US09142976B2
A wireless power transmission device includes a main body and a position-limiting plate. The main body includes a triggering button. The triggering button is located at a first side of the main body. The position-limiting plate is located at a second side of the main body and movable relative to the main body. When an electronic device is placed on the main body and contacted with the triggering button, the triggering button issues an enabling signal to the position-limiting plate. In response to the enabling signal, the position-limiting plate is moved toward the main body in order to fix the electronic device on the main body. In a case that an electric current provided to the triggering button is interrupted, the triggering button stops issuing the enabling signal. Consequently, the position-limiting plate is moved away from the main body and separated from the electronic device.
US09142967B2
A modular photovolataic (PV) array system includes a PV array installed onto a fleet vehicle such as a trailer, bus etc., a host control system into which a plurality of fleet vehicles can connect to collectively generate electricity, and a subscriber system which collectively tracks energy generation and allocates respective contributions to the system.
US09142960B2
A converter unit to improve overall recovered power in a photovoltaic array configuration. Each photovoltaic panel in the photovoltaic array may be coupled to a respective converter unit, which may include a controller to sense an output voltage and output current produced by the solar panel, and manage the output voltage of a corresponding power converter to optimize and regulate the resultant bus voltage to a point which reduces overall system losses, maintains a low loss condition, and removes series-string non-idealities when the panels are series connected. The controller may also adapt to output condition constraints. Instead of single-port regulation, a combination of input voltage and output voltage management and regulation may be performed within the converter. The source voltage and current characteristic may be shaped to correspond to an optimized power curve at the desired bus voltage to allow MPPT tracking according to the DC voltage bus. The optimized power curve may be tracked to hold the DC-bus voltage at the desired operating point.
US09142957B2
To reduce power loss in an intermediate bus architecture power system, embodiments of the present invention provide an intermediate bus converter which converts an input voltage to an intermediate bus voltage using a converting unit; receives a signal indicative of an output of a converting unit; determines an intermediate bus voltage to reduce power loss in dependence upon the signal indicative of an output of the converting unit; generates a control signal to control the converting unit to convert the input voltage to the determined intermediate bus voltage; and generates an intermediate bus voltage in dependence upon the control signal.
US09142955B2
Systems and methods for a fault protection are provided that can be implemented in a hybrid electric vehicle (HEV) to limit the magnitude of a current that flows when an AC-to-chassis fault (ACF) occurs between an AC connection and the chassis of the HEV. An electric machine having a winding, an inverter sub-module (ISM) having a first switch and a second switch, and fault protection elements (FPEs), coupled to the ISM, are provided. The winding is coupled to the ISM coupled via the AC connection. The FPEs can include, for example, first and second inductances. To limit the magnitude of the current, the current can be passed along a first current path that includes the second inductance when the first switch is closed, and can be passed along a second current path that includes the first inductance when the second switch is closed.
US09142954B2
An ESD protection system includes an ESD leakage bus and an ESD protection circuit having one of its terminals connected to the ESD leakage bus. The ESD protection circuit includes at least a pair of amorphous silicon thin film transistors which are connected in a back-to-back manner, and a first shading layer is provided over the channels of the pair of amorphous silicon thin film transistors. When the ESD protection system is applied to an X-ray flat panel detector, no photocurrent will occur during the use of the X-ray flat panel detector, the effect of the photocurrent on the voltage of the scan line is reduced. Further, when the first shading layer is connected to a negative fixed potential, it can be ensured that the ESD protection circuit has small threshold voltage while the leakage current in the ESD protection circuit is reduced, and power consumption is reduced.
US09142951B2
Disclosed herein is a device comprising a protection circuit configured to protect against a polarity reversal of the input DC power supply voltage, the protection circuit comprising an N-channel main transistor having a source coupled to an input terminal and having a drain coupled to an output terminal, a command circuit configured to render the main transistor blocked in the event of a polarity reversal and conducting otherwise, and a control circuit configured to dynamically adjust the bias of substrate regions of respective components connected to the main transistor by connecting the substrate regions either to the source or to the drain of the main transistor according to the value of the voltages present at the source and the drain of the main transistor and the type of conductivity of the substrate regions.
US09142945B2
An insulated glazing unit is provided. The unit includes a spacer frame separating a pair of substrates. The spacer frame has a length and a width transverse to the length. The unit further includes a conductive element passing through the width of the spacer frame. The unit further includes a first conductive component within the spacer frame. The first conductive component is in electrical communication with the conductive element. The conductive element is adapted for electrical communication with a second conductive component on a side of the width of the spacer frame opposite the first conductive component.
US09142937B2
A lasing wavelength of a laser diode is determined by applying a forward current to the p-n junction of the laser diode and measuring a voltage across the p-n junction. The lasing wavelength can be determined by performing a simple wavelength calibration of the laser diode. This allows one to stabilize the lasing wavelength, and also to use the laser diode as a reference wavelength source.
US09142935B2
A method and device for emitting electromagnetic radiation using semipolar or nonpolar gallium containing substrates is described where the backside of the substrate includes multiple scribes that reduce stray light leaking.
US09142924B2
A surface mount coaxial cable connector comprising a generally elongate block. A channel extends between the proximate and remote ends for receiving a coaxial cable and includes an upstream larger diameter channel and a downstream, smaller diameter channel for receiving with little clearance the central conductor after the shield and the outer layer have been removed. The lower surface of the block is provided with slots extending from the lower surface to the stepped channel. One slot is arranged along said central plane and aligned with the central conductor within the smaller diameter channel and two slots are offset from the central plane. A plurality of piercing blade contacts within the slot extend beyond said lower surface that have extended piercing contact portions with opposing free edges suitable for surface mounting on a printed circuit board.
US09142922B2
A connector includes a cage that has two side walls, a top cover and a rear wall that are combined to form a hollow enclosure. The enclosure is separated into two module-receiving bays by at least one spacer with a top and bottom wall that extends between the sidewalls to form a central portion between a top and bottom bay, the central portion acting as an air passage between a front face and the sides of the connectors. Air openings are formed in the sidewalls of the cage assembly and they communicate with the central portion. The bottom wall of the spacer is provided with a large opening that extends a substantial distance of module-receiving bay and provides an air flow path from the air openings to the bottom module-receiving bay. An insert with apertures in communication with the central portion can be positioned.
US09142916B2
A connector assembly which has a housing and a cover. The housing has a connector mating face and a cover mating face. The cover is removably attached to the housing. The cover has a wire receiving cavity with an opening at the end of the cavity. One or more receptacle carrier receiving cavities extend through respective openings on either side of the housing, thereby allowing one or more receptacle carriers to be inserted into the respective receptacle receiving cavities through the respective openings on either side of the housing. The cover can be positioned on the housing in different orientations.
US09142912B1
This patent pertains to magnetic coupling systems. One implementation includes magnetic jumper cables, which include magnetic couplers and elongate, insulated, electrically-isolated electric conductors.
US09142906B2
A power plug for connecting with a power outlet includes at least two metal connecting poles, two outputting cavities, and two conductive resilient sheets. The two outputting cavities are defined in a lower case of the power plug to connect an external device. The two conductive resilient sheets are received within an inner space of the power plug. The at least two metal connecting poles pass through an exterior surface of the power plug into the internal space to form two connecting terminals. Each of the conductive resilient sheets is connected between one of the two connecting terminals and a corresponding outputting cavity to transport electrical power from the power jack to the external device.
US09142899B2
A power backfeed apparatus includes a housing configured be removably positioned in a compartment of a motor control center (MCC), a contact assembly supported by the housing and comprising at least one contact configured to face a corresponding at least one power conductor of the MCC when the housing is disposed in the compartment and a power cable connector supported by the housing and configured to support connection of an external power cable thereto when the housing is disposed in the compartment, the power cable connector configured to be electrically coupled to the at least one contact of the contact assembly. A contact engagement mechanism forces the at least one contact into contact with the at least one power conductor to electrically couple the at least one contact and the at least one power conductor.
US09142895B2
A coaxial connector assembly includes an outer housing holding an outer contact, a dielectric holder received in the outer contact, and a center contact received in the dielectric holder. The dielectric holder has a front and a cavity extending axially along the dielectric holder bounded by a cavity wall. The dielectric holder has an expansion slot formed in the cavity wall offset from, and proximate to, the front. The center contact has a socket at a mating end configured to receive a pin contact of a mating connector assembly. The center contact has deflectable beams at the mating end configured to deflect outward when mated with the pin contact. The center contact has flared tip ends at the distal ends of the beams. The flared tip ends are received in the expansion slot when the deflectable beams are deflected outward during mating with the pin contact.
US09142883B2
An attaching method of attaching a film-like member shaped like a plane face to a member having a surface shaped like a curved face including a first step of determining, by an analysis, a region where stress higher than that in a case where the film-like member is shaped like the plane face is generated when the film-like member is attached to the member shaped like the curved face, a second step of forming a slit at the region where the stress higher than that in the case where the film-like member is shaped like the plane face is generated, and a third step of attaching the film-like member having the formed slit to the member having the surface shaped like the curved face.
US09142882B2
A spiral, helical antenna is configured to produce a generally circular polarized radiation pattern covering a range of frequencies, over a ground plane. The antenna is comprised of a spring-like spiral conductor that may be held in compression by a size and shape regulating outer nonconductive membrane. The assembly may be compressed and or extended to adjust the antenna for best performance in a particular situation. The assembly may be compressed into a generally flattened state for storage and or transportation, and extended at a later time for use. Accurate antenna dimensions and good performance are afforded by the use of high quality spring materials in conjunction with precise membrane dimensions.
US09142873B1
One or more access points in a wireless communication system, wherein at least one of those access points includes a set of more than one antennae capable of concurrent communication, and at least one of those more than one antennae is isolated from a remainder of that set of antennae during concurrent communication. Isolation includes one or more of disposed a first antenna in a null region of a second antenna, disposing a first antenna to communicate polarized and substantially orthogonal to a second antenna, disposing a set of antennae to communicate at two or more carrier frequencies, wherein each first antenna adjacent to a second antenna operate at distinct such carrier frequencies, or disposing a set of antennae to communicate using two or more substantially distinct protocols, wherein substantially each first antenna adjacent to a second antenna operate at substantially distinct such protocols.
US09142871B2
Embodiments of the present disclosure disclose an inner connecting element of a cavity power divider, the cavity power divider and a manufacturing method thereof. Two ends of the inner connecting element of the cavity power divider are respectively an input end and an output end, and the inner connecting element of the cavity power divider is in a sheet form. The cavity power divider comprises a cavity and at least three connectors. The cavity is provided with one connector at an input end thereof and with at least two connectors at an output end thereof. The connecting element is included in the cavity, with the input end and the output end of the connecting element being connected respectively with the connectors at the input end and the output end of the cavity.
US09142866B2
A system and method for the rapid exchange of batteries in an electric vehicle. The electric vehicle contains a removable battery housed in the vehicle's undercarriage. The electric vehicle moves through the exchange system either by propelling itself or by being propelled by the system. As the vehicle is propelled forward, the removable battery within the vehicle is unlocked from the vehicle and replaced with a charged battery. The charged battery forces the removable battery out of the rear of the vehicle as the vehicle moves forward through the exchange. The vehicle remains powered throughout the exchange process. Once the charged battery is aligned in position under the vehicle and connected to the vehicle through corresponding contacts, the charged battery is located into place in the vehicle's undercarriage and the vehicle is ready for additional driving.
US09142855B2
Disclosed is an electrolyte for an electrochemical device. The electrolyte includes a composite of a plastic crystal matrix electrolyte doped with an ionic salt and a crosslinked polymer structure. The electrolyte has high ionic conductivity comparable to that of a liquid electrolyte due to the use of the plastic crystal, and high mechanical strength comparable to that of a solid electrolyte due to the introduction of the crosslinked polymer structure. Further disclosed is a method for preparing the electrolyte. The method does not essentially require the use of a solvent. Therefore, the electrolyte can be prepared in a simple manner by the method. The electrolyte is suitable for use in a cable-type battery whose shape is easy to change due to its high ionic conductivity and high mechanical strength.
US09142852B2
The present invention relates generally to a process that helps alleviate the pH gradient between anode and cathode compartments in any biological fuel cell or electrolytic cell configuration in which a pH gradient between anode and cathode is limiting the voltage efficiency. By providing acid to the cathode compartment in the form of CO2, the pH gradient is reduced and voltage efficiency and power output are increased. In one embodiment, carbon dioxide produced in the anode chamber is recycled to the cathode chamber.
US09142850B2
Provided are a tri-block copolymer and an electrolyte membrane prepared therefrom. The tri-block copolymer has a structure of polar moiety-containing copolymer block/non-polar moiety-containing copolymer block/polar moiety-containing copolymer block, or non-polar moiety-containing copolymer block/polar moiety-containing copolymer block/non-polar moiety-containing copolymer block, and is useful for an electrolyte membrane for fuel cells. The electrolyte membrane for fuel cells prepared from the tri-block copolymer exhibits superior dimensional stability and excellent fuel cell performance.
US09142847B2
A method for distributing power includes identifying a value of a variable in a fuel cell system, where the fuel cell system is configured to provide electrical power to a load. Based at least in part on the identified value of the variable, it is determined that the variable has exceeded a threshold. A first portion of the electrical power is determined for use in correcting the variable, and the first portion of the electrical power is used to correct the variable.
US09142845B2
Systems and methods are provided for fuel cell stack heat treatment. An eductor may be used to recycle air into the air inlet stream or to recycle fuel into the fuel inlet stream. An eductor may also be used to exhaust air away from the furnace. The stack heat treatment may include stack sintering or conditioning. The conditioning may be conducted without using externally supplied hydrogen.
US09142837B2
A separator-type lithium ion secondary battery having large capacity and charge-discharge performance not destroying the separator, even with an active material layer having concavo-convex structure of high aspect ratio. The battery comprises a first electrode comprising a first current collector, and a first active material layer formed by plural convex first active material parts provided on the first current collector, a second electrode comprising a second current collector, and a second active material layer formed by plural convex second active material parts provided on the second current collector, and a separator provided between the first electrode and the second electrode, wherein the first electrode and the second electrode are integrated so that the convex first active material part is faced between the adjacent convex second active material parts, and the convex first active material part does not enter between the convex second active material parts.
US09142821B2
Disclosed are an improved electrode assembly which may allow an electrode plate to be more easily impregnated with an electrolyte and also ensure gas to be easily discharged, and a secondary battery having the electrode assembly. The electrode assembly includes at least one cathode plate formed by coating an electrode current collector with a cathode active material, at least one anode plate formed by coating an electrode current collector with an anode active material, and a separator interposed between the cathode plate and the anode plate and having at least one vent formed therein.
US09142817B2
The present invention relates to a battery separator including: a porous substrate; and a layer of a crosslinked polymer supported on at least one surface of the porous substrate, in which the crosslinked polymer is obtained by reacting (a) a reactive polymer having, in the molecule thereof, a first reactive group containing active hydrogen and a second reactive group having cationic polymerizability with (b) a polycarbonate urethane prepolymer terminated by an isocyanate group.
US09142810B2
In a rechargeable battery, a case is combined with an upper surface of a bare cell by being fixed to a lead plate electrically coupling a protection circuit board of a protection circuit module to the bare cell. Alternatively, the case is combined with the bare cell by being fixed to the protection circuit board so as not to be separated from the bare cell, thereby improving the reliability of the products.
US09142808B2
The organic light-emitting display device includes: a substrate including a transistor region; and a thin-film transistor formed over the transistor region of the substrate and having a planarization film which is disposed over a source/drain electrode and a pixel defining layer which includes an aperture exposing a portion of a first electrode electrically connected to the source/drain electrode and defining a pixel region, wherein an outgassing hole is formed in a region of the pixel defining layer other than the aperture to expose the planarization film.
US09142804B2
An organic light-emitting device including a barrier layer that includes a silicon oxide layer and a silicon-rich silicon nitride layer. The organic light-emitting device includes a flexible substrate that includes a barrier layer and plastic films disposed under and over the barrier layer. The barrier layer includes a silicon-rich silicon nitride layer and a silicon oxide layer. The order in which the silicon-rich silicon nitride layer and the silicon oxide layer are stacked is not limited and the silicon oxide layer may be first formed and then the silicon-rich silicon nitride layer may be stacked on the silicon oxide layer. The silicon-rich silicon nitride layer has a refractive index of 1.81 to 1.85.
US09142800B2
A composite material for LED's is provided. The composite material has a coating comprising scattering particles with an index of refraction greater than 1.6.
US09142796B2
Disclosed is an organic light emitting diode display device in which at least one lateral surface of an encapsulation substrate is inclined to prevent disconnection of a film connected to a pad, thereby achieving a narrow bezel and enhanced reliability. The display device includes a substrate, an organic light emitting diode array including a thin film transistor arranged on the substrate and an organic light emitting diode connected to the thin film transistor, a pad disposed on the substrate and configured to receive a drive signal to drive the organic light emitting diode array, an encapsulation substrate bonded to the substrate to face each other so as to cover the organic light emitting diode array, and a film connected to the pad and provided with a drive chip thereon. At least one lateral surface of the encapsulation substrate is inclined.
US09142790B2
According to example embodiments, a photodiode includes a photoelectric layer on a first electrode, a second electrode on the photoelectric layer, and a first phosphorescence layer on the second electrode.
US09142787B2
The invention relates to ecosustainable and biocompatible, low cost, ambient friendly electronic and optoelectronic devices, such as transistors and light-emitting transistors, made with silk fibroin or blended with other biopolymers, methods for fabrication and methods of using the silk-based electronics and optoelectronics. The silk-based electronics and optoelectronics can be implanted in vivo and in vitro for biomedical applications, such as for drug discovery or drug screening assays and devices. The silk-based devices may be used in the food industry and embedded in packaging for tracking and sensing, for security purposes or exploited as disposable not harmful for the environment efficient general electronic and optoelectronic devices.
US09142784B2
The present invention relates to a highly efficient carbazole-based compound and to an organic electroluminescence device including the same. According to the present invention, provided are a compound for an organic electroluminescence device and an organic electroluminescence device including the compound, in which a carbazole-based phosphine oxide compound, which is a compound intended for an organic electroluminescence device, is employed to overcome the problems of conventional compounds for organic electroluminescence devices, i.e. those of instable thermal stability and low efficiency, and particularly, the compound of the present invention exhibits superior efficiency in pure-blue phosphorescent devices.
US09142782B2
Composition having an organic semiconducting material and a triplet-accepting material of formula (I) with a triplet energy level lower than the triplet energy level of the organic semiconducting material, in which each Ar is optionally substituted aryl or heteroaryl group, n is 1-3, m is 1-5, q is 0 or 1, each R3 is H or a substituent, and each R4 is H or a substituent. Where R4 is not H, R4 and (Ar)m bound to the same carbon atom may be linked by a direct bond or a divalent group. Where n or m is at least 2, adjacent Ar groups may be linked by a divalent group. Where q=0, R3 is not H and is linked to (Ar)n by a direct bond or a divalent group.
US09142779B2
A method of making a patterned OLED layer or layers. The method uses a shadow mask having, for example, a free-standing silicon nitride membrane to pattern color emitter material with a feature size of less than 10 microns. The methods can be used, for example, in the manufacture of OLED microdisplays.
US09142774B2
According to one embodiment, a nonvolatile memory device includes a first electrode, a second electrode, and a memory cell provided between the first electrode and the second electrode. The memory cell includes a retention unit, a resistance change unit, and an ion supply unit. The retention unit is provided on the first electrode and has an electron trap. The resistance change unit is provided on the retention unit. The ion supply unit is provided between the resistance change unit and the second electrode and includes a metal element.
US09142771B2
According to one embodiment, a memory device includes a stacked film stacked in a superlattice structure. The stacked film includes a first layer, a second layer, and a third layer different in composition. The first layer is provided between the second layer and the third layer. The second layer includes a first atom reversibly moved by application of energy. The third layer includes a second atom reversibly moved by application of energy. The second atom is different from the first atom.
US09142769B2
A non-volatile memory cell and a magnetic field-partitioned non-volatile memory for multi-bit storage are provided. The non-volatile memory cell for multi-bit storage includes a bottom electrode. A resistance-changing memory material covers the bottom electrode. A top electrode including a high-mobility material is disposed on the resistance-changing memory material. The top electrode has two post portions supporting a bar-shaped portion. At least two bits are stored in portions of the resistance-changing memory material connecting to the top electrode when an external magnetic field is applied along different directions.
US09142768B2
Systems and methods are disclosed involving a resistive memory with a small electrode, relating to the field of semiconductor resistive memory in ULSI. An illustrative resistive memory may include an Al electrode layer, a SiO2 layer, a Si layer, a resistive material layer and a lower electrode layer in sequence, wherein the Al electrode layer and the resistive material layer are electrically connected through one or more conductive channel and the conductive channel is formed by penetrating Al material into the Si layer via defects in the SiO2 layer and dissolving Si material into the Al material. Methods may include forming a lower electrode layer, a resistive layer, a Si layer and a SiO2 layer over a substrate; fabricating a Al electrode layer over the SiO2 layer; and performing an anneal process to the resultant structure. Consistent with innovations herein, a small electrode may be obtained via a conventional process.
US09142742B2
A thin-film light emitting diode includes an insulating substrate, a reflective metal electrode on the insulating substrate forming a current spreading layer, and an epitaxial structure on the electrode.
US09142740B2
An optoelectronic element includes an optoelectronic unit having a first top surface; a first metal layer on the first top surface; a first transparent structure surrounding the optoelectronic unit and exposing the first top surface; and a first contact layer on the first transparent structure, including a connective part electrically connected with the first metal layer.
US09142736B2
The present invention provides an LED encapsulation and a manufacturing method thereof. The LED encapsulation includes: a first frame (10), a plurality of LED elements (20), encapsulant (30), and the quantum dot rail (40). The first frame (10) includes a PCB (12) and four sidewalls (14). The four sidewalls (14) surround and circumferentially delimit an accommodation space (18). The plurality of LED elements (20) is mounted on the PCB (12) and in electrical connection therewith. The encapsulant (30) is filled in the accommodation space (18). The four sidewalls (14) each have a top end portion forming a mounting section (16). The quantum dot rail (40) is mounted in the mounting sections (16) so that the quantum dot rail (40) is located above the encapsulant (30). The first frame (10), the plurality of LED elements (20), and the quantum dot rail (40) are collectively and integrally encapsulated so as to be fixedly assembled together.
US09142727B2
According to one embodiment, a semiconductor light emitting device includes a stacked body, first and second electrodes. The stacked body includes a light emitting layer. The first and second electrodes are provided on the stacked body. The device further includes an insulating layer covering the stacked body, a first conversion electrode electrically connected to the first electrode, a second conversion electrode electrically connected to the second electrode (50), and a light blocking body covering a side surface of the stacked body. The first conversion electrode, the second conversion electrode, and the light blocking body include, in a portion contacting with the insulating layer, a member with a reflectance of 80 percent or more for light emitted from the light emitting layer.
US09142721B2
A semiconductor light emitting device includes a substrate; a base layer made of a first conductivity-type semiconductor and disposed on the substrate; a plurality of nanoscale light emitting units disposed in a region of an upper surface of the base layer and including a first conductivity-type nano-semiconductor layer protruding from the upper surface of the base layer, a nano-active layer disposed on the first conductivity-type nano-semiconductor layer, and a second conductivity-type nano-semiconductor layer disposed on the nano-active layer; and a light emitting laminate disposed in a different region of the upper surface of the base layer and having a laminated active layer.
US09142719B2
A patterned substrate for epitaxially forming a light-emitting diode includes: a top surface; a plurality of spaced apart recesses, each of which is indented downwardly from the top surface and each of which is defined by a recess-defining wall, the recess-defining wall having a bottom wall face, and a surrounding wall face that extends from the bottom wall face to the top surface; and a plurality of protrusions, each of which protrudes upwardly from the bottom wall face of the recess-defining wall of a respective one of the recesses. A light-emitting diode having the patterned substrate is also disclosed.
US09142712B2
A method for manufacturing a light emitting element, including steps of preparing a wafer that has a substrate with a first main face and a second main face, in which the first main face is provided with a plurality of convex components and valleys that connect these convex components, and a semiconductor structure that is provided on the first main face; and dividing the wafer by laser scribing in which a laser beam is emitted from the second main face side along first dividing lines and second dividing lines to obtain a plurality of light emitting elements. The convex components are in the form of pyramids, prisms, or truncated pyramids, each of which having a polyhedral bottom face with a plurality of apexes, edge lines that extend from the apexes, and side faces that link the edge lines to each other. The convex components are disposed regularly so that a plurality of bounded regions, which are regions defined by virtual boundary between side faces of adjacent convex components in the valleys, are present around the convex components. And the first dividing lines and the second dividing lines are lines that extend in a direction that intersects straight lines that link the centers of the plurality of bounded regions around a single convex component.
US09142710B2
A light-emitting element which uses a plurality of kinds of light-emitting dopants emitting light in a balanced manner and has high emission efficiency is provided. Further, a light-emitting device, a display device, an electronic device, and a lighting device each having reduced power consumption by using the above light-emitting element are provided. A light-emitting element which includes a plurality of light-emitting layers including different phosphorescent materials is provided. In the light-emitting element, the light-emitting layer which includes a light-emitting material emitting light with a long wavelength includes two kinds of carrier-transport compounds having properties of transporting carriers with different polarities. Further, in the light-emitting element, the triplet excitation energy of a host material included in the light-emitting layer emitting light with a short wavelength is higher than the triplet excitation energy of at least one of the carrier-transport compounds.
US09142691B2
A replaceable solar bulb assembly generates electrical energy that includes a photo voltaic cell for converting solar energy into electrical energy. A housing includes at least one reflector for focusing the solar energy on the photo voltaic cell. A connector removably and mechanically connects the housing to a solar receiver array and electrically connects the photo voltaic cell to the solar receiver array.
US09142690B2
A method of fabricating a semiconductor device includes providing a device substrate having a front side and a back side corresponding to a front side and a back side of the semiconductor device, forming, on the front side of the device substrate, a metal feature, forming, on the back side of the device substrate, an insulating layer, forming, on the back side of the semiconductor device, a trench exposing the metal feature, forming a bonding pad in the trench in electrical communication with the metal feature, and forming, on the insulating layer, a metal shield, in which the metal shield and the bonding pad have different thicknesses relative to each other.
US09142688B2
A GaN-based diode may include an intrinsic GaN-based semiconductor layer, GaN-based semiconductor layers configured to have a first conductivity type and bonded to the intrinsic GaN-based semiconductor layer. A first electrode made of metal is placed on a surface opposite a surface bonded to the GaN-based semiconductor layers of the intrinsic GaN-based semiconductor layer; a second electrode is placed on a surface opposite to a surface bonded to the intrinsic GaN-based semiconductor layer of the GaN-based semiconductor layers of the first conductivity type. Voltage-resistant layers configured to have a second conductivity type are formed in regions of the intrinsic GaN-based semiconductor layer that come in contact with edges of the first electrode.
US09142687B2
According to one embodiment, a semiconductor device includes a first semiconductor region, a first electrode, a second semiconductor region, a third semiconductor region, a fourth semiconductor region, a fifth semiconductor region, and a second electrode. The first electrode forms a Schottky junction with the first region. The second region is provided between the first region and the first electrode. The third region is provided between the first region and the first electrode and forms an ohmic junction with the first electrode. The fourth region is provided between the first region and the third region. The fourth region has a higher impurity concentration than the first region. The fifth region is provided between the third region and the first electrode. The fifth region has a higher impurity concentration than the third region. The second electrode is provided on opposite side of the first region from the first electrode.
US09142685B2
A nonvolatile semiconductor memory device includes a semiconductor portion, a first oxygen-containing portion located on the semiconductor portion, a silicon-containing portion located on the first oxygen-containing portion, a first film located on the silicon-containing portion and including a lamination of a first portion containing silicon and oxygen and a second portion containing silicon and nitrogen, a first high dielectric insulating portion located on the first film and having an oxide-containing yttrium, hafnium or aluminum, a second oxygen-containing portion located on the first high dielectric insulating portion, a second high dielectric insulating portion located on the second oxygen-containing insulating portion and having an oxide-containing yttrium, hafnium or aluminum, a third oxygen-containing portion located on the second high dielectric insulating portion, and a second film located on the third oxygen-containing portion.
US09142682B2
A thin film transistor and a manufacturing method thereof. The thin film transistor includes: a gate electrode; a gate insulating layer disposed on the gate electrode; a first semiconductor disposed on the gate insulating layer; a second semiconductor disposed on the first semiconductor and having a different plane shape from the first semiconductor; and a source electrode and a drain electrode that are disposed on the second semiconductor and face each other.
US09142677B2
A FinFET and a method for manufacturing the same are disclosed. In one aspect, the method comprises forming a semiconductor fin having trapezoid cross-section. The method also includes forming one of a source region and a drain region. The method also includes forming a sacrificial spacer. The method also includes forming another one of the source region and the drain region using the sacrificial spacer as a mask. The method also includes removing the sacrificial spacer. The method also includes forming a gate stack in place of the sacrificial spacer, the gate stack comprising a gate conductor and a gate dielectric isolating the gate conductor from the semiconductor fin.
US09142658B2
A compound semiconductor device includes: a compound semiconductor layer; and a gate electrode formed above the compound semiconductor layer; and a source electrode and a drain electrode formed on both sides of the gate electrode, on the compound semiconductor layer, wherein the source electrode has a plurality of bottom surfaces along transit electrons out of contact surfaces with the compound semiconductor layer, and the plural bottom surfaces are located at different distances from the transit electrons, with the bottom surface closer to the gate electrode being more apart from the transit electrons.
