US09299857B2
A semiconductor device includes a substrate having a first conductivity type, a first heavily-doped region formed in the substrate and having the first conductivity type, a second heavily-doped region formed in the substrate and having the first conductivity type, and an embedded layer formed in the substrate and separated from the first and second heavily-doped regions. The embedded layer has a second conductivity type different from the first conductivity type. A portion of the embedded layer is beneath the first heavily-doped region. A third heavily-doped region is formed in the substrate, between the first and second heavily-doped regions, and contacting the embedded layer, and has the second conductivity type.
US09299853B1
A transistor includes a gate in contact with a substrate. A gate insulating layer is in contact with at least the gate. An inorganic semiconductor layer is in contact with the gate insulating layer. There is a source electrode in contact with a first portion of the inorganic semiconductor layer and a drain electrode in contact with a second portion of the inorganic semiconductor layer, and the source electrode and the drain electrode are separated by a gap. There is a multilayer insulating structure in contact with at least the inorganic semiconductor layer in the gap. The multilayer structure includes an inorganic dielectric layer having a first pattern defining a first area; and a polymer structure having a second pattern defining a second area. The second area is located within the first area and the polymer structure is in contact with the semiconductor layer in the gap.
US09299843B2
A semiconductor structure comprises a substrate, a plurality of fins, an oxide layer and a gate structure. The fins protrude from the substrate and are separated from each other by the oxide layer. The surface of the oxide layer is uniform and even plane. The gate structure is disposed on the fins. The fin height is distance between the top of the fins and the oxide layer, and at least two of the fins have different fin heights.
US09299839B2
A P-type field effect transistor includes: a gate area; an insulated area, adjacent to the gate area; a source region and a drain region made by silicon germanium, respectively, adjacent to the second side of the insulated area; a channel area, adjacent to the insulated area and formed between the source region and the drain region; a conductive layer, electrically connected to the source region and the drain region, respectively; and a plurality of capping layers, connected between the conductive layer and the source/drain regions, wherein the silicon layer(s) and the silicon germanium layer(s) are stacked alternately, and of which a silicon layer contacts the source/drain silicon germanium regions, while a silicon germanium layer contacts the conductive layer. The present invention also provides a complementary metal oxide semiconductor transistor including the P-type field effect transistor mentioned above.
US09299837B2
A method includes forming a recess into a crystalline semiconductor substrate, the recess being disposed beneath and surrounding a channel region of a transistor; depositing a layer of crystalline dielectric material onto a surface of the substrate that is exposed within the recess; and depositing stressor material into the recess such that the layer of dielectric material is disposed between the stressor material and the surface of the substrate. A structure includes a gate stack or gate stack precursor disposed on a SOI layer disposed upon a BOX that is disposed upon a surface of a crystalline semiconductor substrate. A transistor channel is disposed within the SOI layer. The structure further includes a channel stressor layer disposed at least partially within a recess in the substrate and disposed about the channel, and a layer of crystalline dielectric material disposed between the stressor layer and a surface of the substrate.
US09299829B2
A vertical transistor component includes a semiconductor body with first and second surfaces, a drift region, and a source region and body region arranged between the drift region and the first surface. The body region is also arranged between the source region and the drift region. The vertical transistor component further includes a gate electrode arranged adjacent to the body zone, a gate dielectric arranged between the gate electrode and the body region, and a drain region arranged between the drift region and the second surface. A source electrode electrically contacts the source region, is electrically insulated from the gate electrode and arranged on the first surface. A drain electrode electrically contacts the drain region and is arranged on the second surface. A gate contact electrode is electrically insulated from the semiconductor body, extends in the semiconductor body to the second surface, and is electrically connected with the gate electrode.
US09299822B2
A semiconductor device includes a first semiconductor layer formed on a substrate; a second semiconductor layer and a third semiconductor layer formed on the first semiconductor layer; a fourth semiconductor layer formed on the third semiconductor layer; a gate electrode formed on the fourth semiconductor layer; and a source electrode and a drain electrode formed in contact with the second semiconductor layer. The third semiconductor layer and the fourth semiconductor layer are formed in an area immediately below the gate electrode, the fourth semiconductor layer is formed with a p-type semiconductor material, and the second semiconductor layer and the third semiconductor layer are formed with AlGaN, and the third semiconductor layer has a lower composition ratio of Al than that of the second semiconductor layer.
US09299821B2
A gated III-V semiconductor structure and a method for fabricating the gated III-V semiconductor structure includes a threshold modifying dopant region within a III-V semiconductor barrier layer at the base of an aperture through a passivation layer that otherwise passivates the III-V semiconductor barrier layer. The passivation layer, which may comprise an aluminum-silicon nitride material, has particular bandgap and permittivity properties that provide for enhanced performance of a III-V semiconductor device that derives from the III-V semiconductor structure absent a field plate. The threshold modifying dopant region provides the possibility for forming both an enhancement mode gated III-V semiconductor structure and a depletion mode III-V semiconductor structure on the same substrate. The threshold modifying dopant region when comprising a magnesium (Mg) threshold modifying dopant may be incorporated into the gates III-V semiconductor structure using a dicyclopentadienyl magnesium (Cp2Mg) vapor diffusion method or a magnesium-silicon nitride (MgSiN) solid state diffusion method.
US09299813B2
A semiconductor device including a nonvolatile memory cell in which a writing transistor which includes an oxide semiconductor, a reading transistor which includes a semiconductor material different from that of the writing transistor, and a capacitor are included is provided. Data is written to the memory cell by turning on the writing transistor and applying a potential to a node where a source electrode (or a drain electrode) of the writing transistor, one electrode of the capacitor, and a gate electrode of the reading transistor are electrically connected, and then turning off the writing transistor, so that the predetermined amount of charge is held in the node. Further, when a p-channel transistor is used as the reading transistor, a reading potential is a positive potential.
US09299809B2
One illustrative method disclosed herein includes forming a silicon/germanium fin in a layer of insulating material, wherein the fin has a first germanium concentration, recessing an upper surface of the layer of insulating material so as to expose a portion of the fin, performing an oxidation process so as to oxidize at least a portion of the fin and form a region in the exposed portion of the fin that has a second germanium concentration that is greater than the first germanium concentration, removing the oxide materials from the fin that was formed during the oxidation process and forming a gate structure that is positioned around at least the region having the second germanium concentration.
US09299798B2
Devices and methods of forming a device are disclosed. A substrate prepared with at least a first transistor and a second transistor is provided. Each of the first and second transistors includes a gate disposed on the substrate between first and second contact regions in the substrate. A silicide block layer is formed on the substrate and is patterned to expose portions of the first and second contact regions. Silicide contacts are formed in the exposed first and second contact regions. The silicide contacts are displaced from sides of the gates of the first and second transistors. A contact dielectric layer is formed and contacts are formed in the contact dielectric layer. The contacts are in communication with the silicide contacts in the contact regions.
US09299790B2
First and second ranges of a silicon carbide film have an interface. The first range includes: a first breakdown voltage holding layer having a first conductivity type; and an outer edge embedded region provided at an interface in the outer edge portion and having a second conductivity type. The second range includes a second breakdown voltage holding layer having the first conductivity type. A semiconductor element is formed in the second range. The first range includes: a central section facing the semiconductor element in the central portion in a thickness direction; and an outer edge section facing the semiconductor element in the outer edge portion in the thickness direction. At the interface, the outer edge section includes a portion having an impurity concentration different from the impurity concentration of the central section.
US09299787B1
A method of forming a semiconductor structure. The method may include; forming first fins in a pFET region and an nFET region using epitaxial growth, the first fins are a group IV semiconductor; forming a spacer layer on the first fins; removing the spacer layer from a top surface and a first side of the first fins in the nFET region, a portion of the first fins are exposed on the top surface and the first side of the first fins in the nFET region; and forming second fins on the exposed portion of the first fins using epitaxial growth, the second fins are a group IV semiconductor, the second fins have a second pitch between adjacent second fins, the first pitch is equal to the second pitch, the first fins and the second fins have a shared bottom surface.
US09299786B2
A semiconductor device includes a pillar-shaped semiconductor layer and a sidewall having a laminated structure. The laminated structure includes an insulating film and silicon, and the laminated structure is on an upper sidewall of the first pillar-shaped semiconductor layer. The silicon is electrically connected to a top of the pillar-shaped semiconductor layer.
US09299784B2
A semiconductor device includes a first channel having a first linear surface and a first non-linear surface. The semiconductor device includes a first dielectric region surrounding the first channel. The semiconductor device includes a second channel having a third linear surface and a third non-linear surface. The semiconductor device includes a second dielectric region surrounding the second channel. The semiconductor device includes a gate electrode surrounding the first dielectric region and the second dielectric region.
US09299781B2
One illustrative device disclosed herein includes, among other things, an active region defined in a semiconductor substrate, a layer of material positioned above the substrate, a plurality of laterally spaced-apart source/drain trenches formed in the layer of material above the active region, a conductive source/drain contact structure formed within each of the source/drain trenches, a gate trench formed at least partially in the layer of material between the spaced-apart source/drain trenches in the layer of material, wherein portions of the layer of material remain positioned between the source/drain trenches and the gate trench, a gate structure positioned within the gate trench, and a gate cap layer positioned above the gate structure.
US09299780B2
A method of fabricating a semiconductor device includes forming a plurality of semiconductor fins on an insulator layer of a semiconductor substrate, and forming a plurality of gate stacks on the insulator layer. Each gate stack wraps around a respective portion of the semiconductor fins. The method further includes forming a dielectric layer on the insulator layer. The dielectric layer fills voids between the semiconductor fins and gate stacks, and covers the semiconductor fins. The method further includes etching at least one portion of the semiconductor fins until reaching the insulator layer such that at least one cavity is formed. The cavity exposes seed regions of the semiconductor fins located between adjacent gate stacks. The method further includes epitaxially growing a semiconductor material from the seed regions to form source/drain regions corresponding to a respective gate stack.
US09299778B2
Manufacturing-friendly and scalable methods for the production of silicon micro- and nanostructures, including silicon nanotubes, are described. The inventive methods utilize conventional integrated circuit and MEMS manufacturing processes, including spin-coating, photolithography, wet and dry silicon etching, and photoassisted electrochemical etch processes. The invention also provides a novel mask, for maximizing the number of tubes obtained per surface area unit of the silicon substrate on which the tubes are built. The resulting tubes have thick and straight outer walls, as well as high aspect ratios.
US09299775B2
Integrated circuits and methods for producing such integrated circuits are provided. A method for producing the integrated circuit includes forming dummy structures in a substrate, and forming shallow trench isolation regions between the dummy structures where the shallow trench isolation regions includes a liner overlying a core. The dummy structures are etched to expose structure bases, and the structure bases are precleaned. Replacement structures are epitaxially grown over the structure bases.
US09299761B2
Disclosed is an organic light emitting display device. The organic light emitting display device includes a switching thin film transistor (TFT) that includes a lower gate, a source, and a drain formed on a substrate and on the same layer, a first gate insulating layer formed to cover the lower gate, the source, and the drain, an active layer formed on the first gate insulating layer, a conductive line formed to contact the source and the drain, a second gate insulating layer formed on the active layer, and an upper gate formed on the second gate insulating layer. The lower gate of the switching TFT is a light shield that blocks light from being irradiated onto the active layer.
US09299752B2
An organic light-emitting display apparatus includes: a substrate having a display area and a peripheral area surrounding the display area; a first insulation layer, which is located on the substrate across the display area and the peripheral area and comprises a first opening (e.g., a first groove or first hole) at the peripheral area; and a first conductive layer, which is located on the first insulation layer and has one end portion located in the first opening, wherein a distance between the top surface of the substrate and the top surface of the one end portion of the first conductive layer is smaller than or equal to a distance between the top surface of the substrate and the top surface of the first insulation layer, the portion of the one end portion of the first conductive layer being a portion of the first conductive layer toward an edge of the substrate.
US09299751B2
A display device may include a display panel, a window substrate and a light shielding member. The display panel may include an active area in which pixels are disposed, and a non-active area at the periphery of the active area. The window substrate may be disposed above the display panel, and may include a frame pattern layer formed thereon. In the window substrate, the frame pattern layer may cover a portion including an outer edge in the non-active area. The light shielding member may include a light shielding sheet disposed below the display panel, and an adhesive layer disposed between the light shielding sheet and the display panel. In the display device, the adhesive layer includes an opening formed in at least one area between the frame pattern layer and the active area in an area corresponding to the non-active area.
US09299745B2
Integrated circuits with magnetic tunnel junction (MTJ) structures and methods for fabricating integrated circuits with MTJ structures are provided. An exemplary method for fabricating an integrated circuit includes forming a first conductive line in electrical connection with an underlying semiconductor device. The method exposes a surface of the first conductive line. Further, the method selectively deposits a conductive material on the surface of the first conductive line to form an electrode contact. The method includes forming a MTJ structure over the electrode contact.
US09299741B2
Certain embodiments provide a solid-state imaging device including a pixel portion including a first light receiving layer, a charge accumulation portion including a first charge accumulation layer which accumulates a charge, a first transfer gate portion, a charge detection portion and a second transfer gate portion. The first transfer gate portion transfers the charge from the pixel portion to the charge accumulation portion, and the second transfer gate portion transfers the charge from the charge accumulation portion to the charge detection portion. The charge detection portion causes a voltage drop corresponding to an amount of the charge transferred to this region. An impurity layer of a ring shape which includes an opening portion is provided on a surface of at least one of the first light reception layer of the pixel portion and the first charge accumulation layer of the charge accumulation portion.
US09299740B2
A CMOS image sensor and a method of forming are provided. The CMOS image sensor may include a device wafer. A conductive feature may be formed on a back-side surface of the device wafer. The device wafer may include a pixel formed therein. A passivation layer may be formed over the back-side surface of the device wafer and the conductive feature. A grid film may be formed over the passivation layer. The grid film may be patterned to accommodate a color filter. The grid film pattern may align the color filter to corresponding pixel in the device wafer. A portion of the grid film formed over the conductive feature may be reduced to be substantially planar with portions of the grid film adjacent to the conductive feature. The patterning and reducing may be performed according to etching processes, chemical mechanical processes, and combinations thereof.
US09299738B1
The present invention includes an interposer disposed on a surface of a substrate, a light sensing array sensor disposed on the interposer, the light sensing array sensor being back-thinned and configured for back illumination, the light sensing array sensor including columns of pixels, one or more amplification circuitry elements configured to amplify an output of the light sensing array sensor, the amplification circuits being operatively connected to the interposer, one or more analog-to-digital conversion circuitry elements configured to convert an output of the light sensing array sensor to a digital signal, the ADC circuitry elements being operatively connected to the interposer, one or more driver circuitry elements configured to drive a clock or control signal of the array sensor, the interposer configured to electrically couple at least two of the light sensing array sensor, the amplification circuits, the conversion circuits, the driver circuits, or one or more additional circuits.
US09299733B2
An image sensor is formed by a pixel array including a plurality of pixels. Certain ones of the pixels include, above their active areas, a first optical grating formed of periodically spaced apart parallel strips separated from the active area by a first insulator. Those pixels further include, in another metal level, a second optical grating formed of periodically spaced apart parallel strips separated from the first grating by a second insulator. The second optical grating is laterally shifted with respect to the first grating in a direction orthogonal to a longitudinal direction of the parallel strips.
US09299718B2
According to example embodiments, a three-dimensional semiconductor device including a substrate with cell and connection regions, gate electrodes stacked on the cell region, a vertical channel structure, pads, a dummy pillar, and first and second semiconductor patterns. The vertical channel structure penetrates the gate electrodes on a lowermost gate electrode and includes a first gate dielectric pattern. The pads extend from the gate electrodes and are stacked on the connection region. The dummy pillar penetrates some of the pads on a lowermost pad and includes a second gate dielectric pattern. The first semiconductor patterns are between the vertical channel structure and the substrate. The second semiconductor patterns are between the dummy pillar and the substrate. The first and second gate dielectric patterns may be on the first and second semiconductor patterns, respectively. The second gate dielectric pattern may cover a whole top surface of the second semiconductor pattern.
US09299715B2
A non-volatile semiconductor memory device with good write/erase characteristics is provided. A selection gate is formed on a p-type well of a semiconductor substrate via a gate insulator, and a memory gate is formed on the p-type well via a laminated film composed of a silicon oxide film, a silicon nitride film, and a silicon oxide film. The memory gate is adjacent to the selection gate via the laminated film. In the regions on both sides of the selection gate and the memory gate in the p-type well, n-type impurity diffusion layers serving as the source and drain are formed. The region controlled by the selection gate and the region controlled by the memory gate located in the channel region between said impurity diffusion layers have the different charge densities of the impurity from each other.
US09299710B2
A manufacturing method of capacitor lower electrode of the instant disclosure comprises the steps of: providing a semiconductor substrate; forming a sacrificial laminate on the semiconductor substrate; forming a plurality of capacitor trenches in the sacrificial laminate; forming a plurality of lower electrode structures in the capacitor trenches respectively; etching back the sacrificial laminate to a desired thickness to expose an upper portion of each of the lower electrode structures; forming a liner layer to conformally cover the sacrificial laminate and the upper portions of the lower electrode structures; patterning the liner layer to form an insulating spacer on the sidewalls of each of the upper portions, wherein two adjacent insulating spacers are configured to have a self-aligned opening positioned therebetween; and performing a wet-etching process to remove the sacrificial laminate through the self-aligned openings.
US09299696B2
An integrated circuit includes a semiconductor substrate; a first shallow trench isolation (STI) feature of a first width and a second STI feature of a second width in a semiconductor substrate. The first width is less than the second width. The first STI feature has an etch-resistance less than that of the second STI feature.
US09299684B2
A stackable microelectronic package includes a first microelectronic die attached to and electrically connecting with a first substrate. A second microelectronic die is attached to the first die on one side, and to a second substrate on the other side. Electrical connections are made between the first die and the first substrate, between the second die and the second substrate, and between the first and second substrates, e.g., via wire bonding. The electrical connecting elements are advantageously encased in a molding compound. Exposed contacts on the first and/or second substrates, not covered by the molding compound, provide for electrical connections between the package, and another package stacked onto the package. The package may avoid coplanarity factors, can be manufactured using existing equipment, allows for intermediate testing, and can also offer a thinner package height.
US09299671B2
A MEMS device includes a MEMS substrate with a movable element. Further included is a CMOS substrate with a cavity, the MEMS substrate disposed on top of the CMOS substrate. Additionally, a back cavity is connected to the CMOS substrate, the back cavity being formed at least partially by the cavity in the CMOS substrate and the movable element being acoustically coupled to the back cavity.
US09299670B2
A stacked microelectronic package can comprise a package body having an external vertical package sidewall, a plurality of microelectronic devices embedded within the package body, and package edge conductors electrically coupled to the plurality of microelectronic devices and extending to the external vertical package sidewall. A cavity is formed on an external surface of the package body between a first one of the package edge conductors and a second one of the package edge conductors. Electrically conductive material is in the cavity and in electrical contact with a first and a second one of the package edge conductors, wherein the conductive material in the cavity is within planform dimensions of the microelectronic package.
US09299668B2
A device for protecting a set of N nodes from electrostatic discharges, wherein N is greater than or equal to three, includes a set of N units respectively possessing N first terminals respectively connected to the N nodes and N second terminals connected together to form a common terminal. Each unit includes at least one MOS transistor including a parasitic transistor connected between a pair of the N nodes and configured, in the presence of a current pulse between the pair of nodes, to operate, at least temporarily, in a hybrid mode including MOS-type operation in a sub-threshold mode and operation of the bipolar transistor.
US09299667B2
A method is described that facilitates inter-layer dielectric fill-in among transistors in a densely-configured array of an integrated circuit. An etch process that exploits a micro-loading effect to create a T-shaped profile between transistors is disclosed. The micro-loading has a negligible effect on transistors in a peripheral region of the integrated circuit.
US09299660B2
A process of bumping a die backside includes opening a recess in a die backside film (DBF) to expose a through-silicon via (TSV) contact in a die, followed by filling the recess with a conductive material that contacts the TSV contact. Added solder is coupled to the conductive material at a level of the DBF. A subsequent die is coupled to the first die at the added solder to form an electrical coupling consisting of the TSV contact, the conductive material, and the added solder, an electrical bump coupled to the subsequent die. Apparatus and computer systems are assembled using the process.
US09299649B2
Embodiments of the present disclosure include a semiconductor device and methods of forming a semiconductor device. An embodiment is a semiconductor device comprising an interconnecting structure consisting of a plurality of thin film layers and a plurality of metal layers disposed therein, each of the plurality of metal layers having substantially a same top surface area, and a die comprising an active surface and a backside surface opposite the active surface, the active surface being directly coupled to a first side of the interconnecting structure. The semiconductor device further comprises a first connector directly coupled to a second side of the interconnecting structure, the second side being opposite the first side.
US09299647B2
An interconnect assembly for an embedded chip package includes a dielectric layer, first metal layer comprising upper contact pads, second metal layer comprising lower contact pads, and metalized connections formed through the dielectric layer and in contact with the upper and lower contact pads to form electrical connections therebetween. A first surface of the upper contact pads is affixed to a top surface of the dielectric layer and a first surface of the lower contact pads is affixed to a bottom surface of the dielectric layer. An input/output (I/O) of a first side of the interconnect assembly is formed on a surface of the lower contact pads that is opposite the first surface of the lower contact pads, and an I/O of a second side of the interconnect assembly is formed on a surface of the upper contact pads that is opposite the first surface of the upper contact pads.
US09299643B2
An electrically conductive interconnect is provided through an opening in a dielectric layer, electrically connecting two conductive layers. In one embodiment, the interconnect is formed by ruthenium entirely filling the opening in the dielectric layer. In another embodiment, an adhesion layer of titanium is provided in the opening prior to providing the ruthenium. In using this approach, an aspect ratio (i.e., the ratio of the length of the interconnect to the width thereof) of 20:1 or greater is achievable.
US09299642B2
A semiconductor device includes a frame including a first step portion provided in a ring shape in an inner circumference of one main surface of the frame, a second step portion provided in a ring shape in an inner circumference of another main surface of the frame, and an inner wall provided between the first step portion and the second step portion; a terminal leading from the first step portion to outside; a circuit board fitted to the second step portion; and an adhesive resin bonding the second step portion and the circuit board, and contacting the inner wall and the terminal.
US09299640B2
Embodiments of mechanisms of forming a semiconductor device structure are provided. The semiconductor device structure includes a first semiconductor wafer and a second semiconductor wafer. The first semiconductor wafer includes a first transistor formed in a front-side of the first semiconductor wafer, and the second semiconductor wafer includes a second transistor formed in a front-side of the second semiconductor wafer. A backside of the second semiconductor wafer is bonded to the front-side of the first semiconductor wafer. The semiconductor device structure further includes an interconnect structure formed over the front-side of the second semiconductor wafer, and at least one first through substrate via (TSV) directly contacts a conductive feature of the first semiconductor wafer and the interconnect structure.
US09299636B2
A heat sink for an electronic device includes a Cr—Cu alloy layer including a Cu matrix and more than 30 mass % and not more than 80 mass % of Cr; and Cu layers provided on top and rear surfaces of the Cr—Cu alloy layer.
US09299630B2
A surface-mount package structure for reducing the ingress of moisture and gases thereto is disclosed. The surface-mount structure includes a sub-module having a dielectric layer, semiconductor devices attached to the dielectric layer, a first level interconnect structure electrically coupled to the semiconductor devices, and a second level I/O connection electrically coupled to the first level interconnect and formed on the dielectric layer, with the second level I/O connection configured to connect the sub-module to an external circuit. The semiconductor devices of the sub-module are attached to a substrate structure, with a dielectric material positioned between the dielectric layer and the substrate structure to fill in gaps in the surface-mount structure. A diffusion barrier layer is applied over the sub-module, adjacent the first and second level I/O connections, and extends down to the substrate structure to reduce the ingress of moisture and gases from a surrounding environment into the surface-mount structure.
US09299621B2
An integrated circuit includes a number of lateral diffusion measurement structures arranged on a silicon substrate. A lateral diffusion measurement structure includes a p-type region and an n-type region which cooperatively span a predetermined initial distance between opposing outer edges of the lateral diffusion measurement structure. The p-type and n-type regions meet at a p-n junction expected to be positioned at a target junction location after dopant diffusion has occurred.
US09299620B2
A substrate bonding apparatus is equipped with a first table that holds one wafer of two wafers, a stage device that holds the other wafer in an orientation capable of opposing to the one wafer and that is movable at least within an XY plane, an interferometer system that measures positional information of the stage device within the XY plane, a first mark detection system that can detect subject marks including alignment marks on the other wafer held by the stage device, and a second mark detection system fixed to a part (the second table) of the stage device that can detect subject marks including alignment marks on the one wafer held by the first table.
US09299615B1
In one aspect, a method of forming a multiple VT device structure includes the steps of: forming an alternating series of channel and barrier layers as a stack having at least one first channel layer, at least one first barrier layer, and at least one second channel layer; defining at least one first and at least one second active area in the stack; selectively removing the at least one first channel/barrier layers from the at least one second active area, such that the at least one first channel layer and the at least one second channel layer are the top-most layers in the stack in the at least one first and the at least one second active areas, respectively, wherein the at least one first barrier layer is configured to confine charge carriers to the at least one first channel layer in the first active area.
US09299613B2
A method for cutting a substrate includes: radiating, as part of a first laser radiating process, a laser towards a surface of the substrate to form a first groove in a substrate. Radiating the laser towards the surface includes radiating, in sequence, the laser towards a first outer point (FOP), a second outer point (SOP), a first intermediate point (FIP), a second intermediate point (SIP), and a first cut point (FCP) of the surface, each of the points being spaced apart from one another by one or more distances. The FCP corresponds to a cut line of the substrate. The FOP and the SOP are respectively disposed at lateral sides of the FCP. The FIP is disposed between the FCP and the FOP. The SIP is disposed between the FCP and the SOP. The same kind and intensity of laser is radiated towards each of the points.
US09299612B2
A stacked structure includes a first die bonded over a second die. The first die has a first die area defined over a first surface. At least one first protective structure is formed over the first surface, around the first die area. At least one side of the first protective structure has at least one first extrusion part extending across a first scribe line around the protective structure. The second die has a second die area defined over a second surface. At least one second protective structure is formed over the second surface, around the second die area. At least one side of the second protective structure has at least one second extrusion part extending across a second scribe line around the protective structure, wherein the first extrusion part is connected with the second extrusion part.
US09299608B2
A transistor, planar or non-planar (e.g., FinFET), includes T-shaped contacts to the source, drain and gate. The top portion of the T-shaped contact is wider than the bottom portion, the bottom portion complying with design rule limits. A conductor-material filled trench through a multi-layer etching stack above the transistor provides the top portions of the T-shaped contacts. Tapered spacers along inner sidewalls of the top contact portion prior to filling allow for etching a narrower bottom trench down to the gate, and to the source/drain for silicidation prior to filling.
US09299604B2
A semiconductor device according to an embodiment of the present invention includes fuse patterns spaced apart from each other by a predetermined distance over a first interlayer insulation film; a second interlayer insulation film disposed between the fuse patterns over the first interlayer insulation film; and a capping film pattern formed over the fuse patterns and the second interlayer insulation films, the capping film pattern including a slot exposing the second interlayer insulation film.
US09299600B2
A method for repairing an oxide layer and a method for manufacturing a semiconductor structure applying the same are provided. The method for repairing an oxide layer comprises following steps. First, a carrier having a first area and a second area is provided, wherein a repairing oxide layer is formed on the second area. Then, the carrier is attached to a substrate with an oxide layer to be repaired formed thereon, wherein the carrier and the substrate are attached to each other through the repairing oxide layer and the oxide layer to be repaired. Thereafter, the oxide layer to be repaired is bonded with the repairing oxide layer.
US09299598B2
A robot with an integrated aligner is provided that allows for the alignment of a semiconductor wafer while the semiconductor wafer transits between multiple stations. The robot with an integrated aligner may contain a rotational wafer support configured to rotate and/or translate, one or multiple robotic arms, and a sensor. The robot may pick and place the semiconductor wafer with the robotic arm from or into a station and from or onto the rotational wafer support. The robot may be configured to rotate the semiconductor wafer into a desired orientation when the semiconductor wafer is on the rotational wafer support. The rotation of the semiconductor wafer into a desired orientation may be aided the sensor. The robot may have a positioning mechanism which moves it between different positions in a semiconductor tool.
US09299593B2
A method includes providing a wafer and providing a first spray bar spaced a distance from the wafer. A first spray is dispensed from the first spray bar onto a first portion (e.g., half) of the wafer. Thereafter, the wafer is rotated. A second spray is dispensed from the first spray bar onto a second portion (e.g., half) of the rotated wafer. In embodiments, a plurality of spray bars are positioned above the wafer. One or more of the spray bars may be tunable in separation distance and/or angle of dispensing.
US09299592B2
A package structure and a packaging method of wafer level chip scale package are provided. The packaging method includes: providing a carrier, and disposing a plurality of chips on the carrier; forming a plurality of adhesive layers on a surface of the corresponding chips; covering a conductive cover plate, bonding the conductive cover plate with the chips through the adhesive layers, and dividing out a plurality of packaging spaces by the conductive cover plate for disposing the chips respectively; and providing an insulation material to fill the packaging spaces through via holes on the conductive cover plate to form a first insulation structure; finally, removing the carrier.
US09299591B1
A method and structures are provided for implementing individual integrated circuit chip attach in a three dimensional (3D) stack. A plurality of hollow copper pillars is formed, and the hollow copper pillars are coated with lead free solder using vapor deposition.
US09299586B1
Manufacturing antennas for a dual tag by: providing a web structure having a dielectric layer between a first metal layer and a second metal layer; depositing a first resist on the first metal layer to define a radio frequency (RF) coil and a first electrode of an RF capacitor; depositing the first resist on the second metal layer to define a second electrode of the RF capacitor; depositing a second resist on the second metal layer to define connection pads for a near field antenna, wherein one of the first resist and the second resist on the second metal layer defines a far field antenna and the near field antenna; and etching the first and second metal layers to form the RF coil, the electrodes of the RF capacitor, the far field antenna, the near field antenna, and the connection pads.
US09299578B2
There is provided a method of fabricating a semiconductor device including forming a first film on a base layer, forming a first mask pattern on the first film, the first mask pattern having mask portions arranged at a given pitch, forming first sidewall films on sidewalls of the first mask pattern by etchback of a deposited second film, removing the first mask pattern, and forming a second mask pattern composed of the first sidewall films and second sidewall films defined by etchback of a deposited third film. It is possible to form a stripe pattern with the line width and the line space thereof having the same sizes and at a pitch the same as the minimum process size determined by the photolithographic performance, thereby enabling fabrication of a semiconductor device with a high degree of integration.
