US09961817B2

A substrate working machine that performs mounting work on a circuit substrate is provided. The machine includes a receiving section that receives a first mounting work-correspondence device and a mounting stand on which a second mounting work-correspondence device is detachably mounted. The mounting work-correspondence device includes at least one of a device supplying an item necessary for the mounting work, a device discharging an item unnecessary in the mounting work, and a device performing processing required for the mounting work. The receiving section and the mounting stand are disposed at a predetermined edge portion of a base.
US09961810B2

A display device includes a display panel unit having a noise generating source, and a metal frame to which the display panel unit is attached. The display panel unit is fixed to an attachment part which is provided at the frame. The frame includes a contact part that brings the display panel unit into contact with the frame, in addition to the attachment part.
US09961805B2

An electric component has a housing part and a component support which is provided with a conductor path structure. The conductor path structure has an interruption, by which a connection section of the conductor path structure is galvanically separated from a main section of the conductor path structure. The component support is arranged on the housing part such that a heat-conductive connection is produced between the component support and the housing part. The main section remains galvanically separated from the housing part. The electric resistance between the main section of the conductor path structure and the housing part is measured. The component support is secured to the housing part by a securing element. The interruption is electrically bridged by the securing element and the main section is electrically conductively connected to the housing component.
US09961798B2

In various embodiments, a package may be provided. The package may include a chip carrier. The package may further include a chip arranged over the chip carrier. The package may also include encapsulation material encapsulating the chip and partially the chip carrier. A coolant receiving recess may be provided over the chip in the encapsulation material, wherein the coolant receiving recess is configured to receive coolant.
US09961790B2

A printed circuit board (PCB) having an improved waterproof structure for preventing corrosion of a substrate is disclosed. A plurality of screen-printed protrusions is provided at the PCB surface. The plurality of protrusions allow water to be formed in waterdrops so that the waterdrops can flow to the outside of the PCB. The PCB is arranged to have a tilted structure for facilitating discharge of the water. The tilted structure discharges waterdrops to a lower side of the PCB. The PCB and a PCB assembly having the same are applicable to electronic appliances such as a washing machine.
US09961789B2

A display device includes a display panel configured to display an image, a light blocking member under the display panel, a bracket facing the display panel such that the light blocking member is between the display panel and the bracket, a bridge member between the light blocking member and the bracket, and configured to support a position of the light blocking member and the bracket, and a buffer member at a same layer as the bridge member, and contacting the bridge member.
US09961788B2

The present invention features a non-peripherals-based processing control unit having an encasement module that is very small and durable compared to conventional computer encasement structures. The process control unit is capable of being incorporated into various devices and/or environments, of accepting applied and impact loads, of functioning as a load bearing structure, as well as being able to be processed coupled together with one or more processing control units to provide scaled processing power. The processing control unit of the present invention further features a unique method of cooling using natural convection, as well as utilizing known cooling means, such as liquid or thermoelectric cooling.
US09961786B2

An engine control unit (ECU) includes a housing, a cover sealingly engaged with the housing, a circuit board disposed in the housing and support structure disposed in the housing and associated with an inner surface of the cover. At least one fastener couples both the support structure and the circuit board to the housing. An adhesive bonds at least portions of the support structure to portions of the inner surface of the cover. The support structure is constructed and arranged to limit deflection of the cover when internal pressure increase in the ECU.
US09961780B2

A method for manufacturing a resin multilayer board formed from a thermoplastic resin, which method allows for improvement in accuracy of the position of a component relative to the resin multilayer board, is provided. A method for manufacturing a resin multilayer board includes: a step of bonding a component to a pressure-sensitive adhesive layer of a pressure-sensitive adhesive sheet having the pressure-sensitive adhesive layer on a surface thereof; a step of opposing a thermoplastic resin sheet to the pressure-sensitive adhesive layer, and fixing the component bonded to the pressure-sensitive adhesive sheet and the thermoplastic resin sheet to each other by heating; a step of peeling the pressure-sensitive adhesive sheet from the component fixed to the thermoplastic resin sheet; and stacking and thermally welding a plurality of thermoplastic resin sheets including the thermoplastic resin sheet to which the component has been transferred.
US09961758B1

An electrical device configuration enables heat to be dissipated from a multi-layer printed circuit board (PCB) while handling electrical currents in excess of 200 amps. The semiconductor devices that convert input DC current to output AC current are mounted to a side of the PCB that is opposite the side of the PCB that receives the input DC current. A base plate that acts as a heat sink includes recessed areas to receive the semiconductor devices and enable the PCB to be positioned close to the base plate. Thermal vias are provided in the PCB to conductive heat from the semiconductor devices to the side of the PCB that receives the input current. Also, the busbars for receiving the input current are positioned to provide short resistive paths to the current to reduce the generation of heat by the current flowing in the PCB.
US09961756B2

A target chamber and a method for manufacturing the target chamber for a radioisotope production system is provided. The target chamber includes a cavity formed from a single sheet of metal foil enclosed by a cover. The cavity configured to contain a starting liquid and receive a particle beam that is incident upon the starting liquid thereby generating radioisotopes.
US09961754B2

A method of removing residual charge from a photoconductive material includes applying a first voltage to the photoconductive material to form an electrostatic field during a collection operation in which x-rays are irradiated onto the photoconductive material; and applying a second voltage to the photoconductor to reduce an amount of residual charge therein during a removal operation, the second voltage being different from the first voltage. In one or more example embodiments, the photoconductive material may include Mercury Iodine (Hgl2).
US09961751B2

Method of controlling light output (44) of a luminaire (40) using a control terminal (30), wherein the luminaire comprises at least one light source (46) and a control unit (42), the control terminal comprising a display. The method comprises the steps of sending, from the control terminal to the control unit, an interrogation (T1) of light output adjustment ability of the luminaire, receiving, from the control unit to the control terminal, information (T2) of light output adjustment ability of the luminaire wherein the information comprises at least three input values representing coordinates in a chromaticity diagram and defining an adjustment area in the chromaticity diagram, evaluating the information of light output adjustment ability from the luminaire, and displaying, on the display (32) of the control terminal, a light output control (50, 60), for adjustment of the color or color temperature of the luminaire, the light output control being single-variable or multi-variable depending on the evaluation of the information of light output adjustment ability received from the control unit.
US09961737B2

A system in accordance with the present disclosure comprises a sensor and an information processing apparatus that includes processing circuitry. The sensor is installed on a surface so that a detection direction of the sensor is at a non-zero angle from a line normal to the surface. The processing circuitry is configured to communicate with the sensor, calculate a position of a detection area, in which the sensor detects an object in a predetermined space, according to the non-zero angle and a location of the sensor on the surface, and create correspondence information that associates an area of the predetermined space with the detection area.
US09961732B2

Disclosed is a control circuit for a lighting apparatus using an LED as a light source. The control circuit controls a driving current of a driving circuit, using a monitoring result for a rectified voltage and a monitoring result for an output voltage of a specific LED group among a plurality of LED groups.
US09961730B2

A circuit of light-emitting elements connected between two power terminals is disclosed in the present disclosure. The circuit of light-emitting elements includes a smooth conducting line, multiple light-emitting elements, and a zigzag conducting line. The smooth conducting line is connected to one of the power terminals. One terminal of each light-emitting element is electrically connected at a different position of the smooth conducting line. The zigzag conducting line is connected to the other of the power terminals, and the other terminal of each light-emitting element is electrically connected at a different position of the zigzag conducting line. Each shortest path, starting from one of the power terminals, passing through any the light-emitting element along the smooth conducting line, and ending at the other of the power terminals along the zigzag conducting line, has substantially a same resistance value.
US09961727B2

A trailing edge phase control dimmer circuit for controlling alternating current (AC) power to a load, the circuit including: a switching circuit for controlling delivery of AC power to the load by conducting power to the load in an ON state and not conducting power to the load in an OFF state; and a switching control circuit for controlling turn-OFF and turn-ON of the switching circuit at each cycle of the AC to control switching of the ON and OFF states of the switching circuit, wherein the switching control circuit controlling turn-OFF of the switching circuit includes controlling a turn-OFF transition of the switching circuit between the ON state and the OFF state of the switching circuit extending for a selected turn-OFF transition time, and wherein the switching control circuit further includes a dv/dt feedback circuit for controlling a turn-OFF transition profile indicative of a drain voltage of the switching circuit of the turn-OFF transition and the selected turn-OFF transition time by returning at least some dv/dt feedback current generated by the switching circuit back to the switching circuit, whereby the dv/dt feedback circuit is configured to control said at least some dv/dt feedback current over the turn-OFF transition so as to reduce a rate of change of at least an initial region of the turn-OFF transition profile to minimize harmonics generation by the switching circuit.
US09961724B1

The present invention discloses a high power factor phase-cut dimming power supply system, which includes an alternating current power supply, a phase cutting dimmer, a high power factor phase-cut dimming power supply, an LED lamp, or an LED light. The high power factor phase-cut dimming power supply includes an anti-interference circuit that corresponds to and adaptively connect with each other, an active power factor correction circuit, a power conversion circuit, a dimmer current maintaining circuit, a signal conversion circuit, a photoelectric coupler, a PWM signal amplifying circuit and a field effect transistor. The present invention provides a high power factor phase-cut dimming power supply. It has advantages of a high power factor, a load power without any limitation, a high efficiency, an output power as high as several hundred watts. It can be widely used in the field of high power factor phase-cut dimming power supply.
US09961721B2

A method for controlling a domestic appliance having a display, at least two distinct user input components, and a controller, the method comprising: displaying a first screen on the display; detecting user input to a first user input component; displaying a second screen on the display, said second screen comprising an info mode home screen; detecting user input to a second user input component; determining an info mode sub-category associated with the user input to the second user input component with the controller; and displaying a third screen on the display based on the info mode sub-category determined by the controller, said third screen comprising one of an accessories selection screen showing a plurality of accessories, a food category selection screen showing a plurality of food categories, and an oven mode selection screen showing a plurality of oven modes.
US09961710B2

A system and method (600) of securely and accurately connecting mobile devices (110) to wireless networks in vehicles (210) by using encrypted wireless network configurations based on vehicle specific data is disclosed herein. The system comprises a vehicle (210) comprising an on-board computer (232) with a memory (231) having a vehicle identification number (233), a connector plug (235), and an motorized engine (234), a connected vehicle device (130) comprising a processor, a WiFi radio, a BLUETOOTH radio, a memory, and a connector for mating with the connector plug of the vehicle (210), and a mobile device (110) comprising a graphical user interface (335), a processor (310), a WiFi radio (307), a BLUETOOTH radio (306), and a cellular network interface (308).
US09961698B2

Embodiments herein relate to a method performed in a wireless terminal (10) for managing or handling uplink, UL, data transmissions in a radio communications network (1), wherein the wireless terminal (10) is served by a first radio base station (12) and a second radio base station (13) providing dual connectivity to the wireless terminal (10) in the radio communications network (1). The wireless terminal (10) transmits a buffer status report, BSR, to the first and/or second radio base station when a trigger is being fulfilled as configured at the wireless terminal (10). Furthermore, the wireless terminal (10) handles multiplexing of an uplink data transmission towards the first and second radio base stations according to a static configuration defining how to multiplex Media Access Control Service Data Units, MAC SDUs, from one or different logical channels onto transport blocks to be delivered to a physical layer on transport channels of a given radio base station out of the first radio base station and the second radio base station; and/or according to a second configuration where if there is data available for multiple logical channels with equal priority towards one of the radio base stations, then data of a logical channel for which the buffer status report is configured towards a radio base station providing a grant, is prioritized.
US09961696B2

Methods, systems, and devices are described for wireless communications in which an unlicensed spectrum may be used for cellular communications (e.g., Long Term Evolution (LTE) communications). More particularly, the described features relate to improving resource management in a multi-radio or multi-modem wireless device by utilizing one radio or modem (e.g., a wireless local area network (WLAN) radio) to inform the operation of another radio or modem (e.g., an LTE radio) co-located on the wireless device. The monitoring radio (e.g., WLAN radio) may scan an unlicensed or shared spectrum for interfering signals (e.g., military, weather, etc.) transmitted on designated channels within the shared spectrum. Upon detection of the interfering signal, the monitoring radio may generate a spectrum analysis of the detected interference and inform the second radio (e.g., LTE radio) to modify its operation based on the spectrum analysis.
US09961689B2

A spectrum management system includes a circuit that identifies reference points for a secondary communication system. The spectrum management system then determines spectrum resources for the secondary communication system based on whether the reference points are positive or negative.
US09961681B2

Embodiments of the present disclosure provide an information transmission method, user equipment (UE), and a base station. The method includes: determining, by the UE, at least one candidate sequence of a synchronization signal of an access cell and multiple candidate access resources of the access cell; detecting, by the UE, the synchronization signal according to the at least one candidate sequence; and determining, by the UE, a resource location of an actual access resource corresponding to a detected actual sequence in the access cell according to a location relationship between each candidate access resource in the multiple candidate access resources and the resource on which the access cell is located and a correspondence between the any candidate sequence in the at least one candidate sequence and the multiple candidate access resources.
US09961680B2

The present invention provides a method for measuring a location. The method comprises: receiving, by a User Equipment (UE) and from a serving cell, information on a bandwidth allocated for a positioning reference signal (PRS); receiving, by the User Equipment (UE) and from at least one or more neighbor cells, information on a bandwidth allocated for a PRS; determining whether there is a difference between the bandwidths; and measuring, by the UE and based on a result of the determination a timing difference between PRSs transmitted from the serving cell and the at least one or more neighbor cells.
US09961678B2

Embodiments of master station and method for high-efficiency WLAN (HEW) communication are generally described herein. In some embodiments, the master station is configured for HEW communication in accordance with an IEEE 802.11ax technique. The master station may transmit an indication to one or more of a plurality of HEW stations to indicate which one of a plurality of 20 MHz channels to monitor for a HEW signal field. The master station may configure the HEW signal field to indicate which of a plurality of subchannels of the indicated 20 MHz channel is allocated to the HEW stations for communication. The master station may transmit the configured HEW signal field in the indicated one of the 20 MHz channels and may communicate with the HEW stations on the indicated subchannels in accordance with an orthogonal-frequency divisional multiple access (OFDMA) technique.
US09961672B2

A radio terminal (3) can perform carrier aggregation using a first cell (10) of a first radio station (1) and a second cell (20) of a second radio station (2). The first radio station (1) performs, with the radio terminal (3), radio resource control for the first cell (10) and the second cell (20) in order to perform the carrier aggregation. Further, the first radio station (1) transmits, to the second radio station (2), update information regarding an update to a configuration related to the radio resource control for the second cell (20). It is thus, for example, possible to prevent or reduce data transmission/reception failures which would otherwise occur while a configuration of radio parameters or the like is being changed by a radio terminal in carrier aggregation of a plurality of cells served by different radio stations.
US09961670B2

Disclosed is a radio communication system in which transmission parameters, such as MCS of MBSFN, the number of subframes, and a transmission power of a reserved cell, are adaptively output, based on a unicast traffic volume in a MBSFN area, a number of terminals, and a number of cells of the MBSFN area, so that a system throughput in the MBSFN area is maximized while satisfying an MBSFN quality requirement condition.
US09961646B2

An enhanced NodeB (eNB), user equipment (UE) and communication methods therebetween using an unlicensed channel of an unlicensed band are generally described. The eNB measures an interference power level (IPL) of the unlicensed channel at the eNB and determine a transmit power level (TPL) for a downlink transmission based on the IPL, the TPL decreasing with increasing IPL. Feedback including unlicensed channel conditions measured by the UE is used by the eNB to determine the UE-eNB proximity. The eNB determines whether to transmit the downlink transmission to the UE based on the IPL and the proximity; as the IPL increases, the eNB services increasingly proximate UEs until, when the IPL exceeds a predetermined threshold, the eNB does not service any UE using the unlicensed channel. The eNB schedules and transmits the downlink transmission to the UE using the transmit power level.
US09961645B2

A base station device includes: an acquisition unit that acquires reception quality of each of a plurality of carriers from a terminal device that performs primary cell connection for transmission and reception of a control channel signal using a carrier whose reception quality is most preferable; a decision unit that decides an amount of increase in transmission power of one of the carriers based on the reception quality acquired by the acquisition unit; a determination unit that estimates whether switching of the primary cell connection occurs in case of increasing the transmission power by the amount of increase and determines whether to increase the transmission power according to the estimation result; and an instruction unit that instructs a transmission unit to increase the transmission power of the carrier by the amount of increase when the determination unit determines to increase the transmission power.
US09961643B2

A method for controlling an uplink (UL) power in a multi-subframe scheduling system is provided. The method includes receiving by a User Equipment (UE), a multi-subframe uplink (UL) scheduling instruction or Physical Downlink Control Channel CHannel (PDCCH) data of a Downlink Control Information (DCI) format 3/3 A of the UE, in a Downlink (DL) subframe where the multi-subframe UL scheduling instruction is transmitted, wherein the multi-subframe UL scheduling instruction or the PDCCH data with DCI format 3/3 A comprises a power controlling command of the PUSCH and determining, by the UE, a transmitting power of the PUSCH of each UL subframe, which is scheduled by the multi-subframe UL scheduling instruction, based on a power controlling command value, and transmitting corresponding PUSCH data based on the transmitting power calculated.
US09961642B2

Apparatus and method to facilitate power consumption reduction in one or both of a first and second device are disclosed herein. In some embodiments, the first device may include one or more antennas that is to receive first audio data captured by the second device; and one or more processors in communication with the one or more antennas. The one or more processors is to identify a first energy level associated with the first audio data, determine, in accordance with the first energy level, a size of a buffer to be updated in the second device to capture second audio data, and detect whether one or more key phrases is included in the first audio data, which may be repeated depending on the no, one, or more key phrases detected.
US09961640B2

A communication system and an IoT system are provided. The IoT system is applicable to a wireless network system including an access point. The IoT system includes a WiFi module and a GPIO device. The WiFi module is configured to connect to the access point. The GPIO device is configured to provide a plurality of wake-up signals to the WiFi module through a GPIO pin. A predetermined time period between any two of wake-up signals is greater than an interval between two delivery traffic indication messages from the access point. The WiFi module includes a timer and a power management unit, the power management unit drains power to transfer the WiFi module from a sleep mode to a normal mode after the timer receives the wake-up signal.
US09961639B2

A method of operating a device for indicating an event notification to a user comprises indicating a new event through accordingly controlling visual, audible and/or tactile indicators. A user input is received in response to the indicated event. In case a user input in response to the indicated event is not received within a first time period, sensors in the device are controlled to monitor ambient conditions and determine corresponding pattern. In case of a change in the pattern of the ambient conditions by a predetermined amount within a second time period, the new event is indicated once more to the user.
US09961637B2

The present invention relates to networks and provides a method and network devices for energy conservation. The method may include detecting media traffic and media management traffic of a first service requested by a user device on a first bearer; segregating the media traffic and the media management traffic on the first bearer by creating a second bearer and transferring the media traffic or the media management traffic to the second bearer. Moreover, the method may include observing the bearer at which the media traffic was transferred, detecting that the media traffic has an inactive status and controlling the energy consumption at the user device based on the inactive status of the media traffic.
US09961629B2

Provided are a method and apparatus for modulating data including a controller. The controller is configured to determine sizes of a first complex-number component and a second complex-number component of input data, and determine a cell to assign a sine wave to the input data, based on a difference between the sizes of the first complex-number component and the second complex-number component.
US09961626B2

The invention relates to a method for accessing an Internet protocol Multimedia Subsystem type subsystem, said subsystem. According to the invention, a device is firstly connected to a mobile communication network, as a visited network, said first network. The method comprises the following steps. The first network sends to the device a first message comprising current location data relating to a location where the device is currently present. The device analyzes whether at least one roaming rule associated with the current location data is or is not stored within the device. The at least one roaming rule includes, each, at least one parameter for accessing the subsystem. And if the device does store the at least one roaming rule associated with the current location data, then the device sends to the subsystem a second message including a request for connecting to the subsystem. The invention also pertains to a corresponding device.
US09961609B2

In various embodiments, the data plane may be abstracted from a control plane in a wireless network such as WiMax, WiFi, LTE or the like. In some embodiments, a method comprises a receiving control data at a control server from a source device, generating routing instructions at the control server regarding routing network data based on the control data, providing the routing instructions to a routing device, configuring the routing device based on the routing instructions, receiving network data from the source device, and routing the network data from the source device to a target device using the configured routing device.
US09961599B2

A method to control multiple radio access bearers is performed at a mobile wireless communication device when the mobile wireless communication device is connected to a radio network subsystem in a wireless communication network by first and second bidirectional radio access bearers. The mobile wireless communication device transmits a data packet on an uplink of the first bidirectional radio access bearer to the radio network subsystem. When the data packet is not correctly received by the radio network subsystem, the mobile wireless communication device retransmits the data packet repeatedly. After N retransmissions of the data packet, the mobile wireless communication device releases the first bidirectional radio access bearer while maintaining the second bidirectional radio access bearer. The first bidirectional radio access bearer provides a channel to transport packet switched data, and the second bidirectional radio access bearer provides a channel to transport circuit switched data.
US09961597B2

The present solution relates to a method in a user equipment (310) for setting up an activation time of a cell change of the user equipment (310) from a serving cell (305) to a target cell (308) in a wireless communications network (300). The user equipment (310) receives (501) a timing offset from a network controller (315), calculates (502) a cell change activation time based on the timing offset and transmits (503) the calculated activation time to the network controller (315). Then, the user equipment (310) receives (504) an approval of the cell change from the network controller (315) and moves (505) from the serving cell (306) to the target cell (308) at the activation time if the approval has been received.
US09961582B2

A system and method for providing an eNodeB with the flexibility to configure a Channel State Information (CSI) report to match a specific Coordinated Multipoint (CoMP) transmission hypothesis, which is a candidate for a downlink transmission to a User Equipment (UE) is disclosed. A UE receives, from the eNodeB, a configuration message that specifies a CSI report. The CSI report is specified by a particular interference hypothesis and a particular desired signal hypothesis corresponding to data transmission over at least one effective channel characterized by a specific reference signal. The UE estimates interference according to the interference hypothesis, and/or estimates at least one effective channel by performing measurements on the specific reference signal, and determines a CSI report based on the interference estimation and on the estimated effective channel. The UE also transmits the CSI report to the eNodeB.
US09961576B2

Systems and methods for determining the health score of a Wi-Fi radio are described. Data associated with the Wi-Fi radio and/or an access point encapsulating the Wi-Fi radio may be received. Various parameters related to the Wi-Fi radio and/or an access point encapsulating the Wi-Fi radio may be determined. Weights may be assigned to the parameters, and the health score may be calculated using the weighted parameters. Default values may be assigned to the parameters if the initial determination of the parameter is below a minimal value. Configuration parameters related to the Wi-Fi radio, the access point, or neighboring access points may be transmitted based on the calculated health score.
US09961574B1

Techniques to identify applications based on network traffic are described. In one embodiment, an apparatus may comprise a client record component, a traffic monitoring component, a profiling component, and a traffic analysis component. The client record component may be operative to store a client application map, the client application map to represent installations of a plurality of applications on a plurality of client devices. The traffic monitoring component may be operative to monitor training network traffic and additional network traffic on one or more network interfaces, the training network traffic generated by the plurality of client devices. The profiling component may be operative to generate a network profile map using machine learning based on the training network traffic and the client application map. The traffic analysis component may be operative to identify one or more application of the plurality of applications. Other embodiments are described and claimed.
US09961571B2

A system and method for detecting anomalies in a communication network includes detecting first outliers in a first set of quality indicators for a cellular group, detecting second outliers in a second set of performance indicators for the cellular group, correlating the first outliers and the second outliers to produce an anomaly candidate, determining a confidence threshold for the anomaly candidate, and indicating a network anomaly in response to the confidence threshold exceeding a predetermined threshold.
US09961567B2

A wireless communication device according to the present invention includes a storage unit, a delivery unit, and a control unit. The storage unit holds identification information indicating the wireless communication device, and related information related to the identification information. The delivery unit delivers the identification information and the related information in such a manner that the identification information and the related information are included in a wireless beacon. The control unit establishes a wireless communication upon acquisition of a connection request signal based on the delivered identification information.
US09961561B2

An integrated repeater is provided that places a donor antenna and a server antenna proximate to null-field points from the server antenna and the donor antenna, respectively, thereby increasing the isolation level between the donor antenna and the server antenna.
US09961558B2

Methods, systems, apparatuses, and devices are described for wireless communications. In one method, an opportunity may be identified for a first operator to perform a clear channel assessment (CCA) for a shared spectrum. The opportunity may be based on a priority of the first operator with respect to at least one other operator associated with the shared spectrum. The CCA may be performed for the shared spectrum during the identified opportunity to determine whether the shared spectrum is available for a transmission during a transmission interval.
US09961551B2

Disclosed in some examples are methods, systems, and machine readable mediums which provide for controlled access of vehicle information by trusted authority systems. These systems may allow for police and other authority figures to utilize the onboard systems of the vehicle or obtain other information about the vehicle and occupants while safely in their own vehicles prior to an initial encounter with the vehicle and occupants.
US09961547B1

A technique performs a security operation. The technique includes receiving first activity data from a mobile device, the first activity data identifying activity by a user that is currently using the mobile device. The technique further includes receiving second activity data from an electronic wearable apparatus, the second activity data identifying physical activity by a wearer that is currently wearing the electronic wearable apparatus. The technique further includes, based on the first activity data received from the mobile device and the second activity data received from the electronic wearable apparatus, performing an assessment operation that provides an assessment result indicating whether the user that is currently using the mobile device and the wearer that is currently wearing the electronic wearable apparatus are the same person. With such a technique, authentication may be continuous but without burdening the user to repeatedly re-enter a password.
US09961546B2

Various methods and communications devices to improve association and handoff performance of a wireless network are provided. By way of example, a modified state machine that permits reduced security requirements for authentication in order to achieve fast authentication is employed. The modified state machine providing fast authentication remains compatible with the classic state machine implementing the wireless fidelity (WiFi) standard.
US09961544B2

The disclosure includes a system including media assets and an access system. The media assets include standard media and restricted media. The restricted media is different from the standard media. The access system receives an accessory identifier from a client device communicatively coupled to an accessory associated with the accessory identifier. The access system further authorizes access for the client device to the restricted media based at least in part on the accessory identifier. The standard media is accessible to the client device regardless of the access system receiving the accessory identifier. The restricted media is not accessible to the client device when the access system has not received the accessory identifier.
US09961541B2

Data in a portable electronic device is protected by using external and internal status detection means to determine if the device is misplaced, lost, or stolen. The device then takes, singly or in combination, one of several actions to protect the data on the device, including declaring its location to an owner or service provider, locking the device or specific functions of the device to disable all data retrieval functionality, erasing or overwriting all the stored data in the device or, where the data has been stored in the device in an encrypted format, destroying an internally-stored encryption key, thereby preventing unauthorized access to the encrypted data in the device.
US09961531B2

The present invention relates to a method for controlling a first device performed by a control device using the Bluetooth. The present invention provides a method and apparatus including receiving a first advertising message from a first device; calculating a first distance value that indicates a distance with the first device based on the first advertising message; receiving a second advertising message from a second device when the first distance value is smaller than a threshold value preconfigured to determine a proximity with the control device; and calculating a second distance value that indicates a distance with the second device based on the second advertising message, where a Bluetooth connection is established between the first device and the second device when the second distance value is smaller than the threshold value.
US09961527B2

A method includes receiving, at a network control component, an enhanced subscriber profile identifier (E-SPID) associated with at least one machine type communications (MTC) user device from a home subscriber server (HSS). The method includes determining whether the E-SPID is in a first range of E-SPID values, wherein the first range of E-SPID values corresponds to a delay that exceeds a threshold, and interacting with a self-organizing network (SON) controller that interacts an operation administration maintenance (OAM) component to control and define a modified E-SPID based on network traffic and coverage in response to a determination that the E-SPID is in the first range of E-SPID values. The method further includes sending the modified E-SPID to at least one enhanced evolved node b (eNodeB) associated with the at least one MTC user device, wherein the at least one enhanced eNodeB is operable to perform access control and scheduling for the at least one MTC user device based on the E-SPID.
US09961524B2

The present invention relates to a public warning system (PWS) in a mobile Communication network, and the present invention relates to a method and an apparatus for resolving a security problem occurring in the PWS with a protocol and actions between other network entities, and managing same. A user equipment (UE), according to the present invention, saves a public key and a public key index pair of a cell broadcast center (CBC), verifies the CBC which has transmitted a digital signature when the digital signature is received from a subject that transmits a public warning, and resolves a security problem related to a public security system so as to receive a message by the public warning system. As a result, according to the present invention, when the public warning message is received in environments such as an evolved universal terrestrial radio access network (EUTRAN), a universal terrestrial radio access network (UTRAN), or a GSM/EDGE radio access network (GERAN), the subject that has sent the public warning message is verified by the user equipment, thereby enabling the user equipment to perform an action appropriate to the warning message in an emergency disaster situation.
US09961518B2

Systems and methods for sending and receiving text, or data, messages between wireless communication devices and wireline-messaging devices utilize a broadband connection to the wireline premises as the signaling channel. A message application server sends messages directly to wireline-messaging devices through a digital network, such as the Internet. Such systems and methods include wireline-messaging devices integrated with premises telephones connected to a PSTN, in which the telephones are adapted with thin client software to send and receive data messages.
US09961515B2

The present disclosure relates to technologies for a sensor network, machine-to-machine (M2M) communications, or machine type communications (MTC), and Internet of things (IoT), and may be utilized in intelligent services, based on the above technologies, such as a smart home, a smart building, smart cities, smart cars or connected cars, smart grids, healthcare, smart electronics, advanced medical services, public safety network communications through fusion and convergence with conventional IT technologies and various industries. Data transmission control between a group of uncoordinated electronic devices in a computer network including the use of transmission authorization request messages and transmission authorization grant messages.
US09961511B2

A position detection system, including a memory storing instructions, and at least one processor configured to process the instructions to receive measured waveform signals sent out from an object to be measured via a first sensor and a second sensor, receive the broadcasting radio wave signals sent out from the first sensor and the second sensor, separate the measured waveform signals and the broadcasting radio wave, for each sensor, estimate an offset between the sampling frequencies of the measured waveform signal of the first sensor and the measured waveform signal of the second sensor based on the broadcasting radio wave signals respectively sent out from the first sensor and the second sensor, correct the measured waveform signal sent out from the second sensor based on the estimated offset between the sampling frequencies, and detect a position of the object to be measured based on the measured waveform signal sent out from the first sensor and a signal obtained by correcting the measured waveform signal sent out from the second sensor.
US09961510B2

Certain aspects of the present disclosure provide methods and apparatus for multi user bar protocols and frames. According to certain aspects, an apparatus is provided for wireless communications. The apparatus generally includes a processing system configured to determine that a plurality of devices have a first capability and generate a multi-user (MU) packet that solicits an immediate response from a plurality of the devices, wherein the immediate response comprises an acknowledgment (ACK) or block ACK (BA) and an interface configured to output the MU packet for transmission.
US09961508B1

Embodiments of the present disclosure related to methods and systems of determining the floor and location of a device in an indoor space having multiple floors.A map importing module takes a floor map of an indoor space and processes it for further use. A calibration module creates a fingerprint map of the indoor space described by the floor map. A floor localization module searches the fingerprint map of each floor to determine the most likely location for each floor. A floor detection module determines the floor and location based on the most likely locations for each floor and any of map constraints data and device movement data.
US09961499B2

A mobile device management system includes a mobile device, a locator unit, and an operation unit. The locator unit includes a transmitter and is disposed on or in the mobile device. The operation unit is configured to receive the wireless signal. The units are configured to determine a distance between the locator unit and the operation unit and to cause a notification device to perform a notification when the distance is greater than a threshold signal strength value. The mobile device can also be configured to send a wireless signal to the locator unit when the mobile device receives a call or a message. The operation unit can be used to control the mobile device. A method using the system can help a person remember to retrieve the mobile device, to know to pick up a phone call, or to control a mobile device remotely.
US09961497B2