US09142657B2
An improved gated thyristor that utilizes less silicon area than IGBT, BIPOLARs or MOSFETs sized for the same application is provided. Embodiments of the inventive thyristor have a lower gate charge, and a lower forward drop for a given current density. Embodiments of the thyristor once triggered have a latch structure that does not have the same Cgd or Ccb capacitor that must be charged from the gate, and therefore the gated thyristor is cheaper to produce, and requires a smaller gate driver, and takes up less space than standard solutions. Embodiments of the inventive thyristor provide a faster turn off speed than the typical >600 ns using a modified MCT structure which results in the improved tail current turn off profile (<250 ns). Additionally, series resistance of the device is reduced without comprising voltage blocking ability is achieved. Finally, a positive only gate drive means is taught as is a method to module the saturation current using the gate terminal.
US09142644B2
The present inventive concept has been made in an effort to increase the width of a channel in a silicon carbide MOSFET using a trench gate.According to the exemplary embodiment of the present inventive concept, the width of a channel can be increased, compared with the conventional art, by forming a plurality of protrusions extending to the p type epitaxial layer on both sides of the trench.
US09142643B2
The present disclosure provides an integrated circuit device and method for manufacturing the integrated circuit device. The disclosed method provides substantially defect free epitaxial features. An exemplary method includes forming a gate structure over the substrate; forming recesses in the substrate such that the gate structure interposes the recesses; and forming source/drain epitaxial features in the recesses. Forming the source/drain epitaxial features includes performing a selective epitaxial growth process to form an epitaxial layer in the recesses, and performing a selective etch back process to remove a dislocation area from the epitaxial layer.
US09142638B2
A semiconductor device includes an electron transit layer formed on a substrate; an electron supply layer formed on the electron transit layer; a doping layer formed on the electron supply layer, the doping layer being formed with a nitride semiconductor in which an impurity element to become p-type and C are doped; a p-type layer formed on the doping layer, the p-type layer being formed with a nitride semiconductor in which the impurity element to become p-type is doped; a gate electrode formed on the p-type layer; and a source electrode and a drain electrode formed on the doping layer or the electron supply layer. The p-type layer is formed in an area immediately below the gate electrode, and a density of the C doped in the doping layer is greater than or equal to 1×1017 cm−3 and less than or equal to 1×1019 cm−3.
US09142629B2
A device includes a first transistor including a first gate electrode including first and second parallel electrode portions each extending in a first direction, and a first connecting electrode portion extending in a second direction approximately orthogonal to the first direction and connecting one ends of the first and second parallel electrode portions to each other, and first and second diffusion layers separated from each other by a channel region under the first gate electrode, a first output line connected to the first diffusion layer of the first transistor, and a second transistor comprising a second gate electrode extending in the second direction, and the second transistor being configured to use the second diffusion layer of the first transistor as one of two diffusion layers that are separated from each other by a channel region under the second gate electrode.
US09142628B2
A metal oxide thin film transistor (TFT) includes a gate electrode, a gate insulating layer, a metal oxide active layer, a source electrode, and a drain electrode. The gate electrode is formed on a substrate. The gate insulating layer is formed on the substrate and covers the gate electrode. The metal oxide active layer is formed on the gate insulating layer. The drain electrode and the source electrode are formed on two opposite ends of the metal oxide active layer in a spaced-apart manner, in which at least one of the orthographic projection of the source electrode and the orthographic projection of the drain electrode on the substrate does not overlap the gate electrode.
US09142621B2
A compound semiconductor device and method of fabricating the same according to the present invention is disclosed. The compound semiconductor device comprises a substrate having at least a first doped region and at least a second doped region, and a semiconductor layer disposed on the substrate, wherein doping conditions of said first doped region and said second doped region may be different from each other.
US09142619B2
[Problem] To provide a group III nitride semiconductor device and a method for manufacturing the same in which dislocation density in a semiconductor layer can be precisely reduced.[Solution] In manufacturing a group III nitride semiconductor device 1, a mask layer 40 is formed on a substrate 20, followed by selectively growing nanocolumns 50 made of a group III nitride semiconductor through a pattern 44 of the mask layer 40 in order to grow a group III nitride semiconductor layer 10 on the mask layer 40.
US09142613B2
According to one embodiment, a semiconductor device includes a first semiconductor layer of a first conductivity type, and a second semiconductor layer of a second conductivity type provided on part of the first semiconductor layer in each of a first region and a second region separated from each other. A first distance is a distance between both ends of the first insulating film in a direction connecting the fourth semiconductor layer and the sixth semiconductor layer. The first distance in the first region is longer than the first distance in the second region. A second distance is a distance between the third semiconductor layer and the seventh semiconductor layer. The second distance in the first region is longer than the second distance in the second region.
US09142612B2
An aspect of the present embodiment, there is provided a semiconductor device, including a first electrode, a first semiconductor layer having a first conductive type connected to the first electrode, a second semiconductor layer having a second conductive type contacted to the first semiconductor layer, a third semiconductor layer having the first conductive type, an impurity concentration of the third semiconductor layer being smaller than an impurity concentration of the second semiconductor layer, the third semiconductor layer contacting to the second semiconductor layer to be separated from the first semiconductor layer by the second semiconductor layer, a gate insulator provided on the second semiconductor layer, and the first semiconductor layer and the third semiconductor layer arranged at both sides of the second semiconductor layer, respectively, a gate electrode on the gate insulator; and a second electrode connected to the third semiconductor layer.
US09142610B2
A semiconductor device and a method of fabricating the same, the device including a substrate having a transistor formed thereon; a plurality of lower electrodes formed on the substrate; a first supporter and a second supporter on the plurality of lower electrodes; a dielectric film formed on the lower electrode, the first supporter, and the second supporter; and an upper electrode formed on the dielectric film, wherein the first and second supporters are positioned between the lower electrodes, and the first and second supporters include a first material and a second material.
US09142608B2
A step of forming a stacked film serving as a lower electrode, a step of forming an insulating film serving as a capacitive film on the stacked film, and a step of patterning the insulating film and the stacked film are performed. In the step of forming the stacked film, a film containing titanium, a film containing titanium and nitrogen, a main conductive film containing aluminum, a film containing titanium, and a film containing titanium and nitrogen are sequentially formed from below. The ratio of the surface roughness of the upper surface of the stacked film to the thickness of the insulating film is 14% or less.
US09142607B2
A capacitor suitable for inclusion in a semiconductor device includes a substrate, a first metallization level, a capacitor dielectric, a capacitor plate, an interlevel dielectric layer, and a second metallization level. The first metallization level overlies the substrate and includes a first metallization plate overlying a capacitor region of the substrate. The capacitor dielectric overlies the first metallization plate and includes a dielectric material such as a silicon oxide or silicon nitride compound. The capacitor plate is an electrically conductive structure that overlies the capacitor dielectric. The interlevel dielectric overlies the capacitor plate. The second metallization layer overlies the interlevel dielectric layer and may include a second metallization plate and a routing element. The routing element may be electrically connected to the capacitor plate. The metallization plates may include a fingered structure that includes a plurality of elongated elements extending from a cross bar.
US09142603B2
An organic light-emitting diode (OLED) display and a method of manufacturing the same are disclosed. In one aspect, the OLED display comprises a driving thin-film transistor (TFT), a data line electrically connected to the driving TFT and having a first color, an OLED, and a light absorption layer. The OLED is electrically connected to the driving TFT. The light absorption layer is formed over the data line and has a second color different from the first color.
US09142592B2
An integrated circuit including ESD device is disclosed. One embodiment includes a semiconductor region being electrically isolated from adjacent semiconductor regions by an isolating region. Both an ESD device and a device configured to emit radiation are formed within the semiconductor region.
US09142581B2
An integrated circuit system includes a first device wafer bonded to a second device wafer at a bonding interface of dielectrics. Each wafer includes a plurality of dies, where each die includes a device, a metal stack, and a seal ring that is formed at an edge region of the die. Seal rings included in dies of the second device wafer each include a first conductive path provided with metal formed in a first opening that extends from a backside of the second device wafer, through the second device wafer, and through the bonding interface to the seal ring of a corresponding die in the first device wafer.
US09142576B2
There is provided a solid-state image sensor including a photoelectric conversion part which generates a charge corresponding to received light and accumulates the charge therein, a charge holding part in which before the charge accumulated in the photoelectric conversion part is transferred to a floating diffusion region, the charge is held for a predetermined time, a first transfer gate which transfers the charge accumulated in the photoelectric conversion part to the charge holding part, a second transfer gate which transfers the charge held in the charge holding part to the floating diffusion region, and a charge discharging gate which discharges the charge in the photoelectric conversion part. Before charge accumulation in the photoelectric conversion part for the next frame is started, part of the charge accumulated in the charge holding part is discharged.
US09142574B2
For forming a gate electrode, a conductive film with low resistance including Al or a material containing Al as its main component and a conductive film with low contact resistance for preventing diffusion of Al into a semiconductor layer are laminated, and the gate electrode is fabricated by using an apparatus which is capable of performing etching treatment at high speed.
US09142573B1
Each of the auxiliary capacitors (6a) includes a capacitor line (11b) comprised of the same material as the gate electrode (11a) and provided in the same layer as the gate electrode (11a), the gate insulating film (12) provided so as to cover the capacitor line (11a), a capacitor intermediate layer (13c) provided using the oxide semiconductor and provided on the gate insulating film (12) so as to overlap the capacitor line (11b), and a capacitor electrode (15b) provided on the capacitor intermediate layer (13c), and the capacitor intermediate layer (13c) is conductive.
US09142559B2
A semiconductor integrated circuit device includes a pair of complementary signal lines, a first transistor including a gate, a source, and a drain, one of the source and the drain of the first transistor being coupled to one of the pair of the complementary signal lines, and a second transistor including a gate, a source, and a drain, the gate of the second transistor being coupled to the gate of the first transistor, one of a source and a drain of the second transistor coupled to an other of the source and the drain of the first transistor, and an other of the source and the drain of the second transistor being coupled to the other of the pair of the complementary signal lines. A direction of a gate width of the first transistor is different from a direction of a gate width of the second transistor.
US09142556B2
A dummy gate cell includes an nMOS transistor and a pMOS transistor, wherein a drain electrode of the nMOS transistor is not connected to a drain electrode of the pMOS transistor and the dummy gate cell is disposed in an unused area not occupied by a basic cell in a cell-based IC.
US09142555B2
Provided is a semiconductor device having improved performance. A semiconductor substrate is formed with unit LDMOSFET elements. The unit LDMOSFET elements have respective source regions electrically coupled to each other via a first source interconnect line and a second source interconnect line. The unit LDMOSFET elements have respective gate electrodes electrically coupled to each other via a first gate interconnect line and also electrically coupled to a second gate interconnect line in the same layer as that of the second source interconnect line via the first gate interconnect line. The unit LDMOSFET elements have respective drain regions electrically coupled to a back surface electrode via a conductive plug embedded in a trench of the semiconductor substrate. Each of the first source interconnect line and the first gate interconnect line has a thickness smaller than that of the second source interconnect line. Over the plug, the first gate interconnect line extends.
US09142553B2
A 3D device, including: a first layer including first transistors, the first transistors interconnected by a first layer of interconnection; a second layer including second transistors, the second transistors overlaying the first layer of interconnection, where the first layer includes a first clock distribution structure, where the second layer includes a second clock distribution structure and a second clock origin, where the second clock origin is connected to the first clock distribution structure with a plurality of through layer vias, and where the second layer thickness is less than 1 micrometer.
US09142543B2
An ESD protection circuit having a smaller area is provided. The ESD protection circuit includes: a P-type diffusion resistor 12 whose one end is connected to an input terminal 11 formed in the N-type well; a diode 14 disposed between the diffusion resistor 12 and the N-type well connected to the power supply terminal; an NMOS transistor 15 whose drain is connected to the other end of the diffusion resistor 12; and a parasitic diode formed between the power supply terminal and the ground terminal.
US09142536B2
A method for manufacturing the semiconductor device may include forming a capping layer including a bit line contact hole on a substrate, forming a spacer on inner walls of the bit line contact hole, forming a bit line contact in the bit line contact hole, forming a bit line layer on the substrate, exposing the spacer by etching the bit line layer, and etching the spacer.
US09142532B2
[Problem] Provided is a technique for bonding chips efficiently onto a wafer to establish an electrical connection and raise mechanical strength between the chips and the wafer or between the chips that are chips laminated onto each other in the state that resin and other undesired residues do not remain on a bond interface therebetween.[Solution] A method for bonding plural chips each having a chip-side-bond-surface having metal regions to a substrate having plural bond portions has the step (S1) of subjecting the metal regions of the chip-side-bond-surface to surface activating treatment and hydrophilizing treatment; the step (S2) of subjecting the bond portions of the substrate to surface activating treatment and hydrophilizing treatment; the step (S3) of fitting the chips subjected to the surface activating treatment and the hydrophilizing treatment onto the corresponding bond portions of the substrate subjected to the surface activating treatment and the hydrophilizing treatment to bring the metal regions of the chips into contact with the bond portions of the substrate; and the step (S4) of heating the resultant structure, which includes the substrate, and the chips fitted onto the substrate.
US09142526B2
The invention provides a semiconductor package. The semiconductor package includes a substrate. A first conductive trace is disposed on the substrate. A first conductive trace disposed on the substrate. A semiconductor die is disposed over the first conductive trace. A solder resist layer that extends across an edge of the semiconductor die is also included. Finally, an underfill material is provided that fills a gap between the substrate and the semiconductor die.
US09142524B2
A semiconductor package includes a semiconductor chip including a circuit forming surface and a side surface, and a sealing insulation layer that seals the circuit forming surface and the side surface of the semiconductor chip, the sealing insulation layer having a first surface on a side of the circuit forming surface. At least one wiring layer and at least one insulation layer are formed one on top of the other on the first surface. The wiring layer formed on the first surface is electrically connected to the semiconductor chip. The insulation layer has a reinforcement member installed therein.
US09142512B2
A semiconductor memory device includes a memory cell array layer which includes a first wiring line, a memory cell stacked on the first wiring line, and a second wiring line formed on the memory cell so as to intersect the first wiring line, wherein a step is formed in the first wiring line so that the height of an upper surface of the first wiring line in the memory cell array region where the memory cell array is formed is higher than the height in a peripheral region around the memory cell array region.
US09142504B2
Methods of forming features are disclosed. One method comprises forming a resist over a pool of acidic or basic material on a substrate structure, selectively exposing the resist to an energy source to form exposed resist portions and non-exposed resist portions, and diffusing acid or base of the acidic or basic material from the pool into proximal portions of the resist. Another method comprises forming a plurality of recesses in a substrate structure. The plurality of recesses are filled with a pool material comprising acid or base. A resist is formed over the pool material and the substrate structure and acid or base is diffused into adjacent portions of the resist. The resist is patterned to form openings in the resist. The openings comprise wider portions distal to the substrate structure and narrower portions proximal to the substrate structure. Additional methods and semiconductor device structures including the features are disclosed.
US09142502B2
A semiconductor device package having pre-formed and placed through vias and a process for making such a package is provided. One or more signal conduits are placed in a holder that is subsequently embedded in an encapsulated semiconductor device package. The ends of the signal conduits are exposed and the signal conduits are then used as through package vias, providing signal-bearing pathways between interconnects or contacts on the bottom and top of the package. Holders can be provided in a variety of geometries and materials, depending upon the nature of the application. Further, multiple holders with signal conduits can be provided in a single package to provide for more complex interconnect configuration demands in, for example, system-in-a-package applications.
US09142496B1
A method for fabricating a packaged semiconductor device begins by placing a first mask on a foil of porous conductive material bonded on a strip of a first metal. The surface of the conductive material and the inside of the pores are oxidized. The first mask leaves areas unprotected. The pores of the unprotected areas are filled with a conductive polymeric compound. A layer of a second metal is deposited on the conductive polymeric compound in the unprotected areas. The first mask is removed to expose un-oxidized conductive material. The foil thickness of the un-oxidized conductive material is removed to expose the underlying first metal. This creates sidewalls of the foil and leaves un-removed the capacitor areas covered by the second metal. A second mask is placed on the strip, the second mask defines a plurality of leadframes having chip pads and leads, and protecting the capacitor areas. The portions of the first metal exposed by the second mask are removed. Sidewalls of the first metal are coplanar with the foil sidewalls. The second mask is removed.
US09142484B2
An integrated power module includes a substantially planar insulated metal substrate having at least one cut-out region; at least one substantially planar ceramic substrate disposed within the cut-out region, wherein the ceramic substrate is framed on at least two sides by the insulated metal substrate, the ceramic substrate including a first metal layer on a first side and a second metal layer on a second side; at least one power semiconductor device coupled to the first side of the ceramic substrate; at least one control device coupled to a first surface of the insulated metal substrate; a power overlay electrically connecting the at least one semiconductor power device and the at least one control device; and a cooling fluid reservoir operatively connected to the second metal layer of the at least one ceramic substrate, wherein a plurality of cooling fluid passages are provided in the cooling fluid reservoir.
US09142482B2
Thermal management systems for semiconductor devices are provided. Embodiments of the invention provide two or more liquid cooling subsystems that are each capable of providing active cooling to one or more semiconductor devices, such as packaged processors. In operation, a first liquid cooling subsystem can provide active cooling to the semiconductor device(s) while the second cooling subsystem is circulating a heat transfer fluid within its own subsystem. The second liquid cooling subsystem can be then switched into operation and provides active cooling to the semiconductor device(s) while the first cooling subsystem is circulating heat transfer fluid within its own subsystem. In alternate embodiments, the heat transfer fluid remains in the subsystem, but does not circulate within the subsystem when the subsystem is not providing cooling to the semiconductor device(s). The subsystems comprise heat dissipation units. The switching between cooling systems allows the semiconductor device(s) to be maintained at a lower operating temperature than if switching between cooling subsystems were not employed.
US09142481B2
A method of manufacture of an integrated circuit packaging system includes: providing a substrate; attaching an integrated circuit to the substrate; molding an encapsulation directly on the integrated circuit and the substrate; forming a trench in the encapsulation having a trench bottom surface and surrounding the integrated circuit; and mounting a heatsink having a heatsink rim over the integrated circuit with the heatsink rim within the trench and the heatsink electrically isolated from the substrate.
US09142479B2
Provided is an electronic device having a semiconductor device and a mounting board. The semiconductor device has a die pad, a semiconductor chip on the die pad, a coupling member coupling the die pad to the semiconductor chip, and a semiconductor package member covering the upper portion of the semiconductor chip and the side surface of the die pad. In this semiconductor device, the plane area of the coupling member coupling the mounting board to the die pad is smaller than the plane area of the lower surface of the die pad exposed from the semiconductor package material. This makes it possible to reduce separation between the die pad and the semiconductor chip resulting from cracks, due to temperature cycling, of the coupling member present between the die pad and the semiconductor chip.
US09142476B2
A semiconductor package includes a substrate with a first surface on which a semiconductor device is mounted and a second surface opposite to the first surface, and a loop heat pipe including an evaporator and attached to the second surface of the substrate, wherein the substrate has a groove structure in the second surface, the groove structure being in contact with a porous wick provided in the evaporator.
US09142466B2
Methods of determining a polishing endpoint are described using spectra obtained during a polishing sequence. In particular, techniques for using only desired spectra, faster searching methods and more robust rate determination methods are described.
US09142465B1
Precise annealing of identified defective regions of a Focal Plane Array (“FPA”) (e.g., exclusive of non-defective regions of the FPA) facilitates removal of defects from an FPA that has been hybridized and/or packaged with readout electronics. Radiation is optionally applied under operating conditions, such as under cryogenic temperatures, such that performance of an FPA can be evaluated before, during, and after annealing without requiring thermal cycling.
US09142464B1
A method for fabricating a semiconductor apparatus includes forming a diffusion barrier film on a semiconductor substrate, forming a semiconductor film on the semiconductor substrate in which the diffusion barrier film is formed, forming a silicide film on the semiconductor film, forming a conductive film on the silicide film, forming an upper portion of a pillar structure in a first region of the semiconductor substrate by patterning the conductive film, the silicide film, and the semiconductor film, forming a lower portion of the pillar structure by patterning the diffusion barrier film and the semiconductor substrate in the first region, and forming a gate electrode on an outer side of a patterned semiconductor substrate.
US09142463B2
By connecting a protection diode (71) wherein p-anode layers (21) and n-cathode layers (22) are alternately formed in a polysilicon layer, and p-n junctions (74) that are in a reverse blocking state when there is a forward bias are alternately short circuited with a metal film (53), to a power semiconductor element (IGBT (72)), it is possible to achieve a balance between a high breakdown capability and a smaller chip area, a rise of breakdown voltage is suppressed even when a clamping voltage is repeatedly applied, and furthermore, it is possible to prevent destruction caused by a negative surge voltage input into a gate terminal (G).
US09142459B1
Methods of dicing semiconductor wafers, each wafer having a plurality of integrated circuits, are described. In an example, a method of dicing a semiconductor wafer having a plurality of integrated circuits involves applying an adhesive layer to a front side of the semiconductor wafer. A mask layer is laminated onto the front side of the semiconductor wafer, the mask layer covering and protecting the integrated circuits. The adhesive layer adheres the mask layer to the front side of the semiconductor wafer. The mask layer is patterned with a laser scribing process to provide gaps in the mask layer, the gaps exposing regions of the semiconductor wafer between the integrated circuits. The semiconductor wafer is plasma etched through the gaps in the mask layer to singulate the integrated circuits.
US09142457B2
The present invention provides a dicing die bond film in which yielding and breaking of the dicing film are prevented and in which the die bond film can be suitably broken with a tensile force. In the dicing die bond film of the present invention, the tensile strength of the contact part in which the outer circumference of the push-up jig contacts the dicing film at 25° C. is 15 N or more and 80 N or less and the yield point elongation is 80% or more, the tensile strength of the wafer bonding part of the dicing film at 25° C. is 10 N or more and 70 N or less and the yield point elongation is 30% or more, [(the tensile strength of the contact part)−(the tensile strength of the wafer bonding part)] is 0 N or more and 60 N or less, and the breaking elongation rate of the die bond film at 25° C. is more than 40% and 500% or less.
US09142444B2
A semiconductor component comprises a semiconductor body with at least one protective trench in the semiconductor body. An insulation layer is situated at least at the bottom of the protective trench. An electrically conductive layer having a thickness D is formed on the insulation layer in the protective trench, wherein the electrically conductive layer only partly fills the protective trench.
US09142437B2
A system for separately handling different size FOUPs includes an end effector having a surface thereon for supporting a FOUP. The end effector and surface is configured to support different size FOUPs. A fixture or means for engaging and maintaining a FOUP, of different size FOUPs, included to position and maintain each of a different size FOUP on the end effector during transport thereof. A shelf is configured to receive each of said different size FOUPs. The end effector is thus capable of transporting either a first size FOUP or a second, smaller size FOUP.
US09142436B2
A data analyzing method includes receiving monitor data from the substrate processing apparatus; producing representative value data based on the monitor data; associating apparatus condition information indicating a condition of the substrate processing apparatus at the time of production of the monitor data, with the representative value data; storing the representative value data and the apparatus condition information associated with the representative value data and in a database; retrieving the representative value data and the apparatus condition information associated with the representative value data from the database; comparing an exclusion parameter with the retrieved apparatus condition information, the exclusion parameter including information indicating whether the retrieved representative value data should be included in analysis processing targets; and determining whether the retrieved representative value data should be included in the analysis processing targets, based on the comparison result.
US09142421B2
Techniques are disclosed for double patterning of a lithographic feature using a barrier layer between the pattern layers. In some cases, the techniques may be implemented with double patterning of a one- or two-dimensional photolithographic feature, for example. In some embodiments, the barrier layer is deposited to protect a first photoresist pattern prior to application of a second photoresist pattern thereon and/or to tailor (e.g., shrink) one or more of the critical dimensions of a trench, hole, or other etchable geometric feature to be formed in a substrate or other suitable surface via lithographic processes. In some embodiments, the techniques may be implemented to generate/print small features (e.g., less than or equal to about 100 nm) including one- and two-dimensional features/structures of varying complexity.
US09142420B2
Methods for fabricating sublithographic, nanoscale arrays of openings and linear microchannels utilizing self-assembling block copolymers, and films and devices formed from these methods are provided. Embodiments of the invention use a self-templating or multilayer approach to induce ordering of a self-assembling block copolymer film to an underlying base film to produce a multilayered film having an ordered array of nanostructures that can be removed to provide openings in the film which, in some embodiments, can be used as a template or mask to etch openings in an underlying material layer.
US09142415B2
A deposition apparatus for performing a deposition process on a substrate includes: an injection unit including a plasma generating member which receives a raw material gas and converts the raw material gas to a deposition source material in a radical form; and a plasma processor disposed adjacent to the injection unit and facing a side of the injection unit, wherein the plasma processor performs a plasma process in a direction facing the substrate.
US09142405B2
A thin film transistor including a first polycrystalline semiconductor layer disposed on a substrate, a second polycrystalline semiconductor layer disposed on the first polycrystalline semiconductor layer, and metal catalysts configured to adjoin the first polycrystalline semiconductor layer and spaced apart from one another at specific intervals.
US09142403B2
According to an embodiment of the present disclosure a method of forming a boron-containing silicon oxycarbonitride film on a base is provided. The method includes forming a boron-containing film on the base, and forming the boron-containing silicon oxycarbonitride film by laminating a silicon carbonitride film and a silicon oxynitride film on the boron-containing film.
US09142392B2
A self-cleaning radio frequency (RF) plasma source for a semiconductor manufacturing process is described. Various examples provide an RF plasma source comprising an RF antenna and a rotatable dielectric sleeve disposed around the RF antenna. The dielectric is positioned between a process chamber and cleaning chamber such that portions of the surface of the dielectric may be exposed to either the process chamber or the cleaning chamber. As material is deposited on the outer surface of the dielectric in the process chamber, the dielectric sleeve is rotated so that the portion containing the buildup is exposed to the cleaning chamber. A sputtering process in the cleaning chamber removes the buildup from the surface of the sleeve. The dielectric sleeve is then rotated so that it exposed to the process chamber. Other embodiments are disclosed and claimed.
US09142389B2
A microwave power delivery system for supplying microwave power to a plurality of microwave plasma reactors (8), the microwave power delivery system comprising: a tuner (14) configured to be coupled to a microwave source (4) and configured to match impedance of the plurality of microwave plasma reactors to that of the microwave source; and a waveguide junction (18) coupled to the tuner and configured to guide microwaves to and from the plurality of microwave plasma reactors, wherein the waveguide junction comprises four waveguide ports including a first port coupled to the tuner, second and third ports configured to be coupled to respective microwave plasma reactors, and a fourth port coupled to a microwave sink (20), wherein the waveguide junction is configured to evenly split microwave power input from the tuner through the first port between the second and third ports for providing microwave power to respective microwave plasma reactors, wherein the waveguide junction is configured to decouple the second and third ports thereby preventing any reflected microwaves from one of the microwave plasma reactors from feeding across the waveguide junction directly into another microwave plasma reactor causing an imbalance, wherein the waveguide junction is further configured to feed reflected microwaves received back through the second and third ports which are balanced in terms of magnitude and phase to the tuner such that they can be reflected by the tuner and re-used, and wherein the waveguide junction is further configured to feed excess reflected power which is not balanced through the fourth port into the microwave sink.
US09142388B2
This disclosure describes systems, methods, and apparatus for capacitively coupling energy into a plasma to ignite and sustain the plasma within a remote plasma source. The power is provided by a first electrode that at least partially surrounds or is surrounded by a second electrode. The second electrode can be grounded or floating. First and second dielectric components can be arranged to separate one or both of the electrodes from the plasma and thereby DC isolate the plasma from one or both of the electrodes.
US09142384B2
The invention relates to a method of welding a vitreous biological sample at a temperature below the glass transition temperature of approximately −137° C. to a micromanipulator, also kept at a temperature below the glass transition temperature. Where prior art methods used IBID with, for example, propane, or a heated needle (heated resistively or by e/g/laser), the invention uses a vibrating needle to locally melt the sample. By stopping the vibration, the sample freezes to the micromanipulator. The heat capacity of the heated parts is small, and the amount of material that stays in a vitreous condition thus large.
US09142374B1
A solenoid linear actuator comprises a unibody soft magnetic core with a central body and an upper disk and narrower end extrusions, and a pair of soft magnetic bodies on the two ends of the solenoid. When the solenoid is energized, unibody core is magnetized and attracted to the soft magnetic plates from below, pulling unibody core downward. The extrusions on the two ends of unibody core actuate external mechanisms (pushers and cantilevers, respectively) to accomplish various electrical switching operations. A permanent magnet can be added to the upper side to assist the actuation.
US09142373B2
An electromagnetic relay has a fixed touch piece having a fixed contact, a movable touch piece having a movable contact contactably and separably opposed to the fixed contact, and configured to elastically deform, an auxiliary member configured to energize the movable touch piece to the fixed contact piece side, an electromagnet, and an intermediate member configured to be operated by magnetization of the electromagnet and elastically deform the movable touch piece.
US09142372B2
A contactor unit includes an input lead connectable to a first lead of an energy output device, an output lead connectable to a first lead of a voltage bus, a contactor that connects and disconnects the input lead from the output lead, a driver configured to operate the contactor, a serial data link connectable to a system controller that is external to the contactor unit, and an integrated circuit (IC) positioned within the contactor unit and configured to output a control command to the driver to open the contactor based on at least one of a current in either the input lead or the output lead and a voltage differential across the contactor, and output a contactor control status via the serial data link.
US09142371B2
An actuator for a contactor comprises an electromagnet having a closing coil, a holding coil, fixed cores wound with the closing coil and the holding coil respectively, a movable core provided on one side of the fixed cores, and a yoke. A main contact movable member operates to perform closing or interrupting by attraction or release of the movable core with respect to the fixed core. The actuator has a trip spring, energy-stored during the closing, that performs the interrupting upon stopping energization to the holding coil and thereby releasing the stored-energy. The actuator has an auxiliary contact operating with the operation of the movable core and performing energization switching with respect to the closing coil and the holding coil. The trip spring is provided on one side of the electromagnet in a horizontal direction while the auxiliary contact is provided on the other side.