US09299575B2
Methods of evenly etching tungsten liners from high aspect ratio trenches are described. The methods include a remote plasma etch using plasma effluents formed from a fluorine-containing precursor and a high flow of helium. Plasma effluents from the remote plasma are flowed into a substrate processing region where the plasma effluents react with tungsten coating a patterned substrate having high aspect ratio trenches. The plasmas effluents react with exposed surfaces and evenly remove tungsten from outside the trenches and on the sidewalls of the trenches. The plasma effluents pass through an ion suppression element positioned between the remote plasma and the substrate processing region. Optionally, the methods may include concurrent ion bombardment of the patterned substrate to help remove potentially thicker horizontal tungsten regions, e.g., at the bottom of the trenches or between trenches.
US09299574B2
Multilayered stacks having layers of silicon interleaved with layers of a dielectric, such as silicon dioxide, are plasma etched with non-corrosive process gas chemistries. Etching plasmas of fluorine source gases, such as SF6 and/or NF3 typically only suitable for dielectric layers, are energized by pulsed RF to achieve high aspect ratio etching of silicon/silicon dioxide bi-layers stacks without the addition of corrosive gases, such as HBr or Cl2. In embodiments, a mask open etch and the multi-layered stack etch are performed in a same plasma processing chamber enabling a single chamber, single recipe solution for patterning such multi-layered stacks. In embodiments, 3D NAND memory cells are fabricated with memory plug and/or word line separation etches employing a fluorine-based, pulsed-RF plasma etch.
US09299569B2
The present invention improves the performance of a semiconductor device. In a manufacturing method of a semiconductor device, sacrificial oxide films are formed over the side surface of a control gate electrode formed in a memory cell region, the surface of a cap insulating film formed in the memory cell region, and the surface of the part, which remains in a peripheral circuit region, of an insulating film. The step of forming the sacrificial oxide films includes the steps of: oxidizing the side surface of the control gate electrode by a thermal oxidation method; and oxidizing the surface of the cap insulating film and the surface of the part, which remains in the peripheral circuit region, of the insulating film by an ISSG oxidation method.
US09299567B2
A manufacturing method of MIS (Metal Insulator Semiconductor)-type semiconductor device includes the steps of: forming a zirconium oxynitride (ZrON) layer; forming an electrode layer containing titanium nitride (TiN) on the zirconium oxynitride (ZrON) layer; and heating the electrode layer.
US09299565B2
In a method for producing a solar cell having a substrate made of crystalline silicon, on a surface of the Si substrate, a locally defined n-doped emitter region is produced by full-surface cold coating of the surface using a P-containing coating, followed by a local laser beam-doping of P atoms from the P-containing coating, and subsequent thermal driving in of the P atoms, starting from the doping-in region.
US09299564B2
Various methods for implanting dopant ions into a three dimensional feature of a semiconductor wafer are disclosed. The implant temperature may be varied to insure that the three dimensional feature, after implant, has a crystalline inner core, which is surrounded by an amorphized surface layer. The crystalline core provides a template from which the crystalline structure for the rest of the feature can be regrown. In some embodiments, the implant energy and the implant temperature may each be modified to achieve the desired crystalline inner core with the surrounding amorphized surface layer.
US09299560B2
Methods for depositing a group III-V layer on a substrate are disclosed herein. In some embodiments a method includes depositing a first layer comprising at least one of a first Group III element or a first Group V element on a silicon-containing surface oriented in a <111> direction at a first temperature ranging from about 300 to about 400 degrees Celsius; and depositing a second layer comprising second Group III element and a second Group V element atop the first layer at a second temperature ranging from about 300 to about 600 degrees Celsius.
US09299559B2
Provided herein are integration-compatible dielectric films and methods of depositing and modifying them. According to various embodiments, the methods can include deposition of flowable dielectric films targeting specific film properties and/or modification of those properties with an integration-compatible treatment process. In certain embodiments, methods of depositing and modifying flowable dielectric films having tunable wet etch rates and other properties are provided. Wet etch rates can be tuned during integration through am integration-compatible treatment process. Examples of treatment processes include plasma exposure and ultraviolet radiation exposure.
US09299556B2
A method for preparing a semiconductor substrate with an buried insulating layer by a guttering process, includes the following steps: providing a device substrate and a supporting substrate; forming an insulating layer on a surface of the device substrate; performing a heating treatment on the device substrate, so as to form a denuded zone on the surface of the device substrate; bonding the device substrate having the insulating layer with the supporting substrate, such that the insulating layer is sandwiched between the device substrate and the supporting substrate; annealing and reinforcing a bonding interface, such that an adherence level of the bonding interface meets requirements in the following chamfering grinding, thinning and polishing processes; performing the chamfering grinding, thinning and polishing processes on the device substrate which is bonded.
US09299549B2
An apparatus, system and method of providing that allow for the generation of reagent ions within an inner region of a mass spectrometer for use in ion-ion reactions such as PTRs and ETD using a reagent ion generator. The location where these reagent ions are generated can be as close as possible to the point of action, or the reaction zone where the reagent ion and analyte ions will interact via ion-ion reactions to cause, e.g., PTRs and/or ETD.
US09299548B2
A method is provided for mass spectrometry. The method includes generating precursor ions from a sample; transmitting the precursor ions into a collision cell; generating product ions in the collision cell; detecting the precursor and product ions; applying modulation to one or more of the precursor ion intensity and the product ion intensity; and identifying precursor ion and product ion relationships by analyzing intensity profiles defined by the modulation.
US09299545B2
Systems and methods are disclosed for calibrating mass spectrometers. In accordance with one implementation, a system comprises a calibrant chamber within a housing of a mass spectrometer. The system also comprises a permeation tube enclosed within the calibrant chamber, wherein the tube contains a calibrant chemical that continuously outgasses the calibrant chemical. The outgassed calibrant chemical may be introduced to the mass spectrometer for analysis. The system may also comprise a heating block to control the temperature of the calibrant chemical. The system may further comprise a valve that introduces a known amount of the calibrant chemical into the calibrant chamber. In accordance with the present disclosure, systems and methods are provided for calibrating a mass spectrometer abundance scale.
US09299544B2
A sputtering apparatus includes a target electrode capable of mounting a target, a first support member which supports the target electrode, a magnet unit which forms a magnetic field on a surface of the target, a second support member which supports the magnet unit, and a force generation portion which is provided between the first support member and the second support member, and generates a second force in a direction opposite to a first force that acts on the second support member by an action of the magnetic field formed between the target and the magnet unit, wherein the second force has a magnitude which increases as the magnet unit comes closer to the target electrode.
US09299537B2
A system provides post-match control of microwaves in a radial waveguide. The system includes the radial waveguide, and a signal generator that provides first and second microwave signals that have a common frequency. The signal generator adjusts a phase offset between the first and second signals in response to a correction signal. The system also includes first and second electronics sets, each of which amplifies a respective one of the first and second microwave signals. The system transmits the amplified, first and second microwave signals into the radial waveguide, and matches an impedance of the amplified microwave signals to an impedance presented by the waveguide. The system also includes at least two monitoring antennas disposed within the waveguide. A signal controller receives analog signals from the monitoring antennas, determines the digital correction signal based at least on the analog signals, and transmits the correction signal to the signal generator.
US09299535B2
A multi charged particle beam writing apparatus includes an aperture member to form multiple beams, a blanking plate in which there are arranged a plurality of blankers to respectively perform blanking deflection for a corresponding beam in the multiple beams having passed through a plurality of openings of the aperture member, a blanking aperture member to block each beam having been deflected to be in OFF state by at least one of the plurality of blankers, a first grating lens, using the aperture member as gratings, to correct spherical aberration of the charged particle beam, and a correction lens configured to correct high order spherical aberration produced by the first grating lens.
US09299531B2
A mask cover according to one embodiment of the present invention comprises a frame body having an opening at the center, a conductive earth plate installed on the frame body such that its end protrudes into the opening of the frame body, an earth pin provided on the end of the earth plate and electrically connected to the earth plate, and a conductive cover part surrounding the earth pin such that the tip end of the earth pin protrudes and a gap is present between the cover part and the earth pin.
US09299524B2
Novel circuits for providing ride-through during unpredictable power line disturbances are disclosed in connection with low-power electronic devices. Such low-power electronics devices are typically subjected to undesirable lock-ups and reboots under momentary power line disturbances such as voltage sags, voltage swells, and other momentary line power disturbances. Diagnostics and visual indication are also integrated in the circuits to allow consumers to correlate equipment lock-up and malfunction with power disturbances, and to provide service providers with various analytics and historical data on the recorded disturbances. To reduce cost, the disclosed circuits utilize a simple DC capacitor without any additional power conditioning switches or converters. In one exemplary embodiment, the disclosed circuits are embedded inside a power line cord to provide a ride-through during the brief interval of time such power line disturbances occur.
US09299522B2
In one embodiment, a shutter lock assembly for a circuit breaker cassette having a shutter coupled to a shutter rod is provided. The shutter lock assembly includes a lock plate assembly configured to couple to the circuit breaker cassette and an actuation mechanism having a first end coupled the lock plate assembly. The actuation mechanism is configured to actuate the lock plate assembly to lock the shutter of the circuit breaker cassette in a closed position.
US09299518B2
A rotor for an electric switch is disclosed. In an embodiment, the rotor includes a rotor housing and a rotatably mounted contact bridge, which exhibits two movable contacts, wherein, by the rotation of the rotor, the two movable contacts can interact with two fixed contacts of an electric switch for closing or opening a circuit. The rotatably mounted contact bridge in the rotor housing is movably mounted in a direction perpendicular to the direction of the contact bridge in its closed position.
US09299509B2
An electrical switching device (1) which comprises at least one double breaking pole provided with two fixed contacts (3, 4) that cooperate with two moving contacts (5, 6) arranged so as to move in a breaking plane (P) and define, with every fixed contact, a breaking zone. The device comprises a permanent magnet (11, 12) housed in an insulating holder arranged in the immediate environment, next to each breaking zone, symmetrically with respect to the breaking plane and oriented so as to generate a magnetic excitation vector parallel to the breaking plane (P) so that the induced electromagnetic force (FE) moves and stretches every electric arc (E1, E2), generated when opening the electrical circuit, in a direction perpendicular to the breaking plane (P), leading to the extinction of the electric arc regardless of the polarity of the magnet and/or of the current.
US09299501B2
A method of producing an alkaline single ion conductor with high conductivity includes: a) providing a hydrocarbon oligomer or polymer having immobilized acidic substituent groups selected from the group consisting of a sulfonic acid group, sulfamide group, a phosphonic acid group, or a carboxy group, in its alkaline ion form wherein at least a part of the acidic protons of the substituent groups have been exchanged against alkali cations, and b) solvating the hydrocarbon oligomer or polymer of step a) in an aprotic polar solvent for a sufficient time to effect a solvent uptake of at least 5% by weight and to obtain a solvated product, wherein the molar ratio of solvent/alkaline cation is 1:1 to 10,000:1, and which solvated product has a conductivity of at least 10−5 S/cm at room temperature (24° C.).
US09299496B2
A lead-lanthanum-zirconium-titanate (PLZT) capacitor on a substrate formed of glass. The first metallization layer is deposited on a top side of the substrate to form a first electrode. The dielectric layer of PLZT is deposited over the first metallization layer. The second metallization layer deposited over the dielectric layer to form a second electrode. The glass substrate is advantageous as glass is compatible with an annealing process used to form the capacitor.
US09299492B2
A resonance-type non-contact power supply system includes a power-transmission-side metal shield to cover an area around a primary coil and a primary resonance coil, and a power-receiving-side metal shield to cover an area around a secondary coil and a secondary resonance coil, and when charging is performed, the power-transmission-side metal shield and the power-receiving-side metal shield are connected with a case connector to be at the same potential.
US09299490B2
The present invention discloses a circuit board, including a substrate and a magnetic core, where the magnetic core is embedded into the substrate, at least one turn of a winding conductor wound around the magnetic core is arranged on the substrate, each turn of the winding conductor includes a first end-surface conductor and a second end-surface conductor that are separately arranged on two ends of the magnetic core, and each turn of the winding conductor further includes a first side-surface conductor that penetrates through the magnetic core from an inner side of the magnetic core and a second side-surface conductor that penetrates through the magnetic core from an outer side of the magnetic core. The circuit board and the power conversion apparatus having the circuit board provided by the present invention, achieve larger inductance, save materials, and reduce cost for fabricating a power conversion apparatus.
US09299481B2
A differential signal cable is composed of two inner conductors, an insulator, which covers the two inner conductors separately or together, and an outer conductor, which covers a circumference of the insulator. When measured in a cable length of 1 m, an effective capacitance difference ΔX represented by Formula (1) below is not greater than 0.2 percent of an average value C of capacitances of the two inner conductors, ΔX=ΔC+ΔL/Z02 (1), where ΔC is a difference in capacitance between the two inner conductors, ΔL is a difference in inductance between the two inner conductors, and Z0 is a reference impedance (50 ohms).
US09299480B2
An umbilical assembly for supplying power to subsea equipment includes an electrical conductor to convey an electrical current to the subsea equipment. An insulator surrounds the conductor. A support member is positioned between the insulator and the conductor. The support member has either non-magnetic properties or low-magnetic properties because of its material composition. The support member is adapted to connect to a structure at the surface of the sea. The support member supports the weight of the conductor. The supporting of the weight of the conductor by the support member can be to reduce creep typically associated with the conductor supporting its own weight. The support member can be used to hermetically seal the conductor and prevent hydrogen migration along the conductor.
US09299477B2
An electrically conductive film has an electrically conductive layer on at least one side, which is a thermoplastic resin film in which the electrically conductive layer contains a carbon nanotube (A), a carbon nanotube dispersant (B) and a binder resin (C), the total of contents of (A), (B) and (C) in the electrically conductive layer is 90% by weight or more relative to the entire electrically conductive layer, and weight rates of (A), (B) and (C) satisfy the following, and a weight ratio of (B) and (A) ((B)/(A)) is 0.5 or more and 15.0 or less: (A) 1.0 to 40.0% by weight, (B) 0.5 to 90.0% by weight, and (C) 4.0 to 98.5% by weight (provided that the total of contents of (A), (B) and (C) is let to be 100% by weight).
US09299476B2
Disclosed herein is a polymeric material comprising a conductive polymer substantially homogeneously distributed within a hydrogel. Also disclosed are methods for making the polymeric material and uses for the polymeric material.
US09299475B2
A positive electrode active material for a lithium ion secondary battery having high discharge energy and capable of suppressing capacity drop with cycles and a secondary battery using the same are provided at lower cost. A positive electrode active material for a secondary battery according to a first aspect of the exemplary embodiment is represented by the following formula (I): Lia(FexNiyMn2-x-y)O4 (I) where 0.2
US09299464B2
Various embodiments of a nuclear fuel for use in various types of nuclear reactors and/or waste disposal systems are disclosed. One exemplary embodiment of a nuclear fuel may include a fuel element having a plurality of tristructural-isotropic fuel particles embedded in a silicon carbide matrix. An exemplary method of manufacturing a nuclear fuel is also disclosed. The method may include providing a plurality of tristructural-isotropic fuel particles, mixing the plurality of tristructural-isotropic fuel particles with silicon carbide powder to form a precursor mixture, and compacting the precursor mixture at a predetermined pressure and temperature.
US09299454B2
A semiconductor memory apparatus includes a CAS latency setting circuit configured to change an initially-set CAS latency value in response to control signal pulses which are sequentially applied, during a test mode without changing settings of a mode register set during each test.
US09299434B2
A first packet of a flow received onto an OpenFlow switch causes a flow entry to be added to a flow table, but the associated action is to perform a TCAM lookup. A request is sent to an OpenFlow controller. A response OpenFlow message indicates an action. The response passes through a special dedicated egress fast-path such that the action is applied and the first packet is injected into the main data output path of the switch. A TCAM entry is also added that indicates the action. A second packet of the flow is then received and a flow table lookup causes a TCAM lookup, which indicates the action. The action is applied to the second packet, the packet is output from the switch, and the lookup table is updated so the flow entry will thereafter directly indicate the action. Subsequent packets of the flow do not involve TCAM lookups.
US09299429B2
A nonvolatile memory device includes a buffer memory, a read circuit configured to read first data stored in the buffer memory in a first read operation, and a write circuit configured to write second data in the buffer memory in a first write operation, wherein the first write operation is performed when a first internal write command is generated during the first read operation.
US09299418B2
In a semiconductor memory device, static memory cells are arranged in rows and columns, word lines correspond to respective memory cell rows, and word line drivers drive correspond to word lines. Cell power supply lines correspond to respective memory cell columns and are coupled to cell power supply nodes of a memory cell in a corresponding column. Down power supply lines are arranged corresponding to respective memory cell columns, maintained at ground voltage in data reading and rendered electrically floating in data writing. Write assist elements are arranged corresponding to the cell power supply lines, and according to a write column instruction signal for stopping supply of a cell power supply voltage to the cell power supply line in a selected column, and for coupling the cell power supply line arranged corresponding to the selected column at least to the down power supply line on the corresponding column.
US09299415B1
Some of the embodiments of the present disclosure provide a system comprising a memory configured to operate in one of a plurality of states; a phase locked loop (PLL) configured to (i) receive a first clock signal, and (ii) based on the first clock signal and a state at which the memory operates, selectively generate a second clock signal; and a clock selection module configured to, based on the state at which the memory operates, selectively provide one of (i) the first clock signal and (ii) the second clock signal to the memory.
US09299412B2
In one embodiment, a controller comprises logic to identify a first plurality of cells in a row of spin transfer torque (STT) memory which are to be set to a parallel state and a second plurality of cells in the row of the STT memory which are to be set to an anti-parallel state, mask write operations to the second plurality of cells in the row, set the first plurality of cells to a parallel state, mask write operations to the first plurality of cells in the row, and set the second plurality of cells to an anti-parallel state.
US09299411B2
A method of reading data from a plurality of bits in a spin-torque magnetoresistive memory array includes performing one or more referenced read operations of the bits, and performing a self-referenced read operation, for example, a destructive self-referenced read operation, of any of the bits not successfully read by the referenced read operation. The referenced read operations can be initiated at the same time or prior to that of the destructive self-referenced read operation.
US09299410B2
According to one embodiment, a magnetic memory includes a cell array includes a plurality of memory cells, each memory cell including a magnetoresistive effect element; and a read circuit to read data from a memory cell selected based on an address signal from among the memory cells. The read circuit selects one determination level from among a plurality of determination levels corresponding to a position of a magnetoresistive effect element in the cell array and uses the selected determination level to perform reading of the data.
US09299408B2
Methods and apparatuses for communicating information are described. In some embodiments, a first integrated circuit (IC) provides a clock signal and a data signal to a second IC, wherein the data bits of the data signal are timed according to the clock signal, and wherein the frequency of the clock signal is capable of being changed even when the data signal is valid.
US09299407B2
A system has a plurality of memory devices arranged in a fly-by topology, each having on-die termination (ODT) circuitry for connecting to an address and control (RQ) bus. The ODT circuitry of each memory device includes a set of one or more control registers for controlling on-die termination of one or more signal lines of the RQ bus. A first memory device includes a first set of one or more control registers storing a first ODT value, for controlling termination of one or more signal lines of the RQ bus by the ODT circuitry of the first memory device, and a second memory device includes a second set of one or more control registers storing a second ODT value different from the first ODT value, for controlling termination of one or more signal lines of the RQ bus by the ODT circuitry of the second memory device.
US09299405B2
A memory device that, in certain embodiments, includes a plurality of memory elements connected to a bit-line and a delta-sigma modulator with a digital output and an analog input, which may be connected to the bit-line. In some embodiments, the delta-sigma modulator includes a circuit with first and second inputs and an output. The circuit is configured to combine (add or subtract) input signals. The first input may be connected to the analog input. The delta-sigma modulator may also include an integrator connected to the output of the circuit, an analog-to-digital converter with an input connected to an output of the integrator and an output connected to the digital output, and a digital-to-analog converter with an input connected to the output of the analog-to-digital converter and an output connected to the second input of the circuit.
US09299396B1
Integrated circuits may include partial reconfiguration (PR) circuitry for reconfiguring only a portion of a memory array. In some applications, partial reconfiguration may be performed during user mode. During partial reconfiguration, write assist techniques such as varying the power supply voltage may be applied to help increase write margin, but doing so can potentially affect the performance of in-operation pass gates that are being controlled by the memory array during user mode. In one suitable arrangement, ground power supply voltage write assist techniques may be implemented on memory cells that include p-channel access transistors and that are used to control n-channel pass transistors. In another suitable arrangement, positive power supply voltage write assist techniques may be implemented on memory cells that include n-channel access transistors and that are used to control p-channel pass transistors.
US09299395B2
Methods and systems to provide a multi-Vcc environment, such as to selectively boost an operating voltage of a logic block and/or provide a level-shifted control to the logic block. A multi-Vcc environment may be implemented to isolate a Vmin-limiting logic block from a single-Vcc environment, such as to reduce Vmin and/or improve energy efficiency in the single-Vcc environment. The logic block may include bit cells of a register file, a low-level processor cache, and/or other memory system. A cell Vcc may be boosted during a read mode and/or write wordlines (WWLs) and/or read wordlines (RWLs) may be asserted with boost. A wordline decoder may include a voltage level shifter with differential split-level logic, and a dynamic NAND, which may include NAND logic, a keeper circuit, and logic to delay a keeper control based on a delay of the level shifter to reduce contention during an initial NAND evaluation phase.
US09299383B2
An optical element holder comprises a placement face on which an optical element is placed, the placement face obtained using one face of a sheet of metal; a positioning wall used for positioning the optical element placed on the placement face, the positioning wall being a stepped portion obtained by folding of the sheet of metal; and a spring section, which is a portion obtained by further folding of part of the portion folded over in order to obtain the positioning wall.
US09299381B2
Provided herein are block copolymer thin film structures and methods of fabrication. Aspects described herein include methods of directed self-assembly of block copolymers on patterns using solvent annealing, and the resulting thin films, structures, media or other compositions. According to various embodiments, solvent annealing is used direct the assembly of block copolymers on chemical patterns to achieve high degrees of pattern perfection, placement of features at the precision of the lithographic tool used to make the chemical pattern, improved dimensional control of features, improved line edge and line width roughness, and resolution enhancement by factors of two to four or greater.
US09299379B2
Aspects include recording media with enhanced areal density through reduction of head media spacing, head keeper spacing, or head to soft underlayer spacing. Such aspects comprise replacing currently non-magnetic components of devices, such as interlayers and overcoats with components and compositions comprising magnetic materials. Other aspects relate to magnetic seed layers deposited within a recording medium. Preferably, these aspects, embodied as methods, systems and/or components thereof reduce effective magnetic spacing without sacrificing physical spacing.
US09299369B1
An apparatus for magnetic recording having a barrier layer. One embodiment includes a magnetic head having an array of sensors, each of the sensors having a media facing surface. A barrier layer is positioned above at least the media facing surfaces of the sensors. The barrier layer includes at least one at least partially polycrystalline layer.
US09299368B2
A magnetic head according to one embodiment includes outer portions each having a tape bearing surface and an array of transducers selected from a group consisting of readers and writers; a central portion positioned between the outer portions, the central portion having a tape bearing surface and an array of transducers selected from a group consisting of readers and writers; wherein outer edges of the tape bearing surfaces of the outer portions are non-skiving, wherein an inner edge of each of the tape bearing surfaces of the outer portions is adapted for skiving air from the magnetic medium when the magnetic medium travels in a direction from the central portion towards the respective outer portion.
US09299367B1
A perpendicular magnetic recording (PMR) writer is disclosed wherein a 19-24 kG hot seed layer is formed between a gap layer and a 10-19 kG magnetic layer in a partially wrapped around shield structure involving side shields and trailing shield to reduce internal flux shunting, improve writability, and enable side gap and write gap dimensions 5-10 nm smaller than typical writers for conventional and shingled magnetic recording. Side shields have a bottom surface formed along a plane that is parallel to the main pole leading edge, and at a down-track distance from 50 nm above to 100 nm below the leading edge. Cross-track and down-track field gradients are improved by fully coupling the trailing shield and side shield hot seed layers. Also, side shield hot seed layers have a height <0.15 micron and less than the 10-19 kG side shield layer height to reduce internal flux shunting.
US09299361B2
Systems and methods for signal noise reduction. An input digital signal may be partitioned into a series of adjacent segments. The adjacent segments may be converted to a frequency domain representation. A particular spectral component of a particular segment may be compared to a related spectral component of a first segment adjacent the particular segment, and to a related spectral component of a second segment adjacent the particular segment. The particular spectral component may be modified upon a magnitude value of the particular spectral component satisfying at least one of a predetermined set of conditions.
US09299352B2
Provided is a method and apparatus for generating a side information bitstream of a multi-object audio signal. The apparatus for generating a side information bitstream of a multi-object audio signal includes a spatial cue information input unit configured to receive spatial cue information generated in an encoder of the multi-object audio signal, a preset information input unit configured to receive preset information for the multi-object audio signal, and a side information bitstream generator configured to generate the side information bitstream based on the spatial cue information and the preset information. The side information bitstream includes a header region and a frame region, and the preset information is included in the frame region.
US09299351B2
A method and apparatus of suppressing a vocoder noise are provided. The method includes receiving from a channel decoder a vocoder frame and first information, the first information indicating whether the vocoder frame has an error, generating speech data by performing voice decoding on the vocoder frame, determining whether a tonal noise has been detected in the speech data, if the first information indicates that the vocoder frame has an error, and attenuating the volume of the speech data and outputting the volume-attenuated speech data through a speaker, upon detection of the tonal noise in the speech data.
US09299349B2
According to an illustrative embodiment, an information processing apparatus is provided. The information processing apparatus includes a communication device to receive plural pieces of tag information corresponding to respective positions within a target area, the target area having a position defined by the position of the apparatus; and an output device to output a plurality of sounds such that for each sound at least a portion of the sound overlaps with at least a portion of another of the sounds, each of the sounds being indicative of a respective piece of tag information.
US09299347B1
Methods, systems, and apparatus are described that receive audio data for an utterance. Association data is accessed that indicates associations between data corresponding to uncorrupted audio segments, and data corresponding to corrupted versions of the uncorrupted audio segments, where the associations are determined before receiving the audio data for the utterance. Using the association data and the received audio data for the utterance, data corresponding to at least one uncorrupted audio segment is selected. A transcription of the utterance is determined based on the selected data corresponding to the at least one uncorrupted audio segment.
US09299342B2
Query history expansion may be provided. Upon receiving a spoken query from a user, an adapted language model may be applied to convert the spoken query to text. The adapted language model may comprise a plurality of queries interpolated from the user's previous queries and queries associated with other users. The spoken query may be executed and the results of the spoken query may be provided to the user.
US09299335B2
A handheld electronic device including a connection interface, a voltage supply unit and a baseband circuit is provided. When headphones are connected to the handheld electronic device, the baseband circuit can determine the type of the headphones by controlling the operation of the voltage supply unit. Furthermore, when the headphones are noise-canceling headphones, the baseband circuit can control the operation of the voltage supply unit to provide operation power to the noise-canceling headphones. In addition, corresponding noise-canceling headphones including a connection interface, at least one switch circuit, a switch control unit, a communication microphone, two speakers, a noise-canceling circuit and two noise-canceling microphones is also provided.
US09299331B1
Techniques are described for automatically selecting musical content for playback based on an initial “seed” of music selected by a user in a way that seamlessly extends the user's listening experience. The initially selected seed music might be, for example, an album or a playlist. Music that follows the seed music is algorithmically selected to match the music selected by the user.
US09299330B2
The present invention disclosed an apparatus and method for capturing directly the dynamic motion of a finger to create digital music with enhanced expressive qualities through the use of a capacitance sensor that is configured to continuously produce an analog output of capacitance change upon the approaching but not yet touching, touching and leaving the key or space between keys by a finger.
US09299324B2
A bridge assembly having a saddle plate with a first aperture, and a tremolo block with a second aperture aligned with the first aperture. The tremolo block is attached to the saddle plate, and it has a plurality of arcuate string apertures therethrough configured to receive the strings therein while maintaining contact between the string and the tremolo block along substantially the entire length of the respective string aperture.
US09299321B2
A multi-projection system includes a plurality of projectors for projecting divided images onto projection positions to project an image composed of the divided images, a plurality of image capturing devices to capture the divided images and surrounding areas of the divided images, a projection position identification unit to identify projection positions of the projectors based on captured image information acquired by capturing position discriminating images and the surrounding areas, a receiving unit to receive a signal from each of the projectors, a number identification unit to identify the number of the projectors based on a reception result by the receiving unit, a determination unit to determine the position discriminating images to be projected by the projectors based on an identification result of the number identification unit, and a projection processing execution unit to instruct projection of the position discriminating images determined by the determination unit to the projectors.
US09299319B2
A display device includes a display panel, the display panel including a plurality of pixels that, during one frame, receive a first voltage transmitted through a data line and a second voltage having a higher level than the first voltage, receive and store a third voltage of a first image data signal corresponding to a current frame, and emit light by driving current for a fourth voltage corresponding to a second image data signal corresponding to a previous frame, wherein, of one frame, a first period for storing the third voltage and a second period for emitting light by the driving current for the fourth voltage overlap each other.
US09299307B2
Image display devices that can eliminate image deterioration that occurs due to a pixel scanning sequence are provided. A detection section identifies a moving region contained in an image corresponding to an input image signal composed of a plurality of frames and detects a moving distance and a moving direction for and in which the moving region moves. A correction section corrects the image signal based on a detected result of the detection section and the scanning sequence in which individual pixels in the moving region are scanned. A drive section scans the plurality of pixels in the scanning sequence based on a corrected image signal that is an image signal corrected by the correction section and draws a corrected image corresponding to the corrected image signal.
US09299304B2
A gate driving circuit includes a first input terminal, a second input terminal, a third input terminal, an output terminal, a first transistor, a second transistor, a third transistor, and a capacitor. The first terminal of the first transistor is coupled to the first input terminal. The control terminal of the first transistor is coupled to the second input terminal. The first terminal of the second transistor is coupled to the third input terminal. The control terminal of the second transistor is coupled to the second terminal of the first transistor. The second terminal of the second transistor is coupled to the output terminal. The first terminal of the third transistor is coupled to the output terminal. The second terminal of the third transistor is coupled to ground terminal. The capacitor is coupled between the control terminal of the second transistor and the output terminal.