Techniques for establishing a fine timing measurement (FTM) session of infinite duration between wireless devices is provided. A method according to these techniques includes generating, at a first wireless device, a first request to establish an FTM session with a second wireless device using an FTM protocol, the first request comprising one or more session parameters having a value indicative that the first wireless device is requesting the FTM session have an infinite session duration, receiving one or more FTM measurement messages from the second wireless device, and sending a second request to the second wireless device requesting that the FTM session be terminated.
US09961496B2

Various embodiments include methods, and computing devices configured to implement the methods, for anomaly monitoring using context-based sensor output correlation. A computing device may obtain output of a first sensor and may determine that an anomaly is likely to occur based on the obtained output of the first sensor. The computing device may transmit a message indicating that the anomaly is likely to occur, causing receiving computing devices to begin logging output of sensors of the receiving computing devices. The computing device may determine whether the anomaly did occur. If the anomaly did occur, the computing device may transmit a sensor output request. Nearby computing devices may receive this sensor output request and may transmit collected sensor data to the first computing device. The first computing device may receive the sensor output collected by the various receiving devices and may correlate the first sensor output with the received sensor output.
US09961489B2

A tracking device and a method of tracking are provided. The tracking device includes a first location tracking circuit, a second location tracking circuit, at least one biometric identification circuit, a data storage device, and a processor. The first location tracking circuit is configured to wirelessly communicate with at least one wireless location system and to generate at least one first signal indicative of a location of the tracking device using wireless communications with the at least one wireless location system. The second location tracking circuit is configured to wirelessly communicate with at least one wireless local-area network and to generate at least one second signal indicative of the location using wireless communications with the at least one wireless local-area network. The at least one biometric identification circuit is configured to detect at least one biometric characteristic of a user. The processor is configured to: generate information regarding the location in response at least in part to one or both of the at least one first signal and the at least one second signal, and determine whether the user is an authorized user of the tracking device.
US09961488B2

Systems and methods including mobile devices determining their locations using location determination units, such as GPS receivers. Locations of the mobile devices and predefined locations/regions that have been visited by the mobile devices during a period of time are efficiently organized into a location graph that identifies the neighbors of predefined locations, distances to neighbors, and visitation counts of mobile devices to the predefined locations during the period of time. Keyword values for keywords representing user attributes are assigned to mobile devices and the predefined locations. Based on the location graph, the keyword values are propagated via the location graph, from neighbors to predefined locations, from mobile devices to predefined locations, and from predefined locations to mobile devices, to incrementally improve the accuracy of the keyword values over a number of time periods.
US09961487B1

Apparatus, system or method to improve communications in a wireless communication network. Steps may include sending specific information to user equipment or adjacent base stations so that the user equipment and adjacent base stations can determine interference levels in sidelink communications. The apparatus may include a location-estimation component interconnected with a self-tracking component and a signal-detection component. The apparatus may include a proximity system implemented using instructions stored in a non-transitory computer readable medium and the proximity system may be usable to locate one or more target transmitters. In some embodiments, the system may include other modules such as a localization module; a proximity-description module; and a proximity-display module. The proximity system may also include a proximity advertisement module, which includes an access management component; an ownership management component; and a content management component.
US09961478B2

The present disclosure is directed to logging random “chirps” of IoT devices and rebroadcasting these chirps to other devices on demand. An apparatus consistent with the present disclosure includes a transmitter to communicate with a network of wireless-communication-enabled devices. The apparatus also includes a receiver to detect communications transmitted from the wireless-communication-enabled device. Further, the apparatus includes control unit logic to tally the number of electrical signals emitted from each wireless-communication-enabled device. In addition, the apparatus includes memory to store the number of emitted electrical signals. The apparatus further includes a power unit electrically coupled to the transmitter, receiver, and memory.
US09961469B2

The present invention relates to a method and an apparatus for processing a signal, which are used for effectively reproducing an audio signal, and more particularly, to a method and an apparatus for processing a signal, which are used for implementing binaural rendering for reproducing multi-channel or multi-object audio signals in stereo with a low calculation amount.To this end, provided are a method for processing an audio signal including: receiving multi-audio signals including multi-channel or multi-object signals, each of the multi-audio signals including a plurality of subband signals, and the plurality of subband signals including a signal of a first subband group having low frequencies and a signal of a second subband group having high frequencies based on a predetermined frequency band; receiving at least one parameter corresponding to each subband signal of the second subband group, the at least one parameter being extracted from binaural room impulse response (BRIR) subband filter coefficients corresponding to each subband signal of the second subband group; and performing tap-delay line filtering of the subband signal of the second subband group by using the received parameter and an apparatus for processing an audio signal using the same.
US09961465B2

Embodiments of the present disclosure provide a method for improving speaker performance and a terminal device, when a speaker is being driven, an algorithm parameter that matches the speaker is selected, to resolve a problem that adjustment and control performance is reduced because of a difference in speaker models, and can effectively improve performance of a speaker. The method includes obtaining an identity of a speaker, where the identity is used to identify the speaker; obtaining an algorithm parameter corresponding to the speaker from a preset algorithm parameter library according to the identity of the speaker, where the preset algorithm parameter library comprises algorithm parameters of speakers of at least two models; sending the algorithm parameter corresponding to the speaker to a smart speaker power amplifier module, so that the smart speaker power amplifier module drives the speaker according to the algorithm parameter corresponding to the speaker.
US09961464B2

A differential pressure gradient micro-electro-mechanical system (MEMS) microphone for measuring an acoustic characteristic of a loudspeaker. The microphone includes a MEMS microphone housing and a compliant membrane mounted in the MEMS microphone housing, the compliant membrane dividing the MEMS microphone housing into a first chamber and a second chamber. The first chamber includes a primary port open to a first side of the compliant membrane and the second chamber includes a secondary port open to a second side of the compliant membrane, and the primary port and the secondary port are tuned with respect to one another to control a pressure difference between the first side and the second side of the compliant membrane such that at least 10 dB of attenuation is observed in a microphone signal output relative to a microphone having a sealed first or second chamber.
US09961459B2

A method for improving audio experience for a user of an audio device is provided. The method includes establishing a communication channel between the audio device and a remote client; detecting a peripheral audio device in the vicinity of the audio device; establishing a temporary communication channel between the peripheral audio device and the remote client; and transferring, via the temporary communication channel, audio data between the peripheral audio device and the remote client.
US09961454B2

A device to transmit an audio signal comprises at least one light source configured to transmit the audio signal with at least one wavelength of light. At least one detector is configured to detect the audio signal and generate at least one electrical signal in response to the at least one wavelength of light. A transducer is supported with and configured to vibrate at least one of an eardrum, an ossicle or a cochlea. Active circuitry is coupled to the transducer to drive the transducer in response to the at least one electrical signal, so as to provide the user with high quality sound.
US09961449B2

A loudspeaker includes a frame, a diaphragm, an edge connecting portion, a magnetic circuit having a magnetic gap, and a voice coil body. The edge connecting portion connects an outer peripheral end portion of the diaphragm and the frame to each other. The diaphragm is disposed inside of the frame. The diaphragm has a planer diaphragm and a reinforcing diaphragm. Both a front surface and a rear surface of the planer diaphragm are flat. The reinforcing diaphragm includes a thick portion and a recessed portion, and is joined to the planer diaphragm. The reinforcing diaphragm is made of resin. The thick portion is formed on an outer periphery of the reinforcing diaphragm. The recessed portion is formed at a center side of the reinforcing diaphragm.
US09961448B2

A diaphragm and suspension edge includes inner and suspension edge portions. The inner suspension edge portion includes an inner suspension edge body, and one or more inner side elastic ribs protruding relative to the inner suspension edge body. Each inner side elastic rib forms a bulge on a first side of the inner suspension edge portion, and forms a flute on the opposite side. The outer suspension edge portion includes an outer suspension edge body, and one or more outer side elastic ribs protruding relative to the outer suspension edge body. Each outer side elastic rib forms a protrusion on a first side of the outer suspension edge portion, and forms a groove on the opposite side. The suspension edge restricts the displacement direction of the vibration unit of a speaker in the axial vibration direction thereof to prevent offset of the vibration unit.
US09961445B2

A microphone unit for stereo recording capable of switching an arrangement of left and right microphones between a true XY technique and another technique. A microphone unit for stereo recording, including: a pair of unidirectional left and right microphones; and a retractable mechanism joined to the respective left and right microphones. The retractable mechanism is configured—to allow change in a horizontal angle and a vertical position of each of the left and right microphones.
US09961431B2

A case for a portable listening device includes a lid and a lid sensor to detect if the lid is in an open or a closed position. The case further includes circuitry configured to turn on a wireless radio within the portable listening device when the lid sensor detects the lid is moved from the closed position to the open position.
US09961430B2

A headset includes a first speaker; a second speaker; a connector connecting the first speaker and the second speaker; and a switch configured to generate different electrical signals according to states in which the first speaker and the second speaker move close to and away from each other, wherein the electrical signals are used to selectively control an output of contents that is being output from the headset.
US09961428B2

An earphone device includes a housing having a driver unit, and a sound guide tube mounted on a front surface of the housing to protrude from the front surface, in which the sound guide tube is disposed at a position deviated from a center position of the housing.
US09961423B2

Disclosed is a loudspeaker module applied inside a terminal, wherein, the terminal comprises a terminal housing, and the loudspeaker module is fixed inside the terminal. The loudspeaker module comprises a loudspeaker unit and a module housing for accommodating and fixing the loudspeaker unit. A closed space formed by the loudspeaker unit, an outer wall of the module housing, and the terminal housing is a rear sound cavity. By means of the loudspeaker module provided in the present invention, the usable space inside the terminal can be converted into the rear sound cavity, so that the space of the rear sound cavity is enlarged, and the acoustic performance of the loudspeaker module can be effectively improved. Therefore, the present invention makes full use of the inside space of the terminal to realize the thinning of the loudspeaker module without changing the inside space of the terminal, and achieves good acoustic performance.
US09961416B2

A method performed by a set-top box operating on a network includes generating an indicia containing a media access control address of the set-top box and a first uniform resource locator which is displayed for scanning by a companion device. The set-top-box receives entitlements for activation if the entitlements were previously granted. If the entitlements were not previously granted, the set-top box receives a second uniform resource locator with which it generates an updated indicia which is displayed for scanning by the companion device. The set-top-box then receives entitlements for activation of the set-top box if initiation of the subscription occurs. The set-top box removes the updated indicia from display and uses the entitlements to active the set-top box to receive multimedia content on the network.
US09961410B1

Systems and methods for detecting a conflict between viewing selections of two users before viewing a media asset. In some aspects, the method comprises receiving an audio input through an audio channel, detecting a first utterance from a first user and a second utterance from a second user in the input of the audio channel, parsing the first utterance and the second utterance, analyzing the first utterance and the second utterance to determine context about the first media asset and the second media asset, and presenting a conflict to the users to display on the media asset.
US09961408B2

Systems and methods are operable to increase brightness output from a display. An exemplary embodiment detects a predefined user action of a remote control, and then increases brightness of a currently presented image that is being presented on the display in response to detecting the predefined user action so that an ambient lighting level in the vicinity of the display is increased.
US09961402B1

An internet-based content platform that includes subscribable channels is provided. The internet-based content platform provides channels to end users. The internet-based content platform allows a channel curator to identify a paid channel where the paid channel is associated with a plurality of media items. The internet-based content platform allows a channel curator to indicate a subscriber set of advertising attributes for the paid channel and a non-subscriber set of advertising attributes for the paid channel. The internet-based content platform associates the subscriber set of advertising attributes and the non-subscriber set of advertising attributes with the paid channel.
US09961393B2

A method and a device are provided for playing a multimedia file. The device sends a first audio data packet to an audio player device and sends a first video data packet to a video player device. The first audio data packet and the first video data packet both include a data test identifier. The device receives a first timestamp from the audio player device. The device receives a second timestamp from the video player device. The device then sends a second audio data packet and a second video data packet respectively to the audio player device and the video player device according to the first timestamp and the second timestamp. Thus, the audio player device and the video player device play synchronously the second audio data packet and the second video data packet.
US09961391B2

A multimedia device includes a distance sensor which measures a viewing distance, a controller which controls an output timing of a video signal and an output timing of an audio signal based on the viewing distance, an audio device which outputs a sound in response to the audio signal, and a display device which outputs an image in response to the video signal.
US09961383B2

Methods and apparatus for optimizing the distribution and delivery of content within a content-based network based on e.g., business or revenue considerations. In one embodiment, the network comprises a cable television network that utilizes a Global Session Resource Manager (GSRM). The GSRM processes subscriber program viewing requests to identify options available to fulfill the request (including, e.g., providing free on-demand (FOD), standard definition on-demand (SVOD), and/or high definition on-demand (HDVOD) content), and evaluate these options to determine the one that optimizes network revenue or profit. The GSRM performs this identification and evaluation process by considering various parameters including network resource (e.g., bandwidth) availability, and different revenue and profit implications for different classes of service, the individual or collective demographic or other profile of network subscribers, and other business or operational rules programmed by the operator of the network. Business methods based on such network optimization are also described.
US09961375B2

A method of removing common mode noise in a vehicle includes: a radio frequency (RF) switch connecting a feeder cable ground to a common mode (CM) filter or a digital signal processor (DSP) according to a selection signal of an amplitude modulation (AM) broadcast or a frequency modulation (FM) broadcast selected by a user and the CM filter increasing impedance of the feeder cable ground to remove the common mode noise.
US09961373B2

A vehicle entertainment system including a server storing media files, and smart monitors. Each smart monitor presents media selections corresponding to the media files and receives an input from passengers for playing a selection. Each smart monitor includes local content storage storing a subset of the media files. A network connects the smart monitors and server. Program logic executed by each smart monitor performs tasks including determining if a media file corresponding to an input is available from a first source, and if available, playing the media file from the first source; if the media file is not available there, determining if the media file required is available from a second source and if available, playing the media file from the second source; and if the media file is not available from the second source, determining if the media file is available from a third source.
US09961369B2

A method and apparatus for three-dimensional video encoding or decoding using the disparity vector derived from an associated depth block are disclosed. The method determines an associated depth block for a current texture block and derives a derived disparity vector based on a subset of depth samples of the associated depth block. The subset contains less depth samples than the associated depth block and the subset excludes a single-sample subset corresponding to a center sample of the associated depth block. The derived disparity vector can be used as an inter-view motion (disparity) vector predictor in Inter mode, an inter-view (disparity) candidate in Merge mode or Skip mode. The derived disparity vector can also be used to locate a reference block for inter-view motion prediction in Inter mode, inter-view candidate in Merge or Skip mode, inter-view motion prediction, inter-view disparity prediction, or inter-view residual prediction.
US09961367B2

A spatial prediction method capable of reducing the complexity of spatial prediction includes: detecting an edge (E) overlapping the current block by obtaining a horizontal gradient (Gy) and a vertical gradient (Gx) between pixels within a block adjacent to the current block; calculating an integer slope of the edge; determining, for each pixel position within the current block, a sub-pel position being an intersection between (i) a line that has the integer slope and passes through the pixel position and (ii) a boundary of the adjacent block; and predicting, for each pixel position, a pixel value at the pixel position based on a pixel value interpolated in the sub-pel position, wherein the boundary of the adjacent block is a row or a column that is the closest to the current block, among rows or columns of pixels included in the adjacent block.
US09961362B2

A video encoding method using a plurality of reference pictures includes: selecting whether or not a resilient picture referencing scheme is to be used for encoding video; writing a parameter indicating the selection into a header of an encoded video bitstream; and encoding a picture using inter-picture prediction using a result of the selection.
US09961358B2

In a method and apparatus for predictive Intra coding of a non-square block using modified mode-dependent coefficient scanning (MDCS), the modified MDCS is derived from the MDCS that is designed for a square block. The mapped Intra modes for the non-square block are derived by mapping the Intra modes for the square block to the mapped Intra modes for the non-square block. The mapped Intra modes are divided into multiple groups including a first modified angular group and a second modified angular group. The modified MDCS modifies the number of the mapped Intra modes in the first modified angular group or the second modified angular group by comparing an angle spanned by the mapped Intra modes in the first modified angular group or the second modified angular group with the angle spanned by the corresponding Intra modes of the conventional MDCS.
US09961355B2

A system and method disposed to enable encoding, decoding and manipulation of digital video with substantially less processing load than would otherwise required. In particular, one disclosed method is directed to generating a compressed video data structure that is selectively decodable to a plurality of resolutions including the full resolution of the uncompressed stream. The desired number of data components and the content of the data components that make up the compressed video data, which determine the available video resolutions, are variable based upon the processing carried out and the resources available to decode and process the data components. During decoding, efficiency is substantially improved because only the data components necessary to generate a desired resolution are decoded. In variations, both temporal and spatial decoding are utilized to reduce frame rates, and hence, further reduce processor load. The system and method are particularly useful for real-time video editing applications.
US09961351B2

A device for decoding video data may be configured to determine a block of the video data is coded using a palette-based coding mode; determine a sample of the block of video data is coded using a copy from top mode or an index mode; and decode a greater than zero flag to indicate whether a run value is greater than zero, wherein the run value specifies a number of samples subsequent to the sample that have a same mode as the sample.
US09961350B2

A method and system is provided for automatic discovery of elements in a system of encoders optionally controlled by a statmux controller. Discovery is implemented by sniffing a multicast IP address used by the elements of the system to communicate metadata.
US09961344B2

Provided is a video encoding apparatus, including a signal separator to separate a differential image block into a first domain and a second domain, based on a boundary line included in the differential image block, the differential image block indicating a difference between an original image and a prediction image with respect to the original image, a transform encoder to perform a transform encoding with respect to the first domain using a discrete cosine transform (DCT), a quantization unit to quantize an output of the transform encoding unit in a frequency domain, a space domain quantization unit to quantize the second domain in a space domain, and an entropy encoder to perform an entropy encoding using outputs of the quantization unit and the space domain quantization unit.
US09961343B2

A reconstructed block creating method is provided which includes decoding an intra prediction mode using an intra prediction mode group indicator and a prediction mode index, constructing a prediction block, inversely quantizing a received residual signal using a quantization parameter and adaptively inversely transforming the residual signal using the intra prediction mode to create a residual block, and adding the prediction block and the residual block to create a reconstructed block. The quantization parameter is reconstructed using a minimum quantization CU size, and the minimum quantization CU size is determined by a parameter transmitted from a picture parameter set. Therefore, it is possible to improve image quality by adaptively adjusting a quantization parameter of a current block depending on the size of a coding unit and enhance compression efficiency of an image by effectively encoding/decoding the quantization parameter.
US09961336B2

Multi-layer display of content on a flexible display is provided. A roll profile of a rolled transparent flexible display is detected, the rolled transparent flexible display forming a plurality of overlapping display layers of the transparent flexible display. Content is then displayed on the plurality of overlapping display layers, where different portions of the content are displayed on different display layers of the plurality of display layers to present the content as three-dimensional content.
US09961334B2

A simulated 3D image display method is provided for a display device. The method includes capturing at least two images of a scene for 3D scene reconstruction; extracting depth and color information from the at least two images of the scene for 3D scene reconstruction; continuously tracking movement of a user to determine a relative position between the user and the display device; and, based on the relative position, reconstructing the image of the scene corresponding to a current viewpoint of the user from a plurality of view images of a plurality of viewpoints generated based on the at least two images and using an interpolation algorithm for display on a display screen of the display device.
US09961331B2

A driving circuit perform first driving in which, in a first write period, a grayscale potential in an odd-numbered row is supplied to the pixels of a first group and, in a second write period, the grayscale potential is supplied to the pixels in an even-numbered row, and can perform second driving in which, in the first write period, the grayscale potential in the even-numbered row is supplied to the pixels of a second group and, in the second write period, the grayscale potential is supplied to the pixels in the odd-numbered row. In a right eye display period, the first driving is performed in a unit period U1 and the second driving is performed in a unit period U2. In a left eye display period, the second driving is performed in the unit period U1 and the first driving is performed in the unit period U2.
US09961329B2

An imaging apparatus comprising: an image acquisition unit configured to acquire an image; a depth map acquisition unit configured to acquire a first depth map; a working range map generation unit configured to generate a working range map showing a working range in the image on the basis of the first depth map; a synthesizing unit configured to synthesize the image and the working range map and to generate a synthesized image; and a display unit configured to display the synthesized image.
US09961311B2

A projector includes a light-emitting element that outputs light of a first wavelength band which is in a first polarization state; a retardation plate that converts a portion of the light into a second polarization state; a polarization separation element that separates the light from the retardation plate into a first flux of light in the first polarization state and a second flux of light in a second polarization state; a phosphor, excited by the first flux of light, which outputs a third flux of light of a second wavelength band; a retardation plate control unit that controls a rotation angle of the retardation plate in accordance with brightness information indicating brightness of the third flux of light; and a light-emitting element control unit that controls brightness of the light-emitting element in accordance with the brightness information and temperature information indicating a temperature of the light-emitting element.
US09961301B1

In a system and method for video communications, a user in an observation zone views a display image rendered on a vertically oriented screen through a two-way mirror in front of the screen. The two-way mirror is vertically angled at substantially 45 degrees, and reflects a part of a side wall in the observation zone. The backdrop for the light-emitting portion of the display image is provided by the reflection that is superimposed by the two-way mirror onto the non-light-emitting portion of the display image. The backdrop provides the light-emitting portion of the display image with a depth relationship that is observable when the user views the display image along a line of vision that extends straight through the two-way mirror to the screen behind the two-way mirror. A camera embedded in the side wall captures video of the user that is reflected by the two-way mirror from the observation zone back into the camera.
US09961291B2

Disclosed are a pixel acquisition circuit, an image sensor, and an image acquisition system. The pixel acquisition circuit includes a photodetection unit, filter-amplification unit, sample and hold unit, and activation control unit. The photodetection unit outputs a first electrical signal corresponding to a light signal illuminating thereon. The filter-amplifier unit is connected to the photodetector, and amplifies and filters out the signal component below a frequency threshold on the first electrical signal, to output a second electrical signal. A threshold comparison unit determines whether the second electrical signal is greater than a first threshold and/or less than a second threshold and, if so, generates an activation instruction signal. In response to receiving an activation instruction signal, the activation control unit instructs the sample and hold unit to acquire and buffer the first electrical signal, and sends a transmission request to an interface bus connected to the sample and hold unit.
US09961290B2

An image sensor includes multiple pixel groups arranged in a row included in a pixel array, the row including multiple pixels respectively allocated to the multiple pixel groups. The image sensor further includes multiple row drivers configured to respectively control operations of the pixels respectively allocated to the pixel groups in the row, and multiple readout circuits configured to respectively read out pixel signals output by the pixels respectively allocated to the pixel groups in the row.
US09961284B2

The present technology relates to a solid-state imaging device that can improve imaging quality by reducing variation in the voltage of a charge retention unit, a method of driving the solid-state imaging device, and an electronic apparatus. A first photoelectric conversion unit generates and accumulates signal charge by receiving light that has entered a pixel, and photoelectrically converting the light. A first charge retention unit retains the generated signal charge. A first output transistor outputs the signal charge in the first charge retention unit as a pixel signal, when the pixel is selected by the first select transistor. A first voltage control transistor controls the voltage of the output end of the first output transistor. The present technology can be applied to pixels in solid-state imaging devices, for example.
US09961275B2

The present inventive subject matter is drawn to method, system, and apparatus for generating video content related to an audio media asset. In one aspect of this invention, a method for operating a kinetic typography service on the audio media asset stored in a computer memory is presented, where a set of subtitle items belonging to the audio media asset is obtained; a plurality of preset animation items are produced; generating a plurality of video frames by applying a transformation effect of a preset animation to a corresponding subtitle item; and producing a video media asset.
US09961271B2

An electronic device includes: an imaging unit including a region having a pixel group that has a plurality of first pixels, and second pixels that are fewer than the first pixels in the pixel group; and a control unit that reads out the signals based upon exposure of the second pixels during exposure of the plurality of first pixels.
US09961269B2

An imaging device includes an APD filter. A first program diagram is selected in a case in which the APD filter is not disposed, and a second program diagram is selected in a case in which the APD filter is disposed. A set of an imaging diaphragm value AV and an imaging shutter speed TV is determined on the basis of an exposure value obtained from a photometric value obtained from a photometric unit. The first program diagram is a multiple-stage diaphragm type program diagram. In the first program diagram, diaphragm values AV take discrete values at an interval of a first value. In the second program diagram, a part of corrected diaphragm values, which are obtained by correcting diaphragm values of the first program diagram on the basis of optical characteristics of the APD filter, are thinned out so that each interval has at least a second value.
US09961266B2

An information processing apparatus includes a first acquisition unit, a recognition unit, a specification unit, and a transmission unit. The first acquisition unit acquires an image. The recognition unit recognizes an object included in the image. The specification unit causes a user to specify data to be transmitted to the object recognized by the recognition unit. The transmission unit transmits the specified data to an apparatus identified by destination information corresponding to the object, according to the specification by the specification unit.
US09961265B2

A method for capturing and storing historic audiovisual data via a digital mirror allows a digital display to be utilized as a digital mirror. The digital display includes a touchscreen that is divided into a first portion with a live video feed and a second portion with a graphical user interface (GUI). An image-capture device and a microphone are able to capture audiovisual media data that is saved onto a data storage device. The audiovisual media data may be searched at a later time in order to view specific audiovisual media data captured at a previous time. The digital display may be activated via a plurality of display activation triggers that is intended to provide security and prevent unauthorized access to the digital display.
US09961254B2

An electronic device comprises: a receiving unit configured to receive a focus adjustment operation for remotely operating an image capturing apparatus; an obtainment unit configured to transmit to the image capturing apparatus a focus adjustment command in accordance with having received the focus adjustment operation, and to obtain from the image capturing apparatus information used for a guide display indicating a focus level of a captured image that is information based on a result of performing a focus adjustment based on the command; and a display control unit configured to display the guide display, wherein the display control unit, in a case when the receiving unit receives the focus adjustment operation, displays the guide display based on the focus adjustment operation before obtaining the information based on the result of performing the focus adjustment based on the command.
US09961253B2

A system for providing an automatically focused image comprises an imaging system including a high speed periodically modulated variable focal length (VFL) lens, a VFL lens controller, a VFL-projected light source, a focus determining portion, an exposure timing adjustment circuit, and an exposure strobe time controller. The focus determining portion comprises an optical detector that inputs reflected VFL-projected light that is projected to, and reflected from, a workpiece through the VFL lens, and provides a focus deviation signal. The exposure timing adjustment circuit provides an exposure timing adjustment signal based on the focus deviation signal, which indicates a time when the imaging system focus Z-height approximately coincides with the workpiece surface Z height. The exposure strobe time controller uses the exposure timing adjustment signal to adjust the image exposure time so the imaging system focus Z-height coincides with the workpiece surface Z height at the adjusted image exposure time.
US09961251B2

A computer-implementable method of adjusting a control parameter of an image capture device includes detecting, determining, and transmitting. At an interactive display device, a substantially continuous user selection of values of a control parameter of the image capture device is detected from user manipulation of a continuously-variable input control of the interactive display device. A rate of change is determined of the user selected values of the control parameter during user manipulation of the continuously-variable input control. Based upon at least the determined rate of change, it is determined whether to transmit each of the selected values. The selected values are sequentially transmitted to the image capture device, via a communications network, where the selected values are determined to be transmitted. Each of the transmitted values is transmitted as an interim control parameter value, and the transmitted values are adapted to adjust the control parameter of the image capture device.
US09961250B1

A camera device is proposed. The camera device includes a housing, a mounting barrel for mounting a camera lens, a supporting member, elastic members, a rotating ring, and a driving motor. The housing has a protrusive limiter disposed thereon. The mounting barrel has a ring-shaped flange disposed on an exterior peripheral face thereof. The central axes of the mounting barrel and the rotating ring forms an angle such that the mounting barrel is inclined with respect to the rotating ring. The plural elastic members being arranged around the ring-shaped flange. The driving motor is connected to the rotating ring in a transmission way for driving rotation of the rotating ring. The rotating ring has a protruding member disposed thereon and the protruding member is rotated along with the rotating ring. The protruding member is abutted on the ring-shaped flange.
US09961249B2

An apparatus, including a processing device, a camera for obtaining a view, a picture, or video, a display device for displaying information, the view, picture, or video obtained by the camera, and a global positioning system for determining a position or a location of the apparatus. The global positioning system determines a position or location of the apparatus. The apparatus identifies a municipal subdivision in which the apparatus is located, identifies a nearest police department, fire department, hospital, hotel, point of interest, or individual, generates a report containing information regarding the identified nearest police department, fire department, hospital, hotel, point of interest, or individual, located in the municipal subdivision, and contact information for the nearest police department, fire department, hospital, hotel, point of interest, or individual, and provides at least a portion of the information contained in the report via the display device.
US09961248B2

To enable light emission shooting according to the condition of an imaging apparatus, an imaging system, which includes an illumination device capable of automatically driving a movable portion including a light emission unit to change a radiation direction of the light emission unit and an imaging apparatus, includes an acquisition unit configured to acquire information classifying a lens unit attached to the imaging apparatus, and a control unit configured to control the radiation direction of the light emission unit based on the information classifying the lens unit acquired by the acquisition unit.
US09961233B2

An information processing apparatus includes first, second, and third setting units, and a display unit. The first setting unit sets a common initial screen according to an operation performed by a user having an administrator authority. The second setting unit sets an initial screen for each user according to an operation performed by each user. The third setting unit sets whether to display the initial screen for each user, according to an operation performed by the administrator authority user. Where the initial screen for each user is to be displayed, the display unit displays the initial screen set by the second setting unit when the information processing apparatus starts to be used. Where the initial screen for each user is not to be displayed, the display unit displays the initial screen set by the first setting unit when the information processing apparatus starts to be used.
US09961228B2

Provided is an image processing apparatus and control method thereof that enable image data from which a plurality of images can be generated to be browsed efficiently. In the case where a first image switching operation has been made through an input unit, a display is switched to display an image generated from a different image file from an image file used to generate an image currently being displayed, and in the case where a second image switching operation has been made through the input unit, the display is switched to display a different image generated from an image file used to generate the image being displayed.
US09961223B2

An image forming apparatus that shifts to a power saving state, includes a printing unit, a printing control unit configured to control the printing unit, and a power supply unit configured to supply power to the printing control unit when the image forming apparatus returns from the power saving state, wherein the printing control unit, to which power is supplied by the power supply unit, executes initialization of the printing unit in a case where a printing screen for performing a printing function is set as a initial screen to be displayed when the image forming apparatus returns from the power saving state, and wherein the printing control unit does not execute initialization of the printing unit in a case where a selection screen for selecting the printing function is set as a initial screen to be displayed when the image forming apparatus returns from the power saving state.
US09961218B2

A communication system including an image processing apparatus configured to receive N-th operation definition information from a server, when the N-th operation definition information includes an option selecting instruction, set a user interface to be allowed to accept an option selecting operation, and transmit to the server, next-operation request information being for requesting the server to transmit (N+1)th operation definition information, when the N-th operation definition information includes an operation instruction, control an image processor to perform an operation as instructed by the operation instruction, set an apparatus-side network interface to be allowed to receive from a mobile terminal device, shortcut information indicating that a coordinated operation is started from an M-th unit operation of the plurality of unit operations, and when receiving the shortcut information from the mobile terminal device via the apparatus-side network interface, transmit the shortcut information to the server via the apparatus-side network interface.
US09961213B2

An electronic device and an image capturing apparatus are provided. The electronic device includes: a fixing apparatus, adapted to, in a case that a user wears the electronic device, maintain a position relationship between the electronic device and at least part of body of the user; an image capturing apparatus having an image capturing area, adapted to capture an image in the image capturing area; a data transmission apparatus, adapted to, in a case that a data connection is established between the electronic device and a second electronic device, perform data transmission with the second electronic device; an audio output apparatus having an audio output area, adapted to output sound to the audio output area; and a processing apparatus, adapted to control at least one of the image capturing apparatus, the data transmission apparatus and the audio output apparatus, wherein the electronic device comprises no image displaying apparatus.
US09961209B2

