and that is discolored by irradiation with laser light, the laser marking layer being provided on the substrate; and a shielding layer that transmits infrared light, and that absorbs or reflects visible light, the shielding layer being provided on the laser marking layer.
US09715643B2

A label creation apparatus includes a drawing processing section that draws a label image of a label, a first object specifying section that arranges a first object in the label image, a second object specifying section that specifies whether or not a second object having a window area transparent to the first object and having a drawing area along the outermost contour of the label image is arranged in the label image, and the drawing processing section arranges the first object in the label image in such a way that the first object falls within the window area of the second object when the second object is arranged, whereas arranging the first object in the label image in such a way that the first object extends to an area containing the outermost contour of the label image when the second object is not arranged.
US09715640B2

A numerical parameter indicative of the degree of match between two retina images is produced by comparing two graphs obtained from the respective images. Each graph is composed of edges and vertices. Each vertex is associated with a location the corresponding retina image, and with descriptor data describing a part of the corresponding retina image proximate the corresponding location.
US09715639B2

A method and apparatus for performing target detection. A potential object is detected within a candidate chip in an image. The potential object is verified as a candidate object. The candidate object is classified as one of a candidate target or a background in response to the potential object being verified as the candidate object. The candidate target is verified as a target of interest in response to the candidate object being classified as the candidate target.
US09715635B2

An apparatus for document identification, having a capture device for capturing a document feature of a document, a processor that is designed to perform document identification locally using the document feature if a processing criterion for the local performance of document identification by means of the apparatus for document identification is satisfied, and a transmitter that is designed to send a data record that is dependent on the document feature via a communication network to a communication network address if the processing criterion for the local performance of document identification by means of the apparatus for document identification is not satisfied.
US09715629B2

An electronic device associates first information and at least a first portion of a first image, and uses a second image that includes a portion corresponding to at least the first portion of the first image to access the associated first information.
US09715628B2

The invention concerns a method for estimating a distance from a first communication device to a second communication device. According to an aspect of the invention, the method comprises: Taking a picture of the second communication device by the first communication device; Obtaining a description of the second communication device; Identifying the second communication device in the picture, by using said description; Estimating a distance from the first communication device to the second communication device by using the description of the second communication device and dimensions of the second communication device identified in the picture.
US09715627B2

An area information estimating device has a camera that photographs an image within a sensing area, a person detector that detects a person from the image from the camera, and a position calculator that calculates an existence position of the person in the sensing area based on a coordinate on the image in which the person is detected by the person detector. The person detector excludes the person in whom a relationship between the coordinate and a size on the image does not satisfy a predetermined condition from a detection target.
US09715621B2

Systems and methods for real-time user verification in online education are disclosed. In certain example embodiments, user identifying information associated with a user and a request to access online education content may be received from a user device. A face template including historical facial image data for the user can be identified. Current facial image data can be compared to the face template to determine if a match exists. Biometric sensor data, such as heart rate data, may also be received for the user. The biometric sensor data may be evaluated to determine if the user is currently located at the user device. If the user is currently located at the user device and the current facial image data matches the face template, access to the online education content may be provided to the user at the user device.
US09715607B2

Embodiments of a system, topology, and methods for providing power and transceiving data to, and backing up data from electronic devices having a data interface are described generally herein. Other embodiments may be described and claimed.
US09715601B2

Systems, methods and computer-readable mediums are disclosed for providing secure access in a microcontroller system. In some implementations, a microcontroller system comprises a system bus and a secure central processing unit (CPU) coupled to the system bus. The secure CPU is configured to provide secure access to the system bus. A non-secure CPU is also coupled to the system bus and is configured to provide non-secure access to the system bus. A non-secure memory is coupled to the system bus and is configured to allow the secure CPU and the non-secure CPU to exchange data and communicate with each other. A peripheral access controller (PAC) is coupled to the system bus and configured to enable secure access to a peripheral by the secure CPU while disabling non-secure access to the peripheral based upon a non-secure state of the non-secure CPU.
US09715600B2

A vending machine can include a touch display and a touch controller operatively connected to the touch display and configured to transmit display data to the touch display and receive input data from a touchscreen function of the touch display. The vending machine also includes a secure device operatively connected to the touch display for securing the display by managing touch input information provided to one or more applications based on the input data received from the touchscreen functionality. The vending machine has a processor operatively connected to the secure device for communicating access requests for the touch display to the secure device from the one or more applications along with an indication of whether the one or more applications are signed by an authorized entity. The secure device manages the touch input information provided to the one or more applications further based at least in part on the indication.
US09715598B2

External data storage device queries the user for a password on at least the first attachment. The password is escrowed in encrypted form. If the user elects this option, the password is then passed to an encryption module which unlocks the encrypted file or partition and upon subsequent attachments of the external data storage device may automatically unlock the encrypted file or partition using the securely escrowed password. The escrow of the encrypted password is managed in an external storage device containing the encrypted file or partition.
US09715595B2

A method of secure distributed storage on N servers and a secure access method to confidential data stored in a secure and distributed manner on N servers are provided. Additionally, distributed storage, devices, systems, computer programs and storage medium are provided for the implementation of such methods.
US09715592B2

A security testing framework leverages attack patterns to generate test cases for evaluating security of Multi-Party Web Applications (MPWAs). Attack patterns comprise structured artifacts capturing key information to execute general-purpose attacker strategies. The patterns recognize commonalities between attacks, e.g., abuse of security-critical parameter(s), and the attacker's strategy relating to protocol patterns associated with those parameters. A testing environment is configured to collect several varieties of HTTP traffic. User interaction with the MPWA while running security protocols, is recorded. An inference module executes the recorded symbolic sessions, tagging elements in the HTTP traffic with labels. This labeled HTTP traffic is referenced to determine particular attack patterns that are to be applied, and corresponding specific attack test cases that are to be executed against the MPWA. Attacks are reported back to the tester for evaluation. Embodiments may be implemented with penetration testing tools, in order to automate execution of complex attacker strategies.
US09715591B2

Methods and apparatus for validating a system include reading protected record data for a section of the system from a secure storage element, and verifying integrity of the section of the system using the record data. The secure storage element independently verifies that all record data and data to be written to the system is valid.
US09715589B2

Methods, systems, and computer program products are included for determining the risk that a file includes malware. The risk is determined by sending identifying information of the file from a client to a server. The server matches the identifying information with identifying information stored in a registry, in order to identify the file. Once the file is identified, the server identifies the risk of malware corresponding to the file, and sends the risk information to the client. The client is able to use the risk information to make determinations regarding performing operations with regard to the file.
US09715583B2

A method and system for verification of a pattern based passcode. User input of a series of key inputs to a keyboard is received from a user. A registered pattern for the user of a sequence of keyboard direction movements is retrieved, wherein the pattern based passcode is the registered pattern. A first character in a first key input of the series of key inputs is identified, wherein the first key input is the first key, of the series of key inputs, that was inputted by the user. It is determined is made that that the identified first character is not in an excluded group of characters and in response, it is verified that a pattern of directional movements from the first character to the remaining characters after the first character in the series of key inputs matches the registered pattern for the user.
US09715581B1

Systems and methods for monetizing the reproduction of digital media content for the rights-holders of the digital media content. Embodiments of the present disclosure relate to determining whether a user of a media content item has a license to reproduce the media content item. In one embodiment, the media content item may be reproduced when the user is licensed. The user is prompted to select to acquire a license to reproduce the media content item or to decline the license to reproduce the media content item when the user is not licensed. Further embodiments determine whether a user may receive a license when the user wishes to acquire a license. In an embodiment, the user is declined a license when not approved for the license.
US09715576B2

A sequential series of methods for optimized searching within a text (or alphanumeric string) database to retrieve specific and relevant results, followed by optimized restructuring and parsing of text data (or alphanumeric string), followed by creation/application of a natural language processing engine, followed by the creation/application of an automated analyzer is presented.
US09715570B1

Systems and methods are provided for analyzing a via. A physical representation of a via intersecting with an upper layer and a lower layer is received, the physical representation comprising: (i) a pair of pad dimensions comprising an upper pad dimension a1 and a lower pad dimension a2, and/or (ii) a pair of anti-pad dimensions comprising an upper anti-pad dimension b1 and a lower anti-pad dimension b2, where at least one of first and second conditions: (A) the first condition being a1 is different than a2, and (B) the second condition being b1 is different than b2, is true. A determination is made as to which, if any, of the conditions are true. At least one model parameter is selected based on the determination. An admittance parameter corresponding to a section of the via located between the upper and lower layers is computed using the selected model parameter.
US09715568B2

The wiring length measurement apparatus includes a distance calculation unit, by using a plurality of coordinates of bending points and a wiring width of CAD data of a high-density wiring including a meander wiring, seeking each endpoint that exists on an edge in a wiring width direction and is a flexion point of each inner circuit side, and calculating distances between each adjacent endpoint and a measurement unit measuring a wiring length of the high-density wiring by calculating a sum of the distances between each endpoint calculated by the distance calculation unit.
US09715566B2

A computer implemented method of translation of verification commands of an electronic design, comprises the steps of receiving the electronic design, receiving at least one analog test harness model having at least one indirect branch contribution statement, translating the at least one indirect branch contribution statement into a plurality of direct branch contribution operators based at least in part upon the at least one analog test harness model and generating a netlist based at least in part upon the translation.
US09715562B2

Methods and systems for designing an earpiece device are provided. The method includes receiving a plurality of images for a respective plurality of individuals. Each image includes at least one ear anatomy. For each image, a three-dimensional (3D) surface representing the at least one ear anatomy is extracted, to form a plurality of extracted surfaces corresponding to the plurality of images. At least one statistical measurement representative of at least a portion of the plurality of individuals is determined from among the plurality of extracted surfaces. At least one design parameter for the earpiece device is optimized based on the at least one statistical measurement, The earpiece device is formed using the optimized at least one design parameter.
US09715557B2

