US09843042B2
Provided are a cathode active material composition including an xLi2MO3.(1−x)LiMeO2 composite (where 0
US09843039B2
An object of the present invention is to provide a negative electrode for a lithium ion secondary battery with the excellent high-temperature cycle characteristic, and a lithium ion secondary battery including the same. In the negative electrode active material for a lithium ion secondary battery according to the present invention, a surface of a negative electrode active material including silicon or silicon oxide is coated with a polymer compound, and the polymer compound includes a polyacrylic acid derivative whose carboxyl groups at ends of side chains are cross-linked with a divalent metal cation (Mg2+, Ca2+, Sr2+, Ba2+, Co2+, Ni2+, Cu2+, or Zn2+).
US09843038B2
A positive electrode for a lithium ion secondary battery, the positive electrode including: a coated particle including a positive active material particle and a reactive layer on the surface of the positive active material particle; and a sulfide-containing solid electrolyte particle which is in contact with the coated particle, wherein the reactive layer includes a reactive element other than lithium and oxygen, wherein the reactive element has a reactivity with the sulfide-containing solid electrolyte particle which is greater than with a reactivity of the reactive element with a transition metal element included in the positive active material particle, and wherein a ratio of a thickness of the reactive layer to a particle diameter of the positive active material particle is in a range of about 0.0010 to about 0.25.
US09843035B2
Disclosed is a hydrothermal synthesis device for continuously preparing an inorganic slurry using a hydrothermal method. The hydrothermal synthesis device includes a mixer to mix at least one precursor solution for preparing an inorganic material, injected via at least one supply tube, to prepare an intermediate slurry, a connection tube provided at a side of the mixer, continuously discharging the prepared intermediate slurry to a reactor, and having a hydrophobic coating on an inner surface of a portion thereof adjacent to the reactor, and the reactor performing hydrothermal reaction of the intermediate slurry supplied from the connection tube by receiving a liquid stream heated to supercritical or subcritical conditions using a heat exchanger and connected to the connection tube into which the intermediate slurry prepared from the mixer is introduced and to at least one injection tube into which the heated liquid stream is injected.
US09843029B1
This invention provides a novel battery structure that, in some variations, utilizes a mixed lithium-ion and electron conductor as part of the separator. This layer is non-porous, conducting only lithium ions during operation, and may be structurally free-standing. Alternatively, the layer can be used as a battery electrode in a lithium-ion battery, wherein on the side not exposed to battery electrolyte, a chemical compound is used to regenerate the discharged electrode. This battery structure overcomes critical shortcomings of current lithium-sulfur, lithium-air, and lithium-ion batteries.
US09843027B1
Certain embodiments of the invention relate to the design of three-dimensional battery cells and their incorporation into battery modules and battery packs. The present invention may be particularly advantageous when incorporated into large battery packs, for example, those used in electric vehicles. The unique architecture of the battery cells of certain embodiments of the invention provides improved thermal performance with significant impact on cycle and calendar life when incorporated into a battery pack. Substantially higher pack energy density for a given cell energy density is provided when compared to a conventional cell. Battery cells can be strung together to form modules and packs with whatever series/parallel arrangement required for a particular application. Cooling, if needed, can be incorporated at the module level rather than the individual die level, as is the case with conventional architectures, dramatically reducing the cost of the system.
US09843018B2
A display device includes a substrate including a peripheral region folded back to face a rear surface of the substrate, and a counter region facing the peripheral region; and a filling member held between the peripheral region and the counter region. The substrate is folded such that the display device includes a first overlapping portion where a part of the peripheral region is bonded with the counter region with an adhesive material being provided therebetween; a second overlapping portion where a part of the peripheral region is in direct contact with the filling member; and a third overlapping portion where a part of the peripheral region is bonded with the filling member with an adhesive material being provided therebetween.
US09843006B2
A method of making N-type semiconductor layer includes following steps. An insulating substrate is provided. An MgO layer is deposited on the insulating substrate. A first dielectric layer is formed by acidizing the MgO layer. A semiconductor carbon nanotube layer is formed to cover the MgO layer. A source electrode and drain electrode are formed to be electrically connected to the semiconductor carbon nanotube layer. A second dielectric layer is applied on the semiconductor carbon nanotube layer. A gate electrode is formed on the second dielectric layer.
US09843003B2
As a novel substance having a novel skeleton, an organometallic complex with high emission efficiency which achieves improved color purity by a reduction of half width of an emission spectrum is provided. One embodiment of the present invention is an organometallic complex in which a β-diketone and a six-membered heteroaromatic ring including two or more nitrogen atoms inclusive of a nitrogen atom that is a coordinating atom are ligands. In General Formula (G1), X represents a substituted or unsubstituted six-membered heteroaromatic ring including two or more nitrogen atoms inclusive of a nitrogen atom that is a coordinating atom. Further, R1 to R4 each represent a substituted or unsubstituted alkyl group having 1 to 6 carbon atoms.
US09842995B2
An amine-based compound is represented by Formula 1: wherein L1 to L3, Ar1 to Ar3, a1 to a3, and c1 to c3 are as defined in the specification. An organic light-emitting device includes the amine-based compound.
US09842993B2
A film-forming composition according to the present invention include fluororesin having a repeating unit of the general formula (1); and a fluorine-containing solvent. In the general formula (1), R1 each independently represents a hydrogen atom, a fluorine atom, a methyl group or a trifluoromethyl group; and R2 each independently represents C1-C15 straight, C3-C15 branched or C3-C15cyclic fluorine-containing hydrocarbon gr which any hydrogen atom may be replaced by a fluorine atom with the proviso that the repeating unit contains at least one fluorine atom. This film-forming composition is suitably usable for the manufacturing of an organic semiconductor element because the composition can form a film on an organic semiconductor film; and the formed film has resistance to an etching solvent during the fine pattern processing of the organic semiconductor film by photolithography etc.
US09842990B2
According to one embodiment, a semiconductor memory device includes a semiconductor layer, a gate electrode, a metal containing portion, and an insulating portion. The semiconductor layer includes a first region and a second region. The second region has at least one of a region being amorphous or a region having a crystallinity lower than a crystallinity of the first region. The gate electrode is apart from the first region in a first direction. The first direction crosses a second direction connecting the first region and the second region. The metal containing portion is apart from the second region in the first direction. At least a part of the metal containing portion overlaps the gate electrode in the second direction. The insulating portion is provided between the gate electrode and the first region and between the metal containing portion and the second region.
US09842983B2
A piezoelectric multi-layer component includes a piezoelectric main body, which has an inlet area and an outlet area. In the outlet area or in the inlet area at least two adjacent layers are polarized antiparallel to each other and at least two adjacent layers are polarized parallel to each other.
US09842980B2
A resonance apparatus that processes an electrical loss using a conductive material and a method of manufacturing the resonance apparatus are provided. The resonance apparatus includes a lower electrode formed at a predetermined distance from a substrate, and a piezoelectric layer formed on the lower electrode. The resonance apparatus further includes an upper electrode formed on the piezoelectric layer, and a conductive layer formed on the upper electrode or the lower electrode.
US09842973B2
Methods of fabricating a light-emitting device are provided. A light-emitting device can be formed from bonding a lens including a plug and a cap to an LED package including a socket configured to receive the plug. The lens can be fabricated using an injection mold formed from a well secured to the LED package and injecting a material into the injection mold to cure into a shape of the lens. The lens can also be fabricated using a blank about the shape of the lens and machining the blank to produce the plug and the cap of the lens. The lens can be bonded to the LED package using a convex bead of adhesive deposited on the surface of the LED package and spreading the adhesive between the lens and the LED package.
US09842971B2
There is provided an electronic component mounting substrate which excels in resistance to migration, and is thus capable of maintaining high thermal conductivity and insulation performance for a long period of time. An electronic component mounting substrate includes: a metallic substrate formed of aluminum or an aluminum-based alloy; an alumite layer disposed on the metallic substrate, having a network of crevices at an upper surface thereof; and a ceramic layer disposed on the alumite layer, part of the ceramic layer extending into the crevices.
US09842961B2
A method of fabricating a light-emitting device including the steps of forming a first resin including a phosphor on a light-emitting diode chip mounted on a package body, measuring color coordinates of light emitted by combination of the light-emitting diode chip and the phosphor, correcting the color coordinates by forming a second resin on the first resin, and curing the first resin and the second resin after correcting the color coordinates, in which the first resin is not fully cured before measuring and correcting the color coordinates.
US09842959B2
A Method for producing a microsystem (1) with pixels includes: producing a thermal silicon oxide layer on the surface of a silicon wafer as a base layer (5) by oxidation of the silicon wafer; producing a silicon oxide thin layer on the base layer as a carrier layer (6)by thermal deposition; producing a platinum layer on the carrier layer by thermal deposition, whereby an intermediate product is produced; cooling the intermediate product to room temperature; pixel-like structuring of the platinum layer by removing surplus areas of the platinum layer, whereby bottom electrodes (8, 12) of the pixels (7, 8) are formed in pixel shape on the carrier layer in remaining areas; removing material on the side of the silicon wafer facing away from the base layer, so a frame (3) remains and a membrane (4) formed by the base layer and the carrier layer is spanned by the frame.
US09842954B1
A stationary radiation focusing device focuses incident radiation onto a movable radiation receiving element. The radiation focusing device is a curved mirror optimally configured to concentrate the reflected solar energy in a circle of focus aligned with the central axis of the mirror. The radiation receiving element constrained to follow a circle of focus associated with a given point(s) on the mirror's surface. A mirror support structure holds fixed the surface of the mirror in a region about the given point(s), and an adjustment mechanism coupled to the mirror at locations removed from the given point(s) flexes the other regions of the mirror in a manner to compensate for focusing error so that solar radiation incident on such other regions is more nearly focused on the radiation receiving element.
US09842953B2
A rectangular conductor for a solar battery and a lead wire for a solar battery, in which warping or damaging of a silicon crystal wafer is hard to occur at the time of bonding a connection lead wire even when a silicon crystal wafer is configured to have a thin sheet structure, can be provided. A conductor 1 having a volume resistivity equal to or less than 50 μΩ·mm, and a 0.2% yield strength value equal to or less than 90 MPa in a tensile test is formed into a rectangular conductor 10 for a solar battery having a rectangular cross section, and a surface of the rectangular conductor 10 for a solar battery is coated with a solder plating film 13, to provide a lead wire 20 for a solar battery.
US09842952B2
A photovoltaic cell module, a photovoltaic array including at least two modules, and a method of forming the module are provided. The module includes a first outermost layer and a photovoltaic cell disposed on the first outermost layer. The module also includes a second outermost layer disposed on the photovoltaic cell and sandwiching the photovoltaic cell between the second outermost layer and the first outermost layer. The method of forming the module includes the steps of disposing the photovoltaic cell on the first outermost layer, disposing a silicone composition on the photovoltaic cell, and compressing the first outermost layer, the photovoltaic cell, and the second layer to form the photovoltaic cell module.
US09842951B2
A photovoltaic (PV) Module can include a substantially transparent cover, first encapsulant, a solar cell and a second encapsulant. The second encapsulant can be configured to allow thermal communication between the solar cell and a heat sink. Various configurations and methods of making the same are presented.
US09842943B2
Provided is a method for manufacturing a semiconductor device including a film to be treated having a high flatness. A semiconductor substrate having a surface and including a first region and a second region on the surface is prepared, the first region being a region in which a plurality of first level difference portions are formed, the second region being a region in which a plurality of second level difference portions arranged more sparsely than the plurality of first level difference portions are formed, or a region in which no level difference portion is formed. A photosensitive film is formed on a portion of the second region to surround a periphery of the first region as seen in plan view. An applied film having flowability is formed to cover the first region and the photosensitive film. A portion of the applied film at least on the first region is removed.
US09842939B2
In a transistor having a top-gate structure in which a gate electrode layer overlaps with an oxide semiconductor layer which faints a channel region with a gate insulating layer interposed therebetween, when a large amount of hydrogen is contained in the insulating layer, hydrogen is diffused into the oxide semiconductor layer because the insulating layer is in contact with the oxide semiconductor layer; thus, electric characteristics of the transistor are degraded. An object is to provide a semiconductor device having favorable electric characteristics. An insulating layer in which the concentration of hydrogen is less than 6×1020 atoms/cm3 is used for the insulating layer being in contact with oxide semiconductor layer which forms the channel region. Using the insulating layer, diffusion of hydrogen can be prevented and a semiconductor device having favorable electric characteristics can be provided.
US09842938B2
A semiconductor device includes a transistor which includes a first gate electrode, a first insulating film, an oxide semiconductor film, source and drain electrodes, a second insulating film, and a second gate electrode. The oxide semiconductor film includes a first oxide semiconductor film in contact with the first insulating film, a second oxide semiconductor film in contact with the first oxide semiconductor film, and a third oxide semiconductor film in contact with the second oxide semiconductor film. The first to third oxide semiconductor films each contain In, Zn, and M (M represents Al, Ga, Y, or Sn). The third oxide semiconductor film includes a region in contact with a side surface of the second oxide semiconductor film and a region in contact with the second insulating film. The third oxide semiconductor film includes a region where the content of M is greater than or equal to that of In.
US09842935B2
The present disclosure discloses a LTPS TFT and the manufacturing method thereof. The method includes: forming a semiconductor layer and a LTPS layer on the same surface on a base layer; forming an oxide layer is formed on one side of the semiconductor layer facing away the base layer, and forming the oxide layer on one side of the LTPS layer facing away the base layer; forming a first photoresist layer of a first predetermined thickness on the oxide layer; arranging a corresponding first cobalt layer on each of the photoresist layers, a vertical projection of the first cobalt layer overlaps with the vertical projection of the corresponding first photoresist layer; doping high-concentration doping ions into a first specific area of the semiconductor layer. With such configuration, the number of the masking process is decreased and the manufacturing time is reduced.
US09842934B2
A method of manufacturing an array substrate is discussed. The method includes forming a gate line on a substrate including a pixel region, forming a gate electrode on the substrate and connected to the gate line, and forming a gate insulating layer on the gate line and the gate electrode. The method further includes forming a data line on the gate insulating layer and crossing the gate line to define the pixel region, forming a source electrode and a drain electrode on the gate insulating layer and corresponding to the gate electrode, the source electrode connected to the data line and the drain electrode spaced apart from the source electrode, and forming an oxide semiconductor layer on top of the source and drain electrodes.
US09842929B1
A method of forming a semiconductor device that includes forming a strain relaxed buffer (SRB) layer atop a supporting substrate, and epitaxially forming a tensile semiconductor material atop a first portion of the strain relaxed buffer layer (SRB) layer. A second portion of the SRB layer is then removed, and a semiconductor material including a base material of silicon and phosphorus is formed atop a surface of the supporting substrate exposed by removing the second portion of the SRB layer. A compressive semiconductor material is epitaxially forming atop the semiconductor material including the base material of silicon and phosphorus. Compressive FinFET structures can then be formed from the compressive semiconductor material and tensile FinFET structures can then be formed from the tensile semiconductor material.
US09842926B2
A semiconductor device includes a pillar-shaped semiconductor layer and a first gate insulating film around the pillar-shaped semiconductor layer. A metal gate electrode is around the first gate insulating film and a metal gate line is connected to the gate electrode. A second gate insulating film is around a sidewall of an upper portion of the pillar-shaped semiconductor layer and a first contact made of a second metal surrounds the second gate insulating film. An upper portion of the first contact is electrically connected to an upper portion of the pillar-shaped semiconductor layer, and a third contact resides on the metal gate line. A lower portion of the third contact is made of the second metal.
US09842920B1
Implementations of semiconductor devices may include: an isolated drain finger, a gate ring, and a source ring; wherein the gate ring surrounds a perimeter of the isolated drain finger; wherein the source ring surrounds an outer perimeter of the gate ring and the isolated drain finger; wherein a gate bus is coupled to the gate ring; wherein a first electrically insulative portion is located between the isolated drain finger and the gate ring; and wherein a second electrically insulative portion is located between the gate and the source ring.
US09842914B1
A method of forming a semiconductor device and resulting structures having stacked nanosheets with a wrap-around inner spacer by forming a nanosheet stack disposed above a substrate; forming a top sacrificial layer on a top surface of the nanosheet stack; forming a sidewall sacrificial layer on two opposite sidewalls of the nanosheet stack, such that a first and a second end of a first vertically-stacked nanosheet are exposed; removing the sidewall sacrificial layer, a portion of a first and a second end of a first sacrificial layer, and a portion of a first and a second end of a top sacrificial layer to expose portions of the first vertically-stacked nanosheet; and forming an inner spacer region on the first vertically-stacked nanosheet to replace the removed sidewall sacrificial layer, the removed portions of the first sacrificial layer, and the removed portions of the top sacrificial layer.
US09842911B2
In one embodiment, a semiconductor device can include a substrate including a first type dopant. The semiconductor device can also include an epitaxial layer located above the substrate and including a lower concentration of the first type dopant than the substrate. In addition, the semiconductor device can include a junction extension region located within the epitaxial layer and including a second type dopant. Furthermore, the semiconductor device can include a set of field rings in physical contact with the junction extension region and including a higher concentration of the second type dopant than the junction extension region. Moreover, the semiconductor device can include an edge termination structure in physical contact with the set of field rings.
US09842909B2
A semiconductor device is provided. The semiconductor device includes a first fin on a substrate, a first gate electrode formed on the substrate to intersect the first fin, a first elevated source/drain on the first fin on both sides of the first gate electrode, and a first metal alloy layer on an upper surface and sidewall of the first elevated source/drain.
US09842905B2
A semiconductor device includes: a channel layer made of GaN; a barrier layer formed on the channel layer, the bather layer being made of AlGaN and having a larger band gap than the channel layer; a p-type GaN layer selectively formed on the barrier layer; a gate electrode made of ITO on the p-type GaN layer; and a source electrode and a drain electrode on regions of the barrier layer laterally outward of the gate electrode. The width of the gate electrode in the gate length direction is smaller than or equal to the width of the p-type GaN layer in the gate length direction, and the difference between the width of the gate electrode in the gate length direction and the width of the p-type GaN layer in the gate length direction is less than or equal to 0.2 μm.
