US09419227B2
An OLED (organic light emitting diode) comprises a series of spirally configured cis-stilbene/fluorene hybrid materials. The spirally configured cis-stilbene/fluorene hybrid materials are spirally-configured cis-stilbene/fluorene derivatives having the functions to block holes and constructed by at least one cis-Stilbene based component and at least one fluorene based component.
US09419219B2
The present disclosure includes a high density resistive random access memory (RRAM) device, as well as methods of fabricating a high density RRAM device. One method of forming an RRAM device includes forming a resistive element having a metal-metal oxide interface. Forming the resistive element includes forming an insulative material over the first electrode, and forming a via in the insulative material. The via is conformally filled with a metal material, and the metal material is planarized to within the via. A portion of the metal material within the via is selectively treated to create a metal-metal oxide interface within the via. A second electrode is formed over the resistive element.
US09419217B2
A method of manufacturing a memory structure includes forming a plurality of vertically-stacked horizontal line layers, interleaving a plurality of electrically conductive vertical lines with the electrically conductive horizontal lines, and forming a memory film at and between intersections of the electrically conductive vertical lines and the horizontal lines. In one embodiment of the invention, the electrically conductive vertical lines are interleaved with the horizontal lines such that a row of vertical lines is positioned between each horizontally-adjacent pair of horizontal lines in each horizontal line layer. By configuring the electrically conductive vertical lines and electrically conductive horizontal lines so that a row of vertical lines is positioned between each horizontally-adjacent pair of horizontal lines, a unit memory cell footprint of just 2F2 may be realized.
US09419211B2
A gas for an etching process and a treatment process of a metal stacked film in which an insulating layer is interposed between two layers of magnetic materials can be optimized. An etching method of etching a multilayered film including a metal stacked film in which an insulating layer is interposed between a first magnetic layer and a second magnetic layer includes etching the metal stacked film with plasma generated by supplying a gas containing at least C, O, and H into a processing chamber; and treating the metal stacked film with plasma generated by supplying a gas containing at least a CF4 gas into the processing chamber.
US09419209B2
Methods, systems, and devices are disclosed for controlling the magnetic and electrical properties of materials. In one aspect, a multi-layer structure includes a first layer comprising a ferromagnetic or ferrimagnetic material, and a second layer positioned within the multi-layer structure such that a first surface of the first layer is in direct physical contact with a second surface of the second layer. The second layer includes a material that undergoes structural phase transitions and metal-insulator transitions upon experiencing a change in temperature. One or both of the first and second layers are structured to allow a structural phase change associated with the second layer cause a change magnetic properties of the first layer.
US09419207B2
The present invention is directed to a magnetic random access memory element that includes a multilayered seed structure formed by interleaving a first type sublayer and a second type sublayer to form one or more repeats of a unit bilayer structure and a first magnetic layer formed on top of the multilayered seed structure. The unit bilayer structure is made of the first and second type sublayers with at least one of the first and second type sublayers including therein one or more ferromagnetic elements. The multilayered seed structure may be amorphous or non-magnetic or both. The unit bilayer structure may be made of CoFeB and Ta sublayers.
US09419205B2
In one embodiment of the invention, there is provided a method for manufacturing a magnetic memory device, comprising: depositing a carbon layer comprising amorphous carbon on a substrate; annealing the carbon layer to activate dopants contained therein; and selectively etching portions of the carbon layer to forms lines of spaced apart carbon conductors.
US09419204B2
A lead-free piezoelectric material that does not undergo depolarization in a wide operating temperature range and has a good piezoelectric constant is provided. A piezoelectric material include a perovskite-type metal oxide represented by (Ba1-xCax)a(Ti1-yZry)O3 (where 1.00≦a≦1.01, 0.125≦x≦0.175, and 0.055≦y≦0.090) as a main component, and manganese incorporated in the perovskite-type metal oxide. The manganese content relative to 100 parts by weight of the perovskite-type metal oxide is 0.02 parts by weight or more and 0.10 parts by weight or less on a metal basis.
US09419196B2
Provided is a thermoelectric material containing: a matrix containing a Group 13 element of chalcogenide; and oxide nanoparticles dispersed into the matrix to have excellent thermal stability, wherein the oxide nanoparticle forms a coherent interphase interface with the Group 13 element of the chalcogenide-based matrix and is elongated in a specific direction, such that thermal conductivity may be effectively decreased with a trace amount of the oxide nanoparticle to minimize deterioration of electric conductivity.
US09419185B2
A method of dicing semiconductor devices from a substrate includes forming a Bragg reflector over a bottom side of the substrate, where the bottom side is opposite of a top side, generating a pattern of defects in the substrate with a laser beam from the bottom side of the substrate, and applying pressure to the substrate to dice the substrate along the pattern of defects. The Bragg reflector includes a first layer of dielectric material having a first index of refraction and a second dielectric material having a second index of refraction different from the first index of refraction.
US09419184B2
A light-emitting device, according to one embodiment, comprises: a light-emitting structure comprising a first conductive semiconductor layer, an active layer which is underneath the first conductive semiconductor layer, and a second conductive semiconductor layer which is underneath the active layer; a reflective electrode, which is arranged under the light-emitting structure; and an electrode which is arranged inside the first conductive semiconductor layer and comprises a conductive ion injection layer.
US09419175B2
According to one embodiment, a semiconductor light emitting device includes: a first semiconductor layer of a first conductivity type; a second semiconductor layer of a second conductivity type; a light emitting layer; a conductive metal layer; and a first stress application layer. The first semiconductor layer contains a nitride semiconductor crystal and receives tensile stress in a (0001) plane. The second semiconductor layer contains a nitride semiconductor crystal. The light emitting layer has an average lattice constant larger than a lattice constant of the first semiconductor layer. The conductive metal layer has a thermal expansion coefficient larger than a thermal expansion coefficient of a nitride semiconductor crystal. The first stress application layer is provided between the second semiconductor layer and the light emitting layer. The first stress application layer relaxes tensile stress applied from the metal layer to the second semiconductor layer.
US09419167B2
An interposer sheet can be used for making semiconductor bodies, such as of silicon, such as for solar cell use. It is free-standing, very thin, flexible, porous and able to withstand the chemical and thermal environment of molten semiconductor without degradation. It is typically of a ceramic material, such as silica, silicon nitride, silicon oxynitride, silicon oxycarbide, silicon carbide, silicon carbonitride, silicon oxycarbonitride and others. It is provided between a forming surface of a mold sheet, and the molten material from which a semiconductor body will be formed. It may be secured to the forming surface or deposited upon the melt. The interposer sheet suppresses grain nucleation, and limits heat flow from the melt. It promotes separation of the semiconductor body from the forming surface. It can be fabricated before its use. Because free-standing and not adhered to the forming surface, problems of mismatch of CTE are minimized. The interposer sheet and semiconductor body are free to expand and contract relatively independently of the forming surface.
US09419161B2
The present invention relates to a mixed multi-spectrum light-sensing pixel group, a light-sensing device, and a light-sensing system. The mixed multi-spectrum light-sensing pixel group includes at least one chemical coating light-sensing pixel and at least one semiconductor light-sensing pixel. In the present invention, the chemical coating light-sensing pixel and the semiconductor light-sensing pixel are combined to generate a mixed multi-spectrum light-sensing pixel, numerous color signals and other spectral signals may be simultaneously obtained, energy of incident photons can be maximally utilized, and the theoretical upper limit of photoelectric conversion efficiency is achieved or approximately achieved; colors may be completely reconstructed, and meanwhile images of other spectrums including an ultraviolet image, a near-infrared image, and a far-infrared image are obtained.
US09419159B2
Prepared is an n− type semiconductor substrate 1 having a first principal surface 1a and a second principal surface 1b opposed to each other, and having a p+ type semiconductor region 3 formed on the first principal surface 1a side. At least a region opposed to the p+ type semiconductor region 3 in the second principal surface 1b of the n− type semiconductor substrate 1 is irradiated with a pulsed laser beam to form an irregular asperity 10. After formation of the irregular asperity 10, an accumulation layer 11 with an impurity concentration higher than that of the n− type semiconductor substrate 1 is formed on the second principal surface 1b side of the n− type semiconductor substrate 1. After formation of the accumulation layer 11, the n− type semiconductor substrate 1 is subjected to a thermal treatment.
US09419151B2
High-reflectivity back contact for photovoltaic devices such as copper—indium-diselenide solar cells
A photovoltaic device (e.g., solar cell) includes: a front substrate (e.g., glass substrate); a semiconductor absorber film; a back contact including a first conductive layer of or including an alloy of molybdenum (Mo) and copper (Cu) and optionally a second conductive layer of or including either molybdenum (Mo) or Cu; and a rear substrate (e.g., glass substrate). The first conductive layer of or including molybdenum and copper is located between at least the rear substrate and a semiconductor absorber film that is located between at least the back contact and the front substrate.
US09419150B2
For a photosensor, an array substrate is provided, wherein the edge of a photodiode is enclosed by the opening edge of a contact hole formed on a drain electrode.
US09419149B2
Provided are a solar cell sheet and a heat treatment process thereof. The heat treatment process includes: a) sifting from solar cell sheets after printed and sintered cell sheets with conversion efficiency lower than 18% and filling factor thereof higher than 70%; b) performing low temperature annealing on the sifted cell sheets; c) sifting from the cell sheets after low temperature annealing cell sheets with lowered filling factor; d) re-sintering the sifted cell sheets; and e) sifting from the re-sintered cell sheets cell sheets with conversion efficiency lower than 18% and returning back to b) until most or all of the sifted meet demands. The low temperature annealing and re-sintering processes proceed cyclically, low temperature annealing can repair the defects in the substrate material, and the re-sintering process can repair the defects generated from low temperature annealing, and the two processes cooperate with each other and sifting can be performed repeatedly, greatly reducing the number of low efficient sheets and improving economic benefits.
US09419139B2
Methods of using a nitride to protect source/drain regions during dummy gate removal and the resulting devices are disclosed. Embodiments include forming an oxide layer on a substrate; forming a nitride protection layer on the oxide layer; forming a dummy gate layer on the nitride protection layer; patterning the oxide, nitride, and dummy gate layers forming first and second dummy gate stacks on first and second portions of the substrate, each dummy gate stack comprising a dummy gate, the nitride protection layer, and the oxide layer, wherein a portion of the oxide layer extends along the substrate beyond side edges of the dummy gate; forming first and second source/drain cavities in the substrate at opposite sides of the first and second dummy gate stacks, respectively; growing first and second eSiGe source/drain regions in the first and second source/drain cavities, respectively; and removing the first dummy gate and the second dummy gate stack.
US09419129B2
A split gate semiconductor device includes a trench gate having a first electrode region and a second electrode region that are separated from each other by a gate oxide layer and an adjacent dielectric layer. The boundary of the gate oxide layer and the dielectric layer is curved to avoid a sharp corner where the gate oxide layer meets the sidewalls of the trench.
US09419128B2
A device includes a semiconductor substrate having a surface, a trench in the semiconductor substrate extending vertically from the surface, a body region laterally adjacent the trench, spaced from the surface, having a first conductivity type, and in which a channel is formed during operation, a drift region between the body region and the surface, and having a second conductivity type, a gate structure disposed in the trench alongside the body region, recessed from the surface, and configured to receive a control voltage is applied to control formation of the channel, and a gate dielectric layer disposed along a sidewall of the trench between the gate structure and the body region. The gate structure and the gate dielectric layer have a substantial vertical overlap with the drift region such that electric field magnitudes in the drift region are reduced through application of the control voltage.
US09419126B2
Integrated circuits and methods for fabricating integrated circuits are provided. In an embodiment, a semiconductor substrate includes a shallow trench isolation structure disposed therein. A gate electrode structure overlies semiconductor material of the semiconductor substrate. A first sidewall spacer is formed adjacent to the gate electrode structure, with a first surface of the shallow trench isolation structure exposed and spaced from the first sidewall spacer by a region of the semiconductor material. The first surface of the shallow trench isolation structure is masked with an isolation structure mask. The region of the semiconductor material is free from the isolation structure mask. A recess is etched in the region of the semiconductor material, with the isolation structure mask in place. A semiconductor material is epitaxially grown within the recess to form an epitaxially-grown semiconductor region adjacent to the gate electrode structure.
US09419124B2
AlGaN/GaN HEMTs are disclosed having a thin AlGaN layer to reduce trapping and also having additional layers to reduce gate leakage and increase the maximum drive current. One HEMT according to the present invention comprises a high resistivity semiconductor layer with a barrier semiconductor layer on it. The barrier layer has a wider bandgap than the high resistivity layer and a 2DEG forms between the layers. Source and drain contacts contact the barrier layer, with part of the surface of the barrier layer uncovered by the contacts. An insulating layer is included on the uncovered surface of the barrier layer and a gate contact is included on the insulating layer. The insulating layer forms a barrier to gate leakage current and also helps to increase the HEMT's maximum current drive. The invention also includes methods for fabricating HEMTs according to the present invention. In one method, the HEMT and its insulating layer are fabricated using metal-organic chemical vapor deposition (MOCVD). In another method the insulating layer is sputtered onto the top surface of the HEMT in a sputtering chamber.
US09419112B2
A method for manufacturing a fin structure is provided. A method according to an embodiment may include: forming a patterned pattern transfer layer on a substrate; forming a first spacer on sidewalls of the pattern transfer layer; forming a second spacer on sidewalls of the first spacer; selectively removing the pattern transfer layer and the first spacer; and patterning the substrate with the second spacer as a mask, so as to form an initial fin.
US09419105B2
A method for processing a substrate, the substrate comprising an organic film pattern, the method comprising: a fusion/deformation step of fusing said organic film pattern to deform the fused organic film pattern and a third removal step of removing at least a part of the fused and deformed organic film pattern.
US09419104B2
A semiconductor device is provided. The semiconductor device includes a semiconductor substrate, a P-well and an N-well disposed in the semiconductor substrate, a source disposed in the N-well and a drain disposed in the P-well, a shallow trench isolation (STI) structure disposed in the P-well, a gate structure disposed on the semiconductor substrate, wherein a portion of the gate structure extends into the semiconductor substrate and is disposed in a location corresponding to the STI structure.
US09419103B2
Field-effect transistor and method of fabrication are provided for, for instance, providing a gate structure disposed over a substrate. The fabricating method further includes forming a source and drain region within the substrate separated by a channel region, the channel region underlying, at least partially, the gate structure. Forming further includes implanting at least one dopant at a pre-selected temperature into the source and drain region to facilitate increasing a concentration of the at least one dopant within the source and drain region, where the implanting of the at least one dopant at the pre-selected temperature facilitates reducing contact resistance of the source and drain region and increasing charge carrier mobility through the channel region.
