US08042054B2
A system that incorporates teachings of the present disclosure may include, for example, a device having a controller to create metadata corresponding to an identity of an entity, incorporate in a media file the metadata that identifies the entity with metadata that describes media content in the media file, and present a graphical user interface depicting a media file directory structure generated according to the metadata that identifies the entity and the metadata that describes media content in the media file. Other embodiments are disclosed.
US08042040B2
Systems and methods for mounting memorabilia in a manner that provides enhanced opportunity for the creative involvement of users. A page layout template is used as a basis for creating a page layout to which design elements are attached. The page layout is a pre-designed template that is configured to be selectively rotated and/or swapped to provide a refreshing theme and/or look, and can be used to more effectively utilize the memorabilia available for mounting and/or storage. The ability to rotate and/or swap the templates enables the ability of a user to reuse pre-established templates to create new looks and presentations. In addition, colors and/or objects can be added to enhance the themes. In one implementation, the templates include two templates per presentation. Each of the templates can be selectively rotated and/or swapped with another template to provide a refreshing theme and/or look, and can be used to more effectively utilize the memorabilia available for mounting and/or storage.
US08042037B1
A communication system includes a number of devices interconnected by a communication network and each operable to communicate with each other using a text-based communication protocol that provides for the exchange of markup language documents. Each of the devices includes a document interface capable of sequencing documents for communication to other devices and for enforcing sequencing of received documents.
US08042036B1
A method for generating a link is provided. In this method, a selection of a portion associated with a resource is provided. The portion is identified by a portion identifier. Additionally provided is a link to the resource on a computer network. To generate the link, the portion identifier is embedded into the link.
US08042017B2
The present invention demonstrates how network-coding can be applied to a deterministic broadcast approach, resulting in significant reductions in the number of transmissions in the network. We propose two algorithms, that rely only on local two-hop topology information and make extensive use of opportunistic listening to reduce the number of transmissions: 1) a simple XOR-based coding algorithm and 2) a Reed-Solomon based coding algorithm that determines the optimal coding gain achievable for a coding algorithm that relies only on local information.
US08042016B2
Provided a method and device for efficiently retransmitting packets of which transmissions failed in wired/wireless network including detecting continuity by detecting whether or not a sequence ID of a received packet is continuous with a start sequence ID or an end sequence ID of packets included in reception blocks which are generated in advance of the received packet; depending on the result of the detection, manipulating reception blocks to renew or delete the reception blocks or generate a new reception block by using the sequence ID of the received packet; and transmitting an EBN (Explicit Block NACK) for requesting retransmission of lost packets in units of a block when discontinuity is detected.
US08042015B2
A semiconductor test device includes; a tester providing a first clock signal, first test data, a control signal and a first clock signal, a reference clock generating unit generating a reference clock signal, a clock converting unit receiving the reference clock signal and converting the frequency of the reference clock signal to a second clock signal in response to the control signal, and a test data converting unit receiving the first test data, converting the first test data to second test data synchronously with the second clock signal and providing the second test data to a semiconductor memory device under test.
US08042007B1
A method of capturing trace data can include storing trace data from a circuit as entries within memory slots of a trace buffer. Responsive to detecting a first trigger event, a trigger bit and a time marker bit within a first trigger event entry are set, wherein the trigger bit and the time marker bit are correlated with the first trigger event. A capture region within the trace buffer having a defined range can be determined. A first time marker correlated with the time marker bit of the first trigger event entry can be stored. Content of the capture region from the trace buffer correlated time markers can be output.
US08042006B2
Redundancy of data and/or Inline Power in a wired data telecommunications network from a pair of power sourcing equipment (PSE) devices via an automatic selection device is provided by providing redundant signaling to/from each of the pair of PSE devices, and coupling a port of one PSE device and a redundant port of the second PSE device to respective first and second interfaces of a port of the selection device. The selection device initially selects one of the two PSE devices and communicates data and/or Inline Power to a third interface of the selection device. A powered device (PD) coupled to that third interface communicates data and/or Inline Power with the selected one of the first and second PSE device through the selection device. Upon detection of a condition, such as a failure condition, the selection device may select the other of the two interfaces.
US08042002B2
For some data processing systems, it is important to be able to handle overlapping debug events generated by a shared set of debug resources which are trying to cause both exception processing and debug mode entry. However, exception processing and debug mode entry generally have conflicting requirements. In one embodiment, exception priority processing is initially given to the software debug event. Normal state saving is performed and the first instruction of the debug exception handler is fetched, but not executed. Priority is then switched from the software debug event to the hardware debug event and a debug halted state is entered. Once processing of the hardware debug event has been completed, priority is returned to the software debug event and the debug exception handler is executed.
US08042000B2
An apparatus, system, and method are disclosed for validating application server replication errors. The method includes receiving a first information message with a test sequence from a caller. The caller is engaged in a communication session with a callee according to a communication protocol and the communication session is managed by a first application server. The method also includes storing the test sequence in a replicable data structure on the first application server. The replicable data structure is replicated to a second application server to form a replicated data structure and both servers operate within an active-active configuration. The method also includes receiving a second information message from the caller. The second information message includes a confirmation sequence. In addition, the method includes determining a replication error in response to comparing the stored test sequence in the replicated data structure with the confirmation sequence.
US08041992B2
Techniques are generally described for correcting computation errors via input compensation and/or input overcompensation. In various examples, errors of a computation may be detected, and input compensation and/or overcompensation to correct the errors may be created. The disclosed techniques may be used for power and/or energy minimization/reduction, and debugging, among other applications. Other embodiments and/or applications may be disclosed and/or claimed.
US08041988B2
To update firmware on a consumer device intelligently, two or more application images are stored as firmware on the consumer device. If the primary application image is corrupt, the back-up application image is executed on the consumer device. The back-up application image can be updated based on the primary application image. User configuration files can be preserved during the update of an application image, or they can be overwritten. This firmware updating scheme can be advantageously implemented in a personal media broadcasting system.
US08041982B2
Various apparatuses, methods and systems for a real time clock are disclosed herein. For example, some embodiments provide a real time clock including a clock generator having a first input connected to a clock signal and a second input connected to a time set signal. The clock generator produces a time change signal at an output of the clock generator. Counters, each adapted to track a different unit of time, are connected to the time change signal. The clock generator is adapted to generate a pulse on the time change signal for each pulse of the time set signal, and to generate separate pulses on the time change signal for consecutive pulses on the clock signal and the time set signal.
US08041974B2
A power management method for an input device is provided, which includes the following steps: starting to count time and recording a trigger time of the input device after the input device enters a light-sleep mode; and dynamically updating a deep-sleep start time according to the trigger time. When the input device is idle over a standby time, the input device would enter the light-sleep mode and record the trigger time that the input device is restored from the light-sleep mode to an operation mode by a user operating the input device. The method dynamically updates the deep-sleep start time according to the recorded trigger time, and thus better power saving efficiency is achieved.
US08041972B2
Apparatus and methods for setting wakeup times in a communication device are disclosed where setting the wakeup times includes estimating the lock on time of a frequency synthesizer in order to minimize the wakeup time and extend sleep times for maximal energy savings. A disclosed apparatus includes an estimator to receive a current lock on time of a frequency synthesizer, which is the time taken by the frequency synthesizer to lock on to particular frequency after a wakeup signal has been issued to turn on the synthesizer after a sleep period. The estimator calculates a latest estimated lock on time based at least on the current lock on time of the frequency synthesizer and determines an enable signal timing information based on the estimated lock on time. The apparatus also includes a timer configured to receive the enable signal timing information and issue at least one enable signal to turn on other circuitry in the transceiver after the synthesizer lock on period based thereon. Corresponding methods are also disclosed.
US08041969B2
Methods, apparatus, and products are disclosed for reducing power consumption while performing collective operations on a plurality of compute nodes that include: receiving, by each compute node, instructions to perform a type of collective operation; selecting, by each compute node from a plurality of collective operations for the collective operation type, a particular collective operation in dependence upon power consumption characteristics for each of the plurality of collective operations; and executing, by each compute node, the selected collective operation.
US08041959B2
To protect data from corruption due to restoration of an encryption key to a wrong storage system, there is provided a computer system including a first storage system and a second storage system, wherein: the first storage system, upon receiving a request to write first data to a first area in the first storage system, encrypts the first data by using a first key and writes the first data in the first area, and, upon receiving a request to write second data to a third area, encrypts the second data by using a second key and transmits a request to write the encrypted second data in a second area in the second storage system; and the computer system holds the first key, an identifier of the first storage system associated with the first key, the second key, and an identifier of the second storage system associated with the second key.
US08041954B2
A method and system for a secure login solution for users logging into computers and systems that require authentication is provided incorporating one-time passwords. The method and system allows a user to establish a login key combination in relation to a login key structure. The login key combination is in association with an identification means, such as a username/ID, and allows the user to generate a one-time passcode in response to a random login key. The method and system is directed at situations where the user desires to log into a system from a computer or other electronic device that may not be secure, including for example from computers or devices other than the user's own and/or by using a communications connection that may not be secure, such as a wireless network connection. The method and system is simple and easy to implement and does not require the use of physical devices.
US08041943B2
A method for enforcing use of certificate revocation lists in validating certificates, the lists being associated with a series of list generation indices such that each list is assigned one index which advances according to a time of generation of the list, the lists and the indices being cryptographically signed, the method including receiving one of the lists and an associated index as an identifier of the one list, checking the certificates against the list, associating each of the certificates, which have been checked against the list, with the index, receiving an enforcement generation index (EGI) associated with a latest list in use, storing the EGI as a last known EGI, and refusing performance of an action associated with a certificate if the one index of the one certificate is earlier in the series than the last known EGI. Related apparatus and methods are also included.
US08041936B2
The last value of an element of a computing system is continually stored within a first register. The element is cleared during any restart or reset of the computing system. The last value is relevant to debugging of the computing system when the computing system fails to perform as expected and/or as desired. Upon receiving an instruction to reset the computing system via a first reset signal corresponding to pressing of a reset button or a second reset signal corresponding to a baseboard management controller issuing a reset command, the last value of the element as stored within the first register is copied to a second register. The computing system is then reset. The last value of the element as stored within the second register persists within the second register during this type of reset, but is cleared during any other reset or restart of the computing system.
US08041930B2
The data processing apparatus has processing logic for performing data processing operations and a register bank for storing data associated with the processing logic. The register bank has at least one register group, each register group having a plurality of register sets. The processing logic has an operating state associated with each register group defining how that register group is used, a first operating state being a state in which each register set in the register group is used to support an independent execution thread of the processing logic, and a second operating state being a state in which the register sets of the register group are collectively used to support a single execution thread of the processing logic. Control logic is provided to control how the register sets of each register group are used dependent on the operating state associated with that register group.
US08041925B2
A reconfigurable integrated circuit includes a plurality of function blocks and a plurality of programmable switches to switchably connect between function blocks included in the plurality of function blocks. The plurality of function blocks each includes at least one operation unit or one memory unit. The plurality of function blocks each includes at least one data input port connected to at least on of the plurality of programmable switches and at least one data output port connected to at least one of the plurality of programmable switches. Further, at least a pair of function blocks included in the plurality of function blocks is connected without intervening the programmable switch and data being output from a direct output port included in one of the pair of function blocks can be input to a direct input port included in the other of the pair of function blocks.
US08041916B2
A data storage device and a method of operating the same include firmware recognizing that the data storage device has a smaller than normal capacity or includes a routine in the firmware when the number of bad blocks exceeds the maximum. Therefore, even if the number of bad blocks exceeds the maximum, the data storage device having a capacity smaller than the normal capacity can be used.
US08041914B2
For at least one of storage unit, processor and cache memory which are I/O process-participating devices related to I/O command process, when a load of one or more I/O process-participating devices or a part thereof is a low load equal to or less than a predetermined threshold value, a processing related to a state of one or more of the I/O process-participating devices or a part thereof is redirected to another one or more I/O process-participating devices or a part thereof, and the state of the one or more I/O process-participating devices or a part thereof is shifted to a power-saving state.
US08041909B2
The present invention provides a storage system for migrating a storage apparatus. The storage system comprises the steps of: defining a logical volume on a storage apparatus to be migrated coupled to a first controller as a local volume coupled to a second controller; setting to receive an access targeted to the logical volume through an input/output port of the storage apparatus to be migrated, as the local volume coupled to the second controller; blocking the input/output port of the storage apparatus to be migrated; connecting the other input/output port of the storage apparatus to the second control apparatus.
US08041896B2
A computing system supports a virtualization platform with dedicated cache access. The computing system is configured for usage with a memory and a cache and comprises an instruction decoder configured to decode a cache-line allocation instruction and control logic. The control logic is coupled to the instruction decoder and controls the computing system to execute a cache-line allocation instruction that loads portions of data and code regions of the memory into dedicated cache-lines of the cache which are exempted from eviction according to a cache controller replacement policy.
US08041884B2
A non-volatile memory system (3) is proposed consisting of a first non-volatile flash memory (5) having a plurality of blocks, each block having a plurality of pages, each block being erasable and each page being programmable, and a second non-volatile random access memory (23) having a plurality of randomly accessible bytes. The second non-volatile memory (23) stores data for mapping logical blocks to physical blocks and status information of logical blocks. Each logical block has an associated physical page pointer stored in the second non-volatile memory (23) that identifies the next free physical page of the mapped physical block to be written. The page pointer is incremented after every page write to the physical block, allowing all physical pages to be fully utilized for page writes. Furthermore, a method of writing and reading data is disclosed whereby the most recently written physical page associated with a logical address is identifiable by the memory system without programming flags into superseded pages, or recording time stamp values in any physical page or block of the first non-volatile memory (5). Furthermore, a method is provided for a logical block to be mapped to two physical blocks instead of one to provide additional space for page writes, resulting in reduction in page copy operations, thereby increasing the performance of the system.
US08041881B2
A memory subsystem is provided including an interface circuit adapted for communication with a system and a majority of address or control signals of a first number of memory circuits. The interface circuit includes emulation logic for emulating at least one memory circuit of a second number.
US08041866B2
The disclosure describes a system and method for controlling interfacing parameters for a device when connected to a host. In the system and method, the communications interface is configurable to be in operable connection to a host using a microprocessor in the device having a first bus controller and a second bus controller, the second bus controller external to the microprocessor. The method comprises: establishing an initial connection by the device; conducting negotiations by the device to set a first data transmission rate for the device for the initial connection utilizing a communication bus controller contained in the microprocessor; and after detecting completion of enumeration of the device, re-establishing the connection by the device using the second bus controller in the device that processes the communications at a second transmission rate that is higher than the first data transmission rate.
US08041852B1
System and method for using a shared buffer construct in performance of concurrent data-driven tasks
A computer system is provided that utilizes a buffer construct to manage memory access operations to a region of memory. The buffer construct may correspond to a data item or structure that represents a region of memory. Each task may control the buffer construct exclusively of other tasks, so that the region of memory that is represented by the buffer construct is only available to the controlling task. Another task that requires access to the region of memory must wait until the controlling task makes the buffer construct available. The controlling task makes the buffer construct available only when DMA or other memory access operations that are in progress become complete. In this way, the buffer construct acts as a token that synchronizes each of the concurrent tasks execution and ensures mutually exclusive access to the common region of memory.
US08041850B2
A channel control unit of a storage apparatus is provided with: a variable-length DMA (Direct Memory Access) that performs data transfer of variable-length data sent to or received from the host computer in accordance with an I/O request; a fixed-length DMA that performs data transfer of fixed-length data to and from the cache memory; and a buffer intervening between the variable-length DMA and the fixed-length DMA. In performing the data transfer of the fixed-length data to the cache memory, the fixed-length DMA divides the variable-length data into multiple sets of the fixed-length data each having a data size equivalent to a unit size of data managed in the cache memory, and adds a first integrity code to the last fixed-length data set of the fixed-length data sets generated by the division, the first integrity code being generated based on the entire variable-length data.
US08041845B2
A TMDS receiver includes a plurality of data channels, a clock channel, and an off-line mode detector. Each data channel receives a video signal and the clock channel receives a clock signal. Each data channel comprises a channel decoder for decoding the signals received by the corresponding receiving channel. The off-line mode detector detects an off-line mode detector, and then turns on a plurality of first data channels for a first predetermined period to determine an operation mode of video signal transmitted on said first data channels if the activity of the clock signal is valid. The off-line mode detector also activates a plurality of second data channels among the plurality of data channels according to the operation mode if the operation mode is determined as valid.
US08041844B2
A computer system that detects for a PCI Express compliant endpoint device is described. Specifically, the computer system clocks transmit and receive circuits at a first frequency and initiates a training sequence. If the endpoint device successfully trains at the first frequency, the endpoint device is PCI Express compliant. Otherwise, the computer system initiates another training sequence at a second frequency.
US08041842B2
Disclosed herein is a printing device connected to a client, the printing device including: a reception unit which receives plural types of logic packets from the client; a hardware packet processing unit which processes the logic packets by hardware; a software packet processing unit which includes a microprocessor and processes the logic packets by software; and a sorting unit which sorts the plural types of logic packets into a logic packet to be processed by the hardware packet processing unit and a logic packet to be processed by the software packet processing unit, wherein the sorting unit sorts a reply requiring logic packet including contents replying to the client as the logic packet to be processed by the hardware packet processing unit when sorting the plural types of logic packets.
US08041839B2
A method of providing active web user interface is disclosed. The method includes questioning a web server about a message from an application program module by Asynchronous JavaScript and XML (AJAX). The web server asks the application program module to confirm receipt of the message. The web server obtains a result from the application program module, and returns to the web user interface control module. The web user interface receives the message from the web server and calls a plug-in module to provide a service about the message. The plug-in module starts the service of the application program module.
US08041838B2
The present invention is a content display device provided with: a main device including a plurality of telephone terminals under control; and a content delivery server for delivering a content to the main device. A content delivery server 30 includes a content converting unit for converting data received from the WEB server into text information. A main device 20 is provided with: a content-display control unit for editing the acquired content information; a transmission control unit for analyzing from which telephone terminal a content acquisition request is made and also for delivering the edited content information; and a storage unit for storing content request information including a location of the content delivery server and a parameter number necessary at the time of obtaining the content information. The telephone terminal includes a button unit for finalizing a plurality of tables of contents displayed on the display unit and parameters.
US08041828B2
A method and a system for a distributed streaming service of portable devices forming a short-distance communication network. A buffer size and a priority of each of the portable devices are determined according to their remaining memory capacity, respectively. Each portable device calculates a buffering time using the buffer size and the priority, and receives sub-contents, corresponding to the buffering time, of a streaming content from a streaming server. A master device of the portable devices plays the sub-contents by acquiring them from the other portable devices.
US08041823B2
Disclosed are techniques for optimization of media flows within a provider network. The provider network comprises a plurality of sites, each site having one or more media servers capable of supporting a media session with a user endpoint device. The provider network further includes a media server director (MSD) that receives registration information identifying one or more user endpoint devices that have registered with a particular site. Using this registration information, as well as predetermined preference policies, the MSD prepares a preference order for the media servers of the provider network for user endpoint devices associated with the site. When an application server signals an intent to establish a media session with a user endpoint device of the site, the MSD selects a media server based on the preference order and provides an indicator of the selected media server. The application server can then contact the selected media server identified by the indicator to establish and support a media session with the user endpoint device.
US08041822B2
A server device that represents a plurality of service provision servers implements authentication and a SIP message exchange with respect to a SIP server as a representative, and notifies a service provision server of client communication information that is acquired by the SIP message exchange. The service provision server communicates with a client on the basis of the client communication information that is notified from the representative server.
US08041820B2
A network access management tool includes a dialer that connects users to a network, such as the Internet. An integrated phonebook automatically looks-up optimal phone number(s) to dial. The network access management tool may additionally help the user to automate virtual private network (VPN) connections, may include automated software update capabilities, and may take into account corporate policy information when making network connectivity decisions.
US08041808B1
A performance management system and method for generating a plurality of forecasts for one or more electronic devices is presented. The forecasts are generated from stored performance data and analyzed to determine which devices are likely to experience performance degradation within a predetermined period of time. A single forecast is extracted for further analysis such that computer modeling may be performed upon the performance data to enable the user to predict when device performance will begin to degrade. In one embodiment, graphical displays are created for those devices forecasted to perform at an undesirable level such that suspect devices may be subjected to further analysis.
US08041806B2
Targeted electronic content delivery control systems and methods are disclosed. All communication traffic exchanged with a communication network subscriber over an access communication link that enables the subscriber to access electronic content is monitored, and behavioral information indicative of behavior of the subscriber in using the access communication link is collected from the monitored communication traffic. A behavioral profile of the subscriber is maintained based on the behavioral information. Delivery of targeted electronic content to the subscriber for presentation with electronic content accessed by the subscriber is controlled based on the behavioral profile.
US08041798B1
A self-healing grid mechanism using peer-to-peer platform protocols. In one embodiment, two or more nodes on a grid may be configured as master nodes. One of the configured master nodes may serve as the actual master node, and one may be backup or “shadow” master node, not actively serving as a master node. If the active master node goes down, the peer-to-peer protocols may be used to detect that the master node is not active and the backup master node may take over the master node operations for the grid. The backup master node may “shadow” the master node, keeping updated information about the grid configuration and operations via the peer-to-peer platform protocols, so that it can assume grid management operations seamlessly.
US08041796B2
A computer system incorporates means, and corresponding methods, for controlling access and usage of one or more processors in the computer system. The means may include hardware and software features. The means may operate according to specified steps according to a specific algorithm. In an embodiment, the system may include a discovery executable that discovers a target process for duration management. The system may further include a duration monitor that determines a percent completion of a target process. The percent completion information may be provided to a process duration controller that uses process information and the percent completion information to calculate a run-time metric. The run-time metric may then be provided to a process resource manager that controls resources consumed by the target process.
US08041794B2
In one embodiment, the present invention includes a method for initializing a common information model (CIM) broker and a SLP service agent of a system in a pre-boot environment, transmitting a multicast request and receiving a unicast advertisement from a directory agent, registering a web-based enterprise management (WBEM) service to the directory agent, and configuring, provisioning, and/or performing asset inventory of the system in the pre-boot environment responsive to information from a resource manager. Other embodiments are described and claimed.
US08041793B2
A boot image discovery and delivery system includes one or more subsystems to provide a host device, provide an image discovery client on the host device, transfer control of a start-up initialization to the image discovery client, receive authentication credentials from a centralized database, provide a first boot image to the host device for a first set of credentials and provide a second boot image to the host device for a second set of credentials.
US08041782B1
The invention relates to a new system and method for process automation system that allows the conversion of a narrowband consumer Internet user into a broadband (e.g., DSL, ISDN, or Data over Cable) Internet user. In an alternative embodiment, the new system and method is used to configure an original broadband connection. The system includes automation agent software residing on the personal computer that is being configured for broadband communication, and an automation server associated with the manager of the broadband network. The automation agent software guides the user through the steps of testing and ordering the service, automates the configuring of the personal computer for broadband communication, and communicates with the automation server to complete the registration, billing and other administrative processes.
US08041780B2
The invention includes a method and apparatus for dynamically pushing content over a wireless network A method includes obtaining network-level state information and user-level state information for a user in response to an indication that content is available for the user, determining whether a network-level condition is satisfied using the network-level state information, determining whether a user-level condition is satisfied using the user-level state information, and pushing the available content toward the user terminal of the user using the wireless network in response to the conditions being satisfied. The network-level state information includes cell utilization information for a cellular region associated with the user terminal of the user. The user-level state information includes at least one of a user channel quality, a user terminal power state, a user terminal battery power status, a user terminal memory status, at least one user terminal capability, and user subscription information for the user.
US08041778B2
A technique for a server application to store data in excess of a standard-size cookie on a client system. The technique employs a client-side abstraction layer that stores the data in a plurality of cookies associated with sub-domains associated with the server application. The technique further provides for the retrieval and aggregation of data stored in the plurality of cookies associated with sub-domains. The technique can be transparent to the server and a client-side browser. Through the technique, server applications can store data such as personal information and/or preferences in excess of a standard-size cookie.
US08041769B2
Various embodiments of the invention provide solutions (including inter alia, systems, methods and software) for dealing with online fraud. In particular, various embodiments of the invention provide ways to incite unsolicited email messages (such as spam messages, phish messages, etc.). In accordance with some embodiments, a bait email address may be planted in a particular location on the Internet. In particular embodiments, the location of the planted email address may be tracked in order to determine which locations are relatively more likely to generate unsolicited email messages. In other embodiments, domains likely to host the bait email addresses receiving unsolicited messages may be obtained. In some cases, unsolicited messages may be analyzed and/or otherwise processed to determine whether the messages are possibly associated with a fraudulent activity. Such analysis may lead to the investigation of one or more web sites and/or to the initiation of a response against a fraudulent activity.
US08041765B1
A method, apparatus and computer program product for providing additional information related to a sender of a communication is presented. A communication intended for a recipient is received, the communication including information related to the sender of the communication. A Personal Virtual Assistant (PVA) acquires in real time additional information related to the sender of the communication. The additional information related to the sender of the communication is then presented to the recipient attached to the communication where possible. The PVA is capable of acting on the recipient's real time instructions relating to the additional information.
US08041764B1
Disclosed are various embodiments for generating and/or processing a preview bundle. Embodiments include receiving a request from a client to generate a preview network page that corresponds to a production network page generated in a production environment. Embodiments further include specifying at least a portion of the preview network page as a user developed portion. Embodiments also include generating the preview network page that is based at least upon the production network page and by replacing source elements of the production network page associated with the user developed portion with at least one data structure element that contains the data elements referenced by the source elements of the corresponding production network page.
US08041760B2
A loading function of an extract-transform-load data integration process is deployed as a service in a services oriented architecture by providing a module, the module being a data loading module for loading data into a target database that is associated with a data integration platform; by providing a registry of services; and by providing an interface for the data loading module; and identifying the data loading module in the registry; wherein the data loading module can be accessed as a service in a services oriented architecture.
US08041755B2
In one embodiment, a rotator, a mask generator, and circuitry configured to mask the rotated operand output by the rotator with the output mask generated by the mask generator perform a shift operation. The rotator is configured to rotate the input operand by the shift count. The mask generator is configured to generate an output mask by decoding a most significant bit (MSB) field of the shift count to generate a first mask, decoding a least significant bit (LSB) field of the shift count to generate a second mask, logically ANDing the bits of the second mask with the corresponding bit of the first mask and logically ORing the result with an adjacent bit of the first mask that is selected responsive to the shift direction.
US08041750B2
The present invention provides a general solution to presenting media interface and navigation tools for content provided from a plurality of sources. The invention maintains a user at a single site regardless of the source of the media content. This permits a consistent interface to be presented to the user. Because the user remains at the same site, differences in tiered membership may be tracked so that the user is only presented with content that the user is permitted to view. The invention uses a metadata language to characterize content so that viewer type, membership level, and other information can be maintained and used for an enjoyable viewing experience.
US08041747B2
A data search device that is provided in a communication apparatus detects a memory area storing data to be transmitted from a memory unit having memory areas defined by IDs allotted to data. The data search device includes: a first flag that is provided for each of the memory areas of the memory unit, and indicate whether the data in the corresponding memory area is updated; a second flag that is provided for each group consisting of a predetermined number of the first flags, and indicates a data update state when at least one set of data in the first flags in the corresponding group indicates an updated state; and a search control unit that detects the memory area storing the data to be transmitted, by searching for the corresponding first flag after detecting the second flag.
US08041743B2
Systems and methods are provided to enhance biometric data available to authorities to identify individuals by linking the available biometric data semantically to data from other sources to improve identity management using a semantic computing server that builds a semantic graph based on the data. Using a semantic graph helps determine the identity and possible intention to deceive of certain individuals.
US08041741B1
A software facility for selecting documents is disclosed. The facility maintains a dimensional model of a group of documents. The dimensional model reflects values for a number of differentiated attributes for each of the documents of the group. The facility receives a query specifying values for one or more of these attributes. In response to receiving the query, the facility uses the dimensional model to generate a list of documents in the group having the attribute values specified by the query.
US08041734B2
A method for non-text-based identification of a selected item of stored music. The first broad portion of the method focuses on building a music identification database. That process requires capturing a tag of the selected musical item, and processing the tag to develop reference key to the same. Then the tag is stored, together with the reference key and an association to the stored music. The database is built by collecting a multiplicity of tags. The second broad portion of the method is retrieving a desired item of stored music from the database. That process calls for capturing a query tag from a user, and processing the query tag to develop a query key to the same. The query tag is compared to reference keys stored in the database to identify the desired item of stored music.
US08041724B2
Dynamically modifying a sequence of slides in a slideshow set during a presentation of the slideshow
Mechanisms for dynamically modifying a sequence of slides in a slideshow set during a presentation of the slideshow are provided. Tag metadata may be provided for each slide of a slideshow set such that this tag metadata may be used to establish logical subsets of slides within the slideshow set. Options may be provided for a user to select an interface item to obtain slides, from the current slideshow set or another slideshow set, that are associated with a currently displayed slide in the slideshow set. User interface items may be provided through which the user may temporarily redirect the sequence of the original slideshow set to incorporate one or more of these related slides and, upon termination of this “detour”, may return to the point at which the sequence diverted.
US08041721B2
A machine-executable attribute extraction method comprising: extracting, vis-à-vis a plurality of documents in the archival memory (that also stores registration dates and attributes of the documents) having registration dates falling within a desired time period, feature words for each attribute value of the corresponding attributes of the plurality of documents; registering, into the work memory, the desired time period, and the extracted feature words for each attribute value of the corresponding attributes of the plurality of documents; determining, amongst the extracted feature words in the work memory, first feature words for which the attribute has a first attribute value and second feature words for which the attribute has a second attribute value; calculating a similarity between the first feature words and the second feature words; judging whether the similarity satisfies a condition; and outputting the second attribute value when the similarity satisfies the condition.
US08041710B2
Search relevance failures are diagnosed automatically. Users presented with unsatisfactory search results can report their dissatisfaction through various mechanisms. Dissatisfaction reports can trigger automatic investigation into the root cause of such dissatisfaction. Based on the identified root cause, a search engine can be modified to resolve the issue creating dissatisfaction thereby improving search engine quality.
US08041706B2
A system, method, and computer program product for processing a query spanning separate databases while revealing only minimal information beyond a query answer, by executing only specific information-limiting protocols according to query type.
US08041704B2
Systems and methods for searching for objects located in a virtual world include having a virtual construct such as a bot crawl the virtual world by moving from place to place. Object information is collected about the objects associated with the place and the object information is stored in a searchable database. Users can search the database for objects in the virtual world. The information can be further filtered or classified to aid in searching.
US08041701B2
Techniques and implementations for providing enhanced functionality for handling data in Internet browsers or other applications used for accessing data over a network, including providing thumbnail image displays of the current appearance of webpages referenced by URLs returned in a set of search results, providing thumbnail image displays of the webpages referenced by a list of favorite or bookmarked websites, providing thumbnail image displays of webpages which have been blocked from appearing on a user's screen, and providing thumbnail image displays of images which have been extracted from webpages and stored for potential future use.
US08041698B2
Provided are a method, system, and program for archiving files. A hierarchical file system having directories is provided. An archival retention policy is associated with at least one of the directories in the hierarchical file system, wherein the retention policy applies to files included in the associated directory, and wherein the retention policy specifies a retention time indicating a time period during which a file is subject to the retention policy.
US08041691B2
Techniques for a data definition language (DDL) statement acquiring a lock on a table in wait mode in a deadlock free manner are provided. A DDL statement specifies metadata of a table that is to be modified, whereas a data manipulation language (DML) statement specifies a table to be modified. When a DDL statement is received, a proxy statement is initiated and executed instead of first acquiring an exclusive lock on metadata of a particular table. The proxy statement is similar to a DML statement in that the proxy statement acquires a lock on the particular table. After the proxy statement has been processed, an exclusive lock on the metadata is acquired.
US08041689B2
Template entries are added to a Lightweight Directory Access Protocol (“LDAP”)-accessible database, containing attributes that affect new records added to the database, attributes returned in response to an LDAP query, and records identified through an LDAP search operation. Static and dynamic attributes are discussed.
US08041682B2
A disk array system including a plurality of disk drives, including: a plurality of first-type disk drives being used to form a first-type logical unit having a plurality of a first-type of chunks; a plurality of second-type disk drives being used to form a second-type logical unit having a plurality of a second-type of chunks; and a storage controller, if the storage controller copies data stored in a source chunk to a destination chunk, selecting the destination chunk from the first-type of chunks or the second-type of chunks.