US09842903B2
Integrated circuits with improved laterally diffused metal oxide semiconductor (LDMOS) structures, and methods of fabricating the same, are provided. An exemplary LDMOS integrated circuit includes an n-type reduced surface field, a p-type body well disposed on a lateral side of the n-type reduced surface field region, a shallow trench isolation structure disposed within the n-type reduced surface field region, and a gate structure disposed partially over the p-type body well, partially over the n-type reduced surface field region, partially over the shallow trench isolation structure, and partially within the shallow trench isolation structure.
US09842897B2
A bulk finFET with partial dielectric isolation is disclosed. The dielectric isolation is disposed underneath the channel, and essentially bounded by the channel, such that it does not extend laterally beyond the channel under the source and drain regions. This allows increased volume of SiGe source and drain stressor regions placed adjacent to the channel, allowing for a more strained channel, which improves carrier mobility. An N+ doped silicon region is disposed below the dielectric isolation and extends laterally beyond the channel and underneath the stressor source and drain regions, forming a reverse-biased p/n junction with the P+ doped source and drain SiGe stressor to minimize leakage currents from under the insulator.
US09842894B2
An organic light-emitting display apparatus and a manufacturing method thereof. The organic light-emitting display apparatus includes a substrate, a display unit arranged on the substrate, a dam unit arranged at a periphery of the display unit and on the substrate and an encapsulating layer to encapsulate the display unit, wherein the encapsulating layer includes an organic film covering the display unit, and an inorganic film covering the organic film and the dam unit, and wherein a hardness of the dam unit is lower than that of the inorganic film. According to this, lateral moisture-proof characteristics of the organic light-emitting display apparatus are improved.
US09842886B2
A display device includes: a substrate comprising a first region and a second region bent relative to the first region; a plurality of first pixels at the first region, each of the first pixels comprising a first light-emitting diode (LED), the first LED comprising a pixel electrode, an emission layer for emitting light of a first color, and a counter electrode; a plurality of second pixels at the second region, each of the second pixels comprising a second LED, the second LED comprising a pixel electrode, an emission layer configured to emit the first color, and a counter electrode; and an optical resonance layer at the second region corresponding to the second LED.
US09842881B2
A method for fabricating an electronic device that includes a metal-insulator-semiconductor (M-I-S) structure includes: providing a semiconductor layer; forming a primary insulation layer of a first thickness over the semiconductor layer; forming a reactive metal layer of a second thickness over the primary insulation layer, where the second thickness is greater than the first thickness; forming a primary capping layer of a third thickness over the reactive metal layer, where the third thickness is greater than the second thickness; and performing a thermal treatment.
US09842870B2
A bio-sensor includes a substrate having a light-sensing region thereon. A first dielectric layer, a diffusion barrier layer, and a second dielectric layer are disposed on the substrate. A trenched recess structure is formed in the second dielectric layer, which is filled with a light filter layer that is capped with a cap layer. A first passivation layer and a nanocavity construction layer are disposed on the cap layer. A nanocavity is formed in the nanocavity construction layer. The sidewall and bottom surface of the nanocavity is lined with a second passivation layer.
US09842869B2
In each pixel having a plurality of photodiodes for one microlens of a plurality of pixels arranged in a pixel array part, the photoelectrically converted electrons are prevented from moving between the photodiodes, thereby to improve the electron isolating characteristic, resulting in improved performances of a semiconductor device. In a well region immediately under between a first N− type semiconductor region forming a first photodiode in a pixel and a second N− type semiconductor region forming a second photodiode in the pixel, an isolation region higher in impurity density than the well region is formed.
US09842864B2
A thin film transistor (TFT) substrate is disclosed. The TFT substrate includes a substrate, a blocking layer, a source electrode, and a drain electrode on a same layer over the substrate, an active layer overlapping the blocking layer, the source electrode, and the drain electrode, a gate insulation layer over the active layer, a first gate electrode over the gate insulation layer, an interlayer dielectric over the first gate electrode, a first connection electrode over the interlayer dielectric and connected to the active layer and the source electrode through a first contact hole, a second connection electrode over the interlayer dielectric and connected to the active layer and the drain electrode through a second contact hole, a planarization layer over the first connection electrode and the second connection electrode, and a pixel electrode over the planarization layer and connected to the second connection electrode through a third contact hole.
US09842856B2
According to an embodiment, a semiconductor memory device comprises: a plurality of control gate electrodes stacked above a substrate; a first semiconductor layer extending in a first direction above the substrate and facing the plurality of control gate electrodes; a gate insulating layer extending in the first direction and provided between the control gate electrode and first semiconductor layer; and a second semiconductor layer positioned downwardly of the first semiconductor layer and gate insulating layer, and connected to a lower end of the first semiconductor layer and the substrate. Moreover, the first semiconductor layer comprises: a first portion contacting an upper surface of the second semiconductor layer at a position more downward than a lower end of the gate insulating layer; and a second portion connected to an upper end of the first portion, extending in the first direction, and having a different crystalline structure from the first portion.
US09842852B2
A photoresist polymer includes a first repeating unit and a second repeating unit. The first repeating unit includes a fluorine leaving group that is configured to be removed by a photo-chemical reaction. The second repeating unit includes a silicon-containing leaving group that is configured to be removed by the fluorine leaving group when the fluorine leaving group is removed from the first repeating unit.
US09842851B2
An alternating stack of insulating layers and sacrificial material layers is formed over a substrate. A dielectric collar structure can be formed prior to formation of an epitaxial channel portion, and can be employed to protect the epitaxial channel portion during replacement of the sacrificial material layers with electrically conductive layers. Exposure of the epitaxial channel portion to an etchant during removal of the sacrificial material layers is avoided through use of the dielectric collar structure. Additionally or alternatively, facets on the top surface of the epitaxial channel portion can be reduced or eliminated by forming the epitaxial channel portion to a height that exceeds a target height, and by recessing a top portion of the epitaxial channel portion. The recess etch can remove protruding portions of the epitaxial channel portion at a greater removal rate than a non-protruding portion.
US09842848B2
The present disclosure relates to an integrated circuit (IC) that includes a high-k metal gate (HKMG) non-volatile memory (NVM) device and that provides small scale and high performance, and a method of formation. In some embodiments, the integrated circuit includes a logic region having a logic device disposed over a substrate and including a first metal gate disposed over a first high-k gate dielectric layer and an embedded memory region disposed adjacent to the logic region. The embedded memory region has a split gate flash memory cell including a select gate and a control gate. The control gate or the select gate is a metal gate separated from the substrate by a second high-k gate dielectric layer. By having HKMG structures in both the logic region and the memory region, IC performance is improved and further scaling becomes possible in emerging technology nodes.
US09842847B2
Some embodiments include a string of charge storage devices formed along a vertical channel of semiconductor material; a gate region of a drain select gate (SGD) transistor, the gate region at least partially surrounding the vertical channel; a dielectric barrier formed in the gate region; a first isolation layer formed above the gate region and the dielectric barrier; a drain region of the SGD transistor formed above the vertical channel; and a second isolation layer formed above the first isolation layer and the drain region, wherein the second isolation layer includes a conductive contact in electrical contact with the drain region of the SGD transistor. Additional apparatus and methods are disclosed.
US09842843B2
In a method of manufacturing an SRAM device, an insulating layer is formed over a substrate. First dummy patterns are formed over the insulating layer. Sidewall spacer layers, as second dummy patterns, are formed on sidewalls of the first dummy patterns. The first dummy patterns are removed, thereby leaving the second dummy patterns over the insulating layer. After removing the first dummy patterns, the second dummy patterns are divided. A mask layer is formed over the insulating layer and between the divided second dummy patterns. After forming the mask layer, the divided second dummy patterns are removed, thereby forming a hard mask layer having openings that correspond to the patterned second dummy patterns. The insulating layer is formed by using the hard mask layer as an etching mask, thereby forming via openings in the insulating layer. A conductive material is filled in the via openings, thereby forming contact bars.
US09842840B1
Some embodiments include a transistor having a semiconductor material with a trench extending downwardly therein. The semiconductor material has a first post region on one side of the trench and a second post region on an opposing side of the trench. The semiconductor material has a narrow fin region along the bottom of the trench and extending between the first and second post regions. Each of the first and second post regions has a first thickness and the narrow fin region has a second thickness, with the second thickness being less than the first thickness. Gate dielectric material is along sidewalls of the first and second post regions, along a top of the narrow fin region, and along side surfaces of the narrow fin region. Gate material is over the gate dielectric material. First and second source/drain regions are within the first and second post regions.
US09842826B2
An integrated fan out package on package architecture is utilized along with a reference via in order to provide a reference voltage that extends through the InFO-POP architecture. If desired, the reference via may be exposed and then connected to a shield coating that can be used to shield the InFO-POP architecture. The reference via may be exposed by exposing either a top surface or a sidewall of the reference via using one or more singulation processes.
US09842820B1
An integrated circuit package that includes an integrated circuit die, a redistribution substrate, a wirebond interconnect and a package substrate is disclosed. The redistribution substrate is formed on the integrated circuit die and may be wider than the integrated circuit die. The package substrate is formed below the integrated circuit die. The wirebond interconnect may have one of its ends attached to the redistribution substrate and another end attached to the package substrate. In addition to that, another integrated circuit die may be formed between the redistribution substrate and the package substrate. The integrated circuit dies may communicate with each other through the redistribution substrate. In addition to that, a method to manufacture the integrated circuit package may also be disclosed.
US09842818B2
BGA packages with a spatially varied ball height, molds and techniques to form such packages. A template or mold with cavities may be pre-fabricated to hold solder paste material applied to the mold, for example with a solder paste printing process. The depth and/or diameter of the cavities may be predetermined as a function of spatial position within the mold working surface area. Mold cavity dimensions may be specified corresponding to package position to account for one or more pre-existing or expected spatial variations in the package, such as a package-level warpage measurement. Any number of different ball heights may be provided. The molds may be employed in a standardize process that need not be modified with each change in the mold.
US09842815B2
A semiconductor device has a top metal layer, a first passivation layer over the top metal layer, a first redistribution layer over the first passivation layer, a first polymer layer, and a first conductive via extending through the first polymer layer. The first polymer layer is in physical contact with the first passivation layer.
US09842809B2
A semiconductor package may include a semiconductor device mounted on a package substrate, a conductive roof located over the semiconductor device, a plurality of conductive walls disposed on the package substrate and arrayed in a closed loop line surrounding the semiconductor device. Conductive pillars may be disposed in regions between the conductive walls on the package substrate and bonded to the conductive roof. The semiconductor package may include a first dielectric layer filling a space between the package substrate and the conductive roof.
US09842804B2
An integrated circuit structure includes a first low-k dielectric layer having a first k value, and a second low-k dielectric layer having a second k value lower than the first k value. The second low-k dielectric layer is overlying the first low-k dielectric layer. A dual damascene structure includes a via with a portion in the first low-k dielectric layer, and a metal line over and joined to the via. The metal line includes a portion in the second low-k dielectric layer.
US09842801B2
Provided are approaches for forming a self-aligned via and an air gap within a semiconductor device. Specifically, one approach produces a device having: a first metal line beneath a second metal line within an ultra low-k (ULK) dielectric, the first metal line connected to the second metal line by a first via; a dielectric capping layer formed over the second metal line; a third metal line within first and second via openings formed within a ULK fill material formed over the dielectric capping layer, wherein the third metal line within the first via opening extends to a top surface of the dielectric capping layer, and wherein the third metal line within the second via opening is connected to the second metal by a second via passing through the dielectric capping layer; and an air gap formed between the third metal line within the first and seconds via openings.
US09842797B2
A stacked die power converter package includes a lead frame including a die pad and a plurality of package pins, a first die including a first power transistor switch (first power transistor) attached to the die pad, and a first metal clip attached to one side of the first die. The first metal clip is coupled to at least one package pin. A second die including a second power transistor switch (second power transistor) is attached to another side on the first metal clip. A controller is provided by a controller die attached to a non-conductive layer on the second metal clip on one side of the second die.
US09842795B2
A power device includes a semiconductor chip provided over a substrate, and a patterned lead. The patterned lead includes a raised portion located between a main portion and an end portion. At least part of the raised portion is positioned over the semiconductor chip at a larger height than both the main portion and the end portion. A bonding pad may also be included. The end portion may include a raised portion, bonded portion, and connecting portion. At least part of the bonded portion is bonded to the bonding pad and at least part of the raised portion is positioned over the bonding pad at a larger height than the bonded portion and connecting portion. The end portion may also include a plurality of similarly raised portions.
US09842785B2
Presented herein is a device comprising a common node disposed in a first wafer a test node disposed in a first wafer and having a plurality of test pads exposed at a first surface of the first wafer. The test node also has test node lines connected to the test pads and that are separated by a first spacing and extend to a second surface of the first wafer. A comb is disposed in a second wafer and has a plurality of comb lines having a second spacing different from the first spacing. Each of the comb lines has a first surface exposed at a first side of the second wafer. The comb lines provide an indication of an alignment of the first wafer and second wafer by a number or arrangement of connections made by the plurality of comb lines between the test node lines and the common node.
US09842778B2
A method of fabricating a semiconductor device includes forming a first well region and a second well region in a semiconductor substrate, forming an isolation region defining a first fin active region and a second fin active region on the semiconductor substrate, forming a sacrificial gate layer on the semiconductor substrate having the first and second fin active regions and the isolation region, forming a hardmask line on the sacrificial gate layer, forming a gate cut mask having a gate cut opening on the hardmask line, and forming first and second hardmask patterns spaced apart from each other by etching the hardmask line using the gate cut mask as an etching mask. The gate cut opening overlaps a boundary between the first and second well regions formed between the first and second fin active regions, and has a line shape in a direction intersecting the hardmask line.
US09842777B2
The disclosed technology generally relates to semiconductor devices, and more particularly to transistor devices comprising multiple channels. In one aspect, a method of fabricating a transistor device comprises forming on the substrate a plurality of vertically repeating layer stacks each comprising a first layer, a second layer and a third layer stacked in a predetermined order, wherein each of the first, second and third layers is formed of silicon, silicon germanium or germanium and has a different germanium concentration compared to the other two of the first, second and third layers. The method additionally includes selectively removing the first layer with respect to the second and third layers from each of the layer stacks, such that a gap interposed between the second layer and the third layer is formed in each of the layer stacks. The method further includes selectively removing the second layer from each of the layer stacks with respect to the third layer, wherein removing the second layer comprises at least partially removing the second layer through the gap, thereby defining the channels comprising a plurality of vertically arranged third layers.
US09842765B2
A semiconductor device structure is provided. The semiconductor device structure includes a substrate. The semiconductor device structure includes a dielectric layer over the substrate. The dielectric layer has a trench. The semiconductor device structure includes a conductive line in the trench. The conductive line has a first end portion and a second end portion. The first end portion faces the substrate. The second end portion faces away from the substrate. A first width of the first end portion is greater than a second width of the second end portion.
US09842763B2
A method for manufacturing a bonded wafer using a base wafer which is an epitaxial wafer produced by a method including at least one of: (1) setting a chamfer width of a wafer for epitaxial growth to be 0.20 mm or less on an epitaxial growth side; (2) preparing a wafer for epitaxial growth having a rise shape on an epitaxial growth side periphery, thereby adjusting the wafer to have an amount of sag within a range of −30 nm/mm2 to +10 nm/mm2 on a bonding surface side periphery; and (3) adjusting epitaxial growth conditions so a change in amount of sag before and after growth becomes a positive value, thereby adjusting the wafer to have sag within a range of −30 nm/mm2 to +10 nm/mm2. The method can manufacture a bonded wafer with a small terrace width even when an epitaxial wafer is used as the base wafer.
US09842757B2
A method including moving a substrate, located on a first end effector of a robot, from a first location towards a second location by the robot; determining location of a fiducial on the substrate while the substrate is being moved from the first location towards the second location; comparing the determined location of the fiducial with a reference fiducial location while the robot is moving the substrate from the first location towards the second location.
US09842756B2
A storage system and methods for operating a storage system are disclosed. The storage system includes a plurality of storage shelves, and each of storage shelves has a shelf plate for supporting a container. Each of the storage shelves is coupled to a chain to enable horizontal movement and each is further coupled to a rail to enable guiding to one or more positions. A motor is coupled to a drive sprocket for moving the chain. The rail has some sections that are linear and some sections that are nonlinear. The sections are arranged in a loop. Example configurations of the storage system include one or more of stationary shelves, extended horizontal tracks for a hoist, a conveyor at a level of the storage system, and a manual loading station. The hoist, with an extended horizontal track interfaces with the manual loading station.
US09842753B2
The embodiments described herein generally relate to a lamphead assembly with an absorbing upper surface in a thermal processing chamber. In one embodiment, a processing chamber includes an upper structure, a lower structure, a base ring connecting the upper structure to the lower structure, a substrate support disposed between the upper structure and the lower structure, a lower structure disposed below the substrate support, a lamphead positioned proximate to the lower structure with one or more fixed lamphead positions formed therein, the lamphead comprising a first surface proximate the lower structure and a second surface opposite the first surface, wherein the first surface comprises an absorptive coating and one or more lamp assemblies each comprising a radiation generating source and positioned in connection with the one or more fixed lamphead positions.
US09842752B2
A semiconductor manufacturing system or process, such as an ion implantation system, apparatus and method, including a component or step for heating a semiconductor workpiece are provided. An optical heat source emits light energy to heat the workpiece. The optical heat source is configured to provide minimal or reduced emission of non-visible wavelengths of light energy and emit light energy at a wavelength in a maximum energy light absorption range of the workpiece.
US09842751B2
Disclosed is a substrate liquid processing apparatus. The apparatus includes: a substrate holding unit configured to hold a substrate horizontally; a nozzle configured to eject a processing liquid in a transversal direction toward a liquid arrival target position set on the substrate held by the substrate holding unit from an ejection port which is located at an injection position spaced away from the liquid arrival target position by a predetermined distance horizontally; and a liquid receiving unit provided below the nozzle to receive the processing liquid dropping from the ejection port of the nozzle.
