US08990822B2

A data processing method and apparatus, wherein control-plane data of a communication system is processed in a multicore processing element and user-plane data of the communication system is processed in the same multicore processing element.
US08990813B2

A mechanism for utilizing a virtual machine cloud for automated test system deployment is disclosed. A method of embodiments of the invention includes selecting a master image used to initialize one or more virtual machines (VMs), providing a list of repository definitions and test packages to the one or more VMs, and receiving test results from executing the test packages on a computer system of the VM defined by the master image, wherein the computer system includes an operating system and one or more software applications.
US08990804B1

Techniques are described for facilitating sharing and reuse of executable software images between multiple execution environments. In at least some situations, the executable software images are virtual machine images (e.g., images that are bootable or otherwise loadable by a virtual machine in a particular virtualization environment, and that each include operating system software and/or software for one or more application programs, optionally along with one or more hard disks or other representations of stored data). The described techniques may include use of an image conversion tool that is configured to support interactions with multiple distinct types of source execution environments to extract executable software images from those environments, and to modify extracted software images for execution in one or more distinct types of destination execution environments, optionally as directed by one or more users via a GUI provided by the image conversion tool.
US08990801B2

A switch, a system and operational method for packet switching between virtual machines running in a server and a network. The server comprises a switch with swappable, virtual ports. The switch routes packets to and from the various virtual machines resident in the server memory.
US08990799B1

A virtual switch implemented in a NIC routes packets to a specific virtual machine of a group of supported virtual machines based on a unique MAC address assigned to that virtual machine. Packets which are addressed to the broadcast or a multicast address may be copied to all virtual machines associated with the virtual switch or may be passed to the NIC device driver so that it may be copied by software. The NIC operates in a selective mode whereby packets that are not addressed to a supported virtual machine are rejected or discarded. Further, the virtual switch routes the packets to the virtual machines by performing a DMA copy operation to dedicated memory associated with the virtual machine to which the packet is addressed. The NIC may also include dedicated memory for each supported MAC address in order to facilitate operation.
US08990796B2

A method of deploying a new operating system on a plurality of data processors. Hardware and driver information is determined from the data processors. A general disk image for all of the data processors is prepared in a preinstallation environment. Hardware and software components for a specific target data processor are added to or associated with the preinstallation environment to create an installation operating system for that data processor. The components of the installation operating system are installed on the target data processor, thereby replacing the data processor's operating system with the new operating system of the preinstallation environment.
US08990781B2

Visualization of synchronization points in modified program source code includes identifying the synchronization points in a program source code segment. The identification is performed in response to a modification of the program source code segment. The visualization of the synchronization points also includes storing line numbers of the synchronization points and line contents corresponding to text located at stored line numbers in the program source code segment. The visualization of the synchronization points further includes implementing, as part of a debugging session: retrieving the synchronization points and the line contents, displaying the line contents of the synchronization points on a display screen, and providing a user with an option to step through the synchronization points in the program source code while skipping the remaining portions of the program source code segment. Displaying the line contents includes visually differentiating the synchronization points from remaining portions of the program source code segment.
US08990778B1

The techniques described herein provide software testing of a candidate version of software. In some examples, an interceptor intercepts at least one production request to a production version of the software and issues the production request to a shadow proxy service as a shadow request. The shadow proxy service causes the at least one shadow request to be processed by the candidate version of the software being validated and an authority version of the software being used to validate the candidate version. The shadow proxy service may then compare and/or analyze at least one candidate response to the shadow request from the candidate version and at least one authority response to the shadow request from the authority version. A dashboard service may provide at least some of the resulting information and issue a request the shadow proxy service to replay at least one of the shadow requests.
US08990773B2

Embodiments includes techniques for retrieving revisions in source code from a plurality of revision history data sets including link information to the source code and version information. The revision history data includes a function unit specified by a user is extracted from the plurality of revision history data sets, and a list of the extracted revision history data is displayed on the display device. Also, the display of this list includes displaying on the display device or creating in a storage area source code or information associated with the source code corresponding to at least two different revision history data sets in this first list.
US08990770B2

Methods and reconfigurable systems are provided for monitoring the health of a complex system. The system may include, but is not limited to a computing node including a memory and a processor. The processor can be configured to receive a plurality of standardized executable application modules, each standardized executable application module containing instructions to perform one of a plurality of different standardized functions, receive a binary file comprising instructions, which when loaded into memory by the processor, configure the standardized executable application modules and configure the memory by creating at least one data structure in the memory used by at least one of the plurality of standardized executable application modules.
US08990769B2

Briefly, in accordance with one embodiment, a method of processing non-transitory stored binary digital signal quantities using a computing device is disclosed. For example, a computing device transforms between at least first and at least second non-transitory stored binary digital signal quantities respectively representing at least a first and at least a second expression. The represented expressions have a common view for non-common expression types of the represented expressions and have a non-common view for common expression types of the represented expressions. The represented expressions include at least one of the following expression types: a hierarchical edge and/or node labeled tree or a symbol string.
US08990762B2

A semiconductor device design method performed by at least one processor comprises extracting, using a resistance and capacitance (RC) extraction tool, at least one first parasitic capacitance among electrical components inside one or more regions of a plurality of regions in a layout of a semiconductor device. The method also comprises extracting, using the RC extraction tool, at least one second parasitic capacitance among electrical components outside the regions of the plurality of regions. The method further comprises combining, using a netlist generator tool, the extracted first and second parasitic capacitances into a netlist representing the layout. The RC extraction tool is configured to extract the first parasitic capacitances inside at least one region of the plurality of regions using a methodology more accurate than that for extracting the second parasitic capacitances.
US08990746B1

The present disclosure relates to a method for formal verification of an integrated circuit design. The method may include providing an electronic design associated with the integrated circuit. The method may further include generating one or more faults in a cone of influence of an assertion and placing a constraint configured to model an original design for the one or more faults. The method may also include initiating formal verification on the electronic design while ignoring all electronic design constraints. The method may further include determining if the assertion is passing, wherein determining includes activating an original design for a subset of faults. If the assertion is passing, the method may include activating a single fault from the subset, determining if the assertion is passing and if the assertion does pass, deleting the single fault from the subset.
US08990738B2

The present invention relates to a method and apparatus for explicit filtering in ambiguous text entry. The invention provides embodiments including various explicit text entry methodologies, such as 2-key and long pressing. The invention also provides means for matching words in a database using build around methodology, stem locking methodology, word completion methodology, and n-gram searches.
US08990732B2

This disclosure provides examples of computerized methods and software for receiving time-based interval selections on multi-touch devices. In one aspect, a time interval slider is displayed in a portion of a graphical user interface, where the time interval slider is a listing of time values in a single dimension at a first granularity level. A request is received via a multi-touch gesture to change from the first granularity level of time values to a second granularity level of time values in the time interval slider. In response, an updated set of time values at a second granularity level is displayed within the time interval slider. A selection of a first time value is received for a first endpoint in a time interval via a first touch input, and a selection of a second time value is received for a second endpoint in the time interval via a second touch input.
US08990726B2

In embodiments of a text box clearing selector, a text box is displayed for character entry in a user interface, and the text box includes a text box clearing selector for user-selection to clear the text box. The text box clearing selector is initially concealed from view when the text box is displayed. Character entries can be received in the text box, and the text box clearing selector can then be displayed according to a selector display condition.
US08990715B1

A virtual space may be provided to users. In views of the virtual space, avatars may represent users engaging in the virtual space. Individual avatars may be visually associated with emblems in view of the virtual space. Systems and methods to guide a user through the design of an emblem may include determinations whether an emblem under design is visually distinct from other emblems and/or compliant with a set of design rules for emblems.
US08990684B2

Recommending fonts includes obtaining a product category and determining whether a font recommendation should be made. In the event that the font recommendation should be made, the technique further includes determining a recommended font that corresponds to the product category, the determination being based at least in part on a plurality of predetermined correspondences, the plurality of predetermined correspondences indicating associations between a plurality of product categories and a respective plurality of fonts, and outputting information pertaining to the recommended font.
US08990680B2

A method for managing fault-tolerant webpage presentation. First, platform configurations for presenting a first webpage of a web server are stored. When a request for downloading the first webpage is received from a client computer, the webpage presentation capabilities thereof is subsequently detected and compared with the platform configurations. When the capabilities satisfy the platform configurations, the first webpage is transmitted to the client computer. When any incompatibility exists between the capabilities and the platform configurations, a second webpage is generated from a data search based on the difference between the capabilities and the platform configurations, and then transmitted to the client computer.
US08990678B2

Methods of automatically updating content on a web site, allowing web site visitors to request notification of updates to the content of a web site, and notifying persons of updated content on a web site are disclosed. Update alert tables and systems for implementing the foregoing methods also are disclosed.
US08990677B2

A system and methodology for collaborating. The system as illustrated is comprised of at least two computing appliances, each of the computing appliances for use by a respective user. Each of the computing appliances is comprised of a processor, memory, communications interface, input apparatus, and display apparatus. Each said display apparatus provides a respective display presentation of a common shared underlying image. The respective input apparatus is responsive to input by the respective user to provide annotation data representative of a display image of annotations associated with the respective user. Thereafter, a respective user at each of the at least two of the computing appliances provides a combined display presentation comprised of a combination of the display image of the annotations associated with the respective user, shown as comprised of the display image of the annotations for the at least one of the respective users, which are aligned to and overlaid atop of the common shared underlying image in the combined display presentation. In one embodiment, the system is further comprised of communications apparatus providing voice (and/or video) communications between said respective users at least two of said respective computing appliances while also providing the display presentation at said at least two computing appliances. In an alternate embodiment, the display presentation starts as displaying only the base core image, and evolves at each subsequent finite point in time to provide a display presentation of an evolved combined image at each said subsequent finite point in time.
US08990673B2

A system and method for disseminating digital content, including receiving a video stream having embedded time code markers, copying the video stream, distributing a first copy to a player with a desired delay, distributing a second copy for association of content, and associating content with the second copy during the delay for playing of the first copy and the associated content at the player.
US08990670B2

Embodiments of the invention relate to endurance-aware ECC protection for memories (e.g., phase change memories). According to one embodiment, a method includes calculating first metadata for data bits and second metadata for ECC bits which protect the data bits and the first metadata. Embodiments can include one or more first metadata bits (for the data bits), and one or more second metadata bits (for the ECC bits). An additional level of ECC protection protects the second metadata. In one embodiment, the wear-reduction modifications applied to the data bits and the ECC bits are different, and can be tailored to the behavior of the bits. According to one embodiment, the endurance-aware ECC protection described herein reduces wear due to accesses to memories while addressing the complications wear-reduction mechanisms introduce to error detection and correction systems.
US08990661B1

A low-density parity check (LDPC) decoder is provided for decoding low-density parity check (LDPC) encoded data wherein a layer specific attenuation factor is provided for each layer of the LDPC parity check matrix. An attenuation factor matrix comprising a plurality of coefficients specifies the specific attenuation factor for each layer and each iteration of the decoding process. A check node processor performs check node processing for each layer of the parity check matrix associated with the LDPC encoded codeword utilizing the normalized layered min-sum algorithm wherein the attenuation factor of the min-sum algorithm is determined by the coefficients of the attenuation factor matrix.
US08990659B2

A method for data storage includes storing data, which is encoded with an Error Correction Code (ECC), in a group of analog memory cells by writing respective first storage values to the memory cells in the group. After storing the data, respective second storage values are read from the memory cells in the group, and the read second storage values are processed so as to decode the ECC. Responsively to a failure in decoding the ECC, one or more of the second storage values that potentially caused the failure are identified as suspect storage values. Respective third storage values are re-read from a subset of the memory cells that includes the memory cells holding the suspect storage values. The ECC is re-decoded using the third storage values so as to reconstruct the stored data.
US08990648B2

According to at least one exemplary embodiment, a synchronous active high reset scan flip flop is provided. The synchronous active high reset scan flip flop may include a data input, a serial input, a test enable input, a reset input, a clock input, a device output. It may also include an AND gate configured to receive the serial input and the test enable input and a multiplexer configured to receive the data input and a first output signal received from the AND gate. The multiplexer is operable in response to the reset input which is used to reset the flip flop in function mode, and permit scan test in test mode. The synchronous active high reset scan flip flop may also include a storage element configured to receive a second output signal received from the multiplexer and operable in response to a clock signal received from the clock input.
US08990642B2

An approach is described for managing error logs and corresponding error descriptors among a plurality of controller nodes of a distributed network fabric. According to such approach, an error log may include output from a runtime code trace. The runtime code trace may include storing trace statements from a currently running process in one or more of a plurality of trace buffers. The trace buffers may be memory-mapped circular buffers. Additionally, an error descriptor may be created from the error log. A globally unique identifier may be assigned to the error descriptor, and both the error descriptor and the globally unique identifier may be broadcast to each other controller node among the plurality of controller nodes.
US08990638B1

The disclosure relates to cloud-based mobile discovery networks. For example, a mobile discovery network may include a network responsive to successful watermark detection or fingerprint extraction. One claim recites a method of controlling availability of a cloud-based resolver cell in a mobile discovery network, the mobile discovery network comprising a cloud-based traffic router for load balancing requests from remote devices, said method comprising: at the resolver cell, monitoring responses to a plurality of status checks issued by the traffic router to the resolver cell, starting with a first response that includes an error, said monitoring comprising monitoring the next n responses from the resolver cell to the traffic router, where n is an integer more than 3, to determine whether: i) a predetermined percentage of the monitored responses included errors; ii) any response included an error within a preceding time period, and iii) the last response to the traffic router include an error; and if any of items i-iii are true, entering a stabilization mode for a predetermined time, during which predetermined time the resolver cell will issue an unavailable status to the traffic router. Of course other claims and combinations are provided as well.
US08990632B2

A multiplex system includes physical machines, and data communication cards respectively installed in the physical machines. If one of the physical machines equipped with an own data communication card is a physical machine of an own system and another one of the physical machines is a physical machine of another system, the data communication cards connect the physical machine of the own system and the physical machine of the other system communicably with each other over a communication network. Further, the data communication cards autonomously monitor the states of the physical machine of the own system and the physical machine of the other system and detect an abnormal state.
US08990626B2

An apparatus and computer-implemented method for determining relevance of assignments in combinatorial models, the method comprising: receiving an attribute collection, the attribute collection comprising one or more attributes and one or more possible values for each of attributes; receiving pone or more restrictions, each restriction indicating one or more values for one or more attributes; receiving one or more assignments comprising one or more assigned values for one or more of the attributes; and determining whether the assignment is legal, illegal or partially-legal, wherein an illegal assignment is an assignment which violates a constraint by itself; a legal assignment is an assignment which is not illegal, and for every extension thereof which is illegal, a combination of values assigned to other attributes violates a constraint by itself; and a partially-legal assignment is an assignment which is neither legal nor illegal.
US08990625B2

The original MCS of a system fault tree includes sufficient conditions required for a top system hazard. If a fault occurs in a component and the component is restored, the current MCS of a system and the critical components can be calculated on the basis of the original MCS by means of several calculation patterns.
US08990624B2

In order to rapidly perform verification processing on the basis of test patterns in a circuit to be verified, an emulator verification system comprises: an emulator verification device that verifies the normality of content to be executed on the basis of verification test information in a circuit to be verified; a moveable test pattern storage device that is connected to the emulator verification device in an attachable/detachable manner, and that inputs test information for verification processing having a larger volume than a preset data volume into the emulator verification device; and a moveable result pattern storage device that connects to the emulator verification device in an attachable/detachable manner, and that acquires and stores verification results information having a larger volume than a fixed data volume, which shows the results of the verification processing in the emulator verification device.
US08990619B1

Stackable Layer 2 switches may be upgraded through a stateless upgrade procedure that minimizes software upgrade complexity while leveraging the intrinsic redundancy of the network to minimize traffic disruption. Disclosed methods may be targeted to platforms that lack support for other non-disruptive upgrade technologies, but that can leverage the intrinsic network redundancy to minimize traffic impact during a stack upgrade.
US08990615B1

A method, computer program product, and computing system for receiving an indication that a hard disk drive within a data array is failing, thus defining a failing hard disk drive. At least a portion of the data included within the failing hard disk drive is copied to a failover portion of a front end cache system included within a host coupled to the data array, thus defining a backup data set.
US08990614B2

Systems and methods are disclosed for improving performance of a system having non-volatile memory (“NVM”). The system can vertically re-vector defective blocks of a user region of the NVM to other blocks having the same plane or die's plane (“DIP”) but corresponding to a dead region of the NVM. Then, the system can select any band with more than one defective block and vertically re-vector one of its defective blocks to a band that has no defective blocks. At run-time, the system can monitor the number of vertical re-vectors per DIP. If at least one vertical re-vector has been performed on all DIPs of the NVM, a band of the user region can be allocated for the dead region.
US08990608B1

An application is failed-over between containers on a single operating system instance. A container is associated with the application, and the application runs therein. An identifier of the container currently associated with the application is maintained as a member of the application group. A listing of a current state of each container is maintained, for example in a file. If the current container goes offline or faults, a separate container currently in an available state is identified, and the identifier of the current container in the application group is updated. The application is subsequently started-up in the separate, container, thereby failing-over the application between containers on the single operating system instance.
US08990600B2

An electronic device with standby state includes a MCU, a voltage conversion unit, a screen lock circuit, and a power-saving trigger circuit. The voltage conversion unit is connected to the MCU and is used to convert a power supply voltage to a suitable voltage to power the MCU. The screen lock circuit includes a switch, therein, the screen lock circuit is connected to the MCU and is used to lock or unlock the electronic device in response to an operation on the switch when the electronic device is in a work state. The power-saving trigger circuit is connected to the MCU, the voltage conversion unit, and the screen lock circuit, and is used to disable or enable the voltage conversion unit in response to the operation on the switch when the electronic device is in the standby state.
US08990591B2

In some embodiments, the invention provides a higher efficiency, real-time platform power management architecture for computing platforms. A more direct power management architecture may be provided using integrated voltage regulators and in some embodiments, a direct power management interface (DPMI) as well. Integrated voltage regulators, such as in-silicon voltage regulators (ISVR) can be used to implement quicker, more highly responsive power state transitions.
US08990590B2

A system and method for remotely regulating the power consumption of a device are provided. The method comprises sending a message from a remote location and over a wide area data network to a controller locally attached to a device. The method further comprises adjusting, at the controller, the power supplied to the device based on the message.
US08990583B1

Methods and systems are disclosed a digital investigation tool capable of recovering and decrypting content. The tool combines digital techniques with decryption capability for a wide range of encryption algorithms. In one implementation, the tool identifies the type and/or vendor of the encryption algorithm used to protect the content. The tool then automatically obtains the decryption information needed to decrypt the content. Depending on the encryption algorithm used, the information may include a master key, user-specific keys, user IDs, passwords, and the like. The decryption information may be accumulated in a local or remote storage location accessible by the tool, or it may be acquired in real time on an as-needed basis from a third-party encryption vendor, a key server, and the like. Such an arrangement allows law enforcement agencies as well as corporate security personnel to quickly recover and decrypt content stored on a computer system.
US08990581B2

Various embodiments for preserving data redundancy in a data deduplication system in a computing environment are provided. In one embodiment, a method for such preservation is disclosed. A selected data segment, to be written through the data deduplication system, is encrypted such that the selected data segment is not subject to a deduplication operation.
US08990580B2

A computer-implemented method for providing secure access to a computer is disclosed according to one aspect of the subject technology. The method comprises capturing an image with a camera at the computer, extracting facial features from the image, and comparing the extracted facial features with facial features of a user stored on the computer, wherein the computer is currently logged into a user account belonging to the user. The method also comprises, if the extracted facial features match the stored facial features of the user, then staying logged into the user account, and, if the extracted facial features do not match the stored facial features of the user, then automatically logging out of the user account.
US08990578B2

A password authentication circuit includes a timer that measures first and second periods of a password authentication period, a control circuit that, in a first period, disables writing of a password received into a password register, in a predetermined period within a second period enables writing of a password received into the password register and outside the predetermined period within the second period disables writing of a password received into the password register; a password comparison unit that compares a password in the password register and a password expected value to perform authentication of the password; and a first period generation unit that controls variably the first period, a password last written into the password register in the predetermined period of the second period being made a target for authentication.
US08990572B2

A method for conducting smart card transactions is provided that includes causing a computer to recognize communications from a mobile device as communications from a smart card reader containing a smart card, and conducting a smart card transaction in accordance with smart card security techniques with the mobile device.
US08990571B2

According to one embodiment, encrypted secret identification information (E-SecretID) and the key management information (FKB) are read from a memory device. Encrypted management key (E-FKey) is obtained using the key management information (FKB) and index information (k). The index information (k) and the encrypted management key (E-FKey) are transmitted to the semiconductor memory device. An index key (INK) is generated using the first key information (NKey) and the received index information (k). The encrypted management key (E-FKey) is decrypted using the index key (INK) to obtain management key (FKey), which is transmitted to the host device.
US08990560B2

Systems and methods for use in secure network communication. A physical network interface receives a network packet associated with a security level. The network packet is transmitted from the physical network interface to a security policy component. The network packet is routed to a stack offload engine by the security policy component based on a network address associated with the network packet and the security level associated with the network packet. The network packet is provided by the stack offload engine to a software application via trusted memory interface that transfers the packet to a memory portion of a plurality of memory portions. The memory portion corresponds to the security level.
US08990558B2

The method and system for secure data (information) inside a cloud computing system, allow data to be encrypted everywhere in the cloud on storage devices and in communication lines so that only the information owner has the encryption key and may decrypt the data. The main idea is using software filter technology inside the cloud virtual machine for encrypting and decrypting data and keeping the encryption key(s) only in the hand of the owner of the information outside the cloud. The encryption key is loaded into the appropriate filter only by permission of the information owner or an allowed user. The method allows combination of data encryption with application control and user control.
US08990555B2

A first network device is configured to receive a first request for a first secret key, generate the first secret key, and send the first secret key to a second network device and a first user device; and is also configured to receive a second request for a second secret key, generate the second secret key, and send the second secret key to a third network device and a second user device. The second network device and the first user device may mutually authenticate each other using the first secret key. The third network device and the second user device may mutually authenticate each other using second secret key.
US08990554B2

A first device is configured to receive an instruction to establish a secure connection with a second device or to send a secure message to the second device. The instruction may include a secure connection invitation or a message. The first device may send information, associated with the second device, to a first server; receive a response from the first server; obtain parameters based on the response indicating that the second device is subscribed to the first server; communicate the parameters to the first server; receive a parameters identifier associated with the parameters; store the parameters identifier in the secure connection invitation or the message; and send the secure connection invitation or the message to the second device. The second device may receive the parameters identifier to obtain the parameters to establish the secure connection or to decrypt the secure message.
US08990547B2

Systems, methodologies, computer-readable media, and other embodiments associated with ordering instructions are described. One exemplary system embodiment can include an analysis logic configured to analyze executable instructions from an executable program. A re-write logic can be configured to re-order selected load instructions within the executable program based on latency times for the selected load instructions.
US08990546B2

Embodiments of a system and method are disclosed that can include a memory unit, and a memory management unit coupled to the memory unit. The memory management unit can include address mapping circuitry and access control circuitry operable to: provide address mappings for at least a frame stack and a link stack in the memory unit for programs being executed by the processing unit, and provide an access permission indicator applicable to any segment of the memory unit. A processing unit can save context information for a program to the frame stack, and execute a savelink instruction subsequent to the execution of a branch and link instruction. If the access permission indicator is set, the savelink instruction saves to the link stack a return address provided by the branch and link instruction.
US08990539B2

A file system layout apportions an underlying physical volume into one or more virtual volumes (vvols) of a storage system. The underlying physical volume is an aggregate comprising one or more groups of disks, such as RAID groups, of the storage system. The aggregate has its own physical volume block number (pvbn) space and maintains metadata, such as block allocation structures, within that pvbn space. Each vvol has its own virtual volume block number (vvbn) space and maintains metadata, such as block allocation structures, within that vvbn space. Notably, the block allocation structures of a vvol are sized to the vvol, and not to the underlying aggregate, to thereby allow operations that manage data served by the storage system (e.g., snapshot operations) to efficiently work over the vvols. The file system layout extends the file system layout of a conventional write anywhere file layout system implementation, yet maintains performance properties of the conventional implementation.
US08990533B1

A computer implemented method, system, and program product for data consistency comprising establishing a memory-mapped file, enabling the memory-mapped file data to be paged to the non-volatile storage medium, receiving, at a consistency layer, a write IO; wherein the write IO corresponds to a space on the storage medium, issuing a read IO to the storage medium, wherein the read IO corresponds to the space on the storage medium to be overwritten by the write IO, writing the data of the read IO to a undo log and writing the write IO to the storage medium.
US08990529B2

A method for optimizing cleaning of maps in storage cascades includes determining whether a target disk of a map contains data unavailable to a downstream disk from an upstream disk in a cascade and detect whether the downstream disk has a copy of the data. Additionally, the method includes copying the data from the target disk to the downstream disk, if the target disk of the map contains data unavailable to the downstream disk from the upstream disk and the downstream disk does not have the copy of the data. Furthermore, the method includes copying the data from the target disk to the downstream disk, if the target disk of the map does not contain data unavailable to the downstream disk from the upstream disk or the downstream disk does have the copy of the data. Moreover, the method includes removing the map from the cascade.
US08990528B2

A computer system for fast format or reproducing data of a computer data storage device includes a computer system executing a reproducing process for reproducing data. A source disk (Ds) data storage device and a target disk (Dt) data storage device have data communication between each other and communicate with the computer system. The Ds data is reproducible to the Dt, and the Ds has blank regions with no data which corresponds to zero. The Ds having data regions and an intermediary flash copy map (D0) is generated by the program having all logical zeros for copying blank regions in the Ds to the Dt. The Ds is disengaged from reproducing after all data regions are copied from the Ds to the Dt. The reproducing of the Ds to the Dt continues after disengaging the Ds from the reproducing process by copying the zeros of the D0 to the Dt.
US08990518B2

A data array 20 to be stored is first divided into a plurality of blocks 21. Each block 21 is further sub-divided into a set of sub-blocks 22, and a set of data for each sub-block 22 is then stored in one or more body blocks 25. A header data block 23 is stored for each block 21 at a predictable memory address within a header buffer 24. Each header data block contains pointer data indicating the position within a body block 25 where the data for the sub-blocks for the block 21 that that header data block 23 relates to is stored, and data indicating the size of the stored data for each respective sub-block 22.
US08990513B2

A coherent attached processor proxy (CAPP) that participates in coherence communication in a primary coherent system on behalf of an external attached processor maintains, in each of a plurality of entries of a CAPP directory, information regarding a respective associated cache line of data from the primary coherent system cached by the attached processor. In response to initiation of recovery operations, the CAPP transmits, in a generally sequential order with respect to the CAPP directory, multiple memory access requests indicating an error for addresses indicated by the plurality of entries. In response to a snooped memory access request that targets a particular address hitting in the CAPP directory during the transmitting, the CAPP performs a coherence recovery operation for the particular address prior to a time indicated by the generally sequential order.
US08990511B2

There is provided a cache synchronization control method by which contents of a plurality of caches can be synchronized without a programmer explicitly setting a synchronization point, and the contents of the caches can be synchronized without scanning all cache blocks. A cache synchronization control method for a multiprocessor that has a plurality of processors having a cache, and a storage device shared by the plurality of processors, the method comprises: before a task is executed, a first step of writing back input data of the task to the storage device by a processor that manages the task and deleting data corresponding to the input data from its own cache by a processor other than the processor; and after the task is executed, a second step of writing back output data of the task to the storage device by a processor that has executed the task and deleting data corresponding to the output data from its own cache by a processor other than the processor.
US08990505B1

Devices, systems, methods, and other embodiments associated with a cache memory are described. In one embodiment, a cache tag array includes tag banks. The cache memory further includes a bank selector configured to receive an address and to apply a hash function that maps the address to one of the tag banks.
US08990494B2

In general, embodiments of the present invention provide a home storage system and method of production. Specifically, in a typical embodiment, the home storage system includes a main controller that is coupled to a display controller, an external memory controller, an external interface, and a PCI-Express-based hybrid RAID controller. Further, a set of semiconductor storage device (SSD) memory units and a set of hard disk drive (HDD/Flash) memory units are coupled to the hybrid RAID controller. The external interface allows the storage system to establish network connectivity, while the external memory controller allows the storage device to be coupled to different types of external memory devices.
US08990492B1

Aspects of the disclosure provide for increasing the capacity of ternary content addressable memories (TCAMs). For example, one aspect provides a method for adding rules to a TCAM, wherein the TCAM comprises multiple configurable banks. According to this method, a range of candidate banks in which the proposed rule may be stored is identified based on a priority of the proposed rule, and one of the candidate banks is selected for storing the proposed rule based on a width of the proposed rule and widths of the candidate banks. Another aspect provides a method for deleting one or more rules from a TCAM comprising multiple configurable banks. According to this method, once the rule is deleted, the bank from which it was deleted may be reduced in width, and therefore increased in capacity. For example, wider rules stored in this bank may be relocated to other banks using the method for adding rules to a TCAM.
US08990487B2

A predetermined number of erasable blocks positioned at a start of a volume area in a semiconductor memory card are provided so as to include volume management information. A user area following the volume management information includes a plurality of clusters. A size of a partition control area from a master boot record & partition table sector to a partition boot sector is determined so that the plurality of clusters in the user area are not arranged so as to straddle erasable block boundaries. Since cluster boundaries and erasable block boundaries in the user area are aligned, there is no need to perform wasteful processing in which two erasable blocks are erased to rewrite one cluster.
US08990474B2

Systems and methods for using an internal read only memory (ROM) to configure a logic device are described. The ROM and the logic device may be located on a single chip. The ROM may be adapted to store highly compressed configuration images and be non-reprogrammable. The logic device may be configured based on the compressed configuration image.
US08990466B2

An arbiter can be used for processing a plurality of asynchronous data signals. Each data signal is associated with a request signal and a respective acknowledge signal. The arbiter includes a latch array with an input coupled to receive the data signals and request signals and an output coupled to provide a data vector and a validity vector. The data vector includes values depending on the data signals and the validity vector includes values depending on the request signals when the latch array is in a transparent state. Logic circuitry is configured to trigger the latch array when any of the request signals becomes active, to activate a global request signal a delay time after the latch has been triggered, and to selectively activate the acknowledge signals for a channel or channels for which an active request signal has been latched.
US08990461B2

The present invention generally relates to the management of a configuration of a first device. The first device includes a control unit and an interface unit managing a communication interface. The communication interface comprises at least one resistive line having a resistance value. The resistance value allows the interface unit to identify a configuration for at least one second device adapted to be linked to the first device via the communication interface. The interface unit: /a/ detects a change of the resistance value on the resistive line corresponding to a configuration of said second device; /b/ processes said change of the resistance value to adapt the configuration of the first device according to the configuration of said second device.
US08990452B2

Techniques are described for eliminating backpressure in a distributed system by changing the rate data flows through a processing element. Backpressure occurs when data throughput in a processing element begins to decrease, for example, if new processing elements are added to the operating chart or if the distributed system is required to process more data. Indicators of backpressure (current or future) may be monitored. Once current backpressure or potential backpressure is identified, the operator graph or data rates may be altered to alleviate the backpressure. For example, a processing element may reduce the data rates it sends to processing elements that are downstream in the operator graph, or processing elements and/or data paths may be eliminated. In one embodiment, processing elements and associate data paths may be prioritized so that more important execution paths are maintained. In another embodiment, if a request to add one or more processing elements may cause future backpressure, the request may be refused.
US08990450B2