US09299300B2
Disclosed are an LCD device and a driving method thereof. The LCD device includes at least one source driving ICs configured to drive a plurality of data lines formed in a panel, a timing controller configured to generate a power control signal used to change a level of a driving voltage applied to the source driving ICs according to a pattern of an image output to the panel, and a driving voltage generator configured to generate a first driving voltage or a second driving voltage according to the power control signal to drive the source driving ICs. The first and second driving voltages have different levels.
US09299299B2
The present invention discloses an array substrate. The data line repair structure of the array substrate includes repair line, control line and a plurality of switch elements. One end of each data line is connected to shorting bar during shorting bar test stage, and the other end is connected to the repair line through a switch element. The control terminal of switch element is connected to control line, input terminal is connected to one end of repair line and the output terminal is connected to a data line. The other end of the repair line is connected to shorting bar during shorting bar test stage. The present invention further discloses a PSVA liquid crystal display panel and manufacturing method thereof. As such, the present invention can improve PSVA process yield rate.
US09299298B2
The purpose of the present invention is to provide a three dimensional image display device capable of preventing the generation of crosstalk. The three dimensional image display device according to the present invention includes a display panel having a plurality of pixels, a backlight capable of partially illuminating the display panel, and a drive circuit for driving the display panel and the backlight. The drive circuit causes the display panel to display a three dimensional image by synchronizing the scanning of the display panel with the scanning of the partial illumination light (Lz) of the backlight.
US09299295B2
A method of driving an electrowetting display device having at least one display element for displaying a display effect. The method determines a change in the display effect. Depending on the change the display element may be DC driven or AC driven.
US09299294B2
The present invention is directed to a driving method for a display having a binary color system, which method can effectively improve the performance of an electrophoretic display. The method comprises applying a series of driving voltages to said pixel and the accumulated voltage integrated over a period of time from the first image to the last image is 0 (zero) or substantially 0 (zero) volt•msec.
US09299291B2
A display unit includes: a display section including a plurality of unit pixels; and a drive section configured to perform a first drive, a second drive, and a third drive on each of the unit pixels in this order, in which each of the first drive and the second drive includes an initialization drive, a writing drive of a pixel voltage, and a light emission drive based on the pixel voltage written by the writing drive, a part of a series of the initialization drive, the writing drive, and the light emission drive differs between the first drive and the second drive, and the third drive includes a light emission drive based on the pixel voltage written by the writing drive in the second drive.
US09299290B2
Plural pixel circuits of a display device each include: a drive transistor having drain or source connected to a first power source voltage; a first capacitive element having a first electrode connected to a gate of the drive transistor and a second electrode connected to the source of the drive transistor; a second capacitive element having a first electrode connected to the second electrode of the first capacitive element and a second electrode directly connected to a data line that transmits a voltage corresponding to a light-emitting luminance; a first switching element that switches between conduction and non-conduction between the gate of the drive transistor and a fixed reference voltage; and a light-emitting device having a first electrode connected to source or drain of the drive transistor and a second electrode connected to a second power source voltage.
US09299286B2
A display device includes: a plurality of arranged pixels, each of which includes an electro-optical component, a write-in transistor writing an image signal in a pixel, a maintenance capacity maintaining the image signal written by the write-in transistor, and a driving transistor driving the electro-optical component based on the image signal maintained by the maintenance capacity, wherein the write-in transistor has a plurality of gates, the gate of the driving transistor side among the plurality of gates has a structure in which a channel region is sandwiched between a first gate electrode and a second gate electrode, and the width of the channel region of the gate of the driving transistor side is narrower than the width of the channel region of other gates.
US09299283B2
An apparatus and method for compensating color characteristics in individual display devices that each include a display unit including a plurality of pixels to display images according to compensated image data signals, a test data input section to transmit a predetermined test image data signal to the pixels to display a test image, a luminance measuring unit to receive luminance information from the display unit displaying the test image and determine actual luminance ratios of a first color, a second color, and a third color from the received luminance information, a compensation ratio determiner to calculate a compensation ratio from both the actual and reference luminance ratios of each color and a data compensator to generate the compensated image data signals by adjusting external input video signals according to the compensation ratio.
US09299279B2
A display device according to the present invention includes: a display unit including a plurality of pixels coupled to a plurality of scan lines; a plurality of scan driving blocks coupled to the plurality of scan lines and adapted to apply a plurality of scan signals; an electrostatic discharge (ESD) unit adapted to protect the plurality of scan driving blocks from static charges; an AC power source unit for supplying a first power source voltage of which a level is changed between a logic high level and a logic low level, to the plurality of scan driving blocks through a first power source voltage wire during a pixel test of the plurality of pixels; and a DC power source unit for supplying a second power source voltage of the logic high level to the ESD unit through a second power source voltage wire.
US09299278B2
Disclosed are a lamp capable of displaying an emblem and a vehicle lamp apparatus using the same. The lamp includes a light source module and an optical member spaced apart from the light source module by a predetermined distance. The optical member includes at least one plate including a bottom surface adjacent to the light source module and a top surface opposite the bottom surface, a first pattern disposed at the top surface of the plate to display a predetermined emblem, and a second pattern disposed at the top surface of the plate excluding the first pattern to condense light incident from the light source module.
US09299273B2
A marketing sign is constructed of a sheet material and includes at least one breakaway section coupled to a main section by at least one score. The main section includes a free portion, a base portion and connecting portion. The free portion includes a price piece and a balloon piece coupled to the price piece at a fold. The base portion is configured to couple with a product display structure after the main section is detached from the break-away section at the at least one score. The connecting bend line couples the free portion to the base portion and has a first end located a space distance from a right side edge of the sheet material.
US09299261B2
This invention relates to a device and process for determining an airport runway state (12), as well as for using such data. The process includes: acquisition (A1) of measurement data pertaining to at least one physical size of an aircraft (10), during the take off or landing roll phase of the aircraft on said runway; obtaining (A2), using the data acquired, a plurality of estimated adhesion values “μ” of the runway, corresponding to a respective plurality of taxiing moments of the aircraft; obtaining (A3), using the data acquired, a slip ratio value “s” of at least one of the aircraft's wheels for each said taxiing moment, so as to obtain (A4) a plurality of coupled data points [s,μ]; and determination of a runway state by comparing (A5.2) the coupled data points [s,μ] profile with at least one predetermined profile.
US09299260B2
In device 1 including rear view wide angle camera 11, and ECU 20 and display 30 displaying rearward image captured by the camera 11, display control section 25 of the ECU 20 and the display 30 divides the image into right and left rear lateral screens 204 and central rearward screen 202 for display, driver can determine which place is displayed. The section 25 and the display 30 do not display the same image on the screens 204, 202, the driver can understand the distance between object in the image and host vehicle 100. The section 25 performs distortion correction of correcting distortion of the image displayed on the screens 204, the driver can see the image viewable due to the distortion correction. The section 25 forms the screens 204 in shape based on the distortion correction, the driver can understand an approaching position of the object in the image.
US09299257B2
An approach is provided for determining departure time information for at least one vehicle, wherein the departure time is determined prior to an arrival of the at least one vehicle at the at least one parking facility. The approach also involves determining other departure time information for one or more other vehicles parked at the at least one parking facility. The approach further involves processing and/or facilitating a processing of the departure time information and/or the other departure time information to determine at least one parking location for that at least one vehicle at the least one parking facility.
US09299239B1
Disclosed herein is a monitoring device comprising a sensor or probe for measuring an environmental condition inside a building, a display unit for displaying the level of the environmental condition, and a communication device that transmits text messages if the level of the environmental condition passes a predetermined threshold level.
US09299236B2
The present invention is related to systems and methods for identifying and reporting a crisis status. In at least one embodiment, the system comprises a central server; an administrative work station communicably coupled to the central server, wherein the administrative work station is accessible only by an authorized administrator; a database communicably coupled to the central server, the database including a floor plan of the area, wherein the database is accessible and modifiable by the authorized administrator at the administrative work station; and a remote device at a particular location in the area, the remote device communicably coupled to the central server, the remote device capable of communicating securely to the database the particular location of the remote device and the crisis status of the particular location.
US09299233B2
The present invention relates to an anti-crime system using an RF dongle. More particularly, the present invention relates to an anti-crime system using an RF dongle, in which a detection sensor is mounted on a security window, a window or a door of a balcony, and the sensed signal acquired from the detection sensor is transmitted to a server by an Internet sharer using RF communication so as to inform the relevant persons in charge about the current state via the terminals of the relevant persons.
US09299232B2
A security device may include an attachment assembly configured to affix the security device to an object, a locking assembly configured to lockably secure the attachment assembly and configured to transition between at least a locked state and an unlocked state, a transformer configured to drive an alarm assembly to generate an alarm, and processing circuitry. The transformer may be further configured to operate as a wireless receiver to receive a remotely transmitted wireless signal. The processing circuitry may be configured to monitor an output of the transformer to determine whether the wireless signal has been received via the transformer, and selectively activate the transformer to drive the alarm assembly to generate the alarm.
US09299227B2
Automated banking machines operate to cause financial transfers responsive to data read from data bearing records. Each of the automated banking machines includes a card reader that is operative to read data from user cards corresponding to financial accounts. Transactions are authorized responsive at least in part to correspondence between card data and stored data corresponding to authorized users. Entities responsible for operating the automated banking machines receive messages that include information or update code items for software or firmware usable in the banking machines for which they have operational responsibility.
US09299226B2
An automated banking machine that includes a check acceptor that is operative to receive checks from authorized machine users. The check acceptor is operable to continuously move a received check along its transport path while simultaneously rotationally orienting the check into alignment with the transport path. A check determined not to have at least one property of an acceptable check is returned to the machine user. Acceptable checks are processed and stored in the machine.
US09299224B2
A gaming system includes a cascading symbol or tumbling reel game which utilizes one or more different classes or sets of symbols. Each class or set of symbols includes one or more related symbols. If a symbol class triggering event occurs in association with a class or set of symbols, the gaming system removes each of the related symbols in that class of symbols which are displayed at symbol display positions of one or more symbol display position matrices.
US09299223B2
A wagering game system and its operations are described herein. In some embodiments, the operations can include providing gaming content for use during a bingo game, where the gaming content includes a representation of a bingo game card that includes card identifiers, arranged in a distinct pattern, which are usable during the bingo game to track game identifiers, with equivalent values, when drawn during the bingo game. The operations can further include selecting a card identifier, in response to user input, which indicates a user prediction that a corresponding game identifier, with an equivalent value, will be drawn during the bingo game. The operations can further include placing a bet for a secondary wagering game on the selecting of the card identifier, detecting a draw of the corresponding game identifier during the bingo game, and using the draw of the game identifier as an outcome for the bet.
US09299221B2
A method for allowing players to play a bingo-type game with a gaming system is described herein. The method includes displaying the bingo-type game on the display device, randomly selecting a plurality of player symbols, randomly selecting a plurality of game symbols, determining if each one of the plurality of game symbols matches a corresponding one of the plurality of player symbols, and determining a game outcome of the bingo-type game as a function of the matched player symbols. The method also includes determining if a triggering condition occurs in the game outcome and responsively providing an award to the player if the triggering condition occurs. The triggering condition is defined as a path extending between the origin symbol and the destination symbol and including at least one matched player symbol.
US09299219B2
Systems and methods for processing software objects in connection with a map-based game are disclosed. Embodiments of the presently disclosed invention provide players with the ability to participate in a map-based game that offers prizes or discovery in the form of software applications upon his or her selection of one or more grid units in a map-based game. For example, in a map-based game, one or more of the units on the gameboard may have embedded therein one or more Apps that, when selected by the player, cause the application to be executed, unlocking aspects or features of the map-based game or providing players with entertainment, advertisements, promotional information, education, social networking, games, or utility functions.
US09299210B2
A pharmaceutical dispensing system includes: a frame having first and second opposed sides; a plurality of bins configured to house pharmaceutical tablets, each of the bins being accessible from the first side of the frame for replenishment of pharmaceutical tablets; and a plurality of chutes, each of the chutes connected to and associated with a respective one of the plurality of bins, each of the chutes being accessible from the second side of the frame for dispensing of pharmaceutical tablets. A system of this configuration can facilitate operation by physically separating replenishment tasks from dispensing tasks, thereby enabling these tasks to be performed simultaneously.
US09299200B2
A base unit installed in a vehicle including a vehicle communication module for communicating with a controller, the controller monitoring at least one operating parameter of the vehicle. The base unit also includes a transceiver and a processor configured to receive the at least one operating parameter of the vehicle from the vehicle communication module and process the at least one operating parameter to detect an event, wherein the event is used for driver compliance logging. The transceiver is configured to transmit the event to at least one external device.
US09299192B2
Systems and methods are provided for modifying a virtual model of a physical structure with additional 3D data obtained from the physical structure to provide a modified virtual model.
US09299191B2
Aspects of the disclosure relate to generating a digital terrain model (“DTM”) from a digital surface model (“DSM”). For example, the DSM may include a plurality pixels associated with coordinate information and elevation information, including the elevation of features such as buildings and large vegetation. Initially, a set of vertices defining a polygon may be identified. A set of seed pixels, corresponding to points of the DSM of “bare” earth (without buildings or large vegetation) may also be identified. These may be the same or different from the set of vertices. An adaptive flood filler algorithm is used to evaluate the pixels of the polygon starting with the seed pixels. This process validates or invalidates the state of the pixels. The result is an approximation of a DTM for the polygon.
US09299184B2
Simulating performance of a virtual camera operating inside a 3-D environment having scenes generated for motion pictures and video games including: tracking position and orientation of an object within a physical volume of space; placing the virtual camera within the virtual 3-D environment corresponding to the tracked position of the object within the physical volume of space; capturing shots within a field of view of the virtual camera, wherein the field of view of the virtual camera is measured in accordance with the tracked position and orientation of the object; and displaying the captured shots of the 3-D environment captured with the virtual camera.
US09299180B2
An image creation method, includes: first obtaining a subject image including a subject region; second obtaining skeleton information related to a skeleton of a subject in the subject image obtained by the first obtaining; specifying, based on the skeleton information obtained by the second obtaining, color information of a contour portion of the subject region; and creating a back-side-image, based on the color information of the contour portion of the subject region specified by the specifying, by drawing a subject correspondent region of the back-side image showing a back side of the subject in a pseudo manner.
US09299173B2
According to one embodiment of the present invention, a computer-implemented method comprises generating a plurality of charts to visually represent a multivariate data set, mapping variables within the multivariate data set to components of each chart, calculating a score value for each chart based on a plurality of factors, and presenting one or more of the plurality of charts based on corresponding score value.
US09299165B2
A device for automatically determining the contours of heights of a relief includes an image receiving unit configured to receive an image of a predetermined geographical area. The image includes altimetric data. A background surface elimination unit eliminates the background surface of the relief. The background surface illustrates gradual variations in one or more altitudes of the geographical area. A top-hat algorithm having an adjustable structuring element can be used. A thresholding unit generates a binary image which only contains those reliefs having heights above a threshold value. An extracting unit extracts rough contours of heights of the relief from the binary image. A simplifying unit obtains a set of polygons by simplifying the rough contours. The polygons illustrate contours of the heights of the relief of the geographical area.
US09299164B2
A method, non-transitory computer readable medium, and apparatus for enhancing an edge of a non-saturated object are disclosed. For example, the method detects a plurality of transition pixels, determines a gray value for one or more of the plurality of transition pixels is greater than a threshold value, identifies one or more edge pixels from the one or more of the plurality of transition pixels that has the gray value greater than the threshold value when the one or more of the plurality of transition pixels is not within an input block of pixels having all of the pixels in the input block with a respective gray value greater than the threshold and applies an edge enhancement to each one of a plurality of input blocks containing the one or more edge pixels.
US09299163B2
A method and apparatus for processing a gray image, including: calculating a mean value and a standard difference of each edge pixel needing processing in an original gray image, and determining a predefined noise variance of each edge pixel according to the mean value and the standard difference; performing two-dimensional discrete cosine transform on an original gray image of a first adjacent area of each edge pixel; performing Wiener filtering on the two-dimensional discrete cosine transformed image data according to the noise variance; performing discrete cosine inverse transform on the two-dimensional Wiener filtered image data to obtain a filtered gray image of the first adjacent area; and extracting a filtered pixel value of each edge pixel from the filtered gray image of the first adjacent area, and obtaining a processed pixel value of each edge pixel by performing weighted summation on the filtered pixel value and an original pixel value.
US09299161B2
A method for performing head tracking is disclosed. The method includes receiving an input of an image including a facial area and tracking a movement of the facial area, including if a rotation angle of a facial area is within a predetermined angle range from a front side, searching for a location change of feature points within a facial area through a comparison with a template learned in advance and if a rotation angle of a facial area is beyond a predetermined angle range from a front side, searching for a location change of feature points within a facial area through a comparison with a facial area image frame previously inputted.
US09299146B2
A first image and a second image obtained by imaging the same subject with different types of modalities are obtained. The first image is deformed, and similarity between the deformed first image and the second image is evaluated by an evaluation function that evaluates correlation between distributions of corresponding pixel values of the two images to estimate an image deformation amount of the first image. Based on the estimated image deformation amount, a deformed image of the first image is generated. The evaluation function includes a term representing a measure of correlation between a pixel value of the deformed first image and a corresponding pixel value of the second image, wherein the term evaluates the correlation based on probability information that indicates a probability of each combination of corresponding pixel values of the first image and the second image.
US09299141B2
An image analysis apparatus detects a periodic signal corresponding to an arrangement of a grid, which is required to reduce scattered radiation components from an object, from an image obtained by radiation imaging using the grid. The image analysis apparatus includes: a setting unit configured to set a plurality of regions on the image; an obtaining unit configured to obtain statistic information of pixel values corresponding to each of the plurality of regions of the image based on the image; a selection unit configured to select at least one measurement region from the plurality of regions based on the statistic information; and a detection unit configured to detect the periodic signal using image data of the selected measurement region.
US09299123B2
A graphics processing unit (GPU) includes an indexed streamout buffer. The indexed streamout buffer is configured to: receive vertex data of a primitive, and determine if any entries in a reuse table of the indexed streamout buffer reference the vertex data. Responsive to determining that an entry of in the reuse table references the vertex data, the buffer is further configured to: generate an index that references the vertex data, store the index in the buffer, and store a reference to the index in the reuse table. Responsive to determining that an entry does not reference the vertex data, the indexed streamout buffer is configured to: store the vertex data in the buffer, generate an index that references the vertex data, store the index in the buffer, and store a reference to the index in the reuse table.
US09299116B2
An exemplary method includes a computer-implemented trip playlist management system receiving data representative of a travel itinerary for a trip and generating, based on the data representative of the travel itinerary, a recommended trip playlist for the trip, the recommended trip playlist comprising a set of one or more media programs selected and arranged relative to a timeline for the trip. In certain examples, the computer-implemented trip playlist management system provides a trip playlist graphical user interface for display, the trip playlist graphical user interface comprising a visual representation of the recommended trip playlist. Corresponding methods and systems are also disclosed.
US09299108B2
Systems and methods for insurance claims processing in an insurance industry are described. The method comprises combining extracted claims data from one or more data sources to obtain a consolidated claims record and removing noise from text data of the consolidated claims record to obtain a claim dataset. The claims data comprises a plurality of claims. Further, ascertaining one or more suspicion indicators in the plurality of claims based on an analytical technique. Further, assigning a score to each of the plurality of claims based on at least one scoring rule. The score is an indicative of a level of suspicion of a claim. Furthermore, detecting at least one of insurance claims fraud and subrogation potential claims based on the score assigned to each of the plurality of claims.
US09299097B2
A method of using an information element to access functionality on a computing device, the method comprising: scanning the information element to retrieve data related to the information element; manipulating a scannable aspect of the information element; re-scanning the information element; wherein manipulation of the scannable aspect of the information element triggers different functionality in the computing device when the information element is re-scanned.
US09299094B2
Some embodiments of a system and a method to verify compliance in a disconnected system have been presented. For instance, a provider server can collect system management server state hashes from a set of computer systems in transactions not directly related to billing between the provider server and the computer systems. The computer systems may be coupled to a system management server that is within an internal network of a customer. The provider server can verify compliance information submitted by the customer using the system management server state hashes collected without communicating with the system management server in the internal network.
US09299076B2
A system and method is disclosed for determining a reliability of an online vendor. One or more groups of undesirable emails (for example, spam) are analyzed to determine a prevalence of a known vendor. A reliability indicator may be determined for the vendor based on the identified prevalence of the vendor in the emails. The reliability indicator may then be provided to a remote application for use in assessing the reliability of the vendor.
US09299058B2
A method and apparatus for automated display of documentation is disclosed. The method comprises identifying a selected item in a user interface, performing a pattern match of the identified item against a documentation database, and displaying documentation for the identified item found in the documentation database based on the pattern match.
US09299048B2
An apparatus and a method for generating a bill of materials for inspection are disclosed. The apparatus for generating a bill of materials for inspection comprises a risk operation module, a data filtering module, and a data outputting module. The risk operation module selects a material risk index, a manufacturer risk index, a laboratory risk index corresponding to a material from the risk database, and decides the risk level according to the material risk index, the manufacturer risk index, and the laboratory risk index. The data filtering module determines whether a material needs to be inspected according to the risk level. The data outputting module selects a material sample from the material, and adds the material sample to the bill of materials for inspection.
US09299040B2
A system, method, and computer readable medium for generating an information integration flow design (IIFD). The system includes a processor to receive a conceptual model of the IIFD, having an extract phase, a load phase, and a transformation phase, an extract unit to model an interface between a data source information object and a transformation function based on at least one extract hypercube, a load unit to specify at least one load hypercube and a data warehouse target object, a transformation unit to express one or more steps as a hypercube operation, and a translation unit to generate the IIFD based on the conceptual model. The method includes receiving a conceptual model of the IIFD having an extract phase, a load phase, and a transformation phase. The method generates logical information integration operations based on the conceptual model. A computer readable medium may include instructions to generate the IIFD.
US09299024B2
In a method of answering questions and scoring answers, a title and at least one topical field are identified for a document. A field name and field content associated with the topical field is identified, and a title-oriented document is created by combining the title, the field name, and the field content associated with the topical field. For each title-oriented document, a term in the title is matched to previously established categories to produce a title concept identifier. The topical field is synthesized to produce a field concept identifier and a field content concept identifier. A question is received. The question topic term and the question content identifier are used to identify at least one question-matching relation instance. The title concept identifier of each question-matching relation instance is identified as a candidate answer to the question. Each candidate answer and a corresponding answer score is output.
US09299021B2
A RFID device includes a substrate, a conductive element, and a RFID chip. The conductive element is coupled to the substrate and defines at least one pathway. The RFID chip includes an integrated circuit, a terminal, and an electrical lead connecting the integrated circuit and the terminal. The terminal is in electrical communication with the conductive element. The RFID chip is positioned so that a first portion of the RFID chip is positioned above the conductive element and a second portion of the RFID chip is positioned above the at least one pathway. Methods are also provided.
US09299018B2
An image forming apparatus capable of flexibly controlling whether or not to perform user authentication when a user performs operations related to functions of the apparatus. When a user instructs the apparatus to perform any of operations related to a secure print job which is a print job executed by using a secure print function, when the apparatus is operated in a function-based authentication mode, it is determined whether or not a user-selected function of a plurality of functions including at least a secure printing function for printing data in response to an input of a password requires user authentication. When the secure printing function is specified as the user-selected function and it is determined that the user-selected function does not require user authentication, the user is allowed to use the secure printing function, even if the user is not authenticated.
US09299012B2
To analyze an inspection image obtained by taking an image of filter end faces of filter cigarettes horizontally arranged, from an axial direction, and thus inspect an excess cigarette feeding error, there are provided a first judging device that the number of cigarettes according to shape information of the filter end faces obtained from the inspection image, and a second judging device that obtains the centroid positions of the filter end faces from the inspection image, and detects that there is an excess feeding error when difference between a maximum value and a minimum value of the centroid-to-centroid distance of adjacent filter end faces is substantially equal to a previously-known diameter of the filter end face.
US09299010B2
A system and method for performing Automatic Target Recognition by combining the outputs of several classifiers. In one embodiment, feature vectors are extracted from radar images and fed to three classifiers. The classifiers include a Gaussian mixture model neural network, a radial basis function neural network, and a vector quantization classifier. The class designations generated by the classifiers are combined in a weighted voting system, i.e., the mode of the weighted classification decisions is selected as the overall class designation of the target. A confidence metric may be formed from the extent to which the class designations of the several classifiers are the same. This system is also designed to handle unknown target types and subsequent re-integration at a later time, effectively, artificially and automatically increasing the training database size.
US09299000B2
An object region extraction system, an object region extraction method, and an object region extraction program, including an effectiveness evaluation quantity acquisition unit to acquire an evaluation quantity which increases or decreases when an angle formed by two back projections selected from back projections of one point of an object approach a right angle, wherein the back projections cross each other at a position in three-dimensional space and obtained from respective images, which include the one point and captured by respective m-number of image acquisition units, where m is greater than one, and an object region determination unit to, when the evaluation quantity is equal to or larger than or equal to or smaller than a predetermined value, determine the position to be a region occupied by the object, and output the determination result.
US09298997B1
Where the recognition of small characters (e.g., text, numbers or symbols) expressed in substantially large images is desired, the recognition process may be facilitated by identifying a signature or a pattern of marked identifiers (e.g., bar codes) within the image, and determining where such characters are typically located in relation to the signature or pattern of identifiers. Because the recognition of characters within images typically occupies a substantial amount of a computer's processing capacity, focusing a recognition technique on portions where such characters are frequently located within an image that includes the signature or pattern, and not on the entire image, the time required in order to process an image in order to recognize such characters may be markedly reduced.
US09298996B2
A biometric authentication device includes: a memory; and a processor coupled to the memory and configured to: determine, when authentication with first biometric information has been successful, whether second biometric information different from the first biometric information is from a user corresponding to the first biometric information using a determining method corresponding to one of a plurality of security levels, the determining method being selected from among a plurality of determining methods based on the one of the plurality of security levels, and register, when the second biometric information has been determined to be from the user, the second biometric information associated with the user.
US09298988B2
An exemplary object detection method includes generating feature block components representing an image frame, and analyzing the image frame using the feature block components. For each feature block row of the image frame, feature block components associated with the feature block row are evaluated to determine a partial vector dot product for detector windows that overlap a portion of the image frame including the feature block row, such that each detector window has an associated group of partial vector dot products. The method can include determining a vector dot product associated with each detector window based on the associated group of partial vector dot products, and classifying an image frame portion corresponding with each detector window as an object or non-object based on the vector dot product. Each feature block component can be moved from external memory to internal memory once implementing the exemplary object detection method.
US09298987B2
An information processing apparatus includes an input unit, an attention object detection unit, and a calculation unit. The input unit is configured to input a plurality of temporally continuous images taken by an image pickup apparatus. The attention object detection unit is configured to detect an attention object as an attention target from a first image which is an image taken at a first time point out of the plurality of images input. The calculation unit is configured to compare the first image with one or more second images which are one or more images taken at a time point previous to the first time point, to calculate, as a second time point, a time point when the attention object appears in the continuous plurality of images.
US09298985B2
A head-mounted video-camera-based eye sensor system and method for measuring palpebral movement is disclosed. The system and method comprise a display that includes at least one display element responsive to palpebral movement information from the eye sensor. The system and method also comprise an electronic interface to a vehicle or powered equipment to transmit the palpebral movement information to the vehicle or powered equipment. The system and method can be used to alert the user, the vehicle, and/or the powered equipment to the fact that a person might be experiencing vertigo, motion sickness, motion intolerance, and/or spatial disorientation.
US09298983B2
Systems and methods for grouping documents and/or displaying groupings are described herein. Documents may be grouped by their document character features. Document character features may include distinct character types, character counts, common character counts, character difference counts, missing character counts, and any combination thereof. Document matches may be based on a threshold value compared to a score and/or indicator based on document character features. The computing devices described herein may generate user interfaces for displaying clusters of documents. The clusters of documents may indicate matches between documents based on the document character features.
US09298969B2
There is provided an information processing device including a detection unit that detects a face image region in an image, a determination unit that determines a human attribute of at least one face image in the face image region detected by the detection unit, and a face image replacement unit that replaces the at least one face image with a natural face image of another person according to the human attribute determined by the determination unit.
US09298968B1
This disclosure concerns methods for evaluating inflammatory cells and modulators of the inflammatory response in tumor tissue and other relevant tissue types. The methods entail: obtaining a tissue sample and processing said tissue sample to produce histologic slides of tissue sections; staining of the tissue sections to identify inflammatory cells and modulators of the inflammatory response; digitizing slides to produce an image of the stained tissue sections; digitally stratifying the tissue sample into tumor and other relevant tissue compartments; and using digital image analysis to quantify cell-based and cell population-based features. The quantification of cell-based and cell population-based features within a tissue compartment of interest is used to develop a summary score of the immune system-tissue compartment of interest interaction. Patient stratification and selection as candidates for a therapeutic approach is ultimately based on the summary score value.
US09298967B2
A finger biometric sensing device may include drive circuitry capable of generating a drive signal and an array of finger biometric sensing pixel electrodes cooperating with the drive circuitry and capable of generating a detected signal based upon placement of a finger adjacent the array of finger biometric sensing pixel electrodes. The detected signal may include a relatively large drive signal component and a relatively small sense signal component superimposed thereon. The finger biometric sensing device may also include a gain stage coupled to the array of finger biometric sensing pixel electrodes, and drive signal nulling circuitry coupled to the gain stage capable of reducing the relatively large drive signal component from the detected signal.
US09298956B2
A technique for tamper protection in an electronic device is disclosed. A conductive mesh is affixed onto one or more interior surfaces of the outer housing of the device. The mesh includes one or more conductive traces coupled to one or more detectors within the device. The detector can detect an open-circuit or short-circuit condition resulting from an unauthorized attempt to open the housing, and output a signal to trigger an appropriate countermeasure. The electrical contacts along the trace that are monitored can be selected differently from one manufactured unit to the next, and can be selected based on a randomness function. The selection of contacts may be made during or after manufacturing of the device. The mesh can include multiple metal traces that run very close together, in parallel, across one or more interior surfaces of the housing, allowing detection of both open-circuit and short-circuit conditions.
US09298948B2
A virtual security coprocessor is created in a first processing system. The virtual security coprocessor is then transferred to a second processing system, for use by the second processing system. For instance, the second processing system may use the virtual security coprocessor to provide attestation for the second processing system. In an alternative embodiment, a virtual security coprocessor from a first processing system is received at a second processing system. After receiving the virtual security coprocessor from the first processing system, the second processing system uses the virtual security coprocessor. Other embodiments are described and claimed.