US09842735B2
A method of manufacturing a low temperature polycrystalline silicon thin film and a thin film transistor, a thin film transistor, a display panel and a display device are provided. The method includes: forming an amorphous silicon thin film (01) on a substrate (1); forming a pattern of a silicon oxide thin film (02) covering the amorphous silicon thin film (01), a thickness of the silicon oxide thin film (02) located at a preset region being larger than that of the silicon oxide thin film (02) located at other regions; and irradiating the silicon oxide thin film (02) by using excimer laser to allow the amorphous silicon thin film (01) forming an initial polycrystalline silicon thin film (04), the initial polycrystalline silicon thin film (04) located at the preset region being a target low temperature polycrystalline silicon thin film (05). The polycrystalline silicon thin film has more uniform crystal size.
US09842732B2
A substrate cleaning apparatus performs scrub cleaning of a surface of a substrate with an elongated cylindrical roll cleaning member. The substrate cleaning apparatus includes a roll holder for supporting the cleaning member and rotate the roll cleaning member, a vertical movement mechanism for vertically moving the roll holder so that the roll cleaning member applies a roll load to the substrate at the time of cleaning the substrate by actuation of an actuator having a regulating device, a load cell for measuring the roll load, and a controller for performing feedback control of the roll load through the regulating device based on the measured value of the load cell. The substrate cleaning apparatus further includes a monitor unit for monitoring whether an operation amount of the regulating device falls outside an allowable range of a preset reference value of an operation amount corresponding to a preset roll load.
US09842726B2
A method for monitoring at least one process parameter of a plasma process being performed on a semiconductor wafer, surface or surface and determine arc events occurring within the plasma tool chamber. The method comprises the steps of detecting the modulated light being generated from the plasma sheath during the plasma process; sampling RF voltage and current signals from the RF transmission line; processing the detected modulated light and the RF signals to produce at least one monitor statistic for the plasma process, and process the monitor signal to determine the occurrence of arcing events during the wafer processing.
US09842719B2
A fusible disconnect switch devices includes dual sets of switch contacts to connect or disconnect a current path through an overcurrent protection fuse with reduced arcing severity. Faster acting and longer contact path switch mechanisms are described providing satisfactory switching of DC circuits without excessive electrical arcing in a reduced physical package size.
US09842710B2
A key switch device includes: a key top that includes an operating surface; a pair of link members that is interlocked with each other to move the key top upward and downward; a frame member that includes a leg portion extending downward and a flange portion provided at an end of the leg portion, and pivotably supports the pair of the link members; and a support plate that includes a through hole through which the leg portion and the flange portion penetrate, and a projection portion projecting upwardly from a part of an outer periphery of the through hole toward an inside of the through hole.
US09842707B2
A flexible all-solid state supercapacitor is provided that includes a first electrode and a second electrode, and a flexible nanofiber web, where the flexible nanofiber web connects the first electrode to the second electrode, where the flexible nanofiber web includes a plurality of flexible nanofibers, where the flexible nanofiber includes a hierarchal structure of macropores, mesopores and micropores through a cross section of the flexible nanofiber, where the mesopores and the micropores form a graded pore structure, where the macropores are periodically distributed along the flexible nanaofiber and within the graded pore structure.
US09842693B2
A multilayer ceramic capacitor includes an element body, a first terminal electrode, a second terminal electrode, and a plurality of internal electrodes. The plurality of internal electrodes include a plurality of first internal electrodes, a plurality of second internal electrodes, a plurality of third internal electrodes, and a plurality of fourth internal electrodes. The element body includes a plurality of first and second regions. The first regions are located between the first internal electrodes opposed with each other. The second regions are located between the first internal electrodes opposed to each other through the third internal electrodes, and between the second internal electrodes opposed to each other through the fourth internal electrodes. The first regions and the second regions are alternately located in the first direction.
US09842688B2
The disclosure features systems for wireless power transfer that include a resonator featuring a coil with at least two windings and at least one inductor having an inductance value, where the at least one inductor is connected in series to at least one of the windings, and where the inductance value is selected so that when the coil carries a current during operation of the system, the at least one inductor maintains a distribution of current flows among the at least two windings such that for each of the at least two windings, an actual current flow in the winding differs from a target current flow for the winding by 10% or less.
US09842678B2
A binary, ternary, quaternary, or quinary Mn—X magnetic material (X represents at least one element selected from Al, Bi, Ga, and Rh) has a thickness of 100 nm or less and exhibits a uniaxial magnetic anisotropy constant of 107 erg/cc or higher and a coercive force of 15 kOe or higher in the temperature range of 0° C. or more and 200° C. or less, and a room-temperature saturation magnetization of 400 emu/cc or higher.
US09842661B1
Methods, systems, and devices for recovering fatigued ferroelectric memory cells are described. Recovery voltages may be applied to a ferroelectric memory cell that is fatigued due to repeated access (read or write) operations. The recovery voltage may have a greater amplitude than the access voltage and may include multiple voltage pulses or a constant voltage. The recovery operation may be performed in the background as the memory array operates, or it may be performed when a host device is not actively using the memory array. The recovery operations may be performed periodically or may include discrete series of pulses distributed among several instances.
US09842657B1
Multi-state programming of non-volatile memory cells, where cells being programmed to different target states are programmed concurrently, is performed by modulating the program speed of each state using a controlled amount of state-dependent weak boosting in their respective channels. In one example, the channel boosting is controlled by using a multi-stair word line ramp in conjunction with raising of the voltage on bit lines at a time based on the corresponding memory cell's target state.
US09842632B2
A bit line equalizer includes a first line-shaped gate extended in a first direction, a second line-shaped gate spaced apart from the first line-shaped gate by a predetermined distance and extending parallel to the first gate, a third gate configured to interconnect the first gate and the second gate, a first contact node located at one side of the first gate, a second contact node located at one side of the second gate, a third contact node located between the first gate and the second gate and located at one side of the third gate, and a fourth contact node located between the first gate and the second gate and located at the other side of the third gate.
US09842631B2
Mitigating external influences on long signal lines. In accordance with an embodiment of the present invention, a column of a memory array includes first and second transistors configured to pull up the bit line of the column. The column includes a third transistor configured to selectively pull up the bit line of the column responsive to a level of the inverted bit line of the column and a fourth transistor configured to selectively pull up the inverted bit line of the column responsive to a level of the bit line of the column. The column further includes fifth and sixth transistors configured to selectively pull up the bit line and inverted bit line of the column responsive to the clamp signal and a seventh transistor configured to selectively couple the bit line of the column and the inverted bit line of the column responsive to the clamp signal.
US09842620B2
A motor includes a rotating portion including a rotor magnet, and arranged to rotate about a central axis extending in a vertical direction; a bearing mechanism arranged to support the rotating portion such that the rotating portion is rotatable about the central axis; a stator portion arranged opposite to the rotor magnet; a housing arranged to accommodate the rotating portion, the bearing mechanism, and the stator portion therein; and a sealing member. The housing includes a base portion substantially in a shape of a plate and arranged to extend radially below the rotating portion. The base portion includes a first lower surface arranged to face downward, and a through hole arranged to pass through the base portion in the vertical direction and arranged to have a portion of the bearing mechanism arranged therein. The sealing member is arranged to cover a lower side of the through hole, and includes at least a metal layer.
US09842619B1
A set of consecutive user data wedges are each located between consecutive servo wedges of a heat-assisted recording medium. Test data is written at least every other one of the consecutive data wedges using different laser power values. Based on reading the test data, a nominal laser power is selected for use by the read/write head.
US09842615B1
A method and system provide a magnetic read apparatus. The magnetic read apparatus includes a read sensor. The read sensor includes a pinning layer, a nonmagnetic insertion layer and a pinned layer. The nonmagnetic insertion layer has a location selected from a first location and a second location. The first location is between the pinned layer and the pinning layer. The second location is within the pinning layer.
US09842612B2
The presently disclosed technology teaches integrating disc drive electronics into a transducer head. Decreased electrical transit times and data processing times can be achieved by placing the electronics on or within the transducer head because electrical connections may be made physically shorter than in conventional systems. The electronics may include one or more of a control system circuit, a write driver, and/or a data buffer. The control system circuit generates a modified clock signal that has a fixed relation to phase and frequency of a bit-detected reference signal that corresponds to positions of patterned bits on the disc. The write driver writes outgoing data bits received from an external connection to off-head electronics directly to the writer synchronized with the modified clock signal. The data buffer stores and converts digital data bits sent from the off-head electronics to an analog signal that is synchronized with the modified clock signal.
US09842608B2
This specification describes, among other things, a computer-implemented method. The method can include receiving a stream of audio data at a computing device. The stream of audio data can be segmented into a plurality of audio segments. Respective intensity levels are determined for each of the plurality of audio segments. For each of the plurality of audio segments and based on the respective intensity levels, a determination can be made as to whether the audio segment includes a speech signal. Selective gain control can be performed on the stream of audio data by automatically adjusting a gain of particular ones of the plurality of audio segments that are determined to include a speech signal.
US09842603B2
The present technology relates to an encoding device and an encoding method, a decoding device and a decoding method, and a program, configured to obtain a high quality audio with less encoding amount. A number-of-sections determining feature amount calculating circuit calculates a number-of-sections determining feature amount for determining the number of divisions to divide a process target section into continuous frame sections each including a frame for which the same estimation coefficient is selected, based on sub-band signals of a plurality of sub-bands constituting an input signal. A quasi-high frequency sub-band power difference calculating circuit determines the number of continuous frame sections in the process target section based on the number-of-sections determining feature amount, selects an estimation coefficient for obtaining a high frequency component of the input signal by estimation for each continuous frame section, and generates data including a coefficient index for obtaining the estimation coefficient. A high frequency encoding circuit encodes the obtained data, and generates high frequency encoded data. The present technology can be applied to an encoding device.
US09842601B2
Vector Quantizer and method therein for efficient vector quantization, e.g. in a transform audio codec. The method comprises comparing an input target vector s with a plurality of centroids, each centroid representing a respective class of codevectors in a codebook. Further, a starting point for a search related to the input target vector in the codebook is determined, based on the result of the comparison. The codevectors in the codebook are sorted according to a distortion measure reflecting the distance between each codevector and the centroids of the classes. The Vector Quantizer and method enables that the class of codevectors comprising the most probable candidate codevectors in regard of the input vector s may be searched first.
US09842598B2
A method for mitigating potential frame instability by an electronic device is described. The method includes obtaining a frame subsequent in time to an erased frame. The method also includes determining whether the frame is potentially unstable. The method further includes applying a substitute weighting value to generate a stable frame parameter if the frame is potentially unstable.
US09842597B2
Disclosed is a binaural rendering method and apparatus for decoding a multichannel audio signal. The binaural rendering method may include: extracting an early reflection component and a late reverberation component from a binaural filter; generating a stereo audio signal by performing binaural rendering of a multichannel audio signal base on the early reflection component; and applying the late reverberation component to the generated stereo audio signal.
US09842592B2
Methods, systems, and apparatus, including computer programs encoded on a computer storage medium, for language models using non-linguistic context. In some implementations, context data indicating non-linguistic context for the utterance is received. Based on the context data, feature scores for one or more non-linguistic features are generated. The feature scores for the non-linguistic features are provided to a language model trained to process scores for non-linguistic features. The output from the language model is received, and a transcription for the utterance is determined using the output of the language model.
US09842591B2
It is inter alia disclosed to perform at least one of operating an interaction process with a user of the medical apparatus and determining, based on a representation of at least one instruction given by the user, at least one instruction operable by the medical apparatus. Therein, the at least one of the operating and the determining at least partially depends on operational data. It is further disclosed to receive modification information for modifying at least a part of the operational data, wherein the modification information is at least partially determined based on an analysis of a representation of at least one instruction given by the user.
US09842589B2
A voice input device provided with an input section for inputting a voice of a user, a recognition section for recognizing the voice of the user inputted by the input section, a generation section for generating characters or a command based on a recognition result of the recognition section, a detection section for detecting a device's own posture, and an instruction section for instructing the generation section to generate the command when a detection result of the detection section represents a specific posture as compared to instructing the generation section to generate the characters when the detection result of the detection section represents a posture other than the specific posture. Accordingly, character input and command input during dictation is correctly distinguished, or more specifically unexpected character input during dictation is avoided.
US09842588B2
A method and a device of voice recognition are provided. The method involves receiving a voice signal, identifying a first voice recognition model in which context information associated with a situation at reception of the voice signal is not reflected and a second voice recognition model in which the context information is reflected, determining a weighted value of the first voice recognition model and a weighted value of the second voice recognition model, and recognizing a word in the voice signal by applying the determined weighted values to the first voice recognition model and the second voice recognition model.
US09842583B2
The present invention relates to an ultrasound probe (60) comprising: an ultrasound transducer (12) having an emission surface (24) for generating ultrasound waves, and an acoustical lens (12) with a first part (64) having an inner surface (66) facing the emission surface (24), wherein the inner surface (64) comprises a plurality of protrusions (74) and/or recesses (76) for scattering reflections of ultrasound waves.
US09842571B2
A context awareness-based screen scroll method is provided. The method includes detecting information about surrounding circumstances of a terminal, setting a screen scroll mode based on the surrounding circumstances, detecting occurrence of an event corresponding to the set screen scroll mode, and executing screen scroll according to the occurred event.
US09842565B2
In-vehicle communication and, more particularly, a controller operating an in-vehicle Ethernet environment and a control method thereof are disclosed. A controller operating in an in-vehicle Ethernet network includes a central processing unit (CPU) and a physical layer (PHY) device connected to the CPU through a first interface, a second interface, and a first pin, wherein the PHY device includes a decoder, the PHY device being configured based on a predetermined configuration value for initialization irrespective of booting of an operating system of the CPU, and the decoder decodes compressed video data received from an external source through the Ethernet network into uncompressed video data and transmits the uncompressed video data to the external source after initialization of the PHY device is completed based on configuration of the first pin.
US09842558B2
A driving circuit of a display device includes first to third output signal lines which are continuously arranged, a first transistor that has a source connected to the second output signal line and a drain connected to a first clock signal line, and a second transistor that provides a non-active potential to a gate of the first transistor when a second clock signal becomes the active potential, wherein a circuit that outputs the active potential to the first output signal line and the third output signal line is disposed at an opposite side to a circuit that outputs the active potential to the second output signal line with a display region interposed therebetween, and wherein the gate of the first transistor is connected to the first output signal line and the third output signal line via rectifying circuits.
US09842548B2
A control device for a display device includes an image acquisition part that designates a gray level value of each of the pixels, and acquires first image data with the number of gray levels being a-gray levels, a parameter acquisition part that acquires a parameter that decides the number of gray levels displayed by the pixel, a color reduction part that decides a number of gray levels to be displayed by the pixel according to the parameter acquired by the parameter acquisition part, and generates second image data in which the first image data acquired in the image acquisition part is color-reduced to the number of gray levels decided, anda write part that changes the gray level of the pixel to a gray level of the gray level value designated by the second image data generated in the color reduction part.
US09842541B2
An organic light-emitting display panel includes a power input line, a power transfer line, and first and second power wires. The power input line extends in a first direction of a display area and applies a first source voltage. The power transfer line extends in the first direction, is connected to a center point of the power input line, and transfers the first source voltage to the power input line. The first power wire and second power wire extends in a second direction outside the display area and supply the first source voltage to the power input line and the power transfer line. A plurality of pixels are arranged in a matrix in the display area and are connected to the power input line to receive the first source voltage through the power input line.
US09842525B2
A display panel includes a gate line, a data line, a first testing pad, a second testing pad, and a switching circuit. The gate line receives a gate-driving signal from a first node. The data line receives a data signal from a second node. The first testing pad transmits the gate-driving signal via one of a first reserved path and a first transmission path to the first node. The second testing pad transmits the data signal via one of a second reserved path and a second transmission path to the second node. The switching circuit selectively connects the first transmission path to the first node and connects the second transmission path to the second node. The first testing pad is connected to the first node via the first reserved path, and the second testing pad is connected to the second node via the second reserved path.
US09842514B2
A dynamic DNA model and DNA model kit that is based on the atomic coordinates of double-stranded DNA, but can be easily untwisted to form a flattened 2-D ladder structure. Once untwisted, the two strands of DNA can be easily “unzipped” to create single-stranded DNA templates that can be used to demonstrate the processes of DNA replication and transcription. The model and kit include two joints that allow the DNA model to be dynamically transformed from its helical arrangement into a straight ladder-like arrangement, with parallel base pairs and anti-parallel “backbones.” One joint is a pin joint, having rotation about one axis, and translation along that axis. The second joint can be a “compound” joint having multiple degrees of freedom at different points; or, it can be simplified to a single rotation axis with a separate translation axis.
US09842513B2
A system may include utensil means for portioning a foodstuff into a first portion and a second portion, a means for detecting a first portion size for the first portion with the utensil means, a means for detecting a second portion size for the second portion with the utensil means, and a means for determining a cumulative amount of portioned foodstuff based upon the first portion size and the second portion size.
US09842510B2
A music practice feedback method, system, and non-transitory computer readable medium including a displaying device configured to display sheet music, a collecting device configured to collect information related to a playing of the sheet music by a plurality of players, and a display changing device configured to change a display of the sheet music based on said collected information.
US09842506B2
Systems and methods are delineated in which dynamic thresholds may be employed to detect and provide alerts for potential conflicts between a vehicle and another vehicle, an object or a person in an aircraft environment. Current systems for airport conflict detection and alerting consider one or more alerting boundaries which are independent of the amount of traffic present at any one time or over the course of time. Because nuisance alerts rates depend to a large extent on the amount of traffic, and because alert detection thresholds are often set based on a desire to limit nuisance alerts to a specific threshold, adapting those thresholds based on, among other things, the amount of traffic can result in earlier alerting in some crash scenarios and can even result in providing an alert in a crash scenario where no alert would have otherwise been generated.
US09842488B2
Systems and methods grant immunity from a monitoring system. For example, a monitoring system comprises a portable device configured to communicate a unique identifier with a registration signal, and a monitoring system. The monitoring system comprises a database including the unique identifier, a sensor configured to detect a condition, and a controller configured to receive a detection signal from the sensor when the condition is detected. The monitoring system grants immunity from the sensor to the portable device when the registration signal is received by the monitoring system.