US09419097B2
A method for manufacturing a field effect transistor includes chelating a molecular mask to a replacement metal gate in a field effect transistor. The method may further include forming a patterned dielectric layer on a bulk dielectric material and a gate dielectric barrier in one or more deposition steps. The method may include removing the molecular mask and exposing part of the gate dielectric barrier before depositing a dielectric cap that touches the gate dielectric barrier and the replacement metal gate.
US09419091B1
A method for fabricating a semiconductor device may include receiving a device substrate comprising a channel layer and a source or drain layer, forming a gate trench within the source or drain layer of the device substrate, depositing a gate dielectric layer and one or more additional gate layers onto the bottom and sidewalls of the gate trench, and removing a substantial portion of at least the gate dielectric layer from the sidewalls of the gate trench to form a left and a right sidewall airgap adjacent to the sidewalls of the gate trench. A corresponding semiconductor device may include a device substrate comprising a channel layer and a source or drain layer, a gate trench formed within the source or drain layer of the device substrate and a sidewall airgap formed adjacent to the sidewalls of the gate trench.
US09419069B2
A semiconductor component and methods for manufacturing the semiconductor component that includes a three dimensional helically shaped common mode choke. In accordance with embodiments, a transient voltage suppression device may be coupled to the monolithically integrated common mode choke.
US09419067B2
A display panel includes a first substrate, a second substrate, a quarter wavelength phase retarder, and a linear polarizer. The first substrate has a light emitting element disposed on the first substrate. The opposite panel is disposed opposite to the first substrate. The quarter wavelength phase retarder is disposed between the first substrate and the second substrate. The linear polarize is disposed at a side of the second substrate opposite to the quarter wavelength phase retarder.
US09419060B2
Provided is a display device including first and second substrates having an emission region and a transparent region and disposed to face each other, a light emission layer formed on the emission region of the first substrate, a barrier formed to cover the light emission layer and a variable light shield layer formed in the barrier within the transparent region of the first substrate.
US09419058B1
A memory device, such as a ReRAM device includes plural interdigitated word lines and a single select transistor controlling plural vertical local bit lines. The interdigitated word lines may be word line combs containing word line fingers which are electrically connected using contact pads and a sidewall bridge interconnect. The select transistor may be a vertical TFT or a planar field effect transistor.
US09419055B2
A resistance variable memory device including a vertical transistor includes an active pillar including a channel region, a source formed in one end of the channel region, and a lightly doped drain (LDD) region and a drain formed in the other end of the channel region, a first gate electrode formed to surround a periphery of the LDD region and having a first work function, and a second gate electrode formed to be connected to the first gate electrode and to surround the channel region and having a second work function that is higher than the first work function.
US09419044B2
A pixel cell includes a storage transistor disposed in a semiconductor substrate. The storage transistor includes a storage gate disposed over the semiconductor substrate, and a storage gate implant that is annealed and has a gradient profile in the semiconductor substrate under the storage transistor gate to store image charge accumulated by a photodiode disposed in the semiconductor substrate. A transfer transistor is disposed in the semiconductor substrate and is coupled between the photodiode and an input of the storage transistor to selectively transfer the image charge from the photodiode to the storage transistor. The transfer transistor includes a transfer gate disposed over the semiconductor substrate. An output transistor is coupled to an output of the storage transistor to selectively transfer the image charge from the storage transistor to a read out node. The output transistor includes an output gate disposed over the semiconductor substrate.
US09419043B2
An integrated circuit and a method of making the same. The integrated circuit includes a semiconductor substrate having a major surface. The integrated circuit also includes a directional light sensor. The directional light sensor includes a plurality of photodetectors located on the major surface. The directional light sensor also includes one or more barriers, wherein each barrier is positioned to shade one or more of the photodetectors from light incident upon the integrated circuit from a respective direction. The directional light sensor is operable to determine a direction of light incident upon the integrated circuit by comparing an output signal of at least two of the photodetectors.
US09419035B2
An example image sensor includes first, second, and third micro-lenses. The first micro-lens is in a first color pixel and has a first curvature and a first height. The second micro-lens is in a second color pixel and has a second curvature and a second height. The third micro-lens is in a third color pixel and has a third curvature and a third height. The first curvature is the same as both the second curvature and the third curvature and the first height is greater than the second height and the second height is greater than the third height, such that light absorption depths for the first, second, and third color pixels are the same.
US09419031B1
An integrated device, including: a first mono-crystal layer including a plurality of image sensor pixels and alignment marks; an overlaying oxide on top of the first mono-crystal layer; and a second mono-crystal layer overlaying the oxide, where the second mono-crystal layer includes a plurality of single crystal transistors aligned to the alignment marks.
US09419028B1
A method of manufacturing a display device is disclosed. In one aspect, the method includes forming an active layer over a substrate, forming a first insulating layer over the active layer, forming a gate electrode over the active layer, and forming an alignment mark over the substrate. The forming of the alignment mark includes forming a first layer including a first pattern and forming a second layer over the first layer and including concave and convex portions formed along the first pattern. The first insulating layer is interposed between the first and second layers.
US09419015B1
Methods for integrating core and I/O components in IC devices utilizing a TFT I/O device formed on STI regions, and the resulting devices are disclosed. Embodiments include forming STI and FinFET regions in a Si substrate, the FinFET region having first and second adjacent sections; forming a nitride layer and a silicon layer, respectively, over the STI region and both sections of the FinFET region; removing a first section of the silicon and nitride layers through a mask to expose the first FinFET section; implanting the exposed FinFET section with a dopant; removing remaining sections of the mask; removing a second section of the silicon and nitride layers through a second mask to expose the second FinFET section; implanting the second FinFET section with another dopant; removing remaining sections of the second mask; and forming a TFT on the remaining silicon layer, wherein the TFT channel includes the silicon layer.
US09419008B2
According to example embodiments, a method of fabricating a semiconductor device includes: forming a preliminary stack structure including upper and lower preliminary stack structures by alternately stacking a plurality of interlayer insulating and sacrificial layers on a cell, first pad area, dummy area and second pad area of a substrate; removing an entire portion of the upper preliminary stack structure on the second pad area; forming a first mask defining openings over parts of the first and second pad areas; etching an etch depth corresponding to ones of the plurality of interlayer insulating and sacrificial layers through a remaining part of the preliminary stack structure exposed by the first mask; and repetitively performing a first staircase forming process that includes shrinking sides of the first mask and etching the etch depth through remaining parts of the plurality of interlayer insulating and sacrificial layers exposed by the shrunken first mask.
US09419007B2
A semiconductor device includes a first vertical memory string connected to a common source line, a second vertical memory string connected to a bit line, a pipe transistor suitable for selectively connecting the first and second vertical memory strings based on a block selection signal, and a plurality of transistors suitable for selectively connecting local lines of the first and second vertical memory strings to corresponding global lines based on the block selection signal.
US09419006B2
A 3D NAND memory has vertical NAND strings across multiple memory planes above a substrate, with each memory cell of a NAND string residing in a different memory layer. Word lines in each memory plane each has a series of socket components aligned to embed respective floating gates of a group memory cells. In this way, the word line to floating gate capacitive coupling is enhanced thereby allowing a 4 to 8 times reduction in cell dimension as well as reducing floating-gate perturbations between neighboring cells. In one embodiment, each NAND string has source and drain switches that each employs an elongated polysilicon gate with metal strapping to enhance switching. The memory is fabricated by an open-trench process on a multi-layer slab that creates lateral grottoes for forming the socket components.
US09419001B1
A method for forming a cell contact. A substrate having first and second protruding structures is prepared. An etch stop layer is deposited over the substrate. A sacrificial layer is deposited on the etch stop layer. The sacrificial layer is recessed. Spacers are formed on the top surface of the sacrificial layer. A portion of the sacrificial layer not covered by the spacers is etched away, thereby forming a recess. A gap filling material layer is deposited into the recess. An upper portion of the gap filling material layer and the spacers are removed to expose the top surface of the sacrificial layer. The sacrificial layer is removed to form contact holes. A punch etching process is performed to remove the etch stop layer from bottoms of the contact holes. The contact holes is filled up with a conductive material layer.
US09418998B2
Semiconductor devices are provided. A semiconductor device includes a bit line structure and a contact plug. The contact plug is adjacent a sidewall of the bit line structure and is on a sloped surface of the bit line structure. Moreover, in some embodiments, a level of the sloped surface of the bit line structure becomes lower as the sloped surface approaches the sidewall of the bit line structure.
US09418992B2
A power cell designed for an RF power amplifier comprises an enhancement MOSFET formed in an P-Well in an P-Substrate and a Schottky MOSFET formed in an N-Well in the same P-Substrate with a horizontal or a vertical channel between the source, drain, and gate electrodes of the Schottky MOSFET. The source node of the enhancement MOSFET and source node of the Schottky MOSFET are connected together to form the power cell.
US09418990B2
A semiconductor device, and a method of manufacturing the same, includes first and second gate structures extending in a first direction and spaced apart from each other in a second direction intersecting the first direction, a dummy gate structure provided between the first and second gate structures, a first source/drain region between the first gate structure and the dummy gate structure, a second source/drain region between the second gate structure and the dummy gate structure, a connection contact provided on the dummy gate structure, and a common conductive line provided on the connection contact. The dummy gate structure extends in the first direction. The connection contact extends in the second direction to connect the first source/drain region to the second source/drain region. The common conductive line configured to a voltage to the first and second source/drain regions through the connection contact.
US09418989B2
A semiconductor device including a circuit which does not easily deteriorate is provided. The semiconductor device includes a first transistor, a second transistor, a first switch, a second switch, and a third switch. A first terminal of the first transistor is connected to a first wiring. A second terminal of the first transistor is connected to a second wiring. A gate and a first terminal of the second transistor are connected to the first wiring. A second terminal of the second transistor is connected to a gate of the first transistor. The first switch is connected between the second wiring and a third wiring. The second switch is connected between the second wiring and the third wiring. The third switch is connected between the gate of the first transistor and the third wiring.
US09418988B2
A four transistor layout can include an isolation region that defines an active region, the active region extending along first and second different directions. A common source region of the four transistors extends from a center of the active region along both the first and second directions to define four quadrants of the active region that are outside the common source region. Four drain regions are provided, a respective one of which is in a respective one of the four quadrants and spaced apart from the common source region. Finally, four gate electrodes are provided, a respective one of which is in a respective one of the four quadrants between the common source region and a respective one of the four drain regions. A respective gate electrode includes a vertex and first and second extending portions, the first extending portions extending from the vertex along the first direction and the second extending portions extending from the vertex along the second direction.
US09418986B2
A semiconductor device is improved in reliability. A power MOSFET for switching, and a sense MOSFET for sensing a current flowing in the power MOSFET, which is smaller in area than the power MOSFET, are formed in one semiconductor chip. The semiconductor chip is mounted over a chip mounting portion, and sealed in a resin. To first and second source pads for outputting the current flowing in the power MOSFET, a metal plate is bonded. A third source pad for sensing the source voltage of the power MOSFET is at a position not overlapping the metal plate. A coupled portion between a source wire forming the third pad and another source wire forming the first and second pads is at a position overlapping the metal plate.
US09418985B2
Embodiments disclosed in the detailed description include a complete system-on-chip (SOC) solution using monolithic three dimensional (3D) integrated circuit (IC) (3DIC) integration technology. The present disclosure includes example of the ability to customize layers within a monolithic 3DIC and the accompanying short interconnections possible between tiers through monolithic intertier vias (MIV) to create a system on a chip. In particular, different tiers of the 3DIC are constructed to support different functionality and comply with differing design criteria. Thus, the 3DIC can have an analog layer, layers with higher voltage threshold, layers with lower leakage current, layers of different material to implement components that need different base materials and the like. Unlike the stacked dies, the upper layers may be the same size as the lower layers because no external wiring connections are required.
US09418984B2
An electronic power component including a normally on high-voltage transistor and a normally off low-voltage transistor. The normally on transistor and the normally off transistor are coupled in cascode configuration and are housed in a single package. The normally off transistor is of the bottom-source type.
US09418983B2
A semiconductor device having an ESD protection structure and a method for forming the semiconductor device. The ESD protection structure is formed atop a termination area of the substrate and is electrically coupled between a source metal and a gate metal of the semiconductor device. The ESD protection structure has a first portion adjacent to the source metal, a second portion adjacent to the gate metal and a middle portion between and connecting the first portion and the second portion, wherein the middle portion has a first thickness greater than a second thickness of the first portion and the second portion. Such an ESD protection structure is beneficial to the formation of interlayer vias which are formed to couple the ESD protection structure to the source metal and the gate metal.
US09418980B2
A light-emitting diode device includes a carrier having at least one cavity, a light-emitting diode chip is arranged in a manner at least partly recessed in the at least one cavity, and an ESD protection element, which is formed by a partial region of the carrier. Furthermore, a light-emitting diode device includes a carrier having at least one cavity, a light-emitting diode chip arranged on the carrier, and an electrical component arranged at least partly recessed in the at least one cavity. Furthermore, the light-emitting diode device includes an ESD protection element, which is formed by a partial region of the carrier.
US09418979B2
Disclosed herein is a method of assembling an array of light emitting diode (LED) dies on a substrate comprising: positioning dies in fluid; exposing the dies to a magnetic force to attract the dies onto magnets that are arranged at pre-determined locations either on or near the substrate; and forming permanent connections between the dies and the substrate thereby constituting an array of LED dies on a substrate.
US09418972B2
An optoelectronic component includes at least one first carrier with at least two light emitting diodes, wherein each diode has two electrical connections, each electrical connection is led to a contact area, the contact areas are arranged on an underside of the first carrier, and a second carrier, wherein at least two zener diodes are arranged in the second carrier, the zener diodes have further electrical connections, each further electrical connection is led to a further contact area, the further contact areas are arranged on a top side of the second carrier, the first carrier bears by the underside on the top side of the second carrier and is fixedly connected to the second carrier, and the zener diodes antiparallelly connect to the diodes.
US09418970B2
Redistribution layers for microfeature workpieces, and associated systems and methods are disclosed. One method for processing a microfeature workpiece system includes positioning a pre-formed redistribution layer as a unit proximate to and spaced apart from a microfeature workpiece having an operable microfeature device. The method can further include attaching the redistribution layer to the microfeature workpiece and electrically coupling the redistribution layer to the operable microfeature device.
US09418968B2
A semiconductor chip 10 flip-chip mounted on a first surface 32 of a wiring substrate 30, a semiconductor chip 20 flip-chip mounted on a second surface 33 of the wiring substrate 30, a sealing resin 71 covering the semiconductor chip 10, a sealing resin 72 covering the semiconductor chip 20, a plurality of conductive posts provided to penetrate through the sealing resin 72, and a plurality of solder balls mounted on second ends of the plurality of conductive posts exposed from the sealing resin 72 are provided; and the mounting directions of the semiconductor chips 10 and 20 are mutually different by 90°. Both of the planar shapes of the semiconductor chips 10 and 20 are rectangular shapes, the semiconductor chip 10 is mounted so that the long sides thereof are parallel to the long sides of the wiring substrate 30, and the semiconductor chip 20 is mounted so that the long sides thereof are perpendicular to the long sides of the wiring substrate 30.