US09298946B2
One feature pertains to a method of implementing a physically unclonable function that includes providing an array of metal-insulator-metal (MIM) devices, where the MIM devices are configured to represent a first resistance state or a second resistance state and a plurality of the MIM devices are initially at the first resistance state. The MIM devices have a random breakdown voltage that is greater than a first voltage and less than a second voltage, where the breakdown voltage represents a voltage that causes the MIM devices to transition from the first resistance state to the second resistance state. The method further includes applying a signal line voltage to the MIM devices to cause a portion of the MIM devices to randomly breakdown and transition from the first resistance state to the second resistance state, the signal line voltage greater than the first voltage and less than the second voltage.
US09298934B1
A method and apparatus for selectively publishing user-provided content items to other users is provided. In some instances, the content items are excluded from being rendered to a user according to one or more blocks that block the user from viewing content items provided by certain members. Managing blocks and excluding content is more efficiently achieved through the implementation of a Bloom filter that contains the blocked pairs of users. The Bloom filter can, using few computing resources, be queried to determine if a block does not exist between two users. If the Bloom filter returns an indication that a block might exist, the apparatus determines if a block is stored in an LRU cache of recently retrieved blocks. If the LRU cache does not identify a block, then a call to retrieve one or more blocked pairs is made to a data storage.
US09298933B2
Embodiments described herein generally relate to creating an autonomous role-based security system for a database management system, wherein a super user may not always be required. A computer-implemented method is described. The method includes establishing one or more privileges in a database system, each privilege controlling access to an administrative function for the database system. Each privilege is assigned to one or more roles. Each role may always have a minimum set of users with only administrative rights over the role. A request is received from a first user to grant a role to a second user. A database management system determines whether the first user has administrative privileges over the role. If the first user has administrative privileges over the role, the role is granted to the second user. The database system may satisfy the principles of least privilege and separation of duties.
US09298919B1
Diversity information associated with a set of advertisement tags is determined. Example ways of determining diversity include determining a list of distinct Uniform Resource Locators, determining a list of distinct domains, and determining whether an advertisement includes one or more dynamic elements. Scans are adaptively performed based on the determined diversity information. Scanning is performed more frequently for advertisement tags having higher associated diversities and scanning is performed less frequently for advertisement tags having lower associated diversities.
US09298917B2
A system and method for a secure supervisory control and data acquisition (SCADA) system. Secure SCADA elements (SSEs) have individual system security monitoring and enforcement of policies throughout the SCADA system. And isolation core ensures that a system security monitor monitors and takes appropriate action with respect to untrusted applications that may impact an SSE. The system security server provides policy enforcement on all of the SSEs that exist on the system. New security policies are created that are populated to individual SSEs in the system. Biomorphing algorithms allow for system uniqueness to be derived over time further enhancing security of SSEs.
US09298911B2
Technologies are provided in embodiments for receiving policy information associated with at least one security exception, the security exception relating to execution of at least one program, determining an operation associated with the security exception based, at least in part, on the policy information, and causing the operation to be performed, based at least in part, on a determination that the at least one security exception occurred.
US09298899B1
Systems and methods are provided for monitoring access of computing resources. Usage rules may be created and stored that define a usage constraint based on actions available to be performed at the computing resources. An authenticator may verify login credentials received from a user and authorize the user to access a computing resource. A request to perform an action at the computing resource may be received, and a usage monitor may apply a usage rule to the requested action. If the requested action violates the usage constraint of the usage rule, the usage monitor may halt performance of the requested action and notify another user of the usage constraint violation. The authenticator may receive and verify another set of login credentials from that other user. In response to successful verification of the additional set of login credentials, the usage monitor may resume performance of the requested action.
US09298895B2
To prevent conflicts of interest, an information management system is used to make sure two or more groups are kept apart so that information does not circulate freely between these groups. The system has policies to implement an “ethical wall” to separate users or groups of users. The user or groups of user may be organized in any arbitrary way, and may be in the same organization or different organizations. The two groups (or two or more users) will not be able to access information belonging to the other, and users in one group may not be able to pass information to the other group. The system may manage access to documents, e-mail, files, and other forms of information.
US09298893B2
A system and method for preventing piracy of a given software application limits the number of times that such software application is activated. A given software application must be activated in order to become fully functional. The user must provide a unique software identification code, relating to the specific software which the user is attempting to activate, to a remote provider. The remote provider determines the number of times that such specific software has already been activated, and provides an activation code to the user unless the number of activations exceeds a predetermined threshold. Once activated, the software becomes fully operational, and the user is allowed complete access to its functions.
US09298891B2
Content screening operations are facilitated in devices that receive a content that is subject to screening obligations. When such a content is received at a device, a watermark extraction record is obtained and accessed to fulfill content screening obligations. Upon the receipt of such an extraction record, verification of the received extraction record is carried out based on a verification rate. If the verification is successful for an extraction record with permissive information, the verification rate is decreased, thereby reducing the processing load of the device. If the verification is unsuccessful, the verification rate is increased, which can adversely affect the processing load of the device.
US09298876B2
An information processing apparatus for registering additional information of an image in a storage unit reads additional information items of an input image, sets a check item condition for additional information, matches at least one of the additional information items against a corresponding additional information item registered in the storage unit according to the check item condition, and controls whether to register the additional information items in the storage unit depending on a result of the matching.
US09298871B1
Disclosed is a method and system for translating parameterized cells (pcells) that are created using different programming languages. The pcell source code created in a first programming language undergoes a translation process to translate that source code to a second programming language. A validation process is also provided to ensure the correctness of the translations.
US09298868B2
A technique for generating pushdown data comprises performing logical pushdown of circuit elements and nets and detecting physical pushdown based on partition boundary crossings. Geometry associated with one logical level may be used as a keep-out region for the same physical layer when generating physical design of a different logical level. The technique may advantageously enable concurrent design in both top-level and low-level physical design phases, thereby reducing overall design cycle time in developing an integrated circuit.
US09298861B1
A computing device is described that is configured to display a graphic visualization for modeling an irrigation system, such as a center pivot irrigation system. In an implementation, the computing device includes a memory and a processor communicatively coupled to the memory. The computing device also includes one or modules stored in memory and executable by the processor. The one or more modules are configured to instruct the processor to receive a command for placing one or more representations of a center pivot irrigation system within a graphical representation of a cultivation area and to receive one or more operational parameters of the center pivot irrigation system. The one or more modules are also configured to instruct the processor to model operation of the center pivot irrigation system based upon the one or more operational parameters.
US09298856B2
A computer-implemented method for data visualization includes determining a query context for a user's search query, and retrieving relevant data for the query context. The method combines the relevant data with data that is filtered according to search parameters in the user's search query. The method further includes generating an interactive presentation to display the combined data from the perspective of the user's search query or from the perspectives of other entities.
US09298855B2
Improved visual context management techniques are disclosed. By way of example, a technique for updating an existing visual display to incorporate new information comprises obtaining new information requested by a subsequent user query, and dynamically deriving one or more visual transformations for updating at least a portion of the existing display to incorporate the new information, wherein the transformation derivation is modeled as an optimization operation which attempts to balance visual context management constraints and to achieve a desired presentation of intended information.
US09298849B2
Embodiments of the disclosure provide a method, system, and computer program product for managing a template on an operator graph. The method for managing a template on an operator graph can include receiving the template for processing a stream of tuples. The template can have a plurality of template elements operating on one or more computer processors. The method can include calculating a resource requirement of a template element from the template. The method can include calculating a resource availability of a virtual machine. The method can include allocating the template onto the operator graph. The operator graph can have a plurality of processing elements operating on one or more computer processors. The method can also include mapping the template element from the template onto the virtual machine as a function of the resource requirement of the template element and the resource availability of the virtual machine.
US09298845B2
The invention relates to a method and system for detecting the display of objects inserted in web pages. The method comprises downloading (12) a web page from a web server (2) to a web browser of a customer, said web page including information regarding a detection function for detecting the display on the screen of the web browser of the objects inserted in the web page; downloading (14) the objects to be inserted in the web page from an inserted object provider server (3) to the customer's web browser; inserting said objects in the web page; associating the detection function with the inserted objects; the web browser sending (15) a message with the identifier of the displayed object to a hit measurement server (4) each time the detection function detects that an object has been correctly displayed; monitoring the displays of said objects in the hit measurement server (4).
US09298832B2
Collaborative group search is achieved by obtaining, over a wide area network, a plurality of search queries initiated by a plurality of client devices. A group of two or more client devices is identified from among the plurality of client devices. Each client device of the group exhibits a content relatedness of the search query relative to other search queries, a time proximity of the search query relative to other search queries, and/or a geographic proximity of the client device to other client devices. Search queries initiated by the group are processed via a search engine to obtain search results for the group having increased search result diversity relative to each other. Search results are returned to the client device of the group via the wide area network. Search result diversity may include different ordering of search results among client devices of group.
US09298823B2
Techniques for identifying and conveying core sections of a specified document. Reference documents are identified that each includes a respective citation to a distinct portion of the specified document. The core sections are determined based on the citations of the reference documents. The core sections are output in a manner that emphasizes the core sections over non-core sections of the specified document.
US09298810B2
Methods and systems are provided for generating automatic program recommendations based on user interactions. In some embodiments, control circuitry processes verbal data received during an interaction between a user of a user device and a person with whom the user is interacting. The control circuitry analyzes the verbal data to automatically identify a media asset referred to during the interaction by at least one of the user and the person with whom the user is interacting. The control circuitry adds the identified media asset to a list of media assets associated with the user of the user device. The list of media assets is transmitted to a second user device of the user.
US09298809B2
Recommending one or more items among a plurality of items to a first user by generating a weighted data set by applying a weight factor to each of a plurality of user event data sets each derived from a previous user event of a second user of the recommendation system. Each of the user event data sets includes a user identifier of the second user, an item identifier of an item involved in the previous user event, and time information regarding a time of the previous user event. The weight factor is derived from the time information of the corresponding previous user event. One or more recommended items are determined based on an algorithm using the weighted data set.
US09298806B1
A system and method configured for analyzing transactions in a distributed ledger. The system may identify transactions where addresses and/or groupings of addresses are co-spent together and determine whether the addresses and/or groupings of addresses should be associated with each other. Addresses may be associated with each other in a grouping of addresses and/or potential grouping of addresses because they likely belong to the same entity. The system may identify different strengths and/or confidence levels of groupings of addresses and/or potential groupings of addresses. Strong groupings, relatively strong potential groupings, and/or other groupings of addresses, potential groupings of addresses, and/or groups may be grouped, associated, analyzed, and/or presented together. As such, the system may provide a comprehensive analysis of addresses associated with a given entity.
US09298796B2
Systems and methods for managing, integrating and synchronizing data from a number of different sources for an enterprise. A Master Data Management (“MDM”) system may be used to hold and manage the enterprise's data, and a data integration server may be used to facilitate communications between the MDM system and other data sources, e.g., a CRM. The MDM system may store the enterprise's data as customer master data, which may include data from the enterprise's internal sources, data from the MDM provider, data from other data providers, and a Golden Record consolidated from such data. A data steward service may be used to maintain the customer master data and make it accurate and up-to-date. Users may directly search the customer master data in the MDM system, and may also update the CRM with the customer master data.
US09298791B2
Techniques are disclosed for adding a key column to a table to be replicated, where the key column stores key values for use in replication. In one embodiment, a request is received to add a table to a replication domain, such that the table is replicated from a first database server to at least a second database server. Key values are generated for both existing records and new records subsequently requested to be inserted into the table, respectively. Each generated key value is unique across the replication domain. Further, the key column may be added to the table without requiring exclusive access to the table.
US09298785B2
Methods, systems, and apparatus to constrain a search are described. A selection of one or more items of a search result set by a user may be obtained. One or more attributes of the one or more selected items may be evaluated. One or more filters are identified based on the evaluated attributes.
US09298784B1
Disclosed are various embodiments for facilitating a search of published works, non-published works, and/or other works using both visual and text search elements. Upon receipt of an image, the search engine application determines whether the item depicted in the image includes searchable content. Once the search engine application determines that the item depicted in the image contains searchable content, the search engine application facilitates receipt of the search string that may be used to search the searchable content of the item. The search engine application may generate one or more search results in response to the search.
US09298780B1
User weighted data indicating acceptance of a given data extraction template and weighted data indicating the number of data fields that the data extraction template can extract accurately is used to calculate data extraction template ranking, or a weighted ranking score, to be associated with the data extraction template. Then the data extraction template having the highest data extraction template ranking score is used in a first attempt to extract data from a source documents of the source document type associated with the data extraction templates. As more data extraction templates associated with a given source document type are received, the data extraction templates having the lowest data extraction template ranking scores are detected/eliminated.
US09298770B2
Implementations of the present disclosure include methods, systems, and computer-readable storage mediums for generating a repository comprising receiving a language meta-model; receiving annotations, each annotation including meta-data; annotating the language meta-model based on the annotations to provide an annotated language meta-model; and generating one or more repository modules based on the annotated language meta-model, the repository being defined based on the one or more repository modules.
US09298769B1
A method for parallel processing of data, including accessing a sub-graph of an execution plan for a query used for accessing a database by a host processor, wherein the execution plan includes operators organized into sub-graphs. The method includes generating a transformed sub-graph by transforming operators from the sub-graph for parallel execution on discrete computing devices. The method includes adding at least one first operator to the transformed sub-graph configured for allocating memory on the discrete computing devices and copying ingress variables to the allocated memory. The method includes adding at least one second operator to the transformed sub-graph for copying egress variables, wherein the transformed sub-graph comprises a plurality of intermediate variables generated during execution of the sub-graph that are fully contained within the transformed sub-graph. The method includes off-loading the transformed sub-graph to the discrete devices for execution.
US09298768B2
System and method for the parallel execution of database queries over CPUs and multi core processors
The invention relates to a system for parallel execution of database queries over one or more Central Processing Units (CPUs), and one or more Multi Core Processor, (MCPs), the system comprises (a) a query analyzer for dividing the query to plurality of sub-queries, and for computing and assigning to each sub-query a target address of either a CPU of an MCP; (b) a query compiler for creating an Abstract Syntax Tree (AST) and OpenCL primitives only for those sub-queries that are targeted to an MCP, and for conveying both the remaining sub-queries, and the AST and the OpenCL code to a virtual machine, and (A) a Virtual Machine (VM) which comprises: a task bank, a buffers; a scheduler. The virtual machine combines said sub-query results by the CPUs and said primitive results by said MCPs to a final query result.
US09298767B1
Mechanisms are provided for calculating state of cryptographic objects and generating search filters for querying cryptographic objects based on the given state or on the given combination of unique states. The mechanism to calculate a state of a cryptographic object allows an application or system to resolve the current state of any cryptographic object with the following set of state altering date values: initial date, activation date, deactivation date, compromise date, and destroy date. A processing module may retrieve the state meta-data and calculate the current state of a given cryptographic object. The current state may be, for example, one of the following: unknown, pre-active, active, deactivated, compromised, destroyed, and destroyed-compromised. The mechanism to generate a search filter may generate a search query language (SQL) search filter to query for cryptographic objects using the state altering date values stored for each object.
US09298765B2
A method, for handling partially inconsistent states among members of a cluster in an erratic storage network that responds to requests from a client, includes assigning a unique commit identifier corresponding to each successive modification of state of the cluster when an update request has been successfully completed and correlating an incoming request to a given member of the cluster with any commit identifiers necessary to satisfy the request. The method further includes detecting, on the incoming request to the given member of the cluster, whether the commit identifiers necessary to satisfy the request have been applied to the given member, and processing the incoming request based on whether the commit identifiers necessary to satisfy the request have been applied to the given member. Operation of the members can be asynchronous.
US09298763B1
A method for completing profile of a user includes detecting user interactions at a property page. The user interactions may include social interactions and service-specific interactions. The user interactions are analyzed to determine the context of the interaction and/or data content associated with the user or friends of the user. User profile information is examined to determine which fields need to be filled and which fields need to be updated. Based on the examination of the user profile information and the analysis of the user interactions, a query/suggestion is presented in a user interface and is related to a specific field of the user profile that is to be filled. Response to the query/suggestion at the user interface is monitored and used to update the appropriate field in the user profile.
US09298762B2
A system and a method are disclosed for updating a master data list with data from a difference unaware information repository and a difference aware information repository. A master synchronization engine may synchronize to the difference unaware information repository and the difference aware information repository via connectors coupled to each information repository. The difference unaware information repository exports all the data stored within the repository to its respective connector. The connector determines the changes made to the data since the last synchronization and the changes are forwarded to the master synchronization engine. The difference aware information repository is capable of determining the changes made to the stored data since the last synchronization and forwards the changes to its connector. Each connector forwards the changes to the data in their respective information repositories to a database which updates the master data list.
US09298760B1
A method for shard assignment in a large-scale data processing job is provided. Datasets are divided into a plurality of shards and the shards are indexed and aggregated into one or more groups. A worker process is initially assigned an indexed shard from a group. The initial assignment can assigned based on a simple algorithm. The worker's subsequent shard assignment is based on the index of the initially assigned shard.
US09298750B2
In accordance with embodiments, there are provided mechanisms and methods for creating, exporting, viewing and testing, and importing custom applications in a multitenant database environment. These mechanisms and methods can enable embodiments to provide a vehicle for sharing applications across organizational boundaries. The ability to share applications across organizational boundaries can enable tenants in a multi-tenant database system, for example, to easily and efficiently import and export, and thus share, applications with other tenants in the multi-tenant environment.
US09298741B1
Media objects, such as photographs, music, or videos are modified based on a process that first identifies conditions associated with either the media object itself or a characteristic of a request for the media object. Conditions associated with the media object may include an age of the media object or a number of times the media object has been accessed. The characteristic of the request for the media object may include a geographic or logical location from which the request originated. The second step makes predetermined alterations to the media object based on how the conditions match rules for processing the media object. The alterations may include reductions in fidelity or quality, changes in color, selective blurring, such as faces, or changing how much of a music or video media object is presented.
US09298725B2
Migrating a sub-volume in data storage with at least two de-duplication domains, each of the domains having at least one sub-volume. A first sub-volume is assigned to a de-duplication domain and a first content summary is computed for the first sub-volume. Similarly, a second sub-volume is assigned to a second de-duplication domains and a second content summary is computed for the second sub-volume. A first content affinity is calculated between the first sub-volume and a third sub-volume, and a second content affinity is calculated between the second sub-volume and the third sub-volume. A domain placement is selected for the third sub-volume based on comparison of the first content affinity and the second content affinity.
US09298723B1
A receiver-side deduplication architecture for data storage systems, for example remote data storage systems that use block-based data storage and that provide the data storage to client(s) via a network. The architecture may provide network deduplication by reducing bandwidth usage on communications channel(s) between the client(s) and the data storage systems. The architecture may leverage block storage technology of a data store provided to clients by a data store provider and caching technology to implement a deduplication data dictionary. The deduplication data dictionary includes deduplication data blocks stored in the data store and a mapping tier that leverages caching technology to store and maintain a store of key/value pairs that map data block fingerprints to deduplication data blocks in the data store.
US09298722B2
Methods and apparatus involve an original data stream arranged as a plurality of symbols. Of those symbols, all possible tuples are identified and the highest or most frequently occurring tuple is determined. A new symbol is created and substituted for each instance of the highest occurring tuple, which results in a new data stream. The new data stream is encoded and its size determined. Also, a size of a dictionary carrying all the original and new symbols is determined. The encoding size, the size of the dictionary and sizes of any other attendant overhead is compared to a size of the original data to see if compression has occurred, and by how much. Upon reaching pre-defined objectives, compression ceases. Decompression occurs oppositely. Other features include resolving ties between equally occurring tuples, path weighted Huffman coding, storing files, decoding structures, and computing arrangements and program products, to name a few.
US09298719B2
A mechanism is provided in a data processing system for on-demand caching in a wide area network (WAN) separated distributed file system or clustered file system. The mechanism monitors file access by a plurality of cache sites in the WAN separated distributed file system or clustered file system. The mechanism identifies access patterns by cache sites. The mechanism shares the access patterns with the plurality of cache sites. A given cache site within the plurality of cache sites combines the access patterns with local access information and identifies files to pre-fetch based on the combined information.
US09298714B2
Provided is an information processing apparatus including a reception section that receives a request for a process relative to management of a publication, a code acquisition section that acquires plural codes affixed to the publication, a determination section that determines whether or not a code corresponding to the process is present in the plural acquired codes, and a process execution section that executes the process based on the code when it is determined that the code corresponding to the process is present.
US09298712B2
Metadata based enhanced search capabilities are provided in conjunction with e-reader experience. Metadata associated with content and objects within displayed content is created based on default and/or custom rules. The metadata such as attributes, tags, etc. is indexed and used to augment search queries based on selected portions of the displayed content. Additional search augmentation is performed based on user-defined metadata or processing of objects such as image recognition of image objects and similar processes.
US09298711B2
A document management system monitors proposed recipients for documents and provides recommendations on alterations to the distribution set, such as by adding or removing recipients.
US09298707B1
Systems and methods for providing efficient storage and retrieval of data are disclosed. A two-level segment labeling mechanism may be employed to ensure that unique data segments from particular backup data sets are stored together in a storage container. The two-level segment labeling may facilitate preservation of the relative positions of segments within the backup stream during compaction operations. Also, backup data restoration performance may be improved by use of multiple read threads that are localized to particular storage containers.
US09298705B2
A system and method for associating a photo with a geographic place is provided. Indication of user input requesting suggestions for a place to associate with the photo is received. Based on the user input requesting suggestions, one or more suggestions for the place to associate with the photo are determined, the one or more suggestions for the place being proximate to the mapped location of the photo. The determined one or more suggestions for the place are provided for display. Indication of user input selecting one place from the one or more suggestions for the place is received. The selected place is associated with the photo. The associated place and the mapped location of the photo are provided for display.
US09298703B2
Systems and methods of various embodiments may enable or refine translation of text between a first language and a second language. In particular, systems and methods may enable or refine a text translation by soliciting and/or receiving feedback for: translation of a first word or phrase from a first language to a second language; transformation of the first word or phrase (in the first language) to a second word or phrase in the first language; or transformation of the first word or phrase (in the first language) to a second word or phrase in the second language. The systems and methods of various embodiments may incentivize user feedback for failed translations in order to encourage user feedback, improve the quality of user feedback received, and to permit development of translation corpora that can evolve with time.
US09298694B2
A computer receives a formatted query having a plain text word. The computer selects each character in the plain text word. The computer identifies a group of characters from a confusion matrix that are commonly confused with the character selected. The computer generates a set of characters for each character selected, wherein the set of characters begin with one of the each character selected followed by and ending with the group of characters from the confusion matrix. The computer generates a regular expression by concatenating each of the set of characters.
US09298687B2
A spreadsheet validation method may provide a validation input value to an input field of a computer spreadsheet application and identify a calculated result from an output field of the computer spreadsheet application. The result is calculated based on a formula associated with the output field and the formula uses the validation input value as an input. Further, the calculated result may be compared to an expected validation output value.
US09298683B2
A computer identifies a sample document and annotates the sample document using a plurality of annotators to produce annotations associated with the sample document. The computer determines a plurality of patterns in the sample document based on the annotations. The computer populates a template using the patterns, and varies parts of the patterns in the template to generate test data. The computer identifies a knowledge domain of the sample document and identifies at least one of the annotators based on the knowledge domain of the sample document. The computer determines the observed occurrence count of at least one of the patterns in the sample document, and the likelihood of populating the template using the at least one of the patterns can be proportional to the observed occurrence count.
US09298681B2
A method, computer program product, and computer system for dynamic webpage change animation. A computer system detects one or more items that are changed on a second version of a webpage relative to a first version of the webpage. The computer system determines an animation order based on user environment. And, on the first version of the webpage and a template for generating the second version of the webpage, the computer system animates changes of the one or more items, according to the animation order.
US09298672B2
Three-dimensional (3-D) processor structures are provided which are constructed by connecting processors in a stacked configuration. For example, a processor system includes a first processor chip comprising a first processor, and a second processor chip comprising a second processor. The first and second processor chips are connected in a stacked configuration with the first and second processors connected through vertical connections between the first and second processor chips. The processor system further includes a mode control circuit to selectively configure the first and second processors of the first and second processor chips to operate in one of a plurality of operating modes, wherein the processors can be selectively configured to operate independently, to aggregate resources, to share resources, and/or be combined to form a single processor image.
US09298671B2
Methods and arrangements for conducting a search using query logs. A query log is consulted and query rewrite rules are learned automatically based on data in the query log. The learning includes obtaining click-through data present in the query log.
US09298666B2
The invention concerns a circuit comprising: a first circuit block (302) adapted to receive a first clock signal (CLK1) and to provide a first output data signal at a time determined by said first clock signal; a second circuit block (304) adapted to receive a second clock signal (CLK2) and to provide a second output data signal at a time determined by said second clock signal; a clock bus (314) coupled to corresponding outputs of said first and second circuit blocks for receiving a third clock signal (BCLK) based on said first and second clock signals; and a synchronization unit (312) coupled to said clock bus and adapted to sample said first and second output data signals based on said third clock signal.
US09298665B2
This invention optimizes non-shared accesses and avoids dependencies across coherent endpoints to ensure bandwidth across the system even when sharing. The coherence controller is distributed across all coherent endpoints. The coherence controller for each memory endpoint keeps a state around for each coherent access to ensure the proper ordering of events. The coherence controller of this invention uses First-In-First-Out allocation to ensure full utilization of the resources before stalling and simplicity of implementation. The coherence controller provides Snoop Command/Response ID Allocation per memory endpoint.
US09298662B2
Settings are provided by a chassis management controller to an expansion card in a multi-slot server chassis. The chassis management controller in a multi-slot server chassis provides an operating parameter to a server management controller in a server, and the server management controller writes the operating parameter to a port expander of an expansion card installed on the server. The operating parameter is written to the port expander prior to expansion card power up, and the expansion card uses the operating parameter after power up to derive one or more SERDES value. The SERDES value is used to program an ASIC chip comprising a SERDES converter on the expansion card. In one example, the operating parameter is determined by the capabilities of a chassis midplane at the slot where the compute node is installed.
US09298661B2
A docking assembly for docking a handheld device thereto is provided. The docking assembly includes a cradle for receiving the handheld device, and a handle adjacent to the cradle and reciprocally movable inwardly and outwardly relative to the cradle between an open and a position. The handle has a handle interface facing a corresponding device interface of the handheld device when the handheld device is placed in the cradle. The handle interface has a pair of alignment projections and a handle data connector connectable to a device data connector of the handheld device, the alignment projections being engageable with complimentary alignment cavities of the handheld device. The docking assembly further includes a displacement mechanism configured such that, as the handle moves toward the closed position, the alignment projections progressively engage the alignment cavities and guide the handle and device data connectors toward each other for connection therebetween.
US09298656B2
A data transferring apparatus includes a receiving unit configured to receive, from a plurality of bus masters, a data transfer request including attribute information indicating a data transfer type and an address and a sending unit configured to determine, based on information included in the data transfer request, whether the data transfer request is a target to be compressed and to, based in the determination, transfer the data transfer request with or without the attribute information and address.
US09298655B2
A bus detection and control method for a mobile industry processor interface system is disclosed, wherein a host is coupled to a slave with a mobile industry processor interface bus. The bus detection and control method includes steps of detecting statuses of the mobile industry processor interface bus and the host, to output a control signal; and outputting one of a predefined signal corresponding to an initial state and a transmission signal outputted to the mobile industry processor interface bus by the host as a reception signal of the slave according to the control signal.
US09298654B2
Embodiments include a method for bypassing data in an active memory device. The method includes a requestor determining a number of transfers to a grantor that have not been communicated to the grantor, requesting to the interconnect network that the bypass path be used for the transfers based on the number of transfers meeting a threshold and communicating the transfers via the bypass path to the grantor based on the request, the interconnect network granting control of the grantor in response to the request. The method also includes the interconnect network requesting control of the grantor based on an event and communicating delayed transfers via the interconnect network from other requestors, the delayed transfers being delayed due to the grantor being previously controlled by the requestor, the communicating based on the control of the grantor being changed back to the interconnect network.
US09298653B2
A serial-parallel interface circuit with nonvolatile memories is provided. A control module generates a plurality of control signals, wherein the control signals include readout and write-in control signals and memory programming control signals. An input terminal receives a plurality of digital data from external. The digital data are transmitted to the input terminal serially. Memory modules are coupled to the input terminal and receive the control signals from the control module. The input terminal transmits the digital data to the memory modules. One of the memory modules includes a memory unit, and the memory unit stores or transmits one bit of the digital data based on a high voltage control signal and a memory control signal. A plurality of output signal lines are respectively coupled to the memory modules. The memory unit transmits the one bit of the digital data to one of the output signal lines.
US09298647B2
A memory device including at least one memory location for storing information representing data written using a first encryption/decryption method, and a read channel using a second encryption/decryption method for reading and decrypting information as written. The memory device also includes an apparatus that prevents the reading of the at least one memory location using the second encryption/decryption method, in response to an indication that the at least one memory location was written using the first encryption/decryption method. In another embodiment, a reading of all zeroes is returned in response to an indication of another encryption/decryption method.
US09298645B2
Compressed data is maintained in a plurality of strides of a redundant array of independent disks, wherein a stride is configurable to store a plurality of tracks. A request is received to write one or more tracks. The one or more tracks are written to a selected stride of the plurality of strides, based on comparing the number of operations required to destage selected tracks from the selected stride to the number of operations required to defragment the compressed data in the selected stride.
US09298642B2
A method for memory access includes maintaining in a host memory, under control of a host operating system running on a central processing unit (CPU), respective address translation tables for multiple processes executed by the CPU. Upon receiving, in a peripheral device, a work item that is associated with a given process, having a respective address translation table in the host memory, and specifies a virtual memory address, the peripheral device translates the virtual memory address into a physical memory address by accessing the respective address translation table of the given process in the host memory. The work item is executed in the peripheral device by accessing data at the physical memory address in the host memory.
US09298641B2
A processor including logic to execute an instruction to synchronize a mapping from a physical address of a guest of a virtualization based system (guest physical address) to a physical address of the host of the virtualization based system (host physical address), and stored in a translation lookaside buffer (TLB), with a corresponding mapping stored in an extended paging table (EPT) of the virtualization based system.
US09298640B2
A processor including logic to execute an instruction to synchronize a mapping from a physical address of a guest of a virtualization based system (guest physical address) to a physical address of the host of the virtualization based system (host physical address), and stored in a translation lookaside buffer (TLB), with a corresponding mapping stored in an extended paging table (EPT) of the virtualization based system.