Methods and apparatuses provide for listing codecs for offers and for providing an effective listing of codecs for answers. For example, a method relating to offers is provided which includes receiving an incoming offer that lists a plurality of codecs, determining for each of the plurality of codecs whether one or more related codecs are not listed in the incoming offer, generating an outgoing offer that lists the plurality of codecs and the one or more related codecs that were determined not to be listed in the incoming offer, and transmitting the outgoing offer.
US09961208B2

The present document relates to methods and systems for setting up and managing two-dimensional or three-dimensional scenes for audio conferences. A conference controller (111, 175) configured to place a plurality of upstream audio signals (123, 173) associated with a plurality of conference participants within a 2D or 3D conference scene to be rendered to a listener (211) is described. The conference controller (111, 175) is configured to set up a X-point conference scene with X different spatial talker locations (212) within the conference scene; assign the plurality of upstream audio signals (123, 173) to respective ones of the talker locations (212); determine a degree of activity of the plurality of upstream audio signals (123, 173); determine a dominant one of the plurality of upstream audio signals (123, 173); and emphasize the dominant upstream audio signal (123, 173).
US09961186B2

A mobile button device (10) comprises a call button (12), a local wireless link (20) to a communicator (30), and a cellular connection (22). The mobile button device is programmed to perform an alarm reporting method including: originating an alarm by sending the alarm via the local wireless link to the communicator for alarm reporting by the communicator; after sending the alarm to the communicator, monitoring alarm reporting status via the local wireless link to the communicator; and reporting the alarm via the cellular connection in response to the monitoring determining that the communicator failed to report the alarm. For example, the monitoring may include polling the communicator via the local wireless link and the monitoring determines that the communicator failed to report the alarm if the polling indicates the communicator is unavailable (70) or a timeout condition (72) is reached.
US09961183B2

Methods and apparatus are provided for transmitting and receiving multimedia data by using NFC. Communication setup information used to perform short-range communication is delivered from an apparatus for transmitting the multimedia information to an apparatus for receiving multimedia data through the NFC in order to transmit and receive the multimedia data. The apparatus for transmitting the multimedia data connects to the apparatus for receiving the multimedia data through the short-range communication. A group owner that plays a leading role in the transmission and reception of the multimedia data is set through the connected short-range communication. Address information of the apparatus for receiving the multimedia data is acquired. Data is transmitted to and received from the apparatus for receiving the multimedia data by using the acquired address information.
US09961182B2

A communications system may include a plurality of electronic devices each configured to wirelessly communicate via an NFC format and another wireless communications format(s). A first electronic device may have an NFC transfer parameter associated therewith, and may be configured to establish an NFC link with a second electronic device of the plurality of electronic devices when in proximity therewith, designate data to be transferred to the second electronic device, and determine whether the designated data complies with the NFC transfer parameter. Based on a determination that the designated data complies with the NFC transfer parameter, the first electronic device may be configured to transfer at least some of the designated data via the NFC link, and otherwise transfer at least some of the designated data to the second electronic device over a separate wireless communications link using the at least one other wireless communications format.
US09961168B1

A module having at least a processor, memory and a wireless communication capability communicates with a host computing device that does not include a network device driver and is not able to directly access the network. The module provides wireless network access to the host computing device that does not include a network device driver. The module interfaces internally with the host computing device and utilizes a data frame communication protocol, such as an Ethernet protocol, to pass network data to the host computing device that was received from the network and to receive network data from the host computing device for transmission to the network.
US09961163B2

A system (111) and method for notifying subscriber devices (121) communicated with a subscriber local area network (120) and an ISP network operator (100) for receiving (101) notification requests comprises: a contact database (14) of subscriber devices (121) and notification mechanisms available for each subscriber device (121), a query manager (11) which consults the contact database (14) to verify the subscriber device (121) and its available notification mechanisms and sends a state of the notification request to the ISP network operator (100), a detector (13) for inventorying each subscriber device (121) in the contact database (14), analyzing (105) traffic from the subscriber local area network (120) and identifying notification mechanisms of each inventored subscriber device (121); a notifier (12) which selects (108) at least one notification mechanism from the available notification mechanisms for notifying the destination subscriber device (121) using the selected notification mechanism if any available.
US09961157B2

Embodiments of methods, systems, and apparatuses for adaptive compression management for web services are presented. In an embodiment, a method may include receiving a request for a web-service data operation. The method may also include identifying, using a data processing device, a network performance statistic for characterizing a data link between a web server and a web client. Additionally, the method may include determining, using the data processing device, a data size threshold in response to the network performance statistic. The method may also include determining, using the data processing device, whether to compress data associated with the web-service operation in response to the data size threshold.
US09961155B1

One or more embodiments of a virtual space system enable one or more users to share and access digital content via a virtual space hosted by an online content management system. For example, the virtual space system can host and provide a virtual space including assets displayed within the virtual space that include links to digital content items referenced by the assets. The virtual space further facilitates creating new assets, adding new members to the virtual space, and collaborating between members of the virtual space with respect to assets added to the virtual space.
US09961149B2

Systems, methods, and non-transitory computer readable media are provided for maintaining local virtual states pending server-side storage across multiple devices and users and intermittent network connections. In exemplary embodiments, content added by a user to his or her account locally on a user device may be displayed, and all interactivity therewith may be facilitated, as if the content had already been created on the content management system. In content management system applications that support shared virtual spaces, changes made by the user from his or her user device to the shared virtual space (including creation of a new shared virtual space) may be displayed locally as soon as the change has been made, not waiting for the information to be transmitted to the server or its state to be made consistent with that of the mobile device.
US09961145B1

An apparatus in one embodiment comprises a multi-tier storage system having at least a front-end storage tier and a back-end storage tier. The storage system comprises a software-defined storage controller configured to implement the front-end storage tier as a unified memory cluster accessible to respective processors of a plurality of compute nodes. The software-defined storage controller is implemented using at least one processing device comprising a processor coupled to a memory. The unified memory cluster in some embodiments comprises portions of respective memories of at least a subset of the compute nodes. The portions of respective memories of at least a subset of the compute nodes may comprise, for example, respective flash memories of those compute nodes, or respective dynamic random access memories of those compute nodes. Other illustrative embodiments include systems, methods and processor-readable storage media.
US09961143B2

Techniques are described for providing client computing nodes with enhanced access to data from remote locations, such as by providing and using local capabilities specific to the remote locations. In at least some situations, the access of a client computing node to data from a remote location may be enhanced by automatically performing activities local to the client computing node that improve the efficiency of communications sent between the client computing node and the remote location. As one example, access to data from a remote service may be enhanced by locally performing activities specific to the remote service, such as by using information about the remote service's internal mechanisms to cause the desired data to be provided from internal storage devices of the remote service without passing through front-end or other intermediate devices of the remote service while traveling to the client computing node.
US09961130B2

Provided are methods and systems for processing a data packet associated with a service session. The data packet directed to a first servicing node can be received by a forwarding node. The forwarding node can determine that the first servicing node is unavailable. Based on the determination, the forwarding node can select a second servicing node from a plurality of servicing nodes. The selection can be based on a high availability policy. The forwarding node can then send the data packet to the second servicing node.
US09961128B2

A method and apparatus for binding terminals are disclosed in the field of communication technologies. In the method: a server receives first information including at least one of first geographical location information, first time information and first address information of the first terminal. The server receives second information including at least one of second geographical location information, second time information, and second address information of the second terminal. The server binds the first terminal and the second terminal according to the first information and the second information.
US09961119B2

A virtual conferencing system is described for implementing breakout groups. For example, one embodiment of the virtual conferencing system comprises: a virtual conferencing service to establish audio and/or video connections between the plurality of clients during a virtual conference, each of the clients operated by at least one participant in the virtual conference, the virtual conferencing service further including a state synchronization service communicatively coupled to state management logic on each client to ensure that the current state of the virtual conference is consistent on each client; breakout group selection logic to subdivide the participants in the virtual conference into a plurality of breakout groups, the breakout group selection logic to select participants for each breakout group based on participant data related to each participant and input from a moderator; and breakout group generation logic to generate the selected breakout groups by modifying the current state on each client, thereby causing video and audio streams of the participants to be seen and heard, respectively, only between participants in the same breakout group and by providing breakout group materials and making the breakout group materials available to only participants within the same breakout group.
US09961118B2

The present invention relates to communications methods, apparatus and systems for correlating registrations with subsequent requests for service, e.g., calling or other services or active calls. In one embodiment requests and corresponding registrations are determined through a method of operating a session border controller (SBC) which includes the assignment of a registration instance identifier by the SBC to each registration request, sending a first message including the registration instance identifier to each user device in response to each registration request, and determining if subsequent requests correspond to the registration instance based on the registration instance identifier being included in subsequent requests. In another embodiment, after a SBC switchover, the new SBC forks a mid-dialog request received for a first call to all active registered devices having the same address of record and determines based on the responses which device has an active dialog corresponding to the first call.
US09961111B2

A record is managed by obtaining from an external system on which a stored object comprising the record is stored a property of the stored object as stored on the external system. A stored property associated with the record is compared with the obtained property of the stored object. In the event the comparison does not match, responsive action is taken.
US09961108B2

A system and method for the secure storage and transmission of data is provided. A data aggregate device can be configured to receive secure data from a data source, such as a sensor, and encrypt the secure data using a suitable encryption technique, such as a shared private key technique, a public key encryption technique, a Diffie-Hellman key exchange technique, or other suitable encryption technique. The encrypted secure data can be provided from the data aggregate device to different remote devices over a plurality of segregated or isolated data paths. Each of the isolated data paths can include an optoisolator that is configured to provide one-way transmission of the encrypted secure data from the data aggregate device over the isolated data path. External data can be received through a secure data filter which, by validating the external data, allows for key exchange and other various adjustments from an external source.
US09961099B2

This disclosure is related to using network flow information of a network to determine the trajectory of an attack. In some examples, an adjacency data structure is generated for a network. The adjacency data structure can include a machine of the network that has interacted with another machine of the network. The network can further include one or more deception mechanisms. The deception mechanisms can indicate that an attack is occurring when a machine interacts with one of the deception mechanisms. When the attack is occurring, attack trajectory information can be generated by locating in the adjacency data structure the machine that interacted with the deception mechanism. The attack trajectory information can correlate the information from the interaction with the deception mechanism, the interaction information of the network, and machine information for each machine to determine a possible trajectory of an adversary.
US09961093B1

Techniques are disclosed for detecting malicious remote-administration tool (RAT) software by detecting reverse-connection communication activity. Communications are monitored over one or more persistent connections, such as TCP (Transmission Control Protocol) connections. Each monitored connection is between an initiator device and a follower device, and the initiator device is identified as the device that sent an initial packet to the follower device in order to open the connection. The disclosed techniques detect reverse-connection activity on the connection by detecting that communications over the connection are actually driven by the follower device, indicating that a malicious RAT is using the connection.
US09961091B2

A non-transitory computer readable storage medium includes executable instructions to identify specified network interactions initiated by a client machine. The specified network interactions are compared to normative values to produce a promiscuity score indicative of the risk of the client machine contracting malicious software. Depending upon the promiscuity score, prophylactic actions are optionally applied to the client machine.
US09961082B2

A system and method to control access to data are disclosed. An access request is received from a requesting device to access requested data and a context for the requesting device is determined. An access pattern for the requested data is determined based at least on the request and the context. A deviation between the context and the access pattern is determined and based on determining the deviation, a decision request to allow or deny the access request is sent. Based on a response to the decision request, access to the requested data is allowed.
US09961065B2

In embodiments of the present invention improved capabilities are described for managing an email input facility in a networked secure collaborative computer data exchange environment, wherein a secure email input facility for accepting non-secure email from outside the exchange into the secure collaborative computer data exchange environment, wherein the non-secure email is received and the non-secure email and/or the content delivered thereby is stored as secure content in a location of the secure exchange server related to at least one of the sender of the email, the subject line of the non-secure email, the destination address of the email within the exchange, and the content of the email.
US09961054B2

A method includes transitioning a device in an industrial process control and automation system from a secondary role to a primary role during a switchover and, in response to the switchover, clearing one or more security values stored by the device. The method also includes receiving a message at the device from a network node and, in response to determining that no security association is associated with the received message or the network node, exchanging security credentials and establishing a trust relationship with the network node. Transitioning the device includes assuming a network address of another device that previously operated in the primary role, that previously communicated with the network node, and that previously had a security association with the network node. Clearing the security value(s) can prevent the device from having the trust relationship associated with the network node when the device receives the message from the network node.
US09961051B2

An electronic device that may process a security packet is provided. The electronic device includes a first processor configured to transmit a security context and a second processor configured to process a packet to which security is applied using the security context.
US09961045B2

The present disclosure a service path changing method and apparatus, including: determining, by an MME, that a UE needs to be handed over from a first AG to a second AG; and instructing, by the MME, the UE to notify, according to bearer information used to perform service transmission between the second AG and the UE and assigned by the second AG, a service peer end that an IP address of the UE is changed from a first IP address assigned by the first AG to a second IP address assigned by the second AG. It is not required to add the first IP address assigned to the UE by the first AG into the IP address segment maintained by the second AG, and it is unnecessary to change routing information of a router in a PDN to route downlink data of the UE to the second AG.
US09961044B2

A system and method for uniquely self-identifying a controller functionally connected to a communication network of at least two controllers, the system comprising the at least two controllers, each controller having a random code generator configured for generating a resident identification code, a transmitter, a receiver and a volatile memory. The transmitter is configured for broadcasting the resident identification code to the communication network. The receiver is configured for receiving an external identification code broadcasted from another controller and storing the external identification code in the volatile memory. The external identification code is compared to the resident identification code and if a match exists, the resident identification code is replaced by another resident identification code determined in the controller. The resident identification code is broadcasted to the communication network otherwise.
US09961037B2

The present disclosure provides a detailed description of techniques used in systems, methods, and in computer program products for bi-directional social media broker services that connect multiple social media sites using a common management framework. The claimed embodiments address the problem of efficiently scaling and managing bidirectional interaction with multiple social media publishing channels. More specifically, the claimed embodiments are directed to approaches for a computing platform having multiple message broker modules that enable bi-directional communication of messages between a common resource manager and a plurality of social media sites. The message broker modules can receive messages in a unified message format from the common resource manager, queue the messages for asynchronous processing, translate the messages from the unified message format to a site-specific format, and deliver the translated messages to multiple social media sites.
US09961032B2

Enhancing email is disclosed. An email message is received. An enhancement associated with the email message is processed. Content of the email message is stored in a common email database including email data accessible by a plurality of platform users. Access to the email data is provided via a platform that provides enhanced messaging functions to the platform users. The content of the email message is transmitted via a conventional email system. The content of the email message is accessible both via the platform and by an email client accessing the conventional email system.
US09961028B2

A method and system for automatically consolidating images and generating associated predictions is provided. The method includes periodically monitoring email addresses for emails stored on an email server and subsequently locating an email comprising an image automatically captured from a remotely located video retrieval device locally storing the image. The image is automatically downloaded and extracted for the email. A date and time associated with the image is validated and the image is stored within a server. Metadata associated with the image is updated and the updated metadata is associated with external attributes associated with a location of the remotely located video retrieval device.
US09961023B2

Systems and methods for adjusting the receive buffer size for network interface controllers. An example method may comprise: selecting a packet size value having a certain ordinal number in an ordered sequence of sizes of a plurality of data packets received by a network interface controller; and adjusting, in view of the selected packet size value, a size of a buffer associated with the network interface controller.
US09961017B2

The present disclosure relates generally to improving the management and provisoning of configurable computing resources. Certain techniques are disclosed herein for managing and provisoning the configurable computing resources based on resource policies. One of the techniques includes determining a value indicating a real-time demand for a resource within a resource pool based on an aggregate of request data. The aggregate of the request data is obtained from any number of previously received orders for services that included the resource as at least a part of enabling the service. The technique may also include generating or updating one or more demand policies for allocation of the resource based on the determined value indicating the real-time demand for the resource, pre-creating the resource based on the one or more demand policies, and allocating the pre-created resource to one or more users based on the one or more demand policies.
US09961006B1

A network switch includes a plurality of ports to communicate via a communication channel. Each of the plurality of ports includes an auto-negotiation circuit to negotiate a first data transmission rate with a network device in communication with the network switch via the communication channel, a transceiver circuit to receive, from the network switch, data via the communication channel at the negotiated first data transmission rate, and a transmitter/encoder circuit. The transmitter/encoder circuit is to receive the negotiated first data transmission rate from the auto-negotiation circuit, receive the data from the transceiver circuit, and selectively replicate portions of the data received from the transceiver circuit to transmit the data at a second data transmission rate that is different from the negotiated first data transmission rate.
US09960995B2

In a method for forwarding a packet, a physical forwarding unit receives a data packet, may find a first subnet route based on a destination IP address of the data packet, and forwards the data packet to a virtual forwarding unit via an output interface of the first subnet route. The virtual forwarding unit receives the data packet may find a first host route based on the destination IP address of the data packet, and forwards the data packet based on the first host route.
US09960985B2

A primary and secondary card are coupled to protect and working paths, respectively providing a redundant connection to a node. The primary and secondary cards implement an inter-card path that is a working path for the primary card and a protect path for the secondary card. Responsive to a fault in the working path, the secondary card generates a simulated error condition on the inter-card path, causing the primary card to make the protect path the active path. When the protect path is the active path and goes down, the primary card generates a simulated error condition on the inter-card path, causing the secondary card to make the working path the active path. Switching of packets to the active and protect paths on the primary and secondary cards and is performed by an FPGA that maintains its own state machine subject to instructions from software executed by the cards.
US09960975B1

Techniques for analyzing a dataset may be provided. For example, a configuration file may be accessed. The dataset may be analyzed based on a condition identified in the configuration file. A report may be generated and transmitted based on the analysis. Another report generated based on an analysis of another dataset according to another configuration file may be accessed. The dataset may be further analyzed based on this report to determine if a reported observation may also be associated with the dataset. If so, a confirmation may be generated and transmitted.
US09960972B1

Systems and methods for providing contextual and dynamic views in a workspace are provided. A view can be based on contextual data from a workspace and page parameters that are associated with a location in the workspace. The view is then generated and loaded into the user interface of a workspace. Contextual data operations can be performed through the contextual and dynamically generated views.
US09960969B2

Techniques for automatically configuring necessary parameters of a device to be coupled to a network with minimum human intervention are disclosed. In one embodiment, a wired and/or wireless Ad-hoc network is established to facilitate communications among a group of devices. When a new device is added to the network, a rudimentary communication path is initially established between one of the devices in the network and the new device such that necessary parameters (e.g., SSID, WEP security, channel frequency) can be exchanged for the new device to function properly in the network. To ensure the parameters are exchanged in a secure fashion, an additional public security procedure can be used between the two devices.
US09960959B2

Various embodiments of methods and systems for establishing communication over a wireless communication network between a master device and a partial function device. The master device and partial function device can use a separate communication channel during setup or configuration for communicating over the wireless communication network. The separate communication channel can be, for example, an audio-based channel or optical-based channel.
US09960944B2

A receiving apparatus includes: a first decoder configured to decode a signal transmitted through a first layer from a layered division multiplexing (LDM) signal using a parity check matrix to generate low density parity check (LDPC) information word bits and parity bits; an encoder configured to encode the LDPC information word bits, generated by decoding the signal transmitted through the first layer, using the parity check matrix to generate parity bits corresponding only to preset columns in the parity check matrix; and a second decoder configured to decode a signal obtained by removing, from the LDM signal, a signal corresponding to the LDPC information word bits generated by decoding the signal transmitted through the first layer, the parity bits generated by the encoder, and the parity bits generated by the first decoder except the parity bits generated by the encoder, thereby to generate information word bits transmitted through a second layer.
US09960939B1

Embodiments discloses a transmitter for transmitting a Bluetooth packet in an enhanced data rate format. The Bluetooth packet includes a GFSK modulated segment, a Guard segment and a DPSK modulated segment. The transmitter comprises a first multiplexer configured to select a phase signal from a Guard phase signal, a received GFSK phase signal and a received DPSK phase signal based on time; a second multiplexer configured to select a amplitude signal from a Guard amplitude signal, a received GFSK amplitude signal and a received DPSK amplitude signal based on time, a phase to frequency converter communicatively coupled to the first multiplexer and configured to convert the selected phase signal into converted frequency signal. The transmitter further comprises a phase lock loop, a digital to analog converter and a power amplifier.
US09960936B2

A transmission apparatus includes a connector that couples a signal path to a receiver, an equalizer that performs an equalization operation on received signals to be input to the receiver via the connector, a controller that calculates a coefficient controlling an operation of the equalizer and sets the coefficient in the equalizer, and a detector that detects a mating fault of the signal path in the connector in response to the coefficient configured by the controller.
US09960933B2

A method for managing communication in a plurality of Internet of Things (IoT) networks includes receiving a communication request initiated by an IoT device in one of the plurality of IoT networks for a destination IoT device located in one of the plurality of IoT networks. Suitability of an existing communication session between the IoT device and the destination IoT device is determined. Based on determining unsuitability of the existing communication session, a new communication session between the IoT device and the destination IoT device is selectively initiated. In response to determining suitability of the existing communication session, the existing communication session for the communication request is selectively reused. At least one initiating cause for a communication event and associated resolutions on occurrence of the communication event to maintain one of the new communication session and the existing communication session that is suitable is iteratively determined.
US09960927B2

A controller of an in-home controller receives, via a terminal communicator, input data related to a manager registration transmitted from a terminal device. The controller performs a manager registration based on the received input data. Also, the controller generates user registration request data containing a user ID and a password extracted from the received input data, a controller ID read from data storage. The controller transmits the generated user registration request data to an external server via a wide-area communicator.
US09960926B2

A user equipment (UE) operable to switch between a packet-switched streaming service (PSS) download session and a multimedia broadcast multicast services (MBMS) download session. The UE can send a session initiation protocol (SIP) re-invitation to a service control function (SCF) module during the PSS download session, wherein the SCF module is configured to send a SIP BYE message to a hypertext transfer protocol (HTTP)/SIP adapter in order to terminate the PSS download session at the UE. The UE can receive a SIP acknowledgement from the SCF module, wherein the SCF module is configured to receive the SIP acknowledgement from the HTTP/SIP adapter indicating that an HTTP server has terminated the PSS download session for the UE. The UE can switch from the PSS download session to the MBMS download session at the UE in response to the SIP acknowledgement being received at the UE.
US09960923B2

A method for handling digital certificates in a communication network is described. The communication network comprises a first certificate authority (110-116) having issued at least one digital certificate. The method comprises determining (216) whether a revocation condition for revoking the at least one digital certificate is fulfilled. The at least one digital certificate has been issued by the first certificate authority, wherein the at least one digital certificate is valid and is not revoked. The method further comprises, based on a result of the step of determining (216), revoking (404), by the first certificate authority (110-116), the at least one digital certificate, and based on the result of the step of determining (216), issuing, by a second certificate authority (110-116), at least one further digital certificate for the revoked at least one digital certificate. An associated system, methods in involved network entities, the involved network entities, and computer programs are also described. Therefore security handling in the communication network which may be fluctuating with respect to its number of network nodes and/or which may comprise numerous network nodes may be performed in an easy and efficient way.
US09960922B2

An apparatus comprising: a requester configured to request a certificate comprising at least one identifier associated with the apparatus from at least one network node; a first receiver configured to receive the certificate from the at least one network node; and a forwarder configured to forward the certificate to at least one further apparatus; a second receiver configured to receive a further certificate from the further apparatus, the further certificate comprising at least one further identifier associated with the further apparatus; and an authenticated configured to authenticate the further apparatus based on the further certificate.
US09960916B2

A communications protocol is used to provide data privacy, message integrity, message freshness, and user authentication to telemetric traffic, such as to and from implantable medical devices in a body area network. In certain embodiments, encryption, message integrity, and message freshness are provided through use of token-like nonces and ephemeral session-keys derived from device identification numbers and pseudorandom numbers.
US09960914B2

In a semiconductor device and an information processing system according to one embodiment, an external device generates external device unique information by using a unique code which is a value unique to the semiconductor device, and generates second information by encrypting the first information with the use of the external device unique information. The semiconductor device stores the second information and generates the principal device unique information independently of the external device, with the use of the unique code of the semiconductor device holding the second information, and decrypts the second information with the use of the principal device unique information to obtain the first information.
US09960904B2

Correlation circuitry includes selection circuitry for selecting a sequence of symbol subsets comprising proper subsets of a candidate sequence of symbols and corresponding proper subsets of a target sequence of symbols. Correlation value determining circuitry determines partial correlation values for these proper subsets which are then combined by correlation value combining circuitry to generate a current combined correlation value. Early termination circuitry compares the current combined correlation value with an early termination condition represented by a threshold value to determine whether or not early termination of the correlation determination may be performed. Early termination may be performed when the combined correlation value indicates a sufficient degree of confidence in the partial result determined such that continuing with determination of the full correlation is not justified.
US09960890B2

Methods, systems, and devices are described for wireless communication at a device. A device may distinguish a preamble sent from a device configured for a first RAT (e.g., WLAN, Wi-Fi, etc.) from a preamble sent from a device configured for a second RAT (e.g., LTE, LTE-A, LTE-U, etc.). A wireless device associated with a second RAT may transmit a dual-use preamble over a contention-based frequency channel. The dual-use preamble may function as a valid preamble for a first RAT and may be received and decoded by devices associated with the first RAT in addition to devices associated with the second RAT. The dual-use preamble may also include a signature associated with the second RAT. The signature may be embedded with the preamble such that it minimizes interference with the valid preamble and be detected by devices associated with the second RAT.
US09960886B2

A noise detection device includes a connector used for connecting a multicore cable, a connector used for connecting the communication device, a noise-detecting data generation unit which generates noise-detecting data with an error detection sign to detect the noise, and a detection unit which continuously transmits or receives the noise-detecting data using at least one core line not used in the communication among core lines of the multicore cable to detect an error.
US09960881B2

A method for determining a Modulation and Coding Scheme (MCS) and power control includes determining an error rate of a communication channel between the UA and at least one of the base station and the RN. When the error rate is below a first threshold, the method includes at least one of increasing the MCS, and reducing a transmission power of the UA. When the error rate is above a second threshold, the method includes at least one of decreasing the MCS, and increasing a transmission power of the UA.
US09960880B2

The present disclosure discloses a signal sending method and device. The method includes: receiving, by a base station, an uplink pilot signal sent by authorized user equipment, and determining a direction vector parameter and a first channel fading parameter of a channel calculating, according to the direction vector parameter and the first channel fading parameter, a first signal beamformer parameter, determining a transmission area of an artificial noise signal according to the direction vector parameter, and calculating a second signal beamformer parameter; and processing a to-be-transmitted signal by using the first signal beamformer parameter and the second signal beamformer parameter, and transmitting the processed signal. In this way, in a non-target direction, energy leakage of the secrecy signal to the authorized user equipment is relatively small, and transmitted artificial noise signals are concentrated in an area with a relatively high secrecy signal leakage risk.
US09960874B2

Embodiments of the present invention provide techniques for managing interference across multiple transceivers in an access point in a network environment. A wireless networking system can include various access points. These access points may each include multiple transceivers. However, with multiple transceivers in close proximity, signals transmitted by one transceiver may interfere with another transceiver through crosstalk, adjacent channel interference, or other form of interference. Each access point may include an interference manager which can use an interference model to modify a signal transmitted by one transceiver to be used to cancel corresponding interference caused in a second transceiver. Interference can be modeled prior to deployment and/or at deployment using a series of test signals transmitted by one transceiver while the corresponding interference is monitored on a second transceiver. The interference model can be used to transform subsequent signals and used to filter interference from the second transceiver.
US09960869B2

In CA performed using three or more frequency bands, whether or not a mobile station UE is capable of performing an inter-frequency measurement without a gap is properly determined. The mobile station UE according to the invention includes a transmission unit 11 configured to transmit “UE Capability” indicating a capability of the mobile station UE to a radio base station eNB. The transmission unit 11 is configured to notify frequency bands in which the mobile station UE is capable of performing an inter-frequency measurement without a gap for each “CA band combination” as the “UE Capability”.
US09960863B2

Embodiments of the present disclosure provide an estimation apparatus and method for a nonlinear characteristic, which may simply and quickly estimate the nonlinear characteristic of a system to be measured by calculating parameters of the nonlinear model of the system to be measured according to the fundamental power and harmonic power of output signals of the system to be measured on at least two frequency spots obtained through measurement, with the accuracy of the result of estimation being relatively high.
US09960861B2

A system for measuring blockage facilitates automated measuring using an installed antenna as a measuring device, providing more accurate and reliable results as compared to conventional methods of measuring blockage. The system eliminates the need for meticulous and tedious manual measurements as well as the time consuming search for structural drawings, necessary to perform conventional blockage measuring. The system features an efficient and accurate way of establishing the angular direction points in which an antenna view is obstructed by recording the obstruction reflections standing out of the clear sky noise floor. Embodiments are particularly useful when installing a satellite communications antenna on a ship having metal structures obstructing the antenna's view such as communication masts, funnels, and smokestacks.
US09960859B2

An anti-electromagnetic interference unit is provided, and the anti-electromagnetic interference unit is used to avoid that electromagnetic interference affects a NFC antenna module. The anti-electromagnetic interference unit comprises a plurality of EBG structures. Each EBG structure comprises a central body and at least one channel. The at least one channel is extended from the body, and extending shape of the at least one channel is a structure with a plurality of meanders.
US09960846B2

A free-space optical communication system is provided. The free-space optical communication system includes a transmitter configured to optically transmit data in a plurality of subcarrier signals over a free-space scattering medium. The free-space optical communication system includes a coherent receiver configured to receive the plurality of subcarrier signals and extract the transmitted data from the plurality of subcarrier signals after traversal over the free-space scattering medium.
US09960842B2

A TDR for locating impairments in an HFC network is claimed. The network carries burst signals in an upstream band during burst intervals. The TDR comprises a transmitter, receiver, level detector, controller, accumulator, and probe detector. The transmitter transmits probe signals to the impairment, causing a reflection of the probe signals. Each probe signal is in the upstream band and has a bandwidth extending the width of the upstream band. The receiver receives the reflected probe signals during receiving intervals, and receives the burst signals during receiving intervals that overlap burst intervals. The level detector measures a level of the signals received during each receiving interval. The controller determines which of the receiving intervals are free of burst signals, based on the level measurement. The accumulator accumulates reflected probe signals received during intervals free of burst signals. The probe detector detects the impairment from the accumulated probe signals and estimates a time delay for the impairment. A distance to the impairment is estimated from the time delay.
US09960839B2

A method for transmitting a reference signal by a Base Station (BS) in a mobile communication system using beamforming includes determining beamforming information for transmission of a Reference Signal (RS) Transmit (Tx) beam, wherein at least one of a Tx period and a beam width of the RS Tx beam is determined differently based on a size of Receive (Rx) areas in which a plurality of Tx beams are received in coverage of the BS; and transmitting the RS Tx beam to related Rx areas depending on the determined beamforming information.
US09960833B2

A method for attaching a relay module to a fire hydrant comprises positioning the relay module adjacent to the fire hydrant, the fire hydrant comprising a hydrant body and a bonnet coupled to the hydrant body by a plurality of fasteners, the bonnet mounted on top of the hydrant body, the relay module comprising a radio housing defining a top surface, a mast connected to the radio housing and extending upwards from the top surface, and a mounting bracket attached to the top surface, the mounting bracket engageable with the hydrant body; and securing the relay module to the fire hydrant such that the mounting bracket and a portion of the top surface is positioned beneath the bonnet.
US09960828B2

There is provided beam forming using an antenna array. The antenna array is configured to transmit across an angular sector. The angular sector is divided into at least two sub-sectors by respective port weights being applied to respective physical antenna ports of the antenna array. A respective set of virtual antenna ports is determined for each sub-sector. A first set of reference signals for acquiring channel state information on the set of virtual antenna ports is alternatingly transmitted in each one of the at least two sub-sectors.
US09960822B2

