US09362540B2
Provided is a method for producing a propylene-based resin microporous film capable of forming a high-performance lithium ion battery. The method for producing a propylene-based resin microporous film includes an extrusion step of melt-kneading a propylene-based resin in an extruder, and extruding the resin to obtain a propylene-based resin film; a first stretching step of uniaxially stretching the propylene-based resin film at a surface temperature of −20 to 100° C.; second stretching step of repeating, a plurality of times, a stretching basic step in which the propylene-based resin film after the first stretching step is uniaxially stretched at a surface temperature that is equal to or lower than a temperature lower than the melting point of the propylene-based resin by 10 to 100° C., wherein between successive stretching basic steps, the stretching ratio in the forward-side stretching basic step is adjusted so as to be lower than that of the backward-side stretching basic step; and an annealing step of annealing the propylene-based resin film after the second stretching step.
US09362531B2
An organic light emitting display device and manufacturing method thereof are disclosed. One inventive aspect includes a first substrate, a second substrate, a pixel unit, a circuit unit, a sealing member and a radiation unit. The pixel unit is formed on the first substrate and comprises an organic light emitting device and a thin-film transistor (TFT). The radiation unit includes radiation fins formed in the sealing member and a radiation layer contacting first ends of the radiation fins.
US09362530B2
Methods of making an integrated barrier stack and optical enhancement layer for protecting and improving the light out coupling of encapsulated white OLEDs are described. The method includes optimizing the thickness of various layers including one or more of the plasma protective layer, the initial organic layer, the initial inorganic barrier layer, and the inorganic barrier layer and polymeric decoupling layer for the barrier stack. The thickness is optimized for at least one of total efficiency, or intentional color point shift so that the encapsulated OLED has enhanced light outcoupling compared to the bare OLED.
US09362529B2
The present invention relates to an OLED device and a corresponding display apparatus, which includes a metal cathode; an organic emitter layer which is disposed on the metal cathode; a transparent cathode which is disposed on the organic emitter layer; and a reflective layer which is disposed between the metal cathode and the organic emitter layer. The reflective layer is an Ag—Mg—Cu alloy layer. The OLED device and the corresponding display apparatus of the present invention have low production cost and high light outputted efficiency.
US09362523B2
An encapsulation structure of OLED device, comprising an upper substrate and a lower substrate that are disposed in opposition to each other. An OLED device is provided on the lower substrate, and an encapsulating thin film is provided on the OLED device. An edge of the lower substrate and an edge of the upper substrate are hermetically coupled through an obstruction wall, and there is a recess at the edge of the lower substrate on the side facing the upper substrate. One end of the obstruction wall that is coupled to the lower substrate is positioned within the recess of the lower substrate, and configured to seal the periphery of the encapsulating thin film within the recess of the lower substrate. With the encapsulation structure, the effect of water vapor and oxygen on the OLED device can be reduced, and service life of the OLED device is prolonged.
US09362522B2
An object is to improve productivity related to a laser light irradiation step in a bonding technique of substrates using glass frit. A highly airtight sealing structure or a highly airtight light-emitting device, which can be manufactured with high productivity, is provided. When a glass layer by melting glass frit or a sintered body by sintering glass frit is irradiated with laser light, in order to increase the efficiency, a light-absorbing material is attached to a surface of the glass layer. The laser light irradiation is performed on the light-absorbing material and the glass layer. The substrates are fixed with the glass layer therebetween.
US09362519B2
Two-photon polymerization is used to embed a quantum dot structure in an electro-optical component. The electro-optical component can be a polymer component, LED, OLED, LEC, or graphene component, for example. The efficiency and characteristics of the components are improved or influenced. The quantum dot structure can emit light, convert light from other layers of the component, or influence the conductivity in the component, for example. A method of producing an electro optical fractal antenna by two-photon polymerization is also disclosed.
US09362508B2
The present invention relates to oligomers of the formula (I), and their use as organic semiconductor in organic devices, especially in organic photovoltaics (solar cells) and photodiodes, or in a device containing a diode and/or an organic field effect transistor. High efficiency of energy conversion, excellent field-effect mobility, good on/off current ratios and/or excellent stability can be observed, when the oligomers according to the invention are used in organic field effect transistors, organic photovoltaics (solar cells) and photodiodes.
US09362499B2
A method of forming a non-volatile memory device. The method forms a vertical stack of first polysilicon material and a second polysilicon material layer isolated by a dielectric material. The polysilicon material layers and the dielectric material are subjected to a first pattern and etch process to form a first wordline associated with a first switching device and a second wordline associated with a second switching device from the first polysilicon material layer, and a third wordline associated with a third switching device and a fourth wordline associated with a fourth switching device from the second polysilicon material. A via opening is formed to separate the first wordline from the second wordline and to separate the third wordline from the fourth wordline. An amorphous silicon switching material is deposited conformably overlying the via opening. A metal material fills the via opening and connects to a common bitline.
US09362496B2
A resistive memory cell, e.g., CBRAM or ReRAM cell, may include a top electrode an a trench-shaped bottom electrode structure defining a bottom electrode connection and a sidewall extending from a first sidewall region adjacent the bottom electrode connection to a tip region defining a tip surface facing generally away from the bottom electrode connection, and wherein the tip surface facing away from the bottom electrode connection has a tip thickness that is less than a thickness of the first sidewall region adjacent the bottom electrode connection. An electrolyte switching region is arranged between the top electrode and the bottom electrode sidewall tip region to provide a path for the formation of a conductive filament or vacancy chain from the bottom electrode sidewall tip surface of the top electrode, via the electrolyte switching region, when a voltage bias is applied to the resistive memory cell.
US09362494B2
An array of cross point memory cells comprises spaced elevationally inner first lines, spaced elevationally outer second lines which cross the first lines, and a multi-resistive state region elevationally between the first and second lines where such cross. Individual of the multi-resistive state regions comprise elevationally outer multi-resistive state material and elevationally inner multi-resistive state material that are electrically coupled to one another. The inner multi-resistive state material has opposing edges in a vertical cross-section. The outer multi-resistive state material has opposing edges in the vertical cross-section that are laterally offset relative to the opposing edges of the inner multi-resistive state material in the vertical cross-section. Methods are also disclosed.
US09362493B2
The present invention provides a phase-change storage unit for replacing DRAM and FLASH and a manufacturing method thereof, and the phase-change storage unit includes a phase-change material layer and a cylindrical lower electrode being in contact with and located below the phase-change material layer, where the phase-change material layer is formed by connecting a side wall layer and a round bottom layer, forms a hollow cylinder or hollow inverted conical frustum having an opening at an upper part, and the hollow cylinder or hollow inverted conical frustum is internally filled with a medium layer. The present invention adopts the means of preparing a phase-change material layer with a vertical side wall layer and a phase-change material layer with a slant side wall layer, in which a medium material is filled, and adopts the means of a small electrode, so as to reduce the thickness of the phase-change material layer, thereby reducing the phase-change region during the operation, improving the heat stability and the phase-change speed of the phase-change material layer, and finally achieving purposes of reducing the operating power consumption, improving the device data holding capability, increasing the operating speed of the device, and increasing the number of times of cyclic operating of the device.
US09362490B1
A method of removing a damaged magnetic layer at the sidewall of MTJ edge is provided to form damage-free MRAM cell. In this method, the MTJ film stack outside the Ta hard mask protected area is first etched by high-power magnetic reactive ion etch (RIE) using methanol (CH3OH) or Co & NH3 as etchant gases. Then a very mild chemical vapor trimming (CVT) process is used to remove a damaged layer (by the high power RIE) from the MTJ sidewall followed by an in-situ edge passivation with Si nitride (SiN) layer formed by PECVD. The MRAM cell formed by such method will have higher magnetoresistance with good device performance and better reliability.
US09362483B2
A vibration gyro device has a base part and a pair of drive vibrating arms and a pair of detection vibrating arms respectively extended from both ends in a Y-axis direction of the base part. Further, adjustment vibrating arms extended from respective ends of connecting parts respectively extended from both ends in an X-axis direction of the base part in parallel to the drive vibrating arms are provided. At the end sides of the respective adjustment vibrating arms, spindle parts as wider parts are provided. On principal surfaces of the respective adjustment vibrating arms, adjustment electrodes as membranes for adjustment of leakage output of the vibration gyro device are provided.
US09362478B2
A method of producing an electromechanical transducer element includes forming a first, common electrode on one of a substrate and an undercoat layer; forming an electromechanical transducer film on the first electrode; forming a second electrode on the electromechanical transducer film; forming a first protective film on an upper surface of the second electrode, the electromechanical transducer film, and a side wall of the second electrode, and selectively forming a second protective film on a portion of the first protective film protecting the electromechanical transducer film and the side wall of the second electrode.
US09362475B2
A thermoelectric material includes a substrate particle and a plurality of conformal oxide layers formed on the substrate particle. The plurality of conformal oxide layers has a total oxide layer thickness ranging from about 2 nm to about 20 nm. The thermoelectric material excludes oxide nanoparticles. A method of making the thermoelectric material is also disclosed herein.
US09362473B2
A lead frame for mounting LED elements includes a frame body region and a large number of package regions arranged in multiple rows and columns in the frame body region. The package regions each include a die pad on which an LED element is to be mounted and a lead section adjacent to the die pad, the package regions being further constructed to be interconnected via a dicing region. The die pad in one package region and the lead section in another package region upward or downward adjacent to the package region of interest are connected to each other by an inclined reinforcement piece positioned in the dicing region.
US09362466B2
A method for manufacturing an optoelectronic semiconductor component, comprising: providing a semiconductor chip in a composite wafer, comprising an active side for emitting a primary radiation and a contact terminal which is arranged on the active side; depositing a coupling element on the active side; attaching a luminescence conversion element, for converting part of the primary radiation into a secondary radiation, to the coupling element.
US09362463B2
A phosphor is provided which is represented by the general formula MxCeyPrzSi6N8+w. M is at least one element selected from the group consisting of La, Y, Tb and Lu. And x, y, z and w satisfy 2.0
US09362451B2
A light emitting diode is disclosed. The disclosed light emitting diode includes a light emitting structure including a first-conductivity-type semiconductor layer, an active layer, and a second-conductivity-type semiconductor layer. The first-conductivity-type semiconductor layer, active layer, and second-conductivity-type semiconductor layer are disposed to be adjacent to one another in a same direction. The active layer includes well and barrier layers alternately stacked at least one time. The well layer has a narrower energy bandgap than the barrier layer. The light emitting diode also includes a mask layer disposed in the first-conductivity-type semiconductor layer, a first electrode disposed on the first-conductivity-type semiconductor layer, and a second electrode disposed on the second-conductivity-type semiconductor layer. The first-conductivity-type semiconductor layer is formed with at least one recess portion.
US09362448B2
There is provided a nanostructure semiconductor light emitting device including a base layer formed of a first conductivity-type nitride semiconductor and a plurality of light emitting nanostructures disposed to be spaced apart from one another on the base layer. Each of the plurality of light emitting nanostructures includes a nanocore formed of the first conductivity-type nitride semiconductor, a stress control layer disposed on a surface of the nanocore and including a nitride semiconductor containing indium, an active layer disposed on the stress control layer and including a nitride semiconductor containing indium, and a second conductivity-type nitride semiconductor layer disposed on the active layer.
US09362442B2
A modular assembly of solar panels is held together in a rigid fashion through the use of two J-channels arranged on either side thereof in oppositely facing directions. Brackets hold these J-channels to flanges on the underside of the solar panels. In the argot of solar panel installation, the J-channels extend in the north-south direction. Between each solar panel there is disposed a liquid collecting pan extending in the east-west direction. This collecting pan also acts as a clip providing both a structural and electrical connection between adjacently disposed solar panels in a column assembly which is rendered capable of installation as a single unit from the ground.
US09362438B2
The invention relates to a semi-conductor component, comprising a semi-conductor chip (1) which has an active layer (1a) suitable for generating radiation and suitable for emitting radiation in the blue wavelength range. A first converter (3a) comprising a Ce doping is arranged downstream of the semiconductor chip (1) in the emission direction. In addition, a second converter (3b) comprising a minimum Ce doping of 1.5% is arranged downstream of the semiconductor chip (1) in the emission direction. The invention further relates to a module with a plurality of such components.
US09362433B2
Photovoltaic modules may include multiple flexible thin film photovoltaic cells electrically connected in series by a substantially transparent top sheet having an embedded conductive wire grid pattern. Methods of manufacturing photovoltaic modules including integrated multi-cell interconnections are provided.
US09362432B2
An apparatus (10) for radiant energy transfer has at least one radiant energy transfer panel (20) having a light-energy transfer surface (21) and a back surface (23). The back surface has a panel electrode (42) for an electrical connection with the at least one radiant energy transfer panel. The panel electrode is conductively coupled to a first member of a separable flexible conductive fastener. A second member of the separable flexible conductive fastener has a power connection electrode. The power connection electrode is conductively coupled to a power device (12). Mechanically engaging the first and second members of the separable flexible conductive fastener connects the panel electrode on the at least one radiant energy transfer panel to the power connection electrode.
US09362421B2
In a semiconductor device, a support wall is formed between storage nodes to more effectively prevent leaning of a capacitor, and the storage nodes are formed using a damascene process, which may increase a contact area between each storage node and a storage node contact.
US09362419B2
A variable resistance device includes a parallel structure. The variable resistance device is formed using a silicon (Si) substrate. In the variable resistance device, a conductive line arranged in a current direction is formed over an impurity region, and a resistance value of the resistance device is precisely adjusted by adjusting a level of a voltage applied to the conductive line. The variable resistance device includes a first impurity region formed in a substrate, a second impurity region formed in the substrate and arranged parallel to the first impurity region, a conductive line formed over the first impurity region, and electrode terminals formed at both longitudinal ends of the second impurity region to be coupled to the second impurity region.
US09362418B2
Semiconductor structures that include bodies of a semiconductor material spaced apart from an underlying substrate. The bodies may be physically separated from the substrate by at least one of a dielectric material, an open volume and a conductive material. The bodies may be electrically coupled by one or more conductive structures, which may be used as an interconnect structure to electrically couple components of memory devices. By providing isolation between the bodies, the semiconductor structure provides the properties of a conventional SOI substrate (e.g., high speed, low power, increased device density and isolation) while substantially reducing fabrication acts and costs associated with such SOI substrates. Additionally, the semiconductor structures of the present disclosure provide reduced parasitic coupling and current leakage due to the isolation of the bodies by the intervening dielectric material.
US09362417B2
To provide a highly reliable semiconductor device in which a transistor including an oxide semiconductor film has stable electric characteristics. The semiconductor device includes a gate electrode layer over a substrate, a gate insulating film over the gate electrode layer, an oxide semiconductor film over the gate insulating film, a drain electrode layer which is over the oxide semiconductor film so as to overlap with the gate electrode layer, and a source electrode layer provided so as to cover part of an outer edge portion of the oxide semiconductor film. An outer edge portion of the drain electrode layer is on an inner side than an outer edge portion of the gate electrode layer.
US09362410B2
A multi-gate structure is used and a width (d1) of a high concentration impurity region sandwiched by two channel forming regions in a channel length direction is set to be shorter than a width (d2) of low concentration impurity regions in the channel length direction. Thus, a resistance of the entire semiconductor layer of a TFT which is in an on state is reduced to increase an on current. In addition, a carrier life time due to photoexcitation produced in the high concentration impurity region can be shortened to reduce light sensitivity.
US09362403B2
A method includes forming a raised isolation structure with a recess above a substrate, forming a gate structure above the fin, forming a plurality of spaced-apart buried fin contact structures within the recess that have an outer perimeter surface that contacts at least a portion of an interior perimeter surface of the recess and forming at least one source/drain contact structure for each of the buried fin contact structures. One device includes a plurality of spaced-apart buried fin contact structures positioned within a recess in a raised isolation structure on opposite sides of a gate structure. The upper surface of each of the buried fin contact structures is positioned below an upper surface of the raised isolation structure and an outer perimeter surface of each of the buried fin contact structures contacts at least a portion of an interior perimeter surface of the recess.
US09362400B1
A finFET semiconductor device includes a semiconductor-on-insulator (SOI) substrate including a buried insulator layer, a plurality of semiconductor fins on the buried insulator layer, and a gate structure covering the semiconductor fins, at least one buried stressor element embedded in the buried insulator layer, and a source/drain element on an upper surface of the at least one buried stressor element and integrally formed with at least one semiconductor fin among the plurality of semiconductor fins, the at least one buried stressor element applying a stress upon the source/drain element from therebeneath.
US09362392B2
To provide a vertical SIC-MOSFET and IGBT capable of having low ON-resistance without destruction of gate oxide films or degradation of reliability even when a high voltage is applied, and a fabrication method thereof, a vertical mosfet has a semiconductor layer and a base layer joined instead of a well region 6 so as to include, as a joining portion, a point that is farthest and equidistant from centers of all the source regions facing each other and that is closest and equidistant from end portions farthest from the centers of the source regions in a planar view.
US09362389B2
A nitride-based field effect transistor (FET) comprises a compositionally graded and polarization induced doped p-layer underlying at least one gate contact and a compositionally graded and doped n-channel underlying a source contact. The n-channel is converted from the p-layer to the n-channel by ion implantation, a buffer underlies the doped p-layer and the n-channel, and a drain underlies the buffer.
US09362386B2
FETs and methods for forming FETs are disclosed. A structure comprises a substrate, a gate dielectric and a gate electrode. The substrate comprises a fin, and the fin comprises an epitaxial channel region. The epitaxial channel has a major surface portion of an exterior surface. The major surface portion comprising at least one lattice shift, and the at least one lattice shift comprises an inward or outward shift relative to a center of the fin. The gate dielectric is on the major surface portion of the exterior surface. The gate electrode is on the gate dielectric.
US09362385B2
A method for manufacturing a metal gate structure includes forming a high-k dielectric layer in a gate trench; forming an etch stop over the high-k dielectric layer; forming a work function adjusting layer over the etch stop by forming a tri-layer by an atomic layer deposition (ALD) operation with a sequence of a grain boundary engineering layer configured to allow a dopant atom to penetrate there through, a doping layer configured to provide the dopant atom to the grain boundary engineering layer, and a capping layer configured to prevent the doping layer from oxidation; and filling metal to level up the gate trench. The grain boundary engineering layer is prepared by the ALD operation under various temperatures such as from about 200 to about 350 degrees Celsius.
US09362382B1
A method for forming a semiconductor device, includes steps of: providing a substrate; forming a first seal layer over the substrate; forming a second seal layer atop the first seal layer; forming a patterned photoresist layer on the second seal layer; implanting a dopant into the substrate by using the patterned photoresist layer as a mask; executing a first removing process to remove the patterned photoresist layer, wherein the first seal layer has a higher etch rate than that of the second seal layer in the first removing process; and removing the second seal layer after removing the patterned photoresist layer.
US09362379B2
A field effect transistor includes a substrate, a first graphene (Gr) layer on the substrate, a second graphene (Gr) layer on the substrate, a fluorographene (GrF) layer on the substrate and between the first and second graphene layers, a first ohmic contact on the first graphene layer, a second ohmic contact on the second graphene layer, a gate aligned over the fluorographene layer, and a gate dielectric between the gate and the fluorographene layer and between the gate and the first and second ohmic contacts.
US09362378B2
Methods for fabricating a piezoelectric device are provided. The methods can include providing a substrate and forming a nanocrystalline diamond layer on a first surface of the substrate. The methods can also include depositing a piezoelectric layer on a first surface of the nanocrystalline diamond layer.
US09362374B2
Embodiments of a simple and cost-free multi-time programmable (MTP) structure for non-volatile memory cells are presented. A non-volatile MTP memory cell includes a substrate, first and second wells disposed in the substrate, a first transistor having a select gate and a second transistor having a floating gate adjacent one another and disposed over the second well and sharing a diffusion region. The memory cell further includes a control gate disposed over the first well. The control gate is coupled to the floating gate and the control and floating gates include the same gate layer extending across the first and the second wells.
US09362364B2
A method of manufacturing one or more graphene devices is disclosed. A thin film growth substrate is formed directly on a device substrate. Graphene is formed on the thin film growth substrate. A transistor is also disclosed, having a device substrate and a source supported by the device substrate. The transistor also has a drain separated from the source and supported by the device substrate. The transistor further has a single layer graphene (SLG) channel grown partially on and coupling the source and the drain. The transistor also has a gate aligned with the SLG channel, and a gate insulator between the gate and the SLG channel. Integrated circuits and other apparati having a device substrate, a thin film growth substrate formed directly on at least a portion of the device substrate, and graphene formed directly on at least a portion of the thin film growth substrate are also disclosed.
US09362359B2
A semiconductor device in an embodiment includes a first region of a second conductivity type between a first electrode and a second electrode and a second region of a first conductivity type between the first region and the second electrode. a third region of the second conductivity type is between the second region and the second electrode. A fourth and fifth region of the first conductivity type are between the third semiconductor region and the second electrode. The fourth and fifth regions are adjacent to each other. A dopant concentration in the fifth region is less than a dopant concentration in the fourth region. A third electrode contacts the second region, the third region, the fourth region, and the fifth region via an insulating film.
US09362358B2
A method of fabricating a spatial semiconductor structure includes steps as follows. Firstly, a semiconductor substrate is provided. Then, a first mask layer is formed above the semiconductor substrate. Then, at least a first opening is formed in the first mask layer and exposes a portion of a surface of the semiconductor substrate. Then, a first semiconductor pattern is formed in the first opening. Then, a second mask layer is formed over the first semiconductor pattern and the first mask layer. Then, at least a second opening is formed through the second mask layer to the first mask layer and exposes another portion of the surface of the semiconductor substrate. And, a second semiconductor pattern is formed in the second opening.
US09362342B2
A light-emitting element display device includes: a thin film transistor substrate including transistors respectively controlling the amounts of light emission of a plurality of sub-pixels arranged in a display region; and a color filter substrate arranged to overlap with the thin film transistor substrate. The thin film transistor substrate includes a light-emitting organic layer covering the entire display region and emitting light in respective light-emitting regions in the plurality of sub-pixels, an insulating bank formed of an insulating material around each of the light-emitting regions, including an inclined surface being closer to the color filter substrate according to increasing in thickness with increasing distance from the light-emitting region, and a fluorescent layer formed on the inclined surface and excited by light of the light-emitting region to thereby emit light.
US09362341B2
There is set forth herein a method for making an apparatus for use in X ray detection comprising fabricating a first layered assembly 10 comprising a scintillator and first electrode layer, and laminating the first layered assembly 10 onto a second layered assembly 20 wherein the second layered assembly has a thin film transistor (TFT) array, wherein the TFT array includes a second electrode layer, wherein at least one of the first layered assembly and the second layered assembly includes an organic photodiode (OPD) absorber layer and wherein the laminating is absent use of an adhesive.
US09362337B1
A non-volatile storage device adopt memristors to store data and uses fewer transistors to realize the same circuit function, whereby to decrease the chip area and reduce the time and energy spent in initiating the device. Further, the non-volatile storage device disposes appropriate electronic elements in the spacing between adjacent memristors to meet the layout design rule and achieve high space efficiency in the chip lest the space between memristors be wasted.
US09362332B1
A method of selectively etching a semiconductor device and manufacturing a BSI image sensor device includes etching a doped silicon substrate with an HNA solution for a predetermined time duration to obtain an etching solution having a concentration C1 of nitrite ions, etching the semiconductor device using the obtained etching solution. Etching the semiconductor device requires an initial concentration C0 of nitride ions that is lower than C1. The HNA solution comprises a hydrofluoric acid (HF), a nitric acid (HNO3), and a acetic acid (CH3COOH). The BSI image sensor device will have a uniform thickness when etched using the thus obtained etching solution.
US09362331B2
A method for forming image sensors includes providing a substrate and forming a plurality of photo diode regions, each of the photo diode regions being spatially disposed on the substrate. The method also includes forming an interlayer dielectric layer overlying the plurality of photo diode regions, forming a shielding layer formed overlying the interlayer dielectric layer, and applying a silicon dioxide bearing material overlying the shielding layer. The method further includes etching portions of the silicon dioxide bearing material to form a plurality of first lens structures, and continuing to form each of the plurality of first lens structures to provide a plurality of finished lens structures.
US09362330B2
Methods for forming backside illuminated (BSI) image sensors having metal redistribution layers (RDL) and solder bumps for high performance connection to external circuitry are provided. In one embodiment, a BSI image sensor with RDL and solder bumps may be formed using a temporary carrier during manufacture that is removed prior to completion of the BSI image sensor. In another embodiment, a BSI image sensor with RDL and solder bumps may be formed using a permanent carrier during manufacture that partially remains in the completed BSI image sensor. A BSI image sensor may be formed before formation of a redistribution layer on the front side of the BSI image sensor. A redistribution layer may, alternatively, be formed on the front side of an image wafer before formation of BSI components such as microlenses and color filters on the back side of the image wafer.
US09362323B2
An image sensor includes first to fourth microlenses. A first height difference between a first valley between the first and second microlenses and tops of the first and second microlenses is larger than a second height difference between a second valley between the third and fourth microlenses and tops of the third and fourth microlens, a first angle formed by a tangent in an outermost portion of the first microlens, which contacts the first valley and a plane perpendicular to the normal is equal to or smaller than a second angle formed by a tangent in an outermost portion of the third microlens, which contacts the second valley and the plane.
US09362322B2
In one embodiment, a light-sensing apparatus includes a light-sensing pixel array that has a plurality of light-sensing pixels arranged in rows and columns; and a gate driver configured to provide the light-sensing pixels with a gate voltage and a reset signal that have inverted phases. Each of the light-sensing pixels includes a light sensor transistor configured to sense light and a switch transistor configured to output a light-sensing signal from the light-sensor transistor. The gate driver includes a plurality of gate lines connected to gates of the switch transistors, a plurality of reset lines connected to gates of the light sensor transistors, and a plurality of phase inverters each connected between a corresponding reset line and a gate line. Thus, when a gate voltage is applied to one of the plurality of gate lines, a reset signal with an inversed phase to the gate voltage may be applied to a corresponding reset line.
US09362319B2
An image pickup device according to the present invention is an image pickup device in which a plurality of pixel are arranged in a semiconductor substrate. Each of the plurality of pixels includes a photoelectric conversion element, a floating diffusion (FD) region, a transfer gate that transfers charges in the first semiconductor region to the FD region, and an amplification transistor whose gate is electrically connected to the FD region. The photoelectric conversion element has an outer edge which has a recessed portion in plan view, a source region and a drain region of the amplification transistor are located in the recessed portion, and the FD region is surrounded by the photoelectric conversion region or is located in the recessed portion in plan view.
US09362313B2
Provided is an oxide-semiconductor-based thin film transistor having satisfactory switching characteristics and stress resistance. Change in threshold voltage through stress application is suppressed in the thin film transistor. The thin film transistor of excellent stability comprises a substrate and, formed thereon, at least a gate electrode, a gate insulating film, oxide semiconductor layers, a source-drain electrode, and a passivation film for protecting the gate insulating film, and oxide semiconductor layers, wherein the oxide semiconductor layers are laminated layers comprising a second oxide semiconductor layer consisting of In, Zn, Sn, and O and a first oxide semiconductor layer consisting of In, Ga, Zn, and O. The second oxide semiconductor layer is formed on the gate insulating film. The first oxide semiconductor layer is interposed between the second oxide semiconductor layer and the passivation film.
US09362306B2
According to example embodiments, a three-dimensional semiconductor device including a substrate with cell and connection regions, gate electrodes stacked on the cell region, a vertical channel structure, pads, a dummy pillar, and first and second semiconductor patterns. The vertical channel structure penetrates the gate electrodes on a lowermost gate electrode and includes a first gate dielectric pattern. The pads extend from the gate electrodes and are stacked on the connection region. The dummy pillar penetrates some of the pads on a lowermost pad and includes a second gate dielectric pattern. The first semiconductor patterns are between the vertical channel structure and the substrate. The second semiconductor patterns are between the dummy pillar and the substrate. The first and second gate dielectric patterns may be on the first and second semiconductor patterns, respectively. The second gate dielectric pattern may cover a whole top surface of the second semiconductor pattern.
US09362305B2
A nonvolatile memory device includes a substrate including a plurality of active regions which are constituted by a P-type semiconductor; first and second vertical strings disposed over each active region, wherein each of the first and second strings includes a channel vertically extending from the substrate, a plurality of memory cells, and a select transistor, wherein the plurality of memory cells and the select transistor are located along the channel; and a bottom gate being interposed between a lowermost memory cell and the substrate, contacting the channel with a first gate dielectric layer interposed therebetween, and controlling connection of the first vertical string with the second vertical string.
US09362297B2
Integrated circuits are provided. An exemplary integrated circuit includes a source/drain region in a semiconductor substrate. The integrated circuit includes a charge storage structure overlying the semiconductor substrate and having a first sidewall overlying the source/drain region. The integrated circuit also includes a control gate overlying the source/drain region. Further, the integrated circuit includes a first select gate overlying the semiconductor substrate and adjacent the first sidewall. A first memory cell is formed by the control gate and the first select gate.
US09362294B2
The semiconductor device according to the present invention includes a ferroelectric film and an electrode stacked on the ferroelectric film. The electrode has a multilayer structure of an electrode lower layer in contact with the ferroelectric film and an electrode upper layer stacked on the electrode lower layer. The electrode upper layer is made of a conductive material having an etching selection ratio with respect to the materials for the ferroelectric film and the electrode lower layer. The upper surface of the electrode upper layer is planarized.
US09362293B2
Providing for a non-volatile semiconductor memory architecture that achieves high read performance is described herein. In one aspect, an array of memory transistors arranged electrically in serial is configured to control a gate voltage of a pass transistor. The pass transistor, in turn, enables current flow between two metal bitlines of the semiconductor memory architecture. Accordingly, a relative voltage or relative current of the two metal bitlines can be measured and utilized to determine a program or erase state of a transistor of the serial array of transistors. In a particular aspect, a transistor with small capacitance is chosen for the pass transistor, resulting in a fast correspondence of the pass transistor gate voltage/current relative to transistor array current. This can equate to fast read times for the transistor array, based on differential sensing of the two metal bitlines.
US09362288B2
One semiconductor device includes an active region extending in a first direction, and first, second, and third semiconductor pillars which are provided upright relative to a main surface of the active region and disposed side by side in succession in the first direction; and between the first semiconductor pillar and the second semiconductor pillar, a first gate insulating film in contact with a side surface of the first semiconductor pillar, a first gate electrode in contact with the first gate insulating film, a second gate insulating film in contact with a side surface of the second semiconductor pillar, a second gate electrode in contact with the second gate insulating film, and a first embedded insulating film located between the first and second gate electrodes; and between the second and third semiconductor pillars, a second embedded insulating film in contact with the side surfaces of the second and third semiconductor pillars.
US09362282B1
An electrical device that includes a substrate including a first region of a type III-V semiconductor material and a second region of a type IV germanium containing semiconductor material. An n-type planar FET is present in the first region of the substrate. A p-type planar FET is present in a second region of the substrate. A gate structure for each of the n-type planar FET and the p-type planar FET includes a metal containing layer including at least one of titanium and aluminum atop a high-k gate dielectric. An effective work function of the gate structure for both the n-type and p-type planar FETs is a less than a mid gap of silicon.