US08041681B2
One aspect of the invention is a method for backing up data. An example of the method includes querying a backup infrastructure to ascertain backup capabilities of the backup infrastructure. This example also may include broadcasting the capabilities of the backup infrastructure, wherein the capabilities are broadcasted by the backup infrastructure. This example also includes determining if the backup infrastructure supports a desired backup type. If the backup infrastructure supports a desired backup type, this example may also include performing a backup of data using the desired backup type.
US08041680B2
Backing up a database, including providing, in the database by a DBMS, at least one record with at least one backup field, the backup field being a data element that controls the backing up of the record, and backing up, by a backup module, the a record in dependence upon a value of the backup field.
US08041678B2
A single native integrated system may be provided for replicating data to one or more copies of high-availability data and for replicating the data to one or more copies of backup data. The data may be replicated, in near real-time, to the one or more copies of high-availability data as changes occur to the data. The data may be replicated and later incorporated to a copy of the backup data at different points in time. The single native integrated system may have a single set of functions for replicating the data to the one or more copies of high-availability data and for replicating the data for the one or more copies of the backup data. Administrative access to the one or more copies of high-availability data may be isolated from administrative access to the one or more copies of the backup data.
US08041675B1
A method and apparatus for incrementally backing up database files is described. In one embodiment, the present invention replicates an original database file for the purpose of creating a backup database file. The backup database file is subsequently stored in a data store and the original database file is monitored for at least one change (i.e., new e-mail message). In response to a detected change, the change to the original database file is copied to the backup database file so that the two database files are replicas of each other.
US08041673B2
The invention is a hierarchical backup system. The interconnected network computing devices are put into groups of backup cells. A backup cell has a manager software agent responsible maintaining and initiating a backup regime for the network computing devices in the backup cell. The backups are directed to backup devices within the backup cell. Several backup cells can be defined. A manager software agent for a particular cell may be placed into contact with the manager software agent of another cell, by which information about the cells may be passed back and forth. Additionally, one of the software agents may be given administrative control over another software agent with which it is in communication.
US08041670B2
Improved method of and apparatus for aggregating data elements in multidimensional databases (MDDB). In the preferred embodiment, the apparatus is realized in the form of a high-performance stand-alone (i.e. external) aggregation server which can be plugged-into conventional MOLAP systems to achieve significant improvements in system performance. In accordance with the principles of the present invention, the stand-alone aggregation server contains a scalable MDDB and a high-performance aggregation engine that are integrated into the modular architecture of the aggregation server. The stand-alone aggregation server of the present invention can uniformly distribute data elements among a plurality of processors, for balanced loading and processing, and therefore is highly scalable. The stand-alone aggregation server of the present invention can be used to realize (i) an improved MDDB for supporting on-line analytical processing (OLAP) operations, (ii) an improved Internet URL Directory for supporting on-line information searching operations by Web-enabled client machines, as well as (iii) diverse types of MDDB-based systems for supporting real-time control of processes in response to complex states of information reflected in the MDDB.
US08041669B2
The present application presents methods for performing topical sentiment analysis on electronically stored communications employing fusion of polarity and topicality. The present application also provides methods for utilizing shallow NLP techniques to determine the polarity of an expression. The present application also provides a method for tuning a domain-specific polarity lexicon for use in the polarity determination. The present application also provides methods for computing a numeric metric of the aggregate opinion about some topic expressed in a set of expressions.
US08041664B1
Execution of functions by a non-human being is achieved by providing the non-human being with an I/O interface for receiving information, and permitting the non-human being to execute functions consistent with the abilities of the non-human being. An input/output interface is used to provide the non-human being with sensory information and to accept control information from the non-human being. An input/output processing system converts signals communicated through the input/output interface. An operation control interface is used for controlling the functions executed by the non-human being.
US08041662B2
Character-based n-grams are derived from a domain name in order to classify such domain name in pre-established categories. Domain name character-based n-grams are mapped to vector points in a multidimensional space, where the number of dimensions is the number of different n-grams that can exist for an n-character combination. The relationship between the domain name vector point and the vector points of the various other domain names is used to classify the domain name vector point. The classification system can use statistical methods using relative frequencies of character-based n-grams in various classifications as indicators. A dictionary set of character-based n-grams can be derived from one or more domain names and associated with probability indicating the likelihood that the character-based n-gram is found in a domain name of a given classification. Such probability can be an estimator of a classification of a new domain name having such character-based n-gram.
US08041660B2
Travel-demand forecasting methods are described for predicting traffic volume based, at least in part, on user-entered data in the form of origin/destination data pairs, user preferences, demographic data and other types of socioeconomic data. This data can source a prediction algorithm or be used to calibrate or more make accurate a current algorithm. Methods and systems are described for, among other things, optimizing traffic predictions, forecasting traffic patterns using user-assigned trip patterns, associating rich attribute information to navigation routes, exposing personal-logistic information to a group, communicating traffic-situation-generated alerts based on user information, optimizing a presentation of user-defined traffic routes, and presenting location indications based on proximity (temporal or geographical).
US08041653B2
Methods and systems for constructing biological-scale hierarchically structured cortical statistical memory systems utilizing fabrication technology and meta-stable switching devices. Learning content-addressable memory and statistical random access memory circuits are detailed. Additionally, local and global signal modulation of bottom-up and top-down processing for the initiation and direction of behavior is disclosed.
US08041631B1
Secure image bidding system process for financial transactions, including structured investment products, escrows and interest rate swaps. Some embodiments provide a secure image bidding system and process for image-based bid transmissions where each of a plurality of bids received by the system is encrypted and held in a digital “Vault” until the specified end of the bid period, at which time a package containing the encrypted bids, a log of server activity, and a digital checksum of the original bid file is sent via electronic mail to the bid broker and other participants. A second electronic mail message is sent to the bid broker and other participants containing the decryption key. During the bid process, no party has access to the bid information and there is no human interaction in the receipt, conversion to image, encryption, storage or conveyance of compiled information.
US08041624B2
Systems, methods, apparatus, computer program code and means for generating quality data associated with an option limit order are provided. In some embodiments, an option limit order is received, the option limit order including information identifying a customer, information identifying a desired option, and information that indicates a limit price for said option limit order. A substantially real time feed of option market date is received and the option market data is used in real time to identify at least one of a trade-through and a trade-at transaction relevant to the option limit order. Alerts may be generated based on the identified trade-through or trade-at transaction. Trade-at or trade-through data may be tabulated and analyzed to evaluate option limit order trading activity. Analysis to generate trade-at or trade-through data may be performed on a batch processing basis relying entirely or in part on data received in real time or on a batch basis.
US08041621B2
According to the present invention, a buyer may submit a listing containing a description of an item desired to be purchased, such as an airline ticket, to an operator of an automated selling system. The automated selling system may be a server or series of servers accessible via a computer network, such as the Internet. The listing may contain a maximum price at which the buyer is willing to purchase the item. In the case of an airline ticket, the description accompanying the listing may contain a point of departure, a destination, desired flight times, number of travelers, and/or a specification of acceptable airlines. A plurality of sellers designate listings for which they submit bids to the operator. In the case where the sellers are airlines, the sellers may designate originating and destination city-pairs, a listing of available flights, a floor price for a city-pair, and a range of acceptable prices for one or more bidding rounds. The floor price applicable to a given listing determined from the highest floor price submitted by the eligible sellers for that listing. If only one seller submits a bid, and the bid is less than or equal to the price submitted by the buyer, that seller is selected to make the sale and provide the item. If there are multiple eligible sellers, the sale is awarded to a seller after a predetermined number of rounds of bidding, applying predefined system rules.
US08041613B2
A system, application and product in data processing is disclosed for cross-dock and direct shipment processes. A default plant on an order is changed to a new plant in another country which is the same country as a customer but a different country than a selling organization. A cross dock partner function is entered to reflect a service provider location in a destination country. The cross dock partner is not a true vendor but rather a place holder for the service provider address used by a delivering warehouse to process the order and output appropriate sales documentation. The order is processed like any other order in the system.
US08041604B1
A system and method for advertising wherein a communication from a sending party to a receiving party includes one or more advertisements. Such communication could include one or more of an email, a voice mail, a voice communication (i.e. a telephone call or internet based telephony communication), a facsimile message, a pager message, or any other suitable electronic communication. In a preferred embodiment, the communication is an email sent from a sending party to a receiving party, wherein the email includes an advertisement for a product or service used by the sending party. Such advertisement could include a “testimonial” from the sending party, who's credibility is established with the receiving party. In another preferred embodiment, the advertisement could be for a software program installed and operated on a computer system used by the sending party. The advertisement is included in the email message of the sending party as a result of an election made by the sending party during installation of the software program. The advertisements can be structured in a multi-level marketing type organization including trusted and credible reporting systems to account for each participant's advertising efforts.
US08041602B2
Systems and methods relate to frequency of advertisement viewing on the Internet, and more specifically to controlling advertisement viewings by a person during an advertising cycle. A probability of return for a customer is evaluated and an advertisement is shown to the customer based on a function of at least the probability of return and a value for the return. Once the customer has seen the advertisement a target number of times, the customer is no longer shown the advertisement.
US08041597B2
A system and method for detecting fraud is presented. A self-calibrating outlier model is hosted by a computing system. The self-calibrating outlier model receives transaction data representing transactions, and is configured to calculate transaction-based variables, profiles and calibration parameters, and to produce a score based on the transaction data according to the transaction-based variables, profiles and calibration parameters. An adaptive cascade model is also hosted by the computing system, and is configured to generate a secondary score for the transaction data based on profile information from the variables and/or profiles calculated by the self-calibrating outlier model, and based on a comparison with labeled transactions from a human analyst of historical transaction data.
US08041592B2
Communication data for an organization, such as call, email, and instant messaging activity data from different data sources is collected and analyzed together using a correlation and behavior analysis tool. A set of communication activity records and/or specific contact data information may be provided by the organization's data sources or by an external law enforcement entity. The organization data may be analyzed according to rules and policies of data analysis and correlation using the multiple data sources to identify and report related communication activity or contact data to the internal personnel or external law enforcement for continued investigation in tracking fraud rings and other illegal activities.
US08041582B2
An apparatus and system for providing improved monitoring errors in a medical setting. The apparatus includes a storage medium, display and scanner that allow medical personnel to quickly and reliably track and monitor samples collected from patients, such as information about the type, location, and timing of a collected sample. An unable to complete function labels incompletely collected samples or otherwise notifies the processing facility. Label sets and/or messages are generated to guide medical personnel when performing orders. Errors are linked to collection events for variance tracking. Temporary identifier labels are generated for containers and such when no order is pending. Order of draw procedures are communicated to medical personnel at the collection site.
US08041577B2
A method expands a bandwidth of an audio signal by determining a magnitude time-frequency representation |G(ω, t) for example audio signals g(t). A set of frequency marginal probabilities PG(ω|z) 221 are estimated from |G(ω, t)|, and a magnitude time-frequency representation |X(ω, t)| is determined from an input signal audio signal x(t). Probabilities P(z), PX(z) and PX(t|z) are determined using PG(ω|z)|X(ω, t)|. |Ŷ(ω, t)| is reconstructed according to PzPX(z)PG(ω|z)PX(t|z), and |Ŷ(ω, t)| is transformed to a time domain to obtain a high-quality output audio signal ŷ(t) corresponding to the input audio signal x(t).
US08041568B2
A method of operating a voice-enabled business directory search system includes prompting a user to provide a type of business and an identifier of a specific business, receiving from the user a speech input having information about the type of business and the identifier, and recognizing, using a speech recognition module, the identifier based on the type of business.
US08041564B2
Echo residue is detected using speech application data. The echo residue is detected using a method that includes correlating audio data from an input channel with audio data from an output channel to obtain a correlation result. A determined value of the correlation result is compared with a predetermined threshold. The audio data for the input channel is categorized in a first category when the determined value of the correlation result is greater than the predetermined threshold. The audio data for the input channel is categorized in a second category when the determined value of the correlation result is less than the predetermined threshold. The first category includes audio data that is determined to include an acceptable level of residual echo. The second category includes audio data that is determined to include an unacceptable level of residual echo.
US08041557B2
A word translation device stores a first-language word search TRIE structure (100), a second-language word search TRIE structure (200), a first-language word information record (110), a second-language word information record (210) in a bilingual dictionary. The first-language word search TRIE structure (100) is provided for searching for words of the first language. The second-language word search TRIE structure (200) is provided for searching for words of the second language. The first-language word information record (110) includes first translation information for identifying a translation of each of the words stored in the first-language word search TRIE structure (100). The second-language word information record (210) includes second translation information for identifying a translation of each of the words stored in the second-language word search TRIE structure (200). By referring to the first and second word information records (110) and (210), word translation between the first and second languages can be performed with high precision at high speeds.
US08041552B2
A method of modeling the output drivers in an integrated circuit, for example a serializer/deserializer circuit, is provided. In accordance with embodiments of the invention, at least one parameter of the circuit is physically measured and a behavioral model utilizing that parameter is constructed. The behavioral model can then be utilized to predict the behavior of the integrated circuit output drivers.
US08041545B2
Concurrent Gradients Analysis (CGA), and two multi-objective optimization methods based on CGA are provided: Concurrent Gradients Method (CGM), and Pareto Navigator Method (PNM). Dimensionally Independent Response Surface Method (DIRSM) for improving computational efficiency of optimization algorithms is also disclosed. CGM and PNM are based on CGA's ability to analyze gradients and determine the Area of Simultaneous Criteria Improvement (ASCI). CGM starts from a given initial point, and approaches the Pareto frontier sequentially stepping into the ASCI area until a Pareto optimal point is obtained. PNM starts from a Pareto-optimal point, and steps along the Pareto surface in the direction that allows improving a subset of objective functions with higher priority. DIRSM creates local approximations based on automatically recognizing the most significant design variables. DIRSM works for optimization tasks with virtually any (small or large) number of design variables, and requires just 2-3 model evaluations per Pareto optimal point for the CGM and PNM algorithms.
US08041538B2
A method and a device for estimating a first value of a signal formed of a series of values corresponding either to the first value or to a second value equal to the opposite of the first value, where the signal can take values other than the first and second values due to noise.
US08041530B2
A system for synchronizing multiple measurements across multiple sensors is provided. The system implements an algorithm in combination with highly flexible hardware architecture that generally comprises of multiple sensor inputs correspondingly from multiple sensors, and multiple analog signal conditioning circuits, and an array of switches situated between the sensor inputs and the analog signal conditioning circuits that enable the multiple sensor inputs to be routed to any one of the analog signal conditioning circuits or to any combination of analog signal conditioning circuits simultaneously. The algorithm looks at all configured measurements for all configured sensors to determine which measurements should be performed in parallel. Any measurements that are in common among enabled sensors are performed simultaneously while other measurements consume analog signal conditioning paths as they are available.
US08041515B2
The present invention provides methods of multi-dimensional profiling of biologically active agents and determining their effects on biological systems. The methods of the present invention include real-time impedance monitoring of cellular responses to biologically active agents and categorization of cellular kinetic profiles into mechanism specific cellular response profile groups. The grouping of similar cellular response profiles allows the correlation between agent and mechanism, thus allowing for the identification of potential therapeutic applications of agents or further study of cellular responses or mechanisms.
US08041511B2
Described herein is a method for optimizing a plurality of calibration maps for an algorithm of estimation of a control quantity of an internal combustion engine, each of the maps comprising a plurality of calibration values of said control quantity estimated by said algorithm. The optimization method comprises measuring the control quantity, estimating the control quantity, and individually optimizing each calibration map based on the measured control quantity and the estimated control quantity.
US08041504B2
Situational Awareness and Guidance Reference (SAGR) and associated methods and systems are disclosed. A system in accordance to one embodiment of the disclosure includes a display system utilized for a traffic application and an SAGR associated with the own-ship symbol providing longitudinal and lateral guidance reference. In a manual implementation, the SAGR aids human operators achieve required longitudinal and lateral spacing from selected traffic by depicting a small operating region on a navigational map display within which an aircraft will have achieved the required spacing. Such depiction of the deviation guidance may be with respect to time or distance relative to selected traffic aircraft or to fixed structure, and engaged in an automatic or manual mode.
US08041502B2
The engine misfire detection process according to one aspect of the invention first makes tentative detection on the occurrence or the non-occurrence of an engine misfire in execution of both vibration control and rotation speed control. In response to the tentative detection of an engine misfire, the engine misfire detection process subsequently makes final detection on the occurrence or the non-occurrence of an engine misfire. In the event of no final detection of an engine misfire, the engine misfire detection process makes tentative detection and final detection on the occurrence or the non-occurrence of an engine misfire in prohibition of the vibration control. In the event of still no final detection of an engine misfire, the engine misfire detection process makes tentative detection and final detection on the occurrence or the non-occurrence of an engine misfire in further prohibition of the rotation speed control. Even in the event of no final detection of an engine misfire in execution of both the vibration control and the rotation speed control, the procedure of the invention makes final detection on the occurrence or the non-occurrence of an engine misfire in prohibition of execution of the vibration control and further the rotation speed control. This arrangement desirably increases the detection frequency of engine misfires.
US08041491B2
A system, method and computer program product is provided for estimating the lateral velocity of a vehicle. The method comprises providing a plurality of estimation structures, each estimation structure corresponding to one of a plurality of dynamic regions in which a vehicle may operate, determining in which of the plurality of dynamic regions the vehicle is operating to identify a first dynamic region, and generating a first regional lateral velocity estimation from a first estimation structure corresponding to the first dynamic region.
US08041486B2
A method of gear shifting in a servo-controlled gearbox. The method generates an oscillation on angular velocities of primary and secondary shafts of the gearbox, separates the primary shaft from the secondary shaft thus disengaging a first current gear when the oscillation has taken the angular velocity of the primary shaft close to the angular velocity that the primary shaft must assume to engage a second next gear, and connects the primary shaft to the secondary shaft thus engaging the second next gear when the oscillation has led the angular velocity of the secondary shaft to equalize the current angular velocity of the primary shaft multiplied by the transmission ratio of the second next gear.
US08041485B2
A machine is provided. The machine includes a body, an engine, a transmission, a seat assembly, an electronic control module, a first transmission controller, and a second transmission controller. The engine is mounted within the body and powers the machine. The transmission is coupled to the engine. The seat assembly is rotatably mounted to the body and moveable between a first position and a second position. The electronic control module is in electrical communication with the engine and the seat assembly. The first transmission controller is in electrical communication with the electronic control module and operable to control the transmission with a first transmission command. The second transmission controller is in electrical communication with the electronic control module and operable to control the transmission a second transmission command when the seat assembly is in the first position and the first transmission command is neutral.
US08041479B2
A suspension system including: (a) a suspension spring; (b) a shock absorber; and (c) a generator for generating a displacement force forcing sprung and unsprung members of a vehicle to be displaced toward or away from each other. The generator includes (c-1) an elastic body connected one of the sprung and unsprung members and (c-2) an actuator disposed between the elastic body and the other of the sprung and unsprung members. The actuator includes a motor, and is operable to generate an actuator force based on a motor force generated by the motor, such that the generated actuator force acts on the elastic body and such that the generated actuator force is transmitted to the sprung and unsprung members via the elastic body so as to act as the displacement force. The suspension system further includes (d) a controller for controlling operation of the motor so as to control the displacement force. The controller performs a damping-force control for controlling the displacement force as a damping force for damping vibration of the spring member and/or the unsprung members.
US08041478B2
A vehicle speed module includes a speed arbitration module that receives at least two of a wheel speed, a transmission output speed (TOS), and an electric motor speed (EMS), and that determines a vehicle speed based on a comparison of the at least two of the wheel speed, the TOS, and the EMS. A speed diagnostic module selectively diagnoses a fault in one of a wheel speed sensor, a TOS sensor, and an EMS sensor based on the comparison.
US08041473B2
A method and a system for assisting steering and mooring alongside of vessels that enables operators to easily obtain physical relationship between two vessels and the states of mooring lines and fenders when the operators lay the two vessels aboard and moors them alongside for loading cargoes are provided. Physical relationship between a hull of the first vessel and a hull of the second vessel is calculated in the form of numerical data based on information on a reference position of a first vessel that is detected by a first GPS receiver, information on a reference position of a second vessel that is detected by a second GPS receiver, oscillation information on the first vessel, oscillation information on the second vessel, information on a distance between the two vessels that is measured by distance measuring device, coordinate data including hull outer shape and the like against the reference position for each vessel, and air pressure data for each fender. Information on the physical relationship between the hull of said first vessel and the hull of said second vessel based on the numerical data and the state of each fender are displayed on a first display device provided for a steering room of the first vessel and a second display device provided for a steering room of the second vessel by means of animation.
US08041471B2
A vertical take-off and landing aircraft that includes AC motors, which drive fans that propel the aircraft, and a control device for controlling the AC motors adaptively based on a thrust control amount from an attitude controller. In particular, the drive controller performs switching to convert DC from a power source to three-phase AC at a predetermined frequency to be supplied to the AC motors. The drive controller reduces the control frequency of the three-phase AC to be applied to the AC motor to reduce the control resolution when the flight mode is switched from a vertical flight control mode to a horizontal flight control mode, in which the control amount to correct the external forces is smaller. Therefore, it is possible to reduce the power loss in the controller and thus the power consumption compared to conventional vertical take-off and landing aircrafts, in which the control resolution is always constant.
US08041470B2
An outside air temperature of a vehicle is detected, an operating time of a fan is set in accordance with the detected outside air temperature based on a fan operating time map, and an idle speed increase time is set in accordance with the an operating time based on an idle speed increase time map.
US08041468B2
For dynamically cooling an input/output (I/O) controller, the presence of the I/O controller is automatically detected. The I/O controller includes an electronic component capable of generating heat that is greater than a predefined amount when the electronic component is operating in a predefined state. The I/O controller provides a control output in response to a demand indicative of operating the electronic component in the predefined state. The control output is provided to a baseboard management controller (BMC) that is capable of providing additional cooling to the I/O controller in response to the control signal.
US08041467B2
A method of load dispatch generates a load dispatch curve in response to both the opportunity cost of dispatching resources with a contractually limited number of dispatches in a given time period and estimated rebound effect data. The method identifies a best time period for dispatch based on the load dispatch curve and also supply curve data and generates a resultant load dispatch schedule. The resultant load dispatch schedule is transmitted to one or more smart home meters to dispatch loads in a manner that provides the greatest economic benefit.
US08041466B2
The invention relates to a method for operating a wind turbine connected to a utility grid during a utility grid disturbance. The method comprises the steps of controlling active current in dependency of the frequency deviation from a reference frequency, and controlling reactive current in dependency of the voltage deviation from a reference voltage. The invention also relates to a wind turbine and wind park.
US08041464B2
A knowledge-based system is defined that ensures network radiatity during reconfiguration of a power distribution system. Network radiality heuristics idenufy a pair of switching operations that will preserve radiality. A line section table specifies the line section identifier, start bus, end bus, line section type, and switch existence for each line section in the network. A bus table identifies the line section that supplies the bus and those line sections that are fed by the bus for each bus in the network. A matrix-structured knowledge base with five distinct rule bases is used. The line section and bus tables must be updated after any switching operations are enacted. Extensive simulations of the knowledge-based system revealed that a solution was found in a time-efficient manner. This knowledge-based system enhances network reliability and hence prevents power outages. Also, the knowledge-based system can be used to preserve radiality during optimization of power distribution system operations for different objectives.
US08041462B2
A method and system for designing and controlling a hydronic apparatus. In one aspect of the invention, the system includes a computing device having a first receiver that receives input data, in which the input data includes environmental data and hydronic apparatus data. The computing device also includes a first processor that communicates with the first receiver. The first processor processes the received input data into configuration data that includes a hydronic apparatus layout. The hydronic apparatus layout indicates a plurality of hydronic components and fluid connections between the hydronic components. The computing device also includes a transmitter that transmits the configuration data. The system also includes a controller that has a stored set of rules and a second receiver that receives the configuration data. The controller includes a second processor that processes the received configuration data to correlate the configuration data with the default rules and select a corresponding subset of the set of default rules.
US08041458B2
To provide a robot whose degree of freedom of design is not limited, and which has simple structure and further reduces load of an actuator of a neck part, the present invention provides a robot at least including a head part, a body part, and a neck link which connects the head part and the body part, wherein a surrounding object distance measurement means is provided adjacently to the neck link and in an upper portion of the body part between the head part and the body part, and a distance scanning field of the surrounding object distance measurement means is provided in parallel with a horizontal plane.
US08041456B1
A power system is provided for robotic systems such as dynamically balancing robots, including inverted pendulum robots, robots that balance on two legs, and dynamically balancing robotic personal vehicles. Under normal operation, the power system provides operating power from a power source such as an internal battery system or an external AC power supply. The power system includes an energy storage device, such as an ultracapacitor assembly, that can provide emergency power sufficient to power components of the robotic system to a stable shutdown configuration in the event of a deleterious power event.
US08041452B2
A method and system for controlling the flow of postal mail in real-time are provided. The logistical system includes a pre-application processing system, a real-time mail planning and adjusting system, and a real-time working planning and performing system. The pre-application processing system registers bulk mail inputted in a generating system, and generates sending data and quantity data of the registered bulk mail. The real-time mail planning and adjusting system collects predetermined working plan quantities to process the quantity data for respective distribution centers, and allocates temporary vehicles when a quantity for delivery between the distribution centers exceeds processing capacities of the distribution centers. The real-time working planning and performing system uses the quantity data to transfer a quantity of mail for processing to postal distribution centers, and collects and compares working plans from each of the postal distribution centers.
US08041445B2
A method of transforming a G-code type part program into a STEP-NC language type part program is provided and more particularly, a method is provided for enabling a G-code type part program mainly used in the field to be easily applied to a STEP-NC controller without a troublesome correction. A STEP-NC language type part program is automatically created, which is composed of machining operation information, manufacturing feature information, machining strategy information and the like, through a process of analyzing G-codes from the G-code type part program and tool information. A method of transforming a G-code into a STEP-NC part program includes receiving a G-code part program, tools and a numerical controller; creating G-code block information, and partitioning the entire part program on a workingstep basis. The method further includes creating machining strategy information and creating the STEP-NC part program by arranging the machining workingsteps.
US08041442B2
A process for selecting a surrogate part for metallic plating, the metallic plating of the surrogate part predicting results for the metallic plating of a new or predetermined part is disclosed. The process can include providing a reinforcement learning system having a memory circuitry and a processing circuitry. The memory circuitry can have a database with data associated with a plurality of surrogate parts and data associated with the predetermined part can be entered into the data input module. The processing circuitry can compare the data associated with each of the plurality of surrogate parts and the data associated with the predetermined part and select a surrogate part that affords predicting a plating result of the predetermined part.
US08041438B2
A method and apparatus for intelligently routing and managing audio signals within an electronic device is disclosed. The routing is responsive to a set of logical and physical policies which are stored in data tables which can be updated as needed.
US08041437B2
A system for virtual control of electronic laboratory equipment includes a local computer system. One or more items of electronic laboratory equipment are connected to the local computer system. Each item of electronic laboratory equipment has a physical control panel including one or more displays or controls. A virtual control panel generation unit generates a virtual control panel accessible from a remote computer system. The virtual control panel is substantially similar to the physical control panel in appearance. A command interpretation unit monitors interaction between the remote user and the virtual control panel and generates electronic laboratory equipment commands for exploiting the functionality of the electronic laboratory equipment.
US08041434B2
A distal section of an implantable medical electrical lead body includes a pair of pre-formed arcuate segments between which an approximately straight segment extends. The approximately straight segment includes a first portion extending distally from a first of the pair pre-formed arcuate segments, a second portion extending from the first portion, a third portion extending from the second to a second of the pair pre-formed arcuate segments. An electrode is coupled to the second portion of the approximately straight segment, and the adjacent first portion has a stiffness which is less than that of the first of the pair pre-formed arcuate segments and preferably less than the stiffness of the third portion, so that, when the distal section of the lead body is implanted, for example, within a cardiac vein, the lead buckles to bring the electrode into closer contact with surrounding tissue.
US08041421B2
A system for intradermal or transdermal delivery of oligonucleotides or polynucleotides and methods of use thereof employ an apparatus that generates micro-channels in the skin of a subject in conjunction with a pharmaceutical composition comprising an oligonucleotide or polynucleotide, wherein the oligonucleotide or polynucleotide can be delivered into the organism through the micro-channels. The system and methods achieve expression of target proteins encoded by the polynucleotides, and hence are useful in immunization and gene therapy.
US08041405B2
A stack type mobile terminal for enabling the user to easily add only a necessary option cabinet from among different types of option cabinets eliminating the need for electric connection of the user is provided.A stack type mobile terminal 100 includes a main body cabinet 110 functioning as a telephone, a plurality of option cabinets 120 stacked on the rear of the main body cabinet 110, a rotation supporting point shaft in the stack direction, provided in the option cabinet 120 for the main body cabinet 110 and the option cabinet 120 to relatively rotate, rotation supporting point holes into which the rotation supporting point shaft is inserted, and a contact mechanism for electrically connecting the cabinets when the main body cabinet 110 and the option cabinet 120 or the option cabinets 120 are positioned at a predetermined relative angle, wherein the main body cabinet 110 and the option cabinet 120 relatively rotate, whereby the function section of the option cabinet 120 can be exposed. It is made possible to stack different types of option cabinets 120 on the rear of the main body cabinet 110 selectively as many as desired.
US08041394B2
Methods and systems are provided for transmitting a plurality of information signals in a multiple antenna communication system. One or more information signals are coded using a plurality of coders to generate the plurality of coded information signals and an Inverse Fast Fourier Transformation is performed on each of the plurality of coded information signals to create a corresponding output signal. Each of the corresponding output signals are transmitted on a different antenna. Each of the plurality of coded information signals can optionally be separated into K signals. On the receiver side, a signal comprising K different frequencies is received on at least N receive antennas and a Fast Fourier Transformation is applied to each of the at least N received versions of the signal comprising K different frequencies to generate N*K low frequency signals. The N*K separate low frequency signals are then combined to recover a transmitted information signal, based on one or more transfer functions from each of a plurality of transmit antennas to each of the N receive antennas.
US08041391B2
An object of the present invention is to surely and readily prevent unauthorized use of a noncontact IC function incorporated in a mobile communication terminal, even in a state in which no signal can be sent through mobile communication to the mobile communication terminal. A mobile communication terminal 10 has a noncontact IC module 12 incorporating an IC chip 11; a slot 13 in which a UIM 20 is to be loaded, the UIM 20 storing connection information to be used for connection between the host terminal 10 and a mobile communication network; a memory unit 15 for storing information to identify UIM 20; an acquiring unit 16 for acquiring information to identify UIM 20 loaded in the slot 13; a comparing unit 17 for making a comparison between the information to identify the UIM 20, stored in the memory unit 15, and the information to identify the UIM 20, acquired by the acquiring unit 16; and a control unit 18 for controlling access to the IC chip 11, based on a result of the comparison by the comparing unit 17.
US08041386B2
An integrated circuit (IC) includes a baseband processing module and a radio frequency (RF) section. The baseband processing module is coupled to convert outbound data or an outbound voice signal into at least one of amplitude modulation information, phase modulation information, and frequency modulation information. The RF section includes an oscillation module, a frequency divider, and power amplifier modules. The oscillation module produces an RF oscillation that it modulates based on the phase or frequency modulation information to produce a modulated RF signal. The frequency divider divides the frequency of the modulated RF signal to produce a frequency divided modulated RF signal. The first power amplifier module amplifies the modulated RF signal in accordance with the amplitude modulation information or a constant to produce a first frequency band outbound RF data or voice signal. The second power amplifier amplifies the frequency divided modulated RF data signal in accordance with the amplitude modulation information or a constant to produce a second frequency band outbound RF data or voice signal.
US08041385B2
A method is disclosed. The method includes a mobile station (MS) operating on a licensed communication network via a first radio, the MS switching operation from the licensed communication network to operating on an unlicensed communication network via a second radio and deactivating the first radio upon switching operation to the unlicensed communication network.
US08041383B2
Digital upgrade system and method for translating analog commands and digital commands in wireless customer services premises equipment (CPE). The digital upgrade system receives a command from a CPE Host and translates the command from analog to digital in order to broadcast it over a wireless digital network to be received by a client. Alternatively, the digital upgrade system receives a digital command from a digital network and translates it to an analog command to be received by a functionality module of a wireless CPE Host.
US08041382B2
A cellular phone communicates data with an information provision apparatus connected via a packet network. A control unit obtains an information management apparatus identifier for identifying an information management apparatus within the packet network which is an intermediation at the time of the data communication carried out with the information provision apparatus further connected via an external network among the information provision apparatuses, determines whether the identifier added to the data at the time of the data communication is coincident with the information management apparatus identifier, and calculates a data amount at the time of the data communication carried out with the information provision apparatus connected via the external network. A storage unit stores the calculated data amount.