US09418965B1
A method of forming an integrated circuit package may include forming a first layer of a package substrate and mounting an interposer structure on the first layer of a substrate. In some instances, adhesive is used to attach the interposer structure to the first layer of the substrate. After the interposer structure is mounted on the first layer of the substrate, at least one hole is formed through the interposer structure. The hole may be filled with a conductive material such as copper to form a through-hole via in the interposer structure. A second layer of the substrate may be formed over the interposer structure and the first layer of the substrate. Integrated circuit (IC) dies may be mounted on the substrate and signals may be routed between the IC dies via the interposer structure embedded in the substrate.
US09418957B2
A semiconductor package includes: a semiconductor integrated circuit; an interlayer film disposed on the semiconductor integrated circuit; a rewiring layer disposed on the interlayer film; post electrodes disposed on the rewiring layer; a protective layer which is disposed on the interlayer film and covers the rewiring layer and the post electrodes; and a plurality of balls which is respectively disposed on the post electrodes and is connected to the rewiring layer, wherein balls existing on a wiring path of internal wirings connected to inner lands of a plurality of lands, which is arranged on a printed circuit board substrate to face the plurality of balls and is connectable to the plurality of balls, are non-connected to the rewiring layer.
US09418955B2
A semiconductor device having a polymer layer and a method of fabricating the same is provided. A two-step plasma treatment for a surface of the polymer layer includes a first plasma process to roughen the surface of the polymer layer and loosen contaminants, and a second plasma process to make the polymer layer smoother or make the polymer layer less rough. An etch process may be used between the first plasma process and the second plasma process to remove the contaminants loosened by the first plasma process. In an embodiment, the polymer layer exhibits a surface roughness between about 1% and about 8% as measured by Atomic Force Microscopy (AFM) with the index of surface area difference percentage (SADP) and/or has surface contaminants of less than about 1% of Ti, less than about 1% of F, less than about 1.5% Sn, and less than about 0.4% of Pb.
US09418940B2
Methods and structures for stack type semiconductor packaging are disclosed. In one embodiment, a semiconductor device includes a semiconductor chip mounted onto a substrate, a first resin molding portion formed on the substrate for sealing the semiconductor chip, and a through metal mounted on the substrate so as to pierce the first resin molding portion around the semiconductor chip. The semiconductor device further comprises an upper metal electrically coupled with the through metal and mounted on the first resin molding portion to extend from the through metal toward the semiconductor chip along an upper surface of the first resin molding portion, where the through metal and the upper metal are formed into an integral structure.
US09418937B2
An integrated circuit includes a base element and a copper element over the base element, the copper element having a thickness of at least 5 μm and a ratio of average grain size to thickness of less than 0.7.
US09418935B1
Integrated circuit structures formed using methods herein include a layer, and a material-filled line in the layer. The material-filled line includes a first linear item and a second linear item separated by a separation area of the layer. The first linear item has a first line end where the first linear item contacts the separation area. The second linear item has a second line end where the second linear item contacts the separation area. The first line end and the second line end include line end openings (filled with a material) that increase critical dimension uniformity of the first line end and the second line end.
US09418933B2
A device include a substrate and an interconnect structure over the substrate. The interconnect structure comprising an inter-layer dielectric (ILD) and a first inter-metal dielectric (IMD) formed over the ILD. A through-substrate via (TSV) is formed at the IMD extending a first depth through the interconnect structure into the substrate. A metallic pad is formed at the IMD adjoining the TSV and extending a second depth into the interconnect structure, wherein the second depth is less than the first depth. Connections to the TSV are made through the metallic pad.
US09418928B2
An embodiment apparatus includes a dielectric layer, a conductive trace in the dielectric layer, and a bump pad. The conductive trace includes a first portion having an exposed top surface, wherein the exposed top surface is recessed from a top surface of the dielectric layer. Furthermore, the bump pad is disposed over and is electrically connected to a second portion of the conductive trace.
US09418914B2
Package substrates, semiconductor packages including the package substrates, and methods for fabricating the semiconductor packages are provided. A package substrate may include a core including a first surface on which a semiconductor chip is disposed and a second surface opposite the first surface. The package substrate may also include a metal pad on the second surface of the core. The metal pad may include a saline water corrosion resistant surface.
US09418913B2
A semiconductor device has a semiconductor die with a plurality of bumps formed over an active surface of the semiconductor die. A plurality of first conductive traces with interconnect sites is formed over a substrate. The bumps are wider than the interconnect sites. A surface treatment is formed over the first conductive traces. A plurality of second conductive traces is formed adjacent to the first conductive traces. An oxide layer is formed over the second conductive traces. A masking layer is formed over an area of the substrate away from the interconnect sites. The bumps are bonded to the interconnect sites so that the bumps cover a top surface and side surface of the interconnect sites. The oxide layer maintains electrical isolation between the bump and second conductive trace. An encapsulant is deposited around bumps between the semiconductor die and substrate.
US09418912B2
Methods of forming a microelectronic packaging structure and associated structures formed thereby are described. Those methods may include forming a thermal interface material comprising a thermally conductive serpentine foil located between a first and a second interface material. The serpentine foil may be in a parallel position or a rotated position, in embodiments.
US09418910B2
A circuit pattern is bonded to a top surface of a ceramic substrate. A cooling body is bonded to an undersurface of the ceramic substrate. An IGBT and a FWD are provided on the circuit pattern. A coating film covers a junction between the ceramic substrate and the circuit pattern, and a junction between the ceramic substrate and the cooling body. A mold resin seals the ceramic substrate, the circuit pattern, the IGBT, the FWD, the cooling body, and the coating film etc. The ceramic substrate has higher thermal conductivity than the coating film. The coating film has lower hardness than the mold resin and alleviates stress applied from the mold resin to the ceramic substrate. The circuit pattern and the cooling body includes a groove contacting the mold resin without being covered with the coating film.
US09418909B1
A method and apparatus are provided which improve the adhesion of a lid to an IC die of an IC (chip) package. In one embodiment, a chip package assembly is provided that includes an IC die, a package substrate and a lid. The IC die is coupled to the package substrate. The lid has a first surface and a second surface. The second surface of the lid faces away from the first surface and towards the IC die. The second surface of the lid has a plurality of engineered features. The adhesive couples the plurality of engineered features of the lid to the IC die.
US09418905B2
An adaptive patterning method and system for fabricating panel based package structures is described. Misalignment for individual device units in a panel or reticulated wafer may be adjusted for by measuring the position of each individual device unit and forming a unit-specific pattern over each of the respective device units.
US09418902B2
A method of isolating a semiconductor fin from an underlying substrate including forming a masking layer around a base portion of the fin, forming spacers on a top portion of the fin above the masking layer, removing the masking layer to expose the base portion of the fin, and converting the base portion of the fin to an isolation region that electrically isolates the fin from the substrate. The base portion of the fin may be converted to an isolation region by oxidizing the base portion of the fin, using for example a thermal oxidation process. While converting the base portion of the fin to an isolation region, the spacers prevent the top portion of the fin from also being converted.
US09418892B2
A semiconductor device including a central region, side regions located in both sides of the central region, and conductive layers including a first barrier pattern formed in the central region, a material pattern formed in the first barrier pattern and having an etch selectivity with respect to the first barrier pattern, and a second barrier pattern formed in the material pattern; and insulating layers alternately stacked with the conductive layers.
US09418889B2
A dielectric diffusion barrier is deposited on a substrate that has a via and an overlying trench etched into an exposed layer of inter-layer dielectric, wherein there is exposed metal from the underlying interconnect at the bottom of the via. In order to provide a conductive path from the underlying metallization layer to the metallization layer that is being formed over it, the dielectric diffusion barrier is formed selectively on the inter-layer dielectric and not on the exposed metal at the bottom of the via. In one example a dielectric SiNC diffusion barrier layer is selectively deposited on the inter-layer dielectric using a remote plasma deposition and a precursor that contains both silicon and nitrogen atoms. Generally, a variety of dielectric diffusion barrier materials with dielectric constants of between about 3.0-20.0 can be selectively formed on inter-layer dielectric.
US09418887B2
According to one embodiment, a method of manufacturing a semiconductor device is provided. The method includes forming a first insulating film, forming a first mask extending in first direction on the first insulating film, etching the first insulating film using the first mask, resulting in trenches extending in a first direction, forming a second mask on the trenches and the first mask, etching the first insulating film using the second mask and the first mask to form contact openings extending from the trenches.
US09418886B1
A method includes forming a patterned mask layer over a conductive layer; forming a first dielectric layer over the patterned mask layer and the conductive layer; selectively etching the first dielectric layer, thereby exposing an upper surface of the patterned mask layer, wherein the upper surface of the first dielectric layer is lower than a top surface of the patterned mask layer; removing the patterned mask layer; and selectively etching the conductive layer to form a conductive feature having a tapered profile.
US09418885B2
Disclosed is a semiconductor manufacturing apparatus including at least one pocket on which a passive subject on which deposition will be executed is mounted, and a carrier body having an insertion space to which the at least one pocket is detachably attached. Therefore, the semiconductor manufacturing apparatus shortens process time and reduces process expenses. The semiconductor manufacturing apparatus allows respective pockets to have different structures according to the positions of the pockets on the wafer carrier, and thus achieves uniform growth of a material on the surfaces of wafers regardless of the positions of the pockets.
US09418879B2
A method for making an interposer is provided. A conductive layer is formed by contacting a replicate such that a shape of a surface of the conductive layer conforms to a shape of the contacted portion of the replicate. The conductive layer is formed to have a base and a plurality of conductive posts projecting away from the base. Each conductive post is formed to have a post end opposite the base. A dielectric layer is formed to cover the base and to separate adjacent ones of the posts from each other. The posts are for forming vias. Conductive material is removed from the conductive layer to insulate at least one post from at least one other post.
US09418878B2
A semiconductor device is made by providing a temporary carrier and providing a semiconductor die having a plurality of bumps formed on its active surface. An adhesive material is deposited as a plurality of islands or bumps on the carrier or active surface of the semiconductor die. The adhesive layer can also be deposited as a continuous layer over the carrier or active surface of the die. The semiconductor die is mounted to the carrier. An encapsulant is deposited over the die and carrier. The adhesive material holds the semiconductor die in place to the carrier while depositing the encapsulant. An interconnect structure is formed over the active surface of the die. The interconnect structure is electrically connected to the bumps of the semiconductor die. The adhesive material can be removed prior to forming the interconnect structure, or the interconnect structure can be formed over the adhesive material.
US09418877B2
Some novel features pertain to an integrated device (e.g., integrated package) that includes a base portion for the integrated device, a first die (e.g., first wafer level die), and a second die (e.g., second wafer level die). The base portion includes a first inorganic dielectric layer, a first set of interconnects located in the first inorganic dielectric layer, a second dielectric layer different from the first inorganic dielectric layer, and a set of redistribution metal layers in the second dielectric layer. The first die is coupled to a first surface of the base portion. The second die is coupled to the first surface of the base portion, the second die is electrically coupled to the first die through the first set of interconnects.
US09418876B2
A method of fabricating a three-dimensional integrated circuit comprises attaching a wafer to a carrier, mounting a plurality of semiconductor dies on top of the wafer to form a wafer stack. The method further comprises forming a molding compound layer on top of the wafer, attaching the wafer stack to a tape frame and dicing the wafer stack to separate the wafer stack into a plurality of individual packages.
US09418873B2
A semiconductor device has an on-die decoupling capacitor that is shared between alternative high-speed interfaces. A capacitance pad is connected to the decoupling capacitor and internal connection pads are connected respectively to the alternative interfaces. Internal connection bond wires connect the decoupling capacitor to the selected interface through the capacitance pad and the internal connection pads in the same process as connecting the die to external electrical contacts of the device.
US09418872B2
A microelectronic component package includes a plurality of electrical leads which are coupled to a microelectronic component and which have exposed lengths extending outwardly beyond a peripheral edge of an encapsulant. A plurality of terminals may be positioned proximate a terminal face of the encapsulant and these terminals may be electrically coupled to the same leads. This can facilitate connection of the microelectronic component to a substrate using the leads as a conventional leaded package. The terminals, however, can facilitate stacking of the leaded package with one or more additional microelectronic components, e.g., a BGA package.
US09418850B2
A method includes forming an emitter at the first side of a semiconductor substrate by doping, wherein the dopant concentration is higher in the emitter than in the edge region; growing an oxide layer on the first side by annealing, wherein the oxide layer has a first thickness in a first region covering the emitter, and a second thickness in a second region covering the edge region. The first thickness is larger than the second thickness. Heavy metal ions are implanted through the first side with a first energy, and with a second energy, wherein the first energy and the second energy are different, such that the implanted heavy metal concentration in the edge region is higher than in the emitter due to an absorption of the oxide layer covering the emitter, resulting in a lower charge carrier lifetime in the edge region than in the emitter.
US09418848B2
Some embodiments include methods of forming patterns. A first mask is formed over a material. The first mask has features extending therein and defines a first pattern. The first pattern has a first level of uniformity across a distribution of the features. A brush layer is formed across the first mask and within the features to narrow the features and create a second mask from the first mask. The second mask has a second level of uniformity across the narrowed features which is greater than the first level of uniformity. A pattern is transferred from the second mask into the material.
US09418843B2
The present disclosure provides a method for manufacturing ordered nanowires array of NiO doped with Pt in situ, comprising: growing a Ni layer on a high-temperature resistant and insulated substrate; applying a photoresist on the Ni layer, pattering a pattern region of the ordered nanowires array by applying electron beam etching on the photoresist, growing Ni on the pattern region of the ordered nanowires array, peeling off the photoresist by acetone and etching the surface of the Ni layer by ion beam etching so as to etch off the Ni layer grown on the surface of the substrate and to leave the Ni on the pattern region of the ordered nanowires array to form the ordered Ni nanowires array; dipping the ordered Ni nanowires array into a solution of H2PtCl6 so as to displace Pt on the Ni nanowires array by a displacement reaction; and oxidizing the Ni nanowires array attached with Pt in an oxidation oven to obtain the ordered nanowires array of NiO doped with Pt. The present invention is simple and practical and the sensitivity and reliability of the doped sensor on the gas of CO and H2 are greatly improved.
US09418840B2
Silicon-containing gas, carbon-containing gas, and chlorine-containing gas are introduced into a reacting furnace. Next, a SiC epitaxial film is grown on the front surface of a 4H-SiC substrate by a halide CVD method in a mixed gas atmosphere made of the plurality of gasses introduced. In the SiC epitaxial film growing, a SiC epitaxial film of a first predetermined thickness is grown at a first growth rate. The first growth rate is increased from an initial growth rate to a higher growth rate. Furthermore, the SiC epitaxial film is grown, at a second growth rate, until the thickness of the SiC epitaxial film reaches a second predetermined thickness. By so doing, it is possible to improve the crystallinity of a silicon carbide semiconductor film grown in a gas atmosphere containing halide.