US09142359B2
The present invention provides an electrode material for use in an aluminum electrolytic capacitor that does not necessitate an etching treatment. Specifically, the present invention provides an electrode material for use in an aluminum electrolytic capacitor, the electrode material comprising a sintered body of at least one of aluminum and an aluminum alloy.
US09142355B2
An embodiment of the present invention provides a method, comprising reducing the losses due to electro-mechanical coupling and improving Q in a multilayered capacitor by placing a first capacitor layer adjacent at least one additional capacitor layer and sharing a common electrode in between the two such that the acoustic vibration of the first layer is coupled to an anti-phase acoustic vibration of the at least one additional layer.
US09142350B2
Particles of iron and nickel are added to a flowing plasma stream which does not chemically alter the iron or nickel. The iron and nickel are heated and vaporized in the stream, and then a cryogenic fluid is added to the stream to rapidly cause the formation of nanometer size particles of iron and nickel. The particles are separated from the stream. The particles are preferably formed as single crystals in which the iron and nickel atoms are organized in a tetragonal L10 crystal structure which displays magnetic anisotropy. A minor portion of an additive, such as titanium, vanadium, aluminum, boron, carbon, phosphorous, or sulfur, may be added to the plasma stream with the iron and nickel to enhance formation of the desired crystal structure.
US09142345B2
A conductive winding assembly combining a bent conduction sheet member and a covering member is provided. The bent conduction sheet member has a channel. The covering member includes a connection part, a first lateral plate, a second lateral plate, and a hollow part. A first groove is arranged between the first lateral plate and the connection part. A second groove is arranged between the second lateral plate and the connection part. The bent conduction sheet member is inserted into the covering member through the first groove and the second groove, and the connection part is inserted into the channel. The bent conduction sheet member is partially accommodated within the hollow part, and the bent conduction sheet member is partially exposed outside the covering member through the hollow part.
US09142344B2
An electronic component having a laminate having a plurality of insulator layers. A coil is provided consisting of a plurality of coil conductors that are connected by via-conductors piercing through the insulator layers, the coil winding helically about an axis along a direction of lamination. External electrodes are provided on surfaces of the laminate, in which at least some pairs of the coil conductors that neighbor each other with one of the insulator layers provided therebetween have parallel sections that overlap each other when viewed in the direction of lamination. The parallel sections are connected in parallel by the via-conductors or the external electrodes, and each pair of the coil conductors that neighbor each other with one of the insulator layers provided therebetween do not overlap each other when viewed in the direction of lamination, except for the parallel sections, and connections between the coil conductors and the via-conductors.
US09142343B2
A coil component 1 includes a substrate 2, a planar spiral conductor 10a formed on a top surface 2t of the substrate 2, a lead conductor 11a connected to an outer peripheral end of the planar spiral conductor 10a, a dummy lead conductor 15a formed on the top surface of the substrate 2 and between an outermost turn of the planar spiral conductor 10a and an end 2X2 of the substrate 2 and free from an electrical connection with another conductor within the same plane, external electrodes 26a and 26b arranged in parallel with the top surface of the substrate 2, and a bump electrode 25a formed on a surface of the lead conductor 11a and connects the lead conductor 11a with the external electrode 26a. The external terminals 26a and 26b have a larger area than the bump electrodes 15a and 15b for securing a bonding strength.
US09142339B2
A compact radiation-modulated transconductance varistor device having both a radiation source and a photoconductive wide bandgap semiconductor material (PWBSM) integrally formed on a substrate so that a single interface is formed between the radiation source and PWBSM for transmitting PWBSM activation radiation directly from the radiation source to the PWBSM.
US09142338B2
An exemplary oil transformer insulation module includes at least a first flat layer and a second layer adjacent and substantially and parallel to the first layer. The first and second layers include planar first insulation material and are connected to and spaced apart from a third corrugated layer that is arranged between the first and second layers. The third layer includes planar second insulation material, has lateral edges, and is corrugated such that all the cavities formed by the corrugated form can be flooded with a liquid via the lateral edges.
US09142337B2
An electric fence insulator assembly configured for attaching to tree trunks, pipes, posts and t-posts of various size, shape and materials is disclosed. The electric fence insulator assembly comprises two panels disposed at an obtuse angle and connected by a connecting member containing a clamp. Attached to the rear of each panel is a cord gripping member. The electric fence insulator assembly is fitted between the two panels and an elasticized cord wraps around the tree trunk, pipe or post, then wedged into the first gripping member at one end and wedged into the second gripping member at its other end. This configuration minimizes the contact area of the electric fence insulator assembly with the tree trunk. The shape of the insulator is designed to maximize stability and provide a secure attachment to trees, pipes and posts. A stretchable cord allows for expansion and adjustability as the tree grows.
US09142328B2
Molecule for attaching a radioactive parent nuclide to a support, comprising at least one functional group for attaching the radioactive parent nuclide; and a molecular moiety suitable for establishing a nonpolar bond to the support.
US09142327B2
A canister for transporting/storing radioactive materials, comprising two concentric shells between which is housed a radiological protection device forming a barrier against gamma radiation, comprising a first and a second metal radiological protection components superimposed along a radial direction of the canister, the first component being supported against the outer shell and the second component being supported against the inner shell. In addition, the components are in contact with each other along an interface taking, in section along any plane integrating the longitudinal axis, the form of a straight line segment inclined in relation to this axis.
US09142322B2
An embodiment of a manager includes at least one input node configured to receive information regarding a region of an integrated circuit, and a determiner configured to determine, in response to the information, a likelihood that the region will cause an error. For example, the region may include a memory, and contents of the memory may be transferred to another, more reliable memory, if the likelihood that the memory will cause an error in the data that it stores equals or exceeds a likelihood threshold.
US09142317B2
An embedded memory device includes a mask ROM including a plurality of mask ROM cells and an address decoder configured to decode an address of the plurality of mask ROM cells; and an e-fuse memory configured to replace a part of data stored in the mask ROM with replacement data, the e-fuse memory including, a plurality of e-fuse memory cells configured to store the replacement data, and an e-fuse address selector configured to decode an address of the plurality of e-fuse memory cells and to selectively cause data of one or more of the plurality of e-fuse memory cells to be output based on the decoding result.
US09142312B1
In one embodiment, a method comprises determining an adaptation for a reference voltage used in a flash memory device as a function of a first count of items read from the flash memory device and a second count of items read from the flash memory device; and shifting the reference voltage at least in part by the adaptation.
US09142309B2
A victim group of one or more cells is read using a first read threshold to obtain a first raw read which includes one or more values. The victim group of cells is read using a second read threshold to obtain a second raw read which includes one or more values. A neighboring read, corresponding to a neighboring group of one or more cells associated with the victim group of cells, is obtained. A composite read is generated, including by selecting from at least the first raw read and the second raw read based at least in part on the neighboring read.
US09142308B2
Disclosed are a semiconductor memory device, a memory system including the same, and an operation method thereof. The semiconductor memory device includes: a memory cell array including a plurality of memory cells; and a plurality of page buffers configured to supply currents to bit lines when a sensing operation is performed and sense currents of the bit lines to sense data of the plurality of memory cells and generate current paths between the bit lines and a ground according to program states of the plurality of memory cells.
US09142300B2
According to one embodiment, a memory system includes a nonvolatile memory and a control circuit. The nonvolatile memory includes a storage area having a plurality of memory cells configured to store data. The control circuit determines whether data write to the storage area is possible or impossible.
US09142299B2
A memory cell array is configured to have a plurality of memory cells arranged in a matrix, each of the memory cells being connected to a word line and a bit line and being capable of storing n values (n is a natural number equal to or larger than 3). A control circuit controls the potentials of the word line and bit line according to input data and writes data into a memory cell. The control circuit writes data into the memory cell to a k-valued threshold voltage (k<=n) in a write operation, precharges the bit line once, and then changes the potential of the word line an i number of times to verify whether the memory cell has reached an i-valued (i<=k) threshold voltage.
US09142289B2
A driving method for driving a variable resistance element and a nonvolatile memory device, which achieves stable storage operation. In a low resistance write process, a low resistance writing voltage pulse having the negative polarity is applied once to a variable resistance layer included in a variable resistance element while in a high resistance write process, a high resistance writing voltage pulse having the positive polarity is applied more than twice to the same variable resistance layer. Here, when a voltage value of one of the high resistance writing voltage pulses is VH1 and a voltage value of the other high resistance writing voltage pulse applied subsequently is VH2, VH1>VH2 is satisfied.
US09142287B2
A method for encoding bits to be stored within a crossbar memory architecture performed by a physical computing system includes designating, with the physical computing system, a subset of crosspoints within a crossbar matrix, the crossbar matrix comprising a number of disjointed intersecting wire segments, the subset corresponding to a predetermined path through the crossbar matrix; and encoding, with the physical computing system, a number of data bits to be placed along the predetermined path; in which the encoding causes bits pertaining to at least one of the wire segments to be subject to a constraint when the data bits are placed along the predetermined path.
US09142286B2
A device (e.g., an integrated circuit memory device such as a static random access memory device) includes word line drivers. Each of the word line drivers includes a pull-up device that is coupled to a node via a shared line. A precharge device is coupled between a power supply and the node. The precharge device and a pull-up device for a selected word line driver are controlled to allow the power supply to charge the node and then to allow the charge stored in the node to flow into a word line corresponding to the selected word line driver.
US09142282B2
A circuit includes a plurality of buffers configured to provide data on a corresponding signal line. Each of the plurality of buffers may be coupled to a power supply voltage through a corresponding diode. A plurality of receiving circuits may be coupled to receive the data provided on a corresponding one of the plurality of signal lines. The plurality of receiving circuits may be directly powered by the power supply voltage.
US09142281B1
A system that calibrates timing relationships between signals involved in performing write operations is described. This system includes a memory controller which is coupled to a set of memory chips, wherein each memory chip includes a phase detector configured to calibrate a phase relationship between a data-strobe signal and a clock signal received at the memory chip from the memory controller during a write operation. Furthermore, the memory controller is configured to perform one or more write-read-validate operations to calibrate a clock-cycle relationship between the data-strobe signal and the clock signal, wherein the write-read-validate operations involve varying a delay on the data-strobe signal relative to the clock signal by a multiple of a clock period.
US09142279B2
A DRAM refresh method used with a memory system organized into rows of memory cells, each of which has an associated data retention time, with the system arranged to refresh predefined blocks of memory cells simultaneously. For each block of memory cells that are to be refreshed simultaneously, the minimum data retention time for the memory cells in the block is determined. Then, an asymmetric refresh sequence is created which specifies the order in which the blocks of memory cells are refreshed, such that the blocks having the shortest minimum data retention times are refreshed more often than the blocks having longer minimum data retention times.
US09142272B2
Embodiments relate to a dual asynchronous and synchronous memory system. One aspect is a system that includes a memory controller and a memory buffer chip coupled to the memory controller via a synchronous channel. The memory buffer chip includes a memory buffer unit configured to synchronously communicate with the memory controller in a nest domain, and a memory buffer adaptor configured to communicate with at least one memory interface port in a memory domain. The at least one memory interface port is operable to access at least one memory device. A boundary layer is connected to the nest domain and the memory domain, where the boundary layer is configurable to operate in a synchronous transfer mode between the nest and memory domains and to operate in an asynchronous transfer mode between the nest and memory domains.
US09142271B1
The present disclosure relates to reference and sense architecture in a cross-point memory. An apparatus may include a memory controller configured to select a target memory cell for a memory access operation. The memory controller includes word line (WL) switch circuitry configured to select a global WL (GWL) and a local WL (LWL) associated with the target memory cell; bit line (BL) switch circuitry configured to select a global BL (GBL) and a local BL (LBL) associated with the target memory cell; and sense circuitry including a first sense circuitry capacitance and a second sense circuitry capacitance, the sense circuitry configured to precharge the selected GWL, the LWL and the first sense circuitry capacitance to a WL bias voltage WLVDM, produce a reference voltage (VREF) utilizing charge on the selected GWL and charge on the first sense circuitry capacitance and determine a state of the target memory cell based, at least in part, on VREF and a detected memory cell voltage VLWL.
US09142270B2
A system including a memory cell array including a plurality of memory cells, and a writing device to generate multiple back-to-back write pulses to write to target memory cells from among the plurality of memory cells, the multiple back-to-back write pulses overlapping during an overlap duration, the overlap duration being adjustable based on a performance parameter of the memory cell array.
US09142268B2
Dual-voltage domain memory buffers, and related systems and methods are disclosed. To reduce area needed for voltage level shifters for voltage level shifting, latch banks are provided in a voltage domain of memory buffer read circuitry, separate from the voltage domain of a write data input to the latch banks. A write data input voltage level shifter is disposed between the write data input and the latch banks to voltage level shift write data on the write data input to the voltage domain of the latch banks. In this manner, voltage level shifters are not required to voltage level shill the latch bank outputs, because the latch banks are in the voltage domain of the memory buffer read circuitry. In this manner, semiconductor area that would otherwise be needed for the voltage level shifters to voltage level shift latch bank outputs is not required.
US09142267B1
The invention provides the power generator includes a bias voltage generator and a voltage clamping circuit. The bias voltage generator receives a reference voltage and generates a bias voltage according to the reference voltage. The voltage clamping circuit is coupled to the bias voltage generator. The voltage clamping circuit receives a supply voltage and the bias voltage and respectively outputs a plurality of data line power to the data transporting buffers by clamping the supply voltage according to the bias voltage. Wherein, the supply voltage is varied between a voltage range, and voltage levels of the data line powers are all constant.
US09142256B2
A method and system for creating and editing video and/or audio tracks is described. The method includes providing at least one artist, venue, and track available for selection and providing at least one clip associated with the at least one artist, venue, and track. The method also includes allowing a user to create a custom track from the at least one clip. The system includes a plurality of video cameras for recording a live performance at a plurality of positions. The system also includes at least one server for storing a plurality of video clips created from the plurality of video cameras and an application stored on the at least one server for allowing a user to access the plurality of video clips via the Internet.
US09142254B2
Methods and apparatus, including computer program products, for designating a memory region for receiving image frames from an image frame server, the image frames are from a first sequence of image frames. Each image frame in the first sequence of image frames is associated with a time position on a first timeline. A needed image frame is selected, the needed image frame associated with a second time position on a second timeline. The second time position is mapped on the second timeline to a first time position on the first timeline. The image frame server is requested to provide an image frame from the first sequence of image frames at the first time position on the first timeline.
US09142252B2
In one embodiment, a magnetic disk drive includes a magnetic disk having data tracks, a magnetic head, a motion mechanism for moving the magnetic head, and a controller. The controller adds a value to a rewrite parameter for a rewrite region based on a number of writes to data tracks related to the rewrite region, the value is chosen to reflect a degree of influence the number of writes have on the rewrite region, and the magnetic head rewrites data of the rewrite region when the rewrite parameter is greater than a threshold. In another embodiment, a method includes writing data tracks in a rewrite region, defining values reflecting a degree(s) of influence on the rewrite region, adding the values to a rewrite parameter upon writing data to the data tracks, determining that the rewrite parameter has reached or exceeded a threshold and rewriting data in the rewrite region.
US09142245B2
A method according to one embodiment includes receiving or determining primary velocity based on at least one of reading information encoded on a magnetic tape and a parameter associated with a motor of a drive mechanism. At a switching point, a reference velocity is made about equal to the primary velocity. After the switching point, the reference velocity is determined at various intervals. Also after the switching point, a value representative of a difference between the reference velocity and the primary velocity is determined, and a speed of the motor of the drive mechanism is adjusted for minimizing the difference between the reference velocity and the primary velocity. A system according to one embodiment includes a controller for controlling a drive mechanism, the controller being configured to perform the foregoing method.
US09142242B1
Disclosed is a method and apparatus for attaining control a device in a home automation network. The disclosed method may include establishing, by a processor, communication with an appliance controller. A list of appliances controlled by the appliance controller may be requested. The processor may receive the list of appliances from the appliance controller. A control request may be sent to the appliance controller. A series of images may be collected of the lighting patterns generated by a first appliance in the list of appliances in the field of view of the camera. A specific light pattern collected from the series of images may be correlated with the first appliance.
US09142241B2
A perpendicular magnetic recording medium comprises a magnetic recording layer that records a signal, an underlayer formed of Ru or Ru compound below the magnetic recording layer, a non-magnetic layer formed of a non-magnetic material below the underlayer to control crystal orientation of the underlayer, a soft magnetic layer provided below the non-magnetic layer, and a substrate on which the magnetic recording layer, the underlayer, the non-magnetic layer, and the soft magnetic layer are formed. The non-magnetic layer comprises a first non-magnetic layer formed above the soft magnetic layer and a second non-magnetic layer formed above the first non-magnetic layer. The first non-magnetic layer is formed of amorphous Ni compound while the second non-magnetic layer is formed of crystalline Ni or crystalline Ni compound.
US09142239B2
According to one embodiment, a patterned magnetic storage medium is disclosed herein. The magnetic storage medium includes a magnetic domain, a substantially non-magnetic region laterally adjacent to the magnetic domain, and an exchange spring structure disposed between the magnetic domain and the laterally adjacent non-magnetic region wherein the exchange spring structure comprises implanted ions.
US09142237B1
A disk drive includes a drive housing, a storage disk, a head suspension assembly, an actuator assembly and a controller. The storage disk has a disk surface including a data region that stores data. In one embodiment, the head suspension assembly includes a slider and an attitude adjuster. The slider has an inner side edge, an outer side edge and a data transducer. The attitude adjuster can adjust a roll attitude and/or a pitch attitude of the slider relative to the disk surface. The slider moves between a first position wherein the data transducer is not positioned directly over the data region and a second position wherein the data transducer is positioned directly over the data region during one of a load operation and an unload operation. The controller controls an electrical signal to the attitude adjuster during one of the load operation and the unload operation to dynamically adjust the attitude of the slider. The attitude adjuster can include one or more piezoelectric elements that expand and/or contract to adjust the orientation of the slider relative to the storage disk.
US09142232B2
An apparatus for two dimensional reading may be constructed, in accordance with some embodiments, with a number of magnetic stacks respectively configured to engage adjacent data tracks of a data storage media. Each magnetic stack can be disposed between top and bottom shields while each shield is segmented into a number of contacts different than the number of magnetic stacks.
US09142222B2
An apparatus and method of improving the quality of a speech codec are provided. In the method, a first energy of a signal decoded by a low-band codec is calculated, and a second energy of a signal decoded by a low-band enhancement mode is calculated. Then, when the first energy is less than a first threshold value or less than a product of the second energy and a second threshold value, a size of the decoded signal is scaled. Accordingly, generation of a quantization error with respect to a silence segment is reduced.
US09142219B2
In one embodiment, a method includes receiving an acoustic input signal at a speech recognizer. A user is identified that is speaking based on the acoustic input signal. The method then determines speaker-specific information previously stored for the user and a set of responses based on the recognized acoustic input signal and the speaker-specific information for the user. It is determined if the response should be output and the response is outputted if it is determined the response should be output.
US09142211B2
A speech recognition apparatus 20 includes: an identification language model creation unit 21 that selects, from learning texts 27 for various fields for generating language models 26 for the fields, a phrase that includes a word whose appearance frequency satisfies a set condition on a field-by-field basis, and generates an identification language model 25 for identifying the field of speech using the selected phrases; a speech recognition unit 22 that executes speech recognition on the speech using the identification language model 25, and outputs text data and word confidences as a recognition result; and a field determination unit 23 that specifies a field that includes the most words whose confidences are greater than or equal to a set value based on the text data, the word confidences, and the words in the learning texts for the fields, and determines that the specified field is the field of the speech.
US09142210B2
A method and device for speaker recognition are provided. In the present invention, identifiability re-estimation is performed on a first vector (namely, a weight vector) in a score function by adopting a support vector machine (SVM), so that a recognition result of a characteristic parameter of a test voice is more accurate, thereby improving identifiability of speaker recognition.
US09142209B2
A method and apparatus receive multiple data pattern analysis requests from a controller and substantially simultaneously perform, with multiple data pattern analysis units, multiple data pattern analyses on one or more portions of a data stream.
US09142205B2
A personal audio device, such as a headphone, includes an adaptive noise canceling (ANC) circuit that adaptively generates an anti-noise signal from a reference microphone signal that measures the ambient audio, and the anti-noise signal is combined with source audio to provide an output for a speaker. The anti-noise signal causes cancellation of ambient audio sounds that appear at the reference microphone. A processing circuit uses the reference microphone to generate the anti-noise signal, which can be generated by an adaptive filter. The processing circuit also models an acoustic leakage path from the transducer to the reference microphone and removes elements of the source audio appearing at the reference microphone signal due to the acoustic output of the speaker. Another adaptive filter can be used to model the acoustic leakage path.
US09142195B2
The timing controller determines the number of data lanes (11, 12, 13), which are used to transfer data, based on information in relation to an amount of data to be transferred during a predetermined time period. Out of the plurality of data lanes (11, 12, 13), the determined number of data lane(s) (11, 12, 13) are used to transfer data. Further, a data lane(s) (11, 12, 13) which is not used in the data transfer is deactivated.
US09142192B2
Device simulators and methods for using the same are disclosed. In some embodiments, the device simulators are capable of permitting accurate pixel to pixel and inch to inch mapping between a simulated display and a display of a target device. Web application development tools utilizing such simulators are also disclosed. In some embodiment, such web application development tools provide a convenient method to convert electronic document source files to interactive document web applications for multiple operating systems and form factors.
US09142187B2
A semiconductor device includes an adjustment data generation unit receiving at least a part of adjustment values of color attributes of each of n-axis vertices (n is an integer not less than 3), the n axes serving as an adjustment axis in a RGB color space. The adjustment data generation unit calculates the degree of influence which indicates the following index of each of the n-axis vertices based on the distance between each of the n-axis vertices and a target point which is an arbitrary lattice point in the RGB color space. The adjustment data generation unit calculates adjusted coordinates of the target point in the RGB color space based on shifting of each of the n-axis vertices in the RGB color space according to the adjustment value and the degree of influence. The image adjustment unit performs color adjustment of inputted image data.
US09142181B2
A display driver, which comprises: a first predetermined voltage level providing apparatus, for providing a first predetermined voltage level group comprising at least one first predetermined voltage level; a first image data providing apparatus, for outputting a first image data; and a detection controlling circuit, for determining if an output terminal of the first image data providing apparatus is pre-charged to the first predetermined voltage level according to a relation between an absolute value of a voltage level of the first image data and an absolute value of the first predetermined voltage level.
US09142170B2
The present application discloses a liquid crystal display device for displaying a video on a display surface with pixels arranged in a matrix. Each of the pixels has three sub-pixels formed with different color filter portions in hue. The display surface includes pixel sets. Each of the pixel sets is defined to include two or three of the pixels next to each other in at least one of the vertical and horizontal directions. An opening is formed on one of the color filter portions every hue in each of the pixel sets.
US09142165B2
A field sequential color display having a display panel and a backlight module is provided. The panel includes a plurality of unit regions, each having a first color unit region and a white color unit region. The panel includes a first substrate, a second substrate, a filter layer and a display medium. The first substrate has a pixel array. The second substrate is disposed opposite to the first substrate. The filter layer is disposed on the second substrate and has a first color filter pattern disposed within the first color unit regions and a white color filter pattern disposed within the white color unit regions. The display medium is between the first and second substrate. The backlight module is disposed at a side of the display panel and has a white light source, a second color light source and a third color light source which are switched in sequence.
US09142160B2
An exemplary embodiment of the present invention is a display apparatus. In the display apparatus, each row has as many row selection lines as the number of colors of light emitting elements, and row selection signals are supplied via the row selection lines such that a first row selection signal and a second row selection signals are supplied to driving circuits of light emitting elements of each color in first and second periods alternately and a plurality of times at different intervals in each frame. In the first period, light-emission or no-light-emission data signals are supplied over data lines. In the second period, only no-light-emission data signals are supplied. One of the first and second row selection signals is supplied with the same timing for all colors, while the other one of the row selection signals is supplied with timing different among the colors.
US09142157B2
An electronic device may contain components such as a processor, video circuitry, camera flash, communications circuitry, and other components that may generate heat during operation. The device may have a display with a backlight unit that contains light-emitting diodes. Control circuitry within the electronic device can apply drive powers to the light-emitting diodes in a way that is sensitive to the operating temperature of the light-emitting diodes. The control circuitry can determine whether the temperature of the light-emitting diodes is elevated by determining which components are active in the device. Activity levels can be ascertained by gathering status information on each component. Temperature sensors may be used to make real time temperature measurements. Based on factors such as component activity levels and measured temperature values, the control circuitry can adjust the maximum allowed light-emitting diode drive power level to avoid overdriving the diodes during operation at elevated temperatures.
US09142145B2
Simulation systems and methods may enable virtual imaging. A data processing unit may receive data from a calibration unit indicating a position and/or orientation of a position and orientation sensor relative to a physical model. The data processing unit may also receive data from the position and orientation sensor indicating a position and/or orientation of the physical model. The data processing unit may generate a virtual image using the data from the position and orientation sensor and the data from the calibration unit. The data processing unit may render the virtual image to a display.
US09142132B2
A collision avoidance system is configured to be installed in a vehicle, and includes a speed sensing unit to sense a speed of the vehicle, a distance sensing unit to sense a distance between the vehicle and a nearby object, an EPB unit to decelerate the vehicle, and a control unit to compute a length of collision time after which the vehicle is predicted to collide with the object according to the speed of the vehicle and the distance between the vehicle and the object, and to control the EPB unit to decelerate the vehicle when the collision time is not longer than a brake time length.
US09142126B2
An emergency traffic system is provided. The emergency traffic system may include a power source, a battery, an emergency traffic light, a light sensor, a mounting assemblage, a computer and an existing traffic light system. The emergency traffic system may be mounted on a traffic light system, whereby the light sensor may be secured to at least one traffic light thereof. The computer may receive electrical signals from the light sensor so as to learn and record the history of the traffic light patterns of the traffic light system. In the next step, the computer compares the instant traffic light pattern to the history of traffic light patterns during the operation of the traffic light system being monitored. If the instant traffic light pattern is not found in the history, then the computer transmits the on signal to the emergency traffic light. If the instant traffic pattern is found in the history then the computer continues to monitor the step comparison. If the on signal has been transmitted to the emergency traffic light, then the computer continues to look for the return of a signal from the light sensor, it then reacts to traffic light system working again, and then the computer transmits the off signal to the emergency traffic light.
US09142113B2
In accordance with certain embodiments, a smoke detector determines the presence of smoke particles outside its housing based on measurements of light detected at different wavelengths and corrected based on an ambient light level.
US09142112B2
In accordance with certain embodiments, a smoke detector determines the presence of smoke particles outside its housing based on measurements of light detected at different wavelengths and corrected based on an ambient light level.
US09142108B2
A security method and apparatus is disclosed. In one embodiment, a security method comprises storing one or more data points representing an alarm condition in a memory, generating an electronic signal from a motion sensor in response to movement of the door or window, comparing the electronic signal to the data points, and detecting an alarm condition of the door or window if the electronic signal substantially matches the data points.
US09142106B2
Methods, systems, and computer-readable media for tailgating detection are described herein. One method includes collecting, via a computing device, access log data associated with a profile; processing, by a processor coupled to the computing device, the access log data to obtain a statistical access model; detecting, by the processor, a tailgating sequence based on the statistical access model; and providing, by the processor, a notification that the tailgating sequence has occurred.
US09142093B2
A gaming system for conducting a wagering game includes a wager input device for receiving a wager to play a wagering game, at least one display for displaying the wagering game, and at least one controller. The controller is operative to display a first outcome of the wagering game and award a first award associated with the first outcome, store the first award in a stored awards group, cause the at least one display to display the stored awards group, and re-award one or more awards in the stored awards group upon the occurrence of a triggering event.
US09142085B2
A random switching game engine for wagering games provides the advantage of switching between game engines in response to a triggering event. The switch engine controls which game engine will present a wagering game to the player. The different game engines may have different odds for presenting a winning outcome to a player. After a triggering event has occurred the switch game engine may utilize a random number generator to randomly determine whether a switch between game engines should occur. The triggering event may comprise the start of a game or any other event. A switch game engine may perform the switch by activating one of multiple game engines. The wagering game may be presented according to the same rules, but with different odds of receiving a winning outcome, to prevent a player from noticing that a switch between game engines has occurred, or different games may be presented.
US09142074B2
A system for and method of paper note authentication and tracking through NFC is presented. The system and method includes utilizing an authenticating device to receive paper note data using an NFC reader, transmit the paper note data to an authenticating party, receive an authentication determination and/or additional paper note data, and authenticate the paper note where the authentication determination indicates accordingly. The system and method may further include updating the paper note data upon authentication to prevent duplicate authentication attempts.
US09142073B2
A telephone network voting system receives telephone ballots cast by voters by dialing a telephone number. The telephone number is dialed by voters spread over a large geographic area. The voting calls are routed to points of presence local to or otherwise identified with the caller by using the caller's ANI or other originating number identification. The points of presence then accumulate votes and periodically forward tallies to a centralized location over a data network. Instructions may be transmitted from the centralized location to the points of presence.
US09142058B2
A computer-readable storage medium having stored therein an information processing program to be executed by a computer is provided. The information processing program causes the computer to function as: preferential display object placing means for placing a preferential display object in an imaging range of a virtual stereo camera in a virtual three-dimensional space; stereoscopically visible image rendering means for taking the virtual three-dimensional space using the virtual stereo camera, and rendering a stereoscopically visible image of the virtual three-dimensional space; and display control means for causing the display apparatus to display the stereoscopically visible image rendered by the stereoscopically visible image rendering means. The stereoscopically visible image rendering means renders the preferential display object by using a parallax based on a first depth from the virtual stereo camera, according to a preference order based on a second depth, shallower than the first depth, from the virtual stereo camera.
