US09318772B2
A lithium-ion accumulator includes an anode, a cathode, a separator, and an electrolyte which is in connection with the anode and the cathode, which electrolyte includes at least one lithium salt as electrolyte salt and a solvent solubilizing the at least one lithium salt. The at least one lithium salt reacts with water to form an hydrogenous acid, and the electrolyte includes at least one additive, which reacts with the hydrogenous acid to form a compound acting as electrolyte salt.
US09318769B2
Provided are an electrode assembly including a sheet-shaped current collector that has, on at least one face thereof, a mixture agent layer containing an active material and is spirally wound, in which the current collector has, in a portion on a side of at least one end of a winding axis, a non-mixture agent layer part having no mixture agent layer formed therein, and a mass per unit area of the mixture agent layer is larger in an edge portion on the side of the non-mixture agent layer part by 0.3% or more and 1.0% or less than in a portion other than the edge portion; and an electric storage device including the electrode assembly.
US09318767B2
An example laminate assembly pressurization arrangement includes a plurality of laminations arranged in a laminate stack. The plurality of laminations are movable between sealed positions and unsealed positions relative to each other. An end plate is adjacent the laminate stack. A housing is configured to establish a first volume together with the end plate. A first group of tie rods is directly secured to the end plate and is configured to move the end plate to a first position that holds the plurality of laminations in sealed positions. A second group of tie rods is directly secured to the housing. Pressurizing the first volume limits movement of the end plate away from the first position.
US09318762B2
An electro-catalyst composition for use as an electrode, gas diffusion layer-supported electrode, catalytic electrode-coated solid electrolyte layer, and/or membrane-electrode assembly in a proton exchange membrane (PEM) type fuel cell. The composition comprises: (a) a proton- and electron-conducting polymer having at least one heteroatom per backbone monomer unit thereof and a plurality of neutral transition metal atoms covalently bonded to at least a portion of the heteroatoms; wherein the polymer has an electronic conductivity no less than 10−4 S/cm and a proton conductivity no less than 10−5 S/cm. Preferably, the electro-catalyst composition further comprises (b) a plurality of catalytically active particles of a transition metal, nucleated around the covalently bonded transition metal atoms. Also preferably, additional catalytically active catalyst particles with an average dimension smaller than 2 nm (most preferably smaller than 1 nm) are physically dispersed in such a polymer and typically not chemically bonded thereto. A hydrogen-oxygen PEM fuel cell or a direct methanol fuel cell (DMFC) featuring such an electro-catalyst composition in a thin-film electrode exhibits a superior current-voltage response.
US09318758B2
A fuel cell stack includes a lower end plate for placing a stack body on the lower end plate, a load plate for applying a load to the stack body in a stacking direction, and a fuel cell support member provided between the load plate and the stack body. The fuel cell support member includes composite layers made of composite material of alumina fiber and vermiculite. The fuel cell support member includes a first support section for applying a load to sandwiching sections at a position corresponding to electrolyte electrode assemblies, and a second support section for applying a load to reactant gas supply sections in the stacking direction. The density of the first support section is smaller than the density of the second support section.
US09318740B2
A non-aqueous electrolyte secondary battery has a positive electrode containing a positive electrode active material, a negative electrode, and a non-aqueous electrolyte. The positive electrode active material includes a lithium-containing oxide Lix1Nay1CoαMnβOγ, where 0.66
US09318738B2
A lithium secondary battery of the present invention may simultaneously improve high output and high capacity characteristics by including a first active material layer having high output characteristics and a second active material layer having high capacity characteristics respectively on a cathode collector and an anode collector.
US09318737B2
There is provided a negative electrode material for non-aqueous electrolyte secondary batteries, the negative electrode material being a silicon oxide represented by the composition formula, SiOx, containing silicon and silicon oxide, in which x satisfies the relation of 0.1≦x≦0.8; the silicon oxide contains crystalline silicon; among the particles of crystalline silicon having a diameter of 1 nm or greater, the proportion by number of particles having a diameter of 100 nm or less is 90% or greater; and the BET specific surface area of the silicon oxide is larger than 100 m2/g.
US09318734B2
A bimetal buss bar assembly includes a positive battery cell terminal having a flat pad, a negative battery cell terminal having a flat pad, and a buss bar having a negative end and a positive end. The buss bar is attached to the positive battery cell terminal at the positive end and attached to the negative battery cell terminal at the negative end. At least one of the positive battery cell terminal, negative battery cell terminal, and buss bar have a bimetal interface.
US09318718B2
Embodiments of the present disclosure provide for vertically aligned CNTFET, methods of making vertically aligned CNTFET, methods of using vertically aligned CNTFET, and the like.
US09318716B1
Disclosed is a composition comprising perylenediimide bridged dimethylethoxysilane. Disclosed also is an electronically active nanostructure comprising perylenediimide bridged dimethylethoxysilane. Disclosed also is a process for fabricating a photovoltaic device comprising depositing an electronically active nanostructure, the nanostructure made by hydrolysis and condensation of perylenediimide bridged dimethylethoxysilane, onto a substrate.
US09318713B2
An asymmetric fused polycyclic heteroaromatic compound is represented by the above Chemical Formula 1-1 or Chemical Formula 1-2, and is highly fused due to fusion of greater than or equal to 4 rings.
US09318711B2
The organic EL material is represented by Formula (1): where X1 to X4 are each independently a nitrogen (N) atom or a carbon atom that is monovalently bonded to R1(C—R1), R1 is a hydrogen atom, a halogen atom, an aryl group having 6 to 18 carbon atoms, a hetero aryl group having 6 to 18 carbon atoms, or an alkyl group having 1-12 carbon atoms, R2 to R10 are each independently hydrogen, an aryl group having 6 to 30 carbon atoms, or hetero aryl group having 6 to 30 carbon atoms, and at least one of X1 to X4 is a nitrogen atom.
US09318706B2
A laminated structure comprising an electrode, a polymer binding layer arranged on the electrode, and an electrically conductive organic material layer arranged on the polymer binding layer, wherein the polymer binding layer comprises an aromatic polymeric compound which has a structure represented by formula (I) [wherein Ar represents a conjugated divalent group which may have a substituent, provided that when there are multiple Ar's, the Ar's may be the same as or different from each other; and n represents an integer of 1 or greater] and has a number average molecular weight of 1×103 to 1×108 inclusive in terms of polystyrene content, the polymer binding layer is bonded to the electrode via a chemical bond between the aromatic polymeric compound and the surface of the electrode, and an electrically conductive organic material that composes a layer included in the electrically conductive organic material layer and arranged adjacent to the polymer binding layer has a number average molecular weight of 3×102 to 1×108 inclusive in terms of polystyrene content.
US09318704B2
Variable resistance memory devices and methods of forming the same are disclosed. The devices may include an additional barrier layer that is a portion of a variable resistance layer and that is formed before forming a horizontal electrode layer. Due to the presence of the additional barrier layer, it may be possible to cure loss or damage of the variable resistance layer.
US09318703B2
A resistive random access memory (RRAM) including a substrate, a dielectric layer, memory cells and an interconnect structure is provided. The dielectric layer is disposed on the substrate. The memory cells are vertically and adjacently disposed in the dielectric layer, and each of the memory cells includes a first electrode, a second electrode and a variable resistance structure. The second electrode is disposed on the first electrode. The variable resistance structure is disposed between the first electrode and the second electrode. In two vertically adjacent memory cells, the first electrode of the upper memory cell and the second electrode of the lower memory cell are disposed between the adjacent variable resistance structures and isolated from each other. The interconnect structure is disposed in the dielectric layer and connects the first electrodes of the memory cells.
US09318674B2
Light emitting devices include a Light Emitting Diode (LED) chip having an anode contact and a cathode contact on a face thereof. A solder mask extends from the gap between the contacts onto one or both of the contacts. The LED chip may be mounted on a printed circuit board without an intervening submount. Related fabrication methods are also described.
US09318661B2
A semiconductor light emitting device includes a first semiconductor layer of a first conductivity type, a first electrode layer, a light emitting layer, a second semiconductor layer, a third semiconductor layer and a second electrode layer. The first electrode layer includes a metal portion having a plurality of opening portions. The opening portions penetrate the metal portion and have an equivalent circle diameter of a shape of the opening portions. The light emitting layer is between the first semiconductor layer and the first electrode layer. The second semiconductor layer of a second conductivity type is between the light emitting layer and the first electrode layer. The third semiconductor layer of a second conductivity type is between the second semiconductor layer and the first electrode layer. The second electrode layer is connected to the first semiconductor layer.
US09318658B2
Provided is a process for producing a red phosphor, said process achieving enhanced productivity. Also provided are: a red phosphor having excellent luminescence characteristics; and a white light source, a lighting system, and a liquid crystal display device, using the red phosphor. This process comprises: mixing an A-containing compound, a nitrogen-free europium source, a silicon-containing compound, an aluminum-containing compound and a carbon-containing reducing agent so as to form a mixture wherein the atomic ratio among A, europium (Eu), silicon (Si), aluminum (Al) and carbon (C) is a value represented by compositional formula (1); firing the mixture; and pulverizing the fired mixture. (Am−xEux)Aly(Si1−zCz)90 nN[12+y−2(n−m)/3] (1) [wherein A is at least one element selected from among magnesium (Mg), calcium (Ca), strontium (Sr) and barium (Ba), and m, x, z and n satisfy the relationships: 3.
US09318657B2
A light emitting device includes: a substrate; an n layer; an active light emitting region having a light emitting side; a p layer; a reflector opposite the light emitting side; and a plurality of microchannels configured to optically couple the active light emitting region with the reflector.
US09318656B2
A light-emitting diode and manufacturing method, including a flat portion and a mesa structure. An inclined side surface is formed by wet etching such that a cross-sectional area of the mesa structure is continuously reduced toward a top surface. A protective film covers the flat portion, the inclined side surface, and a peripheral region of the top surface of the mesa structure. The protective film includes an electrical conduction window arranged around a light emission hole and from which a compound semiconductor layer is exposed. A continuous electrode film contacts the exposed compound semiconductor layer, covers the protective film formed on the flat portion, and has the light emission hole on the top surface. A transparent conductive film is formed between a reflecting layer and the layer at a position that corresponds to the electrical conduction window and in a range surrounded by the electrical conduction window.
US09318643B2
A fabrication method for an inverted solar cell includes: (1) providing a growth substrate; (2) depositing a SiO2 mask layer over the surface of the growth substrate to form a patterned substrate; (3) forming a sacrificial layer with epitaxial growth over the patterned substrate, wherein the sacrificial layer encompasses the entire SiO2 mask pattern; (4) forming a buffer layer over the sacrificial layer via epitaxial growth; (5) forming a semiconductor material layer sequence of the inverted solar cell over the buffer layer with epitaxial growth; (6) bonding the semiconductor material layer sequence of the inverted solar cell with a supporting substrate; (7) selectively etching the SiO2 mask layer by wet etching; and (8) selectively etching the sacrificial layer by wet etching to lift off the growth substrate.
US09318641B2
A photovoltaic device and method include depositing a metal film on a substrate layer. The metal film is annealed to form islands of the metal film on the substrate layer. The substrate layer is etched using the islands as an etch mask to form pillars in the substrate layer.
US09318640B2
A device having a sensor die with a sensor and a control circuit die with at least one control circuit disposed therein, the control circuit die on the sensor die. A plurality of mounting pads is disposed on a second side of the sensor die. A first electrical connection connects a first one of the plurality of mounting pads to a first control circuit of the at least one sensor control circuit and a second electrical connection connects the first control circuit to the sensor. A third electrical connection connects the sensor to a second control circuit of the at least one control circuit and a fourth electrical connection connects the second control circuit to second one of the plurality of mounting pads.
US09318639B2
An avalanche photodiode can include: an avalanche region having one or more layers prepared from GaAs; an N− absorption layer extending across the avalanche region; an N-type layer above at least a center portion of the N− absorption layer; and optionally a lower conductivity layer laterally from the N-type layer to a surface of the avalanche region and above a perimeter portion of the N− absorption layer, the lower conductivity layer having lower conductivity compared to the N-type layer. The avalanche photodiode can include a window layer above the N-type layer and lower conductivity layer, and an anode contact above the window layer. The avalanche photodiode can include an N+ barrier layer below the N− absorption layer, an N+ conduction layer below the N+ barrier layer, a substrate below the N+ conduction layer, and a cathode contact coupled with the N+ conduction layer.
US09318636B2
A light concentrating optic for use with a photovoltaic device includes a light pipe having a first end portion for receiving light and a second end portion for outputting concentrated light. An optical element is coupled to the light pipe on the first end portion and configured to form an optical interface between the light pipe and the optical element. The optical element includes at least one light transmitting surface configured to redirect incident light entering the optical element to disperse the light to fall incident on side walls of the light pipe to increase homogeneity and intensity of light through the second end portion.
US09318629B2
Embodiments of the invention disclose a sensor and its fabrication method, the sensor comprises: a base substrate, a group of gate lines and a group of data lines arranged as crossing each other, a plurality of sensing elements arranged in an array and defined by the group of gate lines and the group of data lines, each sensing element comprising a TFT device and a photodiode sensing device, wherein the TFT device is a bottom gate TFT; the photodiode sensing device comprises: a receiving electrode connected with a source electrode, a photodiode disposed on the receiving electrode, a transparent electrode disposed on the photodiode, and a bias line disposed on and connected with the transparent electrode, the bias line is disposed as parallel to the gate line.
US09318624B2
The present disclosure relates to a Schottky diode having a drift layer and a Schottky layer. The drift layer is predominantly doped with a doping material of a first conductivity type and has a first surface associated with an active region. The Schottky layer is provided over the active region of the first surface to form a Schottky junction. A plurality of junction barrier elements are formed in the drift layer below the Schottky junction, and a plurality of central implants are also formed in the drift layer below the Schottky junction. In certain embodiments, at least one central implant is provided between each adjacent pair of junction barrier elements.
US09318610B2
The present invention improves the aperture ratio of a pixel of a reflection-type display device or a reflection type display device without increasing the number of masks and without using a blackmask. A pixel electrode (167) is arranged so as to partially overlap a source wiring (137) for shielding the gap between pixels from light, and a thin film transistor is arranged so as to partially overlap a gate wiring (166) for shielding a channel region of the thin film transistor from light, thereby realizing a high pixel aperture ratio.
US09318605B2
A semiconductor device includes a P+ region and an N+ region functioning as sources of SGTs and disposed in top portions of Si pillars formed on an i-layer substrate. Connections between a power supply wiring metal layer and the P+ region and between a ground wiring metal layer and the N+ region are established on the entire surfaces of low-resistance Ni silicide layers that are respectively in contact with the P+ region and the N+ region and formed on outer peripheries of the Si pillars. Lower ends of the power supply wiring metal layer and the ground wiring metal layer are located at a height of surfaces of HfO layers near the boundaries between the P+ region and a channel and between the N+ region and a channel, respectively.
US09318599B2
A power semiconductor device may include: a first conductive type drift layer in which trench gates are formed; a second conductive type well region formed on the drift layer so as to contact the trench gate; a first conductive type source region formed on the well region so as to contact the trench gate; and a device protection region formed below a height of a lowermost portion of the source region in a height direction.
US09318596B2
A ferroelectric field-effect transistor device includes: a semiconductor layer; a ferroelectric layer; and an ion conductor layer arranged between the semiconductor layer and the ferroelectric layer and in contact with the semiconductor layer. Methods for producing the ferroelectric field-effect transistor device and using the ferroelectric field-effect transistor device in non-volatile memory devices that reduce a readout voltage to a voltage as low as 0.2 V are also disclosed.
US09318582B2
After forming a gate spacer on each sidewall of a sacrificial gate structure, portions of each dielectric fin cap portion underneath the gate spacer is intentionally etched and undercut regions that are formed are filled and pinched off with a dielectric material of a conformal dielectric liner. Portions of the conformal dielectric liner in the undercut regions are not subject to the undercut during an epitaxial pre-clean process performed prior to forming an epitaxial source region and an epitaxial drain region on opposite sides of the sacrificial gate structure and remain in the undercut regions after forming the epitaxial source region and the epitaxial drain region.
US09318580B2
A method for forming a U-shaped semiconductor device includes growing a U-shaped semiconductor material along sidewalls and bottoms of trenches, which are formed in a crystalline layer. The U-shaped semiconductor material is anchored, and the crystalline layer is removed. Backfilling is formed underneath the U-shaped semiconductor material with a dielectric material for support. A semiconductor device is formed with the U-shaped semiconductor material.
US09318576B2
A three-dimensional semiconductor device, a resistive variable memory device including the same, and a method of manufacturing the same are provided. The method may include forming a source on a semiconductor substrate, sequentially forming a first semiconductor layer formed of a first material, a second semiconductor layer formed of a second material having a higher oxidation rate than that of the first material, and a third semiconductor layer formed of the first material on the source; patterning the first semiconductor layer, the second semiconductor layer, and the third semiconductor layer; forming a lightly doped drain (LDD) region in the second semiconductor layer and a drain in the third semiconductor layer; oxidizing outer circumferences of the first semiconductor layer, the LDD region and the drain region to form a gate insulating layer; forming a gate on an outer circumference of the gate insulating layer to overlap the first semiconductor layer and a portion of the LDD region; foaming a heating electrode on the drain; and forming a variable resistance layer on the heating electrode.
US09318572B2
Device architectures based on trapping and de-trapping holes or electrons and/or recombination of both types of carriers are obtained by carrier trapping either in near-interface deep ambipolar states or in quantum wells/dots, either serving as ambipolar traps in semiconductor layers or in gate dielectric/barrier layers. In either case, the potential barrier for trapping is small and retention is provided by carrier confinement in the deep trap states and/or quantum wells/dots. The device architectures are usable as three terminal or two terminal devices.
US09318562B2
A semiconductor apparatus includes: a semiconductor apparatus includes: a first semiconductor layer of a first conductivity type; a second semiconductor layer of a second conductivity type; and a third semiconductor layer of the first conductivity type, wherein: the second semiconductor layer is formed between the first and third semiconductor layers, and the first and second semiconductor layers are in contact with each other; and a first energy level at a bottom edge of a conduction band of the first semiconductor layer is lower than a second energy level at a top edge of a valence band of the second semiconductor layer, and the second energy level at the top edge of the valence band of the second semiconductor layer is substantially the same as a third energy level at a bottom edge of a conduction band of the third semiconductor layer.
US09318558B2
The present invention is to cause high channel mobility and a high threshold voltage to coexist in a SiC-MOSFET power device which uses a SiC substrate. The SiC MOSFET which is provided with a layered insulation film having electric charge trap characteristics on a gate insulation film has an irregular threshold voltage in a channel length direction of the SiC MOSFET, and in particular, has a shorter area having a maximum threshold voltage in the channel length direction compared to an area having other threshold voltages.
US09318554B2
A semiconductor chip includes a semiconductor layer having first and second opposing main surfaces. A plurality of MOSFET cells are at least partially formed in the semiconductor layer. A gate pad region is at least partially formed in the semiconductor layer and includes a gate pad contact and a first plurality of trenches extending from the first main surface. The first plurality of trenches are spaced apart from one another in a direction parallel to the first main surface by about 45 micrometers to about 60 micrometers. At least one gate feed region is at least partially formed in the semiconductor layer and includes a gate feed contact and a second plurality of trenches extending from the first main surface. The second plurality of trenches are spaced apart from one another in the direction parallel to the first main surface by about 45 micrometers to about 60 micrometers.
US09318550B2
A semiconductor device includes a first gate electrode structure, a second gate electrode structure, a device separation structure, and cell separation structures. The first gate electrode structure is buried in a semiconductor portion in a first cell array at a distance to a first surface of the semiconductor portion. The first gate electrode structure includes parallel array stripes. The second gate electrode structure is buried in the semiconductor portion in a second cell array adjacent to the first cell array. The second gate electrode structure includes parallel array stripes. The device separation structure is between the first and second cell arrays. The device separation structure has a first width. The cell separation structures have at most a second width smaller than the first width and notching, at the first surface, semiconductor fins formed from sections of the semiconductor portion between the array trenches.
US09318546B1
In some embodiments, a metal oxide second electrode material is formed as part of a MIM DRAM capacitor stack. The second electrode material is doped with one or more dopants. The dopants may influence the crystallinity, resistivity, and/or work function of the second electrode material. The dopants may be uniformly distributed throughout the second electrode material or may be distributed with a gradient in their concentration profile.
US09318540B2
A LED pixel unit circuit and a display panel. The circuit comprises a driving module (31) which is provided with a driving control unit (311). The driving control unit (311) comprises a matching TFT (T4) whose threshold voltage is matched with the threshold voltage of the driving TFT (DTFT), is located between the first switching element (T1) and the first capacitor (C1), and is configured to control charging and discharging of the first capacitor (C1) so as to write the threshold voltage of the matching TFT (T4) and a new data voltage into the first capacitor (C1) while eliminating the original data voltage in the first capacitor (C1) and thereby compensate for the threshold voltage of the driving TFT (DTFT). The circuit can solve the problem of brightness non-uniformity of the display panel due to different threshold voltages of the TFTs, and also integrate a touch screen circuit into the pixel unit circuit to realize a touch function of the LED display panel.
US09318524B2
An imaging apparatus (400) includes a detector array (412) with at least one detector tile (418). The detector tile includes a photosensor array (422) with a two dimensional array of individual photosensitive detector pixels (424) located within a non-photosensitive area (426) and readout electronics (432) coupled to the photosensor array. The readout electronics includes individual analog readout channel wells (602, 604) corresponding to the individual detector pixels, wherein an analog readout channel well electrically isolates analog electrical components therein from analog electrical components in other analog readout channel wells. Decoupling circuitry optionally is located in at least one of metal layers of the individual analog readout channels or in the individual analog readout channel wells.
US09318523B2
A solid-state imaging device that includes a pixel including a photoelectric conversion section, and a conversion section that converts an electric charge generated by photoelectric conversion into a pixel signal. In the solid-state imaging device, substantially only a gate insulation film is formed on a substrate corresponding to an area under a gate electrode of at least one transistor in the pixel.
US09318522B2
A colored radiation-sensitive composition for a color filter that includes (A) a pigment, (B) a photopolymerization initiator, and (C) a polymerizable compound, in which the colored radiation-sensitive composition satisfies the following conditions: when a colored radiation-sensitive composition layer is formed from the colored radiation-sensitive composition such that spectral transmittance at 600 nm becomes 30%, the colored radiation-sensitive composition layer includes the following characteristics: (1) spectral transmittance at 400 nm is 20% or less; (2) spectral transmittance at 550 nm is 10% or less; (3) spectral transmittance at 700 nm is 70% or more; (4) a wavelength resulting in 50% spectral transmittance is in a range of from 650 nm to 680 nm; and (5) a film thickness of the colored radiation-sensitive composition layer is in a range of from 0.55 μm to 1.8 μm.
US09318518B2
An imaging system (100) includes a radiation source (112) that emits radiation that traverses an examination region and a detector array (114) with a plurality of photon counting detector pixels (116) that detect radiation traversing the examination region and respectfully generate a signal indicative of the detected radiation. The photon counting detector pixel includes a direct conversion layer (122) having a first radiation receiving side (202) and second opposing side (206), a cathode (118) affixed to and covering all of or a substantial portion of the first side, an anode (120) affixed to a centrally located region (208) of the second side, wherein the anode includes at least two sub-anodes (120, 120i, 1202, 120N), and a metallization (124) affixed to the second side, surrounding the anode and the anode region, with a gap between the anode and the metallization. The system further includes a reconstructor (144) that reconstructs the signal to generate volumetric image data indicative of the examination region.
US09318517B1
Apparatus, systems, and methods related to focal plane arrays can be used in a variety of applications. In various embodiments, focal plane arrays can be fabricated on a wafer integration level based on arrangement of a flexible conductive layer for photosensitive pixels of the focal plane arrays. Arrangement of a flexible conductive layer allows for a number of architectures of focal plane arrays. Additional apparatus, systems, and methods are disclosed.
US09318514B2
Disclosed is a display device. The display device includes a gate line and a data line intersecting the gate line to define a pixel area on a substrate, a TFT formed in the pixel area and including a gate electrode, a semiconductor layer, a source electrode, and a drain electrode, a first protective layer formed on the TFT structured such that a first hole exists through the first protective layer, a second protective layer formed on the first protective layer and structured such that a second hole exists through the second protective layer, wherein the size of the second hole differs from a size of the first hole, a pixel electrode formed on the second protective layer and at least partially filling the first and second holes, the pixel electrode connected to the drain electrode through the first and second holes.
US09318513B2
Provided is a semiconductor device equipped with: a plurality of switching elements (T1, T2) that are connected in series; a first capacitance (Cs1) having one electrode connected to an end of the plurality of switching elements (T1, T2) and another electrode being connected to a first capacitance wiring line (CSL1); a second capacitance (Cs2) with one electrode connected to a node that connects two adjacent switching elements (T1, T2) among the plurality of switching elements, and another electrode being connected to a second capacitance wiring line (CSL2); and a light-shielding film that block light from being incident on at least one of the plurality of switching elements (T1, T2).
US09318505B2
A display panel includes a first substrate including a switching device array, a second substrate spaced apart from the first substrate, a column spacer maintaining a cell gap between the first substrate and the second substrate, the first substrate includes a gate line on a base substrate and extending in a direction, a data line crossing with the gate line, a switching device electrically connected to the gate line and the data line and including a gate electrode, a source electrode and a drain electrode, a pixel electrode connected to the switching device and a dummy pattern adjacent to the column spacer.
US09318498B2
Methods and apparatus for manufacturing semiconductor devices, and such semiconductor devices, are described. According to various aspects of the disclosure, a semiconductor device can be manufactured by forming a core region of the semiconductor device and forming a periphery region of the semiconductor device. A first polysilicon region can then be formed over the core and periphery regions of the semiconductor device. A first mask is formed on the first poly silicon layer and a second polysilicon layer is disposed such that the second polysilicon layer covers the first mask. A second mask can then be formed on the second polysilicon layer. After forming the second mask, portions of the first and second polysilicon layers that are uncovered by either the first or second masks are removed.
US09318495B2
Disclosed are a semiconductor device comprising a capacitor and a double-layer metal contact and a method fabricating the same. The method comprising: forming a gate of a peripheral transistor for a peripheral circuit; forming a first contact and a first peripheral circuit wiring layer pattern on a first interlayer insulating layer; forming a second contact and a second peripheral circuit wiring layer pattern; selectively removing a portion of the second interlayer insulating layer in a cell region; forming a mold layer covering the second peripheral circuit wiring layer pattern; forming storage nodes passing through the mold layer; removing the mold layer; forming a dielectric layer and a plate node, which cover the storage nodes; forming a third interlayer insulating layer; and forming third contacts passing through the third interlayer insulating layer.
US09318484B2
The semiconductor device of the present invention comprises first and second transistors and first and second capacitors. One of source and drain electrodes of the first transistor is electrically connected to a first wiring, the other is electrically connected to a second wiring, and a gate electrode of the first transistor is electrically connected to one of a source electrode and a drain electrode of the second transistor and one of electrodes of the first capacitor. The other of the source and drain electrodes of the second transistor is electrically connected to the first wiring, and a gate electrode of the second transistor is electrically connected to one of electrodes of a second capacitor and a fifth wiring. The other electrode of the first capacitor is electrically connected to a third wiring, and the other electrode of the second capacitor is eclectically connected to a fourth wiring.
US09318483B2
A transistor device includes at least one transistor cell. The cell includes a drift region, a source region, a body region arranged between the source region and the drift region, and a drain region. The drift region is arranged between the body region and the drain region. A gate electrode is adjacent the body region and dielectrically insulated from the body region by a gate dielectric. A channel region of a doping type complementary to a doping type of the drain region is arranged between the drift region and the drain region. A drift control region is adjacent the drift region and dielectrically insulated from the drift region and the channel region by a drift control region dielectric. A first switch is coupled between the drift control region and the drain region.
US09318472B1
A light-emitting diode (LED) lighting device includes a substrate, a first bottom electrode, a bottom transparent isolation layer, a first vertical LED, a second vertical LED, a first top transparent electrode, and a second top transparent electrode. The first bottom electrode is disposed on the substrate and is reflective. The first vertical LED and the second vertical LED are disposed on the first bottom electrode. The bottom transparent isolation layer covers the substrate and the first bottom electrode and exposes the first vertical LED and the second vertical LED. The first top transparent electrode is electrically connected to the first vertical LED. The second top transparent electrode is electrically connected to the second vertical LED. The first top transparent electrode, the second top transparent electrode, and the first bottom electrode cooperate to electrically connect the first vertical LED and the second vertical LED in series.
US09318467B2
A microelectronic package can include a substrate having first and second opposed surfaces extending in first and second transverse directions and an opening extending between the first and second surfaces and defining first and second distinct parts each elongated along a common axis extending in the first direction, first and second microelectronic elements each having a front surface facing the first surface of the substrate and a column of contacts at the respective front surface, a plurality of terminals exposed at the second surface, and first and second electrical connections aligned with the respective first and second parts of the opening and extending from at least some of the contacts of the respective first and second microelectronic elements to at least some of the terminals. The column of contacts of the first and second microelectronic elements can be aligned with the respective first and second parts of the opening.
US09318465B2
A method of forming a semiconductor device package includes bonding a first connector to a first conductive structure on a first package. The method includes bonding a die to a surface of the first package, wherein a top surface of the first connector extends above a top surface of the die. The method includes surrounding the first connector with a molding compound. The method includes removing a portion of the first connector and a portion of the molding compound. The top surface of the remaining first conductor is below the top surface of the die. A first top surface of the remaining molding compound is below the top surface of the die. A second top surface of the remaining molding compound is level with the top surface of the die. The method includes bonding a second connector to the remaining portion of the first connector.
US09318463B2
A photovoltaic module having at least one photovoltaic cell may be produced. At least one photovoltaic cell may be arranged on a substrate, covering the substrate and the cell with at least one rear wall. The rear wall may be made from at least one back sheet material, connecting the substrate, the cell, and the rear wall to one another in a planar fashion. At least one component may be arranged on the rear wall of the photovoltaic module by welding to the back sheet material. In the welding process, a heating element may be positioned between the component and at least a partial area of the rear wall, and at least the partial area of the rear wall of the photovoltaic module and a partial area of the component may be brought into contact with respective surfaces of the heating element.
US09318451B2
A first semiconductor device die is provided having a bottom edge incorporating a notch structure that allows sufficient height and width clearance for a wire bond connected to a bond pad on an active surface of a second semiconductor device die upon which the first semiconductor device die is stacked. Use of such notch structures reduces a height of a stack incorporating the first and second semiconductor device die, thereby also reducing a thickness of a semiconductor device package incorporating the stack.
US09318447B2
According to an exemplary embodiment, a method of forming a vertical structure with at least two barrier layers is provided. The method includes the following operations: providing a substrate; providing a vertical structure over the substrate; providing a first barrier layer over a source, a channel, and a drain of the vertical structure; and providing a second barrier layer over a gate and the drain of the vertical structure.