US09298635B2
A storage device includes a plurality of magnetic disk devices each having a write cache, a processor unit that redundantly stores data, a rebuild execution control unit that performs a rebuild process, a write cache control unit that, at the time of the rebuild process, enables a write cache of a storage device that stores rebuilt data, and a rebuild progress management unit that is configured using a nonvolatile memory and manages progress information of the rebuild process. In the case where power discontinuity is caused during the rebuild process and then power is restored, the rebuild execution control unit calculates an address that is before an address of last written rebuilt data by an amount corresponding to the capacity of the write cache based on the progress information of the rebuild process managed by the progress management unit and resumes the rebuild process from that calculated address.
US09298633B1
Implementations are provided herein relating to adaptive prefetch for predicted write requests. A set of I/O requests associated with a set of storage devices and a set of cache memory can be monitored. Through the application of a prefetch algorithm to the set of monitored I/O requests, future write requests can be predicted. Data blocks corresponding to the predicted future write requests can be read in parallel with other disk I/O and preloaded into cache for access by, for example, data protection processes. In this sense the efficiency of data protection processes can be enhanced by reducing sequential disk I/O requests.
US09298631B2
Embodiments relate to controlling observability of transactional and non-transactional stores. An aspect includes receiving one or more store instructions. The one or more store instructions are initiated within an active transaction and include store data. The active transaction effectively delays committing stores to memory until successful completion of the active transaction. The store data is stored in a local storage buffer causing alterations to the local storage buffer from a first state to a second state. A signal is received that the active transaction has terminated. If the active transaction has terminated abnormally then: the local storage buffer is reverted back to the first state if the store data was stored by a transactional store instruction, and is propagated to a shared cache if the store instruction is non-transactional.
US09298628B2
Embodiments include multi-processor systems, including multi-core processor systems, as well as methods for operating the same, in which at least one processor or processor core is configured to receive an instruction directing the at least one processor core to read a value associated with a memory address. In response to receiving the instruction and before execution of the instruction, the at least one processor or processor core causes ones of the plurality of mutually communicatively inter-coupled processor cores to provide a plurality of locally stored values that are stored individually in the respective processor cores and that are associated with the memory address.
US09298621B2
A chip multi-processor (CMP) with virtual domain management. The CMP has a plurality of tiles each including a core and a cache, a mapping storage, a plurality of memory controllers, a communication bus interconnecting the tiles and the memory controllers, and machine-executable instructions. The tiles and memory controllers are responsive to the instructions to group the tiles into a plurality of virtual domains, each virtual domain associated with at least one memory controller, and to store a mapping unique to each virtual domain in the mapping storage.
US09298609B2
A memory system includes nonvolatile physical memory, such as flash memory, that exhibits a wear mechanism asymmetrically associated with write operations. A relatively small cache of volatile memory reduces the number of writes, and wear-leveling memory access methods distribute writes evenly over the nonvolatile memory.
US09298606B2
Statistical wear leveling is described that may be particularly useful for non-volatile system memory. In one embodiment, the invention includes a wear level move state machine to select an active block based on a wear criteria, to move the contents of the selected active block to a block from a free block list, and to move the selected active block to an unused block list, a free block list expansion state machine to take a block from a target free block list, to move the contents of the block to a block from the unused block list, and to move the block taken from the target block list to a free block list, and a target free block generation state machine to select blocks from the unused block list and to move the selected blocks to the target free block list.
US09298602B2
For nonvolatile random access memory (NVRAM) use, a query module identifies persistent data on a NVRAM in response to waking the NVRAM. A management module makes available the persistent data for use.
US09298595B2
A new method and computer program for evaluating page resizing of a web browser. A web page with a test area having test elements is created. Then, the web page is displayed by the web browser and locations of at least two original edge points for each of the test elements are determined. After this, the test area within the web page is resized and displayed with the resized test area. Then, a further determination step is performed for each resized test element in the displayed web page, whereby locations of at least two respective resized edge points of the test element are determined. After obtaining these locations, comparisons between the locations of the at least two original edge points and the locations of the at least two respective resized edge points are made.
US09298593B2
Embodiments of the disclosure relate to testing a software interface for a streaming hardware device through simulation. Methods include receiving, by a processor, a data manipulation request and a data segment associated with the data manipulation request and generating, by the software interface, an input data stream comprising control information and the data segment. The method also includes transmitting the input data stream to a simulation device and generating, by the simulation device, an output data stream in response to the input data stream, the output data stream including a delineator, control data, a manipulated data segment and a trailing delineator. The simulation device is configured to simulate the operation of the streaming hardware device by performing the data manipulation request.
US09298591B1
A method, system, and apparatus for debugging an application program from a workstation that is remote from a server on which the application program resides includes invoking the application program from the workstation via a network interface; displaying a user frame at the workstation that includes information generated by the application program; providing a debug view option at the workstation for generating a debug frame of the application program; and displaying the debug frame at the workstation when the debug view option is selected. When the debug view option is selected, the information for the user frame is saved and can be restored to regenerate the information on the user frame when the user view option is selected. The developer can view internal, public, and private code associated with the application program without compromising the security of other application programs on the server.
US09298588B2
A tracing system may trace applications and their modules, and may make module-specific data available through various interfaces. The tracing system may collect tracer data while an application executes, and may preprocess the data into application-specific and module-specific databases. An analysis engine may further analyze and process these databases to create application-specific views and module-specific views into the data. The application-specific views may be intended for a developer of the application, while the module-specific views may have a public version accessible to everybody and a module developer version that may contain additional details that may be useful to the module developer.
US09298584B2
Artifact selection by obtaining textual reports indicating potential defects in a program product. The textual reports are associated with artifacts of the program product. The textual reports and artifacts are automatically analyzed to estimate severity of potential errors in the artifacts of the program product, by utilizing a statistical model to estimate the severity based on content of the textual reports. The statistical model is trained with respect to a training dataset. A subset of the artifacts is determined based on the estimated severity.
US09298583B2
A method of estimating power consumption of one or more network connected devices configured within an information technology (IT) architecture includes monitoring network events occurring within the IT architecture over a defined time period; correlating the monitored network events with predetermined power profile operating point data associated with the one or more network connected devices, wherein the power profile operating point data is based on possible network event occurrences within the IT architecture; and based on the correlating, generating an estimated energy usage of the one or more network connected devices for the defined time period.
US09298565B1
A system and method of identifying a memory includes detecting defects in regions of the memory, comparing the detected defects with defects contained in a previously-created defect map associated with the memory and stored in another memory of a device accessing the memory, confirming the identity of the memory where a result of the comparison indicates the detected defects match defects contained in the previously-created defect map; and denying the identity of the memory where the result of the comparison indicates the detected defects do not match the defects contained in the previously-created defect map.
US09298561B1
A computer-implemented method for prioritizing restoration speed with deduplicated backups may include (1) receiving a request to store a backup image within a deduplicating data system, (2) evaluating an amount of data segments that match the backup image within a container of deduplicated data segments, (3) identifying a restoration prioritization value that is assigned to the backup image and that correlates with a desired restoration speed for the backup image, (4) determining that the amount of data segments that match the backup image exceeds the restoration prioritization value by a predetermined degree, and (5) referencing previously stored data segments within the container of deduplicated data segments that match the backup image when storing the backup image based on the amount of data segments that match the backup image exceeding the restoration prioritization value by the predetermined degree. Various other methods, systems, and computer-readable media are also disclosed.
US09298559B2
This application describes techniques for creating a second snapshot of a first snapshot of a set of data, modifying the first snapshot, and reverting the modifications to the first snapshot. For example, portions of one or more transaction logs may be played into a database to put the database in a particular state a particular point in time. The second snapshot may then be used to revert to a prior state of the database such that additional transaction logs may be played into the database. These techniques enable the ability to put the database into multiple states as the database existed at multiple points in time. Therefore, data can be recovered from the database as the data existed at different points in time. Moreover, individual data objects in the database can be accessed and analyzed as the individual data objects existed at different points in time.
US09298554B2
A fail-safe booting system suitable for a system-on-chip (SOC) automatically detects and rectifies failures in power-on reset (POR) configuration or boot loader fetch operations. If a failure due to a boot loader fetch occurs, a POR configuration and boot loader are fetched from a different non-volatile memory. The reloading takes place from further different non-volatile memory sources if the boot loader fetch fails again. The automated system operates in accordance with a state machine, and does not involve any manual, on-board switch selection or manual re-programming.
US09298551B2
The invention pertains to a method and apparatus for writing data to an array of Shingled Magnetic Recording (SMR) devices. In an embodiment of the invention a parity band configured to allow random access writes is provided. Next, data is appended sequentially to a stripe on an array of SMR devices. Then the parity band is updated to contain parity data consistent with the data appended to the stripe. In another embodiment of the invention, a shingled parity band is provided. Data is then appended sequentially to a stripe on an array of SMR devices without the user being required to write an entire stripe of data. The provided parity band is then updated to contain parity data consistent with the data that was appended to the stripe. In such an embodiment it is not always necessary to delete all of the parity data in the parity band when updating the parity band.
US09298545B2
Data protection across multiple memory blocks can include writing a first portion of a codeword in a first location of a first memory block and writing a second portion of the codeword in a second location of a second memory block. The second location of the second memory block can be different than the first location of the first memory block.
US09298525B2
According to an example, an adaptive fault diagnosis system may include a memory storing machine readable instructions to receive metrics and events from an enterprise system, and use a substitution graph to determine if a received metric or a received event belongs to a cluster that includes one or more correlated metrics and/or events grouped based on similarity. If the received metric or the received event belongs to the cluster, the memory may further store machine readable instructions to use a detection graph to determine if the received metric or the received event is identifiable to form a fault pattern by traversing a fault path of the detection graph. Further, the memory may further store machine readable instructions to diagnose a fault based on the traversal of the fault path of the detection graph. The system may include a processor to implement the machine readable instructions.
US09298523B2
Disclosed are a method of and system for providing time synchronization among first and second computer systems, where each of the computer systems includes hardware, operating system software and a layer of microcode operating between said hardware and said software. The method comprises the steps of using the microcode of the first computer system to provide a first timestamp, using the microcode of the second computer system to provide a second timestamp and a third timestamp, and using the microcode of the first computer system to provide a fourth timestamp. The method comprises the further steps of using the first, second, third and fourth timestamps to determine a timing difference between the first and second computer systems, and adjusting the timing among said first and second computer systems on the basis of said determined timing difference. Preferably, the first and second computer systems are connected together by a point-to-point link; and the first timestamp is sent from the first computer system to the second computer system, and the second and third timestamps are sent from the second computer system to the first computer system over that point-to-point link.
US09298519B2
A method for controlling a display apparatus and a mobile phone is provided. According to the method, the display apparatus transmits an application to the mobile phone, the mobile phone executes the application and transmits specific information received from a user, and the display apparatus controls an execution state of the application according to the specific information. Accordingly, a user controls the display apparatus using the mobile phone.
US09298517B2
A management server specifies processes that make exclusive control requests of files in a predetermined time slot, based on an execution schedule of a plurality of processes. Then, the management server specifies files that are the subjects of exclusive control in the predetermined time slot, based on utilization file information indicating files that are used by the respective processes. Then, the management server determines a plurality of file management servers as destinations of exclusive control requests of the respective specified files such that the number of exclusive control requests to be transmitted in the predetermined time slot to each of the file management servers, which is configured to perform exclusive control of a file, is not greater than a predetermined number of exclusive control requests.
US09298508B2
A middleware processor provisioning process provisions a plurality of processors in a multi-processor environment. The processors themselves may be subdivided in to one or more partitions or processing instances for which a single processing queue is created and a single kernel thread is started. User processing requests are portioned and dispatched across the plurality of processing queues and are serviced by the corresponding kernel process, thereby efficiently using available processing resources while servicing the user processing requests in a desired manner.
US09298504B1
Systems, devices, and techniques for preempting and reassigning tasks within a multiprocessor system
In a system having multiple processors, idle processors are wakened in anticipation of tasks that may be subsequently queued. When interrupting a first processor to execute a particular task, a scheduler may also send interrupts to idle or otherwise available processors, instructing the idle processors to begin monitoring task queues and to find and execute compatible tasks that may be subsequently queued.
US09298487B2
Methods, apparatuses, and computer program products for managing virtual machine images in a distributed computing environment are provided. Embodiments includes a management system recording dependencies between the virtual machine images in the image service repository and dependencies between the deployed virtual machines in the compute service and the virtual machine images in the image service repository. Based on the recorded dependencies between the virtual machine images and the dependencies between the deployed virtual machines and the virtual machine images, the management system identifies a virtual machine image that has no deployed virtual machine dependent upon it. Embodiments also include the management system deleting, by the management system, the identified virtual machine image from the image service repository.
US09298485B2
A streams manager monitors performance of a streaming application, and when the performance needs to be improved, the streams manager automatically requests virtual machines from a cloud manager. The cloud manager provisions one or more virtual machines in a cloud with the specified streams infrastructure and streams application components. The streams manager then modifies the flow graph so one or more portions of the streaming application are hosted by the virtual machines in the cloud. When performance of the streaming application indicates a virtual machine is no longer needed, the virtual machine is maintained and placed in a ready state so it can be quickly used as needed in the future without the overhead of deploying a new virtual machine.
US09298481B2
A uniform strategy for the general problem of providing custom editors and initialization strings for beans (all “dynabeans” inherit from a common bean class that incorporates this strategy. This is then extended to allow the initialization strings to be stored in a relational database. The database function is an extension of the function provided by the VisualAge Persistence Builder (using some of the EADP extensions). An important advantage of this approach is that many changes to the application can now be handled by adjusting the database version of the bean definition, without a need to touch the underlying code. This will reduce down time for the application, and also improve application stability.
US09298472B2
Process information saving unit 131 and process restoration unit 132 are provided. A process table 201 and other information required for restoring a process present in an OS 130 are copied in a save area 124 on a main memory area 120 during execution of an application. At the restart, only the OS is initialized while leaving the main memory area used by the application as it is. After the initialization, the saved process information (the process table and other information managed by the OS) is rewritten on the OS data area 12. By employing this configuration, provided is an environment allowing the process before the restart to be continuously operated after the restart.
US09298470B2
A method and an apparatus for implementing compatibility of different processors are provided. The method includes: in a standby state of a board, obtaining configuration information and a type of a processor on the board; and if a processor type in the configuration information is different from the type of the processor, updating, according to the processor, a parameter that is relevant to the processor and is in the configuration information, and changing FLASH memory chip selection configuration in order to connect the connector to a FLASH memory for storing a BIOS program of the processor.
US09298469B2
Embodiments relate to implementing processor management of transactions. An aspect includes receiving an instruction from a thread. The instruction includes an instruction type, and executes within a transaction. The transaction effectively delays committing stores to memory until the transaction has completed. A processor manages transaction nesting for the instruction based on the instruction type of the instruction. The transaction nesting includes a maximum processor capacity. The transaction nesting management performs enables executing a sequence of nested transactions within a transaction, supports multiple nested transactions in a processor pipeline, or generates and maintains a set of effective controls for controlling a pipeline. The processor prevents the transaction nesting from exceeding the maximum processor capacity.
US09298468B2
A pipelined processing device includes: a pipeline controller configured to receive at least one instruction associated with an operation from each of a plurality of subcontrollers, and input the at least one instruction into a pipeline; and a pipeline counter configured to receive an active time value from each of the plurality of subcontrollers, the active time value indicating at least a portion of a time taken to process the at least one instruction, the pipeline controller configured to route the active time value to a shared pipeline storage for performance analysis.
US09298465B2
Embodiments relate to asynchronous lookahead hierarchical branch prediction. An aspect includes a system for asynchronous lookahead hierarchical branch prediction. The system includes a first-level branch target buffer and a second-level branch target buffer coupled to a processing circuit. The processing circuit is configured to perform a method. The method includes receiving a search request to locate branch prediction information associated with a search address, and searching for an entry corresponding to the search request in the first-level branch target buffer. Based on failing to locate a matching entry in the first-level branch target buffer corresponding to the search request, a secondary search is initiated to locate entries in the second-level branch target buffer having a memory region corresponding to the search request. Based on locating the entries in the second-level branch target buffer, a bulk transfer of the entries is performed from the second-level branch target buffer.
US09298455B1
Expediting content delivery is disclosed. A request for content is received from a requestor. A cached component of the requested content that includes at least some cached executable content is identified. The cached component of the requested content is provided to the requestor for provisional execution. It is determined whether a change, if any, in the requested content may invalidate the provisional execution. In the event it is determined that the change in the requested content may invalidate the provisional execution, the requestor is instructed to abandon the provisional execution.
US09298453B2
In one embodiment, a code analytic platform may use a novel combination of information retrieval and program analysis techniques to develop a code relationship graph 514 to perform various code applications, such as intent based searches on a source code set, the documentation of undocumented code, risk analyses, natural language semantic searches, and others. A source code analytics platform may perform a code analysis of a source code set 410. The source code analytics platform may perform a metadata analysis of a code production data set 430 associated with the source code set 410. The source code analytics platform may create a code relationship graph 514 associating the source code set 410 with a descriptive metadata set.
US09298437B2
Apparatus, systems, and methods for a compiler are disclosed. One such compiler parses a human readable expression into a syntax tree and converts the syntax tree into an automaton having in-transitions and out-transitions. Converting can include unrolling the quantification as a function of in-degree limitations wherein in-degree limitations includes a limit on the number of transitions into a state of the automaton. The compiler can also convert the automaton into an image for programming a parallel machine, and publishes the image. Additional apparatus, systems, and methods are disclosed.
US09298435B2
A method for optimizing if statements in a program includes obtaining, by a processing device, for each of conditional expressions of a plurality of if statements in the program, a set of conditional expressions having an inclusion relation; computing, for each of the set, a position with low execution frequency in the program as a move destination of a conditional expression having an inclusion relation, using information of the set in which the conditional expression is included; and moving the conditional expression to the computed move destination of the conditional expression.
US09298434B2
A method for optimizing if statements in a program includes obtaining, by a processing device, for each of conditional expressions of a plurality of if statements in the program, a set of conditional expressions having an inclusion relation; computing, for each of the set, a position with low execution frequency in the program as a move destination of a conditional expression having an inclusion relation, using information of the set in which the conditional expression is included; and moving the conditional expression to the computed move destination of the conditional expression.
US09298419B2
A method and apparatus are provided to perform efficient merging operations of two or more streams of data by using SIMD instruction. Streams of data are merged together in parallel and with mitigated or removed conditional branching. The merge operations of the streams of data include Merge AND and Merge OR operations.
US09298411B2
A computer-readable recording medium on which first and second programs are recorded for causing a data processing apparatus to perform a data processing method that includes a) accepting, by the first program, a first printing setting condition by using a base program, b) accepting, by the first program, a second printing setting condition from an application without using the base program, c) outputting, by the first program, the second printing setting condition to a third program that can process printing data, d) accepting, by the second program, the second printing setting condition from the third program when converting document data from the application into the printing data, and e) converting, by the second program, the document data into the printing data based on at least one of the first printing setting condition accepted by the first program and the second printing setting condition accepted by the second program.
US09298408B2
The advantage of the invention is to make settings on a printer to be connected with a network easy. A printer driver is connected with a server device for managing a printer A and an e-mail address by linking them through a network, and transmits print job data to the server device. The printer driver receives designation of an e-mail address managed by the server device, identifies printer A based on the designated e-mail address, and converts data as a target of printing into print job data in accordance with the identified printer A.
US09298396B2
A computer reduces data fragmentation on a thin provisioned storage system. The computer receives a storage request. The computer determines a virtual storage size based at least in part on the received storage request. The computer creates an assigned virtual list that includes a list of reserved physical storage locations associated with the storage request. The computer further receives a WRITE command, and responsive to the WRITE command, allocates storage based at least in part on the created assigned virtual list.
US09298392B2
Techniques for virtual machine full backup are described herein. According to one embodiment, in response to a request to back up a virtual machine (VM) of a client, a request of VM backup is sent out. A consistent state of the VM is then identified via a VM application program interface (VM API). Subsequently a request is sent to a storage system associated with the client to ask for VM disk image associated with the consistent state of the VM to a target backup storage system.
US09298388B2
A data management apparatus of a computer system comprises, as a retention rule for volume data, change-time identification information for identifying a point-in-time for changing a logical unit, and migration-destination unit specification information for specifying a migration-destination logical unit. An edge storage apparatus stores first identification information, which enables the identification of volume data in a logical unit, and second identification information, which enables the identification of a logical unit in a storage system after associating the first identification information and the second identification information with each other. A data management apparatus (A1) transfers the volume data from a migration-source logical unit to the migration-destination logical unit conforming to the migration-destination unit specification information subsequent to a point-in-time identified in accordance with the change-time identification information. The edge storage apparatus (B1) associates the second identification information, which enables the identification of the migration-destination logical unit, with the first identification information, and stores the associated information in a storage device.
US09298383B2
A memory system, system including the memory system and method of reducing memory system power consumption. The memory system includes multiple memory units allocable to one of a number of processor units, e.g., processors or processor cores. A memory controller receives requests for memory from the processor units and allocates sufficient space from the memory to each requesting processor unit. Allocated memory can include some Single Level per Cell (SLC) memory units storing a single bit per cell and other memory units storing more than one bit per cell. Thus, two processor units may be assigned identical memory space, while half, or fewer, than the number of cells of one are assigned to the other.
US09298374B2
A method of providing one or more computing devices with access to a plurality of resources. The plurality of resources are provided by at least one physical device. The method comprises, at a first control element receiving a data packet transmitted by one of said one or more computing devices, and determining whether said data packet comprises a command including a first logical identifier identifying one of said resources. If it is determined that said data packet comprises a command including a first logical identifier a second logical identifier is obtained, the second logical identifier being associated with said first logical identifier and identifying said one of said resources. A request including said second logical identifier is transmitted to a second control element, the second control element being arranged to identify a physical device associated with said second logical identifier and to forward said request to the identified physical device.
US09298373B2
A storage controller configures a plurality of storage tiers. A sub-unit of a storage unit is maintained in a selected storage tier of the plurality of storage tiers, for at least a predetermined duration of time subsequent to an input/output (I/O) request for the sub-unit.
US09298372B2
A method of managing snapshots on a storage system includes a storage controller (1) receiving a request to store a first snapshot associated with a first volume among a plurality of volumes on the storage system and (2) determining if an assigned snapshot reserve space remaining associated with the first volume is less than an amount of space that is required to store the first snapshot. In response to the assigned snapshot reserve space remaining being less than the amount of space required, borrowing snapshot reserve space from at least one of an unused assigned space or an unused unassigned space within the storage system and storing at least a portion of the first snapshot to the borrowed snapshot reserve space.
US09298365B2
An information processing apparatus includes a storage unit configured to store a first information in which a character code and an image data of a character are associated with each other and an operation unit. The operation unit is configured to detect a second information indicating an input position of each of a plurality of characters input through a handwriting input and a plurality of character codes associated with the plurality of characters, acquire a plurality of first image data associated with the plurality of characters codes by referring to the first information, generate a second image data by combining the plurality of first image data based on the second information, and output an image data of the character associated with the second image data or the character code associated with the second image data by referring to the first information.
US09298361B2
Some embodiments of the invention provide a mobile device with multiple access modes. The device in some embodiments has at least two access modes, a primary access mode and a secondary access mode, that provide different restrictions for accessing the applications and/or data that are stored on the device. In some embodiments, the mobile device automatically selects applications to share or keep private based metadata associated with the applications.
US09298360B2
Methods for presenting symbolic expressions such as mathematical, scientific, or chemical expressions, formulas, or equations are performed by a computing device. One method includes: displaying a first portion of a symbolic expression within a first area of a display screen; while in a first state in which the first area is selected for aural presentation, aurally presenting first information related to the first portion of the symbolic expression; while in the first state, detecting particular user input; in response to detecting the particular user input, performing the steps of: transitioning from the first state to a second state in which a second area, of the display, is selected for aural presentation; determining second information associated with a second portion, of the symbolic expression, that is displayed within the second area; in response to determining the second information, aurally presenting the second information.
US09298359B2
A contact state of a finger with respect to an object displayed on a first layer is detected. An angle of inclination of a 2-D touch panel is detected and is configured as zero degrees along a display surface at a point where the contact state of the finger is detected. In response to a positive change of the angle of inclination from zero degrees and a dragging of the finger in a higher direction along the angle of inclination, the object is moved onto a second layer displayed nearer than the first layer. In response to a negative change of the angle of inclination changing from zero degrees and a dragging of the finger to a lower direction along the angle of inclination, the object is moved onto a third layer displayed deeper than the first layer.
US09298357B2
A computer-implemented user notification method includes displaying, at user-accessible locations on a graphical display of a mobile device, notifications corresponding to user interest, preference, and frequency of interaction with particular applications or activities on the mobile device. By increasing ease of interaction with particular notifications and advertisements that are of increased importance and relevance for the user, a higher click through and conversion rate is anticipated.
US09298354B2
A method for generating multi-language menus comprises grouping language-dependent menu resource files on a storage medium, and selecting only those menu resource files from a group that are labeled with an indication that matches the preferred menu language of the respective player.
US09298351B2
A display switch section switches a display mode at a time of displaying inspection images stored in a storage device in which folders including a hierarchical structure are created by selecting the display mode from a predetermined display mode and a list display mode. A folder selecting section selects one folder to be an origin of list display when the list display mode is selected and a control section causes, in a list display region, each inspection image stored in each folder belonging to a folder group with the one folder as the origin to be list-displayed and causes to be displayed, in addition in the list display region, information which makes a folder in which a file of the inspection image is present and a folder in which the file of the inspection image is not present visually identifiable, in each folder belonging to the folder group.
US09298349B2
The present disclosure is related to a method for releasing a locking on a mobile terminal, the method comprising: locking the mobile terminal; generating a locking-release preliminary signal on the locking; creating a locking-release icon based on a generated position of the locking-release preliminary signal; and releasing the locking by selecting the locking-release icon, and to a mobile terminal using the same.
US09298334B1
Systems, methods, and other embodiments associated with providing a user interface having a guided task flow among a plurality of devices are described. According to one embodiment, a method includes receiving, by a first device, a request from a second device requesting a user interface. The request includes a parameter describing a configuration of the second device. The second device is remote from the first device and includes a display. The method also includes generating, from a template user interface, a user interface for the second device based, at least in part, on the parameter. The user interface includes a task flow for controlling the first device to perform a series of tasks. The method includes providing the user interface to the second device for display on the display of the second device.
US09298330B2
The present invention provides capacitive touch panel, and display device. The capacitive touch panel of the present invention comprises at least one column of electrode set, the electrode set comprising a plurality of electrode units sequentially arranged, and adjacent electrode units complementarily matching each other, wherein each electrode unit comprises first touch electrode, second touch electrode and third touch electrode, the first, second and third touch electrodes complementarily match each other, and the first touch electrode is used for keeping patterns of the second touch electrode and the third touch electrode included in the same electrode unit from contacting with each other, the second touch electrode is used for keeping pattern of the electrode unit from contacting with pattern of immediately previous electrode unit, and the third touch electrode is used for keeping the pattern of the electrode unit from contacting with pattern of immediately next electrode unit.
US09298325B2
Embodiments described herein include a display device having a capacitive sensing device, a processing system and a method for detecting presence of an input object using a capacitive sensing device. In one embodiment, the display device includes a plurality of sensor electrodes, a field shaping electrode, and a processing system. Each sensor electrode includes at least one common electrode. Dimensions of each sensor electrode correspond to dimension of pixel elements of the display device. The field shaping electrode is disposed between two of the plurality of sensor electrodes. Dimensions of the field shaping electrode correspond to the dimension of pixel elements of the display device. The field shaping electrode is laterally spaced apart from the two sensor electrodes a distance corresponding to dimensions of the pixel elements. The processing system is coupled to the sensor electrodes and the field shaping electrode. The processing system is configured to, in a first processing mode, drive a transmitter signal onto a first sensor electrode of the sensor electrodes and receiving a resulting signal with the first sensor electrode of the sensor electrodes comprising effects corresponding to the transmitter signal.
US09298324B1
Various embodiments provide a capacitive touch input element that is formed of a recess in a substrate. The size and shape of the recess are chosen such that a finger of a user will not contact the bottom or minima point of the recess, thereby, requiring pressure to be applied by the finger in order to make contact. Beneath the substrate is a capacitive sensing electrode designed to concentrate an electric field toward the minima point of the recess such that the finger must make contact with the minima point to effect a change in capacitance causing the capacitive touch element to provide input to an appropriate application.
US09298321B2
An electrostatic capacitance-type input device in which input position detecting electrodes are disposed in an input area of a substrate, includes a lower layer-side conductive film, an interlayer insulating film, and an upper layer-side conductive film, which are stacked on the substrate in order from the substrate side. A first input position detecting electrode and a second input position detecting electrode that extends in a direction intersecting the first input position detecting electrode and includes a discontinued portion in an intersection portion of the first and second input position detecting electrodes are formed as the input position detecting electrodes by a first conductive film out of the lower and upper layer-side conductive films, and a relay electrode that overlaps with the first input position detecting electrode in the intersection portion so as to be electrically connected to the discontinued portion of the second input position detecting electrode and an input area shield electrode that overlaps with the first and second input position detecting electrodes are formed by a second conductive film out of the lower and upper layer-side conductive films.
US09298316B2
An optical touch display panel includes a plurality of resetting signal lines, a plurality of scanning signal lines, and a plurality of optical sensing touch units. Each optical sensing touch unit includes an optical sensing element and a storage capacitor. The optical sensing elements in a first direction are connected electrically to different scanning signal lines, and are configured to respectively receive a control signal. The optical sensing elements in a second direction includes a plurality of groups, and the optical sensing elements of each group are connected electrically to different resetting signal lines, so that each group receives a reset signal. Each optical sensing element outputs a charging signal corresponding to the reset signal to the storage capacitor according to the control signal, so as to reset a voltage of the storage capacitor.
US09298312B2
Methods and systems may provide for receiving a video of an interaction with a touch screen, using a computer vision process to identify a gesture in the video, and determining a response time of the touch screen with respect to the gesture. Moreover, a display area update percentage can be tracked subsequent to a response of the touch screen to the gesture, wherein a frame rate determination may be conducted for the touch screen based on the display area update percentage.
US09298294B2
A display apparatus includes: a display face; a display function layer adapted to vary display on the display face in response to an inputted image signal; a plurality of driving electrodes disposed separately in one direction; a detection scanning control section configured to apply a detection driving voltage to some of the plural driving electrodes and carry out detection driving scanning while shifting an application object of the detection driving voltage in the one direction on the display face and then control the detection driving scanning such that jump shift of carrying out shift with a pitch of twice or more times a driving electrode pitch is included; and a plurality of sensor lines disposed separately in a direction different from the one direction and responding to touch or proximity of a detection object with or to the display face to exhibit an electric variation.