US09142057B2
A processor includes a first shader engine and a second shader engine. The first shader engine is configured to process pixel shaders for a first subset of pixels to be displayed on a display device. The second shader engine is configured to process pixel shaders for a second subset of pixels to be displayed on the display device. Both the first and second shader engines are also configured to process general-compute shaders and non-pixel graphics shaders. The processor may also include a level-one (L1) data cache, coupled to and positioned between the first and second shader engines.
US09142056B1
Rendering 3D paintings can be done by compositing brush strokes embedded in space. Image elements are rendered into an image representable by a pixel array wherein at least some of the image elements correspond to simulated painting strokes. A method may include determining stroke positions in a 3D space, determining stroke orders, and for each pixel to be addressed, determining a pixel color value by determining strokes intersections with a view ray for that pixel, determining a depth order and a stroke order for intersecting fragments, each fragment having a color, alpha value, depth, and stroke order, assigning an intermediate color to each of the fragments, corresponding to a compositing of nearby fragments in stroke order, and assigning a color to the pixel that corresponds to a compositing of the fragments using the intermediate colors assigned to the fragments. The compositing may be done in depth order.
US09142054B2
A system and method for digital hair coloring is described. A starting image of a subject including a hair region is obtained. At least one foreground selection of the starting image is obtained, the foreground selection including a portion of the hair region. At least one background selection of the starting image excluding the hair region is obtained. A matte defining a calculated foreground area of the starting image is calculated based on the foreground selection and the background selection. A target color distribution based on a target hair color is obtained. A color image is generated by applying a color transformation based on the target color distribution to at least the calculated foreground area of the starting image. An output image is generated from the colored image and the starting image.
US09142053B2
Systems and methods for compositing an image from display planes are disclosed. An internal matrix having transparency data indicating transparency of a macro block of a digital representation of a display is accessed. An external matrix is accessed if the internal matrix indicates the macro block includes a transparent and opaque pixel, wherein the external matrix has transparency data indicating transparency of each pixel in the macro block. A first display plane is read based on the transparency data indicating opaque pixels and the first display plane data is sent to a first buffer. Second display plane data of a second display plane is read and sent to a second buffer if the transparency data indicates transparent pixels. Control data is inserted into the first buffer accordingly such that an image is generated based on at least one of the first and second display plane data and the control data.
US09142052B1
In an embodiment, a data processing method comprises receiving and storing one or more original graphic image files; for each particular original graphic image file among the graphic image files: determining a first aspect ratio of the particular original graphic image file; determining whether the first aspect ratio is wider, taller, or identical to a specified second aspect ratio associated with one or more target image files; creating and storing the one or more target image files each having the second aspect ratio, by re-sampling the particular original graphic image file to match a first dimension of the one or more target image files, and selectively cropping one or more portions of the particular original graphic image file to form the one or more target image files having the second aspect ratio; wherein the method is performed using one or more computing devices.
US09142045B1
The present invention relates to a method for displaying two-dimensional geological image data in log format and the displayed image products thereof. The present invention can provide a concatenated display format for two-dimensional image data captured for different planar slices of a geological sample. The present method provides an enhanced format modality for presentation of such image data of a geological sample as a continuous presentation for the slices in the sequence.
US09142043B1
A method for reducing the number of samples tested for rendering a screen space region of an image includes constructing a trajectory of a primitive extending within an image which is to be rendered. A bounding volume is constructed for a screen space region of the image, the bounding volume characterized as having a bound in a non-screen space dimension which is defined as a function of the primitive's trajectory. The bounding volume is further characterized as overlapping a portion of the screen space region which is to be rendered. One or more sample points which are located within the screen space region, and which are not overlapped by the bounding volume are excluded from testing.
US09142040B2
A system, method, and computer program product are provided for processing graphics data associated with shading. In operation, a first fragment is received. Further, the first fragment is shaded. While the first fragment is being shaded, a second fragment is received and it is determined whether at least one aspect of the second fragment conflicts with the first fragment. If it is determined that the at least one aspect of the second fragment does not conflict with the first fragment, the second fragment is shaded. If it is determined that the at least one aspect of the second fragment conflicts with the first fragment, information associated with the second fragment is stored, a third fragment is received, and the third fragment is shaded, if it is determined that at least one aspect of the third fragment does not conflict with the first fragment.
US09142038B2
Rendering a digital element is disclosed. An indication that a device is within a region associated with the digital element is received. It is determined that the digital element is to be rendered. A representation of the digital element is generated in a rendered view of the region. The digital element is provided upon receiving an indication that the digital element has been selected.
US09142035B1
This disclosure describes systems and methods for automatically verifying stored item dimension values and package utilization at packing. In some implementations, an image(s) of a package that includes items of a shipment set is captured at a pack station and analyzed to determine an actual package utilization. The actual package utilization is compared to an expected package utilization. If a difference between the expected package utilization and the actual package utilization is identified, it may be determined that the stored item dimension values may be inaccurate.
US09142026B2
A method for generating a confidence map comprising a plurality of confidence values, each being assigned to a respective disparity value in a disparity map assigned to at least two stereo images each having a plurality of pixels, wherein a single confidence value is determined for each disparity value, and wherein for determination of the confidence value at least a first confidence value based on a match quality between a pixel or a group of pixels in the first stereo image and a corresponding pixel or a corresponding group of pixels in the second stereo image and a second confidence value based on a consistency of the corresponding disparity estimates is taken into account.
US09142014B2
A number of wafers of a same semiconductor device are inspected to generate a plurality of candidate defect lists for identifying systematic defects. Each candidate defect list comprises a plurality of candidate defects obtained from inspecting one of the wafers. Each candidate defect is represented by a plurality of defect attributes including a defect location. The candidate defects in every one or more candidate defect lists are processed as a set by stage one grouping and filtering to generate a stage one defect list for each set. The candidate defects in all the stage one defect lists are then processed together by stage two grouping and filtering to generate a final defect lists for systematic defects. The defect attributes of each defect and a design pattern clip extracted from a design database based on the defect location are used in the hierarchical grouping and filtering.
US09142007B2
According to one embodiment, an electronic apparatus includes a calculator and a processor. The calculator calculates a weighted average image between a first image, a second image and a third image, by using a weight based on a difference between the first image and the second image and a difference between the first image and the third image. The processor applies, based on the weight, an image quality process of a first intensity to a first position in the weighted average image, applies an image quality process of a second intensity weaker than the first intensity to a second position in the weighted average image and to applies an image quality process of a third intensity weaker than the second intensity to a third position in the weighted average image.
US09142003B2
Displaying frames on an electronic display. Each frame is characterized by a time. Determining a characteristic of data related to each element of a first set of frames, each frame characterized as within a first time period. Determining a rate of change over time of the characteristic. Determining a frame rate based on the determined rate of change. Displaying a second set of frames at the frame rate.
US09142001B2
In accordance with some embodiments, a graphics process frame generation frame rate may be monitored in combination with a utilization or work load metric for the graphics process in order to allocate performance resources to the graphics process and in some cases, between the graphics process and a central processing unit.
US09141994B2
Systems and methods are discussed for providing sensor enhanced safety, recovery, and activity evaluation systems. Sensors that monitor user activity and behavior are worn by a user and/or placed in the user environment. Data from the sensors are processed to obtain a safety, recovery, and/or activity evaluation. Based on the evaluation, recommendations or adjustments to the terms of an insurance policy covering the user, the user's employer, or a facility providing health care to the user to accurately reflect the risks associated with the user, employer, and/or facility.
US09141989B2
Social product related content, such as user reviews, comments, and catalogs, are presented to a user via an e-commerce website by assembling, in response to the user requesting accesses to a webpage of the e-commerce website having information for a product, such as a product detail page, a set of documents that have been cross-referenced to the product and by extracting from the set of documents a subset of documents that have been cross-referenced to individuals within a related persons map of the user. The requested webpage is then presented to the user in a manner that additionally provides the user with access to the subset of documents.
US09141988B2
Systems and methods for providing search results based on time obtain an item are discussed. In an example, a method can include receiving a search query, generating search results, calculating a time to obtain for each listing in the search results, and arranging the search results for display. The search query can include a current location of a mobile device. The search results can include a plurality of listings, with each listing including a location. The locations representing either a physical location proximate the current location or a delivery time to the current location. The search results can be arranged for display in various manners according to the calculated time to obtain for each result.
US09141985B1
Disclosed are various embodiments of a method and system for providing a simplified listing process for sellers. A computing device obtains contact information for a seller and a representation of an item that may be purchased through an electronic marketplace. This information is obtained without requiring the seller to register with the electronic marketplace. Using the representation of the item, a seller listing for the item in the electronic marketplace is generated. The seller is notified through the contact information when a buyer purchases the item from the seller through the generated seller listing.
US09141983B2
Methods and systems are described for shared data sets combined with purchased data sets in an on-line services environment. In one embodiment, a method includes, identifying a user, associating the user with data in a shared database, and receiving a purchased dataset from the identified user. The method further includes adding the purchased dataset to a delta table associated with the shared database based on determined record relationships and field relationship, and providing access to the purchased dataset to the user through requests for data in the shared database.
US09141971B2
The present invention provides a method of detecting fraudulent clicks in an online environment to reduce fraudulent paid clicks for online advertisers. The method includes server side and client side code which combined enables a click verification web site to identify valid and invalid clicks and in real-time prevents advertisers from getting billed for fraudulent activity.
US09141969B1
This specification describes methods, systems, and apparatus, including computer programs encoded on a computer-readable storage device, for determining expansion rates for events related to expandable content items.
US09141962B2
A method and system for determining a best price to rent a multimedia content being offered for viewing by at least one service provider to a plurality of users through a communication network is provided. The service provider offers the multimedia content to the plurality of users at a base price. The method includes receiving a first price from the user that he/she is willing to pay for the multimedia content. The first price is lesser than the base price. The method further includes calculating a number of commercials that need to be shown the user to recover a cost to show the multimedia content at the first price. Furthermore, the method includes calculating a best price that the service provider can offer to the user when the service provider does not have enough commercials to offer the multimedia content at the first price.
US09141961B2
Providing for network-based management of dynamic mobile coupons (DMCs) employed in mobile device-related commerce is described herein. Management can include mitigating processing load involved in processing dynamic characteristics of a set of DMCs, facilitating post-transaction evaluation of DMCs, or facilitating a virtual shopping experience in conjunction with redeeming DMCs in a mobile-commerce environment. Communicative association between a mobile device and network components can be implemented to leverage data collected by the mobile device with communication and processing capabilities of the network. Dynamic DMC states are determined from the collected data, which are implemented to facilitate the mobile-commerce. The disclosure provides an integrated mechanism for efficient utilization of DMCs to enhance user experience and satisfaction with mobile commerce.
US09141959B2
Systems and methods for generating authentic digital memorabilia are described. A signor may be provided a digital photograph. The signor's signature, written message, or voice message may be received. Biometric authentication or verification may be performed on the signor's handwriting or voice sample through comparison with stored samples. If the verification signifies a high likelihood signor's handwriting or voice sample is authentic, creation of digital memorabilia is performed by embedding signor's signature or written message in a digital photograph and linking the signor's voice message with the photograph. The digital memorabilia is accompanied by a certificate of authenticity and distributed to a customer or displayed on a website.
US09141958B2
An example method for providing a user with service technical data is provided. A server stores original service technical data and annotated data in a server where the annotated data is associated with the original service technical data. The server determines an access level of the user such where the access level of the user determines what service technical data may be sent. A portion of the service technical data is sent from the server to a device associated with the user, based at least in part on the access level of the user. The server also receives additional annotated data generated by the user where the additional annotated data is associated with the original service technical data.
US09141954B2
A system and method for performing a transaction can allow a user to perform a multi-step process on a single web page. The system can receive an initiate-application command from a user at an application server and, in response, initiate an application for facilitating a transaction. The system can present a parameter-request panel, including a set of parameter-request fields, to the user at a client. The system can receive transaction parameters from the user via the set of parameter-request fields. In response to receiving the transaction parameters, the system can present a transaction-options panel, including a set of transaction options associated with the transaction parameters, to the user without obscuring the parameter-request panel. The system can receive from the user a transaction-option selection associated with the set of transaction options and, in response, present a transaction-completion panel to the user without obscuring the parameter-request panel or the transaction-options panel. The transaction-completion panel can include a set of transaction-completion fields associated with the transaction-option selection. The system can receive from the user transaction-completion information via the transaction-completion fields and, in response, complete the transaction.
US09141949B1
A point of sale transaction device facilitates secure point of sale transactions. The device includes a housing. A processor and display are each coupled to the housing. A female universal serial bus port and camera are each coupled to the housing and operationally coupled to the processor. A power source is electrically coupled to the processor, the display, and the camera. A data storage device extrinsic to the housing has account data for processing a payment transaction. A male universal serial bus port on the data storage device selectively engages to the female universal serial bus port for providing access to the account data by the processor. A router is operationally coupled to the processor for processing a payment transaction with an extrinsic funds account.
US09141938B2
A method and system for producing and working with transcripts according to the invention eliminates time inefficiencies. By dispersing a source recording to a transcription team in small segments, so that team members transcribe segments in parallel, a rapid transcription process delivers a fully edited transcript within minutes. Clients can view accurate, grammatically correct, proofread and fact-checked documents that shadow live proceedings by mere minutes. The rapid transcript includes time coding, speaker identification and summary. A viewer application allows a client to view a video recording side-by-side with a transcript. Clicking on a word in the transcript locates the corresponding recorded content; advancing a recording to a particular point locates and displays the corresponding spot in the transcript. The recording is viewed using common video features, and may be downloaded. The client can edit the transcript and insert comments. Any number of colleagues can view and edit simultaneously.
US09141935B2
In one embodiment, a system is provided for performing at least one service operation in association with at least one inspected item. The system includes a service data device configured for displaying at least one data screen including at least one checklist configured for operative use in connection with performance of the service operation on the inspected item, the data device being portable and being configured for processing at least one communication; a service administrator having at least one data storage medium configured for storing at least one of the checklists displayed on the data device, the service administrator further having at least one server for enabling at least one communication between the service administrator and the data device; at least a portion of at least one of the checklists being customizable by at least the service administrator; and, at least a portion of at least one of the checklists being electronically interactive in association with performance of the service operation on the inspected item.
US09141931B2
An inventory distribution system and method of providing a plurality of items to a plurality of kiosks is provided. The inventory distribution system may maintain and update a plurality of inventory records associated with the plurality of items provided by the plurality of kiosks, which can be used to determine and update quantities of the plurality of items at specific kiosks. To provide the plurality of items to the plurality of kiosks, the inventory distribution system can provide deliveries to a plurality of distribution agents, where the distribution agents are assigned to a subset of kiosks to maintain and distribute one or more select items to the subset of kiosks.
US09141929B2
A method for password-protected physical transfer of password-protected devices including at a receiving location, generating at least one security file including an encrypted element generated using a one-way encryption function utilizing at least one secure code, transmitting the at least one security file to a shipping location at which the password-protected devices are located, at the shipping location, using at least one shipping location password, loading the at least one security file into at least one password-protected device, shipping the at least one password-protected device to the receiving location and at the receiving location, employing the at least one secure code to supply an input to the at least one password-protected device and employing the at least one security file to enable establishment of at least one receiving location password for the at least one password-protected device which replaces the at least one shipping location password.
US09141923B2
A fuel cell fleet has a plurality of fuel cell systems each connected to a data server. The data server may be configured to obtain operational data from of the plurality of fuel cell systems. An efficiency controller operably connected to the data server and is configured to predict an efficiency and a power output of the fleet from the operational data and optimize the efficiency of the fleet to minimize the fleet fuel consumption while maintaining a desired fleet output power. The efficiency may be determined by a ratio of the fleet output current or output power to the fleet fuel consumption.
US09141918B2
A computer-implemented user contribution method is provided. The method includes retrieving event data posted by a plurality of users related to a first user, the event data including indications of at least one geographic area. The event data is compared with predetermined trigger data. A quality value of the at least one geographic area is determined based on the comparison of the event data with predetermined trigger data, and an indication of the quality value of the at least one geographic area is transmitted to a second user. A user contribution based mapping system is further provided.
US09141915B2
A method and apparatus for deriving diagnostic data about a technical system utilizing learning metrics gained by at least one data driven learning process while generating and updating soft sensor models of said technical system.
US09141914B2
Probable anomalies associated with at least one data metric may be detected across a series of windows of time series data by comparison of data to a threshold. An estimated probability of anomalies for each of the windows of time series data may be determined based on the detected probable anomalies and the threshold. The windows of time series data may be ranked based on the estimated probabilities. Probable anomalies associated with highest ranked windows of time series data may be output to a user.
US09141912B2
An information analytic system including an information gathering unit configured to gather at least one piece of information from at least one of a plurality of devices connected to a network, an information analysis unit configured to analyze the gathered information, and a rule generation unit configured to generate at least one rule based on the analysis performed by the information analysis unit. The rule analysis unit is configured to analyze each generated rule to identify the rules that can be applied to the corresponding piece information, and to apply applies the identified rule to the corresponding piece of information. The rule analysis unit is also configured to analyze unapplied rules and to determine what additional information is required to apply each unapplied rule to at least one piece of information.
US09141910B2
System, computer-implemented method, and computer program product to receive a case by a deep question answering system, identify a policy relevant in generating a response to the case, the policy containing a set of criteria used in generating the response to the case, produce, by a first annotator, of a set of annotators, one or more relevant passages of the case, compute a criteria score for a first criterion, of the set of criteria, based on the one or more relevant passages of the case, an determine that the first criterion is met by the case when the criteria score for the first criterion exceeds a predefined threshold.
US09141908B1
A reasoning system is configured to interact with data processing elements of an information processing system. The reasoning system includes a reasoning module configured to perform one or more reasoning operations on metadata. The metadata characterizes data sets associated with the data processing elements in order to identify at least selected portions of one or more of the data sets as being suitable for use in achieving a designated purpose. The reasoning system also includes a dynamic information assembly module configured to utilize results of the one or more reasoning operations to assemble at least a subset of the selected portions so as to achieve the designated purpose. The reasoning system and associated data processing elements may be implemented, by way of example, in cloud infrastructure of a cloud service provider, or on another type of processing platform.
US09141897B2
A signal generation portion of an image forming apparatus generates a different level of signal according to an output value of a pyroelectric sensor. A recognition portion determines a measurement value on the speed of change of the signal and recognizes which of a first range and a second range the measurement value is. In a power supply portion, when the measurement value falls within the first range in a mode other than a power-saving mode, and the image forming apparatus is brought into the power-saving mode, and, when the measurement value falls within the second range in the power-saving mode, the power-saving mode is cancelled.
US09141892B2
A print data processing method can generate print data for duplex printing so that the scanning accuracy of a barcode printed on one side of a receipt is not reduced by a logo or other graphic that is printed on the other side of the receipt. Whether or not a linear barcode or other code data B is contained in the front print data D1 that is printed on the front of the receipt is determined, and whether graphic data G is contained in the back print data D2 that is printed on the other side of the receipt is determined. If graphic data G is contained, the back print data D2 is adjusted so that the graphic data G is not printed to a position overlapping the code data B on the opposite side of the receipt.
US09141888B2
A method including selecting a type of label to be printed, inputting information for the label to be printed, wherein the information includes label data defining content of an image to be printed, and parameter data defining at least one parameter of the label to be printed, saving the information for the label to be printed as a file in a memory, and providing the file with a file extension name indicative of the type of label.
US09141886B2
A method for automatically constructing a planogram from photographs of shelving, replacing laborious manual construction includes the following steps: a step (1) in which the images are received, a step (2) in which the images are assembled, a step (3) in which the structure is automatically constructed, a step (4) in which the products are automatically detected, and a step (5) in which the products are positioned in the structure. The product detection step (4) enhances traditional image recognition techniques, using artificial learning techniques to incorporate characteristics specific to the planograms. This product detection step (4) also includes at least two successive classification steps, namely: an initialization step (41) with detection of product categories; and a classification step (42) with the classification of the products themselves, each of these steps including a first image recognition step, followed by a statistical filtering step based on the characteristics specific to the planograms.
US09141885B2
A system may be configured as an image recognition machine that utilizes an image feature representation called local feature embedding (LFE). LFE enables generation of a feature vector that captures salient visual properties of an image to address both the fine-grained aspects and the coarse-grained aspects of recognizing a visual pattern depicted in the image. Configured to utilize image feature vectors with LFE, the system may implement a nearest class mean (NCM) classifier, as well as a scalable recognition algorithm with metric learning and max margin template selection. Accordingly, the system may be updated to accommodate new classes with very little added computational cost. This may have the effect of enabling the system to readily handle open-ended image classification problems.
US09141880B2
Systems and methods for relating images to each other by determining transform functions between the images and the three-dimensional world coordinate system of the object depicted in the image, without using image acquisition metadata are disclosed. Points of interest are independently selected on each image. An initial transform function is applied to transform the points in the plane of one image to the plane of the other image. A Gaussian Mixture Model is then iteratively applied to the points to determine a best match, which then provides adjustments to the argument values of the transform function which is again applied to the points of interest on each image. This process repeats until the argument values converge to provide the resulting transform function. The resulting function can then be used to identify objects in the images in three dimensional space.
US09141869B2
A method of identifying anomalies in images produced using an imaging device (70). The method comprises receiving (10), (12) first and second pluralities of candidate anomalies, the candidate anomalies being identified in subsequent images produced with an imaging device. A constellation match (14), (16), (18), (19) is carried out between the first and second pluralities of candidate anomalies to identify a correlation therebetween, represented by a constellation match value. A plurality of constellation match values is determined with a different relative x-y shift between the first and second pluralities of candidate images. If a good correlation is found at a particular x-y shift then the candidate anomalies are common between the first and second images, which is indicative of the first and second images including anomalies.
US09141868B2
What is disclosed is system and method for contemporaneously reconstructing images of a scene illuminated with unstructured and structured illumination sources. In one embodiment, the system comprises capturing a first 2D image containing energy reflected from a scene being illuminated by a structured illumination source and a second 2D image containing energy reflected from the scene being illuminated by an unstructured illumination source. A controller effectuates a manipulation of the structured and unstructured illumination sources during capture of the video. A processor is configured to execute machine readable program instructions enabling the controller to manipulate the illumination sources, and for effectuating the contemporaneous reconstruction of a 2D intensity map of the scene using the second 2D image and of a 3D surface map of the scene using the first 2D image. The reconstruction is effectuated by manipulating the illumination sources.
US09141864B2
The present invention provides techniques for directing the gaze of a subject whose image is captured by a camera, including the direction in which the subject looks, or the distance between the subject and the camera, in such a way that a visually appealing image can be captured by the camera, where a media professional (e.g., an interviewer or a director) or other person knowledgeable in media best practices is non co-located with the subject. The techniques enable the media professional to provide visual hints both manually and automatically to the remotely located subject.
US09141863B2
A managed biometric-based notification system and method is provided. The system includes at least one image acquiring system adapted to capture a first content comprising a feature set, a comparison module including at least one processor, at least one database comprising a second content, the second content comprising a feature set, at least one search engine operatively coupled with the at least one image acquiring system and the at least one database, a memory, the at least one processor operatively coupled with the at least one image acquiring system and the at least one search engine, programmed to execute a series of instructions, stored on the memory, to process the feature set of the first content and a feature set of the second content, at least one notification component including at least one transmitted data point, a content management module, and at least one pre-selected receiving node.
US09141858B2
Systems, methods and articles of manufacture for GPS coordinate determination for images are described herein. Embodiments of the present disclosure relate to equipping an image with GPS coordinates where the image is uploaded onto a mapping site without GPS coordinates. The mapping site is able to equip the image with GPS coordinates by identifying a recognizable structure in the image and then comparing the recognizable structure with stored structures in the mapping site. The stored structures in the mapping site have GPS coordinates for each. The mapping site compares the recognizable structure of the image without GPS coordinates to a structure stored in the mapping site with GPS coordinates. The mapping site then tags the image without GPS coordinates with the GPS coordinates associated with the stored structure that matches the structure of the image.
US09141855B2
Systems, apparatus and methods are described related to accelerated object detection filter using a video estimation module.
US09141851B2
A method for deformable expression detection is disclosed. For each pixel in a preprocessed image, a sign of a first directional gradient component and a sign of a second directional gradient component are combined to produce a combined sign. Each combined sign is coded into a coded value. An expression in an input image is detected based on the coded values.
US09141845B2
Methods and apparatuses for authenticating a biometric scanner, such as area type finger print scanners, involves estimating unique intrinsic characteristics of the scanner (scanner pattern), that are permanent over time, and can identify a scanner even among scanners of the same manufacturer and model. Image processing and analysis are used to extract a scanner pattern from images acquired with the scanner. The scanner pattern is used to verify whether the scanner that acquired a particular image is the same as the scanner that acquired one or several images during enrollment of the biometric information. Authenticating the scanner can prevent subsequent security attacks using counterfeit biometric information on the scanner, or on the user authentication system.
US09141840B2
An apparatus (10) for deflecting and for widening a visible range of a camera (24) is provided, wherein the apparatus (10) has a first mirror element (12) which is tilted with respect to the optical axis of the camera (24) in a longitudinal direction in order to supply light to the camera (24) from a visible range lying laterally with respect to the optical axis. In this connection the first mirror element (12) is additionally tilted in a transverse direction perpendicular to the longitudinal direction and the apparatus has a second mirror element (14) besides the first mirror element (12) which is tilted in the longitudinal direction and in the transverse direction with respect to the first mirror element (12).
US09141838B2
An optoelectronic sensor (100) for the detection of object information from a monitored zone (108) is provided, wherein the sensor (100) comprises a light transmitter (12) having an associated transmission optics (14) for the beam formation of a transmitted light beam (102, 20, 24) and for a limitation of its beam cross-section to a predefined diameter in a depth of field range; a light receiver (116) for the generation of a received signal from the reflected light beam (112); and a control and evaluation unit (118) for extracting object information from the received signal. In this connection, the transmission optics (14) has at least two optical part regions (18a-b) having different beam-forming properties and the optical part region (18a-b) which acts in a beam-forming manner with respect to the transmitted light beam (20, 24) can be set in order to vary the depth of field range.
US09141832B2
A power combining and outphasing system and related techniques for simultaneously providing both wide-bandwidth linear amplification and high average efficiency is described. Providing linear amplification encompasses the ability to dynamically control an RF output power level over a wide range while still operating over a wide frequency bandwidth. The system and techniques described herein also operate to maintain high efficiency across a wide range of output power levels, such that a high average efficiency can be achieved for highly modulated output waveforms.
US09141828B2
A mobile device management apparatus has a policy storage unit that receives a plurality of security policies, which are classified into a plurality of profiles assigned priorities of activation and in which operating states of functions of a mobile device are defined. A management server supplies the profiles and the security policies to the mobile device. A policy implementation unit selectively activates the profiles so that control of the mobile device functions can be carried out with minimal communication, and also in response to changing events.
US09141826B2
A method for monitoring a network for information includes repeatedly searching the network for sensitive information about a subscriber. The network is intermittently searched for obscuring information during the repeated searching to thereby disguise the sensitive information that is the target of the repeated searching. Related systems and computer program products are also discussed.
US09141823B2
Embodiments herein provide methods, apparatus, computer program products, software and means for (1) an abstraction layer for default encryption, (2) with orthogonal encryption logic session object, and (3) automated authentication, (4) with a method for online litigation. In some cases subject matter disclosed herein relates to default data encryption; use a user's registration data to generate an encryption logic and related executable code, including servers and client applications; encryption as an automatic background task occurring through variable encryption logic, with authentication; embodiments are also described for conducting online litigation through pleadings formed as meta-files that trigger litigation related algorithms in order to automate and coordinate litigation.
US09141816B2
A replaceable printer component includes a first memory device and a communication link. The first memory device is configured to store a first secret. The communication link is configured to communicatively link the first memory device to a printer controller when the replaceable printer component is installed in a printing system. The printing system comprises a second memory device storing a second secret. The second memory device is communicatively linked to the printer controller. The printer controller is configured to determine an authenticity of the replaceable printer component based on the first secret and the second secret.
US09141815B2
Included in the present disclosure are a system, method and program of instructions operable to protect vital information by combining information about a user and what they are allowed to see with information about essential files that need to be protected on an information handling system. Using intelligent security rules, essential information may be encrypted without encrypting the entire operating system or application files. According to aspects of the present disclosure, shared data, user data, temporary files, paging files, the password hash that is stored in the registry, and data stored on removable media may be protected.
US09141812B2
A Stateful Reference Monitor can be loaded into an existing commercial operating system, and then can regulate access to many different types of resources. The reference monitor maintains an updateable storage area whose contents can be used to affect access decisions, and access decisions can be based on arbitrary properties of the request.
US09141811B2
Techniques for coercing users to encrypt synchronized content stored at their personal computing devices. In some aspects, one or more computing devices receive, from a personal computing device, an indication of whether data stored in at least a portion of a storage device of the personal computing device is protected by disk encryption. In response to determining, based on the indication, that the portion of the storage device is not protected by encryption, synchronization data for synchronizing a copy of one or more synchronized content items stored in the portion of the storage device with another copy of the synchronized content items stored at one or more server computing devices is withheld from the personal computing device until disk encryption on the personal computing device is enabled so as to coerce the user to enable disk encryption on the personal computing device.
US09141806B2
A method for software code analysis includes automatically processing a body of software source code (23) by a computer (22) in order to identify a group of sequences of instructions that are characterized by a common pattern. A sequence within the group containing a deviation from a norm of the common pattern is found and reported as a potential vulnerability in the software source code.
US09141801B2
An apparatus for analyzing a permission of an application for a mobile device, the apparatus comprising: an executable file acquisition unit; a file extraction module; and an execution permission analyzing module configured to detect a security risk which can be caused by the permission on the basis of the permission described in the extracted file, wherein the information related to the permission of the application includes information on permission that is declared in the application, permission that the application uses and a function that uses the permission of the application.