US09318443B2
An identification mark formation method for forming an identification mark on a refractory material single crystal substrate that is made of one selected from the group consisting of sapphire, gallium nitride, aluminum nitride, diamond, boron nitride, zinc oxide, gallium oxide, and titanium dioxide is disclosed. The method includes: (a) scanning a principal surface of the refractory material single crystal substrate with a laser beam at a first energy density such that a groove is formed in the principal surface of the refractory material single crystal substrate, thereby forming an identification mark in the principal surface of the refractory material single crystal substrate; and (b) scanning an inside of the groove of the refractory material single crystal substrate with a laser beam at a second energy density that is lower than the first energy density.
US09318441B2
A semiconductor wafer contains a plurality of semiconductor die each having a plurality of contact pads. A sacrificial adhesive is deposited over the contact pads. Alternatively, the sacrificial adhesive is deposited over the carrier. An underfill material can be formed between the contact pads. The semiconductor wafer is singulated to separate the semiconductor die. The semiconductor die is mounted to a temporary carrier such that the sacrificial adhesive is disposed between the contact pads and temporary carrier. An encapsulant is deposited over the semiconductor die and carrier. The carrier and sacrificial adhesive is removed to leave a via over the contact pads. An interconnect structure is formed over the encapsulant. The interconnect structure includes a conductive layer which extends into the via for electrical connection to the contact pads. The semiconductor die is offset from the interconnect structure by a height of the sacrificial adhesive.
US09318440B2
Conductive contact structure of a circuit structures and methods of fabrication thereof are provided. The fabrication includes, for instance, providing at least one contact opening disposed over a semiconductor substrate; forming a carbon-rich contact liner material having a set carbon content conformally within the at least one contact opening disposed over the semiconductor substrate.
US09318429B2
An embodiment device package includes a die having a conductive pillar and a molding compound extending along sidewalls of the die. The molding compound at least partially covers a top surface of the die. The device package further includes a conductive via extending through the molding compound and a redistribution layer (RDL) over the molding compound. The RDL and the molding compound have a continuous interface extending from the conductive via to a point over the die.
US09318426B2
A semiconductor device includes a first bump that is located over a surface of a semiconductor element, and is formed on a first bump formation face distanced from a back surface of the semiconductor element at a first distance, and a second bump that is located over the surface of the semiconductor element, and is formed on a second bump formation face distanced from the back surface of the semiconductor element at a second distance being longer than the first distance, the second bump having a diameter larger than a diameter of the first bump.
US09318421B2
The invention relates to a power semiconductor chip (10) having at least one upper-sided potential surface and contacting thick wires (50) or strips, comprising a connecting layer (I) on the potential surfaces, and at least one metal molded body (24, 25) on the connecting layer(s), the lower flat side thereof facing the potential surface being provided with a coating to be applied to the connecting layer (I) according to a connection method, and the material composition thereof and the thickness of the related thick wires (50) or strips arranged on the upper side of the molded body used according to the method for contacting are selected corresponding to the magnitude.
US09318409B1
A device comprising a first detector, comprising an output, disposed at a first location of an integrated circuit chip and configured to determine a first temperature information, a chip heater, comprising an input to receive a control signal, disposed at a second location of the integrated circuit and configured to heat an area of the integrated circuit device that includes the first location and the second location, based upon the control signal, and a heater controller comprising a first input coupled to the output of the first detector to receive the first temperature information, and an output coupled to the input of the chip heater, the heater controller configured to generate the control signal based upon the first temperature information.
US09318405B2
A wafer level package device may include a molding compound that encapsulates a substrate, a back end of line and front end of line layer on the substrate and a passivation layer of a redistribution layer without encapsulating a metal layer on the passivation layer. The molding compound may eliminate sidewall chipping and cracking as well as reduce the need for back side lamination.
US09318402B2
A resin composition is provided which can be suitably used in a printed circuit board having excellent electrical properties, heat resistance and peel strength, with flame retardancy maintained, a prepreg and resin sheet which use the same, and a metal foil-clad laminate which uses the prepreg. A resin composition including a polyphenylene ether (A), a specific phosphorus-containing cyanate ester compound (B), a non-halogenated epoxy resin (C), a cyanate ester compound (D) and a filler (E) is used.
US09318386B2
A method includes forming a molding compound molding a lower portion of an electrical connector of a wafer therein. The molding compound is at a front surface of the wafer. The molding compound covers a center region of the wafer, and leaves an edge ring of the wafer not covered. An opening is formed to extend from the front surface of the wafer into the wafer, wherein the opening is in the edge ring of the wafer. A backside grinding is performed on the wafer until the opening is revealed through a back surface of the wafer. The method further includes determining a position of a scribe line of the wafer using the opening as an alignment mark, and sawing the wafer from a backside of the wafer by sawing through the scribe line.
US09318381B2
A method of fabricating a conductive line of a semiconductor device is disclosed. The method includes the steps of: sequentially forming a conductive material layer and a mask on a semiconductor substrate, wherein a thickness of the conductive material layer is between 30000 angstroms (Å) and 90000 angstrom (Å); performing a first etching process to remove a part of the conductive material layer to form at least an upper side; and performing a second etching process to remove a part of the conductive material layer to form at least a lower side, wherein a curvature of the upper side is different from a curvature of the lower side.
US09318379B2
A spacer covering a sidewall of a contact plug includes a relatively more damaged first portion and a relatively less damaged second portion. An interface of the first and second portions of the spacer is spaced apart from a metal silicide layer of the contact plug. Thus reliability of the semiconductor device may be improved. Related fabrication methods are also described.
US09318376B1
A front-end-of-line through-substrate via is provided for application in certain semiconductor device fabrication, including microelectromechanical (MEMS) devices. The through-substrate via (TSV) has a conductive element formed from the cylindrical core of a ring-shaped isolating etch trench. The conductivity of the core is provided by in-diffusion of dopants from a highly-doped layer deposited along sidewalls of the core within the etched trench. The highly-doped layer used as the diffusion source can be either conductive or insulating, depending upon the application. The highly-doped diffusion source layer can be retained after diffusion to further contribute to the conductivity of the TSV, to help fill or seal the via, or can be partially or completely removed. Embodiments provide for the drive in-diffusion process to use a same heating step as that used for thermal oxidation to fill or seal the via trench. Other embodiments can provide for diffusion elements from a gaseous source.
US09318358B2
An etching device is provided, the etching device including a process chamber including an etchant, a structure configured to provide a laminar flow of the etchant, and a workpiece handler configured to move a workpiece through the laminar flow of the etchant along a predefined track.
US09318351B2
A wiring substrate includes a substrate body, a through hole extending through the substrate body from an upper surface to a lower surface of the substrate body, and a through electrode formed in the through hole. The through electrode includes a conductive layer that forms a cavity in the through hole, and a resin layer that fills the cavity. The conductive layer includes first to third metal layers. The first metal layer is formed on an upper wall surface of the through hole. The second metal layer covers at least a portion of the first metal layer and an upper opening of the through hole. The third metal layer is formed on a lower wall surface of the through hole and connected to at least the first metal layer or the second metal layer.
US09318349B2
A plasma processing system for processing a substrate is described. The plasma processing system includes a bottom piece including a chuck configured for holding the substrate. The plasma processing system also includes an induction coil configured to generate an electromagnetic field in order to create a plasma for processing the substrate; and an optimized top piece coupled to the bottom piece, the top piece further configured for a heating and cooling system. Wherein, the heating and cooling system is substantially shielded from the electromagnetic field by the optimized top piece, and the optimized top piece can substantially be handled by a single person.
US09318344B2
A simple, effective and economical method to improved the yield of CMOS devices using contact etching stopper liner, including, single neutral stressed liner, single stressed liner and dual stress liner (DSL), technology is provided. In order to improve the chip yield, the present invention provides a method in which a sputter etching process is employed to smooth/flatten (i.e., thin) the top surface of the contact etch stopper liners. When DSL technology is used, the inventive sputter etching process is used to reduce the complexity caused by DSL boundaries to smooth/flatten top surface of the DSL, which results in significant yield increase. The present invention also provides a semiconductor structure including at least one etched liner.
US09318342B2
One illustrative method disclosed herein includes forming a plurality of initial fins in a substrate, wherein at least one of the initial fins is a to-be-removed fin, forming a material adjacent the initial fins, forming a fin removal masking layer above the plurality of initial fins, removing a desired portion of the at least one to-be-removed fin by: (a) performing a recess etching process on the material to remove a portion, but not all, of the material positioned adjacent the sidewalls of the at least one to-be-removed fin, (b) after performing the recess etching process, performing a fin recess etching process to remove a portion, but not all, of the at least one to be removed fin and (c) repeating steps (a) and (b) until the desired amount of the at least one to-be-removed fin is removed.
US09318340B2
A method of manufacturing a semiconductor device including a wafer using a plasma etching device which includes a chamber, a chuck provided in the chamber to dispose a wafer to be processed thereon, a focus ring disposed at a peripheral edge portion of the chuck, and a gas supplying mechanism configured to supply various types of gases depending a radial position of the wafer. The method includes: placing a wafer formed with an organic film on the chuck; introducing an etching gas which etches the organic film on the wafer from the process gas supplying mechanism to a central portion of the wafer; introducing an etching inhibiting factor gas having a property of reacting with the etching gas to the peripheral edge portion of the wafer from the gas supplying mechanism; and performing plasma etching on the wafer using the etching gas.
US09318338B2
A method for fabricating a semiconductor device is provided. The method includes the following steps. Firstly, a substrate having a nitride layer and a platinum (Pt)-containing nickel (Ni)-semiconductor compound layer is provided. Then the nitride layer and the Pt are removed in situ with a chemical solution including a sulfuric acid component and a phosphoric acid component.
US09318337B2
An integrated circuit capacitor. The capacitor includes a substrate, a first conductor, and a first insulating region between the first conductor and the substrate. The capacitor also includes a second conductor, a second insulating region between the first conductor and the second conductor, a third conductor, and a third insulating region between the first conductor and the third conductor. The capacitor also includes a fourth conductor and a fourth insulating region between the first conductor and the fourth conductor.
US09318326B2
Structures and methods for producing active layer stacks of lattice matched, lattice mismatched and thermally mismatched semiconductor materials, with low threading dislocation densities, no layer cracking and minimized wafer bowing, by using epitaxial growth onto elevated substrate regions in a mask-less process.
US09318314B2
A method of forming a freestanding semiconductor wafer includes providing a semiconductor substrate including a semiconductor layer having a back surface and an upper surface opposite the back surface, wherein the semiconductor layer comprises at least one permanent defect between the upper surface and back surface, removing a portion of the back surface of the semiconductor layer and the permanent defect from the semiconductor layer, and forming a portion of the upper surface after removing a portion of the back surface and the permanent defect.
US09318311B2
A refillable plasma cell for use in a laser-sustained plasma light source includes a plasma bulb, the bulb being formed from a glass material substantially transparent to a selected wavelength of radiation, and a gas port assembly, the gas port assembly being operably connected to the bulb and disposed at a first portion of the gas bulb, wherein the bulb is configured to selectively receive a gas from a gas source via the gas port assembly.
US09318310B2
A method for operating a mass spectrometer having an ion trap over a plurality of selected mass-to-charge ranges constituting an overall mass-to-charge range is disclosed. For each of the plurality of selected mass-to-charge ranges the method comprises filling the ion trap with fragmented ions of the selected mass-to-charge ranges, cooling the fragmented ions trapped in the ion trap for a first cooling period, applying an RF voltage and a resolving direct current voltage to the ion trap for eliminating any remaining fragmented ions outside the selected ion mass-to-charge range and retaining ions within the selected ion mass-to-charge range, cooling the retained ions in the ion trap for a second cooling period, and scanning the retained ions out of the ion trap and detecting the ions released therefrom.
US09318301B2
A sample introduction device (100) has a pre-evacuation chamber (2), a sample holder (10), a mechanical drive arrangement (30) for moving the sample holder (10), and a controller (90). The controller (90) performs a first operation for controlling the mechanical drive arrangement (30) to move a support member (20) such that this support member (20) supports the sample holder (10) when its sample holding portion (12) is in the pre-evacuation chamber (2) and to bring the support member (20) to a halt, a second operation for making a decision as to whether the sample holding portion (12) can be moved into the sample chamber (1), based on the position at which the support member (20) is halted, and a third operation for moving the support member (20) supporting the sample holder (10) such that the sample holding portion (12) moves from the pre-evacuation chamber (2) into the sample chamber (1) if the decision is affirmative to indicate that the sample holding portion (12) can be moved into the sample chamber (1).
US09318295B2
A CNT electron source, a method of manufacturing a CNT electron source, and a solar cell utilizing a CNT patterned sculptured substrate are disclosed. Embodiments utilize a metal substrate which enables CNTs to be grown directly from the substrate. An inhibitor may be applied to the metal substrate to inhibit growth of CNTs from the metal substrate. The inhibitor may be precisely applied to the metal substrate in any pattern, thereby enabling the positioning of the CNT groupings to be more precisely controlled. The surface roughness of the metal substrate may be varied to control the density of the CNTs within each CNT grouping. Further, an absorber layer and an acceptor layer may be applied to the CNT electron source to form a solar cell, where a voltage potential may be generated between the acceptor layer and the metal substrate in response to sunlight exposure.
US09318291B2
Presented is a mechanical switch that may include a first electrode; a second electrode spaced apart from the first electrode; a first material electrically connected to the first electrode; and a second material electrically connected to the first electrode. Any one of a hardness, a Young's modulus, a melting point and an insensitivity degree to external contamination of the second material is lower than any corresponding one of a hardness, a Young's modulus a melting point and an insensitivity degree to external contamination of the first material. When the first electrode and the second electrode are electrically connected to each other, after the first material is connected to the second electrode, the second material is connected to the second electrode.
US09318288B2
A power saving circuit for an electronic device is disclosed. The power saving circuit includes a direct-current (DC) power supply, a sensing unit, and a control unit. The DC power supply is used for providing a DC current. The sensing unit, coupled to the DC power supply, is used for detecting the DC current and operating to generate a voltage signal according to the DC current. The control unit, coupled to the sensing unit, is used for determining whether a system circuit of the electronic device has a light load or a heavy load and generating an enable signal.
US09318284B2
A circuit interrupter having a compact design. According to some implementations, the circuit interrupter includes a conductor from a terminal to a contact having a portion that is angled with respect to the housing sides. This allows a fastener sleeve used to secure the device housing to be positioned closer to the center of mass of the housing, reducing the area of the housing. In some implementations, an arc splitter is provided which includes conductive plates that are angled with respect to the housing sides, allowing the area of the housing to be reduced. In some implementations, a terminal is designed to accommodate a connection without being doubled back, reducing the clearance required for the terminal and the overall area of the circuit interrupter.
US09318283B2
Apparatus to provide arc flash protection regarding a wind turbine. In one embodiment, a wind turbine (10) includes a wind turbine generator (12) to generate an alternating current power. A transformer (14) has a high-voltage side (16) coupled to a load. A circuit breaker (18) is adapted to selectively reduce arc flash energy available to the wind turbine. The circuit breaker may be arranged to provide circuit interruption between the generator and a low-voltage side (20) of the transformer upon detection of a fault condition. The circuit breaker includes an arc flash protection mode (24) and a normal protection mode (22). In response to a sensed condition, a respective one of the modes may be automatically set so that the circuit breaker can perform the circuit interruption in accordance with the protection functionality of the set mode.
US09318281B2
A steering wheel assembly comprises a plurality of control elements disposed on a user-accessible surface of the steering wheel assembly. Each of the plurality of control elements has a plurality of user-selectable operational states and is electrically coupled to a corresponding branch of an electric circuit. The electric circuit defines an output node and is configured to produce a single output signal at the output node. Each of the plurality of control elements is configured for affecting the single output signal based on an active one of the plurality of user-selectable operational states of the respective one of the plurality of control elements. The single output signal is indicative of the active ones of the plurality of user-selectable operational states for each of the plurality of control elements.
US09318280B2
A switch includes a button which is connected to a ring-shaped permanent magnet that is magnetized along a z-axis, a guide member made from an non-ferromagnetic material inside which the button and the ring-shaped permanent magnet are arranged so as to be moveable along the z-axis, as well as at least one sensor that has a sensitive area that is arranged inside the ring-shaped permanent magnet and that is configured to measure a change in a magnetic field in the radial direction within a x-y-plane, wherein the x-axis and the y-axis lie orthogonally to the z-axis, respectively.
US09318275B2
An electrochemical device is provided with an electric storage element that is constituted by a first electrode sheet, a second electrode sheet, and a separator sheet installed between the two electrode sheets. The separator sheet includes: a first part (high liquid absorptivity part) sandwiched between the two electrode sheets; a second part (low liquid absorptivity part) extending outward from the two electrode sheets; and a third part (contact part) in contact with a rim surface of the second electrode sheet, whereby the electrochemical device can quickly and reliably resolve a phenomenon of the amount of electrolyte decreasing in the part of the separator sheet sandwiched between the two electrode sheets, even if the phenomenon occurs frequently.
US09318268B2
A solid electrolyte capacitor in which a valve-acting metal substrate with a dielectric oxide film formed on the surface of an anode body is immersed alternately in a monomer solution and an oxidant solution to form a first conductive polymer layer on the surface of the dielectric oxide film. Thereafter, the capacitor element with the first conductive polymer layer is immersed in a soluble conductive polymer solution or a conductive polymer suspension to form a second conductive polymer layer that varies little in film thickness. Then, a cathode layer is formed on the conductive polymer layer.
US09318265B2
A multilayer ceramic capacitor whose external electrodes are each provided with a solder non-adhesion film made of material to which solder does not adhere, in a manner continuously covering the entire surface of the end face, and optionally the entire surface of the curved face thereof. The multilayer ceramic capacitor, with certainty, allows for suppression of noise accompanying electrostriction.
US09318259B2
In a solenoid magnet assembly, and a method for manufacture thereof, the magnet assembly includes a number of concentrically aligned coils, each including a winding impregnated with a resin. Each coil is mechanically restrained so as to hold the coils in fixed relative positions relative to each other when forming the magnet assembly. The mechanical restraint can be formed by annular support sections bonded to the respective coils, lugs bonded to the respective coils, or by lugs that are at least partially embedded in a crust formed on a radially outer surface of the respective windings.
US09318251B2
A method of manufacturing an electronic component including providing a wire having first and second ends and a pre-formed core, winding the wire about at least a portion of the pre-formed core and connecting the first and second wire ends to at least one terminal for mounting the component to a circuit, and using a wet press process to form a mixture of magnetic and/or non-magnetic material over at least a portion of the wire and pre-formed core, and harden the mixture without exposing the wire and pre-formed core to the damaging forces of a dry press process to form an electronic component with a generally planar top surface with which the component can be picked and placed on a circuit using conventional pick-and-place equipment.
US09318249B1
A mechanical hub is provided. The mechanical hub is attachable to a cable and includes an outer shell and tiles. The outer shell surrounds the cable. The tiles are spaced to surround the circumference of the cable. The tiles may be positioned between the outer shell and the cable such that a translation of the outer shell alters the distance between the tiles and the cable. The mechanical hub may improve signals that are transmitted over segments of a cable that have degraded signal quality.
US09318248B2
A spin valve element including parallelly or serially connected magnetic element groups, each magnetic element group having a plurality of magnetic elements that each include an intermediate layer of an insulating member or a nonmagnetic member sandwiched by a pair of ferromagnetic layers. The plurality of magnetic elements are further connected either in series or in parallel.
US09318247B2
An electromagnetic actuating device, in particular camshaft adjustment device, having an armature unit (14) which can be driven in the axial direction or parallel thereto in reaction to energization of a stationary, axially oriented coil unit (10) and is designed to interact with a slide and/or plunger unit (16) which extends in the axial direction, in particular a plunger unit which brings about camshaft adjustment of an internal combustion engine, wherein permanent magnet means are provided on and/or in the armature unit and/or the slide or plunger unit, and the coil unit and armature unit are accommodated at least partially in a housing unit or carrier unit.
US09318240B2
Halogen-free, flame retardant compositions comprising in weight percent based on the weight of the composition: A. 20 to 60% TPU/Si-g-EVA polymer blend in which the Si-g-EVA is crosslinked, B. 1 to 25% organic phosphate ester, C. 30 to 60% metal hydrate, and D. 0.1 to 10% epoxidized novolac. Optionally, the compositions further comprise in weight percent based on the weight of the composition, one or more of: E. 0.01 to 0.5% anti-dripping agent, F. 0.1 to 2% additive; and G. 0.1 to 5% filler.
US09318236B2
A method and system for a mounting device for an electrical harness of a gas turbine engine are provided. The mounting device includes a first and a second semi-cylindrical shell, the first and second shells are hingedly coupled along respective adjacent edges. Each of the first and second shells includes a first end region, a second end region and a middle region extending between the first end region and the second end region. The middle region defines a mounting seat having an outer diameter that is less than an outer diameter of the first end region and the second end region. The mounting device also includes at least one fastener configured to couple the first shell to the second shell with the wire bundle disposed between the first shell and the second shell such that movement of the first shell and the second shell along the wire bundle is restricted.
US09318235B2
A film peeling method for a film-coated flat wire that is performed by a film peeling device including: a rotational holder that can rotationally convey in a perpendicular direction to a rotational axis; a positioning mechanism that positions a film-coated flat wire in a longitudinal direction; and a working section that is provided in plural, aligned at specified intervals, and works an end portion of the film-coated flat wire, the method includes: holding the film-coated flat wire that is cut in a specified length in advance by the rotational holder; rotationally conveying the film-coated flat wire that is held by the rotational holder in the perpendicular direction to the rotational axis; positioning the conveyed film-coated flat wire by the positioning mechanism; and working the end portion of the film-coated flat wire by the working section.
US09318233B2
The present invention relates to a method for manufacturing a conductive metal thin film, including: preparing a conductive metal coating solution by adding carboxylic acid to a dispersion including a conductive metal particle having a core/shell structure; coating the conductive metal coating solution on a top portion of a substrate, heat-treating it, and removing an metal oxide layer of the surface of the conductive metal particle having the core/shell structure; and forming a thin film of the conductive metal particle from which the metal oxide layer is removed.
US09318228B2
A method and apparatus for producing Mo-99 from Mo-100 for the use of the produced Mo-99 in a Tc-99m generator without the use of uranium is presented. Both the method and apparatus employ high energy gamma rays for the transformation of Mo-100 to Mo-99. The high energy gamma rays are produced by exposing a metal target to a moderated neutron output of between 6 MeV and 14 MeV. The resulting Mo-99 spontaneously decays into Tc-99m and can therefore be used in a Tc-99m generator.
US09318226B2
This invention generally concerns robotic systems and is particularly concerned with improved apparatus and methods for remotely inspecting, modifying or repairing a core shroud in a nuclear reactor. The apparatus of the invention includes a partial upper track which horizontally movable along the core shroud, a head and frame assembly which is horizontally movable along the partial upper track, a lower track which is connected to the head and frame assembly and is horizontally movable along the core shroud, and a carriage and arm assembly which extends downward into an annulus formed by the reactor pressure vessel and the core shroud, wherein the arm includes at least one sensor for inspecting the core shroud.
US09318220B2
Methods for memory cell coupling compensation and apparatuses configured to perform the same are described. One or more methods for memory cell coupling compensation includes determining a state of a memory cell using a voltage that is changed in accordance with a first memory cell coupling compensation voltage, performing an error check on the state of the memory cell, and determining the state of the memory cell using a voltage that is changed in accordance with a second memory cell coupling compensation voltage in response to the error check failing.
US09318212B2
A nonvolatile memory device includes a core unit and a peripheral circuit unit. The core unit is configured to be capable of storing data. The peripheral circuit unit is configured to program and read the data to and from the core unit. The peripheral circuit unit is configured to generate an internal clock having a first period. The peripheral circuit unit is configured to change the first period to be a second period after being input a first command and a second command within an interval.
US09318207B2
A nonvolatile semiconductor memory device according to an embodiment comprises a control unit, during a data erase, applying at least to a word line connected to a memory cell disposed most to a source line side a lower control voltage than that applied to a word line connected to a memory cell disposed most to a bit line side, of a plurality of word lines connected to at least a plurality of memory cells mutually written with data of an identical number of bits in a cell string.
US09318206B2
An erase process for a 3D stacked memory device allows a portion of a block of memory cells to be erased. In one approach, in a U-shaped NAND string configuration, memory cells in the drain- or source-side columns are erased. In another approach, such as in a U-shaped or a straight NAND string configuration, memory cells in a portion of a column of memory cells are erased, and a dummy memory cell is provided between the erased and non-erased memory cells. A dummy memory cell can be on either side (e.g., above and below) of an erase memory cell, or on either side of a non-erased memory cell. A dummy memory cell is ineligible to store user data, but prevents a downshift in the threshold voltage of an erased memory cell from changing the threshold voltage of a non-erased memory cell, due to capacitive coupling.
US09318202B2
According to example embodiments, an operation method of a nonvolatile memory device includes determining a location of a selected word line among word lines connected to the nonvolatile memory device, selecting one of a plurality of different read disturbance reducing modes according to the location of the selected word line, and performing a read or verification operation according to the selected read disturbance reducing modes. The nonvolatile memory device includes cell strings. Each one of the cell strings includes memory cells stacked on top of each other in a direction perpendicular to the substrate and between a ground select transistor and a string select transistor. The ground select transistor is between the substrate and the number of the memory cells. The string select transistor is connected to a bit line and is between the bit line and the number of the memory cells.
US09318198B2
A method of operating a memory system according to an aspect of the present disclosure includes storing first data in a memory controller; storing second data in the memory controller, wherein the second data is read from a selected page of a first memory block of a memory device; and performing a program operation for storing third data, that include the first data and the second data, in a selected page of a second memory block of the memory device.
US09318193B2
A semiconductor memory device according to an embodiment comprises: a plurality of first lines extending in a first direction perpendicular to a substrate surface and arranged with a certain pitch in a second direction parallel to the substrate surface; a plurality of second lines extending in the second direction and arranged with a certain pitch in the first direction; a memory cell provided at an intersection of the first line and the second line and including a variable resistance element; a third line provided extending in the second direction between the plurality of second lines; and a control circuit capable of executing a first operation that changes a resistance value of the variable resistance element by applying a voltage to the memory cell via the first line and the second line, and a second operation that supplies heat to the memory cell using the third line.
US09318188B2
A semiconductor memory is disclosed that includes a first data line, a second data line, a first coupling line and a second coupling line. The first coupling line is configured to capacitively couple the first coupling line with the first data line. The second coupling line is configured to capacitively couple the second coupling line with the second data line.
US09318187B2
A method and a memory for sensing a state of a memory cell while the memory cell capacitor is isolated from a data line are described. An activation device of the memory cell can be enabled to couple the memory cell capacitor to a parasitic capacitance of the active data line for charge sharing. The activation device can then be disabled to isolate the memory cell capacitor from the active data line. The state of the memory cell can then be sensed while the memory cell capacitor is isolated from the active data line. After the sense operation, the activation device can be re-enabled in order to restore the data to the memory cell capacitor that was destroyed during the sense operation.
US09318185B2
A memory module may include m memory devices. Each of the m memory devices may be divided into n regions each region including a plurality of rows corresponding to row addresses, where m and n are integers equal to or greater than 2. An address detector included in each of the m memory devices, wherein for each of the address detectors, the address detector may be configured to count a number of accesses to a particular row address included in one region of each of the m memory devices during a predetermined time period, and be configured to output a detect signal when the number of the counted accesses reaches a reference value. Each of the max-count address generators may be configured to count a number of accesses for a set of row addresses different from the sets of row addresses for which the other max-count address generators count accesses.
US09318182B2
Techniques and mechanisms to dynamically adjustment a timing of commands to access a dynamic random access memory (DRAM). In an embodiment, a memory controller monitors an error rate of the DRAM and, based on such monitoring, identifies that the error rate is within a predetermined range. In response to the error rate being within the predetermined range, one or more signals are generated to dynamically modify a command timing setting. In another embodiment, modification of the command timing setting is to transition a memory controller from sending memory refresh commands successively at one rate to sending memory refresh commands successively at a different rate.
US09318181B2
A magnetic memory device includes word lines, bit lines intersecting the word lines, magnetic memory elements disposed at intersections between the word lines and the bit lines, and selection transistors connected to the word lines. The magnetic memory elements share a word line among the plurality of word lines and also share a selection transistor connected to the word line that is shared among the selection transistors. Related systems and operating methods are also described.
US09318179B2
A spin-transfer torque magnetic random access memory (STTMRAM) element includes a composite fixed layer formed on top of a substrate and a tunnel layer formed upon the fixed layer and a composite free layer formed upon the tunnel barrier layer. The magnetization direction of each of the composite free layer and fixed layer being substantially perpendicular to the plane of the substrate. The composite layers are made of multiple repeats of a bilayer unit which consists of a non-magnetic insulating layer and magnetic layer with thicknesses adjusted in a range that makes the magnetization having a preferred direction perpendicular to film plane.
US09318176B2
A semiconductor integrated circuit includes a clock pulse generating circuit suitable for outputting a command enable clock pulse when a predetermined command is input during a predetermined command-masking period, a command interface circuit suitable for outputting an internal command signal based on the command enable clock pulse and the command, and a target operating circuit suitable for performing an operation corresponding to the command based on the internal command signal.
US09318174B1
Systems and methods of memory and memory operation are disclosed, such as providing a circuit including a local address driver voltage source for memory decoding. In one exemplary implementation, an illustrative circuit may comprise a first buffer and a capacitor. The first buffer may comprise a power input and a ground input. The capacitor may comprise a first terminal connected to the power input of the first buffer and a second terminal connected to the ground input of the first buffer. When the first buffer draws a current from the power input, at least a portion of the current may be supplied by the capacitor.
US09318173B2
Apparatuses and methods for measuring an electrical characteristic of a model signal line and providing measurement information based at least in part on the measurement of the electrical characteristic. An example apparatus includes a signal line model including a model signal line configured to model electrical characteristics of a signal line. The apparatus further includes a measurement circuit coupled to the signal line model and configured to measure the electrical characteristic of the model signal line responsive to an input signal provided to the model signal line. The measurement circuit is further configured to provide measurement information based at least in part on the measurement to set a signal applied to the signal line.
US09318171B2
A computer-system implemented method for dual asynchronous and synchronous memory operation in a memory subsystem includes establishing a synchronous channel between a memory controller and a memory buffer chip. A mode selector determines a reference clock source for a memory domain phase-locked loop of the memory buffer chip based on an operating mode of the memory buffer chip. An output of a nest domain phase-locked loop is provided as the reference clock source to the memory domain phase-locked loop in the memory buffer chip based on the operating mode being synchronous. The nest domain phase-locked loop is operable synchronous to a memory controller phase-locked loop of the memory controller. A separate reference clock is provided independent of the nest domain phase-locked loop as the reference clock to the memory domain phase-locked loop based on the operating mode being asynchronous.
US09318157B2
Various embodiments include apparatus and methods having circuitry to detect and/or assign identification information to dice arranged in a stack and coupled by conductive paths.
US09318153B2
A data storage apparatus includes a controller capable of being coupled to a read/write head. The controller is configured to receive a fault signal from a sensor of the read/write head. The sensor indicates whether an energy source used to heat the recording medium is malfunctioning during a write operation. In response to the fault signal, the controller takes remedial action to protect the data associated with the write operation.