US08041377B2
A radio device is located far from other radio devices in a radio network system. The radio device determines a threshold WIth for detecting a strength equal to or more than the minimum strength of radio waves transmitted/received in a stable radio wave environment based on a plurality of reception signal strengths of Hello packets received from radio devices adjacent to the radio device. Then, if the number of radio devices adjacent to the radio device when the threshold WIth is introduced is less than a standard value (such as five), the radio device stores the adjacent radio devices in the neighbor list without introducing the threshold WIth, and then, maintains in the routing table the routing information of routes passing through the adjacent radio devices based on the neighbor list.
US08041376B2
In one illustrative example of the present application, a mobile communication device has one or more processors, a wireless transceiver adapted to provide communications through a wireless communication network, and a buffer memory for use in buffering a Push-To-Talk (PTT) communication from the mobile communication device. The one or more processors are operative to produce a mobile device indication message which indicates the mobile device's support for buffering of the PTT communication. This message is transmitted by the wireless transceiver to a PTT service entity through the wireless network. The one or more processors may be further operative to receive, from the PTT service entity through the wireless network, a network indication message which instructs the mobile device whether to use buffering for the PTT communication. The mobile device may use the buffer memory for the buffering of the PTT communication based on the network indication message from the PTT service entity.
US08041372B1
Systems and methods, including computer software products, can be implemented for selecting data on a mobile device on which multiple channels are defined. Each channel can be adapted to receive a predetermined type of content for access on the mobile device. Multiple languages may also be defined on the device, and multiple data sets for at least one of the channels are received, wherein each data set is configured for presentation in a different one of the languages. One of the data sets may be selected based on a current location.
US08041370B2
Method and apparatus for locating position of a mobile device in an assisted satellite positioning system is described. In one example, satellite measurement data is obtained from a plurality of satellites at a mobile device. Position of the mobile device is computed using the satellite measurement data. The position is sent to a cellular device via a wireless ad hoc network. In one example, the wireless ad hoc network comprises a BLUETOOTH communication link. In one example, the mobile device is configured to receive assistance data from a position server through the wireless ad hoc network. For example, the mobile device may comprise a housing configured to plug into a cigarette lighter connector of an automobile and the cellular device may comprise a cellular telephone without location-determination capabilities (i.e., the cellular telephone does not include an integrated GPS receiver).
US08041359B1
Disclosed herein is a method and apparatus for maintaining communication between a dependent and a communications network when the dependent is outside a coverage area associated with its master using a controller and a communications network. In one embodiment, when the dependent is in a piconet, the dependent is within communication range of its master using a communication channel on frequency band fband(1). When the dependent moves outside the piconet, the dependent should be within communication range of the controller and, thus, switches to another communication channel within frequency band fband(1) such that it may communicate with the controller. When the dependent moves outside the communication range of the controller, the dependent should be within communication range of a communications network or a base station and, thus, switches to a communication channel within another frequency band fband(2).
US08041357B2
An apparatus and a method for reallocating segments in a broadband wireless communication system are provided. An average density for all cells in system and an average minimal inter-cell distance R are computed. A circle is determined having a radius kR and a center at a corresponding cell by increasing a constant k until a density of the circle becomes less than or equal to the average density. A cluster is generated for each cell, which is composed of cells included in the determined circle. Accordingly, segment allocation capability can be improved while minimizing a width of segment reallocation.
US08041356B2
A device assisting in reception, by a mobile terminal located in a moving conveyance, of signals transferred in at least a first cell and a second cell of a wireless cellular telecommunication network composed of plural base stations, the moving conveyance moving from a first area to a second area.
US08041347B2
A wireless communication system is disclosed herein. The wireless communication system may include transmitter units and a receiver. In one embodiment, each transmitter has an address and logic programmed to perform the steps of receiving a user selection and, responsive to the receiving, repeatedly transmitting a wireless selection signal until a wireless acknowledgment signal is received. The wireless selection signal may include the address and the user selection. The receiver may include means to receive a wireless selection signal and logic programmed to transmit a wireless acknowledgment signal in response to the receipt of each wireless selection signal.
US08041338B2
The claimed subject matter provides a system and/or a method that facilitates securing a wireless digital transaction. A terminal component can receive a portion of data related to a payment for at least one of a good or a service. A mobile device can include at least one mobile payment card (m-card), wherein the m-card is created by establishing a link to an account associated with a form of currency. The mobile device can employ public-key cryptography (PKC) to securely and wirelessly transmit a payment to the terminal component utilizing the m-card and linked account.
US08041333B2
Information may be communicated between two or more wireless devices via adaptive or steered antennas or antenna systems and 60 GHz signals. The adaptive or steered antennas or antenna systems may be initialized based upon location information determined from a beacon signal and/or a reference system. The beacon signal may be swept through an angle and may be utilized along with reference system information to determine the direction and/or distance between the two or more wireless devices. Spatial relationships between the two or more wireless devices may vary. The two or more wireless devices may communicate and coordinate communications between them via alternate lower frequency signals.
US08041332B2
A method is presented for providing information associated with a geographical area to users of broadcast communication receivers. The information, as well as an indication of the geographical area associated with the information, are transmitted to, and received by, each of the broadcast communication receivers. In each of the receivers, the indication of the geographical area is compared with a geographic code associated with, and stored within, the receiver. Each of the receivers also relays the information to the user of the receiver if the geographic code indicates that the receiver is located within the geographical area.
US08041331B2
A system and method are provided for a communications device to conditionally attempt an emergency call setup. The communications device maintains at least one condition for attempting emergency call setups. Upon receiving a message prompting an emergency call setup, the communications device attempts the emergency call setup only if any of the at least one conditions is satisfied. The at least one condition is defined such that the communications device does not erroneously attempt to establish an emergency call when there is no emergency. The at least one condition might for example include whether the message prompting the emergency call setup indicates a message source that is trusted by the user of the mobile device. A system and method are also provided for a communications network to block at least some of the messages from being delivered to their target communications device.
US08041330B1
A wireless device capable of producing an emergency beacon signal is disclosed. The wireless device has a radio portion and may include a beacon transmitter and a controller in signal communication with the radio portion and beacon transmitter. The controller is capable of instructing the beacon transmitter to transmit a beacon location signal in response to the radio portion receiving a beacon activation signal. The wireless device may further include a satellite position system (“SPS”) receiver in signal communication with the controller.
US08041329B2
A method and apparatus is disclosed for method and apparatus for maintaining network performance in a communication system. A system that incorporates teachings of the present disclosure may include, for example, a network management server (NMS) that manages operations of a communication system including an access office (AO) coupled to a plurality of base terminals (BTs) by way of a corresponding plurality of network elements. The NMS can have a network configuration element that identifies for each of the plurality of BTs a plurality of resultant communication paths to the AO according to a plurality of differential delays calculated from alternative communication paths connecting combinations of the BTs to the AO for each of a plurality of change scenarios affecting the plurality of network elements, wherein the network configuration element arranges portions of the plurality of BTs into a corresponding plurality of groups, and selects for each BT in a select one of the plurality of groups its corresponding plurality of resultant communication paths to the AO according to differential delays calculated for alternative communication paths associated with combinations of BTs in the selected group and the plurality of change scenarios affecting the selected group. Additional embodiments are disclosed.
US08041325B2
A mobile receiver having a multi-mode interference suppression function and a way to estimate its speed utilizes a parametric approach to interference suppression at high speeds, and a nonparametric approach at low speeds. In particular, if the mobile receiver is currently operating in a nonparametric mode and its speed exceeds a first predetermined threshold, the mobile receiver switches to a parametric mode. Conversely, if the mobile receiver is currently in parametric mode and its speed is less than a second predetermined threshold, the mobile receiver switches to nonparametric mode. In one embodiment, the speed may be estimated by a Doppler frequency in the received signal, and the thresholds are Doppler frequencies. In one embodiment, the first and second thresholds are different, creating a hysteresis in the mode switching.
US08041318B2
A wireless receiver utilizes a single analog oscillator to down-convert multi-carrier signals in one or more receiver front-end paths. The received signals are digitized, and the different carrier signals received at each antenna are separated in digital domain by mixing the digitized signal from each antenna with a carrier/antenna separation digital oscillator to down-convert a desired carrier signal and low-pass filtering to remove unwanted carriers. A coarse frequency correction adjusts the analog oscillator, and fine frequency corrections adjust digital oscillators mixing with the separated signals. In one embodiment, the fine frequency correction is applied to the carrier/antenna separation digital oscillators in the separation function. In another embodiment, the fine frequency correction is applied to frequency adjustment digital oscillators mixing with the separated signals. The frequency corrections may be based on reference symbols in the received signals.
US08041316B2
A method for the transmission and use of a power amplifier and transmission circuit of a radio network is provided that includes a power amplifier, which is connectable to an antenna, a counter whose output is connected to a control input of the power amplifier to output a count value to control the amplification of the power amplifier, a register for storing a register value, a comparator whose inputs are connected to the output of the counter and the register for comparing the register value with the count value, and a control circuit whose input is connected to the comparator and whose output is connected to the counter to control a counting process depending on the comparison result of the comparator.
US08041311B2
To provide a radio communication control apparatus and a radio communication control method capable of controlling simultaneous transmission and reception so as not to degrade system throughput.A simultaneous transmission and reception controller 106 determines whether the simultaneous transmission and reception using the same frequency are possible, based on radio spectrum environment information of an opposite party of communication and radio spectrum environment information of a self-apparatus. When the simultaneous transmission and reception using the same frequency are determined to be possible, a control signal transmission section 109 transmits instruction information, indicating that the simultaneous transmission and reception are possible, and a transmission parameter thereof, to the above communication terminal. After the transmission parameter is set, a communication section 111 executes simultaneous transmission and reception with the above communication terminal using the same frequency, when the simultaneous transmission and reception using the same frequency are determined to be possible.
US08041305B2
A method to selectively rendering a communication at a receiving communication device comprises receiving a communication and determining whether an association exists between the receiving communication device and a source of the communication. If an association does not exist between the receiving communication device and the source of the communication, rendering the communication at the receiving communication device or distributing the communication to the receiving communication device in order for the communication to be rendered at the receiving communication device. If an association does exist between the receiving communication device and the source of the communication, preventing the communication from being rendered at the receiving device.
US08041302B2
Method and apparatus for determining the transmission data rate in a multi-user communication system
A method and apparatus are described for controlling the data rates for communications to and from a base station and a plurality of remote users. The usage of the communications resource whether the forward link resource (from base station to remote users) or reverse link resource (from remote users to base station) is measured. The measured usage value is compared against at least one predetermined threshold value and the data rates of communications or a subset of communications on said communications resource is modified in accordance with said comparisons.
US08041298B2
The object of the invention is a method where a first communications device (10) and a second communications device (20), previously unknown to each other, communicate with each other wirelessly using short-range RF technology, said second communications device being at a certain moment of time in a first mode where the address of said second communications device is determinable by means of an inquiry wirelessly sent to it. In the method, the first communications device (10) sends (31) a first message in order to determine the address of said second communications device, said second communications device (20) receives (32) the first message, and said second communications device (20) generates and sends (33) to the first communications device a second message in response to the first message, the second message containing the address of said second communications device. In the method, a connection establishment process (35-38) is executed to establish a connection between the first communications device and said second communications device. During the connection establishment process, or in response to successful completion of the connection establishment process, at least one of said first and second communications devices (10, 20) switches (40) from said first mode into a second mode, in which second mode, the communications device that has switched into said second mode does not respond to messages arriving at it which have been sent to discover the address of the communications device that has switched into said second mode.
US08041293B2
A method, system, and program for responding to recipient ratings of wirelessly broadcast electronic works are provided. A secondary player receives a wireless broadcast of an electronic work from a primary player. Next, responsive to a playback of the electronic work from the secondary player, the secondary player requires a recipient of the electronic work to rate the electronic work. Then, responsive to the recipient rating the electronic work or an automatic rating selection made based on the recipient's preferences, the options available to the recipient may be dynamically adjusted. First, responsive to the recipient rating the electronic work with a favorable rating, the secondary player triggers a purchase offer for the electronic work when the secondary player is connected to a network providing access to a purchase server. Second, responsive to the recipient rating the electronic work, the secondary player transfers the rating to the primary player, such that the primary player is enabled to dynamically adjust a next electronic work selection for broadcast based on the rating for the previously broadcast electronic work.
US08041287B2
An image forming apparatus includes: an image forming apparatus main body; an image forming section that is arranged within the image forming apparatus main body, and that forms an image in a recording medium; a discharging member that discharges the recording medium on which the image is formed by the image forming section; a driving source that normally and reversely rotates the discharging member; and a both-face printing assembly body that returns the recording medium pulled-back by reversely rotating the discharging member to the image forming section, the driving source and the both-face printing assembly body being separately freely attached and detached with respect to the image forming apparatus main body.
US08041285B2
A paper feeding device includes a stacking plate for stacking sheets. The stacking plate is movable vertically within a range from a lower limit position to a pick-up position. The stacking plate has a first surface facing the lower limit position and a second surface facing the pick-up position. The paper feeding device also includes a driving device for driving the stacking plate. The paper feeding device has a locking member for locking the staking plate in the lower limit position. The locking member has a deformable section for contact with the second surface of the stacking plate. The deformable section becomes deformed by a driving force applied through the stacking plate as locked in the lower limit position by the driving device, to unlock the stacking plate.
US08041282B2
A powder container includes a first container to contain powder falling from an opening located in an upper portion of the powder container, a second container that contains the powder and is located in the first container, on a route through which the powder that falls from the opening, a powder transport mechanism to transport the powder from the first container to the second container, and a detection mechanism to detect whether or not the first container is completely or nearly filled with the powder based on a load to the powder transport mechanism.
US08041275B2
An apparatus and method transfer imaging material using a release layer having a bulk swelling capacity between 120% and 145% in Isopar L.
US08041274B2
An image forming system, according to the present invention can include a forming device for forming an image based on printing data, an obtaining device for obtaining an image-formable range specific to the forming device, a determination circuit for determinating if the image based on printing data fits within the image-formable range, and an adjusting circuit for adjusting at least one of a position and a size of the image in accordance with the image-formable range, when the determination circuit determines that the image does not fit within the image-formable range.
US08041273B2
A photosensitive drum unit includes a frame and a plurality of photosensitive drums. The plurality of photosensitive drums is supported by the frame and has a shape identical with one another. Each of the plurality of photosensitive drums is rotatable about a rotational axis. The plurality of photosensitive drums is arranged such that a distance between rotational axes of adjacent photosensitive drums is a constant distance P. Each of the plurality of photosensitive drums has a circumferential reference position that is common to all of the plurality of photosensitive drums. Each of the plurality of photosensitive drums has a plurality of marks at circumferential positions that are defined relative to the circumferential reference position. Adjacent two positions of the circumferential positions are spaced by a central angle of {(S−P)/S}×360° where S is a circumferential length of each of the plurality of photosensitive drums.
US08041271B2
Systems and methods for preventing and/or inhibiting toner scatter inside of laser printer toner cartridges including a shield that is adjacent to the toner regulating member, extends over and adjacent the developing roller, includes triboelectric material of a polarity corresponding to the polarity of the laser printer cartridge during operation and that functions as a physical barrier and as an electrical barrier to direct toner particles that scatter away from the developer roller back toward the developer roller.
US08041252B2
An image forming apparatus and printer are provided. The image forming apparatus includes a plurality of side frames opposed to each other; an intermediate frame provided between the plurality of side frames; a plurality of first screws for connecting the side frames and the intermediate frame at first mutually opposed positions of the side frames; and a plurality of second screws for connecting the side frames and the intermediate frame at second mutually opposed positions of the side frames; wherein a distance between the first mutually opposed positions of the first screws is narrower than a distance between the second mutually opposed positions of the second screws.
US08041246B2
An image forming apparatus includes: an image holding body that is rotatable, and holds a first toner image and a second toner image; an image forming unit that forms the first toner image and the second toner image on the image holding body; a transfer unit that transfers the first toner image onto a transfer medium; a cleaning unit that has a cleaning member for freely coming into contact with and separating from the image holding body, and that brings the cleaning member into contact with the image holding body so as to clean a residual toner remaining on a surface of the image holding body; and a cleaning control unit that controls forming the second toner image for cleaning the cleaning member, opposing between the cleaning member and the second toner image, and cleaning of the second toner image by the cleaning member that is in a contact state with the image holding body.
US08041244B2
An image forming apparatus includes first and second image forming units respectively including first and second photosensitive members and first and second toner image forming devices for forming a toner image on the first and second photosensitive members respectively, and first and second transfer members configured to transfer the toner image formed on the first and second photosensitive members onto the belt member. The second image forming unit is arranged on a downstream side of the first image forming unit and is adjacent to the first image forming unit. An image forming apparatus further includes first and second photodischarging devices for discharging potential of the first and second photosensitive members respectively by irradiating thereon with light, wherein the first photodischarging device is turned off when the current is detected by applying the voltage to the second transfer member.
US08041234B2
Aspects of the disclosure can provide a sensor system. The sensor system can include a belt having an undesirable portion and an aperture formed at a distance from the undesirable portion, a reflector located in the aperture, and a detector that senses a light reflected by the reflector to determine a location of the undesirable portion.
US08041226B2
An optical transceiver and a method to setup the optical transceiver are disclosed, where the transceiver has a function to compensate the distortion and the dispersion due to the limited bandwidth of the electrical signal line, that of the active devices, and that of the optical fiber. The optical transceiver comprises a transmitter with an equalizer unit and a receiver also with an equalizer unit. The equalizer unit in the transmitter compensates the distortion due to the limited bandwidth of the transmission lines for the electrical signal and that of the semiconductor active device, while, the equalizer unit in the receiver compensates the dispersion due to the limited bandwidth of the optical fiber.
US08041225B2
An apparatus for enabling transmission of signals and data via means of infrared (IR) light for a wind turbine includes a plurality of IR data communication elements configured to provide unidirectional and bidirectional IR data exchange between non-rotating portions of the wind turbine and the rotatable wind turbine hub.
US08041221B2
Method and apparatus for coupling electrical and communication circuits, included in a packaged semiconductor comprising photo receivers, photo transmitters and photovoltaic cells, through lightguide and optical fiber cables. The packaged semiconductor combinations comprise one, two or plurality of photo elements for a single or plurality one way optical signal, receive or transmit, and a single or plurality of two way optical signal communications via direct optical links and via optical prisms, filters, half mirrors and lenses. The packaged semiconductor includes at least one optical access to a single or plurality of lightguides or optical fiber with single core and for multicore lightguides. A built-in or attachable holders are used for attaching the different lightguide cables to the one or plurality of optical accesses with the attached cable end is terminated by cutting, trimming and shaping. The packaged circuit comprising electrical switches, current sensors, basic elements such as diodes, transistors and FETs, switches and power switches and different basic electrical circuit and communication, distribution circuits including CPU, DSP and complex semiconductor circuits, as used for communicating within limited short distances through optical network of lightguides and fiber optical cables. A packaged semiconductor of an SPDT power switch circuit is integrated with an SPDT manually activated switch, for providing dual switching for lights and other electrical appliances, via manual action and remotely via the lightguide or the optical fiber.
US08041213B2
In order to insert a regenerator into a wavelength cross-connect equipment, there is provided at least one port that demultiplexes one wavelength among the wavelength multiplexed signals that are input to a wavelength selective switch. An output of the port that demultiplexes one wavelength is input to the regenerator, and an output of the regenerator is again input to the WSS. The wavelength output from the regenerator is converted into another wavelength different from the wavelength that is input to the regenerator and can be processed by the WSS in advance. The output from the regenerator is input to the WSS through an optical coupler or another input port of the WSS.
US08041208B2
An imaging apparatus includes a foreign substance removal member configured to move along a surface of an optical member to remove foreign substances, a shutter blade configured to open and close an photographic optical path, the shutter blade being disposed closer to an object side than the optical member, and a cover plate configured to restrict an operation range of the shutter blade toward the optical member side, wherein the cover plate has an opening larger than the photographic optical path, and an area other than the photographic optical path of the opening includes a standby position for the foreign substance removal member, and at least a part of the foreign substance removal member is positioned inside the opening.
US08041203B2
A camera includes a mode setting unit which sets an operation mode of the camera to a normal mode or an illumination apparatus control mode. A display unit selectively displays an image and information. A setting unit sets and changes operating conditions of an illumination apparatus. A communication unit instructs the operating conditions to the illumination apparatus. A control unit controls the mode setting unit to set the operation mode to the illumination apparatus control mode, and changes a display form of the display unit, when predetermined conditions are satisfied. The predetermined conditions include any one of the followings (1) the communication unit is attached to the camera, (2) the communication unit set to an illumination apparatus control mode is attached to the camera, and (3) the communication unit which is incorporated in the camera is set to an illumination apparatus control mode.
US08041200B2
Certain embodiments of the present invention provide a deicing system configured to prevent ice from forming in a water containment vessel. The system includes a heating element configured to heat the water within the containment vessel, a first temperature sensor and a second temperature sensor. The first temperature sensor is electrically connected to the heating element through an electrical path and may be configured to monitor water temperature. The second temperature sensor is electrically connected to the heating element through the electrical path and may be configured to monitor heating element temperature. At least one of the temperature sensors may include a reset button.
US08041192B2
An image receiving apparatus for transmitting data to and receiving data from a removable PVR device, and a data transmission and reception method thereof are disclosed. The image receiving apparatus includes an interface which transmits AV data and data corresponding to user commands to an external recording device, and a controller which inserts the data corresponding to the user commands into a stream containing the AV data and transmits the stream to the external recording device through the interface. Therefore, the general-purpose communication lines and data lines may be simplified so that the AV data can be easily stored and reproduced in a removable (hard disk drive) HDD.
US08041180B2
The apparatus includes a video signal acquisition device, an audio signal acquisition device, a time information processing device, a video signal encoding device, an audio signal encoding device, a multiplexing device and an output device. The video signal acquisition device receives the video signals and converts them into digital video data. The audio signal acquisition device receives the audio signals and converts them into digital audio data. The time information processing device receives a clock signal for synchronization of the digital video and audio data. The video signal encoding device encodes the digital video data. The audio signal encoding device encodes the audio video data. The multiplexing device converts the encoded video and audio signals into a single piece of bit stream data. The output device outputs the bit stream data. The time information processing device provides the two pieces of time information respectively as a video reference clock and an audio reference clock. The video reference clock and the audio reference clock are multiplexed into the bit stream data as capture time points.
US08041176B2
A cable exit trough with pivoting cover. The cover having a cover plate and a pivot plate hingedly mounted thereto for easy access to the trough. The exit trough may define an insert aperture for receiving modular cable management inserts. The modular insert providing an additional cable management device such as a curved guidewall. The cable management device may alternatively be fixed to the cable exit trough. Removable snap-mounted flanges may also be included in the exit trough.
US08041167B2
Disclosed is an improved optical fiber that employs a novel coating system. When combined with a bend-insensitive glass fiber, the novel coating system according to the present invention yields an optical fiber having exceptionally low losses.The coating system features (i) a softer primary coating with excellent low-temperature characteristics to protect against microbending in any environment and in the toughest physical situations and, optionally, (ii) a colored secondary coating possessing enhanced color strength and vividness.The improved coating system provides optical fibers that are useful in buffer tubes and cables having relatively high filling coefficients and fiber counts.
US08041164B2
A transition part (1) between two optical waveguides (2,3) with different index contrast is characterised in that the transition part (1) includes a non-adiabatically up-tapered longitudinal section (8), and in that the transition (7) between the two waveguides (2,3) is arranged after the up-tapered longitudinal section (8) as seen along the main direction (L) of propagation of the light. A method of manufacturing the transition part is also described.
US08041151B2
The present invention provides a fast method of super-resolution processing which realizes speedup of the high-speed super-resolution processing by speeding up the calculations of an evaluation function and the differential of the evaluation function with respect to a high-resolution image in a reconstruction-based super-resolution processing.A fast method of super-resolution processing for speeding up a super-resolution processing that estimates a high-resolution image from multiple low-resolution images with displacements, the method characterized in that an evaluation function and a differential of the evaluation function with respect to the high-resolution image are calculated by a combination of basic image operations.
US08041143B2
One embodiment is a method for suppressing background inaccuracies in binary to grayscale image conversion. A binary image is converted to a grayscale image using a neighbor map. An image enhancement function is applied to the grayscale image to suppress background inaccuracies in the grayscale image. Another embodiment is method for converting a binary pixel of a binary image to a grayscale pixel of a grayscale image and suppressing noise in the grayscale image using selective filtering of the binary image. Another embodiment is a method for converting a binary image to a first grayscale image and suppressing noise in the first grayscale image to produce a noise suppressed grayscale image using selective filtering of the first grayscale image.
US08041134B2
A motion compensation apparatus to provide block-based motion compensation, and a method thereof. A first motion compensation interpolator calculates a first interpolation pixel by reading a first and a second pixel corresponding to a motion vector of an estimated current block respectively from a current and a previous frame or field. A second motion compensation interpolator calculates a second interpolation pixel by reading a third and a fourth pixel corresponding to a motion vector of peripheral blocks adjacent to the current block respectively from the inputted current and previous frame or field. A candidate interpolation pixel calculator calculates a candidate interpolation pixel by allocating a predetermined weight to the first and the second interpolation pixels, among the current blocks. A motion analyzer analyzes the motion vectors of the current block and the peripheral blocks, and determines discontinuities between the blocks. A final interpolation pixel selector selects either of the first interpolation pixel and the candidate interpolation pixel as a final interpolation pixel, according to the discontinuities determined at the motion analyzer. Accordingly, by applying an overlap block motion compensation according to discontinuities between the current and the peripheral blocks, an image can be provided in which the block artifacts are removed or reduced.
US08041125B2
A data visualization device comprises a focal attribute calculator for calculating a focal value of each of a plurality of data input items, and for categorizing each of the plurality of data input items as either non-cluster blobs or second blobs. The device further comprises a clustering attribute calculator for clustering data input items categorized as second blobs into one or more cluster blobs, and a visualization shaper for arranging the one or more cluster blobs and the non-cluster blobs, relative to each other in accordance with the focal values of the data input items of respective blobs.
US08041124B2
Computer graphics may be detected in digital images by extracting a first set of features from an input digital image, extracting a second set of features from a prediction-error image derived from the input digital image, and applying a classification algorithm to the first set of features and the second set of features to determine if the combined sets of features indicate that the input digital image corresponds to computer graphics.
US08041120B2
Described is a unified digital ink recognizer that recognizes various different types of digital ink data, such as handwritten character data and custom data, e.g., sketched shapes, handwritten gestures, and/or drawn pictures, without further participation by a user such as recognition mode selection or parameter input. For a custom item, the output may be a Unicode value from a private use area of Unicode. Building the unified digital ink recognizer may include defining the data set to be recognized, extracting features of training samples corresponding to the dataset items to build a recognizer model, evaluating the recognizer model using testing data, and modifying the recognizer model using tuning data. The extracted features may be processed into feature data for a multi-dimensional nearest neighbor recognizer approach; the extracted features for the samples of each class is calculated and combined into the feature set for this class in the resulting recognizer model.
US08041116B2
Embodiments of the present invention provide a method and a module for identifying a background of a scene depicted in an acquired stream of video frames that may be used by a video-analysis system. For each pixel or block of pixels in an acquired video frame a comparison measure is determined. The comparison measure depends on difference of color values exhibited in the acquired video frame and in a background image respectively by the pixel or block of pixels and a corresponding pixel and block of pixels in the background image. To determine the comparison measure, the resulting difference is considered in relation to a range of possible color values. If the comparison measure is above a dynamically adjusted threshold, the pixel or the block of pixels is classified as a part of the background of the scene.
US08041105B2
A pattern evaluation method includes: acquiring a plurality of examination images obtained in regard to an evaluation target pattern, at least one of the plurality of examination images being different from the other examination images; detecting all edges of the evaluation target pattern in each of the examination images; executing alignment of the evaluation target pattern in the respective examination images with a sub-pixel accuracy based on the detected edges; superimposing the aligned pattern edges to generate a single combined edge; measuring the combined edge; and evaluating the evaluation target pattern based on a result of the measurement.
US08041102B2
A tablet storing/retrieving device which stores a plurality of kinds of medicines, and delivers as many tablets of such descriptions as designated by prescription data into a vial (3) and retrieves it. An imaging device (400) is provided for photographing the interior of the vial before a cap is applied to the vial (3) after tablets are dispensed into the vial (3). Accordingly, a quick and easy auditing process is possible without removing the cap of a retrieved vial.
US08041092B2
An apparatus adapted to correct an image data acquired by an image detector including a plurality of detecting elements, includes: a first correction unit adapted for obtaining an offset-corrected image by removing an offset component due to the image detector from the image data, a second correction unit adapted for correcting a pixel value of the offset-corrected image on the basis of a gain of corresponding one of the plurality of detecting elements; and a third correction unit adapted for correcting a value of a selected pixel of the offset-corrected image, the selected pixel being selected based on the pixel value of the offset-corrected image, by generating a pixel value in place of a value of the selected pixel obtained by said second correction unit.
US08041079B2
According to an apparatus and method for detecting an obstacle through stereovision, an image capturing module comprises a plurality of cameras and is used for capturing a plurality of images; an image processing module edge-detecting the image to generate a plurality of edge objects and object information corresponding to each edge object; an object detection module matches a focus and a horizontal spacing interval of the camera according to the object information to generate a relative object distance corresponding to each edge object; a group module compares the relative object distance with a threshold distance and groups the edge objects with the relative object distance smaller than the threshold distance to be an obstacle and obtains a relative obstacle distance corresponding to the obstacle.
US08041078B2
An information processing system, apparatus and method is disclosed wherein an image of a predetermined region and an image of moving bodies in the region can be picked up and any of images obtained by such image pickup which is desired by a user can be reproduced readily. Sensor images of the predetermined region are stored, and an image of the moving bodies in the region is picked up separately and stored together with reproduction information relating to reproduction of the sensor image from which the moving bodies are detected. When an instruction to reproduce the sensor image is issued, the reproduction information corresponding to the moving body is read out, and the sensor image is reproduced based on the read out reproduction information. The invention can be applied, for example, to a monitoring system.
US08041076B1
A digital image is obtained. A face depicted in the digital image is detected. A set of characteristics is obtained, where the set of characteristics are associated with at least some portion of a face. An attractiveness score is generated based at least in part on the detected face and the set of characteristics.
US08041068B2
Loudspeaker has frame, magnetic circuit, voice coil, diaphragm, first combination and second combination. First combination and second combination are both provided closer to magnetic circuit than diaphragm, the inner rims of which are connected to voice coil while the outer rims are to frame. First combination has first damper and first edge wherein first edge has first edge protrusion protruding in a direction toward diaphragm. Second combination has second damper and second edge wherein second edge has second edge protrusion protruding in an opposite direction to the protruding direction of first edge protrusion This structure obtains loudspeaker that distortion is suppressed and weight reduction is easy for an excursion part thus improved in driving efficiency.
US08041065B2
The acoustic resistance inside the microphone of the present invention can be adjusted mechanically by a simple electrical operation from the outside, and thereby directivity can be changed easily without adversely affecting the acoustic characteristic, even if the microphone is a single directivity dynamic type microphone. The microphone has a front acoustic terminal and a rear acoustic terminal, and makes directivity variable by having an acoustic resistance changing unit of the rear acoustic terminal. The acoustic resistance changing unit has a piezoelectric element arranged in opposition to the rear acoustic terminal with an air layer in between, and makes the acoustic resistance of the rear acoustic terminal variable by varying a voltage to be applied to the piezoelectric element. The rear acoustic terminal opens in a flat part formed in a microphone unit constituent part, and it is recommended to arrange the acoustic resistance changing unit with a narrow air layer between the flat part and the acoustic resistance changing unit.
US08041061B2
A speaker system utilizes dipole speaker drivers in conjunction with monopole speaker drivers in a listening area to disperse a surround sound effect to a listener. The dipole speaker drivers are physically mounted on top of the front left and right speakers and are angled in a way that the surround information is delivered to the listener via wall/room reflections. By reflecting the sound off the walls, the system provides a delayed diffuse audio signal from the dipole speakers, enhancing the surround effect.
US08041057B2
This disclosure describes audio mixing techniques that intelligently combine two or more audio signals into an output signal. The techniques allow audio to be combined, yet create perceptual differentiation between the different audio signals. The result is that a user is able to hear both audio signals in a combined output, but the different audio signals do not perceptually interfere with one another. The techniques are relatively simple to implement and are well suited for radio telephones.