US09362276B2
Semiconductor devices and fabrication methods are provided. A semiconductor substrate is provided having dummy gate structures formed thereon. A stress layer is formed in the semiconductor substrate between adjacent dummy gate structures. A first dielectric layer is formed on the semiconductor substrate, the stress layers, and the sidewall spacers of the dummy gate structures, exposing dummy gate electrode layers. Gate structures are formed in the dielectric layer to replace the dummy gate structures. The gate structures include functional gate structures and at least one non-functional gate structure. The at least one non-functional gate structure is removed to form at least one second opening in the first dielectric layer. At least one third opening is formed in the semiconductor substrate at a bottom of the at least one second opening. A second dielectric layer is formed in the at least one second opening and the at least one third opening.
US09362274B2
A high-K/metal gate semiconductor device is provided with larger self-aligned contacts having reduced resistance. Embodiments include forming a first high-k metal gate stack on a substrate between source/drain regions, a second high-k metal gate stack on an STI region, and a first ILD between the metal gate stacks, forming an etch stop layer and a second ILD sequentially over the substrate, with openings in the second ILD over the metal gate stacks, forming spacers on the edges of the openings, forming a third ILD over the second ILD and the spacers, removing the first ILD over the source/drain regions, removing the etch stop layer, the second ILD, and the third ILD over the source/drain regions, adjacent the spacers, and over a portion of the spacers, forming first trenches, removing the third ILD over the second high-k metal gate stack and over a portion of the spacers, forming second trenches, and forming contacts in the first and second trenches.
US09362261B2
The purpose of the present invention is to reduce the wiring inductance of a power semiconductor module. It comprises a first power semiconductor device, a second power semiconductor device, a first conductor unit which is opposed to the first power semi conductor device, a second conductor unit which is opposed to the first conductor unit across the first power semiconductor device, a third conductor unit which is opposed to the second power semiconductor device, a fourth conductor unit which is opposed to the third conductor unit across the second power semiconductor device, a first intermediate conductor unit which extends from the first conductor unit, a second intermediate conductor unit which extends from the fourth conductor unit and, a positive electrode side first terminal, and a positive electrode side second terminal which project from the first intermediate conductor unit, and a negative electrode side first terminal and a negative electrode side second terminal which project from the second intermediate conductor unit. The negative electrode side first terminal is arranged in a position adjacent to the positive electrode side first terminal. The negative electrode side second terminal is arranged in a position adjacent to the positive electrode side second terminal.
US09362260B2
A device is disclosed which includes a first packaged integrated circuit device, a second packaged integrated circuit device positioned above the first packaged integrated circuit device and a plurality of planar conductive members conductively coupling the first and second packaged integrated circuit devices to one another. A method is also disclosed which includes conductively coupling a plurality of extensions on a leadframe to each of a pair of stacked packaged integrated circuit devices and cutting the leadframe to singulate the extensions from one another.
US09362259B2
Discontinuous bonds for semiconductor devices are disclosed herein. A device in accordance with a particular embodiment includes a first substrate and a second substrate, with at least one of the first substrate and the second substrate having a plurality of solid-state transducers. The second substrate can include a plurality of projections and a plurality of intermediate regions and can be bonded to the first substrate with a discontinuous bond. Individual solid-state transducers can be disposed at least partially within corresponding intermediate regions and the discontinuous bond can include bonding material bonding the individual solid-state transducers to blind ends of corresponding intermediate regions. Associated methods and systems of discontinuous bonds for semiconductor devices are disclosed herein.
US09362257B2
The invention provides a micro-electro-mechanical system (MEMS) module, which includes a MEMS die stacked on an electronic circuit die. The electronic circuit die includes a substrate, the substrate including at least one through-silicon via (TSV) penetrating through the substrate; and at least one electronic circuit. The electronic circuit includes a circuit region, and a signal transmission layer directly connecting the TSV. At least one wire is connected between a middle part of the MEMS die and the TSV. There is no signal communication at the interfacing location where the MEMS die is stacked on and bonded with the electronic circuit die.
US09362256B2
A bonding process for a chip bonded to a thin film substrate is disclosed. The thin film substrate has a thickness of about less than 500 um. Curvature occurs in the thin film substrate due to Coefficient of Temperature Expansion (CTE) mismatch for different materials between the dielectric material and the embedded circuitry, where cooling and heating is applied during fabrication. A temporary carrier is prepared for the thin film substrate to paste, a flatten process is applied by a roller thereon so that the curvature of the thin film substrate can be eliminated and facilitated for of chips to be bonded thereto.
US09362253B2
The present disclosure relates to the field of integrated circuit package design and, more particularly, to packages using a bumpless build-up layer (BBUL) designs. Embodiments of the present description relate to the field of fabricating microelectronic packages, wherein a first microelectronic device having through-silicon vias may be stacked with a second microelectronic device and used in a bumpless build-up layer package.
US09362251B2
An antioxidant gas blow-off unit includes: a base portion configured as a hollow plate having an antioxidant gas flow passage formed therein; a hole that is provided in the base portion to allow a capillary to be inserted therein or removed therefrom and that communicates with the antioxidant gas flow passage; and a heater mounted on an outer surface of the base portion. The antioxidant gas flow passage includes a first flow passage provided in the vicinity of the outer surface of the base portion on which the heater is mounted. This antioxidant gas blow-off unit to be installed in a wire bonding apparatus heats free air balls effectively with a compact structure.
US09362249B2
The silver-gold alloy bonding wire of the present invention includes an alloy composed of not lower than 10% and not higher than 30% of gold (Au) and not lower than 30 ppm and not higher than 90 ppm of calcium (Ca) with the remainder of silver (Ag) at purity relative to a metallic element except for elements Au and Ca of 99.99% or higher, in mass percentage; a layer enriched with oxygen (O) and calcium (Ca) formed as a surface layer on the surface of the alloy; and a gold-enriched layer formed immediately below the surface layer.
US09362240B2
An electronic device includes multiple semiconductor chips in a single housing. Such semiconductor chips may comprise different semiconductor materials, for example they may comprise GaN. Using bonding clips instead of bonding wires is an efficient way of connecting such semiconductor chips to a substrate.
US09362236B2
A packaging structure and a method of forming a packaging structure are provided. The packaging structure, such as an interposer, is formed by optionally bonding two carrier substrates together and simultaneously processing two carrier substrates. The processing includes forming a sacrificial layer over the carrier substrates. Openings are formed in the sacrificial layers and pillars are formed in the openings. Substrates are attached to the sacrificial layer. Redistribution lines may be formed on an opposing side of the substrates and vias may be formed to provide electrical contacts to the pillars. A debond process may be performed to separate the carrier substrates. Integrated circuit dies may be attached to one side of the redistribution lines and the sacrificial layer is removed.
US09362235B2
A semiconductor package includes a substrate in which a plurality of wires are formed; at least one semiconductor chip electrically connected to portions of the plurality of wires; and a shielding can mounted on the substrate, surrounding the at least one semiconductor chip, electrically connected to at least one wire of the plurality of wires and including a soft magnetic material. The semiconductor package can prevent or substantially reduce electromagnetic interference (EMI).
US09362231B2
Methods for sealing a porous dielectric are presented including: receiving a substrate, the substrate including the porous dielectric; exposing the substrate to an organosilane, where the organosilane includes a hydrolysable group for facilitating attachment with the porous dielectric, and where the organosilane does not include an alkyl group; and forming a layer as a result of the exposing to seal the porous dielectric. In some embodiments, methods are presented where the organosilane includes: alkynyl groups, aryl groups, fluoroalkyl groups, heteroaryl groups, alcohol groups, thiol groups, amine groups, thiocarbamate groups, ester groups, ether groups, sulfide groups, and nitrile groups. In some embodiments, method further include: removing contamination from the porous dielectric and a conductive region of the substrate prior to the exposing; and removing contamination from the conductive region after the forming.
US09362230B1
Electrically conductive structures and methods of making electrically conductive structures. The methods include providing a dielectric layer of a material having a top surface and a dielectric constant of less than 3; rastering a gas cluster ion beam to form a patterned modified surface region of the top surface of the dielectric layer; and selectively forming an electrically conductive thin film on the patterned modified surface region using atomic layer deposition.
US09362229B2
Semiconductor devices with enhanced electromigration performance and methods of manufacture are disclosed. The method includes forming at least one metal line in electrical contact with a device. The method further includes forming at least one staple structure in electrical contact with the at least one metal line. The at least one staple structure is formed such that electrical current passing through the at least one metal line also passes through the at least staple structure to reduce electromigration issues.
US09362225B2
Provided are data storage devices and methods of manufacturing the same. The device may include a plurality of cell selection parts formed in a substrate, a plate conductive pattern covering the cell selection parts and electrically connected to first terminals of the cell selection parts, a plurality of through-pillars penetrating the plate conductive pattern and insulated from the plate conductive pattern, and a plurality of data storage parts directly connected to the plurality of through-pillars, respectively. The data storage parts may be electrically connected to second terminals of the cell selection parts, respectively.
US09362216B2
In one embodiment, a device includes a first conductive pad disposed over a substrate, and a etch stop layer disposed over a top surface of the first conductive pad. The device further includes a solder barrier disposed over the etch stop layer.
US09362212B1
A packaged integrated circuit device includes a substrate module, leads, an IC die having first and second sets of die contact pads, and an encapsulant. The substrate module has upper and lower sets of conductive contacts on its upper and lower surfaces, respectively. The upper set of conductive contacts is electrically connected to the lower set of conductive contacts. The first set of die contact pads is electrically connected to the upper set of conductive contacts. The second set of die contact pads is electrically connected to the leads. Certain embodiments are a multi-form packaged device having both leads and conductive balls supporting different types of external connections, such as BGA and QFN.
US09362210B2
Metal leadframes, semiconductor packages made using the leadframes, and methods of making the leadframes and packages are disclosed. In one embodiment, the leadframe includes a rectangular frame. A chip pad and a plurality of leads are within the frame. The lower side of the chip pad and the leads includes one or more vertically recessed horizontal surfaces. The upper side of the chip pad may include a groove around a chip mounting region. In a package, the chip pad supports a semiconductor chip electrically connected to the leads. The lower side of the chip pad and leads are exposed at an exterior surface of the package body. Encapsulant material underfills the recessed lower surfaces of the chip pad and leads, thereby locking them to the encapsulant material. A wire may be reliably bonded to the chip pad within the groove formed in the upper side thereof.
US09362203B2
A method of fabricating a semiconductor assembly can include providing a semiconductor element having a front surface, a rear surface, and a plurality of conductive pads, forming at least one hole extending at least through a respective one of the conductive pads by processing applied to the respective conductive pad from above the front surface, forming an opening extending from the rear surface at least partially through a thickness of the semiconductor element, such that the at least one hole and the opening meet at a location between the front and rear surfaces, and forming at least one conductive element exposed at the rear surface for electrical connection to an external device, the at least one conductive element extending within the at least one hole and at least into the opening, the conductive element being electrically connected with the respective conductive pad.
US09362200B2
A semiconductor package includes a support substrate arranged with a first aperture reaching a semiconductor device on a rear side, the semiconductor device is bonded via an adhesive to a surface of the support substrate, an insulating layer covering the semiconductor device, and wiring for connecting the semiconductor device and an external terminal through the insulating layer. The adhesive may form a part of the first aperture. In addition, a heat dissipation part may be arranged in the first aperture and a metal material may be filled in the first aperture.
US09362198B2
An embodiment of a semiconductor device includes a semiconductor substrate that includes a host substrate and an upper surface, an active area, a substrate opening in the semiconductor substrate that is partially defined by a recessed surface, and a thermally conductive layer disposed over the semiconductor substrate that extends between the recessed surface and a portion of the semiconductor substrate within the active area. A method for fabricating the semiconductor device includes defining an active area, forming a gate electrode over a channel in the active area, forming a source electrode and a drain electrode in the active area on opposite sides of the gate electrode, etching a substrate opening in the semiconductor substrate that is partially defined by the recessed surface, and depositing a thermally conductive layer over the semiconductor substrate that extends between the recessed surface and a portion of the semiconductor substrate over the channel.
US09362195B2
Provided is a semiconductor device including a package having a hollow portion, which can meet the need of reduction in size and thickness. The semiconductor device includes: a resin molded member (1) including a hollow portion (10) having an inner bottom surface on which a semiconductor chip (6) is mounted, a surrounding portion (1b) that surrounds the hollow portion (10), and a bottom surface portion (1a); an inner lead (2e, 2f); and an outer lead (2a, 2b) exposed from the resin molded member (1). The inner lead buried in the molded member (1) includes an L-shaped lead extending portion having a through hole formed therethrough.
US09362192B2
According to one embodiment, the connector includes a first portion and a second portion. The first portion is provided on the second surface of the semiconductor chip and bonded to the second electrode. The first portion has a bonding surface, a heat dissipation surface, and a side surface. The bonding surface is bonded to the second electrode of the semiconductor chip. The heat dissipation surface is opposite to the bonding surface and exposed from the resin. The side surface is tilted with respect to the bonding surface and the heat dissipation surface, and covered with the resin. The second portion protrudes from the first portion toward the second leadframe side. The second portion is thinner than the first portion and bonded to the second leadframe.
US09362186B2
A method of controlling polishing includes storing a base measurement, the base measurement being an eddy current measurement of a substrate after deposition of at least one layer overlying a semiconductor wafer and before deposition of a conductive layer over the at least one layer, after deposition of the conductive layer over the at least one layer and during polishing of the conductive layer on substrate, receiving a sequence of raw measurements of the substrate from an in-situ eddy current monitoring system, normalizing each raw measurement in the sequence of raw measurement to generate a sequence of normalized measurements using the raw measurement and the base measurement, and determining at least one of a polishing endpoint or an adjustment for a polishing rate based on at least the sequence of normalized measurements.
US09362185B2
A method for patterning a wafer includes performing a first patterning on a wafer, and after performing the first patterning, calculating a simulated dose mapper (DoMa) map predicting a change in critical dimensions of the wafer due to performing a second patterning on the wafer. The method further includes performing the second patterning on the wafer. Performing the second patterning includes adjusting one or more etching parameters of the second patterning in accordance with differences between the simulated DoMa map and desired critical dimensions of the wafer.
US09362176B2
The use of two different materials for shallow trench isolation and deep structural trenches with a dielectric material therein (e.g., flowable oxide and a HARP oxide, respectively) causes non-uniform heights of exposed portions of raised semiconductor structures for non-planar semiconductor devices, due to the different etch rates of the materials. Non-uniform openings adjacent the exposed portions of the raised structures from recessing the isolation and dielectric materials are filled with additional dielectric material to create a uniform top layer of one material (the dielectric material), which can then be uniformly recessed to expose uniform portions of the raised structures.
US09362174B2
A device wafer processing method includes, a groove forming step in which grooves with a predetermined depth are formed in the front side of a device wafer; a plate attaching step in which a plate is attached to the front side of the wafer through an adhesive; a grinding step in which the wafer is held by a holding table through the plate so as to expose the back side of the wafer, and the back side is ground to expose the grooves at the back side of the wafer, thereby dividing the wafer to form a plurality of chips. The method further includes: a film attaching step in which a film is attached to the back side of the wafer; and a dicing step in which the film is diced along division lines from the side of the back side of the wafer.
US09362156B2
The present invention provides a dicing tape-integrated film for semiconductor back surface, which includes: a dicing tape including a base material and a pressure-sensitive adhesive layer provided on the base material; and a film for flip chip type semiconductor back surface provided on the pressure-sensitive adhesive layer, in which the film for flip chip type semiconductor back surface contains a black pigment.
US09362155B2
A supporting device includes a main body and a ring-shaped glue layer. The main body includes a top surface and a bottom surface opposite to the top surface. The top surface defines a first groove. The first groove is substantially ring-shaped. The glue layer is arranged in the top surface and surrounds the first groove. A plurality of glass-fits is distributed in the glue layer.
US09362152B2
Each of a pair of support members includes a lightweight-article support portion that is inserted into an insertion space of a lightweight article and supports a support-target portion of the lightweight article from below and a heavyweight-article support portion that is inserted into an insertion space of a heavyweight article and supports a support-target portion of the heavyweight article from below. The heavyweight-article support portion is formed to be thick in the vertical direction compared with the lightweight-article support portion. The lightweight-article support portion is provided at a position that is located in the insertion space of the heavyweight article when the heavyweight-article support portion is inserted into the insertion space of the heavyweight article, and formed integrally with the heavyweight-article support portion.
US09362150B2
A substrate processing apparatus includes a housing, a mounting table provided in the housing and configured to mount a substrate thereon, a drive mechanism provided below the mounting table so as to move the mounting table in a front-back direction between a delivering/receiving location for the substrate and a processing chamber, an ultraviolet irradiation unit configured to irradiate the substrate in the processing chamber with ultraviolet rays, a partition member provided to partition the processing chamber and a drive chamber with the drive mechanism positioned therein up and down, the partition member having a slit for allowing movement of a support supporting the mounting table, first exhaust ports formed in the drive chamber to exhaust an atmosphere in the drive chamber, and second exhaust ports formed along a lengthwise direction of the slit so as to face the slit.
US09362147B2
A substrate treatment method employs a substrate holding unit, a gas ejection nozzle, and a gas supply unit. The substrate holding unit is configured to hold a substrate. The gas supply unit is configured to supply a gas to the gas ejection nozzle. The gas ejection nozzle is disposed to be positioned adjacent a center portion of the substrate held by the substrate holding unit. The gas ejection nozzle has a gas ejection port. The gas ejection nozzle is configured to eject the gas radially from the gas ejection port over the substrate held by the substrate holding unit to form a gas-flow for covering the substrate.
US09362135B2
A semiconductor device manufacturing method, the method including: forming an insulation layer having a protruding portion, the insulation layer having a surface and a rising surface that protrudes upward from the surface, on a semiconductor substrate; forming a conductive layer to cover the insulation layer having the protruding portion; and removing a predetermined region of the conductive layer by patterning the predetermined region according to an etching process using microwave plasma, which uses a microwave as a plasma source, while applying bias power of 70 mW/cm2 or above on the semiconductor substrate, under a high pressure condition of 85 mTorr or above.
US09362134B2
A fabrication method of a chip package includes the following steps. A wafer structure having a wafer and a protection layer is provided. The first opening of the wafer is aligned with and communicated with the second opening of the protection layer. A first insulating layer having a first thickness is formed on a conductive pad exposed from the second opening, and a second insulating layer having a second thickness is formed on a first sidewall of the protection layer surrounding the second opening and a second sidewall of the wafer surrounding the first opening. The first and second insulating layers are etched, such that the first insulating layer is completely removed, and the second thickness of the second insulating layer is reduced.
US09362133B2
Methods and apparatuses for multiple patterning using image reversal are provided. The methods may include depositing gap-fill ashable hardmasks using a deposition-etch-ash method to fill gaps in a pattern of a semiconductor substrate and eliminating spacer etching steps using a single-etch planarization method. Such methods may be performed for double patterning, multiple patterning, and two dimensional patterning techniques in semiconductor fabrication.
US09362131B2
An etch process gas is provided to a main process chamber having an electron beam plasma source, and during periodic passivation operations a remote plasma source provides passivation species to the main process chamber while ion energy is limited below an etch ion energy threshold. During periodic etch operations, flow from the remote plasma source is halted and ion energy is set above the etch threshold.
US09362119B2
The present disclosure provides a method of patterning a target material layer over a semiconductor substrate. The method includes steps of: forming a plurality of first features over the target material layer using a first sub-layout, with each first feature having sidewalls; forming a plurality of spacer features, with each spacer feature conforming to the sidewalls of one of the first features and having a spacer width; and forming a plurality of second features over the target material layer using a second sub-layout. The method further includes steps of removing the plurality of spacer features from around each first feature and patterning the target material layer using the plurality of first features and the plurality of second features. Other methods and associated patterned semiconductor wafers are also provided herein.
US09362118B2
A vertical super junction MOSFET and a lateral MOSFET are integrated on the same semiconductor substrate. The lateral MOSFET is electrically isolated from the vertical super junction MOSFET by an n-buried isolating layer and an n-diffused isolating layer. The lateral MOSFET is formed of a p-well region formed in an n−semiconductor layer bounded by the n-buried isolating layer and n-diffused isolating layer, an n-source region and n-drain region formed in the p-well region, and a gate electrode that covers a portion of the p-well region sandwiched by the n-source region and n-drain region. As the n-buried isolating layer is formed at the same time as an n-layer (3) of the vertical super junction MOSFET, it is possible to reduce cost. Also, it is possible to suppress parasitic action between the elements with the n-buried isolating layer.
US09362111B2
Implementations described herein generally relate to methods for forming dielectric films in high aspect ratio features. In one implementation, a method for forming a silicon oxide layer is provided. A silicon-containing precursor gas is flown into a processing chamber having a substrate having a high aspect ratio feature disposed therein. Then a high frequency plasma is applied to the silicon-containing precursor gas to deposit a silicon-containing layer over the surface of the high aspect ratio feature. The processing chamber is purged to remove by-products from the silicon-containing layer deposition process. An oxygen-containing precursor gas is flown into the processing chamber. A high frequency plasma and a low frequency plasma are applied to the oxygen-containing precursor gas to form the silicon oxide layer.
US09362104B2
Provided is a short arc discharge lamp that includes: a body including therein a reflection surface and having a front opening; a cathode and an anode opposed to each other in discharge space defined by the reflection surface surrounding the discharge space; a window member provided in front of the body and covering the front opening; and a window supporting member including an inner ring section, an outer ring section, and a coupling section. The inner ring section is configured to allow a circumferential side surface of the window member to be fixed thereto, the outer ring section is larger in diameter than the inner ring section, and the coupling section connects the inner ring section and the outer ring section together. The inner ring section includes, in front of the window member, a front edge section having a shape bent in a radial direction of the window member.
US09362100B2
The present invention relates to a non-thermal plasma jet device as spatial ionization source for ambient mass spectrometry of the type which allows a free adjustment of the geometry of the plasma beam, wherein the device comprises a double dielectric barrier probe of non-thermal plasma or NTP probe, which generates a non-thermal plasma jet; a high voltage and high frequency transformer circuit that connects an outer electrode through which it is possible to perform a discharge for the ionization of a gas which produces plasma, and wherein said plasma generator circuit is in turn connected to a source of AC power; an inner electrode which is grounded and allows to perform the discharge for the production of plasma; a storage tank of a gas serving as discharge gas; a test sample on which the non-thermal plasma jet is applied; and a ion transfer adapter to direct the ions produced by the device from the vacuum-free sample into a mass analyzer. The device described allows to directly analyzing live samples (plants, for example) without causing any damage to them.
US09362089B2
Systems, methods and apparatus for regulating ion energies in a plasma chamber and chucking a substrate to a substrate support are disclosed. An exemplary method includes placing a substrate in a plasma chamber, forming a plasma in the plasma chamber, controllably switching power to the substrate so as to apply a periodic voltage function (or a modified periodic voltage function) to the substrate, and modulating, over multiple cycles of the periodic voltage function, the periodic voltage function responsive to a defined distribution of energies of ions at the surface of the substrate so as to effectuate the defined distribution of ion energies on a time-averaged basis.
US09362087B2
The present invention provides apparatuses to inspect small particles on the surface of a sample such as wafer and mask. The apparatuses provide both high detection efficiency and high throughput by forming Dark-field BSE images. The apparatuses can additionally inspect physical and electrical defects on the sample surface by form SE images and Bright-field BSE images simultaneously. The apparatuses can be designed to do single-beam or even multiple single-beam inspection for achieving a high throughput.
US09362078B2
An ion source for use in a radiation generator tube includes a back passive cathode electrode, a passive anode electrode downstream of the back passive cathode electrode, a magnet adjacent the anode, and a front passive cathode electrode downstream of the passive anode electrode. The front passive cathode electrode and the back passive cathode electrode define an ionization region therebetween. At least one field emitter array (FEA) cathode is configured to electrostatically discharge due to an electric field in the ion source. The back passive cathode electrode and the passive anode electrode, and the front passive cathode electrode and the passive anode electrode, have respective voltage differences therebetween, and the magnet generating a magnetic field, such that a Penning-type trap is produced to confine electrons from the electrostatic discharge to the ionization region. At least some of the electrons in the ionization region interact with an ionizable gas to create ions.
US09362075B2
A cover assembly for a circuit breaker includes a cover, the cover including a first portion and a second portion. The first portion is configured to at least partially cover a current sensing element within the circuit breaker, and has an interior surface and a cover opening. The second portion extends from the interior surface of the first portion, and has a terminal pocket opening aligned with the cover opening. The cover is configured to receive a load terminal through the terminal pocket opening and cover opening.
US09362073B2
A switch apparatus may include a switch body to which a connector of an electronic unit is connected and in which a relay board is provided, a conductive coupling section provided at a lower end of the switch body to be coupled to a vehicle body, and a conductive ground member having a base provided at a lower portion in an internal space of the switch body to be coupled to an upper end of the coupling section, and a clamping bar extending upwards from one side of the base to be coupled to a ground terminal provided at a lower end of the relay board.
US09362071B2
A circuit breaker monitoring system may monitor both at least one gas characteristic of a gas surrounding the circuit breaker and at least one fault arc energy characteristic. The monitored characteristics may be used to forecast maintenance events. The monitored characteristics may be used to control the operation of the circuit breaker.
US09362070B2
The present invention relates to an arc extinguishing chamber of an electric protection apparatus comprising an arc formation chamber containing a stationary contact and a movable contact which, when they separate, form an arc between them, said arc formation chamber communicating with the inlet of a second chamber, called arc extinguishing chamber. This chamber comprises a wall called balancing wall, substantially solid at least on its central part, said wall being located downstream from the arc extinguishing chamber and being formed and arranged with respect to the arc extinguishing chamber in such a way as to slow down the exhaust flow of the breaking gases on the side of the arc extinguishing chamber where the gases go first, and enhancing flow of the exhaust gases on the opposite side, the exhaust gases being stopped by the central part of the wall and escaping via the edges of the wall.
US09362068B2
A switching arrangement for detection of displacement of a movable member (80, 62, 86) of a household appliance comprises: (a) a switch (76, 84) having an control element (78, 116) which is movable between a first position in which the switch assumes a first switching condition and at least one second position in which the switch assumes a second switching condition; and (b) an actuation member (68, 82) adapted for connection to said movable member (80, 62, 86) and having a cam surface engaging said control element (78, 116).
US09362066B2
A space where a member is disposed is ensured in a central portion without changing dimensions of an appearance. In a push-button switch, a movable contact portion is disposed while bent in an outer peripheral space between an insertion pipe and sidewalls constituting a quadratic-prism lower case, and the sidewall closest to a position where a projected terminal portion is disposed differs from the sidewall closest to a position where an abutment portion is disposed.
US09362062B1
An ultra-thin keyboard switch includes a base, a static contact plate, a support plate, a movable contact plate, a lower frame, an upper frame, and a keyboard cap. The static contact plate and the support plate are separated from each other and disposed on the base. The upper frame and the lower frame are intersected and pivotally connected with each other to form an X-shaped configuration to bring the movable contact plate to move. The thickness of the product can be reduced to be thin. No matter where the user's finger is at any position of the keyboard, the upper frame and the lower frame are linked to bring the movable contact plate to move. The present invention can be pressed stably, so that the connection of the static contact plate and the movable contact plate is more sensitive and the product can be used more conveniently.
US09362060B2
A touch electrode device includes a substrate, at least one electrode layer and a conductive ink pattern. The electrode layer is disposed above a surface of the substrate, and the electrode layer includes non-transparent conductive material. The conductive ink pattern is printed on two sides of a surface of the electrode layer.
US09362058B2
The invention relates to a safety vehicle capacitor. It includes a box-shaped capacitor shell, lead-out electrode sheet, capacitor core accommodated inside capacitor shell and epoxy resin used to encapsulate the capacitor core. Said lead-out electrode sheet comprises of an inner connection end, an intermediate connection portion and outer connection, where the intermediate connection portion is in a shape of ‘n’ or ‘v’, one end of said intermediate connection portion being connecting to inner end of outer connection end horizontally, while the other end of intermediate connection portion being connected to up end of inner connection end with an angle; the inner wall of said capacitor shell is provided with inner mounting slot for the lead-out electrode sheet, and said inner connection end of said lead-out electrode sheet is inserted in to said inner mounting slot for fixing; the capacitor shell containing the inner mounting slot has a corresponding outer wall provided with a fixing pillar for the lead-out electrode sheet, and said outer connection end of the lead-out electrode sheet is fixed to the fixing pillar through a fixing element; said intermediate connection portion of the lead-out electrode sheet locates above the epoxy resin surface.
US09362055B2
There is provided a method to provide a capacitor element including a porous body of a valve metal, and a dielectric layer of an oxide layer of the valve metal. The method includes a first sequential process, and a second sequential process. The first sequential process includes: immersing the capacitor element in a first liquid of dispersion of a conductive polymer obtained by means of oxidation polymerization of thiophene or its derivative in the presence of a dopant of a polymer anion; taking out the capacitor element from the first liquid; and drying the capacitor element. Subsequent second sequential process includes: immersing the capacitor element in a second liquid which dissolves a cyclic organic compound having at least one hydroxyl group; taking out the capacitor element from the second liquid; and drying the capacitor element.
US09362052B2
A electronic device is provided. In one configuration, the electronic device includes a first electrode formed in a first layer; a second electrode formed in the first layer, wherein the first electrode and the second electrode are reflection symmetrically disposed; and a first floating metal ring formed in the first layer and enclosing the first electrode and the second electrode. The shape of the first electrode is the same shape as the second electrode.
US09362040B2
A coldplate for use in cooling electrical components may include first and second coldplate members, each having a pocket and a secondary portion. The pocket of each member is configured to receive an electrical component and sized to substantially surround the component when received in the pocket to provide physical integration of the component in the coldplate member. The first and second coldplate members are adapted to be joined together to form a manifold therebetween for receiving a fluid for use in cooling the electrical components. The secondary portion of each coldplate member is arranged substantially opposite the pocket of the other coldplate member when the coldplate members are joined together.
US09362039B2
A buffer material protects a microelectronic device in space constrained environments, for improved efficiency with respect to magnetostrictive materials therein, and includes a gas filled polymer shell microsphere carried in an elastomeric polymer binder. Expanded Expancel microspheres being less than 20 microns in diameter form 80% of the composition by volume. The polymer binder is a low viscosity dimethyl silicone with a hardness of less than 25. Coating thicknesses may be based upon the overall expected dimensional changes of the encapsulation material, due to its coefficient of thermal expansion and an expected operating temperature range of the component, plus the expected shrinkage of that encapsulation material during polymerization and the overall mass which shall be exerting a force upon the magnetic core, plus the dimensional changes of the component as a result of the flux density resulting in magnetostriction of the magnetic core.
US09362028B2
A method and system for a combination insulator cover configured to fit a plurality of insulator cable clamp devices are provided. The cover includes a dome configured to receive an insulator top and a plurality of cable cavities that extend orthogonally away from the dome in opposite directions. The plurality of cable cavities are configured to permit passage of a cable therethrough, the cable cavities include a first cylindrically shaped portion and a second cylindrically-shaped portion, first cylindrically shaped portion being larger than a diameter of second cylindrically-shaped portion. The cover also includes a lower extension that extends along a bottom edge of said cover from a distal end of said second cylindrically-shaped portion to a distal end of the opposite second cylindrically-shaped portion, said lower extension is split parallel to the plurality of cable cavities.