A method for facilitating coordinated multipoint communication providing a plurality of network interface devices for measuring synchronization accuracy in the backhaul network; creating an actual coverage map for the coordinated multipoint communication analyzing the created actual coverage map to determine whether the backhaul network is sufficient for a selected coordinated multipoint technique; if the backhaul network is not sufficient determining one or more key performance indicators creating a conditional coverage map; comparing the actual coverage map with the conditional coverage map; reconfiguring the wireless communication network if the actual coverage map does not match the conditional coverage map.
US09960816B2

A power receiving device that receives power from a power supply device, according to a predetermined wireless power supply scheme for transmitting a control signal through wireless communication, includes a communication circuitry for a terminal, configured to perform communication with a terminal including a power supply to which power received by the power receiving device is supplied, a reception circuitry configured to receive a predetermined control signal from the power supply device, a memory, and a processor coupled to the memory, configured to perform power control and a setting of an operation mode of the terminal, based on the predetermined control signal, through the communication circuitry for a terminal.
US09960814B2

Provided is a highly convenient and downsizable terminal device, which realizes, even when more than two contactless information communication units, each utilizing a different frequency band, are mounted on a single IC tag, good communication in each of the different frequency bands. The terminal device has two contactless information communication parts (circuit units, such as an inlay, inlet, chip or the like), which utilizes different frequency bands (for example, the HF band and the UHF band, which is higher than the HF band) performs transmission and reception of signals with two antennae being electric-field-coupled to each other.
US09960809B2

Aspects of the subject disclosure may include, for example, receiving data from an external network device positioned outside of a neighborhood network, wherein the first waveguide system is a first network node of the neighborhood network. Electromagnetic waves are sent to a second waveguide system via a transmission medium, wherein the electromagnetic waves are guided by the transmission medium without utilizing an electrical return path, wherein the electromagnetic waves convey the data. The second waveguide system is determined according to a neighborhood routing scheme that limits delivery of the data to a group of recipient devices within a service area of the neighborhood network and the second waveguide system is a second network node of the neighborhood network. Other embodiments are disclosed.
US09960808B2

Aspects of the subject disclosure may include, for example, a transmission device that includes a transmitter that generates a first electromagnetic wave to convey data, the first electromagnetic wave having at least one carrier frequency and corresponding wavelength. A coupler couples the first electromagnetic wave to a transmission medium having at least one inner portion surrounded by a dielectric material, the dielectric material having an outer surface and a corresponding circumference, wherein the coupling of the first electromagnetic wave to the transmission medium forms a second electromagnetic wave that is guided to propagate along the outer surface of the dielectric material via at least one guided-wave mode that can include an asymmetric mode, wherein the at least one carrier frequency is within a microwave or millimeter-wave frequency band and wherein the at least one corresponding wavelength is less than the circumference of the transmission medium. Other embodiments are disclosed.
US09960802B2

Systems, apparatuses and methods are disclosed providing signal conditioning circuits configured to condition RF signals, and an interface in communication with the signal-conditioning circuits, the interface including M inputs and N outputs, each of the quantities M and N greater than 1. The interface is configured so that each of at least two of the M inputs is coupled to a separate output through a separate switch.
US09960791B2

An RFIC with memory is described where the memory can be used to house a look-up table for tuning components designed into the RFIC, providing a customized tuning circuit for antenna and transceiver front-end tuning applications. The look-up table can be loaded at wafer level during the manufacturing process to customize an RFIC design for a specific antenna system. The memory can be used to restrict or tailor the tuning range of tunable capacitors and switches within the RFIC to optimize performance in the end application. The resident memory will improve signaling latency when tuning for time critical applications such as channel tuning in a cellular communication system.
US09960788B2

A memory controller is a memory controller including an encoder that product-codes, with a linear code, data to be recorded in a memory section and a decoder that decodes product-coded data read out from the memory section. The encoder and the decoder share a parity generation circuit including a plurality of remainder calculating and retaining sections, each including a remainder calculation circuit by a generator polynomial and a retaining circuit that retains an output of the remainder calculation circuit.
US09960784B1

A sinusoidal-amplitude-to-digital-output circuit includes a comparator with an input terminal, a reference terminal and an output terminal. A digital bus is connected to the output terminal. A reference voltage source is connected to the reference terminal. A feedback resistor is connected in parallel with the comparator between the output terminal and the input terminal to provide hysteresis for noise rejection such that circuit converts voltage received at the input terminal into a digital pulse-width modulated waveform that varies non-linearly with amplitude of the voltage received at the input terminal.
US09960779B2

An analog-to-digital (AD) convertor includes: an AD conversion circuit; and a correction circuit that corrects an output value of the AD conversion circuit based on a correction value, wherein the correction circuit generates a plurality of elemental correction values based on a plurality of output values which are converted values of a plurality of analog values by the AD conversion circuit, wherein the correction value is determined by an average value of remaining values obtained by removing a deviated value from the plurality of elemental correction values.
US09960775B2

A processing apparatus includes an FPGA unit connected to an oscillator configured to output a first clock, wherein the FPGA unit includes: a PLL circuit configured to output a second clock with a frequency of a predetermined ratio with respect to a frequency of the first clock and configured to output a lock signal (detection signal); an input and output monitoring unit configured to detect a ratio between the frequencies of the first clock and the second clock, compare the detected ratio with the predetermined ratio, and output an abnormal signal when the detected ratio does not coincide with the predetermined ratio; and an initialization unit configured to output a reset signal when the input and output monitoring unit outputs the abnormal signal and configured to output the reset signal when the PLL circuit outputs the lock signal.
US09960774B2

A system and method for correcting for phase errors, in a phase locked loop, resulting from spread spectrum clocking involving a reference clock signal having a frequency modulation. A correction generation circuit generates an offset signal, that when injected after the charge pump of the phase locked loop, causes the voltage controlled oscillator to produce a signal with substantially the same frequency modulation, thereby reducing the phase error. The correction generation circuit may include a timing estimation circuit for estimating the times at which transitions (between positive-sloping and negative-sloping portions of the triangle wave) occur, and an amplitude estimation circuit for estimating the amplitude of the offset signal that results in a reduction in the phase error.
US09960767B2

According to one aspect, the invention relates to a proximity detector (10) of a motor vehicle device (Eq), the proximity detector (10) comprising:—a detection antenna (1) generating a detection signal when a user (U) is in the proximity of said device (Eq);—a printed circuit (2) processing the detection signal in order to command an action of said device (Eq);—and a conducting rod (3) for electrical connection of the detection antenna (1) to the printed circuit (2).
US09960760B2

A power stage to generate an output voltage at one of a high reference voltage, an intermediate reference voltage and a low reference voltage, including a first switch stage connecting the output terminal to the high reference voltage, comprising a pair of transistors connected in series along their source-to-drain paths, a first transistor coupled to the output terminal and having its gate biased at the intermediate voltage, a second transistor having a gate that receives a first stage control signal that varies between the high reference voltage and the intermediate reference voltage, a second switch stage connecting the output terminal to the intermediate reference voltage, having a gate that receives a second stage control signal that varies among the high reference voltage, intermediate reference voltage and low reference voltage, a third switch stage connecting the output terminal to the low reference voltage, having a pair of transistors connected in series along their source-to-drain paths, a first transistor coupled to the output terminal and having its gate biased at the intermediate voltage, a second transistor having a gate that receives a third stage control signal that varies between the intermediate reference voltage and the low reference voltage.
US09960748B2

Methods and apparatus, including computer program products, are provided filters. In some example embodiments, there is provided a radio frequency filter including at least one resonant circuit selectable to vary at least the selectivity of the radio frequency filter, wherein the selectivity is varied based on at least one of a first amount of transmit power being used at a user equipment and a second amount of received signal power. Related apparatus, systems, methods, and articles are also described.
US09960744B1

A split-band compression circuit includes first stage filters, split-band limiters, and second stage filters. The first stage filters are configured to receive and filter an input signal to output first split-band signals. The split-band limiters are coupled to the first stage filters respectively, and configured to perform compression on the first split-band signals to output second split-band signals. The second stage filters are coupled to the split-band limiters respectively, and configured to filter corresponding second split-band signals to output output signals. The first stage filter and the second stage filter corresponding to the same split-band limiter have different cut-off frequencies respectively.
US09960743B2

The invention relates to the measurement and control of the perceived sound loudness and/or the perceived spectral balance of an audio signal. An audio signal is modified in response to calculations performed at least in part in the perceptual (psychoacoustic) loudness domain. The invention is useful, for example, in one or more of: loudness-compensating volume control, automatic gain control, dynamic range control (including, for example, limiters, compressors, expanders, etc.), dynamic equalization, and compensating for background noise interference in an audio playback environment. The invention includes not only methods but also corresponding computer programs and apparatus.
US09960728B2

A winding temperature estimation device for a rotating electric machine includes a rotating electric machine including a stator, which has a winding, and a rotor, a coolant supply part configured to supply a coolant, a temperature sensor configured to detect a temperature of the coolant, a heat reduction amount calculation part configured to calculate a heat reduction amount of the winding using the temperature of the coolant and a heat resistance between the coolant and the winding, a heating value calculation part configured to calculate a heating value due to a loss of the winding, and a winding temperature calculation part configured to calculate a temperature of the winding using the heat reduction amount from the winding and the heating value due to the loss of the winding.
US09960720B2

A system and method for controlling a multiphase electric motor fitted to a motor vehicle. The motor includes a rotor powered by a voltage chopper or a rotor with permanent magnets and a stator powered by a multiphase voltage inverter. The multiphase voltage inverter is powered via a high-voltage DC bus. The control system receives as an input a torque setpoint of an electric-vehicle computer. The system also includes a system for the dynamic control of the torque setpoint to determine a dynamic correction of torque ripple and a device for determining setpoints for powering the electric motor as a function of the torque setpoint and of the dynamic correction of torque ripple.
US09960716B2

Described embodiments provide an electronic circuit for controlling a motor. The electronic circuit includes a magnetic field sensing circuit responsive to magnetic field sensing elements disposed to sense rotation of the motor. The magnetic field sensing elements generate magnetic field signals, each having a state indicative of at least one of the rotational position and a rotation speed of the motor. A position and speed sensing circuit generates a signal representative of the rotational position of the motor and tracks state changes of the magnetic field signals. A gate driver circuit generates motor drive signals that drive the motor based upon the sensed rotational position. The position and speed sensing circuit generates a qualified control signal based upon a determined valid state change of the magnetic field signals. The gate driver circuit generates the motor drive signals based, at least in part, upon the qualified control signal.
US09960713B2

An impact producing actuator can vary energy to be applied to a shape memory alloy, depending on, for example, an ambient temperature. The impact producing actuator has a drive signal generation unit that generates a drive signal based on a single pulse signal generated in response to an input operation and outputs the drive signal, a switching element whose switching operation is controlled by the drive signal, and a shape memory alloy through which electric current passes for a period of time during which the switching element is turned on or off. The impact producing actuator is configured such that the period of time during which the switching element is turned on or off varies depending on the ambient temperature.
US09960710B2

In an automotive vehicle inverter control apparatus of the related art, a limp-home mode is provided, but six power sources including transformers are required for respective gate circuits of the respective IGBT drive circuits. Therefore, a reduction in size and a reduction in weight cannot be achieved, and a demand of the improvement of mountability or the improvement of fuel consumption as described above cannot be satisfied. A power semiconductor module and the drive circuit include three unit semiconductor modules and three unit drive circuits corresponding to a three-phase alternating current, and power supply units of the unit drive circuits are provided independently, whereby the limp-home mode is provided and in addition, the number of power supply units may be reduced, so that the reduction in size and the reduction in weight are achieved.
US09960708B2

An inverter apparatus and method are provided for converting direct current to alternating current. The inverter circuit includes a first switch sub-circuit configured for electrical communication with a power source and switching at a first frequency. The inverter circuit further includes a second switch sub-circuit in electrical communication with the first switch sub-circuit. The second switch sub-circuit is configured for electrical communication with a load and switching at a second frequency different from the first frequency.
US09960702B2

A switch device in a power conversion device is located between a power supply and a load, wherein the power conversion device includes a shunt resistance and a switching element and is capable of executing stable control, the switch device includes a switching element that includes a gate terminal, a gate drive circuit that applies a drive voltage Vcc to a gate terminal of the switching element, and a control unit that generates a drive signal to the gate drive circuit, wherein a value obtained by subtracting a threshold voltage Vth of the switching element from the drive voltage Vcc to be applied to the gate terminal of the switching element is greater than a product of a resistance value Rsh+Rdc from an emitter of the switching element to a negative electrode of the gate drive circuit and a maximum current value Ipeak that flows through the switching element.
US09960689B1

A resonant control device and a resonant control method thereof controls a resonant converter connected with a load. An output voltage is applied across the load. Firstly, a setting voltage is used to perform voltage compensation on the output voltage to generate a control value. Then, pulse modulation signals are generated according to the control value and a switch value, so as to drive the resonant converter to regulate the output voltage. Each pulse modulation signal has the maximum frequency and the minimum frequency. The switch value is equal to the minimum frequency divided by the maximum frequency and less than 0.5. Finally, the process determines whether the control value is less than the switch value. If the answer is yes, PWM signals as the pulse modulation signals are generated, and their frequency is less than the maximum frequency to increase a lower-limit range of the output voltage.
US09960681B2

A switching power supply includes a plurality of parallel branches, each parallel branch including two serially connected controllable switches and a coil connected between the two switches and an output node, a capacitor connected between the output node of the parallel branches and ground; and a controller configured to switch the two serially connected controllable switches of each parallel branch such that a first switch of a parallel branch is switched from a conducting state to a non-conducting state when a current flowing through a coil of the parallel branch reaches a first current value larger than 5 A, and such that the second switch is switched from a conducting state to a non-conducting state when the current flowing through the coil of the parallel branch reaches a second current value smaller than 0 A.
US09960677B2

A load driving device disclosed in the specification includes a power supply circuit for supplying to a load an output voltage converted from an input voltage, a detection voltage generation circuit for generating a detection voltage which varies depending on a magnitude of a voltage drop which across the load, and a control circuit for controlling the power supply circuit so that it performs output feedback control of the output voltage, on the basis of the detection voltage.
US09960676B1

A power supply system includes multiple power converters, each having an input and an output. The outputs of the power converters are connected together in parallel to produce a single system output. There is a shared command bus that is coupled to each one of the power converters. A control loop in (associated with) a designated one of the power converters is operable to generate a current command signal to be output onto the shared command bus. All of the parallel connected power converters in the power supply system are configured to receive the current command signal from the shared command bus and to adjust an amount of electrical current being supplied by that power converter in response to the current command signal.
US09960674B2

Systems and methods are provided for regulating a power converter. An example system controller includes: a driver configured to output a drive signal to a switch to affect a current flowing through an inductive winding of a power converter, the drive signal being associated with a switching period including an on-time period and an off-time period. The switch is closed in response to the drive signal during the on-time period. The switch is opened in response to the drive signal during the off-time period. A duty cycle is equal to a duration of the on-time period divided by a duration of the switching period. One minus the duty cycle is equal to a parameter. The system controller is configured to keep a multiplication product of the duty cycle, the parameter and the duration of the on-time period approximately constant.
US09960668B2

The present disclosure provides a method for controlling soft start of a switching rectifier, which comprises: acquiring an external environmental parameter of the switching rectifier and a power supply characteristic parameter of an object to be powered, establishing a voltage start strategy and/or a current start strategy for the switching rectifier according to the external environmental parameter and the power supply characteristic parameter, and controlling a voltage and/or a current of the switching rectifier to start to a full-load voltage and/or a full-load current according to the voltage start strategy and/or the current start strategy. The present disclosure further provides a device for controlling soft start of a switching rectifier. The technical scheme of the present disclosure is able to provide a suitable voltage and/or current start approach for a switching rectifier according to power supply requirements of an object to be powered and operating environment of the switching rectifier.
US09960660B2

A brushless DC motor includes a stator formed of a lamstack including a plurality of stacked laminations. The stator includes a plurality of radially extending core members and a circumferential wall. An intersection of each of the plurality of radially extending core members with the circumferential wall defines a flux null location, and a portion of the lamstack defines a first opening located at one of the flux null locations. The brushless DC motor includes a printed circuit board including a second opening and a grounding member including a first section received in the first opening of the stator and a second section received in the second opening of the printed circuit board to create a grounding path.
US09960653B2

The present disclosure provides a driving device including a stator, a rotor, a housing, a controller, and a sealing member. The sealing member includes a base and protrusions. The protrusion includes a cylindrical portion, a cover portion, a first annular protrusion, and a second annular protrusion. The first and second annular protrusions outwardly protrude from the cylindrical portion. The first annular protrusion is fit in a fit region of the lead hole in a compressed state. The second annular protrusion is offset from the fit region toward the controller.
US09960651B2

A claw rotor (2) provided with an insulator (11) for a field coil (10) and a rotary electric machine equipped with such a rotor, the insulator comprising a plurality of projecting petals (121, 131) intended to engage with the inner inclined periphery of a claw (9). Each of the petals (121, 131) includes: a base (122, 132) solidly connected to an associated cheek (120, 130), side edges (123, 133), and an end (124, 134). The claw-pole rotor (2) is wherein each petal (121, 131) has a thickness (e) at the side edges (123, 133) which increases from the base (122, 132) to the end (124, 134).
US09960636B2

A DC converter includes a non-isolated conversion module and an isolated conversion module. The non-isolated conversion module is implemented based on a redundant structure and has a first power conversion loop, a second power conversion loop, and an energy storage element. The first and second power conversion loops are connected and share the energy storage element. The energy storage element is further connected to an input terminal of the isolated conversion module. The first and second conversion loops of the non-isolated conversion module convert DC power outputted from two battery sets and output the converted power to the isolated conversion module. The isolated conversion module further supplies DC power to a load. Accordingly, power supply systems using the foregoing DC converter can reduce the number of transformer therein and thus size reduction of the power supply system can be achieved.
US09960631B2

A method of monitoring and inductively charging a firearm is implemented with an inductive charging base that includes a chipset, a GPS module, and a wireless communication module. When the firearm is placed onto the inductive charging base, the base charges a portable power source of the firearm and receives a current location of the base from the GPS module. If the firearm is physically separated from the base, then the chipset generates a separation notification. The chipset then sends both the separation notification and the current location of the base with the wireless communication module to contact information stored on the chipset. The contact information is for an authorized user profile of the firearm.
US09960615B2

An electronic device and method and power supply are disclosed. The electronic device includes comprising a connector for electrically coupling with an external power supply unit, and a processor. The processor implements the method, which includes detecting a connection state with the external power supply unit, and detecting whether power supplied from the external power supply unit is abnormal, and controlling the power when the power supplied has an abnormal value. The power supply may include a connector for electrically coupling with an electronic device, and a processor for detecting a connection state with the electronic device, detecting whether power supplied to the electronic device by the power supply unit has an abnormal value, and controlling the supplied power when the power is abnormal.
US09960614B2

The present invention provides a DC-DC converter which is connected to a high voltage battery and a low voltage battery to convert a high voltage of the high voltage battery into a low voltage to charge the low voltage battery, including: a connecting unit which connects the high voltage battery and the low voltage battery; a converting unit which converts a high voltage supplied from the high voltage battery into a low voltage to charge the low voltage battery; and a protection circuit which is located between the connecting unit and the converting unit and is turned off when at least one of the high voltage battery and the low voltage battery is erroneously connected, to shut off a current path between the high voltage battery and the low voltage battery.
US09960613B2

An electronic equipment, including: an electronic circuit which includes a control section and performs a predetermined functional operation; a battery which supplies electric power to the electronic circuit; a supply detecting section which detects power supply from outside; and a supply cutoff section which cuts off power supply from the battery to the electronic circuit, wherein when the supply detecting section detects the power supply from outside, the supply detecting section performs a battery connection operation of releasing cutoff of the power supply by the supply cutoff section.
US09960601B2

A distributed control node enables local control of reactive power. A consumer node generates local real power on a consumer side of a point of common coupling (PCC). The control node converts local real power into reactive power with a conversion device on the consumer side of the PCC. The control node can deliver the reactive power to the grid to provide VARs to the grid from locally generated real power.
US09960599B1

A thyristor controlled LC (TCLC) compensator for compensating dynamic reactive power in a power grid system, with an advantage of mitigating harmonic current injection from solid-state switches during switching on or off is provided. Exemplarily, the TCLC compensator is shunt-connected to the three-phase power grid and comprises an electronic controller, a coupling inductor (Lc), a first branch of circuit with a parallel inductor (LPF) and a solid-state switch, and a second branch of circuit with a parallel capacitor (CPF), wherein the coupling inductor (Lc) is connected in series with a parallel combination of the first and second branch of circuit. The electronic controller for the TCLC compensator is configured in accordance to the generalized instantaneous reactive power theory for improving the response speed instead of using traditional average reactive power concept.
US09960596B2

Automatic voltage switching circuits for providing a higher voltage of multiple supply voltages are disclosed. In one aspect, an automatic voltage switching circuit is configured to generate a compare signal indicating which of a first supply voltage and a second supply voltage is a higher voltage. The automatic voltage switching circuit is further configured to generate first and second select signals based on the compare signal, wherein the first and second select signals are in a voltage domain of the higher voltage. Transistors corresponding to the first and second supply voltages control switching the output voltage to the higher voltage in response to the first and second select signals. Biasing the back-gates of the transistors using the output voltage reduces or avoids forward biasing in the body diodes of the transistors, thus reducing the possibility of the output voltage causing interference on a power supply corresponding to a non-activated transistor.
US09960592B2

A method for detecting a short circuit fault in a multi-level inverter circuit is provided. The multi-level inverter circuit includes a plurality of single phase branches each including of switches. The method includes steps outlined below. At least one detecting pulse sequence is transmitted to the switches of each of the single phase branches. Whether a conducting path is formed in any of the single phase branches is determined according to the detecting pulse sequence. When the conducting loop is formed, respective position of one or more malfunctioned switch in the single phase branches is located according to a path of the conducting loop. A short-circuit detection device and a three-phase three-level inverter circuit are also disclosed herein.
US09960591B2

In a multilayer printed circuit board (circuit board 20) having an inverter (switching elements 22) mounted thereto, only a second wiring pattern P2 arranged downstream of a semiconductor relays 24 and able to shut off an electric power supply and a third wiring pattern P3 arranged upstream of a shunt resistor 27 and able to detect an overcurrent are placed in adjacent layers in a manner to face each other, and thus, even if the mutually facing portions (laminated portion) of the these two wiring patterns P2 and P3 are subjected to short circuit, an overcurrent caused by the short circuit can be detected by the shunt resistor 27 and the electric power supply to the switching elements 22 can be shut off by the switching elements 22, so that overheating at the second and third wiring patterns P2 and P3 can be avoided.
US09960586B2

A dielectric cover for protecting a component of an electrical power transmission system, the dielectric cover comprising: an enclosing part having enclosing portions that are configured for relative movement to each other to enclose the component; and a gripping part having gripping portions that are configured for relative movement to each other to grip the component, the movement of the gripping portions being independent of the relative movement of the enclosing part.
US09960583B2

A “no profile” electrical box, integrated flange/protective assembly and interchangeable cover that obscures standard electrical outlets such that a wall surface appears nearly continuous, uninterrupted by the outlet or cover when in use or not in use. The profile of the combined unit equals only the thickness of the material from which it is constructed; no hinges, screws or fasteners of any kind are visible and no part of the assembly requires detachment or storage when the outlet is in use, as the hinged cover is undetectably stored in the electrical box, or may be used to cover the electrical cords when engaged in the outlet. Exemplary embodiments of the cover obscure the electrical outlet. Together, the electrical box and flange assembly allow the electrical outlet to be flush mounted or recessed interchangeably, even after installation.
US09960580B1

An assembly that simplifies the wiring of switches, receptacles and other such termination devices within a junction box. The present invention utilizes a dielectric body having a front surface and a side surface. The dielectric body is sized to fit within the electrical junction box. Side connector ports are disposed on the side surface of the dialectic body. A termination device is present at the front surface of the dielectric body. Conductive elements extend through the dielectric body and connect the termination device to the side connector ports. As such, electrical power is provided to the termination device through the side connector ports and the conductive elements that pass through the dielectric body.
US09960579B2

A self-cutting, self-seating, self-securing electrical device is used for mounting lights and devices. It can be provided as an integral one piece box, with a saw ring blade provided as part of the round electrical work box, or the device can be provided without the built-in cutting saw ring blade, which is therefore provided as an add-on accessory which snaps into place within channel located along the top and channels on opposite sides of the downwardly extending round wall of the body of the self-seating electrical device. The self-seating electrical device also has two or more fasteners, such as three toggle swing clamps, to secure the electrical device in place in a cutout in a ceiling or interior or exterior wall panel, where the cutout is cut by the forward saw teethed blade edge of the electrical device.
US09960569B2

The invention relates to a method for stabilizing a diode laser with a semiconductor laser diode and an external resonator (ECDL), wherein the external resonator is comprised of at least one angle-dispersive, frequency-selective element and wherein the frequency of the diode laser is essentially determined by the length of the external resonator and by the position of the angle-dispersive, frequency-selective element, and wherein these two frequency-selective elements or one element thereof can be detuned by way of a correction means (10) for harmonization to each other, which is characterized in that the portion of the light reflected from the external resonator with the angle-dispersive, frequency-selective element back to the semiconductor laser diode and not optically coupled into the semiconductor laser diode (designated as “non-optically coupled light”) or part thereof, is measured and that from the relevant measuring values, after comparison with a reference value, a fault signal is generated which as control variable activates the correction means for synchronization of the frequency-selective elements. Furthermore, the invention relates to device for implementing the method.
US09960568B1

A method of making a quasi-phase-matching (QPM) structure comprising the steps of: applying a pattern to a substrate to define a plurality of growth regions and a plurality of voids; growing in a growth chamber a crystalline inorganic material on only the growth regions in the pattern, the crystalline inorganic material having a first polarity; applying an electric field within the growth chamber containing the patterned substrate with the crystalline inorganic material, wherein the electric field reaches throughout the growth chamber; and growing a crystalline organic material having a second polarity in the voids formed in the inorganic material under the influence of the electric field to influence the magnitude and the direction of the second polarity of the crystalline organic material, wherein the second polarity of the crystalline organic material is influenced to be different from the first polarity of the crystalline inorganic material in magnitude and/or direction.
US09960564B2

Disclosed is an apparatus for power interconnection, adapted for use between a main connector and a DC main. The power connector has a connector power terminal and the DC main has a DC main power terminal. The apparatus includes an apparatus power terminal for being electrically coupled to the DC main power terminal in response to the apparatus in connection with the DC main; a first conductor including a resistor and a conductive contact, the conductive contact being electrically coupled to the resistor; and a second conductor, the resistor being electrically coupled to the second conductor, wherein, in response to an action of the power connector in connection with the apparatus, the connector power terminal contacts the conductive contact and a first current flowing therethrough is limited by the resistor. A receptacle structure for power interconnection is also disclosed.
US09960556B1

High power outlet count PDUs are disclosed having sufficient access to latching features in basic, metered, and managed PDUs. The power outlets may be oriented and spaced apart from one another to allow sufficient access to a latch of a corresponding plug such that plugs may individually be removed from the corresponding power outlets with ease. For example, the power outlets may be arranged longitudinally along the PDU, and staggered widthwise and/or rotated to allow access to the latch(es).
US09960544B2

An electrical connection device comprises an electrical connector. The electrical connector comprises: an insulative body; a plurality of conductive terminals provided to the insulative body; a metal shell surrounding the insulative body and an outer shielding member. The metal shell comprises a top portion, two openings respectively formed at two sides of the top portion and two first ground pieces positioned opposite to a side where the top portion is present and extending outwardly respectively from the two openings. The outer shielding member comprises a main body transversally provided on the top portion of the metal shell and covering the two openings and two second ground pieces respectively extending outwardly from two ends of the main body, the two second ground pieces each have a penetrating hole penetrating from a top surface to a bottom surface. At least a part of each penetrating hole of the two second ground pieces receives the corresponding first ground piece. By that the outer shielding member covers the two openings of the metal shell, EMI may be prevented from being produced.
US09960536B2

A card holding member is provided for holding a card with terminal members and insertion into a card connector. The holding member comprises a frame portion containing a front frame portion in front of the holding member in the insertion direction and side frame portions connected on both ends to the front frame. The frame portion includes a metal portion composed of a metal panel. The front end surface of a front metal frame of the metal portion is exposed on the front end surface of the front frame. The front metal frame includes a subsiding portion. The front surface of the subsiding portion is flush with the front end surface of the front metal frame and includes a section displaced from the front end surface in the thickness direction of the front frame.
US09960533B2

The connector is provided with a locking mechanism capable of engaging and disengaging with each other a receptacle and a plug. The receptacle is provided with a first housing and a first contact. The plug is provided with a second housing and a second contact. The first housing has at a recess portion a lock arm provided at its end with a hook portion. The second housing has at a header portion an engaging protrusion. When the header portion is inserted into the recess portion, the engaging protrusion rides over the hook portion, and the complete fitting of the receptacle and the plug can be felt. When the header portion is pulled out from the recess portion, the hook portion is displaced, and the plug can be readily pulled out from the receptacle.
US09960531B2

A cable connector is provided which includes an insulating body including a frame which defines a region therein; a plurality of electrical terminals fixed to the insulating body and extended into the region; and a plurality of cables electrically connected to the electrical terminals respectively in the region. The region is filled with an insulator to embed the electrical terminals and the cables. The cable connector has a relatively high reliability.
US09960524B2

A while in use cover assembly includes a lid hingedly attached to a base having a back wall; a current member attached to the base, wherein the current member comprises a face with blade apertures configured to receive a power cord plug; and a orientable adaptor attached to the current member, wherein the orientable adaptor is symmetrical about a center line and wherein the orientable adaptor allows the current member to have a constant orientation within the base; and wherein the while in use cover assembly is configured to be attached to an outlet socket.
US09960520B2

A connector includes a first connector constituent including a first terminal and a locking portion; a second connector constituent including a second terminal and a locked portion, and configured so that the second terminal is joined to the first terminal when the second connector constituent is installed in the first connector constituent; and a third connector constituent including a locked-portion holding portion configured to keep the locked portion locked to the locking portion when the third connector constituent is installed over the second connector constituent installed in the first connector constituent.
US09960517B2

An electrical contact terminal formed of sheet metal, an electrical connector comprising the terminal, and a method to manufacture the terminal is presented. The terminal includes a longitudinally extending cavity for receiving an electrical contact pin therein and a contact beam having a contact face arranged at least partially inside the cavity. The contact beam is configured to be deflected by the electrical contact pin to apply a contact force to the contact pin when the electrical contact pin is received in the cavity. The terminal further includes a flat support wall oriented substantially parallel to the insertion direction of the electrical contact pin. An aperture is formed proximate to an edge of the support wall to form a support spring element in the support wall. The support spring element is configured to engage with the contact beam when the same is deflected, thereby increasing contact force.
US09960514B1

A double-sided pluggable combination structure is disclosed in this invention, which includes a double-sided pluggable power plug and a double-sided pluggable power socket. When the power plug and the power socket are engaged with each other, an insertion part of the power socket can enter into a receiving cavity from a plug port of the power plug by an obverse insertion mode or a reverse insertion mode, and each plug terminal of the power plug can be inserted into an insertion hole from a corresponding socket port of the power socket. An engaged portion of the plug terminal can be clamped by elastic arms of a socket terminal, thereby forming a stable electric contact between the plug terminal and the socket terminal.
US09960510B2

A male connector includes a housing fixed to a base, a holding unit supported in such a manner as to enable displacement with respect to the housing; and an elastically deformable male terminal held by the holding unit. The housing is able to maintain the holding unit in a stationary state with the terminal undeformed and apart from the conductive film, while the holding unit is in the temporal locking position with the housing fixed to the base. The housing is able to maintain the holding unit in a stationary state with the terminal elastically deformed and contacting the conductive film, while the holding unit is in the non-temporal locking position with the housing fixed to the base.
US09960508B2