US08041056B2
A voltage supply circuit comprises a voltage control circuit for outputting a bias voltage control signal according to a set value based on a bias voltage of a sensor and a voltage generation circuit for generating the bias voltage to be applied to the sensor based on the bias voltage control signal.
US08041047B2
Herein disclosed a sound inputting and outputting apparatus for being connected to an external apparatus which includes a noise cancel signal production section, a storage section and a reproduction section, including: a first auricle mounting section; a second auricle mounting section; and a plug.
US08041041B1
A system for generating stereo-channel audio signals with surround information is disclosed. The system includes a surround mapping unit configured to receive signals from a number of audio channels and generate a pair of stereo-channel audio signals based on the audio channels. The pair of stereo-channel audio signals includes binaural and spatial information. The system also includes a stereo-channel encoder configured to receive and encode the pair of stereo-channel audio signals from the surround mapping unit thereby generating a pair of encoded stereo-channel audio signals. The system further includes a stereo-channel decoder configured to receive and decode the pair of encoded stereo-channel audio signals thereby obtaining the pair of stereo-channel audio signals. The pair of stereo-channel audio signals are capable of being used to generate surround effect.
US08041037B2
A cryptographic method and systems using a keyed one-way function. A sending device uses the keyed one-way function to authenticate one or more receiving devices prerequisite to communication. A multidimensional hypercube is generated, from which is formed a multidimensional vector by randomly selecting one corner of the multidimensional hypercube. The keyed one-way function is computed using the multidimensional vector.
US08041026B1
Systems and methods for noise cancellation are provided. In particular, information regarding events associated with a computer providing a telephony function or associated with a hardware telephone providing a telephony function is provided to a noise cancellation process. The provided information can be used to identify specific noises associated with events, so that filters specifically adapted for removing an identified noise can be applied. Alternatively or in addition, information regarding the existence and timing of an event can be provided in order to facilitate the application of a noise cancellation filter. Noise cancellation as described can also be applied in connection with recording speech or other audio signals.
US08041025B2
Methods and arrangements for controlling modes of audio devices according to user selectable features are disclosed. The system can receive a user selection for an alternate mode for audio device. A monitor can monitor audio levels in a physical area and the system can automatically switch an audio device from a current mode to the alternate mode when the monitored audio level exceeds a predetermined threshold. The alternate mode can provide a higher audio level or volume than the current mode. The alternate mode can also be a closed caption mode, a record mode, and a transcript mode to name a few. Thus, when the ambient sound level reaches a predetermined level many audio devices can change modes based on user configured instructions.
US08041022B1
In one embodiment, a method includes detecting registration of an endpoint associated with a user on a network. The method further includes accessing a policy profile of the user. The policy profile indicates whether data communicated to or from the user is subject to a lawful intercept. The method further includes notifying a lawful intercept server that the user has registered on the network.
US08041018B2
System and method for conferencing communication devices associated with participants conversant in different languages has a system for connecting communication devices with one or more other communication devices where each communication device is associated with one of a plurality of different languages, and one of the different languages is designated as the main language. The system in response to receiving a request for a conference call, connects two or more of the communication devices in a conference call when two or more of said communication devices are associated with the main language, connects each of the communication devices associated with a different language than the main language with the communication device of an interpreter selected for interpreting between the different language and the main language, and then connects the communication device of the interpreter for each of the different languages than the main language to the conference call.
US08041017B2
A system for processing emergency calls in a telecommunications network includes: receiving a first call at a node (30) of the telecommunications network from a calling party that originated the first call; detecting that the received first call is an emergency call; establishing a conference bridge in response to the detected emergency call; connecting the emergency call over the conference bridge to a designated facility (40) that handles emergency calls; and, automatically originating at least one second call from the node (30) to at least one predetermined third party that is different than the calling party and the facility (40).
US08041016B2
A method and a device for communication/control of access, the term access including access to services and or goods. According to the invention should a person wishing to use the method for obtaining access establish contact via telephone with machine or called person (B-replier); as a following step should said person, verbally or by signalling via existing keypad, request access; and as a subsequently following step evaluates contacted machine/person (B-replier) whether or not the request for access should be accepted; and as a final step, on accepted received information from the calling person, initiates called machine or person (B-replier) performance of relevant action by signalling to the required unit. When the B-replier is a person within a building, the final step is performed by a call from the B-replier to a telephone network connected device, which checks the authority of the call by means of the callers number ID against a preprogrammed list of accepted telephone numbers, and on acceptance, the B-replier can further input a code sequence by means of the keypad, which is checked by the called unit, which performs a for the specific sequence related action. According to one embodiment, the user's own mobile telephone is used for the final step, placed connected to the B-replier in a “cradle” facilitating two-way data communication between the acting unit and the B-replier.
US08041009B2
The present invention relates to a wired transmission line testing method for determining at least one physical characteristic of a wired transmission line where the wired transmission line is coupled between a first line transceiver device and a second transceiver device. The wired transmission line testing method first comprises the steps of a first transceiver sending a first known excitation signal over the wired transmission line and subsequently the step of the first transceiver and the second transceiver both generating a first representation of a received signal respectively including reflected or forwarded portions of the known excitation signal and third a processing part deriving at least one physical characteristic of the wired transmission line based on the first representations generated by the first transceiver and the second transceiver.Furthermore, the wired transmission line testing method may comprise the additional steps of the second transceiver sending a second known excitation signal, then first transceiver and second transceiver both generating a second representation of a received signal respectively including forwarded or reflected portions of the second known excitation signal and the processing part deriving the at least one physical characteristic of the wired transmission line based on the first and second representations generated by the first transceiver and the second transceiver.
US08041008B2
Systems, methods, and other modalities are described for (a) obtaining an indication relating to an emission module (which may be dangerous, e.g.) or its user (who may be untrained, e.g.) and for (b) configuring the module or causing an irradiation (for imaging, e.g.) in response to the indication.
US08041002B2
Methods, computer-readable mediums, and systems are provided. In one embodiment, a method detects at least one faulty X-ray detector signal and adjusts a conveyor speed and/or a gantry speed in accordance with the detection to increase information for image reconstruction. In another embodiment, a method detects a high volume time. Upon detection of the high volume time conveyor speed and gantry speed is increased during the high volume time. After expiration of the high volume time, the conveyor speed and gantry speed is reduced. In yet other embodiments, the computer-readable mediums and systems are also provided which perform similar features recited by the above methods.
US08040998B1
A fuel assembly is charged in a reactor core of a nuclear reactor using a liquid metal as a coolant, and includes a wrapper tube storing a plurality of fuel pins and including an entrance nozzle for introducing the coolant and an operation handling head, grids disposed in the wrapper tube to support the fuel pins in the radial direction of the wrapper tube, liner tubes inserted in the wrapper tube to fixedly hold the respective grids in the axial direction of the wrapper tube, and a fixing device for fixing the grids and the liner tubes in the radial direction of the wrapper tube.
US08040981B2
Circuits are provided for detecting symbols transmitted from multiple transmitting antennas to multiple receiving antennas. A circuit includes distance blocks, selectors, and an identifier block. Each distance-block includes at least one sub-block, and each sub-block inputs a candidate for a corresponding transmitting antenna. The sub-block determines partial distances for pairings of the candidate and each symbol in a constellation from a partial distance of the candidate and signals received at the receiving antennas. At least one selector assigns each pairing for each candidate for a corresponding transmitting antenna to a bin having a range that includes the partial distance of the pairing. The selector selects candidates for a successive transmitting antenna from the bins having the smaller ranges. The identifier block selects a final candidate that is one of the pairings for a last transmitting antenna having a smaller partial distance.
US08040977B2
This invention provides a reception synchronization control device that controls reception synchronization of demodulated signals to be established, the demodulated signals being obtained by demodulating a phase modulated signal transmitted by a phase modulation, wherein the reception synchronization control device includes a signal level detector that detects signal levels of sampled demodulated signals extracted by sampling analog demodulated signals; a constellation position specifier that specifies constellation positions of plural kinds of data contained in the sampled demodulated signals displayed on a polar coordinates display based on the detected signal levels; and a phase angle difference calculation processor that calculates a difference between a phase angle calculated based on the specified constellation positions and a reference phase angle, thereby controlling the phase angle so that the difference is within a predetermined range. Further, the invention discloses a reception synchronization control method, to control reception synchronization of demodulated signals to be established, using the above reception synchronization control device, etc.
US08040975B2
An apparatus for transmitting signals with multiple antennas is disclosed. The multiple antenna transmission apparatus performs space-time encoding or space-frequency encoding, and cyclically delays the encoded symbol with a plurality of delay-values to generate a plurality of delayed symbols. The multiple antenna transmission apparatus transmits the plurality of delayed symbols to the channel through a plurality of antennas. By changing the number of space areas for encoding and the number of delay-values for delaying, the number of antennas for the multiple antenna transmission apparatus is easily expanded.
US08040974B2
A shift space-time encoding scheme applies STBC over hierarchical modulation. A low-priority bit stream is modulated to complex symbols using STBC encoding and a high-priority bit stream is modulated to complex symbols without STBC encoding. Complex symbols from the low-priority bit stream together with the complex symbols from the high-priority bit stream are added to form a hierarchical 64-QAM constellation.
US08040968B2
High data rate, high diversity transmission is provided in a dual transmit antenna system over multiple sample times through the use of coding.
US08040966B2
This disclosure relates to varying load and modulation applied to each of multiple frequency subchannels based on anticipated attenuation experienced by those subchannels. Communicating data includes identifying a static component of a transmission medium for wideband communications having at least two subchannels determining a function of noise is attenuation versus frequency for the static component selecting wideband modulation schemes for the subchannels based on the function determined and communicating a data signal over the subchannels. The transmission medium includes a medium other than a copper telephone wire between and including a carrier facility and a termination of the copper telephone wire at an access point at a user premise and copper telephone wire in a cable riser in multitenant units and multi-dwelling buildings. Independent demodulation functions may be applied to at least two of the subchannels.
US08040963B2
The Peak-to-Average Power Ratio in an OFDM transmission system is reduced based on a complementary parity coding in which the coding rules are derived from an appropriate auto-correlation property of transmitted symbol sequences.
US08040960B2
A method for transmitting a signal in a wireless communication system. The method comprises the steps of: grouping two subcarriers having different channel characteristics; identifying a number of all cases occurring when either equal symbols or different symbols, among symbols determined upon applying a first modulation scheme, are mapped to the two subcarriers; and mapping two subcarriers corresponding to each of the number of all cases to one symbol according to a second modulation scheme, and transmitting the signal, wherein a modulation order of the second modulation scheme is two times higher than a modulation order of the second modulation.
US08040956B2
An image decoding apparatus is capable of decoding coded bit streams with different coding schemes. The image decoding apparatus includes a coding scheme decision section for deciding a coding scheme from coding scheme identification information multiplexed into a coded bit stream, a setting unit for setting header information on a second coding scheme in accordance with header information in a first coding scheme, and a decoder for decoding image coded data in the first coding scheme in response to the header information on the second coding scheme, which is set.
US08040955B2
An image decoding apparatus is capable of decoding coded bit streams with different coding schemes. The image decoding apparatus includes a coding scheme decision section for deciding a coding scheme from coding scheme identification information multiplexed into a coded bit stream, a setting unit for setting header information on a second coding scheme in accordance with header information in a first coding scheme, and a decoder for decoding image coded data in the first coding scheme in response to the header information on the second coding scheme, which is set.
US08040953B2
The disclosed technology provides systems and methods for identifying potential error locations, patterns, and likelihood metrics in connection with trellis-based detection/decoding. In one aspect of the invention, the disclosed technology computes soft reliability information for each detected/decoded bit or codeword syndrome value.
US08040951B2
An information processing apparatus includes a unit that executes a de-blocking filter process for each of decoded pictures, a unit that executes a motion compensation prediction process that generates an inter-frame prediction signal, from one or more pictures that are subjected to the de-blocking filter process, a unit that executes an intra-frame prediction process that generates an intra-frame prediction signal, a unit that adds one of the inter-frame prediction signal and the intra-frame prediction signal to a prediction error signal corresponding to the to-be-decoded picture to decode the to-be-decoded picture, and a unit that executes, when a load on the information processing apparatus is greater than a predetermined reference value, a process that skips execution of the de-blocking filter process and generates the inter-frame prediction signal, which corresponds to the to-be-decoded picture, from the one or more decoded pictures that are not subjected to the de-blocking filter process.
US08040945B1
A method for encoding a plurality of video frames of a single data stream at a plurality of encoding rates is provided. The method includes accessing a first video frame associated with the single data stream and encoding the first video frame at a first encoding rate. The method further includes accessing a second video frame associated with the single data stream and encoding the second video frame at a second encoding rate.
US08040944B2
A complex signal in which one of two signals that are generated from one real signal and that have phases shifted from each other by 90° is a real part and the other signal is an imaginary part is applied as input to an input terminal. A filter unit generates an output signal that is a complex signal by means of a convolution operation of this input signal and filter coefficients that are real signals and supplies the result to an output terminal. A coefficient control unit composed of a common unit and separate units controls the envelope target value based on the input signal and updates the filter coefficients such that the value of the envelope derived from the output signal approaches the envelope target value.
US08040920B2
A digital broadcasting system and method of processing data are disclosed. Herein, a method of processing data in a transmitting system includes creating a data group including a plurality of mobile service data packets, re-adjusting a relative position of at least one main service data packet of a main service data section, the main service data section including a plurality of main service data packets, and multiplexing the mobile service data of the data group and the main service data of the main service data section in burst units. Herein, a position of an audio data packet among the main service data packets of the main service data section may be re-adjusted. Also, a position of an audio data packet included in the main service data section may be re-adjusted based upon a multiplexing position of the main service data section.
US08040900B2
Methods, systems and computer program products for an N-port network adaptor that is interchangeable between a network switch and a network adaptor. Embodiments of the invention include a method in a network device having a random access memory, a nonvolatile random access memory and a flash memory, the method including operating in a network switch/router mode of operation, operating in a network adapter mode of operation and switching in between the network switch/router operation and the network adapter operation in response to receiving a device configuration signal.
US08040893B2
The invention comprises a method for establishing a connection between a begin node and an end node in which parallel transmission and processing of connection request messages is used to minimize the dependency of connection setup time on connection path length.
US08040892B2
A switching system (14) at a customer premises communicates information associated with one or more subscribers. The switching system (14) includes multiple subscriber line ports (17) for communicating xDSL signals with subscribers, the xDSL signals containing both data signals and POTS voice signals. A logical port (20) communicates data signals and packetized voice signals from the subscribers with a central office, the switching system (14) converting between the POTS voice signals of the subscriber lines (16) and the packetized voice signals of the logical port (20). A LAN port (21) communicates data signals with a server complex (23) using a LAN (22) to provide data services to the subscribers. The switching system (14) may include a switch (32) that receives voice signals on a first virtual circuit (VC), switches the voice signals out of the switching system (14) on the first VC, and also communicates received data signals for routing. A router (32) within the switching system (14) may receive the data signals from the switch (32) on a second VC, determine a third VC for the data signals, and route the data signals to the switch (32) on the third VC for communication out of the switching system (14) on the third VC.
US08040890B2
A method and apparatus are provided for creating a virtual hierarchical local area network. The method and apparatus provide a hierarchical framing technique that allows a network architecture to realize a local area network hierarchy within the network. In this manner, a first local area network hierarchy is defined by communication in a first frame format between a first set of network devices and a second set of network devices. A second local area network hierarchy is defined by communication in a second frame format between members of the second set of network devices. The second frame format includes the fields of a frame in the first frame format that is used to communicate between the first set of communication devices and the second set of communication devices.
US08040889B2
A power-saving packet forwarding device realizing electric power that accords to the number of lines in which communication is performed and a traffic volume inputted from the lines. A header processing unit with which the packet forwarding device is equipped has a plurality of packet processing circuits for performing a packet processing. A line number decision circuit monitors the number of lines in which communication is performed and a traffic volume inputted from the line, and decides presence or absence of an operation of a packet processing circuit. Based on this decision result, a power supply and a clock of the packet processing circuit that does not need to operate are interrupted, and accordingly power saving of the packet forwarding device is realized.
US08040880B2
A mailbox system that has a distributed architecture is disclosed. The system includes an application server, a media server, and message storage system having subscriber mailboxes. Application messages may be stored in a subscriber's mailbox. When the subscriber accesses an application message, the application server uses the application message to create an application, which is then provided to the media server. The media server then executes the application for the subscriber.
US08040869B2
The present invention comprises a method and apparatus for automatic discovery of logical links between network devices. In one embodiment, the present invention comprises part of a network management system (“NM”) that manages a discrete set of network devices. The NM sends SNMP queries to individual network devices managed by the NM to obtain interface configuration data for each of the network interfaces of the device. The information requested includes destination information (“next hop” or “neighbor” IP address) for data packets sent from the interface. The NM checks to see whether a logical link corresponding to the received configuration information already exists in a logical link database maintained by the NM. If such a link exists the NM checks to see if the existing information for the link is valid. If the existing link data is valid, no change is made. If the existing information is not valid, or if no corresponding link is found in the link database, the NM creates a new link corresponding to the new configuration information. In one or more embodiments, the NM displays a graphical view of the discovered IP links on a graphical network map.
US08040864B2
Providing Quality of Service (QoS) information regarding video content delivery to a requesting wireless device. QoS/position information is first collected by, for each wireless device of a plurality of serviced wireless devices operating within a service area, receiving position information regarding a wireless device during delivery of video content and determining QoS provided during delivery of the video content, the QoS provided during delivery of the video content delivery varying over time and respective to the position information. The collected QoS/position information is then consolidated and a QoS map for the service area is produced based upon the consolidated collected QoS/position information. Finally, the QoS map for the service area is downloaded to the requesting wireless device. The QoS map may be tailored for the requesting wireless device based upon a current position/mobility of the requesting wireless device.
US08040861B2
In a wireless Local Area Network (WLAN) system, a hierarchical architecture is provided which employs a protocol which divides protocol processing functions between a plurality of substantially identical access elements in which reside time-critical protocol functions, such as acknowledgment and retransmission of packets, and a centralized control element which provides control and management functions related to dynamic configuration of wireless networks, such as processing of network management messages (e.g., authentication and association), load control, channel control, and handoff, processing of physical layer information, and processing of channel characteristics, propagation, interference or noise, for the plurality of access elements on the WLAN without loss of information about the wireless characteristics of the access elements. This hierarchical protocol processing architecture allows the data flow to be centralized for better performance and provides useful access to all the protocol information from the WLAN.
US08040860B2
Disclosed is a method including supporting multiple IP addresses in a functionality configured to operate as an endpoint of tunnels conveying data, which is destined to mobile nodes; and dynamically assigning the multiple IP addresses for use in mobile nodes. Also corresponding apparatus, computer program and system are disclosed.
US08040855B2
A method and apparatus for wireless communication are described. In one embodiment, a method for communicating with a subscriber comprises transmitting orthogonal frequency domain multiplexing (OFDM) signals to the subscriber, and receiving direct-sequence spread spectrum (DSSS) signals from the subscriber.
US08040852B2
A media independent trigger model for multiple network types is disclosed. A change in communication environment trigger is communicated from a media dependent interface to an upper media independent application. The communication environment trigger may be from a local event detected by the interface or may be a remote trigger received from another device. The upper media independent application adjusts operations according to the communication environment trigger.
US08040851B2
A method and system of reducing handover time in a mobile IP network. An Foreign Agent (FA), when a terminal carries out a handover between mobile Internet Protocol Version-4 (IPv4) sub-networks of the Foreign Agent (FA), identifies whether or not a registration request message from the terminal is transmitted from an entry of a visitor list of the Foreign Agent (FA). If the registration request message is transmitted from the entry of the visitor list, interface information of a corresponding one of the sub-networks, to which the terminal registered in the visitor list is connected, is updated. A registration reply message is generated in response to the registration request message, and is transmitted to the terminal.
US08040850B2
In various embodiments, communication apparatuses and methods for providing robust communications are disclosed. For example, an apparatus may establish an air interface in accordance with an orthogonal frequency division multiplex (OFDM) protocol. According to another particular aspect, the apparatus establishes an air interface in accordance with a Fast Low-Latency Access with Seamless Handoff Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiplex (FLASH-OFDM) protocol.
US08040847B2
Briefly, in accordance with one embodiment of the invention, a channel state information packet is encoded by a receiver side device and is fed back to the transmitter side device. The transmitter side device decodes the channel state information packet to extract an estimate of the channel response function.
US08040828B2
Provided is a method for managing dormant nodes in a wireless sensor network. The method includes the steps of: a) acquiring and storing information on distance and location of sensor nodes registered in a corresponding cluster among at least one cluster managed by a managing node; b) selecting a dormant object node among the sensor nodes by the managing node; c) transmitting dormant information that the dormant object node should go into a dormant state for a predetermined period through a beacon message to the dormant object node and creating a dormant node management table; and d) updating a dormant time of the dormant node management table every beacon cycle by the managing node according to setup of a dormant time central managing function and notifying dormancy expiration to the corresponding dormant node.
US08040821B2
A switching device includes an input stage switch group 1-1 including a plurality of input lines, an output stage switch group 1-3 including a plurality of output lines, an intermediate stage switch group 1-2 arranged between the input stage switch group and the output stage switch group, and a scheduler 1-22 deciding a signal path of each of intermediate stage switches 1-21 in the intermediate stage switch group based on information input to the respective input lines. The intermediate stage switch group is divided into a plurality of groups, a plurality of the schedulers is arranged in a distributed fashion to correspond to the plurality of groups, respectively and the schedulers operate independently of one another.
US08040820B2
A topology aware system that facilitates activation of a new service in a dynamic network is provided. The system automatically determines changes in network topology and provides current topology information to determine an optimal service activation path for the new service. The optimal service path is determined by combination of shortest path using standardized algorithms over discovered adjacencies, logical roles assigned to devices and a service-hub for a particular UNI. The service hub is discovered automatically by employing current topology information determined by the system itself. Thus, the system can activate a new service to a dynamic network without any manual topology feed.
US08040806B2
Disclosed is a method for generating a lower layer data block to be transmitted from a specific layer in a transmitting side to a receiving side in a mobile communication system. The method includes receiving an upper layer data block from an upper layer and generating a lower layer data block including at least part of the upper layer data block and a buffer status indicator indicating a status change of a data buffer associated with a group identifier corresponding to the upper layer data block. According to this data block generation method, states of buffers carrying upper layer data blocks are transmitted to a base station using minimum radio resources, thereby increasing system efficiency.
US08040790B2
A system and a method for estimating low complexity bandwidth efficient carrier frequency offset for orthogonal frequency division multiple access (OFDMA) and or single carrier frequency division multiple access (SC-FDMA) uplink transmissions in a communication network systems including a group of subscriber stations, a base station including carrier frequency offset unit. The method steps include transmitting a plurality of null subcarrier signals and data subcarrier signals from plurality of said subscriber stations (SS) to the base station; processing transmitted subcarrier signals at the base station by estimating carrier frequency offset (CFO) by carrier frequency offset unit; selecting the subcarrier signals based on carrier assignment scheme (CAS).
US08040783B2
An optical information recording and reproducing apparatus relating to the invention employs a two-beam interference method. In the optical information recording and reproducing apparatus, a moving device moves an information recording medium between a recording and reproducing position and a retracting position, and a mirror moves together with the information recording medium. When the information recording medium moves to the recording and reproducing position, the mirror moves to a position which is displaced from the at least one of the reference beam and the information beam. When the information recording medium moves to the retracting position, the mirror moves to a position where the mirror can reflect the at least one of the reference beam and the information beam toward a detector for detecting a deviation of the at least one of the reference beam and the information beam.
US08040782B2
In order to provide a wavelength-selective light-shielding element capable of blocking circularly-polarized light beams rotating in a specific direction among light beams whose wavelengths falling in a specific range, a light-shielding region is provided in a portion of a transparent substrate, wherein the light-shielding region permits passage of first circularly-polarized light rotating in a first direction regardless of a wavelength of the first circularly-polarized light and blocks second circularly-polarized light beams whose wavelengths falling within a predetermined range, among second circularly-polarized light beams rotating in the second direction, to thus permit passage of the second circularly-polarized light beams falling outside the predetermined range.
US08040779B2
An optical pickup device includes an astigmatism element which sets focal line positions to be defined by convergence of laser light away from each other, a diffraction element which diffracts four light fluxes obtained by a light flux of the laser light to disperse the four light fluxes from each other, and a photodetector having a first sensing section and a second sensing section which respectively receive m-th order diffraction light and n-th order diffraction light of the four light fluxes. In this arrangement, the first sensing section receives eight light fluxes obtained by dividing the four light fluxes of the m-th order diffraction light by two straight lines to output detection signals of the number less than eight.
US08040771B2
An optical disc apparatus capable of improving an overwrite performance for performing an overwrite operation on a re-writable type optical disc. The apparatus includes a calculating section which calculates out a recording power at the time of previously performing recording in a recording area of the optical disc, and a recording power determining section which determines a write power of the recording power calculated out by the calculating section as a write power of the currently recorded recording power, and at the same time, adjusts erase power, cooling power, and/or middle power of the recording power calculated out by the calculating section to finally determine the currently recorded recording power.
US08040765B2
According to the present invention, a recording film is partially initialized using a first light beam (A) having a wavelength for initialization, focus adjustment is performed using a second light beam (B) having a wavelength corresponding to a wavelength for recording and reproducing information on and from an information recording medium, and then the recording film is initialized using the first light beam (A), thereby it is possible to securely initialize recording films of all information layers of a multilayer information recording medium.
US08040756B2
The present invention provides a resonance ultrasonic transducer. The resonance ultrasonic transducer comprises an ultrasound source for transmitting ultrasound, and a reflecting unit disposed opposite to the ultrasound source. The ultrasound source and the reflecting unit constitute a resonance cavity. The reflecting unit can also act as an ultrasound source. A specific distribution of the acoustic field may be formed in the resonance cavity by matching the transmitting acoustic field of one ultrasonic transducer with the reflecting acoustic field of the other ultrasonic transducer. This resonance ultrasonic transducer can be widely used in ultrasonic diagnosis device, ultrasonic therapy device and ultrasonic detection device, and carries out effective focusing and controlling of an ultrasonic field.
US08040754B1
A system and method of acquiring and processing full elastic waveform data from a vertical-force source comprises providing seismic waves into the earth from the vertical-force source, sensing reflections of the seismic waves at multi-component geophones placed along the surface of the earth, and processing the reflections of the seismic waves to generate full elastic waveform data.
US08040751B2
A semiconductor memory device has a command decoder responsive to a plurality of commands to set the semiconductor memory device to a normal mode, for generating control signals corresponding to the commands, respectively, and a row address prelatch circuit for holding a row address except for a bank address input together with a precharge command, and outputting the row address to a row address latch circuit, when the semiconductor memory device is in a test mode. The row address latch circuit holds the row address output from the row address prelatch circuit in synchronism with a control signal which is generated when an active command is input. The column address latch circuit holds the column address which has already been input when the active command is input, in synchronism with a control signal which is generated when either a read command or a write command is input.
US08040750B2
A controller of a memory system is configured to reduce power requirements during memory backup transition. When transitioning to backup mode, the memory system controller performs a number of power saving techniques. The controller may change a number of configuration settings in the volatile memory system, such as reducing output driver strength, increasing differential impedance, increasing on-die termination, disabling receiver input circuitry, and disconnecting the termination voltage network. The controller may also assert a hard reset to the storage controller system to significantly reduce the load and allow the voltage regulator to continue to provide power to the memory system for a longer period of time.
US08040745B2
A stacked memory comprises one or more memory core chips and a fuse chip. Each of the memory core chips has a memory cell array including spare memory cells for replacing defective memory cells. The fuse chip has a fuse unit including a plurality of fuse elements whose electrical cut state corresponding to a replacement with the spare memory cells can be set. Also the fuse chip has a redundancy cell control circuit for controlling a redundancy cell operation of the defective memory cells based on state information of the fuse unit.
US08040741B2
A semiconductor integrated circuit includes a boost circuit configured to boost a power supply voltage so as to generate first and second voltages, the second voltage being lower than the first voltage, a load circuit supplied with the first voltage, and a capacitor. The capacitor has first and second diffusion regions, a first insulating film formed on a channel region, a first electrode formed on the first insulating film, a second insulating film formed on the first electrode, and a second electrode formed on the second insulating film. The second voltage is applied to the first electrode. The first voltage is applied to the second electrode. The power supply voltage is applied to at least one of the first and second diffusion regions.
US08040739B2
A configurable memory system may be able to support at least three different write policies, namely, no-read-on-write, read-before-write, and read-after-write. Such a system may include configurable write signal timing, configurable read signal timing, and/or configurable wordline enable signal timing. Static and/or dynamic configuration of the system may be used.
US08040731B2
A nonvolatile semiconductor memory of an aspect of the present invention comprises a voltage step-down circuit including a first and a second circuit to achieve a voltage drop and configured to decrease the first voltage to a second voltage less than the first voltage, a transfer transistor to transfer the second voltage to a word line, and a control circuit to generate the second voltage as a first write voltage in a first mode wherein the first write voltage less than or equal to a prescribed magnitude is applied to the word line, and to generate the second voltage as a second write voltage in a second mode wherein the second write voltage greater than the prescribed magnitude is applied to the word line, wherein the difference between the first voltage and the second voltage is greater than or equal to the threshold voltage of the transfer transistor.
US08040730B2
A nonvolatile semiconductor memory device includes a memory cell array and a control circuit configured to control reading and programming operations for reading data from and inputting data to the memory cell array, respectively. The control circuit includes first and second units. The first unit is configured to count a number of bits having logic 0 or a number of bits having logic 1, to set a logic where the counted number is greater than n/2 as an initial state to regenerate programming data, and to perform a programming operation based on the regenerated data, when simultaneously programming the programming data of n bits input for a designated address. The second unit is configured to program a recognition bit for recognizing which of the logic 0 and the logic 1 the initial state of the memory cell of the designated address is in, when the programming operation is performed.
US08040729B2
A memory cell array including a data line; a capacitor; and a transistor coupled between the data line and the capacitor. At least one of the capacitor and the transistor includes a material with a mutable electrical characteristic.A memory cell array including a first transistor coupled between a first node, a second node, and a third node; and a second transistor coupled between the second node and a fourth node. The first transistor includes a material with a mutable electrical characteristic.
US08040726B2
Provided is a flash memory device including a plurality of page buffer high voltage transistors. The plurality of high voltage transistors are operatively associated with a page buffer circuit, wherein each high voltage transistor includes; a gate pattern separating a first pattern from a second pattern. The first and second patterns extend in parallel and serve as respective source/drain regions, and the first pattern is floated and the second pattern receives an erase voltage during an erase operation. A first set of high voltage transistors is series connected in a columnar arrangement, such that column adjacent high voltage transistors are laid out with alternating source/drain symmetry in the columnar direction.
US08040721B2
The present invention provides methods and apparatus for adjusting voltages of bit and word lines to create short programming pulses to program a memory cell. The invention may include setting a first line connected to a memory cell to a first voltage from a first line standby voltage, charging a second line connected to the memory cell to a predetermined voltage from a second line standby voltage, switching the first line from the first voltage to a second voltage, and switching the first line from the second voltage to the first voltage. The voltage difference between the first voltage and the predetermined voltage is such that a safe voltage results that does not program the memory cell. A voltage difference between the second voltage and the predetermined voltage is such that a programming voltage operative to program the memory cell results. The switching operations together may create a first pulse.
US08040719B2
A memory device includes a memory array having a plurality of rows and columns of nonvolatile memory cells (e.g., PRAM cells) therein and a first plurality of local bit lines electrically coupled to a corresponding first plurality of columns of memory cells in the memory array. A first plurality of bit line selection circuits are also provided, which are responsive to bit line selection signals. A first plurality of bit line discharge circuits are electrically connected to respective ones of the first plurality of local bit lines. A bit line discharge control circuit is provided to drive the first plurality of bit line discharge circuits with equivalent bit line discharge signals during an operation to read data from a selected one of the first plurality of local bit lines.
US08040715B2
Plural memory cell arrays laminated on the semiconductor substrate each includes a plurality of first wirings and second wirings formed to intersect with each other. The control circuit provides, in a non-selected second memory cell array that shares the first wiring with a selected first memory cell array, and a non-selected third memory cell array located more distant from the first memory cell array than the second memory cell array, the first potential to all of the first wirings and all of the second wirings. It also provides, in a non-selected fourth memory cell array that shares the second wiring with the first memory cell array and a non-selected fifth memory cell array located more distant from the first memory cell array than the fourth memory cell array, the second potential to all of the first wirings and all of the second wirings.