US09418835B2
The present disclosure provides a method of manufacturing a semiconductor device having silicon nitride with a tensile stress, the method comprising: c1) introducing and pre-stabilizing NH3 gas and N2 gas; c2) introducing silane; c3) igniting the gases by a radio-frequency source; c4) depositing SiN; and c5) processing the SiN by using a nitrogen ion implantation. According to the present disclosure, the nitrogen content in the SiN film can be enhanced by the nitrogen ion implantation and impinging, thereby increasing the density of the film. In this way, the acid resistance of the SiN with tensile stress is enhanced, so that the SiN with tensile stress may be integrated in a dual-strained liner of a gate-last process, so as to effectively improve the properties and reliability of the device.
US09418832B2
A method for flowable oxide deposition is provided. An oxygen source gas is increased as a function of time or film depth to change the flowable oxide properties such that the deposited film is optimized for gap fill near a substrate surface where high aspect ratio shapes are present. The oxygen gas flow rate increases as the film depth increases, such that the deposited film is optimized for planarization quality at the upper regions of the deposited film.
US09418829B2
A mercury-free low-pressure lamp having a bulb is provided. The bulb includes a non-mercury emissive material. When the bulb is in a non-operational state, the emissive material condenses into a liquid or solid, and when the bulb is in an operational state the emissive material forms an emitter, the emitter in combination with one or more gases generate photons when excited by an electrical discharge.
US09418824B2
A method of mass spectrometry is disclosed comprising initially calibrating or recalibrating a mass spectrometer at a time T0 and at the same time measuring a time of flight or mass to charge ratio M0 of one or more lockmass ions. The mass spectrometer is then operated at a subsequent time T1 and the time of flight or mass to charge ratio M1 of the one or more lockmass ions is measured at subsequent time T1. The time of flight or mass to charge ratio of ions is then adjusted by or based upon the difference between the time of flight or mass to charge ratio M1 of the one or more lockmass ions as measured at time T1 and the time of flight or mass to charge ratio M0 of the one or more lockmass ions as measured at time T0.
US09418819B2
A charged particle detection device has an active portion for configured to produce a signal in response secondary charged particles emitted from a sample landing on the active portion. The active portion is shaped to accommodate an expected asymmetric pattern of the secondary charged particles at a detector. This abstract is provided to comply with rules requiring an abstract that will allow a searcher or other reader to quickly ascertain the subject matter of the technical disclosure. It is submitted with the understanding that it will not be used to interpret or limit the scope or meaning of the claims.
US09418814B2
A method of forming a field emitter comprises disposing a first layer on a substrate. The first layer is seeded with nanodiamond particles. The substrate with the first layer disposed thereon is maintained at a first temperature and a first pressure in a mixture of gases which includes nitrogen. The first layer is exposed to a microwave plasma to form a nitrogen doped ultrananocrystalline diamond film on the first layer, which has a percentage of nitrogen in the range of about 0.05 atom % to about 0.5 atom %. The field emitter has about 1012 to about 1014 emitting sites per cm2. A photocathode can also be formed similarly by forming a nitrogen doped ultrananocrystalline diamond film on a substrate similar to the field emitter, and then hydrogen terminating the film. The photocathode is responsive to near ultraviolet light as well as to visible light.
US09418813B2
A first and a second pair of projecting portions are provided in a cavity portion of a fuse mounting portion made of resin. An upper end surface of each projecting portion is tapered, so as to guide a pair of male terminals of a fuse sub-assembly toward a corresponding female terminals attached to the cavity portion, when the fuse sub-assembly is inserted into the cavity portion. A gap is formed between the fuse sub-assembly and the tapered upper end surfaces in a fuse-mounted condition, in which the fuse sub-assembly is in contact with a stopper portion of the cavity portion, in order to prevent contact failure caused by thermal shock.
US09418808B2
A motor starter or contactor having a radio frequency identification (RFID) tag incorporated therein for accurate determination of the position of contacts in the motor starter/contactor is disclosed. The motor starter/contactor includes separable contacts comprising a fixed contact structure and a movable contact structure having a closed position and an open position. An electromagnet is also included in the motor starter/contactor that is arranged to translate the movable contact structure between the closed position and the open position. An RFID tag is positioned on or adjacent the separable contacts to indicate the position of the movable contact structure in the motor starter/contactor.
US09418798B2
A keyboard including a plurality of keys, a baseplate which supports each of the keys, and a frame which is arranged to stand substantially perpendicularly to the baseplate and to surround the each of the keys, in which the each of the keys includes an keycap configured to be depressed, the keycap including a keycap top end which constitutes a top end of the keycap and a keycap sidewall which hangs down from an edge of the keycap top end to the baseplate, and in which the baseplate has a hole arranged at a site that corresponds to a bottom end of the keycap sidewall, the hole configured to insert the bottom end of the keycap sidewall therein from above, and in which, when the keycap is in a depressed state, the bottom end of the keycap sidewall is inserted into the hole.
US09418793B2
A variable capacitance device includes a substrate, a beam portion, lower drive electrodes and upper drive electrodes. The beam portion is made of an insulating material and is connected to the substrate via an anchor portion. In the lower drive electrode and the upper drive electrode, electrostatic attraction generated by the application of a DC voltage continuously changes. In the lower drive electrodes and the upper drive electrode, electrostatic capacitance generated by the application of an RF signal between the electrodes on both sides continuously changes in accordance with the deformation of the beam portion due to the electrostatic attraction. The beam portion includes an inner circumferential portion including the upper drive electrode, an outer circumferential portion including the upper drive electrode, and ladder portions sandwiched by the inner circumferential portion and the outer circumferential portion. The beam portion has a cross-sectional area that is reduced by the ladder portions.
US09418792B2
A multilayer ceramic capacitor includes ceramic grains forming a dielectric layer of the multilayer ceramic capacitor, which ceramic grains contain a coarse ceramic grain SPr having a coarse grain size Dcoa that satisfies the condition of Tmin ≦Dcoa ≦Tmax where Tmax is the maximum thickness of the dielectric layer and Tmin is the minimum thickness of the dielectric layer. The multilayer ceramic capacitor is capable of inhibiting deterioration of capacitance and capacity-temperature characteristics even when the internal electrode layer is made thin.
US09418791B1
A folded stack, segmented capacitor having a continuous capacitor base element which is folded two or more times, in one or more first stack folds and one or more second stack folds, to form three or more stack layers. Each of the stack layers has a primary electrode, which may be a continuous metallic film, and a segmented secondary electrode comprised of a plurality of secondary electrode elements electrically connected to a conductor element by a fuse element. The primary electrode is separated from the segmented secondary electrode and the plurality of secondary electrode elements by a continuous primary dielectric element. The secondary electrode elements are separated from the conductor element by a conductor insulation layer. The fuse elements pass through the conductor insulation layer from the secondary electrode elements to the conductor element.
US09418786B2
An R—Fe—B based porous magnet according to the present invention has an aggregate structure of Nd2Fe14B type crystalline phases with an average grain size of 0.1 μm to 1 μm. At least a portion of the magnet is porous and has micropores with a major axis of 1 μm to 20 μm.
US09418785B2
A wireless power transmission system with an enhanced magnetic field strength is provided. A wireless power transmitter includes a generator configured to generate a power. The wireless power transmitter further includes a resonator configured to generate a magnetic field to transmit the power to a target device. The wireless power transmitter further includes a slab unit configured to enhance the magnetic field.
US09418783B2
Techniques are disclosed for enhancing performance of integrated or on-chip inductors by implementing a schema of conductive metal dummies in the design thereof. In some cases, a metal dummy schema may be disposed in a layer proximate an upper surface of the inductor. The techniques may be implemented to improve overall inductor performance while enabling area scaling effects such as shrinking of inductor-to-inductor spacing on a die and/or increasing the quantity of inductors that may be manufactured on a die. In some cases, conductive metal dummies may be disposed in a region of minimal or non-peak magnetic field relative to the inductor, orthogonal to current flow in the inductor, and/or so as to minimize their occupation of the overall area of the inductor. The techniques may be implemented in analog circuits such as inductor-capacitor phase-locked loops (LC-PLLs), high-volume architectures, processor microarchitectures, applications involving stringent jitter requirements, microprocessor clocking, and wireless communication systems.
US09418769B2
An electrically conductive carbon nanotube-metal composite ink may include a carbon nanotube-metal composite in which metal nanoparticles are bound to a surface of a carbon nanotube by chemical self-assembly. The electrically conductive carbon nanotube-metal composite ink may have higher electrical conductivity than a commonly used metal nanoparticles-based conductive ink, and may also be used in deformable electronic devices that are flexible and stretchable, as well as commonly used electronic devices, due to the bending and stretching properties of the carbon nanotube itself.
US09418759B2
Assist circuits for SRAM memory tests allow voltage scaling in low-power SRAMs. Word line level reduction (WLR) and negative bit line (NBL) boost assist techniques improve read stability and write margin of SRAM core-cells, respectively, when the memory operates at a lowered supply voltage. Assist circuits are activated at particular points in the memory cell circuit. The assist circuits are selectively activated for modifying the voltage along particular circuit elements to identify the potential defects that might be otherwise masked until substantially large. A March test invokes elements for activating the assist circuits to identify defects and indicate functional fault models (FFMs) associated with the defects.
US09418758B2
A test circuit of a semiconductor apparatus includes a plurality of memory blocks, and a comparison block configured to compare data of two memory blocks, wherein the two of the plurality of memory blocks do not share word lines.
US09418757B2
This technique may include a semiconductor apparatus configured to perform data read/write operations in a test mode or a normal mode and a tester configured to simultaneously perform a data test and a leakage current test through a write operation using data read by a read operation in the normal mode after writing data into the semiconductor apparatus in the test mode.
US09418753B2
In one embodiment, the method includes determining, at the memory controller, a status of a selected page of memory based on a program/erase cycle count for a block of the memory. The block of the memory includes the selected page. The program/erase cycle count indicates a number of times the block has been erased. The status is selected from a plurality of status states. The status states include a normal state, a weak state and a bad state.
US09418749B2
A nonvolatile memory device performs a read operation comprising first and second intervals. In the first interval the device applies a turn-on voltage to string selection lines and ground selection lines connected to the string selection transistors and the ground selection transistors, respectively. In the second interval, the device applies a turn-off voltage to unselected string selection lines and unselected ground selection lines while continuing to apply the turn-on voltage to a selected string selection line and a selected ground selection line. In both the first and second intervals, the device applies a first read voltage to a selected wordline connected to memory cells to be read by the read operation and applying a second read voltage to unselected wordlines among connected to memory cells not to be read by the read operation.
US09418748B2
A semiconductor memory device and a method of operating the same are disclosed. The semiconductor memory device includes a memory cell array including memory blocks, a voltage generator configured to generate a precharge voltage; and a read and write circuit coupled to the memory blocks through bit lines, and configured to supply the precharge voltage to the bit lines when a selected memory block is accessed. Here, the precharge voltage varies depending on a distance between the read and write circuit and the selected memory block.
US09418744B2
An improved control gate decoding design may reduce disturbances during the programming of flash memory cells. In one embodiment, a control gate line decoder is coupled to a first control gate line associated with a row of flash memory cells in a first sector and to a second control gate line associated with a row of flash memory cells in a second sector.
US09418743B1
A memory device includes a plurality of stacks of conductive strips, a plurality of conductive vertical structures arranged orthogonally to the plurality of stacks, memory elements in interface regions at cross-points between side surfaces of the plurality of stacks and the plurality of conductive vertical structures, multiples pluralities of conductive lines, and control circuitry. The plurality of stacks of conductive strips alternate with insulating strips, including at least a bottom layer of conductive strips, a plurality of intermediate layers of conductive strips, and a top layer of conductive strips. A first plurality of conductive lines electrically couple to the top layer of the conductive strips. A second plurality of conductive lines and a third plurality of conductive lines electrically couple to the plurality of intermediate layers. The control circuitry causes the first plurality of conductive lines to select at least a first particular stack in the plurality of stacks, the second plurality of conductive lines to select at least the first particular stack in the plurality of stacks, and the third plurality of conductive lines to select at least one particular layer in the plurality of intermediate layers.
US09418734B2
Various embodiments comprise apparatuses including drive circuitry to provide signal pulses of a selected time duration and/or amplitude to a number of memory cells. The memory cells may include an array of resistance change memory cells to be electrically coupled to the drive circuitry. The resistance change memory cells may be programmed for a range of retention time periods and operating speeds based on the received signal pulse. Additional apparatuses and methods are described.
US09418730B2
Handshaking sense amplifier. In accordance with a first embodiment, an electronic circuit includes a sense amplifier configured to differentially sense contents of a memory cell. The circuit also includes a self-timing circuit configured to detect a completion of evaluation by the sense amplifier; and to initiate a subsequent memory operation responsive to the completion. A completion of evaluation may not be aligned with a clock edge.
US09418729B2
A circuit includes a first data line, a second data line, a reference node, and a memory cell. The memory cell includes a data node, a first transistor, a second transistor, and a third transistor. The first transistor and the second transistor are connected in series between the first data line and the reference node. The first transistor is configured to be turned off when the gate of the first transistor has a voltage level corresponding to the first logical value. The third transistor is between the data node and the second data line. The third transistor is configured to be turned off when a gate of the third transistor has a voltage level corresponding to a second logical value different from the first logical value.
US09418727B2
A five transistor static random-access-memory (SRAM) cell is disclosed which can be made part of an SRAM array to provide an improved reduction in size. The cell includes two cross-coupled inverters, each having two complementary transistors, and an n-channel transistor switch connected to a bit line (BL) and a word line (WL). The p-channel element of one of the inverters is connected to a power supply, and the p-channel transistor of the other inverter is coupled to a write bit line (WBL). By varying the voltage levels on the BL and WBL lines the biasing of the individual n-channel transistors of each of the inverters can be changed based on the data to be written to the cell. Various biasing systems are presented such that the SRAM cell memory state can be changed without requiring larger transistor elements to overpower the cell state.
US09418718B2
A semiconductor apparatus includes: a command control unit configured to decode external signals and generate a read strobe signal or a write strobe signal; a clock enable signal generation unit configured to activate one of a read clock enable signal and a write clock enable signal in response to the read strobe signal or the write strobe signal; and a clock control unit configured to generate a first control clock signal and a second clock control signal in response to an internal clock signal, the read clock enable signal, and the write to clock enable signal.
US09418716B1
A bit line and word line tracking circuit is provided that accounts for the power-supply-voltage-dependent delays in a memory having a logic power domain powered by a logic power supply voltage and a memory power domain powered by a memory power supply voltage.