US09141800B2
The present invention provides a method and apparatus for detecting intrusions in a processor-based system. One embodiment of the method includes calculating a first checksum from first bits representative of instructions in a block of a program concurrently with executing the instructions. This embodiment of the method also includes issuing a security exception in response to determining that the first checksum differs from a second checksum calculated prior to execution of the block using second bits representative of instructions in the block when the second checksum is calculated.
US09141799B2
Circuits and methods are provided for detecting, identifying and/or removing undesired content. According to one embodiment, a system includes a system memory, a general purpose processor, an instruction memory and a virus co-processor. The processor is coupled to the system memory and operable to store a data segment therein. The instruction memory includes a virus signature, having a first instruction of a first instruction type and a second instruction of a second instruction type, for detection of a computer virus. The co-processor is coupled to the instruction memory and the system memory and is operable to access the data segment. The co-processor includes first and second instruction pipes operable to execute the first and second instruction types, respectively. The first and second instruction pipes include first and second write back circuits, respectively, that are linked to ensure a ordered write back of instructions.
US09141797B1
Detection of fake antivirus includes classifying text content of a user interface of an application program and scanning files associated with the application program for suspicious code. The user interface may be a graphical user interface (GUI) window of the application program. The text content may be obtained from a painted portion of the GUI window and by intercepting text changing operations performed on the GUI window. The text content may be input to a learning model to determine whether or not the application program belongs to the antivirus category. The application program is deemed to be fake antivirus when the application program is classified as belonging to the antivirus category and has a file with suspicious code.
US09141791B2
A method of monitoring for anomalies in a computing environment comprises, with a processor building an anomaly detection system based on topology guided statistical analysis, and creating a number of correlation rules based on a number of detected anomalies and information provided by a security alerts database.
US09141788B2
Software self-checking mechanisms are described for improving software tamper resistance and/or reliability. Redundant tests are performed to detect modifications to a program while it is running. Modifications are recorded or reported. Embodiments of the software self-checking mechanisms can be implemented such that they are relatively stealthy and robust, and so that it they are compatible with copy-specific static watermarking and other tamper-resistance techniques.
US09141775B2
A mashup service support method includes externally receiving a mashup service application, acquiring and managing an authentication key corresponding to the received mashup service application, and executing the received mashup service application using the acquired authentication key. A user can use a variety of web services by normally operating a mashup service application through Open API due to the storing and managing of an authentication key.
US09141770B1
Embodiments of the present invention disclose a method, computer program product, and system for managing activation keys associated with a computing system. In one embodiment, in accordance with the present invention, the computer implemented method includes the steps of detecting a repair activity on a computing system, determining whether at least one system identifier (ID) associated with a component of the computing system has changed in comparison to system IDs associated with components of the computing system before the detected repair activity, responsive to determining that at least one system ID associated with a component of the computing system has changed, retrieving one or more activation keys that correspond to the determined at least one system ID, and determining whether the one or more retrieved activation keys are associated with a system ID that does not match any system ID associated with a component of the computing system.
US09141768B2
A mobile terminal includes a display unit for displaying an electronic book, a user interface for selecting a specific portion to be extracted from the electronic book, a controller for extracting the selected specific portion and copyright information related to the extracted specific portion, and a memory for storing the extracted specific portion and the copyright information. The controller applies the extracted specific portion to an application such that the specific portion is displayed within the application and the copyright information is displayed on the display unit when the specific portion is applied to the application. When the extracted specific portion is applied to the application, the copyright information is automatically included in the applied specific portion. The display unit of the mobile terminal includes an electronic paper display and a liquid crystal display (LCD) and the electronic book is displayed on the electronic paper display.
US09141759B2
The present invention provides group performance monitoring systems and methods. In one exemplary embodiment, a group monitoring device includes a display configured to display, during an athletic activity, a plurality of individual performance metrics relating to a plurality of individuals engaged in the athletic activity, each individual performance metric relating to one of the plurality of individuals; and an input to manipulate the display.
US09141756B1
Described herein are methods and systems to measure dynamics of disease progression, including cancer growth and response, at multiple scales by multiple techniques on the same biologic system. Methods and systems according to the invention permit personalized virtual disease models. Moreover, the invention allows for the integration of previously unconnected data points into an in silico disease model, providing for the prediction of disease progression with and without therapeutic intervention.
US09141748B2
An integrated circuit (IC) and fabrication method thereof is provided that include the steps of specifying a plurality of required tile modules suitable for a particular end application, each of the modular tiles being configured to perform a predetermined function and constructed to have approximately the same length and width dimensions. The modular tiles are used to form the IC in a standard IC fabrication process. In many implementations, physical layout of the IC does not include the step of routing. Capabilities also include configuring the modular tiles to have programmable performance parameters and configuring the modular tiles to cooperate usefully with one another based on a programmable parameter.
US09141744B2
A method for generating a layout pattern is provided. First, a layout pattern is provided to a computer system and is classified into two sub-patterns and a blank pattern. Each of the sub-patterns has pitches in simple integer ratios and the blank pattern is between the two sub-patterns. Then, a plurality of first stripe patterns and at least two second stripe patterns are generated. The edges of the first stripe patterns are aligned with the edges of the sub-patterns and the first stripe patterns have equal spacings and widths. The spacings or widths of the second stripe patterns are different from that of the first stripe patterns.
US09141740B2
Disclosed are methods, systems, and articles of manufacture for implementing full-chip optimization across block boundaries with reduced physical design data. Some embodiments create a partial netlist and reduced physical data by identifying and including side instance(s) or side path(s) in the reduced physical data and then include or exclude side instance(s) or side path(s) in the reduced physical data. The method or the system may then perform full-chip optimization across individual block boundaries with the reduced physical data. Some embodiments further merge the post-optimization data back into the original data while reducing logic and physical disturbance to existing designs. Some embodiments anchor driver instance(s) that correspond to excluded side instance(s) or side path(s) to ensure LEC cleanliness and may further trim timing graph(s) based at least on the partial netlist. Some embodiments account for parasitics without static parasitic files. Various embodiments apply to both hierarchical and non-hierarchical designs.
US09141734B2
A method of refining a mesh includes selecting an existing coarse element having existing nodes and existing indices, inputting a quantity of refined elements to be created along an element edge, and generating a parametric grid on the existing coarse element. The method may further include placing refined nodes at parametric grid locations wherein the refined nodes have subindices linked to the existing indices. The method may additionally include deleting the existing coarse element, and creating refined elements having subindices linked to the existing indices of the existing coarse element.
US09141733B2
Disclosed is a technique for modeling resistance of a conductive component of a device, where the component comprises multiple conductive materials. If necessary (e.g., for a complex conductive component), the component is divided into multiple conductive regions. For a given conductive region, current flow-through and current flow-in-and-terminate axes are determined and the conductive region is divided into layers. Relative electric currents flowing along the current flow-through axis in each layer and along the current flow-in-and-terminate axis in each layer are evaluated to determine a total resistance value for the conductive region. For a complex conductive component, these processes are repeated for all conductive regions and an overall resistance value is determined based on the corresponding total resistance values and, as calculated for each conductive region, a ratio of maximum electric current flowing in/out of the conductive region to the total electric current flowing out of the complex conductive component.
US09141729B2
A display-data generating apparatus obtains reputation information indicative of reputation of a subject and extracted from a text accessible via a network, and linkage information indicative of a linkage between texts, and couples the reputation information and the linkage information to obtain the linkage between the texts associated with the reputation information specified from each of the texts. The display-data generating apparatus determines a display mode of a first mark that symbolizes the text and a second mark that symbolizes the linkage based on the reputation information corresponding to the text, and generates a display data to display the first mark and the second mark in the determined display mode.
US09141718B2
An implementation allows a user to select an area of interest in a content source and to clip content from the area of interest. A variety of content types may be clipped and presented to a user, and the clipped content may be refreshed from the selected area of interest. Various configuration parameters, as well as the clipped content, may be stored for future retrieval by a clipping application that presents the clipped content. Methods, computer program products, systems, and data structures are provided. One method includes identifying one or more content sources, identifying a portion of a content source to be included in each of a first and second view, storing information associated with the identified content source for each view including a name and identifying information for designating a respective portion of a content source, and displaying both the first and second view in an aggregate view.
US09141717B2
When a request having a keyword is received, a domain name having the keyword can be generated and a network resource corresponding to the domain name can be requested wherein the network resource is adapted to extract the keyword from the domain name. In turn, when a request having a first domain name is received, a second domain name having the first domain name can be generated and a network resource corresponding to the second domain name can be requested wherein the network resource is adapted to extract the first domain name from the second domain name.
US09141716B2
System(s) and/or method(s) (“tools”) are described that present indicia for implicitly and explicitly user-associated web pages of a network browser application. The tools can present these indicia in a single graphic user interface, in response to a user's selection of a single unified access point, or in response to a search of the browser's user-associated web pages.
US09141715B2
In a method for automated hyperlinking, a computer receives user input specifying a set of character sequence columns in a table to use for character sequence comparison. The computer detects whether a character sequence entered into an electronic communication in a user interface on a display matches one or more character sequences in fields of the set of character sequence columns. Responsive to the character sequence matching a single character sequence of the one or more character sequences in the fields of the set of character sequence columns, the computer retrieves, from an associated link field in the table, a hyperlink associated with the single character sequence. The computer inserts the hyperlink into the electronic communication.
US09141707B2
Embodiments improve the ability of users of a social networking system to search for information that is likely to be relevant to them by learning and/or applying a search context associated with selector components used to search for objects of the social networking system. The search context is specific to the use of an individual selector and thus need not be as general as the context of an entire page or set of pages in which selectors can be embedded. The social networking system may learn the context of a selector by monitoring user selections from prior search results performed using the selector.
US09141706B2
According to one embodiment, a region-of-interest extraction apparatus includes following units. The acquisition unit acquires a structured document including elements. The first extraction unit extracts block regions including specific elements, from the structured document. The second extraction unit extracts, as a display region, parts of the elements being displayed on a display screen, from the structured document. The third extraction unit extracts a region of interest, in which a user is interested, from the structured document, based on relations between the block regions and the display region.
US09141702B2
A method for dynamically generating and displaying a home screen on a display of a user device comprises receiving a user query input by a user of the device; receiving at least one environmental variable; determining an intent of a user based in part on the at least one environmental variable and the user query; selecting at least one resource of information from a plurality of resources of information respective of at least the intent, wherein each selected resource has a representative icon; generating a new home screen comprising an at least one icon corresponding to the at least one selected resource of information; and causing the user device to replace a current home screen with the new generated home screen.
US09141700B2
One example includes a method of attributing revenue to keywords for an entity having an entity website. The method may include obtaining the keywords used in a secured search on a search engine that result in a visit to an entity website and determining a position or rank of a webpage of the website on a search results page resulting from searching the keyword. The method may further include estimating, based on the rank of the webpage, a number of visits to the website that result from secured searches of the keyword.
US09141684B2
In accordance with embodiments, there are provided mechanisms and methods for synchronizing data in a database network system. These mechanisms and methods for synchronizing data in database network system can enable embodiments to provide users a synchronization button on a UI or synchronization field through an API for specifying data for synchronization. The ability of embodiments to provide users a synchronization button on a UI or synchronization field through an API for specifying data for synchronization can enable users to easily and efficiently change and update data in a database system.
US09141683B1
Distributed computer systems prepare and instantiate snapshots by processing sets of nodes representing computer resources that are portions of a larger system. A user may choose to prepare or instantiate a snapshot containing all or only a portion of the data within the distributed computer system, such as a template of the distributed computer system. A template snapshot may be available in an electronic marketplace for other users to purchase and instantiate into a replica of the distributed computer system.
US09141676B2
According to one embodiment, a system is provided. The system includes a memory, at least one processor coupled to the memory and an object network modeler component executable by the at least one processor. The memory stores an object network including a plurality of objects, the plurality of objects including a first object, a second object, a third object, and a fourth object. The object network modeler component is configured to implicitly associate, within the object network, the first object with the second object and explicitly associate, within the object network, the third object with the fourth object.
US09141675B2
A method for a computer system includes receiving a first user communication, determining a first group of users, determining a target number of users, determining whether the first group of users includes the target number of users, and if not, providing the communication to the first group of users, determining a hierarchal mapping of groups of users in response to user memberships, determining a second group of users from the hierarchal mapping, determining a plurality of social network relationship factors for the second group of users with respect to the first user, and providing the communication to at least a subset of users in the second group of users in response to the first plurality of social network relationship factors.
US09141667B2
Embodiments of the invention relate to processing queries that utilize fact and/or dimension tables. In one aspect, a pre-join filtering phase precedes a star join. The necessary conditions for the pre-join filtering are considered for a given SQL query, including an estimated size of the hash table exceeding a threshold and presence of a local predicate either on the fact table or one or more dimension tables that is not a large dimension table. Once the necessary conditions are satisfied, the execution of the query exploits the pre-join filtering to build a pre-join output filter from columns of a reduced fact table that joins with each large dimension table. Thereafter, all the dimension tables and the fact table are joined in a star join while exploiting each pre-join filter.
US09141666B2
A database management system that manages data in a database includes a query optimizer that performs query optimization based on statistics related to data in the database. The query optimizer incrementally updates the statistics. The query optimizer organizes the statistics related to the data in the database into a statistics tree structure having a root node corresponding to global statistics, internal nodes corresponding to summary statistics of descendant nodes, and leaf nodes corresponding to disjoint data ranges in the database. The query optimizer performs statistics tree transformation operations on the statistics tree structure. The transformation operations transform the statistics tree structure into a form that at least partially minimizes the system resources needed to update the statistics. The query optimizer updates the statistics corresponding to those nodes of the statistics tree structure where a change has occurred in the disjoint data ranges.
US09141659B1
Methods and systems for scrubbing confidential insurance account information are provided. According to embodiments, a scrubbing server can receive a request to scrub confidential insurance data that includes the contents of an insurance account information database and an indication of the category of confidential data stored in the database. The scrubbing server can scrub the valid data contained in the received database, replacing confidential information with “scrambled” data that is not confidential. The scrubbing server can transmit the contents of the scrubbed database back to the requesting party.
US09141655B2
Methods for analyzing and rendering business intelligence data allow for efficient scalability as datasets grow in size. Human intervention is minimized by augmented decision making ability in selecting what aspects of large datasets should be focused on to drive key business outcomes. Variable value combinations that are predominant drivers of key observations are automatically determined from several competing variable value combinations. The identified variable value combinations can then be then used to predict future trends underlying the business intelligence data. In another embodiment, an observed outcome is decomposed into multiple contributing drivers and the impact of each of the contributing drivers can be analyzed and numerically quantified—as a static snapshot or as a time-varying evolution. Similarly, differences in observations between two groups can be decomposed into multiple contributing sub-groups for each of the groups and pairwise differences among sub-groups can be quantified and analyzed.
US09141651B1
A column set server adapts to data use patterns by data consumers by modifying how a table produced by a data producer is partitioned into separate column sets to reduce the waste incurred in accessing the data by multiple consumers of the data. For example, the column set server adjusts a column set distribution when a new consumer process is added, when one is retired, or when relative data set size ratios change.
US09141649B2
An online network collects a dataset of an individual's information through a computer-implemented method. An individual enters a dataset of the information and a plurality of an individual's life events into a computer system. The dataset is arranged and converted into a graphical representation for display. The online database receives and stores the dataset. The database associates the dataset with the plurality of the member's life events and then the dataset and the life events are outputted into the graphical representation for display for a witness.
US09141647B2
The embodiments include a method for providing security for a set of configuration files corresponding to a remote monitoring application. The method may include accessing a server configured to store the set of configuration files. The server is also configured to receive a connection request, over a network, from an agent having the remote monitoring application, generate an encryption key in response to receiving the connection request, transmit the encryption key, over the network, to the agent, encrypt the set of configuration files according to an encryption algorithm and the encryption key, and transmit the encrypted set of configuration files to the agent. According to one embodiment, the server may be accessed by performing one or more maintenance actions on the server.
US09141642B2
A method determines core geographical information in a document by computing a score for each geographical name found in the document. The computation of the score uses the appearance frequency of the respective geographical name and positional weights assigned to various types of appearance positions of the geographical name in the document. The system determines the core geographical information in the document based on the scores of the geographical names found in the document. The method may further compute aggregated scores of geographical regions related to the geographical names and determine the core geographical information using both the aggregated scores of geographical regions and the scores of individual geographical names to increase accuracy.
US09141638B1
A first device is configured to operate as a media transmitter or a media receiver. The first device includes a memory configured to store a playlist of media files accessible to the first device. An output circuit is configured to receive the playlist from one or more second devices. Responsive to a first media file in the playlist being stored in the first device, the first device is configured to operate as a media transmitter and control transmitting of the first media file from the first device to the one or more second devices. Responsive to the first media file not being stored in the first device, the first device is configured to transfer control of transmitting from the first device to a selected one of the second devices, and operate as a media receiver to receive the first media file from the selected one of the second devices.
US09141637B2
An approach for managing file storage between local and remote storage locations in a networked computing environment (e.g., a cloud computing environment) is provided. In a typical embodiment, files/data may be tagged with metadata that associates the files/data with an event that indicates a date/time and a geographical destination of an intended use of the files. The files may then be transferred between local and remote storage (e.g., at the destination) based upon a set of predefined rules for transferring the files/data.
US09141625B1
Methods, computer-readable media, and apparatuses for network flow state preservation include migration of at least one application hosted on a first server device to a second server device coupled to a second traffic management device is detected at a first traffic management device. At least a portion of connection state information associated with a network connection between at least one client device and the application is communicated by the first traffic management device to the second traffic management device via a communication channel between the first and second traffic management devices. The application is provided by the first traffic management device to the at least one client device during the migration based upon the connection state information.
US09141623B2
Method, system, and computer program product to archive data objects, by providing an object store and a shadow object store each configured to store one or more data objects, the object store and the shadow object store residing in different storage devices, creating a first object stored in the object store, the first object having at least one attribute, and responsive to receiving a request to archive the first object, transferring the first object to the shadow object store, and creating, in the object store, a reference to a location of the first object in the shadow object store, the first object remaining accessible through the object store and the shadow object store following the transfer.
US09141620B2
A method for dynamic presentations management of electronic presentations including multiple slides, wherein each slide has at least one presentation constraint parameter assigned thereto, and wherein a presentation software is used for generating and displaying the presentation can include gathering metadata regarding the presentation by the presentation software, evaluating the metadata regarding the presentation and determining at least one presentation constraint parameter by the presentation software, and automatically arranging and/or selecting slides and/or modifying a content of slides according to the determined at least one presentation constraint parameter to be presented by use of the presentation software.
US09141618B2
An approach is provided for processing metadata in one or more media streams. A media metadata processing platform determines to parse from a media data stream for metadata components. The media metadata processing platform also causes, at least in part, a storing of the parsed metadata components. The media metadata processing platform further determines to mark the media data stream with one or more hooks for embedding the parsed metadata components, one or more computational closures, or a combination thereof, the one or more computational closures being serialized.
US09141600B2
The present invention relates to automatic sentiment analysis by a computer arrangement and a computer implemented method. A message is presented to the computer arrangement which stores a set of patterns. Each pattern has a word and an associated part-of-speech tag. The message is compared against the patterns as stored in memory rendering a set of matching patterns. The set of matching patterns is then processed in accordance with a set of rules taking into account presence of patterns in the message that may add to a positive polarity and negative polarity, and patterns that may amplify, attenuate or flip such positive polarity or negative polarity.
US09141599B2
An improved handheld electronic device having a reduced keyboard provides facilitated language entry by making available to a user certain words that a user may reasonably be expected to enter. In some situations, certain words can be stored, for example, in a temporary dictionary for use in particular situations. For instance, the names of the recipients of an electronic message might be stored in a temporary dictionary for rapid retrieval when entering a salutation in the message. As another example, a number of the words in an existing electronic message may be stored in a temporary dictionary and made available to a user when replying to or forwarding the message since the existing message might include words that the user might reasonably be expected to type in the reply message or the forwarded message.
US09141598B2
A detector (11) of the present invention detects cessation of input to an input form by a user. A generator (12), when input is started again by the user after the user ceased input, acquires an input status of input to the form by the user that was outputted from a monitor that monitors the input status of the input of the information by the user, estimates a cause for input being ceased by the user based on the input status, and then, based on the estimated cause, generates a new input form for which input conditions have been relaxed.
US09141590B1
Bookmark services are provided in which user-selected bookmarks to favorite web pages are stored. In response to receiving a request for a web page from a particular user, the website operator may make a call to the bookmark service to obtain bookmarks that were previously selected by that user. The bookmark service forwards the bookmarks for the user to the website operator, and the website operator includes these bookmarks within the web page that is rendered to the user. Since the bookmarks are stored remotely at a bookmark service, the bookmarks may be available to the user regardless of the electronic device or web browser that is used to request a web page. The bookmarks that are rendered on the web page may also include recommended bookmarks to web pages that are deemed as possibly being of interest to a particular user.
US09141585B2
A product display apparatus including a product supply module that includes a support frame and defines a storage area. A door assembly coupled to the support frame is structured to provide bulk access to the storage area in an open position and prevent bulk access to the storage area in the closed position. A return area is defined between the support frame and the top of the door assembly while a retrieval area is defined between the support frame and the bottom of the door assembly. A modular display portion is coupled to the door assembly that extends into the retrieval area to define a single unit retrieval opening. A load block member may be disposed in the retrieval area to permit retrieval of a product, but inhibit return of a product. A retrieval detector may be configured to detect when a product has been withdrawn through the retrieval area and generate an alert upon detection of rapid product removal.
US09141581B2
In accordance with aspects of the disclosure, systems and methods are provided for production scheduling management by scheduling production events for each of a plurality of production resources used to manufacture one or more products relative to one or more time intervals while considering constraints related to product dependency trees for each of the one or more products. The systems and methods may include determining the constraints related to the product dependency trees for each of the one or more products, generating one or more potential production scheduling schemes for use of each production resource within the one or more time intervals while considering the constraints related to the product dependency trees for each of the one or more products, and generating a production schedule for the production events within the one or more time intervals based on the one or more potential production scheduling schemes.
US09141580B2
The present application is directed towards systems and methods for monitoring and maintaining consistency of a configuration across a plurality of cores or packet engines in a multi-core system. A configuration manager handles communication of configuration commands to a plurality of cores or packet engines. If a command executes successfully on a first packet engine but fails on a second packet engine, the configuration manager may communicate an undo command to the first packet engine. Successful execution of the undo command may restore the packet engines to a consistent configuration.
US09141574B2
An image forming apparatus having a USB communication function includes a control interface unit to perform USB control communication, a data interface unit to perform USB data communication, and a control unit to perform an event in a low power mode according to a signal input through the control interface unit, and to perform an event in a normal mode according to a signal input through the control interface unit and the data interface unit. Therefore, the low power mode may be effectively implemented.
US09141573B2
An apparatus, method, system, and computer-readable medium are disclosed. In one embodiment the apparatus is a processor. The processor includes thread remapping logic that is capable of tracking hardware thread interrupt equivalence information for a first hardware thread and a second hardware thread. The processor also includes logic to receive an interrupt issued from a device, wherein the interrupt has an affinity tied to the first hardware thread. The processor also includes logic to redirect the interrupt to the second hardware thread when the hardware thread interrupt equivalence information validates the second hardware thread is capable of handling the interrupt.
US09141568B2
A memory controller receives memory operations via an interface which may include multiple ports. Each port is coupled to real-time or non-real-time requestors, and the received memory operations are classified as real-time or non-real-time and stored in queues prior to accessing memory. Within the memory controller, pending memory operations from the queues are scheduled for servicing. Logic throttles the scheduling of non-real-time memory operations in response to detecting a number of outstanding memory operations has exceeded a threshold. The throttling is proportional to the number of outstanding memory operations.
US09141566B2
A method of accessing an on-chip read only memory (ROM) includes dividing a frequency of a system clock by a specific divisor, in order to generate a ROM clock; combining a specific number of adjacent addresses into a combined address, wherein the specific number is determined according to the specific divisor; inserting a first stall signal into a real output data, wherein a length of the first stall signal is determined in order to meet a timing requirement for accessing the on-chip ROM; generating an output data of the on-chip ROM according to the combined address, wherein a width of the output data is extended by a specific multiple which is determined according to the specific number; and generating a first delay corresponding to the length of the first stall signal in the address.
US09141562B2
The present application provides an automated beverage dispenser using a number of cups and a number of lids. The automated beverage dispenser may include a lid stack with the number of lids, a lidding mechanism, and a positioning device for maneuvering the lidding mechanism so as to remove one of the number of lids from the lid stack and to attach the lid to one of the number of cups.
US09141560B2
A multi-level storage apparatus includes a first-level storage area to store first information, a second-level storage area to store second information, and a selectively enabled third-level storage area to store information based on different operational states. The third-level storage area stores the first information from the first-level storage area when the third-level storage area is to change from a first state to a second state. The first information in third-level storage area is transferred to the first-level storage area when the third-level storage area is to change from the second state to the first state. The first information is to include page miss information.
US09141559B2
Embodiments of techniques and systems for increasing efficiencies in computing systems using virtual memory are described. In embodiments, instructions which are located in two memory pages in a virtual memory system, such that one of the pages does not permit execution of the instructions located therein, are identified and then executed under temporary permissions that permit execution of the identified instructions. In various embodiments, the temporary permissions may come from modified virtual memory page tables, temporary virtual memory page tables which allow for execution, and/or emulators which have root access. In embodiments, per-core virtual memory page tables may be provided to allow two cores of a computer processor to operate in accordance with different memory access permissions. in embodiments, a physical page permission table may be utilized to provide for maintenance and tracking of per-physical-page memory access permissions. Other embodiments may be described and claimed.
US09141549B2
A controller sets, out of a data range that is specified in a read request from a host device, a predetermined size of a first data range that follows a top portion of the data range and a predetermined size of a second data range that follows the first data range, and after transfer, to the host device, of data corresponding to the first data range from a second storage unit or a third storage unit having smaller data output latency than the first storage unit in which read/write of data is performed is started, the controller searches for data corresponding to the second data range in the second storage unit or the third storage unit.
US09141525B2
In one aspect of the present description, at least one of the value of a prestage trigger and the value of the prestage amount, may be modified as a function of the drive speed of the storage drive from which the units of read data are prestaged into a cache memory. Thus, cache prestaging operations in accordance with another aspect of the present description may take into account storage devices of varying speeds and bandwidths for purposes of modifying a prestage trigger and the prestage amount. Still further, a cache prestaging operation in accordance with further aspects may decrease one or both of the prestage trigger and the prestage amount as a function of the drive speed in circumstances such as a cache miss which may have resulted from prestaged tracks being demoted before they are used. Conversely, a cache prestaging operation in accordance with another aspect may increase one or both of the prestage trigger and the prestage amount as a function of the drive speed in circumstances such as a cache miss which may have resulted from waiting for a stage to complete. In yet another aspect, the prestage trigger may not be limited by the prestage amount. Instead, the pre-stage trigger may be permitted to expand as conditions warrant it by prestaging additional tracks and thereby effectively increasing the potential range for the prestage trigger. Other features and aspects may be realized, depending upon the particular application.
US09141522B1
During a testing technique, a pre-defined set of tests associated with a software product may be performed on different instances or versions of the software product (such as versions that have different user interfaces) in associated virtual environments. Moreover, during a given test, subsets of a group of individuals may interact with a given version of the software product. Initially, the subsets may be selected based on attributes of the individuals, such as: age, gender, occupation, and/or education level. However, subsequently the results of the executed pre-defined set of tests may be used to update the subsets. Furthermore, the testing technique may be repeated until a termination criterion is reached, such as a target use case of one or more of the subsets. In this way, the testing technique may be used to perform permutation testing.
US09141518B2
Controls of a graphical user interface (GUI) in an application under test (AUT) can be tested where the AUT utilizes an accessibility support framework. An accessibility application programming interface (API) can be used to expose controls in the GUI along with their properties. Using an identified control's properties, a set of valid events can be determined for a desired control. Based on the events, parameters for input data for a desired control can be defined, for example, to include data types and data type limitations. Equivalence partitions can be determined for the input data based on the defined parameters, and events can be passed to the accessibility API, along with corresponding input data from the equivalence partitions, to be performed in the desired control of the AUT.
US09141515B1
An engine is interposed between a user and an editor. The engine is configured to receive messages from the editor denying user access to large data files. In response, the engine is configured to communicate a first message to the user asking whether the user desires to open a subset of the file contents using the editor. Upon receipt of an affirmative from the user, the engine is configured to communicate a second message to the user seeking input on a size of the file subset that is to be accessed. The engine then communicates to the editor, a third message specifying a size of the subset of data that is to be provided. In response to receiving the third message, the editor produces the requested subset of the stored data corresponding to the size indicated by the user.
US09141513B2
The presently disclosed invention provides for the security of a computing device in the context of a test taking environment. By securing a computing device, an individual (or group of individuals) may more effectively proctor a large examination without worrying about a test taker illicitly accessing information on their computer or via a remote source of data. Securing a computing device includes locking out or preventing access to any application not deemed necessary or appropriate by the test administrator.
US09141505B1
Maintaining failure survivability in a storage system includes determining a save time corresponding to an amount of time needed to transfer system data from volatile memory to non-volatile memory, determining a threshold corresponding to time for batteries to run while transferring data from volatile memory to non-volatile memory after a power loss, and providing an indication in response to the save time being greater than the threshold. The system may include a plurality of directors and the save time and the threshold may be determined for each of the directors. Determining a threshold may include determining an amount of battery time provided by battery power following power loss and multiplying the amount of battery time by a factor less than one, such as 0.8.