US08040713B2
Various embodiments of the present invention are generally directed to a method and apparatus for providing different bit set modes for a resistive sense memory (RSM) array, such as a spin-torque transfer random access memory (STRAM) or resistive random access memory (RRAM) array. In accordance with some embodiments, a group of RSM cells in a non-volatile semiconductor memory array is identified for application of a bit set operation. A bit set value is selected from a plurality of bit set values each separately writable to the RSM cells to place said cells in a selected resistive state. The selected bit set value is thereafter written to at least a portion of the RSM cells in the identified group.
US08040687B2
A retractable locking mechanism comprising: a lever having a handle end opposite a rotation end and a pivot point positioned between the handle end and the rotation end such that the lever pivots about an axis of rotation of the lever; a first cam positioned on the rotation end of the lever; an actuator with a front end and a back end, the front end attached to the pivot point of the lever; a lock disposed adjacent to the actuator and the lock having a first end and a second end and an axis of rotation of the lock; a second cam attached to the lock for bearing on the back end of the actuator; and wherein pivoting the lever moves the actuator along a plane of the actuator to contact and rotate the second cam such that the lock is disposed in one of a locked state and an unlocked state.
US08040677B2
A plasma display device includes a circuit board on which a driving circuit is to be mounted and a first heat sink fastened to one side surface of a semiconductor device, the first heat sink being disposed spaced apart from the circuit board, and the semiconductor device being disposed between the first heat sink and the circuit board. By improving the heat dissipation characteristics of a plasma display panel, a more stable display device can be provided and the thickness of the plasma display device can be reduced. Further, rocking of the semiconductor device can be decreased, and the possibility of damage can be reduced.
US08040671B2
An information processing apparatus in accordance with the present invention includes a battery unit 4 detachable from a first casing 1 and capable of supplying electric power to the apparatus, an HDD 8 detachable from the first casing 1 and capable of recording and reproducing data to and from an information medium, and a cover plate 5 capable of covering the HDD 8, wherein the cover plate 5 is movable between an covering position in which the HDD 8 is covered and a releasable position in which the HDD 8 can be released, and the battery unit 4 holds the cover plate 5 in place so as to be located in the covering position when the battery unit is attached to the first casing 1. With this configuration, since the HDD cannot be detached unless the battery unit is detached beforehand, the HDD can be prevented from being damaged when it is removed.
US08040669B2
An adjustable shifting structure is disclosed. The adjustable shifting structure comprises a base bracket, a movable bracket, a fixture element, and an adjustment element. The movable bracket is movably connected to the base bracket. The fixture element is disposed on the base bracket. The movable bracket is gripped by the fixture element and the base bracket to limit the moving direction of the movable bracket. The adjustment element extends through the base bracket, the movable bracket and the fixture element. The movable bracket may be moved by adjusting the adjustment element to apply force on the fixture element.
US08040668B1
The invention is a record and play medicine bracelet that includes a pre-recorded audio file that is accessed via a coded key. The record and play medicine bracelet may be adapted for a single use or multiple uses wherein the pre-recorded audio file may be recorded over. The pre-recorded audio file is accessed via the insertion of a coded key into a key input slot that is located on the bracelet. The bracelet is also capable of maintaining a log of times and persons who have accessed said information, which can be retrieved by a port located on the bracelet that can connect to a computer.
US08040667B2
A portable, sturdy LCD TV is disclosed. The LCD TV is further constructed as a waterproof device and is equipped with an antenna so that the LCD TV, in addition to be used indoors as a computer monitor or TV, is also suitable for outdoor use.
US08040665B2
An electricity transformer station having a foundation and a housing on top of the foundation, the housing comprising walls and a roof. The housing comprises a plurality of identical modules assembled in a row along a longitudinal axis of the housing, each of the modules having two side walls and a roof section connecting the side walls.
US08040661B2
A method for manufacturing a solid electrolytic capacitor device is disclosed. The solid electrolytic capacitor device comprises a package substrate and a capacitor element which is mounted on the package substrate. The package substrate comprises an outer anode electrode, an outer cathode electrode, an inner anode electrode and an inner cathode electrode. The outer anode electrode is electrically connected to the inner anode electrode. The outer cathode electrode is electrically connected to the inner cathode electrode. The capacitor element comprises a capacitor body and an anode lead portion which extends from the capacitor body. The capacitor body has a surface at least one part of which is provided with a cathode portion. The method comprises: forming the anode lead portion; forming the cathode portion after the formation of the anode lead portion; and connecting the anode lead portion and the cathode portion to the inner anode electrode and the inner cathode electrode, respectively.
US08040652B2
Programmable power distribution switches with two-level current sensing are disclosed. In a particular example, a power distribution switch includes a programmable output device having a resistance based on a programmed maximum output current and generates an output voltage based on the resistance and a load current. The example power distribution switch also includes a reference voltage generator that is configured to generate a reference voltage corresponding to the output voltage when the load current is substantially equal to the programmed maximum output current. A current limiter is also included to reduce the load current in response to a comparison of the output voltage and the reference voltage, when the comparison is indicative of the load current exceeding the programmed maximum output current.
US08040650B2
An excess-current protection circuit includes an outer input terminal, an outer output terminal, a driver transistor connected between the input terminal and the output terminal to control an excess current, an excess-current control circuit, and an excess-current detection circuit. The excess-current control circuit compares a predetermined first bias voltage with a voltage obtained by a current flowing through a first sense transistor multiplied by a resistance value of a sense resistor and controls the gate voltage of the driver transistor in accordance with a comparison result. The excess-current detection circuit compares voltage difference between the drain and source of the driver transistor with a predetermined second bias voltage and controls the gate voltage of the driver transistor in accordance with a comparison result.
US08040643B2
Power supply switching apparatus comprising an output switch for supplying power from a power supply to a load connected to an output terminal, a driver for controlling turn-on of said output switch, and a control signal generator for controlling said driver to produce a desired progressive turn-on characteristic. The apparatus also includes overload detection means responsive to a parameter of the load relative to a reference signal to provide a fault signal in case of detection of an overload condition after a turn-on phase of said output switch. The control signal generator is responsive to the reference signal to activate said overload detection means to provide a fault signal during the turn-on phase of the output switch even in presence of a severe overload condition at the output terminal.
US08040636B2
A hard disk drive includes a magnetic retractor situated at and integrated with the pivot holder of a head stack assembly. An actuator arm of the head stack assembly supports a read/write head, a bobbin supports a voice coil of a voice coil motor, and the actuator arm and bobbin extend in generally opposite directions from pivot holder. The pivot holder receives a pivot such that the actuator arm can be rotated about an axis of the pivot. The voice coil motor also includes a pair of magnets (permanent magnet). The retractor interacts with the magnets of the voice coil motor to generate a retract force which urges the actuator arm to a position at which the read/write head is parked. By providing the retractor on the pivot holder, the retract force will always be close to that specified according to the design of the drive. Therefore, the read/write head is not only prevented from being unintentionally released while it is parked, but is also assuredly moved towards a target position over the disk when power is supplied to the voice coil motor to initiate a read/write operation.
US08040634B2
A magnetic head suspension having a thin metallic plate as a substrate which is caused to have a new function besides a function as a spring. The magnetic head suspension plural lines for connecting a magnetic head and a control circuit board to each other are formed over a thin metallic plate having a spring property through an insulating layer, and are integrated with the thin metallic plate A metallic pad made of a same metal layer as the plural lines is formed independently of the lines, an opening is made in a portion of the metallic pad to penetrate the insulating layer and then to reach the thin metallic plate, and an electroconductive region is formed into the opening by metal plating, thereby connecting the metallic pad and the thin metallic plate electrically to each other. Thereby, the desired portions of the suspension can be grounded through this simple structure without adopting a complicated structure wherein additional special lines for grounding are not separately laid besides the lines, which are lines for connecting a magnetic head and a control circuit board to each other.
US08040632B2
A head for a hard disk drive. The head includes a substrate, a write element, a read element and a heater element. The head also includes a buffer layer between the read element and the substrate, and a first resistor connected to the heater element and the buffer layer. The buffer layer and resistor create an impedance that suppresses noise introduced to the head from the disk of the drive.
US08040627B2
Methods and apparatus for generating a hard drive write signal are here in disclosed. A disclosed method comprises generating a hard drive write signal on an output of a switch based on an edge of the first control signal and reducing the hard drive write signal based on an edge of a second control signal via a second switch.
US08040620B2
A lens drive device may include a movable body provided with a lens and a drive mechanism for driving the movable body in the optical axis direction. The drive mechanism may include a substantially triangular prism-shaped drive magnet part disposed in at least one of four corners of the lens drive device, and a drive coil wound around a substantially triangular tube shape and whose inner peripheral face is oppositely disposed to an outer peripheral face of the drive magnet part through a gap space. In at least another embodiment, a lens drive device may include a flat spring provided with a plurality of arm parts which connect a movable body fixed part with a fixed body fixed part. The arm part is formed with a low spring constant part whose spring constant is smaller than a spring constant of other portion of the arm part.
US08040618B2
An imaging lens includes, in order from an object side, a positive first lens group, a stop, and a positive second lens group. The first lens group includes, in order from the object side, a first lens, which is a negative meniscus lens having a convex object-side surface, and a second lens having a positive power and including a convex image-side surface. The second lens group includes, in order from the object side, a third lens having a negative power and including a concave object-side surface, a fourth lens having a positive power and including a convex image-side surface, a fifth lens, which is a biconvex lens, and a sixth lens, which is a meniscus lens having a negative power and including a convex surface facing an image side. Each of the first to sixth lenses is a single spherical glass lens.
US08040602B1
A frame assembly is used to mount a screen. The frame assembly includes screen-perimeter members and frame-splice members. The splice members permit the perimeter members to be separated into segments.
US08040594B2
A multi-color electrophoretic medium contains first, second and third species of particles, the particles having substantially non-overlapping electrophoretic mobilities and bring of three different colors. The particles are dispersed in a fluid having a fourth color. A method for driving such a display is also described.
US08040585B2
There is provided an optical device including a plurality of polarizers that are arranged along a propagation direction of incident light, where the plurality of polarizers have transmission axes of substantially the same direction, a phaser that is provided between the plurality of polarizers, where the phaser has a retarded-phase axis forming a predetermined angle with the transmission axes of the plurality of polarizers, and a phase modulator that is provided adjacent to the phaser along the propagation direction, where the phase modulator has a retarded-phase axis of substantially the same direction as the retarded-phase axis of the phaser. Here, a phase difference generated in the incident light by the phase modulator is temporally adjusted such that the optical device transmits light in different wavelength ranges at different timings.
US08040581B2
A calibration method for calibrating a color image forming apparatus includes detecting the color of a patch formed on a recording medium by the color image forming apparatus using a color sensor, converting a detected color signal in a first color specification system into a color signal in a second color specification system, and adjusting at least one of the image forming conditions for the color image forming apparatus, based on the color signal converted in the conversion step, where the conversion conditions in the color signal conversion are different depending on the attributes of the patch.
US08040575B2
A double side image scanner includes a case having a medium guide track with a reference loading line, a main frame mounted inside the case, a first roll feed including a first feed roller mounted on a front side of the guide track and a first idle roller disposed above the first feed roller for cooperating with the first feed roller to load the medium, a second roll feed including a second feed roller mounted on a rear side of the guide track and a second idle roller disposed above the second feed roller for cooperating with the second feed roller to load the medium, a drive device for rotating the first feed roller and the second feed roller, first and second image sensors for scanning opposite surfaces of the medium to acquire image data, and a tracking device for biasing the medium toward the reference loading line.
US08040574B2
Apparatus for interfacing a conventional facsimile machine with a PC enabling the use of the facsimile machine as a scanner or printer. A first switch assembly selectively couples the PC modem and facsimile machine either to independent telephone lines in a normal mode or to one another in a scan print mode. A manually operated switch assembly is depressed for a brief interval sufficient to activate a ringing circuit which converts DC power from a small battery source to a 20 Hz sine wave of 90 volt amplitude and applies the sine wave signal to the PC to cause the PC or facsimile to enter into a scan or print mode, respectively. The manually operable switch is then released to apply a constant current to the facsimile machine to simulate an off-hook condition. A facsimile machine start button is then operated to start the facsimile machine which scans documents provided therein and transmits the scanned data in a conventional facsimile transmission format or activate the PC to transmit a fax in conventional facsimile transmission format to utilize the facsimile machine as a printer. The PC may be equipped with a suitable software program for converting non-graphic, i.e. such as word-type information into a binary format suitable for use in word processing applications and may store the data in a memory for subsequent use. An automatic circuit may be provided to initiate a scanning or printing mode responsive to receipt of a unique number received from either the facsimile machine or the PC, thus eliminating the need for switches.
US08040571B2
The present invention provides a technique relating to image processing capable of searching for, from a surface of paper, a more suitable region for matching of paper fingerprint information or print paper surface unique information. Its configuration includes a region dividing section for dividing image data including a read out paper fingerprint into a plurality of regions; a section for obtaining variance of gradation values of pixels in the individual regions divided by the region dividing section; a deciding section for making a decision from each variance value obtained by the section for obtaining variance of gradation values as to whether a corresponding region is suitable for matching of the paper fingerprint information; and an extracting section for extracting the paper fingerprint information in the region decided by the deciding section.
US08040566B2
An image generating method comprises the steps of extracting elliptical shape parameters (specifying an elliptical shape), gradation pattern parameters (specifying a gradation pattern to be drawn in the elliptical shape) and drawing area parameters (specifying a drawing area) from an instruction for drawing an elliptical radial gradation, generating a transformation matrix for transforming the elliptical shape into a perfect circular shape based on the elliptical shape parameters, calculating an inverse matrix of the transformation matrix, transforming the gradation pattern parameters using the transformation matrix, transforming a first area containing the drawing area using the transformation matrix, drawing a radial gradation in the perfect circular shape in a second area containing the transformed first area based on the transformed gradation pattern parameters, and generating the elliptical radial gradation for the drawing area by inversely transforming the second area (in which the radial gradation has been drawn) using the inverse matrix.
US08040560B2
A method for determining (250) a change required in a selected base point in an input colorant space of a digital-image rendering system to obtain from the digital-image rendering system a desired reference output color to within a predetermined color tolerance comprises determining the required change based on a local approximation of the colorant/color relationship at the selected base point. Gradient points are automatically generated (210) that are proximate or coincident with the selected base point and that are different from any other base point than the selected base point. A linear approximation to the colorant/color relationship at the selected base point is computed (240) from the gradient points and the measured (230) output colors at the gradient points as rendered (220) by the digital-image rendering system and. The required change is determined from the local gradient of the colorant/color relationship at the selected base point.
US08040558B2
An image processing system for interpolating image data is comprised of a shift invariant point determining device, an illumination averager, a second order differentiator, and color data calculator. The shift invariant point determining device ascertains shift invariant points within the mosaic color element array pattern. The illumination averager determines average illumination values of clusters of a plurality of pixels. The second order differentiator determines a second order derivative of the average illumination values of the clusters of the plurality of pixels. The color data calculator determines color data for each of the plurality of pixels from the image data and second order derivative. A second order derivative scaler multiplies the second order derivative by a scaling factor for selectively smoothing and sharpening the second order derivative. A color data averager averages color data values of adjacent pixels to a resolution of the image data.
US08040552B2
There is provided a variable data image generating device including a plurality of first type image generating units that execute a first rendering instruction for a distributed record and generates a first type image corresponding to the record; a first type image memory that stores the first type image corresponding to each record generated by each of the first image generating units; a distributing unit that distributes a record in variable data to each of the first type image generating units; and a document image generating unit that executes a drawing program including one or more instructions for each record in the variable data, wherein the document image generating unit generates a document image for each record by obtaining the first type image corresponding to the record from the first type image memory and laying out the obtained image in response to the first rendering instruction in the rendering program.
US08040527B2
The invention describes an optical deflection element for the refractive production of a spatially structured bundle of light beams fanned concentrically to an optical axis of the deflection element. The optical deflection element has a base body made of optically transparent material, and has a light input and output side. The light input side is configured such that a primary bundle of light beams can be coupled in the base body. The light output side has a cylindrically symmetrical contour, which defines a recess in the base body. The fanning of the primary bundle of light beams is achieved by refraction on rotationally symmetric interfaces, which are variably inclined relative to the optical axis. The invention further relates to an optical measuring device for the three-dimensional measurement of a cavity in an object and a method for producing a concentrically fanned, spatially structured bundle of light beams.
US08040523B2
The present invention relates to a measurement method of the chromatic dispersion of an optical waveguide using an optical interferometer with a broadband multi-wavelength light source and an optical spectrum analyzing apparatus, wherein one arm, called “reference arm” of the interferometer's two arms has an adjustable air spacing and the other arm, called “sample arm” can contain said optical waveguide to be measured, and including the following measurement and analysis steps: measuring interference spectra of the optical beam output exiting from the said interferometer with an optical spectrum analyzing apparatus when said optical waveguide is connected to said sample arm, and when said optical waveguide is not connected to said sample arm respectively; by adjusting the reference arm length for appearance of clear interference patterns; converting the wavelength-domain interference spectra into frequency-domain interference spectra and calculating phase difference values of the interference peaks of one of the spectra from a predetermined reference peak as a function of the frequency change by counting the interference peak (or valley) points; finding a Taylor series curve fit function for each set of the phase difference value data corresponding to each of the two interference spectra; and calculating a chromatic dispersion coefficient of the optical waveguide by using the coefficients of the Taylor series curve fit functions.
US08040522B1
A method for determining an accurate phase difference between a phase of a light beam in each of two light paths, the two light paths being in a rotating interferometric fiber optic gyro, by measuring a first phase difference due to angular velocity of the rotating interferometric fiber optic gyro, flipping axes of rotation of photons in the light loops of the rotating interferometric fiber optic gyro, and measuring a second phase difference due to angular velocity of the rotating interferometric fiber optic gyro.
US08040514B2
A dental color measurement tool disposed opposite an opening portion for capturing light from an artificial tooth to undergo color measurement with a color measurement device includes at least one pair of guide posts having an engaging portion corresponding to an engaging portion on the color measurement device side, and an abutment post disposed between the pair of guide posts and having a pointed convex shape to which the artificial tooth can be mounted. The abutment post has a color measurement reference surface in a color measurement light axis direction as the vicinity of a focus position of the color measurement device in a photographing state. When performing color measurement photographing, the artificial tooth is mounted to the abutment post to position the front thereof at the color measurement reference surface. Thus, the artificial tooth can be stably retained at a suitable position with respect to the color measurement device.
US08040505B2
A device for separating at least part of the liquid component of a blood sample and methods thereof are disclosed. Generally, the device includes a container body for receiving the blood sample, a layer of retaining porous material, a layer of separating permeable material. The retaining porous material retains non-liquid components of the blood sample after the non-liquid components have been subjected to centrifugal force which forces them through the separating permeable material into the retaining porous material.
US08040479B2
A gate line extending in a transverse direction and a data line intersecting the gate line are formed on the substrate. The data line includes a curved portion and an intermediate portion crossing the gate line substantially at a right angle. A pixel electrode is formed on an insulating layer. The pixel electrode is connected to a thin film transistor and it has an edge extending substantially parallel to the curved portion of the data line.
US08040473B2
A black-matrix-equipped filter including a black matrix adapted to selectively shield light being incident from a light introduction side, and to transmit the unshielded light to a light output side, wherein the black matrix includes: a light shielding layer; and a first reflection inhibition layer formed at the light introduction side of the light shielding layer.
US08040469B2
The present inventions provides a method for manufacturing a film-type display device efficiently, and a method for manufacturing a large-size film-type display device, and an apparatus for manufacturing the film-type display device. An apparatus for manufacturing a film-type display device includes: transferring means for transferring a substrate over which an integrated circuit constituting the display device is provided; first separating means for separating the integrated circuit from the substrate by adhering a first sheet material to one surface of the integrated circuit; second separating means for separating the integrated circuit from the first sheet material by adhering a second sheet material to the other surface of the integrated circuit; processing means for forming one or both of a conductive film and an insulating film on the integrated circuit; and sealing means for sealing the processed integrated circuit with the second sheet material and a third sheet material.
US08040468B2
The invention relates to a liquid crystal display device comprising a retardation layer wherein an in-plane slow axis of the retardation layer is within the direction of 90±40 degrees relative to an absorption axis of the polarizing layer disposed at a closer position to the retardation layer; Re(550) meets following relation, 25 nm≦Re(550)≦230 nm; R[40°] of the retardation layer which is measured for incident light in a direction tilted by 40 degrees toward the tilt direction of the retardation layer relative to the normal line of the retardation layer meets following relation, 0 nm≦R[40°]≦300 nm; and R[+40°] of the retardation layer and retardation R[−40°] of the retardation layer meet following relation, 1
US08040467B2
The present invention relates to color image display devices having a combination of light shutters, a color filter having color elements of at least three colors of red, green and blue corresponding to the light shutters, and a backlight for transmission illumination, where the backlight has a phosphor layer or a phosphor film, and the phosphor layer or the phosphor film has a compound having at least element M4, element A, element D, element E and element X, where M4 is at least one element selected from Mn, Ce, Pr, Nd, Sm, Eu, Tb, Dy, Ho, Er, Tm and Yb, and includes at least Eu, A is at least one element selected from bivalent metal elements other than the element M4, D is at least one element selected from tetravalent metal elements, E is at least one element selected from trivalent metal elements, and X is at least one element selected from O, N and F.
US08040459B2
A backlight (illuminating device) of the present invention is a tandem type backlight including a plurality of light-emitting units (11) including at least one point light source (5) and a light guide plate (7) for causing light from the at least one point light source to be diffused and surface-emitted. In each of the light-emitting units (11), a length X of a light guide area (9) is set so that an area, on a boundary surface between a light-emitting area (10) and the light guide area (9), of a cross-section of a light beam that is emitted from the at least one point light source (5) and is diffused in the light guide plate (7) is equal to or larger than an area of the boundary surface (interface). Moreover, a length X, in a length direction D1, of the light guide area is smaller than a length Y, in the length direction D1, of the light-emitting area, the length direction being a direction pointing from the at least one point light source (5) toward the light-emitting area (10). With this, it is possible to realize an illuminating device in which light from a light source can be more uniformly emitted, and an increase in thickness of the illuminating device can be suppressed.
US08040452B2
A pixel unit of TFT-LCD array substrate and a manufacturing method thereof is disclosed. In the manufacturing method, besides a first insulating layer and a passivation layer, a second insulating layer is adopted to cover the gate island, and forms an opening on the gate island to expose the channel region, the source region and the drain region of the TFT. A gray tone mask and a photoresist lifting-off process are utilized to perform patterning, so that the TFT-LCD array substrate can be achieved with just three masks.
US08040448B2
A liquid crystal display device includes a first substrate, a second substrate, a liquid crystal layer formed between the first substrate and the second substrate, and a transistor formed in a pixel. A first insulating layer is formed over the transistor, a first electrode is formed on the first insulating layer, a second insulating layer is formed on the first electrode, a second electrode is formed on the second insulating layer, and the first electrode has a plane shape and the second electrode has a line shape portion.
US08040440B2
A projection device comprises a light source, a color wheel which is inserted into an optical path of the light source and in which a plurality of color segments are formed along a peripheral direction of the color wheel. The color segments are configured to transmit a plurality of wavelength band components in the white light in a time division manner during a rotation of the color wheel. A light source driving unit alternating-current discharges the light source at a period shorter than a rotation period of the color wheel while reverses a polarity at a timing to switch the segment of the color wheel inserted into the optical path.
US08040438B2
The present invention offers a method for channel change in digital broadcasting consisting of: a step 1 for recognizing a command for a channel change while the currently connected channel is being decoded at the digital broadcasting terminal; a step 2 for completing reception of the current stream while maintaining the received picture if there is a command for a channel change according to said step 1; a step 3 for receiving and analyzing the information of the newly concatenated stream without re-initializing the decoder and concatenating two streams; and a step 4 for renewing information of the newly concatenated stream in order to maintain continuity between the previous stream and the newly concatenated stream using the information obtained in said steps 2 and 3. Therefore, time delay during channel change will be minimized by changing channels without decoder re-initialization and without break in the channel changing time.
US08040435B2
A synchronization detecting apparatus includes a counter, an error detector, and a line length generator. The counter counts to a predetermined counter value in response to a clock signal. The error detector generates an error, which is the difference between a current counter value received from the counter and a previous line length, in response to a synchronization flag signal. The line length generator generates a current line length based on a compensated error and the predetermined counter value. The synchronization flag signal has an active level at a transitioning edge of a synchronization pulse signal contained in an input signal.
US08040430B2
A battery capacity display device for an electronic apparatus, includes: a nonvolatile storage unit that stores information related to a remaining capacity in a rechargeable battery output from a battery module having the rechargeable battery and an arithmetic operation unit that calculates the information related to the remaining capacity in the rechargeable battery based upon a value of an electrical current flowing to the rechargeable battery; a display unit that displays the remaining capacity in the rechargeable battery based upon the information related to the remaining capacity; and a display control unit that controls the display unit so as to display the remaining capacity based upon the information related to the remaining capacity stored at the storage unit at least until the information related to the remaining capacity is output from the battery module following a startup of the electronic apparatus.
US08040426B2
An automatic focusing mechanism comprises a plurality of lenses and an image sensor disposed along an optical axis, an electromagnetic driving device for generating an electromagnetic force to drive the image sensor to move along the optical axis, and a position-limited device for limiting the movement of the image sensor along the optical axis. The image sensor is driven by the electromagnetic force and moved along the optical axis, and the distance between the lenses and the image sensor is properly adjusted, thereby realizing automatic focusing.
US08040413B2
In a pixel unit, W, R, G, and B pixels are arranged in rows and columns. The pixel unit output W, R, G, and B signals obtained by photoelectrically converting light incident on the W, R, G, and B pixels. An edge detection unit determines a specific area having a W pixel provided with a white filter as a central pixel in the pixel unit, divides the specific area into blocks including the central pixel, and detects edge information as to whether there is an edge of an image in each of the blocks. A block select unit selects a block with no edge from the edge information. A ratio calculating unit calculates the ratio coefficients of the R, G, and B signals from the selected block. An RGB signal generator generates new R, G, and B signals from the W signal of the central pixel using the ratio coefficients.
US08040412B2
An imaging apparatus includes an optical system, plural types of color filters, an imaging device including a plurality of pixels each receiving a light incident to the imaging apparatus through a predetermined type of color filter and being operable to generate image data with the plurality of pixels from the image formed by the optical system, a light information acquiring section operable to acquire information on the incident light, and a correction processing section operable to convert a position of a pixel of the image data formed by the pixels, according to at least type of the color filter provided for the pixel and the information on the incident light acquired by the light information acquiring section.
US08040411B2
An image pickup device includes an image pickup section that picks up a long-time exposure image and short-time exposure image; a combining section that combines the long-time exposure image and short-time exposure image with each other, to generate a combined image, the exposure images being combined on the basis of a ratio between the exposure time of the long-time exposure image and the exposure time of the short-time exposure image; a dynamic range calculating section that calculates an object dynamic range from the long-time exposure image, the exposure time of the long-time exposure image, the short-time exposure image, and the exposure time of the short-time exposure image; and a compressing section that, using base compression curve data, calculates a compression curve suitable for the object dynamic range, and generates a compressed image in accordance with the calculated compression curve.
US08040409B2
A storage portion stores, in association with first pixel values, table values including either gamma-corrected values obtained by performing gamma correction on the first pixel values using a predetermined reflectance component or second pixel values calculated based both on the gamma-corrected values and on the first pixel values. A pixel-value generating portion includes an extracting portion and a determining portion. The extracting portion extracts at least one of the table values corresponding to a pixel value of a subject pixel. The determining portion determines a pixel value of an output image based on the at least one of the table values extracted by the extracting portion. The predetermined reflectance component is the reflectance component calculated by the reflectance-component calculating portion when the pixel value of the subject pixel is substantially identical with the average luminance of the peripheral pixels.
US08040408B2
An image signal processing apparatus is disclosed. A peaking signal generation section extracts and amplifies high frequency components contained in an input image signal to generate a peaking signal. An operation section allows a target area for which contour correction is to be performed using the peaking signal to be accepted. A control section generates an area gate signal describing position information corresponding to the designated target area. A mask processing section performs a mask process of outputting an image signal to which the peaking signal has been added to the target area designated through the operation section based on the area gate signal supplied from the control section. A scaling processing section converts pixels of the image signal for which the mask process has been performed is converted at a predetermined scaling ratio.
US08040407B2
An image capturing apparatus comprises: an acquisition unit; a smear detection unit; and a smear correction unit which corrects a level of pixels in a smear region in original image data by a first correction amount obtained by multiplying a smear amount by a first coefficient, thereby generating first image data, and corrects the level of pixels in the smear region in the original image data by a second correction amount obtained by multiplying the smear amount by a second coefficient, thereby generating second image data, wherein the first image data is used for at least either of image displaying and image recording, the second image data is used for at least one of exposure control, focus adjustment, and white balance control, and the first coefficient is smaller than the second coefficient.
US08040395B2
A system and method for automatically determine whether an image captured by a digital camera should be stored in a raw format or a compressed format. After an image is captured by the digital camera, the digital camera checks certain sets of characteristics of the captured image to check the image quality. If the image quality falls within an acceptable range, then the digital camera saves the image in a compressed format. If the captured image does not fall within predetermined quality levels, then the captured image is save in raw format for later processing.
US08040391B2
A natural white balance is achieved in images that are captured while emitting a flash. The white balance of an image is adjusted using a WB adjustment portion and a mixture ratio calculation portion estimating a mixture ratio of an external light component and a flashed light component that are present in an image captured with emitting a flash, from the image obtained that is captured while emitting a flash and an image signal that is obtained without emitting a flash. Further, an external light WB coefficient determination portion determines an WB coefficient for the external light, a flashed light WB coefficient setting portion sets a WB coefficient for the flashed light, and a WB processing portion continuously performs WB processing on the image captured while emitting a flash by using the mixture ratio as an interpolation ratio.
US08040375B2
A method for inspecting a slider having a substantially rectangular parallelepiped shape is provided. The method has: a lifting step of lifting said slider upward and stopping said slider at an inspecting position while supporting said slider at an undersurface of said slider, wherein said undersurface is a surface that is other than a first surface, said first surface being an air bearing surface or a surface that is to be formed in said air bearing surface; and an inspection step of simultaneously inspecting said first surface and a second surface of said slider, said second surface being a surface that is other than said first surface and said undersurface, wherein said first surface is inspected by a first camera and said second surface is inspected by a second camera, said first and second cameras being arranged in advance such that an optical axis thereof passes through said inspecting position.
US08040373B2
An endoscope spectral image system is provided and includes: an image recording apparatus for recording a color image provided by using a scope; and a processor apparatus, in which spectroscopic characteristic information including a spectroscopic characteristic of CCD is output from the processor apparatus to the image recording apparatus along with color image data. At the image recording apparatus, matrix data in correspondence with the spectroscopic characteristic information is selected to be read from a plurality of matrix data stored in a memory, matrix operation by the matrix data and color image data is carried out at a spectral image-forming circuit, and a spectral image formed by signals of arbitrarily selected wavelength regions is provided.
US08040371B2
A three-dimensional display device according to the present invention includes a panel that time-shares images and displays left and right eye images, a panel control unit for controlling the panel by applying a display control signal that includes vertical and horizontal signals to the panel, a barrier facing the panel and separating the images of the panel into user left and right eye images, and a barrier control unit for controlling the barrier. The panel can be converted between a first mode of a portrait-type view and a second mode of a landscape-type view, and the barrier may be operated corresponding to the mode conversion of the panel.
US08040368B2
An image forming apparatus is provided. The image forming apparatus includes: a photosensitive member on which an electrostatic latent image is to be formed; a first body which rotatably supports the photosensitive member; an exposing unit which exposes the photosensitive member; a second body which supports the exposing unit movably between an exposing position in which the exposing unit exposes the photosensitive member and a retracting position in which the exposing unit is retracted from the photosensitive member; a first grounding unit which, when the exposing unit is positioned at the exposing position, causes the exposing unit to be electrically connected to the first body; and a second grounding unit which, when the exposing unit is positioned at the retracting position, causes the exposing unit to be electrically connected to the first body via the second body.
US08040363B2
An organic light emitting display capable of controlling brightness responsive to a user request. The display includes a brightness controller for controlling the brightness of a display region. The brightness controller includes a first look up table for storing widths of emission control signals corresponding to the image data of one frame period and a second look up table for storing at least one outside input mode for changing the widths of the emission control signals responsive to the outside input modes. By forming virtual look up tables, it is possible to vary the outside input modes in response to a user request in order to change the brightness of the display region while saving memory. Controlling the brightness of the display region also allows reducing power consumption, preventing the eyes of a user from getting tired, and maintaining image contrast of the display region.