US09418713B2
A sense amplifier includes four sub-circuits: pre-charge, sense enable, sense output, and buffer. The pre-charge sub-circuit provides a voltage between zero volts and the positive power supply (denoted VDD) to the sense enable sub-circuit. The sense enable sub-circuit is configured to adjust the received voltage based on the sensed value of bit lines and sends the adjusted voltage to the sense output sub-circuit. The sense output sub-circuit removes interference, inverts and amplifies the adjusted voltage, and sends an output voltage to the buffer sub-circuit. The buffer sub-circuit amplifies the output voltage of the sense output sub-circuit and provides it to an output bus.
US09418707B2
An accommodating case from which a user can easily detach a recording medium is provided. An accommodating case includes an inner surface thereof with a medium disposition area that is an area to dispose the recording medium. In addition, the accommodating case includes an engagement plate portion for engaging with edges of the recording medium so that the recording medium disposed in the medium disposition area is prevented from separating from the inner surface thereof. Furthermore, the accommodating case includes a movable plate portion defining a part of the inner surface thereof. The movable plate portion is movable relative the other portion of the inner surface of the accommodating case to be recessed toward the outside of the accommodating case. The movable plate portion is located over the medium disposition area and an outside area of the medium disposition area.
US09418706B2
A method of displaying a plurality of items is described. The items are arranged in a plurality of hierarchical levels, each of the hierarchical levels comprises a plurality of sets of items, each set comprising at least one of the plurality of items and each item has associated therewith at least one other item in another hierarchical level. An item within a first hierarchical level is selected (step 206), at least two sets of items of at least one second hierarchical level (the second hierarchical level being a level lower than the first hierarchical level) are arranged in an order determined by the selected one of the items (step 208) and the ordered sets of items are displayed (step 210).
US09418705B2
Enables detection of events using motion capture sensors and potentially other sensors electromagnetic field, temperature, humidity, wind, pressure, elevation, light, sound, or heart rate sensors to confirm and post events, differentiate similar types of motion events to determine the type of equipment or activity or quality of the event, such proficiency. Enables motion capture data and other sensor data to be utilized to curate text, images, video, sound and post the results to social networks, for example in a dedicated feed. Embodiments of the system also may post or filter to social media sites using any other filter besides location and time and the text in the social media posts for example. May use motion or other sensor data to define and event, eliminate false positive events, post true events, and/or correlate the events with social media to confirm the events, or post the events in a particular channel.
US09418698B2
According to one embodiment, a magnetic tape drive includes a controller configured to direct first data through a first finite impulse response (FIR) gain module in response to a determination that the first data is being read from a magnetic tape medium in an asynchronous mode to control FIR gain of the first data. The controller is also configured to direct second data through a second FIR gain module in response to a determination that the second data is being read from the magnetic tape medium in a synchronous mode to control FIR gain of the second data. A FIR gain value of the second FIR gain module is automatically controlled. Other systems for dynamic gain control with adaptive equalizers are described according to more embodiments.
US09418692B2
A magnetic data storage medium includes an ion doped magnetic recording layer having a continuous grading of coercivity or anisotropy. The medium also includes an ion-doped overcoat having an ion density that is at a maximum substantially at the interface with the recording layer and has a continuous grading of ion density between the overcoat and the recording layer. The coercivity is at a minimum substantially at the interface.
US09418689B2
A data storage device is disclosed comprising a head actuated over a disk comprising a plurality of tracks. An operating seek time profile is generated as a function of a base seek time profile, wherein the seek time profiles define a seek time to seek the head radially over the disk by a seek length. A seek operation is executed to seek the head by a target seek length by at least generating a target seek time based on the target seek length and the operating seek time profile, and seeking the head the target seek length based on the target seek time.
US09418683B2
A process according to one embodiment includes milling a media facing surface of a module having an array of sensors at a first angle, and milling the media facing surface of the magnetic head module at a second angle, not necessarily in that order. After the milling at the first and second angles, the media facing surface of the module is milled at a third angle between 55 degrees and 65 degrees from normal. An apparatus according to one embodiment includes a tape head module having an array of at least eight current perpendicular to plane sensors, wherein none of the sensors has a resistance more than about 10% away from the resistances of its nearest neighbors.
US09418676B2
The invention provides an audio signal processing device capable of improving sound quality by causing a voice switch to operate appropriately. Delay-subtraction processing is performed on an input signal to form a first and second directional signal with nulls in a first and second specific direction, respectively, and a coherence is obtained using the two directional signals. The coherence is then compared to a determination threshold value to determine whether the input audio signal is a target-sound segment arriving from a target-direction, or a non-target-sound segment other than the target-sound segment. A gain is set according to the determination result, and any non-target-sound is attenuated by multiplying the input signal by the gain. The determination threshold value is controlled based on an average value of coherence in interfering-sound segments.
US09418670B2
An encoding apparatus includes a noise detector configured to detect noise included in a certain band in accordance with an audio signal, a gain controller configured to perform gain control on the audio signal so that components in the certain band of the audio signal are attenuated when the noise is detected by the noise detector, a bit allocation calculation unit configured to calculate the numbers of bits to be allocated to frequency spectra of the audio signal which have been subjected to the gain control performed by the gain controller in accordance with the frequency spectra, and a quantization unit configured to quantize the frequency spectra of the audio signal which have been subjected to the gain control in accordance with the numbers of the bits.
US09418669B2
Radio stations broadcasting syndicated content for which the broadcast automation system is not provided with the artist and title of songs has a software application in an associated computer that receives and analyzes the audio stream to detect songs, and creates a digital fingerprint of the songs. Fingerprints are compared against an acoustic fingerprinting song database to obtain the artist and title of the song. When a match is discovered, the song artist and title are provided to encoding software that inserts the artist and title into the radio station's digital broadcast for receipt and display by compatible radio receivers, and are transmitted on the Internet to simulcast media players of listeners for presentation of the artist and title of songs as they are playing.
US09418662B2
An apparatus for providing compound models for speech recognition adaptation. The apparatus may include processor and memory including computer program code with the memory, the computer program code being configured, with the processor, to cause the apparatus to at least receive a speech signal corresponding to a particular speaker. The apparatus may further be configured to select a cluster model including both a speaker independent portion and a speaker dependent portion based at least in part on a characteristic of speech of the particular speaker. The apparatus may be further configured to process the speech using the selected cluster model. The apparatus may be further configured to cause at least a speaker dependent portion of one or more non-selected cluster models to be stored remotely. A corresponding method and computer program product are also provided.
US09418661B2
A voice recognition system includes a microphone for receiving speech from a user and processing electronics. The processing electronics are in communication with the microphone and are configured to use a plurality of rules to evaluate user interactions with the voice recognition system. The processing electronics automatically determine and set an expertise level in response to and based on the evaluation. The processing electronics are configured to automatically adjust at least one setting of the voice recognition system in response to the set expertise level.
US09418660B2
Speech audio that is intended for transcription into textual form is received. The received speech audio is divided into first speech segments. A plurality of speakers is identified. A speaker is configured for repeating in spoken form a first speech segment that the speaker has listened to. A subset of speakers is determined for sending each first speech segment. Each first speech segment is sent to the subset of speakers determined for the particular first speech segment. The second speech segments are received from the speakers. The second speech segment is a re-spoken version of a first speech segment that has been generated by a speaker by repeating in spoken form the first speech segment. The second speech segments are processed to generate partial transcripts. The partial transcripts are combined to generate a complete transcript that is a textual representation corresponding to the received speech audio.
US09418648B1
An apparatus for generation of an ultra-high frequency sound waves with frequencies between (1 GHz-10 GHz) is proposed. The apparatus comprises a spin injector, a tunnel junction, a conductive ferromagnetic material including magnon gain medium, a ferromagnetic dielectric material including magnetic phonon-gain medium, and an ultra-high frequency sound waveguide coupled to the ferromagnetic dielectric material. The spin injector is configured to inject minority non-equilibrium elections into the conductive ferromagnetic material via the tunnel junction. The non-equilibrium magnons generated in the magnon gain medium of the conductive ferromagnetic material propagate into the ferromagnetic dielectric material and having the magnon velocity exceeding the sound velocity in the phonon-gain medium of the ferromagnetic dielectric material cause generation of ultra-high frequency non-equilibrium phonons in the ferromagnetic dielectric material. The ultra-high frequency sound waveguide is configured to output the ultra-high frequency sound generated in the ferromagnetic dielectric material.
US09418647B2
A plurality of phased array acoustic communication devices are used to communicate data along a tubulation, such as a well. The phased array acoustic communication devices employ phased arrays of acoustic transducers, such as piezoelectric transducers, to direct acoustic energy in desired directions along the tubulation. The system is controlled by a computer-based controller. Information, including data and commands, is communicated using digital signaling.
US09418645B2
A user interface implemented on a touch-sensitive display for a virtual musical instrument comprising a plurality of chord touch regions configured in a predetermined sequence, each chord touch region corresponding to a chord in a musical key and being divided into a plurality of separate touch zones, the plurality of chord touch regions defining a predetermined set of chords, where each of the plurality of separate touch zones in each region is associated with one or more preselected MIDI files stored in a computer-readable medium. In some embodiments, the touch zones are configured to provide different harmonic configurations of a base chord associated with the chord touch region. Some harmonic configurations provide progressively wider harmonic ranges across each adjacent touch zone. Other harmonic configurations can provide chords with a progressively higher relative pitch across each adjacent touch zone.
US09418637B1
Methods, systems, and techniques for visual automatic transcription of music played on a musical keyboard instrument. The system receives a video input of the musical instrument being played. A transcribing application detects a keyboard section of a background frame of the video input by detecting a shape of the keyboard and the presence of keys in the shape. The keys are detected in the background image and the positional information and associated musical notes of each key is determined. A difference image is obtained by subtracting the background image from the current frame. A musical note is determined for the pressed key based on the positional information and associated musical notes of the keys in the background image.
US09418635B1
A heater system for the mouthpiece of a musical brass instrument includes a heater element and a heat sensor, both in thermal proximity to the mouthpiece, closed-loop electronic circuitry coupled to the heater element and heat sensor, and a battery power source. The musician playing the mouthpiece uses a control to adjust desired mouthpiece temperature. The circuitry compares musician adjusted temperature to heat sensor detected mouthpiece temperature and controls electrical current through the heater element to adjust mouthpiece temperature as required. The heater system preferably fits within a cylindrical-shaped housing having a central opening through which the mouthpiece fits. In practice the mouthpiece is removed from the instrument leadpipe, is passed through the central opening of the housing, and reinserted into the leadpipe. A battery supply may be attached to the instrument to couple battery operating power through a cable to the circular housing and components within.
US09418629B2
Techniques for augmenting an appearance of a first object. Embodiments include capturing a visual scene for display. Here, the visual scene includes a physical object and wherein the visual scene is captured using one or more camera devices. The physical object is identified as a first predetermined object type, based on one or more object identifiers associated with the physical object. Embodiments also retrieve visual characteristics information corresponding to the first predetermined object type. A sequence of frames that includes the first object is then rendered for display, where the appearance the first object in the rendered sequence of frames is augmented based on the retrieved visual characteristics information and an appearance of the physical object in the captured visual scene.
US09418627B2
An inflatable display device is provided. The inflatable display device includes an inflatable support device, and a plurality of illumination sources, each of the illumination sources secured to the inflatable support device. The illumination sources are arranged in a preconfigured pattern on the inflatable support device, the preconfigured pattern resulting in the appearance of a continuous display. Another inflatable display device includes a cast silicon material, and a plurality of illumination sources, the illumination sources positioned within the cast silicon material. The cast silicon material forms an inflatable structure having a predetermined three dimensional configuration. Another inflatable display device includes an inflatable support device, a plurality of illumination sources, each of the illumination sources secured to the inflatable support device, and a control system coupled to the illumination sources. The control system coordinates operation of the plurality of illumination sources to form the appearance of a continuous display.
US09418621B2
Reducing energy usage by a monitor includes a map manager between a monitor interface and a processor that divides a display area of a monitor into areas and stores display information in a staging area. The map manager distinguishes an active window selected by a user from the remainder inactive, unselected areas of a display, and further determines a used subset of areas within the active window distinguished from the remainder unused areas as a function of a user preference. Accordingly, the map manager drives the monitor at each of the used area active window areas with the processor display information stored in the staging area at a normal luminance specified by the processor display information, and at each of the remainder unused, inactive and unselected areas of the total display area at a reduced luminance lower than the specified normal luminance.
US09418619B2
There is provided an image display device, in which a pixel includes sub-pixels of four or more colors that include a color in addition to the three primary colors, and which can display a high-quality image in which false colors or artifacts are suppressed. The image display device includes a pixel area in which a plurality of pixels P are arranged in a matrix shape, and each of the pixels P includes m (m is an integer which is equal to or greater than 4) sub-pixels SP. When it is assumed that the colors of the m sub-pixels SP included in one pixel are C1, C2, . . . , and Cm, the m sub-pixels SP which are sequentially arrayed from an arbitrary position include all of the colors of C1, C2, . . . , and Cm in both the vertical direction and the horizontal direction in the pixel area.
US09418614B2
There is provided a liquid crystal display apparatus capable of preventing image degradation when driving a liquid crystal panel. In the liquid crystal display apparatus, a control unit, when there are more pixels indicating the first gradation than the second gradation, controls the supply state of the pixel voltage simultaneously supplied to the plurality of pixel electrodes to prolong the time period between the timing of changing the supply state of the pixel voltage corresponding to the first gradation and the timing of changing the supply state of the pixel voltage corresponding to the second gradation so as to become longer than that when there are fewer pixels indicating the first gradation than the second gradation.
US09418601B2
A display device includes a display panel configured to display an image corresponding to image data input thereto and be divided into a plurality of display blocks, a backlight unit configured to supply light to the display panel and including a light guide panel and a main light source module which supplies light to the light guide panel, and a luminance boosting unit configured to supply boosted light to the plurality of display blocks based on the image data and including a plurality of light source modules arranged to correspond to the plurality of display blocks, respectively.
US09418598B2
A color sequential display method and apparatus that reduces or eliminates color breakup. In a given frame an illumination source provides a first illumination color in a first subframe, a second illumination color in a third subframe, and both the first and second illumination colors simultaneously in a second subframe to provide a third mixed illumination color. A pixel is driven either: (a) during the first subframe to display the first color; or (b) during the third subframe to display the second color; or (c) at least during the second subframe to display the third color.
US09418597B2
A pixel, a display device using the pixel and a method of driving the display device are provided. The pixel may include an organic light emitting diode, a driving circuit for generating and transmitting driving current depending on data signals to the organic light emitting diode, and at least one switch connected between a power wire for applying a first voltage to the organic light emitting diode and a data line for transmitting the data signals. The at least one switch may include a compensating circuit for electronically connecting the power wire to the data line for a predetermined period to transmit the first voltage through the data line.