A wire lug connector includes a lug having a termination end configured to be terminated to a conductor of a wire. The lug has a conductive base at a mounting end configured to be mounted to a substrate. The base has a plurality of compliant pins extending from a bottom of the base. The compliant pins are electrically connected to the conductor by the base. The compliant pins are configured to be mechanically and electrically connected to the substrate. The compliant pins may have double ended press-fit sections at opposite heads and tails of the compliant pins that are press-fit into corresponding openings in the base and vias in the substrate.
US09960490B2

The present invention refers to an antenna less wireless handheld or portable device comprising a communication module including a radiating system capable of transmitting and receiving electromagnetic wave signals in a first frequency region and in a second frequency region, wherein the highest frequency of the first frequency region is lower than the lowest frequency of the second frequency region. The radiating system comprising a radiating structure and at least one internal port, wherein the input impedance of the radiating structure at the/each internal port when disconnected from the radiofrequency system has an imaginary part not equal to zero for any frequency of the first frequency region; and wherein said radiofrequency system modifies the impedance of the radiating structure, providing impedance matching to the radiating system in the at least two frequency regions of operation of the radiating system.
US09960489B2

An electronic device including a processor and an antenna device is provided. The antenna device includes a power feeding unit, a first radiation section connected to the power feeding unit, and a switching element including a first terminal electrically connected to first portion of the first radiation section, and a second terminal electrically connected to a second portion of the first radiation section. The processor uses a first resonance frequency band when the switching element is opened and uses a second resonance frequency which is different from the first when the switching element is closed.
US09960480B2

A solar antenna array may comprise an array of antennas that may capture and convert sunlight into electrical power. Methods for constructing the solar antenna array may use a stencil and self aligning semiconductor processing steps to minimize cost. Designs may be optimized for capturing a broad spectrum of visible light and non-polarized light. Testing and disconnecting, defective antennas from the array may also be performed.
US09960478B2

A wireless device includes at least one slim radiating system having a slim radiating structure and a radio-frequency system. The slim radiating structure includes one or more booster bars. The booster bar has slim width and height factors that facilitate its integration within the wireless device and the excitation of a resonant mode in the ground plane layer, and has a location factor that enables it to achieve the most favorable radio-frequency performance for the available space to allocate the booster bar. The at least one slim radiating system may be configured to transmit and receive electromagnetic wave signals in one or more frequency regions of the electromagnetic spectrum.
US09960474B2

Unitary antenna dipole radiating elements are formed. Such elements include a base portion and a plurality of shaped arm portions unitarily formed on a side of the base portion. The antenna elements are configured to transmit and receive RF signals in a high frequency range.
US09960472B1

A continuously manually or remotely adjustable microwave attenuator and linear phase shifter uses a mobile signal coupler (wave-probe) and a slabline structure terminated with 50 Ohms. The coupled port of the wave-probe is connected with the output port of the unit using flexible RF cable. The wave-probe is attached to the vertical axis of a mobile carriage, which is moved at variable distance from the input port, corresponding to the expected transmission phase, whereas the depth, at which the wave-probe is inserted into the slabline, determines the coupling factor and thus the value of the attenuation. Amplifier and low pass filters compensate for coupling loss and equalize for frequency slope.
US09960471B2

In a transmission line, first and second signal conductors are located inside a dielectric base body. The first and second signal conductors are located between first and second ground conductors in a thickness direction of the dielectric base body. A main conductor portion of the second ground conductor is located between the first and second signal conductors in a width direction of the dielectric base body. First and second auxiliary conductor portions of the second ground conductor respectively extend from the main conductor portion to first-signal-conductor-side and second-signal-conductor-side lateral surfaces of the dielectric base body. A first lateral-surface conductor connects the first auxiliary conductor portion to a plating-connection conductor connected to the first ground conductor. A second lateral-surface conductor connects the second auxiliary conductor portion to a plating-connection conductor connected to the first ground conductor.
US09960470B2

Aspects of a guided surface waveguide probe site and the preparation thereof are described. In various embodiments, the guided surface waveguide probe site may include a propagation interface including a first region and a second region, and a guided surface waveguide probe configured to launch a guided surface wave along the propagation interface. In one aspect of the embodiments, at least a portion of the first region may be prepared to more efficiently launch or propagate the guided surface wave. Among embodiments, the portion of the first region, which may be composed of the Earth, may be treated or mixed with salt, gypsum, sand, or gravel, for example, among other compositions of matter. In other embodiments, the portion of the first region may be covered, insulated, irrigated, or temperature-controlled, for example. By preparing the site, a guided surface wave may be more efficiently launched and/or propagated.
US09960459B2

A method of manufacturing a nonaqueous electrolyte secondary battery includes: constructing a nonaqueous electrolyte secondary battery including an electrode body and an electrolytic solution, the electrode body including a negative electrode, and the electrolytic solution containing a nonaqueous solvent and a negative electrode film forming agent having a decomposition voltage that is lower than a decomposition voltage of the nonaqueous solvent; performing first charging of the nonaqueous electrolyte secondary battery at a voltage that is equal to or higher than the decomposition voltage of the negative electrode film forming agent and lower than the decomposition voltage of the nonaqueous solvent and at −30° C. to 0° C.; and performing second charging of the nonaqueous electrolyte secondary battery at a voltage that is equal to or higher than the decomposition voltage of the nonaqueous solvent and at a temperature of 25° C. or higher and lower than a boiling point of the electrolytic solution.
US09960441B2

This disclosure relates to novel manganese hydrides, processes for their preparation, and their use in hydrogen storage applications. The disclosure also relates to processes for preparing manganese dialkyl compounds having high purity, and their use in the preparation of manganese hydrides having enhance hydrogen storage capacity.
US09960433B2

A gas channel forming member is located between a separator and a membrane electrode assembly. The gas channel forming member includes gas channels, which are arranged in parallel with each other on a surface that faces the membrane electrode assembly, water channels, which are formed on a surface that faces the separator, and inner communication passages. The water channels are each located between adjacent two of the gas channels. The inner communication passages communicate the gas channels and the water channels with each other. Each water channel is formed such that the flow cross-sectional area in an outlet section including an outlet opening is larger than the cross-sectional area of an upstream section, which is upstream of an adjacent to the outlet section in the flow direction of the oxidant gas.
US09960430B2

A platinum alloy catalyst PtXY, wherein X is nickel, cobalt, chromium, copper, titanium or manganese and Y is tantalum or niobium, characterised in that in the alloy the atomic percentage of platinum is 46-75 at %, of X is 1-49 at % and of Y is 1-35 at %; provided that the alloy is not 66 at % Pt20 at % Cr14 at % Ta or 50 at % Pt, 25 at % Co, 25 at % Ta is disclosed. The catalyst has particular use as an oxygen reduction catalyst in fuel cells, and in particular in phosphoric acid fuel cells.
US09960429B2

Iron compound particles comprise a β-FeOOH crystal phase and a metal element other than Fe with which the β-FeOOH crystal phase is doped, whereinthe metal element other than Fe is at least one metal element selected from the group consisting of elements of Al as well as 3d and 4d transition metals belonging to periodic table Groups 4 to 12 other than Fe,an atomic ratio of the metal element other than Fe to the Fe element (metal element other than Fe/Fe element) is 0.001 to 0.5, andthe iron compound particles satisfy at least one of the following requirements (A) and (B): (A) having a crystallite diameter of 1 to 60 nm when measured by X-ray diffraction; and (B) having an average particle diameter of 1 to 600 nm when measured by dynamic light scattering in a solvent.
US09960427B2

The present invention relates to a conductive material for a secondary battery, including a pitch coated graphene sheet, an anode for a secondary battery including the same, and a lithium secondary battery including the electrode.
US09960424B2

Positive electrode active materials are described that have a high tap density and high specific discharge capacity upon cycling at room temperature and at a moderate discharge rate. Some materials of interest have the formula Li1+xNiαMnβCoγO2, where x ranges from about 0.05 to about 0.25, α ranges from about 0.1 to about 0.4, β ranges from about 0.4 to about 0.65, and γ ranges from about 0.05 to about 0.3. The materials can be coated with a metal fluoride to improve the performance of the materials especially upon cycling. Also, the coated materials can exhibit a very significant decrease in the irreversible capacity lose upon the first charge and discharge of the battery.
US09960421B2

The present invention relates to a sulfur-containing composite with a core-shell structure for lithium-sulfur battery, wherein the substrate of the core contains macropores and/or mesopores and optionally micropores, and the substrate of the shell is a microporous coating layer; as well as a process for preparing said sulfur-containing composite, an electrode material and a lithium-sulfur battery comprising said sulfur-containing composite.
US09960418B2

Provided is a cathode active material including lithium transition metal oxide particles and composite particles, wherein the composite particles include any one selected from the group consisting of yttria stabilized zirconia (YSZ), gadolinia-doped ceria (GDC), lanthanum strontium gallate magnesite (LSGM), lanthanum strontium manganite (LSM), and nickel (Ni)—YSZ, or a mixture of two or more thereof, and the cathode active material includes the composite particles having a single-phase peak when analyzed by X-ray diffraction (XRD). A cathode active material according to an embodiment of the present invention may not only minimize the reduction in capacity or output of a secondary battery, but may also further improve life characteristics.
US09960415B2

A silicon-carbon composite. In order to improve the cycle stability of a lithium cell equipped therewith, the silicon-carbon composite is produced by a condensation reaction of silicon particles surface-modified with a first condensation-capable group and carbon particles surface-modified with a second condensation-capable group, the silicon particles being covalently bonded to the carbon particles via the condensation reaction product of the first condensation-capable group and the second condensation-capable group. In addition, a method for the production thereof and to an electrode, an electrode material, and a lithium cell is described.
US09960413B2

Particulate LMFP cathode materials having high manganese contents and small amounts of dopant metals are disclosed. These cathode materials are made by milling a mixture of precursor materials in a wet or dry milling process. Preferably, off-stoichiometric amounts of starting materials are used to make the cathode materials. Unlike other high manganese LMFP materials, these cathode materials provide high specific capacities, very good cycle life and high energies even at high discharge rates.
US09960406B2

An energy storage device includes: a first guide portion which is arranged in the inside of a case and allows an electrolyte solution to flow toward one end of an electrode assembly in a winding axis direction from an electrolyte solution pouring hole; and a second guide portion which is arranged in the inside of the case and allows a fluid to flow toward the electrolyte solution pouring hole from the inside of the case, and which prevents the electrolyte solution from flowing toward the other end of the electrode assembly in the winding axis direction from the electrolyte solution pouring hole or suppresses the electrolyte solution from flowing toward the other end of the electrode assembly in the winding axis direction from the electrolyte solution pouring hole.
US09960387B2

The present invention relates to a method for manufacturing a light extraction substrate for an organic light-emitting element, a light extraction substrate for an organic light-emitting element and an organic light-emitting element comprising the same and, more specifically, to: a method for manufacturing a light extraction substrate for an organic light-emitting element, the method being capable of improving light extraction efficiency of the organic light-emitting element and also increasing luminance uniformity; a light extraction substrate for an organic light-emitting element; and an organic light-emitting element comprising the same. To this end, the present invention provides a method for manufacturing a light extraction substrate for an organic light-emitting element, comprising: a mixture preparation step of preparing a mixture by mixing a plurality of scattering particles with an inorganic binder; a mixture coating step of coating the mixture on a base substrate; a buffer layer formation step of forming a buffer layer by coating an inorganic material on the coated mixture; a calcination step of calcinating the mixture and the buffer layer; a first electrode formation step of forming a first electrode, which is made of a metal, in a crack formed in the mixture and the buffer layer in the calcination step; and a second electrode formation step of forming, on the first electrode, a second electrode electrically connected to the first electrode.
US09960385B2

Due to insufficient moisture inside a panel it may take a long time for a screening. An organic EL display device includes a light emitting region including a lower electrode, an organic EL layer, and an upper electrode, a barrier film formed so as to cover the light emitting region, and a moisture retaining film which is formed on the barrier film and is moisture retentive.
US09960381B2

A lighting device may include a substrate having a carrier, a first electrical busbar, a second electrical busbar, and an optically functional structure on or above the carrier, wherein the optically functional structure is formed laterally between the first and the second electrical busbar, and a first electrode electrically coupled to the first electrical busbar and/or the second electrical busbar, on or above the carrier, and an organic functional layer structure on or above the first electrode, wherein the organic functional layer structure is formed for converting an electric current into an electromagnetic radiation, and a second electrode on or above the organic functional layer structure. The optically functional structure is formed in such a way that the beam path of the electromagnetic radiation which passes through the substrate and/or the spectrum of the electromagnetic radiation passing through the substrate are/is variable by means of the optically functional structure.
US09960380B2

An organic light emitting diode and an organic light emitting display device, the organic light emitting diode including a first electrode and a second electrode facing each other; an emission layer between the first electrode and the second electrode; and a hole transport layer between the first electrode and the emission layer, wherein the hole transport layer includes an organic material and a dipole material, the dipole material including a first component and a second component, the first component having a polarity different from that of the second component and the first component and the second component being combined with each other.
US09960377B2

The present disclosure provides a color filter substrate used in an organic light-emitting diode (OLED) or liquid crystal (LC) display structure for improving a contrast ratio and light output. The color filter substrate includes a substrate; a color filter layer comprising a plurality of pixel units; and a reflective metallic matrix comprising a plurality of reflective metallic matrix elements surrounding each pixel unit.
US09960368B2

Provided is a novel heterocyclic compound which can be used for a light-emitting element, as a host material of a light-emitting layer in which a light-emitting substance is dispersed. A heterocyclic compound represented by a general formula (G1) is provided. In the formula, A represents any of a substituted or unsubstituted dibenzothiophenyl group, a substituted or unsubstituted dibenzofuranyl group, and a substituted or unsubstituted carbazolyl group, R11 to R19 separately represent any of hydrogen, an alkyl group having 1 to 4 carbon atoms, and a substituted or unsubstituted aryl group having 6 to 13 carbon atoms, and Ar represents a substituted or unsubstituted arylene group having 6 to 13 carbon atoms.
US09960363B2

The present invention provides an organic electroluminescent element which comprises: an anode; a cathode; and an organic layer interposed between the anode and the cathodes, wherein the organic layer comprises one or more types of layer from the group consisting of a hole-injection layer, hole-transport layer, light-emitting layer, lifetime enhancement layer, electron-transport layer, and electron-injection layer.
US09960355B2

An electronic device, including an organic semiconductor, the organic semiconductor having a first polymer having a first molecular weight and a first length, and a second polymer having a second molecular weight and a second length, wherein the second length is longer than the first length.
US09960354B1

A method for making thin film transistor includes: providing a gate electrode and forming an insulating layer on the gate electrode; providing a carbon nanotube film comprising a plurality of metallic carbon nanotubes and a plurality of semiconducting carbon nanotubes; laying the carbon nanotube film on a surface of the insulating layer, and placing the carbon nanotube film under a scanning electron microscope to take photo of the carbon nanotube film to distinguish the plurality of metallic carbon nanotubes and the plurality of semiconducting carbon nanotubes; removing the metallic carbon nanotubes, and forming a source electrode and a drain electrode on a surface of the semiconducting layer.
US09960352B2

A method of forming a n-doped semiconductor layer wherein a film comprising an organic semiconductor and an n-dopant reagent is irradiated by light having a wavelength that is within an absorption range of the organic semiconductor, and wherein an absorption maximum wavelength of the n-dopant precursor is shorter than any peak wavelength of the light. The n-doped semiconductor layer may be an electron-injection layer of an organic light-emitting device.
US09960351B2

A method for producing an organic semiconductor film includes performing, in random order, applying an ink including an organic semiconductor, a first solvent having high affinity for the organic semiconductor, and a second solvent having lower affinity for the organic semiconductor than the first solvent and having a higher boiling point than the first solvent, to a lyophilic region of a substrate having at least one of a lyophilic region or a liquid repellent region disposed in the vicinity of the lyophilic region on a surface, and applying a solvent composed of the same type of solvent as the first solvent and used for controlling a volatilization rate of the first solvent in the ink applied to the lyophilic or the liquid repellant region; and then causing the first and second solvent in the ink applied to the lyophilic region to volatilize to produce an organic semiconductor film.
US09960350B2

A method of manufacturing a switching element includes forming a first electrode layer over a substrate, forming a switching structure on the first electrode layer, and forming a second electrode layer on the switching structure. The switching structure includes a plurality of unit switching layers that includes a first unit switching layer and a second unit switching layer. Forming the first unit switching layer includes forming a first unit insulation layer, and injecting first dopants into the first unit insulation layer by performing a first ion implantation process. Forming the second unit switching layer includes forming a second unit insulation layer, and injecting second dopants into the second unit insulation layer by performing a second implantation process.
US09960349B2

A resistive random-access memory structure and a method for fabricating a resistive random-access memory structure are described. A first dielectric layer is formed on a substrate. A plurality of bottom electrodes are independently embedded in the first dielectric layer. A transition metal oxide layer covers the plurality of bottom electrodes and extends onto a portion of the first dielectric layer. The minimum distance between the bottom electrode and a sidewall of the transition metal oxide layer is a first distance. The first distance is in a range of 10 nm to 200 μm. A top electrode is formed on the transition metal oxide layer.
US09960341B1

A high frequency magnetostrictive transducer includes a magnetostrictive rod or wire inserted co-axially into a driving coil, wherein the driving coil includes a coil arrangement with a plurality of small coil segments along the magnetostrictive rod or wire; wherein frequency operation of the high frequency magnetostrictive transducer is controlled by a length of the small coil segments and a material type of the magnetostrictive rod or wire. This design of the high frequency magnetostrictive transducer retains the beneficial aspects of the magnetostrictive design, while reducing its primary drawback, lower frequency operation.
US09960337B2

A thermoelectric converter includes a battery box, an outer box and a connecting ring. The battery box has a bottom case, a battery disposed in the bottom case, a battery circuit board electrically connected to the battery, and an application circuit board disposed at one end of the bottom case. The outer box has a heat sink surrounding and covering the battery box, a thermoelectric module electrically connected to the battery circuit board with the thermoelectric module electrically connected to the battery through the battery circuit board, a heat conducting plate overlying the thermoelectric module and configured to conduct thermal energy from ambient environment to the thermoelectric module for the thermoelectric module to absorb the thermal energy and convert the thermal energy to electricity, and a non-metal adiabatic frame surrounding the thermoelectric module and configured to prevent the thermal energy from being dissipated to the ambient environment.
US09960328B2

A method for manufacturing a semiconductor device and a semiconductor device produced thereby. For example and without limitation, various aspects of this disclosure provide a method for manufacturing a semiconductor device, and a semiconductor device produced thereby, that that comprises a transparent, translucent, non-opaque, or otherwise optically-transmissive, external surface.
US09960327B2

Embodiments of the present disclosure provide a light emitting device and display equipment. The light emitting device, includes a light emitting diode (LED) and an optical lens, the optical lens including a light incident surface and a light emergent surface, the light incident surface including a free-form convex surface; wherein there is a first angle between a symmetry axis and the connecting line between the center point of the light emitting surface and any point on the light incident surface, and the curvature of the light incident surface decreases with the increase of the first angle; there is a second angle between a symmetry axis and the connecting line between the center point of the light emitting surface and any point on the light emergent surface, and the curvature of the light emergent surface increases with the increase of the second angle.
US09960325B2

A semiconductor device and manufacturing method therefor, provided with the aims of constraining resin burr formation while having good electric connectivity and joining strength, and LED device, provided with the aim of improving adhesion between silicon resin and leads while having good luminescent characteristics. For these purposes, an organic film is formed through self-assembly by functional organic molecules at surface border regions of outer leads of a QFP. The functional organic molecules consist of a first functional group bonding with metals, a principal chain, and a second functional group inducing hardening in thermosetting resins. The principal chain consists of a glycol chain, or else of a glycol chain and one or more among methylene, fluoromethylene, or siloxane chains. The principal chain also preferably includes one or more among a hydroxyl radical, ketone, thioketone, primary amine, secondary amine, and aromatic compounds.
US09960323B2

A LED module includes a lens group, an LED illuminant, a circuit board and a heat sink; the LED illuminant includes an LED chip and a heat sink holder; the LED chip is attached to the heat sink holder which is disposed on the circuit board by Surface Mounted Technology; the lens group covers the heat sink, and is located above the LED chip; encapsulant is filled in a confined space formed between the lens group and the heat sink through a process of injection. Compared with the prior art, in the LED module of the present invention, the encapsulant replaces the original air medium in the transmission process of the light emitted by the LED chip; moreover, matching between the refractive index of the encapsulant and the lens of the lens group improves the light out-coupling efficiency. Lighting efficiency is improved by 10˜15% compared with the prior art.
US09960319B2

The surface of a light emitting device is roughened to enhance the light extraction efficiency of the surface, but the amount of roughened area is selected to achieve a desired level of light extraction efficiency. Photo-lithographic techniques may be used to create a mask that limits the roughening to select areas of the light emitting surface. Because the amount of roughened area can be precisely controlled, the light extraction efficiency can be precisely controlled, substantially independent of the particular process used to roughen the surface. Additionally, the selective roughening of the surface may be used to achieve a desired light emission output pattern.
US09960314B2

Compositions for solution-based deposition of CIGS films are described. The compositions include ternary, quaternary or quinary chalcogenide nanoparticles (i.e., CIGS nanoparticles) and one or more inorganic salts dissolved or dispersed in a solvent to form an ink. The ink can be deposited on a substrate by conventional coating techniques and then annealed to form a crystalline layer. Further processing can be employed to fabricate a PV device. The inorganic salts are included to (i) tune the stoichiometry of the CIGS precursor ink to a desirable ratio, thus tuning the semiconductor band gap, to (ii) dope the CIGS layer with additives, such as Sb and/or Na, to promote grain growth, and/or to (iii) modify and improve the coating properties of the CIGS precursor ink.
US09960306B2

A condensing photoelectric conversion apparatus includes a first photoelectric conversion module and a second photoelectric conversion module. The first and second condensing photoelectric conversion modules each include a power generating element, a condensing lens located on the power generating element and having a front surface with a convex portion and a flat rear surface, a transparent first resin located between the power generating element and the rear surface of the condensing lens, a colored second resin located on the rear surface of the condensing lens and around the power generating element, and a third resin located between the condensing lens of the first photoelectric conversion module and the condensing lens of the second photoelectric conversion module, and having a refractive index n1 satisfying a relational expression n0−0.05≤n1≤n0+1.0 with a refractive index n0 of the condensing lens.
US09960305B2

A wafer precursor for creating photovoltaic (PV) concentrator modules and a method for fabricating solar concentrator modules using the wafer precursor. The method includes providing a crystalline silicon wafer substrate that can be used to make multiple concentrator cells to be incorporated into concentrator modules. The method also includes applying fingers as horizontal grid lines onto the crystalline silicon wafer substrate. The method also includes applying bus bars onto the crystalline silicon wafer substrate to form separate top grid structures. The number of separate top grid structures is at least two when the concentrator module is part of an optical system that has a concentration ratio of between about 8 and about 16 times sunlight. The number of top grid structures is at least three when the concentrator module is part of an optical system that has a concentration ratio of between about 17 and about 50.
US09960299B2

Disclosed is an avalanche photodiode using a silicon nanowire, including a first silicon nanowire formed of silicon (Si), a first conductive region formed by doping one surface of the first silicon nanowire with a first dopant, and a second conductive region formed by doping one surface of the first silicon nanowire with a second dopant having a conductive type different from that of the first dopant so as to be arranged continuously in a longitudinal direction from the first conductive region, wherein, when the magnitude of a reverse voltage applied to both ends of the first silicon nanowire is equal to or greater than a preset breakdown voltage, avalanche multiplication of inner current occurs due to the incidence of light from the outside.
US09960298B2

A method for the preparation of copper indium gallium diselenide/disulfide (CIGS) nanoparticles utilizes a copper-rich stoichiometry. The copper-rich CIGS nanoparticles are capped with organo-chalcogen ligands, rendering the nanoparticles processable in organic solvents. The nanoparticles may be deposited on a substrate and thermally processed in a chalcogen-rich atmosphere to facilitate conversion of the excess copper to copper selenide or copper sulfide that may act as a sintering flux to promote liquid phase sintering and thus the growth of large grains. The nanoparticles so produced may be used to fabricate CIGS-based photovoltaic devices.
US09960296B2

A solar energy collecting system includes a substrate and at least one solar chip. The substrate includes a first surface, a second surface and a plurality of lateral surfaces, wherein the first surface faces the second surface, the lateral surfaces are adjacent to the first and second surfaces, and a first micro structure is formed on the first or the second surface. The solar chip is near one of the lateral surfaces. Solar light penetrates the first and the second surface and is refracted or reflected by the first micro structure to leave the substrate via the lateral surface and be absorbed by the solar chip.
US09960295B2

A Single-Photon Avalanche Diode (SPAD) is disclosed. The SPAD may include an active region for detection of incident radiation, and a cover configured to shield part of the active region from the incident radiation. An array is also disclosed and includes SPADs arranged in rows and columns. A method for making the SPAD is also disclosed.
US09960293B2

The present invention relates to a method for preparing a transparent electrode using a carbon nanotube (CNT) film, and more particularly, to a method for preparing a transparent electrode, the method comprising the steps of forming a CNT film on a desired substrate using a dispersed solution of CNT and then reducing/forming metal nanoparticles on the surface of the CNT film. According to the present invention, a transparent electrode in which gold nanoparticles are formed on the surface of high density CNT film having high purity, can be prepared. The inventive transparent electrode has high visible ray penetration and an excellent electrical conductivity by hyperfine metal particles uniformly formed on the surface thereof as well as a uniform increase in electrical conductivity over the whole CNT film, and thus it can be applied to various displays as well as image sensors, solar cells, touch panels, digital papers, electromagnetic shielding agents, static charge preventing agents and the like.
US09960292B2

A solar cell includes negative metal contact fingers and positive metal contact fingers. The negative metal contact fingers are interdigitated with the positive metal contact fingers. The metal contact fingers, both positive and negative, have a radial design where they radially extend to surround at least 25% of a perimeter of a corresponding contact pad. The metal contact fingers have bend points, which collectively form a radial pattern with a center point within the contact pad. Exactly two metal contact pads merge into a single leading metal contact pad that is wider than either of the exactly two metal contact pads.
US09960289B2

A solder joint material includes a copper-based metal material including mainly a copper, a surface-treated layer that is provided on the copper-based metal material and includes an amorphous layer including oxygen and a metal with a higher oxygen affinity than a copper, and a Sn-based solder plating layer provided on the surface-treated layer.
US09960285B2

One or more techniques or systems for forming a contact structure for a deep trench capacitor (DTC) are provided herein. In some embodiments, a contact structure includes a substrate region, a first region, a second region, contact landings, a first trench region, a first landing region, and a second trench region. In some embodiments, a first region is over the substrate region and a second region is over the first region. For example, the first region and the second region are in the first trench region or the second trench region. Additionally, a contact landing over the first trench region, the second trench region, or the first landing region is in contact with the first region, the second region, or the substrate region. In this manner, additional contacts are provided and landing area is reduced, thus reducing resistance of the DTC, for example.
US09960284B2

A semiconductor structure includes a varactor and a field effect transistor. The varactor includes a body region that includes a semiconductor material and a first gate structure over the body region. The body region is doped to have a first conductivity type. The first gate structure includes a first gate insulation layer and a first work function adjustment metal layer. The field effect transistor includes a source region, a channel region, a drain region and a second gate structure over the channel region. The source region and the drain region are doped to have a second conductivity type that is opposite to the first conductivity type. The second gate structure includes a second gate insulation layer and a second work function adjustment metal layer. The first work function adjustment metal layer and the second work function adjustment metal layer include substantially the same metal.
US09960283B2

Disclosed is a thin-film transistor. The thin-film transistor includes: a substrate; a first gate, a first gate insulation layer, a semiconductor layer, an etching stop layer, and the second gate stacked on a surface of the substrate, in which the semiconductor layer has a thickness of 200 nm-2000 nm; the etching stop layer includes a first via and a second via formed therein; and the first via and the second via are arranged to each correspond to the semiconductor layer; and a source and a drain respectively extending through the first via and the second via to connect to the semiconductor layer. The thin-film transistor has an increased ON-state current and switching speed.
US09960279B2

Hydrogen concentration and oxygen vacancies in an oxide semiconductor film are reduced. Reliability of a semiconductor device which includes a transistor using an oxide semiconductor film is improved. One embodiment of the present invention is a semiconductor device which includes a base insulating film; an oxide semiconductor film formed over the base insulating film; a gate insulating film formed over the oxide semiconductor film; and a gate electrode overlapping with the oxide semiconductor film with the gate insulating film provided therebetween. The base insulating film shows a signal at a g value of 2.01 by electron spin resonance. The oxide semiconductor film does not show a signal at a g value of 1.93 by electron spin resonance.
US09960271B1

An integrated circuit and method are disclosed. In the method, a stack of sacrificial layers is formed on a semiconductor layer such that a first portion of the stack has an extra sacrificial layer as compared to a second portion. First and second multi-layer fins are etched through the first and second portions and into the semiconductor layer. First and second vertical field effect transistors (VFETs) are formed using the fins. During VFET formation, multiple etch processes are performed to remove the sacrificial layers. The last of these etch processes is a selective isotropic etch process that removes the extra sacrificial layer and etches back first and second upper dielectric spacers on the first and second multi-layer fins. Due to the extra sacrificial layer, the first upper dielectric spacer will be taller than the second and the first VFET will have a higher threshold voltage than the second.
US09960267B2

In a semiconductor device provided with a MOSFET part and a gate pad part defined on a semiconductor substrate which is formed by laminating a low resistance semiconductor layer and a drift layer, the gate pad part includes: the low resistance semiconductor layer; the drift layer formed on the low resistance semiconductor layer; a poly-silicon layer constituting a conductor layer and a gate pad electrode formed above the drift layer over the whole area of the gate pad part with a field insulation layer interposed therebetween; and a gate oscillation suppressing structure where a p-type diffusion region electrically connected with the a source electrode layer and a p-type impurity non-diffusion region are alternately formed on a surface of the drift layer.
US09960265B1

In one embodiment, a III-V high electron mobility semiconductor device includes a semiconductor substrate including a GaN layer, an AlGaN layer on the GaN layer wherein a 2 DEG is formed near an interface of the GaN layer and the AlGaN layer. An insulator may be on at least a first portion of the AlGaN layer and a P-type GaN gate region may be overlying a second portion of the AlGaN layer wherein the 2 DEG does not underlie the P-type GaN gate region.
US09960262B2

A semiconductor structure having a buffer layer, a pseudomorphic, impurity doped, back-barrier layer disposed on the buffer layer, a channel layer disposed on the back-barrier layer, the channel layer lattice matched to the buffer layer, and a top barrier layer disposed on the channel layer. A Group III-Nitride transition layer is disposed between the buffer layer and the pseudomorphic back-barrier layer. The buffer layer and the pseudomorphic back-barrier layer are both Group III-Nitride materials. The Group III-Nitride material of the buffer layer is different from the Group III-Nitride material in the back-barrier layer. The back-barrier layer has a wider bandgap of than the buffer layer bandgap. The composition of the Group III-Nitride material in the transition layer varies from the composition of the Group III-Nitride material in the buffer layer to the composition of the Group III-Nitride material in the pseudomorphic back-barrier layer as a function of distance from the buffer layer.
US09960243B2

A semiconductor device includes a transistor cell with a stripe-shaped trench gate structure that extends from a first surface into a semiconductor body. A gate connector structure at a distance to the first surface is electrically connected to a gate electrode in the trench gate structure. A gate dielectric separates the gate electrode from the semiconductor body. First sections of the gate dielectric outside a vertical projection of the gate connector structure are thinner than second sections within the vertical projection of the gate connector structure.
US09960242B2

A reduced size non-volatile memory cell array is achieved by forming first trenches in an insulation layer in the row direction, filling the first trenches with insulation material, forming second trenches in the insulation layer in the column direction, forming the STI isolation material in the second trenches, and forming the source regions through the first trenches. Alternately, the STI isolation regions can be made continuous, and the source diffusion implant has sufficient energy to form continuous source line diffusions that each extend across the active regions and under the STI isolation regions. This allows control gates of adjacent memory cell pairs to be formed closer together.
US09960240B2