US09298293B2
A portable electronic apparatus includes a housing having a first face and first and second side faces, the first and second side faces rising from the first face, and at least a concave portion is configured by the first side face, the first face and the second side face; a display, at least a part of the display being accommodated in the concave portion; a touch panel that is positioned on the display and is capable of detecting at least a distance to an indicator; first and second sheet metal members respectively disposed on the first and second side faces, at least a part of the first and second sheet metal members facing a side face of the display; a third sheet metal member disposed on the first face; and a cover glass that covers at least the display, the first sheet metal member, and the second sheet metal member.
US09298287B2
A user interaction activation may be provided. A plurality of signals received from a user may be evaluated to determine whether the plurality of signals are associated with a visual display. If so, the plurality of signals may be translated into an agent action and a context associated with the visual display may be retrieved. The agent action may be performed according to the retrieved context and a result associated with the performed agent action may be displayed to the user.
US09298285B2
Stylus tip configurations may reduce shadow effect of the stylus tip on capacitance measurements by reducing capacitive coupling between undesired portions of the stylus tip and the capacitive sensing surface. Additionally signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) of a stylus on a plurality of capacitance sensing electrodes may be improved by reducing the self capacitance between the stylus tip and the receive electrodes of a mutual capacitance touch screen.
US09298274B2
In a mobile device, the strings that make up a current thread in application are stored in a buffer. A thread is a series of communications sent between a user of the mobile device and one or more other users, such as a series of text messages or a series of emails. When the user enters text to continue the current thread, characters of the entered text are compared against the strings stored in the buffer, and strings that have the entered text as a prefix are selected and displayed to the user as string predictions in a soft input panel. Alternatively, the strings in the buffer may be used to increase the probabilities of matching strings in a dictionary or model that is used to select string predictions.
US09298269B2
A kinematic system. The system includes a kinematic measurement device having one or more sensors configured to detect a plurality of physical positions of a part of an object. The system also includes an associative memory, in communication with the kinematic measurement device, and comprising a plurality of data and a plurality of associations among the plurality of data, wherein the plurality of data is collected into associated groups, wherein the associative memory is configured to be queried based on at least indirect relationships among the plurality of data. The system also includes a processor, in communication with the associative memory and the kinematic measurement device, and configured to translate a range of coordinate positions of the part of the object to a qualitative description that names the range, wherein the processor is further configured to provide the qualitative description to the associative memory for storage.
US09298267B2
The present invention relates to a method, a terminal, and a computer-readable medium for controlling content by detecting head and hand gestures. The method for controlling a content by detecting hand gestures and head gestures, includes steps of: (a) detecting a head region and a hand region of a user by analyzing an input image with an object detection technology; (b) tracking the gestures in the head region and the hand region of the user by using a computer vision technology; and (c) allowing the content to be controlled by referring to gestures-combining information including data on the tracked gestures in the head region and the hand region.
US09298256B1
Methods and devices for initiating, updating, and displaying the results of a search of an object-model database are disclosed. In one embodiment, a method is disclosed that includes receiving video data recorded by a camera on a wearable computing device and, based on the video data, detecting a movement corresponding to a selection of an object. The method further includes, before the movement is complete, initiating a search on the object of an object-model database. The method still further includes, during the movement, periodically updating the search and causing the wearable computing device to overlay the object with object-models from the database corresponding to results of the search.
US09298246B2
An information processing device includes: a first acquiring unit that acquires first information to be used for detecting whether a viewer is present around a display unit displaying an image from a first detector that detects the first information; a second acquiring unit that acquires second information to be used for recognizing an instruction action to the image displayed by the display unit from a second detector that detects the second information; and a deciding unit that decides a recognition method of the instruction action by using the second information, based on the first information acquired by the first acquiring unit.
US09298242B2
A method used in an optical mouse apparatus includes: generating and emitting a light signal which is emitted to a surface so as to reflect and generate a light reflected signal; generating sensed image(s) according to the light reflected signal wherein the sensed image(s) are used for estimating an offset of the optical mouse apparatus; dynamically adjusting photometric exposure for the sensed image(s) according to a quality parameter, a moving speed, or an output offset number per unit time of the sensed image(s).
US09298241B2
A redundant path power subsystem comprises a plurality of phase regulators in a multi-phase power converter. The plurality of phase regulators comprises at least N+2 phase regulators. N phases are sufficient to serve an electrical load coupled with the redundant path power subsystem. The redundant path power subsystem also comprises a plurality of power supplies, and a plurality of input and control paths between the plurality of power supplies and the plurality of phase regulators. The plurality of input and control paths comprises a plurality of multiplexing logic devices and a plurality of phase controllers. The plurality of phase controllers is operable to control the plurality of phase regulators. The plurality of multiplexing logic devices is operable to multiplex control signals from the plurality of power supplies and a microprocessor for the plurality of phase controllers.
US09298239B2
There is provided a control device which includes a cache memory configured to temporarily store data, a nonvolatile memory configured to store a copy of the data stored in the cache memory, a battery configured to supply power to the cache memory in a case of a power failure, a data save processing unit configured to save data stored in a backup target region of the cache memory to the nonvolatile memory in the case of the power failure, and a charge control unit configured to charge the battery up to a target amount of charge which is determined on the basis of a size of the backup target region.
US09298234B2
According to one embodiment, a method for dynamically sharing power grids of a device includes providing power from a first power supply to a first power grid in a first component of the device. The method also includes providing power from a second power supply to a second power grid in a second component of the device and dynamically changing, by a controller, a state of a first switch that controls a sharing of power between the first power grid and the second power grid during a runtime of the device.
US09298230B2
An electronic device includes a chassis and a plurality of electronic modules. The chassis includes a front plate, a rear plate, a top plate, two side plates, a bottom plate and a plurality of dividing plates. The electronic modules are set between two adjacent dividing plates. The front plate includes an air inlet defined in a bottom. A first space is defined between a bottom of each dividing plate and the bottom plate. A second space is defined between a top of each dividing plate and the top plate. At least one of the top of the dividing plate and the bottom of the dividing plate is arranged stepped down from the front plate to the rear plate. The airflow flows through the air inlet, the first space, then flows up through the electronic modules, and then flows to the rear plate.
US09298226B2
An information terminal apparatus includes a flat plate-shaped conductive housing including a first principal surface, a second principal surface, and a side surface that connects the principal surfaces, and a display provided on the first principal surface. The conductive housing includes a slit extending from the first principal surface to the second principal surface. Near the slit, a power feeding coil coupled to an IC element for an HF-band RFID system is disposed. The power feeding coil is magnetically coupled to the conductive housing via the slit. Thus, the conductive housing is utilized as a radiation element of the HF-band RFID system.
US09298213B2
Modular display monitor systems are disclosed that employ a multi-purpose base component that may be used in a first configuration as part of a stand riser assembly for supporting a display monitor component in an upright viewing position with a separate riser component, and that may be used in a second configuration together with a separate support arm as part of an arm mount assembly for attaching a display monitor component to a wall or desktop without the riser component.
US09298212B2
Microprocessors are provided with decentralized logic and associated methods for indicating power related operating states, such as desired voltages and frequency ratios, to shared microprocessor power resources such as a voltage regulator module (VRM) and phase locked loops (PLLs). Each core is configured to generate a value to indicate a desired operating state of the core. Each core is also configured to receive a corresponding value from each other core sharing the applicable resource, and to calculate a composite value compatible with the minimal needs of each core sharing the applicable resource. Each core is further configured to conditionally drive the composite value off core to the applicable resource based on whether the core is designated as a master core for purposes of controlling or coordinating the applicable resource. The composite value is supplied to the applicable shared resource without using any active logic outside the plurality of cores.
US09298210B2
The present technology provides an excellent advantageous effect in terms of reducing power consumption of a bus system adapted to treat a transaction as a unit. Disclosed herein is a clock gating circuit including: a clock enable signal generation portion adapted to count the number of outstanding transactions in each of a plurality of regions into which a bus system is divided so as to generate a clock enable signal for each of the plurality of regions; and a masked clock generation portion adapted to mask a clock by using the clock enable signal for each of the plurality of regions so as to generate a masked clock.
US09298209B2
A pedal apparatus for a vehicle includes a pedal bracket fixed to a dashboard, a cowl bracket fixed to a cowl panel, and a pedal arm hinge-coupled to the pedal bracket and having a reverse-swivel protrusion and a pedal on both sides of the pedal arm. Also, a reverse-swivel lever is hinge-coupled to the pedal bracket, and on an upper side of the reverse-swivel lever has an extension extending upwards and being positioned in front of the cowl bracket, and, on a lower side of the reverse-swivel lever has a reverse-swivel pin positioned below the reverse-swivel protrusion.
US09298207B2
A temperature control device for a climate control loop comprising at least one handle piece.
US09298205B2
An electronic circuit for providing a voltage or a current linearly dependent on temperature within a temperature range, including at least two identical MOS transistors conducting the same drain current, each transistor having a fully depleted channel which is separated from a doped semiconductor region by an insulating layer, the conductive types of the dopants of said doped semiconductor regions being different, said voltage or said current being proportional to the difference between the gate-source/drain voltages of the two transistors.
US09298195B2
A thermally actuated power element comprising an actuator having a guide, defining a generally cylindrical bore extending between first and second guide ends. The guide first end has a generally convex valve member projecting radially between the bore and a valve member periphery, defining a plurality of substantially identical flow depressions. The flow depressions are configured radially intermediate the cylindrical bore and the periphery, while an annular valve member seal surface extends between a radial boundary of the flow depressions and the periphery. A piston having axially opposed first and second piston ends is partially received in the generally cylindrical cavity. A generally concave cup defines a cavity and contains a thermally active pellet, and a diaphragm is received in the guide second end intermediate the cup and said piston. A generally cylindrical return member engages the guide adjacent the periphery.
US09298183B2
A mobile, self-propelling robot for carrying out activities autonomously is described. The robot can include a drive module for moving the robot over the floor surface, a processing module, a navigation module that navigates based on a map of the surroundings. The robot can also include a sensor module for sensing information relating to the structure of the surroundings, an analysis unit designed to determine the surface processed during a processing operation, to compare the surface and store information about a deviation therebetween, and a communication module to communicate the stored information about the deviation and thereby provide a user with the possibility of intervening, where on the basis of predefinable criteria it is decided whether information is to be communicated or not. The communication module can also receive a control instruction from the user and to interrupt, continue, modify or start again the processing operation.
US09298182B2
The disclosure pertains to a method of displaying an abnormal status in a plant operation monitoring system. The method of displaying the abnormal status includes the steps of: receiving information of operational states from a sensor mounted on devices, machines and facilities constituting an industrial plant system; checking any abnormal signal in the operational states, logically grouping parts influencing on operational values when the abnormal signal is generated, and displaying the parts on a piping & instrument drawing (P&ID) on a monitor; and tracing the abnormal signal in a reverse direction of a system flow, searching out the device which causes the abnormal state, and displaying the abnormal device on the piping & instrument drawing.
US09298163B2
A timepiece wheel set with a unidirectional wheel including an arbor carrying a pinion and at least a first wheel that is coaxial with the pinion and pivotally mounted on the arbor. The first wheel is connected to the arbor by a first spring, which exerts a friction force on the first wheel. The wheel set also includes a second wheel pivotally mounted on the arbor, and connected to the arbor by a second spring, which exert a friction force on the second wheel.
US09298159B2
A removal mechanism includes a removing member, an accommodation section, a receiver, and a cooling path. The removing member rubs against an extraneous-matter-adhered member, to which extraneous matter is adhered, so as to remove the extraneous matter therefrom. The accommodation section accommodates therein the extraneous matter removed by the removing member. The receiver receives, at a lower side of the accommodation section, the extraneous matter spilling out and dropping from the accommodation section. The cooling path allows gas so flow therethrough so as to cool the accommodation section from outside thereof. The cooling path is spatially isolated from a passage chamber through which the extraneous matter dropping from the accommodation section toward the receiver passes, an accommodation chamber for the extraneous matter in the accommodation section, and a chamber above the receiver that receives the extraneous matter.
US09298139B2
An image forming apparatus includes: a transfer unit including a stretching roller and a rotatable transfer belt stretched by the stretching roller; a cleaning unit, including a blade movable toward and away from the transfer belt, for collecting a toner removed from the transfer belt by the blade; a moving member for moving the blade between a contact position where the blade is contacted to the transfer belt and a retracted position where the blade is moved away from the transfer belt; and a drive transmission device for permitting transmission of a driving force between the stretching roller and the movable member. The drive transmission device has an idling region where the drive transmission device is rotatable by a predetermined amount without transmitting the driving force to the stretching roller when the driving force is transmitted from the moving member to the drive transmission device.
US09298135B2
A switch transmission mechanism of a first intermittent transmission mechanism 79 is switched between a transmission state and a non-transmission state, wherein in the transmission state, it transmits a rotational force to an intermediate rotator 72 based on an operation of an actuator 74. A second intermittent transmission mechanism 78 is switched between a transmission state and a non-transmission state, wherein in the transmission state, it transmits a rotational force of the intermediate rotator 72 to an output-side rotator 73.
US09298130B2
A toner cartridge according to one example embodiment includes a housing having a reservoir for containing toner therein. An exit port in fluid communication with the reservoir faces downward on a front of the housing near a first side of the housing. A portion of a main interface gear for providing rotational power to a toner delivery system is exposed on the front of the housing near a top of a second side of the housing and engagable with a corresponding drive gear in the image forming device. A projection extends forward from the housing further forward than a frontmost portion of the exit port and is spaced from the exit port toward the first side of the housing. A front of the projection is unobstructed for engaging a developer unit when the toner cartridge is inserted into the image forming device.
US09298129B2
In a developing apparatus, a sealing member has a first part contacting an axial end part of a developing roller and a second part including a first side surface. A roller body of a supply roller includes a contact surface that contacts the peripheral surface, and a second side surface located at an end of the contact surface in the axial direction. The restricting member has a one side and another side. The one side is opposed to the second side surface in the axial direction. The another side is opposed to the first side surface in the axial direction with a gap. The gap is communicated with an interior space of a developer accommodating frame such that the developer is capable of moving away from a nip position between the supply roller and the developing roller toward the bottom wall of the developing frame in the gap.
US09298121B2
An optical scanning device includes a light source configured to emit a light beam; a rotary deflector configured to perform optical scanning by reflecting and deflecting the light beam emitted from the light source while rotating; an optical system forming member configured to form a path of the light beam; and a resonator having a resonance frequency corresponding to a sound generated by rotational drive of the rotary deflector. The rotary deflector is installed in a closed space. The resonator is installed so that the sound within the closed space is absorbed.
US09298116B2
An electrostatic charge image developing toner includes a plurality of toner particles each having a toner core, organic particles adhering to a surface of the toner core, and a shell layer covering the toner core and the organic particles. The shell layers contain a thermosetting resin. A number average particle diameter of the organic particles is at least 50 nm and at most 150 nm
US09298111B2
An optical arrangement includes a multiplicity of optical elements and a carrier structure which carries the optical elements. The carrier structure is composed of at least two releasably interconnected modules. Each module is composed of at least one carrier structure subelement. A subhousing is produced by a multiplicity of carrier structure subelements and/or modules. The subhousing has a geometry that varies, at least in regions, in correspondence to a usable beam path in the projection exposure apparatus, the usable beam path being defined as an envelope of all light bundles which can propagate from all field points in a field plane to an image plane of the projection exposure apparatus. A projection exposure apparatus for EUV lithography includes such an optical arrangement.
US09298109B2
An EUV lithography apparatus (1) includes: a light source (15) for generating radiation (17) for the illumination of particles (P) present in the gas phase and present in the EUV lithography apparatus (1) along a light area (18), and a detector, for detecting radiation (17a) from the light source (15) that is scattered at the illuminated particles (P) in a test region (19) captured by the detector. Also, a method for detecting particles (P) in an EUV lithography apparatus (1) includes: producing a light area (18) for illuminating the particles (P) present in the gas phase, detecting radiation (17a) scattered at the illuminated particles (P) in a test region (19), and determining a number (N) of particles in the test region (19) on the basis of the detected radiation (17a).
US09298108B2
An exposure method and apparatus exposes a substrate that is loaded on a stage via a carrier system, with an exposure beam via a projection optical system and a liquid. An object carried by the carrier system is mounted in a depressed section of the stage. Information on a positional relation between the object mounted in the depressed section and the depressed section is obtained. The substrate is loaded on the stage based on the obtained information so that the substrate carried to above the stage by the carrier system is mounted in the depressed section. A part of the substrate mounted in the depressed section is irradiated with the exposure beam via the projection optical system and a liquid immersion area formed by the liquid under the projection optical system.
US09298096B2
An alkaline development-type curable resin composition having an excellent strength against tearing, breaking, distortion and torsion, and excellent toughness, a cured product of the curable resin composition, a printed circuit board having the cured product, and a process for manufacturing the cured product are disclosed. A curable resin composition is obtained, which contains (A) a thermoplastic resin, (B) a thermosetting component, (C) an alkali-soluble component, and at least one of (D-1) a photopolymerization initiator and (D-2) a photo-base generator, the thermoplastic resin (A) having two or more glass transition points including two glass transition points Tgx and Tgy, which satisfy Tgx>30° C. and Tgy<0° C. and the thermosetting component (B) having a glass transition point Tgz, which satisfies Tgz≧Tgy+20° C. Moreover, a cured product of the curable resin composition, a printed circuit board having the cured product, and a process for manufacturing the cured product are obtained.
US09298091B2
The invention relates to a photosensitive resin composition; especially relates to a photosensitive resin composition that has good heat-yellowing resistance, surface roughness resistance, developability and brightness. The invention also provides a white matrix, a color filter and a reflective display element.
US09298088B2
A photosensitive composition useful for fabricating organic electronic devices comprises a fluorinated solvent a fluorinated sensitizing dye and a copolymer. The copolymer comprises at least two distinct repeating units, including a first repeating unit having a fluorine-containing group and a second repeating unit having a solubility-altering reactive group. The presence of the fluorinated sensitizing dye improves photosensitivity.
US09298079B2
Described herein are implementations of various technologies for a method and apparatus for a method and apparatus for displaying sonar images. In one implementation, sonar images that are currently being recorded may be displayed on a regular pane. Further, condensed sonar images that had previously been recorded and that are currently being recorded may be displayed on a preview pane, while recording the sonar images.
US09298074B2
A projector includes: an external case provided with an opening through which light passes; a projection system disposed within an inside space of the external case, wherein the projection system includes a reflection member having a reflection surface capable of reflecting light received from a light source device to guide the light toward the opening, and projects the light to the outside of the external case via the opening; and a detection unit which detects a foreign material existing on the optical path of the light in the area of light exit of the opening.
US09298071B2
The present invention provides a multi-projection system including two or more projection devices which project images on a plurality of projection surfaces and a management device which manages the images projected by the two or more projection devices and controls the two or more projection devices, the two or more projection devices projecting synchronized images on the plurality of projection surfaces.
US09298059B2
The present invention provides a transflective display device which is high in transmittance, can secure sufficient brightness in display, and can display black. A transflective display device 1 includes a display panel 2 and a backlight 3. The display panel 2 includes a substrate 10 having an electrode 12. a substrate 20 having an electrode 22, and an optical modulation layer 30 containing shape-anisotropic members 32. A frequency of a voltage to be applied to the electrodes 12 and 22 is changed so as to rotate the shape-anisotropic members 32. When the shape-anisotropic members 32 are oriented such that their major axes extend in parallel with one of the substrates on which the shape-anisotropic members 32 abut, multiple reflection of incoming light is caused, and thus black is displayed.
US09298058B2
A compound is disclosed. The compound has the general structure: wherein Y is selected from the group consisting of hydrocarbons, hydrocarbons including nitrogen in the carbon backbone, and hydrocarbons including oxygen in the carbon backbone; wherein R1 and R2 are each independently selected from the group consisting of hydrogen, linear hydrocarbons, branched hydrocarbons, and cyclic hydrocarbons and wherein R1 and R2 are not both hydrogen; wherein X is selected from the group consisting of CH2, O, N—R3, S, and nothing and wherein R3 is selected from the group consisting of hydrogen, branched hydrocarbons, linear hydrocarbons, and cyclic hydrocarbons; wherein m is an integer between 1 and 50, inclusive; wherein n is an integer between 1 and 10,000, inclusive; and wherein p, q, and z are each independently an integer greater than 0.
US09298050B2
A liquid crystal cell structure comprising transparent terahertz (THz) windows, alignment layers, protective layers, in-plane electrodes, out-of-plane electrodes, and a liquid crystal (LC) layer. The in-plane electrodes generate in-plane electric fields that are parallel to the liquid crystal layer and the out-of-plane electrodes generate out-of-plane electric fields that are perpendicular to the liquid crystal layer. The in-plane and out-of-plane electrodes have wire-grid patterns to increase THz wave transmission efficiency. The wire-grid patterned electrodes are transparent to THz waves that have parallel polarization compared to a grating vector of the wire grid pattern and are opaque to THz waves of perpendicular polarization. These two electrodes are controlled independently to tune the optical properties of the LC and improve the operating speed of THz LC devices.
US09298046B2
A conductive film (12) that covers the upper surface of a CF glass substrate (11) or the upper surface of a polarization plate (13) overlaid on the CF glass substrate is provided. The conductive film and a ground electrode (16) on a TFT glass substrate (10) are electrically connected with a conductive tape (20) having adherence. Then, a conductive paste (22), (23) is adhered to a part so as to be placed on both the conductive tape and the conductive film, and is adhered to a part so as to be placed on both the conductive tape and the ground electrode. The conductive tape is provided with a length allowance such that the entire length is longer than the shortest distance between a connection part between the conductive tape and the conductive film and a connection part between the conductive tape and the ground electrode.
US09298041B2
An optical element includes at least two stacked birefringent layers having respective local optical axes that are rotated by respective twist angles over respective thicknesses of the at least two layers, and are aligned along respective interfaces between the at least two layers. The respective twist angles and/or the respective thicknesses are different. The at least two stacked birefringent layers may be liquid crystal polymer optical retarder layers. Related devices and fabrication methods are also discussed.
US09298038B2
Provided is a display device. The display device may include a display panel, a light-emitting unit, and a bottom cover. The light-emitting unit may include a light-emitting element configured to emit light, a substrate mounted with the light-emitting element, a reflector covering the light-emitting element and configured to reflect the light, and a first lens configured to transmit the reflected light to the outside.
US09298036B2
In an identification medium, switching of images can be clearly observed, and the medium has a structure produced at low cost. The structure comprises a cholesteric liquid crystal layer 102 in which a hologram is formed, and which selectively reflects circularly polarized light of a specific rotating direction of a specific central wavelength, a cholesteric liquid crystal layer reflecting the entire range of visible light 105 which has reflection characteristics equivalent to a case of reflecting the entire range of visible light and which reflects circularly polarized light of the same rotating direction as the circularly polarized light reflected from the cholesteric liquid crystal layer 102, and a display pattern 106 having a specific content displayed, arranged in this order, as seen from the side of observation.
US09298033B2
The present invention relates to a liquid crystal display device that includes a particular liquid crystal composition and a color filter that uses a particular pigment.The present invention provides a liquid crystal display device that prevents a decrease in voltage holding ratio (VHR) and an increase in ion density (ID) in a liquid crystal layer and resolves the problems of display defects such as white streaks, alignment nonuniformity, and image sticking.Since the liquid crystal display device of the present invention prevents a decrease in voltage holding ratio (VHR) and an increase in ion density (ID) in the liquid crystal layer and resolves the problems of display defects such as image sticking, the liquid crystal display device is useful as VA-mode and PSVA-mode liquid crystal display devices of an active matrix drive type, and is applicable to liquid crystal display devices of liquid crystal televisions, monitors, cellular phones, smart phones, etc.
US09298026B2
A display device and a method of manufacturing the same are disclosed. The display device includes a first panel, a panel supporter including a bottom part in which the first panel is received, a first pad that is positioned on the bottom part of the panel supporter and attaches the first panel to the panel supporter, a second panel positioned on the first panel, a cover including a surface part covering a partial outer wall of the second panel, and a second pad that is positioned under the surface part of the cover and attaches the second panel to the cover.
US09298024B2
A Mach-Zehnder (MZ) modulator made of semiconductor material and a method to drive the MZ-modulator are disclosed. The MZ-modulator includes a pair of arms to vary the phase of the optical beam propagating therein. One of the arms further provides the phase presetter that varies the phase of the optical beam by π. The arms are driven by modulation signals complementary to each other but with the DC bias equal to each other.
US09298018B2
Eyewear includes a set of lenses, a frame, and a pair of arms. A primary attachment feature facilitates attachment of the arms to the frames. A secondary attachment feature facilitates attachment of the arms to the frames in case the primary attachment feature becomes partially or wholly dysfunctional. A concealment feature at least partially conceals the secondary attachment feature. The concealment feature is detachable to permit use of the secondary attachment feature. In an example embodiment, the concealment feature is formed as an integral breakaway component of the arms.
US09298005B2
A scanning lens molded of resin includes: a lens portion having an elongate shape extending in a main scanning direction and having first and second longitudinal ends located opposite to and away from each other in the main scanning direction; and a flange portion extending outward in the main scanning direction from the first longitudinal end of the lens portion. The scanning lens has first and second sides located opposite to and away from each other in a sub-scanning direction, and a first protrusion is provided on the first side to protrude outward in the sub-scanning direction. The flange portion protrudes farther beyond the first longitudinal end in an optical axis direction of the lens portion. As viewed from the sub-scanning direction, the first protrusion is located at a position overlapping an interface between the lens portion and the flange portion.
US09298003B2
The light source body of an optical scanner includes a main frame and a disc portion. The main frame is formed into a cylindrical columnar shape so as to irradiate the light beams from a front end thereof. The disc portion protrudes radially outward from a rear end side of the main frame. A side plate of the housing have a through-hole. The side plate includes a support member installed on the outer surface. The support member has an arc surface formed to extend along a edge portion of the through-hole. A pressing member is configured to press the disc portion of the light source body against the arc surface of the support member in such a state that the front end of the main frame is inserted into the through-hole and that an end surface of the disc portion makes contact with the side plate of the housing.
US09297999B2
A synthetic focal plane imaging system senses electromagnetic radiation as a distribution of energy over time rather than as a distribution of energy over space. A spatial context independent of the energy detection is developed. The synthetic focal plane imaging system includes an aperture, a mask, an electromagnetic sensor, and a computer configured to receive sample energy data and shutter modeling data from the mask to generate hyperspectral images. The synthetic focal plane imaging system incorporates a spiral rotating mask to create theta-space rotational masking architectures resulting in simple cyclical linear equations that can be processed quickly and efficiently to generate the hyperspectral images. The system captures image content at multiple wavelengths, electronically processes the resulting data as an image cube with stacked layers of images. Each layer corresponds to a particular wavelength of the imaged object with the same physical locations arranged on top of each other to form the stack.
US09297994B2
There is provided an autofocus device for an imaging device which has an imaging lens system with a first focal plane, an object stage for holding an object and a first movement module for the relative movement of object stage and imaging lens system, wherein the autofocus device comprises an image-recording module with a second focal plane the position of which relative to the first focal plane is known, a second movement module for the relative movement of object stage and image-recording module, a focus module for producing a two-dimensional, intensity-modulated focusing image in a focus module plane which intersects the second focal plane and a control module which controls the image-recording module for focusing the imaging device, which then records a first two-dimensional image of the object together with the focusing image during a predetermined first exposure time, and wherein the control module, using the first two-dimensional image recorded by means of the image-recording module and taking into account the relative position of the first and second focal plane, evaluates the required changes in distance between the object stage and the imaging lens system and controls the first movement module such that the evaluated change in distance is carried out, wherein the control module controls the second movement module such that, during the first exposure time for recording the first two-dimensional image, the object stage is moved relative to the image-recording module in a plane parallel to the second focal plane.
US09297991B2
Standing wave-generating planar wave illumination units generate two light-wave planar waves using light from a light source assembly and irradiate a sample surface with a standing wave produced by interference of the planar waves on the sample surface. A bias planar wave illumination unit generates a bias planar wave using light from the light source assembly and irradiates the sample surface with the wave. The bias planar wave is synchronized with the standing wave to alternately oscillate to positive and negative with an equal electric field displacement irrespective of the position on the sample surface across a reference time specified in advance when the displacement of the standing wave has a value “0” at the respective positions on the sample surface, and oscillates at a bias amplitude specified in advance to raise the displacement of the standing wave on the sample surface to only a positive or negative displacement.
US09297985B2
A zoom lens includes, in order from an object side to an image side, a first lens unit having a negative refractive power, a rear lens group having a positive refractive power as a whole and including at least one lens unit. An interval between the first lens unit and the rear lens group at the telephoto end is smaller than that at the wide angle end. The first lens unit includes a first aspheric lens having a positive aspheric amount, and a second aspheric lens having a negative aspheric amount on the image side of the first aspheric lens. The predetermined conditional expressions are satisfied.
US09297981B2
A lens barrel having an image forming optical system including a first optical system and a second optical system which is moveable independently from the first optical system, a first driving portion which drives the first optical system during a magnification changing operation of the image forming optical system, and a second driving portion which drives the second optical system during the magnification changing operation, along with driving the second optical system during a focus adjustment of the image forming system.
US09297975B2
An optical communication cable includes a cable body having an outer surface, an inner surface, a channel defined by the inner surface and a longitudinal axis extending through the center of the channel. The outer surface of the cable body defines a profile feature such that the outer surface at the profile feature is asymmetric about the longitudinal axis. The profile feature having at least two peaks and at least one trough between the peaks, and the profile feature extends axially along at least a portion of the length of the outer surface of the cable body. The cable includes an optical transmission element located in the channel, and an ink layer positioned along an outer surface of the trough of the profile feature. The peaks are configured to limit contact of the ink layer with surfaces during installation and thereby act to protect the ink layer from abrasion.
US09297973B2
A method for transmitting a signal using an optical coupling device includes converting a first electric signal into an optical signal, converting the optical signal into a first current, and outputting a second current that corresponds to the first current as a second electric signal. The second current may be larger than the first current.
US09297955B2
An optical device includes a transparent substrate and a conductive layer disposed over an upper surface of the transparent substrate. The conductive layer defines at least one groove inwardly extending from an upper surface and includes an aperture that is spaced apart from the at least one groove. An interface between the upper surface of the conductive layer and an ambient medium defines an optical branch along which surface plasmon polariton modes are excited in response to at least partially coherent light being received by the optical device.
