US08738497B1
A method for automatically positioning information related to a commodity on a graphical user interface. Market information is displayed on the graphical user interface. The market information may be presented as a number of indicators, corresponding to particular items of interest, that are associated with a static scale. The scale may, for example, represent price. Upon detecting a predetermined condition, the location of the market information is automatically repositioned.
US08738492B1
The disclosure relates to an integrated platform for obtaining and managing information and documents relating to regulatory compliance, determining compliance obligations and compliance actions, graphically providing representations of and/or tools for facilitating such compliance, including historical, current and future compliance requirements of municipal bonds and other securities and associated information. The integrated platform may receive selections of compliance templates used to determine compliance with disclosure requirements of municipal bonds, obtain securities-related information related to a municipal bond (including information related to the bond issuer), automatically populate a disclosure document with required information based on the selected compliance template related to a municipal bond using securities-related information obtained by the system, provide an indication of required information based on the compliance template, automatically determine whether provided information satisfies regulatory requirements, and graphically illustrate current and historical compliance of the municipal bond.
US08738490B2
A method for determining a margin requirement associated with a plurality of financial instruments within a portfolio is disclosed. The method includes receiving a plurality of data associated with the plurality of financial instruments within the portfolio, calculating a maximum risk margin for each of the plurality of risk factors such that the maximum risk margin for each of the plurality of risk factors is determined based on the plurality of data, and calculating a total multi-factor risk margin based on maximum risk margin for each of the plurality of risk factors.
US08738489B2
A computer-readable medium, computer-implemented method, and financial close management system are provided that manage a schedule. A schedule is a core object of the financial close management system, and is an expression of a template. Managing a schedule can include creating a new schedule, modifying an existing schedule, deleting an existing schedule, duplicating an existing schedule, validating an existing schedule, creating a template from an existing schedule, setting a status of an existing schedule, and importing and exporting an existing schedule. In addition, managing a schedule can include defining task type parameters that can be set during scheduling and setting task parameters of a schedule at a schedule level rather than a task level.
US08738486B2
A computer-based method for discovering patterns in financial transaction card transaction data for the purpose of determining group membership of a merchant within the transaction data is described. The data relates to merchants that accept the financial transaction card for payment. The method includes receiving transaction data from at least one database, predicting a membership of a merchant in a group using at least one prediction algorithm and the retrieved transaction data, the algorithm generating meta-data describing the predictions, inputting the at least one predicted group membership and the meta-data into a data mining application, and assigning a confidence value to each predicted group membership by the data mining application, utilizing the predicted group memberships and the meta-data.
US08738483B2
Enhanced systems and methods for processing invoices, payments, and money transfers are described. One aspect of the invention is a computer-implemented method (and corresponding system and computer program product) for inviting an entity to open an account at a billing and payment system, the method comprising: receiving from a first entity an instruction to invite a second entity to open an account at the payment system, the first entity having an account with the payment system; receiving from the first entity a security question and an answer to the security question to accompany the invitation; transmitting to the second entity the invitation along with the security question; receiving from the second entity an acceptance of the invitation along with an answer to the security question; verifying the acceptance by comparing the answer received from the second entity to the answer received from the first entity; responsive to the two answers match, determining the acceptance verified and opening an account for the second entity; and creating a link between the accounts of the two entities for the purpose of sharing invoice information, making electronic payments, transmitting remittance information, and maintaining basic information about the invitor and invitee.
US08738479B1
A real property tax lien categorization and rating system and associated methods that facilitate classifications and ratings of tax liens from various counties of numerous states in the country, according to a common referenceable category scheme that facilitates identification of liens having common underlying real property characteristics, investment characteristics or other characteristics. In one example, a computer accesses a county server and its tax lien database via the Internet. The computer categorizes the tax liens, for instance into subgroups, and determines a rating for the tax liens based on one or more characteristics. The categorized tax lien information and the ratings of each tax lien are stored by the computer, for instance on one or more databases, so that this information is made available to third-party computers or computing devices (such as mobile devices or tablets) used by potential investors to evaluate the possible purchase of such tax liens. In this manner, the system provides classifications and ratings of tax liens from various counties of numerous states in the country in a manner that can be accessed by potential investors over the Internet.
US08738476B2
Methods, systems, and apparatus, including computer program products, for implementing a software architecture design for a software application implementing selling standardized services. The application is structured as multiple process components interacting with each other through service interfaces, and multiple service operations, each being implemented for a respective process component. The process components include a Customer Quote Processing process component; a Sales Order Processing process component; a Service Confirmation Processing process component; a Financial Accounting Master Data Management processing component; a Customer Invoice Processing process component; an Accounting process component; a Balance of Foreign Payment Management process component; a Due Item Processing process component; and a Payment Processing process component.
US08738472B2
A computerized system for vehicle management and purchase. The system may include a database including information regarding vehicles in a set of vehicles, wherein a plurality of the vehicles in the set of vehicles are in arrangements wherein third parties use the vehicles, wherein the information includes configuration of respective vehicles. The system may also include a computer interface that provides access to the description of the vehicles in the database and provides for setting price of respective vehicles; an option on the user interface to search; an option on the user interface to indicate intent to purchase a vehicle; a computer interface that receives information regarding a vehicle returned; and a computer interface to facilitate a purchase of the returned vehicle. Also described are an Internet-based system including a web server; a method for vehicle management and purchase; and a vehicle management and purchase system.
US08738471B2
A system for enabling touch and feel over the internet provides a three-dimensional representation of a good being sold, that three-dimensional representation being viewable from a number of different directions. In one embodiment, the good being sold is in a package and the package is displayed from the number of different directions. Another embodiment has the good being a book, and the inside and outside covers of the book are displayed and specified pages of the book can be displayed. The user can read from either the label or the covers just like as if the were actually handling the good.
US08738467B2
Methods for determining a predictive rating are disclosed. In an embodiment, an active user is compared to a set of clusters. One or more of the clusters are determined to be most similar to the active user. From the one or more clusters, K users are determined to be most similar to the active user. Prior ratings for an item by the K users may be used to predict a rating for the item for the active user.
US08738464B2
The present invention relates to methods and computer systems for ordering customized furniture pieces to be upholstered and an upholstery covering. In particular, the methods of the present invention relate to calculating the amount of a covering needed based on the fabric repeat size in the case of a fabric covering, or based on hide inconsistencies in the case of a leather covering.
US08738463B2
A methodology, system and business model are disclosed for facilitating a fully automated buyer's auction in which the major types of transaction costs are significantly reduced by providing the buyer and the sellers with near-perfect information about one another, including information about buyer preferences and competing sellers' offers. The system implements a buyer's auction with multidimensional bidding that minimizes market intelligence, search, bargaining and transaction execution costs and thus creates more competitive, frictionless markets. Buyers and sellers can efficiently conduct the buyer's auction within a unified environment, thereby minimizing buyer integration costs as well. The buyer's auction generates commercially marketable proprietary information and a revenue stream for the auctioneer providing such a service.
US08738462B2
A multiple criteria buying and selling system and method is provided. A seller initially establishes a deal structure for a product, which provides seller defined selling criteria information relating to the purchasing of the product, such as volume per unit price, quality, delivery time and warranty information. A buyer will be able to review a list of deals if the seller's selling criteria matches a buyer defined buying criteria. The deal structure is preferably set up so as to provide buyers with both price and non-price criteria information that the buyer's would consider important in a purchase of the type of product being offered by the seller. The deal structure is electronically made available to potential buyers of the product. For example, the deal structure may be displayed on an Internet site.
US08738459B2
A method and system for generating recommendations is provided. The method includes accepting queries and revised assumptions associated with shopping habits of a shopper. Responses to the queries are generated. The responses are associated with product features for products. A group of shoppers and associated interests are characterized resulting in a creation of a group of recommended products. Alternative products associated with the recommended products are determined based on the revised assumptions and a consistency of assumptions is managed.
US08738457B2
A method of facilitating a transaction between a merchant and a buyer using a computerized system including a set of titles. The method includes storing the set of titles in a merchant site corresponding to a set of products for sale; browsing the merchant site using a client device and selecting a product for purchase; and generating a payment slip title for the product including information relating to a payment amount and a buyer identifier. The method further includes selecting a payment structure from a set of available payment structures; modifying the payment slip title to include information corresponding to the selected payment structure; releasing the product title to the buyer; and transmitting the payment amount to the merchant.
US08738450B2
Systems, methods, and computer program products are provided for assisting a consumer during a transaction with a vendor at a point of sale by providing transaction information to the consumer in an audible format. The system includes a consumer device and a payment terminal located proximate the point of sale. The consumer device, either a mobile device carried by the consumer or an immobile device also located proximate the point of sale, communicates with the payment terminal and receives transaction information such as product identity or amount information. The consumer device then produces sound waves audible to the consumer based on the communicated transaction information using one or more private and/or public listening devices. This audible transaction process can be performed automatically during a transaction or can be implemented based on consumer preference.
US08738449B1
A system and method for providing an online ordering machine that manages the distribution of products over a distributed computer system is herein disclosed.
US08738445B2
A computerized auction system is used for collecting bids from a plurality of producers. The bids are placed on individual components of a multi-component ensemble. Bids from separate marketers are added and affect the rank of a single ensemble within a potential consumer's ensemble search result. The bids are cooperative as the separate bids on the components are added to form the single bid on the ensemble. The bids are anonymous such that each bidding marketer is kept unaware of whether another marketer's bid was combined with the bidding marketer's bid.
US08738433B2
A method and system of displaying advertisements may include generating a predictive model to predict a type of user, collecting advertisements based upon the type of user, placing the predictive model and collected advertisements on a computer of a user, executing the predictive model on the computer of the user to determine the type of user, and selecting an advertisement to be displayed to the user based upon the execution of the predictive model. The predictive model may be generated based upon feedback from the control users, and the predictive model may be generated based upon the computer of the control users. The predictive model may be generated based upon Web browsing of the computer of the control users, and the predictive model may be generated based upon computer usage behavior of the control users.
US08738420B1
One embodiment of the present invention provides a system that facilitates modeling satisfaction of a client based on an exponential-decay function. During operation, the system receives an identifier for a client. The system also receives a selection of components to use in modeling the satisfaction of the client. Note that a component is a performance metric, such as a goal, that has a quantifiable result. Next, for each selected component, the system determines a current satisfaction of the client by: determining an initial intensity for the satisfaction based on the component and an initial point in time; determining a decay constant for the client and the component; and using the decay constant in an exponential-decay function to decay the initial intensity to a current point in time, thereby obtaining the current satisfaction. Finally, the system combines the current satisfaction for each selected component to obtain an overall client satisfaction.
US08738417B2
A method for product portfolio analysis includes selecting a set of solution points along a curve of order benefit as a function of the number of products in a product portfolio and performing a heuristic between an adjacent pair of solution points that approximates the curve between the adjacent pair of solution points. An apparatus that can perform the product portfolio analysis is also described.
US08738414B1
The invention comprises management of programs and mega-programs with emphasis on project level and above in a hierarchy that enables aggregation of information navigating up, and breakdown of details navigating down the hierarchy. It provides the flexibility of combining real-time management of budget with multiple editions, on call, asset tracking and capacity management of people and non-people resources within the same structure, vendor management, and real-time cross-program interlinking of dependencies and business considerations. The invention enables invocation of each function at every node in the hierarchy and localizes the related information at the invoking source. The functions encompass management of action items, status reports, approvals, meetings/decision making, issues, risks, change management and attachments with built in workflows that enable interactive collaboration and action triggering within the system and across external systems through condition and threshold setting. The universal structure enables management of organization layers and project initiatives.
US08738413B2
Schedules which include reciprocal events, such as schedules for youth hockey leagues, can be created using a system in which users can invite one another to schedule games based on information selected through an interface and reciprocal dates which are automatically identified by a suitably programmed computer. Information related to games and schedules can be stored in a database which can be accessed and modified by different users depending on their roles and the permissions associated with those roles.
US08738406B1
A system, a computer implemented method and a computer readable medium for providing a lump sum disability benefit to a loss payee is provided. Payment of the lump sum disability benefit is conditioned upon the fulfillment of two or more requirements and is paid upon the later of two predetermined events.
US08738401B2
The present invention generates a forecast factor indicating an anticipated demand for a medical resource in a medical facility during a selected time period. The invention generates the forecast factor using billing data retrieved from one or more billing data systems wherein the retrieved billing data is from a prior time period that is comparable to the selected time period. The invention may also generate a schedule of the medical resource using the determined forecast factor such that the generated schedule may substantially correspond to the anticipated demand for the medical resource during the selected time period. In addition, the invention may also generate one or more displays of the determined forecast factor to a user and may also receive a user input for selecting and/or modifying the protocol used to determine the forecast factor.
US08738400B2
An internet browser software component facilitates online submission of prescription eyeglass orders by receiving frame trace data sent to a computer by a frame tracer and embedding it in an order form prepared for submission over the internet. The browser software component may interpret data sent to any peripheral port on the computer, including serial (COM) ports, Universal Serial Bus (USB) ports, and Ethernet ports. The browser software component embeds the frame trace so that it is sent in the same logical packet as the rest of the prescription order. The browser software component may also create a graphical representation of the frame trace and display it in a graphical user interface containing the order form so that the prescription order may be easily reviewed for accuracy before submitting it to be processed.
US08738399B1
In an example embodiment, drug sale data is accessed from a prescription drug wholesaler regarding prescription drugs sold to the pharmacy by the prescription drug wholesaler during a period of time. Pharmacy claims data over the period of time is accessed, where the pharmacy claims data reflects a plurality of claims that were submitted for adjudication by the pharmacy during the period of time. A number of units of a prescription drug associated with the plurality of claims submitted during the period of time by the pharmacy for adjudication are determined based on the pharmacy claims data. This number of units of the prescription drug is compared with the number of units of the prescription drug sold to the pharmacy. A determination is then made as to whether a discrepancy exists based on the results of the comparison. Additional methods and systems are disclosed.
US08738396B2
An integrated medical software system with embedded transcription functionality, and a method of using that system, is disclosed. The system includes a clinical software module that is configured to be executed by a processor to create an electronic document and to capture clinical data for a patient in the electronic document during an encounter with the patient. The system also includes a transcription software application that is configured to be executed by the processor to select predefined clinical data that will appear within the electronic document in response to speech commands and to automatically transcribe dictated clinical data that will appear within the electronic document in response to dictation, wherein the predefined clinical data being previously linked to at least one of a diagnosis code and a procedure code and the dictated clinical data being automatically linked to at least one of a diagnosis code and a procedure code as it is transcribed. And the system includes an account management software module that is configured to be executed by the processor to automatically generate at least one of a bill, a claim, or a statement for the patient using the at least one of a diagnosis code and a procedure code linked to at least one of the predefined clinical data and the dictated clinical data.
US08738393B2
A system and method for targeted pharmaceutical messaging is provided. The system includes a central targeted messaging server for receiving targeted advertisements or messages from a plurality of data sources, a notification database for storing the targeted messages and associated, pre-defined criteria, and a web server which can communicate with a plurality of message requesters to receive requests for targeted messages and to convey same to the plurality of message requesters. A customized web site could be provided for allowing vendors (e.g., pharmaceutical companies, etc.) to upload targeted message text files and/or voice files to the system of the present invention. In response to prescription-related activity, requests for targeted messages are transmitted by the plurality of message requesters to the system of the present invention. The targeted messaging server queries the notification database to identify a matching targeted message, and responds with the location of a matching targeted message text and/or voice file. The matching targeted message can then be transmitted and conveyed to the recipient.
US08738390B1
Techniques described herein facilitate approval or disapproval of individual segments found within discrete pieces of content. By facilitating approval or disapproval on a per-segment basis, the described techniques allow for more granular feedback to the pieces of content than do traditional techniques. Furthermore, by indicating instances where individual segments receive broad approval or broad disapproval, the described techniques allow for better understanding of which individual segments of the content have been broadly deemed helpful and which individual have been broadly deemed unhelpful. This level of granularity contrasts with traditional techniques that simply indicate approval or disapproval of a piece of content in its entirety.
US08738387B2
A system and method is disclosed for determining a value of an element, having a k-th rank. The method discloses: calculating a total number of elements in a first and second dataset; prohibiting parties from accessing each other's dataset; ranking the elements within each dataset; computing a total number of elements in the datasets each having a value less than a test value; computing a total number of elements in the datasets each having a value greater than the test value; and setting the value of the element, having the k-th rank, equal to the test value, if the total number of elements having values less than the test value is ≦ the k-th rank minus one, and the total number of elements having values greater than the test value is ≦ the total number of elements minus the k-th rank. The system discloses means for practicing the method.
US08738385B2
Systems and methods for enhancing the quality of an audio signal produced by an audio codec are described herein. In accordance with the systems and methods, a pitch-based pre-filter adaptively filters an input audio signal to produce a filtered audio signal. An audio encoder encodes the filtered audio signal to generate a compressed audio bit stream. An audio decoder decodes the compressed audio bit stream to generate a decoded audio signal. A pitch-based post-filter adaptively filters the decoded audio signal to produce an output audio signal, wherein adaptively filtering the decoded audio signal comprises undoing at least part of a signal-shaping effect of the pitch-based pre-filter.
US08738379B2
Systems for improving or generating a spoken language understanding system using a multitask learning method for intent or call-type classification. The multitask learning method aims at training tasks in parallel while using a shared representation. A computing device automatically re-uses the existing labeled data from various applications, which are similar but may have different call-types, intents or intent distributions to improve the performance. An automated intent mapping algorithm operates across applications. In one aspect, active learning is employed to selectively sample the data to be re-used.
US08738375B2
Disclosed herein are systems, methods, and non-transitory computer-readable storage media for assigning saliency weights to words of an ASR model. The saliency values assigned to words within an ASR model are based on human perception judgments of previous transcripts. These saliency values are applied as weights to modify an ASR model such that the results of the weighted ASR model in converting a spoken document to a transcript provide a more accurate and useful transcription to the user.
US08738374B2
Described is a speech-to-text conversion system and method that provides secure, real-time and high-accuracy conversion of general-quality speech into text. The system is designed to interface with external devices and services, providing a simple and convenient manner to transcribe audio that may be stored elsewhere such as a wireless phone's voice mail, or occurring between two or more parties such as a conference call. The first step in the system's process ensures secure and private transcription by separating an audio stream into many audio shreds, each of which has duration of only a few seconds and cannot reveal the context of the conversation. A workforce of geographically distributed transcription agents who transcribe the audio shreds is able to generate transcription in real time, with many agents working in parallel on a single conversation. No one agent (or group of agents) receives a sufficient number of audio shreds to reconstruct the context of any conversation. The use of human transcribers allows the system to overcome limitations typical of computer-based speech recognition and permits accurate transcription of general-quality speech even in acoustically hostile environments.
US08738372B2
A coding apparatus capable of coding a spectrum at a low bit rate and with high quality without producing any disturbance in a harmonic structure of the spectrum. In this apparatus, internal state setting section sets an internal state of a filtering section using a first spectrum S1(k). A pitch coefficient setting section outputs a pitch coefficient T by gradually changing it. The filtering section calculates an estimated value S′2(k) of a second spectrum S2(k) based on a pitch coefficient T. A search section calculates the degree of similarity between S2(k) and S′2(k). At this time, pitch coefficient T′ corresponding to the maximum calculated degree of similarity is given to a filter coefficient calculation section. The filter coefficient calculation section determines a filter coefficient βi using this pitch coefficient T′.
US08738371B2
A response storage unit stores a response, a watching degree relative to a display unit, and an output form of the response to a speaker and the display unit. An extracting unit extracts a request from a speech recognition result. A response determining unit determines a response based on the extracted request. A direction detector detects a viewing direction based on sensing information received from a transmitter mounted on a user. A watching-degree determining unit determines a watching degree based on the viewing direction. An output controller obtains an output form corresponding to the response and the determined watching degree from the response storage unit, and outputs the response to the speaker and the display unit according to the obtained output form.
US08738365B2
Diffusing evidence among candidate answers during question answering may identify a relationship between a first candidate answer and a second candidate answer, wherein the candidate answers are generated by a question-answering computer process, the candidate answers have associated supporting evidence, and the candidate answers have associated confidence scores. All or some of the evidence may be transferred from the first candidate answer to the second candidate answer based on the identified relationship. A new confidence score may be computed for the second candidate answer based on the transferred evidence.
US08738352B2
Related communication signals between a simulator and an emulator are organized into logical channels. The signals in each channel are then be transmitted only as needed, reducing the use of the communication pathways between the simulator and the emulator. Further, the circuit components that will receive the communication signals to be shared on a channel are be physically located close together within the emulator, thereby reducing the time required to select and enable components of the emulator to receive the signals sent by the simulator. Similarly, emulator components that send communication signals to be shared on a channel are physically located close together within the emulator, thereby reducing the time required to select and enable components of the emulator to send these signals to the simulator.
US08738351B2
A power grid model system, method and computer program product which includes a switching state processor, a topological processor, an equipment update processor, and a historic power grid model for a power grid. The historic power grid model has an equipment layer and a topology layer. Responsive to a switch operated in a power grid, the switching state processor is notified of the operated switch, notifies the topological processor of the operated switch and notifies the power grid model for updating of the historic power grid model; and the topological processor determines the extent of the update of the power grid model, parses through details of the equipment layer and updates the topology layer in the power grid model. Responsive to an equipment update to the power grid, the equipment update processor is notified, updates the historic power grid model and notifies the topological processor of the equipment update; and the topological processor determines the extent of the update in the historic power grid model, parses through details of the equipment layer and updates the topology layer in the historic power grid model.
US08738350B2
A method of simulating a design described in HDL is provided. In this method, modules of the design can be partitioned into first modules for simulation by a serial simulation engine and second modules for simulation by a concurrent simulation engine. The first and second modules can be prioritized for simulation based on classes of events consistent with an execution model of the HDL. Simulations of the serial and concurrent simulation engines can be synchronized for each class of events. Synchronizing can include transferring updated interface variable values, which are shared by the second modules and at least a subset of the first modules, between the serial simulation engine and the concurrent simulation engine. This transferring can include translating representations of the updated interface variable values.
US08738349B2
Techniques for simulating operation of a connectivity level description of an integrated circuit design are provided, for example, to simulate logic elements expressed through a netlist description. The techniques utilize a host processor selectively partitioning and optimizing the descriptions of the integrated circuit design for efficient simulation on a parallel processor, more particularly a SIMD processor. The description may be segmented into cluster groups, for example macro-gates, formed of logic elements, where the cluster groups are sized for parallel simulation on the parallel processor. Simulation may occur in an oblivious as well as event-driven manner, depending on the implementation.
US08738346B2
Embodiments include methods, apparatus, and systems for controlling multiple simulations. One embodiment is a method that includes executing plural architectural simulators being interconnected to form a platform for hardware simulation; placing at least one of the plural architectural simulators into a pause state; and automatically minimizing windows associated with the at least one of the plural architectural simulators.
US08738343B2
The detection of protein sequence alignments firstly generates protein blocks having n successive C-alpha atoms from two protein sequences. A matrix of the distance of protein atoms from said C-alpha atoms for each block is then determined. A difference matrix is determined from respective distance matrices representing the differences between the protein blocks of the two protein structures. A Cellular Automaton (CA) model is generated in an initial configuration based upon the difference matrix, and evolved through at least one generation using predetermined rules. The rules determine which CA cells remain live and which are set to be dead.
US08738330B1
A scalable, inert munition data recorder cartridge. This inert cartridge allows users to record data from within a weapon system feed chute, breach, and extractor port. This cartridge is adaptable to any weapon system, packaging unit, environmental chamber, or other ammunition holding and storage device. Although the cartridge is designed to interface with a weapon and ammunition packaging based on its shape, it still functions as designed regardless of its location and application. This would allow the cartridge to be placed anywhere an actual live cartridge of ammunition could be placed.
US08738327B2
The invention comprises systems and methods for estimating the rate of change in temperature inside a structure. At least one thermostat located is inside the structure and is used to control an climate control system in the structure. At least one remote processor is in communication with said thermostat and at least one database stores data reported by the thermostat. At least one processor compares the outside temperature at at least one location and at least one point in time to information reported to the remote processor from the thermostat. The processor uses the relationship between the inside temperature and the outside temperature to determine whether the climate control system is “on” or “off”.
US08738325B2
A method and system for using a structured analytical process to model, analyze, plan and improve anticipated flows of information across agencies, department, companies etc. and across different disciplines and jurisdictions. The method includes a structured process for improving the flow of information through need-based communication planning. The method identifies the need for information, describes its availability and specifies the restrictions on its dissemination. It then uncovers information sharing opportunities, generates communication plans, discovers preventable communication breakdowns and prioritizes their remediations.
US08738315B2
A method of damping control for a nanomechanical test system, the method including providing an input signal, providing an output signal representative of movement of a displaceable probe along an axis in response to the input signal, performing a frequency-dependent phase shift of the output signal to provide a phase-shifted signal, adjusting the phase-shifted signal by a gain value to provide a feedback signal, and adjusting the input signal by incorporating the feedback signal with the input signal.
US08738308B2
A method of detecting a decrease in tire air pressure includes calculating tire rotation information obtained from the wheel tires; computing a first determination value showing a difference between the sums of the wheel rotation information of pairs of wheel tires on two diagonal lines and a second determination value showing a difference between the sum of the wheel rotation information of right wheel tires and the sum of the wheel rotation information of left wheel tires; assuming the computed first and second determination values as points on orthogonal coordinates; determining position of tire(s) having a decreased pressure based on the argument of the points on the polar coordinates; and comparing the moving radii of the points on the polar coordinates with a predetermined threshold value to thereby determine a decrease in tire air pressure.
US08738306B2
Methods of and devices for testing medical pumps via tracking induced single or multiple bubble trajectories within a fluid flow conduit (60) and methods of synchronized (600) corrections (604) of flow data estimates.
US08738300B2
The invention relates to assembly of sequence reads. The invention provides a method for identifying a mutation in a nucleic acid involving sequencing nucleic acid to generate a plurality of sequence reads. Reads are assembled to form a contig, which is aligned to a reference. Individual reads are aligned to the contig. Mutations are identified based on the alignments to the reference and to the contig.
US08738298B2
A method and system for representing a similarity between at least two genomes that includes detecting gene clusters which are common to the at least two genomes and representing the common gene clusters in a PQ tree. The PQ tree includes a first internal node (P node), that allows permutation of the children thereof, and a second internal node (Q node), that maintains unidirectional order of the children thereof.
US08738297B2
A genealogical research and record keeping system and method for identifying commonalities in haplotypes and other genetic characteristics of a biological sample of two or more individual members. Chromosomal fragments identical by descent identify family ties between siblings, parents and children and ancestors and progeny across many generations. It is particularly useful in corroborating and improving the accuracy of genealogical data and identifying previously unknown genetic relationships.
US08738286B2
A public transit travel planning system and methodology that uses an extensive pre-processing approach of transit information prior to query time on order to determine optimal public transit routes for journeys. At query time, since the transit information has already been processed by the system, very little computation is needed in order to fulfill the query. The system then provides users with public transit directions in response to the queries for public transit journeys.
US08738282B1
A processing system for a driven vehicle comprising a detector to detect an object which is in an area surrounding the driven vehicle via one or more sensors mounted on the driven vehicle, and to generate position data and size data corresponding to the detected object. The system may include a calculator to calculate an adjustment signal based on the position data and the size data. The system may also include a controller to adjust the driven vehicle's cabin height and/or the driven vehicle's wheelbase width, based on the calculated adjustment signal, such that the driven vehicle avoids colliding with the detected object. Collision may be avoided by the system via elevating the vehicle cabin above the road using an expandable suspension system. Further, an omni-directional telescoping shaft and wheel assembly system with in-wheel motors may be used for maneuvering the vehicle and/or altering the wheelbase width.
US08738280B2
Methods for pedestrian unit (PU) communication activity reduction in pedestrian-to-vehicle communication networks include obtaining safety risk information for a pedestrian at risk for involvement in an accident and using the risk information to adjust a PU communication activity. In some embodiments, the activity reduction is achieved without implementing understanding of surroundings. In other embodiments, the activity reduction is based on risk assessment provided by vehicles. In some embodiments, the activity reduction includes PU transmission reduction. In some embodiments the transmission activity reduction may be followed by reception activity reduction for overall power consumption reduction.
US08738276B1
Embodiments of the present invention provide a solution for an orderly and well-considered evacuation of a Personal Rapid Transit (PRT) system in the event of declared emergency. It describes the mapping of evacuation points and subsequent routing of PRT vehicles according to both the nature/location of the emergency and outflow capacity at each evacuation point. If an emergency is declared within a PRT system, which does not cause widespread power loss, but which does require an orderly evacuation (e.g., smoke or flooding), PRT vehicles will be routed to an evacuation point capable of handling such outflow in an orderly manner.
US08738274B2
In an apparatus for controlling an internal combustion engine mounted on a vehicle, it is configured to have a falling signal generator that generates a falling signal indicative of falling of the vehicle when the vehicle falls; an operation stopper that stops operation of the engine in response to the generated falling signal; and a suspender that suspends processing of the operation stopper to stop the operation of the engine until a predetermined time period elapses. With this, when the falling of the vehicle is not serious and the operator lifts the vehicle body within the predetermined time period, the operator can restart the vehicle to drive immediately after lifting the vehicle body.
US08738273B2
An EGR system control method of an engine may include calculating a target mass flux ({dot over (m)}egrd) of EGR gas flowing an EGR line, calculating an effective flowing area (EFA) of an EGR valve disposed on the EGR line, calculating an EGR flow sensitivity by dividing the target mass flux with the effective flowing area, and controlling a real opening rate of the EGR valve by applying the EGR flow sensitivity to a target opening rate of the EGR valve. Accordingly, a gain value is varied on a real time according to an effective flowing area of the EGR valve and a target mass flux of EGR gas such that real opening rate of an EGR valve is accurately and precisely controlled.
US08738268B2
Vehicles, systems, and methods are disclosed for providing and directing first power, such as vehicle generator power, and alternate sources of power. In a particular embodiment, a vehicle includes a power distribution grid that includes a plurality of power sources and a plurality of distributions buses configured to distribute power from the plurality of power sources. The plurality of power sources include an engine-driven power source is configured to provide first power where the first power has first power characteristics. The plurality of power sources also includes a plurality of engine-independent power sources including a first alternate power source configured to provide first alternate power. The first alternate power has first alternate power characteristics that are different than the first power characteristics. The plurality of engine-independent power sources also includes a second alternate power source configured to provide second alternate power. The second alternate power has second alternate power characteristics that are different from the first power characteristics and different from the first alternate power characteristics. The vehicle also includes a global controller that sends control signals to control generation of power by the engine-driven power source, the first alternate power source and the second alternate power source via the plurality of distribution buses responsive to power demand of the power distribution grid.
US08738266B2
A vehicle has at least two drive wheels which can be driven in each case by single-wheel drive units which are in particular of structurally identical dimensions and which can be actuated by means of a control device, control device determines a target torque which, in a torque distribution unit, can be divided into a first target torque for the first drive unit and a second target torque for the second drive unit. The torque distribution unit is assigned an adjustment unit by means of which the first and/or the second target torque can be corrected with an adjustment factor which can be determined as a function of a torque difference, arising owing to manufacturing and/or component tolerances, between the drive units.
US08738260B2
A brake control system includes: a friction brake unit for generating a friction braking force; a regenerative brake unit for generating a regenerative braking force; and a control unit for controlling the regenerative and friction brake units based on a regenerative target value and a friction target value defined based on a target deceleration, and for controlling a braking force by selecting one of a plurality of control modes including both a regeneration permission mode in which a total braking force is generated by the regenerative and friction braking forces, and a regeneration prohibition mode in which the target deceleration is generated by the friction braking force. In the permission mode, the control unit generates the total force by providing a delay, while in the prohibition mode, the control unit provides a delay smaller than the above delay to the friction braking force or does not provide a delay.