US09141503B1
There is provided a device, system, and method for generating vehicle-specific diagnostic reset procedures using a data signal representative of vehicle identifying information. Diagnostic reset procedures corresponding to a vehicle are generated in response to converting vehicle identifying information into a data signal representative of the vehicle's VIN or license plate number, and matching the data signal with corresponding diagnostic reset procedures stored in a diagnostic reset procedure database. The vehicle-specific diagnostic reset procedures may be displayed on a mobile communication device, such as a smart phone, for instructing the user to manually perform the corresponding diagnostic reset procedures. Alternatively, the corresponding diagnostic reset procedures may be communicated directly to the vehicle's electronic control unit for electronically implementing the corresponding diagnostic reset procedures.
US09141500B2
A test board system and method for a power over Ethernet device are disclosed. The test board includes a direct current (DC) power terminal connected to a DC power supply, and includes a network connector, a detection circuit and a classification circuit. The detection and classification circuits are coupled to the network connector and both receive a DC voltage derived from the DC power supply. During different time stages, the detection circuit provides different impedances between the DC power terminal and the network connector. A voltage variation at a test terminal coupled with the network connector shows whether a powered device is connected to the network connector. During a classification stage, the classification circuit provides an impedance device between the DC power terminal and the network connector to build a current path, and classifies the powered device based on a current flowing through the current path.
US09141496B2
Methods and devices for testing a physical layer (PHY) of an asymmetrical interconnect interface using a traffic generator/analyzer (TGA) are described. At least one special PHY test sequence is transmitted to the asymmetrical interconnect interface during link start up to place the device under test in PHY testing mode in which the TGA is used to generate and analyze data. The asymmetrical interconnect interface can then receive a configuration command and configure the asymmetrical interconnect interface in response to the configuration command. The asymmetrical interconnect interface can then use the TGA to transmit test sequences to, or receive test sequences from, e.g., a tester, on at least one identified lane of the asymmetrical interconnect device, which at least one identified lane is set by the configuration command.
US09141494B2
Instead of disabling PCI communication between system resources in a host computing device and I/O devices when a PCI Host Bridge (PHB) is unable to function, the host computing device may include a redundant PCI communication path for maintaining communication between the system resources and the I/O devices after a first PHB experiences an unrecoverable error. In one embodiment, the redundant PCI communication path includes a second PHB that is maintained in a standby state so long as the first PHB is functioning normally. However, once the first PHB experiences an unrecoverable error, the second PHB is changed to the master state and assumes the responsibility for maintaining communication between the system resources and the I/O devices.
US09141492B2
A storage object is migrated between nodes by a source node automatically verifying that another node is configured to service the storage object and changing ownership of the storage object based on the verifying. A cluster manager for the clustered storage system receives a request and provides the request to the source which owns the storage object. The source verifies that the destination is configured according to a predetermined configuration for servicing the storage object. Based on the verifying, the source offlines the storage object and updates ownership information of the storage object, thereafter allowing the destination to online the storage object. The cluster manager further provides the updated ownership information to all the nodes in the cluster, so an access request intended for the storage object may be received by any node and forwarded to the destination using the updated ownership information to effect a transparent migration.
US09141485B2
A storage device includes one or more storages and one or more control devices to control writing data to and reading data from one of the storages. Each of the control devices includes a memory, a memory controller, and a processor. The memory controller controls writing data to and reading data from the memory. The processor determines whether the memory and the memory controller have error correcting functions respectively. The processor determines, when at least one of the memory and the memory controller does not have an error correcting function, whether an error is detected in first data expanded in a first memory region of the memory. The first data includes an error detecting code. The processor saves, when no error in the first data has been detected, the first data into a second memory region of the memory. The second memory region is different from the first memory region.
US09141478B2
In one embodiment, a method for assembling data from a medium includes reading a data set from the medium repeatedly using different settings until either: a reconstructed data set is obtained, or a maximum number of rereads has been reached, the data set including a plurality of sub data sets, each sub data set having a plurality of rows, and after each reread of the data set, good rows of data are stored to iteratively construct a good data set from a plurality of good rows as determined by C1 and/or C2 error correction code (ECC).
US09141477B2
An enhanced mechanism for providing data protection for variable length records utilizes high performance block storage metadata. In an embodiment, an emulated record that emulates a variable length record, such as a Count-Key-Data (CKD) record or an Extended-Count-Key-Data (ECKD) record, is generated by a Host Bus Adapter (HBA) of a mainframe system. The emulated record comprises a sequence of extended fixed-length blocks, each of which includes a data block and a footer. A confluence of the footers defines a high performance block storage metadata unit associated with the emulated record and includes a checksum that covers all data blocks and all footers of the entire emulated record. In one embodiment, the checksum is checked during transit of the emulated record between a HBA and a storage subsystem (e.g., by the HBA when the emulated record is received from the storage subsystem, and/or by a switch in the data transfer path), during a hardening step when writing the emulated record to a disk, and/or during a verification step when reading the emulated record from the disk.
US09141476B2
A method of storing system data, and a memory controller and a memory storage apparatus using the same are provided. The method includes determining whether the unused storage space of a system physical erase unit is enough for storing updated system data. The method further includes, if the unused storage space of the system physical erase unit is not enough for storing the updated system data, selecting an empty physical erase unit, writing the updated system data into at least one first physical program unit of the selected physical erase unit and writing dummy data into a second physical program unit of the selected physical erase unit.
US09141461B2
A technology for implementing a method for a machine check architecture environment. A method of the disclosure includes obtaining an occurrence of an error. The occurrence of the error causes a non-microcoded processing device to enter an error monitoring state. The method further processes the error using a dedicated memory portion for the error monitoring state while the non-microcoded processing device is in the error monitoring state. The error monitoring state is dedicated to error processing. The method further determines information associated with the error. The information associated with the error is in a predefined format.
US09141451B2
A method for minimizing soft error rates within caches by configuring a cache with certain sections to correspond to bitcell topologies that are more resistant to soft errors and then using these sections to store modified data.
US09141449B2
A server node can monitor the status of servers in a server cluster. The node may receive an alert indicating that a server in the server cluster is unavailable. In response to the alert, the node can send instructions that cause pending remote procedure call requests to be canceled and then reissued to another server in the server cluster instead of to the first server.
US09141436B2
An apparatus for performing partition scheduling in a manycore environment. The apparatus may perform partition scheduling based on a priority and in this instance, may perform partition scheduling to minimize the number of idle cores. The apparatus may include a partition queue to manage a partition scheduling event; a partition scheduler including a core map to store hardware information of each of the plurality of cores; and a partition manager to perform partition scheduling with respect to the plurality of cores in response to the partition scheduling event, using the hardware information.
US09141434B2
A system and method are disclosed for preventing concurrent access by a virtual machine and a clone of the virtual machine to a resource in a non-shareable state. In accordance with one embodiment, a hypervisor receives a command to clone a virtual machine, and determines whether any resource used by the virtual machine is in a non-shareable state (e.g., the virtual machine holds a lock on a resource, a resource comprises memory that stores secure data, etc.). When any resource used by the virtual machine is in a non-shareable state, the hypervisor delays cloning of the virtual machine until all resources used by the virtual machine are in a shareable state.
US09141433B2
A computing device associated with a cloud computing environment identifies a first worker cloud computing device from a group of worker cloud computing devices with available resources sufficient to meet required resources for a highest-priority task associated with a computing job including a group of prioritized tasks. A determination is made as to whether an ownership conflict would result from an assignment of the highest-priority task to the first worker cloud computing device based upon ownership information associated with the computing job and ownership information associated with at least one other task assigned to the first worker cloud computing device. The highest-priority task is assigned to the first worker cloud computing device in response to determining that the ownership conflict would not result from the assignment of the highest-priority task to the first worker cloud computing device.
US09141431B1
Disclosed are systems and methods for prioritizing scan requests. An example method includes reserving, by a computer processor, one or more connections between a thin client and a virtual machine of a computer; when one or more of the reserved connections are not used for communicating on-access scan (OAS) requests or on-demand scan (ODS) requests, allocating said one or more reserved connections for communicating OAS or ODS requests between the thin client and the virtual machine; and when all the reserved connections are used for communicating OAS or ODS requests, and at least one reserved connection is used for communicating ODS requests, reallocating for communicating the OAS requests the at least one reserved connection used for communicating ODS request.
US09141427B2
A method of allocating tasks in a node of a telecommunication network, wherein the node comprises a main processing unit which is configured to process tasks in association with one or more of a plurality of peripheral processing units, the peripheral processing units arranged in a hierarchical tree topology comprising one or more branches at one or more hierarchical levels. The method comprises the steps of: receiving a request to process a task; determining a temperature status of branches in the hierarchical tree topology, wherein the temperature status of a branch is related to the temperature of a processing unit coupled to the branch; and allocating the task to one or more processing units, based on the temperature status of the branches in the hierarchical tree topology.
US09141421B2
In the management of a processor, logical operation activity is monitored for increases from a low level to a high level during a sampling window across multiple cores sharing a common supply rail, with at least one decoupling capacitor along the common supply rail. Responsive to detecting the increase in logical operation activity from the low level to the high level during the sampling window, the processor limits the logical operations executed on the cores during a lower activity period to a level of logical operations set between the low level and a medium level, where the medium level is an amount between the low level and the high level. Responsive to the lower activity period ending, the processor gradually decreases the limit on the logical operations to resume normal operations.
US09141411B2
Embodiments are directed to implementing a dynamically changeable system model that is customizable per version, programmatically generating system models at runtime and to extending a programmatically generated system model. In an embodiment, a computer system determines that a dynamically changeable system model corresponds to a managed system. The dynamically changeable system model includes various managed system objects. The computer system indicates for the dynamically changeable system model which managed system objects are available in each version of the managed system. The available managed system objects are stored in a data store of the dynamically changeable system model. The computer system requests the managed system to provide current managed system information including at least a version identifier and, based on the managed system information indicated by the managed system, provides to the dynamically changeable system model those managed system objects that are provided by the indicated version of the managed system.
US09141407B2
A system and approach for defining labels for values, such as ordinal numbers, of enumerated parameters in a wall module. Label and number pairs may be downloaded to a wall module as part of definitions of the parameters. The wall module may be a source of a list of labels to a user and then set each parameter to a value associated with a label selected by the user.
US09141405B2
A system and method for constructing a graphical user interface for an application being accessed by a user are provided. The method includes measuring the user's current work rate, deriving a threshold from the user's current work rate, determining the user's current activity within the application, assigning a value to the user's current activity, accessing a model for the application, the model defining links between activities within the application, assigning values to activities linked within the accessed model to the user's current activity, and displaying a control element in a graphical user interface for each activity with a value above the derived threshold.
US09141404B2
The functionality of an ereader module that is displaying an electronic book (“ebook”) is extended. A user identifier specifying a user using a client device executing the ereader module and an ebook identifier specifying the ebook displayed by the ereader module are received from the client device. One or more layers associated with the user are determined. One or more layers associated with the ebook are determined. A list of one or more layers is assembled. The layer list is transmitted to the client device. The client device enables the user to select a layer and use the selected layer to interact with content of the ebook.
US09141396B2
Apparatus and computer program products implement embodiments of the present invention that include executing, by a processor, a software stack. A writeable boot device such as a storage device with a removable medium is detected, and upon reaching a boot level threshold for the software stack, the software stack is saved to the writeable boot device as a boot image.
US09141389B2
A microprocessor capable of running both x86 instruction set architecture (ISA) machine language programs and Advanced RISC Machines (ARM) ISA machine language programs includes a mode indicator that indicates whether the microprocessor is currently fetching instructions of an x86 ISA or ARM ISA machine language program and a plurality of hardware registers. When the mode indicator indicates the microprocessor is currently fetching x86 ISA machine language program instructions, the plurality of hardware registers store x86 ISA architectural state; when the mode indicator indicates the microprocessor is currently fetching ARM ISA machine language program instructions, the plurality of hardware registers store ARM ISA architectural state.
US09141386B2
A semiconductor processor is described. The semiconductor processor includes logic circuitry to perform a logical reduction instruction. The logic circuitry has swizzle circuitry to swizzle a vector's elements so as to form a swizzle vector. The logic circuitry also has vector logic circuitry to perform a vector logic operation on said vector and said swizzle vector.
US09141384B2
A method includes determining that a legacy application is executing on a client device. When the legacy application is open in the client device, an adoption rule is applied, wherein the adoption rule defines an instance in which a user is required to use a replacement application instead of the legacy application. When it is determined that the adoption rule is satisfied, the replacement application is executed and use of the legacy application is prevented.
US09141382B2
Embodiments of the invention are directed to system and method for managing parallel development of projects. One embodiment of the invention is a method of automatically managing processes in the parallel development of an application through a graphical user interface. The graphical user interface manages the automated processes, which are able to complete their tasks without further user interaction. The automated processes managed by the graphical user interface include, provisioning a first development environment and second development environment. The processes also includes deploying a second release of an application to the second development environment, and merging modifications to the second source code and the second content of the second release into a first source code and a first content of the first release. After the releases have been merged together, the process automatically deploys the third release of the application to a production environment for use by users.
US09141376B2
A software update program recorded on a non-transitory computer-readable recording medium causes a computer to act as an update instruction unit that instructs an electronic apparatus to update software, and a method selection unit that selects a method that requires a shorter time, from normal updating in which the electronic apparatus receives renewed software and updates current software to the renewed software, and incremental updating in which the electronic apparatus receives difference data between the renewed software and the current software and applies the difference data to the current software for updating to the renewed software. The update instruction unit instructs the electronic apparatus to update the software by the normal update method when the method selection unit selects the normal update method, and instructs the electronic apparatus to update the software by the incremental update method when the method selection unit selects the incremental update method.
US09141368B2
The claimed subject matter provides a system or method for managing software changes. An exemplary method comprises creating a reset boot loader, a last known good (LKG) boot loader, and a current boot loader, then pointing the reset boot loader, LKG boot loader, and current boot loader to a parent virtual hard disk (VHD) containing a default master image. An operation to perform is determined, and a service partition is booted into. The LKG boot loader or current boot loader is pointed to a child VHD loaded with another desired image based on the operation selected, and the system is rebooted into the parent VHD or child VHD pointed to by the current boot loader.
US09141362B2
A method and system to support scheduling of memory store instructions across atomic regions in binary translation in a processing unit or processor. In one embodiment of the invention, the processing unit has a store buffer that allows store instructions to be issued in different order than the source binary program order but still retire in source binary program order. This facilitates a small atomic region that maps to each iteration of a source binary code and these atomic regions are joined together into a pipelined region. In one embodiment of the invention, the processing unit executes commit instruction(s) once every loop iteration instead of executing the commit instruction(s) once after the loop exit.
US09141358B2
Provided are techniques for parsing source code file into a plurality of functions; generating a ranking corresponding to each of the plurality of functions based upon an order of occurrence in the source code file; generating a weight score corresponding to each of the plurality of functions based upon a weighing factor and the occurrence of a condition corresponding to each of the plurality of functions; and generating an object code file such that the plurality of functions are ordered in the object code file based upon the corresponding rankings and weight scores such during a startup of execution of the object code file a startup time is minimized with respect to an object code file not generated in accordance with the claimed method.
US09141357B2
A compiler determines executability of loop fusion, for each of a plurality of loops existing in a code to be processed, based on performance information of a system where the code to be processed is executed and based on operands and number of data transfers executed inside each of the loops. Then, the compiler executes fusion of loop processing in accordance with a determination result of executability of the loop fusion.
US09141356B2
A process for generating dynamic type is disclosed. A compiler generated template method including a mark for custom instruction is selected for cloning. Dynamic code is injected at the mark for the custom instructions. The template method including the injected dynamic code is compiled.
US09141350B2
A method of generating an embedded system (4999) from an original computer program (996) which embedded system (4999) provides a parallellized hardware (4598) and software (4599) implementation of the original computer program (996), which parallellized implementation (4598, 4599) satisfies one or more criteria regarding hardware constraints of the embedded system (4999).The system provides partitioning of functionality from the original computer program (996) using structural and behavioral program models and detects streaming and memory dependencies to improve the partitioning, relying on added indications of source lines and variables in said original computer program to relate partitions and dependencies in the program model with locations in the original program source code.
US09141345B2
A workflow design system provides user interface controls that allow a workflow author to focus on the steps of the workflow before deciding on how to control the flow of the workflow. With the system, an author can change the control flow of a workflow without re-ordering the sequence of steps within the workflow. The workflow design system allows the author to define a sequence of steps and then drag a control block over these steps to capture them within the control block. The author can also later remove the control block without affecting the sequence of steps if his needs change. In addition, the system presents error-handling workflows side-by-side with the main workflow, so that the author can modify the main workflow and notice the effects and any corresponding changes for error handling workflows at the same time.
US09141342B2
Embodiments of the present invention provide an approach to automatically convert existing support materials (support manuals, troubleshooting guides, content, help files, etc.) into machine-executable programs so as to obviate for manual execution of the steps described in the support materials. That is, the embodiments of the invention will (among other things): create support-based programs that automate the execution of previously manual steps; create an inventory of said programs; parse existing support documentation; map sections of each support document into existing program automation; construct a sequence of program automations that resemble the flow of each support document; and/or associate a constructed sequence of automation with a support document that could be executed automatically.
US09141336B2
A data transfer unit includes: a collection-interval storage unit that storing therein a collection interval set by the host computer; a data collection unit reading a collection interval stored in the collection-interval storage unit and collecting device data at the read collection interval; a transfer-interval storage unit storing therein a transfer interval set by the host computer, which is equal to or larger than the collection interval; a ring buffer accumulating and storing therein device data that are collected by the data collection unit and have not been transferred to the host computer by a data transferring unit; and a data transferring unit reading a transfer interval stored in the transfer-interval storage unit, and collectively transfers device data accumulated and stored in the ring buffer to the host computer at the read transfer interval.
US09141335B2
Natural language image tags are described. In one or more implementations, at least a portion of an image displayed by a display device is defined based on a gesture. The gesture is identified from one or more touch inputs detected using touchscreen functionality of the display device. Text received in a natural language input is located and used to tag the portion of the image using one or more items of the text received in the natural language input.
US09141326B2
A printing apparatus capable of performing wireless communication with an information processing apparatus includes a display unit configured to display a connection screen for enabling, on the screen, specification of print settings of print data received from the information processing apparatus using the wireless communication, and reception of an instruction for executing connection processing for establishing the wireless communication, a storage unit configured to store the print settings specified via the connection screen, a connection unit configured to execute the connection processing with the information processing apparatus when the instruction for executing the connection processing is received via the connection screen, a reception unit configured to receive print data from the information processing apparatus using the wireless communication established by the connection processing, and a printing unit configured to print the print data received by the reception unit based on the print settings stored in the storage unit.
US09141324B2
Information representing content of a plurality of elements which are included in a structured document defined as a layer structure is obtained, and one of the elements included in the structured document is selected in accordance with the content of the elements included in the structured document. Then, the selected element is output separately from the other elements.Note that the elements included in the structured document are selectable in the plurality of layers and an element selected from any one of the layers is output separately from the other elements.By this, an appropriate element can be selected and output from among the plurality of elements included in the structured document.
US09141323B1
A printing control apparatus including: a receiving unit that receives a print instruction to instruct to print on a recording medium; a transferring unit that makes a storing portion store the print instruction received by the receiving unit and transfers the print instruction to a printing device including a region in which plural print instructions are able to be stored; an acquiring unit that acquires, in the case where a print instruction is deleted in the printing device, if the deleted print instruction is the print instruction transferred by the transferring unit, information related to a processing state of the deleted print instruction in the printing device; and a detecting unit that detects an error of a printing processing in the deleted print instruction based on the information related to the processing state acquired by the acquiring unit.
US09141320B2
Disclosed is a print system including: a client terminal; and a print server to create a print data in accordance with a file received from the client terminal and to transmit the created print data to a printer; and to instruct the client terminal to display a print preview for the file and a print setting UI on a Web browser of the client terminal in a display mode selected from a plurality of display modes, wherein the client terminal determines the display mode and notifies the print server of the determined display mode, and wherein the print server selects the display mode in which the print preview and the print setting UI are displayed on the Web browser of the client terminal, in accordance with a notification relating to the determined display mode from the client terminal.
US09141313B2
To enable data in a WWW server on a network to be directly obtained without passing through an information processing apparatus and to reduce a load which is applied to the network when the data obtained from the WWW server is printed, a digital copier has a function, namely, a Web Pull Printing function for actively accessing to the WWW server, obtaining data of an HTML format in the WWW server, and printing by a self printer. A Web print request to the digital copier by the user is executed through a print utility which is operating on a client.
US09141311B2
The present invention relates to multi-use adapters, specifically for adding functionality to a computing system via a Thunderbolt™ connector or other high speed connector. In addition, the present invention relates to RAID storage modules built upon the multi-use adapters of the present invention. Further, RAID storage systems consisting of multiple RAID storage modules are provided. Methods of making and using the same are further provided.
US09141308B2
A controller is presented having one or more interfaces through which to communicate with a plurality of memory dies with multi-level memory cells and an interface through which to communicate with a host. The controller also contains a processor that is configured to receive a command from the host to program data in a plurality of lower pages and a plurality of upper pages of the multi-level memory cells. The controller detects an indication from the host that indicates which previously-programmed lower pages from a previous program command are at risk of being corrupted by the programming of the upper pages from the received program command. Prior to programming the upper pages, the controller backs up the previously-programmed lower pages from the previous program command that are at risk of being corrupted but not the lower pages of data programmed by the received program command.
US09141300B2
A system for storing data comprises a performance storage unit for storing a data stream or a data block in. The data stream or the data block comprises one or more data items. The system further comprises a segment storage system for automatically storing a stored data item of the one or more data items as a set of segments. The system further comprises a performance segment storage unit for storing the set of segments in the event that the stored data item has been stored using the segment storage system.
US09141287B2
Techniques for enabling storage remotely are presented. A REpresentational State Transfer (REST) front-end interface is interfaced to a legacy file system via a backend interface that directly interacts with the native storage and protocols of the legacy file system. The REST interface is presented as the frontend interface to the legacy file system making the storage of the legacy file system available to web or network-enabled devices.
US09141285B2
A method includes, at an electronic device with a display and a touch-sensitive surface: concurrently displaying a first text entry area and an unsplit keyboard on the display; detecting a gesture on the touch-sensitive surface; and, in response to detecting the gesture on the touch-sensitive surface, replacing the unsplit keyboard with an integrated input area. The integrated input area includes a left portion with a left side of a split keyboard, a right portion with a right side of the split keyboard, and a center portion in between the left portion and the right portion.
US09141273B2
A mobile terminal including a wireless communication unit configured to wirelessly communicate with at least one other terminal; a display unit configured to display a home screen including a plurality of items; and a controller configured to group the plurality of items into at least one group, select a frame for each item according to the at least one group in which the plurality of items are included, and couple and display the selected frame to each item in the at least one group.
US09141261B2
The present invention provides a system and method for providing a display, a graphical user interface rendered on the display having associated with it a plurality of objects representative of one or more computing functions, and a processor for varying the position of at least one of the plurality of objects, wherein the processor provides for the continuous repositioning of at least one of the plurality of objects.
US09141255B2
Techniques for creating a mosaic using user-created content on a content sharing site. Embodiments of the invention may provide an interface on the content sharing site to allow users to create content. Embodiments may then determine a suitability value between the user-created content and portions of a mosaic, and insert the user-created content into a particular portion of the mosaic based on the determined suitability value for the particular portion.
US09141250B2
A mobile terminal including a display; an interface unit configured to transmit and receive data to and from an external display apparatus displaying information including an input region and a non-input region; and a controller configured to control the interface unit to receive data from the external display apparatus corresponding to the information displayed on the external display apparatus, to control the display to display a first screen including the input-region displayed on the external display apparatus and a second display screen including at least a portion of the non-input-region displayed on the external display apparatus.
US09141247B2
There are provide a display panel with a touch detection function, in which display operation is less affected by touch detection operation, a method of driving the display panel with a touch detection function, a driving circuit, and an electronic unit having the display panel with a touch detection function. The display panel with a touch detection function includes: one or more display elements; one or more drive electrodes; one or more touch detection electrodes; and a drive section selectively applying a DC drive signal or an AC drive signal to the drive electrodes.
US09141246B2
In a case where a touch position is a peripheral portion, when spatial characteristics which correspond to an area and a length of a touch region exceed a first condition corresponding to a predetermined area and length, it is determined that the touch region is caused by a palm. When the spatial characteristics do not exceed the first condition, it is determined that the touch region is caused by a finger. In a case where a touch position is a central portion, when the spatial characteristics exceed a second condition corresponding to an area and a length that are larger than those of the first condition, it is determined that the touch region is caused by a palm. When the spatial characteristics do not exceed the second condition, it is determined that the touch region is caused by a finger.
US09141235B2
An optical position detecting apparatus that detects a position of a target object in a detection region, includes: a light source device for position detection that emits position detection light to the detection region and forms an intensity distribution of the position detection light in the detection region; plural photodetectors that direct incident angle ranges to regions not overlapping one another in the detection region; and a position detecting device that detects the position of the target object on the basis of results of detection by the photodetectors of the position detection light reflected on the target object.
US09141227B2
Two different sets of electrodes in a touch sensitive device are formed to produce an electric field gradient from one end of the electrodes to the other end when opposite ends of the electrodes are driven with different voltages. A signal measuring cycle is performed by alternately driving the ends of one set of electrodes, while using the other set of electrodes to receive signals. The roles of the sets of electrodes are then reversed, such that the set that that was driven is now used to receive signals from the other set of electrodes. Reference signals may be obtained by driving both sides of one set of electrodes, and then both sides of the other set of electrodes. The signals obtained are then used to determine the touch position on the touch sensitive device.
US09141219B2
Provided is an operating device with which the erroneous detection of depression operations can be prevented when tactile sensation is presented, without requiring a sophisticated control. This operating device (1) substantially includes a touch panel (2) that detects tracing on an operation screen; a depression mechanism unit (3) capable of a depression operation in the direction downward from a standard position of the touch panel (2) a push switch (5) that detects a depression operation via the depression mechanism (3), and a drive mechanism unit (7) capable of driving between the standard position of the touch panel (2) and a position thereabove.
US09141214B2
A data input device and method are provided. The data input device provides an input module, which may be applied to electronic devices or portable terminals, consisting of a number of separation pairs, and the input module includes a number of A separated indication positions and a number of B separated indication positions which are disposed as each A-B type based on a predetermined separation reference line, in two sides, that is, an A separated segment and a B separated segment which are ambilaterally divided based on the separation reference line, so that a data input may be individually or continuously performed by means of an input selection to the one or more separated indication positions.
US09141206B2
A portable terminal includes an apparatus for improving motion detection capability. More particularly, the apparatus improves motion detection capability by changing a motion in a normal state according to a motion state or by changing a motion detection process in the portable terminal in order to avoid motion detection capability deterioration in the portable terminal are provided. The apparatus includes a terminal state determiner that determines a motion state of the terminal by receiving sensing information for determining the motion state, and a controller that changes a motion detection process according to the portable terminal's motion state determined by the terminal state determiner.
US09141202B2
An information processing apparatus, an input apparatus, an information processing system, an information processing method, and a program that are capable of improving operability when a target object is selected on a screen are provided. A control apparatus is provided to which, when a button is pressed in a state where a pointer is indicating an area around an icon on a screen, a signal indicating that the button has been pressed and a signal of positional information of the pointer at that time are input, and the control apparatus performs movement control such that the pointer indicates the icon based on those signals. Therefore, even when the pointer is not directly indicating the icon, the icon can be indicated by indicating the area around the icon, thus improving operability in selecting the icon on the screen by the pointer.
US09141199B2
Various embodiments of the invention may allow applications and information to be clustered together in ways that simplify and automate various tasks. Other embodiments may present a graphical user interface to the user that allows the user to choose from a matrix of information categories and applications that can help provide that information. Still other embodiments may provide different user interface methods based on status awareness.
US09141179B2
A system and method of managing power may include determining a power state based on a first power management request from a first operating system executing on a mobile platform and a second power management request from a second operating system executing on the mobile platform. The first operating system and one or more components of the mobile platform can define a first virtual machine, and the second operating system and one or more components of the mobile platform can define a second virtual machine. In addition, the power state may be applied to the mobile platform.
US09141168B2
A computing device to detect a communication protocol between the computing device and a second computing device, to identify operating parameters associated with the communication protocol, and to modify a mode of operation of a processor based on the operating parameter.
US09141161B2
A voltage regulation apparatus comprises a plurality of individually switchable current sources coupled to an output for coupling the voltage regulation apparatus to an external load. The output is monitored using a bridge divider and a comparator. The bridge divider generates a feedback voltage, that is compared with a reference voltage, representative of a target voltage to be maintained at the output, when loaded. A digital sequencer unit is coupled to the comparator and responds to the comparator to increase or decrease a number of the plurality of individually switchable current sources activated, thereby causing a collective current generated by the activated number of the plurality of individually switchable current sources to converge on a load current, demanded by the external load.
US09141158B2
A notebook computer includes a base, a display, a bracket, and a fan. The display is rotatably connected to a rear side of the base and defines a number of heat dissipation holes in an outer surface of the display. The bracket is connected to the display and aligned with the heat dissipation holes. The fan is fastened to the bracket. An airflow inlet of the fan faces the heat dissipation holes, and an airflow outlet of the fan is opposite to the heat dissipation holes.
US09141153B2
The side profile of a hard drive assembly may be configured with one or more open areas to allow cooling air to pass side-to-side across the hard drive assembly through a lateral flow channel provided by a cavity defined in the base portion of the hard drive assembly.