US09842486B2
System and method for establishing configuration parameters for a comprehensive user interface of an alarm system. An exemplary embodiment of a configuration system in accordance with the present disclosure includes a plurality of alarm system workstations, each alarm system workstation having a set of configuration parameters associated therewith, a client workstation, and a user interface broker operatively connected to each of the alarm system workstations and the client workstation, wherein the user interface broker is configured to aggregate data from the alarm system workstations and to present such aggregated data at the client workstation using the comprehensive user interface. The user interface broker is further configured to facilitate designation of one of the alarm system workstations as a main workstation, whereupon the configuration parameters of the designated main workstation are applied to the comprehensive user interface.
US09842479B1
A warning system of the present disclosure has at least two detectors for detecting conditions within a structure that are communicatively coupled via a wireless area network (WAN), and each detector is configured to activate an alert and to transmit data indicative of a detected condition to a smart device. In addition, the warning system has a processor configured to receive the data indicative of the detected condition and automatically initiate control logic resident on the smart device. Further, the processor is configured to initiate an alert in response that indicates the presence of the detected condition in the structure, which is conveyed to a user of the smart device.
US09842477B2
A lighting device includes: a light source switchable between illumination modes; a human detector which detects a person in a detection area in an illumination area of the light source; an ID reader which wirelessly reads an identification stored in an RF tag in a read area corresponding to the detection area; and a controller communicably connected to the light source, the human detector, and the ID reader. The controller obtains from the human detector human detection information indicating that one or more persons are present, obtains from the ID reader one or more identifications read by the ID reader when the human detector detects the one or more persons, and applies one mode of the illumination modes to the light source based on the human detection information and one or more identifications obtained, and the light source performs illumination in the applied mode.
US09842476B2
A system includes a processor, an audio display, and a haptic peripheral including a haptic output device. The audio display includes a speaker and a headphone connector. The haptic output device is configured to receive a control signal from the processor and output a haptic effect to the haptic peripheral in response to the control signal from the processor. The processor is configured to vary the control signal for the haptic output device depending on an audio output accessory connectivity status of the audio display such that the haptic output device generates and applies a first haptic effect if the audio display is connected to an audio output accessory in order to output audio through the headphone connector and the haptic output device generates and applies a second haptic effect if the audio display is not connected to an audio output accessory in order to output audio through the speaker.
US09842472B2
A consumer gaming loyalty system, which can include: an electronic data processing system operated by a loyalty program operator, the electronic data processing system being independent of a state lottery and a lottery retailer; and a user account defined within the data processing system, the user account configured to store a lottery transaction history provided by at least one of a consumer, the state lottery, the lottery retailer, and the loyalty program operator; and wherein the electronic data processing system is configured to provide least one contest to the consumer through the user account, and the contest is provided by the loyalty program operator independently of the state lottery and a lottery retailer contest.
US09842461B2
A console is described, having display means, and game control means arranged to control images displayed on the display means, the game control means being arranged to play a game in which one or more symbols are randomly selected as a combination of symbols and displayed on the display means. If a winning combination results, the machine awards a prize. In some circumstances, the console will display an animated character to communicate information to the player. The character is independent of and appears asynchronously with respect to the game being played and is arranged to appear super imposed over any game screen currently displayed at the time the character is displayed.
US09842458B2
A wagering interface is disclosed for a gaming apparatus, for applying a wager when playing a game. The wagering interface comprises a display screen for displaying at least a portion of the game being played and a slider which is repositionable along a slider path orientated to extend from a lower portion of the display to an upper portion of the display. The wager applied when playing the game is dependent on the position of the slider along the path which thus provides a gamer with a visual indication of the wager applied, and thus enables the gamer to better coordinate the application of the wager.
US09842455B2
A parking meter mechanism is described that may include a front housing, having a display opening for viewing a display through, connected to an internal structure. Additionally or alternatively the parking meter mechanism may include a contactless payment reader located behind the display. The parking meter mechanism may be secured to a lower housing. A back housing may be secured to the lower housing as well. The front or back housing may include a solar panel compartment and solar panel mounted therein.
US09842454B2
A climate-controlled vending machine is monitored using data analytics. The climate-controlled vending machine includes a primary storage unit for storing two or more items. A first slot of an item is determined to be available within a secondary storage unit of the climate-controlled vending machine. The secondary storage unit is a climate-controlled unit. A first item, of the two or more items within the primary storage unit, is transferred to the first slot of the secondary storage unit. The first item within the first slot of the secondary storage unit is altered to a first condition. A selection from a first user is received. In response to the reception of the selection of the first item, the first item is dispensed to the user from a dispensary unit, wherein the item is being of the first condition. The first slot is replenished with a replacement item from the primary storage.
US09842451B2
An easily producible security feature according to the invention contains at least one luminescence device on and/or in a product carrier. Additionally, the security feature contains, in and/or on the product carrier, at least one absorptive spectral filter for luminescence radiation exiting from the at least one luminescence device, such that a color impression results both under illumination with visible radiation and under luminescence illumination conditions.
US09842449B1
A transport container for secure transport of packages. In one embodiment, the transport container includes a body, a cover, a cover lock, a locking bar, and an electronic controller. The cover is coupled to the body. The cover is movable from a closed state covering the opening to an open state. The cover lock is configured to engage the cover and keep the cover in the closed state. The locking bar is coupled to the base. The locking bar is configured for attachment to anchor points. The electronic controller is electrically coupled to the cover lock and to the locking bar. The electronic controller is configured to adjust the cover lock between a locked state and an unlocked state. The electronic controller is also configured to adjust the locking bar between the locked state and the unlocked state.
US09842448B1
Systems and methods for vehicle customization are disclosed. Customizing a vehicle configuration may include associating a wireless device of a user with the vehicle. The vehicle customization system may detect a first occurrence of an event corresponding to a set of customizable control options for the vehicle. The vehicle customization system may optionally respond to the first occurrence of the event based on a default option of the set of customizable control options. The vehicle customization system may send, to the wireless device, a notification of the event. The vehicle customization system may receive, from the wireless device, a selected control option of the set of customizable control options corresponding to the event. The vehicle customization system may respond to a second occurrence of the event based on the selected control option.
US09842446B2
A system for access management is disclosed. 100 A server (100) can receive a request for access to a locking device (140) from a mobile device (110). The server (100) can transmit access credentials to the mobile device (110). The mobile device (110) can transmit, via wireless signal, the access credentials and a lock command for the locking device (140) to a wireless access point (130) capable of communicating with the locking device (140). The wireless access point (130) can transmit the lock command to the locking device (140).
US09842424B2
Techniques are disclosed for rendering scene volumes having scene dependent memory requirements. A image plane used to view a three dimensional volume (3D) volume into smaller regions of pixels referred to as buckets. The number of pixels in each bucket may be determined based on an estimated number of samples needed to evaluate a pixel. Samples are computed for each pixels in a given bucket. Should the number of samples exceed the estimated maximum sample count, the bucket is subdivided into sub-buckets, each allocated the same amount of memory as was the original bucket. Dividing a bucket in half effectively doubles both the memory available for rendering the resulting sub-buckets and the maximum number of samples which can be collected for each pixel in the sub-bucket. The process of subdividing a bucket continues until all of the pixels in the original bucket are rendered.
US09842412B2
A rendering method includes performing a binary representation of input data by using input data of target subpixels of an RGB stripe structure, such that the binary representation defines binary data, calculating the binary data via a line detection mask to detect a target line made of the target subpixels, rendering adaptation data of a plurality of adaptation subpixels included in an adaptation line corresponding to the target line, and controlling the adaptation data of a plurality of white subpixels corresponding to the target line among a plurality of adaptation subpixels to generate output data.
US09842411B2
A method and system for simulation of deformation of elastic materials are disclosed herein. A matrix-free geometric multigrid method utilizing a direct coarse grid discretization is presented for the solution of linear systems resulting from an octree discretization of the equations of corotational linear elasticity. The diagonal component of the stiffness matrix needed for the multigrid smoother is calculated without generating the stiffness matrix. The use of an incomplete linear octree data structure supports the efficient simulation of objects with complicated boundaries. Furthermore, the method is robust to large deformations, making it suitable for character skinning applications in computer animation.
US09842408B2
The apparati, methods, and computer program products disclosed herein can be used to nondestructively detect undissolved particles, such as glass flakes and/or protein aggregates, in a fluid in a vessel, such as, but not limited to, a fluid that contains a drug.
US09842398B2
In accordance with the teachings described herein, systems and methods are provided for generating images for use in systems, e.g., imaging systems. The method includes receiving at least a first set of images, providing a first registration, providing a display, and displaying a first image on said display. Further, the method includes providing a user interface, providing a second registration, and displaying a second image in said user interface. Further, the systems include an image database, a display, and a registration engine. The registration engine includes software instructions stored in at least one memory device and executable by one or more processors.
US09842392B2
An input unit (20) obtains a sequence of image frames over time. A segmentation unit (22) segments image frames of the sequence of image frames. A tracking unit (24) tracks segments of the segmented image frame over time in the sequence of image frames. A clustering unit (26) clusters the tracked segments to obtain clusters representing skin of a subject by use of one or more image features of the tracked segments.
US09842383B2
An image processing device is constituted by a device for detecting motion of the subject, with the entire effective pixel region as a range; a device for successively setting each of the pixels in the effective pixel region as a pixel of interest; a device for detecting motion of the subject, with a local pixel region that includes the successively set pixel of interest as a range; a device for, for each of the pixels of interest, determining a mixing ratio for the pixel signal of the current imaging period and the pixel signal of one imaging period earlier based on the two detection results; and a device for, for each of the pixels of interest, correcting the pixel signal of the current imaging period based on the determined mixing ratio.
US09842380B2
Various methods, systems, and apparatus for implementing aspects of a digital mapping system are disclosed. One such method includes sending a location request from a client-side computing device to a map tile server, receiving a set of map tiles in response to the location request, assembling said received map tiles into a tile grid, aligning the tile grid relative to a clipping shape, and displaying the result as a map image. Direction control or zoom control objects may be included as interactive overlays on the displayed map image. The displayed map image may also include route or location overlays.
US09842371B1
One embodiment of the present invention provides a system for creating a savings plan for a user. During operation, the system receives demographic data associated with the user. Next, the system determines average spending for pre-selected spending categories for a set of users with similar demographic data to the user. The system then receives financial data associated with the user. After that, the system analyzes the financial data to create a comparison of how spending by the user in the pre-selected categories compares to average spending for the set of users with similar demographic data. Finally, the system uses the comparison to facilitate a savings plan for the user.
US09842370B1
A system having an insurance database, a products database, and a benefit utilization processing system is implemented by a system server coupled to the insurance and products databases. The benefit utilization processing system may be configured to retrieve and display eyewear product and pricing information, receive and extract benefit details from a benefits table, and provide specification options compatible with a selected product. The system may then apply the extracted benefit details, associated with the user, to the eyewear product price to determine individual benefit amounts for the selected product and for each selected option or accessory to determine a final benefit amount based on the user's benefit amounts.
US09842357B2
Methods, systems, and products personalize haptic emulations of merchandise. A query regarding an article of merchandise having an associated digital image is made and the digital image is modified based on a personal anatomical image and anthropometrical data associated with a user by personalizing a portion of the digital image to the user, such that a haptic emulation of the article of merchandise is modified in accordance with the anthropometrical data and provided with the modified digital image.
US09842349B2
A system and method for preference determination, including obtaining permission for profile access from social media users where the users agree to participate in surveys. Profile data, preferences, and data from completed surveys is retrieved, and base odds are calculated for particular variables in profiles of respondents and of people in the general population, and attributes for which predictive targeted sets are desired are returned. The profile data, preferences, and survey data is analyzed using a combined index calculation method to reduce the profile data, preferences, and data from surveys to a single index value for one or more particular keywords. The variables are placed in rank order based on the single index value to determine a likelihood of a particular user to prefer a particular item, and a predictive targeted set is returned for a likelihood of users in a particular set of users to prefer a particular item.
US09842342B2
Systems and methods for take-out order management and analysis. In an embodiment, for each of a plurality of restaurants, an interactive menu associated with the restaurant is provided to a plurality of users, a plurality of orders are received from the plurality of users, and the plurality of orders are sent to the restaurant. Order information related to the plurality of orders and the plurality of users is stored in at least one database, and analyzed.
US09842341B2
A method of evaluating digital content displayed on an electronic tabletop device includes receiving a plurality of non-intentional signals generated in response to a plurality of users interacting with at least one of the digital content displayed on the electronic tabletop device and each other, classifying the plurality of non-intentional signals into a first set of data including user-specific non-intentional signals and a second set of data including collaborative non-intentional signals, correlating the plurality of non-intentional signals to user profiles corresponding to the plurality of users, and generating an evaluation report including information indicating a collaborative quality of the digital content based on the plurality of non-intentional signals and a correlation of the plurality of non-intentional signals to the user profiles.
US09842340B2
In general, the subject matter described in the specification can be embodied in methods, systems and program products for an improved review system with location-verified reviews. The system verifies a user's location using one or more available sources, such as geographic location by global positioning system (GPS), cellular localization systems, or wireless local area network (WLAN). The user confirms the business or attraction at the current geographic location that the user would like to review. The system then accepts a review of the business or attraction at the current geographic location. The review is indexed for retrieval. Preferably, the system includes a delay before indexing a review, wherein the management of the business or attraction is notified of the review so that it can respond to any complaints in the review before it is made available for retrieval.
US09842335B2
A method of authenticating a payment terminal, involves the terminal generating a terminal activation request from a private encryption key and from at least one terminal credential that is uniquely associated with the terminal. The terminal activation request includes a public encryption key. The public encryption key and the private encryption key comprise an asymmetric encryption key pair. The terminal transmits the terminal activation request to a certificate server, and receives an activation response from the certificate server in response. The activation response includes a digital authentication certificate that includes the public encryption key. The terminal authenticates to a computer server, that is distinct from the certificate server, using the digital authentication certificate.
US09842333B2
The present invention extends to methods, systems, and computer program products for transferring digital receipt data to mobile devices. A point-of-sale (“POS”) system generates digital receipt data as part of a sales transaction. The point-of-sale (“POS”) system and a mobile device, possibly also along with a receipt data server, interoperate with one another to transfer digital receipt data generated to the mobile device. In some embodiments, the point-of-sale (“POS”) system transfers digital receipt data for a sales transaction to the receipt data server. An identifier, such as, for example, an application identifier or transaction identifier, is stored along with the digital receipt data to match the digital receipt data with the mobile device. The mobile device subsequently uses the identifier to access the digital receipt data from the receipt data server. In other embodiments, the point-of-sale (“POS”) system transfers digital receipt data directly to the mobile device.
US09842332B2
Systems and methods for processing a financial transaction are provided. A representative system of processing a financial transaction comprises a product dispensing device that encodes and outputs public transaction data related to a purchasable item. A portable computing device receives the public transaction data and encodes a payment data with the received public transaction data. A payment processing server receives and processes the encoded data, and determines whether a transaction can be completed based on the encoded data. Responsive to determining that the transaction is completed, the payment processing server generates and transmits an authentication data based on the encoded data. The portable computing device receives and outputs the authentication data. The product dispensing device receives the authentication data, verifies payment based on the received authentication data, and provides the purchasable item to a customer who is operating the portable computing device.
US09842327B2
A retail store communications network, a point of transaction (POT) terminal and methods of using the same according to embodiments of the application can include a hand held and/or stationary optical reader for reading a bar code symbol of an item and generating a decoded out bar code data message. The network is configured so that the POT terminal can use linked or identified mobile devices by way of wireless communication, to provide a sequenced order of identified customers at the POT terminal among a plurality of discoverable wireless devices.
US09842320B1
Methods disclosed for lead generation relate to matching prospective applicants with educational institutions. Prospective applicants provide personal information and educational background information which are used to find matching educational institutions. Methods include enhancing connections between education institutions and prospective applicants by setting up mutually agree appointments. Systems and apparatuses are also disclosed to implement the disclosed methods.
US09842317B2
Methods, systems, and apparatus for scheduling appointments between a user and a provider are described. In one aspect, a requested appointment including an requested appointment location and information defining at least one period of time is received from a user. Computer processor instructions are executed to identify at least one current appointment and location during the period. Still more computer processor instructions are executed to determine an interval of time between the current appointment and the requested appointment based at least in part on the location of the current appointment and the requested appointment location, and further to determine at least one available time option for scheduling the requested appointment based at least in part on the interval of time. The available time option(s) is (are) then returned to the user.
US09842313B2
Embodiments of the invention provide systems and methods for wellness tracking and recommendations. More specifically, embodiments of the present invention provide wellness applications that integrate wearable devices with Human Resource (HR) and other enterprise application data. According to one embodiment, providing integrated wellness information can comprise retrieving enterprise application data from one or more data sources, retrieving data from one or more wearable devices of one or more employees, and applying analytics to the retrieved enterprise application data and the data retrieved from the wearable devices. The integrated wellness information can be generated based on the applied analytics and can be provided to the one or more employees through a user interface.
US09842310B2
A method, system and computer-readable medium are provided for generating and maintaining a catalog of belongings for a user. The method includes the steps of receiving image data from a user, the image data containing images of one or more items of belonging; identifying one or more items from the image data, determining information regarding the identified one or more items, and adding at least one of the identified one or more items and information regarding the at least one of the identified one or more items to a catalog of belonging for the user.
US09842309B1
Disclosed are various embodiments for a storage unit defect analyzer that analyzes fulfillment center storage units that are designated as defective. A subset of defective storage units is identified by accessing defect data. Location data is then accessed, where the location data indicates a plurality of physical locations associated with the subset of defective storage units. A defect density map is generated according to the plurality of physical locations, the defect density map expressing a concentration of the subset of defective storage units within a fulfillment center. The defect density map is encoded for display in a user interface.