US08738256B2
A method of determining a torque transfer touch point of a clutch within a drive train includes applying a predetermined amount of current to an electric motor such that the electric motor will apply a torque to at least a portion of a clutch. The predetermined amount of current will not rotate a shaft of the motor when the clutch is at least partially engaged. The method also includes initiating disengagement of the clutch, detecting movement of at least a portion of the motor, and recording a clutch parameter that is generally coincident with the detecting movement of a least a portion of the motor.
US08738254B2
A non-synchronous automatic transmission up-shift control utilizes input torque measurements. The input torque is measured during an up-shift having preparatory, torque, and inertia phases. Target input torque profiles for the torque and inertia phases are determined based on the input torque during the preparatory phase. During the torque phase, an engine torque is controlled to cause the input torque to achieve the target profile for the torque phase. During the inertia phase, the on-coming clutch is controlled to cause the input torque to achieve the target profile for the inertia phase.
US08738251B2
A machine control system including an impeller clutch pedal sensor, a power source sensor, a torque converter output speed sensor, an implement lever sensor and a controller is provided. The impeller clutch pedal sensor is configured to generate a signal indicative of an impeller clutch command. The implement lever sensor is configured to generate a signal indicative of a desired hydraulic flow corresponding to an implement lever command. The controller is configured to determine a desired output torque, at a current torque converter output speed, based on the signals from the impeller clutch pedal sensor and the power source sensor. The controller is configured to modulate at least one of the speed of the power source or an engagement of an impeller clutch based on the desired output torque and the implement lever command.
US08738243B2
A planter monitor system and method that provides an operator with near real-time data concerning yield robbing events and the economic cost associated with such yield robbing events so as to motivate the operator to take prompt corrective action.
US08738236B2
A method and system for adjustment of headlamps for motor vehicles, comprising a step for calculating a headlamp angle. The method furthermore comprises the steps of detecting a target vehicle, calculating a lateral position of the target vehicle with respect to the motor vehicle, calculating a lateral angular offset with respect to the said lateral position of the target vehicle and adjusting the headlamps as a function of the headlamp angle and of the lateral angular offset.
US08738235B2
A detection method, system and device for a motor vehicle (V1). The method, system and device uses at least one camera which has a predetermined field of vision. The method includes the following steps: receiving information which is representative of a driving state associated with the vehicle; and modifying the field of vision of the camera, and in particular its orientation, according to the information.
US08738232B2
An electronic control apparatus includes a control unit 2; a plurality of power supply units 1-1, 1-2 for supplying the control unit 2 with power; and a power supply fault detector unit 3 for detecting a fault in the plurality of power supply units 1-1, 1-2. The control unit 2 operates in a normal mode on electric power supplied from the plurality of power supply units 1-1, 1-2, when none of the plurality of power supply units 1-1, 1-2 is faulty. If at least one of the plurality of power supply units 1-1, 1-2 is faulty, the control unit 2 operates in an energy saving mode in which less power is consumed on electric power supplied from the power supply unit that remains fully operational. Thereby an electronic control apparatus is obtained that enables continued operation during a faulty condition, while preventing circuit scale, dimensions, weight, and cost from increasing.
US08738229B2
A current command value computing section includes an integration control computing section. Based on an integration of the steering torque τ, the integration control computing section computes a steering torque integration control amount Iint*, which is a compensation component for increasing the assist force. The integration control computing section functions as a determining device that determines whether the vehicle is traveling forward in a straight line. When the determining device determines that the vehicle is traveling forward in a straight line, the integration control computing section outputs the steering torque integration control amount Iint* to an adder. The current command value computing section superimposes the steering torque integration control amount Iint* on a basic assist control amount Ias* computed by a basic assist control section, and outputs the obtained value, as a current command value Iq* corresponding to a target assist force, to an output section.
US08738227B2
Disclosed is a dark current cutoff system and method for a vehicle junction. In particular, a controller is configured to monitor signal input through a CAN communication module to determine when other modules in the vehicle are in a sleep mode, cut off battery power to a load device by turning off a switching element when the controller determines that the other modules in the vehicle are in sleep mode, and forcibly maintains an off state of the switching element for a set period time after the power has been cut, regardless of signal input through the CAN communication module.
US08738226B2
Holonomic-motion ground vehicles (i.e., mobile platforms) that are capable of controlled movement across non-level surfaces, while carrying one or more non-destructive inspection sensors or other tools. The mobile platform comprises a frame having four (or a multiple of four) Mecanum wheels, each wheel driven by a respective independently controlled motor, and further having a plurality (e.g., two) of independently controlled suction devices. The Mecanum wheels enable holonomic motion, while the suction devices facilitate sufficiently precise control of motion on non-level surfaces.
US08738218B2
A pressure sensor diagnosis method and a common-rail-type fuel injection control device to diagnose the presence or the non-presence of an abnormality of a pressure sensor without having a dedicated circuit. A time between energizing of injectors and the occurrence of a peak counter electromotive current is measured as a valve closing time. A rail pressure with respect to the measured valve closing time is obtained as an estimated rail pressure based on a correlation between a valve closing time and the rail pressure. When an absolute value of the difference between the estimated rail pressure and an actual rail pressure is equal to or less than a predetermined error, it is determined that the pressure sensor has no abnormality. Otherwise, it is determined that the pressure sensor has an abnormality.
US08738217B2
Systems and methods for learning torque estimate errors and updating torque estimation models are presented. In one example, torque errors are learned during an engine shut-down, after a disconnect clutch coupled between an engine and an electric machine has been released. An updated torque estimation model is then used to control torque during subsequent engine operation to improve drive feel and vehicle performance.
US08738205B2
A method for determining the beginning of a start phase of an internal combustion engine in a hybrid vehicle, in which a second drive unit drives the hybrid vehicle, the internal combustion engine being started upon reaching a certain drive torque of the second drive unit. In order to always be able to achieve the maximum solely electric driving range of the hybrid vehicle using the second drive unit and simultaneously improve the driving comfort of the hybrid vehicle by optimizing the internal combustion engine start triggering, the internal combustion engine is started when a predicted drive torque of the second drive unit is less than or equal to the drive torque, as instantaneously measured and increased by a torque reserve, of the second drive unit.
US08738193B2
For each of the electric apparatuses belonging to an electric apparatus combination that was created by an apparatus calculation unit according to a target power-saving amount, a demand control information creation unit creates demand control information including a predetermined power corresponding to the target power-saving amount and a predetermined time of operating at this power. A demand request creation unit creates a demand request which is a signal which requests operation based on the demand control information for the apparatuses in the combination. When the predetermined time elapses, the apparatus calculation unit selects at least one or more apparatuses other than the apparatuses which are currently selected and additionally creates a new combination that is different from the current combination according to predetermined rules, and a communication unit sends the demand control information to the apparatus selected by the apparatus calculation unit.
US08738188B2
Some embodiments provide irrigation controllers comprising: a housing; a control unit including a first microcontroller configured to execute irrigation programs and a first set of code; and a removable plug-in device that removably mates with a portion of the irrigation controller and communicationally couples to the first microcontroller, wherein the plug-in device comprises a memory storing a second set of code to replace at least a portion of the first set of code, wherein the plug-in device is configured to re-flash at least a portion of the first set of code allowing a copy of the second set of code to overwrite at least the portion of the first set of code; wherein the first set of code comprises a bootloader that writes the copy of the second set of code over the first set of code with the exception of the bootloader that is not written over.
US08738187B2
A mass flow controller includes a thermal mass flow sensor in combination with a pressure sensor to provide a mass flow controller that is relatively insensitive to fluctuations in input pressure. The pressure sensor and thermal sensor respectively provide signals to an electronic controller indicating the measured inlet flow rate and the pressure within the dead volume. The electronic controller employs the measured pressure to compensate the measured inlet flow rate and to thereby produce a compensated measure of the outlet flow rate, which may be used to operate a mass flow controller control valve.
US08738185B2
HVAC systems and methods are shown which use volumetric air flow and static pressure calculations that correct for different air densities encountered at different altitudes. With respect to the volumetric airflow rate, the systems and methods disclosed herein adjust the calculation of airflow rate to better match the BTU content of de-rated natural gas used at higher elevations, and therefore they are usable in HVAC systems that combust natural gas. The adjusted static pressure calculations may be used in any type of HVAC system.
US08738184B2
A system for monitoring and controlling the electrical infrastructure of a building includes at least one sensor for sensing an operating characteristic in the building, and a processor for receiving information from the at least one sensor and predicting a future operating characteristic.
US08738180B2
A system for a work cell having a carrier that moves a product along an assembly line includes an assembly robot, sensor, and controller. An arm of the robot moves on the platform adjacent to the carrier. The sensor measures a changing position of the carrier and encodes the changing position as a position signal. The controller receives the position signal and calculates a lag value of the robot with respect to the carrier using the position signal. The controller detects a requested e-stop of the carrier when the arm and product are in mutual contact, and selectively transmits a speed signal to the robot to cause a calibrated deceleration of the platform before executing the e-stop event. This occurs only when the calculated tracking position lag value is above a calibrated threshold. A method is also disclosed for using the above system in the work cell.
US08738177B2
A vending machine, in communication with a remote station, delivers a labeled container to a user from storage holding containers of different sizes and shapes and containing different products such as medicaments. A control system is operable to select a specific unlabeled container from among the other containers in storage, and to move the selected unlabeled container to a labeling module where a label is applied after the position of the label and/or the selected unlabeled container are/is adjusted so as to result in the label being applied at a desired position and angular orientation with respect to the selected unlabeled container. The control system is further operable to move the labeled container to a delivery zone accessible to the user.
US08738170B2
A sewing machine includes a mounting adaptor, a memory, an imager, and a processor. The mounting adaptor may be mounted with an embroidery frame. The memory may store frame rotation data. The frame rotation data indicate a setting angle which is a predetermined rotation angle of the frame with respect to the outer frame. The imager may image an area including the embroidery frame mounted on the mounting adaptor. The processor may control the sewing machine to detect a marker provided on at least one of the embroidery frame and the work cloth based on the image, determine a rotation angle of the frame with respect to the outer frame based on the detected marker, and control the driver to adjust a rotation of the frame based on the determined rotation angle and the frame rotation data.
US08738169B2
An apparatus includes a processor and a memory. The memory is configured to store computer-readable instructions that instruct the apparatus to execute steps including acquiring pattern data, identifying a plurality of needle drop points, identifying a corresponding identified needle, storing needle drop point data and identified needle data in association with each other in the memory, identifying a continuous number of times, replacing, among the identified needle data stored in the memory, the identified needle data of the identified needle for which the identified continuous number of times is smaller than a threshold value, with other identified needle data corresponding to the needle drop point data of one of a previous needle drop point and a subsequent needle drop point in the order, and generating cut data based on the needle drop point data and the identified needle data stored in the memory.
US08738164B2
The invention is a method and apparatus for automatically generating an optimal configuration of a product, using logic implemented on a digital computer processing system. A general configuration will be broken down into a hierarchy of subdesigns by a designer of an artifact type. A particular instance of the type must satisfy user-specified external parametric constraints. Constraints may take the form of a range of values for some performance characteristic or to satisfy laws or business requirements. Hierarchical decomposition facilitates solution of complex problems. Criteria for a best solution may be specified for a given subdesign, a collection of subdesigns, or globally. Tentative selection of a particular subdesign may impose internally generated constraints upon a subsequent subdesign. If no acceptable solution is found for a subdesign, the candidate overall configuration rolls back to the most complete viable partial collection of subdesigns. The method transforms constraints into a concrete design.
US08738162B1
Systems and methods for recording multiple channels of incoming data. A system and method can receive data streams from a number of sources and distribute the data streams to a number of users. The plurality of data streams are stored in a storage device for later redistribution.
US08738150B2
An implantable medical device lead includes an inner conductor coil comprising one or more generally cylindrically wound filars. The inner conductor coil is configured to have a first inductance value greater than or equal to 0.2 μH/inch when the inner conductor coil is subjected to a range of radio frequencies. The implantable medical device lead also includes a multi-filar outer coil comprising two or more generally cylindrically wound filars. The multi-filar outer coil is configured to have a second inductance value greater than or equal to 0.1 μH/inch when the multi-filar outer coil is subjected to the range of radio frequencies.
US08738149B2
The invention involves a flexible circuit electrode array device comprising: a polymer layer; wherein the polymer layer includes one or more metal traces, an electrode array; one or more bond pads; and the electrode array is located on the opposite side of the polymer layer.The invention further involves a method for backside processing of a flexible circuit electrode device, comprising: applying polymer film on a substrate; processing the front side; releasing the polymer film from substrate; flipping over the polymer film and fixing it onto the substrate; processing the backside; and final releasing of the polymer film from the substrate.The invention further involves a method for backside processing of a flexible circuit electrode device, comprising: processing the front side without releasing the polymer; processing the backside by sacrificial substrate method, or by laser drilling method; and releasing the polymer film from the substrate.
US08738146B2
A control device implantable in a human body—includes a control unit and at least one electrode, said control unit being connected to each electrode to control stimulation and/or measurement thereof. The control unit includes: a timing dock; a memory storing configuration data defined to enable configuration of each electrode correlated with identifiers; a memory storing program data describing a time profile correlated with identifiers; an executor activatable to send each electrode electric pulses corresponding to a predetermined program according to a predetermined electrode configuration, according to the clock; a sequencer arranged to receive an ordered plurality of pairs, each including an electrode configuration identifier and a program identifier, and selectively to activate the executor with the electrode and program configuration pairs denoted by the pairs of identifiers received as an input, according to the order thereof and the clock.
US08738145B2
The disclosure is directed to techniques for shifting between two electrode combinations. An amplitude of a first electrode combination is incrementally decreased while an amplitude of a second, or subsequent, electrode combination is concurrently incrementally increased. Alternatively, an amplitude of the first electrode combination is maintained at a target amplitude level while the amplitude of the second electrode combination is incrementally increased. The stimulation pulses of the electrode combinations are delivered to the patient interleaved in time. In this manner, the invention provides for a smooth, gradual shift from a first electrode combination to a second electrode combination, allowing the patient to maintain a continual perception of stimulation. The shifting techniques described herein may be used during programming to shift between different electrode combinations to find an efficacious electrode combination. Additionally, the techniques may be used for shifting between different electrode combinations associated with different stimulation programs or program sets.
US08738144B2
Bioelectric implants are provided in three distinct embodiments, namely a bone/tissue anchor, a suture construction, and a plate. The bioelectric implants function in dual capacities as both fixation devices, and as galvanic cells for the production of electrical energy used for therapeutic purposes in tissue regeneration and healing. The bioelectric anchor may take the general form of a screw or pin having a hollow interior or cavity that extends through the body of the anchor. A coating can be applied to the cavity to form the anode portion of the galvanic cell. The outer surface of the anchor serves as a cathode. Bodily fluids and tissue act as an electrolyte to facilitate the chemical reactions necessary for the galvanic cell. For the suture construction, one or more strands of material are the cathode, and one or more strands of peripheral surrounding material act as the anode. Bodily fluids/tissue in contact with the suture act as an electrolyte. The bioelectric plate can be used in combination with the bioelectric anchor to supplement delivery of electrical energy. The plate has anode and cathode portions also making it a source of electrical energy.
US08738141B2
A contact assembly for a medical device and, more specifically, to a header contact assembly for achieving electrical contact with an in-line IPG lead utilizing a contact structure such as a “toroidal spring in groove” device.
US08738136B2
Apparatus and method detect a detection cluster that is associated with a neurological event, such as a seizure, of a nervous system disorder and update therapy parameters that are associated with a treatment therapy. The occurrence of the detection cluster is detected when the maximal ratio exceeds an intensity threshold. If the maximal ratio drops below the intensity threshold for a time interval that is less than a time threshold and subsequently rises above the intensity threshold, the subsequent time duration is considered as being associated with the detection cluster rather than being associated with a different detection cluster. Consequently, treatment of the nervous system disorder during the corresponding time period is in accordance with one detection cluster. Treatment therapy may be provided by providing electrical stimulation, drug infusion or a combination. Therapy parameters may be updated for each mth successive group of applications of the treatment therapy or for each nth detection cluster.
US08738134B2
A system and method for handling data received from an implantable medical device (IMD) is provided. The method includes communicating a device parameter value of an IMD device parameter from the IMD to an external device and determining, at the external device, that the communicated device parameter value is at an improper value. Additionally, in response to the determining that the communicated device parameter value is at an improper value, automatically performing at least one of re-programming the IMD device parameter with a selected substitute device parameter value, ignoring, or purging non-programmable data.
US08738133B2
The invention relates to cardiac rhythm management systems, and more particularly, to rate adaptive cardiac pacing systems and methods. In an embodiment, the invention includes a cardiac rhythm management device. The device can include a pulse generator for generating electrical pulses to be delivered to a heart at a pacing rate, a processor in communication with the pulse generator, and one or more sensors for sensing pulmonary function and cardiac function. The processor can be configured to increase the pacing rate if the pulmonary function is increasing with time and the cardiac function is not decreasing with time, maintain the pacing rate if the pulmonary function is increasing with time and the cardiac function is decreasing with time, and decrease the pacing rate if the respiratory function is decreasing with time.
US08738132B1
The present disclosure pertains to cardiac pacing methods and systems, and, more particularly, to cardiac resynchronization therapy (CRT). In particular, the present disclosure pertains to determining the efficacy of CRT through use of an effective capture test (ECT). One or more embodiments comprises sensing a signal in response to a ventricular pacing stimulus. Through signal processing, a number of features are parsed from the signal. Exemplary features parsed from the signal include a maximum amplitude, a maximum time associated with the maximum amplitude, a minimum amplitude, and a minimum time associated with the minimum amplitude. The data is evaluated through use of the ECT. By employing the ECT, efficacy of CRT is easily and automatically evaluated.
US08738126B2
Disclosed herein are methods, systems, and apparatus for treating a medical condition of a patient, involving detecting a physiological cycle or cycles of the patient and applying an electrical signal to a portion of the patient's vagus nerve through an electrode at a selected point in the physiological cycle(s). The physiological cycle can be the cardiac and/or respiratory cycle. The selected point can be a point in the cardiac cycle correlated with increased afferent conduction on the vagus nerve, such as a point from about 10 msec to about 800 msec after an R-wave of the patient's ECG, optionally during inspiration by the patient. The selected point can be a point in the cardiac cycle when said applying increases heart rate variability, such as a point from about 10 msec to about 800 msec after an R-wave of the patient's ECG, optionally during expiration by the patient.
US08738124B2
Methods and systems are provided for the noninvasive measurement of the subepithelial impedance of the breast and for assessing the risk that a substantially asymptomatic female patient will develop or be at substantially increased risk of developing proliferative or pre-cancerous changes in the breast, or may be at subsequent risk for the development of pre-cancerous or cancerous changes. A plurality of electrodes are used to measure subepithelial impedance of parenchymal breast tissue of a patient at one or more locations and at least one frequency, particularly moderately high frequencies. The risk of developing breast cancer is assessed according to measured and expected or estimated values of subepithelial impedance for the patient and according to one or more experienced-based algorithms. Devices for practicing the disclosed methods are also provided.
US08738112B2
The present invention relates to electrocardiography and to electrode arrangements used in electrocardiographic monitoring devices, and is more particularly related to a pad or patch containing said electrodes which may be used to passively and non-invasively monitor electrical activity generated by a patient's heart from the surface of that patient's chest, and to a connector which allows for fast and simple connection between the pad containing said electrodes and the devices and equipment typically used to monitor and view electrocardiographic information.
US08738108B2
An image of a portion to be observed is captured while first light beams are applied thereto. Thereby, a first image signal of a first frame is obtained. The first light beams are in a wavelength range in which an absorption coefficient varies in accordance with a change in oxygen saturation of hemoglobin in blood. An image of the portion to be observed is captured while second light beams are applied thereto. Thereby, a second image signal of a second frame is obtained. The second light beams have a broadband wavelength range. Blood volume and oxygen saturation are obtained from the first and second image signals. A blood volume image representing information on the blood volume in pseudo-color and an oxygen saturation image representing information on the oxygen saturation in pseudo-color are generated. The blood volume image is displayed simultaneously with the oxygen saturation image on a display device.
US08738106B2
A device for in vivo analysis includes: a reaction chamber to store a detecting reagent able to react with a sample collected in vivo; and optionally a labeled-substance chamber to store a labeled substance able to bind to at least a portion of a compound resulting from a reaction of the detecting reagent and the sample. The in-vivo imaging device, typically an autonomous capsule, may have a housing, the housing comprising a window; an illumination source located within the housing to illuminate a body lumen through the window; an imager to receive light reflected from the body lumen through the window; and a transmitter to transmit image data to a receiving system. The window is coated with liposomes containing a marker such that the imager may acquire images which include the marking.
US08738100B2
A battery cover assembly for a portable electronic device includes a housing and a battery cover. The housing defines latching holes and a notch. The notch defines a resisting wall. The battery cover includes clasps and a resisting sheet. The resisting sheet includes a resisting portion which has a hooked portion formed thereon and towards the resisting wall. The clasps are latched in the latching holes. The resisting portion is latched in the notch, and the hooked portion resists against the resisting wall.
US08738089B2
A mobile communication device displays, via a display, an audio waveform associated with a voicemail received by the mobile communication device, and receives selection and sustained contact with the audio waveform from a user associated with the mobile communication device. The device also enlarges a portion of the audio waveform based on the sustained contact with the audio waveform, and displays, via the display, the enlarged portion of the audio waveform. The device further enables the user to manipulate, via the display, the enlarged portion of the audio waveform, and provides, via a speaker, audible feedback associated with the manipulated enlarged portion of the audio waveform.
US08738084B2
This invention relates to a cellular basestation, and in particular to a basestation for a cellular communications network, that can conveniently be used to provide a cellular service, for example within a home or office.
US08738082B2
Device (10) comprising a communication network operator subscriber identity module (SIM) card (12) or a software-based network operator SIM (12) or means for receiving a communication network operator subscriber identity module (SIM) card (12). The device (10) also comprises a device vendor-specific subscriber identity module (SIM) card (16) or a software-based device vendor-specific SIM (16) and a control unit (20) arranged to connect said network operator SIM card (12) and/or said device vendor-specific SIM card (16) or said software-based device vendor-specific SIM (16) to a communication network.
US08738074B2
A mobile communications radio receiver for multiple radio network operation includes an RF unit for generating a first down-converted signal from a radio signal received from a first radio network and a second down-converted signal from a radio signal received from a second radio network. Further, the receiver includes a first receiving unit including a user data channel demodulator configured to demodulate a dedicated user data physical channel and a control channel demodulator configured to demodulate a common control data channel of the first radio network based on the first down-converted signal. Still further, the receiver includes a second receiving unit including a pilot channel demodulator configured to demodulate a pilot channel of the second radio network based on the second down-converted signal. A first data connection is configured to couple control data contained in the second down-converted signal to the control channel demodulator of the first receiving unit.
US08738073B2
Radio network technology and display thereof can be managed when multiple services and radio network technologies are available to a multi-technology mobile device. Management relies at least in part on a subscriber profile that comprises a network selection profile constructed through market policy, subscriber policy, and application policy for radio technology utilization. Network preference(s) profile is generated on per subscriber, or per subscriber type, basis and is conveyed to a subscriber station over the air. Initial subscriber profile can be delivered at a time of provisioning a multi-technology mobile device, and updated based at least upon subscriber demand, a schedule established by a network operator or service provider, or an event related to coverage area relocation or contracted services. Radio technology preferences and display of associated technologies available to a multi-technology mobile device can be dynamically controlled on a per-call and/or per-application basis.
US08738066B2
An electronic device may contain a transceiver that transmits and receives radio-frequency signals through antenna structures. Power amplifier circuitry may amplify the radio-frequency signals that are being transmitted. An adjustable voltage supply may supply an adjustable power amplifier bias voltage to the power amplifier circuitry. The power amplifier circuitry may include multiple power amplifiers each of which may handle signals transmitted using a different cellular telephone standard. For each cellular telephone standard, multiple modulation schemes may be supported. A power detector may provide real time measurements of output power. Control circuitry can adjust the transceiver circuitry based on the measurements of output power and can adjust the adjustable power amplifier bias voltage in real time to select an optimum power amplifier bias voltage based on the current cellular telephone standard, modulation scheme, power amplifier gain state, and operating frequency in use.
US08738064B2
In radio communication between a central unit in an airborne vehicle and a radio communication terminal, the central unit controls a setting of transmission power depending on the altitude of the airborne vehicle during climbing and descending flight using hysteresis.
US08738062B2
A system, components and methods provide controlled transmitter power in a wireless communication system in which both dedicated and shared channels are utilized. A network unit preferably has a receiver for receiving UL user data from WTRUs on UL DCHs and at least one UL SCH and a processor for computing target metrics for UL DCHs based on the reception of signals transmitted by a WTRU on an UL DCH associated with an UL SCH usable by the WTRU. A shared channel target metric generator is provided that is configured to output a respective UL SCH target metric derived from each computed UL DCH target metric. Each WTRU preferably has a processor which is configured to compute UL DCH power adjustments for an UL DCH associated with an UL SCH as a function of UL DCH target metrics computed by the network unit based on the reception of signals transmitted by the WTRU on the UL DCH and UL SCH power adjustments for the associated UL SCH as a function of the respective UL SCH target metrics output from the shared channel target metric generator. Preferably, the target metrics are target signal to interference ratios (SIRs).
US08738060B2
A method for circulating a message to a group of people, including sending a circulated message and a distribution list comprising identifiers for a plurality of mobile communicators, by a first mobile communicator, and sequentially receiving the circulated message and a distribution list, by a next mobile communicator, and, if the received distribution list is non-empty, then (i) selecting one of the mobile communicators identified in the distribution list, (ii) modifying the distribution list by removing the identifier of the selected mobile communicator therefrom, and (iii) sending the circulated message and the modified distribution list to the selected mobile communicator.
US08738057B2
A wireless terminal device (TA) receives a downlink signal that is repeatedly transmitted from a pre registered home repeater when requesting communication, specifies an idle channel based on idle channel information that is included in the downlink signal, and using the frequency of the uplink signal of the idle channel requests communication permission from the relay device that provides the idle channel. When communication permission cannot be received from the relay device from which communication permission was previously requested, the wireless terminal device (TA) uses the same frequency as the frequency of the downlink signal from the home repeater to transmit a signal to the wireless terminal device (TB) of an intended other party requesting communication.
US08738056B2
Systems and methodologies are described that generate pilots for signal acquisition in a wireless communication system based on time domain sequences. The pilots may be generated by a base station and transmitted in a pilot field to one or more access terminals to aid in signal acquisition at each of the access terminals. One of the pilots may be common to all access points in the wireless communication system, thereby allowing an access terminal to obtain a timing estimate for the system while minimizing the effects of interference variations between base stations. Further, one or more generated pilots may be unique to each access point in order to allow each respective access point to be identified by its generated pilots.
US08738054B2
A method for determining the validity of a most significant path in a wireless communication system wherein data is transmitted in frame units in a multipath environment begins by accumulating a correlated data sequence N times, each time at a frame offset apart from the previous time. A preliminary noise estimate (PNE) is calculated as an average of the accumulated data values. A preliminary noise threshold (PNT) is calculated according to the equation C1×PNE. A final noise estimate (FNE) is calculated as the average of accumulated data values below the PNT. A final noise threshold (FNT) is calculated according to the equation C2×FNE. The validity of the most significant path is determined if the most significant path value is greater than the FNT.
US08738053B2
Various aspects of a method and a system for finding a threshold for semi-orthogonal user group selection in multiuser MIMO downlink transmission are presented. Aspects of a system for semi-orthogonal user group selection may include a processor that computes an orthogonality measurement between one of a plurality of signals and at least one of a remaining portion of the plurality of signals. The processor may compare each of the orthogonality measurements to a threshold orthogonality value based on a computed probability. The processor may select a user group, based on the threshold orthogonality value, including one of the plurality of signals and one or more signals selected from the remaining portion of the plurality of signals.
US08738048B2
A mobile terminal is capable of updating user presence information in mobile instant messaging. The mobile terminal and associated method facilitate updating user presence information in multiple sessions of mobile instant messaging. The method includes: joining multiple IM communities; issuing a command for presence information update in relation to one of the multiple IM communities; and sending a request for presence information update to IM servers of two or more IM communities including the IM community indicated by the issued update command, among the multiple IM communities.
US08738045B2
The subject matter disclosed herein relates to a system and method for transmitting messages between a mobile station and a base station in a wireless communication network. In one example, a mobile station is adapted to selectively transmit an origination message in response to receipt of a page message from a base station attempting to initiate a mobile-terminated call. The origination message may initiate a mobile-originated call or session enabling a bi-directional exchange of messages in a single call.
US08738024B1
A system and method for delivering content within a boundary is described. The system includes a plurality of beacons, a location positioning module, and a networked component. The beacons transmit a signal containing identifying information. The location positioning module receives the beacon signal data communication from a wireless device. The location positioning module receives measured reference points that include a measured beacon identifier and a measured signal strength. The location positioning module uses the measured reference points to generate calculated signal strength values for at least one detected beacon, wherein some of the calculated signal strength values are associated with a geographic boundary. The location positioning module determines the location of the wireless device by comparing the beacon signal data to the calculated signal strength values. The networked component transmits to the wireless device a content item associated with the geographic boundary when the wireless device is within the geographic boundary.
US08738021B2
A particular method includes receiving first data via a first network at a device that is configured to receive the first data via the first network based on a first wireless communication subscription and is configured to receive second data via a second network based on a second wireless communication subscription. The method also includes while receiving the first data, determining that a tuneaway period associated with the second network has passed, where the tuneaway period is longer than a discontinuous reception (DRX) cycle length associated with the second network. The method further includes tuning a receiver of the device to a paging channel of the second network in response to passing of the tuneaway period.
US08738019B2
Systems and methods are disclosed that facilitate dynamically de-assigning resources and communication channels for transmitting messages indicative of resource de-assigning. Systems and method for generating and interpreting de-assignment messages are also provided.
US08738011B2
A measurement report method and apparatus of a user equipment is capable of improving system performance in a wireless communication system in which macro and Closed Subscriber Group (CSG) cells are co-located. An inter-frequency measurement report method of a user equipment in a wireless communication system including macro and Closed Subscriber Group (CSG) cells according to the present invention includes performing measurements for all cells identified by unique Physical Cell Identifiers (PCIs); determining whether at least one cell of which measurement fulfills inter-frequency measurement report events; checking, if at least one cell of which measurement fulfills inter-frequency measurement report events, a type of a best cell among the at least one cell in measurement; and transmitting, if the best cell is a macro cell or an accessible CSG cell, the inter-frequency measurement report to a serving base station.
US08738008B2
The present invention provides methods for controlling mobility state evaluation of user equipment and user equipment thereof. The method comprises the following steps: when the user equipment receives different evaluation parameters in a process of mobility state evaluation, the user equipment explicitly defines the currently set mobility state and a method for the following mobility state evaluation so as to avoid the confusion effectively when executing evaluation. The user equipment comprises a comparing module, an evaluation controlling module and an evaluation executing module, wherein the evaluation executing module comprises of a timer, a counter, an evaluation unit and a mobility state setting unit.
US08738006B2
A mobile terminal communicating with a plurality of cells, including a serving cell, has a control unit. The control unit performs at least one control of (a) a first control for causing a path search unit to detect a path for the serving cell more preferentially than paths for cells other than the serving cell, (b) a second control for causing a finger assignment unit to assign a path detected for the serving cell preferentially over paths detected for cells other than the serving cell to a plurality of fingers, and(c) a third control for causing a reference frequency adjustment unit to adjust reference frequency so that the reference frequency is approximated to reference frequency of a base station controlling the serving cell.