A system, device and method for providing context sensitive content on a computing device is provided. In an embodiment, a computing device in the form of a portable computing device is configured to execute a primary web-browser application and a secondary web-browser application. The primary web-browser application is configured to generate a web-page containing context sensitive items and receiving focus on one of the context sensitive items. The secondary web-browser application is configured to generate the context sensitive content related to the one of the context sensitive items.
US09715553B1

Methods, systems, and apparatus, including computer programs encoded on one or more computer storage devices, for retrieving points of interest. In one aspect, a method includes receiving a current location of a user's electronic device and retrieving data identifying multiple points of interest within a predetermined distance to the current location. Each point of interest is ranked based at least in part on the point of interest's proximity to the current location. For at least one point of interest, the ranking is further based on one or more updates associated with the point of interest. Each update includes data about the point of interest input by an author (other than the user) into an online social network that includes the user. Based on the ranking, data identifying one or more of the points of interest is provided to the electronic device for presentation to the user on a display.
US09715548B2

Implementations of the present disclosure include actions of receiving search results that are responsive to the search query, the search results being respectively representative of resources, processing one or more triggering rules based on at least one of the search query and the search results, determining, based on processing the one or more triggering rules, that a set of data records is to be displayed in a search results page with the search results, the set of data records including data records that are specific to the user, determining a display prominence of at least one data record in the set of data records, the display prominence indicating a prominence of the at least one data record when displayed in the search results page, and providing the search results and the set of data records for display, the at least one data record being displayed based on the display prominence.
US09715546B1

The present teaching relates to searching encrypted data. In one example, a search request is received for encrypted documents. An encrypted query is generated based on the search request. The encrypted query is sent to a server that stores a first encrypted index and a second encrypted index. The first encrypted index maps encrypted keywords to full blocks each of which has a same size and is fully filled with encrypted document identities (IDs). The second encrypted index maps encrypted keywords to partial blocks each of which has the same size and is partially filled with encrypted document IDs. Based on the encrypted query, one or more encrypted document IDs are determined by searching against both the first encrypted index and the second encrypted index. A search result is generated based on the one or more encrypted document IDs. The search result is provided in response to the search request.
US09715545B2

An embodiment of the invention comprises a method associated with a Web API ecosystem and API users includes identifying specified events over a period of time that respectively affect the ecosystem. Events can comprise an interaction between the ecosystem and a Web API user or a specified Web API. The embodiment further includes constructing a data structure that contains a data element representing each identified event. An interface is used to translate respective data elements between the data structure and a data store, wherein the data store represents translated data elements in a form different from that used to represent the data elements in the data structure.
US09715544B2

A system for online location sharing through an internet service search engine includes: a server comprising at least one processor and a memory communicatively coupled to the processor. The memory stores instructions that, when executed by the at least one processor, cause the at least one processor to: receive from a first user a query identifying a second user; query a plurality of internet services over a network for real-time information relevant to the second user; andprovide a consolidated view of responses received from the plurality of internet services to the first user. Thee server is authorized by the second user to receive all information relevant to the second user contained in the responses. The consolidated view of responses indicates an online location of the second user.
US09715534B2

Disclosed are systems, methods, and non-transitory computer-readable storage media for shared folder backed integrated workspaces. In some implementations, a content management system can provide a graphical user interface (GUI) that integrates communications and content management into a single user interface. The user interface can include mechanisms that allow a user to provide input to generate a new workspace. The user interface can provide a mechanism to allow a user to view conversations related to the workspace and/or content items associated with the workspace. The user interface can present representations of content items associated with the workspace and allow the user to provide input to generate, view, edit, and share content items associated with the workspace.
US09715530B2

A system for ranking geospatial entities is described. In one embodiment, the system comprises an interface for receiving ranking data about a plurality of geospatial entities and an entity ranking module. The module uses a ranking mechanism to generate place ranks for the geospatial entities based on the ranking data. Ranked entity data generated by the entity ranking module is stored in a database. The entity ranking module may be configured to evaluate a plurality of diverse attributes to determine a total score for a geospatial entity. The entity ranking module may be configured to organize ranked entity data into placemark layers.
US09715529B2

Techniques for implementing the hybrid execution of continuous and scheduled queries are provided. In some examples, a query engine may be initialized with relational data from at least a first source. For example, the first source may include a database or other system that can provide historical data. Additionally, the query engine may be enabled to provide query results based at least in part on the relational data from at least the first source and streaming data from at least a second source. In some examples, the second source may be a data stream.
US09715517B2

Techniques are described herein for supporting multiple versions of a database server within a database machine comprising a separate database layer and storage layer. In an embodiment, the database layer includes compute nodes each hosting one or more instances of a database server. The storage layer includes storage nodes each hosting one or more instances of a storage server, also referred to herein as a “cell server.” In general, the database servers may receive data requests, such as SQL queries, from client applications and service the requests in coordination with the cell servers of the storage layer.
US09715516B1

Embodiments of the present invention are directed to an improved apparatus, system and method of edition-based redefinition for tables. When a new edition of an application is created, editions on the tables pertaining to the application are created. These tables typically store application configuration/reference data that control what the application does. These tables are altered to contain a new “edition” column. Keys on these tables include the “edition” column. Each table is partitioned on the “edition” column such that cleaning up data used by an edition is easy. Views are created on these tables, which make the “edition” column invisible by the application while ensuring that only data that can be accessed is the data for the correct edition. The current “edition” of the application stays fully operational while the application is upgraded because the configuration data in the tables does not change until the new “edition” is turned on.
US09715515B2

A split-index can be employed for access to external data. The index can be created on a primary data storage system for data stored externally on a secondary data storage system. After creation, the index can be utilized to expedite at least query execution over the externally stored data. The index can be updated upon detection of changes to data. Further, even when the index is not completely up to date, the index can be exploited for query execution. Furthermore, hybrid execution is enabled with the index and without the index.
US09715514B2

Technologies are generally provided for converting a k-ary tree to an equivalent height balanced binary tree. A k-ary tree root may be first set as the binary tree root. Nodes may then be inserted in the binary tree based on nodes of the k-ary tree. First two children of each k-ary tree node may be inserted as left and right children in the binary tree. If there are additional children, those may be inserted into a child queue. If there are less than two children in the k-ary tree, children from the child queue may be used to fill the left and right child nodes in the equivalent binary tree repeating the process level-wise until all nodes in the k-ary tree are processed.
US09715507B2

A system and methods for reconciling data and metadata in a cloud storage system while the cloud storage system is fully operational are provided. The method comprises scanning for broken references in a metadata database containing metadata of blocks stored in the cloud storage system, wherein the scanning for the broken references is performed as a background process; and synchronously verifying blocks for at least existence of the blocks in the object storage system, wherein the synchronous block verification is performed using a foreground process as blocks are requested.
US09715506B2

Injection of metadata using composite content. In an embodiment, one or more content items are received, and data is retrieved from a plurality of metadata sources. A visual depiction of metadata is generated for at least one of the content item(s) based on the retrieved data. A composite content item is generated to comprise at least a portion of each of the content item(s) and the visual depiction of the metadata.
US09715505B1

A garbage collector scans containers of a storage system, each container containing a plurality of segments referenced by files of the storage system. For each of the containers being scanned constructing a working live segment record (LSR) file in memory, including generating a container LSR for each of the containers being scanned in a sequential order according to container identifiers of the containers, generating segment LSRs associated with the container LSR, each of the segment LSRs corresponding to one of the segments contained in the container, and for each of the segments contained in the container, indicating in a corresponding segment LSR whether the segment is a live segment. The segment LSRs of each container LSR of the working LSR file are translated from the memory into a persistent LSR for each of the containers in a persistent LSR file stored a persistent storage.
US09715498B2

Systems and methods for training and using a natural language understanding system are provided. More specifically, the systems and methods train a natural language understanding system utilizing a distributed network of feature extractors on features servers. Further, the systems and methods for using the natural language understanding system utilize a distributed network of features extractor on features servers. Accordingly, the systems and methods provide for a more accurate natural langue understanding system, a more reliable natural langue understanding system, and a more efficient natural langue understanding system. Further, the systems and methods provide for natural language understanding systems with better development (including update ability), productivity, and scalability.
US09715497B1

Techniques are described for analyzing a submitted manuscript through the use of an entity/action relationship matrix determined for the manuscript. The entity/action relationship matrix may describe one or more entities, such as characters, locations, objects and so forth, which are identified in the manuscript using a natural language analysis such as a part-of-speech analysis. The entity/action relationship matrix may also describe actions or events associated with each of the entities, as determined using the natural language analysis. The entity/action relationship matrix may be employed to determine whether the manuscript complies with rules constraining the use of entities in the manuscript.
US09715493B2

A social media monitoring and text analysis method for automated classification of user posts on the web, using a facet based relevance assessment model, comprise a semantic indexing server, which builds a faceted classification index of text objects, and a query server, which receives and analyzes the user's query. A query thus processed is then sent from the query server to the semantic indexing server through an interface in order to perform a search in the faceted classification index. The search system and method further comprise a result handler, which provides the user with a search result set comprising a list of unexpected links and a list of result elements. The list of unexpected links corresponds to filters which allow the user to narrow down or refine the original query. The quality of unexpected links depends on identification of the most likely topical area of focus related to the query concepts and corresponding concepts in user posts, and this achieved by ensuring that we measure statistical co-occurrence of concepts in user posts, assign weighted scores based on information gain and semantic density, thus establishing a relevant conceptual tag cloud that is used validate topical focus against a set of industry specific taxonomies or ontologies.
US09715491B2