US09297952B2
An optical fiber, including (i) an inner core having an α-power refractive index profile, (ii) an outer core having a refractive index of n1′, and (iii) a cladding having a refractive index of n2 (n1′
US09297933B2
Provided is an antiglare film having a hard coat property, capable of highly suppressing generation of a rainbow interference pattern and interference fringes in display images, preventing white muddiness and scintillation of a display screen, while giving high contrast in a bright room and a dark room. The antiglare film includes an antiglare layer having an uneven form on its surface and formed on one face of a transparent substrate having an in-plane birefringence and a retardation of 3000 nm or higher. The antiglare layer contains silica fine particles, organic fine particles, and a binder resin. The silica particles include particles forming agglomerates to be contained coarsely and densely in the antiglare layer. The agglomerates are distributed densely around the organic fine particles, and some agglomerates adhere to surfaces of the organic particles and/or some silica particles are impregnated in the inside of the organic particles.
US09297924B2
Displaying data sets indicative of physical parameters associated with a formation penetrated by a wellbore. At least some of the illustrative embodiments are methods including: obtaining data regarding a trajectory of a wellbore; obtaining a first data set indicative of a first physical parameter associated with a formation penetrated by the wellbore; obtaining a second data set indicative of a second physical parameter associated with the formation; displaying a two-dimensional image that simulates a three-dimensional trajectory of the wellbore, the two-dimensional image from a particular viewpoint relative to the three-dimensional trajectory of the wellbore; displaying along the two-dimensional image a representation of the first data set on a first surface that abuts the trajectory of the wellbore; and displaying along the two-dimensional image a representation of the second data set on a second surface that abuts the trajectory of the wellbore.
US09297920B2
A system for aquatic seismic prospecting includes at least one submerged mobile seismic source for creating a disturbance transmitted through an aquatic medium in the form of waves and at least one cable having a plurality of sensors for collecting waves transmitted by the at least one submerged mobile seismic source and reflected from geological layers beneath the aquatic medium. The system also includes means for detecting and measuring the reflected waves and means for placing the at least one cable under tension, the tensioning means attached to ends of the at least one cable and the tensioning means keeping the at least one cable in a pseudo-stationary position. These is also means for holding the at least one cable at a substantially constant depth greater than approximately 5 meters.
US09297911B2
An electronic device to simply and efficiently measure energy of incident photons in a very short time and with a very high count rate and high precision, starting from current pulses from an ionizing electromagnetic radiation detector, the electronic device including an analog delay line with switched capacitors with controlled loss at an output from a charge preamplifier.
US09297905B2
Method of acquiring CDMA-modulated satellite signals and receiving apparatus implementing the method
A method of acquiring a satellite signal includes providing a CDMA-modulated signal, defining a first search frequency interval and a first reception sensitivity, and performing a first acquisition of the modulated signal according to the first sensitivity and the first frequency interval in order to provide an acquisition or failed acquisition result. In case of a failed acquisition, performing a second acquisition of the modulated signal as a function of a second search frequency interval, narrower than the first frequency interval, and a second reception sensitivity, greater than the first sensitivity and depending on a power of a side lobe of the modulated signal.
US09297904B2
Systems and methods for monitoring broadband radio frequency interference are provided. In certain embodiments, a method comprises calculating a smoothed carrier to noise value for a received signal on a processing unit, wherein the received signal is associated with a receiver and at least one satellite; calculating an average jammer power to noise power value for the receiver; calculating an instantaneous carrier to noise value for the received signal based on the average jammer power to noise power value and the smoothed carrier to noise value; comparing the instantaneous carrier to noise value to an exclusion threshold, and determining whether to exclude the received signal from calculations of global positioning data based on the comparison of the instantaneous carrier to noise value to the exclusion threshold; and when the received signal is excluded, monitoring the received signal for readmittance to the calculation of global positioning data.
US09297896B1
An electronically steered weather radar system comprises a plurality of transmit/receive modules, a plurality of antenna modules, and a system signal processor. Each transmit/receive module may be configured to adjust a phase characteristic of a radio frequency (RF) signal to be transmitted and received. Antenna modules may be in communication with transmit/receive modules and may form an antenna array configured to transmit a system beam in a direction determined by the phase of the RF signal from each transmit/receive module and to generate the RF signal from the received system beam. The system signal processor may be configured to perform a first scan to detect meteorological formations wherein the system signal processor communicates with each transmit/receive module to adjust a phase characteristic of the RF signals such that the antenna array transmits and receives the system beam through a plurality of azimuth angles and a plurality of elevation angles.
US09297894B2
An electronic device for preventing an accidental touch and an operating method thereof are disclosed, where the electronic device includes a first input device, a second input device, synthetic aperture radar and a main system. The synthetic aperture radar can sense whether a charged body is positioned near the second input device. When the charged body is positioned near the second input device, a voltage state of the synthetic aperture radar is pulled to a first logic level. When the voltage state of the synthetic aperture radar is in the first logic level, the main system disables the first input device.
US09297890B2
A method for generating a Doppler image by using a ultrasound system, the method including: transmitting a ultrasound signal to an object and receiving a response signal reflected from the object; converting the response signal into a plurality of in-phase/quadrature-phase (I/Q) signals having different frequencies; and generating a Doppler image of the object based on information about a speed of the object obtained from the plurality of I/Q signals.
US09297889B2
Various embodiments of TOF depth cameras and methods for illuminating image environments with illumination light are provided herein. In one example, a TOF depth camera configured to collect image data from an image environment illuminated by illumination light includes a light source including a plurality of surface-emitting lasers configured to generate coherent light. The example TOF camera also includes an optical assembly configured to transmit light from the plurality of surface-emitting lasers to the image environment and an image sensor configured to detect at least a portion of return light reflected from the image environment.
US09297887B2
Provided is a device for detecting intruding objects that enables the detection of intruding objects without requiring antenna switching. Delay units (102) use different delay amounts to delay signals received at each of a plurality of antennas (110). A signal synthesis unit (103) synthesizes the delayed signals. A frequency conversion unit (106) converts the synthesized signal frequency to a baseband. A wave detection unit (107) detects the signal that has undergone frequency conversion. A radar profile generation unit (104) uses the detected signal to generate a profile formed from the distance from the antenna, and the signal strength at each distance from the antenna. A detection processing unit (105) detects a peak in the profile at which the signal strength exceeds a preset threshold value, and determines whether an intruding object is present in a detection region on the basis of the detected peak.
US09297885B2
An altimeter system is provided. The altimeter system includes a receiver mixer including an antenna-input and a local-oscillator-input; a transceiver circulator communicatively coupled to an antenna via a transmission line having a selected length and communicatively coupled to the antenna-input of the receiver mixer; and a transmitter configured to output a transmitter signal to the antenna via the transceiver circulator. The transmitter signal is frequency modulated with a linear ramp. The transmitter is communicatively coupled to the receiver mixer to input a local oscillator signal at the local-oscillator-input of the receiver mixer. The receiver mixer is communicatively coupled to input a target-reflected signal from the antenna at the antenna-input of the receiver mixer. The selected length of the transmission line is set so that a composite-leakage signal at the antenna-input of the receiver mixer has a linear phase across a sweep bandwidth.
US09297883B1
A technique for deriving the locations of one or more wireless base stations is disclosed. After initializing values for the base station location coordinates, a server acquires reference coordinates of a wireless terminal, which are provided from an independent source, and also acquires values for one or more time-of-occurrences of events associated with signals that travel between the wireless terminal and the base stations. The server generates predicted coordinates of the wireless terminal, based in part on the current base station coordinates, by using trilateration. The server then generates updated base station coordinate values, based on a method of least squares, in which each residual is a difference between the reference and predicted coordinates of each wireless terminal location, for one or more wireless terminals. The server modifies the base station coordinate values so as to minimize the least-squares function.
US09297881B2
The subject disclosure is directed towards a technology by which data sensed at a device may be used to determine the likely location of the device, independent of whether GPS data is also available. In one aspect, information representing the sensed device data is sent to a remote service, where it is compared with similar information for known locations to find a matching location. In another aspect, the information is locally processed against locally cached information to find a matching location.
US09297879B2
The present invention describes a method for tracking a solar generator having a plurality of solar modules to the sun, wherein at least one electric output quantity of part of the solar module of the solar generator is detected and a tracker, on which the solar generator is mounted, is controlled such that the detected electric output quantity has a predetermined value. Further, a control for a solar plant and a solar plant having such a control are described.
US09297869B2
A device for power measurement for the purposes of plausibility checking and/or calibration of a primary power measurement device on a power amplifier of a magnetic resonance device is provided. The device includes a circulator arranged between an output of the power amplifier and a switching device for connection of the power amplifier to a transmit antenna. A first input of the circulator is connected to the output of the power amplifier, a second input of the circulator is connected to the switching device, and a third input of the circulator is connected to a secondary power measurement device configured for measurement of a signal reflected on the open switching device or the transmit antenna.
US09297862B2
A fault in a DC power source, such as a battery string or a string of photovoltaic cells, is identified by detecting a change in an AC component of a residual current of the DC power source. In some embodiments, the DC power source is coupled to at least one DC bus and the methods further include generating an AC voltage on the at least one DC bus. For example, the DC power source may be coupled to a modulated DC bus of an uninterruptible power supply (UPS) system comprising an inverter having an input coupled to the DC bus. The inverter may be configured to generate an AC output voltage and the AC component has a frequency that is a harmonic of a fundamental frequency of the AC output voltage, such as a third harmonic of the fundamental frequency of the AC output voltage.
US09297859B2
A battery-state monitoring system for precisely and efficiently estimating the state and service life of each of a plurality of storage batteries while suppressing variations in voltage between the batteries in a large-scale power-supply system that is provided with the storage batteries charged with power generated by utilizing natural energy is provided. The system includes a power supply control device that detects a current in each storage battery, an end device that measures temperature, voltage, and internal resistance of each battery, the internal resistance being measured by using at least two or more kinds of frequencies, and a prime monitoring device that acquires measurement data from the end device corresponding to each battery and issues an instruction related to an operation to the power supply control device and the end device. The prime monitoring device estimates degradation of each battery based on one or more of temperature, voltage, internal resistance.
US09297852B2
Systems and methods for scanning and characterizing an integrated circuit for transient events. Embedded apparatus can detect transient events that may be incident on the integrated circuit, and moreover, identify particular nodes of the integrated circuit that are affected by the transient event. Additionally, the integrated circuit can be characterized by applying known transient pulses of varying severity to selected nodes of the integrated circuit, detecting the severity levels at which the selected nodes can fail, and storing indications pertaining to pulse severity at which selected nodes can fail. Moreover, based on the characterization, targeted protection mechanisms can be provided for nodes that are characterized as being susceptible.
US09297850B1
A memory test method is disclosed that can include providing at least one first switch of at least one test element coupled to a first memory section between a first node within a tested section and an intermediate node, coupling a test switch of the test element between the intermediate node and a forced voltage node, and coupling a second switch of the test element between the intermediate node and a second node; wherein the forced voltage node receives a forced voltage substantially the same as a voltage applied to the second node, and the second node is coupled to at least a second memory section.
US09297847B2
The invention relates to a method for checking a separation point (14) between a photovoltaic inverter (1) and a power supply network (7) having multiple phases (L1, L2, L3) and a neutral conductor (N), wherein multiple switching contacts of the separation point (14) are controlled by the photovoltaic inverter (1), and to a photovoltaic inverter (1). To allow a simple and quick check of the functionality of the separation point (14), the switching contacts of the separation point (14) are each formed by single-pole relays (15-22) and switched in steps according to a switching pattern. For checking switching contacts, a voltage (26, 27, 28) is measured at at least one phase (L1, L2, L3) with respect to the neutral conductor (N), upstream of the separation point (14), and compared to voltage values assigned in accordance with the switching pattern, thereby to deduce the functionality of the switching contacts.
US09297842B2
Disclosed are a device and a method for comparing a detected frequency signal (first frequency signal) and a second frequency signal which is obtained by delaying the detected frequency, to determine whether the frequency transitioned to a predetermined area on high frequency side or reached a predetermined value on the upward direction side. The frequency detection device (1) comprises: a delayed signal output circuit (11) that outputs a second frequency signal (F2) obtained by delaying the first frequency signal (F1), which has a frequency that changes over time, by a set period (Δi); and a determination circuit (12), which inputs the first frequency signal (F1) and the second frequency signal (F2), determines whether or not the cycle of the first frequency signal (F1) is included in the cycle of the second frequency signal (F2) and/or whether or not the cycle of the second frequency signal (F2) is included in the cycle of the first frequency signal (F1), and outputs a determination signal.
US09297831B2
A touch sensor capable of specifying a touch position and/or a degree of a touch pressure by using graphene as an electrode and/or a strain gauge, and more particular, a touch sensor capable of simultaneously detecting a pressure and a position by means of change in resistance by using graphene is provided.
US09297829B2
A multifunctional measuring device, such as for measuring a current in a primary current conductor in a medium voltage switchgear is disclosed which includes a housing with an aperture for accommodation of the primary current conductor; an inner winding accommodated around the aperture inside of the housing for a measurement of current in a primary current conductor; and an external winding wound on the housing around the aperture for another current measurement.
US09297828B2
A method for analyzing a sample having at least one analyte includes the step of heating the sample at a rate of at least 106 K/s to thermally desorb at least one analyte from the sample. The desorbed analyte is collected. The analyte can then be analyzed.
US09297819B2
An analyzing system includes an analyzer and a server computer in communication with the analyzer via a network. The analyzer includes a first controller that is configured to communicate, via a display, instructions to an operator of the analyzer when a predetermined event occurs in the analyzer. The instructions request confirmation that the operator received training. The first controller is also configured to receive an indication of whether the operator has completed the training, and, when the indication indicates that the operator has completed the training, request, from the server, a confirmation that the operator has completed the training. The server computer is configured to receive the confirmation request from the analyzer, determine a training status of the operator, and communicate the training status to the analyzer. The first controller prevents measurement of a sample if the operator has not completed the training.
US09297809B2
This invention relates to a peptide or a corresponding peptidomimetic that binds to an anti-KIR4.1 antibody in a sample from a patient, wherein said patient having multiple sclerosis or a predisposition therefor. The present invention furthermore relates to a method for diagnosing multiple sclerosis or a predisposition for multiple sclerosis in a subject, the method comprising determining the presence of an anti-KIR4.1 antibody in a sample obtained from said subject. Also provided are novel means and methods for the therapy of multiple sclerosis.
US09297808B2
Quantitation of analytes, including but not limited to peptides, polypeptides, and proteins, in mass spectrometry using a labeled peptide coupled to a reporter, and a universal reporter.
US09297806B2
The present invention relates to the field of cancer. More specifically, the present invention provides methods and compositions useful for diagnosing or predicting cancer in a patient. In one embodiment, a method for identifying a patient as having cancer comprises the steps of (a) providing a formalin-fixed, paraffin-embedded or fresh frozen sample of patient tissue; (b) steaming the sample in antigen retrieval buffer; (c) incubating the sample in hydrochloric acid (HCl); (d) incubating the sample with an affinity reagent specific for 5hmC under conditions to form a complex between the affinity reagent and 5-hydroxymethylcytosine (5hmC) present in the sample; (e) detecting the complexes formed between 5hmC and the affinity reagent with secondary detection reagents; (f) quantifying 5hmC levels; and (g) identifying the patient as having cancer if the 5hmC levels in the sample are reduced as compared to a control.
US09297796B2
Kinked nanowires are used for measuring electrical potentials inside simple cells. An improved intracellular entrance is achieved by modifying the kinked nanowires with phospholipids.
US09297795B2
A friction-flow piercing apparatus for piercing very deep and fine holes is described, that relies on a novel support method for the piercing means. An apparatus for monitoring during the piercing process to determine the electrical properties gradient of the substrate is further described, particularly for meltable dielectric such as plastic industrial equipment. A permanently installed piercing means may function as a permanent test site.
US09297792B2
The present invention describes an analysis device and a method associated with this device, said device comprising an analysis cell (8) containing an optrode (10), receiving an input laser signal and sending an output signal to the Raman spectrometer, and said method using two analysis routes: an analysis route 1 connected to the internal circulation current passing from adsorber B to adsorber A, and an analysis route 2 connected to the distilled raffinate originating from distillation column C.
US09297791B2
A gas sensor includes a sensor housing, and a sensing element located within the sensor housing, the sensing element defining an axis and having a distal end extending from the sensor housing. The gas sensor further includes a sensor protection element coupled to the sensor housing and at least partially surrounding the distal end of the sensing element. The sensor protection element includes a tube, the distal end of the sensing element located within the tube, the tube including a window located along a side of the tube adjacent the distal end of the sensing element. The sensor protection element further includes a fabric layer positioned adjacent the window, the fabric layer spaced from the sensing element and extending generally parallel to the axis.
US09297790B2
A switching valve includes a stator and a rotor. The stator includes multiple connection ports. The rotor having predetermined switching positions and interacts with the stator to form a fluidic connection or a fluidic disconnection of predetermined connection ports. The rotor being mounted rotatably via a bearing and pressing device, where the bearing and pressing device is arranged in the housing and loaded with a predefined pressing force in a direction of the stator. The bearing and pressing device includes a spring unit, being supported against a receiving part mounted to rotate about a rotor axis. The receiving part is coupled rotationally conjointly to the rotor and has a drive region which faces away from the stator and is coupled to an output of a drive device.
US09297789B2
The present invention is seen to provide a new methodology, testing system designs and concept to enable in situ real time monitoring of the cure process. Apparatus, system, and method for the non-destructive, in situ monitoring of the time dependent curing of advanced materials using one or more differential ultrasonic waveguide cure monitoring probes. A differential ultrasonic waveguide cure monitoring probe in direct contact with the material to be cured and providing in situ monitoring of the cure process to enable assessment of the degree of cure or cure level in a non-cure related signal variances (e.g., temperature) independent calibrated response manner. A differential ultrasonic waveguide cure monitoring probe including a transducer coupled to a waveguide and incorporating correction and calibration methodology to accurately and reproducibly monitor the cure process and enable assessment of cure level via ultrasonic reflection measurements. The amplitude of the corrected interface response signal reflected from the probe-resin interface indicating changes in the modulus of the material during the cure.
US09297774B2
A method for determining the oxygen concentration of a sample made from p-type semiconductor material includes a thermal treatment step to form the thermal donors, a measuring step of the charge carrier concentration of the sample at a temperature between 0 K and 100 K, a step of determining the thermal donor concentration of the sample from the charge carrier concentration and the temperature of the sample, and a step of determining the interstitial oxygen concentration from the thermal donor concentration.
US09297754B2
A method for detection or the density determination or the classification of an aerosol using spectroscopy includes: using an image taken by a camera for a vehicle, a first value of a parameter being ascertained from the at least one image in a first step, using a first color filtering, and a second value for the same parameter being ascertained in a second step having a second color filtering, which is different from the preceding color filtering, and the values ascertained in the at least two steps are compared, and as a function of the result of the comparison, the detection or the density determination or the classification of the aerosol is carried out.
US09297753B2
A photoelectric smoke sensor capable of detecting smoke with high accuracy is provided.The present invention relates to the photoelectric smoke sensor which detects smoke flowing into a housing by light. The present invention is provided with a light emitting element provided by being faced with a detection region in the housing and emitting inspection light to the detection region, a light receiving element provided at a position shifted from an optical path of the inspection light of the light emitting element by being faced with the detection region and receiving diffused light which is the inspection light having hit the smoke and diffused, so as to detect the smoke, and a reflecting member provided in the housing and deflecting and reflecting the inspection light emitted from the light emitting element so as not to enter the light receiving element.
US09297747B2
The present invention relates to a method for determining trace amounts of crude oil in water, including the steps of collecting a sample of an oil-containing fluid, adding a toluene extraction volume to the sample, perturbing the sample, dissolving substantially all of the amount of oil in the toluene extraction volume to create a mixed sample, extracting the mixed sample to create an oil-in-toluene layer and an aqueous fluid layer, removing a portion of the oil-in-toluene layer into a dilution container, diluting the portion of the oil-in-toluene layer with a toluene dilution volume to create a dilute sample, measuring an absorption value of the dilute sample using a spectrophotometer, and comparing the absorption value to a calibration curve to quantify the amount of oil in the oil-containing fluid.
US09297742B2
A method for manufacturing a corrosion sensor includes spraying a non-conductive material on a substrate and spraying a conductive material at discrete locations on the substrate or on the non-conductive material. The method further includes spraying the non-conductive material around the discrete locations of the conductive material.
US09297734B2
An apparatus to test a property of a fluid is provided. The apparatus includes a suspended member to be submerged in a fluid and a control device. The control device is coupled to the suspended member and is configured to pull the suspended member through at least a portion of the fluid to test a property of the fluid.
US09297731B2
An acoustic emissions testing device includes a testing sample, an acoustic sensor communicably coupled to the testing sample, and a load that is exerted on the sample. The acoustic sensor detects one or more acoustic events occurring within the sample. The acoustic sensor transmits data to a data recorder, which includes a processor and storage medium for executing instructions provided by a software residing within the storage medium. Upon executing the instructions on the transmitted data, the toughness of the sample is objectively determined and can be ranked comparatively to the toughness of other samples. The instructions provide for categorizing the data into possible acoustic event points and background data points, interpolating a background noise curve, determining the actual acoustic event points, and calculating the area under each actual acoustic event point.
US09297729B2
An evaluation method for hit feeling of a sport implement according to the present invention includes an acceleration measurement step for measuring acceleration of a sport hitting tool 4 and a data analysis step for analyzing data obtained in the measurement. In the data analysis step, an amount of change in acceleration in a first cycle of vibration after hitting is calculated. The evaluation method evaluates hit feeling to be felt by a person, using the amount of change in the acceleration. Preferably, in the data analysis step, an amount of change in acceleration in the first cycle of predetermined time is calculated. The predetermined time is within 1.5 msec from the time of hitting. Preferably, the sport hitting tool 4 has the hitting section detachably attached to a shaft section.
US09297727B2
A method for using differential imaging for applications involving TEM samples by allowing operators to take multiple images during a procedure involving a focused ion beam procedure and overlaying the multiple images to create a differential image that clearly shows the differences between milling steps. The methods also involve generating real-time images of the area being milled and using the overlays of the differential images to show small changes in each image, and thus highlight the ion beam milling location. The methods also involve automating the process of creating differential images and using them to automatically mill subsequent slices.
US09297725B2
Provided is an apparatus for extracting, analyzing, and storing gas in a drilled core on a ship. The apparatus includes: a needle for core insertion inserted into the drilled core to allow the gas in the drilled core to the outside; and a first 3-way valve into which the gas passing through the needle for core insertion is introduced and which controls the introduced gas so as to be supplied to a gas storing container or gas analyzing apparatuses positioned on a ship.
US09297723B1
Methods, systems, and apparatus, including computer-readable storage devices, for tracking and analyzing service outages. Weather data and outage data are accessed. Based on the weather data and the outage data, weather conditions corresponding to service outages are identified. A machine learning system is trained to estimate training a machine learning system to estimate effects of weather conditions on utility systems. Data for a particular utility system is provided to the trained machine learning system, and in response, output indicating estimated effects of future weather conditions on the particular utility system is received. The information that indicates the estimated effects of future weather conditions on the particular utility system is provided for display.
US09297720B2
A method of observing an airflow passage within a gas turbine engine includes locating a support in view of an airflow passage and housing an optical fiber within the support.
US09297719B2
A flight control system loading test apparatus includes a surface-mounted sector, a cam profile sector, a dummy weight, and a cable. The surface-mounted sector attaches to an aircraft flight control system body such that the surface-mounted sector pivots along with the body about a pivot axis. The cam profile sector is configured to rotate about a rotational axis among a plurality of loading positions. The cam profile sector includes a profile surface having a plurality of curves. Each curve follows a different radius emanating from a respective axis substantially parallel to the rotational axis of the cam profile sector. The cable contacts the cam profile sector along the profile surface. An applied hinge moment using the dummy weight varies as the cam profile sector rotates about the rotational axis.
US09297716B2
A pipe end-sealing tool includes a body. A seal is mounted on the body and is adapted to apply a sealing pressure to an inner wall of a pipe end to be sealed. A lock is also mounted on the body and is adapted to engage an outer wall of the pipe end. Thus, a load applied to the pipe wall by the lock opposes the sealing pressure.
US09297713B2
A semiconductor pressure sensor device having a pressure-sensing die electrically connected to a microcontrol unit (MCU) using either through silicon vias (TSVs) or flip-chip bumps. An active surface of the pressure-sensing die is in facing relationship with the MCU. These embodiments avoid the need to used bonds to electrically connect the pressure-sensing die to the MCU, thereby saving time, reducing size, and reducing cost.
US09297710B1
A method and device for the detection of impact events on a security barrier. A hollow rebar is farmed within a security barrier, whereby the hollow rebar is completely surrounded by the security barrier. An optical fiber passes through the interior of the hollow rebar. An optical transmitter and an optical receiver are both optically connected to the optical fiber and connected to optical electronics. The optical electronics are configured to provide notification upon the detection of an impact event at the security barrier based on the detection of disturbances within the optical fiber.
US09297705B2
A temperature measuring device having a smart chip, or electronic circuit, integrated therein is provided. The smart chip, or electronic circuit, includes at least a unique identification number or data specific to the particular temperature measuring device stored thereon. The electronic circuit further includes calibration data of the temperature measuring device stored thereon. A module controller of a temperature control system is configured to verify the unique identification number of the thermocouple assembly prior to allowing data to be transferred between the temperature measuring device and a temperature controller. A graphical user interface allows an operator to enter the unique identification number or data to verify the temperature measuring device and display an error message if the number or data entered is not equivalent, or does not match, the unique identification number or data stored on the electronic circuit.
US09297700B2
A photonic sensor, comprising: a platform, a temperature sensor on the platform; and a structure formed on or as part of the platform.
US09297699B1
A method of calibrating a spectrometer, while orbiting the Earth, includes the steps of (a) determining a period of time in which the Moon is within a field of view (FOV) of the spectrometer and (b) stopping the FOV of the spectrometer during this period of time. During this period of time, multiple “free views” of the Moon are available, in which lunar IR intensities may be received by the spectrometer that are comparable to intensity levels obtained from an internal calibration test (ICT) on a satellite. The method measures the IR radiance from the Moon during this period of time. After filtering the lunar IR radiances by an integral function, the spectrometer is calibrated using the “free views” as a benchmark.
US09297698B2
A colorimetric method includes performing colorimetry on color patches to acquire colorimetric values, and determining whether or not color patches subjected to colorimetry are color patches that should undergo colorimetry based on the colorimetric values and reference values.
US09297696B2
A device for Laser based Analysis using a Passively Q-Switched Laser comprising an optical pumping source optically connected to a laser media. The laser media and a Q-switch are positioned between and optically connected to a high reflectivity mirror (HR) and an output coupler (OC) along an optical axis. The output coupler (OC) is optically connected to the output lens along the optical axis. A means for detecting atomic optical emission comprises a filter and a light detector. The optical filter is optically connected to the laser media and the optical detector. A control system is connected to the optical detector and the analysis electronics. The analysis electronics are optically connected to the output lens. The detection of the large scale laser output production triggers the control system to initiate the precise timing and data collection from the detector and analysis.
US09297689B2
A parallel-guiding mechanism (120) has a movable parallel leg (121), a stationary parallel leg (122), a first parallel-guiding member (123) and a second parallel-guiding member (124). The parallel legs and the parallel-guiding members are connected to each other by flexure pivots, in the form of narrow material connections. There is at least one adjustment zone (135). An adjustment flexure fulcrum (136) is arranged between a flexure pivot (131) and a parallel leg. The adjustment zone is connected to the first lever end (138) of an adjustment lever (137). The adjustment flexure fulcrum forms the lever fulcrum (146) of the adjustment lever, which has an elastic domain with a section modulus that is smaller than a section modulus of the adjustment flexure fulcrum.
US09297687B2
In an embodiment, an apparatus may include a sense element having a first end and a second end; and a stud fitted inside the sense element. The stud may have a first end and a second end. The first end of the stud may be free floating with respect to the sense element. The second end of the stud may be attached to the second end of the sense element. The sense element may include one or more gauges. The gauges may sense strain on the sense element. The apparatus may include a ridge that may be used to provide overload protection of the apparatus. The ridge may be placed on the stud, the sense element, or the stud and sense element.
US09297676B2
In a device in which the rotation angle of the rotor is detected with a resolver, the rotation angle of the rotor with less error can be obtained while reducing burden of the operator. The measured angle value acquisition unit acquires the measured-rotation angle value of a motor shaft. The error calculation unit calculates the error included in each of measured-rotation angle values. The frequency component acquisition unit determines the phase and the amplitude of a frequency component of the error based on the errors. Thus, by using the error frequency component acquisition device, the phase and amplitude of the frequency component of the error included in the measured-rotation angle value can be automatically calculated and the correction with respect to the measure-rotation angle value can be performed using the acquired phase and amplitude. Therefore, the rotation angle of the rotor with less error can be obtained, while reducing the burden of the operator.
US09297673B2
Turbomachine component and turbomachine outfitted therewith. The turbomachine component has a sensor unit arranged at the turbomachine component. The sensor unit has a sensor for detecting a parameter to be monitored and a transmitter for sending a measurement signal corresponding to the parameter to an evaluation unit of the turbomachine for processing. The transmitter of the sensor unit sends an encoded identification signal to the evaluation unit along with the measurement signal, this encoded identification signal contains an identification code that identifies the sensor unit. The sensor unit is configured such that the sensor unit cannot be separated from the turbomachine component without functional destruction of the sensor unit.
US09297661B2
A wearable electronic device utilizes indicators on a display screen, such as tick marks positioned around the perimeter of the display, to point to the bearing of a desired location such as a nearest airport when GPS is enabled. The electronic device may be implemented as an aviation watch that comprises a display device having a screen including a plurality of indicators arranged proximal to a perimeter of the screen. The aviation watch determines a direction of an airport that is nearest in proximity to the location of the aviation watch and activates a subset of the plurality of indicators of the screen, the subset of the plurality of indicators providing a directional bearing to the airport determined to be nearest in proximity to the location of the aviation watch.
US09297658B2
Disclosed herein is the use of Wi-Fi based location estimates of a mobile device to provide global offset corrections (including automated initialization) and enhanced navigation accuracy through delivery of heading corrections. In an embodiment, dead reckoning tracking data may be received for a tracked subject. The tracking data includes a plurality of tracking points forming a tracking path of the tracked subject. A Wi-Fi position system location estimate is also obtained. The Wi-Fi position system location estimate is one of a plurality of Wi-Fi position system location estimates correlated to the dead reckoning tracking data. And a tracking related parameter is determined based on the correlation of the dead reckoning tracking data to the Wi-Fi position system location estimate.