Managing a direct memory access (‘DMA’) injection first-in-first-out (‘FIFO’) messaging queue in a parallel computer, including: inserting, by a messaging unit management module, a DMA message descriptor into the injection FIFO messaging queue; determining, by the messaging unit management module, the number of extra slots in an immediate messaging queue required to store DMA message data associated with the DMA message descriptor; and responsive to determining that the number of extra slots in the immediate message queue required to store the DMA message data is greater than one, inserting, by the messaging unit management module, a number of DMA dummy message descriptors into the injection FIFO messaging queue, wherein the number of DMA dummy message descriptors is at least as many as the number of extra slots in the immediate messaging queue that are required to store the DMA message data.
US08990449B2

Systems and methods for out of band notification of a hard drive status change may be provided. In accordance with embodiments of the present disclosure, an information handling system may include a processor, a memory communicatively coupled to the processor, a hard disk drive communicatively coupled to the processor via an input/output (I/O) bus for communicating I/O data between the processor and the hard disk drive, and an indicator configured to provide a user-detectable indication of I/O activity occurring on the I/O bus. The hard disk drive may include general purpose input/output (GPIO) terminal independent from the I/O bus and communicatively coupled to the processor, and the hard disk drive may be configured to assert the GPIO terminal in response to an occurrence of a status event of the hard disk drive.
US08990439B2

A computer program product is provided for performing an input/output (I/O) operation at a host computer system configured for communication with a control unit. The computer program product is configured to perform: sending a transport mode command message from a channel subsystem to the control unit, the command message including a command for data to be transferred to an I/O device controlled by the control unit; and sending a data transfer message to the control unit, the data transfer message having an amount of the data to be transferred, the amount of the data being less than or equal to a maximum amount of data, the maximum amount of data corresponding to a number of buffers associated with the control unit and a size of each of the number of buffers, the number and the size indicated by a value maintained in the host computer system.
US08990437B2

A software or hardware agent running on a personal computing (PC) device provides allows a consumer electronic device connected to the PC device over a high definition multimedia interface (HDMI) network to control the PC device using standardized commands. This enables a user to control the PC device and other consumer electronic devices that are connected to the HDMI network using a single interface. The agent responds as a consumer electronic device and translates the standardized commands as universal serial bus (USB) human interface device (HID) input reports to the PC device operating system. The agent represents the specific capabilities of the PC device as standard consumer electronic device controls.
US08990422B1

Systems, apparatusses, and methods are disclosed for transmission control protocol (TCP) segmentation offload (TSO). A hardware TSO engine is capable of handling segmentation of data packets and consequent header field mutation of hundreds of flows simultaneously. The TSO engine generates data pointers in order to “cut up” the payload data of a data packet, thereby creating multiple TCP segments. Once the data of the data packet has been fetched, the TSO engine “packs” the potentially-scattered chunks of data into TCP segments, and recalculates each TCP segment's internet protocol (IP) length, IP identification (ID), IP checksum, TCP sequence number, and TCP checksum, as well as modifies the TCP flags. The TSO engine is able to rapidly switch contexts, and share the control logic amongst all flows.
US08990419B2

A table is generated in which content information for digital contents and the relation between the digital contents are registered. A request message indicating a content identifier and data range of a requested digital content is received. A determination is made regarding the presence of a digital content corresponding to the requested digital content based on the table and the content identifier indicated by the request message, and a determination is made regarding a data range based on the table and the data range indicated by the request message. Based on the results of the determinations, the content identifier and data range of the digital content corresponding to the data range indicated by the request message are decided by referring to the table. A message to the request message is transmitted based on the determinations and the decision.
US08990417B2

In a peer-to-peer (P2P) system, in each individual transmitting peer (10), the incoming data stream is divided logically and with regard to time into different parts, which are buffered in a volatile memory (13) and are transmitted to the receiving peers (20, 30) on different paths by means of a peer-to-peer transmission mechanism (40). In a receiving peer (20), the received parts of the subdivided data stream are buffered in a volatile memory (21) and are reassembled into a complete data stream. Further, in the receiving peer (20), the parts of the subdivided data stream, buffered by the volatile memory (21), are copied into a persistent memory (22), from where they are copied back into the volatile memory (21) at a later point in time if necessary. A fraction of the received data is excluded from persistent storing by selecting parts of the subdivided data stream.
US08990415B2

The present invention discloses a method and system for authenticating third tier servers in a distributed application environment by using a central procedure for recognizing and managing third tier server certificates at the client system side. Third tier server certificates which have been accepted by the central procedure are stored in a common database of the distributed application environment and the client system transmits via a secure connection to the server systems all necessary information of said third tier server certificates being accepted as trustworthy for determining to accept or to decline a third tier server. In a preferred embodiment of the present invention only fingerprints of third tier server certificates being accepted as trustworthy together with server name which has transmitted said third tier server certificate, and certificate name are transferred via a secure connection to the server systems of the distributed application environment.
US08990413B2

Embodiments of the invention provide systems and methods for orchestrating or coordinating interactions between different types of networks such as a legacy network and a next generation network. According to one embodiment, a method for coordinating interactions between different types of networks can comprise receiving at a service layer component a communication in a communication session from a first communication network. The communication can be in a first protocol. The communication can be translated from the first protocol to a second protocol with the service layer component, wherein the first protocol is different from the second protocol. One or more additional service layer components for providing at least one service in the communication session can be identified with an application dispatcher of the service layer component. The translated communication can be dispatched to the one or more additional service layer components from the application dispatcher.
US08990410B1

Certain exemplary embodiments can provide a method, which can comprise, responsive to a determination that a Web-based transaction has caused an exceedance of a maximum threshold percentage of transactions processed offline, at a user interface of an information device, rendering an automatic alert indicative of the exceedance. The Web-based transaction can be requested from a browser.
US08990406B2

Source data stored on a source device may be shared with other devices. Sharing the source data may include facilitating communication associated with the source data, based on a first communication protocol, between a first device and another device. Receiving a first token associated with the source data may be facilitated. The first token may be encoded to enable communication using a near proximity communication (NPC) protocol. Communication of the first token may be provided to a second device, located within five feet of the first device, using the NPC protocol, to enable the second device to access the source data utilizing a second communication protocol. The NPC protocol is a wireless communication protocol, and supports automatic connection between at least two devices located within five feet. The first and second devices are NPC-enabled devices.
US08990401B2

A method of providing a fast path message transfer agent is provided. The method includes receiving bytes of a message over a network connection and determining whether the number of bytes exceeds a predetermined threshold. If the number of bytes is less than a predetermined threshold, then the message is written only to memory. However, if the number of bytes exceeds the predetermined threshold, then some of the bytes (e.g. up to the predetermined threshold) are written to memory, wherein the remainder of the bytes are stored onto the non-volatile storage. If the message was received successfully by each destination, then the message is removed from the memory/non-volatile storage. If not, all failed destinations are identified and the message (with associated failed destinations) is stored on the non-volatile storage for later sending.
US08990400B2

A system, method, computer program product, and carrier are described for obtaining an indication of a first device receiving a message portion during a time interval in which a second device received the message portion and signaling a decision whether to facilitate a signal transfer at least between the first device and the second device.
US08990399B2

Resource sharing in a multi-principal browser includes managing a resource for a web entity by determining how to divide the resource for sharing among two or more web entities based at least in part on a Document Object Model (DOM)-recursive resource allocation policy or an application-specified resource allocation policy. A web entity includes a principal instance contending for the resource. The process identifies resource allocation mechanisms from each resource type based at least in part on the DOM-recursive sharing policy or the application-specified resource allocation policy along with the resource type.
US08990398B1

Systems and methods for processing requests associated with network resources and/or virtualization services are provided. A request associated with one or more network resources may be received, and a set of one or more tags associated with the request may be identified. A representative value for the set of one or more tags may then be determined utilizing, for example, a hashing operation or a compression function. The representative value may be associated with a request prior to the request being processed by at least one network server. Subsequently, the set of one or more tags may reconstructed based at least in part upon the representative value in order to facilitate the generation of one or more reports, such as billing reports or resource usage reports.
US08990394B2

Managing access requests to a device is provided. The operations may include determining that a device stack corresponds to the device that is remote to the server and is connected locally to a client that is remote to the server, the device stack comprising one or more device objects; attaching a device access restriction object on top of the device stack; facilitating restriction of access to the one or more device objects from sessions different from a session associated with the device; receiving, at the device access restriction object, an access request to the device; and determining, at the device access restriction object, whether the access request is allowed access to the device. The access request may be allowed if a session from which the access request is received is a predetermined session.
US08990386B2

A mechanism is provided for searching a virtual resource in a large scale computing system environment. The virtual resource is deployed on at least one server. Each server is coupled to a sensor and communicates with the sensor. The sensors communicate with each other and consist of a communication network. Each sensor stores an identifier of a virtual resource deployed in a server connected with the sensor and the location information of the sensor itself. The mechanism receives a searching request for a virtual resource by the at least one sensor, the searching request containing an identifier of the virtual resource being searched; forwards the searching request in the communication network of the sensors; and returns a location information of a senor storing the identifier of the virtual resource by the sensor itself.
US08990382B2

Problem determination in an enterprise computer system in a distributed environment is provided. A user is prompted to select an application server and a search inquiry that identifies transactions by behavior selected from a group of behaviors including a behavior of transactions that have issued more than a threshold number of SQLs and a behavior of transactions that have issued more than a threshold number of methods. There is a search among all active URL strings for web requests and active class names for remote enterprise java bean requests responsive to the search inquiry. The identified URL strings and active enterprise java bean requests are displayed.
US08990380B2

The present invention is directed towards systems and methods for providing discovery of applications for classification of a network packet for performing QoS and acceleration techniques. Remote display protocol traffic associated with a new application not previously included in a list of predetermined applications may be parsed for application information, and the new application may be added to the application list. The remote display protocol traffic may then be classified according to the new application, and network performance may be enhanced and optimized by providing QoS and acceleration engines with packet- or data-specific information corresponding to the newly identified application.
US08990377B2

A method, apparatus and computer instructions are provided to improve the push/pull workload management model with intelligent routing to effectively collect data from systems that consist of dynamic sub-systems. The invention improves the push/pull model of the referenced invention with intelligent request routing to solve the above problem. An API is exposed in the workload manager enabling its request router to decline requests to route to idle sub-systems. This allows the monitoring agent to avoid sending a pull request to an idle sub-system. Each sub-system will push the data to the agent as it enters the idle state. The agent caches the data it receives from idle sub-systems and combines it with data it pulls from active and stopped sub-systems.
US08990374B2

Example embodiments described herein are directed to providing cloud computing subsystems for computing resource provisioning with various service levels on specific network isolated areas. Example embodiments described herein may also provide protocols for controlling the flow of a frame from and to each tenant in a cloud computing subsystem.
US08990368B2

Embodiments relate to systems and methods for automatic discovery of network software relationships. A set of managed machines, such as personal computers or servers, can be managed by a network management platform communicating with the machines via a secure channel. The network management platform can issue a set of discovery commands interrogating nodes of the network to report software or services which they consume. The network management platform can build a dependency map encoding the dependency or other relationships between nodes in the managed network based on their use of software resources. Network restorations can therefore be conducted in a rational order, maintaining stability in the restored nodes and network.
US08990362B2

Embodiments described herein extend to methods, systems, and computer program products for setting up, configuring, and customizing one or more virtual machines. A scenario definition file may be accessed and parsed to provide information to a virtual machine provisioning server. A virtual machine is provisioned and instantiated according to the information contained in the scenario definition file. A virtual machine is instantiated upon a host machine. Upon instantiation, a virtual machine communicates with a custom action service to execute an action upon the virtual machine.
US08990352B1

A system and method for generating a channel includes a channel engine that retrieves candidate content items based on a topic from heterogeneous data sources. The channel engine generates a stream of content with selected content items and populates the stream of content for the channel and providing the stream of content to users associated with the channel. In response to receiving feedback, the channel engine modifies the at least one topic based at least in part on the feedback. The scoring engine generates a second stream of content from the first stream of content that is personalized for the first user based at least in part on a model. Other users can subscribe to the second stream.
US08990342B2

System and method for communicating data are disclosed. Method includes facilitating receiving, from a module of a client computing device, a first message in a universal format. Method includes generating a first encoded message by encoding the first message into a network-based procedure call interface associated with a server, based on a stored encoding for the network-based procedure call interface. Method includes facilitating transmitting the first encoded message to a module of the server. Method includes facilitating receiving, from a module of the server, a second message encoded in the network-based procedure call interface associated with the server. Method includes generating a second decoded message by decoding the second message into the universal format, based on the stored encoding for the network-based procedure call interface. Method includes facilitating transmitting the second decoded message to a module of the client computing device.
US08990335B2

A method for storing and retrieving data in a storage node of a data store and storage node of a data store, storing in main-memory at least one segment of a relational table. The storage node includes at least one computational core running at least one scan thread each dedicated to the scanning of one of the at least one segment. At least one scan thread uniquely, continuously and exhaustively scans the dedicated segment of the relational table. The storage node receives and processes batches of query and update operations for the at least one segment of the relational table. The query and update operations of a batch are re-indexed at beginning of each scan by the scan thread. Then, the indexed query and update operations of a batch are independently joined to data records of said segment that match with predicates of the indexed query and update operations.
US08990331B2

A microblog server receives sharing information required for sharing a microblog message transmitted by a microblog client. Generate a microblog data packet according to the sharing information, and transmit the microblog data packet to an instant messaging (IM) client, such that the IM client displays the microblog message to be shared according to the microblog data packet.
US08990330B2

Adservers with the ability to access advertiser cookies and vice versa when both are serving from the advertiser's domain are provided, thereby avoiding the overhead and delay in backend cookie synchronization efforts. Further, advertising cookie data can be gathered regardless of whether a user is browsing a publisher's web site with an advertisement served by an adserver, or browsing the advertiser's web site, because the cookies were previously set when the user visited the advertiser's web site in the context of a first-party cookie. Even if the user has configured his or her browser to limit the setting of third-party cookies, the cookies can still be read by the adserver. By making cookie and advertising data immediately available in real time to both the advertiser and the adserver, the solution also provides for instantaneous and accurate targeting of web advertising to allow an educated ad selection process by either party.
US08990329B1

A system and associated methods for adding one or more invitees from a calendar event to an access control list of a multi-user communication session is disclosed. The conference application includes a social network engine, a conference server module, a session management module and a user interface engine. The social network engine hosts a multi-user communication session associated with a calendar event at the social network server. The conference server module retrieves an invitee list from a calendar application, converts the invitee list into an access control list for the multi-user communication session and stores the access control list in a cache. The session management module receives a request from one or more users to join the multi-user communication session, retrieves the access control list for the multi-user communication session from the cache and compares the one or more users against the access control list.
US08990312B2

When a user receives potential junk e-mail from an unknown sender address, an active filter installed in or cooperating with the user's e-mail system sends a challenge e-mail back to the sender address. Unless the user receives a correct response e-mail from the sender address and/or a response that meets formal criteria, the active filter rejects the original e-mail and blocks future e-mail from that sender address. The challenge preferably includes a question that the sender must correctly answer in his response. The question is such that only humans can interpret and respond to it correctly. For example, the question may relate to and/or be incorporated in an image in the challenge. Lists of approved and blocked sender addresses are compiled. The user may directly enter addresses in the address lists. Addresses to which the user has sent e-mail may also be included directly in the approved list.
US08990309B1

Calibration and publication of user activity on a computer implemented social network is provided. Activity signals of user activity is measured by an activity monitor and calibrated by the user. The calibration includes assigning an activity signal with a personalized identifier for the activity for comparison with future measured activity signals. Near real-time publication of the activity on the social network allow users of the network to timely view user behavior. The publication on a social networking website includes the identifier if the activity has been calibrated. By calibrating and publishing user activity, users can connect to others based on the activity. The publication can be on newsfeed on a user profile for friends of the user to view. A user and the user's friends can communicate with each other, which allows the user to receive motivation from the friends and be accountable to the friends.
US08990301B2

Approaches for designating and/or selecting broker systems in a publication-subscription (pub-sub) messaging environment are provided. In one approach, a subscriber system may be designated as a broker system based on a capability of the subscriber system to function as a broker system for its peers. In another approach, a broker system may be selected from among a plurality of broker systems based upon a cache directory that identifies the content/messages that each broker system may have cached. If a particular broker system has previously cached content that is at least similar to an intended message, that particular broker system may be selected for distributing the intended message to a set of subscriber systems.
US08990295B2

In one embodiment, a notification server 110 may batch together notifications to reduce power consumption. A notification server 110 may receive a power consumption profile 430 from a client device 120. The notification server 110 may assign a notification batch schedule at a notification server 110 based on the power consumption profile 430.
US08990294B2

A mechanism is provided in a data processing system for optimization of a distributed file system by log data analysis. A name node in the distributed file system initiates a log analysis map/reduce job on one or more connected data nodes via a map/reduce processing framework in the distributed file system and receives result data resulting from the log analysis map/reduce job from the one or more connected data nodes via the map/reduce processing framework in the distributed file system. The name node performs analysis on the received result data and generates an optimization plan for the one or more connected data nodes based on results of the analysis. The name node initiates the optimization plan on the one or more connected data nodes via the map/reduce processing framework in the distributed file system.
US08990285B2

According to an embodiment of the invention, an agent scans a storage server, and collects information about files stored on the storage server. The agent then summarizes the information into a summary, and stores the summary on a database server. The summaries can be accessed by a system administrator using a graphical user interface (GUI). The summaries contain information about the use of the storage server, and highlight potential problem areas. By having an agent, rather than a multi-appliance management application (MMA) scan the storage server and create the summary, the MMA is able to perform other tasks.
US08990283B2

A computer processor including a single fused-unfused floating point multiply-add (FMA) module computes the result of the operation A*B+C for floating point numbers for fused multiply-add rounding operations and unfused multiply-add rounding operations. In one embodiment, a fused multiply-add rounding implementation is augmented with additional hardware which calculates an unfused multiply-add rounding result without adding additional pipeline stages. In one embodiment, a computation by the fused-unfused floating point multiply-add (FMA) module is initiated using a single opcode which determines whether a fused multiply-add rounding result or unfused multiply-add rounding result is generated.
US08990282B2

A fused multiply add floating point unit 1 includes multiplying circuitry 4 and adding circuitry 8. The multiply circuitry 4 multiplies operands B and C having N-bit significands to generate an unrounded product B*C. The unrounded product B*C has an M-bit significand, where M>N. The adding circuitry 8 receives an operand A that is input at a later processing cycle than a processing cycle at which the multiplying circuitry 4 receives operands B and C. The adding circuitry 8 commences processing of the operand A after the unrounded product B*C is generated by the multiplying circuitry 4. The adding circuitry 8 adds the operand A to the unrounded product B*C and outputs a rounded result A+B*C.
US08990281B2

Techniques for implementing mixed-radix FFT on SIMD vector processors efficiently for the latest standard in wireless communication technology by dynamically reordering stages are provided. In one aspect, a mixed-radix FFT implementation method for vector processors is provided which includes the following steps. Input data is decomposed into segments of factors based on a size of the input data, wherein the decomposing is performed in one or more stages, and wherein at each of the stages the input data is processed in blocks using one or more FFT butterfly computations for each of the blocks. The stages in which the decomposing is performed are reordered to insure complete utilization of the vector processors. The butterfly computations for one or more of the blocks are reordered to insure that the input data have memory addresses which are next to each other and contiguous.
US08990277B2

Methods and apparatus are provided in which a computed vector index (CVI) can be generated/computed based on an input value being searched for within an index vector of a lookup table. When the CVI is greater than a length of an index vector, the CVI can be re-computed to generate a re-computed vector index (RVI). When the value of the CVI is determined to be correct, or when the RVI is generated, an interpolation routine for a linearly indexed index vector can be executed using a presently computed vector index (e.g., either the CVI or the RVI) to determine an interpolated output value that corresponds to the input value. By contrast, when the value of the CVI is determined to be incorrect, an interpolation routine for a piecewise indexed index vector can be executed to determine the interpolated output value.
US08990274B1

Systems and methods are provided for presenting a set of instructions to a user, such as instructions associated with a recipe. In some embodiments, recipe data may be retrieved and analyzed to identify one or more recipe instructions included in the recipe. A time estimate associated with at least one of the identified recipe instructions may be determined, where the time estimate represents an estimated time for the identified recipe instruction to be completed by the user. The recipe instruction may then be presented to the user, such as by presenting audio data or visual data. Based at least in part on a determination that an amount of time equal to the time estimate has elapsed after presenting the recipe instruction to the user, one or more additional recipe instructions may then be automatically presented to the user.
US08990271B2

An approach for specifying data in a standards style pattern of Service-Oriented Architecture (SOA) environments is provided. The approach implemented in a computer infrastructure, includes defining an interface including one or more local data elements and one or more references to one or more common data elements, of a service, the one or more common data elements being defined in a library for a plurality of services. The approach further includes configuring a data definition file (DDF) which indicates whether each of the one or more local data elements and the one or more common data elements is mandatory for the service. The approach further includes validating one or more data elements from a consumer as mandatory for the service based on the configured DDF.
US08990270B2

A network file system includes at least one unmodified client and at least one unmodified physical file server (PFS). Each PFS has at least one file that is identified by an associated physical file handle (PFH). The network file system includes virtual file servers (VFSs) in a data path between the client(s) and the PFS(s). The network file system also includes a virtualized name space that is mapped to the PFS(s) and is provided to the client(s) by the VFS(s). The network file system further includes a virtualized ID space that is established in response to a request from a client. Within the ID space, each file is identified by a physical file handle (PFH) on a PFS. The PFH and PFS pair are mapped to provide a virtual file handle (VFH), and the map of the VFHs is allocated among the VFSs.
US08990261B2

Systems and method for interpreting a data selection on a touch screen may include providing an interface on the touch screen with a plurality of lanes, each lane associated with an attribute, and each attribute associated with a plurality of values. Icons may fill each lane, with each icon configured to display one of the values of the attribute of the lane. The interface may also have a first lane where a first icon is not displayed. It may be determined that a finger gesture input from the touch screen with a direction is associated with the first lane, and in response, the icons in the first lane may be moved in that direction to display the first icon. A finger tap input from the touch screen corresponding to the first icon may enlarge a size of the first icon on the touch screen to substantially fill the first lane.
US08990255B2

A time bar that is navigable within a media diary application for the purpose of efficiently locating a date associated with a media file. The media diary is an application implemented on a digital device for the purpose of organizing by timeframe the digital media files that exist on the device. The time bar feature provides a means to easily and efficiently locate media files within the diary.
US08990253B2

A media player may be adapted to manage presence information distribution and access to facilitate media communication between compatible devices. Devices connecting in an ad-hoc or other network topology include a plurality of presence settings that determine how or if the device appears to be available for communication to other devices over the network. Additionally, the presence settings identify other, specific devices or groups of devices that may communicate with a device. By comparing the presence settings of a sending device with the settings of a receiving device, the receiving device may determine a presence state for all devices within communication range.
US08990241B2

Systems and methods for identifying candidate queries related to a trending topic based on a user query are described. A trending topic identification module identifies topics trending in one or more real-time content sources. The real-time content source(s) may include, for example, a source of microblog posts or other user-generated data, a news feed, or the like. A query recommendation module suggests at least one candidate query in response to receiving a user query. The query recommendation module obtains the at least one candidate query by comparing words and named entities of the user query with words and named entities associated with the trending topics identified by the trending topic identification module.
US08990238B2

Methods and systems for finding search phrases in a body of data that is encoded using any of multiple possible character encoding schemes. An analytics system accepts an input search phrase for searching in a certain body of data. The system identifies two or more candidate character encoding schemes, which may have been used for encoding the body of data. Having determined the candidate encoding schemes, the system translates the input search phrase into multiple encoding-specific search phrases that represent the input search phrase in the respective candidate encoding schemes. The system then searches the body of data for occurrences of the input search phrase using the multiple encoding-specific search phrases.
US08990225B2

One embodiment of the present invention provides a system that facilitates filtering outbound content via inference detection. During operation, the system identifies content sent to a first address and extracts keywords from the identified content. The system then issues queries based on these keywords and extracts expected-content keywords from the hits returned in response to the queries. The system then searches the outbound content for occurrences of the expected-content keywords and produces a result which allows a user to determine whether the outbound content is proper. In a further embodiment, the system extracts keywords from a piece of outbound content, and issues queries based on these keywords. The system then extracts keywords from the hits, and present at least one keyword to a user, thereby allowing the user to determine whether the outbound content is proper.
US08990221B2

A method updates certificates for potential recipients. The method comprises determining whether the certificates require updating. The method comprises determining a number of the certificates that require updating. The method comprises requesting updates for each of the certificates that require updating when the number is at most a preset number and sets a timer to a first time duration. The method comprises requesting updates for up to the preset number of the certificates that require updating when the number is greater than the preset number and sets the timer to a second time duration.
US08990220B2

Managing user bookmark information includes receiving a bookmark-related action request and determining a type of action associated with the bookmark-related action request and user information associated with the bookmark-related action request. In the event that the type of action corresponds to an add bookmark action, managing user bookmark information further includes generating a bookmark data record, the bookmark data record comprising the user information and information to be bookmarked; determining, using the user information, bookmark database information associated with a bookmark database to which the bookmark data record is to be stored, the bookmark database being one of a plurality of bookmark databases; generating index information based on the user information and the bookmark database information; storing the index information in an index database that is separate from the plurality of bookmark databases; and storing the bookmark data record in the bookmark database.
US08990215B1

Electronic items may be searched using search indices. A user device may determine a manner in which to obtain a search index for an electronic item from among multiple possible manners of obtaining the search index, and the search index may be obtained in the determined manner. Verification may also be performed to determine if electronic items stored in memory of the user device have changed.
US08990212B1

A method includes identifying a source fact table, where the source fact table includes a first set of dimensions and corresponds to a source multidimensional cube that is associated with a first set of measures. The method also includes identifying a mapped multidimensional cube, where the mapped multidimensional cube is associated with a second set of dimensions and a second set of measures. The method further includes adding, to the source fact table, a one or more mapped dimensions corresponding to the second set of dimensions. The method includes associating, with the source multidimensional cube, one or more mapped measures corresponding to the second set of measures.
US08990208B2

In one embodiment, a personal information profile is constructed for a user having a collection of information items. The personal information profile comprises one or more information topics, and each information topic comprises one or more information items. Each information topic has an interesting score, which indicates a level of interest the user has in the information topic. In one embodiment, a social network is inferred among a group of users, each having a personal information profile. A connection exists between every two users that share at least one common-interest information topic, indicated by their respective personal information profiles.
US08990206B2

Website optimization methods and tools for optimizing visibility of a website to internet search engines. A website is automatically evaluated against one or more optimization tests based on one or more search terms. A report is generated along with tools that guide and prompt the user for user input that is used by the tools to directly edit content of the website to improve the visibility of the website to internet search engines.
US08990204B1

Generating and storing, for a multitude of polygonal areas, spatial coordinates of a multitude of piecewise-linear spatial boundary segments. The polygonal boundary of each area comprises boundary segments; each boundary segment forms a portion of the polygonal boundary of at most two adjacent spatial areas. Can further include one or both of (i) an indicator, for each spatial boundary segment, of the at most two corresponding adjacent spatial areas that are separated by that boundary segment or (ii) an indicator, for each spatial area, of one or more boundary segments that together form the entire polygonal boundary of that spatial area. The electronic indicia of the second dataset can be used, inter alia, (i) to determine in which of a multitude of at least partly contiguous spatial areas is located a given spatial point, or (ii) to graphically render the polygonal borders of the areas.
US08990201B1

Methods, systems, and apparatus, including computer program products, for selectively presenting search results responsive to search query suggestions. In one aspect includes receiving a partial search query including one or more characters; generating a first query suggestion based on the partial search query; determining whether the first query suggestion meets a filtering criterion, where the filtering criterion is a criterion specifying one or more filtering criterion topics against which the first query suggestion is evaluated independent of search results responsive to the first query suggestion; providing the first query suggestion; and in response to determining that the first query suggestion meets the filtering criterion, preventing a first set of one or more images responsive to the first query suggestion from being presented to a user.
US08990196B2

A search facility includes a computerized appliance coupled to one or more private enterprise networks with connected data repositories, the appliance executing software from a machine-readable media, and a portal from one of the one or more private enterprise networks to one or more networks external to the enterprise. The software provides an interactive interface on a display of the appliance, the interface providing an input mechanism for a user to enter search criteria and an initiation mechanism for the user to initiate a search using the entered criteria, and wherein a search thus initiated searches both the data repositories within the enterprise, and sources outside the enterprise accessible by the one or more networks external to the enterprise.
US08990195B2

Various embodiments described herein provide users with a fast and efficient way for identifying scenes for editing purposes. At least one embodiment is a method for searching media content based on identification data embedded in an editing file. The method comprises receiving the editing file and extracting identification data from the editing file, wherein the identification data is uniquely associated with particular media content. The method further comprises searching one or a plurality of media content based on the identification data and identifying matching media content, performing a secure download of the identified media content, and performing playback of the media content based on special effects specified in the editing file, wherein the media content is unmodified during playback.
US08990186B2

Techniques for updating join indexes are provided. A determination is made to update date criteria in a join index query statement. The join index is parsed for current date and current time criteria. The join index is revised based on the location of the current date and current time criteria as they appear in the original join index. The revisions include new criteria that minimize the effort in maintaining and using the join index.
US08990177B2

Described is a reliable and efficient design for a transactional status oracle (“ReTSO”), which supports large-scale storage systems. ReTSO uses a centralized scheme and implements snapshot isolation, a property that guarantees that read operations read a consistent snapshot of the data store. The centralized scheme of ReTSO enables a lock-free commit algorithm that prevents unreleased locks of a failed transaction from blocking other transactions. Each transaction submits the identifiers of modified rows to the ReTSO, the transaction is committed only if none of the modified rows is committed by a concurrent transaction, and a log of the committed transaction is cached. To recover from failures, before a client is notified of a change, the change cached is first persisted into a write-ahead log, such that the memory state can be fully reconstructed by reading from the write-ahead log. Furthermore, ReTSO implements a lazy, auto-garbage collector hash map that reduces the number of memory accesses per request.
US08990175B2

A computer-implemented method for use in maintaining currency of a projection index of a plurality of database objects. The computer-implemented method includes creating the projection index representative of a connection between a first database object and at least a second database object, determining an entity dependency between the first database object and at least the second database object, determining a path dependency between the first database object and at least the second database object, and updating the projection index in response to a modification of one or both of the entity dependency and the path dependency.
US08990171B2

The subject disclosure is directed towards transforming a file having at least one undeduplicated portion into a fully deduplicated file. For each of the at least one undeduplicated portion, a deduplication mechanism defines at least one chunk between file offsets associated with the at least one undeduplicated portion. Chunk boundaries associated with the at least one chunk are stored within deduplication metadata. The deduplication mechanism aligns the at least one chunk with chunk boundaries of at least one deduplicated portion of the file. Then, the at least one chunk is committed to a chunk store.
US08990168B1

A method, article of manufacture, and apparatus for efficient conflict resolution among stateless processes is disclosed. In some embodiments, a file system view request is sent to a process manager. A check is then made to ensure that a connection to the requested file system is available. A stateless process to interact with the file system is created, a stateless process to display the file system is created, and a state machine to check the validity of operational requests to be performed on the file system is also created. A display is then used to select one conflict resolution mechanism. A plurality of operational requests to interact with the file system is sent to the process manager. For each operational request, the state machine is used to check for valid requests. The valid requests are then performed. For each invalid operational request, the selected conflict resolution mechanism is used to determine whether to terminate or perform the invalid operational request. In some embodiments, software components are removed from the file system. In some embodiments, software components are added to the file system.
US08990164B1