An electrical device including at least one contact surface and an interlevel dielectric layer present atop the electrical device, wherein the interlevel dielectric layer includes at least one trench to the at least one contact surface of the electrical device. A conformal titanium liner is present on the sidewalls of the trench and is in direct contact with the at least one contact surface. The conformal titanium liner may be composed of 100 wt. % titanium, and may have a thickness ranging from 10 Å to 100 Å.
US09960239B2

An electronic device is presented; the device comprises an electrode structure located in electrical contact with a semiconducting element. The electrode structure is configured with two or more groups of regions comprising regions of a first group having first charge injection properties and regions of a second group having second charge injection properties being lower than the first charge injection properties. The regions of the second group are configured to provide barrier for injection of charge carriers from regions of the first group into the semiconductor element to thereby allow tailoring of desired electronic properties of the device.
US09960234B2

In one embodiment, a method of forming an MOS transistor includes forming a threshold voltage (Vth) of the MOS transistor to have a first value at interior portions of the MOS transistor and a second value at other locations within the MOS transistor that are distal from the interior portion wherein the second value is less than the first value.
US09960229B2

In an embodiment, a semiconductor device includes a semiconductor substrate having a bulk resistivity ρ≥100 Ohm.cm, a front surface and a rear surface, at least one LDMOS transistor in the semiconductor substrate, and a RESURF structure. The RESURF structure includes a doped buried layer arranged in the semiconductor substrate, spaced at a distance from the front surface and the rear surface, and coupled with at least one of a channel region and a body contact region of the LDMOS transistor.
US09960227B2

A wafer includes a first interposer having a first patterned metal layer and a second interposer having a second patterned metal layer. The wafer includes a metal connection in a scribe region of the wafer that electrically couples the first patterned metal layer of the first interposer with the second patterned metal layer of the second interposer forming a global wafer network. The wafer further includes a probe pad located in the scribe region that is electrically coupled to the global wafer network.
US09960226B2

High density capacitor structures based on an array of semiconductor nanorods are provided. The high density capacitor structure can be a plurality of capacitors in which each of the semiconductor nanorods serves as a bottom electrode for one of the plurality of capacitors, or a large-area metal-insulator-metal (MIM) capacitor in which the semiconductor nanorods serve as a support structure for a bottom electrode of the MIM capacitor subsequently formed.
US09960224B2

A three capacitor stack and associated methods are shown. An exemplary capacitor device may include a first capacitor stack that includes a first plurality of layers of reference electrodes interleaved with first capacitor electrodes, a second capacitor stack on the first capacitor stack that includes a second plurality of layers of reference electrodes interleaved with second capacitor electrodes, and a third capacitor stack on the second capacitor stack that includes a reference electrode and a third capacitor electrode. A respective layer of dielectric material is formed between the reference electrodes and the first capacitor electrodes, the second capacitor electrodes, and the third capacitor electrode.
US09960222B2

The present disclosure provides an organic light-emitting diode (OLED) array substrate. The OLED array substrate includes a display area with OLEDs arranged in arrays, electrostatic discharge lines, and peripheral electrostatic discharge areas with conductive areas electrically connected to a cathode of the OLEDs and electrically connected to the electrostatic discharge lines through switch modules.
US09960210B2

The present invention discloses a structure of pixel arrangement and a display device. The structure of pixel arrangement includes a first sub-pixel, and second sub-pixels and third sub-pixels that are provided surrounding the first sub-pixel, the first sub-pixel, portions of the second sub-pixels and portions of the third sub-pixels constituting a virtual rhombus, wherein a center of the first sub-pixel coincides with a center of the virtual rhombus; a center of the second sub-pixel coincides with a first vertex of the virtual rhombus; and a center of the third sub-pixel coincides with a second vertex of the virtual rhombus. Compared with the prior art, the number of sub-pixels required to achieve high resolution display in the present invention is smaller, so that the number of the sub-pixels is decreased.
US09960209B2

An OLED display includes pixels, each including a first light emission region having a first area and a first perimeter and a second light emission region disposed neighboring the first light emission region and having a second area and a second perimeter. The first area, the first perimeter, the second area, and the second perimeter respectively satisfy an equation of A1*P2=A2*P1, where A1 is the first area, P1 is the first perimeter, A2 is the second area, and P2 is the second perimeter.
US09960208B2

An OLED display panel includes: two substrates opposite to each other; a plurality of pixel regions disposed between inner sides of the two substrates and each comprising a blue sub-pixel sub-region, a green sub-pixel sub-region and a red sub-pixel sub-region; and a circularly polarizing plate disposed at an outer side of one of the substrates on a light outgoing side of the display panel; wherein, an opening zone is within a projection area where a projection of each of the pixel regions on the circularly polarizing plate in a thickness direction of the display panel is located, and through the opening zone the corresponding sub-pixel sub-regions are exposed. A method for manufacturing an OLED display panel and a display apparatus having the OLED display panel are also disclosed.
US09960194B1

Disclosed is a display device including a data distribution circuit with enhanced electrical characteristic. The display device includes a plurality of demultiplexing circuits including a gap area which is provided between two transistors, which are adjacent to each other along a first horizontal axis direction, of first to nth transistors and provided in a non-rectilinear shape along a second horizontal axis direction. Here, the gap area may have a zigzag shape along the second horizontal axis direction.
US09960187B2

An electrical connection structure providing better optical properties in a display includes an electrical connection unit, an interference layer, and an electrically insulating cover. The interference layer is positioned on a side of the electrical connection unit. The electrically insulating cover is positioned on the other side of the electrical connection unit and formed to cover the electrical connection unit. The electrical connection unit includes a metal layer to reflect light. The interference layer can reflect light falling on a first region close to the electrically insulating cover. A degree of reflectance of the first region of the interference layer is equal to the reflectance of the metal layer.
US09960182B2

A semiconductor memory device includes a stack including gate electrodes sequentially stacked on a substrate, a vertical insulating structure penetrating the stack vertically with respect to the gate electrodes, a vertical channel portion disposed on an inner side surface of the vertical insulating structure, and a common source region formed in the substrate and spaced apart from the vertical channel portion. A bottom region of the vertical channel portion has a protruding surface in contact with a bottom region of the vertical insulating structure.
US09960178B2

According to one embodiment, a semiconductor memory device includes a stacked body and a column. The stacked body includes a plurality of electrode layers. The column includes a semiconductor channel, a charge storage film, and a doped silicon layer. The semiconductor channel extends in the stacking direction. The semiconductor channel is a polycrystalline. An average grain size of crystals in a polycrystalline is not less than a film thickness of the semiconductor channel. The charge storage film is provided between the semiconductor channel and the electrode layers. The doped silicon layer contains a metal element and an impurity other than a metal element. The doped silicon layer is in contact with a top end of the semiconductor channel.
US09960176B2

In some embodiments, a semiconductor substrate includes first and second source/drain regions which are separated from one another by a channel region. The channel region includes a first portion adjacent to the first source/drain region and a second portion adjacent the second source/drain region. A select gate is spaced over the first portion of the channel region and is separated from the first portion of the channel region by a select gate dielectric. A memory gate is spaced over the second portion of the channel region and is separated from the second portion of the channel region by a charge-trapping dielectric structure. The charge-trapping dielectric structure extends upwardly alongside the memory gate to separate neighboring sidewalls of the select gate and memory gate from one another. An oxide spacer or nitride-free spacer is arranged in a sidewall recess of the charge-trapping dielectric structure nearest the second source/drain region.
US09960173B2

According to one embodiment, a semiconductor memory device includes: a substrate; a first interconnect; a second interconnect; a plurality of third interconnects; a fourth interconnect; a semiconductor member; a charge storage member; and a conductive member. One of the plurality of third interconnects is disposed on two second-direction sides of the conductive member. Portions of the one of the plurality of third interconnects disposed on the two second-direction sides of the conductive member are formed as one body.
US09960168B2

Structures and methods for deep trench capacitor connections are disclosed. The structure includes a reduced diameter top portion of the capacitor conductor. This increases the effective spacing between neighboring deep trench capacitors. Silicide or additional polysilicon are then deposited to complete the connection between the deep trench capacitor and a neighboring transistor.
US09960152B2

An optoelectronic device is provided, including light-emitting diodes arranged such that: N diodes of said plurality, where N ≥2, are connected in series and are configured to be forward-biased, and at least one diode is connected in parallel to the N diodes and is configured to be reverse-biased and to form a Zener diode, wherein a sum of threshold voltages of the N diodes is less than a breakdown voltage of the Zener diode, and the light-emitting diodes include a stack of semiconductive portions including a first conductivity-type doped portion, a second conductivity-type doped portion opposite the first type, and a first intermediate portion doped according to the first type and being disposed between said first and second portions and having a doping level such that the breakdown voltage is greater than the sum of the threshold voltages of each of the N diodes.
US09960147B2

A power module includes a base plate, first, second, and third semiconductor chips. At least one of a third edge or fourth edge of the first semiconductor chip is disposed adjacent to a side end of the base plate. Among a half of a distance from a first edge of the first semiconductor chip to one edge of the second semiconductor chip, a half of a distance from a second edge of the first semiconductor chip to one edge of the third semiconductor chip, and a distance from the third edge or fourth edge of the first semiconductor chip disposed adjacent to the side end of the base plate to the side end of the base plate, a length of a solder fillet formed on the edge of the first semiconductor chip at the shortest distance is formed in the shortest length.
US09960142B2

A package component includes a surface dielectric layer having a first planar surface, and a metal pad in the surface dielectric layer. The metal pad includes a diffusion barrier layer that includes sidewall portions, and a metallic material encircled by the sidewall portions of the diffusion barrier layer. The metallic material has a second planar surface level with the first planar surface. An air gap extends from the second planar surface of the metallic material into the metallic material. An edge of the air gap is aligned to an edge of the metallic material.
US09960137B1

A semiconductor device package ready for assembly includes: a semiconductor substrate; a first under-bump-metallurgy (UBM) layer disposed on the semiconductor substrate; a first conductive pillar disposed on the first UBM layer; and a second conductive pillar disposed on the first conductive pillar. A material of the first conductive pillar is different from a material of the second conductive pillar, and the material of the second conductive pillar includes an antioxidant.
US09960132B1

Embodiments of the present application provide a display apparatus and a method for binding the same. The apparatus includes: a flexible display panel; and a chip on film bound on a binding region of the flexible display panel. The chip on film has at least two rows of output pads and the flexible display panel has at least two rows of input pads. Virtual elongation lines of all of the output pads intersect at a same intersection point in a first datum line perpendicular to the first direction. The output pads are electrically connected to the input pads and the output pads and the input pads have the virtual elongation lines at a same angle with respect to a common datum line, the common datum line being composed of the first datum line and the second datum line coinciding with each other.
US09960121B2

In accordance with the present invention, there is provided a semiconductor device comprising a semiconductor die or chip, a package body and a through package body via. The semiconductor chip includes a plurality of conductive pads. The package body encapsulates a sidewall of the semiconductor chip, and has at least one hole formed therein having a sidewall which is of a prescribed first surface roughness value. The through package body via is disposed in the hole of the package body and comprises a dielectric material and at least one conductive interconnection metal. The dielectric material is disposed on the sidewall of the hole and defines at least one bore having a sidewall which is of a second surface roughness value less than the first surface roughness value. The interconnection metal is disposed within the bore.
US09960119B2

A method to provide a wafer level package with increasing contact pad area comprising the steps of forming a first packaging layer on wafer top surface, grinding the wafer back surface and etch through holes, depositing a metal to fill the through holes and covering wafer backside, cutting through the wafer from wafer backside forming a plurality of grooves separating each chip then depositing a second packaging layer filling the grooves and covering the wafer back metal, reducing the first packaging layer thickness to expose the second packaging layer filling the grooves and forming a plurality of contact pads overlaying the first packaging layer thereafter cutting through the second packaging layer in the grooves to form individual package.
US09960117B2

A semiconductor substrate including one or more conductors is provided. A first layer and a second layer are deposited on the top surface of the conductors. A dielectric cap layer is formed over the semiconductor substrate and air gaps are etched into the dielectric layer. The result is a bilayer cap air gap structure with effective electrical performance.
US09960104B2

An integrated package design for a package-on-package product is described that uses wire leads. Some embodiments pertain to a stacked package assembly that includes a first die having a front side and a back side, a die paddle attached to the back side of the first die, a plurality of wire leads, one end being connected to the front side of the die for connection to an external device, a mold compound encapsulating the first die and at least a portion of the die paddle, a land pad cut from the die paddle and supported by the mold compound, a second plurality of wire leads, one end of the wire leads being connected to the front side of the first die and the other end of the wire leads being connected to the land pad, a second die stacked over the die paddle and a third plurality of wire leads, one end being connected to the second die and the other end being connected to the land pad.
US09960100B2

A cooler includes: a jacket having an internal coolant conduction space surrounded by a main cooling surface top plate, an opposite bottom plate, and a side wall; coolant inflow and outflow pipes connected to two through holes in the side wall; a coolant introduction channel forming a part of the coolant conduction space and communicating with the coolant inflow pipe; a coolant discharge channel forming a part of the coolant conduction space and communicating with the coolant outflow pipe; and a fin unit between the coolant introduction and discharge channels. The fin unit includes a plurality of fins having separate main surfaces and thermally connected to the top plate. The fins have first ends acutely angled relative to a direction of flow of coolant in the coolant introduction channel, and second ends acutely angled relative to a direction of flow of coolant in the coolant discharge channel.
US09960096B2

In a semiconductor device, a second heat sink and a third heat sink are electrically connected by a joint portion in an alignment direction in which a first switching element and a second switching element are aligned. A second power-supply terminal is disposed in the alignment direction in a region between a first power-supply terminal and an output terminal and between the second heat sink and the third heat sink. In an encapsulation resin body, at least one of a shortest distance between a first potential portion at same potential as the first power-supply terminal and a third potential portion at same potential as the output terminal and a shortest distance between a second potential portion at same potential as the second power-supply terminal and the third potential portion is shorter than a shortest distance between the first potential portion and the second potential portion.
US09960092B2

To provide an interlayer filler composition which, in 3D lamination of semiconductor device chips, forms a highly thermally conductive filling interlayer simultaneously with the bonding of solder bumps or the like and lands between semiconductor device chips, a coating fluid and a process for producing a three-dimensional integrated circuit.An interlayer filler composition for a three-dimensional integrated circuit, which comprises a resin (A) having a melt viscosity at 120° C. of at most 100 Pa·s and a flux (B), the content of the flux (B) being at least 0.1 part by weight and at most 10 parts by weight per 100 parts by weight of the resin (A).
US09960091B2

A package includes: a semiconductor element; a case having an opening and housing the semiconductor element; and a lid having a rectangular parallelepiped shape and occluding the opening of the case. In the package, the lid is joined to an end portion of the opening of the case, and includes a bent portion surrounded by a portion joining the lid to the case and extending along a longitudinal side of the lid.
US09960071B2

A polishing apparatus according to an embodiment includes a first polishing part, a second polishing part, and an annular part. The second polishing part includes a mounting surface for a semiconductor substrate, and rubs the semiconductor substrate mounted on the mounting surface while pressing the semiconductor substrate against the first polishing part. The annular part includes a support part provided in the second polishing part, and a plurality of convex portions that project from the support part toward the first polishing part, are arranged in a circumferential direction around the mounting surface while being supported by the support part, and are movable in a radial direction of the semiconductor substrate.
US09960069B2

A joining device for joining substrates together includes a first holding member configured to vacuum-suck a first substrate to draw and hold the first substrate on a lower surface thereof, and a second holding member disposed below the first holding member and configured to vacuum-suck a second substrate to draw and hold the second substrate on an upper surface thereof. The second holding member includes a body portion formed into a size larger than the second substrate when seen in a plan view and configured to vacuum-suck the second substrate, a plurality of pins provided on the body portion and configured to make contact with a rear surface of the second substrate, and an outer wall portion annularly provided on the body portion at an outer side of the plurality of pins and configured to support an outer periphery portion of the rear surface of the second substrate.
US09960067B2

According to an aspect of an embodiment of the invention, there is provided an electrostatic chuck including: a ceramic dielectric substrate including a first major surface for mounting a clamped target, a second major surface on opposite side from the first major surface, and a through hole provided from the second major surface to the first major surface; a metallic base plate supporting the ceramic dielectric substrate and including a gas feed channel communicating with the through hole; and an insulator plug including a ceramic porous body provided in the gas feed channel and a ceramic insulating film provided between the ceramic porous body and the gas feed channel and being denser than the ceramic porous body, the ceramic insulating film biting into the ceramic porous body from a surface of the ceramic porous body.
US09960061B2

A method for curing at least in part a photoresist applied to a substrate comprises the following steps: The substrate coated with the photoresist is arranged on a support. The photoresist is subjected to a suitable temperature for curing the photoresist for a first predetermined time period. After the first predetermined time period has passed, the substrate is lifted from the support, rotated, re-placed onto the support and subjected to a suitable temperature for curing the photoresist for a second predetermined time period. This method can be performed with a device for curing at least in part a photoresist applied to a substrate, comprising a chamber, a support which is arranged in the chamber and on which the substrate can be arranged, and a rotating device for rotating the substrate between a first and a second phase of the curing of the photoresist.
US09960050B2

A method of removing a hard mask is provided. Gate stacks are patterned on a substrate, where the gate stacks include a polysilicon layer and the hard mask deposited over the polysilicon layer. A dielectric layer is deposited on the substrate and on the patterned gate stacks. A first portion of the dielectric layer is planarized by chemical mechanical polishing (CMP) to remove a topography of the dielectric layer. The hard mask and a second portion of the dielectric layer are removed by the CMP.
US09960042B2

Ion implantation processes and systems are described, in which carbon dopant source materials are utilized to effect carbon doping. Various gas mixtures are described, including a carbon dopant source material, as well as co-flow combinations of gases for such carbon doping. Provision of in situ cleaning agents in the carbon dopant source material is described, as well as specific combinations of carbon dopant source gases, hydride gases, fluoride gases, noble gases, oxide gases and other gases.
US09960035B2

Methods and apparatus for processing a substrate are described herein. A vacuum multi-chamber deposition tool can include a degas chamber with both a heating mechanism and a variable frequency microwave source. The methods described herein use variable frequency microwave radiation to increased quality and speed of the degas process without damaging the various components.
US09960034B2

A method, which forms an air-bubble-free thin film with a high-viscosity fluid resin, initially dispenses the fluid resin on an outer region of a semiconductor wafer while the semiconductor wafer is spinning, and then dispenses the fluid resin onto the center of the semiconductor wafer after the semiconductor wafer has stopped spinning.
US09960028B2

The invention generally relates to systems and methods for analyzing a sample from a surface. In certain aspects, the invention provides systems that include a sample introduction member that has an inlet, an outlet, and an opening along a wall of the sample introduction member. The sample introduction member may be configured such that the opening couples with a surface that includes a sample in a manner in which molecules of the sample enter the sample introduction member via the opening and exit the sample introduction member via the outlet. A mass spectrometer is configured to receive the molecules of the sample.
US09960027B2

A method and corresponding apparatus are disclosed for analysis of a peptide-containing sample. The sample is prepared by adding isotopically-labeled peptides corresponding to endogenous peptides of interest, and the prepared sample is analyzed by liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry (LCMS). Detection in a high-resolution, accurate mass (HRAM) MS1 spectrum of a precursor ion matching an isotopically-labeled peptide triggers acquisition of an MS/MS spectrum (preferably acquired in an ion trap or other fast mass analyzer) to determine if a product ion is present matching a characteristic product ion (e.g., the y1 ion) of the isotopically-labeled peptide. If the characteristic product ion is present, then a HRAM MS/MS spectrum is acquired for detection and quantitation of the corresponding endogenous peptide.
US09960023B2

Embodiments of the present disclosure include methods and apparatus for controlling titanium-tungsten (TiW) target nodule formation. In some embodiments, a target includes: a source material comprising predominantly titanium (Ti) and tungsten (W), formed from a mixture of titanium powder and tungsten powder, wherein a grain size of a predominant quantity of the titanium powder is less than or equal to a grain size of a predominant quantity of the tungsten powder.
US09960020B2

Disclosed are an apparatus and a method for saving energy while increasing the conveying speed in vacuum coating plants consisting of a series of sputtering segments (3) and gas separation segments (2) along with a continuous substrate plane (1). Said apparatus has the following features: a) each of the sputtering segments (3) consists of a tank tub (12) inside which a conveying device (11) is located; the flange (6) of the tank is positioned in the immediate vicinity above the substrate plane (1); a cathode bearing block (5), along with targets (8) and gas inlet ducts (10), is located in the tank cover (4) in the immediate vicinity of the substrate together with splash guards (9); b) in the region of the substrate plane (1), the gas separation segments (2) are provided with a tunnel cover (14) that extends along the entire length of the gas separation segment (2); c) sputtering segments (3) and/or gas separation segments (2) are evacuated using one or more vacuum pumps (15), and the air pumped in said process is trapped in an air reservoir (25) having an adjustable volume.
US09960014B2

In the plasma etching method, a sample is placed on a stage in a chamber. A first gas is introduced into the chamber. Electric field is supplied within the chamber to plasma is generated from the first gas. A first RF power of a first frequency, which is for generating a bias voltage in the sample for etching the sample with radicals which are generated in the plasma while the plasma is generated, is supplied to the stage. A second gas is introduced from a position in outer periphery of a surface of the stage, on which the sample is placed. A second RF power of a second frequency higher than the first frequency and capable of generating plasma from the second gas above the stage that allows radicals generated in the plasma generated from the second gas to be supplied in the outer periphery, is supplied to the stage.
US09960013B2

The present disclosure provides one embodiment of a method that includes slicing a first sub-polygon out of the pattern layout and writing the first sub-polygon onto the substrate using a beam with a first beam setting that is associated with the first sub-polygon. The method additional includes slicing a second sub-polygon out of the remaining pattern layout that does not include the first sub-polygon. The second sub-polygon interfaces with the first sub-polygon on at least one edge. Also, the method includes, without turning off the beam after writing the first sub-polygon onto the substrate, writing the second sub-polygon onto the substrate with a second beam setting that is associated with the second sub-polygon.
US09960012B2

A includes arranging a substrate in a working region of a first particle beam column and a second particle beam column; producing a desired target structure on the substrate by directing a first particle beam generated by the first particle beam column at a multiplicity of sites of the substrate to deposit material thereon or to remove material therefrom; repeatedly interrupting the production of the desired target structure and producing a marking on the substrate by directing the first particle beam onto the substrate and continuing the production of the desired target structure; and capturing positions of the markings on the substrate by directing a second particle beam produced by the second particle beam column onto the markings on the substrate, and detecting particles or radiation which are produced in the process by the second particle beam on the substrate.
US09960009B2

Systems and methods for determining a fault in a gas heater channel are described. One of the methods includes receiving measured parameters associated with a plurality of heater elements of the gas heater channel. The gas heater channel transfers one or more gases from a gas supply to a plasma chamber. The method further includes calculating a measured parallel resistance of the plurality of heater elements from the measured parameters, comparing the measured parallel resistance to an ideal parallel resistance of the heater elements of the gas heater channel, and determining based on the comparison that a portion of the gas heater channel is inoperational. The method includes selecting an identity of one of the heater elements from a correspondence between a plurality of identities of the heater elements and the measured parallel resistance.
US09960007B2

An electron beam irradiation device includes a stage, a main body unit, and a first mechanism. The main body unit includes a substrate, first members, and a first layer. The first members are arranged to be separated in a second direction intersecting a first direction and is provided at a first surface of the substrate opposing the stage. The first layer is provided between the stage and the first members and between the stage and the substrate. The first layer converts a light ray into an electron beam. The first mechanism is provided in the stage and moves the stage in the second direction. A distance of the movement is not less than a spacing between a center in the second direction of the first member and a center in the second direction of one other first member adjacent to the first member.
US09960006B2

A charged-particle-beam device used for measuring the dimensions, etc., of fine circuit patterns in a semiconductor manufacturing process, wherein corrections are made in the defocusing and astigmatism generated during changes in the operating conditions of a Wien filter acting as a deflector of secondary signals such as secondary electrons, and the display dimensions of obtained images are kept constant. In the charged-particle-beam device, the Wien filter (23) is arranged between a detector and a lens (11) arranged on the test-sample side among two stages of lenses for converging a charged-particle beam, and a computing device (93) is provided for the interlocked control of the Wien filter (23) and a lens (12) arranged on the charged-particle-source side among the two stages of lenses.
US09960000B2

The present invention provides a protection device which provides a greater degree of freedom in a disposition of the bimetal switch as well as be able to more accurately control an actuation of the bimetal member of the bimetal switch. The protection device characterized in that the device comprises a bimetal switch wherein a first PTC member and a bimetal member are connected electrically in parallel with each other; and a second PTC member; and the bimetal member is disposed to be actuated by tripping of the second PTC member.
US09959998B2

A switch device includes an operation part, a first push mechanism that, by a rotation operation of the operation part, selects and activates a first push switch part, a second push mechanism that, by a tilt operation of the operation part, activates a second push switch part, a circuit board including the first push switch part and the second push switch part mounted thereto, and a contact rubber interposed between the circuit board and the first and second push mechanisms. The contact rubber includes contacts corresponding to the first push switch part and the second push switch part and is configured such that the contacts contact with or separate from the corresponding switch parts by a movement of the first push mechanism and the second push mechanism. The contact rubber is formed so as to cover an entire upper surface of the circuit board.
US09959992B1

A keyboard device includes a key structure, a base plate and a soft fixing element. The key structure includes a keycap and a stabilizer bar. The stabilizer bar is connected with the keycap and the soft fixing element. The soft fixing element is disposed on the base plate. The soft fixing element has an accommodation space. The stabilizer bar is inserted into the accommodation space, so that the stabilizer bar is connected with the base plate. After a fixing post of the soft fixing element is penetrated through a fixing hole of the base plate, the fixing post is thermally treated to form the hot melt fixing structure. Consequently, the soft fixing element is firmly fixed on the base plate. Since the metallic stabilizer bar and the metallic base plate are separated by the soft fixing element, the keyboard device is capable of reducing noise.
US09959990B1

A keyboard device includes a key structure, a switch circuit board, a base plate and a buffering element. The key structure includes a keycap and a stabilizer bar. The stabilizer bar is connected with the keycap. The base plate includes a connecting structure. The stabilizer bar is penetrated through the connecting structure and connected with the base plate. The buffering element is coupled with the connecting structure. The stabilizer bar and the base plate are made of metallic material. Since the stabilizer bar and the base plate are separated by the buffering element, the keyboard device is capable of reducing noise.
US09959989B2

A key structure includes a base plate, a position-limiting structure, a stabilizer bar and a keycap. The position-limiting structure is connected with and fixed on the base plate. A slot is defined by the position-limiting structure and the base plate. The stabilizer bar is connected with the keycap and pivotally coupled to the slot. The position-limiting structure includes a top stopper. The top stopper is made of soft material. As the stabilizer bar is rotated and the stabilizer bar is contacted with the top stopper, the efficacy of reducing noise is enhanced.
US09959983B2

Electrodes, energy storage devices using such electrodes, and associated methods are disclosed. In an example, an electrode for use in an energy storage device can comprise porous silicon having a plurality of channels and a surface, the plurality of channels opening to the surface; and a structural material deposited within the channels; wherein the structural material provides structural stability to the electrode during use.
US09959978B2

This disclosure relates to methods and apparatus for enhanced dielectric properties for electrolytic capacitors to store energy in an implantable medical device. One aspect of the present subject matter includes a method for manufacturing a capacitor adapted to be disposed in an implantable device housing. An embodiment of the method includes providing a dielectric comprising aluminum oxide and doping the aluminum oxide with an oxide having a dielectric constant greater than aluminum oxide. Doping the aluminum oxide includes using sol-gel based chemistry, electrodeposition or atomic layer deposition (ALD) in various embodiments.
US09959968B2

A reactor uses a composite magnetic core which combines a ferrite core and a soft magnetic metal core. The reactor is composed of a pair of yoke portion cores composed of ferrite cores, winding portion core(s) disposed between the opposite planes of the yoke portion cores, and coil(s) wound around the winding portion core(s). Flange-like members are disposed at the end part of the winding portion core(s) in a way of being external connected with the periphery of winding portion core(s) which is composed of a soft magnetic metal core. The flange-like member is composed of a metal material with iron as the main component which can be magnetically attracted to a magnet, and a junction portion of the flange-like member and the yoke portion core is formed at one flat plane of the member which is the same plane with an end plane of the winding portion core.
US09959966B2

A cooling fan variable-frequency control system for a power transformer includes a control device and a fan unit. The control device includes a microprocessor that is set with a first temperature range, a second temperature range higher than the first temperature range, and a fan switching time. The microprocessor is connected to a temperature sensor for detecting a temperature of an insulating oil in a power transformer. A variable-frequency controller and a fixed-frequency controller are connected to the microprocessor and are connected to a switching controller. The fan unit is connected to the switching controller and includes first and second fans. The microprocessor controls the switching controller according to the fan switching time to thereby control the variable-frequency controller to connect with the first fan or the second fan. The first fan and the second fan can operate at a fixed frequency and at a variable frequency.
US09959965B2

An inductor is disclosed, the inductor comprising: a T-shaped magnetic core, being made of a material comprising an annealed soft magnetic metal material and having a base and a pillar integrally formed with the base, wherein the volume of the base is V1 and the volume of the pillar is V2; a coil wound on the pillar; and a magnetic body encapsulating the pillar, the coil and a portion of the base, wherein the ratio of V1 to V2 (V1/V2) is configured in a pre-determined range so as to reduce the total core loss of the inductor with the equivalent permeability of the inductor being between 28.511 and 52.949.
US09959959B2

A magnetic steel sheet including a layer adjoining at least one of a top side and bottom side of the magnetic metal sheet. The layer includes a metal oxide containing titanium oxide or tantalum oxide and the layer adjoins the magnetic steel sheet along a diffusion zone into which the titanium or tantalum of the metal oxide has diffused into the magnetic steel sheet. The diffusion zone is produced on at least one of a top surface and a bottom surface of the magnetic steel sheet and the diffusion layer diffuses one of tantalum and titanium as metal into the at least one surface. The metal of the at the at least one surface is converted into an associated metal oxide to form the layer including the metal oxide, and a residual content of the metal of the metal oxide remains in the diffusion zone.
US09959957B2

A resistor includes a resistive element, a protective film, and a pair of electrodes. The resistive element is made of a metal plate. The protective film is formed on the upper surface of the resistive element. The plated layers are formed to cover the electrodes. The electrodes are separated from each other with the protective film therebetween and are formed at both ends of the upper surface of the resistive element. The electrodes are formed by printing metal-containing paste.
US09959956B2

A cable winding machine for winding transposed cable from multiple serpentine subconductors such as in particular Roebel cable from such 2G HTS tape, without damaging the tape through edge-wise bending, comprises a conductor supply stage carrying subconductor supply spools to move the supply spools about a machine axis and maintain the supply spools in a common orientation as the subconductors unwind and move through the machine in a machine direction, and a cable forming stage after the conductor supply stage in the machine direction, arranged to bring together the subconductors and at which the subconductors interleave to form the transposed cable.
US09959951B2

Organodavs are added to semiconductive compositions to provide a reduction in the dielectric losses of layered composites in which the semiconductive layer contains species which could migrate into the insulation and result in undesirably high dielectric losses, The invention semiconductive compositions provide improved performance in power cable applications.
US09959950B2

[Problem] To prepare a thin plate having excellent corrosion resistance, conductivity, and formability at low cost.[Solution] A thin plate is prepared by an ultraquenching transition control injector with a mixture of a metal powder having corrosion resistance to form a matrix and a powder having conductivity, as a raw material. An obtained thin plate has a conductive material component that exists, without dissolving, in a metal matrix exhibiting corrosion resistance by passivation, thereby having aforementioned characteristics.
US09959938B2

In a method of operating a semiconductor memory device, a program command is received, and a program operation is performed to increase threshold voltages of memory cells to be programmed by applying a program pulse to a word line. Page data is read from the selected memory cells by applying a verification voltage to the word line, and it is determined whether the number of memory cells corresponding to a program pass is greater than a determined number, based on the page data. A status fail signal is output based on the determination result.
US09959929B2