US09418596B2
An organic light emitting display and method for driving the same are discussed. The organic light emitting display according to an embodiment includes a panel, drivers, and a short circuit detector. The short circuit detector forms a closed loop with a signal line, transmits input pulses through one end of the signal line and receives output pulses fed back through the other end of the signal line compares the input pulses and the output pulses.
US09418593B2
An organic light emitting display including pixels, a scan driver, a data driver, a control line driver, and a compensation unit. The pixels are positioned in an area defined by data lines, scan lines, and control lines, and each includes an organic light emitting diode. The scan driver drives the scan lines. The data driver drives the data lines. The control line driver drives the control lines. The compensation unit extracts threshold voltage information of a driving transistor included in each pixel during a sensing period. In the organic light emitting display, the compensation unit supplies a preset voltage to a gate electrode of the driving transistor so that a second current flows during the sensing period, and supplies a reference voltage to a drain electrode of the driving transistor during the period in which the second current flows.
US09418591B2
A timing controller includes a logo detecting unit configured to compare a plurality of frames to detect a logo region, an edge detecting unit configured to detect an edge, corresponding to a boundary between the logo region and an external region of the logo region, from the logo region by using a change amount of brightness between the logo region and the external region, a brightness compensating unit configured to reduce a brightness of the logo region including the edge, and an output unit configured to output image data whose a brightness is compensated for by the brightness compensating unit.
US09418590B2
A method of adjusting luminance of an organic light emitting display device is provided. By the method, initial compensation data are derived from optical images of a plurality of pixels, a look-up table (LUT) is generated using the initial compensation data, compensation data are derived by measuring deterioration degrees of the pixels, the LUT is updated by applying a filter for redistributing the compensation data among the pixels, an operation for adjusting the luminance are performed with image data of the pixels and the compensation data stored in the LUT, and driving data that are calculated by the operation for adjusting the luminance are outputted.
US09418580B2
A display apparatus includes a gate line, a first data line which receives a first data signal, a second data line which receives a second data signal having a gray scale lower than a gray scale of the first data signal and a polarity opposite to the first data signal, a short gate line which receives a short gate signal, and a plurality of pixels, each pixel including a first sub-pixel which displays a first image corresponding to the first data signal, a second sub-pixel which displays a second image corresponding to the second data signal, and a switching device which electrically connects the first sub-pixel and the second sub-pixel in response to the short gate signal. A pixel alternately displays a display image and a black image in a unit of at least one frame.
US09418575B2
Embodiments of the invention may provide the ability to dynamically create and update map projections to reduce the spatial distortion in a desirable way for a specific map view. For example, as a map view is changed, a new central meridian may be selected and a new map projection may be created based on the selected central meridian. Dynamically updating map projections so that all map layers are correctly representing the most important spatial attributes for the given situation may enable a map analyst to correctly interpret the maps being viewed.
US09418569B2
There are provided methods and a system for visually representing a rate of writing a plurality of identical Chinese characters for at least one user on a first portion of a display, with the visual representation having both a discrete movement component and a rate of activity component.
US09418568B2
A training system has one or more displays that simulate or mimic rear view mirrors, showing, for example, what is visible behind the simulated vehicle. The training system includes sensors, software, and related hardware for determining a position of a trainee's head within the simulated vehicle and calculating a viewing angle and/or distance between the trainee's eye(s) and the rear view mirrors. Based upon the viewing angle and/or distance, a rear image is panned/zoomed on each of the rear view mirrors corresponding to the viewing angle and/or distance.
US09418565B2
A memory stores a plurality of first data structures, which includes element specific data objects indicating a classification of at least one of the plurality of segments of the test definition language, and second data structures, which include attribute specific data objects indicating at least one attribute of the segments of the test definition language implemented by a computer. A method for computer-based testing includes authoring a test specification and content of the at least one test using a test definition language, compiling the test specification and content of the at least one test to create a compiled test specification and content, which includes validating the test specification and content, storing the compiled test specification and content to a resource file, and retrieving the compiled test specification and content from the resource file during delivery of the test.
US09418564B2
This method for determining an obstacle avoidance guidance law for an aircraft is implemented by a system for determining said guidance law. The aircraft comprises a collision avoidance system adapted to detect a collision risk with the obstacle and said determination system. This method comprises determining one or more set points from among flight path angle and speed set points, at least one set point depending on at least one vertical speed limit value, at least one set point comprising a vertical component in a vertical direction, each limit value being provided by the collision avoidance system following the detection of a collision risk with the obstacle; and computing the avoidance guidance law as a function of the determined set points. During the determination step, at least one determined set point comprises a longitudinal component in a longitudinal direction perpendicular to the vertical direction.
US09418558B1
An Autonomous Collision Avoidance Navigation System comprising navigating a route between a first location and a second location using a route tracking algorithm, detecting an obstacle and the obstacle's bearing, speed, distance, and direction of travel with respect to ownship, determining whether a collision between the ownship and the obstacle is probable, reducing ownship speed when a collision distance is less than a predetermined distance, determining a new heading using fuzzy logic and MCAD, and changing ownship course to the new heading, and to resume the route tracking algorithm when the obstacle is cleared from probably collision.
US09418550B2
A navigation apparatus comprises a processing resource operably coupled to a receiver for location-related data and arranged to perform, when in use, location determination. The processing resource supports a parking location determination module the parking location determination module is arranged to determine when the location determined is substantially unchanged and to determine that the location determined constitutes a candidate parking location in response to the location determined remaining substantially unchanged relative to a predetermined period of time.
US09418549B2
The present invention relates to an apparatus and method for recognizing a position of a vehicle to notify the position to a driver. The vehicle position recognizing apparatus includes a WiFi module configured to receive signals from a plurality of WiFi APs, a WPS module configured to measure RSSI values of the signals received by the WiFi module, and estimate a position of a vehicle, and a WPS correction controller configured to correct the RSSI values measured by the WPS module to recognize the position of the vehicle.
US09418546B1
A multi-object zonal traffic detection framework analyzes temporal and spatial information from one or more sensors in a classification engine that identifies and differentiates objects within a single identified traffic detection zone. The classification engine applies a whole scene analysis and an adaptive background zone detection model to classify cars, trucks, bicycles, pedestrians, incidents, and other objects within the single identified traffic detection zone and generates counts for each object type for traffic system management.
US09418543B1
A device for controlling at least one electrical apparatus comprising a microprocessor wired to an RF transceiver, the microprocessor storing operating protocol commands as sent over a wireless network, the RF transceiver and microprocessor being configured in cooperation with software code residing in the microprocessor to receive and extract real-time data as sourced from a network time source of the wireless network and embedded in the network signal, and a clock circuit connected to the microprocessor and configured for storing the real-time data, whereby the device controls power to the electrical apparatus according to the operating protocol commands at real-time as obtained from the wireless network by which the operating protocol commands are sent and as kept by the clock circuit, thus eliminating the need for a separate GPS receiver in the device for receiving real-time data.
US09418542B2
A method for operating a remote control system includes the method steps of providing a remote control system with an operating unit having a display and at least one operating element and with a communication unit having a communication connection to the operating unit, providing a control unit, which has a communication connection to the communication unit, of a work machine, detecting an operating unit actual configuration with a plurality of operating and selection menus by using the operating unit, transmitting the operating unit actual configuration from the operating unit to the control unit, detecting a work machine actual configuration by using the control unit, selecting at least one of the operating and selection menus depending on the work machine actual configuration, transmitting the at least one operating and selection menu to the operating unit and displaying the at least one operating and selection menu on the display.
US09418538B2
A self-contained, pocket-sized presentation apparatus includes a USB drive having a housing, a memory, a processor, and protective cover. A user input device, wireless transmitter, and power source, are integrally disposed within the cover, the transmitter being operatively engaged with the input device and configured to selectively transmit wireless signals in response to selective user actuation of the input device. A wireless receiver is disposed within the housing of the USB drive, to receive and couple wireless signals from the transmitter to the USB drive. The USB drive is configured to receive the wireless signals from the wireless receiver, to selectively generate Page Up and Page Down instructions responsive thereto, and to send the Page Up and Page Down instructions via the USB plug. The memory is configured to contain computer readable program code therein, in the form of a presentation, and in the form of a portable presentation application.
US09418536B1
A hand-washing compliance system can include: a sensor mounted to a chassis, the sensor configured to detect sensor readings; a processor coupled to the chassis and connected to the sensor with a communication conduit, the processor configured to: calculate movement estimations based on differences between the sensor readings at discrete times; count a number of crosses based on how often the movement estimations: are calculated above an upper threshold and are calculated below a lower threshold in consecutive movement calculations, are calculated below the lower threshold and are calculated above the upper threshold in the consecutive movement calculations, or a combination thereof, decrement a countdown timer based on the number of crosses being above a cross-threshold, and pause the countdown timer based on the number of crosses being below the cross-threshold; and a housing mounted to the chassis enclosing the processor and at least partially enclosing the sensor.
US09418532B2
Methods, systems, and apparatus, for an infrared detector are provided. In one aspect, an infrared detector is provided that includes a pyroelectric sensor; a controller for receiving a trigger signal outputted by the pyroelectric sensor; a thermopile sensor, wherein the controller starts the thermopile sensor after receiving the trigger signal output by the pyroelectric sensor; and an alarm, wherein when the thermopile sensor determines that a difference between a current temperature and a background temperature is larger than a threshold value, the controller controls the alarm to generate an alarm signal.
US09418530B2
An emergency alert system comprising one or more access-controlled wireless transmitters and a plurality of wireless wearable receivers that can be deployed locally to privately warn users of potential danger, by allowing authorized users to use the transmitters to send alert signals to the receivers.
US09418526B1
The pedestrian security dye pack system serves as a key component of law enforcement efforts across countries and communities as an investigative tool in emergency response situations, as an eyewitness in investigations and prosecutions, and as a citizen-driven virtual guard and security system. Via included multiple airwave communications, identification and notification capabilities such as WiFi, Bluetooth®, GPS, RFID, and dye projector, the pedestrian security dye pack system isolates, reports and aids authorities in offender detection and apprehension by offering the advantages of a wearable parental unit and a plurality of accompanying dye packs with a radio-controlled incendiary propelled dye projector in each.
US09418511B2
A gaming machine has display means and a game control means. A game is played in which one or more random events are displayed on the display means and, if a predefined winning event occurs, the machine awards a prize. On the occurrence of a predefined event, the player is offered a choice of two or more different prize sets, each containing a plurality of prize outcomes. The prize is drawn from the prize set or sets selected. The sets of prizes may be presented on segments of wheels that can spin before stopping randomly on a segment which defines the prize outcome. Alternatively the sets of prizes are presented on the faces of dice which are arranged to spin before stopping with the front face of the die defining the prize won.
US09418508B2
The gaming system that includes a server, a gaming machine communicatively coupled to the server, and a processor. The processor is programmed to: upon receiving a wager at the gaming machine, provide a bingo based game on the gaming machine, the bingo based game comprising gaming content that includes at least one bingo game card, determine that a triggering event has occurred during play of the bingo based game, and based on the triggering event, provide the player with at least one free bingo card in a bingo based bonus game.
US09418501B2
A systems and methods for authenticating a consumer with a transaction card using digital signatures according to one embodiment of the invention is disclosed. These systems and methods allow consumers to digitally sign transaction information with a private key. The private key may be used to digitally sign the transaction, for example, through a hosted or local system that protects the integrity of the private key. A financial institution may authenticate the consumer by decrypting the digital signature with a public key.
US09418499B2
The invention relates to a method for checking value documents by which the similarity of the intensity spectrum of a value document to be checked to a reference spectrum can be tested. To check the similarity of the intensity spectrum recorded from the value document to be checked to the reference spectrum, not the recorded intensity spectrum itself is compared with the reference spectrum, but rather a corrected intensity spectrum adapted to the reference spectrum, which arises from the recorded intensity spectrum by a linear correction. The correction parameters of the linear correction function are ascertained by adapting the linearly corrected intensity spectrum to the reference spectrum. Through the adapting it is achieved that fluctuations of the recorded intensity spectrum that are due to measuring technology are compensated at least partly.
US09418497B2
A time-locking container to limit the compulsive overuse of objects and substances, such as but not limited to money, food, alcohol, and tobacco. The container locks until a future date and time of day set by the user. The container informs the user, before it locks, of the duration of locking. If the duration exceeds a user-selectable maximum, the container waits for user confirmation, otherwise it locks after a delay. This feature prevents an accidental prolonged lockout. While the container is locked, the user can extend, but not shorten, the duration of locking. The user can request early access to the contents, while the container is locked, subject to an unlocking delay before access is granted, a relocking delay after which access is denied, and an inhibit delay limiting the frequency of use of the early open feature. The device provides a programmable schedule, and can relock itself after a programmable delay.
US09418496B2
The advantageous embodiments provide a method for identifying anomalies on an object. The advantageous embodiments detect a presence of the object in a control area using a sensor system. In response to detecting the presence of the object in the control area, the object is identified using the sensor system. Scan priorities are identified for the object using the sensor system. The object is scanned while the object is within the control area to form scan results. The scan results are analyzed and a determination is made as to whether a number of maintenance anomalies are detected on the object using the scan results.
US09418476B2
A method, for use in meshing a CAD domain in a computer-aided design (CAD) or computer-aided engineering (CAE) system, comprises carrying out a procedure comprising: obtaining a set of mesh elements by extracting, from a previously-generated mesh of the CAD domain which has undergone a mesh element optimization process in respect of interior elements of the previously-generated mesh, mesh elements which do not satisfy a preselected mesh quality metric; decomposing the set of mesh elements into connected sub-meshes; carrying out a serial mesh element optimization process in respect of each sub-mesh independently and in parallel, under the condition that boundary nodes of sub-meshes are not moved, to obtain optimized sub-meshes; and obtaining an optimized mesh of the CAD domain by integrating the optimized sub-meshes into the previously-generated mesh.
US09418467B2
A pedestrian pose classification model is trained. A three-dimensional (3D) model of a pedestrian is received. A set of image parameters indicating how to generate an image of a pedestrian is received. A two-dimensional (2D) synthetic image is generated based on the received 3D model and the received set of image parameters. The generated synthetic image is annotated with the set of image parameters. A plurality of pedestrian pose classifiers is trained through the annotated synthetic image.
US09418465B2
Systems and methods for performing MOS skin deformations are provided. In one example process, the in vector of a MOS transform may be manually configured by a user. In another example process, a slide/bulge operation may be configured to depend on two or more MOS transforms. Each of the MOS transforms may be assigned a weight that represents the transform's contribution to the overall slide/bulge. In yet another example process, a bulge operation for a MOS vertex may be performed in a direction orthogonal to the attached MOS curve regardless of the direction of the attachment vector. In yet another example process, a ghost transform may be inserted into a MOS closed curve and used to calculate skin deformations associated with first transform of the MOS closed curve.