A computer-implemented method for performing incremental backups may include 1) identifying a volume of data previously subjected to a backup, 2) determining a time to perform an incremental backup of the volume, the incremental backup being incremental with respect to the backup, and, at the time of the incremental backup, 3) identifying a list of files changed on the volume since the backup, 4) identifying a map of blocks changed on the volume since the backup, and 5) including, in the incremental backup, each block within at least one file that is indicated as changed in the map of blocks. Various other methods, systems, and computer-readable media are also disclosed.
US08990161B1

The invention is a system and method for backing up a single segment and/or database on a host server. Present backups of database servers only allow full backups of the entire host server. If there are errors with any of the backed up segments or databases, this can only be corrected by re-running the entire backup process, which is very time consuming and tedious. The invention is a method for identifying and isolating single segments on the host server. In this fashion, if only one segment was not backup up correctly, then once identified and repaired, that segment may be backed up. By isolating single segments, only a segment that was not backed up correctly can be replicated. This increases the granularity of the backup system and minimizes the need to backup the entire host, saving time and cost.
US08990151B2

Systems and methods for supporting metadata for work items stored in a web-based content management system with collaboration environment are disclosed. Users uploading work items to a folder are not required to provide metadata for the work items. Collaborators of the folder can provide metadata to work items within the folder.
US08990150B2

A collaborative authoring application provides an authoring environment in which two or more users can edit a document concurrently. Each user edits a copy of the document, sends updates to a master copy of the document, and receives updates from the master copy of the document. The authoring environment generally inhibits the users from providing conflicting editing instructions to the master copy of the document. For example, each user can generate a content lock about one or more data units within the document. The authoring environment may synchronize content locks automatically and content only at the request of the user.
US08990147B2

Technologies are described herein for defining the scope of a sub-cube based upon a database query. A request is received to perform a query of a multi-dimensional database, such as a cube, stored at a server computer. In response to the request, the scope for a sub-portion, called a sub-cube, of the multi-dimensional database is determined based upon the query. The scope of the sub-cube may be determined by identifying the minimum sub-portion of the cube necessary to perform the query. Once the scope has been determined, the sub-cube is generated at the server computer and transmitted to a client computer. The client computer stores the sub-cube locally and performs the requested database query on the sub-cube stored at the client computer. A user interface may be provided through which a user can modify the scope of the sub-cube determined based upon the query.
US08990134B1

A classifier training system trains classifiers for inferring the geographic locations of videos. A number of classifiers are provided, where each classifier corresponds to a particular location and is trained from a training set of videos that have been labeled as representing the location. In one embodiment, the training set is further restricted to those videos in which a landmark matching the location label is detected. The classifier training system extracts, from each of these videos, features that characterize the video, such as audiovisual features, text features, address features, landmark features, and category features. Based on these features, the classifier training system trains a location classifier for the corresponding location.Each of the location classifiers can be applied to videos without associated location labels to predict whether, or how strongly, the video represents the corresponding location. The prediction can be used for a variety of purposes, such as automatic labeling of videos with locations, presentation of location-specific advertisements in association with videos, and display of video data on relevant portions of an electronic map.
US08990132B2

A low-order model (LOM) of biological neural networks and its mathematical equivalents including the clusterer interpreter probabilistic associative memory (CIPAM) are disclosed. They are artificial neural networks (ANNs) organized as networks of processing units (PUs), Each PU comprising artificial neuronal encoders, synapses, spiking/nonspiking neurons, and a scheme for maximal generalization. If the weights in the artificial synapses in a PU have been learned (and then fixed) or can be adjusted by the unsupervised accumulation rule and the unsupervised covariance rule (or supervised covariance rule), the PU is called unsupervised (or supervised) PU. The disclosed ANNs, with these Hebbian-type learning rules, can learn large numbers of large input vectors with temporally/spatially hierarchical causes with ease and recognize such causes with maximal generalization despite corruption, distortion and occlusion. An ANN with a network of unsupervised PUs (called clusterer) and offshoot supervised PUs (called interpreter) is an architecture for many applications.
US08990129B1

A system for determining to request a re-prompt for a metering device, includes: a data store including a computer readable medium storing a program of instructions for determining to request the re-prompt; a processor that executes the program of instructions; a registration module to register a media consumer associated with the metering device; a behavior learning unit to learn a behavior associated with the registered media consumer; a behavior determination unit to determine a difference between the behavior associated with the registered media consumer and a behavior associated with a present media consumer; and a re-prompt determination unit to request the re-prompt to the metering device based on the difference being greater than a predetermined threshold.
US08990123B2

The present invention relates to computer-implemented services and user interfaces for allowing users to send a request or message to another user or anyone with an email address without disclosing her or her identity, match friends, tag people with certain attributes to generate a social percentile, and review connections. The invention also relates to methods for sending a request or message anonymously, generating a social percentile with attribute tagging, reviewing individuals and matching a member with another individual.
US08990122B2

A method and system for providing computer application support. The method comprises determining a set of installed applications on a source computer using a software manager module executing on a computer, generating a set of usage information for the set of installed applications on the one or more source computers, deriving a set of analysis results from the usage information using a software analysis module executing on a computer, generating a list of applications from the set of analysis results using the software analysis module, and providing the list to a destination computer.
US08990119B2

Systems, methods, and computer-readable media are described for the automated payment, download over a network, installation on a set-top box, and play of console and online video games by user interaction with a controller-adapted set-top box. Security measures inhibit video game piracy.
US08990112B2

A system and method for capturing image data is disclosed. A receipt image processing service selects from a repository a template that guides data capture of receipt data from a receipt image and presents the template to a user on an image capture device. A user previews the receipt image and the selected template. If the user decides that the template does not correctly indicate locations of data areas for data items in the receipt image, then the user either updates an existing template or creates a new template that correctly indicates the location of selected data areas in the receipt image. The selected template, the updated template, or the new template is then used to extract receipt data from the receipt image. The receipt data and receipt image data are then provided to the expense report system.
US08990105B1

Systems, methods, and media for targeting advertisements based on user search information are provided. In accordance with some embodiments of the present invention, the method comprises: receiving one or more seedwords relating to a topic for targeting advertisements; automatically selecting keywords for the topic based on the received one or more seedwords; determining and displaying a forecasted pixel volume value based at least in part on the automatically selected keywords; receiving an address associated with monitoring code and receiving one or more campaign targeting requirements that control when the monitoring code is served to users; and modifying the monitoring code to incorporate the automatically selected keywords and the one or more campaign targeting requirements, wherein the modified monitoring code instructs an advertisement server to serve one or more advertisements to a user based on matching user search information received from the user with the selected keywords and in response to determining that the user has accessed an affiliate website.
US08990102B1

A system and method includes storing user information, advertiser information and electronic user interest information including one or more of questions and factual information regarding a plurality of topics. A request for information is received from a first user computing device, and at least one relevance factor is determined, based on at least a relationship of the electronic request for information with one or more of the user information, the advertiser information and the user interest information. A likelihood of receiving electronic information from the first user computing device is determined and at least some advertiser information is selected, based on at least the at least one relevance factor. First electronic user interest information is selected and a transmission including the first electronic user interest information and the at least some electronic advertiser information is generated and transmitted to the first user computing device.
US08990096B2

A method for distributing alternatively generated power to a real estate development includes subdividing the real estate development into a plurality of plots. A portion of the subdivided real estate development is dedicated to alternative energy power generation. An alternative energy power generator is provided that forms a cooperative power farm electrically coupled to a power grid. Power is at least in part generated on the dedicated portion of the subdivided real estate development. Rights to a portion of an output of the cooperative power farm are included with ownership of at least one of the plurality of plots.
US08990095B2

An apparatus for processing an audio signal and method thereof are disclosed. The present invention includes receiving, by an audio processing apparatus, an audio signal including a first data of a first block encoded with rectangular coding scheme and a second data of a second block encoded with non-rectangular coding scheme; receiving a compensation signal corresponding to the second block; estimating a prediction of an aliasing part using the first data; and, obtaining a reconstructed signal for the second block based on the second data, the compensation signal and the prediction of aliasing part.
US08990092B2

A voice recognition device includes a voice recognition dictionary in which a word which is recognized as a result of voice recognition on an inputted voice is registered, a reply voice data storage unit for storing recorded voice data about words registered in the voice recognition dictionary, a dialog control unit for, when a word registered in the voice recognition dictionary is recognized, acquiring recorded voice data corresponding to the word from the reply voice data storage unit, a reproduction noise reduction unit for carrying out a process of reducing noise included in the recorded voice data, an amplitude adjusting unit for adjusting an amplitude of the recorded voice data in which the noise has been reduced to a predetermined amplitude level, and a voice reproduction unit for reproducing a voice from the amplitude-adjusted recorded voice data.
US08990086B2

A recognition confidence measurement method, medium and system which can more accurately determine whether an input speech signal is an in-vocabulary, by extracting an optimum number of candidates that match a phone string extracted from the input speech signal and estimating a lexical distance between the extracted candidates is provided. A recognition confidence measurement method includes: extracting a phoneme string from a feature vector of an input speech signal; extracting candidates by matching the extracted phoneme string and phoneme strings of vocabularies registered in a predetermined dictionary and; estimating a lexical distance between the extracted candidates; and determining whether the input speech signal is an in-vocabulary, based on the lexical distance.
US08990080B2

Techniques to normalize names for name-based speech recognition grammars are described. Some embodiments are particularly directed to techniques to normalize names for name-based speech recognition grammars more efficiently by caching, and on a per-culture basis. A technique may comprise receiving a name for normalization, during name processing for a name-based speech grammar generating process. A normalization cache may be examined to determine if the name is already in the cache in a normalized form. When the name is not already in the cache, the name may be normalized and added to the cache. When the name is in the cache, the normalization result may be retrieved and passed to the next processing step. Other embodiments are described and claimed.
US08990079B1

When a voice-activated device or application is first started, the signal levels corresponding to spoken commands are initially unknown, making it difficult to set detection thresholds. The inventive method provides an initial command-detection threshold based on the noise level alone. The first command is detected using this initial threshold. Then the threshold is revised according to the first command sound, and a second command is detected using the revised threshold. After detecting each command, the detection threshold is further refined according to the current noise and command sounds. Methods are also disclosed for optimizing the thresholds, adjusting parameters according to sound, and detecting voiced and unvoiced sounds separately. These capabilities enable many emerging voice-activated products and applications.
US08990073B2

A device and method for estimating a tonal stability of a sound signal include: calculating a current residual spectrum of the sound signal; detecting peaks in the current residual spectrum; calculating a correlation map between the current residual spectrum and a previous residual spectrum for each detected peak; and calculating a long-term correlation map based on the calculated correlation map, the long-term correlation map being indicative of a tonal stability in the sound signal.
US08990061B2

Performance metrics related to the processing and propagation of messages related to select applications are collected during a simulation of a network. Each message associated with an application is tagged, and each simulated packet that contains some or all of a tagged message is correspondingly tagged to facilitate the creation of transmit records and receive records. A post processor is configured to collate transmit and receive records of each tagged message to identify delays associated with each node that processes the message, and each link that propagates the message from node to node within the network. The processed timing information is provided to the user via an interactive user interface that allows the user to view the timing information from an application layer perspective.
US08990058B2

A method comprises obtaining a model of at least one collaborative network, modeling at least one routing pattern for one or more nodes of a given collaborative network, simulating one or more virtual network topologies of the given collaborative network using the at least one model and the at least one routing pattern, and configuring a given one of the one or more virtual network topologies on the given collaborative network. The given collaborative network comprises a plurality of nodes and one or more edges between pairs of the plurality of nodes. At least one of the obtaining, modeling, simulating and configuring steps are performed by a processor device.
US08990057B1

In an embodiment, an element, that represents an entity in a system, is generated. The generated element may be incorporated in a network that represents the system. The generated element may include geometry information about a geometry of the entity. The geometry information may be used in one or more computations associated with a simulation or an analysis of the system. The element may have a frame port that exposes a frame. The frame may represent at least a position and an orientation in a two dimensional or three dimensional space with respect to another frame in the network. The other frame in the network may be a reference frame that may be defined by a “world” that the system resides in. The generated element may be incorporated into the network by connecting the frame port to the network.
US08990056B2

Traffic pattern models of a complex communication system are compared. A normalized transmission parameter is computed for each traffic pattern model. Model parameters are also computed for each traffic pattern model. The model parameters for each traffic pattern model represent anticipated traffic flow through the complex communication system over a predetermined time period. Data representing an actual traffic flow pattern through the complex communication system over the predetermined time period is compared to the model parameters representing anticipated traffic patterns for each model. The normalized transmission parameters for each of the traffic pattern models are also compared.
US08990055B2

The invention relates to a method and apparatus for simulating a system in a communications network as a linear system in order to obtain a prediction of the load of a resource in the system. Measurements obtained at m different points in time of the event intensity aevent for a number n of key events occurring in a reference system are used to form the simulation model, together with measurements of the total load L in the reference system at the m different points in time. An optimization problem, defined by the simulation model and a set of event intensities of the system-to-be-predicted in a scenario to be simulated, is solved in order to obtain a prediction of the total load of the system in the simulated scenario.
US08990051B2

A geometry simplification apparatus includes a determination unit configured to determine whether another component is in contact with a simplification target place, a simplification unit configured to simplify the geometry of the simplification target place, a determination unit configured to determine whether another component is in contact with the simplification target place of which the geometry is simplified, a comparison unit configured to compare contact relationship between another component and the simplification target place before and after the simplification of the geometry of the simplification target place, and a correction unit configured to correct the geometry of the component in which the geometry of the simplification target place is simplified to a geometry which does not interfere with another component according to comparison results by the contact relationship comparison unit.
US08990045B2

A pedometer has first and second signal generators mounted along the inner margin of a first shoe and separated by a fixed distance. A sensor and transmitter assembly is mounted along the inner margin of a second shoe. The sensor and transmitter assembly includes a sensor, a microcontroller unit and a wireless transmitter. A pair of impulses is received by the microcontroller unit each time the shoes pass in close proximity to each other. The microcontroller unit generates various pedestrian performance data based on the impulses. The pedestrian performance data is wirelessly transmitted to a display unit carried by the pedestrian.
US08990038B2

A method and apparatus for monitoring battery life in a human input device powered by replaceable batteries includes repeatedly measuring battery charge by use of a measuring arrangement forming part of the input device. Battery charge is measured while the input device is in a relatively inactive condition and when it is in an active condition, and a time value is associated with each battery charge measurement. A usage model may be constructed based on the battery charge measurements, and calculation of an expected battery life may be based at least in part on the usage model.
US08990036B1

Fault location using traveling waves in an electric power delivery system according to the embodiments herein uses line parameters that are adjusted using traveling wave reflections from known discontinuities in the electric power delivery system. The arrival times of a traveling wave and a reflection of the traveling wave from a known discontinuity may be used to adjust parameters of the electric power delivery system such as, for example, line length. The adjusted parameter can then be used to more accurately calculate the location of the fault using the traveling waves.
US08990034B2

A health monitoring system for a fuel cell stack using current fuel cell architecture to enable the electronic control unit (ECU) to continue to monitor the health of the fuel cell stack despite a component failure. The system uses an embedded measurement module (EMM) connected to a group of fuel cells in the fuel cell stack to monitor the health of that group of fuel cells. The EMM produces a pulse width modulation signal that is sent to the ECU. A total voltage value for the group of fuel cells is embedded into the calibration signal or end of frame sequence. The ECU uses an algorithm to determine a missing voltage of at least one fuel cell in the event of the component failure of that fuel cell by adding up the cumulative value for each fuel cell reporting their voltage and subtracting that value from the total voltage value found in the end of frame sequence.
US08990013B2

A method and apparatus for displaying a search item in a portable terminal is disclosed. When an item (for example, a particular place, a route to a destination place, particular content, etc.), for which the user requests to search, is searched and displayed, the location information regarding the search item can be displayed, in steps, from a wide range (i.e., upper information) to a narrow range (i.e., lower information), thereby the user can intuitively and easily recognize the location of the search item.
US08990011B2

A user device is equipped with one or more sensors that collect data relating to a movement of a user having the user device. An estimated area within which a starting location of the user device is located is determined based on one or more signals received from adjacent signal sources. A plurality of candidate locations is identified within the estimated area as the potential starting location of the user device. Map information of surrounding area that covers the estimated area is also obtained. One or more candidate locations are filtered out depending on whether they could have experienced the movement based on the map information. When one or more re-starting conditions have met during the movement, a then starting location of the user device needs to be determined.
US08990009B2

Methods, systems, and portable devices which reduce the power used by a portable device to receive/process satellite navigational system signals and/or to compute the portable device's position using satellite navigational system signals are provided. A method includes retrieving information concerning power usage characteristics based on aggregate data corresponding to a current location of the portable device; and selecting a power saving mode based on the retrieved power usage information from the aggregate data, where each of the plurality of power saving modes reduces power usage in at least one of receiving the satellite navigational system signals, processing the satellite navigational system signals, and computing the portable device's position using the satellite navigational system signals.
US08990007B2

An identification unit identifies a departure point of a travel locus of a vehicle. The vehicle departs through the departure point from a departure road stored beforehand in map data. The map data has map link information including multiple links. An exit point set unit sets an exit point on a link included in the map link information. The link corresponds to the departure point of the departure road identified by the identification unit. A learning unit learns a new road based on the exit point set by the exit point set unit and the travel locus of the vehicle.
US08990006B1

A method and system for tracking an activity is described. A location tracking engine tracks a user's location, determines a direction by identifying a plurality of angles ahead of the current location on the path, and conveys navigation information to the user. A filter module receives a location update from a location tracking engine. The filter module performs at least one test on the location update. The filter module adds the location update to a queue of recently received location updates in response to passing the test. The stop detector module determines that the user is stopped and sets the current status to stopped and sets a time of a stop detection change to the later of the last time that of the stop detection change and a timestamp of the oldest location update in the queue if a previous status is moving.
US08990005B2

Georeferenced predictive information is provided by a backend server system to vehicles. Such provided predictive information may be specifically relevant to a provided planned or estimated route of the particular vehicle, and may be used by the vehicle to reconstruct a digital map specific to such planned or estimated route.
US08990004B2

A method of operation of a navigation system includes: preprocessing an intersection from map data into an edge in query data; generating a route having a turn at the intersection; and sending the route for displaying at a device and for maneuvering the turn at the intersection by querying the query data for the edge of the intersection.
US08990002B1

A method, apparatus and system are provided to permit an aerial asset to determine its current location and to, in turn, locate and track a target even as efforts are made by others to jam or otherwise hinder offboard communications that may prevent reliance upon GPS or other positioning systems. A method includes receiving, at a navigation control vehicle, information regarding the relative position of a target with respect to each of the at least two sonobuoys. The method also determines a relative position of the target with respect to the navigation control vehicle at least partially based on the information regarding the relative position of the target with respect to each of the at least two sonobuoys. The method provides information regarding the relative position of the target to an aerial asset to facilitate location of the target by the aerial asset.
US08989996B1

A roadway information system is disclosed with components generating and using vehicle signatures for vehicles passing near sensor pods located on or near lanes. These components in turn are part of and/or communicate with means and/or processors for generating an/or using Vehicle Movement Estimates based upon the vehicle signatures. The VME are used to create traffic feedback that may be presented to programmable field devices that may present at least some of the traffic feedback to drivers of the vehicles, thereby optimizing the fuel usage and travel time of the roadway.
US08989995B2

A row running control system is a system that controls the running state of each vehicle by optimum control (LQ control) so that five vehicles, for example, run in a row. Acceleration instruction values for the succeeding four vehicles among the five vehicles are determined as values minimizing predetermined evaluation functions, and the evaluation functions are calculated based on the errors of the distances between the respective vehicles, relative speeds between the respective vehicles and the acceleration instruction values for the respective vehicles.
US08989993B2

A method for controlling actuation of a control device to be integrated into a starter of a combustion engine. The device includes a solenoid controlling a position of a starter sprocket capable of being inserted into a ring gear kinematically connected to a crankshaft of the engine. The sprocket can be driven by an electric motor of the starter by closing a first switched power line between a battery and the starter. The device includes an auxiliary relay and at least one power resistor mounted in series, thus forming a second switched power line parallel to the first switched line for powering, with a supply current lower than the maximum current, the electric motor of the starter driving the sprocket. The method switches the auxiliary relay to accelerate the sprocket of the starter, determines rotation speed of the ring gear, determines duration of the acceleration phase of the sprocket, inserts the sprocket of the starter into the engine ring, switches the first switched power line, withdraws the sprocket of the starter from the engine ring, and cuts any power supply to the electric motor of the starter.
US08989988B2

Valve stopping control is performed that changes an operating state of an intake valve and an exhaust valve to a closed-valve stopped state when executing a fuel-cut operation. A device is provided that sets an in-cylinder return-time target air-fuel ratio for an initial two return cycles when returning from a fuel-cut operation. The return-time target air-fuel ratio is set so that respective air-fuel ratios of air-fuel mixtures of fuel and air injected into the same cylinder for respective cycles during the initial return cycles each become values that fall within a combustible range, and so that even if a total amount of fuel injected into the same cylinder for the initial return cycles is supplied into the cylinder during an arbitrary single cycle, the air-fuel ratio of the air-fuel mixture of the total amount of fuel and air becomes a value that falls within the combustible range.
US08989977B1

A hill rollback control system and method for controlling a rollback speed of a motor vehicle with wheel brakes. Upon ascertaining that the vehicle is rolling back, the system and method determine, based on a grade angle of the terrain that the vehicle is traveling on and a temperature of a transmission, a target rollback speed for the vehicle. The target rollback speed is lower when the grade of the terrain is above a threshold value. Also, the target rollback speed is lower when the temperature of the transmission is above a threshold value. The actual rollback speed of the vehicle is set and maintained at the target rollback speed by applying the vehicle's wheel brakes.
US08989972B2

The illustrative embodiments provide a method and apparatus for controlling movement of a vehicle. Movement of an operator located at a side of the vehicle is identified with a plurality of sensors located in the vehicle and the vehicle is moved in a path that maintains the operator at the side of the vehicle while the operator is moving.
US08989965B2

An electric power steering apparatus includes a steering torque detector for detecting a steering torque applied to a steering mechanism, a motor for generating an assist force that assists steering of a steering wheel, a power voltage detector for detecting a power voltage of a power supply, a power voltage monitoring section for determining a power voltage detection value detected by the power voltage detector and a motor drive controller for calculating an assist amount based on the steering torque and controlling drive of the motor through a driving section. Assist control is maintained based on a drive possible characteristic corresponding to a reduction level of the power voltage of FETs when the power voltage monitoring section determines that the power voltage detection value is less than or equal to an assist operation possible power voltage.
US08989963B1

A method is provided in which the ride height of a vehicle is automatically increased when an on-board sensor system detects an obstacle within the vehicle's pathway.
US08989962B2

A structure for controlling an integrated active mount of a vehicle improves driving performance of a vehicle, not reducing noise vibration, by providing a control signal with an inverse phase to the phase of the main excitation force of an engine in accordance with driving conditions through an active mount disposed between the engine and a vehicle body in order to reduce noise vibration of the vehicle.
US08989952B2

A device is provided for use with a vehicle. The device includes a mode-determining component, a first detecting component and a second detecting component. The mode-determining component can generate an in-vehicle signal. The first detecting component can detect a first parameter and can generate a first detector signal based on the first detected parameter. The second detecting component can detect a second parameter and can generate a second detector signal based on the second detected parameter. The mode-determining component can further generate a crash mode signal based on the in-vehicle signal, the first detector signal and the second detector signal.
US08989950B2

A diagnostic tool that includes a smart camera. The smart camera can be used to capture an image of the part that needs to be replaced. The image can also include the bar code that may be attached to the part. The image can be used to search a parts information database for additional parts information such as part number, manuals, pictures, etc. A further search of a parts supplier's database can be conducted using a location of the diagnostic tool to determine the nearest parts supplier that has the part available and the best price.
US08989940B1

A powertrain system is configured to transfer torque to an output member. A method for controlling the powertrain system includes prioritizing a plurality of system torque constraint parameters. The system torque constraint parameters are sequentially applied in an order of descending priority. A feasible state for each of the sequentially applied system torque constraint parameters is determined. A solution set including the feasible states for all the sequentially applied system torque constraint parameters is determined, and employed to control operation of the powertrain system in response to an output torque request.
US08989939B2

An ECU executes a program including: a step of calculating a reference value Itag_b; a step of performing a first Pchg calculating process when a SOC at present is not in a predetermined range or speed V of a vehicle is smaller than a threshold value, or when a target value Itag is not less than the reference value Itag_b; and a step of performing a second Pchg calculating process when the SOC at present is in the predetermined range between SOC(1) and SOC(2) and the speed V of the vehicle is not less than the threshold value V(0), and when the target value Itag is smaller than the reference value Itag_b.
US08989932B2

An electric vehicle includes an electric motor, an inverter that supplies electric power to the electric motor, a radiator that cools a coolant, a coolant passage that is configured to circulate the coolant through the electric motor, the inverter and the radiator, a plurality of liquid leakage detection sensors (flow sensors) provided in the coolant passage, a plurality of valves provide in the coolant passage, and a controller. The controller is configured to close valves provided at two locations, between which a portion where leakage of the coolant is detected by the liquid leakage detection sensors is located.
US08989924B2

The drone comprises altitude determination means (134), with an estimator (152) combining the measures of an ultrasound telemetry sensor (154) and of a barometric sensor (156) to deliver an absolute altitude value of the drone in a terrestrial system. The estimator comprises a predictive filter (152) incorporating a representation of a dynamic model of the drone making it possible to predict the altitude based on the motor commands (158) and to periodically readjust this prediction as a function of the signals delivered by the telemetry sensor (154) and the barometric sensor (156). Validation means analyze the reflected echoes and possibly modify the parameters of the estimator and/or allow or invalidate the signals of the telemetry sensor. The echo analysis also makes it possible to deduce the presence and the configuration of an obstacle within the operating range of the telemetry sensor, to apply if need be a suitable corrective action.
US08989922B2

Various exemplary embodiments relate to a drone. The drone may include: a navigation unit configured to determine the location of the drone and navigate the drone to designated locations; a radio frequency identification (RFID) reader configured to read RFID tag information from RFID tags; and a wireless network transceiver configured to periodically transmit the location of the drone and RFID tag information to an inventory management system. Various exemplary embodiments relate to a method performed by a drone. The method may include: receiving navigation path information; navigating the drone along the navigation path based on satellite location signals; determining current position information based on the satellite location signals; reading RFID tag information from a first RFID tag; and transmitting the RFID tag information and the current position information via a wireless client to a central computing system.
US08989918B2

A system for transporting goods arranged on loading devices between two areas, one area being a high-bay warehouse, includes a driverless transport system with at least one transport trolley for transporting the goods including the loading devices. The transport trolley has a lifting device which can be lifted and lowered above the trolley. The transport system furthermore includes a transfer station under which the transport trolley can drive and from which the transport trolley can accept and/or transfer loading devices with load deposited there.
US08989905B2

A system for managing a concrete delivery vehicle having a mixing drum 14 and hydraulic drive 16 for rotating the mixing drum, including a rotational sensor 20 configured to sense a rotational speed of the mixing drum, a hydraulic sensor 22 coupled to the hydraulic drive and configured to sense a hydraulic pressure required to turn the mixing drum, a temperature sensor for sensing temperature of the drum, and a communications port 26 configured to communicate a slump calculation to a status system 28 commonly used in the concrete industry, wherein the sensing of the rotational speed of the mixing drum is used to qualify a calculation of current slump based on the hydraulic pressure required to turn the mixing drum. Temperature readings are further used to qualify or evaluate a load. Also, water purge connections facilitate cold weather operation.
US08989901B2

A transfer system includes a substrate positioning device, robots having a first robot and a second robot; and robot control devices, the robot control devices including a first robot control device to which the first robot and the substrate positioning device are connected and a second robot control device to which the second robot is connected. The first robot control device includes an acquiring unit configured to acquire, from the substrate positioning device, at least an absolute deviation amount between the rotation center of the mounting table and a center position of the substrate positioned, and a transmitting unit configured to transmit correction information relying on the absolute deviation amount acquired by the acquiring unit, to the second robot control device to which the second robot is connected.
US08989900B2

A robot system, including one or more robots which are provided to a first area where an entry by a person is restricted, and configured to perform a first work which includes one or more steps in the first area, a controller configured to control an operation of the one or more robots, and a visitor detector configured to detect a visitor to the first area. The controller includes a first work control portion configured to control the one or more robots so that the one or more robots perform the first work in the first area, and a first suspension control portion configured to control a predetermined at least a first robot of the one or more of the robots when one or more of the robots are performing one of the steps in the first area based on control by the first work control portion and the visitor is detected by the visitor detector, so that the first robot performs a predetermined act of suspension after performing the first work up to any predetermined stage, including an intermediate stage of the one step, a successful completion stage of the one step, and a successful completion stage of another step after the one step.
US08989896B2

A system, method and corresponding apparatus are provided for packaging, storing, tracking, and dispensing pharmaceuticals in unit doses in a highly efficient manner. In particular, a method of packaging pharmaceuticals within a ribbon having a plurality of adjacent segments each containing a unit dose of a pharmaceutical and having associated data indicia for efficient and uniform transport, tracking, storage and dispensing is provided. Pharmaceuticals are loaded into an automated dispenser that is networked with computers for accepting prescriptions and dispensing pharmaceutical accordingly.
US08989891B2

Provided are a control system and a control method by which a part of a continuously written machining program can be easily executed by a machine tool, and operation and the like of the machine tool can be checked. The control apparatus has an input device 102 which inputs a start instruction of a specific section of a machining program, and a partial executing device between the inputted start instruction of the specific section, and an end instruction that corresponds to the start instruction, to an operation executing device (101).
US08989888B2

A method for automatically detecting fault conditions and classifying the fault conditions during substrate processing is provided. The method includes collecting processing data by a set of sensors during the substrate processing. The method also includes sending the processing data to a fault detection/classification component. The method further includes performing data manipulation of the processing data by the fault detection/classification component. The method yet also includes executing a comparison between the processing data and a plurality of fault models stored within a fault library. Each fault model of the plurality of fault models represents a set of data characterizing a specific fault condition. Each fault model includes at least a fault signature, a fault boundary, and a set of principal component analysis (PCA) parameters.
US08989883B2

Systems and methods are provided for using a hidden audio signal. In one exemplary embodiment, the method includes registering, at a central database, one or more of an identifier and a destination resource associated with the identifier, and encoding the one or more of the identifier and the destination resource in a hidden audio signal. The method further includes transmitting the hidden audio signal, including the one or more of the identifier and the destination resource, in connection with an acoustic signal, and receiving the acoustic signal at a user device. In addition, the method includes decoding the encoded one or more of the identifier and the destination resource at the user device; and requesting, from the central database, information associated with the one or more of the identifier and the destination resource. Further, the method includes receiving, at the user device, the requested information.
US08989882B2

A system that incorporates teachings of the present disclosure may include, for example, a set top box having a controller to receive a request for reverberation in an environment having a plurality of media devices, and adjust a time delay for audio signals presented by one of the plurality of media devices operably coupled to the set top box based at least in part on the request. Other embodiments are disclosed.
US08989881B2