US09297657B2
A location tagged data provision and display system. A personal communication device (PCD) with electromagnetic communication capability has a GPS receiver and a display. The 10 PCD requests maps and location tagged data from data providers and other for display on the PCD. The data providers respond to requests by using searching and sorting schemes to interrogate data bases and then automatically transmitting data responsive to the requests to the requesting PCD.
US09297651B2
Generating user preference activity maps is disclosed, including: collecting a plurality of user activities recorded by a plurality of GPS recording devices; determining a user preference map based at least in part on analyzing the plurality of user activities to aggregate user activity data associated with a base map; and determining one or more suggested routes between a user input first endpoint and a user input second endpoint based at least in part on the user preference map.
US09297650B2
The invention relates to a portable electronic device and method for determining altitude. The device can comprise a satellite-positioning sensor for determining the elevation of the device on the basis of satellite data, a barometric sensor for measuring atmospheric-pressure information and/or an acceleration sensor for measuring acceleration information, and means for determining the altitude reading on the basis of the satellite-based elevation and the atmospheric-pressure and/or acceleration information. According to the invention, the means for determining the altitude reading are arranged to calculate a corrected altitude reading with the aid of the rate of change in elevation determined at least partly on the basis of the elevation determined on a satellite basis and atmospheric-pressure and/or acceleration information. With the aid of the invention, the altitude profile of exercise can be measured precisely.
US09297648B2
A laser square gauge for use with an automobile for measuring camber, toe and wheel offset. The laser square gauge generates a vertical laser datum line off of the wheel. The visible line replaces the cumbersome use of jigs and string lines. The gauge is operable by a single user and generates an accurate, repeatable reference. The reference can be used to easily measure camber, offset, toe-in and toe-out of the other wheels, as well as car body and frame dimensions. The gauge permits easy maintenance of records to check set-up dimensions of each car for each environment, such as a race track. The gauge is particularly useful for setting up the alignment and suspension of high performance racing automobiles.
US09297644B2
Device for detecting the position of at least a first and a second hand of an electromechanical watch, said first and second hands moving above a dial, the detection device including a single light source emitting a light beam towards the first and second hands, and a first and a second light detection system, the light source and the first and second light detection systems being mounted on or underneath the dial, the light source and the first and second light detection systems being arranged so that, in a determined position of the first hand, the light beam emitted by the light source is reflected by the first hand towards the first detection system, and in a determined position of the second hand, the light beam emitted by the light source is reflected by the second hand towards the second detection system.
US09297642B2
This alignment device is furnished with an alignment light source for emitting alignment light, and is housed with a camera for example. The alignment light source emits alignment light, doing so, for example, coaxially with respect to the optical axis of light detected by the camera. The alignment light illuminates a substrate and mask, and reflected light is detected by the camera. A microlens array for exposure use is present between a mask alignment mark and a substrate alignment mark, whereby an erect unmagnified image reflected from the substrate alignment mark is formed on the mask. A control device then uses the mask alignment mark and the substrate alignment mark detected by the camera to perform alignment of the substrate and the mask. Alignment of the substrate and the mask can be performed with high accuracy thereby.
US09297635B2
A magnetic sensor system includes a scale and a magnetic sensor arranged in a relative positional relationship variable in a first direction, and a computing unit. The magnetic sensor includes a first detection circuit disposed at a first position and a second detection circuit disposed at a second position. Each of the first and second detection circuits includes a spin-valve magnetoresistive element. The difference between the first position and the second position in the first direction is smaller than or equal to 1.25% of a one-pitch amount of change in the relative positional relationship between the scale and the magnetic sensor. The computing unit generates an abnormal-event determination signal indicative of the presence of an abnormal event in the magnetic sensor by computation using detection signals from the first and second detection circuits.
US09297634B2
The invention relates to a device for generating a sensor signal, the profile thereof depending on the position of a magnetic field-generating element relative to the device, with at least two magnetically sensitive sensors disposed along a measurement path, wherein a support field device, which generates a magnetic support field in the magnetically sensitive sensors, has at least in the magnetically sensitive sensors an essentially identical direction and an essentially homogeneous field strength.
US09297628B2
A primer pocket gauge tool for handloading ammunition is provided, in which the size of the pocket can be verified prior to installation of a specific primer thereinto. The device comprises an elongated member having a first end and a second end, the first end adapted to verify that the pocket meets the minimum dimensions for a specific primer, and the second end adapted to verify the pocket is below the maximum diameter for the same primer. The first end has a diameter and a depth marker to measure the diameter of the primer pocket and its depth, while the second end has a diameter equal to the maximum allowable primer pocket diameter for the given primer. The user verifies the pocket tolerances for a specific primer prior to installation. Also contemplated are individual maximum and minimum gauge members, and incorporation into a swage tool.
US09297623B2
The system of the present disclosure includes at least one flow deflector located outside the nozzle of the mobile and hinged on the rear bottom of the latter, and angular orientation means for the deflector by rotation about the longitudinal axis of the nozzle.
US09297621B2
A cylindrical carbon fiber arrow shaft formed with an increased external diameter of 0.380 inches. This arrow shaft is formed with an axial bore which has a first internal diameter throughout a substantial portion of the shaft length, and a second internal diameter throughout the fletching end of the arrow. By varying the first internal diameter and the second internal diameter standard nocks may be used without the need for any spacer or insert, standard points may be used without the need for any spacer or insert and the location of the center of gravity may be adjusted on the arrow.
US09297620B2
A cylindrical carbon fiber arrow shaft formed with an exterior surface having single or multiple outside diameters and formed with an axial bore having multiple interior diameters. In a preferred embodiment, the exterior surface of the arrow shaft has an increased external diameter at the nock end and tapers to a smaller external diameter at the tip end. The axial bore has an internal diameter at the nock end corresponding to standard arrows having external diameters of 0.295 inches and tapers to a smaller internal diameter at the tip end. Modifying the length, diameter, and wall thickness of the arrow shaft varies the stiffness of the arrow shaft along the length and shifts the center of gravity along the length of the arrow shaft and as well. Utilizing standard internal diameters, nock and tips may be attached without spacers or inserts, thereby decreasing weight of the arrow significantly.
US09297619B1
The bullet for striking obstructed targets includes a main bullet casing having a primary front portion and a primary rear portion, the main bullet casing including a primary propellant and a primary firing means configured to ignite the primary propellant, the primary firing means positioned in the primary rear portion of the main bullet casing, a detachable bullet casing having a secondary front portion and a secondary rear portion, the detachable bullet casing positioned in communicating relation to the main bullet casing, the detachable bullet casing including a secondary propellant and a secondary firing means configured to ignite the secondary propellant, the secondary firing means positioned in the secondary front portion of the detachable bullet casing, and a bullet head positioned on the secondary front portion of the detachable bullet casing, the bullet head having a triggering means positioned in communicating relation to the secondary firing means configured to ignite the secondary firing means.
US09297616B2
Embodiments of the invention can include systems and methods for associating an accessory with a firearm. According to one embodiment, an accessory having an accessory portion and an attachment portion can be provided. The attachment portion can allow the accessory to be mounted to at least a portion of a rail assembly of the firearm when the attachment portion is clamped to the portion of the rail assembly of the firearm. The attachment portion can include a clamp assembly comprising a clamped position and an unclamped position. The attachment portion can also include a lever assembly operable to move the clamp assembly between the clamped position and the unclamped position respectively. Moreover, the attachment portion can include a lever assembly housing for at least partially enclosing some or all of the lever assembly.
US09297612B2
A wallet style holster for holding and concealing a handgun includes an elongated panel including a top flap portion and a bottom flap portion having a handgun retaining element attached to the bottom flap portion where the handgun retaining element includes a trigger guard retention portion and a forward block. At least one protrusion is separated from the forward block by a channel, where the channel and the protrusion are formed to receive a handgun trigger and trigger guard which is held between the protrusion and the forward block. The top flap portion of the elongated panel may be folded over the bottom flap portion to form a wallet, sized so as to be adapted to cover a handgun and fit in a pocket.
US09297608B1
A toy gun comprising: a housing; a plurality of projectile chambers each adapted to house a projectile, each projectile chamber being in fixed relationship with the housing; and a pumping apparatus having a delivery interface alignable with each projectile chamber in a sequence, such that when the delivery interface is aligned with one of the projectile chambers, the pumping apparatus is operable to drive air into said one of the projectile chambers via the delivery interface.
US09297601B2
A gun rest system comprises a gun support member comprising a gun support coupling apparatus having a first arm and a second arm, a first leg frame coupled to the first arm, and a second leg frame coupled to the second arm. The gun rest system may be moveable between a disengaged position with the first leg frame and the second leg frame disposed in a substantially parallel orientation and an engaged position with the first leg frame and the second leg frame disposed in a generally angled orientation. The gun rest system may further comprise a base and an adjustable limb coupled between the base and the gun support member.
US09297589B2
A boiling heat transfer device of the present invention includes: a heat receiving portion that boils a liquefied refrigerant to convert it to vapor, and contacts with a device to be cooled and cools the device to be cooled; a vapor tube that connects to an upper portion of the heat receiving portion and conveys the vapor generated by the heat receiving portion; a heat dissipating portion that condenses the vapor conveyed from the vapor tube to convert it to a liquefied refrigerant and dissipates heat to an atmosphere; and a liquid tube that returns to the heat receiving portion the liquefied refrigerant condensed by the heat dissipating portion. At least a portion of a cross-sectional area of a flow passage of the vapor in the heat receiving portion gradually decreases from a lower portion of the heat receiving portion toward the upper portion of the heat receiving portion.
US09297588B2
A heat exchanger comprises a casing designed as a hollow box by a top plate, a bottom plate, a front plate, a rear plate, and two lateral plates and a heat transfer unit accommodated in the casing. The heat transfer unit has flat plates alternately folded back in reverse direction. A first flow passage and a second flow passage are alternately formed in multiple layers between the flat plates. A high temperature fluid inlet and a high temperature fluid outlet in communication with the second flow passage are provided on the front plate side. A low temperature fluid inlet and a low temperature fluid outlet in communication with the first flow passage are provided on the rear plate side. Biasing means applies pressure on the lateral plate sealing member to the end portion of the heat transfer unit and seals the end portions of the first and second flow passages.
US09297583B2
Disclosed is a laundry drying rack. The laundry drying rack in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention includes a plurality of fixing hangers disposed in parallel to each other on a drying rack frame on which laundry is hung, a plurality of oscillating links each performing a swing motion with respect to each fixing hanger as a pivot axis, a plurality of oscillating hangers each connected to a lower end of the oscillating link and shaking the laundry, hung on the fixing hanger, at the bottom of the corresponding fixing hanger, a driving unit generating power, and an electric unit providing the power generated by the driving unit as an oscillating force for the oscillating links.
US09297578B2
A method for controlling the operation of a transport refrigeration system to limit current drawn by a compressor powered by AC electric current includes the steps of: (a) determining whether an ambient temperature in which the refrigeration unit is operating has been greater than a set point ambient temperature for a first time period; (b) determining whether the refrigeration unit has been operating in a temperature pulldown mode; (c) determining whether the AC electric current is equal to or exceeds a preset maximum current limit; (d) determining whether a time period between a last defrost cycle and a next previous defrost cycle is less than fifteen minutes; and (e) if the determination is YES in both of step (a) and step (b) and is also YES in at least one of step (c) and step (d), reducing the preset maximum current limit to a reset maximum current limit.
US09297575B1
A reservoir for use in a water distribution system within a refrigeration device includes a container having a vessel portion terminating in a neck having an opening, and a cap sealingly engaging the neck. The cap has an internal surface in communication with an interior of the vessel portion, an external surface opposite the internal surface, an inlet aperture and an outlet aperture through the cap in fluid communication with the container opening, and an inlet tube in fluid communication with the inlet aperture extending from the external surface. The cap may sealingly engage the neck by only one seal. The cap may further include an outlet tube in fluid communication with the outlet aperture extending from the external surface. In certain embodiments, a dip tube may be provided in fluid communication with the outlet aperture extending from the internal surface into the vessel portion.
US09297574B2
A refrigerator and method of operating a refrigerator are provided in which an amount of water supplied to an ice maker may be accurately controlled. The refrigerator may include an ice maker, a dispenser for dispensing water, a flow passage control valve for selectively guiding water to the ice maker and the dispenser, a flow amount sensor, and a controller operably coupled to the flow amount sensor for controlling an amount of water supplied to the ice maker based on a water supply amount sensed by the flow amount sensor.
US09297557B2
A Fresnel lens comprising a substantially polygonal focusing portion adapted to focus solar radiation to a area having the same geometry as the focusing portion of the lens. Also a solar module comprising the Fresnel collecting lens and a substantially polygonal photovoltaic cell. The photovoltaic cell is mounted at distance from the Fresnel collecting lens so that the size of the area substantially matches the size of the photovoltaic cell. Also a solar panel having multiple modules within a glazed building envelope system. The solar panel also includes an actuating mechanism within the glazed window envelope system. The actuating mechanism is operatively connected to the plurality of solar modules and is adapted to move the solar modules to track the sun.
US09297555B2
A heat exchange device including a flexible hinge, a solar collector, a tank containing serpentine or coiled tubes which contain municipal water, wherein the tank contains thermal transmission vents designed for outflow of hot gasses from an attic, an insect screen, a precipitation drain and an attachment area is hereby disclosed.
US09297552B2
One aspect of this disclosure provides a zoning baffle for a gas furnace. This embodiment comprises a housing, a primary heating zone located in the housing and comprising one or more heating chambers. A blower having an exhaust opening is located adjacent the primary heating zone and is positioned to force air through the primary heating zone. A zoning baffle is located between the blower and the primary heating zone. The zoning baffle comprises spaced apart baffles oriented substantially parallel with the one or more heating chambers. A method of manufacturing a gas furnace is also provided.
US09297546B2
A humidity control apparatus and an air-conditioning system are capable of controlling the latent heat processing amount and the sensible heat processing amount in accordance with an indoor heat load without decreasing the operation efficiency. Every time an air route is switched to an air route A or an air route B, the route maintenance time for the switched air route is set on the basis of the heat load within a dehumidification target space, and switching of switching devices is controlled such that the set route maintenance time is ensured.
US09297537B2
An orifice holder for use with a gas-fueled appliance includes a body, an orifice passage defined in the body, a first tube passage defined in the body, and a second tube passage defined in the body. The orifice passage, the first tube passage, and the second tube passage are in flow communication within the body.
US09297535B2
A fuel nozzle includes an inner wall defining a central passage extending in an axial direction of the fuel nozzle, a hub wall surrounding the inner wall and defining a first annular passage, an outer wall surrounding the hub wall and defining a second annular passage, and a shroud surrounding the outer wall and defining a third annular passage. A swirler may receive air and direct the air into the first annular passage. The swirler includes at least one swirl vane extending from the shroud to the hub wall that has an air passage extending between the shroud and the hub wall. The air passage is coupled to the first annular passage and has a first width adjacent the shroud and a second width adjacent the hub wall. The second width is larger than the first width defining a diverging outlet into the first annular passage.
US09297523B2
A system and method for using LED sticker. The LED sticker has a top side and a bottom side. It has a positive lead and a negative lead, each coupled to a light emitting device. The LED sticker has first and second conductive surface which is electrically coupled to the leads. The LED sticker also has an adhesive used for adhering the sticker to a backing. When the circuit is complete, the light emitting device is activated. The circuit can be completed via any conductive medium, including conductive ink.
US09297505B2
New and novel illuminatable fabricated decorative articles and architectural members such as paving blocks, building stones, panels, statuary, tiles, flooring, counter tops, furniture, or the like, emit or display, light of one or a plurality of colors from their surfaces by way of a light source or sources positioned at such surface and removable and changeable through said surface. More specifically architectural members, especially objects, articles, and the like used in construction, constructions, manufacturers and fabrications; and more particularly to such members that incorporate illumination and/or display lighting.
US09297499B2
A device for the cryopreservation and/or vitrification of a biological sample in a freezing medium is described. The device preferably comprises a bath for receiving a vessel containing a biological sample in liquid-phase nitrogen. In one example, the bath includes a first member extending generally vertically from a bottom wall portion which divides the interior chamber of the bath into a first sub-chamber adapted for receiving a volume of cryogenic freezing medium and a second or overflow sub-chamber adapted to receive freezing medium from the first sub-chamber. A second member extends generally horizontally between the sidewall portions of the bath and includes at least one opening for receiving a biological sample-containing vessel(s). A kit including a cryogenic storage device and a vessel is also described.
US09297496B2
Bottom mounting rails are used to secure a double wide plug-in module or two full wide plug in-modules into a double wide bay of an electronic device. This allows the size of the electronic device to be minimized. Further, the space adjacent to the sides of plug-in modules is left open facilitating airflow through the electronic device and efficient cooling thereof. The bottom mounting rails allow either a double wide plug-in module or two full wide plug-in modules to be readily installed.
US09297493B2
A laundry dryer includes a cabinet, a rotatable drum within the cabinet, a plurality of rollers rotatably supporting the rotatable drum, a process air moisture condensing device provided in a casing in a basement of the laundry dryer, and a water pipe operatively connected to at least one component of the condensing device. The laundry dryer comprises at least one fire-protection shield which contains a fire or burning within the cabinet of the laundry dryer. Accordingly to some aspects, the fire-protection shield includes a fire-resistant roller cover which covers a majority of a face of a corresponding roller such that the corresponding roller is shielded from a fire within the cabinet of the laundry dryer. According to other aspects, the fire-protection device includes a fire-resistant pipe covering configured to shield the water pipe from the fire or other burning within the cabinet of the laundry dryer.
US09297487B2
A process and apparatus for installing a valve in a pipeline while the pipeline is pressurized, and without leakage of pipeline media. A valve body is formed by attaching a sleeve with an annular space to a pipeline, filling the annular space with curable material, and then machining a cylindrical hole through the pipe, into which a valve is inserted.
US09297482B2
Couplings and gaskets are disclosed. Couplings may include an upper housing, a lower housing, at least one fastening device coupling the upper housing to the lower housing, and a gasket positioned within the upper and lower housings, the gasket including two primary seals and a rib protruding from an inner surface of the gasket and between the two primary seals.
US09297478B2
A valve system for a vessel has a valve body, and a valve stem extending through the valve body and terminating in a plug for axial movement between open and closed position as the stem moves through the valve body. There is at least one probe passageway through the valve stem, at least one of which has a circumferential seal for engaging a probe inserted in the passageway and being exposed in a vessel. The circumferential seal seals the inside of a vessel from atmosphere while allowing a probe to be inserted and removed by moving axially in the passageway. This avoids need to remove the valve system to insert or remove a probe, and indeed a single expensive probe is used at different times with different valve systems. When no exposed probe is required, the seal may be completed by simply inserting a dummy probe in the passageway.
US09297476B2
The invention concerns an valve drive assembly for a valve unit for regulating a flow of fluid with a lead-through of an operating rod (3) through a flange (4), particularly the arrangement of operating rod (3) to the flange (4) for adjusting a defined flow of fluid. The assembly comprises a flange (4), and operating rod (3) and an annular element. The operating rod (3) is disposed through said flange, and annular element is disposed between flange (4) and operating rod (3) defining an annular gap (12) between the annular element and the operating rod. An effective length of the annular gap (12) exceeds a thickness of the flange (4). This invention leads to considerable cost savings, as the component parts can now be produced more simply using manufacturing processes known from mass production, such as deep-drawing or even stamping.
US09297475B2
A system for adjusting water in a domestic water diffuser, in particular for opening and closing water in a shower or bathroom or kitchen sink and for adjusting the flow rate, is described. The system comprises a shutter with at least one metal part slidable inside a cylindrical chamber with a diameter substantially equal to the diameter of the shutter; the system also comprises a pushbutton comprising a magnet; the pushbutton is configured to be operated by means of a finger to mechanically displace the shutter by means of the magnet along an axis of the cylindrical chamber, into two different positions, corresponding to opening of the flow or closing of the flow of water from a diffuser, the pushbutton being also rotatable about the axis, to vary the open position of the shutter along the axis and a corresponding flowrate.
US09297463B2
A single-grip mixing faucet including a control unit with ceramic piece, a cartridge having one side connected to a footing and another side connected to an operating arm and wherein the cartridge includes a fixed inlet disc mounted to the footing and having one side engaged by one side of a movable control disc so as to form a mixing space, and wherein an opposite side of the control disc is engaged by a ceramic disc mover which is connected to the operating arm, and wherein a throttling element extends from the disc mover into the control disc for adjusting an angle between the inlet and control disk to regulate a range of a comfort temperature region of water flowing from the faucet, and wherein a cold water inlet and a hot water inlet are provided in the footing together with a mixed water outlet for water flowing out of the faucet.
US09297450B2
A bicycle rear sprocket is basically provided with a sprocket body and a chain engagement structure. The sprocket body has a center rotational axis, a first side surface and a second side surface. The first and second side surfaces face oppositely with respect to an axial direction of the bicycle rear sprocket. The first side surface is a smaller sprocket facing side of the sprocket body. The chain engagement structure includes a plurality of sprocket teeth extending radially outward from an outer periphery of the sprocket body. The sprocket teeth include a first shift tooth and a second shift tooth. The second shift tooth is positioned at a third tooth position in a downstream direction of a rotational driving direction of the bicycle rear sprocket with respect to the first shift tooth. The first shift tooth and the second shift tooth function as a shift tooth when a bicycle chain moves from a smaller bicycle rear sprocket to the bicycle rear sprocket.
US09297449B2
Disclosed is a ring gear fastening structure in which a ring gear is fastened to the flange of a differential case configuring a differential sub-assembly. The inner circumferential surface of the ring gear is press-fitted into the outer circumferential surface of the flange, and the ring gear is swaged by means of a swage part which is disposed on at least one end of the flange in the axial direction. The inner circumferential surface of the ring gear is formed with a circumferential groove which extends in the circumferential direction of said inner circumferential surface. The circumferential groove is disposed facing the outer circumferential surface of the flange.
US09297448B1
A hydrokinetic torque coupling device includes a casing having opposite sidewalls and an outer wall extending between and connecting the opposite sidewalls, an impeller coaxial aligned with the rotational axis, a piston engagement member extending substantially radially inward from and non-moveable relative to the outer wall of the casing, and a turbine-piston coaxially aligned with and hydrodynamically drivable by the impeller. The turbine-piston includes a turbine-piston shell having a turbine-piston flange with an engagement surface that is movable axially toward and away from an engagement surface of the piston engagement member to position the hydrokinetic torque coupling device into and out of a lockup mode in which the turbine-piston is mechanically locked to and non-rotatable relative to the piston engagement member.
US09297443B2
A power transmitting apparatus may include first and second input shafts selectively receiving torque of a power source through first and second clutches, first and second output shafts disposed in parallel with the first and second input shafts, a plurality of input gears disposed on the first and second input shafts, and at least five speed gears selectively connected to the first and second output shafts through a plurality of synchronizer modules.
US09297442B1
Examples are provided that describe a cycloid transmission with a chain link ring. An example cycloid transmission includes a motor shaft attached to a disc. The motor shaft may be used for rotating the disc. The cycloid transmission also comprises an outer chain link ring that surrounds the disc. The outer chain link ring includes rollers that are inserted at given interfaces between links of the outer chain link ring. The rollers contact the disc as the disc rotates. The cycloid transmission also comprises a housing. The links of the outer chain link are coupled at the given interfaces. The rollers are inserted at the given interfaces and into the housing.
US09297441B2
A motor vehicle transmission having two partial transmissions with coaxial input shafts which can connect to an output shaft. The inputs of the first and second partial transmissions are a central shaft and a hollow shaft, respectively, that are coaxial with the output shaft. A countershaft assembly is parallel to the input and output shafts, to transmit rotation from the drive input to the output via a variety of gears. Gear stages (10-15) and shift elements (S1 to S7) selectively engage to change gears in the partial transmissions The hollow shaft couples stage (10) to a solid shaft of the countershaft assembly which has hollow shaft (9) that can couple the solid shaft via shifting element (S1) and can couple, via stage (11). Actuating shifting element (S2) to the central shaft of the first partial transmission which directly couples the output shaft via shifting element (S3).
US09297433B2
A parking brake actuator generates and applies a braking force to a vehicle wheel by converting a rotation movement of a screw member which is rotated by an electric parking brake driving device into a translatory movement and transmitting the converted translatory movement to a piston to push a brake pad to a disc by the piston. The electric parking brake driving device includes an electric motor and a reduction gear mechanism which transmits the driving force of the electric motor to the electric parking brake driving device. The reduction gear mechanism includes a pinion gear fixed to an output shaft of the electric motor, a first gear shaft rotatably supported on a first bearing member provided on a gear body and a first wheel gear formed on the first gear shaft and engaging the first wheel gear to thereby reduce the speed of driving force of the electric motor.
US09297430B2
A park brake system for an electric motor actuator is provided. The system may comprise a wrap spring that may rotatably engage the shaft. In this regard, the system may be configured to exert a radial force on a shaft of the electric motor actuator to lock the actuator. Moreover, in various embodiments, the system may be bi-stable.
US09297428B2
A torque converter is provided. The torque converter includes a front cover for connecting to an engine crankshaft; a clutch plate; a clutch backing plate limiting axial movement of the clutch plate away from the front cover; and a connector rigidly connected to the front cover and including a rivet portion for fixing the clutch backing plate to the front cover. A method of forming a torque converter is also provided.
US09297418B2
A sliding member having a base and a coating on the surface of the base, the coating is formed of a mixed resin obtained by mixing a thermosetting resin and a thermoplastic resin. The mixed resin is a mixture of a thermosetting resin that is in a liquid state before mixing and a thermoplastic resin that is in the form of solid particles. By applying and heat-treating the mixed resin that is in a liquid state, a coating film formed on the surface of the base is a resin coating layer and dimples in the resin surface.
US09297414B2
A bearing unit for a fluid machinery application having a double-row bearing, the double-row bearing comprising: a first angular self-aligning contact bearing arranged next to a second angular self-aligning contact bearing for locating and rotatably support a shaft; each angular self-aligning contact bearing having a respective set of rolling elements formed of rollers arranged in a row and interposed between an associated curved inner raceway and a curved outer raceway. Each roller is a symmetrical cylindrically shaped roller having a curved raceway-contacting surface engaging with the curved inner and outer raceways. Each roller is inclined in relation to the axial direction of the shaft by a respective first or second contact angle. The rollers are arranged to cooperate with the associated curved inner and raceways for supporting an axial force and a radial force. Examples of fluid machinery applications include: wind turbine, water turbine or propulsion turbine arrangements.
US09297412B2
A bearing assembly includes at least one outer ring and an inner ring unit including first and second inner rings, the inner ring unit having a central, axial bore extending through the first and second inner rings, and a plurality of attachment bores for attaching the bearing assembly to a bearing carrier. A first plurality of roller bodies is disposed between the at least one outer ring and the first inner ring and a second plurality of roller bodies is disposed between the at least one outer ring and the second inner ring. A pin extends through the central axial bore of the first inner ring and through the central axial bore of the second inner ring, and the pin maintains a predetermined preload on the bearing assembly by holding the first inner ring in a fixed position relative to the second inner ring.
US09297405B2
A method for the attachment of a bolt element to a component is described. The bolt element has a head part having a contact surface and a shaft part extending away from the head part, the shaft part having a tip provided at its end remote from the head part, the tip merging into a thread cylinder, optionally via a cylindrical region. The bolt element is pressed with the tip to the fore against the component and the tip is pressed through the component until the side of the component adjacent the head part of the bolt element enters to contact the thread cylinder and the tip thereby generates a hole in the component. The bolt element is subsequently turned so that the thread of the thread cylinder forms an internal thread in the wall of the hole. A bolt element is also claimed.
US09297394B2
Metal sheets and plates having friction-reducing textured surfaces and methods of manufacturing same
Metal sheets and plates having friction-reducing textured surfaces and methods of manufacturing these metal sheets and plates are disclosed herein. In an embodiment, there is provided a transportation vessel that includes at least one metal product having at least one surface that is substantially grooved, wherein the substantially grooved surface forms a riblet topography, the riblet topography including a multiplicity of adjacent permanently rolled longitudinal riblets running along at least a part of the surface, and wherein the riblet topography is coated with at least one coating sufficiently designed and applied to preserve the riblet topography. In an embodiment, the multiplicity of adjacent permanently rolled longitudinal riblets results in a friction-reducing textured surface. In an embodiment, metal product is used in fabricating at least a portion of an aircraft. In an embodiment, metal product is used in fabricating at least a portion of a rotor blade.
US09297392B2
A pneumatic actuator includes a housing defining a chamber. A diaphragm is positioned within the chamber. A rod member is attached to the diaphragm and is movable between a first position and a second position. A cam member is attached to the diaphragm and to the rod member. The cam member has a cam surface. A deflection rod has a first end portion and a second end portion, where the first end portion of the deflection rod is attached to the housing. A follower is attached to the second end portion of the deflection rod. The follower engages the cam surface of the cam member so as to urge the rod member towards the second position.
US09297387B2
A fluid working apparatus (100) having an inlet side and an outlet side with the at least one rotor (114) having a plurality of blades (115) positioned in the housing. A circumferential inlet area is defined on the inlet side of the rotor (114) and a circumferential outlet area is defined on the outlet side of the rotor (116). At least one return assembly (140, 142) is configured to return fluid flow from the outlet side of the rotor (114) to a circumferentially offset portion of the circumferential inlet area on the inlet side of the rotor (114) whereby a working fluid workingly engages a second subset of the rotor blades (115) before exiting the housing outlet (133). A method of working a fluid is also provided.
US09297369B2
A hydrostatic machine having an actuating device for adjusting a displacement volume of the hydrostatic machine is provided. The actuating device has a return element for actuating a control valve as a function of a position of the actuating device. A valve unit is further provided for adjusting an actuating pressure of the actuating device, which is activated mechanically by means of the return element.
US09297368B1
An electric propulsion machine includes an ion thruster having a discharge chamber housing a large surface area anode. The ion thruster includes flat annular ion optics with a small span to gap ratio. Optionally, at least a second thruster may be disposed radially offset from the ion thruster.
US09297364B2
Bogie plate (10) integrated or fastened to the planetary carrier (9) of a planetary gearbox (4) for a wind turbine (1), which, using a locking element (12) prevents faults in the gearbox (4), at moments of low torque, in which there is a grinding of the housing (13) of the planetary shaft (11) around a shaft perpendicular to the bogie plate (10).