US09362027B2
A method for making a cable jacket that includes the steps of providing at least one shielding tape having a substrate formed of a substrate material, said substrate including at least one conductive segment; inserting the at least one shielding tape between first and second jacket layers of the cable jacket, each of said first and second jacket layers being formed of a jacket material; and co-extruding the at least one shielding tape with the first and second jacket layers, wherein the substrate material of the at least one shielding tape and the jacket material of the first and second jacket layers are the same such that during the co-extrusion step, the substrate and first and second jacket layers bond together into a single layer wherein the at least one conductive segment is embedded in the single layer.
US09362026B2
An oxide superconductor wire including: a superconductor laminate including a tape-shaped substrate, an interlayer, an oxide superconductor layer, and a protection layer which are formed on the substrate; a metal stabilization layer covering the periphery of the superconductor laminate; a first electrically conductive joint material arranged between the superconductor laminate and the metal stabilization layer; and a sealing member formed from a metal foil, connected to a terminal of the superconductor laminate, and extending in the longitudinal direction of the superconductor laminate, wherein the metal stabilization layer includes an extension part formed so as to cover the periphery of the sealing member, and wherein the first electrically conductive joint material includes an extension part arranged between the extension part of the metal stabilization layer and the sealing member and formed so as to cover the periphery of the sealing member.
US09362023B2
An edge insulated electrical cable including an electrical cable having opposing uppermost and lowermost surfaces and a conductive material near a longitudinal edge of the cable. The conductive material is susceptible to making electrical contact at the longitudinal edge. An edge insulation structure is applied to the electrical cable covering the edge and portions of the upper most and lowermost surfaces.
US09362021B2
Electrical cables for the transmission of electricity between power poles or towers with at least one of a cooling feature and a fail safe feature and methods of producing the same.
US09362011B2
A boiling water reactor assembly includes a bayonet plate closure between a control rod guide tube and a drive housing pipe. The bayonet plate closure has a bayonet plate constructed in two parts including a central bayonet ring mounted rotatably about its longitudinal axis and an outer ring completely surrounding the bayonet ring. The outer ring is mounted on the periphery of the bayonet ring and reaches inwards under the bayonet ring periphery. The ring is furthermore permanently supported in the axial direction on the drive housing pipe by spring pressure acting on the control rod guide tube, in order to produce a frictional connection. The spring pressure can be released unhindered from the reactor side by tools.
US09362009B2
An isotope production target rod for a power generating nuclear reactor is provided. The isotope production target rod can include at least one rod central body including an outer shell that defines an internal cavity and a plurality of irradiation targets within the internal cavity. The irradiation targets can be positioned in a spatial arrangement utilizing a low nuclear cross-section separating medium to maintain the spatial arrangement.
US09362005B2
A semiconductor device includes a plurality of memory chips and a plurality of signal selection units respectively corresponding to the plurality of memory chips, and suitable for commonly transferring test data signals from an external to a corresponding one of the plurality of memory chips during a common test mode, wherein one or more of the plurality of signal selection units may transfer the test data signals from the external to corresponding ones of the plurality of memory chips during an individual test mode, and wherein the semiconductor device may be set to the common test mode when a common test signal is enabled, and set to the individual test mode when both the common test signal and a test control signal are enabled.
US09361987B2
Systems and processes may use a first memory, a second memory, and a memory controller. The second memory is at least as large as a block of the first memory. Data is received and stored in the second memory for further writing to the second memory.
US09361985B2
An operating method of a nonvolatile memory device is provided which includes receiving a command sequence; detecting whether the input command sequence accompanies an impedance calibration operation; and if the input command sequence accompanies the impedance calibration operation, simultaneously performing an operation corresponding to the input command sequence and the impedance calibration operation.
US09361982B2
A non-volatile memory includes a plurality of memory cells arranged in a plurality of rows and columns. Each memory cell includes a read portion and a control portion. The read portion and the control portion share an electrically floating layer of conductive material defining a first capacitive coupling with the read portion and a second capacitive coupling with the control portion. The first capacitive coupling defines a first capacity greater than a second capacity defined by the second capacitive coupling. The control portion is configured so that an electric current injects or extracts charge carriers into or from the electrically floating layer to store of a first logic value or a second logic value, respectively, in the memory cell.
US09361975B2
Structures and methods of operating a resistive switching memory device are disclosed herein. In one embodiment, a resistive switching memory device can include: (i) a plurality of resistive memory cells, where each of the resistive switching memory cells is configured to be programmed to a low resistance state by application of a first voltage in a forward bias direction, and to be erased to a high resistance state by application of a second voltage in a reverse bias direction; and (ii) a sensing circuit coupled to at least one of the plurality of resistive memory cells, where the sensing circuit is configured to read a data state of the at least one resistive memory cell by application of a third voltage in the forward bias direction or the bias reverse direction.
US09361974B2
A method of operating a memory device includes determining a value of an operating current flowing through a selected first signal line, to which a selection voltage is applied, from among a plurality of first signal lines; dividing an array of memory cells into n blocks, n being an integer greater than 1, based on the value of the operating current; and applying inhibit voltages having different voltage levels corresponding to the n blocks to unselected ones of second signal lines included in the n blocks. Each of the unselected second signal lines is a pathway through which leakage current may potentially flow due to the operating current flowing through the selected first signal line and a memory cell addressed by the unselected second signal line and the selected first signal line.
US09361964B1
A boosted supply voltage generator is selectively activated and deactivated to allow operations that are sensitive to variations on the boosted voltage to be performed with a stable boosted voltage. Techniques for deactivating and reactivating the voltage generator are also disclosed that enable more rapid recovery from deactivation such that subsequent operations can be commenced sooner. Such techniques include storing state information corresponding to the voltage generator when deactivated, where the stored state information is used when reactivating the voltage generator. Stored state information can include a state of a clock signal provided to the voltage generator.
US09361960B2
A memory device has a storage array having a plurality of accessible memory banks and a configurable first set of memory segments. The plurality of accessible memory banks include a second set of memory segments. During a first mode of operation, the first set of memory segments is configured to be an additional accessible memory bank. During a second mode of operation, a pair of memory segments in the first set of memory segments are configured to be an additional set of memory segments in each of the plurality of accessible memory banks.
US09361958B2
A semiconductor device may include: a plurality of data pads; a plurality of data buffers each suitable for buffering a signal inputted through a first input node using a voltage inputted through a second input node, and outputting the buffered signal; and a calibration control unit suitable for generating a test signal in a calibration mode, adjusting the level of the test signal, receiving outputs of the plurality of data buffers while adjusting the level of the test signal, and adjusting offsets of the data buffers such that the logical values of the outputs of the data buffers transit when the test signal has a target level.
US09361950B1
A semiconductor device with reduced leakage current and a method of manufacturing these reduced leakage current semiconductor devices are disclosed. The reduced leakage current semiconductor devices may be used for both static circuits and dynamic circuits. The reduced leakage current semiconductor devices reduce leakage current in the device when the node is not transitioning which occurs more than 95% of the time.
US09361946B2
A vibration isolating hard disk drive carrier for isolating the transfer of vibration from one hard disk drive to another comprising a carrier body and one or more isolation hangers is disclosed. The carrier has a first surface configured to couple to inherent features of a first external surface of a hard disk drive, and a second surface configured to couple to inherent features of a second external surface hard disk drive. One or more isolation hangers configured to support the hard disk drive in a vertical orientation are coupled to the carrier body.
US09361943B2
A system and process for attaching tags to panoramic video. Tags provide information when viewing panoramic images, serve as references to specific actions and serve as reference for outside systems into a panoramic image database. Objects in a video can be tagged. It defines tags through 4-D time-space curves, which specify the 3-D location of a tagged object over time. It provides a user-friendly mechanism for defining said curves in panoramic video, which rely on curve fitting techniques to minimize the number of images to be labeled. It provides a mechanism for annotating tags with further information. When displaying tagged panoramic video, tags are graphically superimposed on the panoramic video feed using projective projection techniques. From this visualization, a user can then select a given tag and invoke an associated action. Additionally a mechanism whereby tags and associated user-provided information are used as index into panoramic image databases is provided.
US09361939B1
A data storage device is disclosed comprising a head and a disk comprising servo information and a reference pattern comprising a plurality of magnetic transitions. The servo information on the disk is processed to actuate the head over the disk, and a read signal is sampled from the head as the head moves across a width of the reference pattern at a substantially constant velocity to generate signal samples. The signal samples are processed to characterize a geometry of the magnetic transitions.
US09361925B2
An enlarged substrate for a magnetic recording medium used in a data storage device such as a hard disc drive (HDD). In some embodiments, a data storage device has a housing member for a 3½ inch form factor storage device or a 2½ inch form factor storage device. A rotatable data recording disc is supported by the housing member. The disc has a plurality of tracks formed thereon. At least one track of the plurality of tracks has an average radius of greater than 47.5 mm for the 3½ inch form factor storage device or greater than 32.5 mm for the 2½ inch form factor storage device. A data read/write transducer is configured to be controllably advanced across a recording surface of the data recording disc and to record data to the plurality of tracks.
US09361924B2
A thermally-assisted magnetic recording medium or a microwave-assisted magnetic recording medium includes: an orientation control layer (104) that is formed on a substrate (101); an underlayer (10) that is formed on the orientation control layer (104); and a magnetic layer (108) that is formed on the underlayer (10) and contains an alloy having an L10 type crystal structure as a main component, in which the underlayer (10) includes an MgO underlayer (107) that contains MgO and has a (100) orientation and a nitride underlayer (106) that contains at least one nitride selected from the group consisting of TaN, NbN, and HfN and has a (100) orientation.
US09361922B1
Techniques for determining a relative spacing between a read head and a surface of a magnetic data storage device may use at least two magnetic spacing measurement patterns. A first magnetic spacing measurement pattern may be offset from a center of a data track by a first offset value and a second magnetic spacing measurement pattern may be offset by a second, different, offset value. A processor may determine a first harmonic tone and a second harmonic tone from each of the first and second magnetic spacing measurement patterns. The processor also may determine respective ratios between amplitudes of the first and second harmonic tones for each of the first and second magnetic spacing measurement patterns. The processor may determine which ratio is greater, and may utilize the greater ratio when determining relative spacing between the read head and the surface of the magnetic data storage device.
US09361921B2
Recording a servo write head spacing for writing servo tracks on a magnetic tape in a manufacturing environment. One or more environmental condition measurements of the manufacturing environment are received by a computer. A pair of servo tracks is written on a magnetic tape by a pair of servo write heads at a nominal spacing. The one or more environmental condition measurements of the manufacturing environment and information pertaining to the spacing of the servo tracks on the magnetic tape are recorded in one or more data stores.
US09361917B2
In certain embodiments, a method of fabricating a base plate for piezoelectric actuation, comprises providing a plate having a major surface; striking a first removable portion of the plate in a first direction substantially normal to the major surface to shear the first removable portion relative to the plate by a shear distance that is less than the plate thickness; striking the first removable portion in a second direction substantially opposite the first direction to reduce the shear distance by a reduction in shear that is less than the plate thickness; and leaving the first removable portion in place rather than removing the first removable portion. In other embodiments, the removable portion may be created by lancing one or more portions spanning at least one opening through a base plate adjacent a first side of at least one opening and adjacent a second side of the at least one opening.
US09361909B2
The embodiments disclose an alternating current (AC) erase process configured to cancel out existing polarity of stack magnetic features on both sides of the stack and an AC reset process configured to initialize the polarity of the device stack magnetic features of both sides of a stack configured to create a uniform polarity.
US09361900B2
The present technology relates to an encoding device and method, a decoding device and method, and a program, which enable improvement of audio quality.A QMF sub-band power calculation unit calculates power of a QMF sub-band signal of a high frequency QMF sub-band among a plurality of the QMF sub-bands constituting an input signal. A high frequency sub-band power calculation unit carries out an operation to weight more a QMF sub-band power having larger power as for a sub-band including a number of the high frequency QMF sub-bands to calculate high frequency sub-band power of the sub-band. The multiplexing circuit multiplexes high frequency encoded data and low frequency encoded data for outputting. The high frequency encoded data is selected based on the high frequency sub-band power and obtained by encoding information used for obtaining a high frequency component of the input signal by estimating, and the low frequency encoded data is obtained by encoding low frequency components of the input signal. The present technology can be applied to encoding devices.
US09361899B2
The present disclosure is directed towards a process for estimating the signal to noise ratio of a speech signal. The process may include receiving, at a computing device, a speech signal having a bitstream and a signal-to-noise ratio (“SNR”) associated therewith. The process may further include estimating the SNR directly from the bitstream or using a partial decoder that is configured to extract one or more parameters, the parameters including at least one of a fixed codebook gain, an adaptive codebook gain, a pitch lag, and a line spectral frequency (“LSF”) coefficient.
US09361896B2
A selected channel of a multi-channel signal which is represented by frames composed from sampling values having a high time resolution can be encoded with higher quality when a wave form parameter representation representing a wave form of an intermediate resolution representation of the selected channel is derived, the wave form parameter representation including a sequence of intermediate wave form parameters having a time resolution lower than the high time resolution of the sampling values and higher than a time resolution defined by a frame repetition rate. The wave form parameter representation with the intermediate resolution can be used to shape a reconstructed channel to retrieve a channel having a signal envelope close to that one of the selected original channel. The time scale on which the shaping is performed is shorter than the time scale of a framewise processing, thus enhancing the quality of the reconstructed channel. On the other hand, the shaping time scale is larger than the time scale of the sampling values, significantly reducing the amount of data needed by the wave form parameter representation.
US09361893B2
Provided are, among other things, systems, methods and techniques for detecting whether a transient exists within an audio signal. According to one representative embodiment, a segment of a digital audio signal is divided into blocks, and a norm value is calculated for each of a number of the blocks, resulting in a set of norm values for such blocks, each such norm value representing a measure of signal strength within a corresponding block. A maximum norm value is then identified across such blocks, and a test criterion is applied to the norm values. If the test criterion is not satisfied, a first signal indicating that the segment does not include any transient is output, and if the test criterion is satisfied, a second signal indicating that the segment includes a transient is output. According to this embodiment, the test criterion involves a comparison of the maximum norm value to a different second maximum norm value, subject to a specified constraint, within the segment.
US09361888B2
A machine-readable medium and a network device are provided for speech-to-text translation. Speech packets are received at a broadband telephony interface and stored in a buffer. The speech packets are processed and textual representations thereof are displayed as words on a display device. Speech processing is activated and deactivated in response to a command from a subscriber.
US09361881B2
Disclosed are systems, methods, and computer readable media for identifying an acoustic environment of a caller. The method embodiment comprises analyzing acoustic features of a received audio signal from a caller, receiving meta-data information based on a previously recorded time and speed of the caller, classifying a background environment of the caller based on the analyzed acoustic features and the meta-data, selecting an acoustic model matched to the classified background environment from a plurality of acoustic models, and performing speech recognition as the received audio signal using the selected acoustic model.
US09361880B2
Disclosed herein are systems, computer-implemented methods, and computer-readable media for recognizing speech. The method includes receiving speech from a user, perceiving at least one speech dialect in the received speech, selecting at least one grammar from a plurality of optimized dialect grammars based on at least one score associated with the perceived speech dialect and the perceived at least one speech dialect, and recognizing the received speech with the selected at least one grammar. Selecting at least one grammar can be further based on a user profile. Multiple grammars can be blended. Predefined parameters can include pronunciation differences, vocabulary, and sentence structure. Optimized dialect grammars can be domain specific. The method can further include recognizing initial received speech with a generic grammar until an optimized dialect grammar is selected. Selecting at least one grammar from a plurality of optimized dialect grammars can be based on a certainty threshold.
US09361879B2
In one aspect, a method for processing media includes accepting a query. One or more language patterns are identified that are similar to the query. A putative instance of the query is located in the media. The putative instance is associated with a corresponding location in the media. The media in a vicinity of the putative instance is compared to the identified language patterns and data characterizing the putative instance of the query is provided according to the comparing of the media to the language patterns, for example, as a score for the putative instance that is determined according to the comparing of the media to the language patterns.
US09361865B2
An electronic guitar pick, system, system and method may include an enclosure forming a cavity, the enclosure having a first end that is substantially pointed and a second end opposite the first end that is substantially flat, the enclosure having a thickness proximate the cavity greater than a thickness proximate the first end. The electronic guitar pick, system, and method may further include a sensor contained, at least in part, within the cavity and configured to generate a sensor output based on an interaction with the enclosure and a sensory output device, communicatively coupled to the sensor, configured to output a sensory output based, at least in part, on the sensor output.
US09361857B2
Disclosed herein is a light emitting period setting method for a display panel wherein the peak luminance level is varied through control of a total light emitting period length which is the sum total of period lengths of light emitting periods arranged in a one-field period, including a step of setting period lengths of N light emitting periods, which are arranged in a one-field period, in response to the total light emitting period length such that the period lengths of the light emitting periods continue to keep a fixed ratio thereamong, N being equal to or higher than 3.
US09361856B2
In one embodiment, a method for controlling a liquid crystal display (LCD) is provided. The method receives a first light from a light source structure at a light emitting layer and emits from the light emitting layer a first color component, a second color component, and a third color component. The method then receives a second light through a first polarizer layer of a first polarization state positioned above the light emitting layer, a liquid crystal layer positioned above the first polarizer layer, and a second polarizer layer of a second polarization state positioned above the liquid crystal layer and converts the second light into the first color component, the second component, and the third color component in the light emitting layer. An intensity of the first light is dynamically controlled based on the converting of the second light.
US09361854B2
A method for stabilization for use in a display system is provided. The method is performed in a first electronic device comprising a first display and a gaze tracking unit configured to track a gaze of a user of the first device. The first device is arranged to send an image signal to the second device. The second device comprises a second display. The method comprises sending the image signal from the first device to the second device, controlling the image signal by the first device, depending on the tracked gaze of the user, displaying the controlled image signal on the second display such that, when the user focuses on an object of a view of the first display, the object of the view on the second display is cropped and stabilized.
US09361852B2
A media reproduction device that compresses and decompresses images for display on the media reproduction device.
US09361849B2
A data driving apparatus for a liquid crystal display device includes an output buffer for buffering and outputting a data voltage input from a digital-analog converter, wherein the output buffer includes an input amplifier for amplifying and outputting current proportional to the data voltage, an outputter for supplying a data voltage corresponding to the input data voltage to an output channel using charging and discharging current proportional to output current from the input amplifier, a control switch unit connected between the input amplifier and the outputter, for driving the outputter in a switching mode to precharge the output channel in a precharge period prior to a data supplying period in which the outputter outputs the data voltage, and a mode controller for controlling the control switch unit in response to an input control signal.
US09361842B2
A display panel driving apparatus, including a gate driving part configured to output a gate signal to gate lines of a display panel, and a data driving part configured to output a data signal to a data line of the display panel, including a digital-analog converter, wherein the digital-analog converter is configured to convert a common voltage control data of digital format to a common voltage control voltage of analog format.
US09361841B2
A pixel unit and a display device are proposed. The pixel unit includes a primary subpixel, a white subpixel, a display data line, a display scanning line, a common line and a mode scanning line. When the display device is in a 2D display mode, the white subpixel appears bright under the control of the display mode signal. Ehen the display device is in a 3D display mode, the white subpixel appears dark under the control of the display mode signal. Owing to the design of the present invention, power which the convention pixel and display device consumes is obviously reduced. Besides, crosstalk occurring in the conventional display device is successfully solved.
US09361838B2
A system and method are disclosed to utilize Gray code in order to reduce the power consumption of column drivers in a display system. Binary source data is received from a timing controller. A Gray code digitizer converts and encodes the binary source data into a binary portion of data and a Gray code data. The binary portion data and the Gray code data are transmitted through a shift register to a digital-to-analog converter. The shift register consumes less power processing the converted binary portion of data and Gray code data than the corresponding binary source data. The digital-to-analog converter decodes the Gray code and generates corresponding gamma voltage levels for display use.
US09361835B2
In the present liquid crystal display device, an LED output value correction section (513) included in an area-active drive processing section (5) corrects LED data Dbl obtained by an LED output value calculation section (512) with reference to a luminance correction LUT (13), such that the luminance in the area from an intermediate value to near a maximum value shifts to a higher degree. Thus, even if the backlight luminance is low (typically, the mean luminance of an input image is low), contrast ratio is enhanced, thereby preventing a tone jump (insufficient luminance) at high tone levels due to an insufficient backlight luminance.
US09361834B2
The present application relates to a method and apparatus for adjusting the brightness of a display, and a display system. The method for adjusting the brightness of a display comprises: acquiring a brightness adjusting signal, wherein the brightness adjusting signal includes a position value indicative of a desired brightness of the display; comparing the position value with a first threshold, wherein an adjusting scale is defined according to a variable range of transparency of an object displayed on the display if the position value is smaller than the first threshold; generating a brightness value of the object according to the position of the position value in the adjusting scale; and applying the brightness value to the object displayed on the display. The method can adjust the transparency of the displayed object through the graphical system in an electronic device, thereby further lowering the brightness of the display.
US09361833B2
Systems, apparatus, articles, and methods are described including operations for eye tracking based selective backlighting of a display.
US09361829B2
In a display apparatus including a switching transistor, a correction voltage for eliminating an effect of a variation in a characteristic of a driving transistor is stored in a storage capacitor. The switching transistor is disposed between one current terminal of the driving transistor and a light emitting element. The switching transistor turns off during the non-light emission period thereby to electrically disconnect the light emitting element from the one current terminal of the driving transistor thereby preventing a leakage current from flowing through the light emitting element during the period in which the correction unit operates, and thus preventing the correction voltage from having an error due to the leakage current.
US09361817B2
A removable personalized seat marker assembly that is temporarily installed on the user's seat at an event to personalize the user's seat. The user may easily remove the seat marker assembly and keep it as memorabilia of the event. The removable seat marker assembly comprises a personalized marker that enhances the experience of attending an event by allowing the user to customize their seat at the event by choosing from a variety of templates, personal user information, or event information, such as user's name, and/or the event name, date, and/or place. The seat marker assembly comprises a body having a front panel and a rear panel forming at least one enclosed compartment therein. The body comprises one or more attachment portions for installing the seat marker assembly to a seat. The front panel of the body comprises a clear window for displaying a personalized marker printed with information about the user and the event. The personalized marker may further comprise a machine-readable medium, wherein upon scanning the machine-readable medium at the event with a communication device of the user, the user may access, via a mobile phone application or website, information associated with the event, the user, the personalized marker, or any combination thereof.
US09361814B2
A backlit sign exhibiting a uniform illumination intensity pattern is achieved in a structure having a light transmissive front panel, a back panel, and a plurality of backlight modules disposed on a surface of the back panel that faces the front panel, wherein the backlight modules are spaced apart in an array, and each module includes at least one LED and a lens member having a lens portion that collects light from the LED and redirects the light into a generally square illumination pattern on the front panel.
US09361813B1
A recessed lighting device includes an electrical component housing that has a cavity. The recessed lighting device also includes a plaster ring that includes a plaster plate that has an opening therethrough. The plaster ring also includes a body extending substantially orthogonally from a perimeter of the opening towards the electrical component housing. The recessed lighting device further includes an illuminated panel that includes an electrical component assembly inserted through the opening and into the cavity, where the electrical component assembly is positioned within the electrical component housing.
US09361811B2
A label includes a first section and a second section that is attached to the first section. The first section includes a panel. The panel includes one or more sides that are detachable from the first section.
US09361809B1
The present system and method related to simulating medical procedures. The system and method comprise a body cavity simulator and at least one camera. The body cavity simulator comprises a channel having a proximal end, a distal end, and an inner longitudinal passage extending between the proximal end and the distal end. The channel is partially made of a material comprised of one of the following: a transparent material, a translucent material, a semi-transparent material. The channel receives at least one simulated medical instrument through the proximal end. The at least one camera is adapted for capturing through the material of the channel a pattern of a tracking device of the at least one simulated medical instrument inserted in the channel. The camera transmits data corresponding to the captured pattern of the tracking device to a processing unit.
US09361784B1
The primary objective of the invention is to provide a computer-implemented method for sending one or more alerts from a mobile alerting system stored in the non-transitory storage medium of an electronic device like mobile phones or smart phones etc. In one embodiment of the invention, the method of sending one or more alerts from a mobile alerting system stored in the non-transitory storage medium comprises of a centralized server and a plurality of mobile devices. Further in the same embodiment of the invention, the processor in the centralized server computes a plurality of instructions stored in the memory of the centralized server. Furthermore, the centralized server receives a primary alert initiation request comprising metadata generated from the primary mobile device, wherein the centralized server extracts the metadata of the alert. The alert is further delivered to a plurality of secondary mobile devices capable of telecommunication.
US09361780B2
The present invention is a container cap sensors, chips, transmitters, and receiver, to record, transmit, and receive data regarding the time intervals between when the container cap was last placed on or taken off of a container. The container cap is for use with pharmaceutical and other health care related vials, bottles and containers. The data transmission is used to monitor a patient's drug administration times and intervals, and allows the patient and/or the patient's caregiver to review the administration data. The container cap of the present invention is streamlined, easy to use, reliable, and inexpensive.
US09361777B2
The present invention relates to a gate system which uses overlapping radiation patterns to deduce when an item is entering a warehouse and when an item is leaving a warehouse, for example, for loading onto a truck. The present invention stores information relating to the direction the item moved and actuates an alarm if the item is moved in an unexpected direction. The radiation patterns of the gates are angled such that one radiation pattern from a first antenna is directed towards the loading dock, while another radiation pattern from a second antenna is directed towards the interior of the building. Overlapping the radiation patterns allows the logic circuitry to account for the item as it moves from one side of the gate system to the other.
US09361772B2
An activity monitor which can be pre-programmed at the factory, the doctor's office or the pharmacist, or that can be programmed by the user. The activity monitor is affixed to a medicine bottle or container and activity associated with the bottle or container, such as movement, opening, volume changes, etc. are monitored in view to the schedule. If the schedule indicates that a dose of medicine should be taken at a particular time, but the monitored activity does not determine that the medicine has been taken, an alert signal will be issued to alert the user that it is time to take the medicine. In addition, if the monitored activity indicates that the medicine bottle has been opened prior to a scheduled time, then a tamper alert can be triggered.
US09361769B2
A method and system for advanced patient communication have been disclosed. According to one embodiment, a computer-implemented method comprises providing a patient communication device through which a patient communicates a first message from a hospital bed. The first message is received at a central processing server. The first message is processed to identify an urgency level of the message. One or more additional messages are generated based on the first message. The one or more additional messages are transmitted to specific health care provider devices of specific health care providers who are expected to respond to the patient.
US09361768B2
An information gauge apparatus and method for providing both visual and audio readings of pressure within a pressure vessel. The information gauge apparatus includes a digital display coupled to a printed circuit board in communication with a pressure sensor. The digital display illustrates indicia relating gas pressure levels provided by the pressure sensor to the printed circuit board during use. The gauge further comprises an audible indicator coupled to the printed circuit board, the audible indicator provides an audible signal relating to gas pressure levels sensed by the pressure sensor to the printed circuit board during use. The gauge also includes a mechanical sensor providing a mechanically sensed reading value to a visual indicia display on the information gauge apparatus relating to gas pressure levels during use.
US09361767B2
A banking system is controlled responsive to data read from data bearing records. The banking system includes an automated banking machine. The machine is operable to carry out a financial transaction for a person responsive to a determination that the person is an authorized user of the machine based on correspondence between identifying data read by a reader of the machine and data store information. The machine includes a check acceptor that is operative to receive checks from authorized machine users. The check acceptor is operable to continuously move a received check along its transport path while simultaneously rotationally orienting the check into alignment with the transport path. A check determined not to have at least one property of an acceptable check is returned to the machine user. Acceptable checks are processed and stored in the machine.
US09361766B2
A gaming system for conducting a wagering game includes a display for displaying a base game of the wagering game in response to receiving a wager input from a player and a controller coupled to the display. The controller is programmed to randomly increment during game play a bonus-time eligibility counter for a community bonus game, decrement the bonus-time eligibility counter as real time progresses, and render a player eligible to play the community bonus game if the bonus-time eligibility counter is greater than zero when a community bonus game is triggered.
US09361763B1
A gaming system has a plurality of reels. Each reel has a plurality of symbol locations. The gaming system is in communication with one or more processors. The gaming system involves the selection of a symbol location on a first reel of the plurality of reels. The selected symbol location is associated with a first type of symbol. At least one additional symbol location is added to the first reel at a location adjacent to the selected symbol location. Each additional symbol location is filled with the first type of symbol to create a first clump of the first type of symbols. Alternatively, the gaming system determines a number of additional symbol locations that are added to the first reel adjacent to the selected first symbol location. The gaming system then fills the additional symbol locations with symbols.
US09361762B2
Disclosed herein is a fantasy video gaming system having a server and including a processor for executing computer program instructions and having a memory coupled to the processor for storing the computer program instructions, the programming instructions comprising: establishing at least one online video gaming tournament; accepting participants entry into the online fantasy video gaming tournament. The fantasy video gaming system may be capable of taking and distributing compiled player statistics and metrics to third-party subscribers, wherein the player statistics and metrics represent the overall performance of a single player, group of players, or a team of players across multiple online video games for use in a large-scale fantasy game scoring.
US09361756B2
A gaming machine is provided, which awards loyalty points to players playing the game who have identified themselves to the machine. The machine is arranged to award loyalty points to the player and to play two game means wherein, the first or base game may be provided by the slot machine game as a stand alone function with no dependence upon a supporting communications network, the second game may be linked game in which a plurality of network connected machines participate with control of the game being provided by a central game controller, while the communications network is controlled by a network controller. A first game mode is available to all players and a second enhanced game mode is made available to players who have reached a predetermined threshold of loyalty points.
US09361745B2
A bagged ice vending machine where a drive motor is energized causing conveyors to move, the conveyors are designed to move in opposite directions so that the product will move to the end of that conveyor and drop to the conveyor below, which will force the last bag on the bottom conveyor to fall into the vending chute, activating the ice vended sensor, and slide into the vending hopper, the product can then be accessed by the customer through the vended product access door. A drive chain is configured on each conveyor chain sprocket so that when the drive motor is energized the conveyors will move in opposing directions. This movement indexes the product so that as each item reaches the end of the conveyor it will fall to the conveyor below. Each conveyor will only move the product one position for each product dispense cycle.
US09361727B2
Methods, systems, and computer readable media for generating autostereo three-dimensional views of a scene for a plurality of viewpoints are disclosed. According to one system, a display is configured to display images from plural different viewpoints using a barrier located in front of the display, where the barrier has a pseudo-random arrangement of light ports through which images on the display are viewable. A renderer coupled to the display simultaneously renders images from the different viewpoints such that pixels that should appear differently from the different viewpoints are displayed in a predetermined manner. The pseudo-random arrangement of the light ports in the barrier smoothes interference between the different viewpoints as perceived by viewers located at the different viewpoints.
US09361717B2
According to some embodiments, there is provided a method of creating an interlaced composite image. The method comprises receiving a plurality of images selected for interlacing, generating an interlaced composite image by interlacing a plurality of image strips from each the image and a plurality of separating strips in alternating manner, and outputting the interlaced composite image. At least some of pixel color values of each of the plurality of separating strips are calculated as a function of respective pixel color values of each of a first and second of the plurality of image strips which are interlaced to its left and to its right in the interlaced composite image.