US09318146B2
Methods and apparatuses for generating and using servo correction data are disclosed. In one embodiment, an apparatus may comprise a data storage medium having a first track and a second track, servo correction data for the first track and the second track stored on the first track, and no servo correction data stored on the second track, and a controller configured to correct servo errors based on the servo correction data. In another embodiment a method may comprise receiving servo information related to a first data storage medium having a first track and a second track, generating one or more position error signals (PES) based on the servo information, generating servo correction data based on the one or more PES, and storing the servo correction data for the first track and the second track on the first track.
US09318144B1
A disk drive includes a spindle motor attached to a disk drive base. The spindle motor includes a hub that rotates about a spindle rotation axis. An annular disk is mounted on the hub. A clamp is attached to the hub. The clamp has a body portion that is stamped from a metal sheet. The clamp also includes an annular rib that protrudes from the stamped sheet metal body portion towards the annular disk. The annular rib includes an annular contact surface that may be lapped to enhance flatness and that contacts the annular disk. The annular rib also includes inner and outer side walls that are each normal to the annular contact surface.
US09318136B1
Various embodiments concern a gimbaled flexure having a dual stage actuation structure. The flexure comprises a gimbal on which a motor is mounted. The motor comprises a first and second terminals and a plurality of actuator layers formed from a piezoelectric material. The plurality of actuator layers comprise serially stacked first, second, and third actuator layers. The plurality of actuator layers are respectively poled and connected to the first and second terminals such that both of the first and second actuator layers expand while the third actuator layer contracts in response to application of a signal across the first and second terminals. The differential motion of the plurality of layers in the motor cause the motor to curl about the contracting third actuator layer. The curling motion causes a portion of the flexure to preferentially curl.
US09318132B2
A magnetic head includes a main magnetic pole used to apply a recording signal magnetic field to a magnetic recording medium and also includes a microwave line through which a microwave alternating current is transferred. The microwave line is connected to the main magnetic pole. The entire end surface of the main magnetic pole is positioned closer to air bearing surface than a connection portion at which the microwave line and main magnetic pole are mutually connected. Therefore, microwave assisted magnetic recording is possible without deteriorating the recording signal magnetic field.
US09318129B2
Disclosed herein are systems, methods, and non-transitory computer-readable storage media for processing audio. A system configured to practice the method monitors, via a processor of a computing device, an image feed of a user interacting with the computing device and identifies an audio start event in the image feed based on face detection of the user looking at the computing device or a specific region of the computing device. The image feed can be a video stream. The audio start event can be based on a head size, orientation or distance from the computing device, eye position or direction, device orientation, mouth movement, and/or other user features. Then the system initiates processing of a received audio signal based on the audio start event. The system can also identify an audio end event in the image feed and end processing of the received audio signal based on the end event.
US09318128B1
Methods and systems for facilitating development of voice-enabled applications are provided. The method may comprise receiving, at a computing device, a plurality of actions associated with a given application, parameters associated with each respective action, and example instructions responsive to respective actions. The method may also comprise determining candidate instructions based on the actions, parameters, and example instructions. Each candidate instruction may comprise one or more grammars recognizable by a voice interface for the given application. The method may further comprise the computing device receiving respective acceptance information for each candidate instruction, and comparing at least a portion of the respective acceptance information with a stored acceptance information log comprising predetermined acceptance information so as to determine a correlation. Still further, the method may comprise determining a set of instructions comprising one or more of the candidate instructions based on the determined correlation.
US09318127B2
An apparatus for generating a bandwidth extended audio signal from an input signal, includes a patch generator for generating one or more patch signals from the input signal, wherein the patch generator is configured for performing a time stretching of subband signals from an analysis filterbank, and wherein the patch generator further includes a phase adjuster for adjusting phases of the subband signals using a filterbank-channel dependent phase correction.
US09318117B2
In a method of smoothing stationary background noise in a telecommunication speech session, initially receiving and decoding S10 a signal representative of a speech session, where the signal comprises both a speech component and a background noise component. Subsequently, providing S20 a noisiness measure for the signal, and adaptively S30 smoothing the background noise component based on the provided noisiness measure.
US09318116B2
Techniques are disclosed for acoustic data reception. Playback of modified audio content is acoustically detected by a first receiving entity and a second receiving entity operatively connected to the first receiving entity via a network. The modified audio content is generated by encoding specified data into specified audio content such that the modified audio content satisfies a predefined signal constraint characterizing imperceptibility of any differences between playback of the specified audio content and playback of the modified audio content. The specified data is collaboratively decoded based on the acoustically detected playback of the modified audio content and by the first receiving entity and the second receiving entity using the network and according to a predefined diversity scheme.
US09318113B2
Simulating an improvisational conversation between two or more people (or between a person and himself at a later time) by recording an original conversation involving some of the people and annotating the recording to produce an interview source database, then receiving a statement from another of the people, matching the statement against the interview source database to obtain a suitable audio response in the voice of a participant in the original conversation, and playing the audio response for the speaker or sender of the statement.
US09318112B2
The technology described in this document can be embodied in a computer-implemented method that includes receiving, at a processing system, a first signal including an output of a speaker device and an additional audio signal. The method also includes determining, by the processing system, based at least in part on a model trained to identify the output of the speaker device, that the additional audio signal corresponds to an utterance of a user. The method further includes initiating a reduction in an audio output level of the speaker device based on determining that the additional audio signal corresponds to the utterance of the user.
US09318109B2
Embodiments provide for tracking a partial dialog state as part of managing a dialog state space, but the embodiments are not so limited. A method of an embodiment jointly models partial state update and named entity recognition using a sequence-based classification or other model, wherein recognition of named entities and a partial state update can be performed in a single processing stage at runtime to generate a distribution over partial dialog states. A system of an embodiment is configured to generate a distribution over partial dialog states at runtime in part using a sequence classification decoding or other algorithm to generate one or more partial dialog state hypothesis and/or a confidence score or measure associated with each hypothesis. Other embodiments are included.
US09318102B2
Disclosed are a speech recognition error correction method and an apparatus thereof. The speech recognition error correction method includes determining a likelihood that a speech recognition result is erroneous, and if the likelihood that the speech recognition result is erroneous is higher than a predetermined standard, generating a parallel corpus according to whether the speech recognition result matches the correct answer corpus, generating a speech recognition model based on the parallel corpus, and correcting an erroneous speech recognition result based on the speech recognition model and the language model. Accordingly, speech recognition errors are corrected.
US09318097B2
An acoustic reflector comprises a shell surrounding a solid elastomeric core free of joints. The shell transmits acoustic waves incident on the surface of the shell partially into the core to be focused and reflected from an area of the shell located opposite to the area of incidence so as to provide a reflected acoustic signal output from the reflector partially around the circumference of the shell and to combine constructively with the reflected acoustic signal output. The ratio of the speed of sound wave transmission in the shell to the average speed of the wave transmission in the core is preferably in the range of 2.74 to 3.4 best results being in the range of 2.74 to 2.86 inclusive.
US09318095B2
The disclosed active vibration noise control device is suitable for use in cancelling out vibration noise by outputting control noise from a plurality of speakers. When a vibration noise frequency is in a dip bandwidth, the active vibration noise control device alters the step size parameters used to update the filter coefficient at at least one filter coefficient update means from among a plurality of filter coefficient update means. Thus, the filter coefficient update speed can be retarded in unstable dip bandwidths, enabling loss in silencing effect which occurs during dip characteristics to be appropriately reduced.
US09318086B1
A method in accord with certain implementations involves capturing an audio sound at a hand held computing device; extracting a characteristic from the audio sound; and programming one or more digital signal processors in a musical instrument effects processor to modify an input signal to the musical instrument effects processor using the extracted characteristic. This abstract is not to be considered limiting, since other embodiments may deviate from the features described in this abstract.
US09318077B2
A head-mount type display device adapted to make a user visually recognize a virtual image includes an image light generation section adapted to generate image light representing an image using image data and then emit the image light, a light guide section adapted to guide the image light, which is emitted, to eyes of the user, a receiving section adapted to receive the image data, and a control section, which is connected to the receiving section, controls image display by the image light generation section, and has a transmitting section adapted to transmit the image data to the receiving section. The control section controls luminance of the image light generation section so as to degrade visibility of the virtual image for a predetermined period of time in a case in which a disturbance in data communication between the transmitting section and the receiving section is presumed.
US09318068B2
Systems and methods for efficiently generating display driver timing signals are provided. In one example, display driver circuitry of an electronic display may provide a negative voltage from a negative voltage supply to display control circuitry during a first period and may provide a positive voltage from a positive voltage supply to the display control circuitry during a second period. After providing the negative voltage during the first period but before providing the positive voltage during the second period, the display driver circuitry may precharge the capacitance of the display control circuitry to ground. In this way, the positive voltage supply substantially does not supply charge to raise the voltage on the capacitance of the display control circuitry from the negative voltage to ground.
US09318066B2
A display panel comprises a plurality of pixels. A first pixel among the plurality of pixels comprises a first subpixel which further comprises a first subpixel electrode, a first switching element configured to apply a data voltage to the first subpixel electrode, and a second switching element applying a boosting voltage to the first subpixel electrode. The first pixel further comprises a second subpixel comprising a second subpixel electrode and a third switching element applying the data voltage to the low pixel electrode. Accordingly, the display quality and the reliability of the display panel may be improved.
US09318065B2
A display panel includes a high pixel electrode including a first stem which extends substantially in a first direction, and a second stem which extends substantially in a second direction crossing the first direction, a low pixel electrode including a first stem which extends substantially in the first direction, and a second stem which extends substantially in the second direction, a data line which extends in the second direction, a high storage line which extends substantially in the second direction and overlaps the second stem of the high pixel electrode, and a low storage line which extends substantially in the second direction and overlaps the second stem of the low pixel electrode.
US09318046B2
A power supply circuit and display apparatus, comprising power source (1), charging/discharging module (2), detecting module (3), the detecting module detects detecting parameter on power-supply path, feeds back corresponding mode signal to the power source according to the detected detecting parameter, and outputs preset operation voltage to load (4); the power source receives the mode signal fed back from the detecting module, outputs power supply voltage corresponding to the mode signal, and charges the charging/discharging module when the mode signal is the low power signal; and the charging/discharging module is discharged to the detecting module when the power source outputs the supply voltage corresponding to the high power signal, and is charged when the power source outputs the supply voltage corresponding to the low power signal. The circuit can avoid effectively that the consumption of the power source fluctuates significantly with the power consumption changing of the load thereby the power source operates stably.
US09318043B2
A system for distributing display content to multiple heterogeneous mobile display devices is presented. The system includes several independently operated mobile display devices and a host server. The host server is communicatively coupled with the independent mobile display devices and is configured to divide the display content into several pixels. The host server is also configured to assign single pixels from the several pixels individually to distinct display devices selected from the several mobile display devices. The host server is also configured to instruct the display devices having assigned pixels to display their assigned single pixels. In some embodiments, the host server is configured to assign the single pixels to the display devices according to the attributes of the display devices.
US09318035B2
Disclosed is an advertisement display device having a 3D sheet. The advertisement display device having the 3D sheet comprises: a substrate; a backlight unit which is provided on the substrate and irradiates light; and a 3D sheet which is provided on the backlight unit to implement a 3D image by the light irradiated from the backlight unit.
US09318028B1
A training door for breaching tools has a frame on which the door is hung by hinges at a hinge edge, while at an opposite edge being retained to a jamb by one or more non-shearing bolts. When the door is forced by a breaching tool at the bolt location, the jamb is forced laterally away from the door edge, against rubber mounts that allow limited jamb movement. As the door is forced in (or out, depending on its swing direction), with the jamb spread away somewhat the bolt will bend and fail pulling out of its socket. Replaceable sleeves are secured to the door edge, in several sections of the door to avoid breach tool damage on the door itself.
US09318025B2
In some examples, a processor is configured to control a ground obstacle collision alerting system of an aircraft to deactivate delivery of ground obstacle collision alerts in response to determining the aircraft is in a designated ground area. In some examples, the processor is configured to determine the aircraft is in the designated ground area based on user input, based on a geographic location of the aircraft, or both. The processor is further configured to control the ground obstacle collision alerting system to automatically reactivate the delivery of the ground obstacle collision alerts in response to determining the aircraft is outside of the designated ground area. In some examples, the processor is configured to determine the aircraft is outside of the designated ground area based on a geographic location of the aircraft, a ground speed of the aircraft, or both.
US09318021B2
The vehicle mounted traffic light adds a mini-signal light located inside a vehicle on the deck behind the back seat of the vehicle, to enable its signaling units, such as signal lights, to be visible to other vehicles, such as cars, behind the vehicle. A wireless signal from a wireless transmitter associated with an originating signal system unit associated with a traffic signal light transmits the signal light state of the traffic signal light to a receiver associated with the vehicle, such located as inside the vehicle. The receiver relays the received signal light state information to a processor associated with the vehicle mounted traffic light, such as located inside the vehicle, which issues commands to the signaling units of the vehicle mounted traffic light to mimic or correspond to the received signal light state of the traffic signal light.
US09318013B2
A vibrating pulse monitored alarm bracelet consists of control panel/display/capacitive touchscreen, a flash memory to collect and communicate data, two rechargeable batteries which serve as the power source for the device, sensors to collect pulse rate data, vibrating pads to provide silent, electric pulse stimuli, and a neoprene band to secure the device to its wearer.
US09318005B2
Security systems notify of alarms. Two separate communications paths are established from an alarm controller. One of the communications paths is selected based on performance, cost, or urgency.
US09317998B2
The invention relates to systems and methods of selecting and placing real-world wagers responsive to one or more wager triggers, obtaining outcomes of the real-world wagers, facilitating user interactions with interactive media, and revealing the outcomes through the interactive media to give an appearance that the outcomes of the real-world wagers resulted from the user interactions even though the outcomes resulted from the real-world wagers and were determined before the user interactions. The system may select a real-world wager based on one or more wager parameters that specify one or more aspects of the wager. In some instances, the user may directly specify some of the foregoing parameters and the system may select other ones of the foregoing parameters. For example, the user may identify a particular horse race on which to place the real-world wager and the system may select the winner, an amount of the wager, etc.
US09317986B2
The present invention is generally a movable barrier operator configured for remote actuation, and more specifically, to a movable barrier operator configured to generate a barrier command in response to an authorized mobile device joining wireless network. The authorization may be established by connecting the mobile device to the operator through a wireless communication means. The wireless communication means may include known protocols such as Bluetooth™, Wi-Fi, NFC, ZigBee™, or any other type of wireless communication.
US09317981B2
A method for protecting a product against counterfeiting is provided that has a transponder associated with the product, upon which at least one unique identifier is stored, wherein a flag in a set or cleared state is associated with the identifier, and when the flag is set, read access to the identifier by a reader is only permitted after authentication. The invention further relates to a transponder for protecting a product against counterfeiting.
US09317974B2
Rendering a digital element is disclosed. An indication that a device is within a region associated with the digital element is received. It is determined that the digital element is to be rendered. A representation of the digital element is generated in a rendered view of the region. The digital element is provided upon receiving an indication that the digital element has been selected.
US09317961B2
An exemplary method for reducing user-perceived scene resolution time to render a node tree in a three-dimensional environment includes identifying a first cache node in the node tree at a first level of detail. The exemplary method also includes computing a first priority score based at least on a depth in the node tree of the first level of detail and a first tile distance. The exemplary method further includes identifying a second cache node in the node tree at a second level of detail different from the first level of detail. The exemplary method also include computing a second priority score based at least on a depth in the node tree of the second level of detail and a second tile distance. The exemplary method further includes ordering cache node requests based at least on the relative values of the first and second priority scores.
US09317959B2
A system and a method are provided for visualizing virtual objects on a mobile device. A computing device is in communication with the mobile device. The computing device generates a 3D virtual world of one or more virtual objects corresponding to one or more physical objects in a real world. The computing device then associates information with the one or more virtual objects and generates one or more static images based on the 3D virtual world. The mobile device receives the one or more static images and the associated information associated from the computing device, and then displays the one or more static images.
US09317956B2
Disclosed are an apparatus and a method for providing mixed reality for a virtual experience service, and more particularly, an apparatus and a method for providing mixed reality contents for learning a virtual experience based on a story that provides a service in which a user in a real world appears in a virtual world having the story to undergo a virtual experience. The method picks up the user image in the real world and synthesizes the picked-up image with a desired position of a 3D virtual world. According to the present disclosure, a realistic experience based learning can be provided while a spatial limit is overcome.
US09317953B2
A data processing system (70) for graphics processing, including a scene manager (80). The scene manager (80) includes a scene loader (86) for receiving a description of 3 dimensional objects in a scene from a 3-dimensional modelling tool (46). The description includes first 2-dimensional frame data. The scene manager (80) has a texture image modification unit (84) for receiving second 2-dimensional frame data from a 2-dimensional rendering engine (40), and for replacing the first frame data by the second frame data. The scene manager (80) has an animation scheduler for scheduling and monitoring an animation of the scene. The system includes a display manager (96) operative to invoke the scene manager (80) to render output frames in a display buffer (100), and a scene Tenderer (88) configured for applying the 2-dimensional frame data to the 3-dimensional objects to produce textured 3-dimensional objects in the display buffer (100) and outputting the textured objects in the animation. Related apparatus and methods are also described.
US09317944B2
Disclosed is a computer-implemented method of vectorizing a curve. The method determines a reference point distanced from the curve and a first point on the curve associated with the reference point, and a line running through the reference point from a tangent to the curve at the first point, where the line and tangent are parallel. A shift point is then determined on the determined line, and the curve is vectorized by a path formed from a plurality of linear segments, the plurality of segments comprising at least a segment joining the reference point and the shift point. From the vectorization of the curve the curve can be rendered, particularly using dashed strokes.
US09317941B2
The present invention is directed to a limited angle tomography in combination with a filtered back projection using a special filter operator X. The filter operator X used within the present invention makes it possible to perform region of interest reconstructions although delivering high quality reconstruction images as generated by high effort SART methods. The used filter operator is purely and solely mathematically determined and defined by the spatial geometry which is used for the limited angle tomography. Without having the need to perform several iterations, the present invention directly calculates a solution, i.e. reconstructed image, equivalent to known iteratively construction methods. Although, incomplete projection data p may only be used, the present invention provides for a high image quality.
US09317937B2
A system, method, and apparatus for managing the drawing of graphical objects are disclosed. An example apparatus includes a touchscreen interface configured to receive at least one gesture from a user on a touchscreen of a client device. The apparatus also includes a coordinate detector configured to determine a coordinate-plane for the at least one gesture and determine coordinates of points along the at least one gesture. The apparatus further includes an object detector configured to determine a graphical object based on the coordinates of points corresponding to the at least one gesture and an object manager configured to cause the graphical object to be displayed by the client device. The graphical object includes a formalized editable version of the at least one gesture in a format native to an application selected to receive the graphical object.
US09317936B2
A mobile phone is capable of displaying data of a website stored in a server through a browsing function. The mobile phone is also capable of detecting a line-of-sight of a user with utilizing an infrared light. In a case where the user is reading a website, a keyword is acquired from a content of the website based on the line-of-sight of the user. Thereafter, if a search result screen on a search site is displayed, a plurality of index information are listed such that the index information of the website related to an acquired keyword becomes a higher rank.
US09317935B2
A method for transmitting and receiving a handwritten message having time information includes generating one or more codes using handwritten message information which is sequentially input by a user, converting the handwritten message information and the one or more codes into one image and transmitting the converted image, confirming whether a received image includes the one or more codes, and if the received image includes the one or more codes, sequentially reproducing the contents of the handwritten message according to an input order of the contents of the handwritten message by analyzing the one or more codes.
US09317927B2
Methods and systems for interactively segmenting 3D image data are provided. An initial segmentation of the 3D image data is obtained, and for each of a plurality of image regions, a segmentation uncertainty indicator for the initial image segmentation is associated with the image region and a strength is assigned to the segmentation uncertainty indicator. A low-confidence region in the 3D image data is identified based at least in part on proximity of the low-confidence region to the image regions and strengths of the corresponding segmentation uncertainty indicators. An optimization routine may be applied to an objective function whose value depends at least in part on proximity of the candidate region to the image regions and the strengths of the corresponding uncertainty indicators to identify the low-confidence region from among a plurality of candidate regions.
US09317926B2
A method and apparatus for automatic spinal canal segmentation in medical image data, such as computed tomography (CT) image data, is disclosed. An initial set of spinal canal voxels is detected in the 3D medical image using a trained classifier. A spinal canal topology defined by a current set of spinal canal voxels is refined based on an estimated medial line of the spinal canal. Seed points are sampled based on the refined spinal canal topology. An updated set of spinal canal voxels is detected in the 3D medical image using random walks segmentation based on the sampled seed points. The spinal canal topology refinement, seed points sampling, and random walks segmentation are repeated in order to provide cascaded random walks segmentation to generate a final spinal canal segmentation result.
US09317925B2
A depth map is generated from at least a first and a second image. A plurality of reference pixels in the first image are selected and associated with respective pixels in the second image. A disparity between each reference pixel and the respective pixel in said second image is determined, and a depth value is determined as a function of the respective disparity. The plurality of reference pixels is selected based on detected contours in the first image.
US09317924B2
An information processing apparatus includes a region segmentation unit configured to segment each of a plurality of images shot by an imaging apparatus for shooting an object from a plurality of viewpoints, into a plurality of regions based on colors of the object, an attribute determination unit configured to determine, based on regions in proximity to intersections between scanning lines set on the each image and boundary lines of the regions segmented by the region segmentation unit in the each image, attributes of the intersections, a correspondence processing unit configured to obtain corresponding points between the images based on the determined intersections' attributes, and a three-dimensional position calculation unit configured to calculate a three-dimensional position of the object based on the obtained corresponding points.
US09317919B2
A method includes identifying a plurality of different anatomical sub-regions of the cardiovascular system of a subject in image data of the subject based on a subject specific cardiovascular anatomical model, wherein the plurality of different regions corresponds to regions where calcifications occur, searching for and identifying calcifications in the sub-regions based on voxel grey value intensity values of the image data, and generating a signal indicative of one or more regions of voxels of the image data respectively corresponding to sub-regions including identified calcifications. A computing system (118) includes a processor that automatically determines a plurality of different groups of voxels of image data of a subject, wherein each group of voxels corresponds to a different sub-region of the cardiovascular system of the subject and each group of voxels corresponds to a region that includes a calcification identified in the image data.
US09317914B2
An image inspecting device includes: an image inspection unit that inspects a read image obtained by reading an image formed by an image formation output, based on threshold information including one or more types of thresholds and a difference image indicating a difference between the read image and a reference image generated based on print data of the image formation output, and specifies a defect portion; and a screen information generation unit that generates and outputs threshold adjustment screen information including a threshold image indicating each value of the thresholds and an inspection result image indicating an inspection result of the defect portion, and threshold adjustment result screen information including a threshold image and a reinspection result image using adjusted threshold information; and a threshold information changing unit that changes the threshold information to the adjusted threshold information based on a threshold information change input.
US09317908B2
Techniques are disclosed for analyzing a scene depicted in an input stream of video frames captured by a video camera. Bounding boxes are determined for a set foreground patches identified in a video frame. For each bounding box, the techniques include determining textures for first areas, each including a foreground pixel and surrounding pixels, and determining textures for second areas including pixels of the background model image corresponding to the pixels of the foreground areas. Further, for each foreground pixel in the bounding box area, a correlation score is determined based on the texture of the corresponding first area and second area. Pixels whose correlation scores exceed a threshold are removed from the foreground patch. The size of the bounding box may also be reduced to fit the modified foreground patch.
US09317903B1
A method of generating a super-resolution image from a single frame includes receiving, at a processor, first image data having a first resolution as a query image layer, acquiring, by the processor, second image data as a copy image layer, generating, by the processor, at least one additional image layer as a retrieval layer, the at least one additional image layer having a resolution lower than the first resolution, wherein the lower resolution corresponds to the first resolution divided by a scaling factor, generating high resolution image data for a high resolution layer having a resolution higher than the first resolution, the generating including copying image data from the copy layer when a match is found and upscaling the query layer when a match is not found.
US09317899B2
There is provided an information processing apparatus including a display part to display video content on a screen, a rotation angle detection part to detect a rotation angle of the screen, a display formation determination part to determine a display formation of video content at any rotation angle of the screen or during transition of the rotation, and an image processing part to perform an image processing in accordance with the display formation determined by the display formation determination part such that the video content is conformed to the screen which is tilted by the rotation angle detected by the rotation angle detection part.
US09317891B2
Systems and methods for hardware-accelerated key color extraction are disclosed. An update corresponding to a portion of a digital representation of a display screen is received. Key color information for locations within the update is identified. A data structure code associated with the portion of the digital representation of the display screen is determined based on the identification of the key color information. The data structure code is provided to a data structure. During a scan of the frame buffer for display, the frame buffer is capable of being read according to the data structure.
US09317888B2
The present invention relate generally to digital watermarking and data hiding. One claim recites a method including: obtaining first data and second color data, the first color data and the second color data represent data from a color image signal or color video signal; obtaining a digital watermark pattern, the pattern aiding detection of a watermark message; separating the digital watermark pattern into first frequency components and second frequency components; utilizing a programmed electronic processor or electronic processing circuitry, modifying the first color data by hiding the first frequency components therein; and utilizing a programmed electronic processor or electronic processing circuitry, modifying the second color data by hiding the second frequency components therein. Of course, other combinations and claims are provided too.
US09317886B2
A system for moving money between accounts of traders by a central counterparty to facilitate payments, i.e. the movement of funds, there between is disclosed which provides a flexible mechanism which supports simpler accounting, new types of derivatives contracts as well new types fees. The disclosed futures contract, referred to as a “payer” contract, comprises a “no-uncertainty” futures contract, i.e. the initial value and settlement value parameters are defined, that leverages the mechanisms of the clearing system to, for example, accommodate related payments. Accordingly, a 1-to-many relationship between contracts and prices is provided whereby each price component may be assigned its own payer contract. The function of the payer contract may be to guarantee the movement of money from related positions. In one embodiment, payer contracts are dynamically created whenever a payment is needed.
US09317884B2
A system for moving money between accounts of traders by a central counterparty to facilitate payments, i.e. the movement of funds, there between is disclosed which provides a flexible mechanism which supports simpler accounting, new types of derivatives contracts as well new types fees. The disclosed futures contract, referred to as a “payer” contract, comprises a “no-uncertainty” futures contract, i.e. the initial value and settlement value parameters are defined, that leverages the mechanisms of the clearing system to, for example, accommodate related payments. Accordingly, a 1-to-many relationship between contracts and prices is provided whereby each price component may be assigned its own payer contract. The function of the payer contract may be to guarantee the movement of money from related positions. In one embodiment, payer contracts are dynamically created whenever a payment is needed.
US09317876B2
A method includes receiving a payment object for payment of a certain amount owed by a first party to a second party. The payment object carries sufficient account information for the payment from an account associated with the payment object. The second party communicates the account information from the payment object and an identification of the second party for receipt by a third party; and receives in return data that is indicative of a gratuity to be charged against the account. The second party prints a document that includes the certain amount owed and the gratuity, as indicated by the data received by the second party, and presents the document for signature by the first party. The printed document preferably includes the total of the amount owed and the gratuity. The payment object may be a credit card, charge card, debit card, rebate card, or stored-value card.
US09317872B2
Embodiments of the invention are directed to systems, methods and computer program products for providing targeted location-based communications. An exemplary apparatus is configured to receive an encoded signal, decode the encoded signal such that embedded data is retrieved, send the embedded data a remote server; and receive a message based at least partially on sending the embedded data. Create a message vector based on the message comprising of a plurality of key sequences, each of which comprises more than two frequency components and is associated with a unique bit. Another exemplary apparatus is configured to provide the encoded signal by receiving data input, receiving a host signal, embedding the data input within the host signal such that an encoded signal is generated, and transmitting the encoded signal. A third exemplary apparatus is configured to provide the targeted communications by storing one or more messages associated with an entity, receiving data, selecting at least one of the one or more messages based at least partially on the data received, and sending the at least one of the one or more messages selected.
US09317868B2
A technique is provided to determine whether a region within a web page is viewable to a user through a browser window. Often, browsers will only show part of a web page at given time, creating a difficulty in establishing whether a region of the web page, which may be an advertisement for example, is in view. This is addressed by providing one or more test features within the region, rendering the web page, monitoring a behavioral characteristic of the test features and determining whether the region is in view based on the monitored behavioral characteristic, wherein the behavioral characteristic varies according to whether the test feature is currently being displayed. One example of a behavioral characteristic is a frame progression rate. Browsers will typically redraw elements of a web page at a higher rate if they are currently in view through the browser window, and this characteristic can therefore be used to determine whether the test feature, and thus the region, is in view. The present invention finds particular utility where the region contains an advertisement, as it allows an advertiser to discover whether the advertisement has been seen by users.
US09317858B2
In a cashless gaming environment, a gaming patron has accounts and may accumulate winnings as well as different types of awards. Methods for efficiently exchanging the awards are disclosed. A secondary market is established for trading different goods and services. Liquidity of credits and awards is established.
US09317856B2
In a service delivery environment, multiple services may be provided across multiple service delivery platforms. An application placement system includes an event adaptor that maps events in the service deliver environment to application events. An application placement engine is triggered by the application events to invoke applications in end devices, such as an IPTV or set-top box, of the service delivery environment. Applications may also be invoked across different media types.
US09317852B2
A method for recommending content items of a content item data base to a user, including: broadcasting user group characteristics, wherein a respective user group characteristic is descriptive of a respective user group; receiving at a user's location the user group characteristics; assigning at the user's location the user to at least one of the user groups, providing user group preference data, the user group preference data being descriptive of a relation between the user groups and the content items; and recommending content items according to the user group preference data.
US09317843B2
Systems and methods are described for performing policy-managed, peer-to-peer service orchestration in a manner that supports the formation of self-organizing service networks that enable rich media experiences. In one embodiment, services are distributed across peer-to-peer communicating nodes, and each node provides message routing and orchestration using a message pump and workflow collator. Distributed policy management of service interfaces helps to provide trust and security, supporting commercial exchange of value. Peer-to-peer messaging and workflow collation allow services to be dynamically created from a heterogeneous set of primitive services. The shared resources are services of many different types, using different service interface bindings beyond those typically supported in a web service deployments built on UDDI, SOAP, and WSDL. In a preferred embodiment, a media services framework is provided that enables nodes to find one another, interact, exchange value, and cooperate across tiers of networks from WANs to PANs.
US09317834B2
A long-term personal agent program, executable as network service and/or on one or more user computing devices and related method for identifying opportunities and making recommendations on behalf of one or more users, are disclosed herein. In one example, the personal agent program includes a monitoring engine configured to monitor and interpret a user's activities over time with a plurality of sensing and logging methodologies according to user authorization, the use of statistical methods for learning to understand a user's goals and behavioral patterns from data, and the use of procedures for computing the expected value of information guiding sensing and logging in different contexts. The personal agent further may include a recommendation methodology configured to make suggestions and to take actions on behalf of the user, in the present moment as well as for future times, based on inferences about user goals and opportunities in the world.