In one embodiment, a method includes receiving a portion of text from a document. A document type is associated with the document based on at least one of the portion of text or an identifier associated with the document. The method also includes selecting, based on the document type, a document template having a plurality of sections. Each section from the plurality of sections being associated with a document category. At least one section from the plurality of sections including at least one policy preference.
US09715489B2

A method includes receiving an input string from a virtual keyboard, generating at least one string based on the input string, where the input string is not a substring of the generated string, responsive to a determination that the generated string was previously generated based on the input string, selecting a candidate character associated with the input string and with the generated string, and displaying the generated string at a location on the virtual keyboard that is associated with the selected candidate character.
US09715484B1

A method and system to provide font hints for text is described. An example method includes identifying a plurality of fonts of the text, determining a suggested order of hint types for each font based on rendering context, and sending, to a user device, the fonts and a suggested order of hint types for each font.
US09715478B2

A method is provided for detecting the correct rotational direction of a centrifugal apparatus. The method includes rotating the centrifugal apparatus in a first direction, acquiring first frequency data relating to the step of rotating the centrifugal apparatus in the first direction, rotating the centrifugal apparatus in a second direction, which is opposite to the first direction, and acquiring second frequency data relating to the step of rotating the centrifugal apparatus in the second direction. The method also includes detecting the correct rotational direction of the centrifugal apparatus based on comparing the first frequency data with the second frequency data, the comparison being carried out with respect to at least one significant frequency range. In each of the at least one significant frequency range, a smaller magnitude is interpreted as an indication of the correct rotational direction.
US09715476B2

Real-time co-authoring and support for the collaborative process is enabled by making it easy to initiate a collaborative document, to invite the proper people into the process, to collect existing artifacts, thoughts, and research, and then to divide and track the work to completion across a collaborating group. Monitored changes, comments, and similar input by the collaborating authors may be presented on demand or automatically to each author based on changes and/or comments that affect a particular author, that author's portion of collaborated content, type of changes/comments, or similar criteria Real-time or sequential communication such as email, text messaging, and video chat, may be enabled to further optimize the collaboration process.
US09715471B2

A master bus device for a motor vehicle exchanges messages with slave bus devices via a vehicle communication bus of the motor vehicle. It is specified in the master bus device by an operating schedule which is stored in a memory of the master bus device which messages the master bus device exchanges with the slave bus devices. To utilize the vehicle communication bus more efficiently, the master bus device has a switch-over device which is designed to receive a control signal from a device-external transmitting device and, in dependence on the control signal, to switch from the memory with the operating schedule to a further memory with a maintenance schedule which differs from the operating schedule, so that the maintenance schedule is used after switching over, for exchanging messages.
US09715469B1

Migrating interrupts from a source I/O adapter of a source computing system to a destination I/O adapter of a destination computing system, includes: collecting, by a source hypervisor of the source computing system, interrupt mapping information, were the source hypervisor supports operation of a logical partition executing on the source computing system and the logical partition is configured to receive interrupts from the source I/O adapter; configuring, by the destination hypervisor of the destination computing system, the destination computing system with the interrupt mapping information collected by the source hypervisor; placing, by a destination hypervisor of the destination computing system, the destination I/O adapter in an error state; migrating the logical partition from the source computing system to the destination computing system; and restarting the logical partition on the destination computing system, including recovering, by the logical partition, from the error state.
US09715461B2

According to an embodiment, a cache memory control circuit includes: a hit determination section; a refill processing section; a search section configured to determine a refill candidate way by searching for the way candidate for a refill process from a plurality of ways based on an LRU algorithm when the hit determination section detects a cache miss; a binary tree information section configured to store binary tree information for the LRU algorithm; a conflict detection section; and a control section. The control section updates the binary tree information in the binary tree information section by using way information of the way where the refill process is being executed when the conflict detection section determines that the way where the refill process is being executed and the refill candidate way match each other.
US09715456B2

An apparatus includes a plurality of cores and a fuse array. The plurality of cores is disposed on a die. The fuse array is disposed on the die and is coupled to each of the plurality of cores, where the fuse array includes a plurality of semiconductor fuses that are programmed with compressed configuration data for the each of the plurality of cores, and where the each of the plurality of cores accesses and decompresses all of the compressed configuration data upon power-up/reset, for initialization of elements within the each of the plurality of cores.
US09715455B1

An apparatus having an interface and a circuit is shown. The interface is configured to receive a request to access a memory. The request includes a hint. The circuit is configured to select a current one of a plurality of cache policies based on the hint. The current cache policy includes a number of current parameters ranging from some to all of a plurality of management parameters of a cache device. The circuit is further configured to cache data of the request based on the current cache policy.
US09715453B2

Computer-readable storage media, computing apparatuses and methods associated with persistent memory are discussed herein. In embodiments, a computing apparatus may include one or more processors, along with a plurality of persistent storage modules that may be coupled with the one or more processors. The computing apparatus may further include system software, to be operated by the one or more processors, to receive volatile memory allocation requests and persistent storage allocation requests from one or more applications that may be executed by the one or more processors. The system software may then dynamically allocate memory pages of the persistent storage modules as: volatile type memory pages, in response to the volatile memory allocation requests, and persistent type memory pages, in response to the persistent storage allocation requests. Other embodiments may be described and/or claimed.
US09715447B2

A method for adaptively managing a solid state drive (SSD), an associated apparatus, and an associated computer program product are provided, where the method includes the steps of: monitoring whether any deletion event regarding a file system established on the SSD exists, to selectively update a deletion amount accumulation value, where the deletion amount accumulation value represents a total deleted data amount of at least one deletion event of the file system; and after the deletion amount accumulation value reaches a predetermined deletion amount accumulation threshold value, sending at least one TRIM command to the SSD, to allow the SSD to recycle reusable storage space by utilizing a garbage collection mechanism of the SSD.
US09715433B2

A distributed storage system replicates data for a primary logical storage object on a primary node of the storage system to a secondary logical storage object on a secondary node on the distributed storage system. Failures in writing data to the primary logical storage object or failures in the replication of the data to the secondary logical storage object can cause data that should be synchronized to become divergent. In cases where the data may be divergent, reconciliation operations can be performed to resynchronize the data.
US09715428B1

A system comprises a first host device, a second host device, and first and second cache controllers. A cache controller includes a cache memory interface, a first peripheral interface that communicates with the first host device, a second peripheral interface that communicates with the second host device, logic circuitry that loads a cache command from a cache command memory of the first host device, loads a cache command from a cache command memory of the second cache controller, and performs the cache commands, and error checking circuitry that detects an uncorrectable error in a first cache controller/memory pair and indicates the uncorrectable error condition to at least one of the first and second host devices. At least one of the first host device or the second host device writes contents of the cache memory of the second cache controller/memory pair to a main memory in response to the indication.
US09715423B1

A method and an information handling system (IHS) perform server boot failure recovery by disabling failed devices and/or failed functions within functional devices. According to one aspect, a processor-executed fault isolation module (FIM) initiates calls to detected devices during a binding phase. The FIM identifies devices corresponding to successfully completed calls as operational devices, and identifies devices corresponding to failed calls as failed devices. Following completion of the binding phase, the FIM initiates calls, via a pre-boot application, to individual protocol functions of each operational device identified during the binding phase. If a first protocol call to a first operational device is successfully completed, the FIM identifies a protocol function(s) corresponding to the first protocol call as an operational function(s). If a second protocol call fails, the FIM identifies a corresponding protocol function(s) as a failed function(s) and isolates failed functions from operational functions for the first operational device.
US09715421B2

A method includes performing operations on a processor of an application analysis computer. The operations include receiving state performance metrics reported by user terminals via a data network. Each of the state performance metrics indicating a measurement of performance of one of a plurality of operational states of an application processed by one of the user terminals. The operations further include determining when one of the state performance metrics reported by one of the user terminals violates a rule for acceptable operational state performance of the application, and communicating a response message to the one of the user terminals responsive to the determination that the one of the state performance metrics violates the rule. Related operations by a user terminal are disclosed.
US09715418B2

Embodiments described herein include detecting under-performing devices using a correlational matrix in which devices are compared with one another in order to establish which devices are performing significantly different, e.g. under-performing, than the rest. According to one embodiment, a method includes generating a vector for each of a plurality of hardware devices. Using a hardware processor, a correlational matrix representing projections of the vectors against each other is created. A determination is made as to which hardware device is least like the other hardware devices based on the correlational matrix. A result of the determining is output.
US09715404B2

An apparatus and a method for displaying application program information in an electronic device are provided. The method for displaying the application program information includes executing a first application program, determining at least one application program capable of being executed after the first application program, and displaying, on a display unit, information on the at least one application program.
US09715393B2

Methods, apparatus and computer program products implement embodiments of the present invention to identify, in a given kernel source code file for the operating system kernel, a given PRINTK function call having a corresponding message text, the given kernel source code file having a kernel source code file name, calculate a configuration checksum, to assign, add, and store the respective destination and a key comprising the configuration checksum, to load, receive, and identify the name of a given source code file, and to determine, based on the identified name and the text string, a computed destination for the system message by calculating, using the identified name and the text string, a message checksum, and identifying, in the configuration table, an entry having a key equal to the message checksum, and wherein the determined destination comprises the respective destination in the identified entry. in the identified entry.
US09715392B2

A method includes identifying, at a scheduling unit, a resource conflict at a shared processing resource that is accessible by a first processing cluster and by a second processing cluster, where the first processing cluster, the second processing cluster, and the shared processing resource are included in a very long instruction word (VLIW) processing unit. The method also includes resolving the resource conflict.
US09715389B2