US09361711B2
A method, a control unit and a system for image reconstruction and visualization of a tomosynthesis volume. Different region of interests are detected in the volume and specific types of lesions are determined. Based on the type of lesion, different reconstruction parameters and different reconstruction algorithms are applied in order to reconstruct a sub-volume or a region in a projection. After displaying the digital breast tomosynthesis volume, a user selection signal is received, in order to identify a selection area. The selection area identifies a region in the volume which should be reconstructed differently from the remaining volume and typically with higher resolution, because it refers to a region of specific interest. After having received the user selection signal the selection area is defined and a pre-computed or online-computed reconstruction of the selection area is visualized. The reconstruction is executed according to the determined lesion type specific reconstruction parameters.
US09361709B2
A portable pervasive device includes a combined visual and thermal display. The user is able to detect texture of displayed objects visually and through touching the combined display. A software application pre-defines color codes and temperature settings for a plurality of textures on a graded scale including smooth, soft, and rough. The object is then shown on the display using the color codes and temperature settings for at least one surface of the object.
US09361707B2
Systems and methods for estimation of compression noise in an image or in a video sequence are provided. Difference values in a first direction are computed, and a plurality of statistical feature values for the difference values are computed in association with a plurality of offsets. At least one feature value is computed using the plurality of statistical feature values, and a compression-noise estimate may be determined in accordance with a criterion based on a comparison of the at least on feature value and an associated threshold and an additive noise estimate.
US09361701B2
The present invention is a set of algorithms or calculations that may be applied to efficiently use atlas-based segmentation using QBinary (binary and/or quasi-binary) representations of images and/or their ROIs. A QBinary representation of an image or a part of an image (for example, such as a ROD may be a binary image (for example, such as a code with 1 bit) and or a quasi-binary image (for example, such as a code with more than 1 and less than 8 bits) that serves to represent that image and/or ROI in an atlas. Two-dimensional QBinary codes may be used to both construct QBinary atlases and QBinary-controlled atlases with or without QB-Codes registration. Additionally, the present invention may offer a set of algorithms to sequentially auto-contour (or auto-segment) individual slices of a volume set of digital images without or without QB-Codes registration, provided one slice is semi-automatically contoured by a human operator.
US09361698B1
A system and method for determining depth information of an object is provided. The system projects dots on an object and captures an image of the object with captured dots. The system identifies the captured dots based on a brightness of the captured dots and identifies coordinates of the captured dots. The system processes the captured image by removing brightness information of pixels outside of the captured dots. The system processes the captured dot by overlaying synthesized dot image on the captured dot. The system divides the processed captured image into captured sections and compares the captured sections to reference sections. The system selects individual reference sections having a highest correlation score for each of the captured sections and correlates a captured dot from each of the captured sections to a reference dot in respective corresponding reference sections. Depth information may be calculated based on coordinates of the captured dots and correlated reference dots.
US09361697B1
A graphic processing circuit with binning rendering and associated pre-depth processing method is provided. Firstly, a first depth data of a first primitive corresponding to a specified tile is received. Then, the pre-depth data corresponding to the specified tile is read from a pre-Z buffer. If the first depth data is not larger than the pre-depth data and the first primitive is an opaque primitive, the pre-depth data is updated with the first depth data. If the first depth data is not larger than the pre-depth data and the first primitive is a translucent primitive, an uncertainty ordering range is defined according to the first depth data and the pre-depth data, and the pre-depth data is updated with the uncertainty ordering range.
US09361676B2
Disclosed are embodiments for a system, method, and computer program product for performing an process on an original image, the process being implemented by a computer system performs a comprising the at least one computer: performing an process on an image that renders the processed image legible than then the original image, wherein the analysis segregates dark pixels of the image from light pixels of the image. The method can comprise: first converting the image into a grayscale image. The method comprises processing a pixel area for each pixel of the image is a dark pixel or a light pixel and determining if a pixel is proximate to an edge.
US09361673B2
An image interpolation apparatus includes: a first processing unit which calculates an error on image data between a patch to be interpolated that overlaps with a masked region and a reference patch that does not overlap with the masked region; a second processing unit which calculates, based on the image data, feature quantities indicating the degrees of flatness of the respective patch regions; a third processing unit which calculates an error between their feature quantities; a fourth processing unit which selects a reference patch that has produced a least significant error based on results obtained by the first and third processing units; and a fifth processing unit which pastes pixel data of the reference patch that the fourth processing unit has selected onto the patch to be interpolated. The third processing unit calculates an error between the feature quantities by comparing the feature quantity of the patch to be interpolated outside of the masked region to that of the entire reference patch.
US09361669B2
A blurring process is performed on an addition area including a point light source area detected in an image to be processed so that the nearer to the circumference of the addition area, the higher the luminance value while an addition coefficient is being increased according to a distance from the center.
US09361668B2
There is provided an apparatus for generating a disparity map. According to the apparatus, an image acquisition section acquires a right-camera image and a left-camera image which are picked up from mutually different viewpoints by cameras. A disparity map generation section generates a disparity map that includes disparity expressed in terms of a difference in pixel positions between each of pixels and a corresponding one of pixels in the right-camera image and the left-camera image, respectively, as acquired. A weight determination section determines a weight that serves as a degree of contribution to disparity correction, for each of weight-calculation-target pixels composed of surrounding pixels. The weight-calculation-target pixels include a correction-target pixel or surrounding pixels that are present around the correction-target pixel in the disparity map. A disparity map correction section corrects the disparity of the correction-target pixel, using weighted average based on the determined weight.
US09361664B2
There are provided a data processing apparatus which makes an I/F for data processing modules (processors) versatile to facilitate addition/modification on a data processing module basis in accordance with processing contents, an image processing apparatus, and a method for the apparatuses. A data processing module (3) includes a read address generator (11), read FIFO (7), write address generator (13), write FIFO (9), and arbiter (10) and is connected to a host arbiter (4) through a 1-channel port. The read address generator (11) and write address generator (13) generate interrupts upon acceptance of final access requests so as to control activation of each data processing module (8-1- 8-m) in accordance with the state of each data processing module in interrupt processing. Note that data transfer among the respective data processing modules is performed on a RAM (6).
US09361654B2
Various embodiments provide for dynamically and automatically managing activities of two parties (e.g., friends, business associates, family members) based on a change in relationship (e.g., no longer friends, break-up, divorce, no longer working together) between the two parties in a network (e.g., a social network implemented using a social networking website). In one specific example, mechanisms are provided for dynamically and automatically adjusting privacy control (e.g. removing, hiding, scraping, deleting, obscuring) of past activity data (e.g. social network wall posts, social network wall re-posts, pictures, forum posts, blog posts, blog comments, documents, files, videos, tags etc.) of the two parties upon detecting a change in relationship between the two parties in the social network.
US09361653B2
Methods, systems, apparatus, and computer programs encoded on computer storage medium, for integrating business data and social data in execution of a business process, implementations including actions of receiving user input, the user input being associated with a task of the business process and being received during interaction with an application, determining that a social query is triggered, querying business data based on a business query, the business query being generated based on the user input, querying social networking data based on the social query, the social query being generated at least partially based on the user input, receiving business data in response to the business query, receiving social data in response to the social query, and providing at least a portion of the business data and at least a portion of the social data for display to a user that provided the user input.
US09361650B2
A method includes receiving and storing sensor data including a first plurality of data points indicative of a plurality of respective states of the environment external to a vehicle at a plurality of respective times, operational data including a second plurality of data points indicative of a plurality of respective states of an operational parameter of the vehicle at a plurality of respective times, and synchronization data. The method also includes generating a virtual model of an event involving the vehicle using the stored data, at least by generating a first visual representation of the plurality of respective states of the external environment, generating a second visual representation of the plurality of respective states of the operational parameter, and using the synchronization data to cause the first visual representation to be displayed simultaneously with, and in a time-aligned manner with, the second visual representation.
US09361641B2
Disclosed is a system and method for modifying a tire inventory database in a tire inventory server using a computer, a table, or a mobile communication device, comprising: obtaining an image of tread pattern on a selected tire using an imaging device; measuring tread depth on the selected tire to obtain a tread depth reading; and transmitting the image of tread pattern and the tread depth reading to the tire inventory server.
US09361637B2
A request to diagnose a problem with an appliance is provided to a diagnostic system whereupon the diagnostic system functions to interpret the information indicative of the problem with the appliance to thereby normalize the information indicative of the problem with the appliance. The normalized information indicative of the problem with the appliance is then used to select from a knowledge base in which is maintained a plurality of solutions each having associated tags that function to identify concepts and values in a domain model a set of possible solutions for the problem with the appliance. As necessary, information within the set of possible solutions for the problem with the appliance is used to dynamically generate additional questions to thereby obtain further information indicative of the problem with the appliance. The further information indicative of the problem with the appliance may then be used to identify from with the set of possible solutions for the problem with the appliance a subset of best possible solutions for the problem with the appliance. This subset of best possible solutions for the problem with the appliance may then be presented to an end user to thereby allow the end user to perform the repair(s) needed to correct the problem.
US09361629B2
Methods and arrangements for managing execution of multiple campaigns. At least two campaigns are directed to a target. A monitor is associated with the target, and the at least two campaigns are delivered to the monitor, wherein at least one campaign is in a run mode and at least one campaign is in a wait mode.
US09361628B2
A shelving system and method are disclosed. The shelving system includes: a plurality of shelves; at least one display screen; at least one camera, for optically detecting the contents of each one of the shelves; and at least one computing device in communication with the display screen and the at least one camera for presenting sales and promotional information on the display screen in dependence on the contents of the compartments as sensed by the sensors.
US09361624B2
Systems and methods are provided for determining an affinity score of a source entity and a target entity without consideration of data that directly links the source entity and the target entity. An intermediate entity that is relatable to a source entity is identified. A target entity is identified that is relatable to an intermediate entity. A similarity score is calculated identifying a degree of similarity between the source entity and the intermediate entity, or the target entity and the intermediate entity. An affinity score is calculated of the source entity and the intermediate entity, or the target entity and the intermediate entity. An affinity score of the source entity and the target entity is determined based on the similarity score and the affinity score.
US09361614B2
Methods, systems, and apparatus, including computer programs encoded on computer storage media, for modulating card information between a card reader and a user device. One of the methods includes receiving, from a read head of the card reader, card information associated with a card. The card information is encoded in a first format to be sent to the user device at a first data rate. The card information is encoded in a second format to be sent to the user device at a second data rate lower than the first data rate. The card information is sent to the user device encoded in the first format and the second format.
US09361608B2
The present invention provides a method and apparatus for providing transaction information to a user of a Self-Service Terminal (SST). The method comprises aborting a user initiated transaction at an SST subsequent to an error occurring during the transaction; and displaying an optical device-readable code in a display of a user interface of the SST for identifying at least one parameter associated with the aborted transaction.
US09361605B2
System for updating filtering rules for messages received by a plurality of users including a filtering rules database storing filtering rules for the users; means for distributing the filtering rules to the users; a user reputation database comprising a reputation weight for each user; and means for receiving and processing of user reports that indicate that a message belongs to a particular category. The means for receiving (i) calculates a message weight in its category based on a number of reports received from multiple users and a reputation weights of those users, (ii) decides whether the message belongs to the particular category if the message weight exceeds a predefined threshold, (iii) updates the filtering rules in the filtering rules database based on the deciding, and (iv) distributes the updated filtering rules from the filtering rules database to the users using the means for distributing.
US09361601B2
Embodiments of the present invention relate generally to a modular system for facilitating automated transactions. Specifically, in some embodiments a modular system includes a plurality of lock modules that are controlled by one or more primary lock control boards. The lock modules control access to products or services through one or more daughter boards.
US09361597B2
The invention provides systems and methods for risk assessment using a variable risk engine. A method for risk assessment may comprise setting an amount of real-time risk analysis for an online transaction, performing the amount of real-time risk analysis based on the set amount, and performing an amount of time-delayed risk analysis. In some embodiments, the amount of real-time risk analysis may depend on a predetermined period of time for completion of the real-time risk analysis. In other embodiments, the amount of real-time risk analysis may depend on selected tests to be completed during the real-time risk analysis.
US09361593B2
A system and method for using business services within a customer relationship management (CRM) application. Business services are objects that encapsulate and simplify the use of some set of functionality. The CRM application includes an object manager that manages business objects as well as business services. Business objects are associated with data stored in the application database. Business services operate or act upon business objects to achieve a particular goal. Business services include methods that can be invoked and properties that maintain information about the state of a process during execution.
US09361591B2
An apparatus and method for building a map of probability distribution are provided. The apparatus for building the map of probability distribution includes: a sensor information collector configured to collect sensor information from a plurality of sensors; as object recognizer configured to recognize an object by integrating and inferring the sensor information, and to acquire object information; and a probability distribution creator configured to determine whether to apply an object property model including at least one of kinematic properties, shape properties, and probabilistic properties in correspondence to the object information, to acquire object properties corresponding to the object information, and to create a probability distribution based on foe object properties. Accordingly, it is possible to build a map with high reliability.
US09361590B2
There is provided an information processing apparatus including a manipulation model learning unit configured to learn a manipulation model regarding manipulation of a first object by a second object, by use of an actual image that is an actually observed image including the first object and the second object, the manipulation model associating a position and a change in state of the second object, when a state of the second object changes at a position in an object reference coordinate system with the first object regarded as a reference, with a change in state of the first object caused by the change in state of the second object.
US09361582B2
Some embodiments of efficient binary protocol marshalling for rule engine sessions have been presented. In one embodiment, a set of marshalling plug-ins is provided to a rule engine. Each of the set of marshalling plug-ins is customized for a type of user objects. In response to encountering a user object, the rule engine selects a marshalling plug-in out of the set of marshalling plug-ins based on a type of the user object to marshall in or to marshall out the user object.
US09361580B2
A medical diagnosis support apparatus is provided. In the medical diagnosis support apparatus, an acquisition unit acquires medical information associated with a diagnosis target as input information. An inference unit infers a diagnosis name of the diagnosis target based on the acquired input information. A calculation unit calculates the influence rate of each input information with respect to each inference. A creation unit creates a report sentence based on the calculated influence rate.
US09361568B2
In embodiments of the present invention improved capabilities are described for RFID tags with hardened memory, where the memory comprises a plurality of one time programmable (OTP) non-volatile memory locations for storing data, wherein the plurality of OTP non-volatile memory locations are configured to emulate a hardened memory system that retains data stored in the plurality of OTP non-volatile memory locations, wherein the data stored is retained after exposure of the RFID tag to an ionizing radiation exposure with an exposure level equal to or greater than 25 kGy, wherein the plurality of OTP non-volatile memory locations are configured to emulate at least one multiple time programmable (MTP) memory location for storing the data.
US09361560B2
A printing apparatus including: a receiving unit configured to receive print data; a printing unit configured to print image obtained from decompressed data, which is obtained by decompressing the print data, on a sheet; a transmitting unit configured to transmit data to a storage device to which a log related to printing is configured to be stored; and a control device configured to: decompress the print data into the decompressed data; and determine whether data related to the printing satisfies a predetermined condition; wherein, if the control device determines that the predetermined condition is satisfied, the transmitting unit transmits the print data to the storage device, and if the determining unit determines that the predetermined condition is not satisfied, the transmitting unit transmits the decompressed data to the storage device.
US09361554B2
A printer is described having a control unit and/or image processor to determine a number of pixels by which to scale an image along an axis of the image, wherein, the scaling of the image is less than 10% of the image along the axis. The control unit and/or image processor is also to identify locations along the axis equal to the number. The control unit and/or image processor is also to remove a region of more than one pixel along the axis at each of the locations. The control unit and/or image processor is also to insert a region of more than one pixel along the axis at each of the locations, where, a difference between pixels removed and pixels inserted accounts for the number.
US09361550B2
An arrangement comprising at least one first processing machine arranged to process a web, and a scanning device arranged to scan the web. The arrangement also comprises a computing device configured to: receive image data of the web, analyze the data, and generate a graphic code symbol based on the analysis, and a printing device arranged to print the graphic symbol on the web for marking a web with data relating to features of the web. At least one second processing machine is arranged to further process the web, a reading device is arranged to read the graphic code symbol of the web, and a control device is configured to: receive image data relating to the graphic code symbol, decode the graphic code symbol to retrieve information regarding features of the web, and control the second processing machine to adapt the further processing of the web according to the features.
US09361545B2
Certain aspects of the present disclosure relate to methods and apparatus for neuro-simulation with a single two-dimensional device to track objects. The neuro-simulation may report a point of interest in an image that is provided by the device. The device may center on the point of interest using one or more actuators. The simulation mechanism may input pixels and output a plurality of angles to the actuators to adjust their direction.
US09361542B2
In one embodiment, a computing device receives a first image from a client device associated with at least one user of a social-networking system. The computing device performs a content-aware hashing function on the first image and generates a large hash value. The computing device then performs a locality-sensitive hashing function on the large hash value to generate a small hash value. The computing device calculates a distance from the small hash value to a cluster center which is associated with the small hash values for at least one other image. If the distance is greater than a threshold distance, the first image is determined not similar to the at least one other image. The computing device creates a new cluster center for the first image. If the distance is less than the threshold distance, the first image is determined similar to the at least one other image.
US09361523B1
A method and system for video-content based retrieval is described. A query video depicting an activity is processed using interest point selection to find locations in the video that are relevant to that activity. A set of spatio-temporal descriptors such as self-similarity and 3-D SIFT are calculated within a local neighborhood of the set of interest points. An indexed video database containing videos similar to the query video is searched using the set of descriptors to obtain a set of candidate videos. The videos in the video database are indexed hierarchically using a vocabulary tree or other hierarchical indexing mechanism.
US09361520B2
There is provided a system for tracking objects. The system includes a processor and a memory for storing a plurality of sensory data frames. The processor determines a first hypothesized location for each of the objects in each of the plurality of sensory data frames. For each of the plurality of sensory data frames, the processor determines probabilities that the first hypothesized location of each of the objects in a sensory data frame of the plurality of sensory data frames is the same as the first hypothesized location of another object in an adjacent sensory data frame. The processor computes a first optimal trajectory for each of the objects using an algorithm based on the probabilities, checks the first optimal trajectory for each of the objects, and accepts or rejects the first optimal trajectory for each of the objects.
US09361510B2
Disclosed in some examples are various modifications to the shape regression technique for use in real-time applications, and methods, systems, and machine readable mediums which utilize the resulting facial landmark tracking methods.
US09361506B2
A system, which computer processes a tenprint card where fingerprint images are imprinted, provides a processing mechanism which automatically crops or segments respective fingerprint images on the tenprint card. In particular, the system provides: a processing mechanism which appropriately crops or segments a slap print image, even if a fingerprint image of slap prints does not fit in a predetermined frame or even if noise other than fingerprints to be cropped or segmented is present within a frame of a four-finger slap, by using a result of matching with rolled prints; and a processing mechanism which checks a correspondence relationship between the rolled prints and the plane prints, assesses a finger position, and detects an error of imprinting position.
US09361497B1
A visible target having a predetermined target size is fixed on a document capture stand. A visible aiming light beam is directed along an aiming axis away from an imaging reader. The beam has a beam size in cross-section that changes along the aiming axis. The reader is moved relative to the stand along the aiming axis until the beam size visually matches the target size at a predetermined distance between the reader and the stand. An image of a document supported by the stand is captured at the predetermined distance.
US09361488B2
A method for subcarrier downconversion and data detection according to one embodiment includes determining whether to use an upper sideband frequency section of a complex downconverter output, a lower sideband frequency section of the complex downconverter output, or both sideband frequency sections of the complex downconverter output; and processing the output corresponding to the selected sideband frequency section or sections based on the determination, wherein the processing includes correlation and data detection. Such methodology may also be implemented as a system using logic for performing the various operations. Additional systems and methods are also presented.
US09361474B2
Resource acquisition requests for a filesystem are executed under user configurable metering. Initially, a system administrator sets a ratio of N:M for executing N read requests for M write requests. As resource acquisition requests are received by a filesystem server, the resource acquisition requests are sorted into queues, e.g., where read and write requests have at least one queue for each type, plus a separate queue for metadata requests as they are executed ahead of any waiting read or write request. The filesystem server controls execution of the filesystem resource acquisition requests to maintain the ratio set by the system administrator.
US09361470B2
The invention is a secure element comprising a virtual machine able to work in admin mode and in runtime mode. The secure element comprises two enhanced containers. Each of said enhanced containers can be either in an activated state or in a disabled state. Only one of the enhanced containers can be in activated state at any given time. The virtual machine is adapted to access each of the enhanced containers when working in admin mode. The virtual machine cannot access an enhanced container which is in disabled state when working in runtime mode.
US09361467B2
Implementations of the present disclosure include methods, systems, and computer-readable storage mediums for receiving, from a computing device used by an authenticated user, a validation request, the validation request including a first hash value and a first validation token, the first hash value being generated based on restricted content of a workflow object and the first validation token being associated with a first state of the workflow object, and determining that the authenticated user is authorized to request validation of the workflow object and, in response: decrypting the validation token to provide a second hash value, and determining that the second hash value is equal to both the first hash value and a third hash value and, in response, transmitting a validation response to the computing device, the validation response indicating that the workflow object is valid.
US09361464B2
A versatile log system is disclosed for producing logs for documents or other objects. The system allows authorized users to configure a log table and at least one coupled table, validate log entries for the log table, and validate data records for the coupled table. When the system is installed with investigative identity data search algorithm, identity data processing algorithm, interactive data entry features, and phrase construction feature, it can significantly improve production efficiency and data accuracy.
US09361458B1
Malicious code is detected in binary data by disassembling machine language instructions of the binary data into assembly language instructions. Opcodes of the assembly language instructions are normalized and formed into groups, with each group being a subsequence of a sequence of machine language instructions of the binary data. The subsequence is delimited by a predetermined machine language instruction. Locality-sensitive hashes are calculated for each group and compared to locality-sensitive hashes of known malicious machine language instructions to detect malicious code in the binary data.
US09361454B2
In response to a request for launching an application within an operating system of a data processing system, one or more extended entitlements are extracted from the application, where the one or more extended entitlements specify one or more resources the application is entitled to access. One or more security profile extensions corresponding to the one or more extended entitlements are dynamically generated. A security profile specifically for the application is created based on the one or more security profile extensions and a base security profile that has been previously compiled, where the base security profile specifies a list of a plurality of base resources. The application is then launched in a sandboxed operating environment that is configured based on the security profile specifically generated for the application.
US09361449B2
A platform integrity verification system capable of executing platform integrity verification by a trusted boot without causing a delay of system startup time. The platform integrity verification system has an information processing device and an integrity verification computer that is communicably connected to each other. The information processing device comprises an acquisition section acquires a unique value from each of a plurality of programs executed by the information processing device when the information processing device is shut down; and a storage section configured to store the unique value acquired by the acquisition section in a storage device. The integrity verification computer comprises a comparison section configured to acquire the unique value stored in the storage device through communication with the information processing device and compares the acquired unique value with a predetermined value held in advance for each program.
US09361448B2
Shaking patterns and/or environmental information associated with real-world handheld devices may form a basis for enabling authentication and/or effectuating events in a virtual environment. The handheld devices may include toys and/or other object that can be used to play. The handheld devices may be associated with the virtual environment in that individual handheld devices may share an appearance and/or theme with an avatar, a virtual object, and/or other element within the virtual environment. Shaking a pair of handheld devices together may facilitate authentication of the handheld devices with respect to the virtual environment and/or effectuate one or more events within the virtual environment. Shake patterns may be used in conjunction with geo-location and/or environmental information to improve pairing between handheld devices.
US09361438B2
A method and system for accepting user inputs over a network. The user is provided with an input widget on a client system to collect and send an input and user identity information to a server system, without the requirement to authenticate the user identity on the client system upfront. The server stores the user input and the user identity information, and associates the user input information with the user identity information. The server system sends to the user identity URL a message comprising of the user input information and an indication of action such as a link that the user is to perform to confirm the authenticity of the input. In response to the indicated action being performed, the server system processes the user input as authenticated input.
US09361428B2
A network server arrangement including a processor with a machine readable storage encoded with software for execution by the processor. The network server arrangement is responsive to requests to access a medical record of an individual and generates summary medical record data including summary information having a plurality of data elements associated with the individual, at least one of the data elements conveying medical information about the individual, and a pointers component including at least one pointer pointing to a network location containing importable medical information in connection with the individual that is not contained in the summary information component. The pointer includes a machine readable address part for processing by the client, allowing the client to import the medical information from the network location, and a label part for displaying to a user the nature of the medical information residing at the network location.
US09361427B2
The present invention provides a method of a method of designing an implementation of a DNA assembly. In an exemplary embodiment, the method includes (1) receiving a list of DNA sequence fragments to be assembled together and an order in which to assemble the DNA sequence fragments, (2) designing DNA oligonucleotides (oligos) for each of the DNA sequence fragments, and (3) creating a plan for adding flanking homology sequences to each of the DNA oligos. In an exemplary embodiment, the method includes (1) receiving a list of DNA sequence fragments to be assembled together and an order in which to assemble the DNA sequence fragments, (2) designing DNA oligonucleotides (oligos) for each of the DNA sequence fragments, and (3) creating a plan for adding optimized overhang sequences to each of the DNA oligos.
US09361423B2
A method includes selecting a process corner, determining model parameters for forming an integrated circuit, and generating a file using the model parameters for the process corner. The generating the file is performed using a computer. The file includes at least two of a first capacitance table, a second capacitance table, and a third capacitance table. The first capacitance table stores greatest parasitic capacitances between layout patterns of the integrated circuit when lithography masks including the layout patterns shift relative to each other. The second capacitance table stores smallest parasitic capacitances between the layout patterns when the lithography masks shift relative to each other. The third capacitance table stores nominal parasitic capacitances between the layout patterns when the lithography masks do not shift relative to each other.
US09361417B2
Technology is disclosed for placement of single-bit flip-flops and multi-bit flip-flops. Single-bit flip-flops with replaced with multi-bit flip-flops and/or relative placement groups of single-bit flip-flops.
US09361410B2
A method of making a patient specific surgical guide includes obtaining a virtual model of a fixation member, and virtually designing a guide that defines at least one hole that corresponds to a hole of the virtual model of the fixation member.
US09361401B2
Systems, methods, and machine-readable and executable instructions are provided for relevance map linking. Relevance map linking can include identifying a user as a user node that is associated with a number of user resources. Relevance map linking can also include finding a number of related resources that are associated with the number of user resources and defining the number of related resources as a number of related resource nodes. Relevance map linking can include defining a number of related resource relevance maps for the number of related resource nodes. Relevance map linking can include defining a user relevance map for the user node wherein the user relevance map links the number of related resource nodes and the user node based on the number of resource relevance maps.
US09361400B2
A method is provided for initializing an XML database. The method includes the steps of parsing an XML file to extract a plurality of records, the records arranged in a hierarchical form, creating, for each record, a plurality of class objects, each class having associated therewith one or more attributes, and creating a plurality of handling methods for each of one or more attributes associated with each class object, the handling methods defining how the database can be accessed.
US09361378B2
Technologies are generally described for determining a reliability of an online post. In some examples, a method may include identifying from an online post at least one word associated with a place, identifying a location from which the online post was posted, and determining a reliability of the online post based at least in part on the identified word associated with the place and the identified location from which the online post was posted.
US09361371B2
Embodiments are provided for updating a playlist that has been added to a playback queue in response to changes to the playback queue. The playback queue may be associated with a zone of a network media system such that items in the playback queue are to be rendered by the zone. The playlist may include one or more items playable by the zone, and may be stored separately from where the playback queue is maintained. Embodiments are also provided for updating a playback queue in response to modifications to a playlist included in the playback queue. In some cases, a user modifying the playlist or playback queue may be prompted upon making the modifications whether to also apply the modification to the playback queue or playlist, respectively.
US09361368B1
A feedback module identifies one or more social network data entries received from the at least one social network provider that are related to a content item. The feedback module parses the identified one or more social network data entries to identify feedback related to the content item. The feedback module then generates a feedback result based on the feedback identified in the one or more social network data entries.
US09361359B1
Accessing a schema-free database includes constructing a model indicating a structure for the data to be used by applications accessing the data, validating the model based on the structure and on the data stored in the schema-free database, providing an API based on the structure, and accessing the database using the API. The model may be constructed by extracting data structure information from a program. The program may be written in the Ruby programming language or the Python programming language. The API may be a RESTful API.
US09361350B2
To facilitate data transfer between two databases, a transfer machine accesses both databases and finds matching records. The transfer machine determines and stores a match status of a record in one database. The match status indicates whether the record corresponds to at least one of the records in the other database, and if so, which record or records in the other database correspond to the record. If the match status indicates that the record matches a record in the other database, the transfer machine determines which record is current and updates the other record. If the match status indicates that a record has no match in the other database, the transfer machine adds a copy of the record to the other database.
US09361348B1
A database server receives a request from a client application for performing a data transaction on persistent data storage. The request is sent to a set of replication servers. An acknowledgement for the request is received from each replication server, including a start sequence number and an end sequence number for data that is stored in local cache of the replication server, and a latest committed sequence number for data that was written to the persistent data storage by the replication server. A maximum value of latest committed sequence numbers received from the set of replication servers is determined. For each replication server, it is examined whether there is a gap between the start sequence number for data stored in local cache and the maximum value of the latest committed sequence numbers. Based on the examining, it is determined whether there is an occurrence of loss of data.
US09361347B2
An apparatus for determining data signatures in a dynamic distributed device network may include a processor. The processor may be configured to receive a first query and generate a local partial closure of the data identified by the first query. The processor may be further configured to synthesize a data signature of the local partial closure. In this regard, the data signature may be an irreducible polynomial expression and the data signature may be orthogonal to remote data signatures generated from remote partial closures. Further, the processor may be configured to store the data signature in an information store within a dynamic distributed device network. Associated methods and computer program products may also be provided.
US09361346B2
A method for mapping an information directory such as a LDAP directory tree to a relational database structure. The method includes accessing an information directory, which has a number of data entries at nodes of its tree structure and each of these entries may include a number of attributes defined by one or more object classes. The method includes storing a distinguished name (DN2ID) index table including generating records the data entries that include a DN field containing the entry's attributes. The method includes forming a relational table associated with each of the object classes defined for the information directory, and the records of the relational tables may be linked to the records/entries of the DN2ID index table. The method may include determining an entry identifier for each of the entries of the directory and storing these in the records of the DN2ID index table and in the relational tables.
US09361333B2
Limiting the number of concurrent requests in a database system. Arranging requests to be handled by the database system in at least one queue. Defining a maximum value (SS) of concurrent requests corresponding to the at least one queue. Monitoring at least one queue utilization parameter corresponding to the at least one queue and calculating a performance value based on the at least one queue utilization parameter. Adapting the maximum value (SS) of concurrent requests of the at least one queue dynamically based on the performance value (PF) in order to improve system performance. Limiting the number of concurrent requests of the at least one queue dynamically based on the dynamically adapted maximum value (SS).
US09361332B2
In one embodiment, a process includes determining a data node for a data record to be inserted and/or updated in an index structure of a record-oriented file system. A lock on the corresponding data node is created, and the data record in the corresponding data node is stored and/or updated. However, when the corresponding data node does not have free space sufficient to store and/or update the data record, the corresponding data node is split sequentially into two data nodes. The new data record is stored in one of the two data nodes. The process continues by creating a lock on and updating a parent node in a sequence set which includes information about the corresponding data node and any parent index nodes above the parent index node which are affected by splitting the parent index node.