US09317832B2
A delivery service system includes a cabinet having a plurality of controlled-access storage cells, located in a plurality of zones, a user interface, a user evaluation device, and a processor. The system receives a user request to accept an item for delivery, detects user physical characteristics, and provides user access to a storage cell in a selected zone, the zone being selected based on the detected user physical characteristics.
US09317826B2
Providing a requisite level of service for an electronic meeting. An embodiment can include receiving a request to schedule a first electronic meeting in a time slot, identifying an electronic meeting system to host the first electronic meeting, identifying a second electronic meeting scheduled to be hosted by the electronic meeting system in the time slot, determining an estimate of resource usage within the electronic meeting system during the time slot at least based on the second electronic meeting being scheduled to be hosted by the electronic meeting system in the time slot, comparing the estimate of resource usage with a threshold value, responsive to determining that the estimate of resource usage exceeds the threshold value, providing the requisite level of service to the first electronic meeting in the time slot by reducing anticipated resource usage of the electronic meeting system by the second electronic meeting.
US09317824B2
Disclosed is a novel vendor management system and method that enables one or more parties to assign various types of files to one or more other parties for review and processing. Multiple business clients are able to refer a variety of files to a select group of vendors having expertise in a particular business or process. Further, the present invention provides a robust and flexible platform to support diverse referrals and workflow needs as well as access to referred files by the vendor, client, and adverse party.
US09317817B2
A system and method are disclosed that are able to identify and distinguish persons as soon as they enter or exit a hospital room or any room occupied by a patient who is receiving medical or dental services. After a person who has entered a hospital room has been identified, this person may be required to sanitize his/her hands in order to comply with an established protocol. Therefore, a second identification may take place at the hand sanitization station. The system may confirm that the same person was identified by a first read by the RFID antennas upon entering the room and by a second read by the RFID antennas upon completing the hand sanitization procedure. If no hand sanitization takes place, visual and/or auditory stimuli may be generated as a reminder. Persons and their hand sanitization performances may be used diagnostically to identify and remedy potential contamination events and/or determine the source and mode of transmission of a nosocomial infection. This information may be returned in real-time as well as stored in a database.
US09317813B2
Some embodiments of the invention provide a mobile device with a novel route prediction engine that (1) can formulate predictions about current or future destinations and/or routes to such destinations for the device's user, and (2) can relay information to the user about these predictions. In some embodiments, this engine includes a machine-learning engine that facilitates the formulation of predicted future destinations and/or future routes to destinations based on stored, user-specific data. The user-specific data is different in different embodiments. In some embodiments, the stored, user-specific data includes data about any combination of the following (1) previous destinations traveled to by the user, (2) previous routes taken by the user, (3) locations of calendared events in the user's calendar, (4) locations of events for which the user has electronic tickets, and (5) addresses parsed from recent e-mails and/or messages sent to the user. The device's prediction engine only relies on user-specific data stored on the device in some embodiments, relies only on user-specific data stored outside of the device by external devices/servers in other embodiments, and relies on user-specific data stored both by the device and by other devices/servers in other embodiments.
US09317812B2
Online systems generate predictors for predicting actions of users of the online system. The online system receives requests to generate predictor models for predicting whether a user is likely to take an action of a particular action type. The request specifies the type of action and criteria for identifying a successful instance of the action type and a failure instance of the action type. The online system collects data including successful and failure instances of the action type. The online system generates one or more predictors of different types using the generated data. The online system evaluates and compares the performance of the different predictors generated and selects a predictor based on the performance. The online system returns a handle to access the generated predictor to the requester of the predictor.
US09317811B2
Single crystal diamond having a high chemical purity i.e. a low nitrogen content and a high isotopic purity i.e. a low 13C content, methods for producing the same and a solid state system comprising such single crystal diamond are described.
US09317808B2
Predictive systems for designing enterprise applications include memory structures that output predictions to a user. The predictive system may include an HTM structure that comprises a tree-shaped hierarchy of memory nodes, wherein each memory node has a learning and memory function, and is hierarchical in space and time that allows them to efficiently model the structure of the world. The memory nodes learn causes, predicts with probability values, and form beliefs based on the input data, where the learning algorithm stores likely sequence of patterns in the nodes. By combining memory of likely sequences with current input data, the nodes may predict the next event. The predictive system may employ an HHMM structure comprising states, wherein each state is itself an HHMM. The states of the HHMM generate sequences of observation symbols for making predictions.
US09317806B2
A DB registration-updating unit registers, in a patron management DB, the behavior history of each player in association with camera IDs that identify the cameras that have captured images of the player. On the basis of information in the patron management DB, a potential player-determining unit considers a player, whose length of stay in a specific corner is longer than a prescribed period and who is not playing, to be a potential player who wants to play but is unable to play. An attention level DB management unit registers, in an attention level DB, the points proportional to the lengths of stay of potential players in said corner as the attention level by cumulatively storing the points for each game console. An attention level display control unit displays the information on the players' attention level that is registered in the attention level DB.
US09317804B2
Provided are a method, an apparatus and a computer program for calculating a risk assessment value for an event sequence, which are capable of calculating the risk assessment value of each even sequence by calculating a totally ordered set on the basis of a partially ordered set indicating the event sequence. The risk assessment value of an event sequence that is a partially ordered set indicating some events of an event group of M kinds of events (M is a finite natural number) in a time series. The partially ordered set is converted into an approximate totally ordered set, and an M-dimensional feature vector is calculated based on the totally ordered set obtained by the conversion. A projection matrix for calculating the risk assessment value is calculated using the calculated M-dimensional feature vector.
US09317802B2
A device includes a device casing and a water-soluble circuit located within the device casing. An identification code is encoded on the circuit. The identification code is associated with the device.
US09317791B2
An information processing apparatus includes a first control unit that outputs a command for driving an electric part, a detection unit that detects an abnormality of the first control unit, and a second control unit that controls whether or not supply of a drive signal based on the command for driving the electric part to the electric part can be performed, in which the first control unit outputs instruction signals for instructing execution and stop of the detection by the detection unit, and the second control unit cuts off the supply of the drive signal to the electric part in a case where the detection unit detects the abnormality of the first control unit and a case where the instruction signal for instructing the stop of the detection by the detection unit is output from the first control unit.
US09317786B2
A method for content-based image retrieval for the classification of breast density from mammographic imagery is described. The breast density is characterized through the Fisher linear discriminants (FLD) extracted from the Principal Component Analysis (PCA). Unlike PCA, the FLD provides a very discriminative representation of the mammographic images in terms of the breast density. Various exemplary methods, systems and computer program products are also disclosed.
US09317779B2
A method for training an image processing neural network without human selection of features may include providing a training set of images labeled with two or more classifications, providing an image processing toolbox with image transforms that can be applied to the training set, generating a random set of feature extraction pipelines, where each feature extraction pipeline includes a sequence of image transforms randomly selected from the image processing toolbox and randomly selected control parameters associated with the sequence of image transforms. The method may also include coupling a first stage classifier to an output of each feature extraction pipeline and executing a genetic algorithm to conduct genetic modification of each feature extraction pipeline and train each first stage classifier on the training set, and coupling a second stage classifier to each of the first stage classifiers in order to increase classification accuracy.
US09317773B2
Methods, apparatus, and computer-readable storage media for patch-based image synthesis using color and color gradient voting. A patch matching technique provides an extended patch search space that encompasses geometric and photometric transformations, as well as color and color gradient domain features. The photometric transformations may include gain and bias. The patch-based image synthesis techniques may also integrate image color and color gradients into the patch representation and replace conventional color averaging with a technique that performs voting for colors and color gradients and then solves a screened Poisson equation based on values for colors and color gradients when blending patch(es) with a target image.
US09317771B2
In an object detecting method according to an embodiment, external reference points are set in external space of a model of an object and an internal reference point is set in internal space of the model. A table is stored in which feature quantities on a local surface of the model are associated with positions of the external reference points and the internal reference point. The feature quantity on the local surface of the model is calculated, and the position of the reference point whose feature quantity is identical to the calculated feature quantity is acquired from the table and is converted into a position in a real space. When the converted position is outside the object, the position is excluded from information for estimation and the position and the attitude of the object are estimated.
US09317769B2
A digital image of the object is captured and the object is recognized from plurality of objects in a database. An information address corresponding to the object is then used to access information and initiate communication pertinent to the object.
US09317762B2
Face recognition training database generation technique embodiments are presented that generally involve collecting characterizations of a person's face that are captured over time and as the person moves through an environment, to create a training database of facial characterizations for that person. As the facial characterizations are captured over time, they are will represent the person's face as viewed from various angles and distances, different resolutions, and under different environmental conditions (e.g., lighting and haze conditions). Further, over a long period of time where facial characterizations of a person are collected periodically, these characterizations can represent an evolution in the appearance of the person. This produces a rich training resource for use in face recognition systems. In addition, since a person's face recognition training database can be established before it is needed by a face recognition system, once employed, the training will be quicker.
US09317757B2
A state of a rear vehicle light is detected. A camera system integrated in a vehicle generates an image of an environment in front of the vehicle. An evaluation unit connected to the camera system detects at least one vehicle contained in the image, defines an image range associated with said vehicle, and divides the image range into sub-ranges comprising at least a left sub-range and a right sub range. A segmentation of the sub-ranges into image segments is performed by way of the evaluation unit on the basis of brightness values of points contained in said sub-ranges. At least one brightest image segment is extracted from each of said sub-ranges, and the extracted image segments are checked for whether they can be associated with a particular vehicle light in an ON state.
US09317751B2
A system for searching at least one video signal based on an input text string includes a video processing system that processes the at least one video signal by decoding the at least one video signal, encoding the at least one video signal or transcoding the at least one video signal. The video processing system generates a plurality of text strings that describe the video signal in conjunction with the processing. A memory stores a searchable index that includes the plurality of text strings. A search module identifies at least one matching video of the at least one video signal by comparing the input text string to the plurality of text strings of the searchable index.
US09317749B2
A collision detection system includes a processing section, a drawing section, and a depth buffer. Depth information of an object is set to the depth buffer as depth map information. The drawing section performs a first drawing process of performing a depth test, and drawing a primitive surface on a reverse side when viewed from a predetermined viewpoint out of primitive surfaces constituting a collision detection target object with reference to the depth buffer. Further, the drawing section performs a second drawing process of drawing the primitive surface on the reverse side when viewed from a predetermined viewpoint out of the primitive surfaces constituting the collision detection target object without performing the depth test. The processing section determines whether or not the collision detection target object collides with the object on the target side based on the result of the first drawing process and the second drawing process.
US09317742B2
A rearview mirror system for a vehicle includes an interior rearview mirror assembly mounted at the interior surface of a windshield of the vehicle. A camera is incorporated into the interior rearview mirror assembly and has a field of view toward a front seat of the vehicle so as to capture images of an occupant of the vehicle. The camera captures image data. An image processor is provided with image data captured by the camera. The image processor image processes image data captured by the camera. The image processor, responsive at least in part to image processing of image data captured by the camera, recognizes movement. The movement comprises a hand gesture made by the occupant of the vehicle.
US09317733B2
A biometric information reading device includes an image capturing unit that sequentially captures a plurality of partial images about biometric information, an image feature extracting unit that extracts an image feature from each of the partial images and a position of the image feature, a matching relative position detecting unit that determines whether a relative distance between two successive partial images among the partial images is equal to or smaller than a threshold value, based on the image feature of an overlapping region between the two successive partial images, and a partial image output determining unit that determines to output at least two successive partial images as one set, determines not to output a partial image that is input after the partial images as the one set when the matching relative position detecting unit determines that a relative distance of the partial image from one of the partial images as the one set is equal to or smaller than the threshold value, and determines to output at least two successive partial images as another set including a partial image that is input after the partial images as the one set when the matching relative position detecting unit determines that a relative distance of the partial image from one of the partial images as the one set is not equal to or smaller than the threshold value.
US09317727B2
An electronic baggage tag is self-reliant and self-regulating and provides the underlying foundation for a baggage tracking and management system, the center of which operates one or more tag service provider servers. The tag is attached to a baggage and is loaded with various data, including passenger itinerary, GPS data, and journey profile data. The tag has sensors, such for detecting different vibrations, electro-magnetic sensor, GPS, and others. As the baggage to which the tag is attached goes on its journey, the sensors detect stimuli and ascertain where in the journey the baggage is and use itinerary and other data to determine where the baggage should be. The tag service provider server communicates with the tag at various stages in the journey, providing up-to-date itinerary data to the tag. The tag automatically shuts off to be compliant with government regulations for devices in flight.
US09317724B2
Induction vehicle detection and identification system, induction license plate, and induction reader
An induction vehicle detection and identification system comprising electronic identification devices with electronic memory, mounted on vehicles, and a reader capable of reading and/or writing data obtained from devices in HF-band. Devices have a non-volatile memory and are integrated into the vehicle's license plate. The reader combined with a magnetic frame is in a dielectric casing, which is mounted under the roadway. It generates an alternating magnetic field, which determines the detection and identification range. Minimum time the reader requires to read discrete responses generated by electronic identification devices and to identify the vehicle is less than 25 ms. The identification devices and the reader exchange data at the rate of 1 Kbit/sec or higher, and provide data encoding and decoding, as well as data access restriction.
US09317719B2
A processor includes a decode unit to decode an SM3 two round state word update instruction. The instruction is to indicate one or more source packed data operands. The source packed data operand(s) are to have eight 32-bit state words Aj, Bj, Cj, Dj, Ej, Fj, Gj, and Hj that are to correspond to a round (j) of an SM3 hash algorithm. The source packed data operand(s) are also to have a set of messages sufficient to evaluate two rounds of the SM3 hash algorithm. An execution unit coupled with the decode unit is operable, in response to the instruction, to store one or more result packed data operands, in one or more destination storage locations. The result packed data operand(s) are to have at least four two-round updated 32-bit state words Aj+2, Bj+2, Ej+2, and Fj+2, which are to correspond to a round (j+2) of the SM3 hash algorithm.
US09317714B2
Subscriber (user) data is encrypted and stored in a service provider cloud in a manner such that the service provider is unable to decrypt and, as a consequence, to view, access or copy the data. Only the user knows a user-specific secret (e.g., a password) that is the basis of the encryption. The techniques herein enable the user to share his or her data, privately or publicly, without exposing the user-specific secret with anyone or any entity (such as the service provider).
US09317713B2
Example embodiments disclosed herein relate to displaying private user content (420) of a first user (430) on a large interactive display (410) of a multi-user interface. The visibility of the private user content is obstructed based on identifying a second user (440).
US09317711B2
In privacy restrictions for columnar storage, a query including operations on one or more protected columns is received. The one or more protected columns are specified with one or more access restricting metadata in a columnar table. It is determined whether the received query comprises operations on the one or more protected columns specified with the one or more access restricting metadata. The execution of the query is restricted and a constraint violation is displayed, based on the determination.
US09317707B2
Various examples of the present disclosure provide a method and a system for protecting a driver. The method includes encrypting a program file, and sending an Input/Output Request Package (IRP) and the encrypted program file; receiving the IRP and the encrypted program file, decrypting the encrypted program file, verifying the decrypted program file; and, if verification is passed, returning a handle, otherwise, not returning the handle. In the examples of the present disclosure, the program file of the application layer is encrypted, and the encrypted program file is sent when the IRP is sent; the driver layer decrypts and verifies the encrypted program file, and returns the handle to the application layer when the verification is passed, so that the application layer can access the driver layer through the handle; if the verification is not passed, the driver layer rejects the access of the application layer. Therefore, a legitimate application layer can communicate with the driver layer, a suspicious program is prevented from accessing the driver layer, and the security of the driver layer is improved.
US09317699B2
A technique for preventing malicious observance of private information includes receiving an instruction of entering a mode of inputting private information; determining a correspondence between actual inputs and expected inputs; receiving an actual user input; and converting the actual input into an expected input as private information inputted by the user according to the correspondence. This security technique can prevent discovery of the private information of a user through observation.
US09317689B2
Systems, methods, apparatuses, and computer-readable media are described for securely installing, executing and/or migrating a security sensitive application in a trusted execution environment on a mobile device. For example, techniques described herein allow a mobile device to verify the operating environment of the mobile device, the security sensitive application itself and discover a trusted execution environment on the device to install the security sensitive application. Furthermore, techniques are disclosed for verifying the state of one or more applications on the mobile device against a synchronized copy of the trusted execution environment operating in the cloud and also migrating the state of one or more applications from a trusted execution environment from a first mobile device to a second mobile device in the event that the mobile device is compromised, lost, stolen or being upgraded.
US09317687B2
A method for monitoring for malware includes, during a boot process on an electronic device, determining a portion of memory, determining that the portion of memory is reserved for exclusive access by an entity on the electronic device, and, based on the determination that a portion of memory is reserved for exclusive access during the boot process, determining that the reservation is indicative of malware.
US09317685B1
Access request alerts for protected information is described. A request is received, from an access requestor, to access protected information. Identifying data associated with the access requestor is determined. An access request alert is sent to a computer associated with protecting the protected information, wherein the access request alert includes the identifying data and an indication whether a list of authorized users comprises the access requestor. Receiving subsequent access request alerts associated with the access requestor may be disabled while maintaining the capability to receive subsequent access request alerts associated with another access requestor. Access by the access requestor may be enabled to the protected information in response to an indication that the list of authorized users does not comprise the access requestor. A report of access requests may be generated that enable identification of persistent threats of unauthorized access to the protected information.
US09317683B2
A sandboxed process is initiated in response to a request for a preview of dynamic media content. A stream of frames is generated in a preview specific format by a plug-in that executes within the sandboxed process. The stream of frames is provided as the preview of the dynamic media content, where the preview is viewable on a display screen.
US09317679B1
A computer-implemented method for detecting malicious documents based on component-object reuse may include (1) identifying a plurality of malicious documents, (2) identifying a plurality of component objects that are contained within at least one malicious document from the plurality of malicious documents, (3) receiving an unknown document, (4) determining that at least one component object from the plurality of component objects was used to create the unknown document, and (5) performing a security action on the unknown document in response to determining that the component object was used to create the unknown document. Various other methods, systems, and computer-readable media are also disclosed.
US09317678B2
A system and method for managing logins and/or conducting data storage transactions, for example in a network interface. One exemplary embodiment comprises a method for interfacing a mass storage target system with a plurality of initiators. The method includes creating a data structure in local memory of a network interface chip to, at least in part, manage one or more logins; storing information comprising service parameter information m the data structure; and receiving a login request for a login comprising service parameter information. The method further includes comparing the service parameter information of the login request to the service parameter information stored in the data structure; determining, based at least in part on said comparing, to utilize the data structure to manage the login; and managing the login with the network interface chip using at least the data structure.
US09317665B2
A service management apparatus is provided that allows management of a shared license among devices, including a user storage unit storing a user and at least one associated terminal; a license information storage unit storing a license including a terminal to be permitted to use a predetermined service and license information for identifying a setting limitation; a setting request reception unit receiving a setting request for the license including information for identifying the terminal that has issued the setting request and the user; an associated terminal identification processing unit identifying the terminal that is associated with the user included in the request; a license identification processing unit identifying the license that each terminal to be identified is permitted to use and is settable to the terminal that has issued the request; and a license setting processing unit setting the identified license to the terminal that has issued the request.
US09317660B2
The present invention provides a group monitoring device for monitoring a plurality of individuals engaged in an athletic activity, the device including a display configured to display, during an athletic activity: a metric relating to each of a plurality of individuals engaged in the athletic activity, and a status of a system component used to monitor the athletic activity. The group monitoring device may also include an input configured to allow manipulation of the display.
US09317658B2
A data management computer for a sample measuring apparatus is disclosed. The computer comprises a data storage, a display section; an input device; and a controller. The data storage stores results of measurements for a sample obtained by the sample measuring apparatus, the measurements including an initial measurement for a sample and a secondary measurement which is performed on the sample following the initial measurement. The controller is programmed to cause the display section to display a first result screen which shows a result of the initial measurement for a sample, receive a predefined operation by use of the input device while displaying the first result screen, and cause the display section to display, in a response to the predefined operation, a second result screen which shows a result of the secondary measurement for the sample.
US09317653B2
An analyzer includes a display, measurement hardware configured to perform a measurement on a sample, and a controller. The controller is in communication with the display and the measurement hardware and is configured to communicate, via the display, a first pre-analytical procedure of the sample prior to measurement of the sample. The controller is also configured to maintain the analyzer in a state associated with the first procedure for an amount of time equal to a time needed for performing the first procedure. After the time needed for performing the first procedure has elapsed, the controller is configured to communicate, via the display, a second pre-analytical procedure of the sample prior to measurement of the sample.
US09317649B2
A method includes providing, on a printed circuit board, a first circuit trace having a first unit cell length and a second circuit trace having a second unit cell length, determining a time delay associated with the first unit cell length and the second unit cell length, estimating a floquet frequency associated with the time delay, where the floquet frequency is determined as f floquet = 1 2 t delay , where ffloquet is the floquet frequency, and tdelay is the time delay, and comparing the estimated floquet frequency with a first interface frequency associated with the first trace.
US09317646B2
A set of masks corresponds to an integrated circuit layout. The integrated circuit layout includes a first cell having a first transistor region and a second transistor region, and a second cell having a third transistor region and a fourth transistor region. The first cell and the second cell adjoin each other at side cell boundaries thereof, the first transistor region and the third transistor region are formed in a first continuous active region, and the second transistor region and the fourth transistor region are formed in a second continuous active region. The set of masks is formed based on the integrated circuit layout.
US09317643B2
A method for printed circuit board design of temperature sensitive components includes a scrub tool receiving a list of part numbers for electronic components of a printed circuit board assembly (“PCBA”). The scrub tool sends one or more queries for finding temperature and time limits of the electronic components to a database. A mapping tool receives a selection of one or more part numbers responsive to the one or more queries, wherein the selection is responsive to the temperature and time limits. The mapping tool sends a data structure to a physical design tool which is configured with physical design data for generating a graphic representation of the PCBA. The data structure from the mapping tool provides the received selection of one or more part numbers and configures the physical design tool to highlight components having part numbers of the selection on the PCBA graphic representation.
US09317638B1
A method for operating a data processing system to simulate a circuit that includes a plurality of circuit devices connected by interconnects. A layout description of the circuit is provided in which the devices are connected by interconnects. Each interconnect is associated with a line definition that includes a physical description of an interconnect between two of the circuit devices and a simulation model to be used in simulating the interconnect during simulations of the circuit. The line definitions are user selectable from a list of available line definitions. A circuit netlist is generated by reading physical interconnects from the layout. At least one of the interconnects is replaced by a plurality of transmission line devices, each device being associated with the simulation model included in the line definition. The circuit is then simulated using the netlist.
US09317617B2
A trip plan sharing and matching method is disclosed. The method allows a user can edit a destination datum by a map website. When the user presses a share button via a mobile device, the map website transmits the destination datum to a web serve and stores the destination datum in the mobile device account of the web server. The mobile device periodically transmits a first matching message to the web server. When the vehicle mounted device enables a share reception, the vehicle mounted device periodically transmits a second matching message to the web server. If the web server confirms the first matching message to the second matching message, the web serve transmits the destination datum to the vehicle mounted device and then the vehicle mounted device executes a navigation process according to the destination datum.
US09317614B2
In one embodiment, a method includes accessing a set of queries of an online social network received from one or more users of the online social network, retrieving for each query a number of objects that match at least a portion of the query from one or more data stores associated with the online social network, where each object is associated with a pre-determined static-score based on a static-scoring algorithm, calculating a final-score for each retrieved object based on a final-scoring algorithm, and determining one or more revised static-scores for one or more of the retrieved objects based on a comparison of the final-scores and the static-scores of the retrieved objects.
US09317599B2
An apparatus for providing relevance indication may include a processor. The processor may be configured to identify tags associated with a place. In this regard, the place may be a virtual location where information is shared. The processor may be configured to determine a relevance value for the place by analyzing the tags relative to user attributes. The processor may also be configured to provide for an output of a representation of the relevance value to a user interface. Associated methods and computer program products are also provided.
US09317596B2
A method of automatically developing an ontology for product function and failure mode documentation for an apparatus. The apparatus is identified. A function-flow model is generated for the identified apparatus for identifying a composite structure of the apparatus. Functions and failure modes associated with the identified apparatus are enumerated. Failure data is obtained from a plurality of heterogeneous data sources. A semantic similarity module is applied to the enumerated failures by comparing a plurality of documents between the data sources. The semantic similarity module bridges a variety of terms used in the heterogeneous data to describe a respective failure. Failures associated with the enumerated apparatus functions are extracted from the plurality of documents between heterogeneous data sources. A composite of related terminology is generated for each identified failure mode. A failure mode information document is generated utilizing the composite of related terminology for each identified failure mode.
US09317594B2
Systems and methods for identifying data files that have a common characteristic are provided. A plurality of data files are received. The plurality of data files include one or more data files having the common characteristic. A list of key terms is generated from the plurality of data files. Data files from the plurality of data files that have an association with a social community are identified, where the social community is defined by one or more features. The list of key terms is updated based on an analysis of the identified features. The updated list of key terms is used to identify other data files that have the common characteristic.
US09317593B2
In one embodiment, modeling topics includes accessing a corpus comprising documents that include words. Words of a document are selected as keywords of the document. The documents are clustered according to the keywords to yield clusters, where each cluster corresponds to a topic. A statistical distribution is generated for a cluster from words of the documents of the cluster. A topic is modeled using the statistical distribution generated for the cluster corresponding to the topic.
US09317587B2
To facilitate legal research, companies, such as Thomson West provide subscription-based online information-retrieval systems. Seeking to improve these and related IR systems, the present inventors recognized researchers often overlook some types of documents, such as legal encyclopedias and treatises that may be useful to them. Accordingly, the present inventors devised systems, methods, and software that automatically search for other types of documents not specifically targeted by user queries. One exemplary system automatically submits a user query for legal opinions to first and second databases, with the first storing legal opinions and the second storing non-opinion documents, such as headnotes from the West Key Number System, articles from American Law Reports, and/or articles from American Jurisprudence.
US09317578B2
Techniques for presenting insight into classification trees may include performing a grouping analysis to group leaf nodes of a classification tree into a significant group and an insignificant group, performing influential target category analysis to identify one or more influential target categories for the leaf nodes of the classification tree in the significant group, and presenting one or more insights into the classification tree based on the grouping analysis and the influential target category analysis. Techniques for presenting insight into regression trees may include performing a grouping analysis to group leaf nodes of a regression tree into a high group and a low group, performing unusual node detection analysis to detect one or more outlier nodes in the high group and in the low group, and presenting one or more insights into the regression tree based on the grouping analysis and the unusual node detection analysis.
US09317577B2
The present invention provides a flexible, dynamic database partition method and system. The method includes the steps of acquiring a data partition rule, where the data partition rule is used to identify a first relationship between a data partition condition and a database partition; establishing a second relationship between the data partition condition and a data partition key based on the data partition rule and a third relationship between the database partition and the data partition key; adding the data partition key to a data item where the data item is stored in the database based on the second relationship between the data partition condition and the data partition key; and storing the data item in the database partition based on the data partition key of the data item.
US09317574B1
In one embodiment, a method includes collecting communications from a plurality of sources. The method further includes selecting a set of topics and a set of users. In addition, the method includes, for each user, identifying, from the collected communications, conversations in which the user has participated. Moreover, the method includes, for each topic, for each user: measuring a proportion of the identified conversations that contain content suggestive of the topic; analyzing timing of the identified conversations; and examining relationships among data attributes of the identified conversations. Further, the method includes generating multidimensional expertise data. The multidimensional expertise data is representative of the user's expertise on the topic. The multidimensional expertise data includes a topical dimension, an expertise-scope dimension, and a timeline dimension. The method also includes, for each topic, ranking the set of users by expertise index. Also, the method includes providing a searchable interface.
US09317569B2
Methods and systems for Web-scale entity relationship extraction are usable to build large-scale entity relationship graphs from any data corpora stored on a computer-readable medium or accessible through a network. Such entity relationship graphs may be used to navigate previously undiscoverable relationships among entities within data corpora. Additionally, the entity relationship extraction may be configured to utilize discriminative models to jointly model correlated data found within the selected corpora.
US09317568B2
Search results may be yielded based on a search query. A search query inspired by a user may be received. Based on the search query, multiple search results each including links may be determined. The multiple search results may include a first search result that includes a link to a first digital instance that describes or embodies a first content item, and a second search result that includes a link to a second digital instance that describes or embodies a second content item. A perceived popularity may be assessed for each of the first and second content items. The perceived popularity may be a measure of the popularity of the first and second content items, and may be distinct from a popularity of the first and second digital instances. A presentation of the multiple search results may be determined based on the accessed perceived popularity.
US09317566B1
Embodiments provide a computer-executable method, computer system and non-transitory computer-readable medium for programmatically analyzing a consumer review. The method includes programmatically accessing, via a network device, one or more consumer reviews for a commercial entity or a commercial object. The method also includes executing a consumer review processing engine to programmatically identify an attribute descriptor in the one or more consumer reviews, and executing the consumer review processing engine to programmatically generate a sentiment score associated with the one or more consumer reviews. The method further includes storing, on a non-transitory computer-readable storage device, the attribute descriptor and the sentiment score in association with the commercial entity or the commercial object.
US09317556B2
Systems, methods and articles of manufacture for accelerating database queries containing bitmap-based conditions are described herein. An embodiment includes determining a bitmap, where the bitmap represents a set of rows that have satisfied one or more conjunctive conditions which preceded a conjunct that is a disjunction in a query expression and restricting evaluation of a disjunct within the disjunction to the set of rows represented by the bitmap. Another embodiment includes determining a satisfaction bitmap, where the bitmap represents the result of one or more preceding disjuncts in a disjunction within a query expression and restricting scope of evaluation of a disjunct to a set of rows that are not within the determined satisfaction bitmap. In this way, embodiments of the present invention enable the acceleration of queries containing disjunctions of conditions on a database table, as well as reduce the temporary resources consumed for such queries.
US09317549B2
Efficient processing of concurrent atomic transactions is provided by identifying the constraints that need to be satisfied for correct application behavior. With these constraints identified, commit processing for a transaction can then refer to the constraints to see if committing the current transaction causes a problem with the constraints. If there is a conflict with the constraints, the transaction aborts. If there is no conflict with the constraints, the transaction commits.
US09317548B2
Collisions in hash tables are reduced by removing each empty bucket from a hash table and compacting the non-empty buckets, generating a map of the hash table indicating a status of the buckets of the hash table, and accessing data in the hash table by applying a hash key to the generated map to determine a corresponding bucket containing the data.
US09317539B2
If the operations manager makes configuration changes of the log database through configuration management interface, the configuration management interface records configuration information thereof on an management database. Furthermore, when log data of a monitoring target device are collected in a log collection unit through the log database, a log data volume analysis unit reads utilization information of data volume of the log database, and records the reading on a management database. A configuration changes proposal generating unit automatically generates configuration changes proposal of the log database based on the information recorded on the management database. Moreover, a metrics value for evaluating time required for configuration changes, a metrics value for evaluating performance in connection with the configuration changes, and a metrics value for evaluating the data volume in connection with the configuration changes are calculated, and an effect and an influence of changes proposal are presented to the operations manager.