Parametric multichannel information is written onto a normal standard audio compact disc, e.g. in the user subchannels, so that the CD enables normal stereo reproduction with a normal reproduction device, or multichannel reproduction with a supplementary device which is easy to connect and which reads out both the stereo information and the parametric multichannel information from the audio CD actually conforming with the standard, and reconstructs more than two audio channels therefrom.
US08989878B2

Two water heaters may be installed in series at a customer location, such that an output of a first (or storage) water heater is coupled to the input of a second (or primary) water heater, the output of which provides hot water to the customer location. During normal operation, only the primary water heater may actually heat water for use at the customer location. However, during periods of excess capacity, the electrical service provider may enable the storage water heater to store the excess electrical power that is generated by operating the power plant at higher output (which may be more efficient). Later, during hours of greater demand, the electrical service provider may disable the storage water heater used to store the excess capacity, whereas the primary water heater may operate normally. However, during the time of greater demand, the storage water heaters may provide pre-heated water to the primary water heater, which in-turn, may need to heat the water less or perhaps not at all.
US08989876B2

A method for improving situational awareness for teleoperation of a remote vehicle by creating a 3D map display of an area around the remote vehicle comprises: receiving an original image from a stereo vision camera and utilizing the original image to perform visual odometry to determine the x, y, z, roll, pitch, and yaw for the original image; applying a fill-in algorithm to the original image to fill in an estimated depth for areas of the original image for which no depth data is available, which creates an enhanced depth image; combining the enhanced depth image with the x, y, z, roll, pitch, and yaw for the original image to create the 3D map display of the area around the remote vehicle; and displaying the 3D map display on an operator control unit used to control the remote vehicle.
US08989868B2

A device for delivering energy as a function of degree coupling may include an external unit configured for location external to a body of a subject and at least one processor associated with the implant unit and configured for electrical communication with a power source. The device may further include a primary antenna associated with the at least one processor. The processor may be configured to determine a degree of coupling between the primary antenna and a secondary antenna associated with the implant unit, and regulate delivery of power to the implant unit based on the degree of coupling between the primary antenna and the secondary antenna.
US08989854B2

Methods, systems and computer program products for retrieving mental images of faces from the human brain. An exemplary embodiment includes a method for retrieving mental images of faces from a human brain, the method including generating an image on a screen, measuring brain activity data from a brain scanner, varying characteristics of the image on the screen, detecting changes in the brain activity data measured from the brain scanner, and generating a final image on the screen, the final image being related to a subjectively described mental image.
US08989850B2

A retractable multi-use cardiac monitor is provided that includes a memory, and a first side that includes a first housing where a first sensing connector is on the outside of the first housing, and where the first sensing connector is configured to collect electrocardiogram (ECG) data and store ECG data onto the memory. The retractable multi-use cardiac monitor also includes a second housing including a wire retractor and a second sensing connector, where the second sensing connector is on the outside of the second housing, and the wire retractor is configured to extend and retract a wire that connects the second and first sides, and where the second sensing connector is configured to collect ECG data and store ECG data onto the memory. The retractable multi-use cardiac monitor further includes a wireless radio configured to transmit a portion of collected ECG data from the memory to a destination.
US08989845B2

A CT imaging system (12) generates structural data of a first FOV which is reconstructed by a CT reconstruction processor (52) into a CT image representation. A nuclear imaging system acquires functional data from a second FOV which is smaller than the first FOV. A first PET reconstruction processor (60) reconstructs the functional data into a PET image representation. A fusion processor (64) combines the PET image representation with a map extracted from the CT image representation to generate an extended FOV image representation. A spill-over correction unit (66) and a backscatter correction unit (68) derive spill-over correction data and backscatter correction data from the extended FOV image representation. A reconstruction processor (70) generates a spill-over and backscatter corrected functional image representation based on the spill-over correction data, the backscatter correction data, and the functional data.
US08989840B2

An implantable stimulation system comprises a stimulator for generating electrical stimulation and a conductive stimulation lead having a proximal end electrically coupled to the stimulator, wherein at least a first component of the impedance looking into the stimulator is substantially matched to the impedance of the stimulation lead. At least one distal stimulation electrode is positioned proximate the distal end of the stimulation lead.
US08989836B2

A headset for detecting brain electrical activity may include a flexible substrate having first and second ends each configured to engage an ear of a subject and dimensioned to fit across the forehead of a subject. The headset may also include a plurality of electrodes disposed on the substrate and configured to contact the subject when the headset is positioned on the subject. First and second electrodes may contact top center and lower center regions of the forehead, respectively, third and fourth electrodes may contact front right and front left regions of the forehead, respectively, fifth and sixth electrodes may contact right side and left side regions of the forehead, respectively, and electrodes included within the securing devices may contact the ear regions. The third and fourth electrodes may be moveable in at least a vertical direction relative to the other electrodes.
US08989823B2

A box-shaped metal structure is formed by press-working or the like, and a resin shell is integrally molded to the periphery of the metal structure by extrusion molding a resin. A flexible circuit board for key switches is disposed on a switch-receiving surface of the metal structure. The resin shell and the box-shaped metal structure are not bonded together, but the resin fills the connecting holes in the metal structure, whereby the shell and the metal structure are kept together after molding. A casing for a portable device having a structure suitable for obtaining reduced thickness and size reduction is thereby obtained.
US08989822B2

A mobile computing device is provided that includes a housing, a display screen, and a keypad. The housing includes a front face having a portion that has a contour. The contour may be is inwardly directed and be defined by at least a first gradient direction. The display screen is provided with the front face, apart from the portion that has the contour. The keypad includes a plurality of keycaps that extend outward from the front face. The keypad may be provided only on an occupied region of the portion of the front face that has the contour. A maximum angle formed by the occupied region of the front face relative to a horizontal reference that is coplanar with the display screen is greater than 20 degrees.
US08989820B2

The present invention relates to the field of wireless communication and specifically the use of a cell-phone to monitor safe driving by suspending transmission or reception of text messages and/or phone calls by the driver of the moving motor vehicle not equipped with the hands-free equipment, or complete suspension of such communication to the operator of a train while the train is in motion, unless such transmissions are related to emergency services and where the determination of the vehicle operator status as well as operation terms-and-conditions may be obtained by including such info in the vehicle QR code or NFC or Bluetooth or other PAN transceivers combined with the interaction of the cell-phone based application.
US08989818B2

In one embodiment, one or more computing devices determine, substantially in real time and locally at a mobile device, one or more current dynamic operating conditions of the mobile device related to energy consumption by the mobile device. The computing devices identify a pre-determined device state that corresponds to the current dynamic operating conditions of the mobile device and determine, based at least in part on the pre-determined device state, an action for the mobile device to take, the action being related to energy consumption by the mobile device.
US08989817B2

Method and apparatus related to implementing and/or utilizing different polarization antennas with different corresponding average transmit power levels are described. Inter-cell interference is mitigated by having different cells with different power relationships between polarizations antennas. For example, a first base station transmits at a high average power level on its vertical polarization antenna and transmits at a low average power level on its horizontal polarization antenna. Concurrently, a second base station, which is adjacent to the first base station, transmits at a low average power level on its vertical polarization antenna and transmits at a high average power level on its horizontal polarization antenna. In some hexagonal deployment schemes a base station has at most two adjacent base stations using the same power level to antenna polarization direction relationship as it is using.
US08989808B2

Enhanced granularity operational parameters adjustment of components and modules in a multi-band, multi-standard communication device. For supporting two-way communications, a communication device includes receiver and transmitter modules. Each module includes various components that are configurable and/or programmable based on a protocol and band pair by which the communication device is operating. The communication device is a multi-protocol and multi-band capable communication device capable to operate in accordance with any one protocol and band at a first time and another protocol and band at a second time. The various components within each of the receiver and transmitter modules can be adjusted using one or more operational parameters. In some instances, a given component can be controlled by more than one operational parameter. Alternatively, certain components are controlled only one operational parameter. The operational parameters that configure the components may be calculated, retrieved from a memory, and/or determined using other means.
US08989806B2

Techniques are disclosed for provisioning mobile devices in a network operator-neutral manner in communication networks. For example, a method comprises a mobile device that is operator neutral attaching to a first operator network, and the operator neutral mobile device establishing a provisioning bearer in the first operator network.
US08989803B2

A wireless device (320) receives at least one beacon (325) of a first type (“Type-A beacon”), and synchronizes itself based on the timing of the Type-A beacon(s). Whenever the wireless device (320) synchronizes itself to the timing of a second wireless device (310) that is unable to receive Type-A beacons, then the wireless device (320) marks itself as a forced synchronization device and transmits Type-A beacons (325) that indicate that the first wireless device (320) is operating as a forced synchronization device. Whenever the wireless device (320) is marked as a forced synchronization device and receives a Type-A beacon (325) from a third alien wireless device (320) that is also marked as a forced synchronization device, but is synchronized to a fourth wireless devices (310) that is unable to receive Type-A beacons, then at least one of the first and third wireless devices (320) switches to a new channel.
US08989794B2

Methods and apparatuses are provided that include deploying a femto node in a wireless network. The femto node can measure received signal quality upon initialization in a wireless network and/or according to a timing. The femto node can determine whether to communicate in the wireless network based on comparing the received signal quality to a threshold signal quality. The timing can be determined based on various factors to ensure fairness among femto nodes initializing in the wireless network. A centralized entity can be used to determine the timing and/or whether a femto node should communicate.
US08989793B2

A reverse power control method includes: a base station presetting reverse outer loop threshold values according to radio configuration (RC) types; in the accessing process of a terminal, the base station selecting the preset reverse outer loop threshold value according to the RC type fed back by the terminal; the base station receiving the Eb/Nt of the reverse channel and comparing the received Eb/Nt with the selected reverse outer loop threshold value, if the Eb/Nt is larger than the reverse outer loop threshold value, the base station instructing the terminal to decrease the transmitting power; if the Eb/Nt is smaller than the reverse outer loop threshold value, the base station instructing the terminal to increase the transmitting power, so as to guarantee that the terminal accesses successfully. An apparatus for implementing reverse close loop power control and an apparatus for implementing reverse outer loop power control are also provided.
US08989792B1

A user device obtains motion data from an inertial sensor included in the user device. The user device receives a command to transmit information at a specified transmit power level. The user device determines, based on the motion data, whether the presence of a human body part is detected. When the presence of a human body part is detected, the user device reduces a current transmit power level below the specified transmit power level.
US08989786B2

A system and method are described herein that allow computing device users to convey emotional expressions graphically to other computing device users during a text messaging session. During the text messaging session, users run a text messaging application on their respective computing devices, each storing in memory a library of graphical expressions. A sender transmits a graphical expression by triggering a sensor which causes an expression command to be sent to the recipient. The expression command identifies for the application running on the recipient's computing device the graphical expression to retrieve from the memory of the recipient's computing device. The graphical expression is then displayed on the recipient's computing device using avatars that represent the sender and the recipient.
US08989784B2

A radio communication device may include: a receiver configured to receive a first signal in a first shared radio communication channel of a first cell and configured to receive a second signal in a second shared radio communication channel of a second cell, wherein the first signal includes an information and the second signal includes the same information; and a determination circuit configured to determine the information based on the received first signal and the received second signal.
US08989783B2

The disclosure is directed to a method, computer program product, mobile device allowing for configuring a service accessible via the mobile device. The mobile device is configured to allow a determination of its location data using one or more of a plurality of location techniques. The configuring of the service comprises obtaining quality information including a designation of the location technique used for determining said location data and at least partly a quality of said location data; and integrating said quality information at least partly with said service to allow a modification of said service based on said quality information. Various examples of services enabled or enhanced by this capability are described including camera service, navigation services, data sharing services. Various configurations of computer program products, mobile devices and systems for enabling the services above are also described.
US08989780B1

A computer-implemented method and computing system for identifying, using one or more computing devices, an appointment scheduled for at least one user. Some embodiments may include determining, using the one or more computing devices, a present location for the at least one user and generating, using the one or more computing devices, a reminder for the appointment based upon, at least in part, the present location.
US08989776B2

Exemplary methods and apparatuses are provided that address how to turn visitor location register location data from telecommunications networks into information that can be aggregated across network switches, accessed by a direct query mechanism or via application programming interfaces, and reported upon from a single point of entry without affecting the performance or capacity of the network switches. Specifically, a Location Aggregation Server is provided that is configured to aggregate mobile terminal location data across multiple visitor location registers and to populate a database with the location information, e.g., an identifier of the mobile terminal and an identifier of a new location of the mobile terminal. Service providers and third parties may be able to search the database, display mobile terminal location data on a map, or aggregate the mobile terminal location data into meaningful statistics.
US08989773B2

Methods, systems, apparatus, and computer program products that include, on a first device executing a first instance of a location application, receiving an indication to begin sharing data describing a path traveled by the first device, receiving location data describing the path traveled by the first device, the location data received from a location system of the first device, and the location data including a plurality of locations of the first device, and transmitting the location data in a form usable to enable a user interface of a second instance of a location application executing on a second device to indicate the path traveled by the first device.
US08989766B2

A method of detecting a transmitting device within an obstruction rich environment is disclosed. The method may involve detecting the transmitting device with a wireless transmission detection facility; communicating signal information relating to the detected transmitting device from the wireless transmission detection facility to a central unit; determining the location of the transmitting device; displaying information of the detection and location of the transmitting device through a user interface; and providing an action facility for causing actions related to the detected transmitting device.
US08989759B2

A system and method for automatic proximity based call termination determines when a mobile telephony device enters a predetermined area. When that occurs, call termination instructions are automatically issued to re-direct incoming telephone calls directed to the mobile telephony device to an alternate telephone number. In some instances, incoming telephone calls directed to the mobile telephony device may be simultaneously sent to both the mobile telephony device, and to an alternate telephone number. When the mobile telephony device leaves the predetermined area, the call termination instructions are automatically canceled, and calls directed to the mobile telephony device are only sent to the mobile telephony device.
US08989756B2

A method and apparatus for transmitting and receiving Downlink Control Information (DCI) in a wireless communication system. A method for transmitting DCI by a base station includes generating the DCI including at least one of a data format indicator for at least one Transport Block (TB), and a DeModulation Reference Signal (DMRS) resource allocation indicator corresponding to the at least one TB; and sending the DCI to a terminal. The DMRS resource allocation indicator includes a rank pattern for the at least one TB, an allocated scrambling code type, and DMRS port information.
US08989750B2

There is provided a control circuit (1) including: a cell area (2A) comprising a plurality of cells (2) arranged therein, each of the cells including: a first conductor (3) having at least one capacitance component (C1, C2); a second conductor (4) connected to the first conductor and having an inductance component; and a feed line (5) provided to be in non-contact with the first conductor and the second conductor, wherein a size of each of the cells is smaller than a wavelength of a signal to be influenced by the cells; and at least one feed controller (6) configured to control at least one of permittivity and permeability of the cell area by changing the amount of a power supply provided to the feed line of each of the cells.
US08989744B2

A method for assigning a tracking area (TA) is disclosed. A mobility state of a wireless transmit/receive unit (WTRU) is determined and the TA is assigned based on the determined mobility state. Also disclosed is a method for accessing a closed subscriber group (CSG) TA.A CSG TA identifier is received at a WTRU and is stored. A CSG TA broadcast is received and the broadcast CSG TA is accessed if an identifier of the broadcast CSG TA matches the stored CSG TA identifier. Also disclosed is a method for changing a mobility state of a WTRU. A current mobility state of the WTRU is determined and a predetermined metric of the WTRU is examined. The predetermined metric is evaluated to determine if the metric has crossed a threshold and the mobility state is changed based on the evaluated metric.
US08989742B2

Certain aspects of the disclosure relate generally to search of radio access technologies (RAT). For example, certain aspects of the present disclosure relate to a technique for facilitating higher priority radio access technology (RAT) search and cell reselection in areas having a plurality of overlapping RATs, such as GSM and LTE. According to certain aspects, a user equipment (UE) may generate a local set of cell reselection parameters based on one or more default cell reselection parameters and/or stored system information received during previous connects with found cells. According to certain aspects, the UE may perform cell reselection based on the local set of cell reselection parameters.
US08989741B2

Apparatus and methods of handing over a wireless transmit/receive unit (WTRU) that belongs to a group of WTRUs from an originating base station to a target base station are described. A method includes the WTRU obtaining information regarding a group to which the WTRU has been assigned and the WTRU receiving at least one of handover reconfiguration information that is common to the group and handover reconfiguration information that is specific to the WTRU. On a condition that the WTRU receives the handover reconfiguration information that is specific to the WTRU, the WTRU initiates a synchronization procedure with the target base station based at least on the received handover reconfiguration information.
US08989736B2

The present disclosure presents a method and apparatus for determining reselection parameters for detected cells. For example, the method may include receiving system information block (SIB) data associated with one or more cells in a neighbor cell list (NCL). In such example, the SIB data may include a ranking offset parameter associated with each of the NCL cells. Furthermore, such an example method may include detecting a cell that is not in the NCL, determining a reselection ranking value associated with each of the NCL cells, the detected cell and the serving cell. In addition, in some examples, such method may include ranking the one or more NCL cells, the detected cell and the serving cell in a ranking list based on the reselection ranking values. As such, reselection parameters for detected cells may be determined.
US08989726B2

An aspect provides a method, including: detecting an incoming voice call at an information handling device; detecting one or more external notification extension conditions at the information handling device, tracking user-device interactions to build a pattern of user behavior with respect to external conditions; updating the one or more external notification extension conditions based on the pattern of user behavior; and in response to detecting one or more updated external notification extension conditions at the information handling device, extending a notification of the incoming voice call at the information handling device. Other aspects are described and claimed.
US08989715B2

A method of rendering content on a wireless device. The wireless device sends a message to a server requesting an application and identifies itself with its rendering capabilities. The wireless receives an identification of a custom configuration of a plurality of rendering blocks of the wireless device associated with the application. The custom configuration configures the plurality of rendering blocks of the device. The wireless device receives compiled content from the application executing on the server that includes render commands expressed in a syntax that is device generic but has parameters specific to the rendering capabilities of the wireless device. A reader of the wireless device processes the compiled content and issues commands to individual rendering blocks of a graphical user interface based on the rendering commands of the compiled content and based on the custom configuration.
US08989710B2

Variable subscriber identifiers (V-SubIds) for protecting subscriber privacy are generated and managed. In one aspect, an Anonymous Customer Reference Services (ACRS) component generates a V-SubId, which is a short-lived subscriber identifier that is inserted in a request received from a user equipment during request enrichment. Moreover, a different V-SubId can be inserted in subsequent request from the user equipment and thus, cross-site behavior tracking can be mitigated. In one aspect, the V-SubId can be exchanged for a subscriber identifier (SubId) associated with the user equipment, upon query by trusted systems/applications. Further, the V-SubId can be exchanged for a site-specific Anonymous Customer Reference (ACR) upon query by untrusted systems/applications, if user authorization is received. Moreover, the life cycle of the ACR is managed by the ACRS component, based on subscriber input.
US08989698B2

A supplemental rescue resources system can receive an emergency alert message from a mobile device and use data from the message and other sources to determine and select appropriate supplemental rescue resources, which may include may include any person that has volunteered or is otherwise a participant in the system that is not an on-duty emergency responder. The supplemental rescue resources system may select a supplemental rescue resources based on the location of such resources relative to the location of an incident, and/or the qualifications and/or preferences of such resources. The supplemental rescue resources system may direct resources to the incident and notify emergency services providers of the supplemental resources. The supplemental rescue resources system may request and/or receive additional information from supplemental resources, emergency services providers, and/or those reporting incidents and use this information to adjust the notified supplemental resources, update emergency services providers, and/or update affected parties.
US08989696B1

A method of sharing information related to an emergency event using a situational network includes establishing a situational network having multiple access levels in response to an indication of the occurrence of an emergency event. Access to information related to the emergency event is provided based on an access level of a participant in the situational network, where the access level is automatically obtained based on the role of the participant relative to the emergency event. Communication between participants of the situational network is facilitated based on the access level of the participants.
US08989695B2

A wireless communication device is disclosed that is capable of transmitting emergency data to a base station even when the wireless communication device is out of range, or has insufficient battery life, to communicate with the base station using normal transmission means. When the wireless communication device is out of range or has low battery, the wireless communication device can transmit the emergency data to the base station by repeatedly transmitting the emergency data at a coding rate below a standard/minimum coding rate of the modulation scheme designated for use by the base station. The second wireless communication device can detect and decode the emergency data by storing the multiple transmitted iterations of the received signal and performing combining processing on those stored iterations.
US08989691B2

Power supply rejection in a single-ended receiver, through impedance balancing, is described. The single-ended receiver includes a first low noise amplifier and a second low noise amplifier. The single-ended receiver also includes a multi-port coupled transformer that outputs a differential signal. The multi-port coupled transformer includes a first primary coil that is coupled to an output of the first low noise amplifier and a second primary coil. The single-ended receiver also includes balancing impedances at the output of each of the low noise amplifiers. These impedances can be configured such that the on impedance of the first low noise amplifier equals the combined impedance of the off impedance of the second low noise amplifier and the balancing impedance. This balancing of impedances on the first and second primary coils results in power supply rejection of noise and spurious signals.
US08989688B2

A circuit for a low-noise interface between an amplifier and an analog-to-digital converter (ADC) may comprise a capacitor element having a capacitance of C coupled between a first and second output node of the amplifier. A first resistor R1 may be coupled in parallel with the capacitor. A second resistor R2 may be coupled between the first output node of the amplifier and a first input node of the ADC. A third resistor R3 may be coupled between the second output node of the amplifier and a second input node of the ADC. Initial values of the resistances R1, R2, and R3 may be selected to provide a desired value RL for a load resistance of the amplifier. A value of the capacitance C may be selected so that, in combination with the desired value RL, a desired bandwidth for the amplifier is achieved.
US08989685B2

Circuitry, which includes multi-mode multi-band radio frequency (RF) power amplification circuitry, power amplifier (PA) control circuitry, and a PA-digital communications interface (DCI) is disclosed according to one embodiment of the circuitry. The PA control circuitry is coupled between the amplification circuitry and the PA-DCI, which is coupled to a digital communications bus, and configures the amplification circuitry. The amplification circuitry includes at least a first RF input and multiple RF outputs, such that at least some of the RF outputs are associated with multiple communications modes and at least some of the RF outputs are associated with multiple frequency bands. Configuration of the amplification circuitry associates one RF input with one RF output, and is correlated with configuration information defined by at least a first defined parameter set. The PA control circuitry stores at least a first look-up table (LUT), which provides the configuration information.
US08989684B1

A voltage regulator for a plurality of radio frequency subcircuits of a radio frequency circuit. A first transistor configured to receive, based on a comparison between a reference voltage signal and a feedback signal, a bias signal corresponding to a desired regulated voltage for the plurality of radio frequency subcircuits, output the bias signal, and generate the feedback signal according to the bias signal as output from the first transistor. A second transistor configured to receive the bias signal as output from the first transistor and provide, based on the bias signal, the desired regulated voltage to a respective first one of the plurality of radio frequency subcircuits. A third transistor is configured to receive the bias signal as output from the first transistor and provide, based on the bias signal, the desired regulated voltage to a respective second one of the plurality of radio frequency subcircuits.
US08989668B2

This document describes, inter alia, techniques for use at a wireless device for establishing communications with other devices, and for displaying related information in a graphical user interface. The wireless device may discover, pair with, and/or connect to other wireless devices, and may display a list of information regarding the other wireless devices in a graphical user interface. The wireless device may order the list based on factors such as: the connectivity status of the other devices (e.g., whether the other devices are connected, paired, or discovered); the types of the other wireless devices (e.g., whether the devices are human interface devices (HIDs), audio devices, phones, imaging devices, computers, or other types of devices); whether device names for the other wireless devices are known/unknown; and/or other factors. The features described herein may be implemented using Bluetooth wireless technology, and/or any other wireless technology.
US08989664B2

When a first module and a second module of a plurality of modules 110 to 150 perform authentication processing through short range communication, the first module detects remaining capacity of its own battery 101. When the remaining capacity surpasses a predetermined level, electric power for use in performing authentication operation is supplied to the second module. The plurality of modules, perform authentication processing through short range communication as mentioned above. In addition, individual function units of the respective modules are activated, whereby one function is implemented as a whole. Such a portable device can be made operable on electrical power of a battery for a long hour without impairing convenience of the device.
US08989662B2

A method of automatically connecting to a peripheral Bluetooth device and service in a mobile communication terminal having a Bluetooth module is provided. Upon input of a key, it is determined whether the key includes a Bluetooth mode key. If the key includes the Bluetooth mode key, the terminal transitions to a Bluetooth mode. A Bluetooth device or service corresponding to the key as a short key is detected and connected.
US08989660B2

Hardware interrupt functionality associated with a disable pin may be used to place a near-field communication (NFC) device into various operational modes. For example, various intermediate voltage windows may be defined within an I/O voltage domain and a resistive divider running off an I/O rail may generate multiple reference voltages within the I/O voltage domain. In one embodiment, different comparators may compare voltage on the disable pin to the reference voltages generated with the resistive divider to determine whether the voltage on the disable pin falls within one of the intermediate voltage windows. As such, if a particular comparator determines that the voltage on the disable pin falls within one of the intermediate voltage windows, a control signal may be generated to transition the NFC device into a corresponding operational mode.
US08989657B2

An access control system includes a transmitter initiator that has a magnetic flux antenna constructed and arranged to direct magnetic energy in an angular direction, a plurality of RF tone detectors, a microcontroller, and a plurality of RF burst generators. The system includes at least one receiver responder that has a magnetic flux antenna, a plurality of RF tone detectors, a microcontroller, and a RF burst generator. The transmitter initiator's magnetic flux antenna and the receiver responder's magnetic flux antenna define an open-air gap therebetween. The transmitter initiator's magnetic flux antenna has a paramagnetic housing, electromagnetic windings within the paramagnetic housing, and at least one ferromagnetic element disposed within the open air gap. The paramagnetic housing and the ferromagnetic element are constructed and arranged to direct a magnetic field across the open air gap. The system is configured for wireless communication via near-field magnetic induction.
US08989656B2

An anchor data communication system (1) for communication of measurement data, provided by instrumentation (2) mounted on a marine anchor (3) buried below a surface (5) of a mooring bed (4), including a first transponder (10) mounted on a line member (7, 3D) attached to said anchor (3) and connected by conductor means (11) to said instrumentation (2), and a second transponder (12, 12A) mounted on said line member (7, 3D) or suspended from a floating structure (8, 21A) and connected to a transceiver (9, 9A) on said floating structure (8, 21A), wherein an axis (10A, 12B) of an emission beam (10B, 12C) of at least one of said transponders (10, 12, 12A) is constrained in heading by said line member (7, 3D) to maximize the strength of signals from said first transponder (10) arriving at said second transponder (12, 12A).
US08989655B2

A method in which user equipment transmits a signal in a distributed antenna system in which a plurality of antennas is distributed in a cell, comprises the following steps: receiving uplink antenna information from a base station; controlling uplink power on the basis of the uplink antenna information; and transmitting an uplink signal on the basis of the uplink power control, wherein the uplink antenna information indicates a receiving antenna of the base station that receives the uplink signal.
US08989654B2

A method and system for providing an originating dispatch user with delivery options when a destination dispatch user is not available are provided. These options can include delivering buffered voice to a voice mail system, and converting the buffered voice to text and sending the text as an electronic mail, a short message service (SMS) message, or an instant message. The speech can be buffered in either the network or in the originating communication device. The speech can be buffered either before or after receiving a call setup acknowledgment from the dispatch network.
US08989651B2

An image formation device is provided with a discharge tray configured to receive the sheet discharged from a discharge exit, a guide portion configuring at least a part of a first feed path and a second feed path extending from a fixing unit to the discharge exit, a reversibly rotatable roller configured to reverse a feeding direction of the sheet fed from the fixing unit to the discharge exit so that the sheet is reversely fed toward an entrance of the of the developing unit. In this configuration, the first path and the second path are converged to form a converged feed path on the discharge exit side, the reversibly rotatable roller is provided in the converged feed path, and a converged feed path guide portion, which is a part of the guide portion, is displaceable to a position to expose the converged feed path to outside.
US08989644B2

An image forming apparatus includes an image forming device forming an image on a recording medium; and a light source that, after the image has been formed by the image forming device, irradiates the recording medium with light to fix the image on the recording medium, while the recording medium moves relatively in a predetermined movement direction. The light source includes a current supply section, a light emitting section, and a current output section. Current for light emission is supplied to the current supply section. The light emitting section includes light emitting elements that are disposed two-dimensionally. At least the light emitting elements provided side by side in the movement direction are electrically connected in parallel. The current output section outputs the current that has passed through the light emitting section. The current supply section and the light emitting section are provided side by side in the movement direction.
US08989635B2

An intermediate hopper has a toner reception tub; a partition for dividing an internal space of the toner reception tub; a first and a second toner conveyance path separated by the partition; a first toner conveyance screw being provided in the first toner conveyance path; a second toner conveyance screw being provided in the second toner conveyance path; a toner receiving port for receiving the toner; a toner communicating path for guiding the toner in the first toner conveyance path to the second toner conveyance path; and a toner discharge port for discharging the toner out of the toner reception tub, wherein the partition comprises a plurality of intermediate slits for guiding the toner contained in the first toner conveyance path to the second toner conveyance path.
US08989627B2

An image forming apparatus is provided. The image forming apparatus includes a chassis having an opening, a cover, photosensitive members, an intermediate transfer belt, a primary-transfer member, a secondary-transfer roller, a cleaner device, a waste toner container, which is movable along a predetermined direction to be removably installed in the chassis through the opening and stores residual toner, a connector, and a feed roller, which is arranged within the feeding path to feed the recording sheet in the feeding path. The feed roller is arranged in a position to at least partially fall within a vertical range of the waste toner container and to be aligned with the waste toner container along an axial direction of the second feed roller.
US08989625B2

In an image forming apparatus, a drum supporting member integrally supports a plurality of photosensitive drums. A moving member detachably supports the drum support member. The moving member moves between a mounted position, in which the moving member is mounted in a main body of the image forming apparatus, and a pulled-out position, in which the moving member is pulled out of the main body of the image forming apparatus. A belt is disposed above the moving member and is capable of contacting with the plurality of photosensitive drums when the moving member is disposed in the mounted position. The drum supporting member is detached upward from the moving member when the moving member is in the pulled-out position. The drum supporting member rotatably supports each of the photosensitive drums.
US08989620B2

An image forming apparatus is provided. The image forming apparatus includes a chassis having a first opening on a first side, photosensitive members, an intermediate transfer belt arranged to have a surface thereof facing the photosensitive members, primary-transfer members, a secondary-transfer roller, a first feed roller, a cleaner device, a waste toner container, which is removably installed in the chassis through the first opening and settled in a position opposite from the photosensitive members across the intermediate transfer belt, a connector, a first feeding path extending in a range between the first feed roller and the secondary-transfer roller, and a second feeding path being formed in clearance between the intermediate transfer belt and the waste toner container to convey a recording sheet being inserted through a sheet inlet and merging into the first feeding path in the vicinity of the first feed roller.
US08989618B2

A cleaning member for an image forming apparatus includes a core member, a foamed elastic layer in which two or more strip-shaped foamed elastic members connected together at one or both of longitudinal end portions are spirally wound around the outer peripheral surface of the core member from one end of the core member to the other end thereof, and an adhesive layer for bonding the core member and the foamed elastic layer together.
US08989617B2