US09141149B2
A touch panel assembly includes an enclosure, a touch panel, and a soft board. The enclosure includes a bottom portion. The bottom portion defines a first surface and a second surface. The enclosure further includes a first hook and a first positioning post extending from the first surface. The touch panel is attached on the second surface. The soft board defines a first securing hole and a first positioning hole. The first positioning post is received in the first positioning hole to prevent the soft board from moving along a first direction. The soft board is deformed by an external force to enable the first hook to pass through the first securing hole to engage with an edge of the first securing hole, thereby preventing the soft board from moving a second direction substantially perpendicular to the first direction.
US09141146B2
A latch device includes a carrier, an operating member, a resilient member, two linkages, and two latch members. The operating member can move toward or away from the carrier along a first direction. The resilient member is disposed between the operating member and the carrier. Each of the linkages has a first end and a second end. The first ends are pivotally connected to two sides of the operating member. The latch members are slidably and symmetrically disposed on the carrier along a second direction, and pivotally connected to the second ends, respectively. The linkages are located between the latch members in a second direction perpendicular to the first direction. While moving relative to the carrier, the operating member drives the latch members respectively by the linkages, so as to reversely move the latch members relative to the carrier in the second direction.
US09141143B2
According to one embodiment, an electronic device includes a bendable display device, an electric component, a first member, and a second member. The bendable display device includes an edge portion, a first face on which an image is visible, and a second face opposite the first face. The first member is configured to support the edge portion from a side of the first face, and to be separated from a center of the display device toward one side in a direction perpendicular to a thickness direction of the display device. The second member is configured to support the edge portion from a side of the second face, to be coupled with the first member, and to configure at least a portion of an enclosure containing the electric component together with the first member.
US09141139B2
A portable and mobile deployable data center (DDC) is disclosed, which includes various components that enables the DDC to have multiple functions including, computing, data storage and retrieval, communications and routing. A DDC includes a rugged case that suitable for harsh environments, an interconnection mechanism, a plurality of hot swappable readers, a plurality of hot swappable portable computing devices, and a plurality of hot swappable power supplies.
US09141128B2
A pedal value sensor arrangement for a motor vehicle includes a pedal movable between an idle position and an end position, a bearing for the pedal, and a spring configured to apply a restoring force to the pedal towards the idle position. In an intermediate position between the idle position and the end position, the spring is configured to apply a restoring force to the pedal toward the idle position that is greater than before and/or after the intermediate position, wherein the greater restoring force of the spring is brought about by a contact of a first section of the spring with a second section of the spring.
US09141127B2
An accelerator pedal effort adjusting apparatus can easily adjust the elasticity of an elastic member by changing the length of the elastic member according to a simple rotation of a movable plate, thereby easily adjusting the accelerator pedal effort as desired. The apparatus can be commonly used with various types of accelerator pedals. The apparatus includes: a guide rod installed such that it is mounted to the bottom surface of the inner space of a pedal arm housing and is directed toward a pedal aim; a movable plate movably fitted over the guide rod such that the movable plate can be moved along the guide rod; and an elastic member installed in such a way that the elastic member is supported by both the pedal arm and the movable plate at opposite ends thereof, and applies a reaction force to a pedal pad.
US09141126B2
A return to neutral mechanism is provided for hydraulic apparatuses such as motors/pumps that utilize a swashplate and a trunnion arm to control flow. The return to neutral mechanism includes two rotating brackets which have ends aligned to a single plane. Two springs are utilized and attached to the ends of the two rotating brackets giving the force mechanism the ability apply the force in a direct path, reducing friction, increasing life, and improving accuracy. This design is an “x” type mechanism, the force arms are in-line and do not cross, the force is applied equally on both sides of the fulcrum and therefore balanced. The mechanism can be can be used with compression springs, tension springs, torsion springs, or leaf springs.
US09141121B2
Provided is a voltage regulator capable of suppressing excessive overshoot at the output terminal when the power supply fluctuates in a non-regulate state. The voltage regulator includes: an error amplification circuit that amplifies a difference between reference voltage and divided voltage, thus controlling a gate of an output transistor; an amplifier that compares the reference voltage and the divided voltage to detect overshoot at the output voltage; a first transistor that lets current that is proportional to current flowing through the output transistor pass therethrough; a current mirror circuit that mirrors current that is proportional to the current flowing through the output transistor; and a first bias circuit connected to the amplifier via the current mirror circuit, the first bias circuit increasing bias current of the amplifier to increase a response speed.
US09141094B2
A personal air quality monitoring system worn or carried by a user. Such system can be used to monitor the local air quality and alert a user should air quality deteriorate below some acceptable desired or configurable threshold.
US09141084B2
A cartridge mountable in an image forming apparatus includes a first unit that stores developer and a second unit that accommodates the first unit. The first unit includes a first detected part configured to be displaced irreversibly from a first-unit new-product position to a first-unit used position upon receipt of a driving force from the image forming apparatus, the first detected part contacting a detector provided in the image forming apparatus while being displaced from the first-unit new-product position to the first-unit used position to be detected by the detector. The second unit includes a second detected part configured to be displaced irreversibly from a second-unit new-product position to a second-unit used position upon receipt of a driving force from the image forming apparatus, the second detected part contacting the detector while being displaced from the second-unit new-product position to the second-unit used position to be detected by the detector.
US09141077B2
An image forming apparatus, which includes a main frame having an opening, a cover rotatable between an opened position where the cover uncovers the opening and a closed position where the cover closes the opening, a holder rotatably supported by the cover and having a recess, and an exposure unit having a plurality of light emitting elements and a supporting wall, and held by the holder, the supporting wall having a first engaging portion which engages with the recess of the holder when the cover is located at the opened position, and which disengages from the recess of the holder when the cover is located at the closed position.
US09141069B2
A photosensitive drum unit is provided to which a coupling member is easily mounted. A drum flange is fixed to one end portion of a cylinder having a photosensitive layer at a peripheral surface. The coupling member is inserted into the drum flange. Finally, a closing member is mounted to the drum flange.
US09141063B2
An image forming apparatus includes a deterioration determining device to determine a deterioration degree of a latent image bearer based on a potential detected by a surface potential detector. The deterioration determining device calculates a relative value indicating the deterioration degree based on the aggregated number of pixels and a time value for each of virtually divided regions. The deterioration determining device determines a deterioration degree of a detecting target region of the virtually divided region based on a potential detected by the surface potential detector. The deterioration determining device further determines deterioration degrees of non-detecting target respective regions of the virtually divided regions based on the relative values of the non-detecting target respective regions, the relative value of the detecting target region, and the deterioration degree of the detecting target region.
US09141054B2
Provided is a fixing device including a fixing member that fixes toner to a recording material, a pressurizing member that forms a nip portion through which the recording material passes between the fixing member and the pressurizing member, a contacting and separating mechanism that contacts and separates the pressurizing member with and from the fixing member, and a pressure adjusting mechanism that is provided capable of advancing to and retreating from a region that moves along with contacting and separating of the pressurizing member with and from the fixing member by the contacting and separating mechanism while moving along a straight line direction, and adjusts a pressure in the nip portion by contacting the contacting and separating mechanism in the region.
US09141044B2
A fixing apparatus includes a fixing portion which comes into contact with a sheet and fixes a toner image on the sheet, a magnetic flux generating portion which generates a magnetic flux so as to heat the fixing portion by electromagnetic induction, a magnetic flux shielding portion which shields a magnetic flux generated from the magnetic flux generating portion between the fixing portion and the magnetic flux generating portion, a support portion which supports the magnetic flux shielding portion, a moving portion which moves the support portion in a width direction perpendicular to a sheet conveying direction, a controller which controls the moving portion so as to move the magnetic flux shielding portion to a position based on a sheet size in the width direction, and a sheet guide portion which is supported on the support portion and guides the sheet to the fixing portion.
US09141042B2
An image forming apparatus includes a plurality of image bearing members and a control unit. After an image forming mode starts until a toner image is primarily transferred onto an intermediate transfer member from an uppermost-stream image bearing member of the plurality of image bearing members provided at an uppermost stream position, the control unit is configured to provide a toner patch onto at least one of primary transfer portions. The toner patch is formed by developing an electrostatic latent image formed on at least one of the plurality of the image bearing members, and in the image forming mode a timing at which a trailing edge of the toner patch that passes through one of the plurality of the primary transfer portions reaches a secondary transfer portion is earlier than a timing at which the recording material reaches the secondary transfer portion.
US09141037B2
A transfer assist member comprising a plurality of layers, one of the layers being a check film layer comprised of a crosslinked mixture of aminoplast resins, and polyester polyols present on a support polymer layer.
US09141036B2
A digital printer has at least one print group with a station to generate charge images of images to be printed on a charge image carrier, the station having a developer station to ink the charge images using liquid carrier having toner and carrier fluid. The developer station comprises a rotating application unit that transports the liquid developer to the charge image carrier. The feed system feeds the liquid developer to the application unit. The dosing unit adjacent to the application unit and after the feed system comprises a dosing roller and an elastic unit acting on the dosing roller, the elastic unit exerting an adjustable contact pressure force on the dosing roller in a direction of the application unit.
US09141035B2
A developing device includes a developing roller, a regulating blade, and seal members. The regulating blade extends in a rotation axis direction of the developing sleeve, is disposed opposite to a circumferential surface of the developing sleeve, and regulates a quantity of the toner present on the circumferential surface of the developing sleeve. The seal members are disposed opposite to the circumferential surface of the developing sleeve without being in contact with both ends of the developing sleeve in the rotation axis direction, and inhibit the toner on the circumferential surface from moving to the rotation axis direction ends by magnetic brushes formed between the magnet roller and the seal members. An inner surface part of each seal member which is opposite to the circumferential surface of the developing sleeve has root parts which have crest parts formed in a serrated shape.
US09141026B2
A developing apparatus including a layer thickness adjustment member configured to regulate a layer thickness of a two-component developer carried on a surface of a developing sleeve of a developing roller is disposed so that one end portion in a width direction faces the surface of the developing sleeve at a predetermined interval. At two end portions in a longitudinal direction of the layer thickness adjustment member, a notch open to the one end side in the width direction is provided. Since an amount of conveyance of the developer locally increases at two end portions of the developing sleeve by providing such a notch in the layer thickness adjustment member, density of an ear of a magnetic brush to be formed increases, and it is possible to exhibit the sufficient seal performance and prevent the toner from being scattered.
US09141023B2
An image forming device includes a photoconductive body, an exposure unit configured with a plurality of light emitting elements aligned in a predetermined direction, the exposure unit being adopted to expose the photoconductive body to light emitted by the light emitting elements, a frame configured to support both sides of the exposure unit in the predetermined direction, the frame having a reference portion configured to position the exposure unit in the predetermined direction in contact with an end of the exposure unit in the predetermined direction, and a pressing member provided to one of the frame and the exposure unit, the pressing member being configured to press the end of the exposure unit against the reference portion.
US09141015B2
An additive manufacturing system for printing a three-dimensional part using electrophotography, the additive manufacturing system including a rotatable photoconductor component, a development station configured to develop layers of a material on a surface of the rotatable photoconductor component, a rotatable transfer medium configured to receive the developed layers from the surface of the rotatable photoconductor component, and a platen configured to receive the developed layers from the rotatable transfer medium in a layer-by-layer manner. The additive manufacturing system also includes a plurality of service loops configured to move portions of the rotatable transfer medium at different line speeds while maintaining a net rotational rate of full rotations of the rotatable transfer medium at a substantially steady state.
US09141011B2
A method for producing a toner for electrostatic image development including the step of melt-kneading a mixture containing a resin binder and a wax, wherein the resin binder contains an amorphous polyester (A) obtained by polycondensing an alcohol component containing an aliphatic diol (a) having 3 or 4 carbon atoms, the aliphatic diol having a hydroxyl group bonded to a secondary carbon atom, and an aliphatic diol (b) containing one or more α,ω-linear alkanediols having 2, 4, 6 or 8 carbon atoms, and a carboxylic acid component. The toner for electrostatic image development can be suitably used in, for example, the development or the like of latent image formed in an electrostatic development method, an electrostatic recording method, an electrostatic printing method, or the like.
US09140999B2
A reticle assembly for use in a lithographic process in which a first image field and a second image field are projected onto a first target portion and a second target portion on a substrate, the reticle assembly being arranged to hold a first reticle having the first image field and a second reticle having the second image field such that a distance between the first and second image fields substantially corresponds to a distance between the first and the second target portions. Embodiments also relate to a lithographic apparatus including the reticle assembly, the use in a lithographic process in which a first image field and a second image field are projected onto a first target portion and a second portion on a substrate, of a first reticle having the first image field and a second reticle having the second image field, wherein a distance between the first and second image fields substantially corresponds to a distance between the first and second target portions.
US09140994B2
A method for adjusting an optical system in a microlithographic projection exposure apparatus includes establishing, for a given actual position of a polarization-influencing component, a distribution of IPS values in a pupil plane of the projection exposure apparatus. Each IPS value denotes the degree of realization of a predetermined polarization state for a light ray reflected at a respective mirror element of the mirror arrangement. The method also includes changing the position of the polarization-influencing component on the basis of the established distribution.
US09140993B2
An illumination optical apparatus and projection exposure apparatus capable of reducing a light quantity loss when a mask is illuminated with a polarized illumination light. An illumination optical system for illuminating a reticle with an illumination light and a projection optical system for projecting the pattern image of the reticle onto a wafer are provided. An illumination light emitted from an exposure light source in a linearly polarized state in the illumination optical system passes through first and second birefringent members having different fast axis directions and is converted into a polarized state that is substantially linearly polarized in a circumferential direction with the optical axis as the center in an almost specific annular area, and them illuminates the reticle under an annular illuminating condition after passing through a fly-eye lens.
US09140990B2
There is disclosed a polarization-modulating element for modulating a polarization state of incident light into a predetermined polarization state, the polarization-modulating element being made of an optical material with optical activity and having a circumferentially varying thickness profile.
US09140986B2
A resist underlayer composition includes a solvent and an organosilane condensation polymerization product, the organosilane condensation polymerization product including about 40 to about 80 mol % of a structural unit represented by the following Chemical Formula 1,
US09140977B2
An imaging device comprising a first region and a second region. Imaging features in the first region and assist features in the second region are substantially the same size as one another and are formed substantially on pitch. Methods of forming an imaging device and methods of forming a semiconductor device structure are also disclosed.
US09140976B2
A lithography mask and method for manufacturing such mask that includes optically isolated via features and proximity correction features. The via patterns that include via features that define vias are positioned on the mask in rows and columns with a row and a column pitch between each row and column on the mask. The via patterns are positioned such that via features that are in adjacent columns are separated by at least one intervening row between them. The via patterns can also be positioned such that the via patterns that are in adjacent rows are separated by at least one intervening column between them. As a result, the via feature of each via pattern and the associated optical proximity correction features that are positioned around each via feature do not overlap with the optical proximity correction features and the via features of the surrounding via patterns.
US09140969B2
An illumination optical system includes: a light source that generates excitation light; a fluorescent body that generates fluorescent light by irradiation with the excitation light and that is disposed in a region wider than the irradiation spot of the excitation light; a plate in which the fluorescent body is disposed; and a driving mechanism that moves the plate so that the irradiation spot of the excitation light can intermittently move over the fluorescent body.
US09140957B2
An electro-optic Mach-Zehnder modulator arrangement includes first and second optical waveguides forming, respectively, first and second arms of the Mach-Zehnder modulator. An electrode arrangement includes a first waveguide electrode output port coupled to the first waveguide electrodes a second waveguide electrode arranged on top of a capacitive segment of the first and the second optical waveguides, respectively, such that a voltage can be applied across the capacitive segments of the first and second optical waveguide. At least one driver unit supplies a voltage to the electrode arrangement. The driver unit includes first and second output ports coupled, respectively, to the first and second waveguide electrodes. The driver unit supplies first and second varying signals to the first and second waveguide electrodes via the first and second output ports, respectively. A non-grounded conductive region connects the capacitive segments of the first and second optical waveguides to each other.
US09140941B2
A liquid crystal display device according to the present invention is directed at optimizing the viewing angle characteristics of black luminance in a diagonal direction by realizing a low tilt angle without depending on an oriented film or an orientation treatment method in an FFS mode. The liquid crystal display device of the present invention is a liquid crystal display device in the FFS mode, including: a liquid crystal layer having a negative dielectric anisotropy; a color filter substrate disposed to sandwich the liquid crystal layer; and a TFT substrate having pixels, wherein a CF side common electrode which controls a potential is present in a liquid crystal layer side of the color filter substrate; and there is electric field controlling means which forms an alternating electric field between the CF side common electrode and a TFT side common electrode.
US09140940B2
The present disclosure provides a single substrate display panel and fabricating method thereof and relates to a field of display. The single substrate display panel comprises: a parallel electric field substrate; and a display medium layer above the parallel electric field substrate. The display medium layer comprises liquid crystal molecules and a matrix, the matrix encapsulates the liquid crystal molecules so that the liquid crystal molecules form liquid crystal groups. The present disclosure also provides a fabricating method of the single substrate display panel. The present disclosure can achieve single substrate display so as to reduce the weight and thickness of the liquid crystal display panel and improve display quality.
US09140935B2
In an array substrate, a first pixel is arranged at one end of an active area, and a second pixel is arranged adjacent to the first pixel more inside of the active area than the first pixel. A common electrode extends to the first and second pixels, and an insulating layer is formed on the common electrode. First and second pixel electrodes are formed on the insulating layer in the first and second pixels. The pixel electrodes include electrode portions forming slits facing the common electrode. A second substrate includes a shield layer arranged outside the active area. The first pixel electrode is formed more widely than the second pixel electrode, and extends to outside of the active area. The first pixel electrode includes an extending portion extending to outside of the active area and facing the shield layer.
US09140932B2
The present invention relates to a liquid crystal display (LCD) and a manufacturing method thereof; the LCD comprises a backlight module and a display panel; an included angle ⊖pb is between a normal direction of a light emission surface of the backlight module and a normal direction of a light emission surface of the display panel. By changing the relative positions of the display panel and the backlight module, the LCD and the manufacturing method thereof of the present invention decrease the phenomenon of asymmetrical light field in the LCD.
US09140924B2
A display device having a plurality of pixel units and a manufacturing method of the same are provided. The display device includes a first substrate assembly, a second substrate assembly, a liquid crystal mixture, and a pillared polymer network. The first substrate assembly includes a first substrate and a first electrode layer disposed on the first substrate. The second substrate assembly includes a second substrate. The liquid crystal mixture is disposed between the first and second substrate assemblies. The pillared polymer network is disposed between the first and second substrate assemblies and has a first end and second end. The first end abuts against the first substrate assembly and is disposed correspondingly to the first electrode layer. The second end abuts against the second substrate assembly. Each of the pixel units includes the pillared polymer network.
US09140922B2
The display device with high detection accuracy includes: display pixel electrodes; a common electrode; a display function layer; a display control circuit performing image display control by applying a pixel voltage to each of the display pixel electrodes and applying a common drive voltage to the common electrode, the common drive voltage inverting in synchronization with a drive cycle of the image display control; a touch detection electrode cooperating with the common electrode to form a capacitor; and a touch detection circuit detecting an external proximity object, based on a detection signal obtained from the touch detection electrode in response to the common drive voltage applied to the common electrode. The touch detection circuit performs the detection operation in a inversion period following an inversion timing of the common drive voltage, based on both first and second detection signals obtained before and after the inversion timing, respectively.
US09140914B1
A temperature-stabilized photonic circuit comprising: a material platform; a complementary metal-oxide-semiconductor (CMOS)-compatible, photonic device integrated on the material platform, wherein the photonic device has a positive thermo-optic coefficient; and a liquid crystal layer clad over the photonic device, wherein the liquid crystal layer has a negative thermo-optic coefficient such that the temperature of the circuit is passively stabilized through adjustment of the effective refractive index of the photonic device.
US09140909B2
An eyeglass storage system is provided for use in combination with electronic devices, such as smart phones. The storage systems disclosed herein include a casing having a storage cavity within the casing that houses compact reading glasses. The casing may be a unit that attaches to electronic devices, or may be a combination casing that houses the electronic device along with the reading glasses.
US09140907B2
A contact lens comprising first and second orientation indicia to determine an orientation of the contact lens.
US09140895B2
Provided is an imaging apparatus including an imaging element section, an imaging optical system, a transmission/block section, an actuator, and an output section. The imaging element section includes a plurality of pixels, and the imaging optical system forms an image on the imaging element section, the image being formed by an electromagnetic wave from the outside. The transmission/block section transmits and blocks the electromagnetic wave to/against the imaging element section, the transmission/block section being disposed at an aperture stop position in the imaging optical system. The actuator drives the transmission/block section to move back and forth to be changed in state between transmission and blocking. The output section produces an image signal output being differential signaling between a pixel output from the imaging element section when the transmission/block section is in the transmission state, and a pixel output from the imaging element section when it is in the blocking state.
US09140892B2
An electrowetting display device comprising at least one picture element including a first fluid and a second fluid immiscible with the first fluid. A protrusion arranged through the second fluid and in contact with the first fluid provides a preferential initiation of motion of part of the first fluid in a first direction and a different part of the first fluid in a second direction.
US09140891B2
An electrowetting display device comprises a picture element having a first support plate and a second support plate having a space therebetween having a first fluid and a second fluid immiscible with the first fluid. The first support plate comprises a display area, adjoining the space, within which the first fluid is confined and having a first surface adjoining the space. A wall protrudes from the first support plate and is formed outside the display area along a part of the perimeter of the display area. The wall has a second surface facing the display area and adjoining the space. An electrode has a first portion adjacent to the first surface and a second portion adjacent to at least a part of the second surface such that a surface of the second portion including a long side of a cross section of the second portion faces the display area.
US09140890B1
An adjustable mounting system to secure a magnifying glass to a point of attachment and enhance adjustability of the system to enable the magnifying glass to be oriented towards a magnification target is provided. The mounting system includes a support member detachably coupled to the point of attachment by a fastener, a cap rotatably mounted to the support member and able to enable an arm to slidably adjust relative to the cap, and a bracket rotatably mounted to an end of the arm and secured to the magnifying glass. The cap, arm and bracket are each adjusted to a desired position to enable the magnifying glass to be directed towards the magnification target.
US09140886B2
An inverted microscope that allows observation of a specimen from underneath includes an objective lens holding unit that holds an objective lens configured to collect at least observation light from the specimen, a tube lens configured to focus the observation light collected by the objective lens, a branching unit configured to branch an optical path of the observation light from the tube lens, and an observation image switching device that is removably provided in a microscope main body between the objective lens and the tube lens and is configured to switch between wavelengths of an observation image or between magnifications of the observation image.
US09140885B2
A dual-configuration microscope is provided. The microscope may be converted into an upright configuration or an inverted configuration. The microscope includes a base having a lower portion and an upper portion, the lower portion configured to support the microscope. The microscope further includes a body having a first portion, a second portion, and an intermediate portion extending between the first and second portions. The intermediate portion of the body is rotatably coupled to the upper portion of the base at a rotational coupling. The rotational coupling defines a rotating axis that extends in a longitudinal direction with respect to the microscope. The microscope further includes an objective disposed proximal to the first portion and a light source disposed proximal to the second portion.
US09140881B2
A VCM is disclosed, the motor including a stator including a first driving unit, a rotor arranged inside the stator, including a second driving unit responding to the first driving unit and mounted therein with a lens, a base fixing the stator, and an elastic member coupled to the rotor to float the rotor from the base in a case a driving signal for driving the first and second driving units is not applied to the first and second driving units.
US09140878B2
A photographing lens assembly includes, in order from an object side to an image side, a first lens element, a second lens element, a third lens element, a fourth lens element, a fifth lens element, and a sixth lens element. The first lens element has positive refractive power. The second lens element has refractive power. The third lens element has positive refractive power. The fourth lens element with refractive power has an object-side surface being concave in a paraxial region thereof. The fifth lens element with positive refractive power has an object-side surface being convex in a paraxial region thereof and an image-side surface being convex in a paraxial region thereof. The sixth lens element with refractive power has an image-side surface being concave in a paraxial region thereof. The photographing lens assembly has a total of six lens elements with refractive power.
US09140867B1
An optical communication cable includes a core, armor surrounding the core, a jacket surrounding and bonded to the armor, and a binder film also surrounding the core and interior to the armor. The core includes buffer tubes surrounding sets of optical fibers and a central strength member. The buffer tubes are stranded around the central strength member in a pattern of stranding including reversals in lay direction of the buffer tubes and the binder film holds the buffer tubes in position. The binder film is bonded to an interior of the armor, thereby providing a quick access capability to access the core via simultaneous removal of the binder film when the armor and jacket are removed.
US09140860B2
This disclosure provides systems, methods, and devices for connecting optical fibers. In one aspect, a connector includes a transfer tube for equalizing the pressure between two chambers within the two connectors when the connectors are mated. The chambers may house biasing elements coupled to optical fiber holders to provide a pressure independent force against optical fiber terminals. The optical fiber holders may include side openings for receiving optical fibers.
US09140859B2
A communications connection system includes a fiber optic connector including a storage device having memory configured to store physical layer information. The storage device also includes at least one contact member that is electrically connected to the memory. Certain types of fiber optic connectors have the storage device mounted to a key of the fiber optic connector. Certain types of fiber optic connectors have the storage device mounted in a cavity defined in the fiber optic connector.
US09140858B2
A waterproof optical fiber connector includes a flange and a terminal connector. The terminal connector includes an outer casing, an inner casing, an optical fiber and a connecting component coupled with the fiber. The inner casing is tubular for housing the fiber and the connecting component. The outer casing is tubular for housing the inner casing. The inner casing includes a body and a waterproof clip connected to a back end of the body. The fiber passes through the clip. The tail of the inner wall of the outer casing tapers from the front to the back, pressing the clip inwards such that the clip and the fiber are fixed together. At least one first protrusion is provided on the inner surface of the front end of the sleeve of the flange, and the front end of the body of the inner casing bears against the first protrusion.
US09140852B2
An optical system including an array of photonic devices that convert light signals to electrical signals or electrical signals to light signals are coupled together and optically coupled to an array of optic fibers of an information channel. A lens couples optical beams generated to at least one array of photonic devices and the array of optic fibers for an optical communication there-between. The array of photonic devices and the array of optic fibers are respectively arranged in a honeycomb configuration.
US09140850B2
An optical coupling structure optically coupling a plurality of core portions and a plurality of core portions includes a plurality of first core portions outputting a plurality of lights, a first lens focusing or collimating the plurality of lights outputted from the plurality of first core portions, a second lens focusing the plurality of lights focused or collimated by the first lens, a plurality of second core portions, the plurality of lights focused by the second lens being inputted into the second core portions respectively, and an optical functional component disposed between the first lens and the second lens, the plurality of lights being inputted into the optical functional component. At least one of the first lens and the second lens is configured by a lens or a lens group focusing or collimating the plurality of lights collectively.
US09140845B2
A display device includes a display panel including a display area in which an image is displayed, and a light unit that includes: a light guide plate including a light receiving surface and a light emitting surface; a light source spaced apart from the light receiving surface while facing the light receiving surface and overlapping the display area; and a light diffusion member extending between the light receiving surface and the light source. The light diffusion member includes at least one of a first pattern formed on a surface of the light diffusion member facing the light emitting surface, and a second pattern formed on another surface of the light diffusion member, thereby implementing uniform brightness across the whole surface of the display panel.
US09140840B2
Exemplary embodiments of the present invention relate to a backlight assembly and a display device, including a backlight unit including a light emitting diode (LED) light source of and a light guide, and a bottom chassis disposed at a rear surface of the backlight unit, wherein the bottom chassis includes a bottom chassis main body, an inner supporting member disposed at an inner surface of the bottom chassis main body, an outer supporting member disposed at an outer surface of the bottom chassis main body, and a fastener to fasten at least two of the bottom chassis main body, the inner supporting member, and the outer supporting member.
US09140825B2
The present invention relates to a process comprising the steps of reacting a reactive mixture comprising at least one silicone-containing component, at least one hydrophilic component, and at least one diluent to form an ophthalmic device having an advancing contact angle of less than about 80°; and contacting the ophthalmic device with an aqueous extraction solution at an elevated extraction temperature, wherein said at least one diluent has a boiling point at least about 10° higher than said extraction temperature.
US09140823B2
Techniques for wirelessly transferring information to and/or from a drill string component are disclosed herein. In one embodiment, a downhole system includes a drill string component and a tag interrogating device. The drill string component includes a tag configured for wireless communication. The tag interrogating device is configured to traverse the interior of the drill string and wirelessly communicate with the tag.
US09140820B2
The invention relates to a test method for testing the operability of an optical sensor for monitoring a monitored zone in which at least one test object is used which is located in a detection zone of the sensor including the monitored zone. Provision is made in accordance with the invention that the test object is changed during the carrying out of the test method with respect to its position, alignment or its optical properties and produces a test signal when the change cannot be detected in the expected manner. The invention further relates to an optical sensor for monitoring a monitored zone, wherein the test method in accordance with the invention can be used.
US09140816B2
A method of generating an axial shear wave in a formation surrounding a wellbore comprising urging a clamp pad into contact with a wall of the wellbore, and applying an axial force to the clamp pad to impart a shear force into the wall of the wellbore to generate a shear wave in the formation.
US09140815B2
A method for obtaining information about a subsurface formation from acoustic signals that contain information about the subsurface formation, comprises a) transmitting an optical signal into a fiber optic cable (14) that includes a sensing apparatus (20) comprising a plurality of substantially parallel fiber lengths (24), b) collecting from the sensing apparatus a plurality of received optical signals, each received signal comprising a portion of the transmitted signal that has been reflected from a different segment of a cable length, wherein the different segments are each in different cable lengths and correspond to a single selected location along the sensing cable, and c) processing the collected signals so as to obtain information about an acoustic signal received at the different segments. The cable may be ribbon cable and the lateral distance between the different segments may be less than 10 meters.