US09317538B1
Methods for recovering data sets using existing catalog entries are described. The data sets to be recovered may correspond with a portion of a data storage volume that has been archived. In some embodiments, an archived data set may be re-cataloged to a pseudo-volume in order to preserve catalog sequencing information for data sets that are members of the data set. In some embodiments, a data storage system may utilize a system interrupt to detect that a request to create a new data set has failed due to a conflict with an existing catalog entry, acquire data set creation parameters associated with the request to create the new data set, and issue a catalog alter command using the data set creation parameters in response to detecting that the request to create the new data set has failed.
US09317530B2
In one embodiment, a social networking system determines one or more individuals matching one or more faces in an image file of a still image or a video sequence, associated with a first user based on the one or more individuals' spatial and temporal proximity to the image file, and presents the matched individuals to the first user.
US09317517B2
Embodiments include a method, system, and computer program product for creating an array table. In one embodiment the method includes identifying keys associated with values in a database and identifying bits common between the plurality of keys using logical functions and removing the common hits to form condensed keys. The method also includes modulating the condensed keys using identified common bits to create transformed keys and populating the plurality of array tables using the transformed keys and associated values.
US09317516B2
Systems and methods for compressing a raw logical data object (201) for storage in a storage device operable with at least one storage protocol, creating, reading, writing, optimizatic in and restoring thereof. Compressing the raw logical data object (201) comprises creating in the storage device a compressed logical data object (203) comprising a header (204) and one or more allocated compressed sections with predefined size (205-1-205-2); compressing one or more sequentially obtained chunks of raw data (202-1-202-6) corresponding to the raw logical data object (201) thus giving rise to the compressed data chunks (207-1-207-6); and sequentially accommodating the processed data chunks into: said compressed sections (205-1-205-2) in accordance with an order said chunks received, wherein said compressed sections serve as atomic elements of compression/decompression operations during input/output transactions on the logical data object.
US09317511B2
A system and method of operating a filesystem for managing filesystem objects is disclosed. The filesystem objects are characterized by metadata parameters included in a global directory object arranged in a plurality of global directory object (GDO) pages. Responsive to receiving a request for creating a new filesystem object, a parent key is obtained. The parent key is indicative of an identifier of a direct parent directory requested for hosting the new filesystem object. A target page that corresponds to the parent key is located within the plurality of GDO pages. The target page further includes a direct parent directory metadata record associated with the direct parent key and includes metadata parameters related to the direct parent directory. An object key is created as corresponding to the same target page, thereby enabling accommodation of an object metadata record, related to the new filesystem object, on the target page.
US09317510B2
Support of end-user to view and operate computing resources through logically organized and graphically represented multi-layered item list (“hierarchical list”) has been fully realized on native window based computer user work environment with modern operating system such as Windows Explore of Microsoft. The present invention has implemented such a hierarchical list to represent structured resources, such as for folder structure, which to be displayable and operable via a browser on an end-user device. The implementation of the hierarchical list is accomplished by creating the hierarchical list in memory to mirror the actual folder structure, where the mirrored hierarchical list is sent to the end-user device, where the end-user device executes the browser to display the hierarchical list to allow the user via the displayed hierarchical list to request access, manage, and share the actual folder structure.
US09317507B2
A method and system includes a storage device 32 having an interface 57, a portable media player 36 in communication with the storage device through the interface 57. The portable media player 36 stores a file having a plurality of segments therein. The storage device 32 updates a first segment of the plurality of segments in the portable media player 36 through the interface 57.
US09317506B2
Accelerating data transfers is described herein. When a second computing system is requested to transfer a file to a first computing system, a data segment is sent to the first computing system instead of the entire file. The data segment is then compared to data stored within a data store on the first computing system. If the data segment and data within the data store match, then the file does not need to be transferred, and a pointer points to the file already located on the first computing system. If the data segment does not match any data stored in the data store, then the file is transferred from the second computing system to the first computing system. By comparing only the data segment instead of sending an entire file, data transfer is able to be greatly expedited in situations where the data is common between systems.
US09317505B2
An aspect provides a method, including: sending a media query from a controller user device to a second user device; receiving media meta data at the controller user device in response to the media query of the second user device, the received media meta data comprising media meta data regarding a media file currently playing on the second user device and media meta data regarding one or more queued media files; providing at the controller user device a visual display based on the received media meta data, the visual display comprising a visual indication of the media file currently playing on the second user device and a preview of the one or more queued media files to be played on the second user device; and issuing one or more control action commands from the controller user device to the second user device. Other aspects are described and claimed.
US09317504B2
A method for searching for a flash video (FLV) tag in a bitstream includes the following steps: setting a first start position and a first search length related to a first search process, wherein the first search length indicates a bitstream length of the first search process performed upon the bitstream; starting the first search process upon the bitstream from the first start position to search for the FLV tag; when the FLV tag is not found in the first search length, setting a second start position related to a second search process immediately following the first search process, wherein the first start position and the second start position are separated by a time period equaling a sum of the first search length and a first skip length corresponding to the first search process; and starting the second search process upon the bitstream from the second start position to search for the FLV tag.
US09317500B2
Aspects of the present disclosure relate to one or more configured computing systems identifying when content includes a base content and a translated content that can be synchronously presented. Once a content match is identified, a device to receive synchronization information can also be identified. The synchronization information can enable one or more devices to synchronously present translated content while consuming a base content. For example, an English language audio book may be output synchronously with a Spanish language eBook.
US09317499B2
A computer determines whether performance optimization parameters are configured to optimize performance of generating a regular expression. In response to the computer determining the one or more performance optimization parameters are configured to optimize performance of generating the regular expression, the computer identifies syllables within a plain text word that have a high probability of spelling errors. The computer selects each character in the syllables identified. 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.
US09317494B2
Embodiments of the invention generate a primary interface to display data in a flat format. A secondary interface is generated at the request of a user to display the same data in a tree or similar hierarchical format. The secondary interface is initiated from the primary interface. A user selects data in the secondary interface and thereby navigates to the corresponding data in the primary interface. This system improves user productivity by increasing the speed at which a user finds and interacts with stored data in the supply chain management system.
US09317492B2
A method for grouping writing regions of digital ink receives processed digital ink that comprises writing regions. A relationship can be generated between a plurality of the writing regions. A feature set can be determined that is associated with the plurality of the writing regions. The plurality of the writing regions can be grouped based on the feature set.
US09317491B2
A method of generating an adaptable and interactive network document which comprises selecting a layout of an interactive network document having a plurality of discrete interactive elements, automatically calculating at least one relative arrangement rule defining a relation between a layout parameter of one of the plurality of discrete interactive elements and a respective layout parameter of another of the plurality of discrete interactive elements, receiving instructions to change the layout, and applying the instructions to generate a copy of the interactive network document having an adapted version of the layout wherein layout parameters of the plurality of discrete interactive elements are adapted according the instructions and comply with the at least one relative arrangement rule.
US09317487B1
Systems and methods of evaluating information in a computer network environment are provided. A data processing system can obtain or receive a content placement criterion, such as a keyword, associated with a content item and can determine a quality metric of the content placement criterion. The data processing system can identify a candidate content placement criterion and expand placement criteria associated with the content item to include the content placement criterion and the candidate content placement criterion based at least in part on an evaluation of the quality metric of the content placement criterion. The data processing system can expand placement criteria based in part on a throttling parameter. The data processing system can identify a correlation between a document and the placement criteria to identify appropriate content items for the document.
US09317485B2
An electronic device or system and method are provided for selectively normalizing or modifying content element attributes that are defined using absolute values, such as absolute font sizes expressed in length measurements such as points and pixels. A document containing structured content, such as an HTML-formatted email message or webpage, is obtained. When any such content element attributes are included with the document, a determination is made whether those attributes can be changed for that document. The determination may be dependent on the complexity of the structured document. If so, the absolute values are converted to relative values, and the document is subsequently rendered for display.
US09317484B1
Techniques to validate data in document capture are disclosed. An indication is received that a validation rule associated with two or more dependent fields in a data entry form comprising data values extracted from a multi-page document has failed. Ahuman validation interface is provided that enables an operator to view the affected dependent fields and for each an associated document image portion from which a corresponding data value was extracted, including by providing automated navigation to and display of the affected dependent fields.
US09317482B2
A universal single-bitstream FPGA library or ASIC implementation accelerates matrix-vector multiplication processing multiple matrix encodings including dense and multiple sparse formats. A hardware-optimized sparse matrix representation referred to herein as the Compressed Variable-Length Bit Vector (CVBV) format is used to take advantage of the capabilities of FPGAs and reduce storage and bandwidth requirements across the matrices compared to that typically achieved when using the Compressed Sparse Row (CSR) format in typical CPU- and GPU-based approaches. Also disclosed is a class of sparse matrix formats that are better suited for FPGA implementations than existing formats reducing storage and bandwidth requirements. A partitioned CVBV format is described to enable parallel decoding.
US09317477B1
A computer program product corrects a detonation time from a ballistic table, based on the actual velocity of a projectile measured upon exit of the projectile from the gun tube. The computer program product transfers a 16-bit data stream, through a 16-bit to an 8-bit encoder, to a fuze controller implemented as an 8-bit platform, to provide precise timing adjustment to a fuze controller. The computer program product significantly improves the accuracy of detonation times for air burst mode. The encoder calculates the absolute truncated, square rooted, X, of the input time delay number, as well as the error correction number, Y. The encoder then transmits both numbers X and Y as an 8-bit data stream, optionally along with the parity data to the fuze controller.
US09317476B2
A vending system comprising numerous remote vending machines, retail displays, and automated retail stores connected to a communication network access a central database so that each remote machine provides and responds to personalized customer information. Each machine comprises a display containing products to be vended and a plurality of touchable product viewing areas for initiating a vend. A computer recognizes customer data derived from peripheral inputs. Software communicates with the database for establishing customer profiles and either recognizing customers or registering customers by generating a global unique identifier. Subroutines initiate the dispensing of items in response to preselected conditions associated with each GUID.
US09317472B2
A memory sharing method and system in a distributed computing environment. The method includes placing a first operator and a second operator within a processing element. The first operator is associated with a first host and the second operator associated with a second and differing host of a distributed computing system. Requests for usage of global data with respect to multiple processes are received from the first operator and the second operator. The global data is stored within a specified segment of a shared memory module that includes shared memory space being shared by the first operator and the second operator. The multiple processes are executed and results are generated by the first operator and the second operator with respect to the global data.
US09317471B2
Systems and methods for bookmarking prospective media content on computer network. In some implementations, a method includes: at a server system, obtaining, from a electronic device, information corresponding to a media content item; identifying the media content item, from among a plurality of media content items, in accordance with the information; creating a provisional bookmark corresponding to a first URL where the media content item is not yet available but is likely to be available within a predefined time period; and transmitting the provisional bookmark to the electronic device. The method optionally includes: after creating the provisional bookmark, in accordance with a determination that the media content item has become available at the first URL, before the predefined time period: converting the provisional bookmark into a non-provisional bookmark.
US09317463B2
Various embodiments provide a smart remote-control device. In one embodiment, a smart remote-control device includes a keypad and a display. The smart-remote-control device is configured to obtain information about other media devices, and to display that information upon the display. The smart remote-control device is further configured to establish master-slave relationships between itself and other media devices, including set-top boxes, presentation devices, and other remote-control devices. This abstract is provided to comply with rules requiring an abstract, and it is submitted with the intention that it will not be used to interpret or limit the scope or meaning of the claims.
US09317461B2
A method for data storage includes, in a system that includes a host having a host memory and a memory controller that is separate from the host and stores data for the host in a non-volatile memory including multiple analog memory cells, storing in the host memory information items relating to respective groups of the analog memory cells of the non-volatile memory. A command that causes the memory controller to access a given group of the analog memory cells is received from the host. In response to the command, a respective information item relating to the given group of the analog memory cells is retrieved from the host memory by the memory controller, and the given group of the analog memory cells is accessed using the retrieved information item.
US09317460B2
A transaction is initiated within a computing environment, and based on detecting a program event recording event, an interrupt is presented for the transaction. Subsequent to the interrupt, one or more controls are set to inhibit presentation of another interrupt based on detecting another PER event. Thereafter, the transaction is re-executed and PER events detected during execution of the transaction are ignored.
US09317457B2
A mobile computing device with a mobile operating system and desktop operating system running concurrently and independently on a shared kernel without virtualization. The mobile operating system provides a user experience for the mobile computing device that suits the mobile environment. The desktop operating system provides a full desktop user experience when the mobile computing device is docked to a secondary terminal environment. The desktop operating system may be suspended when the mobile computing device is not docked with a secondary terminal environment and resumed when the mobile computing device is docked with a secondary terminal environment that provides a desktop computing experience. The mobile computing device may be a smartphone running the Android mobile OS and a full desktop Linux OS distribution on a modified Android kernel.
US09317456B2
A computer-implemented method for event matching in a complex event processing system includes receiving, with a computer processing device, a stream of event data; receiving, with a computer processing device, an event list and an access predicate list, wherein the event list includes one or more event data pairs; and identifying, with a graphical processing device, patterns in the stream of event data.
US09317450B2
Subject matter disclosed herein relates to memory devices and security of same.
US09317440B2
A virtual device control method of a computing device which includes a nonvolatile memory is provided. The virtual device control method includes receiving a virtualization request; assigning a first part of the nonvolatile memory to a virtual memory; assigning a second part of the nonvolatile memory to a virtual storage; and generating a virtual device including the assigned virtual memory and virtual storage.
US09317439B2
A system configuration is provided with multiple partitions that supports different types of address translation structure formats. The configuration may include partitions that use a single level of translation and those that use a nested level of translation. Further, differing types of translation structures may be used. The different partitions are supported by a single hypervisor.
US09317438B2
A cache memory apparatus according to the present invention includes a cache memory that caches an instruction code corresponding to a fetch address and a cache control circuit that controls the instruction code to be cached in the cache memory. The cache control circuit caches an instruction code corresponding to a subroutine when the fetch address indicates a branch into the subroutine and disables the instruction code to be cached when the number of the instruction codes to be cached exceeds a previously set maximum number.
US09317437B2
In general, the present invention relates to data cache processing. Specifically, the present invention relates to a system that provides reconfigurable dynamic cache which varies the operation strategy of cache memory based on the demand from the applications originating from different external general processor cores, along with functions of a virtualized hybrid core system. The system includes receiving a data request, selecting an operational mode based on the data request and a predefined selection algorithm, and processing the data request based on the selected operational mode.
US09317435B1
Described herein is a system and method for an efficient cache warm-up. The system and method may copy data blocks from a primary storage device to a cache memory device. The system and method may identify a subset of data blocks stored on the primary storage device as candidate data blocks for copying to the cache memory device during a cache warm-up period. A cost effectiveness for copying the candidate data blocks to the cache memory device may be determined. In some embodiments, the cost effectiveness may be calculated based on one or more latency values associated with the primary storage device and the cache memory device. The candidate data blocks may be copied to the cache memory device based on the cost effectiveness.
US09317427B2
According to one aspect of the present disclosure a method and technique for managing memory access is disclosed. The method includes setting a memory databus utilization threshold for each of a plurality of processors of a data processing system to maintain memory databus utilization of the data processing system at or below a system threshold. The method also includes monitoring memory databus utilization for the plurality of processors and, in response to determining that memory databus utilization for at least one of the processors is below its threshold, reallocating at least a portion of unused databus utilization from the at least one processor to at least one of the other processors.
US09317414B2
A first execution plan for a first version of a structured query language statement can be requested from a database management system. The first execution plan for the first version of the structured query language statement can be loaded into a first directed graph tree structure comprising a plurality of nodes. The first directed graph tree structure can be scanned to determine whether a full table scan for accessing requested data is represented by at least a one of the plurality of nodes of the directed graph tree structure. Responsive to determining that the full table scan for accessing the requested data is represented by the at least one of the plurality of nodes of the directed graph tree structure, a first indicator that indicates a fault condition can be output.
US09317399B2
A method is provided to evaluate tests of computer program code comprising: configuring a computer to produce, in a computer readable storage device, a code filter to indicate one or more respective portions of the computer program code to respectively either omit from or to include in a determination of adequacy of results; and comparing test results with the computer program code with the one or more respective portions filtered using the code filter to respectively either omit the respective portions from or include the respective portions in the determination as indicated by the code filter.
US09317397B2
In a Programmable Logic Controller (PLC) simulation system, at least one of a PLC simulator and an external simulator executes processing while checking the status of program execution in the other. For example, the PLC simulator provides a socket interface, and operates upon receiving various commands from the external simulator. The external simulator checks, using a command, whether processing for a program is being executed or the execution is finished in the PLC simulator. The external simulator checks the status of operation of the program in the PLC simulator, and executes processing accompanying writing to a PLC memory or the like, in a case where contention of access to the PLC memory does not occur.
US09317396B2
An information processing apparatus includes a first preservation unit configured to preserve execution request information for information processing; an execution unit configured to execute one or more types of the information processing; an execution control unit configured to have the execution unit being capable of executing one of the types of the information processing execute the information processing of the execution request information preserved by the first preservation unit; and a second preservation unit configured to preserve a stop command of the execution unit. If the execution unit does not execute the information processing, the execution control unit checks the second preservation unit if the second preservation unit preserves the stop command to have the execution unit execute a stop procedure.
US09317395B2
Collecting usage data in a cluster computing environment. A method includes at a tracker service receiving a request from an at least partially cloud based deployment for an interval for the deployment to report usage information in usage reports. The usage information includes information defining how software in a deployment is used. In response to the request from the deployment, the method further includes, the tracker service providing an interval to the deployment. The method further includes at the tracker service, receiving usage reports from the deployment according to the provided interval.
US09317393B2
Methods and apparatus for memory leak detection using clustering and trend detection are disclosed. Performance metrics are collected from an executing process. A first statistical analysis of at least one metric is used to identify trending and non-trending workload periods for the process. A second statistical analysis on the metrics for the non-trending workload periods is used to determine clusters of metrics corresponding to stable workload levels. A third statistical analysis is performed on each of the clusters to determine whether an upward trend in memory usage occurred. If an upward trend in memory usage is detected, a notification of a potential memory leak is generated.
US09317387B2
Computational methods and systems for identifying a subset of a set of metrics that can be used to monitor a resource are described. The subset is representative of the information provided by the full set of metrics. Correlations are calculated for each pair of metrics and metrics with the highest correlations to other metrics in the set of metrics are deleted to obtain the representative subset of metrics. Deletion of metrics from the set of metrics may be optimized for accuracy or cost. The smaller representative subset of metrics can then be used to monitor the resource.
US09317376B1
Head start population of an image backup. In one example embodiment, a method for head start population of an image backup may include tracking blocks that are modified in a source storage between a first point in time and a second point in time, head start copying a first portion of the modified blocks into the image backup prior to the second point in time, activating a snapshot on the source storage at the second point in time where the snapshot represents a state of the source storage at the second point in time, and copying, subsequent to the second point in time, from the snapshot and into the image backup, a second portion of the modified blocks that were not yet copied into the image backup by the second point in time.
US09317369B2
Methods and apparatus to identify at least a first portion and a second portion of resources to restore to a device are described. The first portion of the resources may be restored atomically to the device before the second portion of the resources. The device may not respond to at least one user input during the restoration of the first portion of the resources. If the restoring of the first portion is successful, the second portion of the resources may be restored. The device may respond to the user input during the restoring of the second portion of the resources.
US09317367B2
A computing device collects wear life data of a first and a second solid state drive, wherein each solid state drive includes at least one stride, and wherein wear life data is data which includes information regarding wear and deterioration of each stride of each solid state drive. Based on the collected wear life data, the computing device determines the first solid state drive contains more high usage strides than the second solid state drive, wherein a high usage stride is a stride containing high usage data. The computing device then re-allocates data from at least one high usage stride of the first solid state drive to a stride of the second solid state drive, wherein the re-allocated data includes parity data.
US09317364B2
Methods, apparatuses, and systems are described related to memory controllers for memory. In one embodiment, a memory controller may include a distribution transformer configured to receive data to be stored into a memory, wherein the data has a distribution of m1:n1 ratio for bits having a first logic value and bits having a second logic value, where m1 and n1 are real numbers. The distribution transformer may transform the data into skewed data, wherein the skewed data has a distribution of m2:n2 ratio for bits having the first logic value and bits having the second logic value, where m2 and n2 are real numbers that are different from one another and respectively differ from m1 and n1. The distribution transformer may output the skewed data for storage in the memory. Other embodiments may be described and claimed.
US09317361B2
An apparatus having a device and a circuit is disclosed. The device has a plurality of bit-lines and is configured to store a codeword. The circuit is configured to (i) receive the codeword from the device, (ii) generate a syndrome by performing a portion less than all of an iterative decoding procedure on the codeword and (iii) generate a map of defects according to the syndrome. Each of a plurality of bits in the map corresponds to a respective one of the bit-lines.
US09317353B2
In one embodiment, a receiver is coupled to a transmitter via an interconnect. The receiver includes a voltage margining circuit to receive non-deterministic data transmitted by the transmitter via a multi-level signaling scheme and to generate a bit error report including bit error information obtained at a plurality of margining levels. Other embodiments are described and claimed.
US09317351B2
In one embodiment, a semiconductor test control system includes a computer system having a plurality of hardware resources; a hypervisor installed on the computer system; and a test floor controller installed on the computer system. The hypervisor virtualizes the hardware resources and provides each of at least one virtual appliance with access to a respective virtual set of the hardware resources. Each virtual set of the hardware resources places its respective virtual appliance in controlling communication with at least a first aspect of a semiconductor test system, thereby enabling the respective virtual appliance to test a respective type of semiconductor device. The test floor controller is in controlling communication with i) at least a second aspect of the semiconductor test system, and ii) each of the at least one virtual appliance.
US09317349B2
The invention pertains to a method and information handling system (IHS) for assessing storage device vulnerability to data unavailability or data loss. An embodiment of the method of the present invention begins by obtaining data regarding static and dynamic factors of the at least one storage device. Next, based on the obtained data, a risk score is calculated for the at least one storage device. Finally, using the obtained data, the risk score is presented to a user. In another example embodiment, a risk score indicator is associated with the at least one storage device based upon the calculated risk score.
US09317346B2
Transmitting data elements from source threads to sink threads, which are executed on a plurality of processor cores of a parallel computer system, by using at least one global logical queue, the at least one global logical queue including an associated physical queue for each of the plurality of processor cores and a data element management table that stores, for each source thread executed on a processor core, a count that specifies a total number of data elements that are enqueued by the respective source thread and that are located in one of the physical queues of the at least one global logical queue, and a processor core index that specifies a specific processor core associated with a physical queue that contains the data elements enqueued by the respective source thread.
US09317345B2
An information processing device of this disclosure has: a data sharing unit capable of sharing, the sharing being a process of causing an application, selected as data output destination from a plurality of applications, to process data output from a data output source application; a display unit; an operation unit; and a processor that, when executing instructions, performs: acquiring image data; displaying identification images for identifying the plurality of applications on the display unit; and receiving an input designating N identification images of the plurality of identification images displayed on the display unit from the operation unit, N being natural number greater than 1; and causing the data sharing unit to perform sharing the acquired image data to each of N data output destination application, each of N data output destination application respectively corresponding to each of the N identification images.
US09317343B1
Disclosed are systems, methods, and other embodiments relating to event processing. A plurality of events from a plurality of services are buffered in a server, each of the services being implemented in at least one service server. An indexed storage of the events is performed in a data store. Metrics are generated from the events, where a condition associated with an operation of the services may be determined from the metrics.
US09317342B2
A system and method for operating a many-core processor including resilient cores may include determining a frequency variation map for the many-core processor and scheduling execution of a plurality of tasks on respective resilient cores of the many-core processor in accordance to the frequency variation map.
US09317335B2
An information processing apparatus calculates parameters corresponding to the data processing structure of a web system. An extraction unit 22 extracts, from operation data of a web system having capacity control parameters including a maximum queue length indicating the maximum size of a queue which temporarily stores request data and the maximum number of simultaneous executions indicating the maximum number of times the request data can be processed in parallel, an internal retention time required for the web system to process data in each number of internal retention requests which is the sum of the number of uses of the queue and the number of times the request data is processed in parallel. A coefficient calculation unit 23 applies an approximate equation corresponding to the data processing structure of the web system to the internal retention time in the number of internal retention requests extracted by the extraction unit 22 to calculate coefficients of the approximate equation. A parameter calculation unit 24 calculates new capacity control parameters from the approximate equation calculated by the coefficient calculation unit 23.
US09317330B2
The present disclosure generally relates to a system and method for predicting performance of a multi-threaded application, and particularly, to a system and method for predicting performance of the multi-threaded application in the presence of resource bottlenecks. In one embodiment, a system for predicting performance of a multi-threaded software application is disclosed. The system may include one or more processors and a memory storing processor-executable instructions for configuring a processor to: represent one or more queuing networks corresponding to resources, the resources being employed to run the multi-threaded application; detect, based on the one or more queuing networks, a concurrency level associated with encountering of a first resource bottleneck; determine, based on the concurrency level, performance metrics associated with the multi-threaded application; and predict the performance of the multi-threaded application based on the performance metrics.
US09317310B2
Systems and methods for handling virtual machine packets are provided. In some aspects, a method includes receiving, by a network interface controller, an indicator of a packet from a virtual machine. The indicator bypasses a virtual switch coupled to the virtual machine. The method also includes determining, in response to receiving the indicator, whether the packet is designated for accelerated processing. The method also includes providing the indicator to the virtual switch for processing if the packet is determined not to be designated for accelerated processing. The method also includes processing, by the network interface controller, the packet for transmission if the packet is determined to be designated for accelerated processing.
US09317309B2
A virtualized environment allocation system comprises a computer system having a plurality of virtualized stacks, the computer system configured to have a plurality of input/output (I/O) devices coupled thereto, and an allocation controller configured to allocate at least one of the plurality of I/O devices to a first of the plurality of virtualized stacks and at least another of the plurality of I/O devices to a second of the plurality of virtualized stacks.
US09317289B2
A method for processing data packets in a pipeline and executed by a network processor. The pipeline includes a plurality of logical blocks, each logical block configured to process one stage of the pipeline. Each data packet includes a descriptor and a data. The network processor is coupled to a resource for storing the data. The method reduces latency and enables non-blocking processing of data packets by forwarding a unique identification of a write request from a first logical block to a subsequent second logical block in the pipeline, the write request to modify the data in the resource. The method includes receiving the descriptor for processing at the first logical block, generating the write request and the unique identification for the write request, transmitting the write request to the resource, and transmitting the unique identification towards the second logical block before an acknowledgement is returned by the resource.
US09317260B2
Systems and methods for performing query-by-example are described. A query module executing on the system may maintain a source code repository containing a plurality of source code files. Each of the plurality of source code files is associated with a corresponding source syntax structure generated based on said each of the plurality of source code files. The query module may receive a query snippet, and generate a query syntax structure based on the query snippet. The query module may then identify a first source code file from the plurality of source code files for being relevant to the query snippet. The being relevant to the query snippet is determined by a first relevance score which is calculated based on the query syntax structure and the first source code file's corresponding source syntax structure.
US09317254B1
A system and method for fault-tolerant release automation and validation techniques are disclosed. An example method may include receiving release procedures. The release procedures may be defined using a fault-tolerant release automation library. Then, a release program may be created using the release procedures. A release program may be a workflow or a set of nested workflows made up of fault-tolerant release automation procedures. The release program may be executed to test the release procedures. In some embodiments, validation techniques may be used in order to validate and verify that the release procedures are correct and that error detection and recovery capabilities cover all aspects of the release procedures.
US09317244B2
A mobile terminal capable of performing a content sharing function with an external display device includes an output unit configured to include a display module and an audio output module, a radio communication unit configured to perform a wireless communication function with the display device, a sensing unit configured to sense a movement of the mobile terminal, and a controller configured to activate the content sharing function with the display device for a second application when the sensing unit senses a movement of a first type of the mobile terminal in a state in which the content sharing function with the display device for a first application has been activated.
US09317241B2
A console for a vehicle comprises an assembly housing capable of being mounted in an interior of the vehicle, a wireless receiver, houseable in the assembly housing, adapted to wirelessly receive audio and video data from at least one input device, a recording device, houseable in the assembly housing for recording the audio and video data received from the at least one input device, and a wireless transmitter, houseable in the assembly housing, adapted to wirelessly transmit the audio and video data to at least one receiving device.
US09317231B2
An image forming apparatus to access a file server and a job server connected to an internet via a local area network, and issue a print request of a file managed by the file server, includes a file server connection unit, a job server connection unit, a token acquisition unit, a print request unit, and a print unit. The file server connection unit connects with the file server. The job server connection unit connects with the job server. The token acquisition unit acquires a token associated with connection with the image forming apparatus from the job server connected by the job server connection unit. The print request unit issues the print request for the file server connected by the file server connection unit using the token acquired by the token acquisition unit. The print unit prints print data received from the job server connected by the job server connection unit.
US09317224B1
The contributions of a virtual storage unit to the utilization of a data storage system may be quantified. A utilization score may be determined for each virtual storage unit for one or more functional components of the data storage system, for example, a front-end adapter, back-end adapter or interface physical storage unit. A utilization score may be determined for the data storage system as a whole by combining the component utilization scores of the virtual storage unit. Component and/or system utilization scores may be visually presented to a user in a manner that enables the user to assess the relative contributions of the virtual storage units to utilization of the component or overall system, respectively. What-if scenarios may be considered using the utilization scores to determine the consequences of moving one or more virtual storage units from one data storage system to another, and a live migration may result.
US09317221B2
A distributed storage system comprises a plurality of data storage nodes that store a plurality of object data items in a distributed manner. The plurality of object data items are respectively characterized by a data coordinate and identified by a data identifier. The plurality of data storage nodes are respectively assigned a node coordinate in a space identical to that of the data coordinate. After selecting as first data storage nodes from among the plurality of data storage nodes a plurality of data storage nodes each assigned a node coordinate having a relatively short distance from a data coordinate characterizing each of the plurality of object data items, any of the object data item is respectively stored in a data storage node determined based on a data identifier that identifies the object data item from among the plurality of first data storage nodes.
US09317219B2
Provided is a semiconductor device including: a plurality of processing circuits; an arbitration circuit that arbitrates a plurality of data transfer requests issued by the plurality of processing circuits; a mask control circuit that loads the plurality of data transfer requests arbitrated by the arbitration circuit, and sequentially outputs the plurality of data transfer requests after a lapse of a mask period; and a memory controller that accesses a memory based on the plurality of data transfer requests sequentially output from the mask control circuit, and switches a mode of the memory to a power saving mode when no data transfer request is output from the mask control circuit for a predetermined period.
US09317218B1
Techniques for sanitizing a storage system are described herein. In one embodiment, for each of fingerprints representing data chunks stored in a first container of the storage system, a lookup operation in a live bit vector based on the fingerprint is performed to determine whether a corresponding data chunk is live. In one embodiment, a bit in a copy bit vector corresponding to the data chunk is populated based on the lookup operation. In one embodiment, after all of the bits corresponding to the data chunks of the first container have been populated in the CBV, data chunks represented by the CBV are copied from the first container to a second container, and records of the data chunks in the first container are erased.