US08040349B1
One embodiment of the present invention sets forth a technique for efficiently creating and accessing an A-Buffer with a GPU. The A-Buffer is organized in arrays of uniformly-sized tiles. Each array represents a group of pixels, and each tile within an array includes the set of fragments at a specific depth complexity that are associated with the pixels in the pixel group represented by the array. The size of the tiles may be selected to be the minimum necessary for efficient memory access. The GPU determines the number of tiles in each array by calculating the maximum of the depth complexity associated with the pixels in the pixel group represented by the array and creates a corresponding prefix sum image to allow the GPU to efficiently locate the array associated with a given pixel group in the A-Buffer for addressing purposes. Advantageously, structuring the A-Buffer by both pixel proximity and depth complexity improves memory locality, thereby improving the overall rendering performance of the graphics pipeline.
US08040344B2
The present invention reduces the number of diagrams and the workload of management and the like, by aggregating spools of a common format, in plant design technology using a three-dimensional CAD system. Format specific data which is stored separately according to spool format is obtained by aggregating the respective spools in the internal data, which is generated by a data acquisition means, into respective common formats by a spool aggregation means. In this process, a comparison and classification means compares the contents of the control point tables relating to the respective spools, between each and every pair of the spools, so as to confirm whether there exist control point tables which are the same, with taking all of the start points of each spool as a point of origin, thereby determines whether both spools of each pair are matching based on prescribed common characteristics, as the result of this determination, in cases where both spools are matching, then creates format specific data which is stored separately with respect to each spool format.
US08040341B2
In one embodiment, the present disclosure provides a method to control the brightness of a display. One exemplary method includes generating a signal indicative of a display brightness level, and controlling the brightness of the display, based at least in part on the signal indicative of a display brightness level.
US08040336B2
A display device includes a rescue circuit line structure having a first conductive pattern, a second conductive pattern and a dielectric layer. The first conductive pattern is adapted to electrically interconnect a first circuit element and a second circuit element, wherein the first conductive pattern has an open. Neither of the first and second conductive patterns is used as a data line or a scan line. The dielectric layer is located on the open and disposed between the first conductive pattern and the second conductive pattern.
US08040334B2
A method for driving a display device comprises processing a plurality of sequent frame data by a graphics controller. The graphics controller is capable of optimizing a frame rate and outputting a first plurality of display signals at the frame rate. And then, a timing controller is used to convert the first plurality of display signals into a second plurality of signals at a predetermined refresh rate.
US08040325B2
Methods are provided for base capacitance compensation of traces in a touchpad sensor. Compensation areas are calculated by evaluating the differences between the base capacitances of the traces, or the differences between the base capacitances of the traces and a target value. The compensation areas are electrically connected to respective traces to equalize the base capacitances of the traces. Alternatively, a relationship between the areas of the traces and the distances from the traces to a grounding layer for equalizing the base capacitances of the traces is derived and from which the areas of the traces or the position of the grounding layer are adjusted.
US08040322B2
Systems and methods for use in displaying user interface components upon user interfaces of computing devices. A system and method could be configured to receive an image to be displayed upon a user interface of the device. One or more indicators can be used to specify how the image is to be divided into multiple regions. The regions of the divided image are displayed with a user interface component upon the user interface of the device.
US08040319B2
A method for changing a value displayed on a screen is provided. In response to receiving a user input indicating motion in a particular direction, changing the value independent of where the position of a cursor is on the screen. The value being changed may comprise of a series of segments, and each segment value can be changed individually. In addition, a different user input device that does not indicate motion in a particular direction may be used to change segment values and to select other segment values. Methods for automatically formatting a segmented values and calculating a base time rate based on two different frame rates are also provided.
US08040306B2
Disclosed is a display driving chip of a semiconductor chip. According to an embodiment, the display driving chip comprises, input/output (I/O) pads each electrically connected to a lower interconnection on an active area, the I/O pads forming a perimeter on an inner peripheral surface of the active area, and dummy pads formed on the active area within the perimeter of I/O pads.
US08040305B2
A display system 100 includes a light source 110 and a color wheel 114. An optical section 112 is arranged to receive light from the light source 110 and to direct the light toward a color wheel 114. A digital micromirror device 122 is arranged to receive the light from the color wheel 114 and to direct image data toward a display. The image data includes an array of pixels arranged in rows and columns. The array of pixels is arranged as curved color bands during a first time period and rectangular color bands during a second time period. The second time period being concurrent with but of a shorter duration than the first time period.
US08040300B2
A display device includes a demultiplexer. The demultiplexer programs time-divided and sequentially input data currents to at least two signal lines. The demultiplexer includes first and second sample/hold circuits for alternately sampling data currents and holding sampled data corresponding to the sampled data, and third and fourth sample/hold circuits for respectively sampling the sampled data held by the first and second sample/hold circuits and programming the current which correspond to the sampled data to the two signal lines.
US08040293B2
A shift register and an organic light emitting display using the same with a simplified design of a shift register having high reliance, and reduced dead space includes a plurality of stages dependently connected to a start pulse input line, each of the stages including: a voltage level controller to control voltage levels of first and second output nodes according to a start pulse or an output signal of a previous stage and a second clock signal; a control capacitor coupled between the first output node and an input line of a first clock signal; a first transistor coupled between a first power supply and a third output node and including a gate electrode coupled to the first output node; and a second transistor coupled between the third output node and an input line of the third clock signal and including a gate electrode coupled to the second output node.
US08040291B2
An F-inverted compact antenna for ultra-low volume Wireless Sensor Networks is developed with a volume of 0.024λ×0.06λ×0.076λ, ground plane included, where λ is a resonating frequency of the antenna. The radiation efficiency attained is 48.53% and the peak gain is −1.38 dB. The antenna is easily scaled to higher operating frequencies up to 2500 MHz bands with comparable performance. The antenna successfully transmits and receives signals with tolerable errors. It includes a standard PCB board with dielectric block thereon and helically contoured antenna wound from a copper wire attached to the dielectric block and oriented with the helix axis parallel to the PCB. The antenna demonstrates omnidirectional radiation patterns and is highly integratable with WSN, specifically in Smart Dust sensors. The antenna balances the trade offs between performance and overall size and may be manufactured with the use of milling technique and laser cutters.
US08040287B2
A radio wave receiving device includes at least one magnetic drive unit and an antenna structure having a narrow core formed of magnetic material and a coil wound around the central part of the core. The device further includes two external magnetic members, each having a connecting part connected magnetically to one end part of the core. One magnetic member has a magnetism collecting part expanded in one side of the antenna structure from the connecting part to exclude the antenna structure, and the other magnetic member has a magnetism collecting part expanded in the other side of the antenna structure from the connecting part to exclude the antenna structure. These external magnetic members cover the drive unit in the both sides and shut off magnetic flux of external magnetic field from the both sides and collect magnetic flux of radio wave on the one end part of the core.
US08040285B2
A glass antenna for an automobile improving antenna gain is provided.The glass antenna can receive two wavelength bands, that are a first wavelength band and a second wavelength band higher than the first wavelength band, and provided that the first wavelength band is designated as H band and the second wavelength band is designated as L band, antenna conductors 6, 7 for H band each having a shape and dimension configured to receive H band is provided on a rear glass plate 10 for an automobile, and an antenna conductor 1 for L band having a shape and dimension configured to receive L band is provided on the rear window glass plate 10, the antenna conductors 6, 7 for H band and the antenna conductor 1 for L band constitute two types of antenna conductors, the antenna conductor 1 for L band has a portion extending in a predetermined direction, and provided that the portion is designated as a predetermined direction extending portion 1c, the predetermined direction extending portion 1c has a detour portion 1b.
US08040278B2
Adaptive antenna beamforming may involve a maximum signal-to-noise ratio beamforming method, a correlation matrix based beamforming method, or a maximum ray beamforming method. The adaptive antenna beamforming may be used in a millimeter-wave wireless personal area network in one embodiment.
US08040272B1
A radar array linearly traverses an area of ground. Additional radar elements fore and aft of the array detect changes in elevation and orientation of the array. These elements act as a preview for the height changes due to ground variation. Any variation in height that is not detected by these fore and aft-mounted elements is thus due to variation in radar elevation and/or orientation and can be subtracted from the resulting data without introducing distortion. Correction factors are applied to the range data returned from each element in the array, which normalizes the data and makes it appear as if the array did not change orientation or elevation.
US08040271B2
An A/D conversion apparatus includes: a first and a second D/A converter to sample an analog signal and successively compare the analog signal and a reference signal to generate a first and a second comparison signal respectively; a first comparator to compare the first comparison signal generated by the first D/A converter with a benchmark signal; a second comparator to compare the second comparison signal generated by the second D/A converter with the benchmark signal; and a converter to convert the analog signal to a digital signal according to results of the comparisons by the first and second comparators.
US08040269B2
An analog-to-digital converter generates an output digital value equivalent to the difference between two analog signals. The converter forms part of a set of converters. The converter receives a first analog signal and a second analog signal (Vreset, Vsig) and a ramp signal (Vramp). A clock is dedicated to the converter, or a sub-set of converters. A control stage enables a first counter based on a comparison of the ramp signal with the first analog signal and the second analog signal. The converter can be calibrated by at least one reference signal (Vref1, Vref2) which is common to the set of converters. A-to-D conversion can include a first A-to-D conversion stage which determines a signal range, selected from a plurality of signal ranges, and a second A-to-D conversion stage which determines an M-bit digital value equivalent to the difference between the first and second analog signals by comparing the signals with a ramp signal, with the ramp signal having the signal range determined by the first analog-to-digital conversion stage.
US08040268B2
A data readout system with non-uniform resolution has a pick up head for reading data stored in an optical disc and generating an analog signal, a reference voltage unit for producing a plurality of reference voltage levels, wherein voltage differences between two adjacent reference voltage levels are not all the same, a plurality of comparators for comparing the reference voltage levels with the analog signal and generating comparison results, and an encoder for encoding the comparison results into a digital signal.
US08040266B2
A system includes an analog-to-digital modulator to convert at least one analog input signal into at least one digital output signal. The system also includes a processing device to set an operational order and a quantization level of the analog-to-digital modulator. The analog-to-digital modulator converts the analog input signal into the digital output signal according to the operational order and the quantization level.
US08040263B2
An analog-to-digital converter includes a reference voltage generator that outputs a reference voltage, a first comparator and a second comparator that compare the reference voltage and a voltage of an input signal and output a digital signal having a first logical value or a second logical value, and a calibrator that compares an output of the first comparator and an output of the second comparator and outputs a first offset control signal and a second offset control signal. The first comparator sets an offset value having a positive or negative polarity to an output inversion threshold level based on the first offset control signal, and the second comparator sets an offset value having a polarity opposite to the polarity set by the first comparator to an output inversion threshold level based on the second offset control signal.
US08040260B2
A traffic information display system comprises a traffic information processing unit adapted to receive traffic information data which are transmitted in multiple cycles and to generate at least one portion of traffic information from the traffic information data which is indicative of a traffic event, and a display unit coupled with the traffic information processing unit and which is adapted to display the at least one portion of traffic information. The display unit includes a user receiving status determining unit which is adapted for assigning a category of a plurality of categories to the at least one portion of traffic information, the plurality of categories being indicative of different user receiving statuses of traffic information. The display unit is adapted for displaying at least one graphical element which is associated with the at least one portion of traffic information, wherein the at least one graphical element is indicative of the assigned category of the at least one portion of traffic information. Accordingly, the system may reduce driver distraction when searching for interesting traffic messages.
US08040258B2
Methods and apparatus are provided for enhancing the situational awareness of an operator. Automatic dependent surveillance-broadcast (ADS-B) traffic data transmitted by a traffic entity are received. The ADS-B traffic data are processed to determine traffic entity position. The traffic entity position is mapped to corresponding image coordinates on an enhanced vision system (EVS) display. A region of interest around at least a portion of the corresponding image coordinates is selected. An actual image of the traffic entity is rendered on the EVS display, at the corresponding image coordinates, and with at least a portion of the region of interest being highlighted.
US08040240B2
A method and apparatus automatically triggers position location fixes for external devices. In one embodiment of the present invention, a mobile station generates position location data for a position location function in an external device in response to determining that the mobile station is electrically coupled to the external device, and in response to determining that the position location function in the external device is active. The mobile station does not generate position location data for the position location function in the external device in response to determining that the mobile station is electrically decoupled from the external device, or in response to determining that the position location function in the external device is not active.
US08040238B2
The present invention provides a solution to backhauling health information. The present invention utilizes a mesh network to backhaul the health information. The system includes a plurality of first tags, a mesh network, and an information engine. Each of the tags represents a first object. The mesh network preferably includes a plurality of plug-in sensors located within the facility. At least one node in the mesh network operates as healthcare device. The information engine is in communication with the mesh network and determines a position location of the healthcare device and an operation of the healthcare device.
US08040233B2
Methods and systems enable selection of a theme for implementation on a computing device based on sensor data. The computing device can include a variety of sensors including sensors capable of sensing ambient temperature, light, and sound, as well as geographic position, for example. Data collected by a sensor is used to select a theme correlated to the sensed condition. Data from sensors can also be used to generate customized advertisements that can be displayed on the computing device.
US08040231B2
A system and method are provided that allow analysis of alarm data to generate security reports. A security report system may include a monitoring tool and a data analyzer. The monitoring tool may include an alarm data acquiring module and an alarm database for storing the alarm data acquired by the alarm data acquiring module. The data analyzer may include a data parsing module for parsing the alarm data into a plurality of data segments each indicating an attribute of the alarm data, a data categorizing module for categorizing the plurality of data segments into a plurality of data groups in accordance with the attributes of the data segments, and a data processing module for processing the data segments of at least one of the data groups to generate a security report.
US08040228B2
Tire/wheel assemblies that each include a wheel with an air valve mounted thereto and a tire mounted to the wheel, and can each be equipped with an air pressure detecting unit for detecting the air pressure of the tire. A weight balance of the wheel itself is set so that a target barycentric position of the tire/wheel assembly with the air pressure detecting unit deviates from a rotation center of the wheel toward an installation position of the unit by a predetermined amount, and so that a target barycentric position of the tire/wheel assembly without the air pressure detecting unit deviates from the rotation center of the wheel toward the side opposite to the unit installation position by a predetermined amount.
US08040224B2
An apparatus and method for controlling vibration in a mobile terminal are provided. The method includes, upon detecting a key input by a user, determining whether a current feedback signal is detected when an external case with a first vibrator is connected to the mobile terminal, upon detecting the current feedback signal, determining that the external case is connected to the mobile terminal and applying a drive signal to the first vibrator, and controlling the first vibrator to be activated in response to the received drive signal to output a haptic feedback.
US08040219B2
To enhance in-building location determination of an electronic device, described is a system and a method that uses a blip access point to transfer location assistance information to the electronic device. The location assistance information may contain a map of dummy beacons that serve as reference points (e.g., landmarks) from which the electronic device may determine its location relative to the map information.
US08040215B2
An address configuration circuit and a method for sharing a series bus connected to a first device between two secondary devices by a configuration within each secondary device of a different address, including, in a configuration phase, the temporary configuring of an output terminal of each secondary device in a mode of reading of the voltage present on this terminal to select one address out of two within the device.
US08040211B2
In a coil unit of an electromagnetic contactor in which a coil having a coil strand wound around a flanged bobbin is mounted on a leg of a stationary core of an operating electromagnet, into one flange of the bobbin are press fitted a pair of terminal metal pieces respectively corresponding to an initial side and final side lead wires of the coil, and each of the terminal metal pieces is formed with a press fitting base making the terminal metal piece press fitted into the one flange, a coil connecting arm around which the lead wire of corresponding side of the coil is wound and a tab terminal made to have a plug-in connection with a connector of an extension lead.
US08040205B2
A duplexer includes a substrate including an insulation layer, an upper interconnection layer provided on an upper surface of the insulation layer, a lower interconnection layer provided on a lower surface of the insulation layer, and an inner interconnection layer provided in the insulation layer, the inner interconnection layer including an inner ground pad, at least one acoustic wave filter chip mounted on an upper surface of the substrate, signal pads provided on the upper interconnection layer and connected to signal electrodes of the at least one acoustic wave filter chip, and an upper ground pad that is provided in the upper interconnection layer so as to be located between the signal pads and is connected to a ground electrode of the at least one acoustic wave filter, wherein D1>D2 and D1>T1 where D1 is a minimum distance between the signal pads and the upper ground pad, D2 is a minimum distance between the signal pads and the inner ground pad, and T1 is a thickness of the insulation layer between the upper interconnection layer and the inner interconnection layer.
US08040198B2
A microstrip line for a printed wiring board such as a flexible printed wiring board which includes a sandwiched thin insulating layer and cannot use a solid grounding conductor, the microstrip line being such that shape of grounding conductors relative to signal lines remains unchanged even in the presence of a curved shape and that overlapping areas of signal lines and grounding conductors located opposite to each other remain unchanged even in case of exposure misalignment or stack misalignment. A printed wiring board with a microstrip line structure in which signal lines are curved include wire-type grounding conductors located across an insulating layer from the signal lines, characterized in that wiring pitch of the grounding conductors is 1/n of width of the signal lines (where n is a natural number of 1 or 2).
US08040192B2
A power supply voltage output circuit includes: a power supply voltage generation unit generating a power supply voltage to be supplied into a ring oscillator; a reference clock oscillator oscillating a reference clock with respect to a clock oscillated by the ring oscillator; a phase difference detection unit detecting a phase difference between the clock from the ring oscillator and the reference clock from the reference clock oscillator; a filter unit smoothing an output of the phase difference detection unit; and a PWM signal generation unit generating a PWM signal based on an output of the filter unit such that the phase difference approaches zero.
US08040187B2
A semiconductor integrated circuit device constituting an inverting amplifier employs a cascode current source as a current source. In the semiconductor integrated circuit device, a high-potential-side transistor of the cascode current source and a low-potential-side transistor constituting an amplification portion are shared. The configuration can not only make an output impedance of the cascode current source high and improve current source characteristics but also make a minimum potential at a minimum potential point of the amplification portion low and ensure a sufficient power supply voltage margin.
US08040185B2
The present invention concerns an amplifying device arranged to receive an input signal having a certain duty cycle. The amplifying device comprise a first switching unit having an input terminal adapted to receive a first half of the input signal, and an output terminal adapted to be connected to a first signal output where a first half of an output signal is provided. The amplifying device comprise a second switching unit having an input terminal adapted to receive a second half of the input signal and an output terminal adapted to be connected to a second signal output where a second half of the output signal is provided. Also, the first switching unit and the second switching units are adapted to receive an input signal, wherein the first half of said input signal has the same duty cycle as the second half of the input signal but shifted in phase. The present invention also concerns a wireless transceiver and a radio transmission device.
US08040182B2
Provided is a predistorter which compensates for a memory effect occurring in an amplifier used in a communication device, especially an electric memory effect as well. The predistorter includes: a distortion compensation circuit (8) for compensating for a nonlinear distortion caused by an amplifier (3), in which the distortion compensation circuit outputs a predistortion signal to be input to the amplifier. The predistorter includes: first filter section (21) which is connected between the distortion compensation circuit and the amplifier, for compensating for a frequency characteristic appearing in a signal component occurring in an entire analog circuit including the amplifier; and second filter section (22) which is connected between the distortion compensation circuit and the first filter section or between the first filter section and the amplifier, for compensating for a frequency characteristic appearing in a distortion component occurring in the amplifier.
US08040180B2
An operational amplifier capable of compensating offset voltage includes an input stage circuit having a positive input end, a negative input end, a first current output end, and a second current output end, for outputting current corresponding to voltage received by the positive and negative input ends, an output stage circuit coupled to the first current output end and the second current output end of the input stage circuit, for outputting voltage according to current outputted from the first current output end and the second current output end, and an trimming device coupled between the input stage circuit and the output stage circuit, for adjusting current of the first current output end or the second current output end for compensating offset voltage.
US08040173B2
A first mixer circuit mixes a first center frequency signal with a first local oscillation signal to generate a second mixed signal, and mixes the first center frequency signal with a second local oscillation signal to generate a first mixed signal, and a second mixer circuit mixes a second center frequency signal with the first local oscillation signal to generate a fourth mixed signal, and mixes the second center frequency signal with the second local oscillation signal to generate a third mixed signal. An adder and subtracter circuit subtracts the third mixed signal from the second mixed signal to output a signal of subtraction result as a first upper side band signal, and adds the first mixed signal to the fourth mixed signal to output a signal of addition result as a second upper side band signal different in phase from the first upper side band signal by 90 degrees.
US08040172B2
A logic level converter includes two first electronic switches coupled in a bi-stable flip-flop arrangement having at least one output line, and a forcing circuitry including two second electronic switches to force switching of the first electronic switches in the flip-flop arrangement. The forcing circuitry has an input terminal to receive a logic input signal having a given level to produce switching of the flip-flop arrangement and generate at the output line(s) of the flip-flop arrangement, a logic output signal(s) whose voltage level is converted with respect to the level of the logic input signal. The converter includes, interposed between each of the two first electronic switches in the flip-flop arrangement and a respective one of the second electronic switches in the forcing circuitry, at least one respective cascode electronic switch to limit the voltage across the two first electronic switches in the flip-flop arrangement.
US08040171B2
The accelerator output stage circuit includes: a high side output device coupled to an output node; a low side output device coupled to the output node; a first logic gate coupled to a control node of the first high side output device; a second logic gate coupled to a control node of the second high side output device; a high side one-shot device having an output coupled to a first input of the first logic gate; a low side one-shot device having an output coupled to a first input of the second logic gate; and a feedback device coupled between the output node and a second input of the first logic gate, and between the output node and a second input of the second logic gate, and between the output node and the input to the high side resistor bypass device, and between the output node and the input to the low side one-shot resistor bypass device.
US08040167B1
An apparatus is disclosed, the apparatus comprising: a charge pump for receiving a phase signal representing a result of a phase detection and for outputting a current flowing between an internal node and an output node; a capacitive load shunt at the output node; a current source controlled by a bias voltage for outputting a compensation current to the internal node; a current sensor inserted between the internal node and the output node for sensing the current; and a feedback network for adjusting the bias voltage in accordance with an output of the current sensor.
US08040164B2
An integrated circuit may include at least a first replica driver stage coupled between a reference impedance input and a first power supply node and having a first programmable driver impedance set by a first driver configuration value in the same manner as a first output driver section of the integrated circuit. At least a first replica input termination stage may be coupled between the reference impedance input and the first power supply node and having a first programmable termination impedance set by a first termination configuration value in the same manner as a first input termination section of the integrated circuit. An impedance programming circuit may generate at least the first driver configuration value and the first termination configuration value in response to a potential at the reference node.
US08040162B2
A drive circuit for an IGBT includes an H-bridge circuit using first to fourth switch elements. When a control unit receives a command for changing the IGBT from an on state to an off state, it switches states of the first to fourth switch elements from a first state in which the first and fourth switch elements are in an on state and the second and third switch elements are in an off state to a second state in which the first and fourth switch elements are in the off state and the second and third switch elements are in the on state. This structure of the drive circuit can apply a reverse bias to the IGBT from a single power supply.
US08040159B1
In one example, a comparator circuit includes a differential stage adapted to receive a differential input signal. The comparator circuit includes first and second diodes coupled to the differential stage. The first and second diodes are adapted to selectively switch on and off to provide a differential output signal at first and second differential output nodes in response to the differential input signal. The comparator circuit includes a current steering circuit adapted to selectively provide a reference current from a current source to the first or second diode in an off state to reduce a voltage swing of the first or second diode between the off state and an on state. The comparator circuit includes an output stage coupled to the first and second diodes at the first and second differential output nodes. The output stage is adapted to convert the differential output signal to a single ended output signal.
US08040153B1
In one embodiment, a method and apparatus for configuring the internal memory cells of an integrated circuit through the logic fabric are disclosed. For example, an integrated circuit according to one embodiment includes a logic fabric and a plurality of input/output blocks coupled to the logic fabric, wherein the plurality of input/output blocks is positioned around the periphery of the logic fabric. The plurality of input/output blocks therefore forms a ring around the logic fabric, wherein a data path and a clock path are formed along the periphery of the logic fabric through the plurality of input/output blocks.
US08040151B2
A programmable logic device (PLD) adapted to enter a low-power or sleep mode with programmable wakeup pins in a wakeup group of pins is disclosed. Wake on a single pin change, wake on vector, and wake on a single pin transition are supported. The approach is to select the actively participating pins, enable the desired operation, define the wakeup condition, enter sleep mode, monitor the external signals coupled to the active pins, and exit sleep mode when the wakeup condition is detected.
US08040137B2
A device for measuring an ionization current of a spark plug of a type with a resonant structure, including a motor vehicle ignition system, the spark plug being coupled to a generator including a regulating capacitor. The generator includes a polarizer that polarizes the spark plug, connected between the generator and the spark plug, and a device that measures ionization current of the spark plug, connected between the regulating capacitor and ground.
US08040134B2
A magnetic resonance imaging device includes control means for controlling receiving means according to a predetermined pulse sequence that includes an unnecessary material suppressing sequence unit for suppressing a signal from an unnecessary material which is not a measurement target, and a main imaging sequence unit for measuring a nuclear magnetic resonance signal used to create an image of an examinee. The unnecessary material suppressing sequence unit generates at least two or more high frequency magnetic field pulses so that the longitudinal magnetization of the unnecessary material is made spatially uniform in the imaging space under application of a first high frequency magnetic field pulse in the main imaging sequence unit.
US08040133B2
In a magnetic resonance tomography method and apparatus (MRT), as employed in medicine for examination of patients, for dynamic distortion correction in EPI measurements, image acquisitions are acquired that are adjacent in a periodic/alternating manner differ with regard to phase information, phase coding direction or with regard to the echo time, and based on this difference a field map and/or a displacement map is calculated with which at least one distorted result image is corrected.
US08040130B2
A device for detecting torque features of an electric screwer comprises a clutch for coupling with the electric screwer and a clutch for applying a resisting torque. The two clutches (11, 13) are connected to one another by a shaft (14) on which there are arranged extensometers (15) for measuring the torque transmitted by the shaft. On the shaft there is splined a disc (18) that bears on at least one face circular tracks (19, 20, 21, 22) that are coaxial to the shaft and to which the extensometers are electrically connected. Sliding contacts (23, 24, 25, 26) rest elastically on said circular tracks in a direction that is substantially parallel to the axis of the shaft to pick up the electric signals from the extensometers. An encoder (17) is provided to detect shaft rotation.
US08040128B2
According to one embodiment, an apparatus comprises a magnet assembly to produce a static magnetic field and a set of high-Tc flux transformers to detect a flux change from an item when the item is subjected to the static magnetic field produced by the magnet assembly and to produce a current based on the flux change. Additionally, the apparatus comprises a set of magnetoresistive sensors to detect a field produced by a current produced in the set of high-Tc flux transformers and a scanning mechanism to produce cyclic relative motion between the apparatus and the item. Furthermore, the apparatus comprises a magnetic shield to shield the magnetoresistive sensors, where the shield is an open ended cylinder made from mu-metal, where mu-metal is a very high magnetic permeability iron-nickel alloy. The apparatus additionally comprises a water interface mechanism to fill a gap between the apparatus and the item with water.
US08040127B2
In one aspect of the present technique, an array of electromagnetic sensors is positioned within a volume of interest. In the presence of an electromagnetic field, the array of electromagnetic sensors is sampled to acquire signals representative of the location of the electromagnetic sensors in the array. The electromagnetic field distortion within the volume of interest is determined based on the acquired signals. In another aspect of the present technique, a system for detecting electromagnetic field distortions includes an electromagnetic sensor assembly for positioning within a volume of interest, a plurality of electromagnetic sensors for transmitting or receiving signals representative of the location of the electromagnetic sensors on the sensor assembly; and a tracker. In another aspect of the present technique, an electromagnetic sensor assembly for detecting electromagnetic field distortion includes a body, and an array of electromagnetic sensors positioned on the body.
US08040106B2
The present teachings are directed toward methods of controlling the charging of a battery. The method includes the steps of receiving current and voltage output information for the battery during a charging/discharging cycle at a certain time interval, and using a model to determine both charging efficiency of the battery and the overpotential for a side reaction. These values for the charging efficiency and the overpotential of the side reaction are then compared to respective first and second given values. If either the charging efficiency or the overpotential is less than their respective given values, then the charging of the battery is suspended. The present method is particularly applicable to Li-ion batteries.
US08040099B2
In a positioning device in gantry type of construction, due to a special arrangement of the position-measuring devices used for the positioning, errors due to thermal expansion of the positioning device may be avoided to a great extent. In particular, attention is given to the advantageous placement of fixed point of a scale relative to a straightness track of a further scale.
US08040098B2
A position controller includes a position control part that calculates a speed command on the basis of a difference between a position command and a rotation position of a motor, a PI control part that calculates a torque command on the basis of a speed difference between the speed command and a feedback speed, an observer that generates the feedback speed on the basis of the torque command and a rotation speed of the motor, a phase lead compensator that generates a phase lead compensation signal of the torque command on the basis of the speed command, and an adder that generates a new torque command by adding the phase lead compensation signal of the torque command to the torque command.
US08040096B2
In a rotary electric system, a switch member includes at least one of a first switch and a second switch. The first switch is connected between a neutral point of multiphase stator windings and a high-side electrode of a direct current power source. The second switch is connected between the neutral point and a low-side electrode of the direct current power source. A controller works to turn the switch member off and on thereby switching control of the multiphase inverter between full-wave driving mode and half-wave driving mode. The full-wave driving mode allows the controller to drive all of the high-side and low-side switching elements per phase of the multiphase stator windings. The half-wave driving mode allows the controller to drive any one of the high-side switching element and the low-side switching element per phase of the multiphase stator windings.
US08040094B2
A circuit for use with a stator winding of a rotating or linear electrical machine, the stator winding having a number of coils linked by the same number of points of common coupling, includes an electronic commutator circuit having the same number of switching stages, each connected between a respective one of the points of common coupling and first and second main dc lines. Each switching stage includes first and second reverse blocking semiconductor power devices. A voltage clamping circuit includes the same number of clamping stages, each connected between a respective one of the points of common coupling and first and second auxiliary dc lines. Each clamping stage includes first and second diodes and first and second capacitors common to the various clamping stages. A dc to dc converter selectively discharges the first and second capacitors to the first and second main dc lines.
US08040092B2
A multi-processor controller is provided. The multi-processor controller can be used to control the operation of an inverter in a vehicle-based electric traction system. The multi-processor controller includes a first processor device having a first supply voltage node, a second processor device having a second supply voltage node, a first voltage regulator, and a second voltage regulator. The first voltage regulator has a first output voltage node coupled to the first supply voltage node, and the first voltage regulator is configured to generate a first regulated supply voltage for the first processor device. The second voltage regulator has a second output voltage node coupled to the second supply voltage node, and the second voltage regulator is configured to generate a second regulated supply voltage for the second processor device.
US08040087B2
A control device for driving a motor which includes a rotor and a stator is provided. The control device includes a Hall detector and driving circuit. The Hall detector detects magnetic flux variation when the rotor rotates and generates a first detection signal and a second detection signal. The first and second detection signals represent current rotation location when the rotor rotates. The driving circuit generates a driving signal to drive the stator. The driving circuit turns on or off the driving signal according to a control signal and the relationship between the first and second detection signals.
US08040082B2
A linear actuator includes a spindle nut, where the spindle nut and the spindle between a first and a second point, indicating the length of stroke, can move axially in proportion to each other, depending on whether the spindle or the spindle nut is being driven around via the transmission, and where the position is determined with incremental position sensors, such as at least two Hall sensors or Reed-switches. For determining the position an initiating procedure, where the nut/spindle is moved from a first point on the spindle/nut to a second point on the spindle nut is carried out, and that the number of pulses from the incremental position sensors appearing by it are registered as a measurement for the length of stroke, and the position is subsequently determined in relation to that. It is noted that the control is active before, during and after the operation of the motor. Hereby, absolute position detection is achieved with incremental sensors, where one formerly was obliged to use rotary potentiometers. Simultaneously an optional determination of the length of stroke and its position and immediate possibility to change the same at any time is achieved.
US08040071B2
In one embodiment, a driving circuit includes an AC/DC converter which converts an AC voltage to a DC voltage and a DC/DC linear regulator which regulates a current through, e.g., an LED light source, according to a first current reference if a monitoring signal indicating the DC voltage is within a predetermined range, and regulates the current according to a second current reference less than the first current reference if the monitoring signal is beyond the predetermined range. In another embodiment, a controller controlling power to an LED light source turns on a first plurality of LEDs and turns off a second plurality of LEDs if a monitoring signal indicative of a DC voltage received by the LED light source is within a predetermined range, and turns on both first and second plurality of LEDs if the monitoring signal is beyond the predetermined range.