In one example, a climate control system for a printer includes: an air flow path from an intake for receiving warmer, dirtier aft from a printing area of the printer to an exhaust for returning cooler, cleaner air to the printing area of the printer; a first heat exchanger in the flow path for exchanging heat between warmer air coming from the intake and cooler air going to the exhaust; and a second heat exchanger in the flow path for receiving warmer, dirtier air from the first heat exchanger and passing cooler, cleaner air to the first heat exchanger. The second heat exchanger is configured to cool the air to a predetermined dew point temperature corresponding to a desired level of a contaminant in the air.
US08989614B2

An image forming apparatus is provided that can prevent a winding jam of a sheet, which can be caused owing to curling of the sheet at the front end in the sheet conveying direction.
US08989609B2

A heating device including: a heat generating unit configured to receive an AC voltage from a power supply; a zero-crossing signal generating unit configured to generate a zero-crossing signal which is a square pulse signal synchronizing with a zero-crossing timing of the AC voltage, the zero-crossing signal being a first level at the zero-crossing timing and being a second level at other timings; and a control device configured to perform a detecting process in which an abnormality in a frequency or an output wave of the power supply or is detected, and an error processing, in a case where the abnormality in the frequency of the power supply or the abnormality in the output waveform of the power supply is detected and the level of a zero-crossing signal at a detection timing of detecting the abnormality is the second level.
US08989597B2

A collimator for a laser assembly includes a first electrostatically controllable liquid lense having a first optical axis and a second electrostatically controllable liquid lense having a second optical axis aligned with the first optical axis. A laser is provided and has such a collimator. Finally, a transmitter uses the laser for optical data transmission.
US08989592B2

An optical fiber transmission system adapted to provide a remote passive identification of components deployed in said transmission system, wherein each component comprises an associated passive optical identification unit adapted to provide identification of a component type of the respective component on the basis of a received optical identification signature carried in an optical identification signal to said component.
US08989585B2

A free space optical communications link node 10 comprising transmitter apparatus 12 comprising a first optical transmitter 14, arranged to transmit high priority traffic on a first upstream optical signal having a first wavelength and at a first optical signal power, and a second optical transmitter 16 arranged to transmit low priority traffic on a second upstream optical signal having a second wavelength, different to the first wavelength, and at a second optical signal power. The node 10 further comprises receiver apparatus 18 comprising a first optical amplifier 20 arranged to receive and amplify a first downstream optical signal having a third wavelength and carrying high priority traffic and a second downstream optical signal having a fourth wavelength, different to the third wavelength, and carrying low priority traffic. The node 10 further comprises traffic handling control apparatus 22 comprises a power monitor 24 arranged to monitor an optical signal power of the first downstream optical signal and a controller 26 arranged to generate and transmit a control signal 28 if said optical signal power is below a first threshold value. The control signal is arranged to cause the second optical signal power to have a value which is unsuitable for transmission.
US08989581B2

An optical network for reassigning a carrier wavelength of an optical signal may include first and second optical nodes. The first optical node may be configured to transmit an optical signal along an optical path. The first optical node may also be configured to tune a carrier wavelength of the optical signal from a first wavelength to a second wavelength, according to a continuous function, to reassign the carrier wavelength of the optical signal. The second optical node may be configured to receive the optical signal and may include a feedback loop configured to adjust a wavelength of a reference optical signal to approximate the carrier wavelength of the optical signal.
US08989579B2

Optical downlink system (10) and method of optical data transmission between a remote terminal (20) having a number of n optical communication terminals (OT1-OTn), and a ground terminal (30) comprising a cluster of n optical ground stations (OGS1-OGSn) connected by n optical downlink channels (DL1-DLn) respectively n optical uplink channels (UC1-UCn) characterised by a spatial separation of the optical downlink channels (DL1-DLn) and a temporal separation of the optical uplink channels (UC1-UCn).
US08989560B2

Methods, apparatus, systems and machine readable medium for variable video production, distribution and presentation are disclosed. An example composer to author a variable video includes a labeler to tag each of a plurality of scenes with at least one vector based on the content of the respective scenes. In addition, the example composer includes a receiver to define relevance data to be obtained from intended viewers of respective versions of the variable video. A mapper is also included to chart a sequence of two or more of the scenes, at least one of the scenes being a variable scene. The variable scene includes content selected based on the vector and the respective relevance data to form respective versions of the variable video. The example composer further includes a publisher to publish the variable video as a single file for creating the respective versions of the variable video.
US08989558B2

In a recording medium on which is recorded a multiplexed stream including a plurality of first packets (V_main) constituting a first I-picture in a first video stream and a plurality of second packets (V_sub) constituting a second I-picture in a second video stream, information for identifying the first I-picture and information for identifying the second I-picture are recorded on the medium. A recording medium can thereby be obtained that enables the rapid detection, from a small amount of information, of a particular picture included in a stream such as a TS in which multiple content streams are multiplexed.
US08989548B2

The invention relates to a connecting box (1) for glass fiber cables, comprising a housing which is formed from at least two parts and has a lower part and a cover (2), with at least one holder (20) for a coupling (30) for holding glass fiber plugs being arranged within the housing, wherein the holder (20) is in the form of a double frame which comprises two first vertical struts (21) and two second vertical struts (22), with the second struts (22) being arranged closely to a front face (5, 40) of the cover (2) and of the lower part (3), and with the coupling (30) optionally being latchable to the first or the second struts (21, 22).
US08989538B2

A sensor element for detecting mechanical state variables contains at least one optical waveguide having at least one fiber Bragg grating, and at least one planar optical filter element to which light exiting the optical waveguide can be fed to at least one measuring device for determining an intensity ratio of a Stokes and an anti-Stokes lines and/or a propagation time of an optical signal. A method for detecting mechanical state variables uses such a sensor element running along a measuring section, wherein light having at least one predefinable mean wavelength and a predefinable spectral width is coupled into the optical waveguide and light reflected and/or scattered in the optical waveguide is fed to at least two measuring devices, measuring the intensity of the light exiting the optical waveguide in selected spectral ranges, and measuring an intensity ratio of a Stokes and an Anti-stokes line and/or a propagation time of an optical signal.
US08989537B2

An optical grating comprising a grating layer and two surface layers, the layers being arranged with the grating layer between the surface layers. The grating layer comprises a set of multiple, discrete, elongated first grating regions that comprise a first dielectric material and are arranged with intervening elongated second grating regions. The bulk refractive index of the dielectric material of the first grating regions is larger than the bulk refractive index of the second grating regions. The first surface layer comprises a first impedance matching layer, and the second surface layer comprises either (i) a second impedance matching layer or (ii) a reflective layer. Each said impedance matching layer is arranged to reduce reflection of an optical signal transmitted through the corresponding surface of the grating layer, relative to reflection of the optical signal in the absence of said impedance matching layer.
US08989528B2

Systems and methods comprise or involve optical fibers having Bragg gratings. The optical fibers can be assembled in a parallel manner into a fiber sensor configuration. Bragg gratings can be written onto different cores of optical fibers. Bragg gratings may be written at a same or nearly same axial position for all optical fibers in the configuration and may be written at the same time and may have a substantially equal index of refraction variation and unequal lengths. Spaced Bragg gratings may also have characteristic sidelobe spectrums for tagging the respective gratings. Gratings can also be written at different wavelengths and over another grating at the same location.
US08989516B2

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.
US08989512B2

A symmetric filter arithmetic apparatus includes a first data shuffling unit which reads a first data string that is a plurality of consecutive pieces of data from a register file and extract, from the first data string, a left-side data string that is a plurality of consecutive pieces of data to be multiplied by a left-side filter coefficient that is a filter coefficient on a left side of a center of the coefficients, and a second data shuffling unit which reads a second data string that is a plurality of consecutive pieces of data from the register file and extract, from the second data string, a right-side data string that is a plurality of consecutive pieces of data to be multiplied by a right-side filter coefficient that is a filter coefficient on a right side of the center and is the same value as the left-side filter coefficient.
US08989503B2

A method for identifying a set of key video frames from a video sequence comprising extracting feature vectors for each video frame and applying a group sparsity algorithm to represent the feature vector for a particular video frame as a group sparse combination of the feature vectors for the other video frames. Weighting coefficients associated with the group sparse combination are analyzed to determine video frame clusters of temporally-contiguous, similar video frames. The video sequence is segmented into scenes by identifying scene boundaries based on the determined video frame clusters.
US08989501B2

The invention relates to a method of selecting an algorithm for use in processing hyperspectral data from a set of algorithms, each having qualities for processing certain characteristics of hyperspectral data.
US08989499B2

Detecting the start of a credit roll within video program may allow for the automatic extension of video recordings among other functions. The start of the credit roll may be detected by determining the number of text blocks within a sequence of frames and identifying a point in the sequence of frames where a difference between the number of text blocks in frames occurring before the point and the number of text blocks in frames occurring after the point is greatest and exceeds a specified threshold. Text blocks may be identified within each frame by partitioning the frame into one or more segments and recording the segments having a pixel of a sufficiently high contrast. Contiguous segments may be merged or combined into single blocks, which may then be filtered to remove noise and false positives. Additional content may be inserted into the credit roll frames.
US08989488B2

The present invention discloses a method for establishing an evaluation standard parameter and method for evaluating the quality of a display image, wherein, the method comprises: taking pictures to a group of test images having different color shift severity degrees to obtain a sample picture group; selecting a standard picture by human eye; applying the Fourier transform for the brightness of the pictures of the sample picture group; applying convolution to the frequency distribution function and a contrast sensitivity function of human eye in the frequency domain; normalizing to the convolution function to obtain an evaluation parameter; selecting the evaluation parameter of the standard picture from the evaluation parameters of all the pictures of the sample picture group as an evaluation standard parameter. The present invention can obtain more objective and systemic evaluation standard parameter.
US08989487B2

Provided are an image composition apparatus for composing color images with black-and-white images including infrared components, and an image composition method thereof. The image composition method includes generating a first image signal with color information and a second image signal including infrared components without color information, dividing the first image signal into a brightness signal and a color signal, composing the brightness signal of the first image signal with a brightness signal of the second image signal to generate a composed brightness signal, and composing the composed brightness signal with the color signal of the first image signal to generate a color image.
US08989473B2

An X-ray diagnosis apparatus displays X-ray moving images by irradiating a subject with X-rays and detecting X-rays that have penetrated the subject, and includes a selection mechanism and a display. The selection mechanism selects images of high importance from among the X-ray moving images based on working-state information related to the working state of the operator performing surgery on the subject. The display list displays the selected images as thumbnails.
US08989472B2

Four-dimensional (4D) computed tomography (CT) is simulated by first generating a surface mesh from a single thoracic CT scan. Tetrahedralization is applied to the surface mesh to obtain a first volume mesh. Finite element analysis, using boundary constraints and load definitions, is applied to the first volume mesh to obtain a lung deformation according to an Ogden model. Constrained tetrahedralization, using control points, is applied to the lung deformation to obtain a second volume mesh, which is then deformed using mass-spring-damper simulation to produces the 4DCT.
US08989471B2

A method and system for extracting rib centerlines in a 3D volume, such as a 3D computed tomography (CT) volume, is disclosed. Rib centerline voxels are detected in the 3D volume using a learning based detector. Rib centerlines or the whole rib cage are then extracted by matching a template of rib centerlines for the whole rib cage to the 3D volume based on the detected rib centerline voxels. Each of the extracted rib centerlines are then individually refined using an active contour model.
US08989469B2

A method of acquiring scatter data and image projection data in computed tomography is provided that includes attenuating a radiation source using a pattern of blockers arranged to provide blocked and unblocked regions of the radiation source, and acquiring image data and scatter data of a target using an imaging device. A scatter map in the projection image can be estimated by interpolation and/or extrapolation of the projection image using an appropriately programmed computer, subtracting the estimated scatter map from the projection image to obtain scatter-corrected projections, reconstructing a CBCT volume using a total variation regularization algorithm, and applying an iterative regularization process to suppress the noise level on the reconstructed CBCT volume. Reconstructing a CBCT volume can include using a total variation regularization algorithm and applying an iterative regularization process to suppress the noise level on the reconstructed CBCT volume, where scatter-induced artifacts are corrected in the projection image.
US08989446B2

Systems and methods are provided for recognizing characters within a distorted image. According to a one aspect, a method for recognizing one or more characters within a distorted image includes rendering one or more imitation images, the imitation images including simulations of the distorted image, applying one or more distortion models to the imitation images, thereby generating distorted imitation images, comparing the distorted imitation images with the distorted image in order to compute similarities between the distorted imitation images and the distorted image, and identifying the characters based on the best similarity. According to other aspects, the systems and methods can be configured to provide recognition of other distorted data types and elements.
US08989434B1

The present invention pertains to geographical image applications. A user may transition between nadir and street level imagery using unstitched oblique imagery. Oblique images offer a rich set of views of a target location and provide a smooth transition to or from other images such as nadir photographs taken by satellites or street level photographs taken by ground level users. Using unstitched oblique images avoids artifacts that may be introduced when stitching together one or more images. This allows an application to display images to a user and create the illusion of three dimensional motion.
US08989411B2

A vacuum sealed directional microphone and methods for fabricating said vacuum sealed directional microphone. A vacuum sealed directional microphone includes a rocking structure coupled to two vacuum sealed diaphragms which are responsible for collecting incoming sound and deforming under sound pressure. The rocking structure's resistance to bending aids in reducing the deflection of each diaphragm under large atmospheric pressure. Furthermore, the rocking structure exhibits little resistance about its pivot thereby enabling it to freely rotate in response to small pressure gradients characteristic of sound. The backside cavities of such a device can be fabricated without the use of the deep reactive ion etch step thereby allowing such a microphone to be fabricated with a CMOS compatible process.
US08989410B2

A bone conduction transducer for a wearable computing system is provided. The bone conduction transducer includes a magnetic diaphragm configured to vibrate in response to a time-changing magnetic field generated by an electromagnetic coil operated according to electrical input signals. The magnetic diaphragm is elastically suspended over the electromagnetic coil to allow excursion toward and away from the coil by a pair of cantilevered leaf springs projected from opposing sides of the transducer to connect to opposing sides of the magnetic diaphragm. The bone conduction transducer is included in the wearable computing system to be worn against a bony structure of the wearer that allows acoustic signals to propagate to the wearer's inner ear and achieve sound perception in response to vibrations in the bone conduction transducer.
US08989399B2

Reflection cancelling boundary microphones are described in which a microphone capsule is mounted within the pressure zone of a vibrating surface and the microphone is tuned in such a way as to cancel pressure waves reflected by the surface while admitting pressure waves generated by the vibration of the surface. One embodiment of the invention includes a microphone capsule configured to be mounted within the pressure zone of a vibrating surface. In addition, the microphone is tuned to cancel pressure waves reflected by the surface while admitting pressure waves generated by the vibration of the surface.
US08989392B2

A preamble portion of a physical layer (PHY) data unit is generated for transmission via a long range communication protocol. A service field is generated with a length of eight or less bits. A data portion of the PHY data unit is generated to include the service field having the length of eight bits or less.
US08989386B2

A device is configured for providing at least one secure cryptographic key for performing a cryptographic security function using a control device which requires a cryptographic key therefor. A configured key provided for the security function is selected from a first configuration memory and is tested using the read configured key whether a secure replacement key associated with the read configured key is memorised in a second configuration memory, said replacement key is provided for the control device for performing the security function instead of the configure key.
US08989379B2

Systems and methods for authenticating key rotation communications. Key rotation communications can include a key counter known to both a headend device and a station. Comparison between a local key counter and the key counter included in the key rotation communication can be used to authenticate the key rotation communication.
US08989374B2

According to one embodiment, a memory being used to store a host identification key, a host constant (HC), and a first key, the first key being generated based on the host constant (HC); a first generator configured to decrypt a family key block read from an external device with the host identification key to generate a family key; a second generator configured to decrypt encrypted secret identification information read from the external device with the family key to generate a secret identification information; a third generator configured to generate a random number; a fourth generator configured to generate a session key by using the first key and the random number; a fifth generator configured to generate a first authentication information by processing the secret identification information with the session key in one-way function operation.
US08989371B2

A community telephony brokerage system (“CTBS”) and techniques for facilitating telephony communications (including but not limited to text messages, audible messages, multimedia messages, commands, and voice communications) between members of a virtual or real-life community are described. The CTBS operates in conjunction with any known or later developed communication application or service, such as an email application, a social networking application, a gaming application, a discussion forum application, a blogging application, or a subscription/publication application, to provide intra-community telephonic communications via community members' own electronic devices, in a manner that keeps community members' unique telephone numbers secret from other members, and preserves other desired levels of privacy and/or security established by the community and/or communication application.
US08989364B2

A telecommunication system includes a first node, a second node and a network. The first node is configured with a set of predefined functions and a group of addresses of the telecommunication network such that a session setup request targeted to any address in the group of addresses is routed to the first node, and each address in the group of addresses is associated with at least one of the predefined functions. The second node is configured to send a session setup request to a target address that corresponds to an address in the group of addresses. The first node is configured to determine the function to be performed on the basis of the target address in the session setup request. Information delivery from the second node to the first node is implemented quickly. In the second node the power consumption may be significantly reduced.
US08989361B2

Methods, systems, and products are disclosed for monitoring a conference. A first bridging function is established that bridges together signals received from all conference participants. A second bridging function is established that bridges together signals received from i) a subset of the conference participants, ii) an output of the first bridging function, and iii) a monitor of the conference. The second bridging function isolates the monitor's signals from the conference such that only the subset of the conference participants may communicate with the monitor during the conference.
US08989350B2

A control apparatus of a radiotherapy system of the present invention includes an irradiation object detecting section configured to calculate a target position based on a position of a specific part of a sample; and a swing position control section configured to control a drive unit to drive a radiation irradiating unit which irradiates a therapeutic radiation, such that the radiation irradiating unit directs to a post-correction target position at a control time after the measurement time. The post-correction target position indicates a position near a position to which the radiation irradiating unit directs rather than the target position in the preparation period before a therapy period, and the target position in the therapy period.
US08989343B2

An image processing device acquiring pseudo projection data by calculation when a virtual metallic body having a predetermined X-ray absorption coefficient is set in a photographic region of X-ray CT photography in a pseudo manner based on projection data, and the image processing device reconstructing the pseudo projection data to acquire pseudo CT image data. The image processing device acquires luminance (virtual metallic body luminance) of a virtual metallic body in the pseudo CT image data, and specifies a position of a metal equivalent region having luminance corresponding to the virtual metallic body luminance in normal CT image data. The image processing device acquires correction projection data by performing correction processing to the luminance of the metal equivalent region in the normal projection data, and the image processing device reconstructs the correction projection data to acquire correction CT image data.
US08989341B2

According to one embodiment, an X-ray CT apparatus includes a body thickness information acquiring unit, a threshold determining unit and an image generating unit. The body thickness information acquiring unit acquires information of a body thickness of an object. The threshold determining unit determines a threshold of an exposure dose according to the body thickness of the object. The image generating unit generates an image indicating a relationship between the body thickness of the object and the threshold and displays a generated image on a display unit.
US08989339B2

Disclosed is a zirconium alloy material having high corrosion resistance regardless of thermal history during its manufacturing process. The zirconium alloy material is obtained by providing a zirconium alloy containing on the mass basis: 0.001% to 1.9% of Sn, 0.01% to 0.3% of Fe, 0.01% to 0.3% of Cr, 0.001% to 0.3% of Ni, 0.001% to 3.0% of Nb, 0.027% or less of C, 0.025% or less of N, 4.5% or less of Hf and 0.16% or less of O with the remainder being inevitable impurities and zirconium, being formed of a bulk alloy and a surface layer, in which the surface layer has a plastic strain of 3 or more or a Vickers hardness of 260 HV or more and an arithmetic mean surface roughness Ra of 0.2 μm or less.
US08989338B2

A pressurized water reactor (PWR) includes a vertical cylindrical pressure vessel having a lower portion containing a nuclear reactor core and a vessel head defining an internal pressurizer. A reactor coolant pump (RCP) mounted on the vessel head includes an impeller inside the pressure vessel, a pump motor outside the pressure vessel, and a vertical drive shaft connecting the motor and impeller. The drive shaft does not pass through the internal pressurizer. A central riser may be disposed concentrically inside the pressure vessel, and the RCP impels primary coolant downward into a downcomer annulus between the central ser and the pressure vessel. A steam generator may be disposed in the downcomer annulus and spaced apart from with the impeller by an outlet plenum, A manway may access the outlet plenum so tube plugging can be performed on the steam generator via access through the manway without removing the RCP.
US08989333B2

A clock data recovery method includes: integrating an input data signal over a number of cycles of a sample clock to generate an integrated signal; performing a digital process on the integrated signal to output a first digital signal; interpolating the first digital signal in accordance with phase information to generate interpolation data; outputting phase difference data indicating a difference in phase of the interpolation data from the sample clock; performing a filtering process on the phase difference data to generate the phase information; performing an equalization process on the interpolation data in accordance with output data; and performing a binary decision on results of the equalization process to generate the output data.
US08989325B2

Methods and systems to configure a receiver based on a channel condition. A system may be implemented to estimate a channel based on PN sequences in a received signal, concurrently equalize a frequency domain representation of the signal with multiple blind adaptive equalizers, and evaluate results of the equalizations to select coefficients of one of the equalizers for further processing. A first equalizer may implement a constant-step-size (CSS) algorithm for a static channel. A second equalizer may implement a variable-step-size (VSS) algorithm for a dynamic channel. Static and dynamic channels may be distinguished based on convergence/divergence of the equalizers, which may be determined from a mean square error estimated from PN sequences in results of the blind equalizations. Subsequent processing may include linear and/or directed-decision equalization, channel estimation, and turbo equalization, which may be performed in the frequency domain, and which may be configurable based on the channel condition.
US08989324B2

Embodiments of the present invention provide a receiver and a receiving method. The receiver comprises: a branch forming unit a plurality of signal branches; each of the signal branches comprising a joint processing unit; and the joint processing unit being used to eliminate an inter-carrier interference of the subcarrier signal in a present signal branch and the subcarrier signals in other signal branches adjacent to the present signal branch. With the embodiments of the present invention, the inter-carrier interference may be eliminated and the performance of the system may be improved; and the sampling rate of the analog digital converter may also be lowered.
US08989323B2

An outdoor radio communication system comprises a first radio unit, a second radio unit, and a single cable coupling the first radio unit to the second radio unit. Each radio unit includes a downconverter, a radio processor that is communicatively coupled to the downconverter, and a XPIC module. The cable further includes a first twisted-pair of wires for communicatively coupling the first downconverter to the second XPIC module and a second twisted-pair of wires for communicatively coupling the second downconverter to the first XPIC module. The first XPIC module generates a first reference signal using a signal from the second downconverter to cancel cross-polarization interference in an output signal of the first radio processor. Similarly, the second XPIC module generates a second reference signal using a signal from the first downconverter to cancel cross-polarization interference in an output signal of the second radio processor.
US08989321B1

Systems, methods, and other embodiments associated with preamble detection based on repeated preamble codes are described. According to one embodiment, an apparatus is provided that wirelessly receives a signal and calculates a differential output corresponding to a multiplication of the signal and a delayed version of the signal. A cross correlation is performed between the differential output and a known preamble pattern to produce a cross correlation output. One or more peaks are detected in the cross correlation. The detected peaks are used in subsequent processing to detect the known preamble pattern in the wirelessly received signal.
US08989303B2

An equalizer provided in a digital transmitter compensates for attenuation in a signal channel to a digital receiver. The equalizer generates signal levels as a logical function of bit history to emphasize transition signal levels relative to repeated signal levels. The preferred equalizer includes an FIR transition filter using a look-up table. Parallel circuits including FIR filters and digital-to-analog converters provide a high speed equalizer with lower speed circuitry. The equalizer is particularly suited to in-cabinet and local area network transmissions where feedback circuitry facilitates adaptive training of the equalizer.
US08989302B2

A method for transmitting a sounding reference signal from a user equipment in a MIMO antenna wireless communication system. The method includes receiving sounding reference signal setup information from a base station, the sounding reference signal setup information including an initial cyclic shift value nSRScs and an initial transmissionComb parameter value kTC; setting an interval between cyclic shift values corresponding to each antenna port based on the initial cyclic shift value, to reach a maximum interval; setting a transmissionComb parameter value corresponding to a specific one of the antenna ports to a value different from the initial transmissionComb parameter value if the initial cyclic shift value is a previously set value and the number of antenna ports is 4; and transmitting the sounding reference signal to the base station through each antenna port by using the set cyclic shift value and transmissionComb parameter value.
US08989301B2

A method of controlling a power spectrum of a navigation transmission signal in a navigation system is provided. The navigation transmission signal comprising a carrier signal, a navigation ranging signal, a data signal, and at least one subcarrier modulation signal. The method comprising modulating the navigation ranging signal with the at least one subcarrier modulation signal, wherein the at least one subcarrier modulation signal comprises a number, m, of amplitude levels, where m>2, to produce a modulated ranging signal. The amplitude levels having respective magnitudes and durations arranged to influence the power spectrum of the navigation signal in a predetermined manner. Modulating the carrier with the modulated ranging signal and the data signal to generate the navigation signal.
US08989298B2

In one embodiment, a data encoder for a component (such as an integrated circuit) may encode data to be transmitted from the component to another component in a system. The encoder may avoid one or more data patterns that, if transmitted by the component, may cause noise to occur at one or more specified frequencies (or frequency bands). The specified frequencies may be frequencies that are in use for wireless communication by the device. By avoiding noise at the specified frequencies, the desense that might otherwise occur may be reduced or eliminated. Quality and speed of the wireless communication may be increased.
US08989288B2

The present disclosure relates to a method for common pilot configuration, the method comprising steps of: determining information related to UEs served by a BS; and configuring transmission of at least one common pilot from the BS to the served UEs based on the determined UE related information. In an example 4-branch MIMO system, at most 4 common pilots are configurable to be transmitted, and the at least one common pilot is two common pilots newly introduced into a legacy system.
US08989277B1

An embodiment of a video processing system can include an alignment detector block configured to determine whether a video signal is misaligned and, responsive to determining that the video signal is misaligned, generate notifications indicating misalignment of the video signal. The video processing system also can include an unlock detector block coupled to the alignment detector block that is configured to determine an amount of time that the video signal is misaligned according to the notifications from the alignment detector block. The unlock detector block can be configured to ignore misalignment of the video signal until the video signal is misaligned for an amount of time exceeding a threshold amount of time.Another embodiment of the video processing system can include a buffer, a packetizer block that is coupled to the buffer, and a buffer controller that is coupled to the buffer and the packetizer block.
US08989271B2

A moving picture coding apparatus includes: a motion vector predictor candidate calculation unit which calculates motion vector predictor candidates and the number of motion vector predictor candidates; an inter prediction control unit which selects an optimum motion vector predictor candidate; and a variable length coding unit which sets the motion vector predictor candidate list size to the number of motion vector predictor candidates, and assigns a bit string according to the motion vector predictor candidate list size to a motion vector predictor index used for coding a motion vector, thereby performing variable length coding.
US08989270B2

A system and method for efficiently performing motion estimation during temporal prediction for coding. When a new frame is presented for coding, an encoder may identify a limited number of pixel blocks within the input frame that are complex. The encoder may perform motion estimation searches to find reference frame(s) that are adequate prediction references for the complex pixel blocks. The encoder may search for prediction references for the remaining pixel blocks of the new frame, confining the search to the reference frame(s) that were selected as prediction references of the complex pixel blocks.
US08989266B2

Disclosed are a method and a apparatus for encoding a video, and a method and apparatus for decoding a video, in which neighboring pixels used to perform intra prediction on a current block to be encoded are filtered and intra prediction is performed by using the filtered neighboring pixels.
US08989264B2

A video encoder (70) for coding moving pictures comprising a buffer (16c) with a plurality of memory areas capable of storing frames composed of top fields and bottom fields, a motion estimation unit (19) operable to code, field by field, inputted pictures performing moving estimation and moving compensation by referring, field by field, to the picture data stored in a memory area, a motion compensation unit (16d), a subtractor (11), a transformation unit (13) and a quantization unit (14), a memory management unit (71) operable to manage, frame by frame, a plurality of memory areas, an inverse quantization unit (16a) and inverse discrete cosine transform unit (16b) operable to decode picture data in coded fields and store the picture data in the decoded field in any of the plurality of memory areas under the management by the memory management unit (71).
US08989262B2

Provided is a video encoding apparatus, including a signal separator to separate a differential image block into a first domain and a second domain, based on a boundary line included in the differential image block, the differential image block indicating a difference between an original image and a prediction image with respect to the original image, a transform encoder to perform a transform encoding with respect to the first domain using a discrete cosine transform (DCT), a quantization unit to quantize an output of the transform encoding unit in a frequency domain, a space domain quantization unit to quantize the second domain in a space domain, and an entropy encoder to perform an entropy encoding using outputs of the quantization unit and the space domain quantization unit.
US08989256B2

A method for encoding a video signal having at least one frame with a plurality of blocks includes assigning at least some of the plurality of blocks to a segment, determining at least one prediction element for the segment using a processor, applying the at least one prediction element to a first block and at least some of the other blocks in the segment and encoding the first block and the other blocks in the segment.
US08989251B2

A compensator generating a compensation signal to compensate for nonlinear echo in an output of a current source. The nonlinear echo is a result of transitioning the current source between an ON state and an OFF state. The compensator includes driving, weighting, function, and compensating circuits. The driving circuit receives a first signal that is based on the output of the current source. The weighting circuit is configured to generate a second signal based on weighted versions of the first signal. The function circuit, based on the second signal, (i) updates each of multiple functions, and (ii) selects a first function. The driving circuit generates a driving signal based on the first function selected by the function circuit. The compensating circuit generates the compensation signal based on the driving signal to compensate for the nonlinear echo provided by the output of the current source.
US08989250B1

Methods and circuits for equalizing a linear response in an observation path of a digital pre-distorter. A method comprises generating observed signals in an observation path based on observing a transmit signal; down-converting the observed signals into intermediate frequencies using different LO frequencies; calculating a ratio using the intermediate frequencies; and equalizing the linear response of the observation path on the observed signals using the ratio. An apparatus comprises a directional coupler for observing a transmit signal and generating observed signals; a down-converter for converting the observed signals into intermediate frequencies using different LO frequencies; and an adaptive estimator for calculating a ratio using the intermediate frequencies and using the ratio to equalize a linear response from the observation path on the observed signals.
US08989244B2

A receiver is provided that receives signals from a device under test (DUT) for one or more modes of operation. For each mode, the system detects beacon transmission signals from the DUT, and counts the number of beacons for a period of time. If the count is not consistent with an expected count, e.g. a stored value, the system may preferably provide an output to indicate that there is a problem with the DUT. If the count is consistent with the expected count, the system may preferably perform further testing for other modes of operation. If the count output of the DUT is consistent with expected counts over each of the operation modes, the system may provide an indication that the DUT has passed the beacon tests.
US08989243B1

A power line carrier modem is configured for coupling to AC power lines. The power line carrier modem includes a processor, an output from the processor, a plurality of inputs to the processor, and a directional coupler operatively connected to the output, the plurality of inputs, and the AC power lines. The power line carrier modem may further include a digital-to-analog-converter operatively connected to the output from the processor. The output from the processor may be an output bus. The power line carrier modem further includes an analog-to-digital-converter operatively connected to the plurality of inputs to the processor. The power line carrier modem may be configured to perform Vector Network Analysis functions. The power line carrier modem may be configured to indicate PLC modem transmit frequencies being reflected from the AC power lines or the line coupler. The transmitter functions may be implemented in software by the processor to provide a transmit output on the output line. Receiver functions may also be implemented in software by the processor.
US08989241B2