US09317204B2
A system and method for I/O optimization in a multi-queued environment are provided. In one embodiment, a host is provided that sorts commands into a plurality of queues, wherein a command is sorted based on its data characteristic. The host receives a read request from a storage module for commands in the plurality of queues and provides the storage module with the requested commands. In another embodiment, a storage module is provided that processes commands from a host based on the data characteristic of the queue that stored the command on the host. In another embodiment, a storage module sorts command completions into a plurality of queues, wherein a command completion is sorted based on its resulting status code.
US09317202B2
A keyboard overlay for use with a virtual touch screen keyboard, and associated systems and methods are disclosed. In accordance with one embodiment of the present technology, a keyboard is overlaid over a plurality of virtual keys that have virtual key centers laterally spaced apart from each other. The keyboard can have a base configured to be coupled to the virtual touch screen keyboard and a plurality of overlay key structures corresponding to the virtual keys. The overlay key centers of the individual overlay key structures have overlay key centers, and at least a subset of the overlay key structures can be arranged such that the overlay key centers of the subset are offset relative to the virtual key centers of the corresponding virtual keys.
US09317200B2
Desired character information can be effectively obtained. The display apparatus (display terminal) includes a display part, a plurality of operation portions, to which different characters are assigned and which are provided adjacent to one another, an operation detection part which detects operation states of the plurality of operation portions, and a control part which displays character information about a character assigned to an operation portion, to which an operation is detected by the operation detection part, wherein if it is determined that a first operation portion among the plurality of operation portions is operated based on detection of an operation state by the operation detection part, the control part displays character information about a character assigned to the first operation portion on the display part, and further specifies a second operation portion associated with the first operation portion based on the operation state to the first operation portion, and displays character information about a character assigned to the second operation portion on the display part.
US09317199B2
A control apparatus includes: an operation reception unit receiving a reference setting operation, and a position designation operation after the reference setting operation, that are input by a user touching an input unit provided on a display surface of a display unit; a reference position setting unit setting a reference position at a position shifted toward a periphery of the input unit from the position of the reference setting operation on the input unit; and a display control unit setting, depending on the reference position and the position of the position designation operation, a display position of a pointer for selecting a position on the display unit.
US09317192B2
Aspects of the present invention are directed to the stacking of visual items, and their subsequent expansion, or unstacking Upon selection of a stack, that stack expands into the individual visual items making up that stack. Further aspects of the present invention are directed to expanding a stack in different ways depending upon the circumstances. Further aspects of the present invention are directed to providing a hot area associated with, and potentially disposed around, a stack. Selection by the user of the hot area results in selection of the associated stack. The stack may itself be considered a single item that is itself selectable. After the stack is expanded, then the individual visual items making up the original stack are each individually selectable. However, when stacked, the individual items may not be selectable except as a complete stack.
US09317188B2
Systems and methods that improve navigation within video content in an adaptive streaming environment are provided herein.
US09317186B2
Some embodiments described herein provide a content publishing tool for publishing documents to a content distribution system. The content publishing tool in some embodiments guides the application's user through different operations in preparing a document for publication. In some embodiments, these operations include one or more of the following: (1) analyzing the document for errors, (2) specifying a version number for the document, (3) creating a sample document, and (4) exporting the document for publication.
US09317180B2
A method implementable in at least one electronic device coupled to a network and a display device, includes receiving, over the network, a data set, receiving, from a user, a selection of a first topic, determining, based on the data set, a plurality of network sites hosting commentary of the first topic and an authority level of each site of the plurality, determining, based on the data set, an authority level of each site of the plurality, determining, based on the data set, a plurality of authors providing the commentary hosted by the plurality of network sites, determining, based on the data set, an authority level of each author of the plurality, determining, based on the data set, a value characterizing an opinion of each author on the first topic.
US09317175B1
Systems and approaches provide for a user interface (UI) that is based on the position of a user's head with respect to a computing device. In particular, a three-dimensional (3D) rendering engine that is independent of a particular operating system can be integrated with the UI framework of the operating system such that a window or view into a fully 3D world can be drawn using the independent renderer. This window or view can then be laid out and manipulated in a manner similar to other elements of the UI framework. Further, the 3D window or view can be configured to monitor head tracking data as input events to the UI framework. The contents of the window or view can be redrawn or rendered based on the head tracking data to simulate three-dimensionality of the content.
US09317173B2
Apparatus and methods are provided to implement a technique for using location information to identify and select movies or other content. In one implementation, an application for a device such as a smart phone or tablet computer uses location information to identify a movie that corresponds to the location, e.g., by fictional location or by where shots were filmed. Variations leverage the combination of user or target physical location and location information from a movie.
US09317169B2
A display device is configured in a display state to allow the common electrode to function as an electrode for display and a scanning electrode for a touch panel, to which a common voltage and a first scanning pulse voltage are supplied, and to allow a detection circuit to detect a touched position based on the voltage detected by the first and the second detection electrodes. In a display stop state, the first detection electrode is configured to function as a temporary scanning electrode, and the detection circuit is configured to supply a second scanning pulse voltage to the first detection electrode so as to detect existence of a swipe based on the voltage detected by the second detection electrode.
US09317165B2
A touch sensor panel having co-planar single-layer touch sensors fabricated on a single side of a substrate is disclosed. The drive and sense lines can be fabricated as column-like patterns in a first orientation and patches in a second orientation, where each column-like pattern in the first orientation is connected to a separate metal trace in the border area of the touch sensor panel, and all patches in each of multiple rows in the second orientation are connected together using a separate metal trace in the border area of the touch sensor panel. The metal traces in the border areas can be formed on the same side of the substrate as the patches and columns, but separated from the patches and column-like patterns by a dielectric layer.
US09317163B2
A signal processing circuit of a touch screen panel is provided. A signal processing circuit can include a plurality of driving lines and sensing lines intersecting on the touch screen panel, a plurality of sensing channels connected to the sensing lines respectively and configured to detect whether a touch is performed by sensing mutual capacitance on intersecting nodes of the driving lines and the sensing lines, a distortion detection unit configured to detect whether distortion due to noise occurs on the basis of output voltages of the sensing channels, and a control unit configured to operate switches to alternate the circuit between a distortion mode and a normal mode, depending on whether noise is detected.
US09317157B2
A clustered scan method of a capacitive touch device has steps of simultaneously providing driving signals in one driving cycle to multiple driving lines including the (i−j)th drive line to the (i+k)th drive line, and simultaneously providing driving signals in a next driving cycle to the drive lines including some of the drive lines driven in the previous driving cycle with a sum of the driving signal in each driving cycle greater than zero. When the stimulated drive lines include a bordering drive line, the driving lines are determined according to a relationship among i, j and k. Accordingly, the signal to noise ratio of the touch device can be increased and the adverse effect for common ground occurring between a measuring system and a human body can be reduced so that the multi-finger positioning issue can be resolved.
US09317156B2
Mobile device rejection of unintentional sensor contact. An embodiment of a mobile device includes a first touch sensor to detect contact by a user of the mobile device for input of gestures by the user, a memory to store indicators of unintentional contact to the first touch sensor, and a processor to evaluate contact to the first touch sensor. The processor compares a contact with the first touch sensor to the indicators of unintentional contact to determine if the contact is unintentional, and the mobile device rejects the contact as an input to the mobile device if the contact is determined to be unintentional and accepts the contact as an input to the mobile device if the contact is determined to be intentional.
US09317153B2
The present disclosure relates to a field of display technology, and provides an AMOLED pixel circuit, a method for driving the same, and a display device, which can improve an integration of an in-cell touch control circuit with an AMOLED driving circuit. The AMOLED pixel circuit comprises a light-emitting module, a touch control module, a control module, an output module and a driving and amplifying module. The MOLED pixel circuit provided in embodiments of the present disclosure can be used in the manufacture of the AMOLED display device.
US09317152B2
A method of driving a display device including an integrated touch panel, the method comprising: applying a plurality of sampling voltages to a plurality of electrodes of the integrated touch panel; determining a plurality of noise levels each of which is associated with a corresponding one of the plurality of sampling voltages; comparing the plurality of noise levels to a threshold level; and selecting a sampling voltage from the plurality of sampling voltages to use as a touch driving voltage based on the comparison of the plurality of noise levels to the threshold level; and applying the selected sampling voltage as the touch driving voltage to the plurality of electrodes.
US09317151B2
Gate driver circuitry that controls an array of display elements is described. The gate driver circuitry has gate drivers that apply a control pulse to each of a number of gate lines in sequence, from a previous gate line to a current gate line, during a frame interval in which the array of display elements is filled with pixel values. Each gate driver has a latch stage followed by an output stage. The output stage is coupled to drive a current gate line, and the latch stage is coupled to drive a) a first hold circuit that holds the current gate line at a predetermined voltage, and b) a second hold circuit that holds a previous gate line at a predetermined voltage. Other embodiments are also described and claimed.
US09317148B2
A display input device includes a display portion and a touch panel portion. The display portion displays a screen having an object thereon. The touch panel portion is provided on the display portion and detects a plurality of touched positions touched by a user. The display portion, while displaying the screen having the object thereon, when an operation of touching two points on the touch panel portion has been performed, displays transfer destination information indicating a transfer destination candidate that can be a transfer destination of the object. The touch panel portion, when an object transfer operation including an operation of touching a display position of the transfer destination information and then releasing the touched state has been performed, accepts that the transfer destination candidate corresponding to the transfer destination information displayed at the last touched position has been determined as an actual transfer destination of the object.
US09317144B2
A handwriting input recognizing method comprises following steps. Recognize an initial touch point of a touch. Determine an input region associated with the initial touch point. Display the input region. Recognize and display a handwritten input in the input region. Determine whether there is a handwritten input reaches the boundary of the input region. If yes, recognize and display the letters associated with the handwritten input and determine whether the input region receives another handwritten input during a predefined time duration. If yes, determine the sting of letters associated with the handwritten input is a first portion of a complete word, and the sting of letters associated with the another handwritten input is a last portion of the complete word. Combine the first portion and the last portion into a complete word. display letters of the first portion and the last portion in a substantially same size.
US09317142B2
An aspect provides an information handling device, including: one or more processors; a memory device that stores instructions executed by the one or more processors; and a housing that contains the one or more processors and the memory device; the housing having a substantially rectangular shape with a length and height dimension that exceed a width dimension; and the housing further comprising a shaped pen dock running along an end of the housing defining the width dimension. Other aspects are described and claimed.
US09317141B2
A system adapted for selectively attracting an object to and moving the object on a surface. The system includes an oscillating element including a contact surface such as a computer tablet with a touch screen or a table with a ferrous surface. The system includes a drive (or vibration inducing) assembly coupled to the oscillating element operable to oscillate the oscillating element to linearly move the contact surface first in a first direction and second in a second direction opposite the first direction (e.g., along an X-axis or Y-axis). The system further includes a preferential friction assembly operating to first create an attractive force between the contact surface and the object and second to modify the attractive force. This causes the object to move with the contact surface when the attractive force is created and the contact surface to move relative to the object when the attractive force is modified.
US09317140B2
Embodiments are disclosed herein that are related to input devices with curved multi-touch surfaces. For example, in one disclosed embodiment, a method of making a multi-touch input device having a curved touch-sensitive surface comprises forming on a substrate an array of sensor elements defining a plurality of pixels of the multi-touch sensor, forming the substrate into a shape that conforms to a surface of the curved geometric feature of the body of the input device, and fixing the substrate to the curved geometric feature of the body of the input device.
US09317133B2
An approach is provided for providing augmented reality based on tracking. Information, including location information, orientation information, or a combination thereof of a device is determined. A representation of a location indicated based, at least in part, on the information is determined. One or more items are selected to associate with one or more points within the representation. Display information is determined to be generated, the display information including the one or more items overlaid on the representation based, at least in part, on the one or more points.
US09317112B2
An optical flow of depth video of a depth camera imaging a human subject is recognized. An energy field created by motion of the human subject is generated as a function of the optical flow and specified rules of a physical simulation of the virtual environment. The energy field is mapped to a virtual position in the virtual environment. A property of a virtual object in the virtual environment is adjusted based on a plurality of energy elements of the energy field in response to the virtual object interacting with the virtual position of the energy field.
US09317102B2
Techniques are disclosed relating to reducing power consumption in integrated circuits. In one embodiment, an apparatus includes a cache having a set of tag structures and a power management unit. The power management unit is configured to power down a duplicate set of tag structures in responsive to the cache being powered down. In one embodiment, the cache is configured to provide, to the power management unit, an indication of whether the cache includes valid data. In such an embodiment, the power management unit is configured to power down the cache in response to the cache indicating that the cache does not include valid data. In some embodiments, the duplicate set of tag structures is located within a coherence point configured to maintain coherency between the cache and a memory.
US09317096B2
Methods, systems, and media are provided for power management. The power management includes, but is not limited to storing at a computer system a history of canceled entries into a low power state that interrupted a transition of the unit from an active mode to the low power state and disallowing transition of the unit into the low power state when a number of canceled entries indicated by the history of canceled entries exceeds a canceled entry threshold.
US09317094B2
Technology is provided for distributed power delivery to a processing unit on a printed circuit board. In one example, a printed circuit board includes a processing unit coupled to multiple power channels, including first channels on a first side of the processing unit, and second channels on a second side of the processing unit. The printed circuit board further includes a first power supply coupled to the processing unit via the first channels, and a second power supply coupled to the processing unit via the second channels. The processing unit is configured to receive a total current, including currents drawn substantially simultaneously from the first power supply and the second power supply. The total current is about equivalent to a current the processing unit would draw from a single power supply.
US09317088B2
A power on circuit is connected between a video graphics array (VGA) connector of a display and a super input output (SIO) chip of a motherboard. The power on circuit includes first to fourth electronic switches and a timer. When a power button of the display is pressed, a serial data line pin of the VGA connector outputs a high level signal to turn on the first electronic switch, the second electronic switch is turned on, the fourth electronic switch is turned on, and the timer outputs a periodic pulse signal. When the pulse signal outputted from the timer is at a high level, the third electronic switch is turned on, the SIO chip receives a low level signal from the fourth and third electronic switches, and the motherboard is turned on.
US09317074B2
The invention broadly contemplates an electronic apparatus that provides improved antenna characteristics, while maintaining a thin size and light weight. The electronic apparatus of the present invention includes a display casing having a nonconductive resin region and a conductive resin region in a bottom surface thereof; a display module accommodated in the display casing; an antenna disposed in the nonconductive resin region; and a system casing accommodating a wireless module connected to the antenna. By disposing the antenna in the nonconductive resin region formed in the bottom surface of the display casing, it is possible to secure high radio wave sensitivity while preventing an antenna mounting portion from being exposed to the outside of the display casing. The casing structure of the electronic apparatus does not become thick because of butt joining even when the joint portions are in a projection area of an LCD module.
US09317066B2
A portable terminal includes: a casing; a circuit board; a display device; and a fixing portion which fixes the circuit board to the casing to allow the circuit board to move within a given range along a surface direction of the circuit board. The portable terminal further includes: a battery housing portion provided at a position in the casing located along a thickness direction of the circuit board; a battery pack housed in the battery housing portion through a battery opening provided in the casing; a board-side connecting portion provided at the circuit board; a battery-side connecting portion provided at the battery pack and connected to the board-side connecting portion; and a restraining member which restrains a movement of the battery pack with respect to the circuit board along a surface direction of the circuit board.
US09317061B2
An electronic device enclosure includes a rear cover. The rear cover includes at least one first segment and at least one second segmentation. The at least one first segment includes a first securing portion, and the at least one second segment includes a second securing portion. The first securing portion is secured to the second securing portion, so that the at least one first segment and at least one second segment together define the rear cover.
US09317059B2
A system utilizing time tracking is disclosed. The system includes a real time clock, a time component, and a controller. The real time clock is configured to track time. The time component is configured to measure a time value without an additional power source. The controller is configured to determine an elapsed time using the time value and calibration information and to update the real time clock using the elapsed time in a restart mode.
US09317056B2
An active driver includes a mirror circuit suitable for generating a drive voltage and a sink voltage using an external voltage, a first reset circuit suitable for outputting the drive voltage of a logic high level in a standby mode; a second reset circuit suitable for transitioning the drive voltage to a logic low level in response to the sink voltage when being changed from the standby mode to an active mode, and an output circuit suitable for outputting the external voltage as an internal voltage in response to the drive voltage when being changed from the standby mode to the active mode.
US09317047B2
In a multi-phase power supply voltage regulator functioning at a nominal switching frequency, one or more phases are kept off for optimizing energy efficiency at relatively low load conditions. Reactivation of stand-by phases in response to a load increase transient is made more efficiently by exploiting information already present in the output voltage control loop. The technique comprises a) deriving from the control loop information on the equivalent nominal switching frequency given by the product of the nominal switching frequency by the number of active phases; b) updating at every beat of a clock signal the instantaneous value of the equivalent switching frequency; c) determining the band of equivalent switching frequency values to which the instantaneous value belongs; d) logically combining the equivalent switching frequency information with a determined band of output current level, for switching on one or more stand-by phases in response to a load increase transient.
US09317036B2
Systems, methods, and devices are provided for providing flight response to flight-restricted regions. The location of an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) may be compared with a location of a flight-restricted region. If needed a flight-response measure may be taken by the UAV to prevent the UAV from flying in a no-fly zone. Different flight-response measures may be taken based on the distance between the UAV and the flight-restricted region and the rules of a jurisdiction within which the UAV falls.
US09317025B2
A parameter selection and calculation system for control valves has a file manage unit for integrating and storing the files generated in operation. In that, the control valve specification table for control valves of similar forms can be stored in one control valve design file instead of being stored in various different files. Furthermore, a language selection unit provides the function that a user can select a desire language for operating. Moreover, a user can enter into a numerical input unit for inputting related design parameters for a specific control valve or getting related design parameters by selected proper control valve forms in the control valve design database. Then these data are formed as control valve parameter tables acceptable by the control valve logic operation unit. Then the control valve logic operation unit will operate to get a control valve specification table by using the control valve parameter tables.
US09317020B2
A system and method for upgrading remote control application resident on a device. To this end, a markup language file is created. The markup language file has a representation of information used to setup the remote control application to communicate with an appliance. The markup language file may be executed, on the device or an intermediate client with which the device is synchronized, to upload the representation of the information to a remote server. At the remote server, the uploaded information is used to automatically display user-selectable, downloadable data files relevant to the control of the appliance. Downloaded data files, which may include command codes and/or graphical user interface elements, may be used within the device to upgrade the ability of the remote control application to communicate with the appliance. The information uploaded to the server may also be used to generate demographic data regarding consumer preferences.
US09317016B2
An instrument for counting duration for differentiated phases, including: plural mechanisms for recording a time duration, each actuatable, for activation and deactivation thereof, by a first controller; a general controller for controlling, from an inactive position in which all the recording mechanisms are deactivated, activation of only one of them, selected by a selector, and for again controlling, at a final moment, deactivation of all the recording mechanisms; a switch configured, during a command for activation of one of the recording mechanisms, to trigger the deactivation of all other recording mechanisms and to save totality of the recorded times, counted on each of the recording mechanisms. The selector is configured to be controlled by a user or/and by a measuring mechanism or/and by a signal to trigger the activation of one of the recording mechanisms.
US09317014B2
An orientable screw-in element including a cap and a device adjusting angular orientation of the cap relative to a watch middle part. The device adjusting angular orientation of the cap includes a first part including a flat friction surface, a second part integral with the cap including a second flat friction surface and a return mechanism configured to rotate the cap integrally with the first part. The cap and first part are axially mobile in relation to each other between a first position in which the first flat friction surface and second flat friction surface are each pressed against each other by the return mechanism such that the cap rotates integrally with the first part, and a second position in which the first flat friction surface and second flat friction surface are not in contact, the cap therefore free to rotate about the rotational axis of the screw-in element.
US09317008B2
An image forming apparatus includes a developing roller and a photosensitive drum configured to rotate about a first axis, and has a peripheral surface. The developing roller is configured to contact the photosensitive drum and is configured to supply developer to the photosensitive drum by rotating about a second axis positioned lower than the first axis in a vertical direction to form a visible image on the peripheral surface. Extraneous matter on the peripheral surface is recovered only by the developing roller.
US09317004B1
A replaceable unit for an electrophotographic image forming device includes a housing having a photoconductive drum rotatably mounted thereon. The photoconductive drum has a rotational axis. A guide channel on an exterior of the housing extends parallel to the rotational axis of the photoconductive drum and is positioned to guide insertion of the housing into the image forming device. A positioning stop on the housing is movable between a latching position and an unlatching position. In the latching position the positioning stop obstructs at least a portion of the guide channel to limit the travel of the replaceable unit in the image forming device parallel to the rotational axis of the photoconductive drum. A release handle on the housing is operatively connected to the positioning stop to move the positioning stop from the latching position of the positioning stop to the unlatching position of the positioning stop.
US09317002B2
An image forming apparatus includes an operating member operated by an operator to give an instruction on operation; a top exterior member that is formed with a holding recess in which the operating member is arranged; a first mounting part provided on the holding recess, on which the operating member is mounted in a first posture in which the operating member is inclined by a first inclination angle with respect to the top exterior member; and a second mounting part provided in the holding recess, on which the operating member is mounted in a second posture in which the operating member is inclined by a second inclination angle different from the first inclination angle with respect to the top exterior member. The operating member is configured to be selectively mounted either on the first mounting part or on the second mounting part with use of a mounting member.
US09317001B2
An image forming apparatus includes a housing, a cover, a process unit, and a grip portion. The housing has an opening portion defining an open end. The cover is movable between a closing position to close the open end and an opening position to open the open end. The cover defines the opening portion and has one end portion to define the open end. The process unit is configured to be attached to and detached from the housing through the opening portion. The process unit includes a developer chamber configured to accommodate therein developer. The grip portion is provided at the process unit, and has a protruding portion protruding outward between the open end and the one end portion when the process unit has been attached to the housing and the cover is at the closing position.
US09317000B2
An image forming apparatus has a body frame and a slide frame. The slide frame is configured to be pulled out from the body frame along a sliding direction. A plurality of image forming cartridges is detachably mounted on the slide frame. A plurality of electrode members is mounted on the slide frame and aligned along the sliding direction so as to correspond to the image forming cartridges. A body-side contact portion of each of the electrode members is electrically connected to the body frame. A cartridge-side contact portion of the electrode member is electrically connected to the image forming cartridge. The image forming cartridge is connected to the body via the corresponding electrode member when the slide frame mounting the image forming cartridges is inserted to the body frame.
US09316998B2
An image forming apparatus includes a waste toner case, an optical sensor, a cover and a shading member. The waste toner case is attachably/detachably provided in an apparatus main body via an opening part. The waste toner case collects a waste toner ejected from an image forming part forming an image by a toner. The optical sensor detects whether or not the waste toner case is filled with the waste toner. The cover closes the opening part of the apparatus main body. The shading member is arranged between the cover and optical sensor. The shading member covers the optical sensor in a state where the cover is closed.
US09316993B2
A method is disclosed in the context of a system comprises an electrophotographic subsystem, a transfer subsystem, an imaging member, and an inking subsystem. The electrophotographic subsystem comprises a photoreceptor, a charging subsystem, an exposure subsystem, and a development subsystem. In operation, the photoreceptor is charged areawise. An exposure pattern is formed by the exposure subsystem on the surface of the charged photoreceptor to thereby write a latent charge image onto the photoreceptor surface. The image is developed with an image defining material, such as a dampening fluid. The image defining material forms a negative pattern of the image to be printed. This negative image is then transferred to the reimageable surface. The negative image is then developed with ink. The inked image may be transferred to a substrate.
US09316981B2
An image forming system includes a plurality of image forming apparatuses which are each equipped with an image forming section and a control section, and which are connected such that each image forming apparatus can form an image on the same recording sheet. The control section has a function to perform a first activation control to in tandem activate the plurality of image forming apparatuses and a second activation control to independently activate each of the plurality of image forming apparatuses. With this configuration, activation and stopping are managed appropriately with respect to each operating state, and wasteful power consumption is reduced.
US09316972B2
A fixing device includes a fixing rotary body rotatable in a given direction of rotation and a pressing rotary body pressed against the fixing rotary body to form a fixing nip therebetween through which a recording medium bearing a toner image is conveyed. A heater is disposed inside the fixing rotary body to heat the fixing rotary body. A reflector, disposed opposite an inner circumferential surface of the fixing rotary body via the heater, reflects light emitted from the heater onto the fixing rotary body. The reflector includes a movable portion movable relative to the heater to direct the light emitted from the heater onto a variable heating span of the fixing rotary body spanning in an axial direction thereof. The variable heating span varies depending on a width of the recording medium in the axial direction of the fixing rotary body.
US09316968B2
A fixing device includes a fixing rotary body rotatable in a predetermined direction of rotation and a heater disposed opposite and heating the fixing rotary body. A heat shield is movable in a circumferential direction of the fixing rotary body and interposed between the heater and the fixing rotary body to shield the fixing rotary body from the heater. A driver is connected to the heat shield to drive and move the heat shield within a circumferential moving span in the circumferential direction of the fixing rotary body. An abnormal temperature detector detects an abnormal temperature of the fixing rotary body that is not lower than a predetermined temperature. The abnormal temperature detector is disposed opposite a circumferential outboard span outboard from the circumferential moving span of the heat shield in the circumferential direction of the fixing rotary body.
US09316963B2
An image forming apparatus includes a fixing member, at least one reflective optical sensor, a heat shielding member, and a processor. The fixing member fixes an image on a recording medium moving in a first axis direction. At least one reflective optical sensor emits light toward the fixing member and receives light reflected by the fixing member. The heat shielding member is arranged between the fixing member and the at least one reflective optical sensor, has a light passing part through which light directed to the fixing member from the at least one reflective optical sensor and light reflected by the fixing member and directed to the at least one reflective optical sensor passes, and prevents heat transfer from the fixing member to the at least one reflective optical sensor. The processor is configured to obtain a surface state of the fixing member on the basis of an output signal from the at least one reflective optical sensor.
US09316960B2
A fixing device includes: a non-contact heating portion that includes at least one non-contact heating unit which heats a toner image on a sheet; and a pressurizing and heating unit that is provided downstream in a sheet transport direction with respect to the non-contact heating portion and that pressurizes and heats the toner image. A time from a first point of time when the toner image reaches a toner melting temperature by heating of the non-contact heating portion to a second point of time when the toner image enters the pressurizing and heating unit is set equal to or more than a predetermined time. The predetermined time is a time when a ratio between the weight of the toner in the toner image before the entrance and the sum of the weight of the toner and the weight of the carrier liquid is equal to or more than 70%.
US09316958B2
Provided are charge-controlled polyurethane foam by which the influence of electrification by friction between toner on the surface layer of a toner-conveying roller and a developing roller can be sufficiently prevented and by which a good image can be stably obtained with a low cost, and a toner-conveying roller using the same.The charge-controlled polyurethane foam is the one wherein the surface layer of the polyurethane foam is impregnated with a charge control agent which is on the negative side or on the positive side in the triboelectric series with respect to substrate polyurethane foam. The toner-conveying roller is the one which supports the charge-controlled polyurethane foam on the periphery of the axis of the roller.
US09316943B1
A supply device for a liquid developer includes plural supply members, and a control section, wherein each of the supply member has a cylindrical shape with recesses disposed on an outer peripheral surface, faces a developing member developing while rotating, draws up the liquid developer accommodated in an accommodation section while rotating, supplies the liquid developer to the outer peripheral surface of the developing member, and is arranged along a rotation direction of the developing member, and wherein the control section controls a rotation starting time for the plural supply members so that a position of a peak of a thickness of the liquid developer supplied to the outer peripheral surface of the developing member by a first supply member is different from a position of a peak of a thickness of the liquid developer supplied to the outer peripheral surface of the developing member by a second supply member.
US09316937B2
Provided is a toner for electrostatic image development that has good low-temperature fixability, also has long-term heat-resistant storage stability and can form an image with unevenness in gloss suppressed. The toner for electrostatic image development includes toner particles. The toner particles have a domain-matrix structure in which a first domain phase including a crystalline polyester resin A and a second domain phase including a crystalline polyester resin B are dispersed in a matrix phase including a vinyl resin. The average diameter of the first domain phase is 400 to 900 nm, and the average diameter of the second domain phase is 10 to 200 nm. The melting point of the crystalline polyester resin A and the melting point of the crystalline polyester resin B are each 95° C. or lower.
US09316929B2
A projection lens of an EUV-lithographic projection exposure system with at least two reflective optical elements each comprising a body and a reflective surface for projecting an object field on a reticle onto an image field on a substrate if the projection lens is exposed with an exposure power of EUV light, wherein the bodies of at least two reflective optical elements comprise a material with a temperature dependent coefficient of thermal expansion which is zero at respective zero cross temperatures, and wherein the absolute value of the difference between the zero cross temperatures is more than 6K.
US09316927B2
A substrate holder for a lithographic apparatus has a planarization layer provided on a surface thereof. The planarization layer provides a smooth surface for the formation of a thin film stack forming an electronic component. The planarization layer is of substantially uniform thickness and/or its outer surface has a peak to valley distance of less than 10 μm. The planarization layer may be formed by applying two solutions of different concentration. A surface treatment may be applied to the burls to repel a solution of the planarization layer material.
US09316924B2
A CD-pitch dependency for a lithographic pattern printing process is related to the spectral intensity distribution of radiation used for projecting the pattern. A CD-pitch dependency can vary from one system to another. This can result in an iso-dense bias mismatch between systems. The invention addresses this problem by providing a lithographic apparatus including an illumination system for providing a projection beam of radiation, a projection system for projecting a patterned beam onto a target portion of a substrate, and a substrate table for holding the substrate, with a controller to provide an adjustment of the spectral distribution of radiant intensity of the projection beam. The adjustment of the spectral intensity distribution is based on data relating to an iso dense bias, and comprises a broadening of the spectral bandwidth or a change of shape of the spectral intensity distribution.
US09316923B2
Provided are an exposure apparatus and an exposure method using the same. The exposure apparatus includes: a light source unit configured to emit light; a substrate stage supporting a substrate, the substrate comprising an exposure area and a non-exposure area; and a prism unit disposed between the light source unit and the substrate stage, the prism unit movable so as to transmit the light to the exposure area and to block the light from the non-exposure area.
US09316918B2
A collector transfers an emission of an EUV radiation source to a main intensity spot. The collector has at least one collector subunit including at least one grazing incidence mirror. The grazing incidence mirror transfers EUV radiation from the radiation source to an intensity spot. At least one ellipsoid mirror of the collector has an ellipsoidal mirror surface. The ellipsoidal mirror surface is impinged by an angle of incidence above a critical grazing incidence angle. No more than one collector subunit is arranged in the beam path of an EUV radiation source between a position of the EUV radiation source and the intensity spot. At least some of the EUV rays are only reflected in a grazing manner.
US09316917B2
An exposure apparatus can mitigate the impact of fluctuations in the refractive index of ambient gas, and improve, for example, stage positioning accuracy. An exposure apparatus radiates an exposure illumination light to a wafer on a wafer stage through a projection optical system, and forms a prescribed pattern on the wafer, and comprises: a scale, which is provided to the wafer stage; a plurality of X heads, which detect information related to the position of the scale; a measurement frame that integrally supports the plurality of X heads and has a coefficient of linear thermal expansion that is smaller than that of the main body of the wafer stage (portions excepting a plate wherein the scale is formed); and a control apparatus that derives information related to the displacement of the wafer stage based on the detection results of the plurality of X heads.