A method includes suppressing execution of at least one dependent instruction of a load instruction by a processor using stored dependency information responsive to an invalid status of the load instruction. A processor includes an execution unit to execute instructions and a scheduler. The scheduler is to select for execution in the execution unit a load instruction having at least one dependent instruction and suppress execution of the at least one dependent instruction using stored dependency information responsive to an invalid status of the load instruction.
US09715381B2

An object is to provide an information processing apparatus and the like that can reduce power consumption of the information processing apparatus in downloading and installing. To achieve this object, whether or not there is system software update is confirmed in a low power consumption state in which only some of hardware components of the information processing apparatus are supplied with power and communication with a predetermined server can be performed. When there is the update, update data is downloaded, and at least some of the hardware components that are the update targets and that are not supplied with power in the low power consumption state are started to be supplied with power. Then, system update is executed. The series of processes are automatically executed without a user's operation.
US09715378B2

A method, system or computer usable program product for scheduling a software update affecting vehicle functionality based on usage patterns including tracking usage patterns of a vehicle; automatically determining a time window for scheduling a software update that affects vehicle functionality to the vehicle based on the tracked usage patterns; and applying software updates to the vehicle during the scheduled time window.
US09715376B2

A method and apparatus for optimizing parallelized single threaded programs is herein described. Code regions, such as dependency chains, are replicated utilizing any known method, such as dynamic code replication. A flow network associated with a replicated code region is built and a minimum cut algorithm is applied to determine duplicated nodes, which may include a single instruction or a group of instructions, to be removed. The dependency of removed nodes is fulfilled with inserted communication to ensure proper data consistency of the original single-threaded program. As a result, both performance and power consumption is optimized for parallel code sections through removal of expensive workload nodes and replacement with communication between other replicated code regions to be executed in parallel.
US09715373B2

The embodiments described herein relate to recompiling an execution plan of a machine-learning program during runtime. An execution plan of a machine-learning program is compiled. In response to identifying a directed acyclic graph of high-level operations (HOP DAG) for recompilation during runtime, the execution plan is dynamically recompiled. The dynamic recompilation includes updating statistics and dynamically rewriting one or more operators of the identified HOP DAG, recomputing memory estimates of operators of the rewritten HOP DAG based on the updated statistics and rewritten operators, constructing a directed acyclic graph of low-level operations (LOP DAG) corresponding to the rewritten HOP DAG based in part on the recomputed memory estimates, and generating runtime instructions based on the LOP DAG.
US09715370B2

A computer-implemented method for generating one or more applications, the method including the steps of: accessing a template for holding content; populating the template with the content; generating the one or more applications, configured for a plurality of computing platforms, based on the populated template; and making the applications available for distribution by a server.
US09715357B2

A method of performing user authentication in an image forming apparatus, the method including detecting whether an interruption or a failure has occurred during authentication using an external authentication server; providing a user interface (UI) screen image for selecting to retry the authentication using the external authentication server or to enter a temporary authentication mode that does not use the external authentication server; when it is selected to enter the temporary authentication mode, entering an administrator authentication mode or an internal authentication mode based on pre-set temporary authentication options; and receiving information necessary for authentication and performing authentication based on a current authentication mode.
US09715356B2

A page description language representation of the page is received, the page description language representation having a plurality of sequential graphic objects ordered by drawing order. One or more groups of sequentially adjacent graphic objects of the plurality of sequential objects is formed according to the drawing order. An intermediate representation for each of the groups is generated, the intermediate representation comprising a set of regions where each region of the set of regions is associated with a set of operations required to render at least one of the adjacent graphic objects of one of the groups that intersect the region. An adjacently located set of the intermediate representations is merged to render the page.
US09715355B2

There is provided an image forming apparatus including: an image forming portion, an accepting portion accepting print jobs and identification information associated with the print jobs, a storage portion storing the print jobs and the identification information, an identification information input portion, and a controller. The controller is configured to: cause the storage portion to store an acceptance time at which the accepting portion accepts each of the print jobs, authenticate the identification information, extract the print jobs associated with the authenticated identification information from the print jobs stored in the storage portion, acquire a difference time which is a difference between an authentication time of authenticating the identification information and an acceptance time of accepting the extracted print jobs, and cause the image forming portion to carry out image formation for all the print jobs with the acquired difference time within a first time period.
US09715352B2

Aspects include transmitting a synchronous I/O command to a persistent storage control unit (SCU in response to a synchronous I/O request from an operating system (OS). A unit of work in the OS corresponding to the synchronous I/O request remains active at least until the synchronous I/O request is completed. Based on an operation code of the synchronous I/O command specifying a read operation and in response to detecting that the persistent SCU has stored one or more read data records in a memory located on the processor, the firmware indicates to the OS that the synchronous I/O request is completed. Based on the operation code specifying a write operation and in response to detecting an indication from the persistent SCU that write data has been written or indicating that an error has occurred, indicating to the OS that the synchronous I/O request is completed.
US09715351B2

A read request, a write request, and copy descriptor are constructed and sent to logical volumes of a device stack to complete a copy-offload operation between a source logical volume and a destination logical volume. The read request is forwarded to a source physical volume of a device stack and a write request is forwarded to a destination physical volume of the device stack. Responsive to detecting that the read request has been received by the source physical volume of the device stack and the write request has been received by a destination physical volume of the device stack, the driver of the source physical volume or the driver of the destination physical volume construct a copy-offload request to be sent to a storage device, the copy-offload request comprising the read request, the write request, and the copy descriptor. The copy-offload request is subsequently sent to the storage device.
US09715350B2

In one embodiment, a computer-implemented method includes receiving a large frame area (LFAREA) request, including a request for a plurality of page frame table entries (PFTEs) to back a plurality of frames in an LFAREA of main memory. Each of the plurality of frames has one of a first size and a second size, where the second size is larger than the first size. The method further includes counting how many frames in the main memory have yet to be initialized and have one of the first size and the second size. A size needed for the plurality of PFTEs is calculated, based at least in part on the counting. A storage area is reserved for the plurality of PFTEs, by a computer processor, where a size of the storage area is the size calculated based at least in part on the counting.
US09715344B2

A flash memory system is provided. The flash memory system includes a memory device including a memory cell array including at least one data block and a controller that determines whether to end background garbage collection according to a lifespan index of the at least one data block. The lifespan index may be decreased by the background garbage collection. The controller may end the background garbage collection when the decreased lifespan index is equal to or higher than a reference value.
US09715341B2

A method is for operating a memory system including a memory device. The method includes managing program order information of the memory device based on a program order stamp (POS) indicating a relative temporal relationship between program operations of a plurality of memory groups that are included in the memory device, and controlling a read voltage for performing a read operation on the memory device. The read voltage is controlled based on the program order information and a mapping table that stores a read voltage offset and a POS corresponding to the read voltage offset.
US09715339B2

Provided are a display apparatus capable of manipulating user interface (UI) objects included in a UI, and a method of providing the UI. The display apparatus includes a touch screen which is configured to display the UI including a plurality of UI objects and receive a user input; and a controller which is configured to determine a plurality of preset sizes corresponding to the UI objects, respectively, and a plurality of pieces of information to be displayed on the UI objects, respectively, in response to the user input, and control the touch screen to display the UI objects with the preset sizes and the plurality of pieces of information.
US09715333B2

System and method for improving data input by using word frequency to text predict input. Other systems and methods include analyzing words already contained in a document (e.g. spell checking and OCR) and using word frequency to create a proxy system to reduce the space required to store data, allowing for more efficient usage of storage and enhancing the embedded content of matrix codes. The system displays the most common words in a language based upon the previously entered or displayed word(s), or the previously entered or displayed character or characters. Words with the most common frequency of use with the prior word(s) are displayed in a table to enable the user to quickly select one of the displayed words for rapid data entry. The input device can be a touch-sensitive display or non-touch sensitive type device.
US09715328B2

A mission system, able to be fixed in a carrier, comprises at least a display device displaying at least mission data, a processing device allowing the execution of applications, and an interfacing with said display device and with inputting device, the mission system furthermore comprising a handle disposed in proximity to the display device so that an operator can via at least one of his hands employ the inputting means while clasping the mission system via said gripping means.
US09715323B2

A touch unit array including a plurality of first strip electrodes, a plurality of second strip electrodes, and a plurality of electrode pad units is provided. Each first strip electrode has at least one first opening. The second strip electrodes are orthogonally arranged to the plurality of first strip electrodes. Each electrode pad unit includes at least one electrode pad, and the electrode pads are respectively disposed in the plurality of first openings, wherein each electrode pad unit receives a first driving signal.
US09715320B2

An in-cell touch display panel includes a substrate, a semiconductor stack, a transparent layer, an insulation layer and a metal layer. The semiconductor stack is disposed on the substrate, and includes a plurality of pixel control elements. The transparent layer is disposed on the semiconductor stack, and includes a plurality of first touch electrode strips extending along a first direction. The insulation layer is disposed on the transparent layer. The metal layer is disposed on the insulation layer, and includes a plurality of second touch electrode strips extending along a second direction. The first touch electrode strips intersect and are insulated from the second touch electrode strips.
US09715319B2

This application relates to a projected capacitive touch sensor. The sensor includes a sensor grid including one or more electrically conductive rows and two or more electrically conductive columns. The sensor further includes an adaptive circuit that receives a signal associated with a first portion of the two or more columns and includes a direct route and an attenuator route, the attenuator route including an attenuator circuit for applying an amplitude decrease, an amplitude increase, or a phase shift to the sensor grid's signal, wherein the adaptive circuit is configured to switch between the direct route and the attenuator route. The sensor further includes a differential circuit that is configured to generate a differential signal based on an output signal from the adaptive circuit and a signal associated with a second portion of the two or more columns.
US09715305B2