US09842308B1
Systems and methods which implement a rules based engine for processing items for shipping are shown. Embodiments implement a series of rules that are executed in a particular order to address decision points in processing individual items of a plurality of items for shipping. A user interface adapted to allow a user to create rules, weigh or order the rules, revise rules, enable/disable rules, etc. is provided according to embodiments. By selecting and associating various rule parameters, such as conditions, operators, and/or outcomes, through the rules interface a user may create and revise rules as desired. The rules interface of embodiments provides a hierarchical rules environment in which the resulting rules are weighted or ordered for hierarchical implementation.
US09842307B2
Methods and systems for creating one or more tasks. One or more electronic documents are clustered in one or more first groups based on a similarity of handwriting in the one or more electronic documents. Each electronic document of each of the one or more first groups is partitioned into one or more partitions. Each of the one or more partitions is assigned an area identification number. The one or more tasks are created such that each task of the one or more tasks includes a partition, from each electronic document of the one or more electronic documents, having same area identification number.
US09842303B2
A method and apparatus couples quality control data generated during the manufacture of a subassembly of components with at least a unique main product assembly identification number and the quality control data of the main product at the time of installation of a subassembly to the main product assembly. The subassembly quality control data and the main product assembly quality control data and unique product identification are stored.
US09842300B2
For calculating statistical Markov model-like state transition probabilities, a method represents state transition probabilities between a plurality of statistical Markov model-like states and output probabilities associated with a plurality of previous statistical Markov model-like states. The state transition probabilities between the plurality of previous states depend on a sequence of previous states of the plurality of previous states. The output probabilities associated with each of the plurality of states depend on the sequence of previous states.
US09842298B1
Methods and apparatus related to determining an inquiry to provide to a user based on deficient information related to a plan of the user. Deficient information may be determined based on an insufficient association between a desired information item of the plan and a set of information items that are determined from one or more sources associated with the user. In some implementations, the user may provide, responsive to the inquiry, additional information related to the deficient information and a suggestion may be provided to the user based on the additional information.
US09842297B1
Methods, computer program products, and systems are presented. The methods include, for instance: determining a category of a domain having content documents and gathering search terms frequently used in similar domains associated with the category. A ground truth table has domain search results as discovered from searches by use of the search terms from the similar domains. Ground truths are utilized in later searches for optimal search results.
US09842296B2
A cohort analysis mechanism analyzes cohorts with similar attributes to extrapolate additional knowledge and answer a question in a question answering system. The cohort analysis mechanism identifies cohorts for an entity of the question and extracts relevant data concerning the cohorts. The cohort analysis mechanism aggregates the relevant information for evidence scoring and answer scoring to answer a question posed to the question answering system. The aggregating of the data includes combining and ranking answers from the cohorts, gathering evidence and then answering the question with the gathered evidence.
US09842295B2
An embodiment of a method for providing technical support service includes generating a plurality of problem resolutions that are determined to resolve an identified technical problem; attributing weights to each of said plurality of problem resolutions according to frequency of use; and in response to a request to resolve said identified problem, selecting a problem resolution from among said plurality of problem resolutions based at least in part on said attributed weights.
US09842292B1
A receptacle that counts empty beverage cans for recycling frames an opening of a waste receptacle such as a trash can or recycling bin. The apparatus includes an actuation arm located inside the opening. The arm is pressed to the side whenever a can is inserted into the waste receptacle. The arm is connected to a mechanical counter located on an outside of a lid. After each can is added, the counter increments by one (1) to indicate the number of beverage cans inside of the container. The counter can be reset when the container is emptied or the bag changed.
US09842288B1
In aspects of a RFID-based hand sensory apparatus for monitoring handled inventory, a wearable article is worn by a user who moves items, or a container of items, and each of the items has an RFID tag. A tracking system implemented in the wearable article includes force sensors to register a force on an item or the container, and includes a motion sensor to sense motion of the wearable article. Tracking logic of the tracking system initiates an RFID reader to interrogate the RFID tags of the items based on the registered force on the item or the container, and based on the motion of the wearable article. The RFID reader may be integrated in a wearable article, may be an external device, and/or may be affixed to the container of items and initiated when the container is moved.
US09842287B2
Systems, software, and methods are provided for accurate service, transaction, and cargo monitoring. An example system and/or method may include calibrating a wireless sensor, connecting a user device to a wireless sensor, obtaining initial information for a first process at least in part from the wireless sensor, obtaining subsequent information about at least the first process, and using a portion of the initial information about the first process and the subsequent information about the first process to create a dynamic report involving the first process.
US09842285B2
The present invention is a collation/retrieval system collating a product manufactured by or delivered from a producer or a distributor with a product to be collated comprising: a storage unit that stores an image feature of a predetermined collation area of the product determined in advance at a position relative to a reference section common in every product; a to-be-collated product feature extraction unit that receives an image of the product to be collated and detecting the reference section of the product from the received image to extract an image feature of the collation area determined by reference to the reference section; and a collation unit that collates the stored image feature with the image feature of the collation area of the product to be collated.
US09842278B2
A method and an image analysis system including an orientation correction processor (OCP), a spatial sensor, and an analytics unit for detecting a target object from an image and validating the detection of the target object are provided. The OCP receives and processes image data from a series of image frames captured by an image sensor and spatial data from the spatial sensor. The OCP generates orientation data using the image data, the spatial data, timestamp data, and lens data of the image sensor. The OCP generates resultant image data by associating the generated orientation data with the received and processed image data simultaneously for each image frame. The analytics unit, in communication with the OCP, processes and analyzes the generated resultant image data with reference to an analytic dataset library to detect the target object from the image and validate the detection of the target object.
US09842277B2
The system and method of the invention utilizes computer software to determine an estimation of the age of an animal by measuring, analyzing, comparing, calculating, and presenting age features and the age of animals such as deer, moose, elk, bovids, pronghorns and the like from digital data and/or photographs of the animals.
US09842275B2
An image processing device includes a processor including hardware, the processor being configured to calculate comparison result information through a comparison process performed on the results of a census transform process performed on a first image and the results of the census transform process performed on a second image, set weight information, calculate a cost using the comparison result information and the weight information, calculate the amount of disparity using the cost, set a first weight having as low degree of contribution to the cost on a neighboring pixel which is determined to be affected by noise to a large extent among a plurality of neighboring pixels, and set a second weight having a high degree of contribution to the cost on a neighboring pixel which is determined to be affected by noise to a small extent among the plurality of neighboring pixels.
US09842273B2
Provided is an apparatus and method for detecting a key point using a high-order Laplacian of Gaussian (LoG) kernel. The high-order LoG kernel is generated based on an LoG operator which is calculated by sequentially differentiating an LoG operator with respect to x and y of an image. A scale space is generated based on the high-order LoG kernel and the key point is detected by comparing a current pixel in the scale space to pixels adjacent to the current pixel.
US09842269B2
A video processing apparatus includes: a first detection unit configured to detect a moving object from a movie; a second detection unit configured to detect an object having a predetermined shape from the movie; an extraction unit configured to extract a partial region of a region in which the second detection unit has detected the object having the predetermined shape in the movie; and a discrimination unit configured to discriminate whether the object detected by the second detection unit is a certain object depending on a ratio of a size of an overlapping region to a size of an extracted region extracted by the extraction unit, the overlapping region being a region where a region in which the first detection unit has detected the moving object in the movie and the extracted region overlap with each other.
US09842268B1
A system and method provide for determining regions of interest within an image based on viewer interaction with the image. At least one image associated with a location is provided for display in a viewport, and pose data related to user interaction with the at least one image is identified. Weights are assigned to portions of the at least one image based on the pose data, the weights indicating at least a period of time the portion of the at least one image is generally at a center of the viewport. Based on the assigned weights, image regions of interest of the at least one image are determined.
US09842267B2
A method for monitoring a driver status in a terminal which interworks with a vehicle head unit through local wireless communication includes receiving vehicle proceeding direction information from the vehicle head unit. Whether or not a driver's gaze deviates from a gaze stability area is determined using the vehicle proceeding direction information. A driver's gaze deviation warning message is transmitted to the vehicle head unit, upon determining that the driver's gaze deviates from the gaze stability area.
US09842261B2
A vehicle monitoring system is provided which determines the mode of display and the compressibility of a moving image, a streaming video and a still image based on a monitoring level determined by vehicle conditions detected. The system generates a monitoring image using the determined display mode or compressed at the determined compressibility and transmits the monitoring image to an external terminal device.
US09842256B2
Methods and apparatus, including computer program products, implementing and using techniques for detecting astronomical objects. An image frame is received, which includes representations of one or more astronomical objects. The received image frame is divided into several swaths. One or more swaths are selected, which include full or partial representations of one or more astronomical objects. Each of the one or more swaths and each astronomical object represented within the one or more swaths can be designated by a base-limit pair. The base-limit pairs for the selected one or more swaths are compared with base-limit pairs for one or more corresponding swaths using a difference algorithm. A list of differences in the base-limit pairs is created.
US09842255B2
A calculation device includes a processor configured to identify a person in a plurality of images captured in time series respectively, obtain gaze information indicating a direction of a line of sight of the person, identify at least one of a time period in which the person directs the line of sight to a certain object and a number of times that the person directs the line of sight to the certain object, based on the gaze information and a position at which the certain object is placed, estimate a relationship of two or more persons who are identified in one image from among the plurality of images, based on a distance between the two or more persons, and calculate an index value indicating probability that the certain object is utilized, based on the relationship, and at least one of the time period and the number of times.
US09842246B2
Processing a set of images is disclosed, including: determining a set of user head measurements from a set of images; and determining a fit score corresponding to a glasses frames based at least in part on comparing the set of user head measurements to glasses frame measurements associated with the glasses frames.
US09842245B1
The present invention relates to a method of controlling a fingerprint sensing system for liveness authentication. The method comprising acquiring a first set of sensing signals and a second set of sensing signals from a fingerprint sensor in two different operational modes and subsequently provide a liveness authentication signal based on the first set of sensing signals and the second set of sensing signals. The invention also relates to a fingerprint sensing system and an electronic device.
US09842241B2
An embodiment includes an ultrasonic sensor system comprising: a backend material stack including a first metal layer between a substrate and a second metal layer with each of the first and second metal layers including a dielectric material; a ultrasonic sensor including a chamber, having a negative air pressure, that is sealed by first and second electrodes coupled to each other with first and second sidewalls; an interconnect, not included in the sensor, in the second metal layer; wherein (a) a first vertical axis intersects the substrate, the chamber, and the first and second electrodes, (b) a second vertical axis intersects the interconnect and the substrate, (c) a first horizontal axis intersects the chamber, the interconnect, and the first and second sidewalls, and (d) the first and second electrodes and the first and second sidewalls each include copper and each are included in the second metal layer.
US09842236B2
A scanner for scanning an item positioned in a scan volume can include: an electronically switchable mirror configured to switch between a reflective state and a transmissive state, a plurality of mirrors, and a camera having a sensor. In a method for scanning the item, the scanner can repeatedly: switch the switchable mirror from the reflective state to the transmissive state, image a first field of view of the item onto the sensor with light that reflects from at least one mirror and transmits through the switchable mirror, switch the switchable mirror from the transmissive state to the reflective state, and image a second field of view of the item onto the sensor with light that reflects from at least one mirror and reflects from the switchable mirror. In some examples, the scanner can synchronize the switching of the switchable mirror to a frame rate of the sensor.
US09842226B2
Technologies are generally described for providing a locative social networking service utilizing wireless access point. In some examples, a method performed under control of a mobile device may include connecting to a wireless local area network, finding at least one other mobile device connected to the wireless local area network and satisfying a predetermined condition, and for each found mobile device, requesting a public user profile associated with the found mobile device, in response to the request, receiving the public user profile associated with the found mobile device, and for each found mobile device from which an associated public user profile is received, transmitting to the found mobile device a public user profile associated with the mobile device.
US09842217B2
A method for securing user data includes the steps of: a) setting the user data as input data; b) randomly fragmenting the input data into a plurality of Atoms and randomly distributing the Atoms into an AtomPool; and c) recording information about the fragmentation and the distribution of step b) into an AtomMap.
US09842211B2
Systems and methods for determining a threat level are disclosed. A method includes: receiving, from a biometric sensor, data corresponding an attempt to verify an identity of a user; determining, based on the data corresponding to the attempt, one or more authentication parameters associated with the attempt; authenticating the user based on determining that a score associated with the attempt satisfies an authentication condition associated with a biometric template; after authenticating the user, determining one or more device usage parameters within a time window of authenticating the user; determining a threat level based on the one or more authentication parameters and the one or more device usage parameters; and, causing an action to be performed by the device in accordance with the threat level.
US09842208B2
A method, apparatus and system for detecting a malicious process behavior. A detection apparatus monitors a process to obtain behavior information about a target process behavior, and then sends the behavior information to a server, which determines whether the target process behavior is a malicious process behavior. The detection apparatus can receive first operation indication information returned by the server according to a detection result of the target process behavior, and perform an operation on the target process behavior according to the first operation indication information. The target process behavior is subjected to a comprehensive detection by the server according to the behavior information, rather than depending on a specified feature analysis of a single sample of the target process behavior by the detection apparatus, so that malicious process behavior can be detected in time, thereby improving the security performance of the system.
US09842206B2
Detecting computer anomalies by determining probabilities of encountering call stack configurations at various depths, the call stacks being associated with software application instances on computers having the same operating system, where snapshots of the call stacks are recorded on the computers responsive to detecting predefined software application events, determining entropies of call stack configurations at various call stack depths using their associated probabilities, determining stack frame rarity scores of call stack configurations at various depths based on their associated stack frame entropies in accordance with a predefined rarity function, determining a call stack rarity score of any given call stack configuration as the maximum stack frame rarity score of the given configuration, and detecting an anomaly associated with any given one of the computers where any of the snapshots recorded on the given computer is of a call stack whose call stack rarity score meets a predefined anomaly condition.
US09842202B2
A method of determining the proximity of a first device to a second device, the method comprising, at the second device: receiving a first packet having a first payload and a first lifetime value, the first lifetime value being such so as to cause a device receiving the first packet to not retransmit the first payload; and generating, in dependence on the first packet, a second packet having a second payload and a second lifetime value, the second payload being indicative of the proximity of the first device to the second device and the second lifetime value being such as to cause a device receiving the second packet to retransmit the second payload.
US09842201B2
An electronic document signature system preserves the security of an electronic document while tracking a signature process corresponding to the electronic document. In particular, using a client application on a client device, an originating user can protect an electronic document and send the protected electronic document to a tracking server. The tracking server receives only a protected document such that the security the electronic document is preserved. Using a client applications on client devices, one or more participating users can subsequently receive the protected document from the tracking server, access the contents of the electronic document, and sign the electronic document. The tracking server can record events that occur with respect to the protected document to create an event log.
US09842199B2
In an information processing apparatus, upon the calling of a web application being instructed, the information processing apparatus sets a URL corresponding to the web application in the web browser and makes a request to the web server, and when a request to perform a confirmation process for the license is received from the web server, the information processing apparatus generates signature information of the information processing apparatus, sends the signature information to the URL, and obtains authorization information from the web server. The web server confirms a license of the information processing apparatus in response to the request from the information processing apparatus, and responds to the information processing apparatus with web application content upon the license of the information processing apparatus being successfully confirmed.
US09842193B2
A swallowing simulation apparatus comprises a computer that stores swallowing simulation software that when executed results in an oral cavity model and a pseudo-food product which are analyzed in a swallowing simulation. The analysis is used to evaluate ease of eating and/or drinking.
US09842187B1
Approaches for processing a circuit design include determining pin slack values for pins of the circuit elements in the circuit design. A processor selects a subset of endpoints based on pin slack values of the endpoints being in a critical slack range and determines startpoints of the circuit design that are in respective critical fanin cones. For each endpoint of the subset, the processor determines an arrival time from each startpoint in the respective critical fanin cone and determines for each startpoint-endpoint pair, a respective set of constraint values as a function of the respective arrival time from the startpoint. The processor generates a graph in the memory circuit from the startpoint-endpoint pairs. First nodes in the graph represent the startpoints and second nodes in the graph represent the endpoints, and values in the respective set of constraint values are associated with edges that connect the nodes.
US09842175B2
The present invention provides a method and system for automatically identifying and selecting preferred classification and regression trees. The invention is used to identify a specific decision tree or group of trees that are consistent across train and test samples in node-specific details that are often important to decision makers. Specifically, for a tree to be identified as preferred by this system, the train and test samples must both agree on key measures for every terminal node of the tree. In addition to this node-by-node criterion, an additional tree selection method may be imposed. Accordingly, the train and test samples rank order the nodes on a relevant measure in the same way. Both consistency criteria may be applied in a fuzzy manner in which agreement must be close but need not be exact.
US09842151B2
The present disclosure provides a system and method for comprehensive data synchronization management between a sponsor-company's central electronic-laboratory-notebook system and either multiple contract-research-organizations or research sites. The system features a data loader server that can be deployed on-premise or in the cloud and allows scheduling of synchronization jobs of electronic-laboratory-notebook. The data loader software communicates to the contract research organization and the sponsor company's electronic laboratory notebook and executes scheduled or on-demand jobs. The data loader software may synchronized subsequent update of the data and may automatically delete the data from the contract research organization's site once a given transfer is complete. In some implementations, the method and system is configured for automation, scalability, and high-performance operations that focused on efficiency, security, configurability, and privacy/intellectual property protection.
US09842149B2
One or more techniques and/or systems are provided for populating and/or animating a spatial visualization, such as a map, a timeline, and/or other 2D and/or 3D visual representations of locations. The spatial visualization may be populated with events extracted from a data source (e.g., real-time events, news events, social network events, etc.), and may include relationships between events (e.g., based upon time, location, contextual similarity (e.g., social network check-in events at a restaurant), events referencing one another (e.g., an article describing a first event may comprise a hyperlink to an article describing a second event) etc.). Filter criteria (e.g., date, event type, location, etc.) may be applied to events and/or relationships when populating the spatial visualization. A sequence of events and corresponding relationships may be animated within the spatial visualization (e.g., as the events unfold over a (user) designated period of time).