US09316914B2
A conductive metal pattern can be formed in a polymeric layer that has a reactive polymer that comprises (1) pendant groups that are capable of providing pendant sulfonic acid groups upon exposure, and (2) pendant groups that are capable of reacting in the presence of the sulfonic acid groups to provide crosslinking. The polymeric layer is patternwise exposed to provide non-exposed regions and exposed regions comprising a polymer comprising pendant sulfonic acid groups. The exposed regions are contacted with electroless seed metal ions to form a pattern of electroless seed metal ions. This pattern can be contacted with a non-reducing reagent that reacts with the electroless seed metal ions to form an electroless seed metal compound that has a pKsp of less than 40, and which is electrolessly plated with a conductive metal.
US09316913B2
Material for forming an underlayer film for lithography, which has a high carbon concentration, a low oxygen concentration, a relatively high heat resistance and also a relatively high solvent solubility, and which can be applied to a wet process is disclosed. Material for forming an underlayer film for lithography contains a compound represented by general formula (1).
US09316902B2
A photomask-forming glass substrate having a square major surface is provided wherein two strip regions are defined on the major surface near a pair of opposed sides such that each region spans between 2 mm and 10 mm inward of the side and excludes end portions extending 2 mm inward from the opposed ends of the side, a least squares plane is computed for each of the two strip regions, the angle included between normal lines to the least squares planes of two strip regions is within 10 seconds, and the height difference between two strip regions is up to 0.5 μm.
US09316901B2
A method for forming patterns includes the following steps. A first layout including a first target pattern and a first unprintable dummy pattern is provided. A second layout including a second target pattern and a second printable dummy pattern are provided, wherein at least part of the second printable dummy pattern overlaps the first unprintable dummy pattern exposure limit, such that the second printable dummy pattern cannot be formed in a wafer.
US09316897B2
A projector is provided which includes a light source unit which can reduce the numbers of lenses and mirrors and which can control quantity of light of each color.A light source unit of the invention includes a laser light source unit 70 which has a plurality of red laser elements 71R and a plurality of blue laser elements 71B as two types of laser emitting elements 71 which emit light of wavelength bands which are different from each other and in which the pluralities of red and blue laser emitting elements 71R, 71B are arranged in a planar fashion, a diffusing unit which is disposed on an optical path of light emitted from the laser light source unit 70 to diffuse the light emitted from the laser light source unit 70, and a light source control unit for controlling the illumination of the laser emitting elements 71R, 71B.
US09316895B2
An image projection apparatus includes an optical part disposed in a light path of an projection image; an enclosing unit to enclose the light path of the projection image and having an window for projecting the projection image onto a projection plane; and an air supply unit to supply air into an internal space of the enclosing unit enclosing the light path. Pressure of the internal space of the enclosing unit is kept at a positive pressure with respect to an external pressure of the enclosing unit during an image projection operation.
US09316892B2
A projection device includes a first and a second tilting mirror matrix, each including a plurality of tilting mirrors. A cover glass covers the tilting mirrors. An imaging lens system includes a relay lens system which images the tilting mirrors of the first tilting mirror matrix onto the tilting mirrors of the second tilting mirror matrix. Thus light reflected by the tilting mirrors of the first tilting mirror matrix onto tilting mirrors of the second tilting mirror matrix, and a projection lens system, which projects light reflected by tilting mirrors of the second tilting mirror matrix, in order to produce an image, is provided. The imaging lens system further includes a correction element which corrects at least one image error caused by the light obliquely passing through the cover glasses.
US09316889B2
Techniques are disclosed for purchasing, accessing, and/or providing electronic content by a projection based eReader. In accordance with one embodiment invention, a projector system is provided that is configured to engage a lighting socket and can be controlled by, for example, a remote control and/or imaged user input actions. Power to the system can be received through the socket based interface. The techniques can also be used in non-socketed configurations. The system is capable of creating large images suitable for reading large publications, such as newspapers or magazines, but can generally be used for any type of content including small print. In some embodiments, the system projects an image onto a lightweight, rigid screen that can be held by an individual that is situated in the area near the projection system.
US09316884B2
Aspects of the present invention include systems for reflective digital light processing (DLP). Embodiments include a light source, a plurality of optically reflective switching devices each having an optically reflective layer in contact with a substrate; a circuit means and power source; controller logic; a projection means; and a display means; wherein each of said plurality of devices is a capable of receiving light from said light source and thereafter reflecting said received light in direct response to a reflective state condition of said each device.
US09316882B2
To minimize color difference during white display, and secure high transmittance in liquid crystal panel driven by FFS mode or the like. Liquid crystal panel 10 has first substrate AR and second substrate CF oppositely arranged, and liquid crystal layer LC interposed between the first and the second substrates, wherein the first substrate has plural signal lines 18 and scanning lines 15 formed in matrix, upper electrode 24 having plural slit-shaped openings 25 divided by the scanning and signal lines, and formed for every sub-pixel, and lower electrode 21 formed with the upper electrode through insulating layer 23, the second substrate has light-shielding layer 28 superimposed with the signal and scanning lines in planar view, and color filter layer 29 formed for every sub-pixel, and the liquid crystal layer includes a mixture of at least one compound having negative dielectric anisotropy and at least one compound having positive dielectric anisotropy.
US09316881B2
It is an object of the present invention to apply a sufficient electrical field to a liquid crystal material in a horizontal electrical field liquid crystal display device typified by an FFS type. In a horizontal electrical field liquid crystal display, an electrical field is applied to a liquid crystal material right above a common electrode and a pixel electrode using plural pairs of electrodes rather than one pair of electrodes.
US09316876B2
The present invention relates an aligning voltage applying device and a method for applying an aligning voltage. The aligning voltage applying device includes a base, probe pins, and a pressing plate module. The pressing plate module includes a pressing plate and a driving unit. The aligning voltage applying device and the method for applying the aligning voltage of the present invention can make the probe pins contact pads effectively without damage to the probe pins and an LCD substrate.
US09316873B2
A liquid crystal display includes a first substrate, a gate line disposed on the first substrate and extending parallel to a major horizontal reference line of the display, and a plurality of pixel unit cells disposed on and tesslating a display area of the first substrate where each unit cell includes a first field generating electrode and a second field generating electrode with an insulating layer interposed therebetween, wherein a first one of the first and second field generating electrodes has a plurality of cutouts defined therein for producing corresponding liquid crystal domains, the plurality of cutouts each including a first inclined edge portion forming a first angle with the vertical reference line and a second inclined edge portion forming a second angle with the vertical reference line that is different from the first angle, wherein a ratio of a length of the first inclined edge portion to a length of the cutout is about 80% or more, and the density of the plurality of pixels is about 200 PPI or more.
US09316871B2
The invention provides a liquid crystal display, including: a substrate, wherein the substrate includes a first flat electrode formed thereon; a first alignment layer formed on the first flat electrode; a second substrate disposed oppositely to the first substrate, wherein the second substrate includes a gate line, a data line and a second flat electrode, wherein the gate line intersects with the data line to define a pixel region, the pixel region includes at least one sub-pixel electrode region, and an area of the second flat electrode is smaller than that of the first flat electrode; a second alignment layer formed on the second flat electrode; and a liquid crystal layer formed between the first substrate and the second substrate, wherein the liquid crystal layer has chirality, wherein the sub-pixel electrode region has a multidomain pretilt angle.
US09316867B2
The present invention provides a liquid crystal display device in which a display defect is less likely to occur even when an alignment layer is not formed. The liquid crystal display device of the present invention includes a pair of substrates and a liquid crystal layer held between the pair of substrates, at least one of the substrates including an electrode, and the liquid crystal layer having negative dielectric anisotropy, in which each of the pair of substrates includes a silane coupling layer on a surface of the corresponding substrate, a polymer layer configured to vertically align adjacent liquid crystal molecules is formed on a surface of the silane coupling layer, the polymer layer is formed by the polymerization of at least one monomer contained in a liquid crystal composition, and the at least one monomer contains a compound represented by the chemical formula (1).
US09316861B2
An embodiment provides a display module comprising: a first substrate comprising a red filter, a green filter, a blue filter, and a white filter; a second substrate disposed facing the first substrate and comprising a first switching device and a first transparent electrode being formed corresponding to a position where the red filter is disposed, a second switching device and a second transparent electrode being formed corresponding to a position where the green filter is disposed, a third switching device and a third transparent electrode being formed corresponding to a position where the blue filter is disposed, and a fourth switching device and a reflective part being formed corresponding to a position where the white filter is disposed; and a liquid crystal layer formed between the first substrate and the second substrate.
US09316857B2
A reduction in the weight of a display device with a touch sensor is achieved while a decrease in the sensitivity thereof is suppressed. The display device includes, between a pair of substrates, a touch sensor, a color filter, and a display portion provided with a display element. A stress relief layer whose product of the dielectric constant and specific gravity is smaller than that of the substrate provided with the touch sensor is provided, whereby parasitic capacitance between an electrode and a wiring included in the touch sensor and an electrode and a wiring included in the display portion can be reduced.
US09316848B2
The present invention, as described above and as further defined by the claims below, provides methods for creating an Ophthalmic Lens with Stabilizing Features and a Rigid Insert, where the Stabilizing Features may orient the Ophthalmic Lens when placed on an eye. In some embodiment, the Stabilizing Features may be included as a unique Reactive Monomer Mixture with separate properties than the encapsulating RMM. Other embodiments may include Stabilizing Features comprising separate insert pieces. In alternate embodiments, the Rigid Insert may include the Stabilizing Features, such as, for example, through thermoforming techniques.
US09316843B2
A stereoscopic image recognition apparatus is provided and includes a liquid crystal display I and a time division image display shutter II. The liquid crystal display I includes a λ/4 plate A in a protection region for a the display side polarizing plate, the protection region being a region on the display side of a polarizer of the one of the polarizing plate. An angle formed by an absorption axis of the display side polarizing plate and a slow axis of the λ/4 plate A is 35 to 55° or 125 to 145°, and the protection region satisfies |Rth (550)|≦160 nm. The time division image display shutter II includes a polarizing plate C between the second liquid crystal cell and the viewer and includes a λ/4 plate B between the polarizing plate C and the liquid crystal display I. When the absorption axis of the display side polarizing plate and the absorption axis of the polarizing plate C are disposed so as to be perpendicular or parallel to each other, the slow axes of the λ/4 plate A and the λ/4 plate B are perpendicular or parallel to each other.
US09316838B2
An LED device having a changeable image includes an LED light source, a kaleidoscope with a variety of constructions through which light from the LED light source is transmitted to form a kaleidoscopic image, an image changing mechanism or device for changing the position, orientation, and/or relationships of an inner-medium or media in the kaleidoscope to change the kaleidoscopic image, and a projection assembly for projecting the kaleidoscopic image to a surface such as a wall, ceiling, floor, or surface of an object.
US09316834B2
A head-mounted display device having: an image display element displaying a two-dimensional image; an eyepiece magnifying and projecting the image displayed by the image display element; and a holder holding the image display element and the eyepiece, so that the viewer's eyeball sees, through the eyepiece, a magnified virtual image of the image displayed by the image display element. The image display element is a two-dimensional display device having the shape of a matrix, composed of a central portion which is flat, and a left side portion and a right side portion each of which has a sheet-like shape whose cross-section along a horizontal plane is curved toward the eyepiece away from the extension line of the central portion. In the image display element, pixels in the left and right side portions and are greater in size than pixels in the central portion.
US09316826B2
Brightness-by-column grayscale and spatial Σ-Δ modulation grayscale allow grayscale patterns to be produced using a binary spatial light modulator as fast as the bright/dark switching speed.
US09316824B2
Optomechanical module for converting a microscope to provide selective plane illumination microscopy
A module for engagement with a conventional microscope to provide selective plane illumination microscopy is disclosed. The module is coupled to the translational base of the microscope and defines a mounting having a mount body in which an excitation objective having a first longitudinal axis is engaged to one portion of the mount body and a detection objective having a second longitudinal axis is engaged to another portion of the mount body such that the first longitudinal axis is in perpendicular geometric relation with the second longitudinal axis.
US09316821B2
A zoom lens system comprising: a positive first lens unit; a negative second lens unit; a positive third lens unit; a fourth lens unit; and at least one subsequent lens unit, wherein the subsequent lens unit(s) includes a negative lens unit, the first and third lens units are respectively composed of two or less lens elements and four or more lens elements, the first and second lens units move along an optical axis in zooming, and the conditions: 0.0
US09316810B2
A folded telephoto lens system may include multiple lenses with refractive power and a light path folding element. Light entering the camera through lens(es) on a first path is refracted to the folding element, which changes direction of the light on to a second path with lens(es) that refract the light to form an image plane at a photosensor. At least one of the object side and image side surfaces of at least one of the lens elements may be aspheric. Total track length (TTL) of the lens system may be 14.0 mm or less. The lens system may be configured so that the telephoto ration (TTL/f) is less than or equal to 1.0. Materials, radii of curvature, shapes, sizes, spacing, and aspheric coefficients of the optical elements may be selected to achieve quality optical performance and high image resolution in a small form factor camera.
US09316798B2
An optical assembly includes a circuit board including an electrically conductive path formed by printed wiring technology, a photoelectric conversion element connected to the circuit board via the electrically conductive path, a resin member made of light transmissive synthetic resin and attached to the circuit board, and a shielding member made of metal. The resin member includes a sleeve into which a ferrule attached to an end of an optical fiber is inserted and integrally includes a lens through which an optical path passes. The optical path extends between the sleeve and the photoelectric conversion element. The shielding member is connected to the circuit board and arranged to cover the photoelectric conversion element. The shielding member includes a window through which the optical path extends to the photoelectric conversion element.
US09316787B1
A method of fabricating a silicon photonic device and a system including a silicon photonic device are described. The method includes forming a photoresist layer on a silicon layer and patterning a mask formed on the photoresist layer. The patterning defines a primary optical waveguide region, a first evanescent perturbation grating region on a first side of the primary optical waveguide region and a second evanescent perturbation grating region on a second side, opposite the first side, of the primary optical waveguide. The first evanescent perturbation grating region and the second evanescent perturbation grating region are defined as continuous regions along a length of the silicon photonic device. The method also includes etching the photoresist layer and the silicon layer according to a pattern of the patterned mask.
US09316785B2
A composite device for splitting photonic functionality across two or more materials comprises a platform, a chip, and a bond securing the chip to the platform. The platform comprises a base layer and a device layer. The device layer comprises silicon and has an opening exposing a portion of the base layer. The chip, a III-V material, comprises an active region (e.g., gain medium for a laser). The chip is bonded to the portion of the base layer exposed by the opening such that the active region of the chip is aligned with the device layer of the platform. A coating hermitically seals the chip in the platform.
US09316784B2
An MCM may include a single optical routing layer that provides point-to-point connectivity among N chips in the MCM, such as all-to-all connectivity or full-mesh point-to-point connectivity. Moreover, the optical routing layer may include: N optical waveguides optically coupled to the N chips and a cyclic de-multiplexer, optically coupled to the N optical waveguides, that routes optical signals among the N optical waveguides without optical-waveguide crossing in the optical routing layer. For example, the cyclic de-multiplexer may include: an array-waveguide-grating (AWG) wavelength router and/or an echelle-grating wavelength router.
US09316782B2
A coverless linear light source light guide with hooded bracket for holding a light emitting diode (LED) module to the light guide is disclosed. The hooded bracket is disposed around the light receiving end of the light guide and comprises a hood top, a hood back, two hood sides, and two hood grasps disposed on the hood sides. The hood back comprises the light receiving end of the light guide where light enters the light guide. The hood grasp comprises grasping elements that mate with grasping elements of the LED module to securely hold the LED module to the light guide. The hooded bracket ensures that the distance between the LED module and the light guide and the angle of the LED module and the light guide is constant which maintains optimal alignment and proximity in order to conserve received light intensity and maintain uniformity of emitted light.
US09316781B2
A linear light source device comprises a wiring substrate in a rectangular shape and having a wiring pattern formed thereon, a plurality of light emitting elements arranged on the wiring substrate in a longitudinal direction of the wiring substrate and connected with the wiring pattern on the wiring substrate, and a sealing resin that seals the light emitting elements, wherein the linear light source device is to be arranged on a side surface of a light guiding plate to form a planar light source device, and an external connection terminal is arranged on a surface of the wiring substrate that is opposite to a surface of the wiring substrate where the light emitting element are arranged and in a central portion in the longitudinal direction of the wiring substrate, and connected with the wiring pattern.
US09316779B1
In some examples, a lighting apparatus includes a light guiding component having a reflective material disposed on at least one surface. The reflective material may be shaped to have desired light reflecting and/or diffusing properties to provide a more uniform light distribution, such as for lighting an electronic display or other surface. In some cases, the reflective material may be a white tape having a reflective light-diffusing surface. The light reflecting material may be cut or otherwise shaped to provide the desired light reflecting and/or diffusing properties. As one example, the amount of the reflective material located over a central axis of light emitted by a light source may be greater than the amount reflective material located between light sources. This disclosure also describes techniques for assembling electronic devices in a component stack to provide enhanced display lighting uniformity.
US09316778B2
This document describes techniques and apparatuses for implementing a hybrid concentrator for a backlight. The backlight includes a light guide and multiple light sources positioned along an input end of the light guide. The backlight further includes multiple hybrid concentrators that each include a lens in a central region of the concentrator and one or more total-internal-reflection (TIR) zones. Each hybrid concentrator is positioned between a corresponding light source and the light guide, and is configured to concentrate light into the light guide. The light guide then projects the concentrated light to illuminate a modulating display panel to form images for viewing.
US09316777B2
A backlight assembly having a light emitting module and a lower receiving container, the light emitting module including a first light source configured to generate a first light and a quantum dot rail configured to generate a second light from the first light the light emitting module is disposed under a display panel to provide the display panel with the second light, and the lower receiving container is configured to receive the light emitting module and the display panel.
US09316776B2
A light source assembly includes a base substrate, a resin layer disposed on the base substrate, and exposing a portion of the base substrate, and a first light source disposed on the portion of the base substrate which is exposed by the resin layer. The first light source has a hexahedron shape. The first light source has a face in parallel with the base substrate and having a height smaller than length or width of the face.
US09316774B2
A display device having a heat radiation sheet to prevent temperature rise is provided. The display device includes a liquid crystal display (LCD) panel; a light emitting diode (LED) substrate on which a plurality of LEDs are mounted; a light guiding plate disposed below the LED substrate and configured to guide light emitted from the LEDs to the LED substrate; and a heat radiation sheet disposed below the light guiding plate and the LED substrate and configured to discharge heat generated from the LEDs.
US09316767B2
There is provided a method of manufacturing a microlens array substrate with improved manufacturing yield and high quality, the method including: forming a groove part along an outer edge of a first area on a surface of a substrate; forming a mask layer to cover a side of the surface, forming a plurality of openings in the first area, and forming openings along the outer edge of the first area; performing isotropic etching on the substrate through the mask layer, forming a plurality of recesses in the first area, and forming recesses across a boundary part between the first area and the groove part; removing the mask layer from the substrate; forming a light transmission material layer that has a refractive index, which is different from a refractive index of the substrate, to cover the side of the surface of the substrate and to bury the plurality of recesses; and planarizing an upper surface of the light transmission material layer.
US09316763B2
The present invention discloses a submarine topography six-dimensional grid mapping method, and particularly to a method based on known discrete bathymetric data points. According to the present invention, a submarine topography six-dimensional grid mapping method including X-coordinate, Y-coordinate, water depth, slope, second derivative and measuring time is established, a submarine topography three-dimensional grid on the basis of discrete water depth data and measuring time is formed, and then submarine slope and second derivative of each grid point are calculated and the measuring time is superposed simultaneously, thus forming a submarine topography six-dimensional grid technical method. The present invention comprises a plurality of steps: establishing a submarine topography six-dimensional grid structure and a topography dimension grid, establishing a time dimension grid, establishing a slope dimension grid, and establishing a second derivative dimension grid. The present invention has the advantages of being accurate in mapping data, convenient to operate, wide in application range, little in influence of natural weather and the like in the process of Chinese coastal mapping and marine demarcation.
US09316762B2
A method of correlating physical locations with respective positions along an optical waveguide can include transmitting to the waveguide a signal including an indication of the transmitting location, and the waveguide receiving the signal. A system for correlating a physical location with a position along an optical waveguide can include a transmitter which transmits to the optical waveguide a signal including an indication of the transmitter location, and a computer which correlates the location to the position, based on the signal as received by the waveguide. A method of determining a position along an optical waveguide at which a signal is transmitted can include modulating on the signal an indication of a transmission location, and transmitting the signal to the waveguide, thereby causing vibration of the waveguide.
US09316759B2
An apparatus may detect an anomaly in a cavity in an object. The apparatus may comprise an array, a signal processor, and a threshold excedent determination processor. The array may receive an intensity reduced transmission beam of energy resulting from an irradiating beam of energy passing through an object having a cavity and a cavity wall. The cavity may be defined by the cavity wall. The array may have sensors. The signal processor may receive a measurement of the intensity reduced transmission beam; determine a thickness of the cavity wall; estimate an absorption rate of cavity wall; compute a predicted measurement employing the thickness and absorption rate; and calculate a cavity anomaly statistic for a cavity anomaly employing the predicted measurement and the measurement. The threshold excedent determination processor may generate a notification when the cavity anomaly statistic exceeds a threshold.
US09316750B2
A radiation image capturing system includes a radiation source and a radiation image detecting device. The radiation image detecting device includes a solid-state detector and a wavelength conversion layer disposed in this order from a radiation incident side. The wavelength conversion layer has a first phosphor layer having first phosphor particles dispersed in a binder, and a second phosphor layer having second phosphor particles dispersed in a binder. The average particle diameter of the second phosphor particles is smaller than that of the first phosphor particles. The first phosphor layer is disposed on the side of the solid-state detector relative to the second phosphor layer, and joined to or pressed against the solid-state detector. The first and second phosphor particles are distributed in the first and second phosphor layers, respectively, such that the weight of the binder per unit thickness is gradually decreased to the side of the solid-state detector.
US09316748B2
The present invention discloses a microfabricated scintillation detector, comprising a channel structure (26) for containing a liquid scintillator material therein and flowing said liquid scintillator material therethrough. The channel structure (26) comprises first and second sets (30, 36) of adjacent channel portions (32, 38) arranged in first and second layers (34, 40) and in fluid communication with each other. The second set (36) of adjacent channel portions (38) is directed at right angles with respect to the first set (30) of adjacent channel portions (32). The first and second layers (34, 40) are stacked on top of each other with a separation layer (42) in between, integrally connecting said first and second layers (34, 40). The channel structure (26) simultaneously forms a light guiding structure for guiding scintillation light (52) towards a longitudinal end of the corresponding channel portion (32, 38). The scintillation detector (24) further comprises a plurality of photo detectors (54), arranged such as to receive said scintillation light (50).
US09316746B2
The present invention pertains to a radiography system and a radiography method. A radiation output device has a plurality of radiation sources disposed along a predetermined plane. Also, in accordance with whether an imaging state is a still image mode or a moving picture mode, at least one of the radiation sources that outputs radiation among the plurality of radiation sources is selected.
US09316741B2
Systems and methods for determining a position of a global positioning system (GPS) receiver are provided. A first satellite and a second satellite that have an unobstructed communication path to the GPS receiver are identified. For each of the first and second satellites, data received is used to determine a satellite position and a code phase for a transmitted satellite signal. A relative code phase is calculated between the transmitted satellite signals of the first satellite and the second satellite, where the relative code phase is a difference between the determined code phases. The position of the GPS receiver is determined based on the satellite positions of the first and second satellite and the relative code phase.
US09316738B2
A mobile wireless system (10) includes a transmitter such as a satellite (18) that broadcasts wireless signals such as boundaries for specific areas to a mobile receiving device (22). Mobile receiving device (22) may include an antenna (26) and a mobile receiving device (28). A locating receiver (50) is used to generate locating signals so that a determination may be made to the location of the mobile receiving device. When the location is outside an area of interest the area of interest may be extended to provide services to the mobile device.
US09316734B2
Wideband synthetic aperture radar (SAR) imaging. A probe transmits a signal through its aperture incident to an object located in a medium of interest remotely from the probe. The probe receives through the aperture a plurality of nonuniformly sampled reflected signals from the object as the probe moves in a measurement plane located a predetermined distance from the object. A processor executes a SAR-based reconstruction algorithm to generate an image.
US09316733B2
An ultra-wideband (UWB) radar imaging system is carried by a mobile platform—such as an aircraft—the UWB radar imaging system including multiple UWB radar sensors; the UWB radar sensors transmitting a high resolution radar signal using an array of power amplifiers and corresponding polarizing antenna arrays to form spatial power combining and beam forming from each UWB radar sensor; and receiving reflections using an array of low noise amplifiers and corresponding antenna arrays to form spatial power combining from the reflections at each. UWB radar sensor; processing the radar sensor data from the UWB radar sensors by an imaging processor for detecting a ballistic projectile; and providing trajectory information of a detected ballistic projectile on a display. Trajectory modeling enables fusing the radar sensor data with optical or thermal imaging data and the trajectory information to display a probable source location of the detected ballistic projectile.
US09316728B1
The a system for measuring distance between an RFID reader and tag, including an adaptive linear combiner, which is a tapped delay line with controllable weights on each tap, and outputs that are summed and subtracted from a reference to produce an error signal. After a sufficient number of cycles, the weight distribution indicates the delay of the received signal with respect to the reference, and by extension determines the distance between the tag and receiver.
US09316727B2
A stepped-frequency radar signal is transmitted through a barrier. A transmitter of the stepped-frequency radar is on a first side of the barrier, a first object is on a second side of the barrier, and a second object that is distinct from the first object is on the second side of the barrier. A signal including a reflection of the transmitted signal from the first object and a reflection of the transmitted signal from the second object is sensed. The sensed signal is analyzed to determine that a first detection is associated with the first object and a second detection is associated with a second object.
US09316726B2
A quantum harmonic radar method includes comparing the determined timing or spacing of the detected hertzian waves with the pre-determined amplitude and frequency of the hertzian waves being transmitted from a transmitter, and by the comparison determining if the detected hertzian waves have a spacing therebetween is greater than a spacing between said transmitted hertzian waves having said pre-determined amplitude and frequency, whereupon signalling a presence in said transmission field of an electromagnetic energy absorbent object.
US09316721B2
A method and system are provided for estimating the location of a mobile radio-communication terminal, the mobile terminal having a plurality of antennas, and being in communication range of at least one transmitter having a plurality of antennas, the method comprising; measuring the time of arrival of a signal transmitted from the M antennas of the at least one transmitter at each of the N antennas of the mobile terminal to determine M×N range measurements corresponding to the M×N transmission paths of said signal between the M antennas of the transmitter and the N antennas of the mobile terminal; and estimating the location of the mobile terminal based on the M×N range measurements. The location of the mobile terminal may be estimated by applying a least squares method.
US09316706B2
Embodiments relate to magnetoresistive sensors suitable for both angle and field strength sensing. A sensor can comprise two magnetoresistive (xMR) sensor components for sensing two different aspects/characteristics of a magnetic field. The first xMR sensor component can be configured for magnetic field angle or rotation sensing, while the second xMR sensor component is configured for magnetic field strength sensing. The second xMR sensor component can be configured for magnetic field strength sensing in two dimensions. In an embodiment, the second xMR sensor can be sensitive to lower magnetic fields, while the first xMR sensor can be sensitive to relatively higher magnetic fields. In an exemplary operation, the second xMR sensor can determine whether the field sensed with respect to angle or rotation by the first xMR sensor component is of sufficient strength to increase the accuracy of the angle or rotation of the field sensed by the first xMR sensor.
US09316704B2
The present disclosure relates to a MEMS device with a magnetic film disposed on a first substrate, and an associated method of formation. In some embodiments, the magnetic film is disposed on a planar front surface of the first substrate such that depositing and patterning processes of the magnetic film is improved. A sensing gap of a MEMS device associated with the magnetic film is located between the magnetic film and a recessed lateral surface of a second substrate. The second substrate is bonded to the first substrate at front surfaces of the first and second substrate. Forming the magnetic film on the planar front allows for patterning of the magnetic film without leaving unwanted residues of magnetic material. Without the unwanted residue of magnetic material, less contamination from the magnetic material is introduced after dry etching and passivation processes, improving yield and reliability of the MEMS device.
US09316700B2
A medical infusion pump and a method for logging a power source voltage of a medical infusion pump are disclosed. The medical pump may include a power source, a processor, and a voltage supervisor which responds if a voltage (VDD) drops to a response voltage level which is above a reset voltage level of the processor. When the voltage supervisor responds, the processor start logging the voltage (Vbat) of the power source in a memory, thus generating a voltage log. The memory maintains the logged data when the power supply by the power source is interrupted, thus enabling retrospective analysis of the voltage log.
US09316699B2
A system for predicting a lifetime of a battery cell, including a learning data input unit, the learning data input unit being configured to receive at least one learning measurement factor and at least one learning factor, a target data input unit, the target data input unit being configured to receive at least one target factor, a machine learning unit, the machine learning unit being coupled to the learning data input unit, the machine learning unit assigning weights to respective ones of the learning factors input to the learning data input unit, and a lifetime prediction unit, the lifetime prediction unit being coupled to the target data input unit and the machine learning unit, the lifetime prediction unit using the weights assigned by the machine learning unit to predict one or more characteristics indicative of the lifetime of the target battery cell.
US09316693B2
A method and system are provided for estimating state of charge of a cell having a positive electrode, for example of a lithium phosphate type, the charge profile of which includes a range of state of charge between about 30 and about 90% in which variation of voltage is 10 times less rapid than for a state of charge higher than 90%. Determination of state of charge for a state of charge greater than 90% is based on either the use of a calibration relationship between cell voltage and state of charge when a current is passing through the cell that is less than a predetermined threshold value and its voltage has stabilized, or on the use of coulometry the result of which is corrected taking into account the accuracy of the current sensor.
US09316690B2
An Automated Test Equipment (ATE) system is configured to test a Device Under Test (DUT). The ATE system stores a Procedure Description Language program. The ATE system interprets the program, thereby causing a configured scan path to be set up in the DUT and causing bit values to be loaded into that scan path. During testing, it is sometimes desirable to change only bit values in certain scan path bit locations. In a data recirculation operation, the ATE system shifts bit values, on a bit-by-bit basis, out of the configured scan path via the TDO terminal of the DUT and shifts back in either the shifted out bit value or a replacement bit value. The shift back into the configured scan path occurs via the TDI terminal of the DUT so that each bit value in the scan path is replaced with its previous value or a replacement value.
US09316680B2
An exemplary embodiment relates to a method for detecting a failure on a differential bus. The method may include: determining an allowed voltage range of the differential bus based on a minimum load and a maximum load; comparing a differential bus voltage with the allowed voltage range; and determining a failure state in case the differential bus voltage is outside the allowed voltage range.