US09361327B1
A data structure comprising two or more sub data structures representing a given data set is maintained. Each of the two or more sub data structures comprises an array of bit positions and has a set of hash functions associated therewith. Each of the hash functions is operable to map an element of the given data set to at least one of the bit positions of the array. One of the two or more sub data structures is recognized as a master sub data structure and the others of the two or more sub data structures as slave sub data structures. Insertion and deletion of elements in the data structure is based on the recognition of each of the two or more sub data structures as the master sub data structure or one of the slave sub data structures.
US09361323B2
A system for receiving a declarative specification including a plurality of stages. Each stage specifies an atomic operation, a data input to the atomic operation, and a data output from the atomic operation. The data input is characterized by a data type. Links between at least two of the stages are generated to create a data integration workflow. The data integration workflow is compiled to generate computer code for execution on a parallel processing platform. The computer code configured to perform at least one of data preparation and data analysis.
US09361321B1
One example method includes identifying a space that includes pointers that each point to a respective piece of data in the set of data, selecting a first pointer using a sub sample ratio, checking the first pointer to see if the first pointer points to data previously observed in an associated backup stream, if the first pointer points to data not previously observed in the associated backup stream, recording a number of data pieces to which the first pointer points, and if the first pointer points to data previously observed in the associated backup stream, selecting a second pointer using the sub sample ratio. The selecting, checking and recording processes are repeated until the entire space has been sampled, and the required storage capacity is calculated using the sub sample ratio and a sum of the recorded number of data pieces.
US09361313B2
A system and method for filtering and organizing items from computer memories based on common elements is provided. Filters can be provided for manipulating the items, which serve as tools for narrowing down a set of items. The filters can be dynamically generated based on the properties of the separate items. The system can utilize virtual folders. The virtual folders can expose regular files and folders to users in different views based on their metadata instead of the actual physical underlying file system structure on the disk. Quick links can be provided, which serve as a set of predefined links (e.g., located on the left side of the display) that can be clicked on to generate useful views of the sets of items. Libraries, which can provide large groups of usable types of items that can be associated together, may also be used.
US09361307B2
Provided are techniques for locating a row. A page filter in a page is stored, wherein the page filter is associated with a collision chain and includes a portion of a hash value of the row in the collision chain that has overflowed to an overflow area. In response to a request to locate a target row, the page filter is used to determine that the row has overflowed based on a portion of a hash value of the target row matching the portion of the hash value of the row that has overflowed.
US09361306B1
Systems and methods of managing concurrent log writes to a transaction log are provided. A system may include: a transaction log residing on a non-volatile storage medium for logging metadata transactions of a file system; and a plurality of transaction log buffers, associated with the transaction log, residing in volatile memory. A first write operation may be initiated to write first contents of at least a first of the plurality of transaction log buffers to the transaction log. Concurrently to a performance of the first write operation, a second write operation may be initiated to write second contents of at least a second of the plurality of transaction log buffers to the transaction log.
US09361305B2
An image forming apparatus includes a main storage unit; an auxiliary storage unit; a file system configured to manage a file stored in the auxiliary storage unit; and an input-output processing unit configured to use an area in the main storage unit to perform file access to a file in the file system. The area is in a storage area that is not managed by an operating system and the area is specified with a physical address in an instruction from a user process.
US09361302B1
In one embodiment, the storage system determines if a first format of a first segment tree of the first file system is different from a second format of a second segment tree of the second file system representing a file stored in the first and second file systems, respectively. The storage system identifies, in response to determining that the first and second formats are different, a second level within the first and second segment trees that have different formats. In one embodiment, the storage system further identifies one or more segments of the second level of the first segment tree that have been modified based on a comparison of fingerprints of a third level of the segment trees. For each modified second level segment, the storage system resegments the segment from the first to the second format, and replicates the resegmented segments to the target storage system.
US09361298B2
System, computer implemented process and computer program product for managing media content among a plurality of devices which includes the exchange of device status data among two or more devices. The exchanged device status data includes individual device capabilities and indicia of available media content stored within each of the devices. Each device determines from the exchanged device status data whether any differences exist in available media content stored among the plurality of devices and also whether any of the determined differences in media content will require transcoding to compatible data formats. Once the determinations have been completed, synchronizing and optionally transcoding of the available media content is performed based on the determinations made from the exchanged device status data. Any required transcoding may be performed either before or after media content synchronizing.
US09361297B2
A method for providing a data binding abstraction. The method includes serving an interactive document via a digital data communications network using a server. The method includes generating, with intelligence in the document, a data binding request to resolve a data value placeholder that has no static data location or source reference. With a data binding web service, the method includes generating a data dictionary request that includes a placeholder identifier. The method includes using the data binding web service to process a data dictionary response which includes placeholder content for the placeholder to determine a source of the data value. The method includes the data binding web service accessing the determined data source to obtain the data value and providing the interactive document with a response including the placeholder identifier and the resolved placeholder data value. The interactive document then replaces the placeholders with the returned data value.
US09361294B2
Some embodiments of a publishing tool to translate documents have been presented. In one embodiment, a master document written in a first natural language is received. The master document is repurposed to generate a set of output documents in one or more predetermined formats, wherein each of the output document is in a distinct one of a set of natural languages.
US09361287B1
Systems and methods for viewing filters on a collaborative spreadsheet stored on a cloud computing service include accessing, from each of a plurality of client computers, a first sheet of a spreadsheet stored on a cloud computing service, where a plurality of filters is associated with the first sheet. A first client computer in the plurality of client computers receives a command by a first user to apply a first filter in the plurality of filters to the first sheet, and applies the first filter to the first sheet on the first client computer. The filtered first sheet is displayed to the first user, and a second client computer in the plurality of client computers concurrently displays an unfiltered first sheet.
US09361271B2
Systems and methods for enabling eco-driving are herein provided. Systems and methods in accordance with the present disclosure allow for real-time monitoring of greenhouse gas emissions and other variables that influence the environmental friendliness of vehicle operation. Systems and methods in accordance with the present disclosure also provide analytical tools for quantifying the environmental friendliness of vehicle operation and driving patterns.
US09361267B2
A hardware circuit component configured to support vector operations in a scalar data path. The hardware circuit component configured to operate in a vector mode configuration and in a scalar mode configuration. The hardware circuit component configured to split the scalar mode configuration into a left half and a right half of the vector mode configuration. The hardware circuit component configured to perform one or more bit shifts over one or more stages of interconnected multiplexers in the vector mode configuration. The hardware circuit component configured to include duplicated coarse shift multiplexers at bit positions that receive data from both the left half and the right half of the vector mode configuration, resulting in one or more coarse shift multiplexers sharing the bit position.
US09361251B2
An interrupt signal accepting apparatus manages two OSs, relates devices sharing the same interrupt number respectively with an OS caused to perform an interrupt processing and an interrupt priority unique to a device, and manages an interrupt number priority conversion table showing the relation between the interrupt number and the interrupt priority. Each device continuously outputs an interrupt request having the same interrupt number until the interrupt processing is completed. An interrupt controller converts the interrupt number into the interrupt priority in accordance with the interrupt number priority conversion table when there is an interrupt signal from the devices. An interrupt signal control section causes a running OS to perform the interrupt processing to change the interrupt priority in the interrupt number priority conversion table when the converted interrupt priority matches an interrupt priority related to the running OS, and stops the running OS and starts the other OS when the interrupt priorities do not match.
US09361249B2
A communication apparatus for carrying out communications to and from an external apparatus that includes a first interconnecting unit and a first non-transparent port and effects an interconnection for communications via the first non-transparent port is provided. The communication apparatus includes a second interconnecting unit that includes a second non-transparent port communicably connected to the first non-transparent port. The second interconnecting unit effects an interconnection for communications via the second non-transparent port. The second interconnecting unit performs, when the communication apparatus carries out communications to and from the external apparatus, address translation between an address for use by the communication apparatus and an address for use by the second non-transparent port.
US09361247B1
An intrinsic barrier device, method and computer program product for isolating a communication channel of an input/output (IO) module from a field device. The intrinsic barrier device includes a front end having a programming input adapted to receive an analog input (AI), analog output (AO), digital input (DI) or digital output (DO) IO type configuration signal. The intrinsic barrier device also includes a processor to process the IO type configuration signal and an associated memory device storing an intrinsic barrier IO type configuration (IBTC) program. The processor is programmed to implement the IBTC program. The processor, responsive to the IO type configuration signal configures the intrinsic barrier device to operate as the AI, AO, DI or DO for supporting communications through the intrinsic barrier device over the communication channel between the IO module and the field device in the AI, AO, DI or DO.
US09361243B2
A system, apparatus, method, or computer program product of restricting file access is disclosed wherein a set of file write access commands are determined from data stored within a storage medium. The set of file write access commands are for the entire storage medium. Any matching file write access command provided to the file system for that storage medium results in an error message. Other file write access commands are, however, passed onto a device driver for the storage medium and are implemented. In this way commands such as file delete and file overwrite can be disabled for an entire storage medium.
US09361235B2
A cache storage apparatus has an entry including a tag bit for managing an address in the memory of the data, the data, and a reference count for managing a number of times that the data is referenced. If it is possible to read in the data from the entry, in a case where the reference address is for a prefetch, a value of the reference count of the entry is increased, and in a case where the reference address is for a fetch, the value of the reference count of the entry is decreased. If it is not possible to read in the data from the entry, in a case where the reference address is for a prefetch, a replacement of prefetched data in the entry is prohibited until the value of the reference count of the entry becomes zero.
US09361232B2
Techniques are provided for using an intermediate cache to provide some of the items involved in a scan operation, while other items involved in the scan operation are provided from primary storage. Techniques are also provided for determining whether to service an I/O request for an item with a copy of the item that resides in the intermediate cache based on factors such as a) an identity of the user for whom the I/O request was submitted, b) an identity of a service that submitted the I/O request, c) an indication of a consumer group to which the I/O request maps, or d) whether the intermediate cache is overloaded. Techniques are also provided for determining whether to store items in an intermediate cache in response to the items being retrieved, based on logical characteristics associated with the requests that retrieve the items.
US09361231B2
A method for implicit input-output send on cache operations of a central processing unit is provided. The method comprises an aggregation queue of a central processing unit, storing input-output data of the central processing unit, wherein the aggregation queue transmits the input-output data to an input-output adaptor, and wherein the input-output data is transmitted in parallel with operations of the central processing unit. The method further comprises, a memory management unit of the central processing unit, interpreting address space descriptors for implicit input-output transmittal of the input-output data of the aggregation queue. The method further comprises, a cache traffic monitor of the central processing unit, transmitting the input-output data in an implicit input-output transmittal range between the cache traffic monitor and the aggregation queue, wherein the cache traffic monitor transmits cache protocol of the central processing unit to the memory management unit.
US09361230B2
A system and method are disclosed for communicating coherency information between initiator and target agents on semiconductor chips. Sufficient information communication to support full coherency is performed through a socket interface using only three channels. Transaction requests are issued on one channel with responses given on a second. Intervention requests are issued on the same channel as transaction responses. Intervention responses are given on a third channel. Such an approach drastically reduces the complexity of cache coherent socket interfaces compared to conventional approaches. The net effect is faster logic, smaller silicon area, improved architecture performance, and a reduced probability of bugs by the designers of coherent initiators and targets.
US09361227B2
Methods for read after write forwarding using a virtual address are disclosed. A method includes determining when a virtual address has been remapped from corresponding to a first physical address to a second physical address and determining if all stores occupying a store queue before the remapping have been retired from the store queue. Loads that are younger than the stores that occupied the store queue before the remapping are prevented from being dispatched and executed until the stores that occupied the store queue before the remapping have left the store queue and become globally visible.
US09361223B1
A memory circuit, such as an embedded DRAM array, stores information as groups of bits or data using information coding in storage and retrieval data, instead of each bit being stored separately. Write data words can be mapped to storage format words that are stored and defined by a Hadamard matrix. The storage format word is stored as charge levels in an addressable memory location. For retrieving stored data, charge levels are read from the storage cells and interpreted to a valid storage format word. Hadamard code maximal likelihood decoding can be used to derive a read data word corresponding to a previously written write data word. The write data word is then output as the result of a read of the selected addressable location, or a portion thereof. The mapping can be two or more Hadamard matrix mappings concatenated for each of a plurality of storage format words.
US09361222B2
Systems, methods and/or devices are used to enable storage drive life estimation. In one aspect, the method includes (1) determining two or more age criteria of a storage drive, and (2) determining a drive age of the storage drive in accordance with the two or more age criteria of the storage drive.
US09361220B2
A storage device includes non-volatile memory and a controller. A method performed in the data storage device includes receiving, at the controller, first data and second data to be stored at the non-volatile memory. The method further includes sending, from the controller, the first data, the second data, and dummy data to the non-volatile memory to be stored at respective logical pages of a single physical page in the non-volatile memory. The single physical page includes multiple storage elements that are programmable into multiple voltage states according to a mapping of bits to states. The dummy data prevents a storage element of the single physical page from being programmed to a particular voltage state of the multiple voltage states.
US09361212B2
A programmable logic controller (PLC) with changing memory access times is intended to interact with a subordinate system, i.e., a discontinuous virtualized system, wherein a computation apparatus is provided, in which the PLC is implemented and in which the system that is subordinate to the PLC with respect to an operation to access the memory access is implemented. A memory to which a component of the PLC has access is integrated in the PLC. Also implemented in the computation apparatus is a proxy device that coordinates access to the memory of the PLC by the subordinate system such that simultaneous access by the component of the PLC has priority over access by the subordinate system and it is thus possible to ensure that the PLC always complies with a predefined cycle time of the PLC.
US09361211B2
Systems, methods and computer program products for performing software regression testing are disclosed. The systems, methods and computer program products are configured to execute a test case against an application under test on a programmable digital computer, to obtain from the programmable digital computer an identity of a first code module invoked by the test case, to associate the test case identifier with the first code module, to identify a second code module that is related to the first code module, and to associate the test case identifier with the second code module.
US09361202B2
Various embodiments monitor system noise in a parallel computing system. In one embodiment, at least one set of system noise data is stored in a shared buffer during a first computation interval. The set of system noise data is detected during the first computation interval and is associated with at least one parallel thread in a plurality of parallel threads. Each thread in the plurality of parallel threads is a thread of a program. The set of system noise data is filtered during a second computation interval based on at least one filtering condition creating a filtered set of system noise data. The filtered set of system noise data is then stored.
US09361201B2
According to one embodiment, a memory system includes a NAND-type flash memory and a memory controller. The memory controller includes a monitoring module and a determination module. The monitoring module acquires an elapsed time from the start of data erase of a first block in the NAND-type flash memory. The determination module determines whether the elapsed time has exceeded a reference time before completion of the data write in the first block.
US09361190B2
Embodiments of the present invention disclose a method for recovery of a two-phase commit transaction. A computer transmits a first transaction identifier to a data store, wherein the first transaction identifier defines a two-phase commit transaction. The computer transmits a prepare command for the first transaction identifier to a first resource manager. The computer determines if a failure and restart occurred within a distributed data processing environment, wherein the failure and restart occurs after the first resource manager receives an end command, but prior to completing execution of the prepare command for the first transaction identifier. Responsive to determining the failure and restart did occur within the distributed data processing environment, the computer retrieves the first transaction identifier from the data store. The computer transmits a rollback command for the retrieved first transaction identifier to the first resource manager.
US09361189B2
Exemplary method, system, and computer program product embodiments for optimizing disaster recovery systems during takeover operations are provided. In one embodiment, by way of example only, a flag is set in a replication grid manager to identify replication grid members to consult in a reconciliation process for resolving intersecting and non-intersecting data amongst the disaster recovery systems for a takeover operation. Additional system and computer program product embodiments are disclosed and provide related advantages.
US09361186B1
User interactions with a database storage system allow creation of virtual databases based on point-in-time copies associated with a source database. Multiple point-in-time copies are obtained for each source database. A point-in-time copy retrieves data changed in the source database since the retrieval of a previous point-in-time copy. A virtual database (VDB) is created by creating a set of files in the data storage system and mounting the files on a database server allowing the database server to access the files. User interactions allow the user to specify the source database, a point in time associated with the source database and a destination server to create the virtual database. User input can specify other attributes associated with the virtual database including the file paths, database parameters etc. The user can specify schedules of various actions, including making and retention of point-in-time copies.
US09361184B2
Methods, apparatuses, and computer program products for selecting during a system shutdown procedure, a restart incident checkpoint of an incident analyzer in a distributed processing system. Embodiments include the incident analyzer determining whether at least one incident is in a queue. If at least one incident is in the queue, the incident analyzer selects as the restart incident checkpoint, a last incident completed checkpoint. If at least one incident is not in the queue, the incident analyzer determines whether the last incident completed checkpoint matches a last incident analysis pool selection checkpoint. If the last incident completed checkpoint matches a last incident analysis pool selection checkpoint, the incident analyzer selects as the restart incident checkpoint, a monitor checkpoint. If the last incident completed checkpoint does not match the last incident analysis pool selection checkpoint, the incident analyzer selects as the restart incident checkpoint, the last incident completed checkpoint.
US09361175B1
According to an aspect, dynamic detection of resource management anomalies in a processing system includes collecting data from a plurality of on-line data sources on the processing system. The collected data includes performance data and power consumption data. Anomalous operation of a resource manager of the processing system is identified based on the collected data from the on-line data sources. The identification of the anomalous operation is conducted absent a baseline of reference performance data. A corresponding palliative action is initiated based on identifying the anomalous operation.
US09361171B2
In accordance with the concepts described herein, a system for providing data storage includes at least one virtual server comprising at least one virtual storage device; at least one physical server comprising at least one physical storage device; a data structure, stored on each of the at least one physical storage devices, the data structure comprising: at least one table of contents, the table of contents configured to map storage locations within the virtual storage device to node structures that provide pointers to corresponding storage locations within the physical storage device; a tree structure having a predetermined number of hierarchical levels, each level containing node structures, the node structures containing pointers that point to other node structures or to data locations on the physical storage device; and one or more core software modules executed by one or more virtual machines, one or more physical machines or both and configured to receive requests to access data in the storage locations within the virtual storage device and, in response to the requests, traverse the data structure to access data in the corresponding storage locations within the physical storage device.
US09361168B1
Remote computing resource service providers, including online retailers, provide externally facing computer systems that allow users to interact with the service provider. Furthermore, the service provider may maintain computer systems and services inside an isolated network not exposed to users. Occasionally, service providers may test these externally facing computer systems using one or more external hosts operating on a public network. As a result side effects may occur within the isolated network that is not accessible from the public network. The side effects may be recorded in a queue which may be accessed from inside the isolated network by one or more services. The one or more services may then reverse the side effects based at least in part on information contained in the queue.
US09361166B2
A method and associated system for interfacing between a caller application and a service module. Upon receiving a request for performing a transaction that includes at least one caller application attribute describing the request, the service module builds a service module data structure pursuant to the received request. The service module data structure includes a generic service document and at least one service module attribute. Each service module attribute is stored in a relational table of the service module data structure. The request is serviced within the service module data structure, resulting in instantiating the generic service document. The generic service document is returned to the caller application. Building each service module attribute includes: constructing the generic service document and creating at least one container in the generic service document. Each container is respectively associated with each service module attribute in each mapping of at least one mapping.
US09361165B2
Embodiments of the invention provide a method, system and computer program product for message merging in a messaging queue. In an embodiment of the invention, a method for message merging in a messaging queue can be provided. The method can include receiving a request to add a new message to a message queue in a message queue manager executing in memory by a processor of a host computing platform. The method can also include a merge indicator to stipulate whether or not a merge should take place. The method also can include identifying an association key associating the new message with an existing message in the message queue and locating an associated message in the message queue corresponding to the identified association key. Finally, the method can include merging the new message with the located associated message in the message queue.
US09361161B2
Approaches that manage energy in a data center are provided. In one embodiment, there is an energy management tool, including an analysis component configured to determine a current energy profile of each of a plurality of systems within the data center, the current energy profile comprising an overall rating expressed as an integer value, the overall rating calculated based on a current workload usage and environmental conditions surrounding each of the plurality of systems; and a priority component configured to prioritize a routing of a workload to a set of systems from the plurality of systems within the data center having the least amount of energy present based on a comparison of the overall ratings for each of the plurality of systems within the data center.
US09361159B2
A technique for chargeback with simultaneous multithreading (SMT) by a computer is provided. One or more of an operating system and a second-level hypervisor of the computer manage a logical core configuration for simultaneous multithreading, the operating system and/or the second-level hypervisor has control over a logical core and control over logical threads on the logical core. The operating system and/or the second-level hypervisor is configures a host hypervisor to assign an entirety of the logical core to a single physical core, such that one logical core executes per physical core. The logical core is run on the single physical core on an exclusive basis for a period of time, such that the logical threads of the logical core execute on physical threads of the single physical core. A capacity use time is determined for each of the logical threads executing on the physical threads of the single physical core.
US09361155B2
A method and system for scheduling a time critical task. The system may include a processing unit, a hardware assist scheduler, and a memory coupled to both the processing unit and the hardware assist scheduler. The method may include receiving timing information for executing the time critical task, the time critical task executing program instructions via a thread on a core of a processing unit and scheduling the time critical task based on the received timing information. The method may further include programming a lateness timer, waiting for a wakeup time to obtain and notifying the processing unit of the scheduling. Additionally, the method may include executing, on the core of the processing unit, the time critical task in accordance with the scheduling, monitoring the lateness timer, and asserting a thread execution interrupt in response to the lateness timer expiring, thereby suspending execution of the time critical task.
US09361153B2
Provided is a management system, comprising an interface, a processor and a storage device, wherein the interface has coupled thereto at least one maintenance target machine to be a target of a maintenance operation, which is identified by one piece of identification information, and wherein the management system is configured to: store information indicating a scheduled start time and scheduled finish time of the maintenance operation; determine, based on the scheduled start time, the scheduled finish time, and a login and logout for the maintenance operation on the at least one maintenance target machine detected by the management system, whether or not the maintenance operation is in execution on the at least one maintenance target machine; and determine, based on a result of the determination, whether or not to execute predetermined processing associated with an event transmitted from the at least one maintenance target machine.
US09361146B2
Predictive fetching and decoding for selected instructions. A determination is made as to whether an instruction to be executed in a pipelined processor is a selected return instruction, the pipelined processor having a plurality of stages including an execute stage. Based on the instruction being the selected return instruction, obtaining from a data structure a predicted return address, the predicted return address being an address of an instruction to which it is predicted that processing is to be returned. Additionally, based on the instruction being the selected return instruction, operating state for the instruction at the predicted return address is predicted. The instruction is fetched at the predicted return address, prior to the selected return instruction reaching the execute stage, and decoding of the fetched instruction is initiated based on the predicted operating state.
US09361144B2
Predictive fetching and decoding for selected instructions. A determination is made as to whether an instruction to be executed in a pipelined processor is a selected return instruction, the pipelined processor having a plurality of stages including an execute stage. Based on the instruction being the selected return instruction, obtaining from a data structure a predicted return address, the predicted return address being an address of an instruction to which it is predicted that processing is to be returned. Additionally, based on the instruction being the selected return instruction, operating state for the instruction at the predicted return address is predicted. The instruction is fetched at the predicted return address, prior to the selected return instruction reaching the execute stage, and decoding of the fetched instruction is initiated based on the predicted operating state.
US09361141B2
A system for controlling, by a hypervisor, access to physical resources during execution of a virtual machine includes a physical disk and a hypervisor. The physical disk is provided by a computing device and stores at least a portion of a virtual disk. The hypervisor executes on the computing device. The hypervisor allocates, to the virtual disk, an amount of access to the physical disk. The hypervisor determines that a level of utilization of the physical disk has exceeded a threshold. The hypervisor limits, in response to the determination, access by the virtual disk to the physical disk.
US09361139B1
A method includes receiving status information regarding a plurality of virtual system components. Each of the virtual system components is associated with a respective virtual component category. The method also includes determining a hierarchy of the virtual component categories. The hierarchy includes a plurality of levels, each associated with a respective one of the virtual component categories. The method further includes determining a cluster threshold that defines a maximum number of the virtual system components having equivalent virtual component categories to be associated with a single node of a topology. The method still further includes determining that a subset of the virtual system components having equivalent ones of the virtual component categories exceed the cluster threshold, and generating the topology based upon the hierarchy and the cluster threshold. The method even further includes representing the subset of the virtual system components using a shared node of the topology.
US09361133B2
An information processing apparatus configured to display a management screen, used for managing a connected peripheral device, based on control information described with respect to a function that can be instruct d from the management screen includes a storing unit, and a registration unit. The registration unit may register in the storing unit a type of language displayed on a screen provided by software that runs on the information processing apparatus. A display about the software is performed on the management screen based on the type of language registered by the registration unit and the control information.
US09361132B2
A system and method for operating a mobile computing device is disclosed. Each of a plurality of applications that are stored or installed in the mobile computing device is associated with a corresponding design scheme. A user interface feature is displayed on the display of the mobile computing device. The user interface feature is present independent of the operation of the plurality of applications. A change in the state of an application is detected and the appearance of the user interface feature is affected based on the design scheme associated with the application that is changed in state.
US09361128B2
Fast computer startup is provided by, upon receipt of a shutdown command, recording state information representing a target state. In this target state, the computing device may have closed all user sessions, such that no user state information is included in the target state. However, the operating system may still be executing. In response to a command to startup the computer, this target state may be quickly reestablished from the recorded target state information. Portions of a startup sequence may be performed to complete the startup process, including establishing user state. To protect user expectations despite changes in response to a shutdown command, creation and use of the file holding the recorded state information may be conditional on dynamically determined events. Also, user and programmatic interfaces may provide options to override creation or use of the recorded state information.
US09361126B1
A tool for managing device driver aggregation during operating system deployment. The tool receives, by a first computer processor, a request for a device bundle, the request including a unique identifier. The tool determines, by the first computer processor, whether an available driver bundle matches the requested device bundle based, at least in part, on the unique identifier. Responsive to determining an available driver bundle does not match a requested device bundle, the tool creates, by the first computer processor, an associated driver bundle for the requested device bundle.
US09361124B2
A computer system comprising a plurality of computers on which a plurality of operating systems run, wherein a memory stores a first hardware control unit, wherein a storage device stores a first OS image, a second OS image, a second hardware control unit for executing start processing of the second OS, and an address rewrite unit, wherein the second hardware control unit includes a start unit for starting the second hardware control unit, wherein the address rewrite unit which is started by the first OS is configured to: obtain an address of a storage area, in which address data to be rewritten is stored, as a target address, rewrite the address data stored in the storage area corresponding to the obtained target address and start the start unit, wherein the start unit is configured to start the second hardware control unit by using the rewritten address data.
US09361120B2
A pluggable cloud enablement boot device (PCEBD) is a bootable device that includes all information needed to automatically provision hardware and software to create a computing solution that meets customer requirements. This allows for quickly deploying a computing solution in a manner that eliminates many manual steps that are typically performed today. The PCEBD uses firmware to verify a given platform has sufficient resources to deploy the PCEBD. The computing solution, once provisioned and running, can be modified, and these modifications may be reflected in the definition of the PCEBD. In addition, a computing solution may include multiple resources provisioned from multiple PCEBDs, which can be packaged into a PCEBD that will include other PCEBDs. The result is a way to deploy computing solutions that is much more efficient than the manual methods used in the prior art.
US09361119B1
The present application is generally directed to mediums, methods, and systems for identifying and manipulating active code components. In exemplary embodiments, a user control interface is provided for displaying a source design which includes instructions in a preprocessor language and instructions in a source language. A resolvable preprocessor condition may be identified along with an instruction in the source language that is associated with the resolvable condition. The resolvable condition and the associated condition may be displayed, and the associated condition may be graphically indicated as controllable by the resolvable condition. A user may supply an input that provides a value for the resolvable condition. In some embodiments, instructions in the source language are displayed and, upon selection of one or more source language instructions by a user, a preprocessor condition that is associated with the selected source language instructions may be displayed.
US09361117B2
Embodiments disclosed herein generally relate for efficiently retrieving boot code for a processor from serial NOR flash memory. When a boot code request is received, a request handler in data capture logic tags successive address read requests to indicate whether the requests indicate contiguous addresses in the NOR flash memory for the boot code. Different circuitry in the data capture logic operates on different mesochronous clock signals. One clock signal drives the capture of boot code from NOR flash, and the other controls synchronized tagging, storing, pre-fetching, and transmitting of the captured boot code data.
US09361102B2
One aspect of the invention provides a method of controlling execution of a computer program. The method comprises the following runtime steps: parsing code to identify one or more indirect branches; creating a branch ID data structure that maps an indirect branch location to a branch ID, which is the indirect branch's equivalence class ID; creating a target ID data structure that maps a code address to a target ID, which is an equivalence class ID to which the address belongs; and prior to execution of an indirect branch including a return instruction located at an address: obtaining the branch ID associated with the return address from the branch ID data structure; obtaining the target ID associated with an actual return address for the indirect branch from the target ID data structure; and comparing the branch ID and the target ID.
US09361096B1
A device may receive information that identifies code included in a document provided via a programming environment. The code may include executable program code capable of being executed via the programming environment. The device may receive information that identifies non-code included in the document. The non-code may include information other than executable program code. The device may receive an indication to link a code portion, included in the code, and a non-code portion, included in the non-code, and may create a link between the code portion and the non-code portion based on receiving the indication. The device may provide, via a user interface, content included in the document. The content may include the code portion, the non-code portion, and other information included in the document. The device may provide, via the user interface, a link indicator that identifies the link between the code portion and the non-code portion.
US09361089B2
Virtual Machine (VM) images in a virtualized environment are updated through the use of patches. A virtualization data processing system includes a hypervisor that manages a VM image. The hypervisor is configured to retrieve a patch for an instance of the VM image from a secure site. The hypervisor blocks all other network access to the VM image. The hypervisor is configured to apply the patch to the instance of the VM image and unblock all network access to the VM image
US09361071B2
An embodiment of the present invention consists of methods for parameter declaration in implicit way and of methods for argument usage in implicit way. An embodiment of the present invention is useful in programming languages which support at least one concept that can be interpreted as a method. This invention: raises code readability; reduces redundancy of parameter name and parameter type information making specific parts of the programming language code more compact; allows reduction of global variables making code more parallelizable and suitable for parallel computing systems.
US09361063B2
To appropriately execute a function based on a plurality of words, a function-execution instruction server of a function-execution instruction system includes: a function-execution instruction unit that issues an instruction of the execution of one or more tasks; a word input unit that inputs information containing a plurality of words that are arranged in order; and an executed-function determination unit that determines a task the execution of which is instructed on the basis of the order of words input.
US09361055B2
An information processing apparatus that communicates with a first printing device and a second printing device that manages a number of printed pages in color in different color levels and a number of printed pages in black and white. The information processing apparatus includes a managing unit configured to manage a number of printed pages in black and white and a number of printed pages classified into each level in the plurality of color levels; a first acquiring unit configured to acquire status information and first log information relating to the first job; a second acquiring unit configured to acquire second log information relating to a second job; and an adjusting unit configured to adjust the number of printed pages relating to the first job based on the status information and the first log information.
US09361051B2
An information processing apparatus without bothering a user, even when it is necessary to disconnect and restart the image forming apparatus which has been connected to the information processing apparatus so as to transmit and receive maintenance work data for performing the maintenance work on the image forming apparatus. When the image forming apparatus is required to be disconnected and reconnected after restarting the image forming apparatus during connection with the information processing apparatus, identification information for identifying an information processing apparatus to be reconnected is stored in a storage section. The image forming apparatus is reconnected to the information processing apparatus identified by the identification information stored in the storage section after the image forming apparatus is restarted.