US08737996B2
A communication system of the invention includes a communication terminal correctable to first and second communication networks, and a controller for controlling service provision to the communication terminal according to which one of the first and second communication networks the communication terminal is connected to. The communication terminal includes: a reception determination unit for determining a reception condition of a control signal transmitted from the first communication network; and a notification transmitter for transmitting, to the controller, a notification indicating that the control signal can be received when the reception condition satisfies a certain requirement. The controller includes: a detector for detecting that the communication terminal can receive the control signal according to the notification; and a connection determination unit for determining that the communication terminal is connected to the first communication network when the communication terminal can receive the control signal while being connected to the second communication network.
US08737992B1
In a signal processing method, an input signal is provided at an input to a receiver. A bandwidth of the receiver is controlled to a predetermined wideband setting. For band in a plurality of frequency bands, the input signal is processed at the receiver with a mixer, an amplifier, and a filter, to generate a first processed signal, and a power spectral density of the processed signal is generated over that frequency band, to provide a frequency domain signal for that frequency band. Based on the frequency domain signals corresponding to each frequency band in the plurality of frequency bands, a frequency domain representation of the processed signal is reconstructed over a reconstruction band having a bandwidth larger than the predetermined wideband setting. Based on the reconstructed frequency domain representation, a spectral component is identified corresponding to at least one cellular telephony access mode.
US08737989B2
Methods and apparatus enabling a wireless network to provide differentiated services to a machine-to-machine (M2M) client. In one embodiment, the wireless network comprises a UMTS network, and the Home Location Register (HLR) entity identifies subscriptions as machine-to-machine (M2M) enabled devices based on flags or other descriptors associated with each M2M device, and imposes one or more rule sets (e.g., service restrictions) based on this identification. The classification of M2M devices within the HLR may optionally include additional capability or profile data for the M2M device (e.g. static, low mobility, low data activity, etc.). Various other network entities may use the M2M identification to modify the delivered data service, so as to optimize network resources. Furthermore, monitoring of M2M client behavior can be used to detect and notify the network operator of abnormal, fraudulent, or malicious activity. Business methods utilizing the aforementioned methods and apparatus are also disclosed.
US08737987B1
What is disclosed is a method of operating a communication system. The method includes receiving roaming call records for wireless communication devices from a roaming wireless communication network. The method also includes processing the roaming call records and home call records of a home wireless communication network for at least a first wireless communication device to determine a network handover count, and processing the network handover count to determine a network rescan rate for the first wireless communication device. The method also includes transferring the network rescan rate for delivery to the first wireless communication device.
US08737978B1
Improved approaches for users of electronic devices to communicate with one another are disclosed. The electronic devices have audio and/or textual output capabilities. The improved approaches can enable users to communicate in different ways depending on device configuration, user preferences, prior history, etc. In one embodiment, the communication between users is achieved by short audio or textual messages.
US08737969B2
A method for providing a descriptor of a location to a recipient includes receiving location data of the location from a user and using the location data to identify a plurality of regions near or including the location. Each region is associated with a descriptor. The recipient's level of familiarity with each of the regions is determined and a region is selected based on the recipient's level of familiarity with the selected region. Once the region is selected, the descriptor associated with the selected region is provided to the recipient via the user.
US08737966B2
A mobile device and a method support a touch semi-lock state. When entering into the touch semi-lock state, a predefined hot menu including items and a touch-lock icon are provided on a touch screen. An output area of the touch-lock icon on the touch screen is defined as a touch event allowable region. A specific item of the hot menu is selected in response to a user input that moves the touch-lock icon onto the specific item. A particular end-user function corresponding to the selected item is activated.
US08737962B2
A system and method for preventing illicit use of a telephony platform that includes enrolling a plurality of accounts on a telecommunications platform, wherein an account includes account configuration; at a fraud detection system of the telecommunications platform, receiving account usage data, wherein the usage data includes at least communication configuration data and billing configuration data of account configuration and further includes communication history of the plurality of accounts; calculating fraud scores of a set of fraud rules from the usage data, wherein at least a sub-set of the fraud rules include conditions of usage data patterns between at least two accounts; detecting when the fraud scores of an account satisfy a fraud threshold; and initiating an action response when a fraud score satisfies the fraud threshold.
US08737957B2
A method and network system for obtaining, from a management entity, a bill-by-account service policy applicable to a device group managed at least in part by the management entity, the device group including a plurality of devices including a particular device identified by a particular credential, the bill-by-account service policy comprising classification and accounting policies; identifying wireless access network data traffic associated with the particular device; based on the classification policy, identifying a particular service activity within the wireless access network data traffic, the particular service activity being a bill-by-account service activity; obtaining a record comprising the particular credential and a usage measure indicating a wireless access network usage associated with the particular service activity; and, based on the accounting policy, allocating the usage measure to an account associated with an entity that is financially responsible for usage of the wireless access network associated with the device group.
US08737954B2
Equipment and methods for facilitating service provisioning in a system that includes a payment processor, a number of service providers and a mediator that mediates information exchange between the payment processor and service providers, and a mobile terminal operated by payment card holder. In some disclosed embodiments, service provisioning can be facilitated in cases wherein the payment processor must reside in a strictly regulated Payment Card Industry (PCI) compliant environment and the service providers operate servers that are not PCI-compliant.
US08737944B2
An antenna array for a mobile communications system comprises a plurality of receive paths and a calibration signal processor. The receive paths are connected between an antenna elements and an analogue-to-digital converters. The calibration signal processor comprises a cross-analyzer for cross-analyzing the digitized receive signals of the plurality of receive paths with each other, an averager for forming a temporal average of an output of the cross-analyzer, the temporal average indicating a receive signal relationship between the digitized receive signals of the plurality of receive paths, wherein the calibration signal processor is adapted to use the temporal average of the receive signal relationship to calibrate of at least one of the plurality of receive paths. A corresponding method and corresponding computer program products usable during manufacture and operation are also disclosed.
US08737942B2
A method and system for pre-distorting a dual band signal to compensate for distortion of a non-linear power amplifier in a radio transmitter are disclosed. In one embodiment, a first and second signal of the dual band signal are up-sampled at a sampling rate that is based at least in part on the bandwidth of at least one of the first and second signals and based at least in part on an intermediate frequency by which the first and second signal are tuned before pre-distortion of the tuned signals.
US08737941B2
A system, such as a transceiver, for controlling an adjustable power level includes first and second power detectors, a network of attenuators, a compensator, a comparator, and a controller. The first power detector measures the power of a signal. The network of attenuators receives the signal and generates an attenuated signal. The compensator receives the attenuated signal and generates a compensated signal. The second power detector measures the power of the compensated signal. The comparator receives the respective outputs from the first and second power detectors and generates a first error signal. The controller enables the fixed attenuation, correspondingly adjusts the variable attenuation, receives a second error signal, and provides a control signal to the network of attenuators to nullify an attenuation mismatch introduced between the fixed attenuation and the variable attenuation. A corresponding method for controlling an adjustable power level is also disclosed.
US08737939B1
A measurement signal, the measurement signal indicative of a bias in a signal received via a communication channel, is generated. A detection signal, the detection signal indicative of presence of an unmodulated radio frequency (RF) carrier prior to a communication frame in the signal received via the communication channel, is generated using the measurement signal.
US08737938B2
A linearizer for a non-linear transmitter includes a tap delay line that provides samples of an input signal at selected times. At least one Volterra tap is coupled to the tape delay line. The Volterra tap includes a lookup table representation of a polynomial. An adaptive controller is coupled to the Volterra tap for modifying values in the lookup table.
US08737924B2
A method to trigger in-device coexistence (IDC) interference mitigation is provided. A wireless device comprises a first radio module and a co-located second radio module. The first radio module measures a received radio signal based on a plurality of sampling instances. A control entity obtains Tx/Rx activity of the second radio module and informs Tx/Rx timing information to the first radio module. The first radio module determines a measurement result based on the obtained timing information. The first radio module triggers an IDC interference mitigation mechanism if the measurement result satisfies a configurable condition. In one embodiment, the first radio module reports IDC interference information and traffic pattern information of the second radio module to a base station for network-assisted coexistence interference mitigation. The IDC triggering mechanism prevents unnecessary and arbitrary IDC request from the device and thus improves network efficiency.
US08737919B2
A video display apparatus and a method of setting user viewing conditions of the same are disclosed. A video display apparatus includes a Bluetooth module detecting a peripheral Bluetooth terminal via inquiry scan/response and acquiring address information of the detected Bluetooth terminal, a control unit loading user profile of the detected Bluetooth terminal and setting user viewing conditions based on the loaded user profile, a profile database storing the user profile of the detected Bluetooth terminal and user profile setting menu managing the user profile, a tuner receiving a broadcasting program based on the set user viewing conditions, a video/audio processor processing the received broadcasting program into video and audio signals based on the set user viewing conditions, and a display unit displaying the processes video signal and outputting the user profile setting menu as OSD message.
US08737915B2
In identification devices having a contactlessly readable data carrier (20 equipped with an antenna (17), the antenna (17) assigned to the data carrier (20) is formed by an electrically conductive part of the identification device (10) with a slit (18) provided therein, making the antenna (17) an integral component of the identification device (10), and making a separate antenna (17) redundant.
US08737911B2
In one embodiment, a method for providing echo cancellation in a wireless repeater includes: adding the pilot signal to a transmit signal; receiving a receive signal being the sum of a remote signal, a feedback pilot signal and a feedback transmit signal; cancelling the feedback transmit signal from the receive signal using a currently available feedback channel estimate and generating a first echo cancelled signal; generating an updated feedback channel estimate using the first echo cancelled signal and the pilot signal as a reference signal; cancelling the feedback transmit signal and the feedback pilot signal from the receive signal using the updated feedback channel estimate and generating a second echo cancelled signal; and amplifying the second echo cancelled signal as the transmit signal. In another embodiment, the feedback pilot signal is cancelled from the first echo cancelled signal using the updated feedback channel estimate to generate the second echo cancelled signal.
US08737905B2
An image forming apparatus and a driver for the image forming apparatus are provided. The image forming apparatus includes: a first communication section configured to receive print data; a printing section configured to perform a duplex printing including printing N sheets on first sides thereof and subsequently printing M sheets on second sides thereof, wherein M is equal to or smaller than N; a setting section configured to set the value of N; and a control section configured to control the printing section to perform the duplex printing in accordance with the value of N set by the setting section. The value of N may be set based on a communication speed of the print data when acquired by the acquisition section.
US08737898B2
There is provided a fixing device for thermally fixing a developing agent image to a sheet. The fixing device includes a tubular flexible member, a heater, a nip member, a reflection plate, a backup member, a stay and a temperature sensor. The flexible member has an inner peripheral surface defining an internal space. The heater is disposed in the internal space and is configured to generate a radiant heat. The nip member is disposed in the internal space, the inner peripheral surface being in sliding contact with the nip member. The reflection plate is configured to reflect the radiant heat from the heater toward the nip member, the reflection plate having an outer profile. The backup member is configured to provide a nip region in cooperation with the nip member for nipping the flexible member between the backup member and the nip member. The stay covers the reflection plate and supports the nip member, the stay having a profile in conformance with the outer profile of the reflection plate, and the stay being formed with one of a through-hole and a notch. The temperature sensor is disposed in the internal space and extends through the one of the through-hole and the notch.
US08737888B2
A development device includes: a developer carrier that is positioned to oppose an electrostatic latent image carrier and that supplies a developer to the electrostatic latent image carrier; a developer supply member that is positioned to oppose the developer carrier and that supplies the developer to the developer carrier; a developer charging member that is positioned to oppose the developer supply member and that charges the developer.
US08737885B1
In a digital printer a developer element is provided that inks charge images on a charge image carrier with toner. A feed system is provided to apply liquid developer with the toner onto the developer element. The cleaning unit is provided with a cleaning element to clean off residual liquid developer remaining on the developer element after the development of the charge images. A scraping unit rests on the cleaning element made up of a double blade arranged in a blade mount. The double blade provides a cleaning blade and a sealing blade that together form a blade chamber that is filled with fluid. The cleaning blade has at least one row of holes adjacent to a blade edge of the cleaning blade.
US08737882B2
A driving force transmission mechanism comprising a photosensitive drum driving member, wherein the photosensitive drum driving member is engaged with an image forming apparatus driving member and receives the driving force from the image forming apparatus driving member; the image forming apparatus driving member comprises a triangular groove having a triangular cross-section and driving force transmission portion disposed in three vertex angles of the triangular groove; the photosensitive drum driving member comprises a non-distorting protrusion which is axially extended from the end face of a drum shaft and engaged with the groove on the image forming apparatus driving member; the protrusion has a position-limiting mechanism and a stressed mechanism; a projecting tooth obliquely disposed on said non-distorting protrusion is taken as the stressed mechanism; and each projecting tooth also has a mating surface which is engaged with the driving force transmission component to transmit the driving force.
US08737880B2
An image forming device includes a casing formed with an opening, a pivot member pivotably disposed in the casing so as to be selectively opened and closed, a cover disposed outward of the pivot member, a lock mechanism that maintains a closed state of the pivot member, a link mechanism and a first roller and a second roller that together convey a recording medium, the first roller being supported by the pivot member, wherein the first roller moves away from the second roller when the pivot member is in the opened state.
US08737873B2
There is provided a cartridge including an image carrier, a first frame, a second frame, a peeling member and a pressing portion. The first frame has a pair of first wall portions rotatably supporting the image carrier and a second wall portion extending along an axis direction of the image carrier to connect the pair of first wall portions. The second frame is attached to the first frame so as to cover the image carrier. The peeling member has a peeling portion projecting from the second wall portion toward the image carrier and being configured to peel off a sheet from the image carrier by the peeling portion. The pressing portion is provided to the second frame, which is configured to move the peeling portion closer to the image carrier by pressing and elastically deforming the second wall portion.
US08737860B2
According to one embodiment, an image forming apparatus includes an image forming portion, a fixer, a control operation selection portion which selects any one of a monochrome control operation of keeping the fixing temperature at a first temperature at which a monochrome image can be fixed, and a color control operation of keeping the fixing temperature at a second temperature higher than the first temperature, and a controller. In the state in which the monochrome control operation is selected, when the fixing temperature reaches the first temperature during rise, the controller executes a monochrome ready display and the monochrome control operation, the controller raises the fixing temperature up to the second temperature to print the color image when printing of a color image is instructed while the monochrome control operation is executed, and the controller executes the monochrome control operation after printing the color image.
US08737857B2
A detecting apparatus is to at least assist in determining the concentration of colorants within a carrier liquid. The colorants at least absorb light and/or diverge light. The detecting apparatus includes one or more light sources to emit light, and one or more light detectors to detect light. The light sources and the light detectors are positionally configured in relation to one another such that both light directly emitted by the light sources and that has not been absorbed or diverged by the colorants, as well as light diverged by the colorants within the carrier liquid, are detected and/or determined. The concentration of colorants is determined based on the light directly emitted by the light sources that has not been absorbed or diverged by the colorants and/or on the light diverged by the colorants within the carrier liquid.
US08737851B2
An image forming apparatus includes: a photoconductor; a charger configured to charge the photoconductor, the charger having a discharge wire and a grid; a charge-voltage applying device configured to generate charge voltage and apply the charge voltage to the discharge wire; and an abnormal-discharge detector provided between an output end portion of the charge-voltage applying device and the ground. The abnormal-discharge detector is configured to detect an abnormal discharge occurring in the charger by detecting an abnormal current passing via the grid and the ground upon occurrence of the abnormal discharge.
US08737836B2
An auxiliary graph representing connection relations between nodes on a plurality of lightpaths in an optical network is created using a plurality of edges each connecting a pair of nodes. The plurality of lightpaths includes first lightpaths existing in the optical network and the second lightpaths to be set to accommodate traffic that is newly generated for the optical network. Each of the plurality of edges is assigned a weight value indicating a magnitude of increase in power consumption of network devices allocated to the each edge. For start and end nodes, a minimum weight path that has a path weight value minimum among paths each being a continuous sequence of edges that starts from the start node and reaches the end node is obtained, where the path weight value is a total sum of weight values assigned to the continuous sequence of edges.
US08737832B1
A flicker band automated detection system and method are presented. In one embodiment an incidental motion mitigation exposure setting method includes receiving image input information; performing a motion mitigating flicker band automatic detection process; and implementing exposure settings based upon results of the motion mitigating flicker band automatic detection process. The auto flicker band detection process includes performing a motion mitigating process on an illumination intensity indication. Content impacts on an the motion mitigated illumination intensity indication are minimized. The motion mitigated illumination intensity indication is binarized. A correlation of the motion mitigated illumination intensity and a reference illumination intensity frequency is established.
US08737831B2
A digital photographing apparatus that supports a fast multi-autofocusing (AF) method, in which, when AF peaks of a subject of a central multi-point and a subject of a nearest multi-point are detected, further scanning is not performed. In addition, scanning is not performed on a region from which it is difficult to detect a peak, so that fast and accurate AF may be performed.
US08737826B2
There is provided a smoke generating device for use with a vaporizing material. The smoke generating device includes a housing defining an inner chamber configured to receive the vaporizing material, and a heating element disposed within the housing. A capillary is disposed within the inner chamber and is in thermal communication with the heating element. The capillary includes opposed first and second end portions, with the first end portion being disposable in the vaporizing material and the second end portion defining an opening in fluid communication with the internal chamber. The capillary is configured to convey the vaporizing material to the heating element. An inlet conduit in fluid communication with the inner chamber and fluidly connectable to a pressurized fluid source, and an outlet conduit in fluid communication with the inner chamber and configured to convey vapor from the inner chamber.
US08737823B2
A disk reproducing device which is connected to a television device meeting an HDMI standard and is operable to output information data that has a native format and is recorded on a disk to the television device, includes: an obtaining unit, operable to obtain an EDID including video resolution information which is transmitted from the television device; a discriminating unit, operable to discriminate whether or not the native format is present in the video resolution information; and an outputting unit, operable to output the information data to the television device in the native format, in a case where the discriminating unit discriminates that the native format is present in the video resolution information.
US08737819B2
The present disclosure relates to an electronic device and a media contents reproducing method thereof. An electronic device according to an embodiment of the present disclosure may include a reproducing unit configured to reproduce media contents; and a controller configured to generate a control signal in response to an adjustment command for a reproduction speed of the media contents. The reproducing unit may include an audio parser configured to parse an audio stream of the media contents to detect its sampling rate; and an audio decoder configured to change an inverse sampling rate corresponding to the detected sampling rate according to the control signal, and decode the audio stream based on the changed inverse sampling rate.
US08737817B1
A system and method provide a soundtrack recommendation service for recommending one or more soundtrack for a video (i.e., a probe video). A feature extractor of the recommendation service extracts a set of content features of the probe video and generates a set of semantic features represented by a signature vector of the probe video. A video search module of the recommendation service is configured to search for a number of video candidates, each of which is semantically similar to the probe video and has an associated soundtrack. A video outlier identification module of the recommendation service identifies video candidates having an atypical use of their soundtracks and ranks the video candidates based on the typicality of their soundtrack usage. A soundtrack recommendation module selects the soundtracks of the top ranked video candidates as the soundtrack recommendations to the probe video.
US08737812B2
According to one embodiment, a content playback apparatus includes a playback module, a decision module, and a management module. The playback module is configured to play back a content includes components selected from moving picture data, image data, sound data and text data, thereby to produce video data and audio data. The decision module is configured to determine, based on a state of the content playback apparatus, whether the components of the content can be viewed and listened to. The management module is configured to manage video-audio management data includes data items based on a decision result of the decision module, each data item representing whether a video or audio data item has been viewed or listened to.
US08737808B2
A method for previewing and retrieving a video is disclosed. The method includes: (101) setting a variable-length buffer sequence; (102) acquiring and processing a video file to obtain images; (103) detecting scene shots in the obtained images and key frames of the scene shots, and storing the detected scene shots and key frames into the variable-length buffer sequence; and (104) acquiring the scene shots and key frames from the variable-length buffer sequence, matching and comparing the scene shots and key frames with a specified target image to perform image retrieval. A mobile terminal for previewing and retrieving a video is further disclosed. With the technical solution, content preview and fast retrieval of a video file are achieved in a mobile terminal with relatively limited processing capacity and memory resources.
US08737807B2
A start position and an end position of a sliding operation along a direction in which the main subject moves in the video image is detected respectively as a first position and a second position. It is controlled so as to play a video image over a range between the first position and the second position. The video image constituted with the plurality of images starting with the first image and ending with the second image is played along a forward direction if the first image with the main subject at the first position precedes the second image with the main subject at the second position, and the video image constituted with the plurality of images starting with the first image and ending with the second image is played along a reverse direction if the first image follows the second image.
US08737804B2
The disclosure concerns methods of playback of a video stream comprising: receiving from a first user device first media content associated with said video stream; associating with said first media content a time stamp indicating the time at which said first media content is received with respect to a reference time associated with said video stream; and during delayed playback of said video stream on a second user device, transmitting, at the time indicated by said time stamp, said first media content for display by said second user device.
US08737801B2
A networked personal video recording (“PVR”) system couples a plurality of clients to one or more PVR media servers over a network. One or more PVR media servers include television tuners to tune television signals. A storage medium buffers the television signals to implement PVR functionality. For example, the PVR media server records television programs for clients. Clients are assigned to television tuners, and the clients display television programs received at the assigned tuner. The network transfers the buffered television signals to the clients.
US08737796B2
A telecommunications device includes a main housing body having a major wall and a plurality of minor walls that extend outwardly from the major wall. A cover mounts to the main housing body at a location opposite the major wall. A connection interface is disposed between the cover and at least one of the minor walls. The connection interface allows the cover to be slid relative to the minor walls in a direction that is generally parallel to the major wall between an uncaptured position and a captured position. At least one telecommunications component is mounted within the main housing body. A first cable manager defines an opening for receiving a fiber optic cable. The first cable manager includes a first portion connected to the main housing body and a second portion connected to the cover.
US08737779B2
An optical wavelength multi/demultiplexer having transmission characteristics with a higher rectangular degree than a conventional one includes an AWG and two-stage lattice circuit. An example of a two-stage lattice circuit according to the present invention includes an input waveguide, a third optical coupler, a third and fourth arm waveguides, a second optical coupler, a first and second arm waveguides, a first optical coupler, and output waveguides. The optical path length differences between the third and fourth arm waveguides and between the first and second arm waveguides are designed to be ΔL. The path passing the third and first arm waveguides differs by 2·ΔL in optical length from that the fourth and second arm waveguides. The paths passing the third and second arm waveguides and passing the fourth and first arm waveguides differ by ΔL from that passing the fourth and second arm waveguides.
US08737778B2
The invention relates to an electro-static variable optical attenuator suitable for use in a small form factor pluggable module. A short cladding suppressing fiber, such as a double clad optical fiber, dissipates attenuated light coupled to the cladding to reduce modal interference in the output light, while also reducing PDL and WDL introduced by the off set attenuation mechanism.
US08737774B2
Methods and apparatus enable monitoring conditions in a well-bore using multiple cane-based sensors. The apparatus includes an array of cane-based Bragg grating sensors located in a single conduit for use in the well-bore. For some embodiments, each sensor is located at a different linear location along the conduit allowing for increased monitoring locations along the conduit.
US08737772B2
An optical device includes a light-transmitting medium positioned on a base. The light-transmitting medium includes a slab region and a ridge extending upward from the slab region. The ridge defines a portion of an optical waveguide on the device. A modulator is also positioned on the base. The modulator includes a first doped region of the light-transmitting medium and a second doped region of the light-transmitting medium. The first doped region and the second doped region are configured such that a depletion region forms in the waveguide when an electrical bias is not applied to the modulator. At least a portion of the first doped region is positioned in the ridge and at least a portion of the second doped region is positioned in the slab region. The light-transmitting medium includes a first electrical pathway extending from a first location to the first doped region. The first location is on top of the light-transmitting medium and is spaced apart from the ridge.
US08737769B2
A dense guide image or signal is used to inform the reconstruction of a target image from a sparse set of target points. The guide image and the set of target points are assumed to be derived from a same real world subject or scene. Potential discontinuities (e.g., tears, edges, gaps, etc.) are first detected in the guide image. The potential discontinuities may be borders of Voronoi regions, perhaps computed using a distance in data space (e.g., color space). The discontinuities and sparse set of points are used to reconstruct the target image. Specifically, pixels of the target image may be interpolated smoothly between neighboring target points, but where neighboring target points are separated by a discontinuity, the interpolation may jump abruptly (e.g., by adjusting or influencing relaxation) at the discontinuity. The target points may be used to select only a subset of the discontinuities to be used during reconstruction.
US08737766B2
A method and apparatus for providing image processing. For one embodiment of the invention, an image processing apparatus is arranged to process a first relatively underexposed and sharp image of a scene, and a second relatively well exposed and blurred image, nominally of the same scene, the first and second images being derived from respective image sources. The apparatus provides a portion of the relatively first underexposed image as an input signal to an adaptive filter; and a corresponding portion of the second relatively well exposed image as a desired signal to the adaptive filter. The adaptive filter produces an output signal from the input signal and the desired signal; and an image generator constructs a first filtered image from the output signal, relatively less blurred than the second image.
US08737760B2
An image processing method and to an arrangement for implementing the method. The method includes filtering the original image with a low-pass filter for forming a low-pass filtered image, creating a high-pass filtered image by subtracting the low-pass filtered image from the original image, forming intermediate values from the created high-pass filtered image based on column-wise selection of pixel values in the suppression of column noise and row-wise selection of pixel values in the suppression of row noise, and subtracting formed intermediate values column-by-column and row-by-row from the original image. The arrangement includes a non-linear, one-dimensional digital finite impulse response filter, a computing unit for column-wise or row-wise formation of intermediate values, an image storage unit and a subtraction unit.
US08737753B2
The restoration of images by vector quantization utilizing visual patterns is disclosed. One disclosed embodiment comprises restoring detail in a transition region of an unrestored image, by first identifying the transition region and forming blurred visual pattern blocks. These blurred visual pattern blocks are compared to a pre-trained codebook, and a corresponding high-quality visual pattern blocks is obtained. The high-quality visual pattern block is then blended with the unrestored image to form a restored image.
US08737744B2
An image processing apparatus prints a processing instruction sheet for instructing to perform processing on a document to be processed. The processing instruction sheet is printed only when a processing region displayed by a display unit and a content of processing to be performed thereon are determine to be the same as those instructed by a user.
US08737740B2
There is provided an information processing apparatus for detecting a foreground portion from an acquired image. Feature-amount information of a past acquired image and likelihood information indicating a probability that a subject is represented is stored as background-model information. A foreground region is detected based on the likelihood information and a result of comparing the feature amount extracted from the acquired image with the feature-amount information contained in the background-model information. For each of the detected foreground region, a likelihood indicating a probability that the region represents the subject is calculated based on information prepared in advance related to the subject.
US08737728B2
An apparatus and method to facilitate finding complementary recommendations are disclosed herein. One or more fashion trend or pleasing color combination rules are determined based on data obtained from one or more sources. One or more template images and rule triggers corresponding to the fashion trend or pleasing color combination rules are generated, each of the rule triggers associated with at least one of the template images. A processor compares a first image attribute of a particular one of the template images to a second image attribute of each of a plurality of inventory images corresponding to the plurality of inventory items to identify the inventory items complementary to the query image. The particular one of the template images is selected based on the rule trigger corresponding to the particular one of the template images being applicable for a query image.
US08737723B1
An image processing module infers depth from a stereo image pair according to a multi-scale energy minimization process. A stereo image pair is progressively downsampled to generate a pyramid of downsampled image pairs of varying resolution. Starting with the coarsest downsampled image pair, a disparity map is generated that reflects displacement between corresponding pixels in the stereo image pair. The disparity map is then progressively upsampled. At each upsampling stage, the disparity labels are refined according to an energy function. The disparity labels provide depth information related to surfaces depicted in the stereo image pair.
US08737715B2
The subject invention concerns methods for the detection, diagnosis, and/or prognosis of cancer by analyzing centrosomal features. In one embodiment, a method includes receiving an image of one or more cells; selecting a region of interest in one cell; segmenting the region of interest to delineate at least one centrosomal; extracting one or more features from the segmented image; and analyzing the extracted features to diagnose cancer. In another embodiment, the progression of cancer can be predicted through analysis and classification of the extracted features. In one embodiment, the method can be performed by a quantitative cancer analysis system including a diagnosis module and/or a prognosis module. In one embodiment, the method can be performed using an image processing system.
US08737712B2
A computer-implemented system and method of determining anterior commissure (AC) and posterior commissure (PC) points in a volumetric neuroradiological image. The method includes determining, by a computer, a mid-sagittal plane estimate to extract a mid-sagittal plane image from the volumetric neuroradiological image, and AC and PC point estimates in the mid-sagittal plane image. The method further includes determining, by the computer, a refined mid-sagittal plane estimate from the AC and PC point estimates to extract a refined mid-sagittal plane image, the AC point from the refined mid-sagittal plane image, and the PC point from the refined mid-sagittal plane image and the AC point.
US08737709B2
Embodiments disclosed herein include methods, systems, and devices for determining a positive or negative correlation between a clinical outcome and one or more features of biological tissue. An exemplary user interface enables a user to select a clinical outcome and one or more aspects of a displayed field-of-view of biological tissue. Exemplary embodiments may automatically perform correlation analysis between the selected clinical outcome and one or more features characteristic of the user-selected aspects of the field-of-view of biological tissue. For example, exemplary embodiments may automatically perform correlation analysis between the selected clinical outcome and one or more features characteristic of one or more biological units in the biological tissue.
US08737702B2
Systems and methods providing automated extraction of information contained in video data and uses thereof are described. In particular, systems and associated methods are described that provide techniques for extracting data embedded in video, for example measurement-value pairs of medical videos, for use in a variety of applications, for example video indexing, searching and decision support applications.
US08737701B2
A method is disclosed for reconstructing image data of a moving examination object from measured data, the measured data having been acquired during a rotating movement of a radiation source of a computed tomography system around the examination object. In at least one embodiment, first image data are determined from the measured data. Movement information is determined from the first image data by forming the difference between images. Time instants of little movement of the examination object are determined from the movement information, the determined time instants being dependent on the location or site within the examination object. Finally, second image data are reconstructed taking the determined time instants into account. These data can be output as result images.
US08737690B2
A method and a system for determining a parking angle violation includes receiving video data from a sequence of frames taken from an image capture device monitoring a parking area. The method further includes determining a first line in a current frame where the line represents a nominal orientation of the parking area. The method includes detecting a presence of a vehicle in the parking area. The method includes determining a second line in the frame where the line represents the orientation of the detected vehicle. The method further includes computing an angle between the first and second lines. The method includes determining whether the detected vehicle is violating a parking regulation based on the computed angle.
US08737688B2
A method is provided in which a tag is affixed to a known individual that is to be identified within a known field of view of an image capture system. The tag is a physical tag comprising at least a known feature. Subsequent to affixing the tag to the known individual, image data is captured within the known field of view of the image capture system, which is then provided to a processor. Image analysis is performed on the captured image data to detect the at least a known feature. In dependence upon detecting the at least a known feature, an occurrence of the known individual within the captured image data is identified.
US08737683B2
The present invention pertains to geographical image processing of time-dependent imagery. Various assets acquired at different times are stored and processing according to acquisition date in order to generate one or more image tiles for a geographical region of interest. The different image tiles are sorted based on asset acquisition date. Multiple image tiles for the same region of interest may be available. In response to a user request for imagery as of a certain date, one or more image tiles associated with assets from prior to that date are used to generate a time-based geographical image for the user.
US08737674B2
A housed loudspeaker array includes a first substrate having a plurality of loudspeaker elements formed therein, a second substrate fixed at a first surface of the first substrate in a flip-chip manner and comprising a plurality of orifices that are aligned with the loudspeaker elements of the plurality of loudspeaker elements of the first substrate, and a cover applied to a second surface of the first substrate opposite to the first surface. A method for manufacturing the housed loudspeaker array is also disclosed.
US08737673B2
Provided is a hidden speaker apparatus used as a sound apparatus in a digital TV. The hidden speaker apparatus includes a high range speaker that is disposed such that a sound output direction and a direction to a front side where a listener is present form an acute angle. The high range speaker mitigates high range sound attenuation of the hidden speaker apparatus.