An electronic device that includes a drive controller being configured to drive a vibrating element by using a drive signal causing the vibrating element to generate a natural vibration in an ultrasound-frequency-band in a touch surface, the drive controller being configured to drive the vibrating element so as to switch the natural vibration between a strong level and a weak level in accordance with a travel distance of a position of a erformed onto the touch surface, a first memory configured to store first data representing a first passcode corresponding to a number of times the natural vibration is switched between the strong level and the weak level, and a first verification part configured to verify a number of times the drive controller switches the natural vibration between the strong level and the weak level with the first passcode when the touch is performed onto the touch surface.
US09715299B2

According to an aspect, a liquid crystal display device includes: a liquid crystal display unit that displays an image; a plurality of electrodes arranged in the liquid crystal display unit in parallel with one direction along a display surface of the liquid crystal display unit; a measuring unit that measures electric resistance values of the electrodes; a specifying unit that specifies a temperature of the liquid crystal display unit based on the electric resistance values of the electrodes; and an application unit that applies, to the electrodes, a voltage for causing the electrode to generate heat based on the temperature of the liquid crystal display unit.
US09715298B2

A flexible display device includes a flexible substrate including a first surface and a second surface on opposite sides of the flexible substrate, a display portion including thin film transistors located on the first surface of the flexible substrate, a sensor circuit located on the second surface of the flexible substrate, a first electrode pad on the flexible substrate, the first electrode pad being connected to a first wire drawn out from the display portion, and a second electrode pad on the flexible substrate, the second electrode pad being connected to a second wire drawn out from the sensor circuit. The first wire or the second wire includes a bridge passing through a through-hole in the flexible substrate.
US09715285B2

A position detection apparatus includes a projection unit that projects an image, a radiation unit that radiates light, a detection unit that detects reflected light of the light radiated from the radiation unit, and an output control unit that performs control for outputting information corresponding to a detection position of the reflected light based on a detection result from the detection unit when a radiation direction of the light radiated from the radiation unit is adjusted.
US09715273B2

A method to transition focus of a display corresponding to an object's motion tracked by a video camera or like device is disclosed. In one implementation, the display shows one or more windows or user interfaces on the display. The object's motion can be used to select one of the windows or user interfaces on the display and manipulate content presented in the window or user interface. In another implementations, the object's motion can manipulate a three-dimensional graphical icon in a three-dimensional display environment, for example, by rotating it. In another implementation, the method further tracks motion of a second object and shifts focus of the display corresponding to the motion of the second object. In another implementation, a second display may be added to mirror the focus transition corresponding to the object's motion.
US09715272B2

A portable electronic device is provided. A power management unit provides a first voltage and a second voltage. A multi-core cluster includes a first processing core configured to be powered by the first voltage and operate at a first operating frequency and a second processing core configured to be powered by the first voltage or the second voltage and operate at a second operating frequency. A third processing core is configured to be powered by the second voltage and operate at a third operating frequency. A first switch is configured to selectively provide the second voltage to the third processing core or stop providing the second voltage to the third processing core according to a first control signal. A second switch is configured to selectively provide the first voltage or the second voltage to the second processing core according to a second control signal.
US09715269B2

A host chipset heartbeat may be utilized, in some embodiments, to handle interrupts from external devices on a power efficient basis. The availability of the host chipset heartbeat may be signaled to external devices and those external devices may time their activities to a period of time when not only are resources available, but the assertion of the activity is advantageous because the host chipset is already transitioning from a lower power consumption state.
US09715246B2

A method of undervoltage detection includes detecting a voltage level for a power supply of a system, placing the system in an undervoltage state if the voltage level is below an undervoltage threshold, activating a load of the system at a first power level if the detected voltage level exceeds a first activation threshold and if the system resides in the undervoltage state, and activating the load at a second power level if the detected voltage level exceeds a second activation threshold.
US09715230B2

Using a trick flight control process, a pilot may fly an aircraft while having control over two axes of orientation while the aircraft may be rotating automatically about a third axis of orientation. The pilot may continue to fly the aircraft during an automated trick rather than relinquishing control completely to the aircraft's electronics.
US09715216B2

We fabricate a stereoscopic hologram of an object by capturing a sequence of 2D images of the object, moving camera along a linear axis past the object and keeping the optical axis of the camera perpendicular at each of the positions. The camera lens and image recording surface are translated along the axis such that a fiducial part of the image does not move. The sequence is replayed and a first volume hologram is recorded by recording holograms of the captured images on a diffusing screen in different spatial locations on a surface of the first volume hologram. This is then replayed to form a stereoscopic image of the object and a second, volume reflection hologram of the replayed image is recorded to provide the stereoscopic hologram. A central image of the sequence is aligned to the fiducial part of the holographic image to make the resulting hologram “user-friendly”.
US09715213B1

The virtual chess table includes a table that includes a touch screen and joystick on opposing sides of the table. The touch screen and joystick are each used by competing players in order to play a game chess. The table includes a pane of glass that encloses an image projector there under. The image projector is used to generate a chessboard on the pane of glass. A hologram projector system is included and is suspended above the table. The hologram projector system is used to create a three-dimension hologram of the chess pieces used to play the game of chess. The hologram projector system and the image projector are in wired connection with a computer located underneath the table. The computer is also in wire connection with the touch screen and joystick provided at opposing sides of the table.
US09715208B2

A contact spring is constituted by a bare wire and accommodated in a bent groove of a wire support guide. A non-linear connection is realized via the bare wire between two parts disposed apart from each other within an image forming apparatus. One end of the contact spring is connected with one of the two parts, the other end of the contact spring is connected with the other part via the bent groove, and a coil-shaped or zigzag-shaped elastic portion of the bare wire is in a portion accommodated in the bent groove.
US09715206B1

Example implementations relate to end-of-life determination for a print cartridge. For example, a print cartridge according to the present disclosure, may include a plurality of consumable components. Each of the plurality of consumable components may have an associated sensor to monitor use of the respective consumable component. The print cartridge may further include a memory including instructions executable by a processor to, for each of the plurality of consumable components, receive a past use value quantifying an amount and type of use of the respective consumable component, determine an end-of-life value for the respective consumable component using the past use value and a predetermined tuning factor for the respective consumable component, and determine an end-of-life value for the print cartridge based on the plurality of end-of-life values for the plurality of consumable components.
US09715205B2

An image forming apparatus remotely operated by an external terminal includes a generation unit that generates a first composite image by combining a first image and a second image such that the second image is displayed within and over the first image, the first image being an operation screen image corresponding to an operation screen of the image forming apparatus, and the second screen being an image of an area including hardware key images corresponding to hardware keys of the image forming apparatus, a transmission unit that transmits first image data that is image data of the first composite image to the external terminal as data for displaying a remote operation image for the image forming apparatus, and a reception unit that receives, from the external terminal, first manual input information on manual input to the first composite image displayed as the remote operation image on the external terminal.
US09715199B2

An image forming apparatus includes an apparatus main assembly having a door, a feeding unit including first and second rotatable members configured to form a nip for feeding a sheet and a moving mechanism configured to move the first rotatable member in a spacing direction relative to the second rotatable member, a power source provided in the apparatus main assembly, and a motor provided in the apparatus main assembly and configured to drive the moving mechanism. The feeding unit is detachably mountable to the apparatus main assembly upon opening of the door. An electric power supplying path is capable of supplying electric power from the power source to the motor via the feeding unit despite the door being in an open state.
US09715198B2

A fixing device includes a rotary endless fixing belt; a nip forming member disposed in an interior of the fixing belt; a rotary opposed member to contact the nip forming member via the fixing belt to form a nip together with the fixing belt; a heat source to directly heat the fixing belt at a portion other than the nip, including at lease one heat-generation part disposed outside lateral ends of a maximum area of the fixing belt where a recording medium passes through, wherein a recording medium carrying an unfixed image is conveyed to the nip and the fixing device fixes the unfixed image onto the recording medium; and a shielding member disposed between the fixing belt and the heat generation part of the heat source and configured to shield heat from the heat source at least at an area outside the maximum passing area of the recording medium.
US09715193B2

In a constitution in which a power source exclusively for primary-transfer is omitted and a predetermined voltage is generated in an intermediary transfer member, in a test mode in which a test voltage is applied to a secondary-transfer member in advance in order to obtain a proper secondary transfer voltage, in the case where the test voltage is low, a proper secondary-transfer voltage cannot be obtained in some cases. In a period of the test mode, the power source is controlled in order to maintain a Zener breakdown voltage, so that the proper secondary-transfer voltage can be obtained.
US09715188B2

The toner comprising a toner particle containing a binder resin and a colorant, an iron oxide particle and an organic-inorganic composite fine particle, wherein the organic-inorganic composite fine particle comprises a vinyl resin particle, and inorganic fine particles which are embedded in the vinyl resin particle, and at least a part of which is exposed at surface of the organic-inorganic composite fine particle; the organic-inorganic composite fine particle has convexes derived from the inorganic fine particles, and wherein: a coverage ratio of the surface of the organic-inorganic composite fine particle with the inorganic fine particle is 20-70%; and the content of the iron oxide particle present on a surface of the toner particle is 0.1-5.0 mass % based on the mass of the toner particle.
US09715185B2

An electrostatic-image developing toner includes a toner particle including a polyester resin and a styrene-(meth)acrylic resin, and an external additive including a poly[alkyl (meth)acrylate] particle. The amount of the poly[alkyl (meth)acrylate] particles is about 0.05 parts by mass or more and about 1.0 parts by mass or less relative to 100 parts by mass of the toner particle. The ratio D50P/D50T of the number-average diameter D50P of the poly[alkyl (meth)acrylate] particles to the number-average diameter D50T of the toner particles satisfies 0.03≦D50P/D50T≦0.15. The proportion of the styrene-(meth)acrylic resin in a resin component deposited on the surface of the toner particle is about 5 atom % or more and about 30 atom % or less as determined by X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS).
US09715175B2