US09361039B2
A method, related apparatus, and system for virtual network migration are provided. A method provided by an embodiment of the present disclosure includes: locating a source physical node in a regional physical network; obtaining information of a virtual element corresponding to each virtual network on the source physical node and state information of each physical node in the regional physical network; determining, according to information of the virtual elements and the state information, a physical node that can execute virtual network migration in the regional physical network; reconstructing a mapping relationship between each virtual network and the regional physical network on the physical node; comparing the mapping relationships of each virtual network; selecting a mapping relationship with minimum migration consumption as a mapping relationship for executing migration; and sending, according to the mapping relationship for executing migration, a migration instruction to a physical node to execute virtual network migration.
US09361035B1
A system and method for performing copy offload operations. When a copy offload operation from a first volume (pointing to a first medium) to a second volume (pointing to a second medium) is requested, the copy offload operation is performed without accessing the data being copied. A third medium is created, and the first medium is recorded as the underlying medium of the third medium. The first volume is re-pointed to the third medium. Also, a fourth medium is created, the second volume is re-pointed to the fourth medium, and the second medium is recorded as the underlying medium of the targeted range of the fourth medium. All other ranges of the fourth medium have the second medium as their underlying medium.
US09361022B2
A plurality of characters that are candidates for entry are displayed on a display surface of a display corresponding to an operation surface of a touch panel as character buttons. A touch detector judges whether a user touches the operation surface either with a single point or plural points, and detects a position touched by the user. An input receiver receives an entry of a character associated with a character button in the position touched by the user among the plurality of characters displayed on the display surface of the display. Then, the input receiver receives the entry of the character which varies in type depending on whether the user touches an area in the operation surface corresponding to an identical character button with a single point or plural points.
US09361010B2
An imaging device includes a display unit for displaying a video image being captured, an index operating unit for inputting an instruction for an index, and an index setting unit for setting as an index section, a section in the video image captured for a predetermined time period including a time point of a user's operation of inputting the instruction for the index, in response to one user's operation on the index operating unit while the video image is captured.
US09361003B2
Methods and systems for viewing images. One system includes a source of images, a computer, and a screen. The computer includes a processor and a user interface module configured to generate a graphical user interface or GUI. The GUI includes a first window in which one or more of the images are displayed. The GUI is displayed on the screen and the graphical user interface module generates an output or modifies the GUI in response to user input (e.g., tap, click, etc.). In response to the input, the graphical user interface generates an image-navigation map. The image-navigation map is displayed in a foreground of the first window and the one or more images are in displayed in a background of the first window. The image-navigation map includes one or more thumbnail images of at least one of the one or more images.
US09360999B2
A method that incorporates teachings of the present disclosure may include, for example, receiving a selection from a media device corresponding to a first media content, generating a play list at a server where the play list includes second media content that is associated with the first media content by at least one of genre, artist and being published in temporal proximity, and providing play list content comprising at least a portion of the first and second media content to the media device, where at least one of the generation of the play list and the providing of the play list content is based on metadata pointers associated with the first and second media content. Other embodiments are disclosed.
US09360996B2
A computer implemented method for intelligently enabling menu choices includes rendering, on a client system, an address book user interface comprising information related to one or more contacts, selecting a contact from the address book user interface, determining an online presence state for the selected contact, enabling one or more menu options based upon the determined online presence state, with the menu options enabled for a first online presence state differing from the menu options enabled for a second online presence state, and presenting the enabled menu options to a user in a user interface.
US09360994B2
A tool panel docking application is described that manages the docking of tool panels and palettes on an edge of an IDE workspace. As the user selects to dock various tool panels, the IDE monitors the positioning of each panel so as not to overlap the content of any of the individual panels making up the combined docked palettes and that allow the user to select how much of the underlying workspace is obscured by the combined docked palettes.
US09360990B1
In some embodiments, a technique for providing location-based functionality comprises providing functionality, wherein the functionality uses information provided by a location-aware device.
US09360988B2
Embodiments are configured to provide browsing and other functionality that can be used to provide viewable data based in part on a current viewable space of a browser interface, but the embodiments are not so limited. In an embodiment, components of a system can operate to communicate viewable data to a browser engine based in part on a configuration of the browser engine and/or a display architecture. In one embodiment, a computing device includes a browser application that can be used to provide data associated with viewable portions of a browser display, wherein the provided data can be used to monetize advertising revenue according to monetization and/or advertising requirements.
US09360987B2
A client machine initiates a browser instance of a browser. The client machine selects a first user identifying state for the browser instance prior to accessing any web pages by the browser instance, wherein the first user identifying state is associated with a first data structure set that comprises a first browser history, a first browser cache and/or a first cookie that are stored at the client machine. The client machine uses the first user identifying state in a session between the browser instance and a server. The client machine updates one or more of the first browser history, the first browser cache or the first cookie of the first data structure set based on the session without updating a second data structure set associated with a second user identifying state.
US09360986B2
Arrangements for managing displays of ultra-mobile devices (UMD's). Automatically or manually, a small-mode interface on a UMD screen, wherein one application window is visible, is switched to a large-mode interface.
US09360985B2
Automatically linking a cursor to a hotspot in a hypervideo stream comprising a plurality of video frames that are associated with at least one selectable hotspot include receiving a hypervideo stream of a first video frame associated with a selectable hotspot in a first activiation region of the first video frame, and determining whether a first position of a cursor is substantially within the first activiation region corresponding to the selectable hotspot. The cursor is associated with the selectable hotspot when the first position of the cursor is substantially within the first activiation region corresponding to the selectable hotspot in the first video frame. The hypervideo stream of a second video frame associated with the selectable hotspot in a second activation region different from the first activation region is received, and the cursor is automatically moved to a second position in the second video frame based on the association.
US09360974B2
Disclosed are a touch panel and a method of manufacturing the same. The touch panel includes a substrate on which an active area and an inactive area surrounding the active area are defined; a first printing layer on the inactive area; a transparent electrode provided on the substrate to sense a position; and a second printing layer spaced apart from the substrate. A method of manufacturing a touch panel includes preparing a substrate on which an active area and an inactive area surrounding the active area are defined; printing a first printing layer on the inactive area of the substrate; preparing a transparent electrode provided on the substrate and on which the second printing layer is formed to sense a position; and bonding the transparent electrode with the substrate.
US09360963B2
A mobile phone 10 comprises a display 14 that is provided on a case 12 so as to be rendered as a narrow frame, a touch panel 16 that is provided on the display 14, etc. An operation inhibition area (80a, 80b) is set to the left side and the right side of a touch effective area of the touch panel 16, respectively. If the operation inhibition area is touched in a state where an arbitrary function is being executed, for example, the operation inhibition area and a cancellation icon (82) are displayed on the display 14. If a temporary cancellation operation is performed at this time, the operation inhibition area is temporarily canceled.
US09360947B2
An input device includes a printed circuit board for outputting a signal, a supporting base fixed on the printed circuit board, and a cap pivoted to the supporting base. A protrusion is formed on an end of the cap for contacting against the printed circuit board when the cap is not pressed down. The cap pivots relative to the supporting base when the cap is pressed down. The input device further includes a resilient conductive component disposed between the printed circuit board and the cap for being pressed by the cap to conduct the printed circuit board when the cap is pressed down.
US09360944B2
Described herein is a wireless remote control device (100) which can be used on the hand (150) of a user to provide both hardware-based control signals which can be associated with gesture-based control signals for enhanced gesture recognition systems. The device (100) comprises a housing (110) having a sensing unit having at least one control button (120, 130, 140) which is capable of generating a control signal for an associated computerized system. A computerized system utilizes information obtained from the control device (100) together with information obtained from a gesture recognition system to resolve any ambiguities due to, for example, occlusion of the hand performing the gesture or the hand being outside the field of view of an imaging system associated with the computerized system, and to trigger interactions within the gesture based interaction system.
US09360937B2
Handheld weapons using tactile feedback to deliver silent status information are described. One embodiment comprises a handheld weapon comprising: a housing comprising a user contactable region, a tactile element coupled to the user contactable region, and an actuator coupled to the tactile element and capable of outputting a haptic sensation localized to the tactile element.
US09360936B2
A head mounted display (HMD) apparatus is disclosed. The HMD apparatus comprises a pico projector, a lens, a half reflective film, an application processor, and an eyeglass frame. The half reflective film covers the lens. The application processor controls the pico projector to project a virtual image beam to the half reflective film. The eyeglass frame carries the pico projector, the lens, and the application processor.
US09360927B2
In one embodiment, the present invention includes a method for receiving an interrupt from an accelerator, sending a resume signal directly to a small core responsive to the interrupt and providing a subset of an execution state of the large core to the first small core, and determining whether the small core can handle a request associated with the interrupt, and performing an operation corresponding to the request in the small core if the determination is in the affirmative, and otherwise providing the large core execution state and the resume signal to the large core. Other embodiments are described and claimed.
US09360917B2
Example embodiments disclosed herein relate to reporting a first updated threshold level related to a battery. A parameter related to power to be drawn by the computing device for the first OS to enter a hibernate state is monitored. The first updated threshold level are set based on the parameter. The first updated threshold level is reported to the first OS. The first OS is to vary the first battery level threshold based on the first updated threshold level.
US09360915B1
Systems, methods, and other embodiments associated with controlling a clocking rate of a processor clock are described. According to one embodiment, an apparatus includes a register, a selector, and a clock gate. The register stores a set of bits arranged in a clocking pattern. In response to receiving an edge of a first clock signal, the selector selects a bit of the set of bits in the register. With each edge of the first clock signal, the selector selects a next bit in the clocking pattern. The clock gate implements a conjunction of the selected bit and the edge. The clock gate then outputs the conjunction of the selected bit and the edge as a second clock signal.
US09360912B2
An information processing apparatus includes a selection unit configured to select a mode of processing to be executed when a power supply state of the information processing apparatus is shifted from a first power supply state to a second power supply state, a determination unit configured to determine time necessary for executing the processing based on the mode selected by the selection unit, an execution unit configured to execute the processing in the mode selected by the selection unit, and a control unit configured to control the execution unit to execute the processing again when the processing has not been completed within the time determined by the determination unit.
US09360906B2
An interface couples a plurality of compute units to a power management controller. The interface conveys a power report for the plurality of compute units to the power management controller. The power management controller receives the power report, determines a power action for the plurality of compute units based at least in part on the power report, and transmits a message specifying the power action through the interface. The power action is performed.
US09360903B2
A system for controlling an electric power supply to devices is provided. The system includes a plurality of power supply sources, devices operated by an electric power, and a control part that determines the power supply source to be used for supplying the electric power to the devices. Further, the control part controls the amount of electric power to be supplied to the devices by the determined power supply source.
US09360895B2
An assembly for mounting a display device in a vehicle. The assembly includes a mounting plate having opposite edges, a front surface extending therebetween, and a rear surface opposite the front surface. The mounting plate is mountable to the vehicle with the front surface of the mounting plate facing outward. The assembly includes a first locking mechanism disposed proximate one edge of the mounting plate and a second locking mechanism disposed proximate the other edge. Each locking mechanism includes a jaw extending over the front surface of the mounting plate and pivotable between closed and open positions. Each jaw includes a resiliently deformable biasing member connected to the jaw and biasing the jaw towards the closed position. The assembly includes an electrical connector attached to the mounting plate. The electrical connector has an opening for mating with another connector.
US09360894B1
A water-resistant electronic device includes a casing, a key body, a first circuit board and an elastomer. The casing has an opening and a recess communicating with the opening. The key body is disposed in the opening. The first circuit board has a switch. The elastomer envelops the first circuit board and is embedded with interference fit in the recess to achieve a water-resistant effect. The key body is pressed to trigger the switch. Besides, a water-resistant key module is suitable for the water-resistant electronic device and includes the key body, the first circuit board and the elastomer above.
US09360891B1
A computer housing comprises a recessed Universal Serial Bus (USB) slot located along a top surface of a computer adjacent to the keyboard portion. The USB slot is recessed into the computer in order to allow a user to attach a USB mass storage device below a top surface portion in a secure position, thereby avoiding damage to the mass storage device if accidentally impacted while connected.
US09360886B2
A case assembly of an electronic device includes a first outer case and an inner case. The first outer case includes a holding groove and a holding plate for forming the holding groove. The holding plate includes a touching surface and a pressing surface that are opposite to each other, and the touching surface forms a part of the holding groove. The inner case is disposed on one side of the first outer case. The inner case includes a surface and at least one supporting component protruding from the surface. The at least one supporting component abuts against the pressing surface, and the inner case and the at least one supporting component are integrated together.
US09360879B2
A sense current generation apparatus constituted of: a main electronically controlled switch arranged to provide a current path for an input current; a sense electronically controlled switch arranged to generate a sense current; a voltage matching circuit arranged to adjust the voltage across the first and second terminals of the sense switch to equal the voltage across the first and second terminals of the main switch, within a predetermined maximum error voltage, such that the sense current is representative of the input current; and a voltage governor arranged to: receive an indication of the voltage across the first and second terminals of the main switch; and responsive to the received voltage indication, adjust the control voltage of the main switch such that the absolute value of the voltage across the terminals thereof is maintained above a predetermined voltage threshold greater than a boundary of the error range.
US09360872B2
A vent valve assembly includes a first housing component, a second housing component, and a third housing component, as well as a first valve and a second valve. The first, second, and third housing components are configured to assemble together along one directional axis with the second housing component, the first valve and the second valve between the first and third housing components and with the second valve laterally-spaced from the first valve. A vapor flow path directs vapor from the first valve to the second valve, thereby reducing an overall height of the vent valve assembly.
US09360865B2
Data is obtained concerning at least one attribute of a vehicle operator. The attribute is used to determine an instruction for positioning a vehicle component during autonomous operation of the vehicle. Autonomous operation of the vehicle, including positioning the vehicle component according to the instruction, is performed.
US09360862B2
Provided is a PLC network extension system, the system including a basic base generating a control data for controlling a plurality of extension bases, generating a network frame using the control data, and transmitting the network frame to one extension base in the plurality of extension bases via a network cable, and the plurality of extension bases extracting a control data from the received network frame to control a pre-installed module based on the control data.
US09360852B2
A machine control system, comprises at least first and second nodes of a wireless network in communication with each other, each node including a three axis accelerometer having a data output coupled to a respective sensor input of the node; and a hydraulic machine having a manifold and a plurality of hydraulic mechanisms coupled to respective outputs of the manifold, the manifold being responsive to electrical actuating signals provided from respective electrical outputs of the first node.
US09360849B2
In this numerical control method that drives the feed shaft of a machine tool (10) by means of a servo control unit (52), a transmission function is determined by modeling the operation of the servo control unit (52) of the feed shaft, the closed loop transmission function (GBP) of the position loop and/or the closed loop transmission function of the velocity loop of the servo control unit (52) of the machine tool is measured using the frequency response of the feed shaft, the control subject (PP) of the position loop and/or the control subject of the velocity loop is determined using the measured closed loop transmission function, the position loop modeling error (ΔPP) and/or the velocity loop modeling error is determined from the control subject, and at least one control parameter of the servo control unit (52) is calculated using the closed loop transmission function and/or the modeling error. As a result, the optimum plurality of control parameters corresponding to the state of the feed shaft is determined easily and automatically.
US09360831B2
A developing unit includes: a frame; a flexible container, provided inside the frame, for accommodating a developer, wherein the flexible container includes an opening for permitting discharge of the developer; an urging member, provided inside the frame, for urging the flexible container to deform the flexible container; and a developer carrying member for carrying the developer discharged from the opening of the flexible container. The flexible container includes a projected portion projecting toward an outside of the flexible container. The projected portion is moved depending on deformation of the flexible container, by urging of the flexible container, to stir the developer discharged from the opening.
US09360830B1
Image forming apparatus having a support unit to move a light element of the image forming apparatus
An image forming apparatus includes a light emitting element unit disposed at an operating position closely opposed to a photoconductor in a printing operation and having a light emitting element that forms an image on the photoconductor, a support unit mounted in the image forming apparatus to support the light emitting element unit, and an elastic member disposed between the light emitting element unit and the support unit. In a state in which the light emitting element unit is disposed at the operating position, the support unit supports the light emitting element unit with the elastic member being disposed therebetween.
US09360829B2
In an image processing apparatus, a control device controls a releasing member to release a release object onto a sheet to perform an image processing; controls a first rotating body to rotate to convey the sheet on which the releasing member has released the release object; controls a second rotating body to rotate to convey the sheet whose leading edge has passed through the first rotating body; determines whether a cover is in an open position or a close position relative to a housing of the image processing apparatus based on a signal outputted by a cover sensor; and restricts, when the cover is determined to be in the open position based on the signal, a rotation of the second rotating body while the first rotating body rotates.
US09360825B2
A cleaning device for a printer includes a cleaning member including a blade and a supporter having first and second surfaces, and a bent portion connecting them, the blade extending in a longitudinal direction at an end of the first surface opposite from the bent portion; and a resin sealing member provided between the cleaning member and the frame, the sealing member including a first portion between the cleaning member and the frame in a region from the blade to the second surface by way of the first surface along the crossing direction at each of one and the other longitudinal ends of the cleaning member, and a second portion sealing between the second surface and the frame in a region between the first portions at the one and the other ends along the longitudinal direction. The second portion is contacted to the second surface with an inclination.
US09360822B2
An improved overcoat layer for an organic photoconductor drum of an electrophotographic image forming device is provided. The overcoat layer is prepared from a curable composition including a triphenylamine charge transport containing two ethyl acrylate functional groups and a urethane resin containing six radical polymerizable functional groups. The amount of the triphenylamine charge transport containing two ethyl acrylate functional groups in the curable composition is about 20 to about 80 percent by weight. The amount of the urethane resin containing six radical polymerizable functional groups in the curable composition is about 20 to about 80 percent by weight. This overcoat layer improves wear resistance of the organic photoconductor drum without negatively altering the electrophotographic properties, thus protecting the organic photoconductor drum from damage and ultimately providing a photoconductor with a longer useful life when compared to other organic photoconductors commercially available.
US09360816B1
A toner bottle driving device control method includes driving one of multiple toner bottle driving devices connected to a single toner container at a time, detecting abnormality of a toner bottle driving device being driven, determining a first abnormality phase of the toner bottle driving device being driven when a number of times the abnormality is detected exceeds a threshold, inhibiting the toner bottle driving device being in the first abnormality phase from driving until the first abnormality phase is resolved, driving a drivable toner bottle driving device containing a non-empty toner bottle when the toner bottle contained in the toner bottle driving device being driven is determined as empty, determining that the multiple toner bottle driving devices are in a second abnormality phase when each of the multiple toner bottle driving devices is determined as being in the first abnormality phase, and inhibiting image formation.
US09360804B2
An image forming apparatus to control a distance between paper sheets by sensing a surface pattern of fed paper and a method of controlling the same is provided. The image forming apparatus may include a paper transport unit configured to transport paper, a paper sensing unit disposed in a transport path of the paper and configured to sense a surface pattern of the transported paper, and a controller configured to control the paper transport unit to adjust a distance between paper sheets based on a change in the sensed surface pattern of the paper.
US09360803B2
An image forming apparatus includes an image forming unit that forms an image on a recording medium by using a developer and an energy generating unit that generates energy that causes the developer on the recording medium, on which the image has been formed by the image forming unit, to generate heat.
US09360801B2
An image forming apparatus includes a main housing, a drum unit, a developing unit, a toner container, and a paper conveyance unit. The drum unit includes a photosensitive drum. The developing unit includes a developer roller that develops a toner image on the photosensitive drum. The toner container contains toner. The paper conveyance unit is openable and closable. The image forming apparatus includes a toner leakage preventing member that is removably attached to the housing so as to extend through a space formed between the paper conveyance unit and each of the drum unit and the developing unit.
US09360798B2
A replenishing apparatus includes a rotatable cylindrical-shaped container having a discharge opening through which toner is discharged, and a guide member provided rotatably with the container. The guide member has a first face on an inner face of the container and a second face which guides the toner scooped by the first face toward the discharge opening. A controller controls a drive portion to rotate the container in a first mode that performs replenishment control in a first drive condition and in a second mode that performs replenishment control in a second drive condition in which a quantity of rotation of the container per unit time is less than the first drive condition. The controller switches the mode from the first mode to the second mode based on a detection result about a quantity of developer.
US09360795B2
A method of supplying a developing unit with toner and an image forming apparatus using the method are provided. The method may include supplying toner to a developing unit separate from a toner bottle in an image forming apparatus. The method includes: detecting a remaining amount of toner in the developing unit during printing; comparing the remaining amount of toner with a first reference value; if the remaining amount of toner is greater than the first reference value, continuing printing; and if the remaining amount of toner is not greater than the first reference value, determining whether to supply toner based on a preset mode. Deterioration of printing quality in a toner supply mode may be markedly reduced according to a user's settings.
US09360790B2
An optical scanning device that performs optical scanning across an object to be scanned with a light deflected, comprises: a deflection unit that causes a deflection mirror driven by a driving source to deflect the travel direction of light emitted from a light source and generates the light deflected; a resonator that includes a resonance space for reducing sound emitted from the deflection unit and a resonance passage communicating with the resonance space to direct sound from outside to inside the resonance space; a housing that accommodates the deflection unit and the resonator, and a partition wall that partitions a deflection unit accommodating space acting as a space for accommodating the deflection unit in the housing and a resonator accommodating space acting as a space for accommodating the resonator in the housing.
US09360785B2
Disclosed are a toner for electrostatic image development and an image formation process using the same which can achieve high varnish application property and high adhesion of a heat-fixed image to a varnish layer even when the varnish layer is formed on the fixed image formed by an image formation process of an electrophotographic system.The toner for electrostatic image development includes toner particles containing at least a binder resin, a colorant and a parting agent, and the binder resin contains a polyfunctional acrylate-modified polyester resin obtained by modification with a polyfunctional acrylate compound. In the toner for electrostatic image development, it is preferable that the toner particles have a core-shell structure, in which the surface of a core particle is coated with a shell layer, and the polyfunctional acrylate-modified polyester resin is contained in the shell layer.
US09360772B2
A carrier system equipped with a fine movement stage holding a mounted wafer and can move along a predetermined plane, a chuck main section which holds the wafer above a predetermined position and can move vertically, and vertical movement pins supporting the wafer held by the chuck main section on the fine movement stage from below when the fine movement stage is positioned at the predetermined position and are vertically movable. A controller drives the chuck main section and the vertical movement pins downward until a lower surface of the wafer comes into contact with the fine movement stage while maintaining a hold state by the chuck main section to the wafer and a support state by the vertical movement pins to the wafer, and when the lower surface of the wafer comes into contact with the fine movement stage, the hold state and the support state are released.
US09360770B2
A method of, and associated apparatus for, determining focus corrections for a lithographic projection apparatus. The method comprises exposing a plurality of global correction fields on a test substrate, each comprising a plurality of global correction marks, and each being exposed with a tilted focus offset across it; measuring a focus dependent characteristic for each of the plurality of global correction marks to determine interfield focus variation information; and calculating interfield focus corrections from the interfield focus variation information.
US09360769B2
A method of, and associated apparatus for, determining focus corrections for a lithographic projection apparatus. The method comprises exposing a plurality of global correction fields on a test substrate, each comprising a plurality of global correction marks, and each being exposed with a tilted focus offset across it; measuring a focus dependent characteristic for each of the plurality of global correction marks to determine interfield focus variation information; and calculating interfield focus corrections from the interfield focus variation information.
US09360758B2
In accordance with an embodiment, a method of filtering a process fluid such as a negative tone developer is provided. The negative tone developer is introduced to a filter membrane that comprises a fluorine-based polymer. The negative tone developer is then filtered through the filter membrane. By using these materials and methods, polyethylene from the filter membrane will not contaminate the photoresist during development and reduce defects that arise from polyethylene contamination.
US09360752B2
According to one embodiment, a pattern formation method is disclosed. The method is configured to transfer a shape of a pattern to a plurality of shot regions of an object using a mold including a first pattern region and a second pattern region aligned with the first pattern region. The method can include transferring the shape of the pattern to each of the plurality of shot regions sequentially in a first direction from the first pattern region toward the second pattern region when the shape of the pattern is transferred using the first pattern region. The method can include transferring the shape of the pattern to each of the plurality of shot regions sequentially in a second direction from the second pattern region toward the first pattern region when the shape of the pattern is transferred using the second pattern region.
US09360749B2
A pellicle structure, a pellicle-mask structure, and a method for forming the pellicle structure are provided. The pellicle structure includes a pellicle film made of a carbon-based material. In addition, the pellicle film is configured to protect a mask structure in a lithography process. The pellicle-mask structure includes a mask substrate having a mask pattern formed over the mask substrate and the pellicle frame disposed on the mask substrate. The pellicle-mask structure further includes the pellicle film disposed on the pellicle frame.
US09360747B2
This is to provide a transmission type screen where a viewing angle at which an image projected by a projector can be visually recognized is extremely wide, and image visibility from the both surfaces of the screen is excellent.The present invention relates to a transmission type screen comprising a light transmissive support and a light diffusion layer on at least one surface of the light transmissive support, wherein the light diffusion layer contains light diffusion fine particles and a xerogel. It preferably relates to the above-mentioned transmission type screen wherein the xerogel contains inorganic fine particles and a resin binder, and the inorganic fine particles are particles dispersed in an aggregated form having an average primary particle diameter of 18 nm or less and an average secondary particle diameter of 500 nm or less.
US09360742B1
A swivel camera mount is configured to attach a camera to a mount base which, in turn, may be secured to sport equipment, musical instruments, vehicles, and the like. The swivel camera mount includes an inner rotating component that couples to a camera or camera housing and allows a user to rotate a camera within a horizontal plane. The inner rotating component is securely coupled within an outer sleeve component by a coupling mechanism that allows the swivel camera mount and a coupled camera or camera housing to couple to the mount base. Additionally, the outer sleeve component includes protrusions that allow the swivel mount component to pivot in one or more vertical planes.
US09360736B2
A camera module may include: a frame having an opening formed therein; an auto-focusing unit mounted on the frame; and a position adjusting part formed in the auto-focusing unit. A distance from an optical axis to the position adjusting part may be smaller than a distance from the optical axis to the opening.
US09360735B2
Disclosed herein is camera module including: a lens barrel; an auto-focusing actuator; and a handshake compensating actuator, wherein the auto-focusing actuator and the handshake compensating actuator include a common magnet for actuating auto-focusing and handshake compensation, an auto-focusing corner magnet, a coil for auto-focusing, and a coil for handshake compensation, one surface of the common magnet for actuating auto-focusing and handshake compensation and the auto-focusing corner magnet face the coil for auto-focusing and the other surface of the common magnet for actuating auto-focusing and handshake compensation faces the coil for handshake compensation.
US09360732B2
Provided is a display unit capable of improving display performance. The display unit includes an electrophoretic particle disposed between a pair of electrodes for each pixel; and a voltage control circuit applying a voltage for each pixel, to move the electrophoretic particle. The voltage control circuit counts, for each pixel, a number of applications of a first voltage and a number of applications of a second voltage, the first voltage being applied to move the electrophoretic particle towards one of the electrodes, and the second voltage being applied to move the electrophoretic particle towards the other of the electrodes. Further, at an arbitrary timing following start of display, when the number of applications of the second voltage in part of pixels is smaller than that in other pixel, the voltage control circuit applies the second voltage to the pixel with the smaller number of applications, to bring this smaller number of applications closer to the number of applications in the other pixel.
US09360730B2
A display panel, a method for manufacturing the display panel and a display device are provided. The display panel comprises a first transparent substrate (1) and a second transparent substrate (2) disposed opposite to the first transparent (1), the display panel further comprises a black matrix (3) disposed between the first transparent substrate (1) and the second transparent substrate (2), wherein the black matrix (3) together with the first transparent substrate (1) and the second transparent substrate (2) forms a plurality of pixel spaces separated from each other, electrochromatic material (4) disposed in each of the pixel spaces, and the display panel further comprises a first electrode and a second electrode, the plurality of pixel spaces being disposed between the first electrode and the second electrode. The method for manufacturing the display panel and the display device utilize the electrochromatic material instead of liquid crystals, thus having various advantages, such as a simple structure, simple manufacturing processes, low cost, good economic effect, good display effect and etc.
US09360719B2
A tip edge (31) of an FPC (30E) bonded at a most outward position in an arrangement direction (30D) of a plurality of FPCs (30) has an edge (32) inclined relative to an edge (3e) of a terminal region (3T) to face a center of a display panel (X). An IC chip (20E) facing the tip edge (31) of the FPC (30E) bonded at the most outward position is arranged parallel to the inclined edge (32) of the FPC (30E).
US09360716B2
A liquid crystal display device includes a thin film transistor substrate, a counter substrate that faces the thin film transistor substrate, a liquid crystal composition that is arranged between the thin film transistor substrate and the counter substrate, an oriented film that arranges orientation of the liquid crystal composition contacting with the thin film transistor substrate, a seal material that seals the liquid crystal composition between the two substrates, and a driver circuit. The driver circuit has a light transmission area that is formed inside of the driver circuit, and is higher in light transmittance than an area in which a non-transparent conductive film forming the driver circuit is formed, and a high sealing property area in which the seal material and an insulating film come into direct contact with each other between the light transmission area and an outer edge of the thin film transistor substrate.
US09360712B2
The invention provides a liquid crystal display (LCD) device comprising a first substrate, a first electrode, a second substrate, a liquid crystal layer, a main spacer and an auxiliary spacer. The first electrode is disposed on the first substrate and has a first thickness and a second thickness, wherein the first thickness is smaller than the second thickness. The second substrate and the first substrate are disposed oppositely. The liquid crystal layer is disposed between the first substrate and the second substrate. The main spacer is disposed between the first substrate and the second substrate and corresponding to a part of the first electrode having the first thickness. The auxiliary spacer is disposed between the first substrate and the second substrate and corresponding to a part of the first electrode having the second thickness.
US09360708B2
Provided is a liquid crystal alignment layer of which a constituent member is a compound represented by the general formula (I).
US09360704B2
An object of the present invention is to provide a driving method by which excellent image quality and high video performance can be obtained as well as liquid crystal display devices and electronic devices with excellent image quality and high video performance. A pixel for monitor use is provided in a liquid crystal display device, and luminance of the pixel is detected using a light sensor. Herewith, because changes in luminance of a backlight with changes in the environment and the amount of time it takes for response of the liquid crystal become able to be calculated, control of the backlight in real time using the calculated information can be performed.
US09360700B2
A half-transmitting and half-reflecting color film substrate, manufacture method thereof and liquid crystal display device are provided. The half-transmitting and half-reflecting color film substrate comprises a transparent substrate (1) and a black matrix (2) arranged on the transparent substrate (1). The black matrix (2) has a plurality of notches, and a plurality of color filters (3, 4, 5) are arranged in the notches of the black matrix (2). The plurality of color filters (3, 4, 5) are used for presenting different primary color, wherein the first color filter (5) of the plurality of color filters (3, 4, 5) is made of negative photosensitive resin, and the other color filters (3, 4) are made of positive photosensitive resin.