A communication device includes a transmitter section that select a coding as either space time block coding (STBC), space frequency block coding (SFBC), hybrid space time/frequency block coding (ST/FBC), or a single stream multi-antenna spatial mapping. The transmitter section generates a transmit signal in accordance with the selected coding and transmits the transmit signal to the remote communication device via a plurality of antennas.
US08989234B2

A method and a device for signal processing in a communication system are provided. The method includes: performing sampling and time-frequency transform on a received first time domain signal to obtain a first frequency domain signal; performing modulus operation on the first frequency domain signal with respect to a preset threshold to obtain a second frequency domain signal; performing inverse time-frequency transform on the second frequency domain signal to obtain a second time domain signal, and performing despreading on the second time domain signal. The embodiments of the present invention can avoid the problem in the prior art that not only the NBI signal but also the SS signal which is a useful signal are filtered out, which results from frequency domain signals of a certain number of frequency points being set to zero, and thereby improve the reliability of signal reception.
US08989233B2

Methods and apparatuses are provided for transmitting and receiving data in a wireless communication system. Hopping information including at least a number of sub-bands is received. Resource allocation information is received. A resource for transmitting the data is determined based on the resource allocation information and the hopping information. The data is transmitted using the determined resource. The resource for transmitting the data is determined according to at least one of applying a change of a resource allocation within inter sub-bands and applying a change of the resource allocation within an intra sub-band. A sub-band includes at least one sub-channel, and one sub-channel includes a plurality of sub-carriers.
US08989229B2

Provided are a high-speed superluminescent diode, a method of manufacturing the same, and a wavelength-tunable external cavity laser including the same. The superluminescent diode includes a substrate having an active region and an optical mode size conversion region, waveguides including an ridge waveguide in the active region and a deep ridge waveguide in the optical mode size conversion region connected to the active waveguide, an electrode disposed on the ridge waveguide; planarizing layers disposed on sides of the ridge waveguide and the deep ridge waveguide on the substrate, and a pad electrically connected to the electrode, the pad being disposed on the planarizing layers outside the active waveguide.
US08989228B2

An ultrashort pulse and ultrahigh power laser diode device capable of outputting pulse laser light having higher peak power with a simple composition and a simple structure is provided. The laser diode device includes: a laminated structure composed of a first compound semiconductor layer containing n-type impurity, an active layer having a quantum well structure, and a second compound semiconductor layer containing p-type impurity; a first electrode electrically connected to the first compound semiconductor layer; and a second electrode electrically connected to the second compound semiconductor layer, wherein the second compound semiconductor layer is provided with an electron barrier layer having a thickness of 1.5*10−8 m or more, and driving is made by a pulse current having a value 10 or more times as large as a threshold current value.
US08989225B2

A laser apparatus includes a master oscillator capable of outputting a laser beam having a spectrum that includes at least three wavelength peaks, a multi-wavelength oscillation control mechanism capable of controlling energy of each of the wavelength peaks, a spectrum detecting unit that detects the spectrum of the above-mentioned laser beam, and a controller that controls the multi-wavelength oscillation control mechanism based on a detection result detected by the spectrum detecting unit.
US08989224B2

There is disclosed an apparatus for femtosecond laser optically pumped by a laser diode pumping module that is able to mechanically couple optical mounts for mounting optical mounts to each other by using a bar with a low thermal expansion coefficient and to form a light pumping module distant from a laser platform or a case, to provide a stable mode locking for an ultrashort laser and to enhance a power stability and a beam stability.
US08989221B2

A method in an example embodiment can include polling a first cable modem in a cable network and receiving a first response message from the first cable modem identifying a downstream frequency detected by the first cable modem. The method further includes determining the downstream frequency is split between at least two fiber nodes and determining a cable modem termination system (CMTS) service group topology, where the topology includes the at least two fiber nodes. In specific embodiments, determining that the downstream frequency is split is based on at least the first response message from the first cable modem and a second response message from a second cable modem. In more specific embodiments, the method includes constructing a hybrid fiber-coaxial (HFC) topology map of the cable network based on at least the first and second response messages, where the HFC topology map indicates the CMTS service group topology.
US08989218B2

A system for managing a communication device having a first function of using a first communication protocol and a second function of using a second communication protocol is provided. The communication device is connected to a network including a first device using the first communication protocol and a second device using the second communication protocol. The system is provided with an inputting system that accepts an input for changing an operation regarding the communication of the communication device from a user, and a judging system that judges whether a trouble would arise in communication, in which the communication device is involved, based on the input inputted by the user through use of the inputting system.
US08989216B2

Embodiments of the invention provide a flexible Diameter command dictionary for 3rd Generation Partnership Project (3GPP) network nodes wherein context-specific definitions are defined to apply to different versions and releases of 3GPP standards.
US08989210B2

A method and a bus connection unit for selectively waking participants of a bus system in an idle state, the participants not in the idle state exchanging messages via the bus using a serial communication protocol, the messages characterized by a leading identifier, the participants not in the idle state deciding based on the identifier whether they receive the message, the messages being evaluated by the participants in the idle state in at least three phases, a number of signal properties, edges and/or edge changes being determined in a first phase, a sequence of time intervals between signal properties, edges and/or edge changes being determined in a second phase, a wake pattern being determined from the serial signal sequence of the message in a third phase, and participants in the idle state leaving the idle state as a function of the items of information determined during the three phases.
US08989205B2

A method and system operable to implement a multiple range, and optionally one-dimensional, transport scheduling process suitable to facilitate signal transport over a network for a variety of traffic types with different service requirements where two-dimensional mapping across frequency and/or time is required.
US08989203B2

Provided is an electronic device capable of performing stable communications between a plurality of electronic devices connected in series. A communication device (121) is inserted and connected to a serial communication channel between a host controller (101) and a communication device (141) at a subsequent stage, and includes a buffer (124) for temporarily accumulating a first data received from the communication device (141) at the subsequent stage. The communication device (121) monitors a communication situation with respect to the host controller (101) and the communication device (141), accumulates the first data in the buffer (124) when a second data to be transmitted from the communication device (121) to the host controller (101) is being transmitted to the host controller (101), and transmits the first data accumulated in the buffer (124) to the host controller (101) in response to the finish of transmission of the second data.
US08989202B2

A switching device comprising one or more processors coupled to a media access control (MAC) interface and a memory structure for switching packets rapidly between one or more source devices and one or more destination devices. Packets are pipelined through a series of first processing segments to perform a plurality of first sub-operations involving the initial processing of packets received from source devices to be buffered in the memory structure. Packets are pipelined through a series of second processing segments to perform a plurality of second sub-operations involved in retrieving packets from the memory structure and preparing packets for transmission. Packets are pipelined through a series of third processing segments to perform a plurality of third sub-operations involved in scheduling transmission of packets to the MAC interface for transmission to one or more destination devices.
US08989197B2

Methods and systems for optical communication in a submarine network are provided. An input signal is received from a terminal at a reconfigurable branching unit (BU), wherein the BU enables bidirectional transmission between any two terminals, and the input signal is demultiplexed into at least one individual waveband or wavelength using at least one demultiplexer. Each demultiplexed waveband is passed through optical switches, with corresponding optical switches for the same demultiplexed waveband provided for transmission in the reverse direction. Independent per-waveband switching is performed using a demultiplexer-switch-multiplexer (DSM) architecture. Each demultiplexed waveband is multiplexed at each output port using at least one multiplexer to combine signals from different sources, and combined signals are transmitted to a destination terminal.
US08989194B1

A network topology system for combining in-band hardware links for network redundancy with out-of-band hardware links for facile initialization in a network with centralized control architecture, wherein the combined use of in-band and out-of-band hardware links further reduces the overall hardware links required for centralized control. An initialization processor allows direct out-of-band hardware links between a plurality of centralized controllers to be used for initialization, while further allowing in-band hardware links for connections between two switches, and between a switch and a controller, wherein the use of in-band hardware links allows the same hardware links to convey both data and control communications, increasing redundancy, and reducing the number of hardware links required by the network domain as a whole.
US08989192B2

A software defined network service (SDNS) node for altering a logical flow of data packets in a network to accommodate predetermined ordered service chains, comprising a receiver configured to receive an encapsulated data packet comprising a tag via a encapsulated tunnel from another SDNS node, wherein the tag identifies an ordered service chain or a next hop in the ordered service chain, a processor coupled to the receiver and configured to decapsulate the encapsulated data packet, and a transmitter coupled to the processor and configured to forward the decapsulated data packet to a service device attached to the SDNS node when the processor determines, based on the tag, that a service on the service device should be applied to the data packet.
US08989187B2

Disclosed are a system, method, and article of manufacture of scaling a cloud computing network are disclosed. A virtual switch receives a data packet from a virtual machine. The virtual machine and the virtual switch can be implemented on the same host device. The virtual switch can remove the virtual MAC address from the data packet. The virtual switch can then include a physical MAC address or a synthetic MAC address of a target host. A synthetic MAC address can be utilized for multicast traffic where want to associate a separate MAC with each tenant of the host. The data packet can be sent to a target host.
US08989181B2

A method for multicasting data packets is provided. The method includes preparing multiple point to point connections between a root node and multiple destination nodes to establish point to multipoint connections. The method also includes receiving, at an intermediate node which is operatively connected to the root node and a plurality of the destination nodes, a data packet from the root node. In addition, the method includes determining whether the received data packet is a multicast data packet and generating a plurality of the data packets by copying the received data packet if the received data packet is a multicast data packet. Furthermore, the method includes forwarding the copied data packets to a plurality of the destination nodes.
US08989172B2

A base station routes data between a wireless communication device and a local device through a local network. When a route-local indicator is received from the wireless communication device, the base station routes data through the local network to the local device without routing the data through a cellular network. Accordingly, the physical path of the data includes the base station and the local network and does not include cellular equipment other than the base station.
US08989166B1

A method and system for detection and correction of a WiFi login failure for a mobile application is disclosed herein. The present invention provides a set of diagnostic steps that are undertaken automatically on a mobile communication device to identify this condition within an application and generate a browser window inside the application so that the condition can be fixed and the application can continue without having to time-out and exit an application.
US08989164B2

Methods and apparatus for processing mobile station transaction information at a serving control node in a wireless communication system are disclosed. The serving control node may be a base station, such as an eNodeB in an LTE/SAE wireless communication system. The transaction information, which may include, for example, mobility-related transaction information and traffic-related transaction information for a given mobile station, may be passed between controlling control nodes as the corresponding mobile station is handed over, so that a controlling control node has access to information characterizing the past activities of the mobile station. This information may be used in some embodiments for selecting a target control node for handover or for allocating link resources.
US08989162B2

A microwave communication system may include subscriber stations in communication with a base station. The stations may include time duplex circuitry normally found in wireless local area networks (WLANs). Signals normally routed through antennas associated with such circuitry instead are routed through circuitry to perform frequency conversion to and from microwave communications frequencies, for communications over microwave links between the subscriber stations and the base station. In some embodiments the wireless circuitry is configured for multiple input multiple output (MIMO) operation with one antenna port dedicated for transmission of data and one antenna port dedicated to reception of data.
US08989160B1

A method is provided to dynamically interact with a plurality of enabled devices within a personal network. Individual ones of the devices are configured to interoperate with a service provider network and configure or alter services to individually identifiable devices.
US08989159B2

There is provided a system and method for managing hotspot network access for a plurality of devices. There is provided a mobile broadband hotspot comprising a processor configured to detect an occurrence of an event, determine a device from the plurality of devices to receive a notification of the event, determine a policy directed to the device, and execute the policy on the mobile broadband hotspot or on the device. Accordingly, by providing notifications of events to appropriate devices of the network, a better user experience is maintained. Moreover, the mobile broadband hotspot may transmit event notification to specific devices that may be affected by the execution of the policy in order to provide a better user experience for the users of those devices.
US08989147B1

A self learning roaming optimization approach allows a wireless client device to build signal strength maps that store wireless network access point signal strengths at locations along paths traveled by the wireless client device within an operational environment. The signal strengths collected at locations along a path may be analyzed to determine a recommended wireless network access point at the respective locations to achieve a reliable wireless network connection along the mapped path. The stored recommendations may take into account changes in wireless network access point signal strengths, e.g. due to obstructions and/or electromagnetic shields that may block portions of a wireless network access point signal at subsequent locations along the mapped path. A wireless client device may recognize the wireless client device's location along a previously mapped path based on the unique combination, or signature, of wireless network access point signal strengths measured at the wireless client device's location.
US08989143B2

A method and an apparatus for performing a handover in an evolved universal terrestrial radio access network (E-UTRAN) are disclosed. A wireless transmit/receive unit (WTRU) sends a measurement report to a source evolved Node B (eNB), and receives a handover command from the source eNB. The WTRU initiates reception and processing of a primary broadcast channel (P-BCH) at the target cell after receiving the handover command. The WTRU then sends a random access preamble to the target eNB, receives a random access response from the target eNB, and sends a handover complete message to the target eNB. The reception and processing of the P-BCH may be initiated immediately after receiving the handover command or after sending the handover complete message. The WTRU may apply default configuration or source cell configuration in the target cell until a target cell SFN and/or P-BCH information are acquired.
US08989140B2

A method and apparatus for wireless communication may provide for mobility in a Multi-Point HSDPA network capable of downlink aggregation. Some aspects of the disclosure provide modified mobility events utilized for altering the Active Set for a UE. Here, the addition of a cell to the Active Set can coincide with making that cell a secondary serving cell. Further, the deletion of a secondary serving cell from the Active Set can coincide with switching off the Multi-Point HSDPA mode. Still further, a modified mobility event for an HSDPA serving cell change can be utilized to swap a primary serving cell and a secondary serving cell.
US08989123B2

A method for transmitting uplink control information (UCI) using a physical uplink control channel (PUCCH) transmit diversity scheme is described. A UCI is coded with a Reed-Muller code to obtain a coded UCI. The coded UCI is mapped to quadrature phase shift keying (QPSK) symbols to obtain a mapped coded UCI. A phase shift is applied to the mapped coded UCI based on an acknowledge/negative-acknowledge (ACK/NACK) to obtain a phase shifted mapped coded UCI. The mapped coded UCI is sent using a PUCCH resource on a first antenna. The phase shifted mapped coded UCI is sent using a PUCCH resource on a second antenna.
US08989120B2

Systems and methods are disclosed which relate to the sending and receiving of multimedia files between two devices while connected through a voice call. These devices are free to send any type of file through a direct connection without the need to hang up and call back just to see if the file was sent successfully. These methods work for a plurality of cellular and computer devices connected through a cellular network or other Internet Service Provider.
US08989118B2

An enhanced physical down link control channel (ePDCCH) for Long Term Evolution (LTE) systems is described that is constructed using enhanced control channel elements (eCCEs). Techniques are also described by which user equipment (UE) may be implicitly allocated uplink resources for transmitting acknowledgements to data received via downlink resources allocated by an ePDCCH.
US08989117B2

A new set of random-access preamble signatures are introduced to differentiate new-release UEs from UEs compliant only with earlier releases. Additional new features of a random-access procedure are also disclosed, including an ability to deploy multiple transmission-time-intervals TTIs) in a given area. An example mobile terminal, according to some embodiments of the present invention, selects a TTI from two or more possible TTIs. The mobile terminal then selects a preamble signature from a group of one or more preamble signatures associated with enhanced-uplink resources and associated with the selected TTI, and transmits a random-access channel (RACH) preamble, using the selected preamble signature. In some embodiments, the mobile terminal selects between a 2-millisecond TTI and a 10-millisecond TTI.
US08989116B2

Method and system for setting up a bearer are disclosed. The bearer setup method includes these steps: a packet data network gateway (PGW) obtains first quality of service (QoS) information and a first bearer identifier (ID), and sets up a bearer between the PGW and a radio access network (RAN) according to the first QoS information, where the bearer is associated with the first bearer ID; the RAN sets up a radio bearer (RB) with a user equipment (UE) according to second QoS information associated with the first QoS information, where the RB is associated with a second bearer ID associated with the first bearer ID.
US08989109B2

Disclosed in the present invention is a pre-coding method for hybrid multiplexing demodulation reference symbol (DMRS). The method includes: determining a multiplexing relationship between DMRS ports; making layers of data transport correspond to DMRS ports with the multiplexing relationship determined; and pre-coding pilot sequences corresponding to various DMRS ports according to the relationship between the layers of data transport and the DMRS ports. Also disclosed in the present invention is a method for mapping from a layer to a multiplexing demodulation reference symbol (DMRS) and an apparatus for achieving pre-coding based on a hybrid multiplexing demodulation reference symbol (DMRS). By way of the technical solution of the present invention, interference between the layers corresponding to different codeword streams can be avoided, and the accuracy of channel estimation can be improved.
US08989092B2

A UE comprising a transmitter configured to transmit data from a network; and a processor coupled to the transmitter and configured to execute an application that performs signaling with a wireless network via the transmitter, determine that the application is assigned to an application group based on signaling requirements of the application, and determine that the application group is associated with a connection parameter that limits network signaling of all applications in the group, and initiate a network signaling link for the application according to the connection parameter.
US08989091B2

A Machine-to-Machine (M2M) Services Enablement Solution offering M2M services enablement to an M2M entity that supports a 3GPP or a non-3GPP access for connection and service by a 3GPP Evolved Packet Core (EPC). The solution enables an Access Network (AN) to offer a transport connection for the M2M entity over its 3GPP EPC to M2M entity's per-choice M2M Service Provider (SP). The M2M entity's first attach to the AN is forced to be directed to the Access Point Name (APN) of an AN default M2M Network Services Capabilities (N-SC) application. The AN default M2M N-SC application facilitates M2M Service Layer (SL) initial registration of the M2M entity with its per-choice M2M SP. M2M entity's future Regular Attach to the SP network may be directed to the APN of an AN-based regular M2M N-SC application that serves the M2M SP.
US08989089B2

A device transmits automobile data to a server in a communication network. The device records the automobile data obtained from a plurality of sensors installed in the automobile. The device transmits a random access preamble on a first plurality of subcarriers of an uplink carrier to a base station, when a pre-defined condition is met. The device encrypts the automobile data using a first encryption key and transmits the encrypted automobile data to a server via a base station. The base station decrypts the automobile data before forwarding it to the server.
US08989064B2

A wireless controller for accessing digital content and connectable externally via a wired connection to output devices, such as televisions, projectors, audio output devices, and printers, is herein disclosed and enabled. The wireless controller may be a box for connecting to a television. To illustrate, connecting the wireless controller to a television makes the television a smart television for accessing digital content via the wireless controller. The wireless controller includes a wireless communication unit that is compatible with at least one protocol within IEEE 802.11 or Bluetooth for accessing a wireless local area network and may establish wireless connections with mobile information apparatus in its vicinity. Subsequent to establishing the wireless connection, the mobile information apparatus may transmit, stream, or mirror digital content to the output devices over the established wireless connection. The wireless controller may collect authentication, payment, or subscription information for accessing some digital content services.
US08989063B2

A method of far-end crosstalk (FEXT) channel estimation in a digital subscriber line (DSL) system, wherein the DSL system comprises a first subscriber line and a second subscriber line, the method comprising allocating a plurality of time slots, wherein the plurality of time slots comprises a first period and a second period, wherein the first period precedes the second period, and wherein each of the first and second periods comprises at least one time slot, transmitting at least one training symbol in the first period onto the second subscriber line in a downstream direction while no transmission is made on the first subscriber line, receiving at least one feedback symbol in the second period from the first subscriber line in an upstream direction, and estimating a level of downstream FEXT from the second subscriber line into the first subscriber line based on the at least one feedback symbol.
US08989058B2

A conference mixer includes a unit configured to receive a plurality of input streams, a spectral voice activity detection (VAD) unit configured to, for each of the input streams, generate and output a spectral VAD decision indicating whether a frame including data packets is voice, a turbo VAD unit configured to generate and output a turbo VAD decision that indicates for a frame including data packets which input stream is active, the turbo VAD decision being based on the spectral VAD decisions and a power-based decision indicating whether an estimated instantaneous power level of a frame including data packets is greater than a power threshold, and a finite state machine (FSM) unit configured to select which of the input streams to output as an active stream based on a plurality of the turbo VAD decisions, the turbo VAD decision being based in part on feedback provided by the FSM.
US08989049B2

An example method includes storing a portion of virtual PortChannel (vPC) information in a TRansparent Interconnect of Lots of Links network environment, deriving, from the portion of vPC information, a physical nickname of an edge switch to which a frame can be forwarded, and rewriting an egress nickname in a TRILL header of the frame with the physical nickname. In example embodiments, the vPC information can include respective vPC virtual nicknames, EtherChannel hash algorithms, hash values, and physical nicknames of edge switches associated with vPCs in the network environment. In some embodiments, the portion of vPC information can be derived from an Interested vPC Type Length Value (TLV) information of an Intermediate System to Intermediate System (IS-IS) routing protocol data unit (PDU).
US08989047B2

A rules systems version coordination method is disclosed for the initiation of a rules system version and the coordination of the rules system version with other rules system versions which may be available. Particularly, the rules system versions are coordinated so that one-and-only-one is in the Active State i.e. the state in which the Policy and Charging Rules Node (PCRN) is deriving its set of policies; rules system versions may only be promoted to the Active State from a Release State; and rules system versions may only be modified when in a Draft State, from which they may be promoted to the Release State. The rules systems version coordination method is particularly useful for providing a buffer state between rules system versions undergoing modification and the rules system version currently in service.
US08989046B1

An architecture for distributing routing updates via a broadcast channel is disclosed. A routing fountain (“RF”) is configured to receive routing information updates. The routing information updates include network addressing information, changes to a routing structure of a network, or general information regarding the network. One or more routing fountain subscriber (“RFS”) nodes are configured to send routing information updates to the RF and receive routing information updates from a routing distribution channel (“RDC”). Broadcast equipment is configured to receive routing information updates from the RF and broadcast the received routing information updates to the one or more RFS nodes via the RDC.
US08989037B2

A system transfers data. The system includes an ingress node transferring data at a determined bandwidth. The ingress node includes a buffer and operates based on a monitored node parameter. The system includes a controller in communication with the ingress node. The controller is configured to allocate, based on the monitored node parameter, an amount of the determined bandwidth for directly transferring data to bypass the buffer of the ingress node.
US08989036B2

Method and arrangement in a base station for providing an input parameter in an algorithm for predicting uplink load in a cell in a wireless communication system. The cell comprises at least one user equipment. The method comprises obtaining SIR target value associated with the user equipment, measuring SIR value on a signal sent from the user equipment, comparing the difference between the obtained SIR target value and the measured SIR value with a threshold limit value, selecting the SIR value as input parameter in the uplink load prediction algorithm for the user equipment, if the difference between the obtained SIR target value and the measured SIR value is bigger than the threshold limit value. Otherwise selecting the SIR target value as input parameter in the uplink load prediction algorithm for the user equipment.
US08989033B2

A method for selecting an MCS for a cell in which one or more Type 2 relay nodes are present. The method includes the access node for the cell estimating the quality of the link between a relay node in the cell and a UA in the cell and using the estimate to select an MCS for the cell.
US08989023B2

A monitoring apparatus may receive data transmitted from a transmitting source apparatus at predetermined time intervals, via relay apparatuses configured to make a retransmission request depending on a reception error, and measure a reception time interval between consecutively received data. The monitoring apparatus may judge which one of the relay apparatuses is making the retransmission request, based on the measured reception time interval.
US08989007B2

There are provided measures for load balancing in relay-enhanced access networks with a relay device and multiple access devices, said measures exemplarily including the setting of multiple links between a backbone device of a backbone network and said multiple access devices, and a management of resource allocation of said multiple links between said backbone device and said multiple access devices in accordance with resource information of said multiple access devices indicating resource availability and resource assignment of said multiple access devices for establishing multiple connections between said backbone device and said relay device via said multiple access devices.
US08988994B2

A system for creating logical RLC and MAC PDUs in a mobile communication system includes first and second remote network entities that communicate using the LTE link-layer protocol. The first and second remote network entities include first and second layer-2 protocol stacks, respectively. The first layer-2 protocol stack includes first PDCP, RLC and MAC sub-layers and the second layer-2 protocol stack includes second PDCP, RLC and MAC sub-layers. During transmission of data from the first remote network entity to the second remote network entity, the logical RLC and MAC PDUs are created by the first RLC and MAC sub-layers by populating logical RLC and MAC PDU structures.
US08988993B2

A wireless transmission system including antenna pairs, a demodulation functional unit, and a transmission characteristic correction unit. The antenna pairs include transmission and reception antennae. A desired wave arrives at a reception antenna in a wireless signal from one transmission antenna. Meanwhile, the reception antenna receives an unnecessary wave in a wireless signal transmitted from a different transmission antenna. The demodulation functional unit corresponding to each antenna pair demodulates a signal received by the reception antenna. The transmission characteristic correction unit carries out correction calculation based on a transmission characteristic of a transmission space between the transmission and reception antennae based on demodulation signals demodulated by the demodulation functional units to acquire an output signal corresponding to a transmission subject signal.
US08988992B2

Method, apparatus, and computer program product example embodiments enable contention for access to a wireless communications medium. In example embodiments, a method comprises initiating a channel access procedure by an apparatus; performing, by the apparatus, in response to the channel access procedure initiation, a random draw for permission to start contention with other member apparatuses of a group in which the apparatus belongs, the random draw being based on how many member apparatuses of the group are expected to compete for the wireless communications medium; and starting, by the apparatus, contention for access to the wireless communications medium, if the apparatus wins the random draw.
US08988968B2

There is described an optical seismic cable (2) comprising a number of sensor units (5) spaced along the length of the cable and a number of connection units (4) spaced along the length of the cable, the cable further comprising a number of first optical fibers extending substantially continuously along the cable from one connection unit to the next, and a number of second optical fibers which each extend part-way along the cable between adjacent connection units, and wherein at each connection unit at least one first optical fiber is joined to a second optical fiber, and wherein at the sensor units sensors are joined to said second optical fibers. A second aspect of the invention provides an optical seismic cable module (3) comprising a number of first optical fibers extending substantially continuously from one end of the cable module to the other, and a number of second optical fibers which each extend part-way along the cable module, the seismic cable module further comprising at one end a connection unit at which at least one first optical fiber is joined to a second optical fiber, and a number of sensor units at which sensors are joined to second optical fibers.
US08988965B2

A low-pin-count non-volatile (NVM) memory to be provided in an integrated circuit. In one embodiment, the low-pin-count non-volatile (NVM) memory can use only one external control signal and one internal clock signal to generate start, stop, device ID, read/program/erase pattern, starting address, and actual read/program/erase cycles. When programming or erasing begins, toggling of the control signal increments/decrements a program or erase address and a pulse width of the control signal determines the actual program or erase time. A data out of the low-pin-count non-volatile (NVM) memory can be multiplexed with the control signal. Since the clock signal can be derived and shared from the system clock of the integrated circuit, the NVM memory need only have one external control pin for I/O transactions to realize a low-pin-count interface.
US08988945B1

Disclosed herein are techniques for providing a programming voltage to a selected word line in a non-volatile memory array. This may be a 3D NAND, 2D NAND, or another type of memory array. The programming voltage may be quickly ramped up on the selected word line, without the need for adding a stronger charge pump to the memory device. The voltage on the selected word line may be ramped up to a target voltage during a channel pre-charge phase. The target voltage may be limited in magnitude so that program disturb does not occur. Next, during a channel boosting phase, the unselected word lines are increased to a boosting voltage. The voltage on the selected word line is also increased during the boosting phase to a second target level. Then, the voltage on the selected word line is charged up from the second target level to a program voltage.
US08988938B2

A non-volatile memory and methods of operating the same to reduce disturbs is provided. In one embodiment, the method includes coupling a first positive high voltage to a first global wordline in a first row of an array of memory cells, and coupling a second negative high voltage (VNEG) to a first bitline in a first column of the array to apply a bias to a non-volatile memory transistor in a selected memory cell to program the selected memory cell. A margin voltage having a magnitude less than VNEG is coupled to a second global wordline in a second row of the array, and an inhibit voltage coupled to a second bitline in a second column of the array to reduce a bias applied to a non-volatile memory transistor in an unselected memory cell to reduce program disturb of data programmed in the unselected memory cell due to programming.
US08988936B2

Methods for performing parallel voltage and current compensation during reading and/or writing of memory cells in a memory array are described. In some embodiments, the compensation may include adjusting a bit line voltage and/or bit line reference current applied to a memory cell based on a memory array zone, a bit line layer, and a memory cell direction associated with the memory cell. The compensation may include adjusting the bit line voltage and/or bit line reference current on a per memory cell basis depending on memory cell specific characteristics. In some embodiments, a read/write circuit for reading and/or writing a memory cell may select a bit line voltage from a plurality of bit line voltage options to be applied to the memory cell based on whether the memory cell has been characterized as a strong, weak, or typical memory cell.
US08988935B2

The present disclosure concerns a method for writing to a self-referenced MRAM cell comprising a magnetic tunnel junction comprising: a storage layer including a first ferromagnetic layer having a first storage magnetization, a second ferromagnetic layer having a second storage magnetization, and a non-magnetic coupling layer separating the first and second ferromagnetic layers; a sense layer having a free sense magnetization; and a tunnel barrier layer included between the sense and storage layers; the first and second ferromagnetic layers being arranged such that a dipolar coupling between the storage) and the sense layers is substantially null; the method comprising: switching the second ferromagnetic magnetization by passing a spin-polarized current in the magnetic tunnel junction; wherein the spin-polarized current is polarized when passing in the sense layer, in accordance with the direction of the sense magnetization. The MRAM cell can be written with low power consumption.
US08988921B2

In a method for boosting a word line signal, the word line signal is transitioned from a first voltage value of the word line signal to a second voltage value of the word line signal, thereby turning on a first transistor. The first transistor and a second transistor turn on a third transistor. The third transistor causes the word line signal at a first terminal of the third transistor to reach a voltage value at a second terminal of the third transistor, thereby causing the word line signal to reach the voltage value faster than without the third transistor. The first transistor and the second transistor are coupled in series.
US08988920B2

A semiconductor memory device according to an embodiment comprises: a plurality of memory cells arranged in a first direction and a second direction; local bit lines connected to group of the memory cells; a global bit line to be commonly connected to a plurality of the local bit lines; and switch circuits connected between the local bit lines and the global bit line. The switch circuits connect the global bit line to one of the local bit lines, the one of the local bit lines being electrically connected to the memory cells of the group located at a position specified by select information of the first direction and the second direction.
US08988916B2

A memory structure with reduced-reflection signals at least includes a processing unit; a lumped circuit unit, connected to the processing unit; a plurality of memories, connected to the lumped circuit unit; and a reflected signal absorption unit, disposed at one end of the lumped circuit unit. Thereby, with the cooperation of the processing unit with each memory for signal transmission, the reflected signal absorption unit can be used to absorb the reflected signals so as to reduce the number of reflected signals during signal transmission, achieving the effect of stable operation for the memories.
US08988915B2

A DC to AC converter includes a first switch, a second switch, a first half bridge inverter, and a second half bridge inverter. The first switch includes a first terminal and a second terminal. The second switch includes a first terminal and a second terminal. A portion between the first terminal of the first switch and the first terminal of the second switch is operable to receive a direct current power source. The first half bridge inverter includes a first terminal, a second terminal, and an output terminal. The second half bridge inverter includes a first terminal, a second terminal, and an output terminal. A portion between the output terminal of the first half bridge inverter and the output terminal of the second half bridge inverter is operable to output an alternative current.
US08988912B2