A memory device includes an on-board processing system that facilitates the ability of the memory device to interface with a plurality of processors operating in a parallel processing manner. The processing system includes circuitry that performs processing functions on data stored in the memory device in an indivisible manner. More particularly, the system reads data from a bank of memory cells or cache memory, performs a logic function on the data to produce results data, and writes the results data back to the bank or the cache memory. The logic function may be a Boolean logic function or some other logic function.
US09959910B2

The present invention discloses an offset-printing method for a three-dimensional printed memory. The mask-patterns for different memory levels are merged onto a multi-region data-mask. At different printing steps, a wafer is offset by different values with respect to the data-mask. Accordingly, data-patterns from a same data-mask are printed into different memory levels.
US09959908B2

An exemplary system includes a content processing subsystem configured to record at least a subset of a media content program and detect a defective portion of the recorded media content program that failed to be properly recorded. The content processing subsystem is further configured to provide a recording status indicator to an output device for presentation to a user, the recording status indicator identifying the defective portion of the recorded media content program. In certain implementations, the content processing subsystem is further configured to heal at least a subset of the defective portion of the recorded media content program and provide a healing status indicator to the output device for presentation to the user, the healing status indicator identifying the healed portion of the recorded media content program.
US09959903B2

A video playback method and a video playback apparatus are provided. The object path extraction module of the video playback apparatus extracts at least one object path from an original video. The video synthesizing module of the video playback apparatus selectively adjusts said object path, so as to synthesize the object path into the synthesis video. The video synthesizing module determines the time length of the synthesis video based on the playback time length set by user, wherein the time length of the synthesis video less than the time length of the original video.
US09959893B1

An apparatus comprises a slider having an air bearing surface (ABS) and a near-field transducer (NFT) at or near the ABS. An optical waveguide is configured to couple light from a laser source to the NFT. A resistive sensor comprises an ABS section situated at or proximate the ABS and a distal section extending away from the ABS to a location at least lateral of or behind the NFT. The resistive sensor is configured to detect changes in output optical power of the laser source and contact between the slider and a magnetic recording medium.
US09959889B2

Three systems for the destruction of the data storage portion of electronic media storage devices such as hard disk drives, solid state drives and hybrid hard drives. One system utilizes a mill cutter with which the hard drive has relative motion in the direction of the axis of the mill cutter to destroy the data storage portion. A second system utilizes a laser to physically destroy the data storage portion. The third system utilizes a chemical solvent to chemically destroy the data storage portion.
US09959886B2

The various implementations described enable voice activity detection and/or pitch estimation for speech signal processing in, for example and without limitation, hearing aids, speech recognition and interpretation software, telephony, and various applications for smartphones and/or wearable devices. In particular, some implementations include systems, methods and/or devices operable to detect voice activity in an audible signal by determining a voice activity indicator value that is a normalized function of signal amplitudes associated with at least two sets of spectral locations associated with a candidate pitch. In some implementations, voice activity is considered detected when the voice activity indicator value breaches a threshold value. Additionally and/or alternatively, in some implementations, analysis of the audible signal provides a pitch estimate of detectable voice activity.
US09959884B2

A sound processing circuit comprises a first input for receiving a first input signal, and a second input for receiving a second input signal. A first adaptive filter receives the first input signal, and an error calculation block calculates an error between the second input signal and the output of the first adaptive filter, and outputting an error signal. A second adaptive filter receives the error signal, and an output calculation block subtracts an output of the second adaptive filter from the first input signal to generate an output signal. The adaptation of first and second adaptive filters is controlled based on a magnitude coherence between the first and second input signals.
US09959876B2

In general, techniques are described for closed loop quantization of HOA coefficients that provide a three-dimensional representation of the sound field. An audio encoding device may perform closed loop quantization of an audio object based at least in part on a result of performing quantization of directional information associated with the audio object. An audio decoding device may obtain an audio object that has been closed loop quantized based at least in part on a result of performing quantization of directional information associated with the audio object, and may dequantize the audio object.
US09959872B2

Aspects relate to computer implemented methods, systems, and processes to automatically generate audio-based display indicia of media content including receiving, by a processor, a plurality of media content categories including at least one feature, receiving a plurality of categorized speech recognition algorithms, each speech recognition algorithm being associated with a respective one or more of the plurality of media content categories, determining a media content category of a current media content based on at least one feature of the current media content, selecting one speech recognition algorithm from the plurality of categorized speech recognition algorithms based on the determination of the media content category of the current media content, and applying the selected speech recognition algorithm to the current media content.
US09959867B2

An electronic device may capture a voice command from a user. The electronic device may store contextual information about the state of the electronic device when the voice command is received. The electronic device may transmit the voice command and the contextual information to computing equipment such as a desktop computer or a remote server. The computing equipment may perform a speech recognition operation on the voice command and may process the contextual information. The computing equipment may respond to the voice command. The computing equipment may also transmit information to the electronic device that allows the electronic device to respond to the voice command.
US09959861B2

A method for automated speech recognition includes generating first and second pluralities of candidate speech recognition results corresponding to audio input data using a first general-purpose speech recognition engine and a second domain-specific speech recognition engine, respectively. The method further includes generating a third plurality of candidate speech recognition result including a plurality of words included in one of the first plurality of speech recognition results and at least one word included in another one of the second plurality of speech recognition results, ranking the third plurality of candidate speech recognition results using a pairwise ranker to identify a highest ranked candidate speech recognition result, and operating the automated system using the highest ranked speech recognition result as an input from the user.
US09959857B2

A flexible acoustic barrier for suspending from a support frame wherein the flexible acoustic barrier comprises a portion of acoustic insulation material and at least one loudspeaker that is configured to emit an audible sound-masking signal to mask sound from a sound source. Another aspect of the invention comprises a corresponding method of mitigating noise pollution.
US09959854B2

A performance enhancing device includes a first glove configured to be worn on a first hand of a user. The first glove includes a plurality of finger pockets, at least one pressure sensor secured proximate a distal end of a respective finger pocket and configured to produce an output signal, a processor coupled to the at least one pressure sensor and configured to receive the output signal and translate the output signal to a wireless output signal, and an antenna coupled to the processor and configured to transmit the wireless signal. The performance enhancing device also includes a jacket configured to be worn by the user, where the jacket includes a receiver to receive the wireless output signal, an amplifier coupled to the receiver, and a speaker integrated within the jacket and coupled to the amplifier and configured to produce an audible sound.
US09959853B2

A recording method acquires, from a first musical instrument which outputs playing data which represents playing information, playing data of playing by the first musical instrument; generates a first waveform signal according to the played sounds of the first musical instrument which correspond to the playing data; generates a second waveform signal according to a sound including a sound emitted from the first musical instrument and other sounds; generates a third waveform signal wherein the first waveform signal is subtracted from the second waveform signal; generates audio data from the third waveform signal; and records the audio data.
US09959847B2

Exemplary embodiments described herein are directed at instruments and instrument accessories and their associated designs and methods of manufacture based on contoured surfaces and their acoustic properties. Exemplary embodiments may be used to broaden the basic design of stringed instruments or stringed instrument picks or the associated accessories to include forms in three dimensions or using and optimizing the acoustic and/or strength properties inherent in an infinite variety of shapes and sizes.
US09959839B2

Apparatuses, methods and storage media associated with display of visual assets on a device are described. Specifically, the device may include a display screen. The device may further include a visual asset scheduler. The visual asset scheduler may include a screen predictor, a queue, and a visual asset loader. Other embodiments may be described and/or claimed.
US09959838B2

An instrument cluster assembly for a vehicle includes a vehicle instrument that is viewable by an occupant of the vehicle. A transparent protective cover covers the vehicle instrument such that the vehicle instrument is viewable by the occupant through the transparent protective cover. A transparent display overlay system includes an overlay display comprising a transparent display layer connected to the transparent protective cover by an optical adhesive layer. A display controller displays an image on the transparent display layer based on vehicle information. The vehicle instrument is viewable by the occupant through the transparent protective cover and the transparent display layer adjacent the image.
US09959835B2

A clock and data recovery circuit in accordance with an embodiment of the inventive concept includes a phase locked loop configured to receive a data stream into which an additional bit is inserted at every reference period to generate parallelized data and a clock signal, and a first detector circuit configured to determine whether the parallelized data is locked based on a bit-conversion of the data stream according to an insertion of the additional bit. The bit-conversion is executed with respect to the additional bits according to a predetermined protocol, or is executed with respect to at least one bit from among data of the data stream between a current one of the additional bits and a next one of the additional bits.
US09959832B2

A GOA circuit and a liquid crystal device (LCD) are disclosed. The GOA circuit includes a plurality of GOA units and a control module. Each of the cascaded GOA units is configured for charging corresponding horizontal scanning lines within a display area when being driven by a first level clock, a second level clock, a first control clock, and a second control clock. After the horizontal scanning lines are fully charged by the GOA circuit, the control module is configured for resetting the gate driving signals to be at the first level, i.e., the invalid level, via the turn-on pulse signals and the negative-voltage constant-voltage source.
US09959831B1

The present invention provides a drive method of a liquid crystal display panel and a drive system, in which a sequence controller (3) comprises a counter (31), a TFT activation voltage calculation module (32) and an I2C instruction module (33), and the counter (31) adds 1 as outputting the display data of each row, and as adding to i×M/N, the TFT activation voltage calculation module (32) operates to obtain the target TFT activation voltage of the i+1th gate drive IC (GD(i+1)) and transmits the same to the I2C instruction module (33), and the I2C instruction module (33) controls the PWM IC (2) correspondingly output the corresponding target TFT activation voltage to the i+1th gate drive IC (GD(i+1)), which can adjust the TFT activation voltage in real time so that the TFT activation voltages, which the respective gate drive ICs actually receive are consistent.
US09959821B2

In a liquid crystal display device, a drive unit is controlled in a direction of eliminating a polarity bias of a data voltage corresponding to image data at a point of time when a refresh signal for updating an image displayed on a display unit by periodical refreshment or forced refreshment is generated, and the polarity bias is obtained for each of subsequent frame periods. In this manner, not only the polarity bias after the point of time when the refresh signal is generated is obtained so that the polarity bias at the point of time when the refresh signal is generated is eliminated, but also the polarity bias is repeatedly obtained in the same way every time the refresh signal is generated, and accordingly, the polarity bias can be prevented from being increased.
US09959810B2

An organic light emitting display, including a first data line extending along a first direction, a second data line extending along the first direction and disposed parallel to the first data line, a first scan line extending along a second direction perpendicular to the first direction, a first pixel connected to the first data line and the first scan line, a second pixel connected to the second data line and the first scan line, a first constant current source connected to the first data line, a second constant current source connected to the second data line, and a temperature information generation unit comprising a first input port connected to the first data line and a second input port connected to the second data line.
US09959807B2

An organic light-emitting display device includes: a display panel; a deterioration threshold value calculator for calculating a deterioration threshold value from values of accumulated image data respectively input to the plurality of pixels; a current sensor for detecting a current amount flowing through pixels in one of first to nth display areas of the display panel in a power-off section of the display panel; and a deterioration amount calculator for defining a deterioration area including a group of pixels from among the pixels each having a value of image data that is equal to or greater than the deterioration threshold value among pixels in the first to nth display areas, and calculating a deterioration amount of the pixels in the deterioration area, wherein the current sensor is configured to detect a current amount flowing through pixels in one of the first to nth display areas in each power-off section.
US09959806B1

Systems, methods, and computer program products to perform an operation comprising determining a charge level of a battery of a mobile device, and responsive to determining that the charge level is below a minimum threshold, selecting a first data object from a plurality of data objects stored on the mobile device based on predefined criteria, outputting the first data object on a persistent display device of the mobile device, and powering off the mobile device, wherein the first data object remains visible on the persistent display after the mobile device powers off.
US09959805B2

A semiconductor device includes first to sixth external connection terminals, a first receiver connected to the first and second external connection terminals, a second receiver connected to the third and fourth external connection terminals, a third receiver connected to the fifth and sixth external connection terminals, a C-PHY block, a D-PHY block and a main processing section. The C-PHY block is configured to generate first reception data by performing signal processing on signals received from the first, second and third receivers in accordance with the MIPI C-PHY specification. The D-PHY block is configured to generate second reception data by performing signal processing on signals received from the first, second and third receivers in accordance with the MIPI D-PHY specification. The main processing section is configured to selectively receive the first and second reception data and perform desired processing on the received data.
US09959800B1

A voltage compensation circuit and A method thereof are provided. The voltage compensation circuit includes a power management chip, a feedback circuit, and a control circuit. A gate driving voltage (VGH) connects an input end of the control circuit, the input end of the control circuit connects to a first end of the fifth resistor (R5), and a second end of the fifth resistor (R5) connects to a forward input end of the voltage comparator, and first ends of the sixth resistor (R6) and the first capacitor (C1). A second end of the sixth resistor (R6) and a second end of the first capacitor (C1) are grounded, a backward input end of the voltage comparator connects to the reference voltage (VREF), an output end of the voltage comparator connects to a gate of the first FET (Q1). With such configuration, the display performance may be enhanced.
US09959798B2

A display panel driving apparatus includes a data processing circuit, a data driver, and a gate driver. The data processing circuit increases a first gamma value of input image data of which the gamma value is 0, according to a second gamma value of the input image data of which the second gamma value is not 0. The data driving part outputs a data signal based on the output image data to a data line. The gate driving part outputs a gate signal to a gate line.
US09959797B2

The circuit of the present invention comprises a detection module and a feedback module, wherein an output end of a power supply management module is coupled to one end of a voltage level shift module, and the other end of the voltage level shift module is coupled to a first end of the detection module, and a second end of the detection module is coupled to a WOA route module or a GOA route module, and a third end of the detection is coupled to one end of the feedback module, and the other end of the feedback module is coupled to an enable end of the power supply management module, and the detection module detects whether the WOA route module or the GOA route module is short, and feeds back a short signal; the feedback module receives the short signal, and sends a disable signal to the enable end.
US09959790B2

Disclosed herein is a display apparatus including: a first pixel including three sub-pixels for displaying three primary colors respectively; and a second pixel including three sub-pixels for displaying two colors selected among the three primary colors and a predetermined color other than the three primary colors, wherein, in the first pixel, the size of the display surface of a sub-pixel for displaying a specific color included in the three primary colors as a specific color missing from the second pixel is larger than each of the sizes of the display surfaces of the two other sub-pixels for displaying the two other primary colors respectively.
US09959789B2

A sheet assembly and method is provided for applying a facestock layer to a substrate. The facestock layer may include a facestock bridge portion with an adhesive layer. A liner sheet is attached to the facestock layer and may include a strip portion having a first dimension that is configured to be removed to expose a portion of the adhesive layer under the facestock bridge portion. The sheet assembly is positioned as desired and the facestock bridge portion is adhered to the substrate to anchor the sheet assembly to the substrate and allow the remaining liner sheet to be removed in a generally aligned manner as desired. The facestock layer may be made of a see-through material. The facestock layer may be a label. The sheet assembly may include at least one perforation line that divides the sheet assembly into multiple sections.
US09959784B2

Simulated pregnant abdominal systems and associated devices, systems, and methods are provided. The pregnant abdominal systems allow an interactive scenario simulating a routine gestation palpation of a fetal baby, the performance of an external cephalic version as well as the Leopold's Maneuvers. Further, the pregnant abdominal systems can be used as a platform to physically hear the fetus heartbeat using stethoscope, Doppler instrument, or a prenatal monitor. Further, in some implementations the fetus can be visualized using standard ultrasound systems.
US09959782B1

A remotely controlled device receives a command from a remote control (RC) but does not execute the command. Instead, the remotely controlled device accesses an audio file pertaining to the command and announces what the command is, so that a vision-impaired person can hear the command caused by the key that was just pressed. If the person wishes the command to be executed, he presses the key again within a threshold period. In another embodiment, the RC receives a press of a key but does not send the associated command. Instead, the RC announces the command. If the user wishes to send the command to a remotely controlled device, he presses the key again.
US09959778B2

Systems and methods facilitate a user's learning to play a musical piece on a musical instrument and involve dividing a musical piece into a number of musical piece segments. The systems and methods display or cause display of a particular segment of the musical piece. A suggested playing position is displayed adjacent to each musical note in a textual representation. Each of the displayed musical notes in the textual representation aims to indicate to the user the pitch or key of a particular musical note to be played. The suggested playing position for each musical note in turn aims to indicate the fingering position for placement on a musical instrument for playing the musical note.
US09959771B1

Weather data is used to create and/or update a flight plan prior to and/or during flight by an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV). The weather data may be received using sensors onboard the UAV and/or the weather data may be received from other sources, such as weather aggregators, other UAVs, other vehicles, and/or local weather stations. In some embodiments, a UAV may be prematurely grounded after initiating flight toward a destination in response to some weather conditions identified in near real-time weather data, such as heavy winds and/or heavy precipitation. In various embodiments, the UAVs may leverage air stream information included in the weather data to cause flight along with an air stream, and thereby reduce power resources used to fly to a destination.
US09959769B2

The present invention relates to an apparatus and method for assisting parking, the apparatus including: an image sensor photographing front/rear view images of a vehicle; and an estimated trace of vehicle generation and process unit generating an estimated trace of the vehicle to a parking target area using steering angle information of the vehicle, and overlaying the estimated trace of the vehicle to the photographed front/rear view images of the vehicle, wherein the estimated trace of the vehicle includes a first estimated trace of the vehicle based on a rear wheel of the vehicle and a second estimated trace of the vehicle based on a front wheel of the vehicle.
US09959767B1

A method and apparatus for warning of occluded or obstructed objects are provided. The method includes: detecting a presence of at least one object in a predetermined area, the predetermined area being visually obstructed from an operator of a machine; determining whether at least one condition for displaying the detected at least one object is met; and in response to determining that the at least one condition is met, displaying a graphical indicator corresponding to the detected at least one object. The method and apparatus may be implemented in a vehicle to display graphical indicators warning of object on obstructing portions of the vehicle.
US09959759B2

To find a parking space for a vehicle in a target area, a connection server stores connection data associated with the target area for a plurality of data servers. A search request to find a parking space in the target area is addressed to the connection server. The connection server uses the association data to establish a connection to the data servers and, in the process, queries whether availability data relating to available parking spaces in the target area are stored in the respective database. In a first query stage, the data servers are preselected, in which case first parking space data based on the target area are requested by the connection server and corresponding first feedback data from the data servers are used to respond whether the respective data server contains parking space data relating to the target area. Based on the first feedback data, the connection server decides which of the respective data servers are preselected, and at least one data server is selected as a selection server, and second feedback data, more detailed than the respective first feedback data, are respectively retrieved in a second query stage of the selection server.
US09959756B2

A method and apparatus for transmission of targeted roadway alerts. A server receives a first description of an incident. The server determines an impact area of the incident based on the description. The server generates a geographic polygon based on the impact are of the incident. The server overlays the geographic polygon on a first cellular map and transmits an alert message to one or more devices located within a cell of the first cellular map that contains at least a portion of the geographic polygon.
US09959748B2

The system and method provide for the monitoring and trending the rate at which fire detection devices get dirty. This information is used to determine which devices are clogged or getting clogged and to establish that the chambers are open to air flow because they are accumulating dirt over time. Air flow through the detection chamber is proven using this analysis. Further self-testing is also employed for the fire detection devices by including modules that simulate the smoke interference with the light. This can be accomplished in two ways. In one example, light from the chamber light source can be reflected toward the scattered light photodetector to simulate alarm conditions. In another example, an additional chamber light source can be added to the detection chamber that can generate light to simulate alarm conditions.
US09959746B1

In an embodiment, a user equipment (UE) determines an emergency health condition for a user that is defined based on a set of health-related parameters crossing a corresponding set of thresholds. The UE receives health data from a set of health monitoring sensors that are each configured to monitor one or more health-related parameters of the user. The UE detects, while a restricted mode restricting access to a set of communicative functions of the UE is active, that the emergency health condition for the user exists based on the received health data indicating that the set of health-related parameters have crossed the corresponding set of thresholds. The UE disables the restricted mode in response to the detecting. The UE conveys, using one or more communicative functions from the set of communicative functions that are made available by the disabling of the restricted mode, an alarm related to the detected emergency health condition for the user.
US09959743B2

According to the present disclosure, a hygiene compliance system includes a handwash sensor, a badge, an occupant sensor, and a remote computer. The sensors and the badge may communicate with the remote computer to provide information regarding hygiene events. The hygiene compliance system determines whether the hygiene events comply with a hygiene operations scheme.
US09959742B2

A system and method are disclosed that are able to identify and distinguish persons as soon as they enter or exit a hospital room or any room occupied by a patient who is receiving medical or dental services. After a person who has entered a hospital room has been identified, this person may be required to sanitize his/her hands in order to comply with an established protocol. Therefore, a second identification may take place at the hand sanitization station. The system may confirm that the same person was identified by a first read by the RFID antennas upon entering the room and by a second read by the RFID antennas upon completing the hand sanitization procedure. If no hand sanitization takes place, visual and/or auditory stimuli may be generated as a reminder. Persons and their hand sanitization performances may be used diagnostically to identify and remedy potential contamination events and/or determine the source and mode of transmission of a nosocomial infection. This information may be returned in real-time as well as stored in a database.
US09959741B2

A method of locating peripheral device applied to an electronic device is disclosed. The electronic device is connected or electrically connected to a peripheral device. The method includes: obtaining a first location information via a locating unit; when the first connecting unit is connected to the second connecting unit, sending the first location information to the peripheral device; after the first connecting unit and the second connecting unit are separated, obtaining the first location information sent by the second transmitter via the first transmitter; obtaining a second location information via the locating unit; comparing the first location information and the second location information to determine the relative position of the electronic device and the peripheral device.
US09959737B2

A noise detector, a method of detecting noise and an analysis/alert engine. In one embodiment, the noise detector includes: (1) a vibration sensor configured to derive a raw signal from noise proximate the noise detector and (2) a noise score generator having a processor and memory, coupled to the vibration sensor and configured to generate a noise score from the raw signal, the noise score being insufficient to reproduce a content of the raw signal.
US09959735B2

Embodiments relate generally to systems and methods for detecting harmful substances in the ambient air around a user, such as particulate matter and toxic gases, and communicating this information to the user and other interested parties. In certain areas, the ambient air in a city or area may sometimes contain harmful gases and/or particulates. People may be encouraged to wear and/or carry certain PPE devices, such as masks, to protect themselves from the harmful substances in the air. However, a user may not always know when they are breathing in a harmful substance and should be wearing a mask. Also, a method may comprise activating an alarm to user to when environment is polluted, and alerting the user when to wear the respiratory mask. Additionally, a system may provide information on where a user may be able to obtain a mask or other PPE, based on the detected harmful substance.
US09959734B1

A predictive shock alert warning system (SA) installed adjacent a body of water and monitoring a voltage level present in the water to alert persons in or about the water the water when the level is approaching, or reaches or exceeds a threshold that will produce a dangerous shock to a person. The system comprises a plurality of probes (1-3) placed in the water, each probe monitoring the voltage level in a zone (Z1-Z3) of water surrounding the probe and producing an output representing the voltage level for the respective zone in which the sensor is placed. An apparatus (100) processes the respective signals from each probe and triggers an alarm (13) when a voltage approaches, reaches or exceeds the danger voltage level.
US09959724B2

An apparatus and a method of indicating safety of a hydrogen tank when a vehicle fire occurs are provided. The apparatus includes a hydrogen storing tank and a thermal pressure relief device (TPRD) mounted within a valve of the hydrogen storing tank. In addition, a controller is configured to detect a flow rate of hydrogen discharged from the hydrogen storing tank, using a sensor to determine whether the detected flow rate of discharged hydrogen is within a predetermined reference flow rate range. The controller is also configured to transmit a warning signal when the detected flow rate of discharged hydrogen is included within the predetermined reference flow rate range.
US09959723B2

A security device is provided including a product presence sensor configured to sense a change in product presence relative to the product presence sensor and a directional element configured to direct the product presence sensor in a sensing direction.
US09959719B2

An entry sensor, which supports either wireless or wired operation, facilitates installation and is adjustable for gaps between a building entry barrier such as a door or window and the surrounding frame. The sensor, which may be implemented as a single piece design, includes an adjustment mechanism that enables an installer to vary the extension of the sensor to match the actual gap so that the sensor properly secures the building entry when closed. The sensor includes a detector that determines the state of a switch that is responsive to the movement of a plunger mechanism, where the state is indicative whether the building entry barrier is opened or closed, and that may determine whether the sensor is tampered with. The sensor also may facilitate battery replacement that protects the associated circuitry during the replacement.
US09959706B2

In some embodiments, the present invention provides for a specifically programmed game operating computer system which, when executing the particular program code, is configured to operate in real-time a game based, at least in part, on: electronically receiving, in real-time, via a computer network, game entries data representing game entries for playing the game which has a common jackpot or shares the common jackpot with another game, where the common jackpot is configured to be calculated, in real-time during game entry submission, based on the game having a plurality of options within at least one of the following parameters: a price point per game entry, a payout level, a prize structure, a common jackpot contribution collection, and a prize distribution mechanism.
US09959705B2

One aspect of the disclosure relates to implementing a system to encourage cross platform operation in an online game. The online game may provide the ability to provide incentives for participating in cross platform game play. The system may monitor the player's performance on a particular console and provide incentives to accomplish tasks through game play on a different platform than the player is currently operating to play the game.
US09959701B2

A system for allowing players to play a plurality of games is described herein. The system includes a display device for displaying games to a player and a controller that is coupled to the display device. The controller is configured to display at least one of a first game and a second game on the display device, receive an image of a physical gaming table, and display the gaming table on the display device. The controller receives a signal indicative of a first player hand being dealt by the dealer, receives a signal indicative of a second player hand being dealt by the dealer, determines a first outcome of the first game as a function of the first player hand, and determines a second outcome of the second game as a function of the second player hand.
US09959700B2

A method of creating and delivering an on-demand audio asset for inclusion in a creative is described. The method includes the steps of accessing a central processing environment, requesting at least one recording of at least a portion of an audio transmission generated from a communication device, generating at least one audio asset, adding the audio asset to a pool of related assets stored in a vault connected to the central processing environment, selecting the generated audio asset and at least one other related asset from the pool of related assets to form a creative, then requesting delivery of the creative to another communication device, and finally delivering the creative to the other communication device. The method is performed in part by a creative composition engine, which is also described. The engine includes a central processing environment having a processor, a digital recorder and a digital asset storage vault.
US09959694B2

Security systems for protecting assets are described, including password-based security systems that can provide different levels of access responsive to entry of a primary or secondary password. In some versions, user-configurable security rules can provide customized responses to entry of primary or secondary passwords, including feigned or limited access, security alerts, etc. Passwords comprising overt and covert components can be used to provide enhanced security and improved user control over system response. Improved security systems involving transactions between multiple parties are also considered, with options for user-customized security rules including primary and secondary passwords, and reverse challenge and response methods. Systems for Limited Use Credentials are also disclosed to reduce the risk of identity theft.
US09959690B2

A vehicle includes: receiver(s), a timer counting time, memory, and processor(s) configured to: receive a timestamped signal from a fob; compare the timestamp to a time window; reject the timestamp if the timestamp is outside the time window; expand the time window with the counted time; compute the time window as a trigonometric function of the counted time and a predetermined angle.
US09959685B2

The present invention relates to a method and system for selectively blending buildings to improve route visibility in a 3D navigation system. A method for displaying a 3D map may include: detecting whether or not an object to be displayed on a map screen intersects with a route guiding line on the map screen with the object intersecting the route guiding line being blended therewith.
US09959684B2

The proposed method for using a computer graphics system for changing the shape of models of geometric solids with the aid of deformation is characterized in that it is used for producing geometric solids which mate with one another as they were relative to one another and have mating surfaces, which require manufacture with precision accuracy (up to 10 micrometers), for example toothed screws (cylindrical, conical) of a screw compressor unit, gear trains, gears of a gear pump and similar mating pairs of geometric solids. The proposed method consists in that deformation of a model (3) of a semifinished product (3) of a first mating solid (1) is performed with the aid of a model (7) of a first tool (7), whose surface is automatically calculated using several mathematical laws, each of which is a polynomial in which at least one of the coefficients represents one of several characteristics defining the geometry of the shape of the surface of the second geometric solid (2). Deformation of a model (4) of a semifinished product (4) of a second mating solid (2) is performed with the aid of a model (10) of a second tool (10), which represents a deformed target model (8) of the first solid (1). Furthermore, said deformation is performed in accordance with a law for a movement imitating the movement of the geometric solids (1), (2) which mate with one another during use relative to one another. The proposed device is capable of implementing the proposed method.
US09959683B2

A 3-D model of a body part is created by using an object comprising markers, fixation members, and struts. The method involves first and second roentgenograms of the body part and the object disposed between an x-ray source and an x-ray imager. It then determines first and second sets of distances between projections of the markers or the struts, and determines first and second 3-D positions of the x-ray source and of the object with respect to the x-ray imager using predetermined distances between the markers or struts and the first and second sets of distances between their projections. The method then aligns the first and second 3-D object projections in a 3-D reference frame using the 3-D positions of the markers or struts with respect to the x-ray imager in the two orientations. The method creates the 3-D model of the object based on the 3-D object projections.
US09959682B2

A digital camera with audio, visual and motion analysis includes a digital processor, an input processing system, and one or more imaging sensors, sound sensors, and motion sensors. In a non-limiting embodiment, the input processing system including non-transitory computer readable media including code segments, executable by the digital processor, for real-time audio, visual and motion analysis to develop a digital model of an ambient environment of the digital camera from data derived from the imaging sensor(s), sound sensor(s) and motion sensor(s).
US09959678B2

A head mounted display (HMD) in a VR system includes sensors for tracking the eyes and face of a user wearing the HMD. The VR system records calibration attributes such as landmarks of the face of the user. Light sources illuminate portions of the user's face covered by the HMD. In conjunction, facial sensors capture facial data. The VR system analyzes the facial data to determine the orientation of planar sections of the illuminated portions of face. The VR system aggregates planar sections of the face and maps the planar sections to landmarks of the face to generate a facial animation of the user, which can also include eye orientation information. The facial animation is represented as a virtual avatar and presented to the user.
US09959676B2

Embodiments disclosed herein provide methods, systems, and computer readable storage media for presenting a meeting between remote participants. In a particular embodiment, a method provides, during a conference session, compiling view information used to determine a first view seen by the first participant. The method further provides receiving conference video comprising at least video captured of a second participant remote to the physical location of the first participant. Also, the method provides presenting the video captured of the second participant such that the second participant appears at a first position of a meeting location in the first view to the first participant.
US09959673B2

A method for improving the image quality of a three-dimensional magnetic resonance image dataset recorded with a magnetic resonance device, wherein, from at least one correction image dataset recorded with a modality other than magnetic resonance imaging, registered with the magnetic resonance image dataset, showing at least partly the same recording region as the magnetic resonance image dataset, especially an x-ray image dataset, relevant material parameters are derived locally-resolved for the magnetic resonance imaging, which are used for establishing a virtual magnetic resonance comparison dataset in a simulation wherein, as a function of a comparison between the magnetic resonance image dataset and the magnetic resonance comparison dataset, at least one measure parameter describing an image quality improvement measure to be applied in the k-space is determined and the image quality improvement measure is carried out with the measure parameter relating to the magnetic resonance image dataset.
US09959670B2

The present invention relates to a method for rendering a multi-resolution terrain using GPU tessellation.A method for rendering a terrain using GPU tessellation according to an embodiment of the present invention may include: generating a quad patch to which an inner tessellation factor and an edge tessellation factor are allocated by using a quadtree including a parent node and child nodes; generating a base mesh b using the quad patch; and restoring a terrain by applying a displacement map to the base mesh.
US09959667B2