US09360696B1
An electronic device includes a stack assembly and a cover glass. The stack assembly includes an electronic paper display sub-assembly for rendering content, a front light sub-assembly for illuminating the electronic display sub-assembly, and a capacitive touch sensing sub-assembly for detecting touch inputs. The cover glass includes two apertures for the placement of control buttons for the electronic device. Prior to assembly of the electronic device, the cover glass is strengthened after the two apertures are formed so as to strengthen the interior edges of the apertures.
US09360692B2
A display device includes: a display panel including a pixel that includes a first subpixel and a second subpixel, the first subpixel displaying a first image based on a first gamma curve during a first period of a first frame and the second subpixel displaying a second image based on a second gamma curve during the first period of the first frame, where the first and second gamma curves are different; a gate driver configured to transmit a gate signal to the display panel; and a data driver configured to transmit a first data voltage based on the first gamma curve and a second data voltage based on the second gamma curve to the pixel, in which the pixel includes a voltage changing member which changes luminance of at least one of the first image and the second image during a second period of the first frame.
US09360691B2
A method of repairing a display substrate includes electrically separating a defective pixel circuit from a pixel electrode and irradiating a laser beam on first and second intersection regions. The laser beam is irradiated on the first intersection region to weld a pixel connection part to a first repair line. The pixel connection part is connected to the pixel electrode at the first intersection region, and intersects the first repair line. The first repair line includes a first welding hole at the first intersection region. The laser beam is irradiated on the second intersection region to weld a dummy connection part of a dummy circuit to a second repair line. The second repair line intersects the dummy connection part at the second intersection region, and is separated from the pixel circuit. The second repair line includes a second welding hole at the second intersection region.
US09360687B2
A cleaning system configured to use a hydrogen peroxide solution to clean contact lenses. The cleaning system includes a reservoir to hold the cleaning solution and a complex base coupled to the reservoir to insure a hermetically closed reservoir environment. The complex base is separated into at least a first and a second segment. A lens holder assembly holds the lenses within the solution and is coupled to the complex base in the first segment. A motor is located in the second segment of the complex base to selectively introduce a catalyst to the cleaning solution. The cleaning system has additional features that permit the system to allow for the storage of the contact lenses by converting a neutralized cleaning solution into a storage solution to prevent recontamination.
US09360683B2
A pair of multifocal contact lenses, each including an optical zone portion and a stabilization zone portion. The optical zone portion has a distance prescription zone and a near prescription zone. The near prescription zone has a near vision add power appropriate to reduce accommodative effort to substantially zero for a selected working distance and convergence support having base-in prism combined between the pair of multifocal lenses appropriate to reduce convergence effort to substantially zero for the selected working distance. The stabilization zone portion is structured to maintain orientation of the pair of lenses with a base of the base in prism directed substantially nasally.
US09360679B2
To provide an illumination device and a projection type image display device that illuminate an area to be illuminated (image formation area) under conditions where speckle noise is less noticeable.An illumination device according to the present invention includes: a light source 11 that emits coherent light; an optical scanning section 15 that scans the coherent light emitted from the light source 11; and an optical path conversion system 21 configured to allow the coherent light scanned by the optical scanning section 15 to illuminate an area to be illuminated sequentially in an overlapping manner. An incident angle of the coherent light that enters respective points of the area to be illuminated changes with time.
US09360674B2
A dual-view display substrate and a dual-view display device are provided. The dual-view display substrate includes a base substrate; first display areas and second display areas are alternately arranged and disposed on the base substrate; the first display areas and the second display areas are respectively provided with display units; main light-emitting directions of the display units of each first display area are consistent with each other and correspond to a first view region from which only the first display areas can be viewed; and main light-emitting directions of the display units of each second display area are consistent with each other and correspond to a second view region from which only the second display areas can be viewed.
US09360663B1
An Integrated Laser Phase and Amplifier Compensation System (ILPACS) for end-to-end compensation of high-energy laser for propagation through turbulence with non-cooperative target are described. ILPACS using interferometric slaving technique and stand-alone adaptive optical systems to effect pre-compensation of phase aberrations in turbulent medium, providing pre-compensation for aberrations in a laser amplifier is presented. ILPACS enables integration with a short pulse mode locked laser for use in Target Feature Adaptive Optics (TFAO) or with a mode locked ultra short pulse laser with carrier envelope phase stabilization for use in Broadband Coherent Adaptive Optics (BCAO).
US09360658B2
An optical imaging assembly is provided, having an optical axis, an object axis, a light-transmissive sleeve enclosing the object axis, being telecentric in object space, having at least three refractive lens elements, at least one of said elements having surfaces having at least one of cylindrical and acylindrical prescription, with an image plane, wherein the object being imaged lies within the sleeve.
US09360657B2
An imaging lens module includes first, second, third and fourth optical lens elements that are arranged sequentially from an object side to an image side along an optical axis and that respectively have positive, positive, negative and negative refractive powers, and a fixed aperture stop that is disposed between the object side and the second optical lens element. The fourth optical lens element has an object-side surface and an image-side surface that has a concave surface segment near the optical axis. At least one of the object-side surface and the image-side surface of the fourth optical lens element has at least an inflection point.
US09360655B2
A lens barrel includes at least one lens, the optical axis of the lens; the first frame (the fixed frame 900) having the first restricting portion (901, 902) and having an approximately cylindrical shape about the optical axis; the second frame (1000) having the cam groove (1036) and having an approximately cylindrical shape about the optical axis; the third frame (510) having the guide portion (511) which restricts inclination thereof with respect to the first contact portion (514) and the optical axis and having an approximately cylindrical shape about the optical axis; the drive arm (520) having a cam follower (523), the second restricting portion (524, 525) and the second contact portion (526), and having an approximately arcuate shape constituted of a portion of a circular cylinder about the optical axis or an approximately plate shape; the guide shaft (601) for guiding the guide in a movable manner in the optical axis direction; and the spring (603). The first restricting portion engages with the second restricting portion. The cam engages with the cam groove (1036). The drive arm moves approximately parallel to the optical axis due to the relative rotation of the second with respect to the first frame, the third is biased by the thus bringing the first contact portion and the second contact portion into contact with each other, and the third frame moves in the optical axis direction in an interlocking manner with the drive with the inclination of the guide being restricted by the guide.
US09360644B2
A multi semiconductor device package includes a laser die and a photonics die. The laser die generates light and includes a laser facet that emits light from a light emitting surface. The photonics die modulates light emitted from the laser light emitting surface and includes a device side cavity that exposes an embedded waveguide optically connected with the laser facet. A laser die and photonics die attachment method includes positioning a device side of the laser die relative to a device side of the photonics die, engaging an alignment feature of the photonics die with an alignment feature of the laser die, installing the laser die within a device side recess of photonics die, electrically connecting the laser die with the photonics die, and optically connecting a laser facet of the laser die with an embedded waveguide of the phonics die.
US09360640B2
A ferrule fixing member includes a fixing member configured to fix a ferrule to hold an optical fiber to a retaining member including a retaining hole to insert the ferrule, a locked portion configured to be locked to a locking portion formed on the retaining member and to be restricted from moving, with respect to the retaining member, in an insertion direction of the ferrule and in a direction orthogonal to the insertion direction, and a main body configured to elastically press the ferrule toward the bottom of the retaining hole by elastic deformation thereof.
US09360632B2
A ferrule 10 includes holding holes 16, a light incidence/emission plane 21 to pass light entering or emitted from optical fibers F2 respectively held at the holding holes 16, lenses 31 disposed on an optical axes between the respective holding holes 16 and the light incidence/emission plane 21, and two or more guide portions. A second optical axis L2 between the light incidence/emission plane 21 and the ferrule 10 on the other side is inclined relative to a Z direction. A positional relation between the guide portions is 180-degree rotationally symmetric around a reference axial line extending in the Z direction. The lenses 31 is disposed disproportionately in a direction opposite to an inclination direction of the second optical axis L2 from a position line-symmetric relative to a straight line crossing with the reference axial line and parallel to an X direction.
US09360618B2
The disclosed embodiments provide systems and methods for mitigating lensing and scattering as an optical fiber is being inscribed with a grating. The disclosed systems and methods mitigate the lensing phenomenon by surrounding an optical fiber with an index-matching material that is held in a vessel with an integrated interferometer (e.g., phase mask, etc.). The index-matching material has a refractive index that is sufficient to reduce intensity variations of the actinic radiation within the optical fiber. Some embodiments of the system include different vessels for holding the index-matching material, with the vessel having an interferometer integrated into the vessel. These vessels permit the optical fiber to be surrounded by the index-matching material while the gratings are written to the optical fiber.
US09360615B1
The subject matter disclosed herein relates to an optical device comprising: a light guide film to transport light rays via total internal reflection; a first optical layer covering at least a portion of a first side of the light guide film, the first optical layer to receive an exiting portion of the light rays; a second optical layer covering at least a portion of the first optical layer; and a grating pattern located at an interface between the first optical layer and the second optical layer to out-couple light rays travelling in the light guide film, wherein the grating pattern is configured so that the exiting portion of the light rays transmit through the grating pattern twice before being total internally reflected by the grating pattern.
US09360613B2
A planar light source apparatus includes a point light source and a light guide plate shaped like a flat plate with a rectangular shape in a plan view. The light guide plate includes an output surface confronting an opening portion, a pair of second side surfaces opposed to each other, and a hole opening in a non-output surface and formed near one of the first side surfaces at a position where the point light source is to be arranged. Each of the pair of second side surfaces is at least partially configured as a prism whose ridge line extends in a direction perpendicular to the output surface and whose cross-section, when sectioned in a direction parallel to the output surface, has a sawtooth-like shape in which concavity and convexity are repeated. A light of the point light source can be efficiently uniformized in the light guide plate, and thus unevenness of brightness can be prevented.
US09360609B2
A 3D image projector having a translucent rotatable hollow cylinder, the hollow cylinder having differently polarized sections, and the projector being capable of passing a light beam generally orthogonally through a wall of the hollow cylinder is disclosed.
US09360605B2
A system and method for acquiring images containing spatial and spectral information of an object include acquiring defocused images using an optical system based on extended depth of field. The optical system further includes a filter array comprising an array of at least six different sub-filters that are arranged such that any group of four immediately adjacent sub-filters includes at least one red sub-filter, at least one green sub-filter and at least one blue sub-filter. The filter array is located at the aperture stop of the optical system. A coded mask is located at the focal plane of the optical system, and an imager is located beyond the focal plane such that images acquired by the imager are defocused. The images are refocused, and spectral and spatial information is restored by designated software.
US09360592B2
Presently described are optical films, such as a brightness enhancing film, having a polymerized microstructured surface disposed on a preformed polymeric film wherein the film has a thickness of no greater than 3 mils and the polymerized microstructured surface consists of the reaction product of a substantially non-brominated polymerizable resin composition.
US09360589B1
Identifying marks are often used for authentication and tracking purposes with various types of articles, but the marks themselves can sometimes be subject to replication or removal by an outside entity, such as a person or group having malicious intent. This can make it easier for an outside entity to produce a counterfeit article or to sell a stolen article. Carbon nanotubes and other carbon nanomaterials can be used to form identifying marks that are not visible to the naked eye, thereby making the marks more difficult for an outside entity to tamper with. Various articles can include an identifying mark that is localized and not visible to the naked eye, the identifying mark being electrically conductive and containing a carbon nanomaterial. By electrically interrogating the article, such as through spatially measuring eddy currents about the article, the marks can be located and authenticated.
US09360580B2
A method and apparatus are provided for making directional measurements toward a formation of different resistivity that is proximate to the borehole, but which is not penetrated by the borehole. The methods and apparatus include the use of at least one insulated gap and at least one magnetometer positioned within a non-magnetic housing that is disposed within a non-magnetic tubular. An electric current is applied across the insulated gap, which results in current leaking into the surrounding formations. When a formation of contrasting resistivity is proximate to the logging apparatus, the magnetometer detects a secondary magnetic field due to the contrasting formation. The direction of the secondary magnetic field can be used to determine the direction to the contrasting formation. The magnitude of the secondary magnetic field can be used to determine the distance position to the contrasting formation.
US09360576B2
One embodiment relates to a method for deghosting seismic data from a marine seismic survey. The seismic data from the marine seismic survey is obtained, where the marine seismic survey was performed using multiple sub-sources towed at two or more different depths and fired at distinct time-delays. The seismic data is sorted into common receiver gathers, and the common receiver gathers are transformed from horizontal source coordinates to horizontal wavenumbers. For each selected frequency, a matrix operator is constructed, and an inversion procedure is applied to a system of equations based on the matrix operator to generate source-deghosted seismic data. Other embodiments, aspects and features are also disclosed.
US09360567B2
Embodiments incorporate a method and apparatus for detection of radiation. Embodiments detect fast and/or thermal neutrons. Embodiments detect neutrons in high backgrounds of gamma rays. Embodiments can have high sensitivity and/or high gamma discrimination. Embodiments include a given single material that detects fast neutrons and simultaneously detect gamma rays with moderate energy resolution. Embodiments utilize liquid, viscous liquid, gel, and/or solid scintillating materials. Embodiments incorporate a scintillating matrix, such as a liquid, having a highly polar matrix, such as a liquid solvent, dissolved dyes, and a high concentration of a dissolved organo metallic compound. The use of a single material for a large area detector of fast neutrons and gamma rays can provide material and cost benefits.
US09360561B2
A radiation imaging apparatus includes a pixel array including a plurality of pixels arranged in a matrix in which each pixel includes a conversion element configured to convert radiation into a charge and a switch element configured to transfer an electric signal based on the charge, a plurality of wirings arranged in the pixel array, and a detecting unit configured to detect radiation irradiation to the pixel array, in which the detecting unit includes a detecting circuit configured to detect the radiation irradiation to the pixel array on the basis of a plurality of currents flowing through the plurality of wirings detected for each of the plurality of wirings.
US09360557B1
Position, navigation and/or timing (PNT) solutions may be provided with levels of precision that have previously and conventionally been associated with carrier phase differential GPS (CDGPS) techniques that employ a fixed terrestrial reference station or with GPS PPP techniques that employ fixed terrestrial stations and corrections distribution networks of generally limited terrestrial coverage. Using techniques described herein, high-precision PNT solutions may be provided without resort to a generally proximate, terrestrial ground station having a fixed and precisely known position. Instead, techniques described herein utilize a carrier phase model and measurements from plural satellites (typically 4 or more) wherein at least one is a low earth orbiting (LEO) satellite. For an Iridium LEO solution, particular techniques are described that allow extraction of an Iridium carrier phase observables, notwithstanding TDMA gaps and random phase rotations and biases inherent in the transmitted signals.
US09360541B2
A local coil for an imaging system, in particular an MRI scanner, is provided. The local coil is an MRI scanner local coil within which the head of a patient may be positioned, and that includes at least one shim coil. A conductor of a shim coil of the at least one shim coil is disposed in a region for a molded nape section of the patient.
US09360532B2
A current detection apparatus for detecting a current from a battery flowing through a harness. The apparatus includes a resistor having a current carrying member disposed between a terminal of the battery and the harness, a circuit board provided thereon with a current detection circuit for detecting a current flowing through the resistor, and a casing having a recessed portion for accommodating the circuit board, a cover for closing an opening of the recessed portion. The circuit board includes a solder junction between the circuit board and a terminal protruding from an inside bottom of the recessed portion and passing through a through hole arranged on the circuit board, and an open end of the recessed portion that can be engaged with the cover is non-parallel to the circuit board so that at least a portion of the circuit board including the solder junction lies outside of the recessed portion.
US09360528B2
A circuit that includes a bridge rectifier configured to convert a sensed input signal into a rectified output signal and a regulator configured to convert the rectified output signal into a voltage source signal. The circuit further includes a variable period timer configured to be powered by the voltage source signal and to convert the rectified output signal into a low duty cycle timer signal in which 50% is a low duty cycle and the low duty cycle timer signal has a frequency that is correlated to an input voltage level of the sensed input signal, wherein the voltage sensing circuit is configured to operate on input voltage levels of sensed alternating current (AC) and direct current (DC) input signals over one or more determined dynamic ranges.
US09360527B2
In an embodiment, a system includes a battery management unit (BMU) coupled to a battery pack of an xEV. Further, the BMU is configured to determine an energy remaining value for the battery pack based, at least in part, on a minimum cell temperature and a minimum cell state of charge percentage (SOC %) determined by the BMU for the battery pack.
US09360524B2
A testing system includes a circuit board, and an inserting unit. The circuit board includes a first serial interface and a serial chip connected to the first serial interface. The first serial interface connects a second serial interface of a motherboard to receive a first signal of the second serial interface. The inserting unit includes a first plug connected to a pin Transmit Data of the first serial interface. The first plug connects a testing device. When the first signal is transmitted to the first serial interface by the second serial interface, the serial chip receives the first signal and sends the first signal back to the first serial interface. The first plug sends a second signal of the pin Transmit Data to the testing device to be tested.
US09360513B2
A method and system for determining parameters of a satellite signal present in a coaxial cable, the method including the steps of aligning two capacitive coupling sensors in proximity to a length of the coaxial cable, wherein the distance between the capacitive coupling sensors is below 10 centimeters; receiving from two capacitive coupling sensors a signal being a differential voltage in the coaxial cable between the locations of the capacitive coupling sensors wherein the voltage is relative to a voltage level in a coaxial cable; amplifying the differential voltage by a bandpass amplifier; detecting a valid DiSEqC command sequence being indicative of signal quality.
US09360510B2
An integrated circuit compensates for parasitic capacitance in a capacitive measuring apparatus wherein a capacitance measurement is done by repeatedly transferring charge from a capacitor to be measured to a reference capacitor.
US09360508B2
Disclosed herein is a detecting device including a coil electromagnetically coupled to the external, a resonant circuit that includes at least the coil, and a detecting section that superimposes a measurement signal for measuring the Q-factor of the resonant circuit on a power transmission signal transmitted to the coil in a contactless manner and removes the power transmission signal from an alternating-current signal obtained by superimposing the measurement signal on the power transmission signal. The detecting section measures the Q-factor by using the alternating-current signal from which the power transmission signal is removed.
US09360484B2
The present invention is directed to compositions of matter useful for the treatment of hematopoietic tumor in mammals and to methods of using those compositions of matter for the same.
US09360477B2
Modified branched polymers are combined with bioactive agents which are one member of a binding pair for use in an assay.
US09360472B2
A variety of applications, systems, methods and constructs are implemented for use in connection with screening of ion-channel modulators. Consistent with one such system, drug candidates are screened to identify their effects on cell membrane ion channels and pumps. The system includes screening cells having light responsive membrane ion switches, voltage-gated ion switches and fluorescence producing voltage sensors. A chemical delivery device introduces the drug candidates to be screened. An optical delivery device activates the light responsive ion switches. An optical sensor monitors fluorescence produced by the voltage sensors. A processor processes data received from the optical sensor. A memory stores the data received from the optical sensor.
US09360456B2
There is provided a detecting apparatus including one or a plurality of magnetic coupling elements that include a plurality of coils, a positioning unit disposed near at least one coil from among the plurality of coils included in the one or plurality of magnetic coupling elements, and a detector that measures an electrical parameter related to the one or plurality of magnetic coupling elements or to a circuit that at least includes the one or plurality of magnetic coupling elements, and determines from a change in the electrical parameter whether a foreign matter capable of generating heat due to magnetic flux is present.
US09360434B2
An object of the present invention is to provide an optical inspection apparatus that suppresses an influence of quantum noise and obtains superior defect detection performance even when an amount of light is small and a method thereof.In order to resolve the above problem, the present invention provides an optical inspection apparatus that includes a light source which radiates light to a sample; a light interference device which causes target light transmitted, scattered, or reflected from the sample and reference light to interfere with each other, such that strength of light after the interference becomes lower than strength of the target light; a photon counter which measures a photon number of the light after the interference by the light interference device; and a defect identifier which identifies the presence or absence of a defect, on the basis of a detected photon number obtained by the photon counter.
US09360418B2
A method and apparatus for inspecting an object. The apparatus comprises a wave generator and a detection system. The wave generator is positioned away from an object. The wave generator emits an ultrasonic wave in a direction towards a location on the object such that the ultrasonic wave encounters a portion of the object. The detection system is positioned at a same side of the object as the wave generator. The detection system detects a feature response of a feature within the portion of the object to the ultrasonic wave encountering the portion of the object.
US09360415B2
A reference harmonic absorption curve of a laser absorption spectrometer can have a reference curve shape derived from a reference signal generated by the detector in response to light passing from the laser light source through a reference gas or gas mixture. The reference gas or gas mixture can include one or more of a target analyte and a background gas expected to be present during analysis of the target analyte. A test harmonic absorption curve having a test curve shape is compared with the reference harmonic absorption curve to detect a difference between the test curve shape and the reference curve shape. Operating and/or analytical parameters of the laser absorption spectrometer are adjusted to correct the test curve shape to reduce the difference between the test curve shape and the reference curve shape.
US09360412B2
A system includes a testing instrument to hold a test card having multiple cuvettes radially spaced about a point on the card. A rotatable mount is supported in relation the point on the card when the card is held in the testing system. Optics are supported on the rotatable mount to provide radiation to the multiple cuvettes.
US09360406B2
A process and system for self-calibration of a density profiler is disclosed. The process may include measuring a density profile of a fluid in a vessel using a plurality of sensors or a single sensor, and measuring a density profile of the fluid in the vessel using a plurality of sample ports. A density of the fluid proximate a location of at least one of the plurality of sample ports based on the sensor measured density profile may then be interpolated. A density of the fluid proximate a location of at least one of the plurality of sensors based on the sample port measured density profile may also be interpolated. Adjustment of a calibration of at least one of the plurality of sensors may then be made based on both the interpolated sample port density and the interpolated sensor density.
US09360404B2
It has been difficult to conduct high-sensitivity, high-precision measurement due to externally generated contamination or cross-contamination. Thus, the invention includes (1) a filter unit having a filter at a bottom of a container for holding a liquid, the filter being adapted to filter a liquid, and (2) an attachment cover having a first opening and a second opening, the filter unit being attachable to and detachable from the attachment cover via the first opening, and the attachment cover being adapted to, when the filter unit is attached to the attachment cover, allow filtration by the filter in a state in which an inner face of the attachment cover is tightly in contact with an outer face of the filter unit, and discharge a resulting filtrate through the second opening.
US09360401B2
The present invention provides a sample stack structure with multiple layers. The sample stack structure has at least a substrate, an adhesive layer and a target layer. The target layer is directly sandwiched between the substrate and the adhesive layer.
US09360398B2
The present invention provides a single self-contained device for collecting, extracting, on-site testing, and transferring for forensic confirmatory analysis, a wide variety of substances including, but not limited to, drugs of abuse, explosives, weapons of mass destruction, food toxins and industrial wastes. Samples can be obtained from a surface by swabbing a suspect area or the testing of solid materials (pills, capsules, powders), air samples and biological and non-biological fluids by placing the substance in the device. The device includes a swab, a retention well including a wash, and analysis technologies that can be, for example, a lateral flow testing system. The swab is rinsed with a wash prior to testing thereby not compromising the chemistry of the detection technologies and allowing for a wide variety of applications under a number of field conditions. Also, the device is a single self-contained unit instead of having a separate reagent droppers or sprays, making it compact and easy to use. Moreover, the device is designed to not only collect and test samples but to seal the originally target analyte, not affected by testing procedures, in a specially designed cap for shipping under chain of custody documentation to a forensic laboratory for confirmatory testing.
US09360395B2
A dynamometer test unit for use in dynamometer testing of a vehicle, where the vehicle includes at least a first wheel shaft and at least one first vehicle power source for providing power to the first wheel shaft. The first wheel shaft is, during testing, connected to a dynamometer test unit which includes a first individually controllable dynamometer power source for applying a first power to the first wheel shaft. The dynamometer test unit further includes a second individually controllable dynamometer power source for applying a second power to the first wheel shaft. The first and the second dynamometer power source apply a controllable power to the first wheel shaft during testing. The invention also relates to a dynamometer test system.
US09360392B2
Calibration of optical time domain reflectometry optical loss measurement in optical fibers having potentially dissimilar light backscattering properties is disclosed. For example, an optical time domain reflectometer (OTDR) can be employed to perform a single-ended optical loss measurement on an optical fiber before and after joinder (e.g., a splice) to determine the efficiency of the joinder. The individual optical fibers provided in a joined optical fiber may have dissimilar backscatter light collection efficiencies resulting in an erroneous OTDR optical loss measurement, because an OTDR assumes the backscatter light collection efficiency of the joined optical fiber is identical before and after joinder. An OTDR calibration factor is first determined before an OTDR optical loss measurement of the joined optical fiber is made. The OTDR calibration factor is used to correct any error in an OTDR optical loss measurement of the joined optical fiber.
US09360390B2
There is provided a pressure measuring instrument including: a detecting unit including the reference pressure chamber therein and formed in a cylindrical shape, the diaphragm being disposed inside the detecting unit; a communicating unit for providing communication between the diaphragm and the measurement pressure chamber, and formed in a circular tube shape having an inner diameter smaller than an inner diameter of the detecting unit; and an annular flow-path forming unit disposed between the detecting unit and the communicating unit, and configured to form a substantially annular path. The communicating unit introduces a gas of the measurement pressure chamber into the substantially annular path. The annular flow-path forming unit allows the gas introduced from the communicating unit to pass through the substantially annular path and to supply the passing gas to a side surface of the diaphragm.
US09360388B2
A pressure sensing system includes a pressure sensor, an optical fiber in operable communication with the pressure sensor, and a body having a diaphragm integrally formed therein and separated a distance from the optical fiber.
US09360384B2
A pressure sensor for sensing a pressure of a fluid includes a Bourdon tube that has a helical segment and an anvil. A portion of the anvil is positioned within the helical segment. The sensor also includes a dielectric material positioned between the portion of the anvil and the helical segment. The anvil, the dielectric material, and the helical segment form a variable capacitor. A capacitance of the variable capacitor changes based on a pressure applied to the Bourdon tube.
US09360382B2
The invention relates to a device for measuring a heat flux, comprising a thermopile formed of a plurality of thermojunctions of distributed type. The device is formed of a first and a second ceramic substrate (Ce1, Ce2), a first face of the first substrate (Ce1) is composed of cavities which are separated by ceramic spacers (Ca1, Ca2, Ca3, Ca4), the thermopile is placed on a second planar face of the first substrate which is located opposite the first face, the spacers of the first substrate are arranged beneath one thermojunction (Tj2, Tj4, Tj6, Tj8) in two of the thermopile, a face of the second substrate (Ce2) is composed of cavities which are separated by ceramic spacers (Ca5, Ca6, Ca7, Ca8, Ca9), the spacers of the second substrate rest on a thermojunction (Tj1, Tj3, Tj5, Tj7, Tj9) beneath which a spacer of the first substrate is not arranged.
US09360372B2
Disclosed is a system and method for using a portable near (infrared light emitting diode) IR LED light source and photogrammetry for boresight harmonization of aircraft and ground vehicle components. In one embodiment, orientation and positional parameters of two or more fixed points and distances between the two or more fixed points are measured using the portable near IR LED light source with a photogrammetric system. The two or more fixed points are reference points within the aircraft or the land vehicle. Further, the measured orientation and positional parameters of the two or more fixed points and the distances between the two or more fixed points on the aircraft or the land vehicle are compared with specified design parameters of the component in the aircraft or the land vehicle. Furthermore, the component in the aircraft or the land vehicle is harmonized based on an outcome of the comparison.
US09360369B1
A system for easily determining average ellipsometric parameters based on data obtained from two different locations on a planar or non-planar shaped object, along with its method of use.
US09360366B1
This invention discloses a self-referencing spectrometer that simultaneously auto-calibrate and measure optical spectra of physical object utilizing shared aperture as optical inputs. The concurrent measure and self-calibrate capabilities makes it possible as an attachment spectrometer on a mobile computing device without requiring an off-line calibration with an external reference light source. Through the mobile computing device, the obtained spectral information and imagery captured can be distributed through the wireless communication networks.
US09360365B2
An optical sensor device includes a light emitter for emitting, to a living body, lights having two wavelengths and blinking at a predetermined frequency, and a light receiver for receiving the lights from the living body. The light receiver outputs first and second detection signals corresponding to the respective wavelengths. A filter circuit extracts, from the first and second detection signals, modulation signals that are obtained with amplitude modulation of signals of the predetermined frequency. The modulation signals are amplified by a post-amplifier and are taken into an arithmetic processing unit after being converted to digital signals by an AD converter. The arithmetic processing unit calculates DC components and AC components of the first and second detection signals by employing the modulation signals converted the digital signals.
US09360358B2
The present invention relates to a Coriolis mass flow meter, a vibrating tube density meter and a vibrating sheet used therein, and more particularly, to a vibrating sheet for use in a Coriolis mass flow meter or a vibrating tube density meter, the vibrating sheet having at least one welded connecting portion that is fixedly welded to the flow tube of the Coriolis mass flow meter or the vibrating tube density meter, the flow tube being excited to vibrate around a revolving axis at the welded junction of the vibrating sheet and the flow tube. The welded connecting portions of the vibrating sheet are only formed in the stress insensitive region of the vibrating sheet, wherein the stress insensitive region is the region of the vibrating sheet which has an angle of not more than 45 degrees with respect to the revolving axis. In addition, the present invention also provides a Coriolis mass flow meter and a vibrating tube density meter using the vibrating sheet. The present invention not only simplifies the process, but also improves the measurement precision and service life of the Coriolis mass flow meter and the vibrating tube density meter.
US09360357B2
The design and manufacture method of a silicon mass flow sensor made with silicon micromachining (a.k.a. MEMS, Micro Electro Mechanical Systems) process for applications of gas flow measurement with highly humidified or liquid vapors is disclosed in the present invention. The said silicon mass flow sensor operates with an embedded heater and an adjacent control temperature sensor beneath the integrated calorimetric and thermal dissipative sensing thermistors. When the condensation takes place at the surface of the said silicon mass flow sensor, the embedded heater shall be turned on to elevate the temperature of the supporting membrane or substrate for the sensing thermistors. The elevated temperature shall be adjusted to above the vaporization temperature with the feedback data of the adjacent temperature sensor such that the surface condensation due to the presence of the liquid vapors in a gas flow can be effectively eliminated.
US09360356B2
A magneto inductive flow measuring device comprising a measuring tube and coil systems arranged thereon, wherein each coil system includes a coil and a coil core so led through the coil that the coil core protrudes from the coil, wherein two coil systems are so arranged on the measuring tube on a line parallel to a longitudinal axis of the measuring tube that a pole shoe is arranged between the measuring tube and the coil cores protruding from the coil systems.
US09360353B2
The invention relates to a measurement device (12) for determining a fluid fill level (14) in a fuel tank (10) for a vehicle. The position of a float (18) in relation to a signal generating unit (22) which can be attached on the fuel tank (10) can hereby be converted into a signal that is correlated with the fill level (14) of the undeformed fuel tank (10). A correction device (48, 54, 56) is designed for measuring a deformation of the fuel tank (10) and is used for correcting the signal. The invention also relates to a method for determining a fluid fill level (14) in a fuel tank (10) for a vehicle.
US09360340B1
Presentation of navigation directions in mapping applications is customized by obtaining navigation instructions that direct a user from a starting point to a destination. The navigation instructions are displayed via a user interface. For each of the navigation instructions, an individually operable user control for specifying an instruction-specific presentation rule is provided. Instruction-specific presentation rules are received prior to the user departing from the starting point toward the destination. The navigation instructions are presented during navigation in accordance with the received instruction-specific presentation rules.