A system and method for emulating an ideal diode for use in a power control device is provided. In one embodiment, the invention relates to a circuit for emulating an ideal diode, the circuit including at least one field effect transistor including a source, a drain, a gate, and a body diode, an input; an output coupled to the drain, a control circuit including a current sensor coupled between the input and the source, and a control circuit output coupled to the gate, wherein the control circuit is configured to activate the at least one field effect transistor based on whether the current flowing into the source is greater than a predetermined threshold, and wherein the body diode comprises an anode coupled to the source and a cathode coupled to the drain.
US08988907B2

An apparatus for compensating a power system transmission line (46). The apparatus comprises an autotransformer (40) disposed in series with the transmission line (46). An autotransformer series winding (40A) extends from an input terminal (46) to a neutral terminal (44) and a common winding (40B) extends from an output terminal (54) to the neutral terminal (44). A compensating device (42) is connected between the neutral terminal (44) and ground. Although connected in shunt with the transmission line (46), the compensating device (42) operates as a series-connected compensating device relative to the transmission line (46). The autotransformer (40) can be connected in a buck or a boost configuration with a fixed or moveable winding tap (88). Also, two autotransformers (110, 114) can be connected in a back-to-back configuration with the compensating device (42) connected to either autotransformer (110, 114).
US08988903B2

The present disclosure provides systems and methods for protecting a switch mode power supply (SMPS). An SMPS may include an input power connector, an input rectifier and filter, a transformer, an output rectifier and filter, and an output power connector. A control circuit may selectively generate a switching signal for driving the transformer based on a feedback signal and a protection signal generated by a protection circuit. The protection circuit may generate the protection signal with an asymmetric duty cycle oscillating between an enable state and an inhibit state. The protection signal may inhibit the control circuit from generating the switching signal when the protection signal is in the inhibit state. A detection circuit may receive the feedback signal and selectively force the protection signal to the enable state when the feedback signal indicates that an output voltage is too high.
US08988900B2

Three resonance-based universal power converter topologies are disclosed. One includes a partially resonant parallel L-C link and incorporates intermediate cross-over switching circuits between the link stage and each of the input and output stages (which are constructed using unidirectional switches), thereby permitting the partially resonant circuit to be operated bi-directionally. A second includes a partially resonant series LC link in parallel with the input and output networks. A third includes a partially resonant series LC link in series between the input and output networks. The input and output networks can be formed from either bidirectional switches or a combination of unidirectional switches and intermediate cross-over switching circuits, permitting the partially resonant circuit to be operated bi-directionally. All embodiments permit the use of smaller reactive components in the link stage and the use of AC rather than DC capacitors, which reduces size and costs of the device while increasing the reliability.
US08988896B2

A field device for automation technology, wherein the field device has a metal housing for accommodating a field device electronics, an RFID chip and a first RFID antenna for wireless communication and/or energy transmission between an RFID reading device arranged outside of the field device. The first RFID antenna is spaced from a neighboring wall of the metal housing, wherein shielding is provided between the first RFID antenna and the neighboring wall of the metal housing. The separation between the first RFID antenna and the wall of the metal housing and the shielding between the first RFID antenna and the neighboring wall of the metal housing are so dimensioned, that the metal housing does not prevent wireless communication and/or energy transmission between the RFID reading device and the field device.
US08988889B2

The present invention relates to a connection wire structure of a direct light bar and a connection method thereof. The connection wire structure of the direct light bar includes a plurality of light bars and connection wires, and a circuit board. Each light bar includes a wiring board that includes a first exposed copper zone that includes a hole to serve as a circuit connection contact. The circuit board includes a second exposed copper zone that includes a hole to serve as a circuit connection contact. Each of the connection wires has two ends to each of which a copper ring is connected. The two copper rings of each of the connection wires are respectively connected to the first exposed copper zones or the second exposed copper zones corresponding thereto by coupling pieces so as to establish electrical connection. A connection method of the direct light bar is also provided.
US08988885B2

An electronic circuit module includes a substrate with built-in component, a mount component mounted on the substrate with built-in component, a sealing portion covering the mount component, and a shield made of a conductive synthetic resin covering the sealing portion. The substrate with built-in component has a core layer made of a metal, an outer cover made of an insulating synthetic resin, and a first protrusion. The core layer has corners and side faces. The outer cover covers the corners and the side faces, and has a first surface. The first protrusion has a first end face exposed at the outer cover and a second surface adjacent to the first surface, and is formed away from the corners of the side faces to protrude outwardly. The sealing portion covers the mount component. The shield covers the sealing portion, and has a third surface bonded to the first surface and the second surface.
US08988880B2

An electronics device and method for assembling a heat transfer assembly of the same. An electronics device includes a circuit board, a chassis that houses the circuit board, a heat pipe configured to transfer heat from the circuit board to a wall of the chassis, and a brace configured to press the heat pipe against the wall. A brace includes a medial portion configured to contact a heat pipe and an end portion including a protrusion that is configured to be received in a depression of a chassis.
US08988879B2

A datacenter cooling apparatus includes a portable housing having lifting and transporting structures for moving the apparatus, opposed sides in the housing, at least one of the opposed sides defining one or more air passage openings arranged to capture warmed air from rack-mounted electronics, opposed ends in the housing, at least one of the opposed ends defining one or more air passage openings positioned to allow lateral passage of captured air into and out of the housing, and one or more cooling coils associated with the housing to receive and cool the captured warm air, and provide the cooled air for circulation into a datacenter workspace.
US08988875B2

A display device comprises a rear cover, a display panel, a drive device, a first adhesive member, a second adhesive member, an upper end guide frame, and a lower end guide frame, the rear cover includes a bottom wall, an upper end sidewall, an upper end coupling portion, an upper end support portion, a lower end sidewall, a lower end coupling portion, and a lower end support portion; the drive device is coupled at its upper end to the upper end support portion, and at its lower end to the lower end support portion; the first adhesive member bonds the upper end of the display panel to the upper end coupling portion, and the upper end guide frame is arranged between the display panel and the upper end of the drive device; the second adhesive member bonds the lower end of the display panel to the lower end guide frame.
US08988871B2

Mounted between bottom and top surfaces of a case are: second buffer materials and first buffer materials brought in surface contact with a bottom surface of a hard disk drive (HDD) via an insulating member, and upper buffer materials brought in surface contact with the opposite side of the HDD via the insulating member. When impact F2 is applied to the HDD, the second buffer materials contract from a thickness of T0 to T2, and the first buffer materials buckle. Buckling parts of the first buffer materials buckle when the second buffer materials contract to thickness T2, and can achieve impact-lessening independently from the second buffer materials. The second buffer materials contract singly from T0 to equal T1 to or more than T2, whereas the first buffer materials and second buffer materials both act at thickness T2 or beyond. Therefore, impact-lessening can be achieved in a broad range.
US08988870B2

There is disclosed an electronics module (101) for a data storage device enclosure (100) and data storage device enclosures (100). The module comprises an enclosure connector (104) for connecting to the enclosure, at least one bay constructed and arranged to receive a data storage device (200), and a controller (102) arranged to selectively provide access to storage devices to which it is connected. The module (101) has a communications path (107) between the controller and the enclosure connector (104) by which the controller can communicate with storage devices in the enclosure. The module (101) also has a first communications path to the data storage device (200) when received in the bay by which the controller can communicate with that data storage device. The module (101) also has a second communications path to the data storage device (200) when received in the bay by which that data storage device can be accessed from outside the module.
US08988869B2

A portable device includes a first unit including a guide member with a groove, the guide member extending in a sliding direction, and a second unit including a sliding member that slides in the groove of the guide member, in which the groove of the guide member includes a curved section that makes the first unit incline at a predetermined angle with respect to the second unit in an extended state, and the sliding member includes an engaging section that engages with the groove of the guide member, the engaging section being configured to support one surface of the groove of the guide member at at least two points and support another surface of the groove by a surface.
US08988868B2

According to one embodiment, a display device includes a display, a circuit substrate, connector terminals, a first cover, a second cover, and a fastening member. The circuit substrate includes a first side and a second side adjacent to the first side, and overlaps a second face of the display. The connector terminals are disposed at a vicinity of each of the first side and the second side. The first cover includes a first opening exposing the connector terminals therethrough, and covers the second face. The second cover includes a linking portion and a noncircular through hole, and covers the first opening across the first side and the second side. The linking portion is positioned in between the first side and the second side. The fastening member is inserted through the through hole so as to fix the second cover, the circuit substrate, and the display.
US08988866B2

The present invention relates to a display device, comprising a rear cover, a display panel, a drive device and a first adhesive member, the drive device being arranged in the rear cover and electrically connected to the display panel to drive the display panel; the rear cover includes a bottom wall, an upper end sidewall arranged at an upper side of the bottom wall, an upper end coupling portion extending downward from the upper end sidewall, and an upper end support portion and a guide portion for supporting the upper end coupling portion, the guide portion and the bottom wall defining a receiving space for receiving the upper end of the drive device; the first adhesive member bonds the upper end of the display panel to the upper end coupling portion/guide portion, and the display panel is bonded at its lower end to the lower end of the rear cover.
US08988853B2

There is provided a multilayer ceramic capacitor including: a ceramic body; first and second internal electrodes including respective lead-out portions having an overlapping area, the overlapping area being exposed to one surface of the ceramic body; first and second external electrodes extended from the one surface of the ceramic body to side surfaces thereof in a y-direction, in which the first and second internal electrodes are laminated, and connected to the respective lead-out portions; and an insulation layer formed on the one surface of the ceramic body.
US08988852B2

In one embodiment, an apparatus includes a first reference voltage coupled to a first metal layer and a second reference voltage coupled to a second metal layer. A first finger type in the plurality of fingers is coupled to the first metal layer at a first area and coupled to the first metal layer and the second metal layer at a second area. A second finger type in the plurality of fingers is coupled to the second metal layer at the first area and coupled to the first metal layer and the second metal layer at the second area. Also, the first finger type and the second finger type alternately positioned next to each other.
US08988844B2

A drive circuit for an electromagnetic relay having a relay coil and switch contacts, includes a first switching device between a first coil terminal and a first voltage source, a second switching device between a second coil terminal and a zero potential, and a control device producing a current through the coil closing both switching devices. To provide the shortest possible response time and simple and cost-effective construction, a second voltage source is connected through a third switching device to the first coil terminal. The third switching device is connected in parallel with the first switching device, the second voltage source has a higher voltage level than the first voltage source and the control device produces a current through the coil, initially closing all three switching devices and following expiration of a predefined period, opening the third switching device again and keep the first and second switching devices closed.
US08988840B2

Provided is an overcharge prevention circuit for clamping a voltage value of an electric power generation unit in an overcharged state to a constant value, in which the number of elements is small and which does not consume electric power unnecessarily. The overcharge prevention circuit includes: a backflow prevention diode; a clamping transistor having a gate connected to a cathode of the backflow prevention diode, a source connected to an anode thereof, and a drain connected to an overcharge prevention switch. Upon detection of overcharge, a current is discharged via the clamping transistor and the overcharge prevention switch, thereby clamping a potential of the electric power generation unit to around a voltage of an electricity storage unit.
US08988839B2

A block power switch may be embedded with electrostatic discharge (ESD) protection circuitry. A transistor portion of the block power switch may be allocated to act as part of ESD protection circuitry and may be combined with an RC clamp to provide ESD protection. Adaptive body biasing (ABB) may be applied to the block power switch to reduce on-chip area and decrease leakage current of the block power switch.
US08988837B2

A power distribution system includes multiple uniform power distribution modules and multiple uniform mating connectors. A portion of the mating connectors are connected to the power distribution modules directly and the remainder are connected to the power distribution modules via a ground fault interrupt adapter.
US08988833B2

A current-perpendicular-to-the plane magnetoresistive sensor has top and bottom electrodes narrower than the sensor trackwidth. The electrodes are formed of one of Cu, Au, Ag and AgSn, which have an ion milling etch rate much higher than the etch rates for the sensor's ferromagnetic materials. Ion milling is performed at a high angle relative to a line orthogonal to the plane of the electrode layers and the layers in the sensor stack. Because of the much higher etch rate of the material of the top and bottom electrode layers, the electrode layers will have side edges that are recessed from the side edges of the free layer. This reduces the surface areas for the top and bottom electrodes, which causes the sense current passing through the sensor's free layer to be confined in a narrower channel, which is equivalent to having a sensor with narrower physical trackwidth.
US08988832B2

Implementations disclosed herein allow a signal detected by a magnetoresistive (MR) sensor to be improved by providing for a region of reduced anisotropy within a synthetic antiferromagnetic (SAF) shield. The SAF shield includes first and second layers of ferromagnetic material separated by a coupling spacer layer. A distance between the first and second layers of ferromagnetic material is greater in a region proximal to the sensor stack than in a region away from the sensor stack.
US08988831B1

According to an embodiment, a head gimbal assembly includes a support plate, a wiring member, a magnetic head and drive members. A gimbal portion of the wiring member includes a thin metallic plate including a tongue portion mounted with a magnetic head, a proximal end portion fixed to the support plate, support projections, and link portions, an insulating layer including first bridge portions extending from the proximal end portion to the tongue portion, and second bridge portions extending from the proximal end portion to middle portions of the first bridges, and a conducive layer including signal wirings extending to the tongue portion through the second and first bridge portions, and reinforcement wiring portions. The drive members are provided at the first bridge portions.
US08988825B1

A method and system provide a magnetic transducer having an air-bearing surface (ABS) location. An intermediate is provided. The intermediate layer includes a first sublayer and a second sublayer in at least a side shield region. The first sublayer has a first sublayer top. The second sublayer is on the first sublayer top in the shield region. A trench is formed in the intermediate layer using at least one etch. A main pole is provided in the trench. The main pole has a bottom and a top wider than the bottom. The first sublayer top is between the top and the bottom of the main pole. At least a portion of the second sublayer is removed in the shield region. At least one half side shield is provided. A bottom of the at least one half side shield being between the top and the bottom of the main pole.
US08988823B1

A thin-film magnetic head is constructed such that a main magnetic pole layer, a write shield layer, a gap layer, and a thin-film coil are laminated on a substrate. The thin-film magnetic head has a leading shield part opposing the main magnetic pole layer on the substrate side of the main magnetic pole layer, a substrate side shield part comes in contact with the leading shield part. The thin-film coil has a substrate side coil layer disposed between the main magnetic pole layer and the substrate. In the thin-film magnetic head, the spaces to the substrate about a leading lower end face of the leading shield part, a shield upper end face of the substrate side shield part, and coil upper end face of the substrate side coil layer are formed to be equal to each other. Further, a depth of the leading shield part is formed to be small than the depth of the substrate side shield part.
US08988815B2

Magnetoresistive (MR) bias is dynamically controlled in a tape drive using a processor device. Median tape head amplitude is monitored during a calibration operation, as measured across all tracks of the tape head, against predetermined thresholds of the tape drive for determining if the median tape head amplitude is below the threshold value. Upon determining the median tape head amplitude is below the threshold value during the calibration operation, a reference MR bias and a MR bias range is dynamically adjusted, during the calibration operation, for increasing the median tape head amplitude.
US08988813B2

A microwave-assisted magnetic recording and reproducing apparatus includes a microwave power generator, a microwave magnetic field generating element, and a thin film magnetic head that may record a data signal in high density in a magnetic recording medium that has a high coercivity. A magnetic recording medium, a magnetic head that records information in the magnetic recording medium, a microwave power generator provided independently of the magnetic head, and a differential signal supply unit used to supply microwave power generated by the microwave power generator as differential signals to a microwave magnetic field generating element provided at the magnetic head are included.
US08988810B1

Track placement on a disk of a Data Storage Device (DSD) including writing test data in a plurality of sectors in a test track on the disk. An adjacent track on the disk is written offset from the test track by an offset distance. Data is read from the test track from an Off-Track Read Capability (OTRC) position outside of the test track. An OTRC value is determined for each sector of the plurality of sectors by varying the OTRC position and determining whether the sector meets a criterion for correctly reading data from the sector. An average OTRC value and a standard deviation are calculated for the plurality of sectors. If it is determined that the average OTRC value is greater than or equal to the predetermined multiple of the standard deviation of the OTRC values, the adjacent track is rewritten at a decreased offset distance.
US08988808B1

The present disclosure includes systems and techniques relating to synchronization for writing to a recording medium. According to an aspect, an apparatus includes: circuitry configured to measure a timing difference based on a servo detect pulse and a write pulse, wherein the servo detect pulse comes from a detection of servo data from a recording medium including pre-defined data positions, and wherein the write pulse comes from a write clock signal used with the recording medium; and circuitry configured to control an adjustment to a phase of the write clock signal based on the timing difference to align the write clock signal with at least a portion of the pre-defined data positions.
US08988803B1

Individual magneto-resistive read elements are connected to the pre-amplifier through a multi-conductor transmission line; one side of each magneto-resistive read element is taken to a single common lead which is also received in the read pre-amplifier. Amplification and bias control are performed by the read pre-amplifier. A low-noise input stage amplifier configuration accommodates a shared common lead in a multi-head environment. Means for independently biasing the magneto-resistive read elements are also provided. Feedback loops are employed to regulate the operating points of the input stages, and to set the potential of the common head terminal. Two-dimensional magnetic recording system testability is enhanced by ability to multiplex any head to a single system output.
US08988797B2

The present disclosure relates to a family of microscopes, each with at least one lens group that includes at least one lens and a lens mount and moves along the optical axis via a drive system for The drive system includes a rotary motor and transmission elements to convert the rotary motion to linear motion to transmit the translational movement to the lens group, and, simultaneously, to prevent rotations of the lens group about the optical axis. In an embodiment, the rotating output shaft of the motor is connected with a screw spindle that engages with a threaded hole machined into the lens mount, so that the lens group is directly moved in a translational manner. The engagement of the screw spindle with the lens mount both effects the translational movement of the lens group and secures the lens group against rotation about the optical axis.
US08988788B2

A zoom lens includes an external frame, a rotary shaft, an internal frame, a lens group and a spring. The internal frame is connected to the external frame via the rotary shaft, so that the internal frame is rotatable relative to the external frame. The lens group is fixed in the internal frame. The spring comprises a deformation part and two extension parts extended from the deformation part, wherein one extension part is propped against the internal frame and inclined at an acute angle relative to the rotary shaft, and the other extension part is propped against the external frame.
US08988780B2

The invention relates to a planapochromatically-corrected immersion microscope objective for high-resolution microscopy applications with changing dispersive immersion conditions, having a plurality of lenses and/or subsystems (T1, T2, T3) comprising lens groups and a corrective function (LA2) for eliminating spherical aberrations. According to the invention, the microscope objective has an additional corrective function (LA1) for eliminating longitudinal chromatic aberrations caused by dispersive changes in the immersion by changing the air gaps between the lenses or gap combinations, wherein the influence on the longitudinal chromatic aberration corresponds to a rotation of the curve s(λ), which describes the color point (s) as a function of the wavelength (λ).
US08988778B2

A color filter array may include a plurality of pixels and control a pass wavelength band of the plurality of pixels using a dichroic filter that passes light of a specific wavelength range and blocks the rest of wavelengths. The pass wavelength band of the plurality of pixels may be adjusted according to a plurality of thicknesses of the dichroic filter. The dichroic filter may be formed by repeatedly forming a layer of titanium dioxide (TiO2) and a layer of silicon dioxide (SiO2).
US08988774B2

This projector includes a laser light generation portion, a projection portion scanning laser light, and a projection screen. The projection screen includes a lens member including a plurality of lens portions splitting the laser light and a diffusion member arranged to be opposed to the lens member, having an incident surface and a diffusion portion. The diffusion portion of the diffusion member is arranged at a position apart by a distance larger than the focal length of the lens member along an optical axis with respect to the optical principal surface of the lens member.
US08988773B2

An optical sighting device and a method of providing magnification in the optical sighting device are disclosed. In one example, the optical sighting device comprises a first telescope including a first focal plane, a second telescope, comprising a first variable power lens group, a second variable power lens group, and a second focal plane positioned between the first and second variable power lens groups, and a rotary optical tumbler comprised of a Galilean telescope configured to rotate into and out of a optical path that extends through the first telescope, the Galilean telescope and the second telescope, the rotation being about an axis disposed relative to the optical path.
US08988770B2

A hybrid optical source that provides an optical signal having a wavelength is described. This hybrid optical source includes an edge-coupled optical amplifier (such as a III-V semiconductor optical amplifier) aligned to a semiconductor reflector (such as an etched silicon mirror). The semiconductor reflector efficiently couples (i.e., with low optical loss) light out of the optical amplifier in a direction approximately perpendicular to a plane of the optical amplifier. A corresponding optical coupler (such as a diffraction grating or a mirror) fabricated on a silicon-on-insulator chip efficiently couples the light into a sub-micron silicon-on-insulator optical waveguide. The silicon-on-insulator optical waveguide couples the light to additional photonic elements (including a reflector) to complete the hybrid optical source.
US08988753B2

An optical filter device having a polarizing beamsplitter, an achromatic polarization manipulator, and at least one dichroic mirror. The polarization manipulator is arranged optically between a first input/output of the polarizing beamsplitter and the dichroic mirror. The polarization manipulator is also constructed in such a way that it effects a 90-degree rotation of a polarization direction of light which a) exits the polarizing beamsplitter at the first input/output, b) traverses the polarization manipulator, c) is reflected by the dichroic mirror, and d) again traverses the polarization manipulator. The optical filter device can also be used as beamsplitter.
US08988752B2

A beam control apparatus for an illumination beam includes an imaging illumination optical unit assembly for imaging an intermediate focus of the illumination beam onto an object field to be illuminated. A control component that influences a beam path of the illumination beam is displaceable in at least one degree of freedom by at least one displacement actuator. A position sensor device of the beam control apparatus detects a position of the intermediate focus. A control device of the beam control apparatus is signal-connected to the position sensor device and the displacement actuator. From an intermediate focus position signal received from the position sensor device, the control device calculates control signals for the displacement actuator and forwards the latter to the displacement actuator for controlling the position of the intermediate focus. This results in a beam control apparatus which makes well-controllable illumination possible together with a simple construction.
US08988748B2

A method for characterizing a colour rendering reprographic apparatus for making an output colour profile comprises the steps of measuring a set of colour values, indicative of output of the colour rendering reprographic apparatus on a predetermined medium and processing these measurement data to profile data that are applicable for creating an output colour profile according to the standards of the International Colour Consortium. The processing step comprises a correction of a measured colour value with a medium compensation value that depends on the medium gray colour value at the same lightness as the measured colour value. The medium gray colour value is a value that results from the application of black colorant on the predetermined medium. The medium compensation value reduces to zero at the lightness of the predetermined medium. The effect of this processing step is that a profile is generated that gives prints that are both free of background colorant and have natural colour rendering.
US08988735B2

An image processing apparatus of one aspect of this invention detects a specific pattern corresponding to a fine pattern in the input image data, and detects pixels corresponding to the specific pattern. Furthermore, the image processing apparatus specifies a pixel, which corresponds to the detected specific pattern, and a degree of juxtaposition color mixture of which does not exhibit a value within a predetermined appropriate range, and executes, for the input image data, image processing (blur processing) for adjusting the degree of juxtaposition color mixture, which represents a color mixture state when dots of respective colors formed using pixel values of respective colors included in the input image data are superposed on each other, of the specified pixel to fall within the predetermined appropriate range.
US08988731B2

A wide-format color printer includes a carriage, an ink carrier (2) disposed on the carriage, a motor (3) for driving the carriage and a guide-rail frame (4). The motor is mounted on the carriage and a motor wheel (3-1) of the motor is fitted to a guide rail (4-1) of the guide-rail frame. An anti-friction strip (6) is disposed on the bottom of the guide rail. The carriage includes a carriage frame (1-1) and a motor holder (1-2). The ink carrier is buckled to a front end face of the carriage frame. The motor is fixed to the motor holder. The motor holder is connected to the carriage frame through an elastic member (5) on the top of the motor holder. The motor of the printer drives directly the carriage frame to move on the guide rail of the guide-rail frame reciprocally. A transmission without a belt or a wire rope is achieved and a stable sliding of the ink carrier during the transmission is ensured, so fitting problems previously caused by belt transmission or wire rope transmission are solved, and thus printing accuracy, printing speed and printing stability are improved.
US08988729B2

A method and system of printing a pharmaceutical label is disclosed. The method and system includes a mechanism for receiving patient prescription information, with is entered into a prescription entry system. The vial size may be calculated based on the patient prescription information. Spacing for printing dosing indicia on a pharmaceutical label is calculated and printed on the pharmaceutical label. The pharmaceutical label may then be applied to a vial, which may include an indexing mechanism to aid tracking of doses.
US08988721B2

A status information communication port for notifying a host apparatus of an error that has occurred during initialization of a printer engine, and a print data communication port for receiving print data sent from the host apparatus are respectively opened at appropriate timings. For example, the status information communication port is opened in response to completion of initialization of an interface, and the print data communication port is opened in response to completion of the initialization of the printer engine.
US08988712B2

A setting value management service apparatus which is communicably connected to at least one image forming apparatus and manages configuration data of the image forming apparatus, comprises: a holding unit configured to hold configuration data of the image forming apparatus; an update unit configured to update configuration data held in the holding unit; and a communication unit configured to transmit/receive configuration data of the image forming apparatus to/from the image forming apparatus, wherein the configuration data contains control information about permission of update, and the communication unit transmits, to the image forming apparatus in accordance with the control information, configuration data, update of which is permitted for the setting value management service apparatus, out of configuration data held in the holding unit.
US08988710B2

This invention is directed to a printing apparatus, in which an extension board for PDL processing is added, capable of reducing a waiting time when returning from the power-saving mode upon reception of PDL data. To realize this, upon receiving PDL data before the extension board is ready for use, the apparatus processes the data by using the PDL processing module on the main board. After initializing the extension board, the apparatus uses the added PDL processing module together with that on the main board. Processing the data in this manner makes it possible to start printing the PDL data without consuming a long wait time.
US08988708B2

A host device is configured to upload a message informing of a status of the image forming apparatus to a network service which allows users to share messages on a website. This allows an administrator of the image forming apparatus device to manage the image forming apparatus, irrespective of time and place, by simply accessing the website of a service server providing the network service, which enables more efficient management of the image forming apparatus.
US08988701B2

A power supply system includes a switching power supply configured to rectify and smooth an AC voltage of an AC power to generate a DC voltage, a controller configured to control the switching power supply to start or stop operating, and a low-capacity power supply comprising a power supply capacity smaller than that of the switching power supply. The low-capacity power supply is configured to supply power to the controller. The power supply system can further include a detecting circuit configured to detect an output voltage of the low-capacity power supply, and a permission circuit configured to permit a startup of the switching power supply when the output voltage detected by the detecting circuit is greater than or equal to a predetermined value.
US08988699B2

There are cases where an OS running on an information processing apparatus cannot automatically prompt the user to enter user input information at the time of an output operation. In such cases, where the user cannot enter user input information at the time of an output operation, a device cannot acquire user input information necessary to output print data.When the information processing apparatus receives an instruction from the device, the information processing apparatus transmits user input information to the device.
US08988697B2

A data processing apparatus, connected to a printing apparatus, that transfers print data to the printing apparatus and performs a status display of the printing apparatus, the data processing apparatus comprising: a first determination unit adapted to determine a processing status of the print data; a second determination unit adapted to determine the presence/absence of a warning status based on a status notified from the print apparatus; and a message display unit adapted to display a warning based on the determination made by the second determination unit, in accordance with the processing status of the print data as determined by the first determination unit.
US08988681B2

A spray sizer is provided that can measure the average droplet size in a spray. The spray sizer first separates a section of the spray for measurement. This section of the spray is passed through an optical droplet counter and the number of the droplets is measured while the droplets are collected after counting. The volume of the collected droplets is determined and it is divided by the total number of the droplets. This provides and average droplet diameter for the spray.
US08988676B2

This apparatus provides a method to enable a borescope to see inside a bore with a brighter image and a less obstructed view. This removable apparatus is essentially an extended coil spring that grips over the forward end of a borescope shaft by compression. The opposite end of this apparatus is connected in the same manner to an opposing light reflector by constricting over the outside surface of a light reflector. As a borescope enters the bore, it emits light forward that is reflected by the light reflector rearward against the viewing surface inside the bore. This apparatus connects the borescope to an opposing reflective surface with an extended thin wire that is partially in view of the borescope, providing minimal obstruction of the viewing area that is seen by the borescope. This apparatus also provides a minimal increase to the outside diameter of the borescope allowing it to fit inside a smaller bore.
US08988673B2

New systems for characterizing laser beams, using measurements performed on light which has been Rayleigh scattered from the beam. Different implementations are used for beam profiling, using images of the Rayleigh scattered light, and for laser beam power measurement, using the integrated Rayleigh scattered light. Both of these implementations can be applied to laser beams having high powers, since the measurements do not require insertion of any element into the beam itself, but rather depend on light scattered laterally from the passing beam. The measurements can thus be termed “non contact” measurements, in contrast to prior art methods which require an element inserted into the beam. The systems use Rayleigh scattering from the laser beam passing through ambient air, such that no special scattering chambers or liquids are required for the measurements. Special cancellation algorithms or filters are used to discriminate from light arising from scattering from dust particles.
US08988663B2

Using a hand-held range finding device to range an object in a field of view is difficult due to user-induced jitter. In particular, user-induced jitter introduces uncertainty as to which object in a field of view is actually ranged. Current approaches attempt to mitigate user-induced jitter by requiring a user to mount the hand-held range finding device onto a stabilizing device (e.g., a tripod). However, such approaches require the user to carry additional equipment. Embodiments of the present disclosure enable the user to visually confirm which object in a field of view is actually ranged during a range finding event by generating a composite image that includes a visual representation of a laser pulse emitted by the range finding device reflecting off an object in the field of view. Advantageously, disclosed embodiments provide true hand-held range finding capabilities without requiring the use of stabilization assistance techniques.
US08988659B2

The invention concerns an opto-electronic device for observing and/or aiming at a scene comprising a target (C), comprising an observation module (1) comprising an image sensor (10) and a stabiliser (11) for a line of sight (100) towards the target (C); and a telemeter (2) comprising a multi-shot pulsed laser (20) for emitting a plurality of outward laser pulses (An) in the direction of the target (C) to be telemetered, and a detector (21) for a plurality of return laser echoes (Rn) reflected by the scene in order to generate an electrical signal for each return laser echo (Rn) in order to effect a measurement of the distance to the target (C), each return laser echo (Rn) corresponding to an outward laser pulse (An); characterised in that it also comprises a sensor (3) of angular movement of the device with respect to the stabilised line of sight (100) in order to determine an angular radius (ρn) of each outward laser pulse (An) with respect to the stabilised line of sight (100); and a selector (4) for processing each electrical signal, corresponding to a return laser echo (Rn), according to the angular radius (ρn) of the corresponding outward laser pulse (An). The invention also concerns a telemetry method implemented on such a device.
US08988656B2

The present invention provides an exposure apparatus which exposes a substrate to light, the apparatus comprising a substrate stage, a position measurement unit configured to measure a position of the substrate stage, a structure configured to support the position measurement unit, a force measurement unit configured to measure a force that acts on the structure, a correction unit configured to correct a command for controlling the position of the substrate stage, based on the measurement value obtained by the force measurement unit, and a correction coefficient, and a calculation unit configured to calculate the correction coefficient based on position deviation information between adjacent shot regions in an evaluation substrate including a plurality of shot regions exposed without correction by the correction unit, and the measurement value obtained by the force measurement unit in exposing each shot region.
US08988655B2