A method of automatically transforming a computerized 3D model having regions of images utilized as textures on one or more physical objects represented in the 3D model (such as building sides and roofs, walls, landscapes, mountain sides, trees and the like) to include material property information for one or more regions of the textures of the 3D model. In this method, image textures applied to the 3D model are examined by comparing, utilizing a computer, at least a portion of each image texture to entries in a palette of material entries. The material palette entry that best matches the one contained in the image texture is assigned to indicate a physical material of the physical object represented by the 3D model. Then, material property information is stored in the computerized 3D model for the image textures that are assigned a material palette entry.
US09959650B2

A method for merging graphic layers is provided. The method includes: receiving a plurality of graphic layers in a current frame; assigning sequence numbers to the graphic layers according to an overlay order; judging whether a first graphic layer and a second graphic layer vary in a period; merging the first graphic layer with the second graphic layer when judging that the first graphic layer and the second graphic layer do not vary in the period; and displaying the graphic layers in order of the sequence numbers according to the sequence numbers, wherein the first graphic layer and the second graphic layer are adjacent graphic layers.
US09959642B2

A vector data selection unit selects, from a vector file of a past line graph, each vector data of a time period where a new line graph overlaps. An attribute value setting unit sets, of the vector data selected, a high transparency degree value to oldest vector data, sets a low transparency degree value to newest vector data, and sets an intermediate transparency degree value to intermediate vector data. A graph display unit displays a portion of a time period of the past line graph where the new line graph overlaps, with a gradation.
US09959639B2

A method and apparatus for ptychographic imaging is described. Typically a high number of pixels (after binning) is needed to obtain a high quality reconstruction of an object. By using calculation planes with more nodes (for example 512×512 nodes) than the number of pixels of the detector, a high quality reconstruction of an object can be made, even when using for example a 16 segment detector, or a 32×32 pixel detector. Although the reconstructed object shows less resolution (“sharpness”), all features are there.
US09959636B2

An image processing system and method for determining an intrinsic colour component of one or more objects for use in rendering the object(s) is described. One or more input images are received, each representing a view of the object(s), wherein values of the input image(s) are separable into intrinsic colour estimates and corresponding shading estimates. A set of surface normals for the object(s) of the input image(s) is determined. In accordance with the values of the input image(s) and the determined set of surface normals, a global lighting estimate is determined which provides consistent corresponding intrinsic colour estimates for a plurality of regions of the object(s) from the input image(s). The intrinsic colour component is determined in accordance with the values of the input image(s) and the determined global lighting estimate. The determined intrinsic colour component of the object(s) and the determined set of surface normals for the object(s) are stored for use in rendering the object(s).
US09959629B2

Provided herein are methods and systems for managing spatiotemporal uncertainty in image processing. A method can comprise determining motion from a first image to a second image, determining a latency value, determining a precision value, generating an uncertainty element based upon the motion, the latency value, and the precision value, and rendering the uncertainty element.
US09959616B2

Disclosed are a cost-effective light source device that can eliminate highlights or hotspots and reduce halo phenomenon on resistor surface and a method for reading resistor value with computer vision, in which an image of a body of a resistor is extracted through irradiation by an annular light source and reflection by a replaceable diffuse reflection hood such as paper box, paper bowl, or paper cup inside pasted with white paper and extraction by an image extraction device, followed by a series of image processing operations conducted by a control unit to calculate a disposition angle of the resistor in an image. Luminous elements on opposite axial ends of the resistor are activated, according to the disposition angle, for illumination, while luminous elements on opposite lateral sides of the resistor are shut down so that a clear color resistor image can be obtained.
US09959610B2

A method and apparatus for detecting substrate misalignment (i.e., position displacement error) and/or substrate support misalignment. According to certain aspects, a method for detecting a misalignment of an object in a processing system is provided. The method generally includes obtaining a first image of the object, determining first values associated with pixels in at least one region of the first image, calculating at least one of a center of gravity value of the pixels in the at least one region or an average weight of the pixels in the at least one region, and detecting a misalignment of the object based on at least one of the calculated center of gravity or average weight of the pixels in the at least one region.
US09959600B2

Disclosed are a motion image compensation method and a device, and a display device. The motion image compensation method comprises: acquiring a first image corresponding to a pre-motion picture and a second image corresponding to a post-motion picture; dividing the first image and the second image respectively into several image blocks; performing computations on any pair of mutually corresponding image blocks in the first image and the second image based on a phase correlation method; performing edge detection on the first image and the second image respectively; and according to a preset condition, acquiring, from the at least one displacement vector, a displacement vector matched with a transformation between the edge feature patterns within the pair of mutually corresponding image blocks as a displacement vector corresponding to the pair of image blocks during a motion compensation process.
US09959588B2

An object (e.g., a driver's license) is tested for authenticity using imagery captured by a consumer device (e.g., a mobile phone camera). Corresponding data is sent from the consumer device to a remote system, which has secret knowledge about features indicating object authenticity. The phone, or the remote system, discerns the pose of the object relative to the camera from the captured imagery. The remote system tests the received data for the authentication features, and issues an output signal indicating whether the object is authentic. This testing involves modeling the image data that would be captured by the consumer device from an authentic object—based on the object's discerned pose (and optionally based on information about the camera optics), and then comparing this modeled data with the data sent from the consumer device. A great variety of other features and arrangements are also detailed.
US09959585B2

Methods, devices, and systems for conducting a checkless cash access settlement are provided. In one embodiment, a cash advance method includes the following: a customer initiates a cash access transaction via a cash access system; the customer receives authorization or denial; the customer provides identification and the financial card to a cashier or attendant; the cashier or attendant validates the customer's identity, retrieves the transaction information, and completes the cash advance application; the application prints a non-negotiable instrument, such as a transaction receipt; the customer signs the receipt confirming the transaction with a physical receipt or electronic capture.
US09959579B2

Architecture that automatically generate concise descriptions of users in social media. The descriptions communicate classification or category of a given social media user in a small amount of viewing space. The description can be based on available metadata (e.g., user profile biography) and/or other information about that person, as may be obtained from the information data sources (e.g., structured knowledge bases) on networks such as the Internet and enterprises, for example. The descriptions can also be query-dependent, by assuming there is some relationship between the social media user and a query, in which case, the descriptions illustrate that relationship.
US09959578B2

A work management system (1) includes: an image capturing device (20) worn by a worker; and a server device (60). The image capturing device (20) includes: an image capturing section (21) for capturing an image of a work range of the worker; and a communication section (30) for transmitting, to the server device (60), at least one of (i) the image captured by the image capturing section (21) and (ii) generated information generated in accordance with the image. The server device (60) includes a control section (70) for managing the at least one of the image and the generated information which one is received from the communication section.
US09959567B2

Example gesture based cross-channel commerce retail systems and methods are provided. Some of the example systems and methods permit a consumer to complete a Store Pick Up order, i.e., an order placed by the consumer via computer, mobile device, telephone, fax, mail-order, etc., by gesturing with a mobile device near a digital kiosk and optical sensor at a store pick up location. The mobile device and/or the digital kiosk may display media content to the consumer while the consumer completes the Store Pick Up order. In another example system, a digital kiosk is located in a public area such as an airport, shopping mall, train station, or stadium. The digital kiosk displays media content to the consumer, and the consumer may transfer to a mobile device such media by gesturing with the mobile device near the digital kiosk.
US09959565B2

Methods and systems for facilitating initiation of resupply orders for consumable commodities include using a stand-alone electronic or audio-generating device incorporated into retail product packaging. The stand-alone device is equipped with a rudimentary processor or logic circuit, a memory, and a wireless transmitter. A simple user interface/activation device such as a push button or membrane switch is coupled to the logic circuit or processor. The stand-alone device is incorporated into or with product packaging, and may be configured with a resupply code at or after a point of sale. A user may activate the user interface of the device when the product needs resupplying, causing the resupply code to be transmitted to an access point or terminal that initiates a reorder sequence for the product.
US09959550B2

Various of the disclosed embodiments concern systems and methods for tracking virality and social lift of media content. In some embodiments, an analytics engine creates and tags URLs to media content using generation codes, time codes, or both. The codes and their respective values allow the analytics engine to determine whether trends or patterns exist in how media content is viewed and shared. The generation codes and time codes can be used instead of, or in addition to, conventional UTM codes. The generation code, time code, or both, can be used to determine which segments (e.g., generations, time periods) of viewers generate a profit, subsequent viewers, etc. For example, the analytics engine can determine when an advertising campaign for a piece of media content should be terminated, rather than simply indicating whether the campaign should continue.
US09959547B2

An end-to-end mobile advertising system characterizes user behavior (e.g., location, interaction with advertisements on a mobile communication device, etc.) in order to select micro-targeted advertisements. A marketplace platform handles the formatting required for presentation suitable for mobile communication devices in accordance with negotiated tags for a desired audience (“reach”), for a suitable number of presentations (“frequency”) and for an effective duration (“time”) within a particular scheduled window. Effectiveness is gauged even in the instance of impression advertisements by monitoring user location and/or interaction with the communication device to see a change in behavior (e.g., whether goes to a location of a competitor or advertiser, calls the advertiser, clips the advertisement, etc.). This effectiveness is further tracked across applications and/or platforms to capture reach, frequency, and duration of a particular advertising campaign for a user. The marketplace platform secures user identification for privacy reasons from advertising entities that provide the advertisements.
US09959532B2

A check image generator application generates a remote deposit capture RDC compatible check image. The RDC compatible check image is sent from a sender mobile device to a recipient mobile device. The RDC compatible check image may pass through a server and may be encrypted. The recipient mobile device receives the RDC compatible check image and forwards it to a financial institution for deposit.
US09959531B2

The MULTI-DIRECTIONAL WALLET CONNECTOR APPARATUSES, METHODS AND SYSTEMS (“W-CONNECTOR”) facilitates the enrollment of payment accounts in a consumer's virtual wallet. The consumer may be logged into their payment account issuer's web site and designate one or more payment accounts for enrollment in a virtual wallet. The issuer may then share account, billing and/or other relevant information with the virtual wallet provider to facilitate the enrollment of the designated payment accounts in the virtual wallet. The W-CONNECTOR may also be configured to facilitate the creation and funding of pre-paid accounts in a consumer's virtual wallet.
US09959517B2

A method, system, and/or computer program product generates self-organizing layouts of process diagrams. Initial weight vectors are distributed uniformly within boundaries of regions in the process diagram. A spatial input vector is randomly generated within the boundaries of each region. In each region in the process diagram, a closest graphical node is found, and a position of a winning graphical node that is the closest graphical node to the random input vector is adjusted. Positions of all non-immutable graphical objects, wi, in a topographical neighborhood N(k) of a closest graphical node wc that can cross a boundary of one or more regions from the multiple regions are adjusted. The spatial input vector is recursively generated, the closest graphical node is recursively located, and the positions of all non-immutable graphical objects, wi, in the topographical neighborhood N(k) are recursively adjusted until a maximum number of iterations, kmax is reached.
US09959510B2

A method and system for assembling business systems by identifying assets and commercialization mechanisms needed for a business system, which are then associated with business components described on a component business model (CBM) map, based on asset types and elemental control structures that are common across an industry, and therefore reusable. The generic elemental control structures needed for the business system are configured and then assembled into a service network for implementing the business system. A business system so assembled may be enhanced by adding elemental control structures to the service network.
US09959506B1

Features are disclosed for predicting or otherwise determining when a user will initiate an operation on a user computing device, such as requesting network-accessible content. Upon making the determination, the user computing device can proactively perform the determined operation or portions thereof. The user computing device may use a detection model or profile that associates user-initiated operations with data from sensors on the user computing device. The sensors may include movement sensors, environmental sensors, and the like. One benefit, among others, is that user-perceived performance can be improved because some or all of a user-initiated operation has been performed prior to user-initiation of the operation.
US09959501B2

Embodiments of the invention provide a method comprising creating a structural description for at least one neurosynaptic core circuit. Each core circuit comprises an interconnect network including plural electronic synapses for interconnecting one or more electronic neurons with one or more electronic axons. The structural description defines a desired neuronal activity for the core circuits. The desired neuronal activity is simulated by programming the core circuits with the structural description. The structural description controls routing of neuronal firing events for the core circuits.
US09959499B2

Certain aspects of the present disclosure support assigning neurons and/or synapses to group tags where group tags have an associated set of parameters. By using group tags, neurons or synapses in a population can be assigned a group tag. Then, by changing a parameter associated with the group tag, all synapses or neurons in the group may have that parameter changed.
US09959497B1

A system and a method includes a first computing system interacting with a user and at least capturing physical and mental attributes of the user. The first computing system processes, formats, and organizes captured information of the user to provide organized user information. The first computing system designs a virtual clone of the user using the organized user information and produces a digital virtual clone of the user. A storage device stores the organized user information. A second computing system generates and displays a simulated environment. The second computing system transfers the organized user information, integrates the organized user information, and displays the digital virtual clone of the user in the simulated environment, wherein the digital virtual clone interacts with the stimulated environment.
US09959494B1

An RFID-based item tracking system may use statistical methods to determine whether a tag or tagged item that does not respond when inventoried is present in a particular zone or reader antenna field-of-view. In one embodiment, the item tracking system may determine an observability of an item based on one or more initial trials. Upon not detecting the item in one or more subsequent trials, the item tracking system may estimate whether the item is still present based on the observability.
US09959491B2

An image processing apparatus decides a grid point coordinate on a lookup table corresponding to a predetermined color; calculates, based on association between a signal of the predetermined color in the uniform color space designated by a first color space information and the decided grid point coordinate, a first matrix for converting each signal in the uniform color space into a grid point coordinate; calculates, based on association between the signal of the predetermined color in the uniform color space designated by a second color space information and the decided grid point coordinate, a second matrix for converting each grid point coordinate into a signal in the uniform color space; and generates a lookup table for converting each grid point coordinate into a signal in the second color space by using the second matrix and the second color space information.
US09959487B2

The present disclosure provides a method and a device for adding a font. The method includes: acquiring an image; recognizing text in the image as at least one character, each character being a font file corresponding to a single word or a single symbol; and adding a recognized character to a system font library, the system font library including characters used for displaying text on a user interface.
US09959480B1

Features are disclosed for classifying pixels included in a digital image. Distance information from a pixel to structural reference points, such as skeletal joints, is generated. The distance information is then applied to a pixel classifier to identify one or more classifications for the pixel.
US09959463B2

Acquired three-dimensional positional information is used to identify user created gesture(s), which gesture(s) are classified to determine appropriate input(s) to an associated electronic device or devices. Preferably at at least one instance of a time interval, the posture of a portion of a user is recognized, based at least one factor such as shape, position, orientation, velocity. Posture over each of the instance(s) is recognized as a combined gesture. Because acquired information is three-dimensional, two gestures may occur simultaneously.
US09959461B2

Embodiments of vehicle gesture recognition systems and methods are disclosed. An example vehicle gesture recognition system comprises a data interface configured for receiving 2d image data from a 2d sensor and/or from a portable device camera via a portable device interface. Additionally or alternatively, the data interface is configured for receiving gesture data indicating a gesture. A vehicle processing unit is configured for controlling user interfacing with a user interface based on the gestures recognized from the 2d image data and/or as indicated by the gesture data.
US09959442B2

Systems and methods for providing multiple image fields or regions on a single, two-dimensional imaging sensor array of a data reader. A single sensor array may be divided into two or more imaging regions each of which may be used to render a separate view of an overall read volume. An image-side telecentric optical system may be utilized to divide the sensor array into the two or more imaging regions. A thin, high refractive index focal element (e.g., optical glass) may be positioned over at least one of the two or more imaging regions to provide multiple focus positions using a single telecentric optical system and a single sensor array. The multiple imaging regions may be used to capture images from different regions, and/or may be used produce a longer depth of field by combining overlapping depths of field of the multiple imaging regions.
US09959439B1

Techniques for tracking a location of an item retainer are described. In an example, a computer system may receive one or more signals from one or more devices. At least one device may be located at a distance from a radio frequency identification (RFID) reader. The RFID reader may be located at a space opening and may cover a read zone around the space opening. The signal(s) may indicate that a condition to activate the RFID reader is met. This condition may be associated with a state of the space opening or a proximity of an item retainer to the read zone. The computer system may activate the RFID reader based on the condition being met and may determine a progress of the item retainer through the space opening based on whether an RFID tag was read by the RFID reader while the RFID reader was activated.
US09959422B2

Techniques and technologies for providing limited-access functionality accessible at a “login screen” (or “lock screen”) of a device are described. In at least some embodiments, a system includes a user interface operatively coupled to a processing component; and one or more instructions stored on a memory that, when executed by the processing component, are configured to: (a) generate a login portion displayed on the user interface, the login portion configured to receive at least one user access credential to determine whether to provide access to one or more authorized-access functionalities; and (b) generate a limited-access functionality access portion displayed on the user interface concurrently with the login portion, the limited-access functionality access portion configured to provide access to at least one limited-access functionality without requiring receipt of the at least one user access credential.
US09959416B1

A method includes receiving, at a meeting server, a first input from a first computing device associated with a first user; identifying, at the meeting server, a second user who is connected to an in-progress meeting using the first input; transmitting an access request message from the meeting server to a computing device associated with the second user; and in response to receiving a positive response to the access request message at the meeting server from the second computing device, granting the first user access to the in-progress meeting.
US09959414B1

A method and apparatus is provided for the virtualization of cryptographic resources which enables memory speed encryption and decryption that is not bound by the speed at which processor resources can compute the result of a symmetric-key algorithm. This is achieved through a time-memory tradeoff via empty space at provisioning time. When implementing the apparatus, un-initialized memory is filled with the output of a symmetric-key algorithm uniquely keyed for the specific set of data that is going to be written to the provisioned area. Since the provisioning operation stores cryptographically structured data, rather than redundant data, plaintext that is xor'ed into memory is automatically encrypted and ciphertext that xor'ed into memory is automatically decrypted without the need for additional cryptographic computation. This reduced computation requirement enables cryptographic function to be implemented at the ends of communication, rather than the middle, and treated as a virtualized resource.
US09959409B2

A processor of an aspect includes a decode unit to decode a user-level instruction. The user-level instruction is to indicate a page of a secure enclave and is to indicate a linear address. An execution logic is coupled with the decode unit. The execution logic is operable, in response to the user-level instruction, to change an initial linear address of the page of the secure enclave. The initial linear address is to be stored in an enclave page storage metadata unit. The initial linear address is to be changed by the execution logic to the linear address that is to be indicated by the user-level instruction. The change to the linear address is performed without contents of the page of the secure enclave being lost.
US09959407B1

A computer-implemented method for identifying potentially malicious singleton files may include (1) identifying a set of benign singleton files and a set of malicious singleton files, (2) obtaining, for each singleton file in the sets of benign and malicious singleton files, file identification information that identifies the singleton file, (3) using the file identification information of the singleton files from the sets of benign and malicious singleton files to train a classifier to classify unknown singleton files, (4) detecting an unclassified singleton file, (5) analyzing, with the trained classifier, information that identifies the unclassified singleton file, (6) determining, based on the analysis of the information that identifies the unclassified singleton file, that the unclassified singleton file is suspicious, and (7) triggering a security action in response to determining that the unclassified singleton file is suspicious. Various other methods, systems, and computer-readable media are also disclosed.
US09959399B2

Methods, systems, computer-readable media, and apparatuses may provide a mobile device with the ability to locally detect fraudulent activity by an unauthorized user. A mobile device may include a fraud detection module that may build a historical usage pattern of a user of the mobile device. The fraud detection module may monitor usage of the mobile device for multiple parameters and record events pertaining to the parameters. Periodically or in response to each event, the fraud detection module may compute a current usage pattern using each of the current parameter values. The fraud detection module may compare the current usage pattern with the historical usage pattern and may use the comparison result to compute a confidence score. The fraud detection module may then compare the confidence score with a preset confidence score to determine whether fraudulent activity is occurring at the mobile device.
US09959394B2

The invention relates to a device for decrypting protected content and for providing the decrypted content for playback. The device comprises one or more system software modules providing functions for facilitating the decryption of the protected content and at least one client software module assigned to a provider of protected content. The client software module is adapted to access functions of the system software modules in order to control the system software to decrypt the protected content of the provider. Moreover, the device is adapted to validate the system software and/or a further client software module and to prevent the decryption and/or provision of the protected content of the provider, if the system software and/or the further client software module are not validated successfully. The validation of the system software and/or a further client software module comprises a comparison of identification data of software modules of the system software and/or further client software modules loaded in a processor of the device and identification data included in a revocation list assigned to the provider. In addition to the device, the invention relates to a method for operating the device.
US09959392B2

An odorant mixture is disclosed. The odorant mixture comprises N odorant components wherein N equals at least 20. Each odorant component is characterized by a multidimensional vector of attributes. A z score of an average of characteristic distances between vectors corresponding to odorant components in the mixture and vectors corresponding to odorant components in a group of M odorant components but not in the mixture is less than 2.
US09959386B2

An example method includes monitoring healthcare information employed by a local information system of a first healthcare entity via an edge device located at a facility of the first healthcare entity and in communication with a local information system. The edge device is to implement a local cloud system. The local cloud system is to be accessible by only the first healthcare entity and healthcare entities affiliated with the first healthcare entity. The example method also includes determining if the healthcare information has a first characteristic via the edge device, determining if the healthcare information has a second characteristic via the edge device, and automatically uploading the healthcare information onto the local cloud system if the healthcare information has the first characteristic. The example method also includes automatically uploading the healthcare information onto a remote cloud system if the healthcare information has the second characteristic.
US09959381B2

Embodiments relate an emulation environment that places debugging logic in a manner that connections between the debugging logic and logic components outputs can be efficiently routed. In one embodiment, the host system places the debugging logic after placing the logic components of the DUT, but before routing the logic components. In another embodiment, the host system places debugging logic after placing and routing logic components of the DUT. In another embodiment, for one or more emulator FPGAs, the host system places debugging logic units of the debugging logic evenly across the FPGA before placing logic components of the DUT.
US09959376B2

For a design under test (DUT) that is to be emulated, a host system partitions the DUT into multiple partitions and maps each partition to an FPGA of an emulator which will emulate the partition. The host system stores information describing to which FPGAs each component of the DUT has been mapped. Additionally, mapped to each FPGA is trace and injection logic that traces signals exchanged by the FPGA with other FPGAs during emulation of the DUT. After the emulation of the DUT is complete, if a user wishes to debug a component of the DUT, the FPGAs that are configured to emulate the component are identified. For each identified FPGA, the trace and injection logic injects previously traced signals into the logic of the FPGA in order to reemulate the component. The host system generates waveforms for the user that include signals traced during the reemulation of the component.
US09959375B2

An emulation environment includes a host system and an emulator. The host system configures the emulator to load a design under test (DUT) and the emulator emulates the DUT. The emulator includes one or more design field-programmable gate arrays (FPGAs) that emulate the DUT. In addition, the emulator includes at least one system FPGA with a logic analyzer and multiple virtual FPGA. The virtual FPGAs emulate sections of the DUT. By the virtual FPGAs emulating sections of the DUT, the logic analyzer is able to obtain for performing logic analysis certain signals from the virtual FPGAs, rather than from the design FPGAs.
US09959367B2

A system for providing a third party centralized data hub. The system includes a server storing a database of sets of third party data, and the system includes a third party risk management module on the server maintaining the third party data. The system includes a first set of client devices communicatively linked with the server over a digital communications network and operable by data providers to provide and modify one of the sets of third party data. The system includes a second set of client devices linked with the server and operable by data consumers to access a subset of the sets of third party data. During operations, the risk management module monitors the third party data, identifies a modification, by one of the data providers, of one of the sets of third party data, and automatically generates and transmits an alert to the second set of client devices.
US09959362B2

Techniques are described for creating a context-aware landing page. A context-aware landing page is capable of dynamically updating its tiles to include content tiles which are related to a received triggering event. The triggering event can be received from a business context source. When the triggering event is received, a weighting table that contains a plurality of content tiles can be retrieved. The method can then select one or more content tiles to include in the context-aware landing page. The selection of the one or more content tiles can depend on the triggering event.
US09959359B2

In one embodiment, one or more computing systems may implement a social networking environment and may be operable to access, in a social graph associated with one or more computing systems of a social network environment, a user node representing a particular user, the user node connected to a plurality of attribute nodes. The social graph may comprise a plurality of object nodes in the social graph, each object node being connected to a plurality of attribute nodes. The systems may be further operable to calculate a match coefficient between the user node and an individual object node. The calculation may include operations to, for each attribute node in a set of all attribute nodes connected to both the user node and the object node, calculate a first coefficient between the user node and the attribute node.
US09959355B2

A computer detects a question from a participant and determines whether the question is marked to be directed to a particular participant. If marked, the question is directed towards the particular participant, otherwise the question is transmitted to all participants of the web conference. If the computer does not detect an answer to the question from a participant, the participants are reminded of the unanswered question. If the computer detects an answer from a participant, the computer determines whether the answer has been marked by the answering participant as related to another question and answer thread. The computer moves the question and answer to the related thread if marked as related, otherwise the question and answer are saved as a new thread. The entirety of the web conference threads are then saved by the computer in an organized database.
US09959344B1

Disclosed are systems, methods and devices for improving audio processing and playing multiple sounds using fewer resources. Various implementations may create audio files, in some cases from a single sample of a type of sound, where the files represent specific quantities of that type of sound, such as 10 footsteps or 1000 claps. Given a desired target number of sounds to play, various implementations determine an appropriate combination of the employable audio files to represent the desired number of sounds, and play or render the combination as an approximation of the desired target number of sounds. By using single audio files that represent and sound like multiple instances of a specified type of sound, the various implementations use significantly fewer computing and audio resources than playing an equivalent number of audio files each of which contains a single instance of the specified type of sound.
US09959343B2

An embodiment may involve a server device transmitting, over a wide area network, a first playlist with a first duration to a client device. Possibly while the client device is playing out a current audio file of a first plurality of audio files in the playlist, the server device may receive an instruction from the client device and generate a second playlist. The second playlist may include references to a second plurality of audio files, where playout of the second plurality of audio files may have a duration that is less than the duration of the playout of the first plurality of audio files. The server device may transmit, over the wide area network, the second playlist to the client device. Reception of the second playlist at the client device may cause the audio player application to retrieve and play out the second plurality of audio files.
US09959339B2

Embodiments relate to calculating a journey time for a planned journey between a chosen origin and a chosen destination over a network of roads in a region. A first journey time for the journey is estimated using a route scheduling algorithm and a second journey time for the journey is estimated using selected historical journeys characterized by journey origins and destinations. The historical journeys are selected based on their vicinity to the planned journey. An error in the second journey time is calculated based on the standard deviation in the selected historical journeys. The second journey time is selected as the estimated journey time from the planned journey if this error is below a defined threshold, otherwise the first journey time is selected as the estimated journey time for the planned journey.
US09959331B2

The present invention provides a method of transferring content from a file and a database. In this case, the file includes content instances, each content instance being associated with a respective field, and each field having a respective type. The transfer is achieved by determining the type of each field, and then storing each content instance in a store in accordance with the determined field type of the associated field. Each content instance can then be transferred to the database in accordance with the determined field type. A similar procedure is provided for creating XML files based on content within the database.
US09959330B2

In an embodiment, for any structural change that is made to a relational database, a corresponding change is also made to the multidimensional database. In an embodiment, the system determines that a particular structure is not implemented on the multidimensional database system. Based on metadata that defines the structure that is supposed to exist in the multidimensional database, the appropriate structure is created.
US09959327B2

Disclosed are systems, methods, and non-transitory computer-readable storage media for shared folder backed integrated workspaces. In some implementations, a content management system can provide a graphical user interface (GUI) that integrates communications and content management into a single user interface. The user interface can include mechanisms that allow a user to provide input to generate a new workspace. The user interface can provide a mechanism to allow a user to view conversations related to the workspace and/or content items associated with the workspace. The user interface can present representations of content items associated with the workspace and allow the user to provide input to generate, view, edit, and share content items associated with the workspace.
US09959323B2

The invention relates to a computer-implemented method for processing a query in a database, the query comprising a search value. The database comprises a plurality of datasets the datasets comprising entries, wherein distance statistics are assigned to the datasets. The distance statistics describe the minimum and maximum distance between the values of the entries of a dataset of the plurality of datasets and a reference value. The method comprises determining the distance between the search value and the reference value, said determination resulting in a search distance, determining a subset of datasets from the plurality of datasets for which the search distance is within the limits given by the minimum and maximum distances described by the respective distance statistics, and searching for the search value in the subset of datasets.
US09959316B2

A method and a device for adjusting filter parameters comprises a display, a physical user interface, a memory and a processing unit. The memory comprises a sorted list of items in an ordered manner, the order determined by their rank, and each item has at least one feature-value pair that represents a value of a feature of the item. The processing unit generates a graphical representation of the items in the list in an ordered manner on the display. The processing unit responds to the user interface so as to allow a user to re-order (rearrange) and/or drop items in the graphical representation of the list of items; it modifies the rank of the items in the list, and it determines a like-degree for at least some of the feature-value pairs.
US09959314B2

In one embodiment, a search query is received from a computing device, the search query including one or more search terms. Based on the one or more search terms, one or more entities are identified from a set of multiple entities. Each of the one or more identified entities is associated with one or more application functionalities. In addition, a set of applications are identified based on the one or more search terms. Based at least on a type of at least one of the identified one or more entities, a determination is made that a particular application from the set of applications supports the at least one of the identified one or more entities. Thereafter, the applications in the set are ranked based in part on the determination that the particular application supports the at least one of the identified one or more entities.
US09959312B2

Creation of an index for a table of sorted data for use by a data storage application is initiated. Thereafter, N+1 logical partition of rows of the table are defined so that each logical partition has a corresponding worker process. Each worker process then builds a sub-index based on the corresponding logical partition which are later merged to form the index. Related apparatus, systems, techniques and articles are also described.
US09959310B2

A system includes activation of an OData service exposing a parameterized database view, the OData service exposing a Parameter Entity Type and a Result Entity Type, wherein the Parameter Entity Type specifies one or more input parameters of the database view as properties of the Parameter Entity Type, and defines a Parameter Entity Type key formed by each of the one or more input parameters, and wherein the Result Entity Type specifies the one or more input parameters and one or more output of the database view as properties of the Result Entity Type, and defines a Result Entity Type key formed by each of the one or more input parameters and at least one of the one or more output parameters. Also included is reception of an OData request comprising a Uniform Resource Indicator, the Uniform Resource Indicator including the OData service, the Result Entity Type, and a value for each of one or more input parameters of the database view and for at least one of the one or more output parameters of the database view, and execution, in response to the request, of the OData service to return a single entity associated with the values.
US09959309B2

Example distributed reservation systems and methods are described. In one implementation, multiple storage nodes are configured to store distributed data. Multiple clients are coupled to the multiple storage nodes and access data from the multiple storage nodes. A management server is coupled to the multiple storage nodes and the multiple clients. The management server manages the access of data by the multiple clients and manages reservation of the multiple storage nodes by a particular client.
US09959303B2

In a remote index operation, a first system in a datasharing group performs an operation on a data object in a database, determines a second system in the datasharing group has exclusive access to an index page to be updated according to the operation, and sends to the second system a remote request to change the index page according to the operation. In response, the second system changes the index page with an index entry referencing the data object and marks a key in the index entry as a provisional key. When a third system in the datasharing group reads the index entry, it determines that the key in the index entry is the provisional key. In response, the third system determines whether the data object exists in the database and a committed state of the transaction, and accordingly determines a current state of the data object.
US09959298B2

There is provided a method, apparatus and system for indexing content based on relative time information. The method, apparatus and system include determining relative time information of at least one of a time interval of at least a portion of the content and an event occurring in the content, generating time metadata that indexes in absolute time the determined relative time information and communicating the time metadata for storage. The method, apparatus and system can further include receiving a request for the at least one of a time interval of at least a portion of the content and an event occurring in the content, the request identifying a desired content portion using relative time information, using the time metadata to determine a portion of the content relative to the time information and communicating the content portion relative to the time information to a requester.
US09959291B2

A system, computer program, and method for storing and sharing images such as photographs via a communications network (16) and for permitting the identification of objects within the images. The invention allows the identification of objects such as persons within the photos without requiring the person submitting the photos to type in identification information for each and every photo in a photo album. The invention also allows users to automatically share their photos with others and to automatically search for photos and/or certain people in photos.