US08737669B2
An earpiece with structure for positioning and retaining the earpiece and with structure for sealing against the entrance to the ear canal to provide passive noise attenuation. The positioning and retaining structure engages features of the lateral surface of the ear. The structure for sealing against the entrance to the ear canal includes a conical structure.
US08737664B2
Systems, apparatus and methods are discussed for controlling resonance in in-the-ear headphones. Resonance effects resulting from wave reflection and superposition can occur in the cavity formed by the port tube of an earbud and the wearer's ear canal. In this invention, acoustically resistive structures are provided to create sound diffusion in the cavity. In one embodiment, a spring coil with several adjustable parameters is inserted into the port tube. In another embodiment, a pattern of grooves is carved into the inner surface of the port tube. Porous filters can also be used in conjunction with both of the embodiments described above. The result of providing the resistive structures in an earbud is a flattened cavity frequency response and improved sound quality.
US08737661B2
There is provided a narrow directional condenser microphone having an acoustic tube, in which a condenser microphone unit having a large effective diaphragm area is arranged on the rear end portion side of the acoustic tube to achieve high sensitivity without an increase in the diameter of the acoustic tube. In a narrow directional condenser microphone in which a unidirectional condenser microphone unit configured by arranging a diaphragm and a backplate opposedly via a spacer is arranged on the rear end side of an acoustic tube 10, the narrow directional condenser microphone is provided with a unit pair assembly 20 configured by opposedly combining two of the condenser microphone units 20R and 20L with the diaphragm side thereof being parallel to each other, and the unit pair assembly 20 is arranged on the rear end side of the acoustic tube 10 in such a manner that the condenser microphone units 20R and 20L are arranged symmetrically with respect to the tube axis X of the acoustic tube 10.
US08737656B2
A hearing device has a signal-processing apparatus for processing an input signal into an output signal, and a feedback-canceller apparatus for reducing feedback artifacts on the basis of the input signal and the output signal. The feedback-canceller apparatus has an adaptive, first filter, for establishing a set of filter coefficients for a predefined feedback situation. The feedback-canceller apparatus is configured to store the set of filter coefficients. It has at least one second filter, which can be operated directly parallel to the first filter on the basis of the stored set of filter coefficients. The adaptive, first filter can be continuously adapted to a current feedback situation, and the feedback-canceller apparatus is configured such that in the current feedback situation it automatically selects either the first or the second filter. As a result, it generally only requires a simple switchover, but not a complete adaptation.
US08737654B2
Disclosed herein, among other things, are methods and apparatus for improved noise reduction for hearing assistance devices. In various embodiments, a hearing assistance device includes a microphone and a processor configured to receive signals from the microphone. The processor is configured to perform noise reduction which adjusts maximum gain reduction as a function of signal-to-noise ratio (SNR), and which reduces the strength of its maximum gain reduction for intermediate signal-to-noise ratio levels to reduce speech distortion. In various embodiments, the hearing assistance device includes a memory configured to log noise reduction data for user environments. Also provided are methods to further adjust the noise reduction based on the logged information.
US08737652B2
A method for operating a hearing device and a hearing device are provided. Electrical acoustic signals are generated by the hearing device from a recorded ambient sound, the electrical signals being weighted according to their degree of matching with a predefinable acoustic signal class and being mixed together to form an output sound signal. The weight of the acoustic signal is greater or lesser, the greater the extent of the degree of matching.
US08737649B2
The present invention relates to a bone conduction device for enhancing a recipient's hearing. The device may include an input configured to receive sound signals and generate a plurality of signals representative of the sound signals, an electronics module configured to receive the plurality of signals and having a first control setting configured to control a first characteristic of at least one of the plurality of signals and a second control setting configured to control a second characteristic of the at least one of the plurality of signals, a vibrator configured to receive the plurality of signals representative of the sound signals and transmit vibrations to the recipient's bone, and a user interface having a first interface control configured to interface with the first control setting and alter the first characteristic and a second interface control configured to interface with the second control setting and alter the second characteristic.
US08737647B2
A display, includes: a display section; a first output section; a second output section; and a housing containing the display section, the first output section, and the second output section, wherein, the display section has an aspect ratio with a width more than twice a height, the first output section is arranged along an upper side of the display section so as to face forward and is configured to output a plurality of channels of audio, and the second output section is arranged along a lower side of the display section so as to face forward and is configured to output a plurality of channels of audio.
US08737646B2
The present invention relates to an integrated circuit voltage pump with temperature compensation circuitry providing improved DC output voltage accuracy over an operational temperature range. The compensation circuitry is operative to eliminate or reduce temperature induced changes of voltage drops across semiconductor diodes of the integrated circuit voltage pump.
US08737645B2
One example embodiment increases perceived signal strength of a sound signal based on persistence of hearing. When the ear perceives a signal it takes a finite length of time to process it. During that time period the ear does not recognize input and is, in effect, “Turned Off”. In accordance with one aspect of the technology, these periods of “unheard” audio input are utilized so that they supplement the information which the ear sends to the brain. An exemplary system includes a switch, configured to route the audio alternatively to two signal paths—one which includes a delay circuit that delays that audio by an amount equal to the ear's persistence of hearing interval. The system also includes a signal combiner configured to combine outputs from the two signal paths, so as to provide the brain with a signal that it will perceive as being twice as loud as the original.
US08737640B2
Disclosed herein are system, method and apparatus with environmental noise cancellation. The instant disclosure is particularly adapted to a receiver module having at least two inputs. The two inputs respectively receive a main audio portion and the audio with majority of environmental noise. The system firstly calibrates the audio signals to reduce the error caused by the difference between the two inputs. An adaptive beamforming technology and a speech extractor are respectively used to extract the environmental noise portion with less main audio and the main audio portion with less noise. After a process of time-to-frequency domain transformation, a non-linear noise suppression technology is introduced into estimating the environmental noise and acquiring a gain. After noise suppression processed with the gain, a sequence of audio signals is output after a frequency-to-time domain transformation.
US08737639B1
A voice amplification assembly is provided for facilitating amplification of a voice for public speaking. The assembly provides a portable wireless microphone and a base unit operationally couplable to a pre-existing speaker. A transceiver is positioned in the base unit. The microphone has a transmitter which is operationally coupled to the transceiver. A processor is positioned in base unit and operationally coupled to the transceiver for adjusting and outputting an audio signal received from the microphone through the transceiver. An audio control is operationally coupled to the processor for inputting an adjustment to the audio signal. An output port is configured for connecting to an existing speaker to broadcast the audio signal.
US08737633B2
A noise cancellation system is provided, for generating a noise cancellation signal to be added to a wanted signal to mitigate the effects of ambient noise. The system comprises: an input, for receiving an input signal representing ambient noise; a detector, for detecting a magnitude of said input signal; and a voice activity detector, for determining voiceless periods when said input signal does not contain a signal representing a voice. The detector is adapted to detect the magnitude of said input signal during said voiceless periods, and the system is adapted to operate in a first mode when said input signal is above a threshold value, and a second mode when said input signal is below the threshold value. The first mode comprises generating a noise cancellation signal with a first magnitude for at least partially cancelling the ambient noise. The second mode comprises generating a noise cancellation signal with a second magnitude that is less than the first magnitude.
US08737628B2
There is provided a method for determining a road surface state which can accurately estimate the road surface state on which a vehicle is running at one of finely classified road surface states based on a sound detection signal from a ground contact surface sound detection unit for detecting a sound in the vicinity of the ground contact surface of the tire of the running vehicle.The method calculates a wave profile of frequency dispersion by executing a 1/N octave analysis of a detected sound signal from a sound detection unit 20 for estimating a road surface state. The state of the road surface on which the vehicle is running is determined whether the calculated wave profile of frequency dispersion satisfies predetermined determination conditions of the respective road surface states. A microphone housed in a container is used to detect said sound, and the determining step is adapted to apply the determination conditions to the measured wave profile including a resonance caused by the container.
US08737627B2
A decoding method of audio data is applied to an electronic device. The method includes: calculating difference values of the left and right channel audio signal values; determining time slots, wherein each of the first difference values exceeds a threshold value and a time length of the time slots exceeds a preset time; respectively multiplying the time slots with the left channel audio signal values and the right channel audio signal values to obtains and then making subtraction to obtain DM1˜n; finding a U shaped pattern or an inverse U shaped pattern which meets proportionality from the waveform of DM1˜n; and decoding the written symbol “0” or “1” according to the found U shaped pattern or inverse U shaped pattern.
US08737617B2
In order to protect SSL encrypted communication from MITM attacks, a server certificate is used in the communication. However, operation of the server certificate is not simple, and the certificate is not sufficient to protect the communication from the MITM attacks. In SSL encrypted communication in which a password is shared between a client and a server, the client encrypts random number data and a password by means of a public key, determines a value by processing encrypted data by means of encrypted password data, and transfers the thus-determined value to the server. The server eliminates the password encrypted data from the value and back calculates the random number data, which are then decrypted, to thus acquire the random number data generated by the client. A hash value of the random number data is submitted to the client.
US08737615B2
A content transmission system includes: a content transmission device that includes an encryption portion that encrypts content data using key information, a first communication portion that transmits, using a first communication method, content data encrypted by the encryption portion, and a second communication portion that performs communication using a second communication method that differs from the first communication method; a content reception device that includes a third communication portion that receives encrypted content data transmitted from the first communication portion using the first communication method, a decoding portion that decodes encrypted content data received by the third communication portion using key information that is symmetric or asymmetric to the key information, and a fourth communication portion that performs communication using the second communication method; and a communication device that acquires the key information and transmits the acquired key information using the second communication method.
US08737601B2
The proposed echo canceller comprises:—an adaptive filter for receiving a signal affected by an echo, and for supplying a filtered signal that is an estimate of the echo;—a subtractor for subtracting this estimate from the received signal and supplying a residual signal;—means for detecting (7, 8) a ring back tone in said residual signal;—means for blocking (9) the received signal and replacing it by a locally generated ring back tone if a ring back tone is detected in the received signal;—a timer to determine a time period;—and means (11-17) for, during said time period, replacing the residual signal by some synthetic comfort noise when there is no ring back tone.
US08737593B2
A method and system for operating a multitenancy telephony system including a call queue that stores call requests received from a plurality of users; an expandable and contractible telephony resource cluster that establishes call sessions for call requests; a analysis system that calculates capacity requirements of the system; a resource allocator that manages the scaling and operation of the telephony resource cluster; and a plurality of telephony network channels that are used as telephony communication channels for call sessions.
US08737585B1
Methods and systems for treating inactive accounts by designating certain accounts for either unclaimed or escheats treatment are presented. In the unclaimed treatment the remaining balance of funds associated with the account is assigned to a prepaid phone card, whereas in the escheats treatment the remaining balance of funds is remitted to an appropriate authority. In each case the account is declared inactive, and processes are made available to reactivate the account.
US08737581B1
Methods and products are described for facilitating a method of controlling participation in a teleconference call. One embodiment of the method includes connection to a teleconference call so that a user of a communications device is capable of participating in the call. Any real-time inbound audio and real-time outbound audio is recorded and stored. At some point during the call, a pause command is received that indicates a desire to suspend real-time participation in the teleconference call and that starts a pause process. One embodiment of the pause process includes continuing to record the real-time inbound audio but preventing it from being presented via the communications device until a resume request is received, preventing the real-time outbound audio from being sent to other call participants until a resume request is received, and enabling a resume option that allows the user to re-engage in real-time participation in the teleconference call.
US08737575B1
A method and apparatus for enabling the upgrade of a VoIP endpoint device by downloading a firmware component to support CALEA related monitoring and recording of conversations for all calls originated or terminated by the endpoint device are disclosed. The upgraded CALEA firmware component can be activated by the network on demand or when the signaling information to set up a watched call is received. Once the recording is completed it can be translated into a standard audio format file that can be uploaded transparently to the network and sent in near real time to the appropriate CALEA server.
US08737570B2
An embodiment of a gamma ray generator includes a neutron generator and a moderator. The moderator is coupled to the neutron generator. The moderator includes a neutron capture material. In operation, the neutron generator produces neutrons and the neutron capture material captures at least some of the neutrons to produces gamma rays. An application of the gamma ray generator is as a source of gamma rays for calibration of gamma ray detectors.
US08737567B2
A system and a method for acquiring image data of a subject with an imaging system is provided. The system can include a gantry that completely annularly encompasses at least a portion of the subject, with a source positioned within and movable relative to the gantry. The source can be responsive to a signal to output at least one pulse. The system can include a detector positioned within and movable relative to the gantry to detect the pulse emitted by the source. The system can also include a detector control module that sets detector data based on the detected pulse, and an image acquisition control module that sets the signal for the source and receives the detector data. The image acquisition control module can reconstruct image data based on the detector data. The signal can include a signal for the source to output a single pulse or two pulses.
US08737564B2
The disclosure relates to devices for creating a low-background scattering environment proximate to the stage of an x-ray diffractometer, x-ray diffractometer systems comprising the same, and methods for collecting x-ray diffraction data.
US08737553B2
A method of frame sync detection is described. A first and second differential correlation of a data stream is calculated, at a plurality of delay and conjugate multipliers. The first and second differential correlations are convolved with a previous set of differential correlations. A correlation peak is calculated, at a sync detector, using the convolved differential correlations, to detect a frame sync.
US08737549B2
A communication system having a receiver with a linear path and a nonlinear path. As the receiver receives a data signal, it adaptively equalizes the received signal, and amplitude-limits the equalized signal in the nonlinear path using a saturable amplifier limiter or the like. A slicer extracts data from the limited equalized received signal. In the linear path, a clock recovery circuit generates a clock signal from the equalized received signal. A delay circuit in the linear path at least partially compensates for propagation delay in the limiter. Having the clock recovery occur in other than the nonlinear path, a low jitter clock is generated. The limiter enhances the vertical opening of the data eye by increasing the rise and fall times of the limited signal, providing more noise margin for the slicer to operate with and a greater timing margin in which to sample the sliced data.
US08737546B2
An Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiplexing (OFDM) receiver comprises: a channel estimator receiving a signal that includes a plurality of symbols, each of the symbols including a plurality of pilots and a plurality of data subcarriers, wherein each symbol further includes at least one pilot subcarrier, the estimator using a first channel response estimate of the at least one pilot subcarrier in a first symbol to select a first weight matrix from a plurality of pre-generated weight matrices, and generating channel estimation information for data subcarriers in the first symbol using the selected first weight matrix.
US08737541B2
Provided is a decoding apparatus capable of reducing the error rate of the decoding results and also the circuit scale. A computing unit computes a plurality of distances only for a number of code word candidates of code words from demodulated data, the number being smaller than a number of values the code words can express, the code words having a possibility of being transmitted. A decoding unit decodes the code words from the plurality of computed distances. This invention is applicable to a decoding apparatus for Long Term Evolution (LTE).
US08737529B2
Embodiments for at least one method and apparatus of transmitting a transmission signal through a plurality of antennas are disclosed. One method includes generating at least one dynamically adjustable phase shifted signal from the transmission signal. The transmission signal and the at least one dynamically adjustable phase shifted signal are separately amplified. The amplified transmission signal and the amplified at least one dynamically adjustable phase shifted signal are combined within a multiport network. An output signal for each of the plurality of antennas is generated by the multiport network.
US08737523B2
A method and apparatus for efficient drive level selection for, e.g., power amplifiers utilized within a wireless communication system, which utilizes digital predistortion (DPD) to adaptively and predictively select drive level. The DPD, e.g., increases the power amplifier's efficiency while maintaining spectral mask compliance within the designated frequency band of transmission. The method first determines a peak amplitude of an undistorted waveform that is to be transmitted and then predicts the maximum power that is to be transmitted by the power amplifier after the undistorted signal has been predistorted. An over-drive metric is then calculated based upon the predicted drive level of the power amplifier, which indicates whether or not the cascade of the predistorter and the power amplifier is predicted to operate linearly. The over-drive metric may then be used to ensure optimal power amplifier performance, thereby eliminating the need to use overly conservative power amplifier drive settings.
US08737520B1
A radio frequency (RF) coupling circuit for coupling an RF output of a quadrature combined amplifier. According to an embodiment, the RF coupling circuit includes a phase shifting component and a coupling network. The phase shifting component provides a predetermined phase shift to an RF signal at a first output terminal of the quadrature combined amplifier. The coupling network combines the phase shifted first output signal with an RF signal at a second output terminal of the quadrature combined amplifier.
US08737519B2
A method for channel coding by a transmitter in a communication system is provided. The method includes determining a degree of coded bits of a Luby-Transform (LT) code based on a coding rate of a pre-code and the number of coded bits of the LT code, selecting at least one associated bit used for coding of the coded bits of the LT code from among information bits of the LT code, depending on the determined degree, and generating the coded bits of the LT code by applying a coding function to the selected associated bits.
US08737518B2
A data compression process is described, for compressing channel state information to be fed back to a transmitter. The process involves arranging the data as a matrix comprising a number of orthonormal vectors derived from a channel matrix, determining a singular value decomposition of a subset of the orthonormal matrix to generate matrices respectively of left and right singular vectors, the number of vectors in the subset being equal to the order of the vectors, and right multiplying the remainder orthonormal vectors not included in the singular value decomposition by a matrix product of the matrix of right singular vectors and the matrix of left singular vectors to generate a matrix of compressed data.
US08737517B2
Aspects describe maximizing a Euclidean distance for an ACK transmission as a function of the number of bits in a HARQ-ACK and a modulation order. Encoding includes placing escape sequences in the HARQ-ACK, wherein the number of escape sequences is based on the number of bits and the modulation order. Multiple encoded ACK blocks are combined to obtain a vector sequence that is multiplexed with the encoded data and interleaved, such as on a “time-first” manner. Scrambling is performed as a function of the size and the modulation order. For a 1-bit ACK, the scrambling is performed to achieve any two corners in any constellation for transmission for the ACK. For a 2-bit ACK, the scrambling is performed to achieve any four corners in any constellation for transmission for the ACK.
US08737516B2
A method and system is provided for communicating distinct data over a single frequency using on-off keying, a form of amplitude modulation, or phase changes timed to the zero crossing point of the carrier. A data signal is synchronized with the carrier by adding padding bits so that the number of bits is equal to the frequency of the carrier. The carrier is then modified by attenuating the carrier as needed once per cycle. Said carrier is then transmitted. The resulting transmitted carrier carries a number of bits equal to the transmit frequency. At the receive end, the received signal is compared to a sine wave to determine if the incoming signal is at full strength or at reduced strength, allowing for the detection of encoded digital information. In a another embodiment, the phase of the carrier is changed instead of attenuating the carrier, timed to the carrier cycles, once or twice per cycle.
US08737515B2
A roulette table, including an electronic system having at least one electronic circuit, a number of M antennas, a Code Division Multiple Access (CDMA) transmitter for sending a number of M orthogonal code sequences via the antennas, and a contactless communication interface for receiving the position from an electronic memory of the electronic circuit, in which the antennas are arranged below stake fields of the roulette table, and having chips, in which each chip is equipped with an electronic circuit. The electronic circuit includes the following: a CDMA receiver for receiving a number of M orthogonal code sequences; an electronic memory for storing an allocation instruction, through the allocation instruction each code sequence is assigned to one of the antennas, with this allocation containing information regarding the spatial location of the respective antenna; a processor for accessing the electronic memory to determine the position of the electronic circuit relative to the antennas by determining, with the help of the code sequences received from the CDMA receiver, the information regarding the spatial locations of those antennas by which the code sequences were received, and by deriving from the detected spatial locations of the antennas the position of the electronic circuit and producing a position signal therefrom; and a contactless communication interface for transmitting the position signal.
US08737505B2
When a transmitter communicating with a first receiver interferes with an adjacent second receiver, the transmitter receives a reference signal from the second receiver in order to transform a codebook to mitigate interference in the second receiver. A channel with the second receiver is estimated through the received reference signal, and a receiving correlation matrix is calculated based on the estimated channel. The inverse of the receiving correlation matrix is calculated from the calculated receiving correlation matrix, and the codebook is transformed using the calculated inverse of the receiving correlation matrix.
US08737501B2
Methods and systems for mitigating interference or estimating a covariance matrix in a communication system are disclosed. In some embodiments, a method of demodulating a received signal in a communication system includes receiving a first plurality of waveforms, estimating a covariance matrix based on the first plurality of waveforms, determining a spatial filter based on the estimated covariance matrix, receiving a second plurality of waveforms, generating at least one filtered waveform by applying the spatial filter to the second plurality of waveforms, and demodulating the at least one filtered waveform.
US08737481B2
Provided are an image encoding method and apparatus for generating an interpolation filter using an adjacent area of a current block and a corresponding adjacent area of a reference picture and interpolating the reference picture using the generated interpolation filter, and an image decoding method and apparatus therefor. By interpolating an adjacent area of a reference picture corresponding to an adjacent area of a current block according to fractional pixel resolution of a motion vector of the current block and determining interpolation filter coefficients to minimize a difference between an interpolated adjacent area of the reference picture and the adjacent area of the current block, an interpolation filter needed for motion compensation of the current block is adaptively generated using information on the adjacent area.
US08737473B2
A moving picture coding apparatus (10a) according to the present invention includes a level analyzer (100a) that decides the maximum number of intra frame pixels which can be coded (Nfpx) and the maximum number of storage pixels which can be stored in a picture memory of a decoding apparatus (Nspx) on the basis of a level identifier (Lst) indicating a coding level that is designated by the user, thereby judging whether coding of an input image is possible or not and calculating the maximum number of reference pictures (Nrpn) as the number of reference candidate pictures which can be referred to at inter picture prediction coding, on the basis of the maximum number of intra frame pixels (Nfpx) and the input image size (the number of vertical pixels (Nhpx) and the number of horizontal pixels (Nwpx)). A decoding apparatus to which a bit stream from the moving picture coding apparatus (10a) is supplied can always decode the bit stream satisfactorily, and perform inter picture prediction decoding corresponding to the inter picture prediction coding on the coding end. Consequently, memory areas of a coding apparatus and a decoding apparatus that are adapted to a coding method in which there is no restraint on the capacity of the memory area can be designed.
US08737470B2
A wireless communication apparatus in a hierarchically coded modulation system can use error control mechanisms generated during decoding of base layer information to predict a probability of successful demodulation of enhancement layer information. Performance in the demodulation of the base layer correlates to performance in the demodulation of the enhancement layer. The receiver can determine whether to attempt demodulation of temporally correlated enhancement layer data based in part on the predicted probability of success. If the receiver determines not to demodulate the enhancement layer, the receiver can power down the enhancement layer demodulator, or otherwise minimize the power expended in the enhancement layer demodulator.
US08737469B1
A method for encoding macroblock units of a video image, and a related system are disclosed. The method includes: receiving the video image; generating a plurality of information types of a first macroblock unit; and storing the information types of the first macroblock unit in a continuous address space in the buffer. The system includes: an encoder, for receiving the video image, and generating a plurality of information types of a first macroblock unit; and a buffer, coupled to the encoder, for storing the information types of the first macroblock unit in a continuous address space in the buffer.
US08737464B1
In one embodiment, a perceptual video coder obtains local video content, and calculates a feature index for each of one or more features of a video unit of the local video content. Each feature index is then directly mapped to a delta quantization parameter (QP) using a linear fractional model that explicitly establishes a relation between the delta QP and a Human Visual System (HVS) insensitivity index, e.g., where the delta QP is set based on a comparison between a local strength of the HVS insensitivity index and an overall strength of a particular frame of the local video content. Accordingly, a QP of an adaptive quantization may be refined by adding to it each delta QP, such that adaptive quantization may be performed on the video unit based on the refined QP.
US08737457B2
Techniques for directly adapting the parameters of a smoothing filter used for channel estimation to the current velocity and signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) situation. An example method begins with a plurality of channel response measurements. For each of a first subset of a set of pre-determined filter responses, the channel measurement samples are filtered to obtain a corresponding set of estimated channel response samples. Next, for each set of estimated channel response samples, a corresponding set of ordered residuals are calculated from the channel measurement samples. Each set of ordered residuals is evaluated to determine a measure of correlation among the ordered residuals, and an updated filter response is selected from a second subset of the set of pre-determined filter responses, based on this evaluation, for use in demodulating a received signal.
US08737446B2
A semiconductor laser includes a gain region; a distributed Bragg reflector (DBR) region including a diffraction grating; an end facet facing the DBR region with the gain region arranged therebetween; a first ring resonator including a first ring-like waveguide and a first optical coupler; a second ring resonator including a second ring-like waveguide and a second optical coupler; and an optical waveguide that is optically coupled to the end facet and extending in a predetermined optical-axis direction. The first and second ring resonators are optically coupled to the optical waveguide through the first and second optical couplers, respectively. Also, the DBR region, the gain region, and the end facet constitute a laser cavity. Further, the first ring resonator has a free spectral range different from a free spectral range of the second ring resonator.
US08737441B2
This invention relates to semiconductor lasers, and more particularly, to a cooling module for fabricating a liquid-cooled semiconductor laser, a fabricating method, and a semiconductor laser fabricated from the module, wherein the cooling module for a laser makes use of a liquid cooling plate provided with radiating fins to cool the semiconductor chip. After replacement of the traditional micro-channel structure with the radiating fin structure, the present invention effectively reduces the resistance to flow of the cooling liquid, remarkably lowers the pressure decrease of the cooling liquid, makes it easier to seal the cooling liquid, provides stronger heat dissipating capability, effectively elongates the lifetime of the semiconductor laser, and enhances the output power and reliability of the semiconductor laser, alongside the advantages of simple fabrication and low production cost.
US08737440B2
An optical assembly (OSA) that installs a semiconductor optical device mounted on a thermo-electric controller (TEC) is disclosed. The TEC in the upper plate thereof is mechanically connected to the housing, or to the block stiffly fixed to the housing by a bridge made of stiff material. The bridge preferably extends along the optical axis to show enhanced durability against the impact caused by an external ferrule abutting against the receptacle of the OSA.
US08737439B2
The invention relates to an optical assembly (1) comprising a pulsed light source (2) for generating primary light pulses (4), a pulse splitter (5) for splitting said primary light pulses (4) into first and second secondary light pulses (7), and a delay element (8) for delaying said second secondary light pulses (7) relative to said first secondary light pulses (6), where the pulse repetition rate of said pulsed light source (2) is variable in order to change a temporal delay between different secondary light pulses (6,7) The invention is characterized in that said optical assembly (1) comprises a thermal insulation (12), a temperature stabilizer (16) or a temperature compensator (13) for said delay element (8) and/or a control circuit (27) for determining and controlling a drift of said pulse repetition rate.
US08737431B2
A network interface device for connection to a data processing device and to a data network so as to provide an interface between the data processing device and the network for supporting the network of packets of a transport protocol, the network interface device being configured to: identify within the payloads of such packets data of a further protocol, the data of the further protocol comprising payload data of the further protocol and framing data of the further protocol, and the framing data including verification data for permitting the integrity of the payload data to be verified; on so identifying data of the further protocol, process at least the payload data for determining the integrity thereof and transmit to the data processing device at least some of the framing data and an indication of the result of the said processing.
US08737426B1
A control network communication arrangement includes a second protocol embedded into a first protocol in a way that modules supporting the second protocol may be aware of and utilize the first protocol whereas modules supporting only the first protocol may not be aware of the second protocol. Operation of modules using the second protocol does not disturb operation of the modules not configured to use or understand the second protocol. By one approach, the messages sent using the second protocol will be seen as messages sent using the first protocol but not having a message necessary to understand or as needing a particular response. In another approach, modules using the second protocol can be configured to send message during transmission of first protocol messages by other modules, the second protocol messages being trigger off of expected aspects of the message sent under the first protocol.
US08737424B2
Provided are methods and systems for substituting programs within an existing multi program transport stream (MPTS). Methods can include identifying a first packet associated with a first input program, determining if the first packet is a packet to be replaced, substituting a second packet for the first packet if the first packet is the packet to be replaced, and applying a timestamp at the stream processor to the second packet with a time for the second input program.
US08737420B2
There is provided a powerline network that includes a number of stations including a central coordinator for coordinating transmissions of each of the stations. Each of the stations is configurable to generate one or more tone maps for communicating with each of the other stations in the powerline network. Each tone map includes a set of tones to be used on a communication link between two of the stations. Each tone map further includes a unique set of modulation methods for each tone. Each of the stations is further configurable to generate a default tone map for communicating with each of the other stations, where the default tone map is valid for all portions of a powerline cycle. Each of the stations is further configurable to monitor its bandwidth needs and to request additional bandwidth from the central coordinator.
US08737418B2
One embodiment of the present invention provides a switch that includes a transmission mechanism configured to transmit frames stored in a queue, and a queue management mechanism configured to store frames associated with the queue in a number of sub-queues which allow frames in different sub-queues to be retrieved independently, thereby facilitating parallel processing of the frames stored in the sub-queues.
US08737416B2
One or more virtual access nodes manage multiple physical links connecting a digital subscriber line access multiplexer and an intelligent network interface device by logically bonding physical ports together into a group. Physical ports bonded in a logical group have equal priority with respect to one another. Thus, no master-slave relationship exists between the physical ports in the logical group. Traffic associated with a site is transmitted over physical links associated with the logical group of physical ports to a customer premises network interface device. The customer premises network interface device subsequently aggregates the received traffic and provides an increased bandwidth to the site over the physical links. The quality of communication is based on the number of operational physical links associated with the logical group. As long as at least one physical link associated with the logical group remains operational, communication will be enabled.
US08737411B2
The present invention relates to the synchronizing of equipment, and more precisely to the transporting of synchronization signals via a communication network with a view to inter-synchronizing the equipment. The invention concerns a reference station able to deliver packets in a packet switching network to communication devices connected to the network. According to the invention, the reference station comprises means for inserting at least a temporal offset in said packets, wherein said temporal offset describes data delivery duration on a pre-determined path of said network. The invention relates also to a sending communication device and to a receiving communication device.
US08737405B2
In a method implemented in a communication device an available bandwidth for transmitting one or more data frames is determined, wherein the available bandwidth corresponds to a first composite communication channel comprising a plurality of communication channels. A control frame to indicate a request to transmit via the first composite communication channel is generated, wherein the control frame includes a header, and wherein a portion of the header includes information indicating the bandwidth of the first composite channel. The control frame is transmitted via the first composite communication channel, wherein at least the portion of the header is duplicated in a plurality of bandwidth portions of the first composite communication channel.
US08737404B2
A method for linking between a first information communication device and a second information communication device in wireless communication. The method includes transmitting, by the first information communication device executing any one of a station function and an access point function of wireless communication, information for a connection to the second information communication device executing the other function and storing, by the second information communication device, received information. The method also includes requesting, by the first information communication device, the second information communication device to transmit the information and storing, by the first information communication device, the received information.
US08737401B2
A communication apparatus comprises: a memory unit which correlates a label assigned to a packet and an address of a source of the packet, and memorizes them as an entry; a receiving unit which receives a packet from a network; a learning unit which judges whether or not there exists an entry corresponding to the received packet in the memory unit, and in case there exists no entry corresponding to the received packet in the memory unit, stores a label assigned to the received packet and an address of a source of the received packet in the memory unit; and a processing unit which, in case there exists an entry corresponding to the received packet in the memory unit, assigns an address corresponding to the received packet to the received packet.
US08737391B2
A method of specifying a switching matrix over a Bene{hacek over (s)} network involves specifying a first number of ingress ports and a second number of egress ports for the matrix. Switching elements and connections between the switching elements are configured to the number of ports, and the matrix is subdivided into a plurality of sections. The switching elements and ports are moved and/or turned to obtain certain configurations, but connections are retained.
US08737389B2
Synchronization techniques for multiple clock domains from two or more clients or common pluggable interfaces connected to multiple interfaces on one or more ingress line cards to multiple interfaces on one or more egress line cards are provided. The plurality of clock domain information from the clients that are connected on the ingress side is transmitted to the egress line cards. Two or more egress interfaces generate different clocks that are synchronized to the multiple clock domains.