A reticle protection device capable of keeping a reticle therein is provided with an inner pod capable of keeping the reticle therein; an outer pod capable of keeping the inner pod therein; an electroconductive movable contact portion provided on at least one of the inner pod and the outer pod and being capable of coming into contact with an electroconductive film of the reticle; and a leaf spring for achieving electric conduction of the contact portion to at least one of the inner pod and the outer pod. The reticle is kept in the inner pod and the inner pod is kept in the outer pod, thereby enabling stable grounding of the reticle.
US09715170B2

Provided are an optical proximity correction (OPC) method capable of correcting a slit-effect in an extreme ultraviolet (EUV) exposure process and a method of manufacturing an EUV mask by using the OPC method. The OPC method includes, dividing a transmission cross coefficient (TCC) according to regions of a slit that is used in an EUV exposure process, generating OPC models reflecting the TCCs that are divided, and correcting the OPC method.
US09715167B2

According to the present invention, a projection type image display apparatus enables control of a large amount of light masking through a light-masking unit while maintaining a uniform illumination distribution in an area to be illuminated by the illumination light. The apparatus uses two array lenses on which lens cells are arranged in matrix form, where light-masking unit masks the array lens installed on the light source side in their particular area. The light-masking unit adjusts the amount of light emitted from the light source. The light-masking area of lens cells adjacent to lens cells closest to an optical axis is made smaller than the light-masking area of other cells.
US09715159B1

Embodiments include a gain system and method. The system includes a gain medium with a plurality of plasmonic apparatus. Each plasmonic apparatus includes a substrate having a first plasmonic surface, a plasmonic nanoparticle having a second plasmonic surface, and a dielectric-filled gap between the first plasmonic surface and the second plasmonic surface. A plasmonic cavity is created by an assembly of the first plasmonic surface, the second plasmonic surface, and the dielectric-filled gap, and has a first fundamental wavelength λ1 and second fundamental wavelength λ2. Fluorescent particles are located in the dielectric-filled gap. Each fluorescent particle has an absorption spectrum at the first fundamental wavelength λ1 and an emission spectrum at the second fundamental wavelength λ2. An excitation applied to the gain medium at the first fundamental wavelength λ1 produces an amplified electromagnetic wave emission at the second resonant wavelength λ2.
US09715152B2

Disclosed herein is a display device including: a display substrate having wires on a particular one of the surfaces of the display substrate, and having penetration holes each provided at a position exposed to the wire and penetrating the display substrate from the particular surface to the other display-substrate surface; and a wiring substrate provided on the side of the other surface of the display substrate and electrically connected to the wires through the penetration holes.
US09715146B2

An IPS system liquid crystal display device is provided to prevent reliability for a seal portion from lowering, which is caused by the fact that an overcoat film at a portion where an alignment film is not present is deteriorated by ultraviolet light during optical alignment process. An alignment film 113 subjected to optical alignment is formed above each surface of a TFT substrate 100 and of a counter substrate 200, the alignment film 113 on the side of the TFT substrate 100 is not formed in the seal portion, and a sealant 150 is bonded to an inorganic insulating film 109. On the side of the counter substrate 200, the alignment film 113 is formed on an overcoat film 203 and the sealant 150 is bonded to the alignment film 113. Since the ultraviolet light is not radiated directly to the overcoat film 203 when optical alignment is performed on the alignment film 113, the overcoat film 203 can be prevented from deterioration and, accordingly, intrusion of moisture from the deteriorated portion of the overcoat film can be prevented.
US09715145B2

A semiconductor device (1001) includes a thin-film transistor (103) including a gate electrode (3a), source and drain electrodes (13as, 13ad), and an oxide semiconductor layer (7), and a source bus line (13s). The source electrode, the source bus line and the drain electrode include a first metallic element and the oxide semiconductor layer includes a second metallic element. When viewed along a normal to its substrate, at least respective portions of the source electrode, the source bus line, and the drain electrode overlap with the oxide semiconductor layer. A low reflecting layer (4s, 4d) which includes the first and second metallic elements and which has a lower reflectance to visible radiation than the source electrode has been formed between the source electrode and the oxide semiconductor layer, between the source bus line and the oxide semiconductor layer, and between the drain line and the oxide semiconductor layer.
US09715143B2

The present invention discloses a display panel, a displayer and a drive method for an array substrate in a display panel. The display panel comprises a cell substrate and an array substrate. Sub-pixel units of the array substrate are classified into first type of sub-pixel units for displaying an original image and second type of sub-pixel units for displaying an interference image. The outermost side of the cell substrate is provided with a FPR film array, wherein, first FPR films are in correspondence to the first type of sub-pixel units so as to convert emitting light of the first type of sub-pixel units into polarized light in a first direction; and a second FPR film is in correspondence to the second type of sub-pixel units so as to convert emitting light of the second type of sub-pixel units into polarized light in a second direction different from the first direction. The displayer may show the original image as well as the interference image simultaneously, and only wearing glasses for filtering interference image can the user observes the normal original image so as to prevent the original image from being observed by a peeper with his/her naked eyes.
US09715140B2

A liquid crystal display apparatus includes a liquid crystal panel configured to display images; at least one light source configured to supply light to the liquid crystal panel; a front chassis member and a rear chassis member configured to accommodate the liquid crystal panel and the light source module and a circuit board configured to control the liquid crystal display apparatus. The rear chassis member may include a light source supporting portion supporting the at least one light source and a plurality of side surface portions extending from the light source supporting portion to the rear chassis member. The circuit board may be disposed in at least one of the side surface portions.
US09715138B2

A display panel is disclosed. The display panel comprising: two substrates assembled and connected to each other; films adhered to a display region on one surface of the first one of the two substrates facing away the second one and a display region on one surface of the second one of the two substrates facing away the first one respectively; and seal strips provided along the locations at which the substrates adjoin an edge of the films, for sealing the films and the substrates.
US09715134B2

The invention provides a liquid crystal module and a curved surface display device. According to the liquid crystal module and the curved surface display device, a curved surface liquid crystal panel can be kept stable, and deformation of the curved surface liquid crystal panel is reduced. The liquid crystal module comprises the liquid crystal panel and a backlight source, wherein the backlight source comprises a light guiding plate. The light-emitting surface, facing the liquid crystal panel, of the light guiding plate is an inwards-concave arc-shaped curved surface, the liquid crystal panel is in an inwards-concave arc shape, and the liquid crystal panel is arranged on the light-emitting surface of the light guiding plate through a connecting member, wherein the curvature of the arc of the liquid crystal panel is the same as that of the light-emitting surface of the light guiding plate.
US09715130B2

Methods and apparatus to form biocompatible energization elements are described. In some examples, the methods and apparatus to form the biocompatible energization elements involve forming cavities composing active cathode chemistry. The active elements of the cathode and anode are sealed with a biocompatible material. In some examples, a field of use for the methods and apparatus may include any biocompatible device or product that requires energization elements.
US09715129B2

Contact lenses that comprise a multi-layer design may be utilized to enhance and/or highlight the appearance of the eyes upon which the contact lenses are positioned while maintaining a natural look. These exemplary designs each comprise three layers; namely, a unique limbal design graphic, a unique inner effect graphic and a unique outer effect graphic. The layers may be formed utilizing any number of design elements and design principles. The limbal design graphic is the portion of the overall pattern that surrounds the outer diameter of the iris and is closest to the sclera and is meant to highlight, enhance and/or define the limbal region of the eye; however, it also comprises elements that extend into the iris. The inner effect graphic layer is the portion of the overall pattern that is meant to enhance the iris; however, it may comprise a portion that also contributes to highlighting, enhancing and/or defining the limbal region of the eye. The outer effect graphic layer is the portion of the overall pattern that is meant to enhance the iris; however, it may comprise a portion that also contributes to highlighting, enhancing and/or defining the limbal region of the eye.
US09715119B2

The present disclosure provides an electrochromic grating comprising: a substrate; a plurality of strip-shaped first transparent electrodes distributed on the substrate in parallel at an equal predetermined pitch; and a plurality of ion storage layers, a plurality of electrochromic layers, and a plurality of strip-shaped second transparent electrodes. One ion storage layer, one electrochromic layer and one second transparent electrode are sequentially formed on each of the first transparent electrodes, and the electrochromic layer is configured to switch from a transparent state to a shading state when different drive voltages are applied to the first and second transparent electrodes. A method for producing an electrochromic grating is also provided. There is no interference between the shading region and the light-transmissive region and there is no negative impact on the effect of 2D display, providing users with a great experience.
US09715116B2

A color mixing device and a display device are configured to represent the color white in a consistent fashion, even in low-luminance areas. These devices are provided with: a red light source for outputting red light at optical intensity in response to a first current presented thereto; a green light source for outputting green light at optical intensity in response to a second current presented thereto; a blue light source for outputting blue light at optical intensity in response to a third current presented thereto; and a color mixing means for color mixing of the red light, the green light, and the blue light together. A light attenuating part transmits or reflects the blue light, bringing about attenuation and advance thereof in the output direction. The blue light output by the blue light source is attenuated to a greater extent than the light of the other colors during output.
US09715106B2

There is provided an electro-optical device comprising a substrate, a first torsion hinge disposed above the substrate in a thickness direction, the first torsion hinge having a first hinge support portion configured to support the first torsion hinge in the thickness direction, a second torsion hinge disposed above the first torsion hinge in the thickness direction, the second torsion hinge having a second hinge support portion configured to support the second torsion hinge in the thickness direction, and a mirror disposed above the second torsion hinge in the thickness direction, the mirror having a mirror support portion configured to support the mirror in the thickness direction. The second hinge support portion does not overlap the first hinge support portion in a planar view of the substrate, and the mirror support portion does not overlap the second hinge support portion in the planar view of the substrate.
US09715105B2