US08040070B2
There is provided a lighting control circuit comprising a duty cycle detection circuit, an averaging circuit, a waveform generator and a comparator circuit. The duty cycle detection circuit generates a first periodic waveform having a duty cycle and frequency corresponding to an input waveform duty cycle and frequency. The averaging circuit generates a first signal having a voltage level corresponding to the duty cycle of the first periodic waveform. The waveform generator outputs a second periodic waveform having a frequency different from the input waveform frequency. The comparator circuit compares the second periodic waveform with the first signal to generate an output waveform having a duty cycle corresponding to the input waveform duty cycle and a frequency corresponding to the frequency of the second periodic waveform. Also, there are provided methods.
US08040065B2
An electric lamp is described, which has a quartz glass lamp vessel (10) accommodating an electric element (3, 4). The lamp vessel locally has a light-absorbing, non-reflective coating (11, 12). The coating mainly consists of iron, iron oxide, silicon, and silicon dioxide, the ratio of the weight percentages of iron (compounds) and silicon (compounds) being in the range of 0.17<=iron (compounds)/silicon (compounds)<-12, and the ratio of the weight percentages of silicon and silicon dioxide being in the range of 0.5<=silicon/silicon dioxide<=50.
US08040063B2
The present invention provides a blue phosphor that exhibits high luminance and shows less luminance degradation during driving of a light-emitting device. The present invention is a blue phosphor represented by the general formula aBaO.bSrO.(1−a−b)EuO.cMgO.dAlO3/2.eWO3, where 0.70≦a≦0.95, 0≦b≦0.15, 0.95≦c≦1.15, 9.00≦d≦11.00, 0.001≦e≦0.100, and a+b≦0.97 are satisfied. In this blue phosphor, two peaks whose tops are located in a range of diffraction angle 2θ=13.0 to 13.6 degrees are present in an X-ray diffraction pattern obtained by measurement on the blue phosphor using an X-ray with a wavelength of 0.774 Å.
US08040059B2
It is an object of the present invention to provide a display device preventing the external invasion of water and/or oxygen and preventing the deterioration of a luminous element due to these invading substances and to provide a production method including simple production steps for producing the display device. The invention provides a display device having a sealing material on the rim of an exposed interlayer insulator for preventing the invasion of water and/or oxygen from the interlayer insulator. Further, the invention provides a display device having a barrier body on an exposed interlayer insulator for preventing the invasion of water and/or oxygen from the interlayer insulator. Furthermore, the application of droplet discharge technique in production steps for producing the display device can eliminate a photolithography step such as exposing and developing. Thus, a method of producing a display device having an improved yield is provided.
US08040058B2
The preparation of microlenses on a substrate and light emitting devices employing microlenses on the surface from which light is emitted is described. The miscrolenses are formed on a surface that has been coated to have functionality that promotes a sufficiently large contact angle of the microlense on the surface and contains functionality for bonding the microlense to the coating. The microlenses are formed on the coating by deposition of a microlense precursor resin as a microdrop by inkjet printing and copolymerizing the resin with the bonding functionality in the coating. The coating can be formed from a mixture of silane coupling agents that contain functionality in some of the coupling agents that is copolymeriable with the resin such that the microlens can be formed and bonded to the surface by photopolymerization.
US08040057B2
A display panel includes a substrate and an electrode disposed on the substrate. A contact angle θ between the substrate and the electrode is expressed by the following Equation 1: arc tangent(T/S)≦θ≦arc tangent(40T/S) (S: surface area of electrode cross section, T: peak height of electrode cross section).
US08040048B2
A process of forming an electronic device is disclosed. An organic device layer is formed. The organic device layer includes a charge-selective material and a radiation sensitizer and has a first electrical conductivity and a first surface energy. First portions of the organic device layer are selectively exposed to radiation. The electrical conductivity and surface energy of the first portions of the organic device layer are modified.
US08040046B2
An organic electroluminescent display includes a pair of substrates; an organic electroluminescent device between the pair of substrates, including: a pair of electrodes of an anode and a cathode, and a light-emitting layer between the pair of electrodes; and a light scattering film on a substrate on the viewing side of the pair of substrates, including: a transparent substrate film, and a light scattering layer which contains a light transmitting resin and a light scattering particle having a particle size of from 0.3 μm to 1.2 μm, wherein a ratio of (np/nb) is from 0.80 to 0.95 or from 1.05 to 1.35, taking a refractive index of the light scattering particle and the light transmitting resin as np and nb, respectively.
US08040045B2
An organic electroluminescent light source has at least one substrate and layers that are arranged on the substrate. The layers include electrodes of which at least one electrode is transparent and one acts as an anode and one as a cathode, and at least one organic electroluminescent layer that is arranged between the electrodes. The organic electroluminescent layer has regions that emit blue light and/or green light, and at least one phosphor layer that is arranged in the beam path of the light leaving the organic electroluminescent light source and that partly covers the electroluminescent layer.
US08040042B2
Disclosed is an organic EL device comprising a transparent electroconductive anode layer which is formed by a simple coating method that enables film formation at a low temperature, which organic EL device is free from electrical short circuit between the transparent electroconductive anode layer and a cathode layer. Also disclosed is a transparent electroconductive layered structure used for manufacturing such an organic EL device. The transparent electroconductive layered structure is characterized by comprising a flat and smooth substrate, a transparent electroconductive anode layer which is formed on the substrate by a coating method and mainly composed of conductive particles, and a transparent substrate joined to the transparent electroconductive anode layer via an adhesive layer. The transparent electroconductive layered structure is also characterized in that the flat and smooth substrate can be separated from the transparent electroconductive anode layer.
US08040040B2
A light source, includes a component (6) for emitting light, arranged to emit a major part of light generated within the component through a face (8) of the component (6), and at least one structure (7;18) for coupling out light, having a base (11;19) in contact with the face (8) of the component (6) and arranged to emit light through an aperture (12;20) opposite the base (11;19). An interface between the component (6) and an environment surrounding the base (7;18) is arranged to keep at least part of the light generated in the component confined to at least a layer of the component (6) adjoining the base (11;19). The base (11; 19) is in contact with the face (8) over an area (A2) smaller than the area (A0) of the face (8).
US08040033B2
The present invention relates to an electrode device for gas discharge sources, a gas discharge source comprising such an electrode device and to a method of operating the gas discharge source. The electrode device comprises an electrode wheel (1) rotatable around a rotational axis (3) and a wiper unit (11) arranged to limit the thickness of a liquid material film applied to at least a portion of an outer circumferential surface (18) of the electrode wheel (1) during rotation of said electrode wheel (1). The wiper unit (11) is arranged and designed to form a gap (17) between the outer circumferential surface (18) and a wiping edge (19) of the wiper unit (11) and to inhibit or at least reduce a migration of liquid material from side surfaces to the outer circumferential surface (18) of the electrode wheel (1) during rotation. With the proposed electrode device the electrode wheel (1) can be rotated at higher rotational speeds without the formation of droplets resulting in a higher output power and pulse frequency of a gas discharge source having such an electrode device.
US08040029B2
A spark plug for a motor vehicle internal combustion engine, substantially elongated in shape, and including: two coaxial electrodes of an inner central electrode and an outer base electrode enclosing the central electrode; and an electrically insulating annular block, interposed between the central electrode and the base electrode and including an annular shoulder. The insulating annual block includes an annular groove located at the shoulder.
US08040011B2
The invention relates to a generator, to a magnetic flux conducting unit for a generator, and to a power generation machine comprising such a generator. In an embodiment of the invention, a generator is disclosed which comprises at least one coil assembly and at least one magnetic flux conducting unit. The magnetic flux conducting unit comprises at least one magnet, a pair of opposed magnetic flux conducting elements defining a space therebetween for receiving the coil assembly, and at least one connection portion extending between the opposed magnetic flux conducting elements. The at least is arranged relative to the opposed magnetic flux conducting elements such that the magnetic attraction forces between the elements are redacted through and balances with the connection portion.
US08040009B2
The field magnet is formed of, for example, two permanent magnets, and a width of the field magnet increases from a center toward both ends thereof in a monotonically non-decreasing manner. The field magnet includes, at the both ends thereof, projecting portions projecting to a side opposite to a rotation axis. The field core includes a penetration hole through which the field magnet is caused to penetrate. The penetration hole includes penetration surfaces which cover magnetic pole surfaces of the field magnet, respectively. Specifically, the penetration surface includes concave portions with which the projecting portions are fitted. When the field magnet is inserted, the penetration surfaces serve as a guide which guides the field magnet, and accordingly the field magnet can be caused to penetrate through the penetration hole with ease.
US08040000B2
Disclosed herein is a structure for cooling the stator of a superconducting rotating machine. The structure includes a stator coil. Slots are axially disposed at the stator coil to support the stator coil, and a space is defined between the slots to allow the stator coil to be partially exposed. A stator yoke is disposed on the slots such that a space is defined between the exposed portion of the stator coil, the slots and the stator yoke. A cooling tube is disposed in the space defined between the exposed portion of the stator coil, the slots and the stator yoke, thus simultaneously cooling both the stator coil and the stator yoke.
US08039999B2
A heat dissipation structure for sealed machine tools includes a motor rotor rotating to drive airflow to perform heat dissipation simultaneously. It includes a machine tool housing with a heat dissipation vent and a chamber inside, a stator in the chamber and a rotor located between the stator and the housing. The rotor and the housing wall form a swirling flow space between them. The rotor and the stator form an axial flow space between them. The swirling flow space and the axial flow space communicate through a radial airflow passage. The rotor has at least one flow directing portion. The rotor rotates relative to the stator. The stator generates thermal airflow which flows from the axial flow space through a radial airflow passage to the swirling flow space. The flow directing portion performs an exchange of cooling air and thermal airflow through the heat dissipation vent.
US08039997B2
A power supply strip for electronic equipment including a power supply cable for connection to a power source, a housing connected to the power supply cable, and a plurality of conductor rails located within the housing. One or more power receptacle modules is insertable into the housing, each comprising at least one power receptacle. Each power receptacle module is connectable to selected conductor rails such that the or each power receptacle is configurable to provide a desired power supply configuration. With a three-phase power supply, the rails can be selectable between A-phase, B-phase, C-phase, Neutral and Ground.
US08039984B2
A system is provided for converting thermal energy derived from a solar field into electricity. The system is adapted to operate in accordance with at least two modes of operation, depending upon the thermal energy intake, and comprises: a first power generation sub-system comprising means to heat water into superheated steam by exchanging heat with a first heat transfer fluid being heated at the solar radiation collecting field, and a back pressure turbine for producing electricity; a second power generation sub-system comprising means to heat a second working fluid, and the second working fluid is used to operate a second turbine for producing electricity; and wherein the system is characterized in that when the thermal energy received at the first power generation sub-system exceeds a predetermined threshold of a selected criterion, both power generation sub-systems are operative to produce electricity and at least part of the heat required to heat the second working fluid is derived from exhaust steam being produced at the first power generation sub-system, whereas when the thermal energy received at the first power generation sub-system does not exceed that threshold, the thermal energy conveyed by the first heat transfer fluid is used essentially to heat the second working fluid and the electricity is generated only by the second power generation sub-system.
US08039975B2
A device having at least one semiconductor component, which is covered by a protective material on its outer surface. The invention provides for the outer surface to be provided with a surface structure so as to enlarge the heat transfer area to the protective material. The invention furthermore relates to a manufacturing method.
US08039970B2
A stacked semiconductor device includes a first semiconductor element mounted on a circuit substrate and a second semiconductor element stacked on the first semiconductor element via a spacer layer. An electrode pad of the first semiconductor element is electrically connected to a connection portion of the circuit substrate through a first metal wire. A vicinity of the end portion of the first metal wire connected to the electrode pad is in contact with an insulating protection film which covers the surface of the first semiconductor element.
US08039969B2
A semiconductor device 1 includes a semiconductor chip 10 (first semiconductor chip), a semiconductor chip 20 (second semiconductor chip) and a seal ring 30. The semiconductor chip 20 is provided on a surface S1 of the semiconductor chip 10 so as to be spaced apart from the semiconductor chip 10 with a predetermined spacing therebetween. A seal ring 30 is interposed between the semiconductor chip 10 and the semiconductor chip 20. An internal region, which is an inner region of the seal ring 30, and an external region, which is an outer region of the seal ring 30, are provided between the semiconductor chip 10 and the semiconductor chip 20.
US08039968B2
A semiconductor integrated circuit device including a dummy via is disclosed. In the semiconductor integrated circuit device, problems such as reduction in the designability and increase in fabrication cost which result from the existence of a dummy wire connected to the dummy via are suppressed. The semiconductor integrated circuit device includes a substrate and three or more wiring layers formed on the substrate. The dummy via connects between a first wiring layer and a second wiring layer. The dummy wire connected to the dummy via exists in the second wiring layer. A protrusion amount of the dummy wire is smaller than a protrusion amount of an intermediate wire included in a stacked via structure.
US08039965B2
A semiconductor device with a reduced layout area includes pads disposed between a first voltage line and a second voltage line; first and second driver units adjacently disposed at an upper portion or a lower portion of the respective pads; and a metal line disposed between the pads and supplying power commonly to the first and second driver units.
US08039964B2
A line trough and a via cavity are formed within a dielectric layer comprising a fluorosilicate glass (FSG) layer. A fluorine depleted adhesion layer is formed within the line trough and the via cavity either by a plasma treatment that removes fluorine from exposed surfaces of the FSG layer, or by deposition of a substantially fluorine-free dielectric layer. Metal is deposited within the line trough and the via cavity to form a metal line and a metal via. The fluorine depleted adhesion layer provides enhanced adhesion to the metal line compared with prior art structures in which a metal line directly contacts a FSG layer. The enhanced adhesion of metal with an underlying dielectric layer provides higher resistance to delamination for a semiconductor package employing lead-free C4 balls on a metal interconnect structure.
US08039957B2
A system for improving flip chip performance is provided. In one embodiment, the invention relates to an assembly configured to improve performance of a flip chip device, the assembly including a semiconductor die having an active surface and a back surface, the active surface including a plurality of conductive pads, an interposer substrate having a first surface in electrical contact with the active surface of the semiconductor die and a second surface, a space between the active surface of the semiconductor die and the first surface of the interposer substrate, where the space is essentially free of underfill material, and a carrier substrate having a top surface in electrical contact with the second surface of the interposer.
US08039956B2
A high current semiconductor device (for example QFN for 30 to 70 A) with low resistance and low inductance is encapsulated by molding compound (401, height 402 about 0.9 mm) so that the second lead surfaces 110b remain un-encapsulated. A copper heat slug (404) may be attached to chip surface (101b) using thermally conductive adhesive (403). Chip surface (101a), protected by an overcoat (103) has metallization traces (102). Copper-filled windows (107) contact the traces and copper layers (105) parallel to traces (102). Copper bumps (108) are formed on each line in an orderly and repetitive arrangement so that the bumps of one line are positioned about midway between the bumps of the neighboring lines. A substrate has elongated leads (110) oriented at right angles to the lines; the leads connect the corresponding bumps of alternating lines.
US08039954B2
A first semiconductor element having a junction electrode to be connected to a first node of a bidirectional switch circuit is mounted on a first metal base plate to be a heat dissipation plate, and a second semiconductor element having a junction electrode to be connected to a second node of the bidirectional switch circuit is mounted on a second metal base plate to be a heat dissipation plate. The junction electrode of the first semiconductor element has the same potential as that of the first metal base plate, and the junction electrode of the second semiconductor element has the same potential as that of the second metal base plate. Also, the respective metal base plates and non-junction electrodes of the respective semiconductor elements are connected by metal thin wires, respectively, thereby configuring the bidirectional switch circuit.
US08039951B2
This invention includes a heat sink structure for use in a semiconductor package that includes a ring structure with down sets and a heat sink connected to the ring structure. The down sets can be slanted or V-shaped. The invention also includes a method of manufacturing a semiconductor package that includes inserting a substrate with an attached semiconductor chip in a first mold portion, placing a heat sink structure on top of a portion of the substrate, placing a mold release film onto a second mold portion, clamping a second mold portion onto a portion of the heat sink structure, injecting an encapsulant into a mold cavity, wherein the encapsulant surrounds portions of the substrate, semiconductor chip and heat sink structure, curing the encapsulant, whereby the heat sink structure adheres to the encapsulant and singulating the encapsulated assembly to form a semiconductor package.
US08039940B2
According to the present invention, a gettering layer is deposited both on the side surfaces and the bottom surface of a semiconductor chip. The semiconductor chip is then mounted on the board of a package so that a Schottky barrier is formed on the bottom surface. With this structure, metal ions that pass through the board of the package can be captured by the defect layer deposited on the side surfaces and/or the bottom surface of the semiconductor chip, and by the Schottky barrier.
US08039937B2
Provided are methods of fabricating semiconductor chips, semiconductor chips formed by the methods, and chip-stack packages having the semiconductor chips. One embodiment specifies a method that includes patterning a scribe line region of a semiconductor substrate to form a semiconductor strut spaced apart from edges of a chip region of the semiconductor substrate.
US08039935B2
A wafer level chip scale packaging structure and the method of fabricating the same are provided to form a sacrificial layer below the bump using a normal semiconductor process. The bump is used to connect the signals between the Si wafer and the PCB. The interface between the sacrificial layer and the adjacent layers is the weakest part in the whole structure. When the stress applied to the bump is overloaded, the interface between the sacrificial layer and the adjacent layers will crash to remove the stress generated by different thermal expansion coefficients of the Si wafer and the PCB. The sacrificial layer would help avoid the crash occurring to the bump to protect the electrical conduction between the Si wafer and the PCB.
US08039934B2
A resin-encapsulated semiconductor device having a semiconductor chip which is prevented from being damaged. The resin-encapsulated semiconductor device comprises a semiconductor chip including a silicon substrate, a die pad to which the semiconductor chip is secured through a first solder layer, a resin-encapsulating layer encapsulating the semiconductor chip, and lead terminals electrically connected to the semiconductor chip and including inner lead portion covered with the resin-encapsulating layer. The lead terminals are made of copper or a copper alloy. The die pad is made of 42 alloy or a cover alloy and has a thickness (about 0.125 mm) less than the thickness (about 0.15 mm) of the lead terminals.
US08039923B2
The specification describes matched capacitor pairs that employ interconnect metal in an interdigitated form, and are made with an area efficient configuration. In addition, structural variations between capacitors in the capacitor pair are minimized to provide optimum matching. According to the invention, the capacitor pairs are interdigitated in a manner that ensures that the plates of each pair occupy common area on the substrate. Structural anomalies due to process conditions are compensated in that a given anomaly affects both capacitors in the same way. Two of the capacitor plates, one in each pair, are formed of comb structures, with the fingers of the combs interdigitated. The other plates are formed using one or more plates interleaved between the interdigitated plates.
US08039913B2
A magnetic stack with a multilayer free layer having a switchable magnetization orientation, the free layer comprising a first ferromagnetic portion and a second ferromagnetic portion with an electrically conducting non-magnetic intermediate layer between the first portion and the second portion. The magnetic stack also includes a first ferromagnetic reference layer having a pinned magnetization orientation, a first non-magnetic spacer layer between the free layer and the first reference layer, a second ferromagnetic reference layer having a pinned magnetization orientation, and a second non-magnetic spacer layer between the free layer and the second reference layer.
US08039905B2
A semiconductor device includes a substrate having a first area and a second area, a first transistor in the first area, a second transistor in the second area, an isolation layer between the first area and the second area, and at least one buried shield structure on the isolation layer.
US08039897B2
In one form a lateral MOSFET includes an active gate positioned laterally between a source region and a drain region, the drain region extending from an upper surface of a monocrystalline semiconductor body to a bottom surface of the monocrystalline semiconductor body, and a non-active gate positioned above the drain region. In another form the lateral MOSFET includes a gate positioned laterally between a source region and a drain region, the drain region extending from an upper surface of a monocrystalline semiconductor body to a bottom surface of the monocrystalline semiconductor body, the source region and the drain region being of a first conductivity type, a heavy body region of a second conductivity type in contact with and below the source region, and the drain region comprising a lightly doped drain (LDD) region proximate an edge of the gate and a sinker extending from the upper surface of the monocrystalline body to the bottom surface of the monocrystalline semiconductor body.
US08039896B2
In a semiconductor memory device having a vertical channel transistor a body of which is connected to a substrate and a method of fabricating the same, the semiconductor memory device includes a semiconductor substrate including a plurality of pillars arranged spaced apart from one another, and each of the pillars includes a body portion and a pair of pillar portions extending from the body portion and spaced apart from each other. A gate electrode is formed to surround each of the pillar portions. A bitline is disposed on the body portion to penetrate a region between a pair of the pillar portions of each of the first pillars arranged to extend in a first direction. A wordline is disposed over the bitline, arranged to extend in a second direction intersecting the first direction, and configured to contact the side surface of the gate electrode. A first doped region is formed in the upper surface of each of the pillar portions of the pillar. A second doped region is formed on the body portion of the pillar and connected electrically to the bitline. Storage node electrodes are connected electrically to the first doped region and disposed on each of the pillar portions.
US08039892B2
A semiconductor device is disclosed. In one embodiment, the semiconductor device includes a channel formation region formed on a side wall, having a mixture of a first semiconductor material with a first lattice constant, a second semiconductor material and carbon, the second semiconductor material having a second lattice constant differing from the first lattice constant.
US08039882B2
Embodiments of the present invention provide a pixel cell for an image sensor that includes a photodiode, which provides high gain, low noise, and low dark current. The pixel cell includes a photodiode comprising layers of a first material and at least a second material in contact with one another. The photodiode generates charge in response to light and also amplifies the charge. The layers may be configured to promote impact ionization by a first carrier type and suppress impact ionization by a second carrier type. The pixel cell also includes a gate of a transistor adjacent to the photodiode and may include readout circuitry for reading out the charge generated and amplified by the photodiode.
US08039864B2
A high luminance semiconductor light emitting device and a fabrication method for such semiconductor light emitting device are provided by forming a metallic reflecting layer using a non-transparent semiconductor substrate.The high luminance semiconductor light emitting device comprises: a GaAs substrate structure including a GaAs layer (3), a first metal buffer layer (2) disposed on a surface of the GaAs layer, a first metal layer (1) disposed on the first metal buffer layer, and a second metal buffer layer (4) and a second metal layer (5) disposed at a back side of the GaAs layer; and a light emitting diode structure disposed on the GaAs substrate structure and including a third metal layer (12), a metal contact layer (11) disposed on the third metal layer, a p type cladding layer (10) disposed on the metal contact layer, a multi-quantum well layer (9) disposed on the p type cladding layer, an n type cladding layer (8) disposed on the multi-quantum well layer, and a window layer (7) disposed on the n type cladding layer, wherein the GaAs substrate structure and the light emitting diode structure are bonded by using the first metal layer (1) and the third metal layer (12).
US08039842B2
A thin film transistor with favorable electric characteristics is provided, which includes a gate electrode layer; a first insulating layer covering the gate electrode layer; a pair of impurity semiconductor layers forming source and drain regions, which are provided with a distance therebetween and at least partly overlap with the gate electrode layer; a microcrystalline semiconductor layer which is provided over the first insulating layer in part of a channel formation region, and at least partly overlaps with the gate electrode layer and does not overlap with at least one of the pair of impurity semiconductor layers; a second insulating layer between and in contact with the first insulating layer and the microcrystalline semiconductor layer; and an amorphous semiconductor layer over the first insulating layer, covering the second insulating layer and the microcrystalline semiconductor layer. The first insulating layer is a silicon nitride layer and the second insulating layer is a silicon oxynitride layer.
US08039836B2
In the present invention, a thin film transistor is formed on a plastic film substrate (1) having anisotropy of thermal shrinkage rate or coefficient of thermal expansion in in-plane directions of the substrate. A channel is formed such that the direction (7) in which the thermal shrinkage rate or the coefficient of thermal expansion of the substrate is largest is nonparallel to the direction (8) of a current flowing through the channel of the thin film transistor. Then, a thin film transistor having stable and uniform electrical characteristics, which is formed on the plastic film substrate, is provided.
US08039831B2
Described herein is an electronic device provided with an electrode and a region of polymeric material set in contact with the electrode. The electrode has a polysilicon region and a silicide region, which coats the polysilicon region and is arranged, as interface, between the polysilicon region and the region of polymeric material. The polysilicon region is doped with a doping level that is a function of a desired work function at the interface with the region of polymeric material. The electronic device is, for example, a testing device for characterizing the properties of the polymeric material.
US08039822B2
The invention relates to a particle therapy apparatus having an accelerator for generating a particle beam, a passive energy modulator comprising an absorber element, and a control entity. The control entity is designed to switch between an active adjustment of the energy in the accelerator and a passive energy modulation by the energy modulator, for the purpose of changing the energy of the particle beam from a high energy level to a low energy level in a step-by-step manner. In particular, this has the effect of shortening the dead times when changing between the energy levels.
US08039806B2
A radiation detector device is disclosed and includes a scintillation device having a scintillator crystal. The radiation detector device also includes a photosensor. Further, the radiation detector device includes an optical interface coupled between the scintillation device and the photosensor. The optical interface is electrically conductive.
US08039803B2
A method for phase contrast imaging comprises: illuminating an object by terahertz radiation such that the terahertz radiation interacts with the object; illuminating a diffraction grating by the terahertz radiation that has interacted with the object; translating the diffraction grating along the direction of the grating wave vector, to measure, for each of different grating positions, an intensity distribution of the terahertz radiation that has interacted with the object and with the grating in a diffraction field; and retrieving a phase contrast image of the object from the intensity distributions. An apparatus for phase contrast imaging is also provided.
US08039797B2
A semiconductor device for sensing infrared radiation is provided. In an embodiment, the semiconductor device includes a sensor configuration which includes a light receiving portion for converting incident photons into heat and a sensing portion integrated with the light receiving portion and having a resistance varying according to the converted heat; and a sensing circuit which includes a common mode current providing portion and a current subtraction portion, wherein the common mode current providing portion outputs a common mode current related to a value of a current which is flowing in the sensing portion when there is no incident light and the current subtraction portion outputs subtraction currents for the common mode current and a sensing current related to a current output from the sensing portion.In another embodiment, the sensing configuration includes a heat removing portion which is disposed to form an empty space between the heat removing portion and the light receiving portion and the sensing portion, and removes accumulated heat from the light receiving portion and the sensing portion, and the sensing circuit includes an actuating voltage supplying portion which applies electric potential between the sensing portion and the heat removing portion to make the light receiving portion and the sensing portion elastically deflect into the empty space and consequently contact the heat removing portion to remove the heat.
US08039796B2
A phase contrast electron microscope has an objective (8) with a back focal plane (10), a first diffraction lens (11), which images the back focal plane (10) of the objective (8) magnified into a diffraction intermediate image plane, a second diffraction lens (15) whose principal plane is mounted in the proximity of the diffraction intermediate image plane and a phase-shifting element (16) which is mounted in or in the proximity of the diffraction intermediate image plane. Also, a phase contrast electron microscope has an objective (8) having a back focal plane (10), a first diffraction lens (11), a first phase-shifting element and a second phase-shifting element which is mounted in or in the proximity of the diffraction intermediate image plane. The first diffraction lens (11) images the back focal plane of the objective magnified into a diffraction intermediate image plane and the first phase-shifting element is mounted in the back focal plane (10) of the objective (8). With the magnified imaging of the diffraction plane by the diffraction lens, the dimensional requirements imposed on the phase plate having the phase-shifting element are reduced.
US08039787B2
A method of adjusting a response of an energy measuring filter, such as an FIR filter, of a pulse processor based on a slope of a preamplifier signal having a plurality of step edges each corresponding to a respective photon is provided that includes receiving a digital version of the preamplifier signal comprising a plurality of successive digital samples each having a digital value, the preamplifier signal having a portion defined by a first one of the step edges and a second one of the step edges immediately following the first one of the step edges, using the digital values of each of the digital samples associated with the portion to determine an average slope of the portion normalized by a length of the portion, and using the average slope of the portion normalized by a length of the portion to correct the response of the energy measuring filter.
US08039785B2
The present invention provides an optical system having an array of light emitting semiconductor devices to performing an operation that have multiple characteristics associated with performing the operation. The array includes at least one detector located within the array to selectively monitor multiple characteristics of the light emitting semiconductor devices and is configured to generate a signal corresponding to the selected characteristic. A controller is configured to control the light emitting semiconductor devices in response to the signal from the at least one detector. At least one of the multiple characteristics may be concentrated at an area of the array and the at least one detector may be located within the array at the area of the array to selectively monitor characteristic that is concentrated at the area of the array.
US08039782B2
In an optical sensor device employing an amorphous silicon photodiode, an external amplifier IC and the like are required due to low current capacity of the sensor element in order to improve the load driving capacity. It leads to increase in cost and mounting space of the optical sensor device. In addition, noise may easily superimpose since the photodiode and the amplifier IC are connected to each other over a printed circuit board. According to the invention, an amorphous silicon photodiode and an amplifier configured by a thin film transistor are formed integrally over a substrate so that the load driving capacity is improved while reducing cost and mounting space. Superimposing noise can be also reduced.
US08039780B2
A photodiode array includes a plurality of photodiodes arranged in a single semiconductor laminate including a first conductivity-type semiconductor layer and an absorption layer overlying the first conductivity-type semiconductor layer. The photodiode array also includes a functional portion among the photodiodes in a predetermined proportion. The functional portion acts as a monitor light receiving portion and/or a charge sweep portion. Each of the photodiodes and functional portion has a second conductivity-type region reaching the absorption layer from the surface of the semiconductor laminate and an electrode in ohmic contact with the second conductivity-type region.
US08039778B2
The present invention relates to a laser processing apparatus and the like having a structure for implementing at the same time both an efficient laser processing in the place where a laser beam is difficult to reach and a laser processing without damages in the place where the laser beam is easy to reach. This laser processing apparatus comprises a laser light source, an irradiation optical system applying a laser beam to an object while scanning the laser beam, a photo-detector detecting the laser beam applied from the irradiation optical system, and a control section of making switching between a continuous oscillation and a pulse oscillation of the laser beam at the laser light source. In particular, the control section makes a continuous oscillation of the laser beam with respect to the laser light source in the case in which the laser beam applied from the irradiation optical system is detected at the photo-detector; while it makes a pulse oscillation of the laser beam with respect to the laser light source in the case in which no laser beam applied from the irradiation optical system is detected at the photo-detector.
US08039774B2
A heating system in the form of a multi-layer, yet relatively thin and flexible panel. The panel contains a number of layers including first, second and third electrically insulating layers. A first electrically conductive resistive layer (heater layer) is sandwiched between the first and second insulating layers. A second electrically conductive resistive layer (resistive neutral plane layer) is sandwiched between the second and third insulating layers. The heater layer has a neutral electrical connection and a live electrical connection. The neutral and live electrical connections are electrically connected to each other at the panel only by electrically resistive material of the heater layer extending between the neutral and live electrical connections. The resistive neutral plane layer has a neutral electrical connection electrically connected with the neutral connection of the heater layer. The resistive neutral plane layer is electrically isolated from the live connection of the heater layer by the second insulating layer.
US08039764B2
A cushioning member for use in a circuit board includes an elastic main body and a fixing element. The fixing element is coupled with the elastic main body and aligned with a perforation of the circuit board. The fixing element includes an extension part and a fastening part. The extension part is arranged between the elastic main body and the fastening part. The fastening part is arranged on an end of the fixing element. The fastening part is sustained against a first surface of the circuit board and the extension part is received in the perforation after the fixing element is penetrated through the perforation, so that the cushioning member is combined with the circuit board and the elastic main body is attached on a second surface of the circuit board, wherein a cushioning efficacy is provided when the electronic device is suffered from an external force.
US08039751B2
In a motor, one ends of a plurality of electric wires with the other ends connected to the motor side are connected to a terminal rod, and the terminal rod is exposed to the exterior of a motor casing via a terminal base. The terminal rod is provided with a flange portion and a crimping portion. A concave part is formed on an end surface of the crimping portion, and a communication part providing communication between an outer surface and the concave part is formed. The terminal base is provided with a depression to be fitted to the flange portion of the terminal rod, a seal portion having a diameter reduced from the depression, and a through portion passing from the seal portion through to the exterior of the motor casing. A seal member is put on the terminal rod. In a state that the electric wires are inserted into the concave part of the crimping portion, the outer surface of the crimping portion is pressurized, so that the electric wires are fixed to the crimping portion. With such a configuration, it is possible to reduce electric resistance between the electric wires from the motor side and the terminal rod and strongly combine the electric wires and the terminal rod.