US08737370B2
Establishing a direct link connection between subscriber stations in a wireless local area network (WLAN) comprises transmitting a direct link setup discovery request from an initiating station to an access point of the WLAN for distribution to one or more other stations, the discovery request including information concerning a capability of the initiating station for a direct link setup, receiving information from a receiving station among the one or more other stations, the received information concerning the capability of the receiving station for a direct link setup, and establishing a direct link connection with the receiving station based on the received information.
US08737357B2
A user is enabled to seamlessly switch between networks and/or devices, during a content delivery session. A network change detection component can determine when the user switches from one network to another. Further, a context management component is employed that stores a context state of the content delivery session on the first network when a change in network is detected. The context state is employed to seamlessly resume content delivery on the newly connected network and continue the content delivery session.
US08737355B2
Taking control of a subscriber terminal. An apparatus comprises a processor configured to cause the apparatus: to control a first stand-alone base station utilizing a first radio access technology RAT to form an emulated first RAT cell and to set parameters of the emulated first RAT cell such that the emulated first RAT cell becomes a tempting destination for a cell reselection by a subscriber terminal utilizing the first RAT; to control a second stand-alone base station such that a formed emulated second RAT cell becomes a preferred destination for a cell reselection; to control the first stand-alone base station so that the ongoing radio connection with the serving cell base station utilizing the first RAT is transferred to continue with the first stand-alone base station utilizing the first RAT; and to control the first stand-alone base station to perform inter RAT cell reselection with the subscriber terminal.
US08737353B2
Methods and apparatus for RF handoff in a multi-frequency network include selecting an RF channel from wide and local seamless and partially seamless handoff tables. A method includes generating seamless and partially seamless handoff tables RF channels, and selecting an RF channel for a handoff so that RF channels with common wide content are given higher priority over RF channels with common local content.
US08737352B2
A communication system includes a first base station for communicating complying with a first communication protocol, a second base station for communicating by using radio frames complying with a second communication protocol and transmitting synchronization signals complying with the first communication protocol, the synchronization signals synchronizing the transmitted radio frames, and a mobile terminal for communicating according to the process includes: receiving the synchronization signals from the second base station while communicating with the first base station, estimating transmitting timing of the radio frames including symbols on the basis of the received synchronization signals, measuring a receiving signal strength of the symbol on the basis of the estimated timing, and controlling a handover from the first base station to the second base station on the basis of the measurement result by the measurement of the receiving signal strength of the symbol.
US08737349B2
An automatic and network-transparent “handover convenience information support” method for a subscriber of a primary communications process in which an handover takes place—wherein this handover process can comprise arbitrary times prior or after the “actual handover”.“Convenience information support” means that this PTCP-SUBC has not necessarily requested the convenience information, but he nevertheless regards this then unasked-for support as convenient or helpful, such as for example a passenger on a flight regarding associated announcements/references/measures at the departure or arrival airport. As opposed to such often uniform measures the convenience information is as a rule individually configurable by someone affected by it. The convenience support information for a subscriber takes place by transferring to him relevant information as regards this actual handover—which can be potential or current or retrospective—during the handover-process which was supplied for this by at least one non-human module in at least one system of at least one secondary telecommunications process.
US08737342B2
A method for execution on an apparatus configured to operate in a telecommunications network comprising a processor, wherein said processor is configured to execute said method, said method comprising encoding a plurality of uplink feedback information elements for carrier aggregation, by a set of codewords where each codeword comprises a channel, wherein at least two information elements have the same channel distribution.
US08737331B2
The present invention discloses method for allocating radio resources of a physical uplink control channel (PUCCH) and a radio resource manager, wherein the method includes: a radio resource manager generating a resource pool; the radio resource manager sorting PUCCH resources in the resource pool according to a generating sequence thereof, and making a pointer point to a first PUCCH resource; and the radio resource manager allocating a PUCCH resource pointed by the pointer currently to a terminal and then making the pointer point to a next PUCCH resource. The present invention has the advantage that it is unnessesary to perform a resource search at each allocation of resource, the time for searching resources is saved, the resource search is simplified, and the complexity of a system is reduced greatly.
US08737330B2
A method in a wireless communication device comprises determining transmission powers for at least two clusters, wherein each cluster includes at least one physical resource block (RB), determining a difference in a characteristic of the transmission powers determined for the at least two clusters, and varying a transmit power allocated to at least one cluster if the difference in the characteristic exceeds a power spread threshold, wherein the power allocated to each cluster is a function of pathloss between the wireless communication device and a serving base station.
US08737328B1
Multiple Input Multiple Output (MIMO) technology in conjunction with the IEEE 802.11 standard enables simultaneous communication of data packets to or from multiple users in the same frequency. Spatial divisional multiple access (SDMA) is thus provided. In this way, system capacity can be increased to an extent that depends on available antenna resources and the multipath characteristics of the communication channel. Doubling or quadrupling of network throughput can be achieved.
US08737319B2
A Base Station (BS) includes an apparatus is configured to reduce a MAP overhead in a broadband wireless communication system. The BS operation method for reducing an overhead in a broadband wireless communication system includes transmitting control information for initial transmission and changing first information among the control information transmitted at the initial transmission into second information needed at a retransmission time when there is a retransmission request for the initial transmission. The BS also transmits control information for retransmission including the second information.
US08737317B2
A carrier for a femtocell is selected from a set of carriers available to femtocells. The femto node determines a preference order for the set and measures received signal strength (RSS) for each carrier. The femto node determines a least interference carrier from the set based on the RSS for each carrier, then defines a selected carrier for the femtocell by comparing the RSS of the least interference carrier to the RSS of other carriers in the set. The selected carrier may have a RSS larger than or equal to the RSS of the least interference carrier offset by a predefined margin. The comparisons may be performed in the preference order. The set available to femto nodes may be a subset of all carriers available to a combination of femtocells and macrocells and one or more of the carriers available to femtocells also may be a carrier available to macrocells.
US08737299B2
An efficient uplink HARQ feedback channel resource allocation scheme is adopted for carrier aggregation in a multi-carrier LTE/LTE-A system. Two resource allocation schemes (e.g., explicit and hybrid) for HARQ ACK/NACK (A/N) are applied. Part of the resources is allocated based on explicit method via RRC configuration. Another part of the resources is allocated based on hybrid method via both RRC and implicit information carried by downlink schedulers. In an explicit method, the physical resource for A/N feedback information is determined based on a resource index in a DL scheduling grant. The DL grant corresponds to transport blocks over a configured CC. The resource index points to a physical resource from a set of candidate uplink A/N physical resources reserved for the CC. In an implicit method, the A/N physical resources are determined based on a logical address of the DL scheduling grant.
US08737288B2
To effectively use transmission power by changing the arrangement of unused REGs. A wireless communication apparatus according to the invention corresponds to a wireless communication apparatus for performing wireless communication with a terminal equipment via a relay station, which includes an allocator which allocates CCEs in which control signals for the relay station are arranged to a plurality of REGs so that unused REGs not allocated with the CCEs differ among respective resource blocks each having the plurality of REGs, and a transmitter which transmits the control signals arranged in the CCEs allocated to the REGs to the relay station in accordance with an allocation by the allocation section.
US08737286B2
The invention relates to the definition of a structure of a sub-frame for transmission from a Node B to at least one relay node in a communication system. Furthermore, the invention is also related to the operation of Node B and relay node regarding the generation, transmission and reception of such special sub-frame format. The invention is inter alia applicable to a 3GPP LTE-A system as standardized by the 3rd Generation Partnership Project (3GPP). The invention suggests a new structure for a sub-frame that is capable of conveying control information and/or data for a relay node to the relay node essentially independent from propagation delays. The structure of the sub-frame takes into account propagation delays of the radio signal from Node B to relay node, in that control information and/or data for a relay node is transmitted from the Node B on OFDM symbols that can be expected to be received by the relay node.
US08737285B2
A data relay system includes: a master that functions as a master station of TDMA; slaves that function as slave stations of the TDMA; and REPs that relay communication between the master and the slaves, function as slave stations in a higher-level TDMA system, and function as master stations in lower-level TDMA systems. The master allocates, as a statically allocated time, an operating time once to each of the TDMA systems, sets, as a dynamically allocated time, a time obtained by excluding the statically allocated time from an allocated period, and allocates, based on communication states in the statically allocated time, the dynamically allocated time as operating times of the lower-level TDMA systems.
US08737284B2
A relay station 130 includes a base station communication unit 350 which performs radio communication with a radio communication terminal, a terminal communication unit 354 which performs radio communication with the base station 120, a command transmission unit 356, 556 which transmits a command to alternate communication and non-communication per a predetermined number of frames to the base station through the terminal communication unit; and a communication switching unit 358, 558 which makes the base station communication unit and the radio communication terminal be in communication while the terminal communication unit and the base station are in non-communication based on the command, and making the base station communication unit and the radio communication terminal while the terminal communication unit and the base station are in communication based on the command.
US08737282B2
A method of handling by a UE a Dynamic Scheduling information (DSI) Medium Control Access MAC control element containing a Stop MTCH field having a reserved value includes ignoring the Stop MTCH field, treating the Stop MTCH field having the reserved value to mean that the corresponding MTCH is not scheduled, or receiving all Multimedia Broadcast multicast service Single Frequency Network (MBSFN) subframes corresponding to the DSI MAC control element during a scheduling period associated with the DSI MAC control element until the MTCH is completely received.
US08737279B1
A method and system for position location of clients in wireless local area networks. (WLANs). The position location technique utilizes time-of-flight (TOF) measurements of signals transmitted from a client to a number of wireless access points (APs) or vice versa to determine distances. Round-trip time (RTT) measurement protocols are used to estimate TOF and distances between the client at an unknown position and the WLAN APs. The method and system improves positioning accuracy by identifying and mitigating non-line-of sight (NLOS) errors such as multipaths. Trilateration algorithms are utilized in combination with median filtering of measurements to accurately estimate the position of the client.
US08737276B2
The herein disclosed apparatus, systems, and methods use Almost Blank Subframes (ABS) to manage interference between D2D and WAN transmissions. In particular, an eNodeB is disclosed comprising a controller module operable to obtain an indicator of a need for a quiescent subframe, and to select responsively thereto a subframe of a communication frame, and allocate the selected subframe as an Almost Blank Subframe (ABS). The base station includes a transceiver module operable to communicate the ABS over an air interface, and to send a misinformation signal to another eNodeB device indicating the ABS is not almost blank.
US08737274B2
In the MS apparatus for performing scheduling, a reception module receives any number information through a specific downlink channel in a first time unit from each of neighbor BSs. A scheduling module determines, among the neighbor BSs, a BS which is to transmit and receive data using a downlink data transmission region and an uplink data reception region, respectively, in a second time unit according to a previously set rule based on the number information. A transmission module transmits a signal, indicating that data transmission and reception using the downlink transmission region and uplink data reception region, respectively, in the second time unit are not possible, to the other neighbor BSs excluding the determined BS among the neighbor BSs.
US08737270B2
A system (300), a network management system (306), and a method are described herein for avoiding a count-to-infinity problem in a network (304) (e.g., Provider Backbone Bridging) with bridges having network interface ports (2,4) (e,g., Layer Two Gateway Ports) which are connected to an external network (302) (e.g., External Network to Network interface).
US08737265B2
A Machine Type Communication (MTC) method for an MTC device to configure a plurality of MTC logical channels associated with an MTC application is provided. The method comprises the steps of: configuring, in a Medium Access Control (MAC) layer, the MTC logical channels independently from a Common Control Channel (CCCH), a Dedicated Control Channel (DCCH), and a Dedicated Traffic Channel (DTCH), wherein the MTC logical channels include a Machine Type Communication Traffic Channel (MTCTCH) and a Machine Type Communication Control Channel (MTCCCH); carrying uplink and downlink traffic data dedicated for the MTC application executed by the MTC device in the MTCTCH; and carrying uplink and downlink control data dedicated for the MTC application executed by the MTC device in the MTCCCH.
US08737261B2
A method is described for registering a node of an underlying network at an overlay network, characterized in that the node of the underlying network registers at a registration node which initiates a propagation of registration information towards the overlay network.
US08737258B2
A multiservice communication device includes a plurality of transceivers that wirelessly transceive data with a corresponding plurality of networks in accordance with a corresponding plurality of network protocols. An environmental monitoring receiver processes received RF signals over a broadband spectrum and that generates environmental data in response thereto. A processing module processes the environmental data and generates a least one control signal in response thereto, the at least one control signal for adapting at least one of the plurality of transceivers based on the environmental data. In an embodiment of the present invention, the environmental monitoring receiver can be implemented via one of the plurality of transceivers when operating in an environmental monitoring mode.
US08737249B2
In order to determine whether a hybrid automatic repeat request (HARQ) indicator received by user equipment (UE) from a base station is an acknowledgment (ACK) or negative acknowledgement (NACK), when a signal representing the HARQ indicator is received by the UE, a plurality of symbols encoded in the received signal are determined to obtain a softbit for each of the symbols by summing an in-phase component and a quadrature component of each symbol. Thereafter, the softbits are summed up to be compared with the amplitude of the symbols to determine whether the HARQ indicator is an ACK or NACK.
US08737244B2
A system for measuring and analyzing radio frequency power proximate and within a wireless field device mesh network. A centralized software module (CSWM) collects and analyzes values from one or more wireless devices of the wireless field device mesh network representing received RF power measurements on an assigned RF channel and values representing corresponding times of the received RF power measurements. Each wireless device measures received RF power on the assigned RF channel at times other than during reception of a signal resulting in transmission by the wireless device of either an acknowledgment signal or a non-acknowledgement signal. Values representing the received RF power measurements and the corresponding times of the received RF power measurements are determined from the stored received RF power measurements and corresponding times and then discarded. These values are stored within the wireless device until successfully reported. A network manager coordinates communication between the wireless devices and synchronizes the corresponding times of received RF power measurement throughout the wireless field device mesh network.
US08737234B2
A method for administrating an optical access node is disclosed, the method comprises: one or more administration terminal nodes are established in the optical access node, and constitute an internal Operation, Administration and Maintenance (OAM) domain in said administration terminal node; sends the Ethernet Operation, Administration and Maintenance message between the administration terminal nodes, and according to the attribute sof the Virtual Local Area Network (VLAN) of the user, said Operation, Administration and Maintenance message carries the Virtual Local Area Network identifier which corresponds to the attribute of the virtual local area network of the user. The present invention also provides an optical access node. The present invention not only provides a mechanism for diagnosing the faults in the Ethernet level between the OLT and the ONU within the optical access node, but also can break through the limitation that the conventional Ethernet OAM frame format is unitary and unfit for the TR101 VLAN service model, and the service operation is not affected when using the method of the present operation, thus to help the operator to address the Ethernet maintenance requirements of the optical access nodes under the TR101 VLAN structure.
US08737233B2
Techniques are disclosed for increasing the throughput of a multiplexed electrical bus by exploiting available pipeline stages of a computer or other system. For example, a method for increasing a throughput of an electrical bus that connects at least two devices in a system comprises introducing at least one signal hold stage in a signal-receiving one of the two devices, such that a maximum frequency at which the two devices are operated is not limited by a number of cycles of an operating frequency of the electrical bus needed for a signal to propagate from a signal-transmitting one of the two devices to the signal-receiving one of the two devices. Preferably, the signal hold stage introduced in the signal-receiving one of the two devices is a pipeline stage re-allocated from the signal-transmitting one of the two devices.
US08737221B1
At least one first frame of a first data flow is inspected by a general processing unit to associate the first data flow with an aggregate session, the aggregate session corresponding to a first set of aggregate data flows including the first data flow and at least one other data flow. Acceleration of the first data flow, by a network processing unit, can be authorized based on the inspection of the at least one first frame. Acceleration of the first data flow can be subject to at least a set of conditions including an aggregate trigger, the aggregate trigger defining that the acceleration of at least the first data flow be halted in response to an aggregate threshold amount of traffic being detected among the first set of aggregate data flows.
US08737216B2
A method of measuring network performance is disclosed. A payload packet is transmitted from a sending node to a receiving node via a communication network. A reference packet is transmitted to the receiving node in connection with sending of the payload packet. Receive information related to the payload packet and to the reference packet is generated, at the receiving node. Send information related to the payload packet and to the reference packet is received, by the receiving node. Network performance is estimated by utilizing the send and receive information.
US08737208B2
A wireless resource allocation apparatus performs determining an amount of VoIP traffic for each terminal station; determining whether semi-persistent scheduling or dynamic scheduling is used for transmitting each packet of the VoIP traffic, based on a result of the determination for the amount of the VoIP traffic; managing, for each terminal station, a resource block allocated in the semi-persistent scheduling; and managing each resource block which is not managed for the allocation in the semi-persistent scheduling and is allocated in the dynamic scheduling. If it is determined that the dynamic scheduling is used for transmitting each packet of the VoIP traffic to a terminal station, the resource block, which has been managed for the relevant terminal station as a resource block allocated in the semi-persistent scheduling, is released, and the released resource block is managed as a resource block allocated in the dynamic scheduling.
US08737207B2
A system for managing resources in a communication system including systems, which do not have a permission for a first frequency band, includes coexistence managers configured to, when a frequency band available for the systems is searched from the first frequency band, manage the systems for coexistence and frequency sharing of the systems in the available frequency band; a coexistence enabler configured to transmit and receive information of the systems and information of the coexistence managers; and a coexistence discovery and information server configured to support control of the coexistence managers over the systems, wherein the coexistence managers transmit and receive predetermined messages to and from the coexistence discovery and information server and the coexistence enabler, perform channel classification for the first frequency band, and determine operating channels of the systems on the basis of the channel classification.
US08737199B2
An embodiment of the present invention provides a method of using differential precoding for highly correlated channels in a wireless network, comprising, using a differential codebook optimized for highly correlated antennas.
US08737197B2
An arrangement in a network tap for monitoring state of a monitoring system is provided. The arrangement includes a set of network ports that includes a set of input network ports for receiving data traffic and a set of output network ports for outputting the data traffic from the network tap. The arrangement also includes a monitoring port that is configured to receive the data traffic from the set of network ports and to forward the data traffic onward to the monitoring system. The arrangement further includes a logic component configured for executing a sequential heartbeat diagnostic test. The sequential heartbeat diagnostic test is configured for providing a first set of sequential heartbeat packets for testing and determining the state of the monitoring system. The arrangement yet also includes a logic component for activating one or more events when a failure condition exists for the state of the monitoring system.
US08737179B2
An optical disc device includes an optical pickup and a controller. The optical pickup is configured to emit light to an optical disc and detect the light reflected on the optical disc. The controller is configured to perform adjustment of at least one of spherical aberration, focus balance and lens tilt of the optical pickup based on a reproduction signal corresponding to the light detected by the optical pickup. The controller is further configured to perform the adjustment based on a level of the reproduction signal of adjustment-use recording. The controller is further configured to perform re-adjustment after performing subsequent adjustment-use recording in response to the level of the reproduction signal of the adjustment-use recording being at or below a specific threshold after the adjustment.
US08737175B2
A chronograph comprises a main dial with coaxially placed main hands group and at least one sub dial, placed within the main dial, with a therein coaxially placed main hands group. The invention is characterized in that at least one sub hands group displays an indication of current time and the main hands group displays an indication of chrono time. A first preferred form of implementation provides that the sub dial is placed decentralized within the main dial. A second preferred form of implementation provides that the sub hands group is placed coaxially with the main dial; the main dial and main hands group are partially covered by the sub dial; and the sub hands group is coaxially with the main hands group.
US08737173B2
In one embodiment, a computer readable medium is provided that includes a date time zone dimension table comprising a date key and a time zone key, the date key identifying a selected point in time relative to a selected temporal origin and the time zone key identifying one of a plurality of possible time zones, and at least one attribute, the at least one attribute describing time information for a selected date and time zone key pair.
US08737163B2
A wide-azimuth marine seismic survey system according to one or more aspects of the present disclosure may include a streamer array; a first source towed from a first vessel; a second source towed from a second vessel; and a supplemental offset source towed from the first vessel and the second vessel.
US08737162B2
In a low-power signaling system, an integrated circuit device includes an open loop-clock distribution circuit and a transmit circuit that cooperate to enable high-speed transmission of information-bearing symbols unaccompanied by source-synchronous timing references. The open-loop clock distribution circuit generates a transmit clock signal in response to an externally-supplied clock signal, and the transmit circuit outputs a sequence of symbols onto an external signal line in response to transitions of the transmit clock signal. Each of the symbols is valid at the output of the transmit circuit for a symbol time and a phase offset between the transmit clock signal and the externally-supplied clock signal is permitted to drift by at least the symbol time.
US08737157B2
Memory subsystems and methods, such as those involving a memory cell array formed over a semiconductor material of a first type, such as p-type substrate. In at least one such subsystem, all of the transistors used to selectively access cells within the array are transistors of a second type, such as n-type transistors. Local word line drivers are coupled to respective word lines extending through the array. Each local word line drivers includes at least one transistor. However, all of the transistors in the local word line drivers are of the second type. A well of semiconductor material of the second type, is also formed in the material of the first type, and a plurality of global word line drivers are formed using the well. Other subsystems and methods are disclosed.
US08737151B2
A low read current architecture for memory. Bit lines of a cross point memory array are allowed to be charged by a selected word line until a minimum voltage differential between a memory state and a reference level is assured.
US08737149B2
A semiconductor device includes a memory cell array that is divided into a plurality of memory cell mats by a plurality of sense amplifier arrays. Each of the plurality of memory cell mats includes a plurality of word lines and a test circuit for performing a test control to activate, at one time, a plurality of word lines included in each of a plurality of selected memory cell mats that are not disposed adjacent each other in the plurality of memory cell mats. The memory cell mats with the plurality of activated word lines are distributed. Therefore, the load applied to a driver circuit for driving word lines and the load applied to a power supply circuit for supplying an operation voltage to the driver circuit are reduced.
US08737144B2
An embodiment of a sense amplifier includes a sense circuit and a monitor circuit. The sense circuit is configured to convert a first signal that corresponds to data stored in a memory cell into a second signal that corresponds to the data, and the monitor circuit is configured to indicate a reliability of the second signal. The monitor circuit allows, for example, adjusting a parameter of a memory in which the memory cell is disposed to increase the read accuracy, and may also allow recognizing and correcting an error due to an invalid second signal.
US08737142B2
An internal voltage generation circuit includes a vblh voltage generation circuit that generates a voltage vblh that is supplied as a high-voltage power supply of a sense amplifier, and a voltage distribution control circuit that has a first current source that pulls down an output node and a second current source that pulls up the output node. The output node is pulled down by the first current source operating, and the voltage thereof is maintained at a voltage that corresponds to a lower limit of a detection voltage value. The output node is pulled up by the second current source operating, and the voltage thereof is maintained at a voltage that corresponds to an upper limit of the detection voltage value.
US08737140B2
A semiconductor memory device includes strings configured to include a drain select transistor, memory cells, and a source select transistor coupled in series between a bit line and a common source line and peripheral circuits configured to precharge a bit line so that the precharge level of the bit line varies depending on whether an adjacent unselected memory cell is in the program or erase states, by supplying a first voltage to the adjacent unselected memory cell arranged toward the drain select transistor, a second voltage to the remaining memory cells, and a third voltage higher than a bit line precharge voltage to the common source line and perform a read operation of supplying a read voltage lower than the second voltage to the selected memory cell, the second voltage to the remaining memory cells including the adjacent unselected memory cell, and a ground voltage to the common source line.
US08737131B2
Memory devices and methods are disclosed. An embodiment of one such method includes programming a first memory cell to a first program level by applying a first series of programming pulses to a control gate of the first memory cell, where the programming pulses of the first series have voltages that sequentially increase by a certain first voltage; and programming a second memory cell to a second program level that is higher than the first program level by applying a second series of programming pulses to a control gate of the second memory cell, where the programming pulses of the second series have voltages that sequentially increase by a certain second voltage less than the certain first voltage.
US08737128B2
A semiconductor memory device and a method of operating the same are disclosed. The semiconductor memory device includes a memory cell block configured to have memory cell groups, a peripheral circuit configured to read data by supplying a read voltage to memory cells in the memory cell groups, a fail detection circuit configured to perform a pass/fail check operation of memory cell groups according to the data read by the peripheral circuit and a control circuit configured to control the peripheral circuit and the fail detection circuit to perform again the read operation about the memory cell groups using a compensation read voltage different from the read voltage in the event that it is determined that one or more memory cell group is failed according to the pass/fail check operation.
US08737123B2
A system includes a control chip and a plurality of command terminals receiving a plurality of command signals, respectively; a command decoder coupled to the command terminals, the command decoder being configured to output an internal command in response to the command signals; and a layer address buffer configured to output a layer address each time the command decoder outputs a row command as the internal command and outputs a column command as the internal command; and a plurality of core chips stacked with one another, each of the core chips being configured to receive the, row command and the layer address output together with the row command, to receive the column command and the layer address output together with the column command, and to free from receiving the command signals.
US08737121B2
A method of storing a bit at a memory device is disclosed. A memory cell the memory device is formed of a germanium-deficient chalcogenide glass configured to alternate between an amorphous phase and a crystalline phase upon application of a selected voltage, wherein a drift coefficient of the germanium-deficient chalcogenide glass is less than a drift coefficient of an undoped chalcogenide glass. A voltage is applied to the formed memory cell to select one of the amorphous phase and the crystalline phase to store the bit.
US08737119B2
A magnetic memory cell 1 is provided with a magnetic recording layer 10 which is a ferromagnetic layer and a pinned layer 30 connected with the magnetic recording layer 10 through a non-magnetic layer 20. The magnetic recording layer 10 has a magnetization inversion region 13, a first magnetization fixed region 11 and a second magnetization fixed region 12. The magnetization inversion region 13 has a magnetization whose orientation is invertible and overlaps the pinned layer 30. The first magnetization fixed region 11 is connected with a first boundary B1 in the magnetization inversion region 13 and a magnetization orientation is fixed on a first direction. The second magnetization fixed region 12 is connected with a second boundary B2 in magnetization inversion region 13 and a magnetization orientation is fixed on a second direction. The first direction and the second direction are opposite to each other.
US08737116B2
In a semiconductor device including a memory cell array formed of memory cells using a storage element by a variable resistor and a select transistor, a buffer cell is arranged between a sense amplifier and the memory cell array and between a word driver and the memory cell array. The resistive storage element in the memory cell is connected to a bit-line via a contact formed above the resistive storage element. Meanwhile, in the buffer cell, the contact is not formed above the resistive storage element, and a state of being covered with an insulator is kept upon processing the contact in the memory cell. By such a processing method, exposure and sublimation of a chalcogenide film used in the resistive storage element can be avoided.
US08737111B2
A memory device in a 3-D read and write memory includes memory cells. Each memory cell includes a resistance-switching memory element (RSME) in series with a steering element. The RSME has first and second resistance-switching layers on either side of a conductive intermediate layer, and first and second electrodes at either end of the RSME. The first and second resistance-switching layers can both have a bipolar or unipolar switching characteristic. In a set or reset operation of the memory cell, an electric field is applied across the first and second electrodes. An ionic current flows in the resistance-switching layers, contributing to a switching mechanism. An electron flow, which does not contribute to the switching mechanism, is reduced due to scattering by the conductive intermediate layer, to avoid damage to the steering element. Particular materials and combinations of materials for the different layers of the RSME are provided.
US08737095B2
The present invention provides an isolated regulating power converter with opto-coupled feedback of output (Vo) with respect to a reference level (Vset) for regulation to a converter controller. The sense of the feedback signal is such that the opto-coupler LED is ON when Vo
US08737079B2
An active patch panel uses small form factor plus (SFP+) connectivity with a plurality of channels extending between first and second faces of the panel. The channels connect ports on the opposing faces of the panel and are provided with additional electronic elements, such as an equalizer, a clock data recovery element, and a pre-emphasis element. A controller can be connected to the plurality of channels to provide instructions for simultaneous equalization and pre-emphasis of a plurality of cable assemblies in the same channel.
US08737074B2
A modular direct-current power conversion system is applied to receive a DC input voltage and output a DC output voltage. The modular direct-current power conversion system includes a main board and a plurality of DC power conversion modules. The main board includes a primary surface, a voltage input terminal, a voltage output terminal, a plurality of insertion regions, and a plurality of pin holders. When the DC power conversion module is inserted on the main board, the DC input voltage is inputted via the voltage input terminal to the DC power conversion module. The DC power conversion module converts the DC input voltage into a DC output voltage, and the DC output voltage is outputted via the voltage output terminal.
US08737072B2
A container data center includes a container. The container includes a top wall, two sidewalls, a first end wall, and a second end wall. Two elongated water troughs are arranged on the top of the container, near the sidewalls. The outer side plate of each water trough is lower than a top side of the corresponding inner side plate. A water receptacle is arranged near the first end plate. Pipes connect the water receptacle to the water troughs, to transfer the water in the water receptacle to the water troughs. When the water in the water troughs overflows, the water flows down the sidewalls of the container, to separate and thus protect the sidewalls from pollutants and humidity in the surrounding air.
US08737061B2
A heat dissipating apparatus comprises a first heat sink, a second heat sink and a fixing unit. The first heat sink comprises a connecting portion. The second heat sink comprises a connecting unit which is inserted into the connecting portion. The fixing unit includes an end portion exposed outside the connecting portion and a body accommodated in the connecting portion.
US08737058B2
A blade server includes a casing, a plurality of blade modules, and a function module. The casing has a first end and a second end being opposite to each other. The blade modules are configured on the first end of the casing, and may be moved in or moved out from the first end of the casing. Each blade module includes a first tray, a main board module, and a plurality of hard disk modules. The main board module is configured on the first tray. The hard disk modules are detachably disposed on the first tray, and are electrically connected to the main board module. The function module is configured on the second end of the casing, and may be moved in or moved out from the second end of the casing.
US08737057B2
A push-push eject disk drive chassis user-swappably accepts a disk drive, without tools or a caddy and is sufficiently narrow, such that two such chassis may be disposed side-by-side within a housing having a standard disk drive form factor and accept disk drives having smaller form factors. A data storage system that conforms to a disk drive form factor and that can be installed into a disk drive bay of a user computer includes a plurality of such disk drive chassis user-swappably accepts a plurality of side-by-side disk drives, without tools or caddies. The data storage system may include electronics that manage storage space on any disk drives installed in the chassis and present the cumulative storage space (less space used for overhead and redundancy) as a single virtual disk drive to the user computer.
US08737046B2
An image forming apparatus includes a body frame and an image reading unit mounted to the body frame. The image forming apparatus further includes a plurality of fixed supporting portions to which the image reading unit is mounted in a stationary manner, an unfixed supporting member mounted to the body frame in a vertically movable manner to support one side of the image reading unit in a vertically movable manner, and an elastic member to elastically support the unfixed supporting member. The image forming apparatus may prevent the flatness of the image reading unit from being deteriorated when the image reading unit is mounted to the body frame.
US08737042B2
Provided is a terminal box for a solar cell module that has excellent heat radiation. The terminal box (10) is provided with multiple terminal boards (21), a reverse load bypass diode (22) that is connected to two corresponding terminal boards (21), a primary resin layer (23) that is attached to the diode (22) and covers the area around the diode (22), and a secondary resin layer (41) that is made from a resin different to that of the primary resin layer (23) and is adhered to parts other than the diode (22) and does not cover the area around the diode (22).
US08737035B2
In one implementation, the present disclosure provides a method for imparting motion to a magnetically movable object. The method includes disposing the magnetically movable object over a display of an electronic device. The method further includes imparting motion to the magnetically movable object by adjusting a magnetic field that is produced by a magnetic field source, the magnetic field being applied to the magnetically movable object through the display of the electronic device. The adjusting the magnetic field can be based on a location of the magnetically movable object over the display. Furthermore, the display can be a touch sensitive display and the adjusting the magnetic field can be based on touch input of the touch sensitive display. The imparting motion can include moving the magnetically movable object around the display.