A light switching module including a first refractive element, a second refractive element and a shifting device. The first refractive element and the second refractive element include substrates with a plurality of micro-lens structures, patterned retardation microstructures disposed on the plurality of micro-lens structures and birefringent layers on the patterned retardation microstructures. Therefore, the birefringent layers have different optical axis regions. The shifting device can adjust the relative position of the first refractive element and the second refractive element to switch penetrating or refracting of incident light and to change the light switching module to transparent state or opaque state.
US09715104B2

The light-quantity control apparatus includes a base member, and a light-quantity control blade having a light-quantity control portion to control a quantity of light passing through a fixed aperture and a supported portion rotatably supported with respect to the base member. The light-quantity control portion and the supported portion of the light-quantity control blade are each rotated along a plane parallel to the aperture face, an intermediate portion thereof formed between the light-quantity control portion and the supported portion has a tilt with respect to the aperture plane toward the optical axis direction so that the light-quantity control portion is disposed distant from the supported portion in the optical axis direction. Thereby a concave space facing the fixed aperture is formed inside in the radial direction than the light-quantity control blade.
US09715103B2

A display panel can display images or information on at least one surface side and transmit external light through a transmissive display element. The display panel includes a plurality of light-emitting elements that emit light to the one surface side and can be driven independently and a plurality of transmissive display elements that can be driven independently. Alternatively, a display panel transmits external light through a double-side light-emitting element and a transmissive display element. The display panel includes a plurality of double-side light-emitting elements that can be driven independently and a plurality of transmissive display elements that can be driven independently.
US09715102B2

This disclosure provides systems, methods, and apparatus for reducing tilt instability in an electromechanical systems (EMS) device, where the EMS device includes a plurality of hinges supporting a movable mirror over a stationary electrode and having identical hinge lengths. The EMS device can include a plurality of first anchor points providing connection at the substrate and a plurality of second anchor points providing connection at the movable mirror. Each of the hinges can be positioned between paired first and second anchor points and symmetrically arranged about the center of the movable mirror. In some implementations, the plurality of first anchor points and the plurality of second anchor points can be defined by a single mask.
US09715094B2

A zoom lens includes, in order from an object side to an image side, a lens unit Ln having the highest negative refractive power of all the following lens units, a lens unit Lm2 having positive refractive power, a lens unit Lm having negative refractive power, and a rear lens group Lp including one or more lens units and having overall positive refractive power. During zooming, a distance between every adjacent lens units varies. During focusing from an infinite distance to a minimum object distance, the lens unit Ln and the lens unit Lm move toward the object side. The focal length FLm of the lens unit Lm and the focal length FLm2 of the lens unit Lm2 are appropriately set.
US09715090B2

A zoom lens includes: a first lens unit having a positive refractive power; a second lens unit having a negative refractive power; a third lens unit having a positive refractive power; a fourth lens unit having a positive refractive power; and a fifth lens unit having a positive refractive power or a negative refractive power, in which the first lens unit and the fifth lens unit do not move for zooming, and the second lens unit and the fourth lens unit move during zooming, in which a focal length fw of the zoom lens at a wide angle end, a focal length f2 of the second lens unit, and a focal length of a positive lens, which is included in the second lens unit are suitably set.
US09715087B2

A camera lens includes from an object side to an image side: a first lens with positive refractive power; a second lens with negative refractive power; a third lens with negative refractive power; a fourth lens with positive refractive power and a fifth lens with negative refractive power. Specific conditions are satisfied. The camera lens has excellent optical properties.
US09715085B2

An eyepiece optical system is achieved that is suitable for an object image displayed on a miniaturized image display device and can magnify the object image to a high magnification ratio, the distance to the eyepoint is long while achieving a wide apparent visual angle at a short focal length, various aberrations can be favorably corrected while achieving a superior optical quality, and the pupil diameter can be enlarged. The eyepiece optical system includes a first lens element having a meniscus shape with a concave surface on the object side, a positive second lens element, a negative third lens element, and a positive fourth lens element, in that order from the object side toward the eye side.
US09715080B2

A lens device includes a Hall IC detecting whether extender lenses are positioned on an optical axis or are retreated from the optical axis by rotating the extender lenses about a rotating shaft by a predetermined angle. An inner space of a lens barrel is divided into first to fourth spaces by a first plane passing through the rotating shaft and the optical axis and a second plane passing through the optical axis and perpendicular to the first plane. When the extender lenses are positioned on the optical axis, a magnet is fixed to a portion in the first space of an extender lens frame and the Hall IC is disposed in the first space on a side substantially opposite to a portion in which the rotating shaft is present, so that the Hall IC is not an obstacle even while the extender lenses rotate.
US09715073B1

An optical trunk cable includes at least one elongated strength member. The optical trunk cable further includes a plurality of elongated optical fiber units, each of the optical fiber units having an inner jacket containing a plurality of optical fibers.
US09715059B2

The present invention discloses a light guide plate fixed to a back plate. The back plate has a plurality of fixing portions. The light guide plate includes a light incident surface, a reflective surface connected with the light incident surface, and a light output surface opposite to the reflective surface and connected with the light incident surface. The light output surface includes a main body and a plurality of locating portions mounted on the main body. The locating portions correspond to the fixing portions. The locating portions mate with the corresponding fixing portions thereby fixing the light guide plate to the back plate. A blank area is formed on the main body at each location where each of the locating portions mating with the corresponding fixing portion. A plurality of microstructures are formed on the rest area excluding the blank areas in the main body.
US09715049B2

A method for manufacturing a blazed diffraction grating made of a crystalline material comprising zinc selenide (ZnSe) or zinc sulfide (ZnS) includes forming the blazed diffraction grating by forming a plurality of grating grooves on a machined surface of a workpiece by machining, wherein the grating grooves are formed so that a surface comprising a (110) plane is arranged to receive the most incident light among the surfaces that constitute each grating, where (110) describes a crystal orientation of the crystalline material.
US09715048B2

Optical systems for controlling with propagation of light beams in lateral and angular space, and through optical apertures. The light beams include laser beams as well as beams with wide spectrum of wavelengths and large divergence angles. The optical systems are based on combination of diffractive waveplates with diffractive properties that can be controlled with the aid of external stimuli such as electrical fields, temperature, optical beams and mechanical means.
US09715047B2

A multi-layer photonic structure may include alternating layers of high index material and low index material having a form [H(LH)N] where, H is a layer of high index material, L is a layer of low index material and N is a number of pairs of layers of high index material and layers of low index material. N may be an integer≧1. The low index dielectric material may have an index of refraction nL from about 1.3 to about 2.5. The high index dielectric material may have an index of refraction nH from about 1.8 to about 3.5, wherein nH>nL and the multi-layer photonic structure comprises a reflectivity band of greater than about 200 nm for light having angles of incidence from about 0 degrees to about 80 degrees relative to the multi-layer photonic structure. The multi-layer photonic structure may be incorporated into a paint or coating system thereby forming an omni-directional reflective paint or coating.
US09715044B2

An antireflection film formed on a substrate having a refractive index between 1.40 and 1.85 inclusive for light having a wavelength of 550 nm includes an intermediate layer formed on the substrate, and a concavo-convex layer formed on the intermediate layer, the concavo-convex layer includes a part has a refractive index that continuously increases from a side closer to a surface toward a side closer to the substrate, the intermediate layer includes a plurality of thin film layers having different refractive indices, and at least one of the thin film layers has a refractive index higher than the refractive index of the substrate, and the thin film layers include a first layer formed on the substrate and having a physical thickness d1, and a second layer formed on the first layer and having a physical thickness d2, and satisfy predetermined conditional expressions.
US09715042B2

To provide a light-shielding film for optical element having durability under high temperature and high humidity conditions and resistance to a cleaning liquid.A light-shielding coating film for optical element containing: a cured substance at least containing an epoxy resin, titania fine particles, a dye, and an amine curing agent, in which the equivalent ratio (A/E) of the active hydrogen equivalent weight (A) of the amine curing agent and the epoxy equivalent weight (E) of the epoxy resin and the compounding ratio (A′/E′) of the amine curing agent amount (A′) and the epoxy resin amount (E′) satisfy the following expression 1, 1.1≦(A′/E′)/(A/E))≦1.7.  (Expression 1)
US09715038B2

A torque relief system dissipates a torque in a marine cable section to be used for seismic data collection. The system includes a bench having a deadman unit; a tensioning element connected to the deadman unit; a swivel bearing unit connected to the tensioning element and configured to receive a first end of the marine cable section; and at least one bearing unit configured to support the marine cable section with reduced friction so that when the tensioning element tenses the marine cable section, the marine cable section and the first end rotate freely until the torque is dissipated.
US09715035B2

Systems, methods, and devices for quantitatively identifying gas zones irrespective of porosity or lithology using nuclear downhole tools are provided. In particular, because some formation materials such as shales can confound some conventional measurements, a gas detection measurement may be obtained that can be used to qualitatively identify gas zones. The gas detection measurement may be based at least partly on a relationship between inelastic gamma rays, neutron capture gamma rays, and experimental or modeled formation data, such that the gas detection measurement qualitatively indicates a gas zone when a gas zone is present in a formation irrespective of a lithology or a porosity of the formation.
US09715033B2

Methods and apparatuses are provided for analyzing a composition of a hydrocarbon-containing fluid. The methods include using a nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) tool to conduct an NMR measurement on the hydrocarbon-containing fluid to obtain NMR data. A non-NMR tool, such as an optical tool, is used to conduct additional measurements on the hydrocarbon-containing fluid and to obtain non-NMR data on the fluid. An indication of the composition of the fluid can be determined by using the NMR data and the non-NMR data in an inversion process.
US09715031B2