US09842148B2
Herein is described a data placement scheme for a distributed query processing systems that achieves load balance amongst the nodes of the system. To identify a node on which to place particular data, a supervisor node performs a placement algorithm over the particular data's identifier, where the placement algorithm utilizes two or more hash functions. The supervisor node runs the placement algorithm until a destination node is identified that is available to store the data, or the supervisor node has run the placement algorithm an established number of times. If no available node is identified using the placement algorithm, then an available destination node is identified for the particular data and information identifying the data and the selected destination node is included in an exception map. Most data may be located by any node in the system based on the node performing the placement algorithm for the required data.
US09842146B2
In an embodiment, a method is provided for determining a mood profile of media data. In this method, mood is determined across multiple elements of mood for the media data to create a mood profile associated with the media data. In some embodiments, the mood profile is then used to determine congruencies between one or more pieces of media data.
US09842145B2
A method includes: generating profile data for users including a first user, the profile data related to contacts or persons used in messages to or from each user; generating, via a server platform, parameters corresponding to the profile data for ranking contacts or persons; and transmitting the parameters to client devices to allow each client device to determine ranks of contacts or persons in the profile data based on the parameters and a function that uses the parameters.
US09842142B2
A method of providing a level of certification of an attribute of an item is disclosed. A requirement is determined for a level of certification for an attribute of an item. A notification is provided of an evidence item that is to be submitted to evaluate the level of certification of the attribute of the item. The evidence item is received. The level of certification of the attribute of the item is determined based on the received evidence item.
US09842141B2
Range query techniques are disclosed for use in accordance with data stream processing systems. A technique is provided for incrementally processing continual range queries against moving objects. This technique is applicable for location-aware services and applications. A technique for evaluating one or more continual range queries over one or more moving objects comprises maintaining a query index with one or more containment-encoded virtual constructs associated with the one or more continual range queries over the one or more moving objects, and incrementally evaluating the one or more continual range queries using the query index.
US09842139B1
Techniques are described for metadata-driven code generation to generate code for analyzing data from clinical trial(s). A code generation engine may generate program code based on metadata that is input to the engine. The metadata may describe the data to be input to the generated code, and one or more artifacts to be output by the generated code on execution. The metadata may also describe one or more operations to be performed on the input data and/or intermediate data. The metadata may include one or more of the following: inline code to be included in the generated code; references to stored code to be included in the generated code; and/or instructions to be run to generate the code. Artifact(s) may include, but are not limited to, reports such as tables, figures, and/or listings that describe the results of analyzing or otherwise processing the data by the generated program code.
US09842132B2
Implementing a Bloom filter index as a hierarchical data structure. Bloom filters are received and their bit vectors are decomposed into successive bit sequences. For each bit sequence except the last one, memory for at least storing a pointer to a memory location on the next level is allocated on the level corresponding to the bit sequence. The pointer storage is labeled by the value of the next bit sequence. A pointer to the allocated memory is stored in the pointer storage on the previous level that was labeled by the binary value of the current bit sequence. For the last bit sequence, memory for storing Bloom filters is allocated on the last level. A pointer to the allocated memory is stored in the pointer storage on the second-to-last level that was labeled by the value of the last bit sequence. The Bloom filter is stored in the allocated memory.
US09842128B2
An atomic storage module may be configured to implement atomic storage operation directed to a first set of identifiers in reference to a second, different set of identifiers. In response to completing the atomic storage operation, the atomic storage module may move the corresponding data to the first, target set of identifiers. The move operation may comprise modifying a logical interface of the data. The move operation may further include storing persistent metadata configured to bind the data to the first set of identifiers.
US09842127B2
Systems, methods, and machine-readable media are provided for database diagnostics. A specification of a target database system may be processed. A diagnostic tool, corresponding to a plug-in for transmission to the target database system, may be created. A script may be selected to conditionally execute on the target database system when detected values of a monitored parameter satisfy conditional criteria. A plug-in structure that encapsulates modules of the plug-in may be defined. The diagnostic tool may be transmitted via a network to the target database system to cause the diagnostic tool to be executed on the target database system. The execution of the diagnostic tool may include executing a first iteration of the plug-in based on a first threshold specified by conditional criteria, and executing a subsequent iteration of the plug-in based on a subsequent threshold specified by the conditional criteria after the conditional criteria has been adjusted.
US09842124B1
Systems and methods for backing up and restoring virtual machines in a cluster environment. A cluster agent that is cluster aware operates as an interface with the backup server. The cluster agent can locate the virtual machines being backed up or restored and coordinate with a local agent to perform the backup or restore of the virtual machines.
US09842120B1
Computer program products, methods, systems, apparatus, and computing entities are provided for standardizing addresses and providing information associated with geographic areas/points of interest. For example, location data can be collected for serviceable points. From the collected location data, addresses can be standardized, location-based searches can be performed, correct locations of serviceable points can be confirmed, and geographic representations can be generated.
US09842115B2
Disclosed herein are systems, methods, and non-transitory computer-readable storage media for creating and using media asset proxies. The media asset proxies represent a digital media asset and are created by filtering and modifying elements from the digital media asset. The media asset proxies can be queried in the same manner as their corresponding digital media asset.
US09842112B1
A system and method parses one or more fields from a file by receiving example locations of the field in the file, fashioning rules that describe the field from the locations, and then scoring the rules against some or all of the file.
US09842106B2
A method and system processes utterances that are acquired either from an automatic speech recognition (ASR) system or text. The utterances have associated identities of each party, such as role A utterances and role B utterances. The information corresponding to utterances, such as word sequence and identity, are converted to features. Each feature is received in an input layer of a neural network (NN). A dimensionality of each feature is reduced, in a projection layer of the NN, to produce a reduced dimensional feature. The reduced dimensional feature is processed to provide probabilities of labels for the utterances.
US09842105B2
Systems and processes for natural language processing are provided. In accordance with one example, a method includes, at a first electronic device with one or more processors and memory, receiving a plurality of words, mapping each of the plurality of words to a word representation, and associating the mapped words to provide a plurality of phrases. In some examples, each of the plurality of phrases has a representation of a first type. The method further includes encoding each of the plurality of phrases to provide a respective plurality of encoded phrases. In some examples, each of the plurality of encoded phrases has a representation of a second type different than the first type. The method further includes determining a value of each of the plurality of encoded phrases and identifying one or more phrases of the plurality of encoded phrases having a value exceeding a threshold.
US09842104B2
Textual Geographical Location relates a placename, which is a set of terms, from one to any maximum as defined in an individual language, to a unique point or area (many points) as found on a map or other coordinate system, such as the map of the United States as used in global positioning system (GPS).
US09842094B2
Systems and methods for switching to different states of electronic content being developed in a content creation application. This involves storing different states of the electronic content using a content-addressable data store, where individual states are represented by identifiers that identify items of respective states stored in the content-addressable data store. Identical items that are included in multiple states are stored once in the content-addressable data store and referenced by common identifiers. Input is received to change the electronic content to a selected state of the different states and the electronic content is displayed in the selected state based on identifiers for the selected state. In this way, undo, redo, and other commands to switch to different states of electronic content being developed are provided.
US09842085B2
An adder for supporting multiple data types by controlling a carry propagation is provided. The adder includes a plurality of first addition areas configured to receive pieces of incoming operand data, wherein each of the plurality of first addition areas includes a predetermined unit number of bits, and a plurality of second addition areas configured to receive pieces of control data based on a type of the operand data and an operation type, wherein the plurality of second addition areas are alternately arranged between the plurality of first addition areas.
US09842074B2
Embodiments herein provide for tag allocation in a PCIe application layer. In one embodiment, an apparatus operable to interface with a plurality of virtual functions and a plurality of physical functions to process data via the PCIe protocol. The apparatus includes a packet builder communicatively coupled to each of the virtual functions and the physical functions and operable to build packets for non-posted commands from the virtual and physical functions. The apparatus also includes a tag allocator operable to allocate tags from a first set of tags to the packets of non-posted commands from any of the virtual and physical functions employing extended tags when the tags of the first set are available, and to reserve a second different set of tags for remaining virtual and physical functions not employing extended tags until the first set of tags are all allocated.
US09842069B2
Present invention disclose a hardware accelerator and a chip, and the hardware accelerator includes: an interface circuit and an accelerator core coupled to the interface circuit, where the interface circuit is configured to receive a first task request, perform decoding on the first task request to acquire identifier information, and configure, according to the identifier information, the first task request to be in an FIFO queue that matches the identifier information; a scheduling controller is configured to determine, from at least two channel groups, one or more target channel groups that have at least one to-be-processed second task request in an nth period, receive a time parameter that is fed back by the accelerator core and corresponding to the target channel group, and schedule the at least one second task request in the one or more target channel groups according to the time parameter and a weighted round robin algorithm.
US09842067B2
A processor module including a processor configured to share data with at least one further processor module processor; and a memory mapped peripheral configured to communicate with at least one further processor memory mapped peripheral to control the sharing of the data, wherein the memory mapped peripheral includes a sender part including a data request generator configured to output a data request indicator to the further processor module dependent on a data request register write signal from the processor; and an acknowledgement waiting signal generator configured to output an acknowledgement waiting signal to the processor dependent on a data acknowledgement signal from the further processor module, wherein the data request generator data request indicator is further dependent on the data acknowledgement signal and the acknowledgement waiting signal generator acknowledgement waiting signal is further dependent on the acknowledgement waiting register write signal.
US09842061B2
Embodiments are disclosed for implementing a priority queue in a storage device, e.g., a solid state drive. At least some of the embodiments can use an in-memory set of blocks to store items until the block is full, and commit the full block to the storage device. Upon storing a full block, a block having a lowest priority can be deleted. An index storing correspondences between items and blocks can be used to update priorities and indicated deleted items. By using the in-memory blocks and index, operations transmitted to the storage device can be reduced.
US09842060B1
A hybrid data storage device disclosed herein includes a main data store, one or more data storage caches, and a data storage cache management sub-system. The data storage cache may be divided into an over-provisioned portion and an advertised space portion. Clusters of data on the data storage cache corresponding to the over-provisioned portion are marked as pending eviction rather than actually evicted when the data storage cache management sub-system receives a write request, thereby increasing the effective capacity and reducing write amplification of the data storage cache.
US09842057B2
There is provided a storage apparatus connected to a storage device that stores data and a cache device used as a temporary storage area of the data. The storage apparatus includes: a memory configured to store location information for associating a storage location of data stored in the storage device with content information relating to content of the data, and cache information including the content information corresponding to data stored in the cache device; and a processor configured to identify, upon receiving a read request specifying the storage location and requesting to read data, the content information corresponding to the storage location specified in the read request and, when the content information is included in the cache information, read the data from the cache device and return the data as a response.
US09842054B2
In a method for processing cache data of a computing device, a storage space of the storage device is divided into sections, and a section number of each data block in the storage device is determined according one of the sections in the storage device which each data block belongs to. A field is added for each data block in the storage device to record a section number of each data block in the storage device. When the cache data in the cache memory requires to be written back to the storage device, cache data with the section number is searched from all of the cache data in the cache memory to be written back to a corresponding section in the storage device.
US09842050B2
A mechanism is provided for memory coherence in a multiple processor system. Responsive to a memory access resulting in a cache miss in a given processor, the processor determines whether a memory region being accessed is marked as directory-based. Responsive to the given processor determining the memory region is marked as directory-based, the given processor accesses a directory entry corresponding to the memory region to identify a home chip for the page using a directory-based protocol. The given processor forwards the memory access request to the home chip to perform the memory access.
US09842049B2
A data deployment determination apparatus includes a correlation information creation processor that creates correlation information in which addresses indicating areas in a first memory are correlated with frequency information on memory accesses for the respective addresses, from trace information on a memory access to the first memory, a time reduction calculation processor that calculates, for each of the addresses, time reduction in memory accesses to data stored in the first memory based on the correlation information when data stored in the first memory is stored in a second memory which is a memory having a larger bandwidth than the first memory, and a data deployment determination processor that determines that first data stored in the address of which the time reduction is larger than the time reduction corresponding to second data stored in the address is to be stored in the second memory in preference to the second data.
US09842047B2
A storage device controller addresses consecutively-addressed portions of incoming data to consecutive data tracks on a storage medium and writes the consecutively-addressed portions to the consecutive data tracks in a non-consecutive track order. In one implementation, the storage device controller reads the data back from the consecutive data tracks in a consecutive address order in a single sequential read operation.
US09842043B2
A system for testing a software application includes (a) a memory unit includes a database and a set of modules; and (b) a processor that executes the set of modules. The set of modules include (i) a test case module that processes an input received from a user through a first user interface view of an electronic document; (ii) a test action module that processes an input includes (a) keywords in a second user interface view of the electronic document, and (b) unique identification number for each of the one or more test action, (iii) a test case execution module that executes the test case by executing the one or more action item; (iv) a comparison module that compare the obtained test case execution result with a predetermined result; and (v) a validation module that validate the software application based on the comparison.
US09842037B2
A computation unit detects booting of a virtual machine or a physical machine in a system. The computation unit collects configuration parameters from virtual machines or physical machines in the system. The computation unit retrieves information about a constraint on the system from a storage device, in relation to the detected booting of a virtual machine or physical machine. The computation unit determines whether the collected configuration parameters satisfy the retrieved constraint, and it controls whether to continue or discontinue the boot process of the virtual machine or physical machine, depending on the result of the determination.
US09842028B1
There is disclosed a computer-implemented method, an apparatus, and a computer program product for use in storage object recovery. In one embodiment, the method comprises determining that a storage object requires recovery, wherein the storage object comprises a dedicated recovery area at a fixed location. The method further comprises taking offline the storage object in response to determining that the storage object requires recovery. The method still further comprises performing a recovery procedure to recover the storage object, the recovery procedure utilizing the dedicated recovery area to support storage object recovery.
US09842027B1
A method by a backup application server for data backup. The method includes profiling a performance capability of a host that is to execute backup of data, profiling a property of the data, and sending the performance capability of the host and the property of the data to a rule engine module to determine a backup configuration parameter. The rule engine module includes pre-defined rules for determining a backup configuration parameter based on host performance capability and data property. The method further includes receiving the determined backup configuration parameter from the rule engine module and instructing the host to execute backup of the data to a backup storage using the determined backup configuration parameter.
US09842017B1
Device health metrics may be collected and aggregated on a device before sending to a server for further aggregation. The method may include determining a crash has occurred on a device, and recording the crash and information corresponding to the crash in buffer storage on the device. The method may also include recording a crash type, a crash time, an identification of a component that caused the crash and a state of the device when the crash occurred. The method may also include grouping two or more crash events based on the crash type, generating device health metrics data including metadata corresponding to the two or more crash events, storing the device health metrics data in the buffer storage on the device, and sending the device health metrics data along with device identification information to a server for further aggregation.
US09842015B2
A processor includes a logic to determine an error condition reported in an error bank. The error bank is communicatively coupled to the processor and is associated with logical processors of the processor. The processor includes another logic to generate an interrupt indicating the error condition. The processor includes yet another logic to selectively send the interrupt to a single one of the logical processors associated with the error bank.
US09842007B2
Embodiments of the present invention provide a computing device configured to operate as a particular computing device among a plurality of interconnected computing devices, comprising: a load information obtaining unit configured to obtain, from the particular computing device and from the or each of a group of one or more other computing devices from among the plurality of interconnected computing devices, load information representing the current computational load of the computing device from which the information is obtained; and a load redistribution determination unit configured, in dependence upon the obtained load information, to determine whether or not to redistribute computational load among the particular computing device and the group, and if it is determined to redistribute computational load, to determine the redistribution and to instruct the determined redistribution.
US09842006B2
A method for allocating processing of an application performed by a computing system made up of a plurality of interconnected physical computing devices includes executing an application on a first application server associated with the computing system, the application having a number of modular software components; while executing the application, measuring processing resources consumed by one of the modular software components; and in response to one of the modular software components consuming an amount of processing resources defined by a criterion, deploying the one of the modular software components to a second application server associated with the computing system.
US09842005B2
A system for executing instructions using a plurality of register file segments for a processor. The system includes a global front end scheduler for receiving an incoming instruction sequence, wherein the global front end scheduler partitions the incoming instruction sequence into a plurality of code blocks of instructions and generates a plurality of inheritance vectors describing interdependencies between instructions of the code blocks. The system further includes a plurality of virtual cores of the processor coupled to receive code blocks allocated by the global front end scheduler, wherein each virtual core comprises a respective subset of resources of a plurality of partitionable engines, wherein the code blocks are executed by using the partitionable engines in accordance with a virtual core mode and in accordance with the respective inheritance vectors. A plurality register file segments are coupled to the partitionable engines for providing data storage.
US09842004B2
A cloud marketplace system can be configured to communicate with multiple cloud computing environments in order to ascertain the details for the resources and services provided by the cloud computing environments for optimizing resources utilized by virtual machines. The cloud marketplace system can be configured to determine the resource and service data for the cloud computing environments and select a set of resource servers for instantiating the virtual machines based specifications of the virtual machines and parameters of the instantiation. The cloud marketplace system can be configured to periodically monitor the cloud's resources and migrate the virtual machines if resources become available that more closely match the parameters of the virtual machines.
US09841991B2
Techniques for virtual machine migration are described. An apparatus may comprise a script generation component operative to generate a first script, the first script to migrate a guest operating system running on a first virtual machine to run on a second virtual machine. The first script may be operative to collect configuration information of the guest operating system, generate a second script based on the collected configuration information, and configure the guest operating system to execute the second script, the configuration information collected while the guest operating system is running on the first virtual machine, the guest operating system configured for the execution of the second script to occur while the guest operating system is running on the second virtual machine. Other embodiments are described and claimed.
US09841989B2
A parallel data processing system includes a parallel data processing execution unit for reading a data from a data set including a first data set that includes a plurality of first data and a second data set that includes a plurality of second data and executing processing. The parallel data processing execution unit (A) reads the first data from the first data set, and acquires a first value from the first data based on first format information acquired from an application, (B) generates one or more threads for respectively reading one or more second data corresponding to the first value from the second data set based on first reference information acquired from the application, (C) executes (A) and (B) on one or more first data in the first data set, and (D) executes a plurality of the threads in parallel.