US08737034B2
A method determines a change in the activation state of an electromagnetic actuator.
US08737033B2
A miniature circuit breaker includes separable contacts, an operating mechanism structured to open and close the separable contacts, a trip mechanism cooperating with the operating mechanism to trip open the separable contacts, a processor having a routine, a plurality of sensors sensing power circuit information operatively associated with the separable contacts, and a non-volatile memory accessible by the processor. The routine of the processor is structured to input the sensed power circuit information, determine and store trip information for each of a plurality of trip cycles in the non-volatile memory, store the sensed power circuit information in the non-volatile memory for each of a plurality of line half-cycles, and determine and store circuit breaker information in the non-volatile memory for the operating life span of the miniature circuit breaker.
US08737023B2
Various embodiments may be generally directed to a stack capable of reading magnetic data bits. Such a stack can have a non-magnetic spacer layer disposed between a magnetically free layer and a synthetic antiferromagnet (SAF) where the SAF is configured with an anisotropy tuned to a non-normal direction with respect to an air bearing surface (ABS).
US08737021B2
A terminal structure includes an insulating layer hole formed through an insulating layer, a ground via that passes through the insulating layer hole and electrically connects a wiring layer formed on the insulating layer and a metal layer formed under the insulating layer to each other, and a terminal face defined on a surface of the metal layer and bonded through a conductive adhesive to an electrode of a piezoelectric element.
US08737008B1
A disk drive is disclosed comprising a head actuated over a disk, a spindle motor for rotating the disk, and a spindle motor control system comprising a servo compensator operable to generate a control signal applied to the spindle motor, the servo compensator comprising a programmable gain term (PGT). The disk is spun at a first speed RPM—1 using a first value PGT—1 selected for the PGT, and the disk is spun at a second speed RPM—2 using a second value PGT—2 selected for the PGT, wherein the second value PGT—2 is generated in response to the first value PGT—1 scaled by a function of a ratio of RPM—2 to RPM—1.
US08737006B2
A hard disk drive or other disk-based storage device comprises a storage disk, a write head configured to write data to the disk, and control circuitry coupled to the write head. The control circuitry comprises a write driver and degauss circuitry associated with the write driver. The degauss circuitry is configured to generate a degauss signal to be applied to the write head by the write driver. The degauss signal has a waveform comprising a plurality of decay segments including at least one alternating current decay segment and at least one direct current decay segment. An initial decay segment of the plurality of decay segments may comprise an alternating current decay segment or a direct current decay segment, and may be immediately followed by a decay segment of the opposite type.
US08736999B1
Aspects of the disclosure provide a circuit. The circuit includes a biasing circuit and an amplifier. The biasing circuit is configured to generate a bias voltage and a bias current based on a first resistor having a first resistance determined based on a second resistor. The amplifier is biased based on the bias voltage and bias current to generate an electrical signal that varies in response to a resistance change of the second resistor.
US08736980B2
An imaging lens assembly includes, in order from an object side to an image side, a first lens element, a second lens element, a third lens element, a fourth lens element and a fifth lens element. The first lens element with negative refractive power has an object-side surface being concave at a paraxial region thereof, wherein the surfaces thereof are aspheric. The second lens element has refractive power. The third lens element has positive refractive power. The fourth lens element has negative refractive power. The fifth lens element with positive refractive power has an object-side surface being convex at a paraxial region thereof and an image-side surface being concave at a paraxial region thereof, wherein the object-side surface thereof changes from convex at the paraxial region thereof to concave at a peripheral region thereof, and the surfaces thereof are aspheric.
US08736966B2
A light source device includes a light source main unit made of a combination of a plurality of semiconductor laser devices, a plurality of collimator lens respectively capable of converting light beams emitted by the respective semiconductor laser devices of the light source main unit to respective approximately parallel light beam fluxes, and a condenser lens capable of condensing light beam fluxes emitted by the plurality of collimator lenses. The light source main unit has the plurality of semiconductor laser devices arranged, when viewed from the condenser lens, so that the stems of the adjacent semiconductor laser devices are seemingly continuous in a first direction perpendicular to the optical axis of the condenser lens, and the stems of the adjacent semiconductor laser devices are overlapped in a second direction perpendicular to both the direction of optical axis and the first direction.
US08736965B2
A beam combiner includes a first lens and a second lens coated with specific optical films. The first color light beam enters the first lens via a first incidence surface with an incidence angle of Brewster's angle. The second color light beam enters the first lens via the second incidence surface with an incidence angle of zero degree. The third color light beam enters the second lens via the third incidence surface with an incidence angle of zero degree. The first, the second, and the third color light beams transmit in the same path after the splitting face to form the composite light beam and come out via an exit surface.
US08736962B2
A display device including a holding device that can be placed on the head of a user, an image generating module fixed to the holding device and generating an image, and a multifunction glass that is fixed to the holding device and has a coupling in area and a coupling out area. The image produced is coupled into the multifunction glass via the coupling in area, guided in the multifunction glass to the coupling in area, and coupled out via the coupling out area, in such a way that the user can perceive the coupled out image superimposed on the surroundings when the holding device is placed on the head of the user. The coupling out area has a Fresnel structure which receives light from the coupling-in-area via a folded beam path and couples the image out of the multifunction optical element. The coupling out element has an imaging property.
US08736960B2
Provided is a structure with an observation port. The structure with the observation port is provided with the observation port and an internal structure. The internal structure is located to the backside of the observation port and has a third reflection preventing film. The first reflection preventing film is a film that reduces reflected light by using light interference. Each of the second and third reflection preventing films has a surface comprising a plurality of convex portions, a distance between apexes of each adjacent two of which does not exceed the visible light wavelengths. Light obtained by combining light reflected by the surface of the first reflection preventing film, light reflected by the surface of the second reflection preventing film, and light reflected by the surface of the third reflection preventing film has a flat wavelength dispersion within the visible light range.
US08736958B2
A diffractive optical element according to the present invention includes: a body 1 being composed of a first optical material containing a first resin, and having a diffraction grating 2 on a surface thereof; and an optical adjustment layer 3 being composed of a second optical material containing a second resin, and provided on the body so as to cover the diffraction grating. A difference between a solubility parameter of the first resin and a solubility parameter of the second resin is 0.8 [cal/cm3]1/2 or more, and the first resin and the second resin each have a benzene ring.
US08736956B2
An optical amplification control apparatus is formed from a semiconductor optical amplifier, a temperature adjustment unit adjusting the temperature of the semiconductor optical amplifier, and an optical gain control unit adjusting the temperature of the semiconductor optical amplifier by controlling the temperature adjustment unit, and varying an optical gain of the semiconductor optical amplifier. Thus, a pattern effect is suppressed even if the output light intensity (the intensity of amplified light) is increased.
US08736951B2
An electrophoretic display device includes a display element including a pair of first and second substrates which are opposed to each other, and a microcapsule enclosing a display material changed in optical characteristics in response to an electric impulse, the microcapsule being sandwiched between the first and second substrates; and a protective film sealing the display element. In the display device, a first electrode is provided on the surface of the first substrate which faces the second substrate, a second electrode is provided on the surface of the second substrate which faces the first substrate, and a spacer is provided in the space between the periphery of the facing surface of the first substrate and the first electrode.
US08736949B2
The color reflected by an interferometric modulator may vary as a function of the angle of view. A range of colors are thus viewable by rotating the interferometric modulator relative to an observer. By placing a textured layer between an observer and an interferometric modulator, a pattern which includes the range of colors may be viewed by the observer, and the range of colors may thus be viewable from a single viewing angle.
US08736938B1
An insulated glazing unit includes a spacer defining a framed area, first and second glazing panes attached to the spacer, a pane conductive layer on an inner surface of the first glazing pane, and a dielectric layer disposed on the pane conductive layer. A shade for use with the insulated glazing unit is affixed to the first glazing pane. The shade includes one or more layers selected from a resilient layer, a substantially transparent shade conductive layer, and an opaque shade conductive layer. When an electric drive is applied between the pane conductive layer and the shade conductive layer, a potential difference between the pane conductive layer and the shade conductive layer causes the shade to extend from a retracted configuration to an extended configuration. The shade can further include at least one ink coating layer including pigments that selectively reflect or absorb certain visible colors and infrared.
US08736936B2
In accordance with the teachings of one embodiment of this disclosure, a method for manufacturing a semiconductor device includes forming a support structure outwardly from a substrate. The support structure has a first thickness and a first outer sidewall surface that is not parallel with the substrate. The first outer sidewall surface has a first minimum refractive index. A first anti-reflective layer is formed outwardly from the support structure and outwardly from the substrate. A second anti-reflective layer is formed outwardly from the first anti-reflective layer. The first and second anti-reflective layers each includes respective compounds of at least two elements selected from the group consisting of: silicon; nitrogen; and oxygen.
US08736934B2
A component having a mounting support, a displaceable part, which is joined to the mounting support by at least one flexible joining component, and an actuator device. The actuator device is configured to set at least one subunit of the displaceable part and/or of the at least one flexible joining component into a first oscillatory motion along a first axis in such a manner, that the displaceable part may be set into an angular oscillatory motion about a first rotational axis. The actuator device is additionally configured to set the same and/or another subunit into a second oscillatory motion having a motion component along a second axis at an inclination to the first axis, in such a manner, that, in addition to the angular oscillatory motion, the displaceable part is displaceable about a second rotational axis.
US08736931B2
An image processor includes: a receiving unit that receives an input of image data in a first color space; a first color conversion unit that performs color conversion of the image data received by the receiving unit to image data formed of a first combination of color components in a second color space; a second color conversion unit that performs color conversion of the image data received by the receiving unit to image data formed of a second combination of color components in the second color space, the second combination being different from the first combination; and an image generating unit that generates an image based on at least the image data generated by the first and second color conversion units. Each of the first and second combinations includes a smaller number of color components than the number of color materials to be used in formation of an image.
US08736929B2
Methods perform at least two different segments of a scan job by sequentially scanning the different segments using an optical scanner. Each of the different segments is scanned with the optical scanner manually set to different settings. The methods automatically combine the different settings to produce a recurring scan workflow. The recurring scan workflow includes such different settings of the different segments and information of the number of pages scanned in each of the different segments. Further, such methods perform at least one later scan job having later segments corresponding to the different segments of the original scan job after creating the recurring scan workflow. During the later scan job the computerized device automatically changes settings of the optical scanner between the later segments, without requiring the user to manually change the different settings between the later segments.
US08736927B2
A scanning device includes a scanning platform, a feed roller mounted above the scanning platform and rotatable to bring a sheet-like medium across the scanning platform, first and second elastic elements located under two ends of the scanning platform to press the scanning platform against the feed roller. One end of the scanning device near to the first elastic element is defined as a datum end for guiding the mediums to enter the scanning device. The first elastic element acts a greater force on the scanning platform than the second elastic element, or the distance from the first elastic element to the datum end is smaller than that from the second elastic element to the other end of the scanning device and the force from the first elastic element is equal to that from the second elastic element, so as to make the medium levelly transmitted during being scanned.
US08736921B2
A rotatable scanner includes a scanner body and a document holder. The scanner body includes an exposure surface on which a document is placed. The document holder is provided above the scanner body to cover a document placed on the exposure surface of the scanner body, and includes a hinged side and a free side opposite the hinged side. A front upper edge of the scanner body is chamfered.
US08736920B2
There is provided an image reading device including: a manuscript table on which a manuscript is placed; an image reading section that optically reads an image from the manuscript placed on the manuscript table; an information acquisition section that acquires information in wireless communication from an IC chip attached to the manuscript placed on the manuscript table; and a control section that controls a timing of image reading by the image reading section in accordance with a timing of information acquisition by the information acquisition section.
US08736917B2
An overhead image-reading apparatus includes a one-dimensional image sensor having imaging elements arranged in parallel to each other and is configured to change an angle between an optical axis of a light source and a medium to be read during reading of the medium, and the apparatus includes a correcting unit that corrects distortion in a main-scanning direction in read image data of the medium read by the apparatus.
US08736914B2
An image scanning apparatus includes a housing. A first image sensor (linear scan imager) is attached at a first position along the housing. The first image sensor is configured and adapted to scan an image. A second image sensor (area scan imager) is attached at a second position along the housing. The second image sensor is configured and adapted to scan an image to detect movement of the apparatus in the X and Y axis. Movement in the Y axis of the apparatus as detected by the second image sensor is utilized to trigger the first image sensor. Movement in the X axis of the apparatus as detected by the second image sensor is utilized to correct image defects (e.g. skew) of the image captured by the first image sensor thereby allowing the second image sensor to capture a 2D inspection area.
US08736910B2
A document securization method includes: a first step of forming a first mark (205, 210) on a first surface of a document by utilizing a first marking element, a second step of forming a second mark (215) on another surface of the document or in the depth of the document by utilizing a second marking element, the two marks are superimposed when the document is illuminated by back-lighting and at least one (215) of the marks is a mark whose copy, made using marking elements identical to those utilized for forming the mark, causes an error rate, measured dot by dot, that is greater than a predefined value.
US08736907B2
An image processing apparatus comprises a dither processing device that applies dither processing to input image data to express halftone using line screens by increasing an area rate of the input image data and a controller that decreases the number of line screens and maintains a prescribed dropout width between the neighboring line screens when the area rate of the input image data increases and the dropout width falls below a prescribed level.
US08736902B2
A method for rendering a clear toner layer is disclosed for a received print job description that is provided in multiple channels, including a clear channel and a color channel. A program selection is executed for a multiple pass operation. Image processing is performed on the print job description to generate a ready-to-print file. A layer of an image is rendered in a first pass using a clear toner applying component and a pigmented toner applying component. The values of the color channel are modified, and the ready-to-print file is modified using the values. The modified ready-to-print file is saved in a ready-to-print format. A layer of the image is rendered in a select pass using only the clear toner applying component.
US08736901B2
Data specified by a distributor can be printed in an arrangement similar to that of the display state corresponding to the layout which is viewed by a person, to whom a printed matter is distributed, on the screen of his/her device in use. By specifying a user, i.e., the distribution destination for the printed matter, an information processing system can print the output data for a portlet application in accordance with the layout on the portal screen displayed by the user. In the portal server 102, the user information control section 205 manages the registration status of portlet application on a per-user or per-group basis and the layout information about print data. When a user or a group, i.e., the distribution destination for the printed matter, is specified, the output data for a portlet application is printed in accordance with the layout displayed on the portal screen set in the device used by the specified user, based on user information.
US08736895B2
A tape printing apparatus compares a back-side background region of print data to be previously printed and a front-side background region of print data to be subsequently printed upon receipt of plural print data including background. If they are different, the tape printing apparatus creates a front-side color mixture tolerance region and a back-side color mixture tolerance region based on the front-side background region and the back-side background region, respectively, so that the front-side color mixture tolerance region and the back-side color mixture tolerance region are arranged continuously. The apparatus sets cut positions at a front edge border and a back edge border of each print data and cut the tape off at those portions while carrying out full-color print on the tape based on respective print data.
US08736894B2
Correction data is produced for density errors in prints produced using a printer. While printing a test image, the periods of rotation of one or more rotatable imaging members arranged along a receiver feed path in the printer are measured using respective period sensors. The printed test image is measured along a selected measurement direction and a reproduction error signal representing deviation from aim density is determined. For each period sensor, the autocorrelation of the reproduction error signal for the corresponding period is determined. If the determined autocorrelation exceeds a selected threshold, the reproduction error signal is decomposed at the corresponding period to extract the variation from the measured component. The remaining error signal is separated by frequency terms. The variations from the data at measured periods and the remaining error signal are used to produce a correction signal.
US08736893B2
A custom color profile is generated for a user in response to user input. A print-on-demand (POD) order for published content is received from the user. The POD order is fulfilled in view of the custom color profile for the user.
US08736891B2
An image forming apparatus and method perform variable-magnification processing of an image while a change in an impression of an image and the processing load are suppressed. The image forming apparatus generates a normalized tile image in a tile image and calculates the number of the normalized tile images that can be arranged in a drawing region after variable magnification. If the number is not less than a first threshold value, data including a tile image in which the normalized tile images in the number are arranged in the drawing region after the variable magnification is generated as data after the variable magnification.
US08736890B2
A copier is provided. The copier is configured to copy an image of an original document, which has a storage medium, and the storage medium, wherein a process of copying the original document, which has the storage medium, has three operation modes (A), (B), and (C) of (A) copying the storage medium and the image of the original document, (B) copying only the storage medium, and (C) copying only the image of the original document. Further, the copier has a selection unit that selects an operation mode to be performed among the operation modes.
US08736889B2
An image forming apparatus includes a processor, and a storage controller that writes band data to a storage device and reads the band data. The processor: (a) generates a write-side process and a read-side process; (b) generates a write-side thread by the write-side process; (c) generates a read-side thread and a file read thread by the read-side process; (d) notifies the read-side process of an identifier within the storage device, and causes the storage controller to sequentially write the band data; and (e) requests the file read thread to cause the storage controller to sequentially read out the band data corresponding to the identifier and causes the storage controller to sequentially read out the band data and one or more subsequent band data.
US08736886B2
A group of printing conditions, which have at least one condition item in common except for environmental condition items concerning a temperature and humidity environment for printing, is selected from among a plurality of printing conditions. A list image, which represents a line-up of visible information concerning the temperature and humidity environment depending on the environmental condition items, and which is included in the printing conditions of the selected group, is generated and displayed.
US08736882B2
A printing system includes a web application of a server apparatus to respond to a browser of a client apparatus and provides a print service to the client apparatus by controlling first and second data processing apparatuses in charge of the print service. The server apparatus requests the first data processing apparatus to store the document information in response determining that an edition service is registered to document information acquired from the browser. The second data processing apparatus applies layout adjustment processing to the document information to obtain a layout adjustment having a reduced number of pages value. The second data processing apparatus additionally compares the reduced number of pages value and a threshold value to determine whether reduced page printing is to be performed. If reduced page printing is not to be performed, the first data processing apparatus is instructed to delete a result of stored layout adjustment processing.
US08736867B1
Methods of providing print fulfillment for digital images may include saving an image selection property in digital memory, saving a batching property in digital memory, and saving digital images and associated image data in digital memory. A group of the digital images that satisfy the image selection property saved in digital memory may be selected, and it may be determined if the batching property saved in digital memory is satisfied for the group of the digital images having associated image data that satisfy the image selection property. If the batching property is satisfied, a print fulfillment order may be transmitted over a digital network requesting prints of the group of the digital images. Related systems and computer program products are also discussed.
US08736864B2
A system for producing and inspecting prints having static and variable contents includes a printing unit, an inspection unit, and a computation unit. The computation unit integrates print-specific information having static and variable contents in the form of print parameters and inspection parameters into a common JobTicket and routes the JobTicket i) both to the printing unit and to the inspection unit or ii) routes the JobTicket first of all to the printing unit and from the printing unit to the inspection unit, or vice versa. The print parameters are extracted from the common JobTicket and the printing unit uses the extracted print parameters to create prints. The inspection parameters are extracted from the common JobTicket and the inspection unit uses the extracted inspection parameters to inspect the prints.
US08736857B2
A content of the common setting is applied to the plurality of devices and a content of the special setting is applied to a specific device among the plurality of devices. When the item of the special setting for the specific device is selected on the common setting screen, the acquiring unit is configured to acquire special setting screen data corresponding to the selected item of the special setting from an external device. A second setting screen supplying unit is configured to supply the special setting screen data to the display unit such that the display unit displays a special setting screen on which the content of the special setting for the selected item is settable.
US08736856B2
A method of executing an additional extended feature of an image forming apparatus, includes receiving an application from an external storage medium, the application corresponding to the additional extended feature, installing the received application using one operating system of the plurality of operating systems, selecting the additional extended feature from a menu showing at least one application installed in the image forming apparatus, and executing an application corresponding to the selected additional extended feature using an operating system corresponding to the selected additional extended feature.
US08736853B2
Disclosed is a method of forming characters for microprint and an image forming apparatus using the same. The method of forming characters for microprint includes determining for every image character a size font taking into account the rules to create small prints, rasterizing a character into a bitmap, skeletonizing the bitmap, reformatting the bitmap maintaining a character legibility, storing the bitmap, and forming halftoning cells from the reformatted bitmap.
US08736848B2
A non-energy dissipating, curvature sensing device senses curvature variation of a sample and comprises an outer layer, an inner layer and at least one spacer. The outer layer is flexible, transparent material and has a shape. The inner layer is flexible, transparent material, has a shape corresponding to the shape of the outer layer, is positioned under the outer layer and is thicker and harder than the outer layer. At least one spacer is positioned between the outer layer and the inner layer and creates space between the outer layer and the inner layer. A non-energy dissipating, curvature sensing method is also disclosed.
US08736844B2
A Sagnac interferometer can include a beamsplitter arranged to receive an input beam of light of a design wavelength, to split the input beam of light into first and second beams that counter propagate around an optical path, and to recombine the first and second beams into an output beam of light. The optical path can include at least one diffraction grating that is arranged to satisfy an effective Littrow geometry.
US08736833B2
A device for sensing the change of feed bobbin for a yarn fed to a textile machine and originating from a first bobbin or a second bobbin connected together in head-tail manner includes at least one first sensor and one second sensor at a passage section of a support body, a control unit associated with the first sensor and second sensor. The first sensor and the second sensor generates first and second presence signals when the yarn unwound from the first bobbin or from the second bobbin passes in front of the first sensor or second sensor. The control unit receiving as input the first and/or second presence signal to generate at least one output signal representative of the first bobbin or of the second bobbin on the basis of the first or second presence signal.
US08736829B2
A beacon device includes a control circuitry, a window, and a plurality of sets of illumination sources. The window includes a prismatic structure forming a ring from a planar perspective. The prismatic structure defines an inside surface and an outside surface from the planar perspective. The plurality of sets of illumination sources are coupled to the control circuitry. Each set of illumination sources includes a first illumination source disposed proximal to the inside surface of the prismatic structure and includes a second illumination source disposed proximal to the outside surface of the prismatic structure. The control circuitry is to illuminate a first set of the plurality of sets of illumination sources to transmit a signal in a first direction.
US08736814B2
Some embodiments include system and methods to obtain information for adjusting variations in features formed on a substrate of a semiconductor device. Such methods can include determining a first pupil in an illumination system used to form a first feature, and determining a second pupil used to form a second feature. The methods can also include determining a pupil portion belonging to only one of the pupils, and generating a modified pupil portion from the pupil portion. Information associated with the modified pupil portion can be obtained for controlling a portion of a projection lens assembly of an illumination system. Other embodiments are described.
US08736810B2
A reflective reticle substantially reduces or eliminates pattern distortion that results from the absorption of EUV radiation while maintaining a reticle thickness consistent with industry standards. The reflective reticle includes a layer of ultra-low expansion (ULE) glass and a substrate of Cordierite having a thermal conductivity substantially larger than that of ULE glass. An aluminum layer is disposed onto a first surface of the ULE glass and a second surface of the ULE glass is polished to be substantially flat and defect-free. The Cordierite substrate can be directly bonded to the aluminum layer using anodic bonding to form the reflective reticle. Alternatively, a first surface of an intermediate Zerodur layer can be bonded to the aluminum layer, and a second aluminum layer can be used to anodically bond the Cordierite substrate to a second surface of the Zerodur layer, thereby forming the reflective reticle.
US08736805B2
A mirror system, comprising a spectrally selective liquid crystal reflective assembly, designed and constructed to substantially absorb or transmit light at wavelengths corresponding to mesopic conditions, while reflecting light at other wavelengths. In one embodiment, the reflectance level of the mirror system is altered in response to a voltage applied across the selective liquid crystal reflective assembly.
US08736804B2
A liquid crystal display device includes a TFT substrate having an organic passivation film, and a counter substrate, with liquid crystals inside of the liquid crystal display device. A columnar spacer is formed on the counter substrate, which defines a distance between the TFT substrate and the counter substrate, and a concavo-convex pedestal is formed in a pixel region of the TFT substrate, the concavo-convex pedestal being provided in facing relation to the columnar spacer. The concavo-convex pedestal is formed with a convex portion and a concave portion at a bottom of the concavo-convex pedestal, with a top end of the columnar spacer being in contact with two or more convex portions formed on the bottom of the concavo-convex pedestal, and an area at the bottom of the concavo-convex pedestal being larger than the area at the top end of the columnar spacer.
US08736802B2
A liquid crystal display (LCD) is provided that comprises a rearward LCD substrate sheet that has an array of vias formed, where the vias provide electrical conduction between both sides of the rearward LCD substrate sheet. The number of vias in the array is substantially equal to or at least equivalent to a combination of a number of column drive lines and a number of row drive lines. The respective drive lines are connected to a corresponding via, such as on one side of the rearward LCD substrate sheet, and respective patterned conductors are connected to a corresponding via, such as on the other side of the rearward LCD substrate sheet. The patterned conductors provide a connection between respective drive lines and one or more corresponding drivers. In one example, this allows a “full bleed” display to be generated.
US08736796B2
A first retardation plate arranged on a front side causes light received through the a first polarizing plate from the front side to become close to circularly polarized light rotating in a first direction. Second and third retardation plates arranged on a back side cause light received through a second polarizing plate from the back side to become close to circularly polarized light rotating in a second direction opposite to the first direction while passing through both of the second and third retardation plates and the liquid crystal layer in black display period. With this structure, good image quality can be obtained even when used in outdoor.
US08736794B2
Provided is a light-emitting device exhibiting a high light-emission efficiency and moreover may utilize an external light radiating from the back side. A light-emitting device has a light-emitting element and a reflective layer reflecting light emitted from the light-emitting element. The reflective layer has a first layer constituted from a liquid crystal having a helical structure; a second layer disposed on opposite side of the first layer from the light-emitting element, and constituted from a liquid crystal having a helical structure with the same twisting direction as the first layer; and a third layer interposed therebetween to divide a light transmitted through the third layer itself into two intrinsic polarized lights causing a phase difference between the two intrinsic polarized lights.
US08736791B2
The present invention provides a liquid crystal display device, which includes a TFT substrate, a CF substrate that is arranged parallel to the TFT substrate, liquid crystal interposed between the TFT substrate and the CF substrate, spacers arranged between the TFT substrate and the CF substrate, and an enclosing resin frame arranged between the TFT substrate and the CF substrate and located along edges of the TFT substrate and the CF substrate. The CF substrate includes a first glass substrate and a flexible color filter film arranged on the first glass substrate. The flexible color filter film is of a form of thin film bonded to the first glass substrate. The liquid crystal display device uses a flexible color filter film to replace a conventionally used color filter plate so as to simplify the manufacture.
US08736786B2
A liquid crystal display is disclosed. In one embodiment, the display includes i) a liquid crystal display panel configured to display images, ii) a backlight unit configured to provide light to the liquid crystal display panel and iii) a mold frame comprising a frame main body and a plurality of first side walls, wherein the frame main body is configured to receive the backlight unit, and wherein the first side walls are formed on a top surface of the frame main body. The display may further include a bottom chassis comprising a bottom plate and a plurality of second side walls, wherein the bottom plate is configured to support the mold frame and wherein the second side walls are formed at edges of the bottom plate. The first and second side walls surround side surfaces of the liquid crystal display panel while not contacting the side surfaces, and the first and second side walls are alternately disposed along a circumferential direction of the liquid crystal display panel.
US08736782B2
A notebook computer includes a host and a display device. The display device includes a casing and a liquid crystal display module. The casing is pivoted to the host. The liquid crystal display module includes a back cover, a light guide plate, a liquid crystal panel, a light source, and an antenna. The back cover is disposed in the casing. The light guide plate is disposed on and supported by the back cover. The liquid crystal panel is disposed on and supported by the back cover, and the light guide plate is located between the back cover and the liquid crystal panel. The light source is disposed on a side surface of the light guide plate. The antenna is integrally connected to the back cover.
US08736779B2
A high-quality display is achieved by suppressing a disturbance in alignment in a liquid crystal display panel including a substrate structured so that a slit in a pixel electrode intersects with a scanning signal line or an auxiliary capacitor line. An active matrix substrate (10) includes: a pixel electrode (12) having a slit; and an auxiliary capacitor line (14). In a region of intersection between the slit (15) and the auxiliary capacitor line (14) or a scanning signal line (21), at least a drain line (13) or a data signal line (22) is provided between a layer of the pixel electrode (12) and a layer of the auxiliary capacitor line (14) or of the scanning signal line (21) in such a way as to cover the auxiliary capacitor line (12) or the scanning signal line (21).
US08736776B2
The present invention provides a liquid crystal lens for a 3D display, which includes a first substrate, a second substrate, a liquid crystal layer, a first electrode layer, and a first alignment layer. The second substrate is disposed corresponding to the first substrate. The liquid crystal layer is disposed between the first substrate and the second substrate. The first electrode layer is disposed on a side of the first substrate facing the second substrate. The first alignment layer is disposed on the first electrode layer. The first alignment layer has a plurality of first regions, and alignment directions of the first regions gradually change from one end to an opposite end and are symmetrical. A manufacturing method thereof is also disclosed.
US08736767B2
A system for producing a motion vector field for a current frame, where the system includes an estimator that selects an initial motion vector from a set of candidate motion vectors and a refiner that refines the initial motion vector.
US08736764B2
System for providing widgets on a display of a TV unit, which TV unit is provided with an internal or external Internet-enabled device which provides Internet to the TV unit, and the system includes an internal or external control device for controlling the TV unit. The Internet-enabled device is arranged for providing widgets on the display of the TV unit together with a normal TV-sending or other programs, videos, or similar, a TV-viewer desires to watch. The invention also includes a method for the same.
US08736763B2
According to one embodiment, a content synchronizing method includes: first transmitting when receiving an acquiring request for reference time to determine a timing to synchronize a plurality of pieces of content executed by a plurality of modules with each other from a first module out of the modules, the acquiring request for the reference time to a second module out of the modules; receiving source information indicating an acquisition source of the reference time from the second module; and acquiring reference time information indicating the reference time from the acquisition source indicated by the source information, wherein second transmitting to the first module, together with the reference time information, processing time information indicating processing time from receiving the acquiring request until transmitting the reference time information, the processing time information being used to calculate a time lag between time in the first module and the reference time.
US08736751B2
An image displaying apparatus includes a base capable of supporting an object, a camera configured to capture a plurality of images of the object, an illumination system housing a plurality of illuminators, an illumination control system configured to control illumination provided by the plurality of illuminators, and a focus control system configured to control a focus of the camera.
US08736749B2
A photographing apparatus includes: an image capturing unit; a first blade making a first movement to move to the other side edge of the image capturing unit and a second movement to move to a side edge of the image capturing unit; a second blade moving along with the first blade to the other side edge while being spaced apart from the first blade during the first movement and moving to the side edge of the image capturing unit during the second movement; a third blade moving along with the first blade to the side edge of the image capturing unit to block light from the image capturing unit and then moving to the other side edge to open the image capturing unit; and a controlling unit that resets the plurality of pixels in the rows of the image capturing unit corresponding to the first blade during the first movement.
US08736739B2
An imaging apparatus includes: a half-silvered mirror that divides incident light from a subject into light fluxes traveling along two optical paths; a first imaging device that receives one of the incident light fluxes divided by the half-silvered mirror; a second imaging device that receives the other one of the incident light fluxes divided by the half-silvered mirror; a first subject luminance information calculator that calculates first subject luminance information based on an output from the first imaging device; a second subject luminance information calculator that calculates second subject luminance information based on an output from the second imaging device; and a subject luminance information comparator that compares the first subject luminance information with the second subject luminance information.
US08736735B2
A solid-state imaging device is provided, which includes a pixel region in which pixels including a photoelectric conversion section and a plurality of pixel transistors are arranged. In the solid-state imaging device, a transfer transistor of the pixel transistors includes: a transfer gate electrode extended in a surface of the substrate formed on the surface of a semiconductor substrate; and a transfer gate electrode buried in the substrate which is electrically insulated from the transfer gate electrode extended in a surface of the substrate and is embedded in the inside of the semiconductor substrate in the vertical direction through the transfer gate electrode extended in a surface of the substrate.