A data retrieval device for communicating between a downhole location within a wellbore (16) and a surface location (22) in which a downhole to surface telemetry system is installed and adapted to communicate between a first telemetry module and a second telemetry module with the second telemetry module (18) positioned downhole and connected to a string (12) positioned within the wellbore (16). The data retrieval device is provided with a housing adapted to be positioned inside the string; a communication device supported by the housing; a connection port positioned on the housing and adapted to be connected to a line; and an electronic module supported by the housing. The electronic module is in communication with the communication device and is adapted to store and use at least an identification parameter of the first telemetry module to intercept a signal transmission addressed to the first telemetry module from the second telemetry module (18) via the communication device.
US09715029B2

An electric field sensor for underwater, including a sensing unit that senses a change in an electric field and transfers a sensing signal of the electric field to a signal line, a waterproof sealing unit that keeps a signal transferring portion of the sensing unit in a waterproof state, and a water-passing protection unit that shields and protects an exposed portion of the sensing unit. The sensing unit includes a nonconductive hollow pipe connected to the signal line, a sheet of carbon fiber that is wound around the outer surface of the hollow pipe and that senses an electric field, and a terminal ring that is electrically conductively installed at an end portion of the sheet of carbon fiber to provide a connection portion of the signal line and that is watertightly sealed by the waterproof sealing unit.
US09715027B2

The present invention relates to a method of processing seismic signals comprising: receiving a set of seismic signals, applying a wavelet transformation to the set of signals and generating transformed signals across a plurality of scales. Then for each scale determining coherence information indicative of the transformed signals and generating a comparison matrix comparing the transformed signals, then outputting seismic attribute information based on combined coherence information.
US09715024B2

A disclosed downhole telemetry system employs an array of near-field electromagnetic communication devices to relay information along a tubular in a borehole. In some embodiments, the devices are permanently attached to pipe joints without requiring any structural modification of the pipe joints. As the pipe joints are strung together in the normal fashion to form a tubular, the devices automatically establish a wireless communications path between an uphole terminus device and any downhole sensors or tools. The devices can include built-in sensors to provide distributed sensing of parameters such as temperature and pressure. In some embodiments the device array incorporates redundancy to minimize the chance of a communications network failure. The device array has applications for logging-while-drilling, production testing, well completion, reservoir monitoring, and well control.
US09715023B2

The disclosure relates to a system and method for evaluating and calibrating detector in a scanner, further evaluating and calibrating time information detected by at least one time-to-digital convertor.
US09715019B2

Methods and devices for determining a relative position between a first device and a second device are described. Measurement signals are transmitted from the first device to the second device. Each measurement signal is associated with a corresponding radio frequency spectrum in which the measurement signal is transmitted. A first radio frequency spectrum associated with a first measurement signal has a different frequency range than a second radio frequency spectrum associated with a second measurement signal of the plurality of measurement signals. At the second device the relative position based on at least the first and second measurement signals is determined.
US09715017B2

Techniques for allowing a remote or fielded receiver to derive a precise time reference (such as Coordinated Universal Time (UTC)) when the fielded receiver is not able to derive time directly from received GPS signals. One or more fixed DME reference stations are located within range of DME beacon signals from an existing DME beacon station, the DME reference stations also having the capability to receive GPS signals and derive UTC therefrom. Based on the known distance between the DME reference station and the DME beacon station, the DME reference station can determine the time of transmission from the DME beacon station of each DME beacon signal. This time tag information is then provided to the fielded receiver, which is also within range of DME beacon signals from the DME beacon station. With this time tag information, the fielded receiver can correlate that with the received DME beacon signals and derive UTC to within an acceptably small margin.
US09715007B2

An antenna array for use with an X-band weather radar system comprises a printed circuit board, a plurality of antenna elements, and a plurality of integrated circuit packages. The printed circuit board includes a first side and an opposing second side. The antenna elements are configured to transmit and receive radio waves at frequencies in the X-band. The antenna elements are electrically connected to the first side of the printed circuit board and positioned thereon in a two-dimensional array. A center of each antenna element is located on a point of a grid with grid points orthogonally spaced apart. Each integrated circuit package includes a transmitter electronic circuit and a receiver electronic circuit that are each in electronic communication with one antenna element. Each integrated circuit package is positioned on the first side of the printed circuit board to underlie one antenna element.
US09715002B2

In accordance with an example embodiment of the present invention, an apparatus comprises a first receiver configured to receive a first partial radio map and a second partial radio map, a processor configured to compare the first partial radio map and the second partial radio map, and the processor further configured to determine to replace the first partial radio map with the second partial radio map based at least in part on a result of the comparison.
US09714994B2

In order to approximate the gradient magnetic field pulse waveform shape with high accuracy and improve the image quality at the time of imaging cross-section change or oblique imaging, an MRI apparatus of the present invention divides the waveform shape of the gradient magnetic field pulse into a plurality of sections, defines an approximation function for each section, and corrects the k-space coordinates at which the echo signal is arranged using the parameter of the approximation function. In addition, an optimal parameter of the approximation function of the waveform shape of the gradient magnetic field pulse is searched for using the measured signal.
US09714988B2

A Hall Effect sensor with a graphene detection layer implemented in a variety of geometries, including the possibility of a so-called “full 3-d” Hall sensor, with the option for integration in a BiCMOS process and a method for producing said Hall Effect sensor is disclosed.
US09714987B2

A fluxgate sensor including a magnetic-to-digital converter (MDC) can be adapted to measure an external magnetic field BEXT with a bandwidth fB. The MDC forward path can include: (a) converting an analog sense signal from the fluxgate sense coil to corresponding oversampled digital data using an oversampling data converter with an oversampling frequency fS greater than fB; and (b) loop filtering the oversampled digital data, synchronous with the oversampling frequency fS, to generate the loop output digital data. The MDC feedback path can include: (a) generating the feedback compensation current ICOMP from the loop output digital data, synchronous with a feedback path frequency fFB equal to ((M/N)×fS), where, M and N are integers; and (b) injecting the feedback compensation current ICOMP into the fluxgate compensation coil to induce the compensation field BCOMP, such that the induced compensation field BCOMP nulls the external field BEXT.
US09714979B2

A method for performing contactless signal testing includes receiving, with a testing pad of an integrated circuit, a signal within a beam. The method further includes converting, with a number of diodes connected to a positive voltage supply, an electrical current signal created by the electron beam to a voltage signal, wherein the number of diodes includes a diode stack of multiple diodes. The method further includes extracting, with a digital inverter, a test signal from the voltage signal.
US09714971B1

A method for detecting a fault condition of an operational amplifier of an integrated circuit during operation includes operating an integrated circuit which includes an operational amplifier (op-amp) having a V+ input, a V− input and an op-amp output and an on-line fault detector electrically coupled to the V+ input and the V− input of the op-amp of the on-line fault detector, monitoring an operation of the op-amp with the on-line fault detector, and developing a fault signal at a fault detector output if the op-amp is in a fault condition as determined by the on-line fault detector.
US09714966B2

An integrated circuit includes a circuit aging sensor that provides information regarding operational degradation of the integrated circuit due to aging. The aging sensor includes a ring oscillator that includes inverting drivers and tuning circuits. The drivers are sequentially coupled to form a ring. An output of each of the drivers is coupled to an input of one of the tuning circuits, and an input of each of the drivers is coupled to an output of one of the tuning circuits. Each of the tuning circuits includes a first signal path and a second signal path. The first signal path selectably applies a tuning delay to an input signal received from one of the drivers for provision to an input of a successive one of the drivers. The second signal path selectably routes the signal received around the tuning delay to the input of the successive one of the drivers.
US09714965B2

The present disclosure relates to a system and method for evaluating the adequacy of a connection between a utility line and a utility meter. In one embodiment, a force sensing unit is disposed between a first half and a second half of a first terminal of the utility meter and is configured to measure a contact force between the first terminal and a socket jaw.
US09714964B2

A meter for recording or determining the electrical energy withdrawn from an electrical supply network or supplied to it is provided. The meter including a component for measuring the current supply voltage, and a component for determining the operating mode based on the currently withdrawn or supplied electrical energy, wherein the operating mode can be changed, depending on the measured supply voltage, in such a way that a relatively high supply voltage causes a slower metering process than a comparatively low supply voltage.
US09714961B2

Current measuring device (1) for electric power lines, which comprises an annular support body (3) made of insulating material provided with a through hole (4) for housing an electric cable (2), and a solenoid winding (8) provided with turns wound around the support body (3). The solenoid winding (8) is organized in multiple groups of turns (9), and such groups are positioned equally spaced apart from each other.
US09714960B2

An apparatus for measuring RF voltage from a quadrupole in a mass spectrometer are provided. The apparatus comprises at least one rectifying diode circuit for rectifying the RF voltage of the quadrupole to produce a rectified RF voltage. The apparatus further comprises at least one operational amplifier configured as a current to voltage converter, a negative input of the at least one operational amplifier connected to the output of at least one diode in the at least one rectifying diode circuit, a positive input of the at least one operational amplifier at ground, and an output of the at least one operational amplifier in a feedback loop with the negative input, to reduce reverse leakage current from the at least one diode.
US09714951B2

The invention relates to an in vitro method for prognosis, diagnosis or determination of the evolution of a condition involving an altered production of Basic Proline-rich Lacrimal Protein (BPLP) or of any of its maturation products, by detecting, or quantifying in a biological sample of a test subject, a BPLP protein or a maturation product thereof, and comparing the production of BPLP protein or maturation product with the production of the same in a biological sample of a control subject.
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