US08039735B2
There is provided a laminated film for a dye-sensitized solar cell characterized by comprising a polyester film and a transparent conductive layer formed on one side thereof, the transparent conductive layer having a surface tension of 40 mN/m or greater, and an electrode for a dye-sensitized solar cell with excellent adhesion between the transparent conductive layer and porous semiconductor layer and high photogenerating efficiency.
US08039734B2
Electrode paste for solar cell, solar cell using the paste, and fabrication method of the solar cell
An electrode paste for a solar cell, a solar cell electrode using the paste, a solar cell having such an electrode, and a fabrication method of the solar cell are described. The paste for a solar cell electrode comprises a first component that includes silver (Ag) or a metal alloy containing the silver (Ag); a second component that includes zinc (Zn), and at least one selected from a group consisting of silicon (Si), aluminum (Al), copper (Cu), manganese (Mn), bismuth (Bi), phosphorous (P), boron (B), barium (Ba), and palladium (Pd); a leaded or lead-free glass frit; and a resin binder that is dispersed in an organic medium.
US08039731B2
The energy conversion system includes a first optical cover having a flat surface and a patterned surface. The patterned surface is configured to receive solar energy from the flat surface, then concentrate and guide the solar energy. The system also includes a second optical cover. The system further includes providing a photovoltaic cell layer between the patterned surface of the first optical cover and the second optical cover. The photovoltaic cell layer is configured to receive the solar energy from the patterned surface and convert the solar energy into electrical energy.
US08039722B2
A method for visually expressing music includes marking a region of a stave to identify a musical note's pitch, wherein the stave includes four lines each of which is parallel or substantially parallel to the other three lines, and each of which defines at least three regional positions where a mark can be made to identify a musical note's pitch, wherein the stave includes at least twelve regional positions and each of the at least twelve regional positions corresponds to a unique pitch of a musical note within a musical octave. The method also includes marking the region of the stave to also identify the duration of the musical note. With at least twelve regional positions defined by the stave, each of the 12 pitches in an octave can have a position within the stave that uniquely identifies the pitch of the note. Furthermore, the stave can span exactly the twelve pitches in an octave to allow one to quickly identify the pitch of the note being visually expressed without having to memorize each position and its associated pitch in the stave. In addition, each pitch in an octave can be identified by numbers (1-N). Western music using 12 notes would have the following 12 Arabic numerals, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12.
US08039714B1
A novel maize variety designated X7K470 and seed, plants and plant parts thereof, produced by crossing Pioneer Hi-Bred International, Inc. proprietary inbred maize varieties. Methods for producing a maize plant that comprises crossing maize variety X7K470 with another maize plant. Methods for producing a maize plant containing in its genetic material one or more traits introgressed into X7K470 through backcross conversion and/or transformation, and to the maize seed, plant and plant part produced thereby. This invention relates to the maize variety X7K470, the seed, the plant produced from the seed, and variants, mutants, and minor modifications of maize variety X7K470. This invention further relates to methods for producing maize varieties derived from maize variety X7K470.
US08039710B2
According to the invention, there is provided seed and plants of the hybrid corn variety designated CH931748. The invention thus relates to the plants, seeds and tissue cultures of the variety CH931748, and to methods for producing a corn plant produced by crossing a corn plant of variety CH931748 with itself or with another corn plant, such as a plant of another variety. The invention further relates to genetic complements of plants of variety CH931748.
US08039702B1
A novel maize variety designated X6M530 and seed, plants and plant parts thereof, produced by crossing Pioneer Hi-Bred International, Inc. proprietary inbred maize varieties. Methods for producing a maize plant that comprises crossing maize variety X6M530 with another maize plant. Methods for producing a maize plant containing in its genetic material one or more traits introgressed into X6M530 through backcross conversion and/or transformation, and to the maize seed, plant and plant part produced thereby. This invention relates to the maize variety X6M530, the seed, the plant produced from the seed, and variants, mutants, and minor modifications of maize variety X6M530. This invention further relates to methods for producing maize varieties derived from maize variety X6M530 and to the maize varieties derived by the use of those methods.
US08039699B2
The invention relates to the novel cotton variety designated 303308G. Provided by the invention are the seeds, plants, plant parts and derivatives of the cotton variety 303308G. Also provided by the invention are tissue cultures of the cotton variety 303308G and the plants regenerated therefrom. Still further provided by the invention are methods for producing cotton plants by crossing the cotton variety 303308G with itself or another cotton variety and plants produced by such methods.
US08039695B2
A soybean cultivar designated S080175 is disclosed. The invention relates to the seeds of soybean cultivar S080175, to the plants of soybean S080175, to plant parts of soybean cultivar S080175 and to methods for producing a soybean plant produced by crossing soybean cultivar S080175 with itself or with another soybean variety. The invention also relates to methods for producing a soybean plant containing in its genetic material one or more transgenes and to the transgenic soybean plants and plant parts produced by those methods. This invention also relates to soybean cultivars or breeding cultivars and plant parts derived from soybean variety S080175, to methods for producing other soybean cultivars, lines or plant parts derived from soybean cultivar S080175 and to the soybean plants, varieties, and their parts derived from use of those methods. The invention further relates to hybrid soybean seeds, plants and plant parts produced by crossing the cultivar S080175 with another soybean cultivar.
US08039684B2
An absorbent article includes at least one liquid-permeable layer material (105) and an absorbent structure (106), the absorbent structure (106) having the ability to expand on wetting, which entails that the absorbent structure (106) displays a first volume in dry condition and a second volume in completely expanded wet condition, the second volume being greater than the first volume. The liquid-permeable layer material (105) encloses the absorbent structure (106) so that the absorbent structure (106) is prevented from reaching complete expansion during wetting.
US08039683B2
An absorbent article includes an absorbent composite which comprises substantially water-insoluble, water-swellable, non-regenerated, carboxyalkyl cellulose fibers. The fibers have a surface having the appearance of the surface of a cellulose fiber and comprise a plurality of first intra-fiber multi-valent metal ion crosslinks and a plurality of second intra-fiber crosslinks selected from ether crosslinks or ester crosslinks. In addition, the absorbent composite has been subjected to a treatment to create interfiber bonding between the fibers of the composite either throughout the composite or only on the surface of the composite.
US08039681B2
This invention relates to carbon materials, such as a fullerene molecule or a curved carbon nanostructure, that are functionalized by addition chemistry performed on surface C—C double bond.
US08039680B2
A process for producing 4-methyl-2,3,5,6-tetrafluorobenzyl alcohol including the following steps: (A): a step for fluorinating 2,3,5,6-tetrachloroterephthaloyl dichloride, (B): a step for reducing the product obtained in step (A), (C): a step for chlorinating the product obtained in step (B), and Step (D): a step for hydrogenating the product obtained in step (C).
US08039678B2
The present invention refers to a process for the preparation of chloromethyl 2,2,2-trifluoro-1-(trifluoromethyl) ethyl ether (sevochlorane), which consists of reacting hexafluoroisopropanol with: a formaldehyde equivalent selected between paraformaldehyde or 1,3,5-trioxane, a chlorinating agent selected from the group consisting of oxalyl chloride, phosphorus trichloride, phosphorus pentachloride, phosphorus oxychloride, sulfuryl chloride and thionyl chloride, and a strong acid selected from the group consisting of concentrated or fuming sulfuric acid. Said process provides sevochlorane in high purity and yield, which can be converted to sevoflurane by known means.
US08039677B2
The present invention provides a fluorinated alkylalkoxylate of Formula (1) Rf—(CH2CF2)n(CH2)m—(CH2CH2O)p—XH (1) wherein Rf is a linear or branched perfluoroalkyl group of 1 to 6 carbon atoms; n is an integer from 1 to 4; X is O; m is an integer from 1 to 6; and p is an integer from 1 to about 40; and a method of altering the surface behavior of a liquid with the fluorinated alkylalkoxylate of Formula (1).
US08039671B2
Provided are a novel transition metal complex where a monocyclopentadienyl ligand to which an amido group is introduced is coordinated, a catalyst composition including the same, and an olefin polymer using the catalyst composition. The transition metal complex has a pentagon ring structure having an amido group connected by a phenylene bridge in which a stable bond is formed in the vicinity of a metal site, and thus, a sterically hindered monomer can easily approach the transition metal complex. By using a catalyst composition including the transition metal complex, a linear low density polyolefin copolymer having a high molecular weight and a very low density polyolefin copolymer having a density of 0.910 g/cc or less can be produced in a polymerization of monomers having large steric hindrance. Further, the reactivity for the olefin monomer having large steric hindrance is excellent.
US08039667B2
An unsaturated compound including a urethane bond in a main chain and a sulfonic acid group, a phosphoric acid group, an alkylsulfonic acid group, or an alkylphosphoric acid group on a benzene ring in a side chain is provided. In addition, a solid polymer electrolyte membrane containing a compound prepared by polymerizing the above-mentioned compound and an electrolyte membrane-electrode assembly including diffusion layers adhered on both surfaces of the electrolyte membrane are provided. Furthermore, a solid polymer fuel cell using the electrolyte membrane-electrode assembly is provided.
US08039659B2
Processes comprising: reacting a dialkyl carbonate and an aromatic hydroxy compound in the presence of a transesterification catalyst in a first reaction column, the first reaction column comprising a top section, a bottom section, a rectifying section in an upper portion of the column and a reaction zone below the rectifying section; feeding a bottom product from the first reaction column to a further reaction column; the bottom product comprising a diaryl carbonate, an alkylaryl carbonate, or both, and residual unreacted dialkyl carbonate and aromatic hydroxy compound; the further reaction column comprising a top section, a rectifying section in an upper portion of the column and a reaction zone below the rectifying section; and reacting the residual unreacted dialkyl carbonate and aromatic hydroxy compound in the further reaction column; feeding a process stream to a distillation column, the process stream comprising a mixture of unreacted dialkyl carbonate and one or more reaction-product alcohols drawn from the first reaction column, the further reaction column, or both, such that the unreacted dialkyl carbonate is separated from the one or more reaction-product alcohols; and recycling the separated, unreacted dialkyl carbonate to the first reaction column; wherein the further reaction column comprises one or more condensers, and heat of condensation from the one or more condensers is fed back into the process.
US08039658B2
A method of removing trace levels of arsenic-containing impurities from raw triethylphosphate (TEPO) is disclosed. The method uses adsorption, or adsorption followed by a flash distillation. The method comprises contacting raw triethylphosphate (TEPO) with an adsorbent which selectively adsorbs the arsenic-containing impurities in the raw triethylphosphate (TEPO). The adsorbent is a base promoted alumina containing adsorbent represented by a formula: ZxWy; where x is the weight percentage of Z in the adsorbent ranging from 30% to 99.999%; y is the weight percentage of W in the adsorbent, and x+y=100%; Z is selected from the group consisting of alumina (Al2O3), magnesium-alumina based layered double hydroxide (MgO—Al2O3), alumina-zeolite, and mixtures thereof; and W is selected from the group consisting of at least one basic metal oxide, at least one basic metal carbonate, and mixtures thereof. The method will result in a final triethylphosphate (TEPO) with a few ppb to less than 1 ppb arsenic containing impurities.
US08039656B2
4-(trifluoromethanesulfonyloxyphenyl)propionic acid derivatives and pharmaceutical composition containing such compounds are useful in inhibiting the chemotactic activation of neutrophils (PMN leukocytes) induced by the interaction of Interleukin-8 (IL-8) with CXCR1 and CXCR2 membrane receptors. The compounds are used for the prevention and treatment of pathologies deriving from said activation. Notably, these metabolites are devoid of cyclo-oxygenase inhibition activity and are particularly useful in the treatment of neutrophil-dependent pathologies such as psoriasis, ulcerative colitis, melanoma, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), bullous pemphigoid, rheumatoid arthritis, idiopathic fibrosis, glomerulonephritis and in the prevention and treatment of damages caused by ischemia and reperfusion.
US08039651B2
In the method of the present invention for producing fatty acid alkyl ester and/or glycerin, as a heat source for an alcohol refining step of refining alcohol from unreacted alcohol that remains without reacting in a first reaction step, at least a part of heat of the unreacted alcohol is used. This allows reducing costs in production of fatty acid alkyl ester and/or glycerin over a solid catalyst.
US08039649B2
The present invention relates to [1] a method for keeping a quality of 2-methyl-3-(3,4-methylenedioxyphenyl)propanal useful as a perfume, which comprises incorporating from 50 to 3000 ppm of 1-acetyl-3,4-methylenedioxybenzene in the 2-methyl-3-(3,4-methylenedioxyphenyl)propanal; [2] a process for producing 2-methyl-3-(3,4-methylenedioxyphenyl)propanal having a content range from 50 to 3000 ppm of 1-acetyl-3,4-methylenedioxybenzene; and [3] 2-methyl-3-(3,4-methylenedioxyphenyl)propanal having a content range from 50 to 3000 ppm of 1-acetyl-3,4-methylenedioxybenzene.
US08039646B2
The present invention relates to a process for preparing glycidyloxy-alkylalkoxysilanes of the general formula (I) (R″)O—CnH2nSi(R′)m(OR)3-m(I) in which R and R′ groups are each independently linear or branched alkyl groups having from 1 to 4 carbon atoms, n is 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7 or 8 and m is 0, 1, 2 or 3, and R″ is an H2C(O)CH— or H2C(O)CHCH2— group, by reacting (i) a functionalized alkene of the general formula (II) (R″)O—CnH2n-1(II) in which R″ is an H2C(O)CH— or H2C(O)CHCH2— group and n is 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7 or 8 with (ii) at least one hydroalkoxy-silane of the general formula (III) HSi(R′)m(OR)3-m (III) in which R and R′ groups are each independently linear or branched alkyl groups having from 1 to 4 carbon atoms and m is 0, 1, 2 or 3, in the presence (iii) of at least one homogeneous catalyst, (iv) of at least one solvent and/or of a diluent and (v) of at least one promoter.
US08039634B2
Provided are an oxazole hydroxamic acid derivatives and pharmaceutically useful salt thereof as a histone deacetylase inhibitor. The oxazole hydroxamic acid derivative and pharmaceutically useful salt thereof, prepared in accordance with the present invention, can treat and/or prevent various cancers and inflammatory diseases caused by histone deacetylase.
US08039633B2
To provide a method for producing a specific nicotinic acid derivative or a salt thereof. A method for producing a nicotinic acid derivative represented by the formula (I): wherein each of X1 and X2 which are independent of each other, is a hydrogen atom, a halogen atom, an alkyl group, an alkoxy group, a haloalkyl group or a haloalkoxy group; R is an alkyl group; and Hal is a chlorine atom or a bromine atom; or a salt thereof, is provided which comprises reacting a compound represented by the formula (II): is wherein X1, X2 and R are as defined above, or a salt thereof, with a halogenating agent.
US08039632B2
This invention relates to novel 2-amino-pyridine derivative useful as modulators of small-conductance calcium-activated potassium channels (SK channels). In other aspects the invention relates to the use of these compounds in a method for therapy and to pharmaceutical compositions comprising the compounds of the invention.
US08039616B2
Use of a benzodiazepine of formula (I), or a pharmaceutically acceptable salt thereof, in the manufacture of a medicament for use in treating or preventing a hepatitis C infection, wherein: —R1 represents C1-6 alkyl, aryl or heteroaryl; —R2 represents hydrogen or C1-6 alkyl; —each R3 is the same or different and represents halogen, hydroxy, C1-6 alkyl, C1-6 alkoxy, C1-6 alkylthio, C1-6 haloalkyl, C1-6 haloalkoxy, amino, mono(C1-6 alkyl)amino, di(C1-6 alkyl)amino, nitro, cyano, —CO2R′, —CONR′R″, —NH—CO—R′, —S(O)R′, —S(O)2R′, —NH—S(O)2R′, —S(O)NR′R″ or —S(O)2NR′R″, wherein each R′ and R″ is the same or different and represents hydrogen or C1-6 alkyl; —n is from 0 to 3; —R4 represents hydrogen or C1-6 alkyl; —R5 represents C1-6alkyl, aryl, heteroaryl, carbocyclyl, heterocyclyl, aryl-(C1-6 alkyl)-, heteroaryl-(C1-6 alkyl)-, carbocyclyl-(C1-6 alkyl)-, heterocyclyl-(C1-6 alkyl)-, aryl-(C1-6 hydroxyalkyl)-, heteroaryl-(C1-6hydroxyalkyl)-, carbocyclyl-(C1-6 hydroxyalkyl)-, heterocyclyl-(C1-6hydroxyalkyl)-, aryl-C(O)—C(O)—, heteroaryl-C(O)—C(O)—, carbocyclyl-C(O)—C(O)—, heterocyclyl-C(O)—C(O)— or —XR6; —X represents —CO—, —S(O)— or —S(O)2—; and —R6 represents C1-6 alkyl, hydroxy, C1-6 alkoxy, C1-6 alkylthio, aryl, heteroaryl, carbocyclyl, heterocyclyl, aryl-(C1-6 alkyl)-, heteroaryl-(C1-6 alkyl)-, carbocyclyl-(C1-6 alkyl)-, heterocyclyl-(C1-6 alkyl)-, aryl-(C1-6 alkyl)-O—, heteroaryl-(C1-6 alkyl)-O—, carbocyclyl-(C1-6 alkyl)-O—, heterocyclyl-(C1-6 alkyl)-O— or —NR′R″ wherein each R′ and R″ is the same or different and represents hydrogen, C1-6 alkyl, carbocyclyl, heterocyclyl, aryl, heteroaryl, aryl-(C1-6 alkyl)-, heteroaryl-(C1-6 alkyl)-, carbocyclyl-(C1-6 alkyl)- or heterocyclyl-(C1-6 alkyl)-.
US08039605B2
Disclosed herein are novel methods for screening for compounds useful in treating or preventing tuberculosis. In exemplary embodiments, screening methods are based on the implementation or manipulation of triacylglycerol hydrolase like polypeptides or polynucleotides encoding the same. The methods are useful in identifying agents active against TB infection.
US08039604B2
The invention consists in a nucleotide sequence having the size of (2646) bp, wherein the order of nucleotides is identical to the order of the nucleotide sequence encoding penicillin acylase from Achromobacter sp. CCM 4824 (formerly Comamonas testosteroni CCM 4824), eventually of the fragments of this sequence having the length of at least 150 nucleotides. The sequence can be used in the formation of a DNA construct, eventually the construct having at least one regulatory sequence regulating the expression of the gene and the production of a polypeptide with the penicillin acylase activity. The sequence can form part of a recombinant expression vector, which consists of the above-mentioned construct, promoter, translational start signal, translational and transcriptional stop signal. Further, the invention concerns a recombinant host cell, containing the nucleic acid construct carried by the vector or integrated into the cell chromosome, and the E. coli BL21 strain containing said sequence of the nucleotides encoding the penicillin acylase carried in the pKXIP1, the pKLP3 or the pKLP6 plasmid.
US08039603B2
A novel gene (designated 121P1F1) and its encoded protein, and variants thereof, are described wherein 121P1F1 exhibits tissue specific expression in normal adult tissue, and is aberrantly expressed in the cancers listed in Table I. Consequently, 121P1F1 provides a diagnostic, prognostic, prophylactic and/or therapeutic target for cancer. The 121P1F1 gene or fragment thereof, or its encoded protein, or variants thereof, or a fragment thereof, can be used to elicit a humoral or cellular immune response; antibodies or T cells reactive with 121P1F1 can be used in active or passive immunization.
US08039602B2
The invention is directed to isolated genomic polynucleotide fragments from the p15 arm of chromosome 11.
US08039598B2
Antibody fragments (Fabs and scFvs) specific to the Met receptor are disclosed. Compositions and kits including these Fabs and scFvs, and drug and imaging conjugates of these Fabs and scFvs also are disclosed. The novel Fabs and scFvs can be internalized into the interior of a cell. Methods include using the novel Met Fabs and scFvs for diagnosing, prognosing, and treating cancer, and for evaluating chemotherapeutic response.
US08039592B2
The present invention relates to optimized Fc variants, methods for their generation, and antibodies and Fc fusions comprising optimized Fc variants.
US08039587B2
Methods and compositions for delivering polynucleotides are provided. One embodiment provides a non-viral vector comprising a recombinant polynucleotide-binding protein comprising a protein transduction domain operably linked to a targeting signal. Methods for modifying the genome of non-nuclear organelles are also provided.
US08039576B2
Compounds having the formulas below. R is an aromatic-containing group. Each M is an alkali metal. Each m is a positive integer. The value of n is a positive integer. The value p is 0 or 1. If p is 0 then n is 1. A thermoset made by curing a composition containing the below phthalonitrile monomers. A method of reacting a diphenyl acetylene compound with an excess of an aromatic diol in the presence of an alkali metal carbonate to form the above oligomer. A method of reacting a phenoxyphthalonitrile with an acetylene compound to form the phthalonitrile monomer below.
US08039574B2
A low viscosity polyisocyanate composition containing at least one isocyanate dimer having a uretidinedione unit is prepared from a reaction medium containing at least one isocyanate monomer in which the isocyanate groups are borne by sp3 carbon atoms. The reaction medium is heated, in the absence of a dimerization catalyst, to a temperature of at least 50° C. and not more than 200° C. for a period of not more than 24 hours.
US08039572B2
Cyanate ester shape memory polymers (SMP). The polymers are preferably formed via reaction of a multifunctional cyanate ester and a mono functional cyanate ester and exist, in one inventive aspect, in the form of a cross-linked thermoset network. Optional catalysts and structural modifiers may be added to the reaction moieties to help control the glass transition temperature of the resulting SMP to greater than 0° C., preferably from about 150° C.-300° C.
US08039564B2
A method for preparing a catalyst precursor for an olefin polymerization catalyst involves the use of aqueous or alcoholic solutions of a chromium salt and of boric acid and aluminum carboxylate for deposition onto an inorganic support material, such as a silica xerogel. The chromium salt, aluminum carboxylate and boric acid are sufficiently soluble for deposition from a single solution to be effective. The catalyst precursor can be activated by calcination to form a catalyst for homo- or co-polymerisation of α-olefins which has productivity and melt flow index for the resulting polymer or copolymer which is comparable to results obtained with catalysts prepared by prior art organometallic routes. The activation of the catalyst precursor gives reduced levels of toxic or noxious fumes during activation compared to use of organometallic sources of chromium or aluminum.
US08039560B1
The present invention provides a brominated epoxy resin, which has a molecular segment of low polarity in the polymer chain, while the molecular segment of low polarity is attributed to the symmetric or saturated cyclic alphatic molecular structure with low “molecular dipole moment” characteristics; making a printed circuit board for high frequency signal transformation applications needs a proper copper clad laminate which processes the properties of a low dielectric constant and of a low dissipation factor; a copper clad laminate can meet above requirements by using the inventive resin as a laminate binder. The inventive resin is prepared by the following steps: 1. Reacting a 2,6-disubstituted mono-phenol compound (A) with an aldehyde or a cyclic diene compound (B), so as to obtain a bisphenol compound (C) having a high symmetry or saturated aliphatic heterocyclic structure; 2. Reacting the resultant symmetric or saturated cyclic diphenol compound (C) with epichlorohydrin for an epoxidation reaction to obtain an epoxy resin (D); and 3. Reacting the resultant epoxy resin (D) with a bromine-containing phenolic compound (E) to obtain the inventive novel brominated epoxy resin (F).
US08039553B2
The present invention relates to an adhesive composition comprising (A) a block copolymer composition comprising a block copolymer (a) formed from at least two polymer blocks composed mainly of a monoalkenyl aromatic compound and at least one polymer block composed mainly of a conjugated diene compound and a block copolymer (b) formed from a polymer block composed mainly of a monoalkenyl aromatic compound and a polymer block composed mainly of a conjugated diene compound, wherein the block copolymer (a) has a GPC peak molecular weight of 60,000 to 110,000 in terms of standard polystyrene, the polymer block composed mainly of a monoalkenyl aromatic compound has a peak molecular weight of 10,000 to 30,000 and a molecular weight distribution Mw/Mn of 1.0 to 1.6, the block copolymer composition (A) has a content of the block copolymer (b) of 50 to 90% by weight, the block copolymer composition (A) has a total monoalkenyl aromatic compound content of more than 40% by weight and 50% by weight or less, the conjugated diene unit has a vinyl bond content of less than 20%, and the block copolymer composition (A) has a viscosity in a 15% toluene solution of 10 to 40 cP at 25° C.
US08039526B2
A method for preparing a nanoclay-filled thermoplastic vulcanizate, the method comprising introducing an olefinic thermoplastic vulcanizate, a functionalized thermoplastic resin, and a surface-modified nanoclay, where the blending takes place at a temperature above the melt temperature of the thermoplastic vulcanizate but below the temperature at which the surface-modified nanoclay degrades.
US08039511B2
A method for preventing and treating prostatic diseases and skin cancer using naturally or artificially synthesized isothiocyanates compounds or the derivatives or metabolites thereof.
US08039498B2
Imidazole compounds, compositions, and methods of using them in leukocyte recruitment inhibition, in modulating H4 receptor expression, and in treating conditions such as inflammation, H4 receptor-mediated conditions, and related conditions.
US08039492B2
The present invention provides a substituted cyclic compound of the following general formula I or II: its preparation process and its use as a glucagon-like peptide-1 receptor regulator for preventing or treating metabolic disorders including, but not limited to, diabetes, insulin resistance and obesity, etc.
US08039486B2
This invention provides compounds of Formula I, including pharmaceutically acceptable salts thereof, having drug and bio-affecting properties, their pharmaceutical compositions and method of use. These compounds possess unique antiviral activity, whether used alone or in combination with other antivirals, antiinfectives, immunomodulators or HIV entry inhibitors. More particularly, the present invention relates to the treatment of HIV and AIDS. The compounds of Formula I have the formula wherein: Z is Q is selected from the group consisting of m is 2; A is selected from the group consisting of cinnolinyl, napthyridinyl, quinoxalinyl, pyridinyl, pyrimidinyl, quinolinyl, isoquinolinyl, quinazolinyl, azabenzofuryl, and phthalazinyl each of which may be optionally substituted with one or two groups independently selected from methyl, methoxy, hydroxy, amino and halogen; and —W— is
US08039480B2
The invention relates to substituted carbo- and heterocyclic spiro compounds of the formula Ia which inhibit thiol proteases, to processes for their preparation and to the use thereof as medicaments.
US08039465B2
The present invention is directed to synthetic cytoskeletal active compounds that are related to natural Latrunculin A or Latrunculin B. The present invention is also directed to pharmaceutical compositions comprising such compounds and a pharmaceutically acceptable carrier. The invention is additionally directed to a method of preventing or treating diseases or conditions associated with actin polymerization. In one embodiment of the invention, the method treats increased intraocular pressure, such as primary open-angle glaucoma. The method comprises administering to a subject a therapeutically effective amount of a cytoskeletal active compound of Formula I or II, wherein said amount is effective to influence the cytoskeleton, for example by inhibiting actin polymerization.
US08039462B2
The present invention provides methods and compositions comprising compounds useful for stimulating neurogenesis. The methods and compositions comprising compounds are also useful for inhibiting neuronal degeneration. Thus, the present invention can be used in the treatment of diseases and conditions characterized by neuronal loss and reduced neurogenesis including Alzheimer's disease, stroke, traumatic brain injury, and depression. This invention could also be used for research products including single agents or mixtures of agents to promote, proliferate, differentiate, or maintain neurons from stem or progenitor cells.
US08039459B2
Nicotine receptor agonists or analogs or derivatives thereof for treating inflammatory pulmonary diseases, and pharmaceutical compositions including nicotine receptor agonists or analogs or derivatives thereof. Compounds of formula wherein R1, R2, Xa and Ya are as defined herein are also provided.
US08039456B2
The present invention provides a method of stimulating the motility of the gastrointestinal system in a subject in need thereof, wherein the subject suffers from maladies (i.e., disorders, diseases, conditions, or drug- or surgery-induced dysfunction) of the gastrointestinal system, by administering to the subject a ghrelin mimetic, or pharmaceutically acceptable salt thereof. The invention also provides a method of treating a gastrointestinal malady by co-administering a ghrelin mimetic with a laxative, a H2 receptor antagonist, a serotonin receptor agonist, pure or mixed, an antacid, an opioid antagonist, a proton pump inhibitor, a motilin receptor agonist, dopamine antagonist, a cholinergic agonist, a cholinesterase inhibitor, somatostatin, octreotide, or any combination thereof.
US08039451B2
This invention relates to compounds useful for treating fungal infections, more specifically topical treatment of onychomycosis and/or cutaneous fungal infections. This invention is directed to compounds that are active against fungi and have properties that allow the compound, when placed in contact with a patient, to reach the particular part of the skin, nail, hair, claw or hoof infected by the fungus. In particular the present compounds have physiochemical properties that facilitate penetration of the nail plate.
US08039448B2
The invention pertains to N-acetylated, N, O-carboxyalkylchitosans and methods for using the chitosans to treat disorders, such as cancer, nervous system disorders, urinary tract disorders, and reproductive tract disorders.
US08039446B2
The invention relates to oligomer compounds (oligomers), which target beta-catenin mRNA in a cell, leading to reduced expression of beta-catenin. Reduction of beta-catenin expression is beneficial for a range of medical disorders, such as hyperproliferative disorders, such as cancer. The invention provides therapeutic compositions comprising oligomers and methods for modulating the expression of beta-catenin using said oligomers, including methods of treatment.
US08039436B2
A polypeptide, the amino acid sequence of which comprises a sequence as set forth in SEQ ID NO:2, including at least one mutation within the degron domain of the polypeptide encompassed between positions 1 and 35 of the sequence, wherein said at least one mutation reduces the susceptibility of the polypeptide to ubiquitin-proteasome degradation.
US08039421B2
A method is provided for inhibiting scale in a hydrocarbon system, including the steps of: providing a hydrocarbon system; providing an aloe-derived scale inhibitor; and mixing the aloe-derived scale inhibitor with the hydrocarbon system in amounts effective to inhibit formation of scale. The scale inhibitor is an aloe vera gel/aloe sap mix dissolved in water at a concentration of between about 5 and about 50% wt/wt, which includes polysaccharides having a hydrocarbon chain structure having carboxyl and alcohol functional groups that interact with divalent ions.
US08039420B2
Conventional many fungicidal compositions have had practical problems such that either a preventive effect or a curing effect is inadequate, the residual effect tends to be inadequate, or the controlling effect against plant diseases tends to be inadequate depending upon the application site, and a fungicidal composition to overcome such problems has been desired. The present invention provides a fungicidal composition containing an acid amide derivative of the formula (I) or a salt thereof, as an active ingredient: wherein A is phenyl which may be substituted, benzyl which may be substituted, naphthyl which may be substituted, heterocyclic ring which may be substituted, fused heterocyclic ring which may be substituted, or the like; B is heterocyclic ring which may be substituted, fused heterocyclic ring which may be substituted, or naphthyl which may be substituted; each of R1 and R2 which are independent of each other, is alkyl, or the like; R3 is hydrogen, or the like; each of W1 and W2 which are independent of each other, is oxygen or sulfur.
US08039411B2
The present invention has an object to provide an optical glass which has middle refractive index and low dispersibility, a low yield point (Ts) and a liquidus temperature (L.T.) and excellent weather resistance, and is suitable for mold press molding. The present invention relates to an optical glass comprising, in mass % on oxide basis, SiO2: 20 to 40%, B2O3: 10 to 30%, SrO: 10 to 30%, Al2O3: 5.5 to 15%, La2O3: 0.5 to 11%, Li2O: 3 to 12%, CaO: 0 to 10%, BaO: 0 to 9.5%, and ZnO: 0 to 10%.
US08039410B2
A core glass and a fiber-optic light guide made from it and a cladding glass are described. The core glass is in the alkali-zinc-silicate system and contains, in Mol % on an oxide basis: 54.5-65, SiO2; 18.5-30, ZnO; 8-20, Σ alkali metal oxides; 0.5-3, La2O3; 2-5, ZrO2; 0.02-5, HfO2; 2.02-5, Σ ZrO2+HfO2; 0.4-6, BaO; 0-6, SrO; 0-2, MgO; 0-2, CaO; 0.4-6, Σ alkaline earth metal oxides; 0.5-3, Li2O, but no more Li2O than 25% of the Σ alkali metal oxides; >58.5, Σ SiO2+ZrO2+HfO2. A molar ratio of Na2O/K2O is from 1/1.1 to 1/0.3. A molar ratio of ZnO to BaO is greater than 3.5.