US08736733B2
In various embodiments, an image sensor and method of using an image sensor are described. In an example embodiment, the image sensor comprises a semiconductor substrate and a plurality of pixel regions with each pixel region comprising an optically sensitive material over the substrate and positioned to receive light. There is a bias electrode for each pixel region, with the bias electrode configured to provide a bias voltage to the optically sensitive material of the respective pixel region. Also included is a pixel circuit for each pixel region with each pixel circuit comprising a charge store formed on the semiconductor substrate and a read out circuit, the charge store being in electrical communication with the optically sensitive material of the respective pixel region. The pixel circuit is configured to reset the voltage on the charge store to a reset voltage during a reset period, to integrate charge from the optically sensitive material to the charge store during an integration period, and to read out a signal from the charge store during a read out period. The pixel circuit includes a reference voltage node to be coupled to the charge store during the reset period and the read out circuit during the read out period where a reference voltage is applied to the reference voltage node and is configured to be varied during the operation of the pixel circuit.
US08736728B2
An image sensor includes front-side and backside photodetectors of a first conductivity type disposed in a substrate layer of the first conductivity type. A front-side pinning layer of a second conductivity type is connected to a first contact. The first contact receives a predetermined potential. A backside pinning layer of the second conductivity type is connected to a second contact. The second contact receives an adjustable and programmable potential.
US08736717B2
An image pickup apparatus capable of improving a conversion speed of column parallel A/D converters, while preventing a gradation representation of image pickup signals from becoming rough. The image pickup apparatus includes a CMOS sensor having A/D converters provided on output sides of column amplifiers for respective columns of two-dimensionally arranged pixels. The A/D converters have a first operation mode in which they operate with a first number of conversion bits and at a first conversion speed and a second operation mode in which they operate with a second number of conversion bits and at a second conversion speed. A signal processing circuit adds together plural pieces of two-dimensionally arranged pixel data output from the A/D converter that operate in the second operation mode, thereby expanding the number of gradation bits of the pixel data from the second number of conversion bits.
US08736710B2
A photographic flash unit comprises a direct flash unit and a bounce flash unit rotatably connected to the direct flash unit. Status and control lines coupled between a hot shoe and each flash unit enable independent triggering and control of each flash unit. The direct and bounce flash units may be a part of a digital camera adapted to make a first test exposure using direct flash illumination and second test exposure using bounce flash illumination, then computing an attenuation factor for compensating a selected flash exposure parameter by dividing the selected parameter by the attenuation factor. Steps in a method embodiment include making a first test image, making a second test image, selecting regions in the first and second test images, computing an attenuation factor from luminosity values for the first and second test images, and compensating settings for a final bounce flash image by the attenuation factor.
US08736700B2
The present disclosure provides techniques for performing audio-video synchronization using an image signal processing system. In one embodiment, a time code register provides a current time stamp when sampled. The value of the time code register may be incremented at regular intervals based on a clock of the image signal processing system. At the start of a current frame acquired by an image sensor, the time code register is sampled, and a timestamp is stored into a timestamp register associated with the image sensor. The timestamp is then read from the time stamp register and written to a set of metadata associated with the current frame. The timestamp stored in the frame metadata may then be used to synchronize the current frame with a corresponding set of audio data.
US08736697B2
A digital camera having a burst image capture mode, comprising: an image sensor; an optical system; a data processing system; an image memory; and a program memory storing instructions configured to implement a method for capturing a sequence of digital images in the burst image capture mode. The instructions include: capturing two or more evaluation digital images of a scene that includes a moving object; analyzing the evaluation digital images to determine a rate of motion for the moving object; determining a frame rate responsive to the rate of motion for the moving object; initiating an image capture sequence; capturing a sequence of digital images; and storing a set of captured digital images corresponding to the determined frame rate in the image memory.
US08736695B2
An electronic device for parallel image processing using multiple processors is disclosed. The electronic device includes multiple image sensors for providing image data. The electronic device also includes multiple processors for processing segmented image data to produce processed segmented image data. Each processor is dedicated to one of the image sensors. A multiple processor interface is also included. The multiple processor interface maps the image data to the processors, segments the image data to produce the segmented image data and synchronizes the segmented image data to processor clock rates.
US08736694B2
A cellular transmission device includes an image capture device, a display, a selection mechanism, and a processor. The device also includes a memory in which at least one still image captured by the image capture device is stored; and a cellular transceiver coupled to an antenna; wherein the processor is configured to cause the display of at least one still image stored in the memory on the display; cause the display of a transmission selection menu on the display in response to operation of the selection mechanism, thereby enabling selection of a plurality of receiver units from the selection menu to receive the at least one displayed still image; and cause the transmission of the at least one displayed still image by the cellular transceiver for receipt by each selected receiver unit.
US08736693B2
A digital photographing apparatus may perform a method of correcting hand shake to obtain images of high quality, in which hand shake is corrected completely, by correcting the hand shake using a plurality of successive images having different exposure times, and in particular, by determining whether a short exposure image will be obtained from a time period in which hand shake is weak or in a time period in which hand shake is strong according to photographing conditions.
US08736691B2
Provided is an imaging device capable of reducing image degradation due to a shake of a hand or an object and easily capturing an image of preferable image quality. The imaging device (1) includes: an imaging optical system (L) for forming an optical image of an object; an imaging sensor (4) for receiving the formed optical image and converting it into an electric image signal for output; a motion detecting unit (100) for detecting a motion of an object to be imaged according to the outputted image signal; and a microcomputer (3) for controlling an exposure time in accordance with the motion of the detected optical image of the object.
US08736687B2
An imaging apparatus and an imaging method supply an optimum amount of image data to another apparatus. When a PDA has a maximum transfer rate of 1.5 Mbps, a mobile phone determines that the maximum speed of communication with the PDA is low, reduces the amount of moving image data captured by a CCD of the mobile phone accordingly, and supplies the captured moving image data to the PDA. The PDA therefore displays a low-quality moving image on its display unit. When the PDA has a maximum transfer rate of 480 Mbps, the CPU of the mobile phone leaves unchanged the amount of moving picture data captured by the CCD and supplies the captured moving image data to the PDA. The PDA then displays a high-quality moving image on its display unit. The foregoing may be advantageously applied to digital cameras.
US08736684B1
A novel image sensor includes a pixel array, a row control circuit, a test signal injection circuit, a sampling circuit, an image processing circuit, a comparison circuit, and a control circuit. In a particular embodiment, the test signal injection circuit injects test signals into the pixel array, the sampling circuit acquires pixel data from the pixel array, and the comparison circuit compares the pixel data with the test signals. If the pixel data does not correspond to the test signals, the comparison circuit outputs an error signal. Additional comparison circuits are provided to detect defects in the control circuitry of an image sensor.
US08736682B2
There is provided an image processing apparatus. The apparatus includes a moving image data acquisition unit configured to acquire moving image data representing a moving image, a notable-region specification unit configured to specify, as a notable region, a motion region among a plurality of still images forming the moving image represented by the moving image data acquired by the moving image data acquisition unit, for each still image, and an image processing unit configured to perform image processing of changing a style of each still image, in which the notable region is specified by the notable-region specification unit, into a pictorial image, by using different processes between the notable region in the still image specified by the notable-region specification unit and the rest of the still image.
US08736669B2
From a stereo image having at least 2 perspectives additional virtual perspectives are produced, wherein the processing time for the virtual perspectives is less than a specified value and simultaneously the multi-view image quality is maximized by identifying image areas that have not changed between two stereo images of the image sequence. In these areas the associated disparity map also did not change and the disparity values are reused. In addition, the processing parameters for calculating the virtual perspectives are continuously adjusted through continuous time measurement during processing such that the quality is always at a maximum. An adaptive method is obtained, which is also able to respond to load fluctuations of the underlying hardware device.
US08736658B2
Embodiments of the present invention disclose an image-based video conference control method, terminal, and system. The method includes the following steps: sending a control request message to a network-side device (101); dynamically displaying image information according to a control message fed back by the network-side device (102); and editing an image according to the image information to complete video conference control (103). Through the embodiments of the present invention, an image of a single or multiple conference site pictures can be directly selected for operation according to abundant information provided by each conference site picture in combination with an operation of a remote controller, so that all kinds of conference control operations in a video conference are implemented, and a need of entering a multi-level menu to carry out complicated video conference control is avoided.
US08736651B2
An optical scanning apparatus that is capable of increasing use life of a semiconductor laser by decreasing the emission time for sensors that are independently provided for synchronous control, light control, and focus control. A laser beam emitted from a light source is deflected by a deflector, and scans a photoconductor. A beam splitter arranged between the light source and the deflector separates the laser beam, which is detected by a first detection unit. A second detection unit arranged in a non-image forming area detects the deflected laser beam to detect defocus amount. A focusing unit focuses the scanning laser beam based on a detection result of the second detection unit. A control unit controls the light amount of the laser beam applied to an image forming area based on a detection result of the first detection unit at the timing when the second detection unit detects the laser beam.
US08736647B2
The present invention is and includes a conversion circuit for allowing a printer controller to send a different set of control signals for dot history control to an integrated circuit driver other than those which the integrated circuit driver is designed to receive. The conversion circuit includes a plurality of driver circuits coupled to a plurality of strobe signals from at least one strobe signal generator, wherein each of the plurality of driver circuits comprises a plurality of gating groups respectively coupled to the plurality of strobe signals, wherein each of the plurality of gating groups includes a plurality of gate units respectively coupled to a plurality of heating elements wherein at least one gate unit controls at least one coupled heating element according to a corresponding strobe signal.
US08736646B2
A printing unit for a weighing device, which has a housing and a load plate, includes an interior configured to hold a print medium. A front panel has a printer opening communicating with the interior for passage of the print medium therethrough. A top cover is disposed above the front panel and extends in an opening direction from the housing of the weighing device, past an edge of the load plate of the weighing device and to the front panel. A side edge cover is disposed at each side of the top cover. The top cover, front panel and side edge covers are shaped so as to direct a liquid from the load plate toward at least one of a bottom region and a drain of the printing unit without entering into the interior.
US08736645B2
A printhead and related fabrication method are described with the printhead including a spacer layer.
US08736642B2
An offset-reducing output circuit of a source driver adapted to drive a liquid crystal device. The output circuit includes an operational amplifier having a non-inverting input to receive a reference voltage. The output circuit also includes input and output capacitors. One terminal of the input capacitor and one terminal of the output capacitor are connected to a node extending to an inverting input of the operational amplifier in at least a normal output operation mode. The output circuit also includes a switching circuit to short both terminals of the input capacitor and both terminals of the output capacitor in a reset operation so that the reference voltage is applied to the terminals of the input and output capacitors respectively. The switching device applies a gray scale voltage to an opposite terminal of the input capacitor in a normal operation mode.
US08736639B2
A driving system for a backlight unit includes: a system unit outputting first and second dimming signals for driving the backlight unit; and an inverter unit driving the backlight unit with a 2-block scanning method using the first and second dimming signals received directly from the system unit.
US08736638B2
The present invention provides an organic light emitting display device in which light emitted by an OLED whose luminance is adjusted for detection of deterioration does not stand out as compared to light emitted by other OLEDs, thereby not producing an unpleasant sensation for users. A calculation unit in a display control unit 104 sets, for a target pixel 302, a driving signal Out(C)=V. For a peripheral pixel 301 horizontally located immediately before the target pixel 302, the calculation unit calculates a driving signal Out(C−1)=In(C−1)−V(In(C))/2. For a peripheral pixel 303 horizontally located immediately after the target pixel 302, the calculation unit calculates a driving signal Out(C+1)=In(C+1)−V(In(C))/2.
US08736636B2
A system and method for providing augmented reality (AR) information to a mobile communication terminal in a mobile communication system is provided. If the mobile communication terminal is determined to have entered a service cell providing AR information, the mobile communication terminal transmits an AR information request including position information to a server. Upon receiving the AR information request signal, the server determines AR information including at least one tag pattern provided in the service cell and information associated with the tag pattern and transmits the AR information to the mobile communication terminal.
US08736615B2
Techniques for ensuring maximum readability of barcodes displayed in pixel displays. The techniques use the characteristics of the pixel display to determine the form of the barcode in the pixel display. Determination of the form includes determining a size of the barcode which renders the barcode's elements easily readable by a barcode reader and a shape, and or orientation of the barcode in the display which permits the entire barcode to be displayed in the display. Additionally, in a barcode with redundant information, the amount of redundant information may be reduced in the displayed barcode. The techniques may be applied to both one-dimensional and two-dimensional barcodes.
US08736608B2
A surface material rendering system and method are disclosed. In particular, a surface material rendering system includes a user input part for receiving user inputs; a material information preprocessor for converting surface material information inputted from the user input part in a form of B-spline volumes; a sampling information preprocessor for producing sampling information in proportion to the converted surface material information; and a surface material renderer for rendering surface materials based on the converted surface material information and the sampling information. The system and method can be applied for realistic surface rendering in computer graphics, CAD, and visualization.
US08736602B2
A display apparatus and method of controlling the display apparatus are provided herein. The display apparatus includes: a display unit; an image receiving unit which receives an image signal from an image source; and an image processing unit which processes the image signal, controls the display unit to display a three-dimensional (3D) image based on the processed image signal, controls the display unit to display a plurality of selectable sub-images which are respectively based on different preset 3D information values, and corrects the 3D image displayed on the display unit based on a 3D information value of a selected sub-image.
US08736601B2
A method and system for providing a virtual rendering alert with respect to a rendering job page exception. A realistic virtual three-dimensional rendering model with respect to the rendering job can be rendered utilizing a virtual rendering unit. One or more multi-media aspects can be added with respect to an anomalous object in the rendering job to automatically identify a page exception in the rendering job. A list of objects associated with the rendering job can be activated within a scene based on a set of print policies and/or production cost structures at the discretion of a user. A virtual clue can also be presented along with the realistic virtual rendering model in order to provide additional information with respect to the object in the rendering job and thereby effectively identify the rendering job exception.
US08736578B2
A sensing method and circuit for a capacitive touch panel sense the capacitance variation of a lateral capacitor formed at the intersection of two traces of the capacitive touch panel, to distinguish a real point from a ghost point. A sensing cycle includes two non-overlapping clock phases. In the first clock phase, the voltages across the lateral capacitor and across a sensing capacitor are set. In the second clock phase, the voltage at a first, terminal of the lateral capacitor is changed, and a second terminal of the lateral capacitor is connected to a first terminal of the sensing capacitor, causing a voltage variation at a second terminal of the sensing capacitor. This voltage variation is used to determine whether the intersection is touched. The sensing method and circuit reflect the status of the lateral capacitor in real-time and prevent the location of the touch point from being misjudged.
US08736573B2
Touch screen systems and method of compensating noise in same are presented. One touch screen system includes; a touch screen panel having sense channels providing a sense output corresponding to a capacitance variation associated with an applied touch input as detected by one or more sensing units connected to the sense channels. A parasitic capacitance is accumulated in the sense channels as the touch input is applied. The touch screen system also includes a touch controller receiving the sense output and including; a noise compensation block configured to generate a compensation capacitance to compensate for the parasitic capacitance and provide a compensation output, and a signal conversion unit that receives the sense output and the compensation output and generates a noise compensated sense output.
US08736564B2
Methods and apparatus are provided related to proximity detection between a mobile device and a related object, such as a holder, holster, pocket liner, support surface, or the like. A pattern is associated with the related object or device, for example printed on a surface thereof, the pattern being discernable by a mobile device input module, such as a touch surface or optical navigation module. When the pattern is presented to the input module, the mobile device detects the pattern and may respond accordingly, for example by shifting to a standby mode or suppressing mobile device inputs.
US08736559B2
A method includes determining first respective values representative of forces applied by a plurality of actuators to a touch-sensitive input device of an electronic device, controlling the actuators to cause the actuators to change the forces applied to the touch-sensitive input device, determining second respective values representative of the forces applied by the actuators to the touch-sensitive input device, and determining when there is a fault based on a change from the first respective values to the second respective values.
US08736548B2
A method and apparatus for interactive TV camera based games in which position or orientation of points on a player or of an object held by a player are determined and used to control a video display. Both single camera and stereo camera pair based embodiments are disclosed, preferably using stereo photogrammetry where multi-degree of freedom information is desired. Large video displays, preferably life-size may be used where utmost realism of the game experience is desired.
US08736541B2
A liquid crystal display (LCD) device's microcontroller is used drive an LCD lamp ballast such that the scrolling effect from its light leakage may be reduced to a visually imperceptible level. A check may be performed of lamp's control status in order to verify the microcontroller's ability to properly and accurately control the lamp ballast. The microcontroller may then determine a frequency and duty cycle to use for the microcontroller's PWM control signal. Thereafter, the microcontroller may generate the PWM control signal in accordance with the determined frequency and duty cycle, and drive the lamp ballast using the control signal.
US08736540B2
A liquid crystal display (LCD) includes: a gate-off voltage generator including a temperature compensation unit which comprises a constant voltage output device and which outputs a gate-off voltage having a level which varies based on a change in ambient temperature; a clock generator outputting a first clock signal and a second clock signal; a gate driver outputting gate signals; and a plurality of pixels which turn on or off based on the gate signals, wherein the constant voltage output device outputs a temperature variable voltage having a value based on a voltage difference between a reference terminal of the constant voltage output device and an input terminal of the constant voltage output device, and a voltage difference between the reference terminal and the input terminal of the constant voltage output device varies based on the change in the ambient temperature.
US08736534B2
In one embodiment of the present invention, on each source bus line, an electric charge escaping transistor is provided having the same polarity as a pixel transistor and having a gate to which a turn-off voltage signal of the pixel transistor is supplied. When an active matrix liquid crystal display device is powered off, the turn-off voltage signal is made to reach the GND level before a turn-on voltage signal of the pixel transistor reaches the GND level, so that the pixel transistor and the electric charge escaping transistor are made half-open. This lets electric charges accumulated in the pixel escape to a common electrode TCOM.
US08736529B2
An overdriving apparatus is provided in the invention. The apparatus includes a receiving module, a storing module, a dynamic information generating module, and an image driving module. The receiving module receives image data relative to an image signal. The storing module is used for storing the image data. Based on the image data, the dynamic information generating module generates dynamic information corresponding to a current image. The image driving module then generates an overdriving signal and/or a standard driving signal, according to the dynamic information and the image data, to drive a display.
US08736525B2
In order to efficiently execute threshold value compensation for a driving transistor, a coupling capacitor (6) has one end connected to a data line (8). Another end of the coupling capacitor (6) is connected to a selection transistor (3) and one end of a reset transistor (4). A control terminal of a driving transistor (2) is connected to the other end of the selection transistor (3), and an organic EL element (1) is connected to this driving transistor via a light emission control transistor (5). A data voltage, corresponding to a gradation signal supplied to the data line (8), is written to a storage capacitor (7) via the coupling capacitor (6), and with the selection transistor (3) and the light emission control transistor (5) in an off state and the reset transistor (4) turned on, a compensation voltage corresponding to a degree of mobility of the driving transistor (2) is written to the coupling capacitor (6).
US08736519B2
An organic electro luminance display device according to the present invention comprises a plurality of gate lines and data lines to define a plurality of pixels and a plurality of power lines to apply a signal to the pixels; a data driving unit for supplying the signal to the data line; an emitting unit at each pixel to emit; a first thin film transistor at each pixel, the first thin film transistor being turned on by the signal inputted through the gate line; a second thin film transistor at each pixel, the second thin film transistor being turned on to apply the signal to the emitting signal through the power line when the first thin film transistor is turned on; a ground terminal voltage controlling unit for controlling a first ground terminal voltage and a second ground terminal voltage to determine respectively the voltage output from the data driving unit and the voltage applied to the emitting unit according to the first ground terminal voltage and the second ground terminal voltage, wherein the second ground terminal voltage is higher than the first ground terminal voltage to apply the voltage lower than a reference voltage to the second thin film transistor.
US08736511B2
Tunable radio front end systems and methods are disclosed in which the tunable radio front end includes a first tunable impedance matching network, a second tunable impedance matching network, a transmission signal path, and a reception signal path. The transmission signal path can include a first tunable filter in communication with the first tunable impedance matching network, a tunable power amplifier connected to the first tunable filter, and a radio transmitter connected to the tunable power amplifier. The reception signal path can include a second tunable filter in communication with the second tunable impedance matching network, a tunable low-noise amplifier connected to the second tunable filter, and a radio receiver connected to the tunable low-noise amplifier.
US08736507B2
Parasitic elements of each parasitic element pair have a strip shape, and are formed on a straight line, which is parallel to a longitudinal direction of a printed dipole antenna and is positioned in a radiation direction of radio wave from the printed dipole antenna, so as to have a gap of a predetermined interval. The parasitic element pairs and the dipole antenna are arranged at predetermined intervals so as to oppose to and to be electromagnetically coupled to each other.
US08736505B2
A dual-polarized antenna array is disclosed. The antenna array includes a plurality of self supporting, electrically conductive members. Tapered elements of neighboring electrically conductive members define tapered slots that form part of radiating structures. The radiating structures additionally include a slot line in communication with the tapered slot. A back cavity can be included as part of a BALUN structure that is integral to an electrically conductive member.
US08736499B2
An animal training apparatus including an electrical conductor embedded within a flexible member, and a housing having a through-opening for receiving the electrical conductor therethrough. The flexible member is molded around the electrical conductor and the antenna, while the electrical conductor is positioned such that it extends into the housing through the through-opening. As a result of the molding process, the flexible member shields the housing through-opening, discouraging substances such as water from accessing the interior of the housing via the through-opening.
US08736485B2
A method for direction finding by means of monopulse formation in a radar system with electronically controlled group antenna and analog beam shaping of sum and difference channels, a self-test of the antenna being carried out to identify failed receiving elements, and the result of the self-test going directly into the monopulse formation and the test thereby being error corrected. The result of the self-test is converted into correction values that, independently of the antenna viewing direction, are combined with those from the sum channel signal and the difference channel signals of the antenna.
US08736480B1
An apparatus and method of successive approximation analog-to-digital conversion for receivers comprising that during a sample mode, connecting an array of capacitors to a plurality of sampling switches coupled to a plurality of amplified input signals, and during a conversion mode, connecting in common the array of capacitors to a comparator and isolating the array of capacitors from the plurality of sampling switches. Additionally, filtering is done by the summation of samples at phase offsets.
US08736476B2
A technique includes selectively enabling a first sequence of unit elements of a plurality of unit elements of a digital-to-analog converter to convert a digital code to a plurality of analog signals in response to a plurality of control signals. Individual control signals of the plurality of control signals and individual analog signals of the plurality of analog signals correspond to respective unit elements of the plurality of unit elements. The technique includes generating the plurality of control signals based on the digital code, a random digital code having a number of bits based on a feedback signal, and an indicator of a second sequence of unit elements of the plurality of unit elements enabled in response to a prior digital code.
US08736470B2
A reference A/D conversion unit is connected in parallel to an input common to a time-interleaved A/D converter to be a calibration target, and the output of each unitary A/D conversion unit which makes up the time-interleaved A/D converter is calibrated in a digital region by using a low-speed high-resolution A/D conversion result output from the reference A/D conversion unit. Also, fCLK/N (fCLK represents an overall sampling rate of the time-interleaved A/D converter, and N is relatively prime to the number of unitary A/D conversion units connected in parallel M) is set as the operation clock frequency of the reference A/D conversion unit. Samplings of all unitary A/D conversion units can be sequentially synchronized with the sampling of the reference A/D conversion unit, and the operation clock frequency of the reference A/D converter can be made N times slower than the overall sampling rate of the time-interleaved A/D converter.
US08736466B2
The aircraft tire pressure loop link is formed of first and second single metal loops connected by parallel spaced apart metal shafts, and provides for coupling a magnetic field between a wheel hub coil and a tire pressure sensor coil to provide electromagnetic communication between a control unit connect to the wheel hub coil and a tire pressure sensor connected to the tire pressure sensor coil. The current induced in the first single metal loop travels the distance from the edge of the wheel axle coil to the periphery of the of the wheel rim to the second single metal loop, which generates the flux in the tire pressure sensor receiver coil necessary to power the tire pressure sensor.
US08736463B1
Aspects of the disclosure relate generally to maneuvering autonomous vehicles. Specifically, the vehicle may use a laser to collect scan data for a section of roadway. The vehicle may access a detailed map including the section of the roadway. A disturbance indicative of an object and including a set of data points data may be identified from the scan data based on the detailed map. The detailed map may also be used to estimate a heading of the disturbance. A bounding box for the disturbance may be estimated using the set of data points as well as the estimated heading. The parameters of the bounding box may then be adjusted in order to increase or maximize the average density of data points of the disturbance along the edges of the bounding box visible to the laser. This adjusted bounding box may then used to maneuver the vehicle.
US08736462B2
A system and method for traffic information delivery may be implemented as a static network device for sharing information with network nodes. The system includes a processor in communication with a transceiver and memory, the memory containing code that when executed by the processor effects the method steps for determining an occurrence of a traffic incident within a defined distance from the device, establishing communication with a network node, receiving a device identifier over a public network from the network node, the device identifier based on a user-configurable parameter and a non-user-configurable parameter of the network node, establishing in response to the device identifier matching an authorized device identifier corresponding to a known network node, a secure private network with the network node, and sending information about the traffic incident to the network node via the secure private network.
US08736460B2
A method of reporting information from a meter interface unit to a receiving device in which a data packet is transferred from the meter interface unit containing meter readings, which are associated with an indicator of the elapsed time since the reading was taken. The receiving device compares this elapsed time value with the actual elapsed time, based upon the internal clock of the receiving device, in order to determine any inaccuracies in the clock of the meter interface unit. In another embodiment, the data packet includes at least two nonsequential meter readings, separated by a multiplicity of reading intervals, on a rolling basis, such that data will not be lost as a result of a temporary obstruction that interferes with the transmission or receipt of meter readings.
US08736457B2
There is provided an information processing apparatus including a current waveform acquisition unit which acquires a current waveform from when a predetermined electric appliance is used, a communication unit which transmits the acquired current waveform of the electric appliance to a server apparatus, and receives control information on a character corresponding to the electric appliance from the server apparatus, and a display control unit which performs control of causing a predetermined display unit to display the character based on the received control information on the character.
US08736456B2
A method and instrument capable of producing an audible tick that increases with detected gas concentrations, is suitable for indicating relatively low levels of gas concentrations, and enables the adjustment of the tick rate to provide an accurate audible indication of gas levels at higher concentrations. The method and instrument entail sensing the presence of the gas and generating an analog sensor output based on a concentration of the gas in the environment, and then processing the analog sensor output through an audio circuitry to generate therefrom an audible tick having a frequency in proportion to the analog sensor output. The processing step includes the use of an analog control loop signal to selectively increase and decrease the frequency of the audible tick.
US08736454B2
A microprocessor controlled security tag and accompanying security system is described. The tag generally includes a housing having external contacts to interface with elongated contacts on a connecting band. The band forms a complex impedance circuit with a patient's limb that allows detection features such as removal and band compromise. A microprocessor and related circuitry as well as a transmitter and receivers are enclosed in the housing. The tag is adapted to communicate inductively with an activator/deactivator unit as well as a tag programmer that updates and changes tag features in the tag firmware. The overall system further includes a hub to receive the data from a plurality of tags in the system. The tag can also communicate with a phased multiple antenna that sends signals to the tag.
US08736445B2
An object locating system comprising a first transmitter-receiver unit including a first transmitter for selectively transmitting a first and/or a second search signal, a first receiver for receiving a third search signal and a first signaling element coupled to the first receiver for issuing a first alarm when the third search signal is received by the first receiver; a second transmitter-receiver unit including a second transmitter for selectively transmitting the first and/or the third search signal, a second receiver for receiving the second search signal and a second signaling element coupled to the second receiver for issuing a second alarm when the second search signal is received by the second receiver; a receiver unit including a third receiver for receiving the first search signal and a third signaling element coupled to the third receiver for issuing a third alarm when the first search signal is received by the third receiver.
US08736442B2
Disclosed herein are systems, methods, and non-transitory computer-readable storage media for automatically generating and updating a list of previously visited locations that are popular to a user. The method includes receiving a data point belonging to a series of data points generated from periodically sampling a position of an electronic device, automatically determining if the data point represents a destination of the electronic device based upon metadata of the data point, and automatically updating a visited locations list based upon the data point, the visited locations list including an entry associated with a previously visited location of the electronic device, wherein the data point is combined with the entry when the position associated with the data point and the previously visited location are correlated.
US08736439B1
This invention is a method and apparatus for low-cost detection and alerting of bed-departure, which causes significant stress to caretakers of patients who often wander out of bed as a result of their dementia, Alzheimer's, or other medical conditions. The apparatus comprises a sock embedded with a pressure sensor and a battery-powered microcontroller unit with a radio frequency module. Once the user wanders out of bed and steps onto the floor, the sensor on the sock will immediately detect the pressure caused by his or her body weight and wirelessly trigger an audible sound at a caretaker's monitoring unit, which can be a smart phone or PC. The sensor and the microcontroller unit can be packaged in one assembly to be mounted on an ordinary sock, slipper, or shoe. The apparatus also accurately counts steps and measures the time interval between them.
US08736427B2
Systems and methods for associating a remote controller with a device are provided. The systems and methods generally relate to receiving a request from a remote controller to pair the remote controller to a device at several devices and determining at each of the several devices the strength of the wireless pairing request signal received by that device. If a device determines that its received signal is the strongest, the device may be paired with the remote controller. If instead a device determines that its received signal is not the strongest, it may ignore subsequent communications received from the remote controller.
US08736424B2
An RFID system includes an RFID tag, an RFID reader, and a server. The RFID tag communicates to the server via encrypted information. The information may be encrypted with synchronized encryption keys. In this manner, the reader need not decrypt the information from the RFID tag. The effectiveness of malicious readers is thereby reduced, resulting in improved RFID tag security.
US08736419B2
Position data received wirelessly from a vehicle enrolled in an inspection waiver program are employed to determine when the enrolled vehicle is approaching an inspection station. After determining that the enrolled vehicle is approaching an inspection station, and if the enrolled vehicle has a valid inspection waiver, a bypass confirmation can selectively be provided to the vehicle operator, authorizing the operator to bypass the inspection station. The task of determining when an enrolled vehicle is approaching the location of an inspection station can be performed using a processor disposed in the vehicle, or at a remote location separate from both the vehicle and the inspection station, or at the inspection station. The inspection stations can be mobile so that their locations are varied to prevent operators from intentionally avoiding an inspection, as may occur with fixed inspection stations.
US08736418B2
A mobile device which is assigned to a person transmits an identification to a central device where localization of the mobile device is initiated. After the mobile device has been located in an area of an access system, the identification is checked for authorization for access via the access system. Access via the access system is either allowed or denied based on the result of the check. Access by an authorized person to secure areas or devices with the aid of a wireless device which is usually carried along—for example a mobile radio terminal or a DECT terminal—thus becomes considerably easier and more convenient.
US08736405B2
An embodiment of a microelectromechanical device having a first structural element, a second structural element, which is mobile with respect to the first structural element, and an elastic supporting structure, which extends between the first and second structural elements to enable a relative movement between the first and second structural elements. The microelectromechanical device moreover possesses an anti-stiction structure, which includes at least one flexible element, which is fixed only with respect to the first structural element and, in a condition of rest, is set at a first distance from the second structural element. The anti-stiction structure is designed to generate a repulsive force between the first and second structural elements in the case of relative movement by an amount greater than the first distance.
US08736391B2
An oscillator circuit includes an amplifier including at least two terminals for receiving a crystal and an automatic amplitude control loop coupled to the amplifier including biasing circuitry switched between a first operational mode and a second operational mode. The first operational mode occurs during an initial time period and the second operational mode occurs after the initial time period is expired. The biasing circuitry includes first and second PMOS transistor circuits, each transistor circuit including an unswitched PMOS transistor and a switched PMOS transistor. Alternatively, the biasing circuitry can include first and second NMOS transistor circuits, each transistor circuit including an unswitched NMOS transistor and a switched NMOS transistor. The biasing circuitry is under control of an internally generated control signal.