US09418455B1
A computer-implemented method for generating a graph of parameters of a virtualized computing environment. The method includes accessing parameters from virtual machine groupings, generating a first graph depicting overall allocation of resources and overall current usage of resources for the virtual data centers, generating a second graph depicting aggregate health of the virtual machine groupings, and generating a third graph depicting allocation of resources of the virtual data centers overlaid with the current usage of resources of the virtual data centers, wherein the first graph, the second graph and the third graph are for display in a single view.
US09418452B2
The present invention obtains subband signals by performing a multiresolution decomposition by a wavelet frame with orientation selectivity or a filterbank with orientation selectivity that is a set of an approximate filter with no orientation and a plurality of detail filters with respective orientations on image data, and, when an image is reconstructed by summing the obtained subband signals, generates reconstructed image data that creates a floating illusion by attenuating or amplifying a subband signal corresponding to at least one of detail filters with a predetermined orientation relative to a floating direction, in which an image is desired to be floated due to an illusion, among the detail filters.
US09418447B2
Systems and methods are discussed to separate the specular reflectivity and/or the diffuse reflectivity from an input image. Embodiments of the invention can be used to determine the specular chromaticity by iteratively solving one or more objective functions. An objective function can include functions that take into account the smooth gradient of the specular chromaticity. An objective function can take into account the interior chromatic homogeneity of the diffuse chromaticity and/or the sharp changes between chromaticity. Embodiments of the invention can also be used to determine the specular chromaticity of an image using a pseudo specular-free image that is calculated from the input image and a dark channel image that can be used to iteratively solve an objective function(s).
US09418441B1
A process recomputes zones for a scene. The process is performed at a computing device having one or more processors and memory. The memory stores one or more programs configured for execution by the one or more processors. The process receives a first image of a scene taken by an array of image sensors of a camera system at a first time and receives designation from a user of a zone within the first image. The process also receives a second image of the scene taken by the array of image sensors at a second time that is after the first time. The process compares the first and second images to identify movement of the camera and notifies the user about a change to the zone when the camera has moved.
US09418437B2
One embodiment of the present invention includes techniques for rasterizing primitives that include edges shared between paths. For each edge, a rasterizer unit selects and applies a sample rule from multiple sample rules. If the edge is shared, then the selected sample rule causes each group of coverage samples associated with a single color sample to be considered as either fully inside or fully outside the edge. Consequently, conflation artifacts caused when the number of coverage samples per pixel exceeds the number of color samples per pixel may be reduced. In prior-art techniques, reducing such conflation artifacts typically involves increasing the number of color samples per pixel to equal the number of coverage samples per pixel. Advantageously, the disclosed techniques enable rendering using algorithms that reduce the ratio of color to coverage samples, thereby decreasing memory consumption and memory bandwidth use, without causing conflation artifacts associated with shared edges.
US09418435B2
A field of view available for stereo measurement is expanded using a field of view other than a common field of view. To this end, a plane (plane e) including a corresponding point (xa) on a sensor plane of a first camera, which corresponds to a feature point (X), a focal position (F1) of the first camera, and a focal position (F2) of the second camera is calculated; a first line (straight line E) that is a line of intersection of the plane (plane e) and a plane including a sensor plane of the second camera is calculated; a second line (straight line G) including a corresponding point group on the sensor plane of the second camera, which corresponds to a feature point group, is calculated; an intersection of the first and second lines is calculated as a corresponding point (xb) on the plane including the sensor plane of the second camera, which corresponds to the feature point (X); and three-dimensional coordinates of the feature point (X) are calculated based on the corresponding points (xa, xb).
US09418427B2
A registration technique is provided that can combine one or more related registrations to enhance accuracy of a registration of image volumes. A registration relationship between a first source volume and a target volume and a registration relationship between the first source volume and a second source volume are concatenated to provide an estimate of a registration relationship between the second source volume and the target volume. The estimate is utilized to inform the direct registration of the second source volume to the target volume or utilized in place of the direct registration.
US09418426B1
A camera outputs video as a sequence of video frames having pixel values in a first (e.g., relatively low dimensional) color space, where the first color space has a first number of channels. An image-processing device maps the video frames to a second (e.g., relatively higher dimensional) color representation of video frames. The mapping causes the second color representation of video frames to have a greater number of channels relative to the first number of channels. The image-processing device extracts a second color representation of a background frame of the scene. The image-processing device can then detect foreground objects in a current frame of the second color representation of video frames by comparing the current frame with the second color representation of a background frame. The image-processing device then outputs an identification of the foreground objects in the current frame of the video.
US09418421B1
The current disclosure is directed to the field of pathology, and the automated handling of biological specimens from containers containing clear solutions wherein the biological specimens reside. A computer-implemented method is disclosed for extracting specimens from such containers via an extraction device attached to a robotic arm. The robotic arm is controlled by a robotic system controller. The three-dimensional location of all specimens are estimated using image analysis techniques using images obtained from a plurality of imaging systems. Image analysis is used to simultaneously guide the extraction device and track the location of specimens inside the container.
US09418420B2
A system and method for automatically segmenting a computed tomography (CT) image of a patient's lung. The method includes the steps of segmenting the CT image to acquire one or more lung regions, intensity thresholding the lung regions to generate a mask region comprising high-intensity regions corresponding to anatomical structures within the lung regions, computing a Euclidean distance map of the mask region, performing watershed segmentation of the Euclidean distance map to generate one or more sub-regions, identifying a seed point for each sub region, growing candidate regions from the seed point of each sub-region, and classifying one or more candidate regions as a lung nodule based on one or more geometric features of the candidate regions.
US09418419B2
Medical image data of at least one medical imaging apparatus are prepared in a computerized procedure wherein the medical image data are received by a reception unit, a first subset of the medical image data is selected by at least one first filter unit, the first subset of the medical image data is processed by at least one second filter unit, with the processing leading to a second subset, the second subset of the medical image data are sorted and/or grouped by the processing unit, a presentation type for the second subset of the medical image data is determined by means of the processing unit, and the second subset of the medical image data is presented as an output according to a defined presentation type by an output unit.
US09418416B2
The apparati, methods, and computer program products disclosed herein can be used to nondestructively detect undissolved particles, such as glass flakes and/or protein aggregates, in a fluid in a vessel, such as, but not limited to, a fluid that contains a drug.
US09418415B2
Disclosed herein is a trabecular bone analyzer that can quantitatively determine the state of trabecular bone accurately. The trabecular bone analyzer of may perform trabecular bone analysis on a tomographic image D. In the tomographic image D, trabeculae forming a network may appear without overlapping. Therefore, such trabecular bone analysis may more accurately quantify trabecular bone.
US09418409B2
An image recovery method is disclosed for eliminating an effect of an environmental medium. The image recovery method includes receiving a captured image affected by the environmental medium, defining a respective local window with each pixel located at a center of the respective local window, and under an assumption that original radiance of all pixels within the respective local window in the captured image are identical, performing a minimization calculation for each local window, to obtain a corresponding transmission of each pixel in the captured image.
US09418403B2
An image processor includes: an image group generating unit that generates, from an original image, a group of images including at least one smoothed image; an illumination image generating unit that generates an illumination image by use of at least one of the images included in the group of images; a smoothed image acquiring unit that acquires a particular smoothed image based on the at least one smoothed image; a reflection rate image generating unit that generates a reflection rate image based on the original image, the particular smoothed image, a synthesizing degree information which represents a synthesizing degree of the original image and the particular smoothed image, and the illumination image, and a reproduction image generating unit that generates a reproduction image which is reproduced so that visibility of the original image is enhanced, based on at least the reflection rate image and an enhancing degree information.
US09418394B2
An operation simulation system of a robot system for simulating operation of a robot system having a robot on a computer, including a setting unit setting a movement point moving together with a moving member, linked with the moving member which is included in the robot system and moves in accordance with a predetermined program; a data acquisition unit acquiring time series position data of the movement point when operating the robot system in accordance with the program on the computer; an image generation unit generating an image of the robot system operating in accordance with the program on the computer and generating an image of a movement path of the movement point based on the time series position data acquired by the data acquisition unit; and a display unit displaying the robot system image and the movement path image generated by the image generation unit.
US09418393B2
Systems, methods, and apparatus embodiments for electric power grid and network registration and management of physical and financial settlement for participation of active grid elements in supply and/or curtailment of power, wherein Internet Protocol (IP)-based messages including IP packets are generated by transforming raw data content into settlement grade content. Settlement is provided for grid elements that participate in the electric power grid following initial registration of each grid element with the system, preferably through network-based communication between the grid elements and a coordinator, either in coordination with or outside of an IP-based communications network router. Messaging related to settlement is managed through a network by a Coordinator using IP messaging for communication with the grid elements, with the energy management system (EMS), and with the utilities, market participants, and/or grid operators.
US09418392B2
A control system for an energy storage system located behind a utility meter uses a unique, feedback-based, communication and control method to reliably and efficiently maximize economic return of the energy storage system. Operating parameters for the energy storage system are calculated at an external, centralized data center, and are selected to prevent electrical power demand of an electric load location from exceeding a specified set-point by discharging energy storage devices, such as DC batteries, through a bidirectional energy converter during peak demand events. The control system can operate autonomously in the case of a communications failure.
US09418390B2
According to various aspects of the present disclosure, a system and associated method and functions to determine an emotional state of a user are disclosed. In some embodiments, the disclosed system includes a data acquisition unit, an emotion determination unit, and an emotion reporting unit. The data acquisition unit is configured to detect user information including physiological and non-physiological data associated with the user. The emotion determination unit is operatively connected to the data acquisition unit, and is configured to process the user information to determine an emotional state of the user. The emotion reporting unit is configured to communicate the emotional state based on a predetermined reporting preference to an application of a communication device, e.g., a social-networking application to share the emotional state of the user such that other members of the social network associated with the user are notified of the user's emotional state.
US09418386B2
Systems and methods are provided for managing sales tax information. The information may be generated, for example, in connection with transactions involving financial accounts, such as a credit card account. The sales tax information may be received electronically from, for example, a merchant or a point of sale device. A determination may be made whether there is any missing sales tax information. If there is missing information a request may be generated and sent to a source having the information. The source may receive the request, retrieve the desired information, and transmit it to the requesting entity. The sales tax information may be stored and later retrieved for presentation to a user, such as the account holder. The account holder may use the information in completing a tax return.
US09418383B1
A computer system or computer-implemented method may provide incentives to an insured customer for receiving sensor data indicating risk-reducing and risk-increasing behavior during the policy term. In-vehicle sensors or other devices may gather information about the vehicle and its use during the policy term and send the information to a back-end system for analysis. Based on this analysis, the back-end system may determine that the received information is indicative of risk-reducing or increasing behavior. Upon confirmation that the information indicates risk-reducing or increasing behavior, the back-end system may perform one or more actions defined by a set of rules to establish an incentive or disincentive for the customer corresponding to the behavior. For example, the system may modify the customer's insurance policy data, send an e-mail, letter, gift card, coupon, points, or other incentive or disincentive for the customer based on the analysis.
US09418379B2
A system and method for allowing a consumer to quickly access product information and/or commerce functionalities as related to one or more products that are associated with an electronic document, such as a web page, that is currently being viewed by the consumer in an electronic document viewing program, such as an Internet browser.
US09418377B2
A system and method for visualizing property based listing on a mobile device may include grouping a plurality of property listings into at least one property listing group, the plurality of property listings selected based on a search area associated with a location of a mobile device; displaying, on the mobile device, a first group of the at least one property listing group overlaid on a live view of a camera of the mobile device, the displayed location of the first group based on an orientation of the mobile device; displaying a details interface overlaid on the live view, the details interface including attribute data of a first property listing of the first group; receiving a user interaction with the details interface; and displaying attribute data from a second property listing of the first group based on the user interaction.
US09418371B2
A system including a remotely-located service provider server receives or retrieves price data sets responsive to one or more product specification data sets. A metrics application invokes an evaluation service that causes the metrics application to obtain metric data including market reference price data for items responsive to attributes of an item identified in a price data set. Attributes for each responsive item are evaluated to dynamically discover relations within the attribute data. One or more adjustment values are generated and applied to the market reference price data for a responsive item that differs from the item identified in the price data set, transforming the market reference price data into transaction-specific market reference price metric data values that are used to generate one or more evaluation metrics. At least a subset of the price data sets and the one or more evaluation metrics are communicated to a buyer-agent computing device.
US09418351B2
A system configured to receive a request to perform a survey on a piece of equipment associated with a network; and present, for display, a user interface that allows a user, of the user device, to enter equipment information, associated with the piece of equipment, where the equipment information includes information that uniquely identifies the piece of equipment, information associated with a location of the piece of equipment, or information that identifies ownership of the piece of equipment . The system is also configured to receive, via the user interface, the equipment information; and transmit the equipment information to a server device.
US09418344B2
An apparatus and method to improve the handling of in-store customer requests for assistance, generate feedback and use data generated by customer requests for assistance. A customer input device, such as a placard, hand-held or cart carried mobile device, enables customers to request assistance and immediately and easily grade the assistance they receive. In one embodiment, the communication from such customer input device is automatically routed to individual(s) having responsibility for the department from which the customer's request for assistance has emanated. In other aspects, the response times, self expressed customer satisfaction scores and subsequent sales results are compiled and collated to improve customer service, and enable management to develop an appropriate reward or sanction system for sales employees. In still another embodiment, the customer request is associated with a musical chime or other identifying information that assists the customer representative in identifying the location of the customer.
US09418340B2
In one embodiment, a node receives a request to initiate a shadow joining operation to shadow join a field area router (FAR) of a computer network, and preserves its data structures and soft states. The shadow joining operation may then be initiated to shadow join the FAR, wherein shadow joining comprises preforming join operations without leaving a currently joined-FAR, and the node measures one or more joining metrics of the shadow joining operation, and reports them accordingly. In another embodiment, a FAR (or other management device) determines a set of nodes to participate in a shadow joining operation, and informs the set of nodes of the shadow joining operation to shadow join the FAR. The device (e.g., FAR) participates in the shadow joining operation, and receives reports of one or more joining metrics of the shadow joining operation measured by the set of nodes.
US09418328B2
A Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) tag. The RFID tag comprises a flexible substrate and an integrated circuit embedded within the flexible substrate. The top surface of the integrated circuit is coplanar with the flexible substrate. At least one conductive element is formed on the flexible substrate. The conductive element is electrically connected to the integrated circuit. The conductive element serves as an antenna for the RFID tag.
US09418327B1
An aspect of the disclosure includes a security system and method having a key with nanoscale features. The key includes a body. At least one pattern member disposed on the body, the pattern member formed using a directed self-assembly polymer to define a pattern of random feature structures thereon, the feature structures having a width of less than 100 nanometers.