US09841987B2
A method and system for transparent secure interception handling is provided. The method and system include deploying a virtual machine (VM) in an environment comprising a hypervisor and a firmware. The method and system include providing buffers in response to deploying the VM, and include executing VM instructions. The method and system include intercepting VM instructions which require access to instruction data and copying the VM state into a shadow VM state. Furthermore, the instruction data is copied to buffers, and the intercepted VM instruction is executed using the buffer. The method and system also include updating the shadow VM state buffer and the VM data in the VM memory using result data in the buffer in response to the executing of the intercepted VM instruction results. Furthermore execution of the VM instructions is resumed based on a state stored in the shadow VM state buffer.
US09841984B2
A system and method is disclosed for creating and exposing virtual disk images to a host server, during a KVM session, using an HTML5 KVM virtual media client running in the Web browser of a user's device (e.g., PC workstation). The host server is able to select all or specific portions of the virtual disk image for use, whereupon the bytes representing the selected data content are packaged by the HTML5 KVM virtual media client and transmitted to the host server. Using the HTML5 KVM virtual media client to create and expose virtual disk images eliminates the problem of the Web browser not being able to directly access physical media (e.g., disks) on the user's device.
US09841975B2
A method is provided of performing register allocation for at least one program code module. The method includes constructing a restriction graph for program variables within at least one program instruction, and determining whether the constructed restriction graph is colorable. If it is determined that the constructed restriction graph is not colorable, then the method determines whether at least one alternative form of the at least one program instruction is available, and modifies the at least one program instruction to comprise an alternative form if it is determined that at least one alternative form is available.
US09841968B1
A system and method are described for generating an interactive preview for an IoT device. For example, one embodiment of a system comprises: an Internet of Things (IoT) development application comprising a graphical user interface (GUI) through which a user is to specify a configuration for a new IoT device, the development application including a preview GUI component to allow a user to render a mobile UI preview on a mobile client; an IoT service including virtual device generation logic to generate a virtual device responsive to the configuration specified for the new IoT device, the virtual device comprising a virtualized representation of the new IoT device; and the virtual device to establish a communication channel with a mobile app executed on a client, the virtual device to dynamically communicate updates to the mobile app as the user makes changes to IoT device attributes and/or presentation definitions from the preview GUI.
US09841960B2
According to one aspect of the present disclosure, a method comprises receiving a command to load first compiled program code for execution by a processor. The first compiled program code is decompiled to generate source code. The source code is compiled to generate second compiled program code, the second compiled program code comprising information associated with the source code. The second compiled program code is provided to a debugger.
US09841957B2
An apparatus stores a program including a description of loop processing of iterating a plurality of instructions, and rearranges an execution sequence of the plurality of instructions in the program such that the loop processing is pipelined by software pipeline. The apparatus inserts an instruction to use a register for single instruction multiple data (SIMD) extension instruction, into the description of the loop processing in the program.
US09841952B2
System and method for dynamically composing an integrated open source stack are disclosed. In one embodiment, the method comprises generating a stack specification. The method further comprises extracting a list of products from an open source product repository based on the stack specification and determining a product strength value for each product present in the list of product. The method further comprises generating one or more stack options comprising at least one of the products based on the product strength value and determining a stack strength value for each of the one or more stack options based on the product strength value and the user requirements. The method further comprises selecting a stack from the one or more stack options as the integrated open source stack and composing the integrated open source stack based on at least one of product metadata, adaptor metadata, or product scripts.
US09841951B2
An apparatus, system, and method to facilitate the creation and management of service composition candidates in a service-oriented architecture (SOA). In one embodiment, the method includes receiving user input pertaining to a composition candidate associated with service candidates in a SOA service model, and updating the SOA service model based on the user input.
US09841949B2
An apparatus and method that stabilizes an output sequence of a real random number generator by adjusting the input voltage of the random number generator or the comparative voltage of a comparator. The apparatus for stabilizing an output sequence of a real random number generator includes a verification unit for performing a monobit test on random number values sampled by and output from a comparison unit, and calculating an impact value. An adjustment unit adjusts a voltage of any one of a random number generation unit and the comparison unit using resulting values of the monobit test and the impact value output from the verification unit.
US09841945B2
Various techniques are provided to efficiently implement user designs in programmable logic devices (PLDs). In one example, a computer-implemented method includes receiving a design identifying operations to be performed by a PLD and synthesizing the design into a plurality of PLD components. The synthesizing includes detecting a constant multiplier operation in the design, determining a nearest boundary condition for the constant multiplier operation, and decomposing the constant multiplier operation using the nearest boundary condition to reduce the plurality of PLD components. The reduced plurality of PLD components comprise at least one look up table (LUT) configured to implement an addition or subtraction operation of the decomposed constant multiplier operation.
US09841940B2
Power reduction through clock management techniques are disclosed. In one aspect, the clock management is applied to a clock signal on a SOUNDWIRE™ communication bus. In particular, a control system associated with a master device on the communication bus may evaluate frequency requirements of audio streams on the communication bus and select a lowest possible clock frequency that meets the frequency requirements. Lower clock frequencies result in fewer clock transitions and result in a net power saving relative to higher clock frequencies. In the event of a clock frequency change, the master device communicates the clock frequency that will be used prospectively to slave devices on the communication bus, and all devices transition to the new frequency at the same frame boundary. In addition to the power savings, exemplary aspects of the present disclosure do not impact an active audio stream.
US09841936B2
A non-transitory recording medium storing a computer readable print setting control program operated by a device for instructing an image forming apparatus to print, the print setting control program causing the device to function as an information acquisition unit which obtains information on a function performed by the image forming apparatus, a display control unit which causes a display unit to display a print setting screen where the function performed by the image forming apparatus is set, and a prohibition determining unit which determines whether a previous setting conflicts with a following setting and changes the previous setting to a setting which does not conflict with the following setting when the settings conflict with each other, wherein the display control unit decorates displays at set positions of the previous setting and the following setting when the previous setting is changed due to the conflict between the settings.
US09841909B2
A continuous data backup using real time delta storage has been presented. A backup appliance receives a backup request from a backup agent running on a computing machine to backup data on the computing machine. The computing machine is communicatively coupled to the backup appliance. Then the backup appliance performs block-based real-time backup of the data on the computing machine. The backup appliance stores backup data of the computing machine in a computer-readable storage device in the backup appliance.
US09841908B1
Embodiments of a declustered, fault-tolerant array of storage devices for use with computer, networked, cloud-based, and other data storage applications are described. In some embodiments, the array generates a chunk group mapping with a high utilization of storage device space, provides evenly distributed hot spares, supports multiple erasure schemes including Reed-Solomon codes and Local Reconstruction Codes, and provides high storage device rebuild speed after storage device failure. Embodiments of methods of generating chunk group mappings are also disclosed. In some embodiments, chunk group mappings are determined based on the desired erasure scheme, the number of storage devices connected to the declustered, fault-tolerant array of storage devices, and a generated balanced incomplete block design or a generated partial balanced incomplete block design. Chunk group mappings are stored as a multi-level lookup table which includes at least a first erasure scheme pattern table and at least a second chunk group lookup table.
US09841904B2
Embodiments of the inventive concept include a non-volatile memory module array system. The system can include non-volatile memory modules each including a first port, a second port, solid state drives, a switch, and a port configuration logic section. The system can include a bus connected to the first or second ports. The system can include a host to communicate with the non-volatile memory modules via the bus. The port configuration logic section can toggle between a first port configuration associated with the second port and a second port configuration associated with the second port. The port configuration logic section can include a first non-volatile configuration section to store the first and second port configurations associated with the second port. The first port configuration can cause the second port to operate as a downstream port. The second port configuration can cause the second port to operate as an upstream port.
US09841891B2
Disclosed are a mobile terminal and a method of controlling the same. The mobile terminal includes a display unit configured to display a content screen and a control unit configured to change an output state of the content screen with respect to a point from which a first touch gesture starts, in response to that the first touch gesture is sensed in the content screen, and when the first touch gesture which is continuously sensed in the content screen corresponds to a predetermined reference, perform control to search for other content associated with at least one piece of information extracted from the content screen.
US09841889B2
One embodiment of the invention sets forth a data navigation engine that generates user interface navigation elements for navigation large and expanding datasets. The user interface navigation elements may include a pivot control zoom slider for adjusting the data resolution with respect to different zoom pivot locations, an interactive ruler for consistent visual feedback and navigation of intervals of data within the dataset, a context bar for viewing the data proximate to a current view, and a multi-scale slider for repositioning the dataset within the current view. These user interface navigation elements provide the end-user with consistent control and visual feedback while navigating the dataset, independent of the size of the dataset or the portion of the dataset displayed within the current view. Therefore, large and expanding datasets can be navigated more effectively relative to prior art approaches.
US09841886B2
There is provided a display control apparatus capable of maintaining visibility regarding a display item during a drag operation. The display control apparatus includes a detection unit configured to detect a position input on a screen displayed on a display unit, a display control unit configured to display the display item on the display unit and to perform control to scroll of the display item with a display effect according to a scroll instruction, and a control unit configured to, if the detection unit detects the position input on the screen during the scroll, perform control to stop the scroll with the display effect displayed when the position input has been detected.
US09841881B2
In a first step of a two step content selection operation, initial content can be selected by detecting movement of a content selection object with respect to a computing device. The selection area can be calculated based on the object movement that is detected. The content within the selection area can be selected and displayed in a second display area in which content of different types are separated into logical units. All or part of the initial content can be enlarged, enabling the second step of the selection operation in which a subset of the initial content is selected. Content can be transformed before being pasted into the target.
US09841874B2
Expandable application representation techniques are described. The techniques may include support of an expandable tile that may function as an intermediary within a root level (e.g., start menu or screen) of a file system. The expandable tile, for instance, may be output via a gesture to gain additional information that was not included in an unexpanded version of the tile, may be utilized to provide inputs to an application such that a user, and so on. Thus, this may support non-modal interaction by a user. Techniques are also described in which the expanded representation is included in a taskbar, which may also be used for non-modal interaction, sending of content represented in the representation to a device or application, continuation of interaction initiated with the representation by a mobile computing device, and so on. Expandable tile techniques may also be utilized to support interaction between shells of an operating system, such as a desktop and immersive shell. Further description of these and other examples involving and not involving an expandable tile are also contemplated.
US09841853B2
A touch panel module and a touch controller thereof are provided. The touch controller includes a plurality of signal processing channels configured to control the touch panel. The touch panel is electrically connected to the touch controller. The touch panel includes a plurality of first electrodes and a plurality of second electrodes. The first electrodes are electrically connected to the corresponding signal processing channels of the touch controller by using a plurality of first signal routes. The second electrodes are electrically connected to the corresponding signal processing channels of the touch controller by using a plurality of second signal routes. The touch panel is divided into a plurality of areas. A number of the signal processing channels of the touch controller is determined according to a number of the first signal routes, a number of the second signal routes and a number of the divided areas.
US09841852B2
Disclosed are a touch screen and a terminal device. The touch screen includes a first ancillary electrode and a second ancillary electrode. The first ancillary electrode is arranged in a first marginal zone of the touch screen. The second ancillary electrode is arranged in second marginal zone that is opposite to the first marginal zone. The touch screen includes additional ancillary electrodes to increase the touch accuracy at an edge of the touch screen so as to enhance the performance of the touch screen, allowing for easy touch operation conducted by a user.
US09841851B2
In a capacitive touch panel, edge regions of the panel display generally have poor accuracy of coordinate detection of a touch point as compared to the intermediate region of the panel display. A display device includes a plurality of first electrodes arranged at predetermined pitches and extending in a X-direction; and a plurality of second electrodes arranged at predetermined pitches and extending in a Y-direction, wherein both endmost first electrodes of the plurality of first electrodes have a smaller pitch than the other first electrodes, both endmost second electrodes of the plurality of second electrodes have a smaller pitch than the other second electrodes, and the display device is configured to detect a touch based on a capacitance variation at one or more of intersections of the plurality of first electrodes with the plurality of second electrodes.
US09841835B2
Provided are a touch display substrate, an electronic device and a driving method. The touch display substrate includes a common electrode layer and a wire layer arranged opposite to each other. The common electrode layer includes multiple common electrodes arranged in an array. The wire layer includes multiple wires connected to the common electrodes in a one-to-one way. The wires do not intersect with one another and are for inputting touch detection signals to the common electrodes, the wires extend in the same direction and touch detection signals are input to the wires simultaneously, and a phase difference between touch detection signals for at least two adjacent wires is 180 degrees. Interferences on one common electrode from the two wires, for which the touch detection signals have a phase difference of 180 degrees, may cancel each other out, thereby attenuating vertical crosstalk and improving the accuracy of touch detection.
US09841831B2
An ultrasound diagnostic apparatus includes a touch interface configured to display a screen comprising an ultrasound image of an object, and receive a user touch on the ultrasound image; and a controller configured to acquire a seed point, at which the user touch is sensed, acquire shape information of the object, and perform a control to display, on the ultrasound image, a touch point corresponding to the user touch, the touch point being determined based on the seed point and the shape information.
US09841810B2
According to one aspect of the present disclosure, a method and technique for dynamic augmented reality media creation is disclosed. The method includes: receiving reality data; analyzing the reality data; identifying augmentation data based on the analysis of the reality data; generating augmented reality content; determining if the reality data corresponds to predetermined capture event criteria; and responsive to determining that the reality data corresponds to the predetermined capture event criteria, capturing the augmented reality content.
US09841808B2
Provided is a photoelectric sensor capable of enhancing display flexibility of a display section mounted on the photoelectric sensor and making this display flexibility contribute to improvement in user's operability. In a Run mode, a current value is displayed in large-sized numerals on a display section. When switching is made from the Run mode to a setting mode and letter information is to be displayed in the setting mode, a current value is displayed in relatively small-sized numerals at the corner (e.g., lower left) of the display section.
US09841805B2
A power management circuit that controls a plurality of power circuits for generating supply voltages at least for a processor is disclosed. The circuit includes: a real time clock that generates clock signals with a predetermined frequency; a power-on terminal to which a power-on key is connected, wherein the power-on terminal receives a voltage whose level depends on whether the power-on key is pressed or not; a power-on detecting unit that monitors a voltage at the power-on terminal and asserts a start signal if it is determined using the clock signals that the power-on key is pressed and held for a predetermined time period; and a power management controller that receives a system voltage based on a battery voltage or a DC voltage from a DC power source and, upon the start signal is asserted, starts up the plurality of power circuits in a predetermined sequence using the clock signals.
US09841804B2
A technique includes clocking a processor; and in response to the processor providing a signal indicating that the processor is transitioning between a first power state that is associated with a first power consumption and a second power state that is associated with a second power consumption different than the first power consumption, changing a frequency of the clocking.
US09841803B2
Independent power control of two or more processing cores. More particularly, at least one embodiment of the invention pertains to a technique to place at least one processing core in a power state without coordinating with the power state of one or more other processing cores.
US09841797B2
A power supply switch apparatus includes a first interface, a switch circuit, and a power supply circuit. The first interface includes a first control signal output terminal, a second control signal output terminal, and a third control signal output terminal. Each of the first control signal output terminal, the second control signal output terminal, and the third control signal output terminal outputs a control signal according to an electronic device inserted in the first interface. The switch circuit receives the control signals and outputs a power supply signal accordingly. The power supply circuit receives the power supply signal, and provides a first direct current (DC) voltage or a second DC voltage to the electronic device according to the power supply signal.
US09841793B2
Embodiments of apparatuses, systems and methods related to Solid State Drive (SSD) cooling in dense storage are described. An embodiment of an apparatus may include a housing. The apparatus may also include a first set of peripheral heatsink fins disposed parallel to a first axis of the housing. Additionally, the apparatus may include a second set of peripheral heatsink fins disposed parallel to a second axis of the housing. Also, the apparatus may include a set of heatsink members disposed adjacent the first set of peripheral heatsink fins and the second set of peripheral heatsink fins, the set of heat sink members configured to align with at least one of the first set of peripheral heatsink fins and the second set of peripheral heatsink fins.
US09841792B2
A chassis in a device housing includes a housing of the housing, a hard disk drive, and a fastening apparatus. The housing includes a backplane and a side plate defining an opening. The hard disk drive defining an opening is electrically coupled to the backplane. The fastening apparatus includes a connecting member and a fastening member. The connecting member includes a connecting post. The connecting post defines a mounting hole. Two locking protrusions protrude from the connecting post. A raised portion protrudes from an inside wall of the mounting hole. The fastening member includes an urging portion. The fastening apparatus is coupled between the hard disk drive and the side plate. The fastening member is mounted in the mounting hole, and the raised portion is urged by the urging portions. The connecting post undergoes elastic deformation, and the locking protrusions are locked in the openings.
US09841791B2
A rack unit configuration is described that includes a first printed circuit board (PCB) assembly interleaved with a second PCB assembly that is inverted with respect to the first PCB assembly. The configuration of the first PCB assembly and the second PCB assembly allow for increased component and power densities within computing systems, memory systems, etc. The increased density may be achieved while allowing sufficient mechanical clearance to allow easy component replacement and servicing (e.g., and hot pluggability). Power density may also be increased with PCB assemblies including nested and interleaved power modules.
US09841786B2
A combination computing device and input device. The computing device provides a plurality of sides. The input device providing a structural bridge, a pair of control modules, a touch sensitive input module attached to the back side of the input device, and a transactional input device. The pair of control modules: confine the computing device on at least two opposing sides of the plurality of sides; adaptively and snugly accommodate the width of the computing device else a second computing device, the second computing device having a width greater than the width of the computing device; adaptively and snugly, accommodate the length of either the computing device, or the second computing device, the second computing device having a length greater than the length of the computing device. Transactional input device integrated within at least one of the of control modules, and configured to provide point of sale input functionality.
US09841780B2
An apparatus including: an input interface configured to enable user configuration of a future time window; and a report interface configured to produce a report relating to a first sub-set of a plurality of active timers that expire at programmed future points in time, wherein the first sub-set of the plurality of active timers expire during the user-configured future time window.