US08736386B2
A gas cell unit includes a gas cell in which a gaseous alkali metal atom is sealed, a first heater to heat the gas cell, and a second heater which is provide to face the first heater across the gas cell and heats the gas cell. The first heater includes a first heating resistor which generates heat by energization, and the second heater includes a second heating resistor through which a current flows in the same direction as the direction of a current flowing through the first heating resistor and which generates heat by energization. Between the first heating resistor and the second heating resistor, a magnetic field generated by the energization to the first heating resistor and a magnetic field generated by the energization to the second heating resistor are mutually cancelled or weakened.
US08736378B1
An output matching network comprising a plurality of impedance matching circuits. The inputs of each of the plurality of impedance matching circuits are connected to a first input of the output matching network. The outputs of each of the plurality of impedance matching circuits are connected to a plurality of first outputs of the output matching network. One of the plurality of impedance matching circuits is active at a given time. The active impedance matching circuit of the plurality of impedance matching circuits exhibits a first input impendence at a first frequency band. Each inactive impedance matching circuit of the plurality of impedance matching circuits exhibits a second input impedance at the first frequency band. The second input impendence is at least 10 times greater than the first input impendence.
US08736377B2
A radio frequency (RF) generation module includes a power control module that receives first and second desired amplitudes of an output of the RF generation module in first and second respective states, and that outputs, based on the first and second desired amplitudes, input power setpoints corresponding to a transition from the first state to the second state. A frequency control module receives the input power setpoints and outputs frequency setpoints corresponding to the input power setpoints. A pulse shaping module receives the input power setpoints, the frequency setpoints, and an indication of when to transition from the first state to the second state, and transitions the output of the RF generation module from the first state to the second state based on the input power setpoints, the frequency setpoints, and the indication.
US08736375B2
A Doherty amplifier has a distributor for branching an input signal into two signals, a carrier amplifier to which one of the signals is inputted from the distributor, a peak amplifier to which another signal of the signals is inputted from the distributor, and a synthesizer for synthesizing output signals from the carrier amplifier and the peak amplifier. The carrier amplifier has a compound semiconductor device with at least two terminals. The peak amplifier has a single element semiconductor device. Bias voltages having the same polarity are applied to the two terminals of the compound semiconductor device.
US08736373B2
An output buffer of a source driver is disclosed. The output buffer includes a buffer input, a buffer output, a differential input stage, a bias current source, an output stage, a compensation capacitor, and a comparator. The output stage and the comparator are both operated between an analog supply voltage (AVDD) and a ground voltage (AGND). The comparator compares an input voltage and an output voltage and outputs a control signal to the bias current source according to the compared result to control a bias current outputted by the bias current source to enhance the slew rate of the output buffer.
US08736371B2
To provide a semiconductor device with low power consumption, in a semiconductor device including a differential amplifier to which an input potential and a reference potential are input, a gain stage, and an output stage from which an output potential is output, a potential supplied from the gain stage can be held constant by providing the output stage with a transistor with low leakage current in an off state. As the transistor with low leakage current in an off state, a transistor including an oxide semiconductor layer and a channel formation region included in the oxide semiconductor layer is used.
US08736369B2
An electronic circuit has a differential amplifier with a differential transistor pair having two transistors. The electronic circuit also has two digital-to-analog converters, a respective one of the two digital-to-analog converters coupled to each respective one of the two transistors. Control bits adjust the DACs to provide an offset voltage adjustment of the differential amplifier.
US08736363B2
A circuit for optimizing a power management system. The circuit includes a first amplifier. The first amplifier is responsive to a first reference signal and operable to supply a first load current. The circuit also includes a second amplifier coupled to the first amplifier. The second amplifier is responsive to a second reference signal and operable to supply a second load current. The second load current is lower in magnitude than the first load current, thereby enabling the first amplifier to operate during a first load condition, and the second amplifier to operate during the first load condition and a second load condition. Further, the circuit includes a resistive element coupled to the first amplifier and the second amplifier, to isolate the first amplifier from the second amplifier.
US08736359B2
This invention provides a signal processing technique of suppressing various kinds of noise including unknown noise without storing a number of pieces of noise information in advance. To accomplish this, noise information is modified using modification information to obtain modified noise information. The noise in the noisy signal is suppressed using the modified noise information. The modification information is adapted and updated for the result of the step of suppressing.
US08736357B2
A differential voltage controlled current source generating one or more output currents is based upon a single external resistor. The differential voltage controlled current source may generate an output current that is proportional to a received differential voltage and a bias current with the use of a single external resistor. The technique may be used to generate multiple accurate and process independent current sources. The current sources may be a zero temperature coefficient (ZTC) current, a proportional to absolute temperature (PTAT) current, or an inversely proportional to absolute temperature (NTAT) current. The output of the current sources may be inversely proportional to the resistance of the external resistor.
US08736341B2
A semiconductor apparatus includes a first chip and a second chip mounted on the first chip. The first chip includes a first port that receives an operation clock signal, and a first circuit that operates in synchronization with the operation clock signal. The second chip includes a delay control part that generates a delay control signal indicating a delay amount based on a cycle of a reference clock signal, plural delay circuits that are connected in multiple stages and delay clock signals input to the plural delay control circuits based on the delay control signal and sequentially output the delayed clock signals to a subsequent stage, and a second port that is connected to the first port and receives the operation clock signal based on the delayed clock signals output from the plural delay circuits.
US08736340B2
Disclosed is a differential clock signal generator which processes a first differential clock signal using a combination of differential and non-differential components to generate a second differential clock signal. Specifically, the first differential clock signal is converted into a single-ended clock signal, which is used either by a finite state machine to generate two single-ended control signals or by a waveform generator to generate a single-ended waveform control signal. In any case, a deskewer, which comprises a pair of single-ended latches and either multiplexer(s) or logic gates, processes the first differential clock signal, the single-ended clock signal, and the control signal(s) in order to output a second differential clock signal that is different from the first differential clock signal in terms of delay and, optionally, frequency, but synchronously linked to it.
US08736339B2
This invention includes a clock tree to which clock signals are distributed, and a phase comparison circuit configured to detect the phase difference between a plurality of feedback clock signals upon receiving the plurality of feedback clock signals output from different branching points of the clock tree. The invention includes a feedback clock signal generation circuit configured to generate a variation-corrected feedback clock signal for correcting a manufacture variation in the semiconductor integrated circuit based on the phase difference detected by the phase comparison circuit. The invention includes a phase regulation circuit configured to delay the clock signal so as to reduce the phase difference between a reference clock signal and the variation-corrected feedback clock signal generated by the feedback clock signal generation circuit.
US08736337B2
A clock signal capable of changing the frequency in a wide range and with high resolution is generated.An operational amplifier AMP1 is subject to feedback control so that the voltage of a positive input part equals that of a negative input part. The voltage of a circuit node fbck equals a reference voltage VREFI. A decoder DEC decodes control signals CNT7 and CNT6 and turns on one of transistors T2 to T5. This configuration provides feedback control so that the voltage of the circuit node fbck equals the reference voltage VREFI. This significantly reduces the on-resistances of the transistors T2 to T5 and prevents the degradation of the frequency accuracy.
US08736334B2
A current mode logic latch may include a first hold stage transistor coupled at its drain terminal to the drain terminal of a first sample stage transistor. A second hold stage transistor is coupled at its drain terminal to the drain terminal of a second sample stage transistor, coupled at its gate terminal to the drain terminal of the first hold stage transistor, and coupled at its drain terminal to a gate terminal of the first hold stage transistor. A first hold stage current source is coupled to a source terminal of the first hold stage transistor. A second hold stage current source is coupled to a source terminal of the second hold stage transistor. The hold stage switch is coupled between the source terminal of the first hold stage transistor and the source terminal of the second hold stage transistor.
US08736333B1
Schmitt trigger with rail-to-rail or near rail-to-rail hysteresis. In some embodiments, a method includes switching an output of a Schmitt trigger from a first logic state to a second state in response to an input meeting a threshold, where the threshold is applied to a first transistor of a first doping type and the input is applied to a second transistor of the first doping type, the first and second transistors operably coupled to each other through a current mirror of a second doping type. The first doping type may be an n-type, the second doping type may be a p-type, and the threshold may be a rising threshold having a value within 10% of a supply voltage. Alternatively, the first doping type may be a p-type, the second doping type may be an n-type, and the threshold may be a falling threshold having a value within 10% of ground.
US08736325B1
A system for wide frequency range clock generation, includes: a phase lock loop (PLL) to generate a signal having a frequency; at least one fractional-N divider to divide the frequency of the signal; and a multiplexer to receive the signal from the PLL and an output signal from the at least one fractional-N divider, and to select the signal from the PLL or the output signal from the at least one fractional-N divider as a selected signal.
US08736307B2
In accordance with an embodiment, a transceiver includes a bidirectional data transmission circuit coupled to a direction control circuit and method for transmitting electrical signals in one or more directions. The direction control circuit generates a comparison signal in response to comparing input/output signals of the bidirectional data transmission circuit. Transmission path enable signals are generated in response to the comparison signal.
US08736293B2
A test device for testing a printed circuit board (PCB) includes a base and a measuring device. The measuring device includes a testing pin and is capable of measuring any desired point of the PCB on condition that the pin makes contact with the point at an included angle between the pin and a back surface of the PCB which is larger than a predetermined angle. The distance between the base and the PCB satisfies: H>L tan θ, where H is the vertical distance between the PCB and the base, L is the maximum length of an orthogonal projection of the pin on the PCB when the pin is contacting the point, and θ is the predetermined angle.
US08736285B2
A position sensor comprises first and second stationary poles with first and second electrodes, and a reference pole positioned therebetween. The reference pole is coupled to a shaft, and includes a semi-metal via that forms a conducting path between the first and second electrodes. The shaft positions the reference pole between the first and second stationary poles, and a resistance of the conducting path varies with a position of the shaft.
US08736282B2
A device for capacitive measurement of the quality and/or deterioration of a fluid includes a sensor encapsulated in a perforated case fixed in the vat of a cooking apparatus that has a bottom, wherein the sensor is connected to an electronic processing circuit, wherein the sensor includes a pair of flat electrodes each having the shape of a comb with a plurality of teeth, which are approximately parallel to each other and extends from a base, wherein the electrodes are arranged relative to each other so teeth of one electrode fit between teeth of the other electrode in approximately the same plane, and the encapsulated sensor is oriented in the vat so the longitudinal axis of each electrode base extends parallel to the bottom of the vat and so the plane of the sensor electrodes forms an angle of between 0° and 60° with the vertical direction.
US08736272B2
An adjustable spectrum LED solar simulator method and system which provides power to LEDs, senses the LED output, compares the LED output to a predetermined norm, and adjusts the LED outputs accordingly. An adjustable spectrum LED solar simulator system includes a multiplicity of LEDs of a number of different color wavelength ranges, an LED driver system for providing power to the LEDs, a sensor system for sensing the output of the LEDs and a controller responsive to the sensor system for comparing the color spectrum of the output of the LEDs to a desired solar spectrum and enables the driver system to adjust the power to the LEDs to more closely match the desired solar spectrum. The solar simulator system may include a modulator structure of hierarchical assemblies. Solar simulator calibration is also disclosed.
US08736265B2
The invention relates to a method of acquiring MRI image data comprising the following steps: performing a 3-dimensional B1 mapping of a first volume using a first voxel size, selecting an MRI protocol, performing the B1-shim in accordance with the MRI protocol, performing the MRI protocol to acquire MRI imaging data of a second volume using a second voxel size, wherein the first voxel size is larger than the second voxel size, wherein the first volume is larger than the second volume, and wherein the second volume is contained within the first volume.
US08736263B2
A technique utilizes the acquisition of data via nuclear magnetic resonance at multiple depths of investigation in a well region. The acquired data is processed to estimate variable fluid mixture densities at different radial depths. The variable fluid mixture densities and a radial response from a density tool, for example, can be used to calculate an effective fluid mixture density and used to interpret density logs. Other logs such as neutron log, induction resistivity log, and dielectric permittivity log can be combined with NMR. For these tools a corresponding effective formation property can be calculated and used to determine other formation characteristics, such as total porosity, total density, dielectric permittivity, electric resistivity, and formation characteristics derivable from these.
US08736261B2
A sensor module includes a sensor, a cover, and a wiring unit. The cover holds the sensor and includes a connector configured to make a connection with an external device. The wiring unit is held by the cover, is arranged from the connector to the sensor, and includes a connecting member extending from the connector to a central region of the cover in its width direction, which is perpendicular to the central line, and a wiring member extending from the central region of the cover in its width direction to a vicinity of the sensor. The cover and connecting member are integrally formed from a mold material. The connecting member includes a first connecting terminal exposed from a surface of the mold material at the central region of the cover in its width direction. The wiring member includes a second connecting terminal conductively joined to the first connecting terminal.
US08736259B2
A rotational position sensor includes a rotor substrate and a stator substrate placed to face each other to detect rotational displacement of the rotor substrate. The rotor substrate is formed with an excitation coil in a meandering pattern on an outer circumferential side and a rotor-side rotary transformer on an inner circumferential side. The stator substrate is formed with four detection coils in a meandering pattern on an outer circumferential side and a stator-side rotary transformer on an inner circumferential side. The four detection coils are arranged in a circumferential direction without overlapping each other. The detection coils are displaced from each other by 360°/8. The rotational position sensor includes a high frequency excitation circuit for applying a high frequency signal to the excitation coil through the rotor-side rotary transformer and the rotor-side rotary transformer to excite the excitation coil.
US08736256B2
A rotating field sensor includes a first detection circuit that outputs a first signal indicating the intensity of a component of a rotating magnetic field in a first direction, a second detection circuit that outputs a second signal indicating the intensity of a component of the rotating magnetic field in a second direction, and an arithmetic circuit that calculates a detected angle value based on the first and second signals. Each of the first and second detection circuits includes at least one MR element row. Each MR element row is composed of a plurality of MR elements connected in series. Each MR element has a magnetization pinned layer. The plurality of MR elements forming each MR element row include one or more pairs of MR elements. Magnetization directions of the magnetization pinned layers in two MR elements making up a pair form a predetermined relative angle other than 0° and 180°.
US08736238B2
The configurations of a buck type and a buck/boost type converter systems and a controlling method thereof are provided in the present invention. The proposed buck/boost type converter system includes a rectifier bridge, a first auxiliary circuit including a first unidirectional switch coupled to the rectifier bridge and a second unidirectional switch coupled to the first unidirectional switch, a first capacitor coupled to the first unidirectional switch and the rectifier bridge, a buck/boost converter having a first input terminal coupled to the first unidirectional switch, a second input terminal coupled to the first capacitor, a first output terminal coupled to the second unidirectional switch and a second output terminal, a second capacitor electrically connected to the first and the second output terminals in parallel, and a DC source coupled to the second unidirectional switch.
US08736237B2
A power supply controller includes a switching signal generator, a zero crossing detection (ZCD) circuit, first and second logic gates, and an interval generator. The switching signal generator generates a switching signal and the ZCD circuit generates a ZCD signal that pulses each zero-crossing of an ac input voltage. The first logic gate generates a first output when the ZCD signal pulses while the output of the power supply is below a threshold reference. The second logic gate generates a second output when the ZCD signal pulses while the output of the power supply is above the threshold reference. The interval generator is enabled in response to the first output and disabled in response to the second output. The interval generator allows the switching signal to pass through the interval generator to the switch when enabled and does not allow the switching signal to pass when disabled.
US08736235B2
A power-generation motor control system is a control system that controls a power-generation motor provided with an armature and a magnetic-field winding, and is characterized in that when the power-generation motor is operated as a motor, before a power source energizes the armature, a preliminary excitation current, with the value of which the induction voltage across the armature does not exceed the voltage of the power source, is applied to the magnetic-field winding in accordance with the rotation speed of the power-generation motor so that preliminary excitation of the power-generation motor is performed.
US08736227B2
This document discusses, among other things, a charging emulator configured to be coupled to an electrical interface, the charging emulator including a control circuit configured to receive information about a peripheral device coupled to the electrical interface and a charger circuit configured to provide power to the electrical interface using the received peripheral device information. In an example, the charging emulator can include a component of a host device including a low-power state, and the charger circuit can be configured to provide power to the electrical interface when the host device is in the low-power state.
US08736222B2
Disclosed is a flux controller for maintaining reliable flux estimation performance in a low velocity region, the controller including a velocity controller, a torque current controller for outputting a torque voltage command, a flux controller for outputting a flux current command, a flux current controller for receiving the flux current command to output a flux voltage command, a three-phase converter for converting the torque voltage command and the flux voltage command into a three-phase voltage command applied to the induction motor to output the three-phase voltage command, a flux estimator for outputting a rotating angle of a rotor of the induction motor, an estimated flux value of the rotor and an estimated velocity of the rotor, and a flux regulator for receiving the torque voltage command and the estimated velocity to output a gain value that regulates a magnitude of the flux command.
US08736217B2
Servo motor control device for controlling servo motor configured to drive feed axis of machine tool
An arithmetic coefficient setting unit sets a feedback control arithmetic coefficient to a value between a first feedback control arithmetic coefficient value for a cutting-feed and a second feedback control arithmetic coefficient value for a rapid-traverse operation smaller than the first feedback control arithmetic coefficient value. An arithmetic coefficient change unit continuously changes the feedback control arithmetic coefficient from the second feedback control arithmetic coefficient value to the first feedback control arithmetic coefficient value over a first period between a first time, which is an arbitrary time during the rapid-traverse operation, and the second time after the first time or a second period between a third time after the first time and before the second time, and the second time if it is predicted at the first time that the operating command switches from the rapid-traverse operation command to the cutting-feed command at the second time.
US08736216B2
A stator phase circuit for an electric machine includes a phase winding circuit including a plurality of series coupled sub-winding circuits, each sub-winding circuit includes a respective sub-winding coupled in parallel across a respective first controllable switch.
US08736208B2
When one of six FETs has short-circuit faulted, a controllable region identification unit stops driving of an electric motor, and then performs processes for determining whether a short-circuit fault has occurred, and when a short-circuit fault has occurred, for identifying the position of the FET that has short-circuit faulted based on phase voltages (induced voltages) VU, VV, and VW of phases. When the position of the FET that has short-circuit faulted is identified, the controllable region identification unit performs a controllable region identification process. In detail, the controllable region identification unit identifies a “possible region,” an “indeterminate region,” and a “impossible region” based on phase voltages VU, VV, and VW of the phases.
US08736206B2
A power converting apparatus including a power converter that converts a DC voltage into an AC voltage and applies the AC voltage to an AC rotating machine and a control unit that controls the power converter based on an operation command from the outside is provided. The power converting apparatus includes: a first calculating unit that calculates and outputs, from a d-axis current detection value and a q-axis current detection value detected by the AC rotating machine and current command values based on the operation command, first voltage command values to the power converter, magnetic fluxes of the AC rotating machine, and an angular frequency; and a second calculating unit that sets, as an initial value, at least one of the magnetic fluxes and the angular frequency input from the first calculating unit and calculates and outputs second voltage command value to the power converter and an angular frequency.
US08736204B2
Apparatus for transferring power between an electricity network (UP) operating on alternating-current electricity and a multiphase electric machine (M2, M3), which apparatus comprises low-voltage power cells (CS, C11 . . . CN6) operating on a cascade principle, which power cells comprise a single-phase output connector (OUT), and at least one transformer (TA, T1 . . . TN), comprising for each power cell connected to it a single-phase or multiphase winding dedicated to the specific power cell, which transformer comprises at least one additional winding (WA, WB1 . . . WBN) connected to the same magnetic circuit as the other windings for the purpose of at least one auxiliary circuit, which can be connected to the aforementioned additional winding.
US08736202B2
In a drive control circuit of a linear vibration motor, the drive signal generating unit generates a drive signal whose phase is opposite to that of the drive signal generated during the motor running, after the running of the linear vibration motor has terminated; this drive signal of opposite phase includes a high impedance period during which the driver unit is controlled to a high impedance state. An induced voltage detector detects an induced voltage occurring in the coil. A comparator has a function as a hysteresis comparator in which the output level does not vary in a predetermined dead band, and the comparator outputs a high-level signal or a low-level signal during the high impedance period. When an in-phase signal is consecutively outputted from the comparator during the consecutive high-impedance periods, the drive signal generating unit determines that the linear vibration motor has come to a stop.
US08736189B2
Methods and apparatus are described that can provide improved power factor correction and total harmonic distortion, efficiency and/or direct feedback of load current variations to a power source inverter. In one example, a power supply, for example, a ballast, can have an input circuit, an output circuit and an inverter circuit coupled between the input circuit and the output circuit. A current feedback circuit is coupled between the output circuit and the inverter circuit and configured to feed current back to the inverter circuit through a transformer stage separate from the inverter as a function of a current level in the output circuit.
US08736174B2
A plasma generation device includes: a substrate having a first surface and a second surface; a stripline resonant ring disposed on the first surface of the substrate, and defining a discharge gap; a pair of electrode extensions connected to the stripline resonant ring at the discharge gap; a ground plane disposed on the second surface of the substrate; a gas flow element configured to flow gas between at least one of: (1) the discharge gap, and (2) the pair of electrode extensions; and a structure disposed adjacent the substrate to form an enclosure that substantially encloses at least a region including the discharge gap and the electrode extensions, the enclosure being adapted to contain a plasma.
US08736172B2
A vehicle lighting arrangement comprising a luminous device, a luminous device driver circuit, a sensor and a nonvolatile memory, wherein the luminous device driver circuit is designed to drive the luminous device during luminous device driving such that the luminous device emits light, wherein the sensor is designed to detect a sensor state of the luminous device, and wherein the vehicle lighting arrangement is designed to read in a sensor state of the luminous device detected by the sensor and to write the read-in sensor state to the nonvolatile memory.
US08736166B1
A gas discharge device such as a plasma display panel (PDP) device having one or more substrates and a multiplicity of pixels or subpixels. Each pixel or subpixel is defined by a hollow Plasma-shell filled with an ionizable gas. One or more addressing electrodes are in electrical contact with each Plasma-shell. The Plasma-shell may include inorganic and organic luminescent materials including quantum dots that are excited by the gas discharge within each Plasma-shell. The luminescent material, including quantum dots, may be located on an exterior and/or interior surface of the Plasma-shell or incorporated into the shell of the Plasma-shell. Up-conversion and down-conversion materials may be used. The substrate may be rigid or flexible with a flat, curved, or irregular surface. In one embodiment, the Plasma-shell is in the geometric shape of a cube or cuboid.
US08736163B2
An organic electro-luminescence display device and a method for fabricating the same are provided. A first substrate and a second substrate are sealed by a sealant. An organic electro-luminescent diode is formed on the first substrate. The sealant contains a frit glass and a light-heat converter. The frit glass can reduce the moisture and oxygen transmission rate by preventing the organic electro-luminescent diode from being thermally decomposed during a curing process. Since the two substrates are encapsulated by the frit glass, the lifetime and reliability of the organic electro-luminescence display device can be increased.
US08736160B2
A light-emitting apparatus including: a substrate; an LED chip mounted on a first surface of the substrate; a fluorescent material-containing layer containing a first fluorescent material, which fluorescent material-containing layer is provided above the first surface of the substrate so as to cover the LED chip; and a color-adjusting fluorescent layer that contains a second fluorescent material, which color-adjusting fluorescent material layer is formed in a layer provided on an outer side of the fluorescent material-containing layer in an emission direction, the color-adjusting fluorescent layer being formed in dots. Thus, the present invention provides a light-emitting apparatus and a method for manufacturing the same, each making it possible to carry out fine color adjustment so as to prevent a subtle color shift that occurs due to a factor such as a difference in concentration of a fluorescent material or the like.
US08736157B2
To provide a light-emitting element with high emission efficiency or long lifetime, in which the use amount of a phosphorescent compound is small. To provide a light-emitting element including a light-emitting layer between a pair of electrodes, wherein the light-emitting layer includes a phosphorescent compound, a first organic compound, and a second organic compound, and the combination of the first organic compound and the second organic compound forms an exciplex. The light-emitting element transfers energy by utilizing the overlap between the emission spectrum of the exciplex and the absorption spectrum of the phosphorescent compound and thus has high energy transfer efficiency, even when the concentration of the phosphorescent compound is low.
US08736156B2
An organic light emitting diode display includes a first substrate, the first substrate including at least one organic light emitting diode and a pixel defining layer having an opening portion defining a light emitting region of the organic light emitting diode, protruding portions increasingly protruding on the pixel defining layer as the protruding portions approach the edges of the first substrate, a second substrate disposed opposite to the first substrate, a sealing member bonding the first substrate to the second substrate, and filler in a space between the first substrate and the second substrate.
US08736153B2
A lamp apparatus includes an apparatus body including a housing having a cap at one end side, and thermal conducting fins provided on an inner surface of the housing so as to extend from the one end side along the other end side thereof and project inward of the housing, a thermal radiation plate attached to the other end side of the housing in a state in which one surface side is in contact with the thermal conducting fins, a light-emitting body attached to the other surface side of the thermal radiation plate, and a lighting circuit disposed in the housing and configured to light the light-emitting body.
US08736150B2
Mechanical resonating structures and related methods are described. The mechanical resonating structures may provide improved efficiency over conventional resonating structures. Some of the structures have lengths and widths and are designed to vibrate in a direction approximately parallel to either the length or width. They may have boundaries bounding the length and width dimensions, which may substantially align with nodes or anti-nodes of vibration.
US08736149B2
An electronic component includes: an element that is located on a substrate; a signal wiring that is located on the substrate and electrically connected to the element; a metal plate that is located so as to form a cavity on a functional part of the element and covers an upper surface of the cavity; a support post that is located on the substrate so as not to be located on the signal wiring, and supports the metal plate; and an insulating portion that covers the metal plate and the support post, and contacts a side surface of the cavity.
US08736148B2
Systems and methods for creating a multiple degree of freedom (DOF) actuated device having a single transducer source, wherein each DOF is individually actuated by a particular amplified response frequency and wherein simultaneous multiple DOF actuation is possible through superimposing multiple frequencies. Further included are several embodiments rectifying DOF(s) into a continuous output motion.
US08736146B2
There is provided a new self-generating electric power device using a piezoelectric element. An electric power device includes: a resonant portion that is secured at least at one end, receives waves propagating through a space or a medium and resonates; a piezoelectric element that is formed to connect to the resonant portion, and generates a voltage according to resonance of the resonant portion; and a first electrode and a second electrode that are formed on opposite surfaces of the piezoelectric element, and output the generated voltage.
US08736138B2
A carbon nanotube MEMS assembly comprises a plurality of carbon nanotubes oriented into a patterned frame, the patterned frame defining at least two components of a MEMS device. An interstitial material at least partially binds adjacent carbon nanotubes one to another. At least one component of the frame is fixed and at least one component of the frame is movable relative to the fixed component.
US08736134B2
A stator segment for a segmented stator of an electric machine includes insulative material configured for overlapping with insulative material of an adjacent stator segment to provide continuous insulation along a joint between the adjacent stator segments. Additionally, or alternatively, the stator segment can include one or more alignment tabs configured to engage a surface of an adjacent stator segment to inhibit relative axial movement between adjacent stator segments.
US08736130B2
Segmented stator assemblies having a plurality of stator segments and a plurality of end caps are disclosed. According to one example embodiment, a segmented stator assembly includes a plurality of stator segments and a plurality of end caps. Each stator segment has a yoke portion and a tooth portion extending from the yoke portion. Each end cap is positioned over one of the stator segments. Each end cap includes a body portion positioned at least partially over the yoke portion of its associated stator segment. At least one of the body portions includes at least a first post that cooperates with a post of an adjacent end cap to define a first wire management tie-down. The stator assembly further includes a stator wire coupled to the first wire management tie-down. Stator assemblies and end caps having other wire management and routing features are also disclosed.
US08736128B2
Electromagnetic devices and near field plates for three-dimensional magnetic field manipulation are disclosed. In one embodiment, an electromagnetic device includes a rotor, a stator, and a magnetic field focusing device. The rotor may include a rotor body and a plurality of radially extending rotor poles. The stator may include a plurality of stator poles radially extending inwardly from a stator body toward the rotor body. Each stator pole may have a magnetic flux generating device and a stator pole tip, wherein an air gap may be located between each stator pole tip and each corresponding rotor pole. The magnetic field focusing device is coupled to at least one stator pole tip and produces a magnetic field profile having at least one concentrated magnetic flux region proximate the stator pole tip. The magnetic field focusing device twists the magnetic field profile by an angle α.
US08736127B2
A dynamoelectric device comprises a plurality of armatures arranged circumferentially about an axis, sets of electrically conductive winding members that extend axially through the stack of laminates and are positioned circumferentially between each adjacent pair of the armatures, and first and second layers of end-turn members. Each of the end-turn members of the first axial layer is connected to one of the winding members. Each of the end-turn members of the first axial layer extends clockwise circumferentially from its respective one of the winding members. Each of the end-turn members of the second axial layer is connected to one of the winding members and to each of the end-turn members of the first axial layer of end-turn members. Each of the end-turn members of the second axial layer extends counter-clockwise circumferentially from its respective one of the winding members. The winding members are each formed of Litz wire.
US08736122B2
A dynamoelectric machine, such as a totally enclosed fan cooled (TEFC) induction motor has a double-wall bearing housing heat shield that envelops and thermally isolates the bearing housing from the rest of the motor housing interior. The shield defines an air channel between the shield outer and inner walls. Optionally the air channel may be constructed to enable circulating air flow through a shield intake in communication with an air flow source, such as air ducted from the TEFC motor axial cooling fan. The air channel also defines an exhaust. Air flow within the air channel transfers heat out of the motor housing, lowering bearing housing operating temperature. Air flow rate may be varied in response to motor operational parameters.
US08736118B2
A safety switching device for fail-safely switching on and off an electrical load, and to a system comprising at least two safety switching devices which interact in a fail-safe manner via a single-channel. The safety switching device comprises a fail-safe control unit, a first and a second electronic switching element connected with a first and a second output terminal; and at least one input terminal for receiving a first switching signal that causes a switching of said switching elements. Said first and second switching elements each comprise an output which provides depending on the first switching signal an output signal having a first or second potential. A third output terminal connects said safety switching device to a second safety switching device, providing a clocked signal depending on the first switching signal and being monitored by said control unit for performing a cross fault detection.
US08736117B2
A server rack system includes a rack, a power transmission module, a power supply module, and operating units. The power transmission module configured at the rack includes first, second, and third conductive pillars. When the power supply module slidably configured in the rack is completely installed in the rack, the power supply module electrically connects the first, second, and third conductive pillars to receive high-voltage direct-current (DC) electric power through the first conductive pillar electrically connecting an external power supply. When the operating units slidably configured in the rack are completely installed in the rack, the operating units electrically connect the second and third conductive pillars. The completely installed operating units transmit signals indicating the complete installation to the power supply module, such that the power supply module converts the high-voltage DC electric power into low-voltage DC electric power and transmits the low-voltage DC electric power to the operating units.
US08736116B2
A compact information device in which a shortened unlatch time is enabled so such device can transition from a power cutoff mode to a power supply mode to resume supplying power to internal circuits as a result of a latch circuit unlatching a control signal. Embodiments of such a device, which may be a printer, includes a CPU, tactile switch, smoothing capacitor, switch circuit, a switch control signal generator including a latch circuit, and a potential difference detection circuit. The latch circuit and potential difference detection circuit operate with voltage Vin2. The CPU outputs a start latch signal VLT when the operating mode changes from the power supply mode to the power cutoff mode. When the tactile switch is turned off, the potential difference detection circuit outputs an unlatch signal VRST. When the unlatch signal VRST is input, the latch circuit unlatches the control signal.