US09360333B2
An approach is provided for calculating a final estimated time of arrival to at least one destination location based, at least in part, on multiple estimated time of arrival provided by one or more devices and/or services for one or more routing segments. The approach involves determining at least one route, wherein the at least one route includes a plurality of segments navigated using a plurality of devices or services. The approach also involves receiving at least one individual estimated time of arrival from at least one of the plurality of devices or services, wherein the at least one individual estimated time of arrival is for at least one of the plurality of segments associated with the at least one of the plurality of devices or services, and wherein the at least one individual estimated time of arrival is calculated independently by the at least one of the plurality of devices or services. The approach further involves causing, at least in part, a calculation of a total estimated time of arrival based, at least in part, on the at least one individual estimated time of arrival.
US09360322B2
A method based on separating ambient gravitational acceleration from a moving three-axis accelerometer data for determining a driving pattern is presented. A server may receive telematics data originating from a client computing device and combine the telematics data. The server may estimate a gravitational constant to the combined telematics data and generate a function for pitch and a roll angle from the combined telematics data. The server may further determine a driving pattern using at least the pitch and the roll angle.
US09360305B2
A device for the tactile determination of a surface shape of a measuring object includes a micro probe arm having a stylus tip, the micro probe arm being fastened on an optical fiber having a fiber end, which is mounted in a probe housing, a reference mirror is provided in the probe housing, and an optical measuring device is provided for determining the position of the fiber end in relation to the reference mirror. The contactless interferometric determination of the distance between the fiber end of the optical fiber and the reference mirror attached in the probe housing allows precise determination of the surface shape of the measuring object.
US09360293B2
The invention is directed to tools and methods for matching a first ring to a second ring. The apparatus comprises a plurality of contour bands, each contour band having a contoured portion that differs from the contoured portion of the other bands. Preferably the bands differ by increments such that a wide range of matching can be performed to identify a correct contour, which is then provided to a manufacturer for creation of the matching band.
US09360291B2
A method of operating an articulated arm CMM is provided. Instructions for the CMM can be inputted to the CMM arm by an action chosen from the group consisting of placing the arm in a predefined position and moving the arm in a predefined manner.
US09360286B2
The invention relates to a rotationally stabilized projectile (1) for launching from a barrel, which projectile (1) comprises a front projectile part (22), a rear projectile part (20) comprising a rotating band (4), and an intermediate projectile part (21) comprising a freely rotatable middle section (2) arranged with guide wings (3) for improving the gliding capability and guidance capability during the gliding phase and end phase of the projectile. The guide wings (3) are arranged extensibly on the freely rotatable middle section (2), and the intermediate projectile part (21) also comprises a regulator device (14) for regulating the rotation of the middle section (2). The invention also relates to a method for guiding a rotationally stabilized projectile.
US09360281B1
A ballistic barrier curtain deployment system deploys a ballistic resistive curtain using a deployment firing mechanism. The ballistic barrier curtain can protect military personnel, equipment, diplomats, celebrities, etc. The deployment firing mechanism utilizes an inflator unit that operates using the same principles as an airbag inflator. The curtain is stored in a barrier curtain storage channel. The deployment firing mechanism is located in a ballistic barrier curtain deployment mechanism integrated at each end of the storage channel. A curtain deployment support column extends vertically from the curtain deployment mechanism. Each edge of the curtain is supported by the support column. The inflator unit is activated upon an activation request from a visual monitor, an audible monitor, heat/thermal monitor, or a manual directive. The inflator unit drives each edge of the curtain vertically, deploying the curtain between the support columns.
US09360277B2
A multiple missile carriage and launch guidance module comprising a plurality of missile launch rails that are each configured to carry and guide the launch of a missile and are carried on a common missile carriage wall in respective positions and orientations allowing for missile carriage and launch from the rails.
US09360274B2
A sling strap retention device is provided. The sling strap retention device includes a structure with a first flexible member and a second flexible member, the first flexible member and the second flexible member further comprising a first end and a second end, a first side and a second side, a front surface, and a back surface, wherein the first and second flexible members may be oriented one over the other with the back sides of the first and second flexible members in opposition and coupled along a length of the members. The first and second flexible members may be configured to flex and couple to one another to form opposing closed loops. These closed loops may be configured to couple to and retain therein a sling strap of a weapon.
US09360271B1
In at least one embodiment, a firearm comprises a stock comprising a vibration damper. The vibration damper comprises a first resilient member, a second resilient member and a mass. Each resilient member is attached to the stock and comprises a first material and a second material. Each of the first and second materials is elastomeric. The first material defines a body of the resilient member, the body defining apertures therein and spokes extending between adjacent apertures. The second material of each resilient member occupying an entire cross-section of each aperture defined in the first material of the resilient member. The mass is supported by said first and second resilient members.
US09360261B2
An air conditioning method that reduces the amount of cooling energy and the amount of dehumidification energy to approximately a limiting amount, and also reduces the amount of humidifying energy to approximately a limiting amount. If an absolute humidity of the process air is calculated by use of measurements of changes in work conditions and variations in atmospheric pressure, the required amount of air to be cooled and dehumidified flowing downstream through the main-stream duct and the required amount of humidification can be determined. Therefore, by outputting a signal indicative of the required amount of cooled-dehumidified air to actuate a controller of flow-rate regulating means, and outputting a signal indicative of the required amount of humidification to actuate a controller of humidifying means, the amount of air to be cooled and dehumidified can be reduced to the required amount of cooled-dehumidified air close to the limiting amount.
US09360257B2
A transient heating burner including at least two burner elements each having a distribution nozzle configured to flow a fuel, and an annular nozzle surrounding the distribution nozzle and configured to flow an first oxidant, at least one staging nozzle configured to flow a second oxidant, and a controller programmed to independently control the fuel flow to each distribution nozzle such that at least one of the distribution nozzles is active and at least one of the distribution nozzles is passive, wherein an active distribution nozzle fuel flow is greater than an average fuel flow to the distribution nozzles and a passive nozzle fuel flow is less than the average fuel flow, and to control a staging ratio to be less than or equal to about 75%.
US09360253B2
A rotary aluminum kiln temperature regulation system comprising a temperature sensing device in the kiln that is configured to take temperature readings in an area of the kiln in proximity to the temperature sensing device. The system including a wireless transmitter operatively associated with the temperature sensing device and a receiver wirelessly associated with the transmitter, such that the transmitter and receiver wirelessly transmit the temperature readings taken by the temperature sensing device from the transmitter to the receiver. The system also including a control unit operatively connected to the receiver that is configured to receive the transmitted temperature readings and determine when the transmitted temperature readings exceed a predefined temperature set point. The control unit operatives one or more forward feed control loop subsystems that assist in safely operating the kiln in accord with a predetermined temperature profile programmed into the control unit.
US09360250B2
The present invention relates to a process and apparatus for the separation of air by cryogenic distillation. In particular, it relates to a process for separation of air using three cryogenic distillation columns for the production of gaseous oxygen. Certain embodiments of the invention are particularly efficient for the production of gaseous oxygen at pressures between 30 and 45 bars abs, in which the oxygen is produced by removing liquid oxygen from a distillation column, pressurizing the oxygen and vaporizing the pressurized liquid by heat exchange with air.
US09360248B1
A beverage cooler having an insulated housing wherein the housing has a bottom and top with the top including a (i) center opening configured to receive a removable lid and (ii) a threaded member on an underside thereof and substantially circumscribing the center opening with the threaded member configured to removably receive a first shaker receptacle within a portion of a total volume defined by the housing. The first shaker receptacle may receive a second shaker receptacle therein such that the first shaker receptacle acts as a sleeve to keep the second shaker receptacle out of contact with a liquid in the beverage cooler. The first and second shaker receptacles may be removed by removing the top and unscrewing the first shaker receptacle from the threaded member on the underside of the top.
US09360245B2
A refrigerator is disclosed. The refrigerator includes a cabinet comprising a storage chamber, a cold air generation chamber provided above the storage chamber, an evaporator provided in the cold air generation chamber, and a refrigerant tube configured to pass through a predetermined wall of the cold air generation chamber, not passing the storage chamber, to be connected with the evaporator. An object of the present disclosure is to provide a refrigerator which has an efficient installation structure of a refrigerant tube connected with an evaporator provided in a cold air generation chamber provided above a storage chamber to enlarge storage space of the storage chamber.
US09360228B2
A system and method of controlling a ventilation system is provided based on a determination of local dew point and automatically activating an exhaust fan before condensate appears on structure and objects and ideally before visible condensation forms in the air of an enclosed area. Firmware in the control circuit detects the presence of hardware components and operates a control circuit in one of a plurality of modes based on the detected hardware components that are coupled to the control circuit.
US09360226B2
A heat pump system includes a heat-source-side refrigerant circuit and a controller. The heat-source-side refrigerant circuit has a plurality of usage units having usage-side heat exchangers. The plurality of usage units are connected to a heat source unit having a plurality of heat-source-side heat exchangers and a heat-source-side compressor configured to compress a heat-source-side refrigerant. The controller causes the plurality of heat-source-side heat exchangers to function as evaporators and radiators of heat-source-side refrigerant to perform an air-cooling operation and an air-warming operation using an aqueous medium. The heat pump system operates so that the heat-source-side condensing temperature is below 40° C. in the case that an outside air temperature is 25° C. or lower and the cooling and heating operations coexist.
US09360209B2
A method for controlling a combustion process, in particular in a firing chamber of a fossil-fired steam generator, is provided. The method includes determining spatially resolved measuring values in the firing chamber. Spatially resolved measuring values are transformed into state variables that may be used for control engineering, and they are subsequently fed as actual values to control circuits. The changes in the controlled variables determined in the control circuits are divided among a plurality of actuators in a backward transformation considering an optimization target. A corresponding combustion system is also provided.
US09360205B2
A lighting apparatus for a vacuum apparatus that allows light to enter the inside of the vacuum apparatus through an observation window and makes it possible to see the inside of the vacuum apparatus through the observation window by illuminating the inside of the vacuum apparatus includes a coupling adapter that is removably coupled to the observation window via a coupling unit, an opening that is formed in a central part of the coupling adapter and allows the inside of the vacuum apparatus to be seen through the observation window, and a plurality of LEDs (light-emitting diodes) that are placed in the coupling adapter and face the observation window. The lighting apparatus is attached to the observation window for seeing the inside of the vacuum apparatus and illuminates the inside of the vacuum apparatus.
US09360203B2
The present invention discloses an illumination device (100) and a method (4000) for assembly of such an illumination device. The illumination device (100) comprises a light source (110) arranged to generate light, a carrier (120) arranged to support the light source and an envelope (130) enclosing the light source and the carrier. The envelope comprises at least two enveloping parts which, when joined together, form the envelope. Further, the carrier is arranged in thermal contact with at least one of the enveloping parts for dissipating heat out of the illumination device. The method comprises the steps of mounting (4100) the light source in thermal contact with the carrier and enclosing (4200) the light source and the carrier with the envelope. The present invention is advantageous in that it provides a convenient design which facilitates the assembly of the illumination device. Further, the present invention is advantageous in that it provides an illumination device with improved heat transfer.
US09360199B2
An electric actuator system for hospital and care beds (1, 20) for adjusting e.g. the lying surface of the bed (1, 20). The actuator system is connected to one or more light sources (19, 23, 24), which may be switched on if a change in the patient's movement pattern and/or position in the bed (1, 20) is registered. The electric actuator system may thus help the patient navigate around the room.
US09360195B2
A utility illumination device comprises a first end member, a second end member and a light tube coupled between the first end member and the second end member. The first end member has at least one faceted surface along an edge thereof. Analogously, the second end member has at least one faceted surface along an edge thereof. The illumination device further comprises an illumination assembly within the light tube that comprises a light source. The illumination device is manually adjustable to change the direction of light emitted from the illumination device.
US09360188B2
Lighting components and fixtures having optical elements with multiple portions are disclosed. A wavelength conversion element can be mounted over a source, the wavelength conversion element including wavelength conversion material remote to the source, such as on or near the outside surface of a conversion element. The element can be filled with a transparent and thermally conductive material which thermally couples the remote conversion material and the source, aiding in thermal dissipation and improving fixture efficacy. An optical element can be formed by using an embossing plate to form a first portion, partially curing the first portion, removing the embossing plate, and introducing material to form a second portion.
US09360177B2
A portable light includes an elongated housing having a first end and a second end, and an opening formed in a side of the elongated housing between the first and second ends. The portable light also includes a light source positioned within the opening of the elongated housing, and an actuator positioned within the opening of the elongated housing and electrically coupled to the light source. The actuator is operable to control operation of the light source. The portable light further includes a faceplate removably coupled to the elongated housing over the opening. The faceplate includes a lens that covers the light source and a movable member that covers the actuator.
US09360174B2
A linear multi-color LED illumination device that produces uniform color throughout the output light beam without the use of excessively large optics or optical losses is disclosed herein. Embodiments for improving color mixing in the linear illumination device include, but are not limited to, a shallow dome encapsulating a plurality of emission LEDs within an emitter module, a unique arrangement of a plurality of such emitter modules in a linear light form factor, and special reflectors designed to improve color mixing between the plurality of emitter modules. In addition to improved color mixing, the illumination device includes a light detector and optical feedback for maintaining precise and uniform color over time and/or with changes in temperature. The light detector is encapsulated within the shallow dome along with the emission LEDs and is positioned to capture the greatest amount of light reflected by the dome from the LED having the shortest emission wavelength.
US09360164B2
A MEMS-based particle manipulation system which uses a particle manipulation stage and a sensor to detect when the sample volume is exhausted or nearly exhausted. The sensor sends a signal to a fluid control means that reverses the pressure between one of the output channels and the input channels, to keep the surfaces wet with a volume of the sample fluid. This volume can be maintained in the channel until an operator intervenes, or it can be repeatedly shuttled back and forth between the input channel and an output channel. By keeping the channels wet, material from the sample stream does not become adhered to the channel walls, which might otherwise irreversibly change or damage the device.
US09360159B2
A fluidtight and thermally insulating tank wall comprises:a multi-layer structure comprising a fluidtight barrier (5) and a thermally insulating barrier (4), retaining rods (22) attached to the bearing wall (7) between the insulating elements and extending in the direction of the thickness of the multi-layer structure to hold the multi-layer structure on the bearing wall, in which crossmembers (30) are attached to the retaining rods (22) such that in each instance a crossmember extends between two retaining rods at the interface between two insulating elements, the cover panels (11) of the insulating elements being connected to the crossmembers (30) so as to be held against the bearing wall via the crossmembers, and the fluidtight barrier (5) being connected to the crossmembers (30) so as to be held against the cover panels of the insulating elements via the crossmembers.
US09360154B2
Mounting apparatuses, electronic device holders, and components of electronic device holders are shown and described herein. A mounting apparatus is removably connected to an object and the electronic device holder. The electronic device holder is configured to hold an electronic device and has one or more of an adaptor, a movable stand, and one or more portions of a backside thereof that are either clear or removed. The adaptor is removable from the electronic device holder for removal and replacement thereof with one or more additional, different adaptors.
US09360148B2
Provided are articulating, rotating pipe bursting head devices for bursting a buried pipe and simultaneously pulling a replacement pipe through the same location. The bursting heads can comprise an integrated, substantially hollow cone body having one or more cutting knives arranged radially about its outer surface, and an end cap at its posterior end. Protruding from the posterior end of the end cap is a swiveling quick release coupling means for linking the bursting head to a replacement pipe carrier such as a universal duct puller. The swiveling quick release coupling means allows for rotation and articulation of the replacement pipe relative to the bursting head during operation, enhancing entry of the replacement pipe into an existing pipe underground. The bursting head body further can comprise an axial opening at its anterior end for receiving a cable, an internal magnetized cable gripping mechanism and a quick-release tool.
US09360147B2
A heatable fluid line having a pipeline and an electrical heat conductor extending at least over a section of the pipeline. The pipeline has at least two longitudinal sections that are configured differently in respect of the material properties and/or design thereof. At least one first longitudinal section is formed of a first material and a second longitudinal section is formed of a second material. The material of the second longitudinal section is more flexible and/or has a higher resilience than the material of the first longitudinal section. A described method for producing the fluid line relates to an adaptive attachment of the heat conductor on the outside of the pipeline that permits the heat conductor to be wound around fluid coupling and/or connector parts, in particular the housings by means of which the line is assembled, without strand separation.
US09360146B2
A pipe assembly comprising an outer pipe in surrounding relation about an inner pipe, wherein the inner pipe is suspended in free inner ends of legs extended in an annular space that is formed between the outer and inner pipes, the legs reaching radially towards the inner pipe from an inner periphery of the outer pipe. At least one of the legs carries in its inner end a support foot that is formed with a recess facing towards the inner pipe. The recess forms a tunnel that is defined through an outer periphery of the inner pipe and opposite tunnel walls that reach from the leg to the inner pipe.
US09360142B2
This female quick coupling (2) element (10) is intended to cooperate, by press fitting (F1) along a press fitting axis (X10-X20), with a male element (20). It comprises a body (102) centred on a longitudinal axis (X10) of the passage of fluid and comprising a flat front face (108), a relief valve (120) comprising a valve (110) housed in the duct for the passage of fluid and mobile along the longitudinal axis, a manoeuvring ring (130) mounted slidingly around the body and defining, at its distal end (134), a mouth (E10) for receiving the male element. The manoeuvring ring is provided with at least one relief (136) of engagement with a corresponding relief (226) of the male element. The female coupling element further comprises a safety ring (150) mounted around the body (102), radially inside the manoeuvring ring (130), mobile axially in relation to the body (102) between a first position and a second position. The female element further comprises means (170, 158) for transforming, when the safety ring (150) is in its second position, a movement of rotation of the manoeuvring ring, about the longitudinal axis (X10) and in relation to the safety ring (150), into a movement of axial translation of the body (102) in relation to the manoeuvring ring (130).
US09360140B2
A sealing device is insertable into a port having an internal wall. The device includes a seal member and a ring member operatively connected to each other. The seal member includes an inner seal surface defining a seal opening. The ring member includes an inner ring surface defining a ring opening. The seal opening and the ring opening share a common central axis. The seal member defines a first rib extending circumferentially around the seal opening, the first rib being raised a first height relative to the inner seal surface at the seal opening. The first rib is configured to be deformable in response to a compression force from the internal wall of the port when the seal member is inserted into the port. The seal member may define a second rib axially spaced from the first rib.
US09360139B1
A pipe and pipe support interface structure comprised of a fiberglass C-shaped bearing surface saddle structure having a high strength, low friction, non-corrosive bearing surface block comprised of UHMWPE or other suitable polymer materials is disclosed. The bearing surface saddle structure is adhesively bonded to the exterior surface of a pipe following appropriate pipe surface preparation at locations where the pipe contacts a pipe support surface. The bearing surface block of the bearing surface structure provides an interface between the pipe and pipe support surface in order to protect the pipe from wear caused by bearing on a pipe support. The C-shaped bearing surface saddle structure described will increase the load bearing area of the pipe at the pipe support and serve to prevent wear on both the pipe and the pipe support. The C-shaped bearing surface saddle structure and method may be employed in the field as part of a maintenance and repair program.
US09360130B2
A method for greasing the mated threads of a valve stem and a stem nut of a motor-operated valve without the need to actuate the valve and without the need for an internal grease path within the stem nut includes pressurizing one end of the thread interface defined by the mating threads with pressurized grease. A device for carrying out the method may include a thread lubricator that has a bore that receives the free end of the valve stem and an adapter nut that attaches the thread lubricator to the valve housing. Pressurized grease flows into the thread lubricator and to the one end of the tread interface.
US09360128B2
A sliding stem control valve includes a valve body, a seat ring located within the valve body and a valve plug slidably mounted within the valve body, the valve plug and the valve seat cooperating to control fluid flow through the control valve. A seal assembly is located between the valve plug and the valve seat, the seal assembly including a metal/graphite seal ring located between a first backup ring and a second backup ring. A biasing element is located adjacent the second backup ring and a retainer ring is located adjacent the biasing element to maintain the biasing element adjacent the second backup ring.
US09360123B2
Disclosed herein is a valve. The valve includes a first member having a first port therethrough, a second member in operable communication with the first member having a sealing surface thereon on an inner radial surface of the second member and a second port therethrough that is movable relative to the first member. The valve also has a seal sealingly engaged with the first member and slidably sealingly engagable with the second member, and a support member movably disposed relative to the first member and the second member. The support member has a support surface dimensioned similarly to the sealing surface, and is movable with the second member relative to the first member so that upon such movement the seal is continuously supported by at least one of the sealing surface and the support surface.
US09360106B2
A hydraulic pressure supply system supplies hydraulic pressure generated at a hydraulic pump provided with first and second pump chambers formed therein to a high pressure portion and a low pressure portion of the automatic transmission through a high-pressure regulator valve, first and second switch valves, and a low-pressure regulator valve.
US09360103B2
Energy loss in a dip lubrication system is reduced by reducing the immersion depth of the gear within a pool of oil. This can be accomplished by increasing the pressure within the dip lubrication system which effectively reduces the flow rate of the oil so that the oil remains separated from the oil pool for a longer period of time thereby reducing the oil level and the immersion depth of the gear within the oil pool. Alternately, this can be accomplished by substituting a higher density gas for air which has the same effect. In a third embodiment the immersed gear includes wind vanes that direct air against the oil pool creating a trough which effectively reduces the immersion depth of the gear within the oil pool.
US09360094B2
The invention relates to a mechanical member wherein a first part in contact with a second part movable relative to the first part, at least one of the parts including a coating of solid lubricant at least at contact zones between the first part and the second part, the solid lubricant being suitable on its own for lubricating the mechanical member. According to the invention, the mechanical member includes retention and capillary distribution means for distributing a fluid between the parts in such a manner as to form a film between said parts, which film can be pierced temporarily at each contact zone.
US09360088B2
A tensioner which adjusts the mean tensioner force to keep the chain tension as low as possible without sacrificing chain control, significantly improving drive efficiency as the chain wears and is subject to low dynamic loads.
US09360084B2
A belt cutting and splicing apparatus is provided for joining together the ends of one or more monolithic conveyor belts. In one form, a belt support is configured to support the belt ends in spaced relation to each other and a non-contact heating device is provided for being disposed between the belt ends to generate thermal radiation for joining the belt ends together. In another form, a drive mechanism is operable to cause relative movement of a pair of platens, for supporting belt ends, toward and away from each other and a heating device between heating and stowed positions. An actuator of the drive mechanism is movable by an operator between at least three operation positions corresponding to three different operation positions of the platens. An on-board belt cutting mechanism is provided for precision cutting of the belt ends using the same apparatus for both belt cutting and splicing operations.
US09360080B2
A parallel, torque additive torsional compensating device for an internal combustion engine is provided. The torsional compensating device comprises a first gear, a first joint assembly, an intermediate shaft, a second joint assembly, a torsional element, and a second gear. The first gear and the second gear are in respective driving engagement with a first engagement portion and a second engagement portion of an output of the engine. The intermediate shaft is in driving engagement with the first joint assembly and the second joint assembly. The torsional element is in driving engagement with the second joint assembly and the second gear. An angular deviation of at least one of the first joint assembly and the second joint assembly causes a cyclical acceleration of the torsional element. The cyclical acceleration applies a torque to the output of the internal combustion engine through the second gear and the second engagement portion.
US09360072B2
Provided is a brake mechanism including a brake-side outer race, a brake-side cam having an outer peripheral surface, a first movable piece disposed between the inner peripheral surface of the brake-side outer race and the outer peripheral surface of the brake-side cam, and a transmission member provided adjacent to the brake-side cam in an axial direction. The brake-side cam includes a plate-like main body and a first protrusion protruding from a side of the main body facing the transmission member. The first movable piece is disposed to have a portion thereof protruding beyond the side of the main body facing the transmission member. The transmission member is shaped like a flat plate, and includes a first opening configured to allow the first protrusion to be received and engaged therein and a second opening configured to allow the first movable piece to be received and engaged therein.
US09360069B2
An automatic slack adjuster for a vehicle brake includes a one-way clutch having first and second parts rotatable about an axis. The first part is rotatable in both a drive direction and a slip direction opposite to the drive direction, while the second part is driven about the axis by the first part when the first part rotates in the drive direction, but not driven when the first part rotates in the slip direction. Movable elements are carried within receptacles distributed circumferentially about and projecting into one of the parts, and are displaceable so as to move within the receptacles in radial directions relative to the axis. The movable elements engage corresponding surfaces of teeth that are immovably fixed on or form part of a circumferential surface of the other of the parts.
US09360063B2
A method for the reconditioning and use of brake discs of the rear stator type with studs. The method includes the steps of using a first disc (12) during a first life, using a second disc (112) during a first life, after the first life of the first disc and the first life of the second disc, machining a friction surface on one of the discs and a rear surface on the other of the discs so that one of the surfaces has at least one shoulder (17) and the other of the surfaces has at least one notch (118). Finally, the first disc is nested in the second disc such that the notch and the shoulder cooperate so as to center the discs.
US09360061B2
The invention relates to a prime mover arrangement comprising an internal combustion engine (1) for driving a first shaft (2) and comprising a steam engine (4), which is connected to the first shaft by means of a clutch arrangement (3), for driving a second shaft (5). Furthermore, a freewheel (6) which interacts with the clutch arrangement (3) is arranged between the first shaft (2) and the second shaft (5) in order to transmit a rotational movement of the second shaft (5) to the first shaft (2) in a first operating mode and to allow the first shaft (2) to freewheel relative to the second shaft (5) in a second operating mode. The clutch arrangement (3) is designed as a fluid-actuated clutch arrangement (3) which can be operated with positive pressure or negative pressure and bridges the freewheel (6) in a friction-fitted or form-fitted manner in order to transmit the rotational movement of the internal combustion engine (1) to the second shaft (5) via a flange (7) arranged on the first shaft (2).
US09360060B2
A ratchet wrench includes a direction switching device. The direction switching device includes two switching members for controlling the rotational direction of a gear, a resilient unit disposed among a body and the switching members for biasing the switching members away from the gear, and a ring unit disposed rotatably on the body. The ring unit includes a convex portion and a concave portion, and is operable to allow the convex portion and the concave portion to act on the switching members, so that one of the switching members comes into contact with the gear, while the other of the switching members is removed from the gear. When no external force is applied to the ring unit, the switching members are biased by the resilient unit to remove from the gear.
US09360056B2
The present disclosure provides a method of controlling a transmission of a powered vehicle. The method includes determining if the powered vehicle is in a launch condition, activating a solenoid, controlling a hydraulic valve to a first position, and providing hydraulic pressure from at least one of a first hydraulic pump and a second hydraulic pump to the hydraulic valve. The method also includes controlling the hydraulic pressure through the hydraulic valve to a first clutch, determining if the launch condition is complete, deactivating the solenoid after the launch condition is complete, controlling the hydraulic valve from the first position to a second position, and substantially limiting hydraulic pressure from passing through the hydraulic valve to the first clutch.
US09360052B2
In one embodiment there is provided a shaft collar having a two component structure defined by a first component having a central bore for receipt of a shaft or axle and a second component positioned partially within the first component. The second component also having a relatively harder stiffness than the first component. The second component further includes a pair of opposing ribs positioned within the first component and about the central bore and a pair of C-shaped caps separately positioned against upper and lower ends of the pair of ribs and wherein the pair of opposing ribs have a height such that the at least a portion of the pair of C-shaped caps protrude from the upper and lower faces of the first component.
US09360034B2
A locking device designed to lock objects to tubes or other elongated elements that generally comprises one or more lock plates and lock housings. In one exemplary embodiment, when assembling the locking device to a tube, two lock housings are put together with open sides against each other around a tube with a dimension corresponding to approximately half of a recess which is found on the lock housing's sides and are oriented in the tube's axial direction. The two lock housings form a closed geometry around the tube. Lock plates are used to connect the two lock housings together. By applying a screw in a threaded hole in one of the lock housings' cover, the through tube is pressed against an opposite lock housing at substantially the same time as the lock plates hold the lock housings together.
US09360032B2
A fastener assembly for connecting a non-load bearing wall to a truss comprises a fastener with a sleeve retained on the fastener and axially displaceable along the fastener. The fastener has unthreaded shank portion and the sleeve is disposed about the unthreaded shank portion. The sleeve has a length less than the axial length of the unthreaded shank portion. The fastener assembly is employed to form a truss/non-load bearing wall connection system, wherein the non-load bearing wall is disposed below the truss and has a top plate with at least one bore. A fastener assembly is disposed in each bore and threaded into the truss so that a gap is formed between the truss and its top plate. Upon deflection of the truss, one or more fasteners vertically slide axially relative to its associated sleeve.
US09360029B2
A coupling between a first surface and a second surface is disclosed. The first surface includes a first shape and has a surface roughness average that is less than or equal to about 500 microinches (13 microns). The second surface includes a second shape and projections, in a preselected pattern, forming at least a portion of the second surface. The first shape of the first surface and the second shape of the second surface are substantially complementary. The projections are configured to produce a friction fit between the first surface and the second surface when the first and the second surfaces are biased against each other. An average elastic compressive range, substantially equal to the surface roughness average of the first surface, is associated with the projections.
US09360019B2
A blower fan includes a heat source contact portion. A side wall portion includes a tongue portion. In a plan view, The heat source contact portion is arranged to cover a portion of a region surrounded by a third imaginary straight line tangent to an outer circumferential surface of a blade support portion and extending in parallel with the second imaginary straight line toward the air outlet in the first region, a fourth imaginary straight line tangent to the outer circumferential surface of the blade support portion and extending in parallel with the first imaginary straight line in the third region, the outer circumferential surface of the blade support portion, and the air outlet.
US09360016B2
A system for cooling a user's body is provided. The body cooling system provides a rigid head covering, a ventilation component and an internal deflector component. The ventilation component may be integrated into or be removably attached to the rigid head covering. The internal deflector component directs air flow from the ventilation component along the user's body.
US09360014B2
Systems and methods for conditioning sewage having entrained solids which clog sewage pumps, are disclosed. Systems include a sewage pump, a chopper pump, and a mixing nozzle connected to the chopper pump. Specifically, the sewage pump is a non-clog centrifugal pump having an inlet for drawing fluid into the pump and an outlet for discharging the fluid into a pipe, while the chopper pump has an inlet for drawing fluid into the pump and an outlet for discharging the fluid into the wet-well. The chopper pump may be positioned either in or adjacent to the wet-well. The mixing nozzle fluidly coupled to the chopper pump discharge, is positioned in the wet-well. Methods include the steps of positioning a chopper pump within the wet-well, drawing in liquid sewage, including the entrained solids, reducing the size of entrained solids, and discharging the sewage and reduced size solids into the wet-well.
US09360013B2
A scroll pump includes a frame, a stationary plate scroll, an orbiting plate scroll, a tip seal(s), an eccentric drive mechanism which drives the orbiting plate scroll, and an axial compliance system. The eccentric drive mechanism includes a crankshaft, and bearings and a counterbalance disposed on the crankshaft. The counterbalance is mounted so as to be slidable along the crankshaft in the axial direction of the crankshaft. The axial compliance system includes a flexure and one set of springs for pre-loading the bearings. The flexure is interposed between one of the bearings and the counterbalance. The flexure allows the orbiting plate scroll to move away from the stationary plate scroll in the case of an assembly process which would otherwise result in the tip seal(s) being too forcefully engaged with the plate of the opposing plate scroll.