US09140807B2
A method and device for improving the optical performance (such as time resolution) of scintillation detectors using the optical bleaching technique are disclosed. Light of a selected wavelength is emitted by a light source into a scintillator. The wavelength is selected to meet the minimum energy requirement for releasing of charge carriers captured by the charge carrier traps in the scintillation material. Trap-mediated scintillation components are thus reduced by optical bleaching and the optical performance of the scintillator crystal and the detector is enhanced.
US09140804B2
A method and system for determining timing recovery information in a positron emission tomography (PET) system. One method includes determining energy information from pairs of light sensors of detectors of the TOF PET system, determining timing information from the pairs of light sensors of the detectors of the TOF PET system and calculating timing recovery information using the determined energy and timing information.
US09140781B2
An imaging method using shear waves for observing a viscoelastic medium, comprising: several successive excitation steps j during which elastic shear waves are generated respectively at different excitation loci (Lj) in the viscoelastic medium by an imaging device, the different excitation loci being separated from one another by a maximum distance Dm, an imaging step corresponding to each excitation step j, in which a set j of successive raw images Imj(tk) of the viscoelastic medium at times tk are determined during propagation of the shear wave, the raw images having a resolution R which is larger than the maximum distance Dm, an averaging step in which raw images Imj(tk) corresponding to the same relative time tk are averaged to determine an average image Im′(tk).
US09140779B2
The invention relates to a method of compensating sub-array or element failure in a phased array radar system. The method comprises the step of defining a virtual array comprising a multiple number of virtual transceiver tiles preferably arranged halfway all connection lines interconnecting a transmitter tile to a receiver tile. Further, the method comprises the steps of performing phased array radar measurements, and estimating radar data associated with a first transmitter/receiver combination by using radar data associated with a second transmitter/receiver combination, wherein the virtual transceiver tile of the first transmitter/receiver combination substantially coincides with the virtual transceiver tile of the second transmitter/receiver combination.
US09140773B2
A system records the movement of people carrying mobile devices within a specific area. A plurality of receivers distributed throughout the specified area monitor the area for wireless communication from a mobile device. Mobile devices are identified by way of a unique identifier, e.g. IMSI, IMEI, MAC address, or similar transmitted on a control channel or the like. Whenever such wireless communication is detected, the direction from which the signal is received is detected. The position of the mobile device (and hence the person carrying it) may be calculated by triangulating results from two or more receiving devices, and the results stored.
US09140772B1
A system and method for providing a range (distance) measurement by measuring electromagnetic signal time of flight. The system provides an estimate of the quality of the range measurement by evaluation of the multipath environment based on signal characterization. In one embodiment, a received ultra wideband signal is evaluated by a scanning receiver to produce a channel scan waveform inclusive of the transmitted signal and multipath response. The channel scan waveform is evaluated for envelope rise rate, amplitude, leading edge direct path pulse time, saturation, blockage, and signal history characterization. Signal characteristics are used to determine a signal classification. Signals are then evaluated for quality based on the signal classification. In one embodiment, the signal quality is used to estimate a variance of the range estimate for use in navigation algorithms.
US09140771B2
In one aspect of the disclosure, an MRI-based system includes an MRI scanner having a first axis and a first plane perpendicular to the first axis, a pulse sequence module configured to provide a 3D pulse sequence to the MRI scanner, and a control module configured to instruct the MRI scanner to conduct radial k-space samples having N second planes that each are perpendicular to the first plane and through which the first axis passes, N being an integer greater than 1. The 3D pulse sequence instructs the MRI scanner to a radio-frequency (RF) pulse, conduct a gradient readout in the first plane, and conduct a gradient readout in one of the N second planes.
US09140764B2
A device for measuring a voltage of an electric power line conductor of a power system according to an exemplary aspect of the present disclosure includes, among other things, a first electrically conductive housing configured to be installed on a first power line conductor and a first virtual grounding member configured to electrically ground a first housing to a first power line conductor voltage. A first measuring resistor is electrically connected between the first virtual grounding member and an electrically isolated lead wire, the electrically isolated lead wire is electrically connected to a first voltage dropping device, the first voltage dropping device is configured to be electrically connected to a second power line conductor. A sensor electronics module is configured to measure a voltage drop across the first measuring resistor, the voltage drop being directly proportional to the voltage between the first power line conductor and the second power line conductor.
US09140761B2
Each detection unit is configured to compare a voltage output from a battery cell associated therewith a predetermined criterion voltage. A plurality of detection units operate sequentially in response to a start trigger and also sequentially transmit a signal that reflects a result of comparing the voltages to detect whether a battery pack has a low cell voltage fault. A fault monitoring device detects an internal resistance fault when it receives from a transmission circuit a determination signal indicating that the battery pack when electrically discharged has any of its battery cells outputting a voltage decreased to be lower than the criterion voltage and if a current detected has a value smaller in magnitude than a criterion current corresponding to a value of a current obtained by dividing a difference in voltage between an open circuit voltage of the battery cell and the criterion voltage by an upper limit value for internal resistance.
US09140760B2
A power supply is disclosed that is configured for installation in a motor vehicle. The power supply comprises an energy source and a system for accurately measuring the internal resistance of the energy source during the operation of the power supply, without a distortion that would normally result from discharge of the energy storage device.
US09140756B2
Measuring device for checking an electrical circuit breaker includes a current generating unit designed to generate a measurement current for a continuity measurement of a switching contact of the circuit breaker. The measuring device furthermore includes a measuring unit for registering a measurement signal at the circuit breaker, an energy supply unit for supplying a control drive of the circuit breaker with electrical energy, and a control unit, which has a timer. The control unit is able output to the control drive, via the control output, a signal for opening or closing the circuit breaker, and to determine a time-based switching behavior of the circuit breaker in dependence on the measurement signal. Further, the control unit is designed, in the case of the circuit breaker being closed, to determine the resistance of the switching contact in dependence on the measurement current and the measurement signal.
US09140755B2
A testing apparatus with a back-drive protection function is disclosed, where the testing apparatus includes a driver and a field programmable gate array (FPGA), where the driver is electrically connected to the FPGA. The FPGA can monitor output current from the driver and perform the back-drive protection function on the driver to protect device-under-test (DUT).
US09140740B2
The present sensor chip comprises a substrate. A plurality of electrode elements is arranged at a first level on the substrate with at least one gap between neighboring electrode elements. A metal structure is arranged at a second level on the substrate, wherein the second level is different from the first level. The metal structure at least extends over an area of the second level that is defined by a projection of the at least one gap towards the second level.
US09140736B2
A film sensor includes a polarizing film, an antistatic layer and a capacitive sensor that are laminated in this order, the capacitive sensor having a transparent film, a transparent electrode pattern formed on one side of the transparent film, and an adhesive layer formed on the one side of the transparent film to embed the transparent electrode pattern. The transparent film is disposed between the antistatic layer and the transparent electrode pattern. The antistatic layer has a surface resistance value of 1.0×109 to 1.0×1011Ω/□.
US09140735B2
A method of manufacturing an electronic circuit with an integrally formed capability of providing information indicative of a value of a current flowing in the electronic circuit, wherein the method comprises forming an electrically conductive wiring structure on a substrate, configuring a first section of the wiring structure for contributing to a predefined use function of the electronic circuit, and configuring a second section of the wiring structure for providing information indicative of the value of the current flowing in the electronic circuit upon applying a stimulus signal to the second section, wherein at least a part of the configuring of the first section and the configuring of the second section is performed simultaneously.
US09140719B2
The terminal holding device includes an attaching unit to be attached to a vehicle, a holding unit which removably holds a terminal device in such a manner that a display unit of the terminal device is exposed and which includes a contact surface to be contact with the terminal device, an acceleration sensor which detects acceleration in a direction from a side of the contact surface to a side opposite to the contact surface, and a supplying unit which supplies a detection signal of the acceleration sensor to the terminal device.
US09140718B2
A method of initializing speed sensors in a rotational system is used determine a sensor spacing. An indexing feature is identified at each of two locations on an outer circumference of a wheel path corresponding to two speed sensors, as well as the speed of the wheel. The spacing of the sensors is then determined.
US09140712B2
Method and apparatus for monitoring health as related to immune system function, and for measuring the effects of toxins and other stresses. A method for pre-screening drugs for the pharmaceutical pipeline. A method for using an Immunogram as a research tool. A method for preparing compounds or drugs for treatment, therapy, or cure of diseases.
US09140709B2
The present invention concerns an immunological test for determining NT-proBNP comprising at least two antibodies to NT-proBNP, wherein at least one of the antibodies to NT-proBNP is a monoclonal antibody. The epitopes recognized by the antibodies can slightly overlap.
US09140706B2
The present disclosure is directed to a reactive ester agent capable of conjugating a reporter molecule to a carrier molecule or solid support. The reactive ester agent has the general formula: wherein the variables are described throughout the application.
US09140704B2
Methods for identifying disease-specific markers, in particular breast cancer markers, by electrophoretically separating serum albumin complexes in a biological sample on a membrane are provided. Electrophoretic separation profiles representing different diseases or different cancer stages can be produced, and used in the diagnosis, prognosis and treatment of these diseases. Methods for identification of a cancer peptide fragment comprising a cancer peptide motif are provided. Also provided are breast cancer and other cancer markers and antibodies that specifically recognize these markers.
US09140699B2
The invention relates to an analytical measuring and evaluation method for determining the interaction parameters between an analyte and a ligand, preferably in a biosensor. According to the inventive method, the concentration of the analyte is gradually changed at defined intervals ti and the initial association or dissociation rates or association and dissociation rate constants are determined. The invention further relates to a device for carrying out the inventive method.
US09140698B2
The disclosure relates to methods and compositions for preventing or inhibiting pathogenic bacterial infections in a subject caused by pathogenic bacteria expressing a multivalent adhesion molecule (MAM) polypeptide by administering to a subject a composition comprising a MAM polypeptide or a non-pathogenic bacterium expressing a MAM polypeptide, or a combination thereof.
US09140695B2
The present invention provides methods, compositions, and kits associated with analyzing, enriching, and/or isolating a biomarker or analyte in a biological sample. In one aspect, for example, a method for determining a concentration of a biomarker in a biological sample can include binding any unbound biomarker with an antibody specific for the biomarker to form antibody-bound biomarker, enriching the antibody-bound biomarker and any endogenous autoantibody-bound biomarker to form an enriched fraction, identifying the biomarker in the enriched fraction, and determining the concentration of the biomarker in the biological sample. In one aspect, the concentration of the biomarker is derived from initially unbound biomarker and autoantibody-bound biomarker in the biological sample.
US09140694B2
An assay apparatus comprising: i) an assay cartridge (52, 53) comprising at least one well (57-62) and a pipette (50) positionable in at least one said well; ii) a holder arranged to received said cartridge; iii) drive means operable to position said pipette in selected wells of said cartridge; iv) a gas pressure applicator couplable to said pipette whereby to cause liquid flow through said membrane; and v) a radiation detector operable to detect radiation from a well of said cartridge of said cartridge or from said pipette.
US09140691B2
A diagnostic test and method is provided comprising mixing blood or another biological fluid sample with a test compound and spotting the blood on filter paper for subsequent analysis of the effect of the test compound on the blood. The biological fluid can be a cerebrospinal fluid, a peritoneal fluid, a cyst fluid, an amniotic fluid, a lavage fluid, a saliva, a cell extract or a tissue extract. The compound is chosen among an amino acid, a peptide, a protein, a carbohydrate, an oligosaccharide, a polysaccharide, a glycoprotein, a lipid, a lipoprotein, a glycosaminoglycan, a hormone, a steroid, a vitamin, a low molecular weight synthetic or natural compound which influences the blood to cause an alteration of its composition, e.g., a toxin, allergen, autoantigen, bacterial protein or polysaccharide, viral protein, fungal protein or polysaccharide, parasitic protein or polysaccharide, bacterial lipopolysaccharide or any other compound relevant to diseases.
US09140690B2
A method of identifying at least one component from a plurality of components in a fluid mixture introduced into a flow apparatus, includes: introducing a first flow into a first input channel in the apparatus which contains the fluid mixture; introducing additional flows of buffer solution into a plurality of buffer input channels in the apparatus, the plurality of buffer channels which are disposed on either side of the first input channel; wherein the first flow and additional flows have a flow direction along a length of the apparatus; identifying selected components of the plurality of components using a detector apparatus; emitting a light beam from a laser which damages or kills selected components of the plurality of components; receiving the first flow and the additional flows in at least one channel disposed at the other end of the apparatus, after operation of the light beam on the selected components.
US09140685B2
A breath testing apparatus is provided with on-board “Instruction Manual” tutorials incorporated in a display device installed in the device. Alternatively, on-board instructional videos can be added to various objects or processes requiring instructions.
US09140682B2
The invention includes compositions, devices, and methods for analyzing a polymer and/or polymer unit. The polymer may be a homo or hetero-polymer such as DNA, RNA, a polysaccharide, or a peptide. The device includes electrodes that form a tunnel gap through which the polymer can pass. The electrodes are functionalized with a reagent attached thereto, and the reagent is capable of forming a transient bond to a polymer unit. When the transient bond forms between the reagent and the unit, a detectable signal is generated and used to analyze the polymer.
US09140680B2
A method, comprising generating a water-in-fuel indication responsive to a water-in-fuel content increasing more than a threshold amount within a threshold time of a refueling event is presented.
US09140674B2
A test method for the determination of methanol in crude oils to levels as low as 0.5 ppm is disclosed. The method includes extracting methanol into a water phase from a test sample of the crude oil forming a test sample extract. The method further includes extracting methanol into a water phase from a reference sample of the crude oil forming a reference sample extract, wherein the reference sample having a predetermined amount of methanol added thereto. The method further includes measuring the methanol content in the test sample extract and the methanol content in the reference sample extract. The method also includes determining the methanol content of the crude oil based upon the methanol content in the test sample extract and the methanol content in the reference sample extract.
US09140670B2
An ultrasonic inspection method and an ultrasonic inspection device allow three-dimensional inspection data and three-dimensional shape data to be appropriately positioned on a display screen and allow a defect echo and a shape echo to be quickly identified even when information on the relative positions of a probe and an object to be inspected is not provided. The ultrasonic inspection data that is generated from the waveforms of ultrasonic waves received by an ultrasonic probe is compared with a plurality of ultrasonic propagation data pieces calculated by a ray tracing method on the basis of the three-dimensional shape data on an object to be inspected. The position of the three-dimensional inspection data or the three-dimensional shape data is moved relative to the other data position on the basis of the comparison results, thereby displaying the three-dimensional inspection data and the three-dimensional shape data while overlapping each other.
US09140669B2
A method and system to map density and temperature of a chip, in situ, is disclosed. The method includes measuring a propagation time that a mechanical propagation wave travels along at least one predefined path in a substrate. The method further includes calculating an average substrate density and temperature along the at least one predefined path as a function of the propagation time and distance. The method further includes determining a defect or unauthorized modification in the substrate based on the average substrate density being different than a baseline substrate density.
US09140666B2
The invention is an improved multiplex capillary electrophoresis instrument or module with at least four and preferably six user-accessible vertically stacked drawers. An x-z stage moves samples from the user accessible drawers to the capillary array for analysis. A computer program allows users to add capillary electrophoresis jobs to a queue corresponding to the analysis of rows or plates of samples without stopping or interrupting runs in progress.
US09140661B2
Disclosed is a method and apparatus for reducing electromagnetic noise pick up in a Liquid Metal Cleanliness Analyzer (LiMCA), used to detect and measure particles in molten metal. A first electrode inserted in the molten metal is electrically insulated from second and third electrodes, also inserted in the molten metal. Molten metal and particles pass between the first electrode and the second and third electrodes through a passage in the electrical insulation. The second and third electrodes have a configuration with respect to the first electrode sufficient to establish symmetrical current loops between the first electrode and the second and third electrodes when a current is supplied to the second and third electrodes. The current is supplied from an ultra-capacitor. Electromagnetic noise in the symmetrical current loops is detected and is added in opposition to reduce the amplitude of the electromagnetic noise.
US09140653B2
Techniques and devices are disclosed for detecting particle composition. In one aspect, a method performed by a detector to detect particles includes receiving particles at an aerosol inlet of the detector. The method includes carrying the received particles within a stream of gas and charging the particles within the stream of gas using a charger to have a charge. The method includes transporting the charged particles to a location of a collection electrode. The method includes biasing the collection electrode to a voltage using a high-voltage supply to attract either negatively or positively charged particles, and analyzing the particles.
US09140648B2
An optical sensor may have multiple detection channels to detect different characteristics of a fluid. For example, an optical sensor used in industrial cleaning and sanitizing applications may have multiple detection channels to detect when a system is both clean and properly sanitized. In one example, an optical sensor includes an optical emitter that directs light into a fluid, a first optical detector that detects light transmitted through the fluid, a second optical detector that detects light scattered by the fluid, and a third optical detector that detects fluorescent emissions emitted by the fluid. The optical emitter and optical detectors can be positioned around an optical analysis area. Depending on the application, the optical emitter may be positioned to direct light adjacent a wall of the optical analysis area rather than at a center of the optical analysis area, which may increase the strength of signal on the detection channels.
US09140625B2
A method and a device for operating a sensor is provided in an exhaust gas system of an internal combustion engine for determining the emissions contained in an exhaust gas flow, in particular, of nitrogen oxides, ammonia, oxygen and/or unburnt carbon, with the exhaust gas flow acting on the sensor during measurement phases. Between the measurement phases, the sensor is at least largely kept free from the exhaust gas flow, wherein the duration and/or the frequency of the measurement phases can be set as a function of operating parameters of the internal combustion engine and/or of the exhaust gas regulation system. A measurement space which surrounds the sensor is exposed to a pressurized flushing gas immediately after a measurement phase, as a result of which the exhaust gas present in the measurement space is displaced out of the measurement space into the exhaust gas flow.
US09140624B2
Systems and methods are described for reducing coherence effect in narrow line-width light sources through various modulation techniques. The systems and methods can include a narrow line-width laser source with a thermoelectric cooler thermally coupled thereto and a controller communicatively coupled to the thermoelectric cooler. The controller is configured to provide a varied input signal to the thermoelectric cooler to reduce coherence of the narrow line-width laser source by artificially broadening the narrow line-width on a time averaged basis. The systems and methods can also include direct modulation of the narrow line-width laser source. The systems and methods can include a narrow line-width Optical Time Domain Reflectometer (OTDR). The systems and methods can also include direct modulation of the narrow line-width laser source with or without the varied input signal to the thermoelectric cooler.
US09140621B2
An arrangement for the direct contacting of contact mechanism has a first contact mechanism arranged on a contact carrier and a second contact mechanism. The second contact mechanism acts with a predetermined contact force on the first contact mechanism. The contact carrier includes a plastic injection premolding of galvanizable plastic and a nongalvanizable plastic. The galvanizable plastic has a predetermined resilient behavior and the first contact mechanism is formed by a metal layer having predetermined dimensions. The first contact mechanism can be applied onto the galvanizable plastic in a galvanic process. The resilient behavior of the galvanizable plastic and the dimensions of the metal layer form, under the predetermined contact force, a microdepression configured to guide the second contact mechanism in the first contact mechanism. A corresponding connection device for a pressure measurement cell includes such a direct contacting arrangement.
US09140610B2
A pyroelectric detector includes a first electrode, a second electrode, a pyroelectric body that is disposed between the first electrode and the second electrode, and a first gas barrier layer that covers the pyroelectric body. The first electrode includes a first layer and a second layer. The second layer is disposed between the first layer and the pyroelectric body, and the first layer is a second gas barrier layer.
US09140604B2
A sensor apparatus for measuring characteristics of optical radiation has a substrate and a low profile spectrally selective detection system located within the substrate at one or more spatially separated locations. The spectrally selective detection system includes a generally laminar array of wavelength selectors optically coupled to a corresponding array of optical detectors. It is emphasized that this abstract is provided to comply with the rules requiring an abstract that will allow a searcher or other reader to quickly ascertain the subject matter of the technical disclosure. It is submitted with the understanding that it will not be used to interpret or limit the scope or meaning of the claims.
US09140598B2
A mass measurement device measures the mass of an article, even when the article is being moved. A mass measurement device includes a robot hand, a robot arm, a force sensor, an acceleration sensor, and a control unit. The robot hand holds an article (Q). The robot arm moves the robot hand. The force sensor is provided between the robot hand and the robot arm and measures force acting on the article (Q) during movement. The acceleration sensor measures acceleration acting on the article (Q) during the movement. The control unit runs and controls the robot hand and the robot arm, and calculates the mass of the article (Q) on the basis of the force and acceleration acting on the article (Q) during the movement.
US09140587B2
A vehicle seat includes a load sensor that is configured to measure a load applied from an occupant and a seat cushion frame that includes a right side frame and a left side frame. The load sensor is provided at a front part of one of the right and left side frames. A front end section of the one side frame more frontward than a shaft center of the rod of the load sensor includes a tapered-shape section. And an upper flange and a lower flange are formed at an upper edge and a lower edge of the tapered-shape section, respectively, the upper flange and the lower flange extending inward toward a center of the vehicle seat.
US09140584B2
The present invention relates to the field of microsensors, and particularly to a passive and reversible deformation sensor, specifically cycles of deformations in a direction OX of a structure, specifically during cycles of temperatures or mechanical stresses to which the structure is subjected, this sensor including elements (4, 5, 6) for detecting and, preferably, counting cycles of variations in the distance between two points or areas of a structure, these elements including a support having first and second portions (41, 44) attachable to, respectively, either of the two points or areas of the structure, wherein the detecting elements are associated with each of the first and second portions of the support, sensor characterized by in that the detecting elements include elements (541, 542, 543, 551, 552, 553, 561, 562, 563) for distinguishing between at least two different thresholds of cycles of variations in distance.
US09140582B2
An interferometer apparatus for an optical fiber system and method of use is described. The interferometer comprises an optical coupler and optical fibers which define first and second optical paths. Light propagating in the first and second optical paths is reflected back to the optical coupler to generate an interference signal. First, second and third interference signal components are directed towards respective first, second and third photodetectors. The third photodetector is connected to the coupler via a non-reciprocal optical device and is configured to measure the intensity of the third interference signal component directed back towards the input fiber. Methods of use in applications to monitoring acoustic perturbations and a calibration method are described.
US09140578B2
A measurement device is provided. The measurement device comprises a ring-shaped base and multiple sensing elements. The sensing elements are symmetrically disposed on the ring-shaped base. Each sensing element comprises a circumferential groove, an axial groove and a coil. The axial groove is connected to the circumferential groove. The coil is surrounded within the circumferential groove and extended along the axial groove.
US09140577B2
A meter interface unit (MIU) is provided for a utility meter that uses RFID technology as both a source of backup power and as a means of transmitting utility usage data. Usage data is stored in non-volatile memory that will persist even if the main power source of the MIU is lost. Because an RFID generates electric current when it receives an electromagnetic signal from an interrogator, the RFID can provide power to the memory, read the usage data from the memory, and wirelessly transmit the usage data back to the interrogator without any other source of power. This can prevent data loss when the MIU runs out of power; for example, when its battery is expended. RFID technology can also provide many other benefits and uses when coupled with an MIU, in addition to serving as backup power and communication.
US09140576B2
Embodiments of the invention can provide systems and methods for controlling the load of demand response metering devices. According to one embodiment of the invention, a system can be provided. The system can be operable to receive a load limit, store the load limit, determine a load demand of a location, provide an alarm when the load demand is greater than the load limit, and restrict electricity to the location when the load demand remains greater than the load limit for a predetermined amount of time.
US09140567B2
This disclosure describes vehicle route calculation methods including “fitting” route segments between locations reported by a vehicle at different times along a route to create an overall “fitted” route. In certain embodiments, a vehicle management system generates a vehicle management user interface that displays the “fitted” route overlaid on a map. The “fitted” route can provide more useful tracking information to an administrator compared to simply displaying direct routes between known route stops.
US09140566B1
Systems and methods for providing passive crowd-sourced alternate route recommendations are disclosed. In one embodiment, locations of users of a number of mobile location-aware devices are tracked over time. Upon receiving a request, users of mobile location-aware devices that have traveled from a desired start location to a desired stop location are identified. At least one of the different routes taken by one or more users from the desired start location to the desired stop location is provided to the requestor as at least one recommended alternate route.
US09140564B2
An apparatus for establishing lane information using driving information of a vehicle is provided. The apparatus comprises a map information storing unit storing digital map information and a driving information collecting unit collecting driving information from a plurality of vehicles. An accumulating and compiling statistics unit accumulates the driving information of each vehicle collected by the driving collecting unit and then compiles statistics on the accumulated driving information. A controlling unit generates lane information based on a statistics result of the accumulating and compiling statistics unit and the digital map information. A lane information database stores the lane information generated by the controlling unit.
US09140563B2
A map display apparatus includes an image storage unit that stores images in association with corresponding items of image capturing position information of places where the images were captured; an image information reading unit that reads image capturing position information of a specified image from the image storage unit; an image capturing position displaying unit that displays a map represented by map information on the basis of the image capturing position information; a current position obtaining unit that obtains current position information from a position determining unit determining a current position; a current position displaying unit that displays a map represented by map information on the basis of the obtained current position information; and a map display switching unit that selectively switches between the map information of the image capturing position displaying unit and the map information of the current position displaying unit in response to a display switching instruction.
US09140554B2
Embodiments that relate to a head-mounted computing device for providing navigation assistance via audio output are disclosed. For example, in one disclosed embodiment depth image and visible image data are used to generate a three-dimensional mesh of at least a portion of an environment. Using the mesh, at least one feature in the environment is detected. When operating in a familiar navigation mode and based on detecting the feature, a first audio navigation cue is outputted to the user. When operating in an unfamiliar navigation mode and based on detecting the feature, a second audio navigation cue is outputted to the user, where the second audio navigation cue differs from the first audio navigation cue.
US09140553B2
The invention relates to a method for assisting a driver of a motor vehicle (1) when parking in a parking space (19), in particular in a garage (18), using a driver assistance device (2) of the motor vehicle (1), wherein: in a learning mode of the driver assistance device (2), reference data related to the surrounding area (22) of the parking space (19) are recorded and stored using a sensor device (7) of the driver assistance device (2), while the motor vehicle (1) is parked in the parking space (19) while controlled by the driver, a reference target position (27), which is reached by the motor vehicle (1) in the learning mode, is recorded by the driver assistance device (2) and data with information about this reference target position (27) are stored, in a subsequent operating mode of the driver assistance device (2) different from the learning mode, sensor data are detected by the sensor device (7) and compared with the reference data, wherein depending on this comparison the surrounding area (22) of the parking space (19) is identified using the detected sensor data and thereby a current position (28, 33) of the motor vehicle (1) relative to the reference target position (27) is determined and depending on the current position (28, 33) of the motor vehicle (1) relative to the reference target position (27), a parking route (29, 32, 36) is determined by the driver assistance device (2), along which the motor vehicle (1) is parked in the parking space (19) from the current position (28, 33). The invention also relates to a driver assistance device (2) for carrying out the method.
US09140552B2
A user's location may be tracked by tracking a device associated with the user. The user's location may be published (e.g. on a website) using a user defined name or some other name that is not related to the coordinates of the location based on the tracked location of the device. If published to a website, the name may be uploaded to the website in a user-editable area of the website, which area may or may not be directed to tracking the location of the user. The device may also be configured to trigger reminders based on whether the device is leaving an area and/or based on whether the device is approaching a location based on the location's membership in a class of locations (e.g. approaching a grocery store).
US09140550B2
The present invention relates to an inertial micro-sensor of angular displacements comprising at least one inertial mass (112, 1210) movable in space (x, y, z); an exciter (131) configured to generate a first vibratory movement of the inertial mass along a first direction (X) included in the plane (x, y), so as to generate a first Coriolis force induced by an angular displacement of the inertial mass (112, 1210) around a second direction (Y) included in the plane (x, y) and perpendicular to the first direction (X); an exciter (131) configured to generate a second vibratory movement of the inertial mass along the second direction (Y), so as to generate a second Coriolis force induced by an angular displacement of the inertial mass (112, 1210) around the first direction (X), and means for detecting the first Coriolis force and the second Coriolis force, characterized by the fact that the detection means comprise a common detector for the first Coriolis force and the second Coriolis force and configured to produce an electrical signal processed by a processing circuit so as to distinguish a first component of the electrical signal corresponding to the first Coriolis force and a second component of the electrical signal corresponding to the second Coriolis force.
US09140548B2
A method and system for processing digital image data taken from a three-dimensional topographic area including terrain and a right of way including a first and a second object to establish a clearance surface to define clearance violations within a boundary area. Waypoints are located to define a centerline and the boundary area to be analyzed. Vegetation coordinate points in the scene are determined from the digital image data. Ground coordinate points are determined from the digital image data. A clearance surface segment is constructed within the boundary area between the first and second object. The clearance surface is determined from the location of the first and second object and clearance criteria. The clearance surface is used to define a violation region.
US09140534B2
A two dimensional metrological calibration standard includes a plurality of calibration cylinders each having a diameter and a plurality of calibration gauge blocks each having a length, each calibration gauge block being interposed between two of the calibration cylinders, such that end faces thereof are in contact with the walls of adjacent calibration cylinders, the calibration cylinders and calibration gauge blocks as a group are fastened to a flat plate and conjointly form a triangle. Bearing and alignment rulers ensure alignment of the calibration gauge blocks between the calibration cylinders, by contact with the calibration gauge blocks and/or the calibration cylinders, and are fastened to the plate.
US09140528B1
A covert taggant dispersing grenade includes: a shell, the covert taggant disposed in the shell; a dispersal apparatus operably associated with the covert taggant to disperse the covert taggant; and a propulsion section operably associated with the shell for propelling the shell through an atmosphere. A method for dispersing a taggant includes: launching a grenade containing a taggant over a target, the taggant being invisible in the spectrum of the human eye; and covertly dispensing the taggant over the target.
US09140527B2
A vibration damping nock for crossbow arrows includes an insert to absorb bow string slap, thereby to prevent damage to the nock during crossbow firing.