US09841776B1
Methods and apparatus to improve a transient response of a multi-phase voltage regulator are disclosed. An example apparatus includes a differential amplifier to compare a first voltage to a droop voltage, the first voltage corresponding to a sum of inductor currents in the multi-phase voltage regulator, the droop voltage corresponding to an output voltage of the multi-phase voltage regulator; and output a first control voltage based on the comparison; a differentiator to compute a derivative of the droop voltage and adjust a ramp voltage with the derivative of the droop voltage to generate a second control voltage; and a comparator to compare a reference voltage with a second voltage, the second voltage being a combination of the first control voltage and the second control voltage; and when the second voltage is greater than the reference voltage, output a voltage pulse.
US09841768B2
In the prior art, detection sensitivity was fixed for an obstacle detection means provided to an autonomous travelling service vehicle; therefore, in the present invention an autonomous travelling service vehicle is provided with a position calculation means that determines the position of the chassis using a satellite positioning system, and with a control device that automatically drives the vehicle along a set travel route and causes the vehicle to execute the service, wherein an obstacle sensor that acts as an obstacle detection means for detecting whether or not an obstacle is present around the autonomous travelling service vehicle and a sensitivity adjustment means for adjusting the sensitivity of the obstacle sensor are provided, and the sensitivity of the obstacle sensor is adjusted by the sensitivity adjustment means so as to be high within a set work area and low outside the set work area.
US09841766B2
A restraint device of the disclosure restricts a robot to carry out a task in a predetermined area. The restraint device includes a portable housing, a first signal receiver and a first signal transmitter. The first signal receiver receives signals transmitted from the robot. The first signal transmitter is electrically connected to the first signal receiver, and is configured for communicating with the robot. The first signal receiver includes a plurality of signal receiving units positioned toward a front wall of the portable housing, and the plurality of signal receiving units receive the signals from the robot at a predetermined position and within a predetermined angle range. The first signal transmitter responses to signal received states of the plurality of signal receiving units to communicate with the robot. The disclosure also offers a restraint system and a restraint method thereof.
US09841764B2
A method for controlling a motor vehicle includes: ascertaining a driving strategy as a function of an environment; detecting a driving strategy of a motor vehicle driving ahead; ascertaining that the driving strategies deviate from each other; and controlling the motor vehicle in accordance with the driving strategy of the motor vehicle driving ahead.
US09841762B2
This patent application discloses methods and systems for alerting computerized motor-vehicles about predicted accidents. In an example method, a motor vehicle alerts another motor vehicle about a predicted accident, even though that accident is between the alerting car and a third motor vehicle—for example, the alert is transmitted by non-visual electromagnetic (EM) radiation. When an adjacent motor vehicle receives such accident alert and determines it might itself be hit, it will react so as to minimize its chances of being hit or at least to minimize the damage if it is being hit. Optionally, one or more of the motor vehicles has an onboard device for measuring a blood-alcohol level of a human driver thereof. The measured blood-alcohol level may be used to compute a probability of an occurrence of an accident and/or may be included in one or more of the transmitted accident alerts.
US09841759B2
Disclosed are a mobile terminal and a method for controlling the same. The mobile terminal which wirelessly communicates with an unmanned aircraft including a camera, includes a wireless communication unit configured to receive a capturing image including a plurality of images captured by the camera; a memory configured to store flight information of the unmanned aircraft corresponding to each of the plurality of images; a display unit configured to output the captured image; and a controller configured to transmit a flight control command which is formed by flight information corresponding to at least one image to the unmanned aircraft, based on a recapturing command to at least one image among the plurality of images.
US09841755B2
Provided is a job plan creation system capable of creating an efficient job plan when the job plan is reconfigured on the basis of the progress of the jobs after the completion of the jobs that day and by the job starting time of the following day, for example. A job plan creation system extracts an interrupted job that has been started but has not been completed, a delayed job that should have been started based on the job plan but has not been started, and a not-started job that is scheduled to be started on the job plan and so has not been started from the job plan, and creates the job plan while setting priorities in the order of the interrupted job, the delayed job and the not-started job.
US09841732B2
A watch external part of the present invention is equipped with a substrate and a coating formed using an aerosol deposition method. The coating is selectively provided at a portion of a site observable in a state with the watch external part incorporated in a watch. The substrate is made of a material including one type or two or more types selected from a group consisting of sapphire glass, quartz, and plastic. The watch external part is further equipped with a ground layer having at least one layer between the substrate and the coating.
US09841724B2
An image forming apparatus cartridge comprises a guide member, a developing roller having an axis L1, and a coupling member having an axis L2 and at least one projection. A relative positioning of the coupling member and the guide member is changeable between (i) a first relative position in which a tip of the at least one projection is a first distance away from an end of the guide member as measured in the direction of the axis L1 and (ii) a second relative position in which the tip of the at least one projection is a second distance away from the end of the guide member as measured in the direction of the axis L1, with the first distance being greater than the second distance.
US09841722B2
A replaceable unit for an electrophotographic image forming device according to one example embodiment includes a housing having a reservoir for storing toner. A rotatable shaft is positioned within the reservoir and has an axis of rotation. A first magnet and a second magnet are connected to the shaft and rotatable around the axis of rotation in response to rotation of the shaft. The first magnet and the second magnet pass near at least a portion of an inner wall of the housing forming the reservoir during rotation of the first and second magnets. An amount of angular offset between the first magnet and the second magnet varies depending on an amount of toner in the reservoir.
US09841719B2
An image forming apparatus is provided with a printing portion, a waste toner collection portion that includes a conveyance member that is driven by a motor, and conveys waste toner, thereby to collect the waste toner in a waste toner container, a current detection portion for detecting a motor current value, a fan that discharges scattering toner, and a control portion. In driving the fan, the control portion detects a value of the motor current value and sets rotation speed of the fan so that the larger said detected value of the motor current value, the higher the rotation speed.
US09841716B2
An electrophotographic photoreceptor includes an intermediate layer, a photosensitive layer, and a surface protective layer, deposited in this order on an electroconductive support. The surface protective layer includes a resin and a p-type semiconductor microparticle contained in the resin. The intermediate layer includes a resin and at least one metal oxide microparticle contained in the resin. The at least one metal oxide microparticle is selected from the group consisting of untreated tin oxide particles, tin oxide particles surface-treated with organic compounds, untreated anatase titanium oxide particles, anatase titanium oxide particles surface-treated with organic compounds, untreated rutile titanium oxide particles, and rutile titanium oxide particles surface-treated with organic compounds.
US09841714B2
A social networking system user may request physical prints of digital photographs stored in connection with the user's user profile on the social networking system. The physical prints are generated by a photograph developer, such as a retail store, and retrieved by the user. The user may request the physical prints from an application executing on a user device that allows the user to identify social context information associated with a digital photograph for inclusion on the physical print. The social networking system may notify users connected to the user and/or to the digital image of the physical print generation.
US09841713B2
There is provided a fixing device. An endless fixing belt has an inner circumferential surface to which lubricant is applied and that is rotated. A first plate-shaped body is disposed along the inner circumferential surface and is in contact with the inner circumferential surface. A second plate-shaped body is disposed along the first plate-shaped body at a distance to cause a capillary phenomenon in the lubricant. A bent portion is provided in an end portion of the second plate-shaped body in a rotating direction of the fixing belt and is bent on an inner circumferential surface side on a downstream side of an end portion of the first plate-shaped body in the rotating direction of the fixing belt.
US09841711B2
An image forming apparatus includes a fixing device including a heater and a temperature sensor; a feeding roller configured to feed a recording sheet to the fixing device; and a controller. The controller is configured to: turn on the heater when the controller receives a printing command; cause the feeding roller to feed the recording sheet at a first timing, in a case where the controller determines that a temperature detected by the temperature sensor is equal to or greater than a first threshold temperature; cause the feeding roller to feed the recording sheet at a second timing later than the first timing, in a case where the controller determines that the detected temperature is smaller than the first threshold temperature; and selectively set the first threshold temperature to a first value or a second value smaller than the first value when the controller receives the printing command.
US09841709B2
A fixing device includes a first fixing member, a second fixing member, and a charge application portion. The first fixing member contacts unfixed toner on a sheet conveyed along a conveyance path. The second fixing member forms a nip portion between itself and the first fixing member such that the sheet passes through the nip portion. The charge application portion applies an electric charge to the unfixed toner on the sheet and to an outer circumferential surface of the first fixing member at a region on an upstream side of the nip portion in a movement direction of the outer circumferential surface, by causing a corona discharge to be generated between a discharge electrode and a counter electrode that are disposed apart from the outer circumferential surface of the first fixing member.
US09841697B2
A cleaning member includes a core and an elastic layer helically wound around an outer peripheral surface of the core so as to extend from one end to the other end of the core. When the cleaning member is rotated by a member to be cleaned, a non-contact region in which a first end portion and a second end portion of the elastic layer in an axial direction of the core are not in contact with the member to be cleaned is in a range from approximately 0° to approximately 60° in terms of a rotation angle of the cleaning member viewed from one side in the axial direction of the core.
US09841692B2
Provided is a toner having a toner particle that contains a binder resin, a colorant, a wax, and a crystalline polyester, wherein two or more peak tops for crystallization peaks are present in a temperature range from 40° C. to 80° C. in a first DSC curve obtained by a process or cooling the toner from 100° C. to 20° C. at 0.5° C./min, and using ΔH(0.5) for the exothermic quantity for the peak on the lowest temperature side of these crystallization peaks and using ΔH(100) for the exothermic quantity of the crystallization peak on the lowest temperature side in a second DSC curve obtained by a process of cooling the toner from 100° C. to 20° C. at 100° C./min, the ratio [ΔH(100)/ΔH(0.5)] is at least 2.0 and not more than 6.0.
US09841685B2
A method for determining a corrected variable, which depends on at least one parameter, in a parameter range of the parameter, includes carrying out a measurement, measurement values of the variable being made available in a plurality of separate and non-overlapping subranges of the parameter range; correcting measurement values of the variable using an approximation, in which measurement values of the variable are approximated with a smooth function and with subrange functions of the subranges of the parameter range. The smooth function allows reproduction of the progression of the variable over the parameter range. The subrange functions permit an individual change of the variable in the subranges. Also disclosed are methods for adjusting imaging optics of an optical system, devices for determining a corrected variable, which depends on at least one parameter in a parameter range, and methods for determining a plurality of corrected wavefront errors in an image field.
US09841683B2
An illumination optical unit for EUV projection lithography illuminates an illumination field with illumination light from a light source. A first facet mirror of the illumination optical unit has a plurality of first facets for the reflective guidance of partial beams of a beam of the EUV illumination light. Disposed downstream of the first facet mirror is a second facet mirror with a plurality of second facets for further reflective guidance of the partial beams. As a result of this, the reflective beam guidance that the two facets predetermines object field illumination channels, by which the whole object field is illuminable by the illumination light in each case and to which exactly one first facet and exactly one second facet is assigned in each case.
US09841680B2
A source collector apparatus for use in a lithographic apparatus includes a fuel droplet generator configured in use to generate a stream of fuel droplets directed from an outlet of the fuel droplet generator towards a plasma formation location. In order to prevent droplet satellites from interfering with plasma formation, a gas supply is provided that in use provides a flow of gas (e.g., hydrogen) that deflects any droplet satellites out of the fuel droplet stream. Additionally, a detection apparatus may be provided as part of a shroud to determine the point at which coalescence of fuel droplets occurs thereby providing an indication of the likelihood of satellite droplets being present in the fuel droplet stream.
US09841678B2
A photosensitive resin composition comprises: a component (A): a resin having a phenolic hydroxyl group; a component (B): a compound having a methylol group or an alkoxyalkyl group; a component (C): an aliphatic compound having two or more functional groups, the functional groups being one or more types selected from an acryloyloxy group, a methacryloyloxy group, a glycidyloxy group and a hydroxyl group; and a component (D): a photosensitive acid generator.
US09841676B2
A method for manufacturing a display device includes forming a plurality of light blocking patterns on a first surface of a transparent substrate, wherein a first light blocking pattern of the plurality of light blocking patterns has a different line width than a second light blocking pattern of the plurality of light blocking patterns. An insulating layer is formed on the first surface of the transparent substrate and the light blocking patterns. A conductive layer is formed on the insulating layer. A photo-resist layer is formed on the conductive layer. The photo-resist layer is exposed with ultraviolet rays through a second surface of the transparent substrate, wherein the first and second surfaces of the transparent substrate are opposite to each other. The photo-resist layer is developed. The conductive layer is etched using the photo-resist layer as a mask. The photo-resist layer is removed.
US09841672B2
A method of decomposing a layout of a semiconductor device for a quadruple patterning technology (QPT) process includes dividing the layout of the semiconductor device into a first temporary pattern, which includes rectangular features having a rectangular shape, and a second temporary pattern, which includes cross couple features having a Z-shape, generating a third temporary pattern and a fourth temporary pattern by performing a pattern dividing operation on the first temporary pattern in a first direction, generating a first target pattern and a second target pattern by incorporating each of the cross couple features included in the second temporary pattern into one of the third temporary pattern and the fourth temporary pattern, and generating first through fourth decomposed patterns by performing the pattern dividing operation on the first target pattern and the second target pattern in a second direction.
US09841655B2
A system includes a nonlinear crystal positioned such that a focus of a laser beam is outside the nonlinear crystal in at least one plane perpendicular to a beam propagation direction of the laser beam. The nonlinear crystal is disposed in a crystal mount assembly. A laser beam may be directed at the nonlinear crystal for wavelength conversion. The system may be used as a deep-UV wavelength converter.
US09841645B2
A display device includes a display panel, a circuit board, a light guide structure and two paste materials. The circuit board is disposed on the display panel. The light guide structure is disposed on the display panel. The light guide structure has a bottom surface and a peripheral surface, wherein the bottom surface is oriented toward the display panel and the peripheral surface is adjacent to the bottom surface. Two plating pads are formed on the bottom surface. Two first recesses are formed on the peripheral surface and corresponding to the two plating pads. The two paste materials are formed between the two plating pads and the circuit board.
US09841637B2
A display panel is provided. The display panel includes a color filter substrate. The color filter substrate includes a first substrate, a black matrix, a color filter layer, a transparent conductive layer, and a plurality of spacers. The black matrix and the color filter layer are disposed on the first substrate. The transparent conductive layer is disposed on the color filter layer and the black matrix, and has a plurality of openings located above the black matrix. The spacers are located on the transparent conductive layer and located on the black matrix. At least one of the openings is located between the adjacent spacers, and at least one of the spacers partially overlaps at least one of the openings.
US09841635B2
A reliability of seal portion of a liquid crystal display device can be improved by the following structure. A liquid crystal display device includes: a TFT substrate which includes a display region and a terminal part, and has an inorganic insulating film formed on an organic passivation film and an alignment film formed over the inorganic insulating film; a counter substrate, the TFT substrate and the counter substrate bonded together by a sealing material formed at a seal part surrounding the display region; and a liquid crystal sealed inside. At the seal part, a transparent conductive oxide film is formed between the inorganic insulating film and the alignment film. The transparent conductive oxide film exists inside an edge of the TFT substrate and hence, the edge of the TFT substrate is free of the transparent conductive oxide film.
US09841631B2
A display panel includes a first substrate, a first thin film transistor disposed on the first substrate, a color filter disposed on the first thin film transistor, a passivation layer disposed on the color filter, a first opening being formed through the passivation layer and extending into the color filter, and a first pixel electrode disposed on the passivation layer, electrically connected to the first thin film transistor, and overlapping the first opening.
US09841630B2
A thin-film transistor array substrate and a liquid crystal display panel are provided. The thin-film transistor array substrate includes a substrate, a thin-film transistor array, a color resisting layer and an alignment film The substrate includes a first surface and a second surface opposing to each other. The first surface has a revealing region and a non-revealing region surrounding the revealing region. The thin-film transistor array is arranged on the first surface of the substrate. The color resisting layer is arranged on the thin-film transistor array and has a trench located correspondingly to the non-revealing region. The alignment film is arranged on the color resisting layer.
US09841623B2
A liquid crystal display includes: an insulation substrate; a microcavity layer disposed on the insulation substrate and having a reversed taper side wall; a pixel electrode disposed in the microcavity layer on the insulation substrate; a liquid crystal layer disposed in the microcavity layer; and a common electrode which covers the liquid crystal layer.
US09841622B2
A display device includes: a display panel curved in a first direction; a lower frame; an upper frame coupled to the lower frame; and a fastening member coupling the lower frame and the upper frame, wherein the lower frame includes a first coupling portion protruding toward the display panel, the first coupling portion having a first coupling hole, the upper frame includes a second coupling portion protruding toward the display panel, the second coupling portion having a second coupling hole, the fastening member penetrates the first coupling hole and the second coupling hole to fasten the lower frame and the upper frame together, and a bottom portion of the first coupling portion forms an acute angle with respect to a base portion of the lower frame, and a bottom portion of the second coupling portion forms an acute angle with respect to a base portion of the upper frame.
US09841618B1
An optical modulator circuit includes first and second electrodes, first and second p-n junction segments (PNJSs), and first and second optical waveguides. The first PNJS includes a first modulating p-n junction (MPNJ) in series with a first non-modulating device (NMD) that are connected to the first and second electrodes, respectively, where the first NMD includes a first substantially larger capacitance than the first MPNJ. The second PNJS includes a second NMD in series with a second MPNJ that are connected to the first and second electrodes, respectively, where the second NMD includes a second substantially larger capacitance than the second MPNJ. The first and second optical waveguides superimpose the first and second MPNJs, respectively, where the first and second MPNJs are configured to modulate a refractive index of the first and second optical waveguides, respectively, based on the substantially larger capacitance of the first NMD and the second NMD.
US09841614B2
An eye-mountable device includes a flexible lens enclosure, anterior and posterior flexible conductive electrodes, and an accommodation actuator element. The flexible lens enclosure includes anterior and posterior layers that are sealed together. The anterior flexible conductive electrode is disposed within the flexible enclosure and across a center region of the flexible lens enclosure on a concave side of the anterior layer. The posterior flexible conductive electrode is disposed within the flexible enclosure and across the center region on a convex side of the posterior layer. The accommodation actuator element is disposed between the first and second flexible conductive electrodes. The anterior and posterior flexible conductive electrodes are transparent and electrically manipulate the accommodation actuator element.