In a substrate stage, when a Y coarse movement stage moves in the Y-axis direction, an X coarse movement stage, a weight cancellation device, and an X guide move integrally in the Y-axis direction with the Y coarse movement stage, and when the X coarse movement stage moves in the X-axis direction on the Y coarse movement stage, the weight cancellation device moves on the X guide in the X-axis direction integrally with the X coarse movement stage. Because the X guide is provided extending in the X-axis direction while covering the movement range of the weight cancellation device in the X-axis direction, the weight cancellation device is constantly supported by the X guide, regardless of its position. Accordingly, a substrate can be guided along the XY plane with good accuracy, even if a member (for example, a surface plate and the like) that has a guide surface large enough to cover the total movement range of the weight cancellation device is not provided.
US08988654B2

Support elements for an optical element and a method for supporting an optical element are disclosed. The disclosure can be used in connection with arbitrary optical apparatuses or optical imaging methods. In particular, the disclosure can be used in connection with the microlithography employed in the manufacture of microelectronic circuits.
US08988653B2

The invention relates to a lithographic apparatus arranged to transfer a pattern from a patterning device onto a substrate, wherein apparatus is operable to measure higher-order distortions and/or image plane deviations of the patterning device, apparatus comprising: a device for transmission image detection; and a processor configured and arranged to model higher-order distortions of the patterning device using signals received from the device for transmission image detection; wherein patterning device has a main imaging field, and a perimeter and apparatus is operable to model higher-order distortions using signals resultant from alignment structures comprised in perimeter and/or in the imaging field.
US08988644B2

A liquid crystal display has its common electrode and pixel electrodes formed on a same substrate where the substrate further includes a plurality of common voltage transmitting lines disposed under both of the common electrode and the pixel electrodes and forming a ladder-like network connected to the common electrode at multiple connection locations for providing the common voltage to the common electrode by way of conduction paths having substantially lower resistivity than the common electrode, whereby an RC delay factor of transmitting the common voltage is reduced.
US08988641B2

A liquid crystal display device includes a pair of substrates of which one substrate is provided with a plurality of scanning lines and a plurality of common wirings, a first insulation film covering the scanning lines, the common wirings, and the one substrate, a plurality of signal lines provided on the first insulation film, a thin film transistor provided near an intersection part of the scanning lines and the signal lines, a lower electrode formed below the first insulation film and connected to the common wirings, a second insulation film formed on surfaces of the thin film transistor, the signal lines, and the first insulation film, and an upper electrode formed on the second insulation film and having a slit, a display region in which the liquid crystal layer is driven by an electric field, and a non-display region that is formed outside the display region.
US08988639B2

A method for fabricating a liquid crystal display device including a TFT substrate having an alignment film formed thereon, an opposing substrate, and a liquid crystal layer sandwiched therebetween. The alignment film on the TFT substrate includes a photolytic polymer made from a first precursor including cyclobutane, and a non-photolytic polymer made from a second precursor. The method includes the steps of depositing a mixture material including the first precursor and the second precursor in which the second precursor settles more on an upper surface of the TFT substrate than the first precursor, imidizing the mixture material, and irradiating the mixture material with ultraviolet light for photo-alignment, and after irradiating, heating the mixture material to form the alignment film.
US08988630B2

The present invention provides a back frame of flat panel display device and a backlight system. The back frame includes primary assembling pieces, secondary assembling pieces, and a bracing piece for fixing a circuit board. The at least two primary assembling pieces are connected through joining and the two primary assembling pieces use different thermally conductive materials. Further, the primary assembling piece includes a joint section that forms a reinforcement structure and a circuit board is mountable and position adjustable through a bracing piece. The present invention also provides a backlight system. The back frame and the backlight system of the present invention have a back frame of simple structure, reduce the expenditure of a back frame mold, facilitate heat dissipation, allow strength of the back frame to meet a desired requirement, improve fixing of circuit board, and save the material used for back frame so as to lower down the manufacturing cost of flat panel display device.
US08988628B2

A coated chassis is disclosed. The chassis can be made from a non-conductive material and can be operable to support a display. A conductive material can be applied to at least a portion of the chassis to form a continuous strip on the chassis frame. The conductive material can further form a closed-loop around the chassis frame. The chassis frame can be included within a device, such as a mobile phone, touchpad, portable computer, portable media player, and the like. The conductive material on the chassis can be coupled to the system ground of the device. Processes for making a coated chassis are also disclosed.
US08988624B2

Disclosed embodiments relate to a thin-film transistor (TFT) for use in a display device. The display device may include a liquid crystal display (LCD) panel having multiple pixels arranged in rows and column, with each row corresponding to a gate line and each column corresponding to a source line. Each of the pixels includes a pixel electrode and a TFT. The TFT may include a metal oxide semiconductor channel between a source and drain. For each TFT, holes may be formed in the gate line in a region beneath the source and/or the drain. The holes may be formed such that the source and drain only partially overlap the holes. The presence of the holes reduces the area of the gate line, which may reduce parasitic capacitance and improve loading. This may provide improved panel performance, which may reduce the appearance of certain visual artifacts.
US08988622B2

An OLED display includes an organic layer formed using a printing method. A method for manufacturing the OLED display includes: forming a pixel circuit on a substrate; forming a planarization layer on the substrate to cover the pixel circuit, where the planarization layer includes heat generation particles; forming a pixel electrode and a pixel defining layer on the planarization layer; forming an organic layer by discharging ink on the pixel electrode and drying the ink by generating heat from the heat generation particles through microwave irradiation; and forming a common electrode on the organic layer.
US08988611B1

A movie production system includes a computer system having machine readable memory and at least one processor executing a plurality of program modules. The computer system includes actor defined scene input data stored on the memory and that defines one or more scenes to be included in a movie produced the computer system. The program modules include a screenplay module, a virtual director module, and a movie compiler module. The screenplay module generates a screenplay that includes a sequence of scenes based on the actor defined scene input data. The virtual director module is in operable communication with movie-making equipment at a movie set where the movie is shot and provides visual and/or audible cues to the actor while acting the screenplay, indicating a change of scenes in the sequence of scenes. The movie compiler module receives video and audio data from the movie-making equipment and compiles the movie.
US08988609B2

A non-transitory computer readable storage medium stores one or more computer programs adapted to cause a processor based system to execute steps that include analyzing an image, identifying one or more faces in the image using a face recognition technique, designating at least one of the identified faces collectively as a first area of interest, and determining whether an insertion area exists in the image where additional content can be inserted without obstructing the first area of interest. Another computer program is adapted to cause a processor based system to execute steps that include determining whether the insertion area can be divided into two or more regions based on color. Methods and processor based apparatuses that perform one or more of these steps are also disclosed.
US08988604B2

The present invention discloses a handheld device and a method for a handheld device to display synchronously with a TV set. The handheld device includes a display management module for converting output display data into data corresponding to a TV set screen resolution and displaying same on the TV set screen, and an output management module for converting the output display data into data corresponding to a handheld device resolution and displaying same on a handheld device screen synchronously with the TV set screen, the handheld device being connected to the TV set via an HDMI cable. A bidirectional synchronous display function is achieved in the present invention.
US08988602B2

A camera module includes a body having recesses in a first datum surface. A filleted edge may join the recesses to the first datum surface. An image sensor is coupled to the body at a known distance from the first datum surface. A movable lens mechanism includes a fixed portion and a movable portion. The fixed portion is coupled to the body. The movable portion includes a lens assembly and protrusions arranged to fit within the recesses in the first datum surface and to define a second datum surface. A resilient stop plate covers the recesses in the first datum surface with an elastic sheet material. A spring may hold the protrusions in contact with the resilient stop plate when the movable lens mechanism is unpowered. The resilient stop plate may include a rigid support plate coupled to the body by heat staking. The elastic sheet material may be viscoelastic.
US08988601B2

A device for imaging system warp correction includes an object including an imaging phantom, the object being configured for placement of the imaging phantom adjacent a scanning interface of a detector, and a mounting cap coupled to the object and configured to be secured to the detector to establish the placement of the imaging phantom adjacent the scanning interface of the detector. The mounting cap includes a plurality of alignment features configured to align the object and the mounting cap.
US08988600B2

A support according to an embodiment is a support that supports a wiring board including a mounting area for an image sensor, a first lead area extending from the mounting area and having a first connection terminal formed therein, and a second lead area extending from the mounting area and having a second connection terminal formed therein.
US08988598B2

An image capture device includes an image sensor having an array of pixels therein, which are configured to receive light reflected from an object during an image capture time interval. A light source is provided, which is configured to project light to the object during at least a portion of the image capture time interval. A control circuit/unit is provided, which is electrically coupled to the image sensor and the light source. This control circuit is configured to drive the light source with signals that cause the light source to project light to the object without interruption during at least a first time interval when all rows of a frame of pixels within the array are being sequentially read and during a second time interval when all rows of the frame of pixels within the array are being sequentially read.
US08988587B2

A zoom lens includes, in order from an object side to an image side, a first lens unit having negative refractive power, a second lens unit having positive refractive power, a third lens unit having negative refractive power, and a fourth lens unit having positive refractive power. During zooming, a distance between every adjacent lens unit from the first to fourth lens units varies. A focal length fw of the entire zoom lens at a wide-angle end, a focal length f1 of the first lens unit, and a focal length f4 of the fourth lens unit are appropriately set according to predetermined mathematical conditions.
US08988572B2

A radiation imaging apparatus includes: a radiation detection unit in which a plurality of photoelectric conversion units to convert radiation signals into charge signals and store the charge signals is located; a storage control unit configured to control the storage of the charge signals executed by the plurality of photoelectric conversion units; a reading control unit configured to control reading of the charge signals stored by the plurality of photoelectric conversion units; and a control unit configured to fix an indefinite potential generated at the radiation detection unit while at least one of the storage control of the charge signals by the storage control unit and the reading control of the charge signals by the reading control unit is not carried out.
US08988569B2

An image pickup unit includes: an image pickup section including a plurality of pixels, each of the pixels including a photoelectric conversion device; and a drive section driving each of the pixels to perform a readout operation, a pre-reset operation, and a main reset operation in this order, the readout operation being intended to read out charge from each of the pixels as a signal, the charge being obtained from the photoelectric conversion device, and the pre-reset operation and the main reset operation being intended to reset the charge in the each of the pixels. The drive section applies a voltage to the photoelectric conversion device, the voltage being different between in the pre-reset operation and in the main reset operation.
US08988566B2

An apparatus includes an image sensor including N image sensor regions arranged thereon. N lens structures are included in a lens array disposed proximate to the image sensor. Each one of the N lens structures is arranged to focus a single image onto a respective one of the N image sensor regions. The N lens structures include a first lens structure having a red color filter, a second lens structure having a green color filter, and a third lens structure having a blue color filter. Each one of the N lens structures includes a glass wafer and a lens formed on the glass wafer. Each one of the red color filter, the green color filter, and the blue color filter is one of coated on the glass wafer underneath the lens and coated over the lens on the glass wafer.
US08988564B2

A digital camera component is described that has a light splitter cube having an entrance face to receive incident light from a camera scene. The cube splits the incident light into first, second, and third color components that emerge from the cube through a first face, a second face, and a third face of the cube, respectively. First, second, and third image sensors are provided, each being positioned to receive a respective one of the color components that emerge from the first, second, and third faces of the cube. Other embodiments are also described and claimed.
US08988563B2

Systems, methods, and devices for dual processing of raw image data by main image processing and alternative image processing capabilities of an electronic device are provided. According to an embodiment, alternative image processing may analyze a first copy of a frame of raw image data before a second copy of the frame of raw image data is processed by main image processing. Thereafter, the main image processing may process the second copy of the frame of raw image. The main image processing may be calibrated based at least in part on the analysis of the first copy of the frame of raw image data.
US08988559B2

An electronic device includes a flash unit, an image sensor and a computing unit. The image sensor captures at least one first image and a second image, and captures a third image with the flash unit. The computing unit mixes the first images and the second image to form a mixed image. Besides, the computing unit integrates the mixed image and the third image to form an integrated image.
US08988544B2

An imaging device includes an imaging element, a RAM, an adding synthesizing unit, and a high dynamic range synthesizing means. The imaging element captures an image of a subject and generates image data. The RAM temporarily stores plural pieces of image data that have been consecutively captured by the imaging element. The adding synthesizing means adds and synthesizes the plural pieces of image data stored in the RAM to generate synthesized image data. The high dynamic range synthesizing means synthesizes one of the plural pieces of image data with the synthesized image data to generate high dynamic range image data and outputs the generated high dynamic range image data.
US08988538B2

An image pickup apparatus includes a plurality of imaging optical systems having different focal lengths and each configured to form an optical image of an object, and a plurality of image sensors having image pickup areas each corresponding to one of the plurality of imaging optical systems and each configured to photoelectrically convert the optical image formed by a corresponding one of the imaging optical systems. The image pickup apparatus is configured to simultaneously capture a plurality of images by controlling the plurality of imaging optical systems and the plurality of image sensors. Each imaging optical system includes a focus lens unit configured to move in focusing and a fixed lens unit that is fixed in the focusing. The image pickup apparatus further includes a focus driver configured to move a plurality of focus lens units by equal moving amounts.
US08988531B2

A method and apparatus for sub-picture based raster scanning coding order. The method includes dividing an image into even sub-pictures, and encoding parallel sub-pictures on multi-cores in raster scanning order within sub-pictures, wherein from core to core, coding of the sub-picture is independent around sub-picture boundaries, and wherein within a core, coding of a sub-picture is at least one of dependent or independent around sub-picture boundaries.
US08988530B2

A reliable and repeatable accuracy of focus measurement device to measure the focus accuracy of cameras. The measurement device includes a frame having a substantially planar front face with a focusing target located thereon, and at least one depth-of-field ruler coupled to the frame with a transverse axis falling within a front face plane and a long axis that is angularly adjustable with respect to the front face plane.
US08988520B2

A method for improving depth for field (DOF) in microscopic imaging, the method comprising combining a sequence of images captured from different focal distances to form an all-focus image, comprising computing a focus measure at every pixel, finding the largest peaks at each position in the focus measure as multiple candidate values and blending the multiple candidates values according to the focus measure to determine the all-focus image.
US08988517B2

A solid-state image pickup apparatus 1A is formed such that M×N (where M
US08988512B2

A playback method of a multimedia content includes: receiving the multimedia content; performing playback upon the multimedia content; detecting a user status and accordingly generating a detection result; and adjusting the playback of the multimedia content when the detection result indicates a change of the user status. A playback apparatus of a multimedia content includes a receiving block, a playback block, and a detecting block. The receiving block is used for receiving the multimedia content. The playback block is coupled to the receiving block, and used for performing playback upon the multimedia content. The detecting block is coupled to the playback block, and used for detecting a user status and accordingly generating a detection result. The playback block adjusts the playback of the multimedia content when the detection result indicates a change of the user status.
US08988506B2

Transcoders are provided for transcoding three-dimensional content to two-dimensional content, and for transcoding three-dimensional content of a first type to three-dimensional content of another type. Transcoding of content may be performed due to user preference, display device capability, bandwidth constraints, user payment/subscription constraints, device loading, and/or for other reason. Transcoders may be implemented in a content communication network in a media source, a display device, and/or in any device/node in between.
US08988498B2

A method for controlling operations of an image display apparatus and shutter glasses are disclosed. The method for controlling an operation of the image display apparatus includes transmitting a signal including information about channels available as a pairing channel to a remote controller in response to key code information of the remote controller received from the remote controller, receiving from the remote controller a signal including information about a channel selected by the remote controller from among the channels available as a pairing channel, establishing the channel selected by the remote controller as a pairing channel of the remote controller, and establishing the pairing channel of the remote controller as a pairing channel of shutter glasses.
US08988488B2

Embodiments of the present invention provide a state transition control method, a multipoint control server, and a videoconferencing system. The method includes: receiving, by a multipoint control server, a conference reservation message, where the conference reservation message carries start time and end time of a reserved conference and an identity of a site centralized control device at a site participating in the reserved conference; and sending a state transition command to the site centralized control device according to the start time and the identity or according to the end time and the identity. In the embodiments of the present invention, through centralized control, in a non-conference state, external devices in a videoconferencing system enter a power-off state, and in a conference state, devices in the videoconferencing system are recovered to a normal working state, thereby improving user experience and reducing power consumption of the videoconferencing system.
US08988486B2

A videoconference system includes a plurality of computers associated with the system to collectively send and receive video data streams. A video encoding program is stored in a memory and is executable by at least a first computer. When executed, the executing computer encodes video data using one or more encoding parameters. A decode information set request monitoring program is stored in a memory and is executable by at least the first computer, causing the first computer to perform the steps of monitoring the network for receipt of a decode information set request message and responding to the received request message by querying the received message for an ID and, if the ID of the received message corresponds to a video data stream generated from the first computer, communicating the corresponding decode information set including the encoding parameters to at least a computer that transmitted the message.
US08988483B2

In accordance with the present invention, there is provided a remote video conferencing system which is specifically suited for use in a medical environment. The video conferencing system comprises an elongate, primary support structure such as a pole which is outfitted with castors or similar structures to allow for the selective positioning thereof in any prescribed location within an operating room. Attached to an upper region of the pole is at least one remote controlled video camera which preferably includes a laser pointer operatively coupled thereto. During a surgical procedure, the remotely located manufacturer's representative or other medical professional is able to use the internet to remotely control the video camera, and hence the laser pointer coupled thereto.
US08988481B2

In a communication environment where a voice bearer is established between a multimedia terminal of a first user and a voice terminal of a second user to allow voice communications between the first and second users, the present invention allows the second user to gain access to video content of the first user through a web session.
US08988473B2

Under a normal environment, when red, green and blue displays are to be performed, the displays are performed singly by a red pixel, a green pixel and a blue pixel respectively, and under a high-illuminance environment, when the red display is to be performed, the display is performed by also shining the pixels other than the red pixel simultaneously, when the green display is to be performed, the display is performed by also shining the pixels other than the green pixel simultaneously, and when the blue display is to be performed, the display is performed by also shining the pixels other than the blue pixel simultaneously, thereby increasing the luminance of a screen. In this case, although the chromaticity of each color is lowered, since the luminance works more predominantly on the image quality under the high-illuminance environment than the chromaticity, image quality degradation does not occur.
US08988472B2

A scan driving device and a driving method thereof are disclosed. The scan driving device includes a plurality of scan driving blocks, and each of the plurality of scan driving blocks includes a first transistor configured to transfer a clock signal inputted to a first clock signal input terminal to a first node according to a first input signal inputted to a first input signal input terminal; a second transistor configured to transfer a first power source voltage to a second node according to a voltage of the first node; and a third transistor configured to transfer the clock signal inputted to the first clock signal input terminal to an output terminal connected to a scan line according to the voltage of the fourth node. The scan driving blocks may also include a plurality of capacitor configured to store and/or change voltage at a plurality of nodes.
US08988469B2

Disclosed is an image display device and its driving method, which facilitates to improve partial luminance in an image-display area by a local dimming method to partially control a backlight unit according to a display image, and simultaneously to reduce power consumption.
US08988464B2

A multi-layered augmented reality system and method may extract a target object and a background from an image frame, may track the target object and the background, may apply different coordinate systems to a first virtual object corresponding to the target object and a second virtual object corresponding to the background, and may independently control the first virtual object and the second virtual object.
US08988463B2

A method for overlaying first and second images in a common focal plane of a viewer comprises forming the first image and guiding the first and second images along an axis to a pupil of the viewer. The method further comprises adjustably diverging the first and second images at an adaptive diverging optic to bring the first image into focus at the common focal plane, and, adjustably converging the second image at an adaptive converging optic to bring the second image into focus at the common focal plane.
US08988455B2

A reference character is generated by combining part objects prepared for each site. At least one candidate character object is generated by changing at least one part object among the part objects used in the reference character object. The reference character object and the candidate character object are displayed by a display device, and an input for selection from a user is accepted. Next, a site for which different part objects are used between the selected character object and the reference character object is determined. A new character object is generated by changing the part object used for the determined site with priority. The selected character object is displayed as the reference character, and the newly generated character is displayed as the candidate character.
US08988451B2

A display apparatus and an image correction method of the same are disclosed. The display apparatus includes a plurality of display panels; a sensing unit which senses a display characteristic of an image displayed on the display panels; and an image correction unit which generates non-uniformity correction data corresponding to a plurality of areas included in each of the display panels based on the display characteristic, interpolates non-uniformity correction data corresponding to a boundary area being in contact with a different display panel using non-uniformity correction data corresponding to a neighbor area adjacent to the boundary area, and corrects the image displayed on the display panels based on the generated and interpolated non-uniformity correction data.
US08988447B2

A method and apparatus are provided to generate automatically a mip-map chain of texture images from a portion of texture image data such that it may be used in texturing a computer graphic image. A portion of the texture image data is stored temporarily and is filtered to generate at least one lower level of mip-map data from the texture data. This lower level of mip-map texture image data is then stored for use in texturing. Preferably these are stored on a tile-by-tile basis where a tile is a rectangular area of the image being displayed.
US08988443B2

A display controller reads blocks of data from a frame buffer and stores them in a local memory buffer of the display controller before outputting the blocks of data to a display. The display controller uses similarity meta-data associated with the output frame in the frame buffer to determine whether a new block of data to be processed for display is similar to a block of data already stored in the local memory of the display controller or not. If it is determined that the data block to be processed is similar to a data block already stored in the local buffer of the display controller, the display controller does not read a new data block from the frame buffer but instead provides the existing data block in its buffer to the display.
US08988434B1

A system and method for rendering text data in web applications is provided that eliminates redundant processing. Constant resources are pre-computed and work is offloaded from the central processing unit to the graphics processing unit. This is generally accomplished by pre-computing before any rendering. A generic index vertex buffer object is created, and for each font, a glyph texture object and glyph position texture object are created. A frame including text is then rendered in which a glyph string texture object is created. For each character, a glyph index-to-texture and glyph offset to-texture is appended. A glyph texture, glyph position texture and glyph string texture are then bound, and the generic index vertex buffer object using a custom vertex shader is rendered.
US08988432B2

An image such as a depth image of a scene may be received, observed, or captured by a device. The image may then be processed. For example, the image may be downsampled, a shadow, noise, and/or a missing potion in the image may be determined, pixels in the image that may be outside a range defined by a capture device associated with the image may be determined, a portion of the image associated with a floor may be detected. Additionally, a target in the image may be determined and scanned. A refined image may then be rendered based on the processed image. The refined image may then be processed to, for example, track a user.
US08988427B2

Provenance techniques are disclosed for managing a history of a meeting. For example, a method for managing a history associated with a meeting comprises the following steps. Data associated with the meeting is collected. Provenance data is generated based on at least a portion of the collected data, wherein the provenance data is indicative of a lineage of one or more data items. A provenance graph is generated that defines a visual representation of the generated provenance data, wherein graph elements comprise one or more nodes and one or more edges between nodes, wherein nodes of the graph represent records associated with the collected data and edges of the graph represent relations between the records. One or more applications are associated with at least one graph element and are selectable to invoke functionality. The generated provenance graph is stored in a repository for use in analyzing the meeting.
US08988424B2

There is provided an image processing apparatus. The image processing apparatus generates a plurality of viewpoint images from an input image signal formed by a two-dimensional image signal such that a signal difference between viewpoints is a predetermined value, and both of two viewpoint images where the signal difference between viewpoints is equal to twice the predetermined value form a left eye image and a right eye image for realizing three-dimensional stereoscopic vision.
US08988418B1

A system and method for the aesthetic design of a modular assemblage, comprising means for providing a client graphic user interface for receiving an input for defining parameters of the modular assemblage, and for presenting an image of the defined modular assemblage; communicating a code to a server representing the defined parameters; at the server, in dependence on the communicated code, defining a set of graphic elements corresponding to the defined modular assemblage; communicating the graphic elements from the server to the client; and displaying, at the client, the graphic elements received from the server to represent the defined modular assemblage.
US08988409B2

Methods and devices for reducing the voltage required to update an array of display elements having variable capacitance are described herein. In one implementation, the method includes driving a display element to a first state using a reset drive line. The method further includes driving the display element to a second state using a column drive line. The capacitance of the display element is higher in the first state than in the second state.
US08988404B2

A display device includes a display panel including data lines, a source driver positioned at one side of the display panel, and a timing controller which sequentially stores digital video data in a plurality of line memories, starts to generate an output data enable signal in conformity with a first writing start timing of a last line memory of the line memories, adjusts a pulse width of the output data enable signal of each horizontal pixel line based on a previously determined charge time graph, reads out the digital video data from the line memories in synchronization with rising edges of the output data enable signal, and generates a source output enable signal having the same pulse width each time each line memory finishes reading out the data.
US08988400B2

To provide a display device and a driving method thereof, where variations in the threshold voltage of transistors can be compensated and thus variations in luminance of light-emitting elements can be suppressed. In a first period, initialization is performed; in a second period, a voltage based on the threshold voltage of a first transistor is held in first and second storage capacitors; in a third period, a voltage based on a video signal voltage and the threshold voltage of the first transistor is held in the first and second storage capacitors; and in a fourth period, voltages held in the first and second storage capacitors are applied to a gate terminal of the first transistor to supply a current to a light-emitting element, so that the light-emitting element emits light. Through the operation process, a current obtained by compensating variations in the threshold voltage of the first transistor can be supplied to the light-emitting element, thereby variations in luminance can be suppressed.
US08988397B2

A display control apparatus which can prevent calibration caused by a user's erroneous operation in normal use, and correct for a coordinate deviation beyond the scope of assumption. Transformation of touch input is performed to obtain detected coordinates using a transformation coefficient. When the detected coordinates are obtained inside a first range defined in advance, the detected coordinates are obtained as calibration coordinates. When the detected coordinates are obtained outside the first range, the relationship between the previous detected coordinates and the present detected coordinates is obtained, and whether or not the relationship satisfies a specific condition determined in advance is determined. When the number of times the specific condition is satisfied reaches a predetermined number of times, a plurality of detected coordinates obtained outside the first range are obtained as calibration coordinates. A calibration process is performed to update the transformation coefficient based on the calibration coordinates.
US08988396B2

One particular implementation conforming to aspects of the present disclosure takes the form of an input device for a computing system. The input device includes a input surface on which one or more input characters are shown and one or more sensors to detect which input character is pressed or selected by the user. In one example, the input device may include one or more piezo-electric sensors that detect an acoustic pulse created when the user taps on the input surface to indicate a selected input. Each character of the input surface of the input device creates a different acoustic pulse signature when tapped such that, upon detection and receiving of the acoustic pulse at the piezo-electric sensors, the input device or computer system may compare the received pulse to a database of stored pulse signatures to determine which character on the surface of the input device was tapped by the user.
US08988386B2

An apparatus, method and computer program product provide a simplified method for unlocking an electronic device that uses soft keys, such as capacitive touch keys, or proximity detection areas and patterns. The keys may be implemented in the form of areas of a sensor, and a processing circuit observes a touch pattern (or proximity pattern, or characteristic pattern such as a capacitance pattern of a user's finger) and compares the same with the registered pattern to determine if there is a likeness. In doing so, the electronic device is operated at a low power state, and in that low power state observes whether a predetermined pattern is observed and when it is, unlocks the electronic device for interaction with a user at a fully operational state.
US08988385B2

Disclosed are a touch panel driving apparatus and a display device including the same, which lead to the enhancement of sensing sensitivity. The touch panel driving apparatus includes a touch control unit and a touch sensing unit. The touch sensing unit is connected to the receiving lines, and generates the digital touch information on the basis of change of a capacitance between two transmitting lines and one receiving line or generates the digital touch information on the basis of change of a capacitance of each of the receiving lines to supply the digital touch information to the touch control unit, according to the sensing control signal.
US08988378B2

A touch device and a driving method thereof are provided. A scanning line driving frequency of the touch device is switched according to a plurality of preset driving frequency setting data groups, so as to prevent misjudgment of a touched position caused by electromagnetic noise.
US08988377B2

Method, computer program product and user device for searching implemented at the user device, wherein an input is received from a user via a touch screen of the user device. Without user initiation of a temporary character recognition mode specifically to receive the input, the input is analyzed using character recognition. Responsive to the character recognition recognizing at least one character in said received input, a search mode is invoked in which one or more search results which at least partially match the at least one recognized character are displayed. The user may select one of the displayed search results.
US08988371B2

Embodiments of this invention provide touch panel display, touchscreen and their producing method. In an embodiment, the touch panel display comprises a display and a touchscreen, which comprises two substrates, whose surface respectively comprise sensing patterns. In addition, conductive circuits are arranged at one of the two substrates, to connect the sensing patterns by direct or indirect manner.
US08988370B2

A liquid crystal panel comprises a first substrate (11) and a second substrate (21) facing each other. A polarizer (30) is adhered to one side of the first substrate (11) orientated away from the second substrate (21). The liquid crystal panel further comprises a touch type input structure which is adhered on the outer surface of the polarizer (30) orientated away from the first substrate (11) to identify a touch signal; and an electromagnetic type antenna array at least comprising a first-direction conductive wire (51) and a second-direction conductive wire (52). The first-direction conductive wire (51) and the second-direction conductive wire (52) are respectively made of conductive material, and are formed on any one film between the first substrate (11) and the second substrate (21). The antenna array is used to identify an electromagnetic signal.
US08988366B2

A technique for integrating a multi-touch surface into a desktop environment is disclosed. One or more multi-touch display devices are placed on the horizontal surface surrounding or beneath a keyboard or mouse. At least one region on the multi-touch surface is defined to display one or more user interface tools on the multi-touch surface. The one or more user interface tools displayed via the multi-touch surface may control or display information associated with desktop applications displayed via a primary display device.
US08988357B2

A device may include an instrument-enabled user interface. The device may also include a switch to at least partially enable operations associated with user input via the user interface. Triggering of the switch may be based on a relative positioning of the instrument.
US08988354B2

Embodiments of the invention are directed to an input device comprising a processor configured to operate the input device in one of a plurality of modes of operation, a plurality of buttons, and a housing configured to receive and secure a display device. The housing is configurable in a plurality of positions relative to the plurality of buttons, where at least a portion of the plurality of buttons operates in one of the plurality of modes of operation based, at least in part, on a position of the plurality of positions of the housing relative to the plurality of buttons.
US08988353B2

Provided are a method and related mobile device for editing, in an integrated, convenient and quick manner, various menu pages selectively used for a home screen. In response to a given input signal, the mobile device outputs a page edit screen including a specific page displayed on the home screen. Then, in response to subsequent input signals, the mobile device may add a new page, delete a selected page, change a title of a selected page, move or remove a selected icon in a page, change a background image of a selected page, or change a positional order of pages.
US08988351B2

An input device includes a substrate, a key top, a magnet, magnetic sensors, and electromagnetic converters. The substrate includes first and second surfaces. The key top is arranged on a first surface side, slides from a reference position in directions parallel to the substrate, and moves in a perpendicular direction. The magnet is fixed on a substrate side, and moves together with the key top. The magnetic sensors are fixed on the second surface, are respectively arranged apart in different directions parallel to the substrate, and detect a position of the magnet. The electromagnetic converters are fixed on the second surface, are respectively arranged apart in different directions parallel to the substrate, are arranged at positions different from the magnetic sensors, and generate magnetic force in a direction in which the magnet is away from the substrate in the perpendicular direction, in accordance with a supply of electrical power.
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