US09316673B2
A device and method of determining a capacitance of a device is provided, which in one embodiment includes connecting a first terminal of a capacitor having a known capacitance to the first terminal of the device, applying an AC voltage to the first terminal of the device and the first terminal of the capacitor, measuring a current through the capacitor, measuring a current through the device, determining a first voltage across the device as a function of time, computing a capacitance of the device as a function of time by multiplying the capacitance of the capacitor by the ratio of the current through the device to the current through the capacitor, determining a capacitance of the device as a function of voltage based on the capacitance as a function of time and the first voltage across the device as a function of time, and outputting data of the first capacitance of the device as a function of voltage.
US09316655B2
The present invention relates to a biochemical analysis cartridge having improved operability. More particularly, the present invention provides a biochemical analysis cartridge including an insertion-type sample cartridge and a reaction cartridge receiving the insertion-type sample cartridge, in which, as the sample cartridge is inserted into the reaction cartridge, a reaction solution chamber moves toward a broken part of a covertape so as to automatically supply the reaction solution stored in the chamber. The biochemical analysis cartridge having improved operability according to the present invention can induce the mixing between a sample and a reaction solution by simply inserting them into the reaction cartridge and a reaction thereafter, thereby minimizing the process of a measurer to intervene in the assay, and subsequently improving user convenience and operability.
US09316645B2
Methods, compositions, systems, devices and kits are provided herein for preparing and using a nanoparticle composition and spatial frequency heterodyne imaging for visualizing cells or tissues. In various embodiments, the nanoparticle composition includes at least one of: a nanoparticle, a polymer layer, and a binding agent, such that the polymer layer coats the nanoparticle and is for example a polyethylene glycol, a polyelectrolyte, an anionic polymer, or a cationic polymer, and such that the binding agent that specifically binds the cells or the tissue. Methods, compositions, systems, devices and kits are provided for identifying potential therapeutic agents in a model using the nanoparticle composition and spatial frequency heterodyne imaging.
US09316639B2
The invention relates to the use of gelsolin to treat inflammatory diseases (e.g., rheumatoid arthritis) and to the use of gelsolin to diagnose, monitor, and evaluate therapies of inflammatory diseases (e.g., rheumatoid arthritis).
US09316633B2
Provided herein are methods for identifying and characterizing agents that alter the volume of a cell. Methods are provided for rapid screening and identification of an agent that alters the capability of a small, neutrally charged solute transporter to transport the solute across a cell membrane. The methods described herein may be used to identify and characterize inhibitors of urea transporters, to identify and characterize inhibitors of aquaporins, and to identify and characterize inhibitors of other small, neutrally charged solutes such as glucose.
US09316627B2
A device for determining existence of a gas component inside a space of a glass unit includes detecting unit and calibration units. The detecting unit includes laser beam emitting elements emitting laser beam towards the space and detecting elements for detecting reflections of emitted laser beams. The calibration unit includes a calibration chamber having the same gas component as inside the space, and a reflector. The laser beam emitting and detecting elements are arranged to emit and receive beams at an angle so that the focus of the laser spot locates between the laser emitting and detecting elements and outside the line connecting them at the same position in relation to the detecting unit during the measuring process. The detecting and calibration units are movable in relation to each other for calibration purpose so that the laser beam travels through the chamber and the focus spot hits the reflector.
US09316624B2
Disclosed herein is a chromatography system wherein a sensor, for example, a UV sensor, is tied to a continuously variable load pump in a feedback control loop, with an option to divert the feed stream back to the load vessel or reservoir or onto a second chromatography column, the disclosed chromatography system allowing a true feedback control across variable load rates, thereby adjusting chromatographic operating parameters, for example, variable load rates, to process conditions, while maximizing throughput.
US09316623B2
A passive and reusable preconcentrator/injector device for measuring gas-phase analytes and methods of use. The device includes an upper plate defining an array of micro-scale diffusion channels and a lower plate secured to the upper plate. The lower plate defines a cavity for a reusable collection material in fluid communication with the micro-scale diffusion channels. An integral heating unit is provided adjacent the lower plate and configured for heating the cavity. A loading port may be included for introducing the reusable collection material into the cavity. An inlet port and an outlet port are provided, both in fluid communication with the cavity. The device may include a fluidic manifold system comprising a plurality of conduits disposed between the adsorbent cavity and the outlet port.
US09316622B2
A vibration sensor includes a probe body with a vibration isolator operatively connected to the probe body for isolation of the probe body from vibrations of a structure to be monitored for vibration. A waveguide is operatively connected to the probe body to convey microwaves to and from a surface for sensing vibration of the structure to be monitored for vibration.
US09316620B2
The present invention relates to a structural damage detection method for detecting damage of a structure. The method comprises scanning the surface of the structure with a tapper tapping with a tapping force at a predetermined frequency band while scanning; measuring the response signals transmitted from the surface of the structure; transforming the measured signals to acquire the signal spectrum at each position of the structure surface; intercepting from the signal spectrum a spectrum envelope; calculating a damage indicator at each position of the structure surface; and determining a position where the damage indicator changes abruptly as a position of structural damage. The present invention further relates to a structural damage detection system utilizing the structural damage detection method and a structural damage detection device for use therein.
US09316613B2
Apparatus comprises a pipet comprising first and second channels separated by a septum and having a tip at which each of the first and second channels is open; an electrolyte solution contained within both the first and second channels of the pipet; a first electrode extending into the electrolyte in the first channel of the pipet; a second electrode extending into the electrolyte in the second channel of the pipet; means for applying a potential difference between the first and second electrodes; means for measuring alternating current components of a current flowing to or from the first electrode; means for applying an oscillatory perturbation to the pipet; and means responsive to the alternating current measured to be flowing to or from the first electrode to adjust a position of the pipet such as to control a separation between the tip of the pipet and a surface of interest.
US09316603B2
Detecting TIM between a heat sink and an integrated circuit, the integrated circuit including TIM detection points adapted to receive TIM upon installation of the heat sink and including a TIM detection device configured to be activated upon contact with TIM, including: receiving, upon installation of the heat sink on the integrated circuit and the TIM, TIM in one or more of the TIM detection points; activating, by the TIM in each of the one or more TIM detection points receiving the TIM, a TIM detection device; determining, by a TIM detection module of the integrated circuit in dependence upon the activations of the TIM detection devices, sufficiency of the TIM; and responsive to determining that the TIM between the heat sink and the integrated circuit is insufficient, controlling, in real-time by the TIM detection module, operation of the integrated circuit to reduce heat generated by the integrated circuit.
US09316598B2
Method of detecting foreign material on upper surface of transparent substrate using polarized light
Provided are an apparatus and a method of detecting a foreign material capable of detecting only a foreign material on a surface of a substrate except for a foreign material on a lower surface of the substrate in a manufacturing process of a transparent substrate passing light therethrough, such as a glass substrate used in a flat panel display (FPD) such as a liquid crystal display (LCD), an organic light emitting diode (OLED), a plasma display panel (PDP), a sapphire wafer used in some of semiconductors, or the like, and in a pattern forming process in a manufacturing process of the FPD and the semiconductor using the transparent substrate.
US09316596B2
An apparatus and a method for inspecting matter and the use thereof for sorting recyclable material including transparent material are disclosed. The apparatus comprises a lighting unit for projecting a concentrated diffused lighting onto the matter to generate a specular reflected light beam representative of the inspected matter. The apparatus comprises an imaging unit mounted according to a given imaging angle with respect to the projected concentrated diffused lighting for imaging the specular reflected light beam to provide image data representative of the inspected matter. The apparatus comprises an analyzing unit for analyzing the image data and providing matter characterization data based on the specular reflected light beam representative of the inspected matter.
US09316595B2
In a method for outputting freshness information used by a freshness information output apparatus, ultraviolet light is radiated onto an eye of a fish, an ultraviolet image of the eye of the fish is captured using an ultraviolet camera, a computer analyzes the ultraviolet image to determine freshness of a fish on the basis of luminance of an iris portion of the eye of the fish, and freshness information indicating the freshness of the fish is output to a display.
US09316592B2
Light-emitting intra-cavity interferometric (ICI) optical sensors based on channel waveguide structures which include an internal light emitting material and a functionalized region. In some embodiments, the waveguides are made of a sol-gel which incorporates the light emitting material. In some embodiments, the waveguide structure includes an ICI resonator backbone and the ICI sensor is a laser sensor. In some embodiments, the resonator backbone has an interferometric Y-branch shape. In some embodiments, the resonator backbone has a Mach Zehnder interferometer shape. In some embodiments, an ICI laser sensor has an interferometric arrayed waveguide grating shape. In some embodiments, an ICI sensor may be remotely optically pumped and remotely read.
US09316587B2
This invention provides for compositions for use in real time nucleic acid detection processes. Such real time nucleic acid detection processes are carried out with energy transfer elements attached to nucleic acid primers, nucleotides, nucleic acid probes or nucleic acid binding agents. Real time nucleic acid detection allows for the qualitative or quantitative detection or determination of single-stranded or double-stranded nucleic acids of interest in a sample. Other processes are provided by this invention including processes for removing a portion of a homopolymeric sequence, e.g., poly A sequence or tail, from an analyte or library of analytes. Compositions useful in carrying out such removal processes are also described and provided.
US09316585B2
A method for determining at least one parameter related to a system is disclosed, wherein the at least one parameter depends on at least one relaxation time of the system. The system is excited by a first series of electromagnetic excitation pulses, exhibiting a first defined time gap between consecutive excitation pulses. The response of the system to the first series of excitation pulses is integrated uninterruptedly over time, thus generating a first response signal. Likewise, by uninterrupted integration over time of at least one second response of the system, a second response-signal is generated. The at least one parameter is determined taking into account the first response-signal and the at least one second response-signal.
US09316576B2
According to one embodiment, a sample detection apparatus including an insulating partition to divide a first and a second region, a pore formed in the partition, a first electrode arranged in the first region, a second electrode arranged in the second region, a power source configured to apply electrical current between the first and second electrode in a state in which a reagent containing a capture substance to be bound to a target and a tag particle bound to the capture substance is introduced into the first region together with a sample, and an electrolyte solution is introduced into the second region, a measurement unit configured to observe a change in a conductive state, and a detection unit to detect presence/absence of the target in the sample based on an observation result.
US09316573B2
A system and method to detect particles in a fluid stream. The system includes a separator configured to separate particles from bubbles passing through the fluid stream and a sensor configured to detect the particles. The method includes passing the fluid stream through the separator, separating the particles from bubbles passing through the fluid stream, and detecting the presence of the particles.
US09316567B2
A system for detecting rattles, squeaks and other annoying sounds in a vehicle can include a vibration generator and a clamping device configured to attach to the vehicle.
US09316558B2
A system includes an ignition detection module, a pressure sensor, a pressure variation module, and a pressure sensor diagnostic module. The ignition detection module detects when an engine is started. The pressure sensor generates a first pressure signal indicating a first pressure within a fuel system of the engine when the engine is started and when a purge valve of the fuel system is closed. The pressure variation module determines an amount of variation in the first pressure signal over a first period. The pressure sensor diagnostic module determines a state of the pressure sensor based on the amount of variation in the first pressure signal over the first period.
US09316548B2
A measuring arrangement comprising a heat meter having a flow sensor, a first temperature sensor, a second temperature sensor and computing means. The first temperature sensor serves to register a temperature in the feed line of the heat exchanger and the second temperature sensor serves to register a temperature in the drain line of the heat exchanger. The computing means serves to calculate the amount of heat exchanged. A first transfer function, which serves to determine the temperature in the feed line based on a measurement signal of the first temperature sensor, is stored in the computing means; a second transfer function is stored in the computing means; wherein the first transfer function differs from the second transfer function; and the second transfer function serves to determine the temperature in the drain line based on a measurement signal of the second temperature sensor.
US09316543B2
A process sensor assembly comprises a hollow protective housing, a temperature sensor, a process transmitter, and a transient protector. The temperature sensor includes a probe extending out of the hollow protective housing to a sensing location, and a top plate movably secured to the hollow protective housing so as to allow travel within the hollow protective housing with vibrations of the probe. The process transmitter is configured to process and transmit sensor signals from the temperature sensor, and is retained on the top plate to move with the temperature sensor within the hollow protective housing. The transient protector is configured to condition power for to the process transmitter, and is anchored to the process transmitter so as to move with the process transmitter within the hollow protective housing.
US09316541B2
The imaging system for imaging field rays comprises a detection surface, a device for focusing the field rays with said detection surface, and a diaphragm. Said device comprises a Fresnel lens comprising a first dioptre, the non-plane surface of which, called the active zone, makes it possible to focus the field rays towards said detection surface, and said diaphragm allows controlled distribution of the field rays over said active zone.
US09316538B2
A light measuring device can measure, in one place, a plurality of lights guided from different places. The light measuring device includes a spectroscope configured to selectively transmit light having a desired wavelength, a plurality of light guiding units configured to guide measurement target light to the spectroscope, and a light receiving unit configured to receive the light emitted from the spectroscope. The light guiding units are provided in positions where different lights are respectively made incident on incident ends of the light guiding units as the measurement target light and positions where emission ends of the light guiding units respectively emit lights to different positions of the spectroscope. The spectroscope emits the lights, which are made incident from the light guiding units, respectively from different positions. The light receiving unit separately receives the lights emitted from the different positions of the spectroscope.
US09316535B2
Remote control systems that can distinguish predetermined light sources from stray light sources, e.g., environmental light sources and/or reflections are provided. The predetermined light sources can be disposed in asymmetric substantially linear or two-dimensional patterns. The predetermined light sources also can output waveforms modulated in accordance with one or more signature modulation characteristics. The predetermined light sources also can output light at different signature wavelengths.
US09316528B2
An exceptionally thin load-weighing fork assembly, having its weight sensors mounted on a fork base, overcomes fork-insertion limitations with respect to commonly used standard pallets without sacrificing load-handling capacity.
US09316526B2
Embodiments of the invention are directed towards a sliding liquid level sensor which is mounted in a fuel tank of a vehicle for detecting a remaining amount of a liquid fuel in the tank. The liquid level sensor has a float, a plurality of electrodes, and a sliding contact point configured to slide on the electrodes in accordance with a displacement of the float. The electrodes preferably contain 100 parts by weight of a silver-palladium alloy and preferably 3-20 parts by weight of glass. The silver-palladium alloy preferably contains 20-60% by weight of silver and preferably 80-40% by weight of palladium. The sliding contact point is made from a palladium-nickel alloy that preferably contains 70-90% by weight of palladium and preferably 30-10% by weight of nickel.
US09316521B2
A method for monitoring a process plant having a fieldbus of process automation technology, via which a number of field devices exchange with a process control unit PLC telegrams in regular data traffic for process control. The following method steps are executed: telegrams transmitted via the fieldbus to the process control are tapped by a monitoring application, which performs a testing of the telegrams for data relevant for the monitoring application; data relevant for the monitoring application are processed as actual values in a process modeling application, which is part of the monitoring application; and when a significant deviation is determined between desired and actual values, an error signal is generated.
US09316517B2
A system and method for ultrasonic flow metering. In one embodiment, an ultrasonic flow metering system includes a passage for fluid flow and a plurality of ultrasonic flowmeters. Each of the ultrasonic flowmeters includes a pair of ultrasonic transducers, and a flow processor. The pair of ultrasonic transducers is configured to form a chordal path across the passage between the transducers. The flow processor is coupled to the ultrasonic transducers. The flow processor is configured to measure the fluid flow through the spool piece based on outputs of the transducers of all of the ultrasonic flowmeters.
US09316511B2
A three-dimensional design section structure of a meter for automobile includes a dial; a prism disposed on a rear surface of the dial and from a base end side of which a light emitted from light sources is incident; three-dimensional scales disposed in a protruding manner at a leading end side of the prism and configured to protrude via through holes perforated in the dial; recesses formed encompassing the three-dimensional scales on a light-guiding-body rear surface, which faces an opposite side to the dial, of the prism; and color printing configured to be applied including the recess so as to encompass the three-dimensional scales on the light-guiding-body rear surface.
US09316510B2
A method for detecting the position of a conveyor, comprising the steps of: providing on the conveyor belt an irregular marking, constituted by marks and the like that are detectable optically; by means of a vision device, detecting portions of the marking at preset time intervals; comparing a detection performed by the vision device with a previously performed detection, in order to determine the extent and direction of the movement.
US09316508B2
A magnetic encoder has a high resolution track including a plurality of North/South pole pairs defining a plurality of pole junctions, and a reference track including a North/South pole pair defining a North/South pole junction aligned with a first pole junction of the high resolution track, and a South/North pole junction aligned with a second pole junction of the high resolution track. Only a single pole junction of the high resolution track is positioned between the first and second pole junctions of the high resolution track.
US09316504B2
Disclosed is navigation technology for providing guidance for HOV lanes in a more readily understandable manner. A navigation device is provided with: a storage unit adapted to store lane information including the set-up of lanes which can be used when a predetermined condition is fulfilled (hereafter referred to as conditional lanes); a route guidance unit adapted to provide guidance for a recommended route to a destination; and a guidance unit adapted to provide guidance for entrances and exits for conditional lanes. If travelling along a conditional lane makes it impossible to continue without deviating from the recommended route, the guidance unit provides guidance that the conditional lane should not be entered from an entrance to the conditional lane or inhibits guidance on the presence of an entrance to the conditional lane.
US09316500B2
Provided is an apparatus and method for switching a navigation mode between a vehicle navigation mode and a personal navigation mode in a navigation device supporting vehicle navigation and personal navigation. Switching between the vehicle navigation mode and the personal navigation mode is performed according to whether the navigation device is mounted in a navigation device holder, whether a GPS speed provided by a GPS receiver is higher than a predetermined speed, and whether a step is detected using an output of an accelerometer. Since mode switching between the vehicle navigation mode and the personal navigation mode is automatically performed, a user does not need to manually perform mode switching.
US09316498B2
A cross line laser (100) comprises a shell and a hanging system (101). The hanging system has two laser modules (110) arranged oppositely on a same plane. Each laser module comprises a laser device (121), a collimation device (130), and a cylindrical lens (140). The cylindrical lens has a high refraction index. Lasers emitted by the laser device passes through the collimation device and are incident on the cylindrical lens, and are split by the cylindrical lens to form laser rays with a diffusion angle approximately larger than 180 degrees. Horizontal laser rays generated by the two laser modules intersect with each other, so as to form laser rays with a diffusion angle of 360 degrees.
US09316490B2
A system and method of measuring feature depth using a common path auto-correlation low coherence interferometer including a light source having an output directed toward a first beam splitter, the first beam splitter directing at least a portion of a light beam from the light source toward a sample having two reflective interfaces including a top surface reflective interface and a feature bottom reflective interface. The first beam splitter can also pass toward a second beam splitter each of a reference light beam reflected from the top surface interface and a measurement light beam reflected from the feature bottom reflective interface. The second beam splitter directs the reference light beam to a first mirror and the measurement light beam to a second mirror and combines a reflected measurement light beam from the second mirror and a reflected reference light beam from the first mirror to form an interference pattern.
US09316489B2
A laser frame tracer (12) including a laser measuring unit (20) with a laser (36) and one or more cameras (38, 40) for optically measuring dimensions of eyeglass frames (10). A frame carrier (22) is provided for moving the eyeglass frames (10) through a laser line emitted by the laser (36). The frame carrier (22) includes a linear carriage (44) and a rotary carriage (88). Movement of the linear carriage (44) and the rotary carriage (88) are controlled by an on-board computer (116) which collects image data from the one or more cameras (38, 40). Image data is processed to determine a 3D model from which selected dimensions for the eyeglass frames (10) may be measured. The dimensions may be stored in a cloud database for access by others in cutting lenses to fit the eyeglass frames (10).
US09316487B2
A laser tracking interferometer has a carriage provided with a first displacement gauge outputting a displacement signal associated with a relative displacement from a reference sphere; a second retroreflector provided to the carriage; a laser interferometer provided to the carriage and outputting a displacement signal associated with a relative displacement between the first retroreflector and the second retroreflector; and a data processor calculating a displacement of the first retroreflector with reference to the reference sphere based on the displacement signal output from the first displacement gauge and the displacement signal output from the laser interferometer.
US09316486B2
Determining the position and orientation of base station antennas in mobile radio is highly important for optimizing the transmission parameters. It requires time-consuming and costly effort, since measurements need to be taken directly at the antenna. Furthermore, it is often impossible to access the antennas. This has a very disadvantageous effect on the precision of the data, which means that the optimizing results suffer greatly from this. The method according to the invention and the presented apparatus allow the position and orientation of the transmission antenna to be found quickly, precisely and inexpensively without needing to take measurements close to the antenna. This involves the absolute position of the antenna being determined by means of automatic determination of the coordinates of the reference point, measurement of distance to the target antenna, measurement of the angle of inclination and measurement of the orientation of the measuring equipment. Photogrammetric measurement methods, knowledge about the absolute dimensions of the antenna, and mathematical methods of conformal coordinate transformation are used to determine the orientation of the base station antenna to be measured from an image taken from the point of measurement.
US09316483B2
An optical coherence tomography system utilizes an optical swept laser that has improved coherence length in the swept optical signal. This is accomplished using an intra-cavity element that extracts the tunable optical signal at the optimal location within the laser's resonant cavity. Generally this location is between the intracavity tuning element and the cavity's gain element so that light coming from the tuning element is extracted. In general in lasers, the gain element adds noise and chirp and this degrades the tunable optical signal's coherence length.
US09316482B2
The disclosure relates to a magnetic device for detecting the absolute position of an input shaft capable of rotating more than 360°, the device including a main magnetic sensor, a motion reducer, and a secondary magnetic sensor, wherein the main magnetic sensor is connected to a rotor, measures the rotation of the shaft for ranges of angles of less than 360°, and includes a main magnet, the motion reducer converts the rotation of the shaft into a reduced rotation, the maximum amplitude of which is equal to no more than 360°, and the secondary magnetic sensor measures the reduced rotation and includes a secondary magnet. According to the disclosure, the secondary magnet is arranged between the upper and lower planes of the main rotor, and the main magnet has P pairs of poles, where P is greater than 1.
US09316470B2
A measuring device for measuring and inspecting various linear dimensional properties of a machined groove in a workpiece includes a fixing base, a measuring assembly, and first and second positioning members received through and protruding from the fixing base at right angles during the movement of the measuring assembly. The measuring assembly includes a measuring member, a shim, and an elastic member, the shim sleeves on an end of the measuring member, and the elastic member resists between the shim and the fixing base. The measuring assembly, together with the first positioning member and the second positioning member, enable the required depth and relative position of the machined groove to be accurately determined and inspected.
US09316469B2
An electronic tracking system for obtaining geographic or other information about a targeted object from deployed ordnance. Ordnance can be delivered from any suitable weapon or weapons system, including hand-held or artillery guns, manned or unmanned aircraft, etc. The ordnance can be substantially any projectile targeted at a human, animal or other object. Once deployed, the ordnance can provide a variety of information about location, the target, the shooter, or the ordnance itself. Such information can be transmitted at any suitable interval, even time-delayed or upon a condition. Preferably, the system also contains a receiver to receive the transmitted information. Once received, the information can be then provided to users in any appropriate fashion.
US09316467B2
An armored door panel includes a planar device having a layered arrangement including a protection layer comprised of a ballistic material and an outer surface layer arranged on the outer side of the protection layer. The planar device is affixed to an existing door to prevent ballistic projectile from penetrating the door.
US09316465B2
The invention relates to a method for producing a highly oriented, high molecular weight polymer tape. The method comprises forming and compression-molding a polymer powder bed at a temperature below the melting point of the polymer to form a sheet; at a temperature below the melting point of the polymer, rolling and stretching the sheet in a calendar unit to form a partially oriented polymer web; at a temperature below the melting point of the polymer, drawing the partially oriented polymer web in a drawing unit; and, optionally repeating step c) to form a more fully oriented non-fibrous high molecular weight polymer tape, the method being discontinuous in that the ingoing line speed of one of the method steps b) to d) differs from the outgoing line speed of the preceding method step.
US09316461B1
A gun sight system including a housing, comprised of a top housing layer and a bottom housing layer. The housing includes a front end and a rear end configured to adhere to the front and rear of the top surface of a gun slide. A central portion of the housing is configured to be perpendicular to the front top and rear top sections. Within the housing is a front and rear circuit board, including at least one battery mount, at least one switch, and a front LED and a rear LED. The housing has a window to allow light from the LED to shine into a window on a front and rear gun sight. A light pipe within each gun sight allows the light to be seen by the gun's user.
US09316455B2
A pistol with a trigger spring which assists the trigger movement counter to the force of a restoring spring and acts at one end on the trigger slide and at the other end directly or indirectly on the housing of the pistol. In order further to improve the trigger spring, it is provided that said trigger spring is a helical spring which is loaded in compression and the interior of which contains a guide pin which, in the region of one of the ends thereof, has a transverse bolt with which said guide pin rests in a groove fixed on the housing, and which, in the region of the other end thereof, holds a first end region of a hook in a movably mounted manner, the second end region of which hook is of U-shaped design, and in that part of the trigger slide is mounted in said U-shaped end.
US09316449B2
A heat exchanger (such as a radiator) that provides for a consistent tank-to-header joint location. The tank generally includes at least two indentations and at least one isolator having a base at least partially disposed in one of the indentations and a coupler extending from the base for coupling the tank to at least one other component of the heat exchanger.
US09316448B2
A vehicle heat exchanger includes a plurality of cup plates that are formed such that a first layered space into which a first heat carrier is introduced and a second layered space into which a second heat carrier is introduced are formed alternately between the plurality of cup plates when the plurality of plates are stacked. Peripheral end portions of the plurality of cup plates are fixed together in a liquid-tight manner. A distance in a stacking direction from a first cup plate that forms the first layered space to a second cup plate that forms the second layered space and a distance in the stacking direction from the second cup plate to the first cup plate are set to different distances, and end portions of outer wall portions of the cup plates are bent back so as to be apart from each other when the cup plates are stacked.
US09316447B2
There is provided a thermal interface material, TIM, a thermal interface application comprising such a TIM, and corresponding methods for providing the material and the thermal interface. The TIM comprises a TIM layer in which an activable shrinkage material is distributed, such that upon activation of the shrinkage material the thickness of the TIM layer is increased. In the thermal interface application, where the TIM (400) is arranged between a heat generating component (20) and a heat conducting element (30), the increase in thickness of the TIM layer is utilized to increase the contact pressure on mating surfaces. The TIM is sandwiched between the heat generating component and the heat conducting element before the activation of the shrinkage material, and the distance (h) between the heat generating component and the heat conducting element is restricted such upon activation of the shrinkage material, the restricted maximum height (h) between the heat generating component and the heat conducting element in combination with the TIM increasing the thickness of the TIM layer, the contact pressure on the mating surfaces is increased.
US09316429B2
A cooling device (1) is described that includes a body (2) wherein the objects to be cooled are placed, two doors (3) providing access into the body (2) and which remain side by side when closed, two door opening mechanisms (4), each situated on one door (3) and wherein the distance between the doors (3) is decreased.
US09316425B2
An ice making assembly for a refrigerator appliance is provided. The ice making assembly includes a mold body and an ejector. The ejector has a shaft with a central axis that is offset from an axis of rotation of the ejector. The ejector also has a plurality of tines for sweeping through mold volumes of the mold body. Each tine has an arcuate bottom surface.
US09316420B2
An air-conditioning apparatus including a refrigerant circuit having an excess refrigerant recovery pipe connected between an inlet of at least one of heat source side heat exchangers and a first refrigerant flow blocking device or between an outlet of the at least one of the heat source side heat exchangers and a second refrigerant flow blocking device, to a passage connected to a suction side of a compressor, and an excess refrigerant recovery device disposed in the excess refrigerant recovery pipe.
US09316409B2
Disclosed is a heat exchanger, and a method for heating a working fluid. The heat exchanger includes a burner, a combustion section, and a condenser section positioned below the combustion section such that exhaust from the burner passes through the spiral coils and to the condenser. In an example of this disclosure, the combustion section includes a plurality of spiral coils radially spaced apart relative to one another, and the condenser section includes a plurality of U-bend coils.
US09316406B2
A process chamber (5) has an interior space (39). In the interior space (39), there is a receiving region (15) for workplaces (3). The process chamber (5) has an opening (12, 14) for the entry and exit of workplaces (3). The process chamber includes an arrangement (17, 19, 25, 29, 33, 37, 35) for injecting gaseous fluid into the interior space (39). The arrangement for injecting gaseous fluid has at least one nozzle (17, 19) for producing a fluid flow curtain (21, 23) between the opening (12, 14) and the receiving region (15) for workplaces (3).
US09316402B2
A heat pump including a boiler is disclosed. The heat pump may include a quick-hot-water-supply tank and the boiler, which may be operated selectively based on a temperature of external air or an electric power rate per unit heat quantity.
US09316400B2
In a case of receiving, from an audio input device, instruction information including first audio information indicating operation instructions for a cooking appliance when first and second cooking units are executing first and second cooking programs, respectively, operation instructions are recognized from the first audio information. In a case where it is determined that the instruction information includes second audio information related to the first cooking menu information or the second cooking menu information, a control command is transmitted to the cooking appliance to cause the cooking appliance to execute a process corresponding to the operation instructions, without executing a process according to the first cooking program or the second cooking program corresponding to one of the first cooking menu information or the second cooking menu information to which the second audio information is related.
US09316397B2
A system including a multi-tube fuel nozzle, including a first plate having a first plurality of openings, a plurality of tubes extending through the first plurality of openings in the first plate, wherein each tube of the plurality of tubes includes an air inlet, a fuel inlet, and a fuel-air mixture outlet, and a resilient metallic seal disposed along the first plate about the plurality of tubes.
US09316393B2
A burner system for consuming waste fuel comprises a combustion unit having at least three combustion chambers arranged concentrically around a variable speed conveyor screw for directing the waste fuel along a fuel consumption path through the combustion chambers; an air chamber surrounding the combustion chambers to facilitate preheating combustion air delivered to the combustion chambers and to facilitate insulating the combustion chambers against thermal losses to the environment; a boiler in fluid communication with the combustion chambers for heating fluid to facilitate an energy conversion process; and an intelligent control system for controlling operation of the burner system. The control system controls operating parameters of the boiler including pressure, temperature and fluid level and activates an emergency stop alarm if any one of the operating parameters is outside a predetermined range of operating values.
US09316391B2
Lighted headwear having a brim and a light unit located within the brim. The light unit includes: a holder with a front end and a back end; at least one lens located within the holder at the front end of the holder; and at least one light source located within the holder and axially spaced from the at least one lens such that light produced by the light source projects along the holder, through the lens, and out the front end of the holder. The lighted headwear produces a narrower, longer-distance beam of light than typical lighted headwear, more akin to the light produced by a flashlight or torch, while maintaining the look of a normal hat or cap.
US09316384B2
A collapsible worklight assembly comprises a head assembly and a multi-legged support assembly. The head assembly includes first and second worklights hingedly attached to each other, allowing the head assembly to be open in a deployed configuration and closed in a collapsed configuration. The head assembly is hingedly attached to the multi-legged support assembly. The multi-legged support assembly includes a support head and a plurality of support legs. The support head includes a hinged connection to the head assembly that allows the plurality of support legs to rotate towards the head assembly in a collapsed configuration and away from the head assembly in a deployed configuration.