US09418323B2
A method is provided for combining two source images in a relief image. Structural elements are applied that allow a first image to be observed in a first viewing direction and a second image in a second viewing direction. The method reduces a ghosting effect by a) printing a test relief image wherein the two source images comprise patches with a number of basic colors having a predefined amount of colorant; b) measuring for each patch an observed color in each of the viewing directions; c) scaling the source images such that an image element matches a size of a structural element in the relief image; d) selecting a structural element from the test relief image, wherefore the color differences between the image elements of the scaled source images and the patch color becomes minimal, and e) composing a relief image from the selected structural elements.
US09418322B2
An XML system is configured to encode RFID devices embedded in media, based upon an extensible markup language (XML) input data stream. The computer system further includes an XML processor configured to receive and process a format template, associate the XML data contained in the XML input data stream and the format template, a formatting engine configured to format the associated XML data according to a format governed by the format template, and/or generate encoding information for an RFID device.
US09418320B2
An apparatus for detecting an object includes a filter for filtering a current input image and a background model generated based on a previous input image, a homography matrix estimation unit for estimating a homography matrix between the current input image and the background model, an image alignment unit for converting the background model by applying the homography matrix to a filtered background model and aligning a converted background model and a filtered current input image, and a foreground/background detection unit for detecting a foreground by comparing corresponding pixels between the converted background model and the filtered current input image.
US09418319B2
Different candidate windows in an image are identified, such as by sliding a rectangular or other geometric shape of different sizes over an image to identify portions of the image (groups of pixels in the image). The candidate windows are analyzed by a set of convolutional neural networks, which are cascaded so that the input of one convolutional neural network layer is based on the input of another convolutional neural network layer. Each convolutional neural network layer drops or rejects one or more candidate windows that the convolutional neural network layer determines does not include an object (e.g., a face). The candidate windows that are identified as including an object (e.g., a face) are analyzed by another one of the convolutional neural network layers. The candidate windows identified by the last of the convolutional neural network layers are the indications of the objects (e.g., faces) in the image.
US09418316B1
A process for training and optimizing a system to select video frames for optical character recognition (OCR) based on feature metrics associated with blur and sharpness. A set of image frames are subjectively labelled based on a comparison of each frame before and after binarization to determine to what degree text is recognizable in the binary image. A plurality of different sharpness feature metrics are generated based on the original frame. A classifier is then trained using the feature metrics and the subjective labels. The feature metrics are then tested for accuracy and/or correlation with subjective labelling data. The set of feature metrics may be refined based on which metrics produce the best results.
US09418314B2
A medical article and m-number of first local features which are respectively constituted by a feature vector of 1 dimension to i dimensions of m-number of feature points in an image of the medical article are stored in association with each other, n-number of feature points are extracted from an image in a captured video, n-number of second local features respectively constituted by a feature vector of 1 dimension to j dimensions are generated, a smaller number of dimensions among the number of dimensions i and the number of dimensions j is selected, and an existence of the medical article in the image in the video is recognized when it is determined that a prescribed ratio or more of the m-number of first local features up to the selected number of dimensions corresponds to the n-number of second local features up to the selected number of dimensions.
US09418309B2
A method and apparatus for performing a fragmentation assessment of a material including fragmented material portions is disclosed. The method involves receiving two-dimensional image data representing a region of interest of the material, and processing the 2D image data to identify features of the fragmented material portions. The method also involves receiving a plurality of three dimensional point locations on surfaces of the fragmented material portions within the region of interest, identifying 3D point locations within the plurality of three dimensional point locations that correspond to identified features in the 2D image, and using the identified corresponding 3D point locations to determine dimensional attributes of the fragmented material portions.
US09418308B2
Systems and methods may automatically evaluate printed line weights in an image composition. An image composition may be received and the number of horizontal and vertical rows of pixels may be determined. The number of positive pixels in each of the horizontal and vertical rows may then be determined. An actual size of a pixel may be calculated. The actual size of a pixel may be multiplied by the number of positive pixels in each of the horizontal rows and each of the vertical rows to determine a positive line weight of each of the horizontal rows and each of the vertical rows. A predetermined minimum permissible positive line weight for the image composition may be identified and compared to the positive line weight of each of the horizontal rows and each of the vertical rows.
US09418299B2
A method and apparatus for performing surveillance comprising: imaging, at a first frame rate, an area (4) to produce images; detecting, using the images, a feature of interest (22) within the area (4); determining a region of interest (24), the region of interest (24) corresponding to a region within the area (4) in which the feature of interest (22) will be located at a later time-step; and, at the later time-step, using the region of interest (24), imaging the area (4) such that images of the region within the area (4) in which the feature of interest (22) is located are produced at a second frame rate, while images of the rest of the area (4) are produced at a third frame rate, the second rate being different to the third rate.
US09418293B2
There is provided an information processing apparatus including a trigger recognition unit configured to acquire a captured image of a trigger and recognize predetermined trigger information included in the captured image, and a content acquisition unit configured to acquire a content including augmented reality information which is based on a state at a time of capturing the captured image or a state of content acquisition in a past and which corresponds to the predetermined trigger information recognized by the trigger recognition unit.
US09418291B2
A pattern light projection unit which stores information on pattern light including information on line patterns projects pattern light including line patterns having at least two lines and at least one reference line pattern serving as a reference of the line patterns on an object in accordance with the information on pattern light. An image pickup unit captures an image of the object to which the pattern light is projected.An information processing apparatus detects the reference line pattern and the line patterns from the captured image, and establishes correspondence between the information on the line patterns stored in the pattern light projection unit and the line patterns detected from the captured image in accordance with the topological positional relationship between the detected reference line pattern and the line patterns so as to identify the line patterns.
US09418290B2
A device includes an image data receiving component, a vegetation index generation component, a GLC matrix component, a plurality of classifying components and a voting component. The image data receiving component receives multiband image data of a geographic region. The vegetation index generation component generates a normalized difference vegetation index based on the received multiband image data. The GLC matrix component generates a grey level co-occurrence matrix image band based on the received multiband image data. The classifying components generate land cover classifications based on the received multiband image data, the normalized difference vegetation index and the grey level co-occurrence matrix image band. The voting component generates a final land cover classification based a majority vote of the land cover classifications.
US09418286B2
An information processing device includes a feature amount extraction unit configured to extract each feature amount from a connected image generated by connecting images photographed from different viewpoints; and a specific object recognition unit configured to perform a process of determining a position of a specific object based on the feature amount extracted by the feature amount extraction unit. The feature amount extraction unit performs a feature amount extraction process to which a separated filter in which filter-formed regions are set to be separated is applied.
US09418281B2
Implementations of the disclosed subject matter provide methods and systems for identifying a candidate character cut for an overwritten character. A method may include providing a handwriting input area. The handwriting input area may be divided into multiple sections and a first portion of the multiple sections may be located in an end point region. A first handwritten input comprising a first stroke that ends in a section located in the end point region may be received. A second handwritten input comprising a second stroke that begins in a section that is not located in the end point region may be received. As a result, a first candidate character cut may be identified between the first stroke and the second stroke.
US09418279B2
Disclosed are systems, apparatus, devices, method, computer program products, media and other implementations, including a method that includes capturing by an image capturing unit of a mobile device images of a scene including a target object, determining motion of the mobile device, and detecting from the captured images variations in one or more varying features of the target object based, at least in part, on the determined motion of the mobile device, the variations in the one or more varying features being independent of the target object's position in the scene.
US09418268B2
The present disclosure provides a system and method for setting the time for an internal clock function of a barcode reader and enabling the barcode reader to associate time, as determined by the internal clock function, with production barcodes read during operator use of the barcode reader and delivery of the combination of production barcodes and the associated time to a host system.
US09418267B1
A modular shelf for an integrated display structure that addresses the mutually important, yet unrelated issues of inventory control, shelf labeling and point of purchase advertising. The modular shelf has a non-metallic low density core, a molded frame secured along the outer perimeter of the core, a thermoplastic or resinous sheet secured to each of the top face and the bottom face of the core, and a plurality of antennae embedded within at least one of the top sheet and the bottom sheet. An RF or other electronic transceiver is electrically connected to the antennae secured within a cavity of the rear molded member, and a power and communications connects the RF transceiver with a front video display panel and with power and communications components in a support base of a shelf gondola.
US09418266B1
Systems and methods for tracking assets are provided. In some aspects, a method includes generating a tracking identifier for an asset and storing the tracking identifier in a wireless tag associated with the asset. The tracking identifier includes a protocol identifier that identifies a protocol used for generating the tracking identifier. The tracking identifier also includes an asset identifier that identifies a class to which the asset belongs. The tracking identifier also includes at least one data load that identifies an element specific to the asset. The tracking identifier also includes at least one data load type identifier that identifies a type of a corresponding element specific to the asset or provides an end-of-data indication. The tracking identifier also includes at least one data load size identifier that identifies a size of a corresponding data load.
US09418260B2
Systems and methods for tracking a subject using radio-frequency identification (RFID). In an embodiment, an antenna array comprising a plurality of articulating brackets and a plurality of antennas is provided. Each of the articulating brackets is configured to move one of the plurality of antennas into a plurality of positions, and each of the antennas is configured to receive a RFID signal. In addition, a processor receives RFID data based on RFID signals received by the antennas of the antenna array, and determines a trajectory of a subject based on the RFID data. Based on the determined trajectory of the subject, the processor controls one or more of the articulating brackets to move one or more of the antennas into a position to track the subject.
US09418259B2
Disclosed herein are a tag transmission apparatus and a signal transmitting method thereof. The tag transmission apparatus converts a plurality of data bits into a symbol, which is one of a plurality of symbols, and multiplies the converted symbol by a square-wave having a predetermined frequency to thereby generate a subcarrier signal. Here, in the case in which the plurality of data bits are n (n is a natural number larger than 2) bits, the number of the plurality of symbols is 2n.
US09418247B2
Systems and methods for implementing security mechanisms in integrated devices and related structures. This method can include validating a device ID, generating a random value based on selected seed parameters, performing logic operations from hardware using the random value, and validating the integrated device based on logic operations from software using the random value. The system can include executable instructions for performing the method in a computing system. Various embodiments of the present invention represent several implementations of a security mechanism for integrated devices. These implementations provide several levels of encryption or protection of integrated devices, which can be tailored depending on the hardware and/or software requirements of specific applications.
US09418246B2
Methods and systems are disclosed for on-the-fly decryption within an integrated circuit that adds zero additional cycles of latency within the overall decryption system performance. A decryption system within a processing system integrated circuit generates an encrypted counter value using an address while encrypted code associated with an encrypted software image is being obtained from an external memory using the address. The decryption system then uses the encrypted counter value to decrypt the encrypted code and to output decrypted code that can be further processed. A secret key and an encryption engine can be used to generate the encrypted counter value, and an exclusive-OR logic block can process the encrypted counter value and the encrypted code to generate the decrypted code. By pre-generating the encrypted counter value, additional cycle latency is avoided. Other similar data independent encryption/decryption techniques can also be used such as output feedback encryption/decryption modes.
US09418244B2
Architecture that employs encryption and storage of encryption keys to protect trusted client message content from an untrusted third-party hosted service. Each trusted user machine is configured to optionally apply security to messages. Rules determine when automatic protection is applied and the level of protection to apply. The trusted client automatically downloads the rules (or rules policies) from a trusted rules service and caches the rules locally. During composition, the rules analyze the message and automatically apply security template(s) to the message. The security template(s) encrypt the body of the message, but not the headers or subject. The untrusted message service processes the header and delivers the message to the correct recipient. The hosted service cannot view the contents of the message body, and only intended recipients of the protected message can view the message body. Offline protection is supported, and the user can override protection by the rules.
US09418242B2
The invention relates to a computer implemented method for analyzing data of a first user, wherein an asymmetric cryptographic key pair is associated with the first user, said asymmetric cryptographic key pair comprising a public key and a private key, the data being stored pseudonymously in a database with the data being assigned to an identifier, wherein the identifier comprises the public key, the method comprising: receiving a set of rules, the set of rules describing data processing steps, receiving the identifier, retrieving the data assigned to the identifier from the database, analyzing the retrieved data by applying the set of rules, providing a result of the analysis.
US09418240B2
A database system comprising a plurality of access keys stored in a first data memory device sector, each access key associated with a node value stored in a second data memory device sector. An access key processor configured to receive an input value and return the associated node value for the input value if the input value matches an access key stored in the first data memory device sector. The access key processor is configured to generate a revised input value if the input value does not match an access key stored in the first data memory device; a default node value stored in the second data memory device sector and associated with a portion of the input value, wherein the access key processor is configured to return the default node value as part of the revised input value.
US09418238B2
A searchable encryption resistant to frequency analysis. A conversion rule management device generates a conversion rule table associating a search keyword with a conversion keyword group. Based on the conversion rule table, a data registration device generates registration data associating encrypted data with an encrypted keyword, and registers the registration data in a server device. An information processing device obtains from the conversion rule table a conversion keyword group associated with a specified search keyword, generates an encrypted keyword group, and requests a data search by specifying the encrypted keyword group. Using as a search key an encrypted keyword included in the encrypted keyword group, the server device searches for encrypted data associated with the search key, and returns searched encrypted data. The information processing device decrypts the searched encrypted data, and outputs as a search result search data obtained by decryption.
US09418227B2
A computer implemented method, apparatus, and program code for detecting malicious software components. A series of calls made by a software component is monitored to identify an identified respective series of call types to components named in said calls. A determination is made as to whether the identified respective series of call types to components named in said calls is indicative of malicious behavior.
US09418214B1
In the present invention systems and methods to perform the biometric anonymous enrollment of an individual into an anonymous biometric engine are disclosed. An enrollment authority or client verifies the credentials of an individual and collects the biographic/demographic and biometric information. The biographic demographic information is stored by the enrollment authority and a token is generated for the individual; the biometric information and the token are sent to a biometric engine for storage. The stored information may be used to identify or verify individuals.
US09418211B2
According to one embodiment, an electronic device includes a content transmitter. The content transmitter is configured to output a content item including first data and second data to one transmission path, by applying a first copyright protection system to copyright protection of the first data and applying a second copyright protection system to copyright protection of the second data. The first copyright protection system involves encryption of data to be copyright-protected. The second copyright protection system involves no encryption of data to be copyright-protected.
US09418210B2
Systems and methods are disclosed for managing and protecting electronic content and applications. Applications, content, and/or users can be given credentials by one or more credentialing authorities upon satisfaction of a set of requirements. Rights management software/hardware is used to attach and detect these credentials, and to enforce rules that indicate how content and applications may be used if certain credentials are present or absent. In one embodiment an application may condition access to a piece of electronic content upon the content's possession of a credential from a first entity, while the content may condition access upon the application's possession of a credential from a second entity and/or the user's possession of a credential from a third entity. Use of credentials in this manner enables a wide variety of relatively complex and flexible control arrangements to be put in place and enforced with relatively simple rights management technology.
US09418208B2
A receiver receives digital content scrambled using a control word and a user code for the scrambled content. A user inputs the user code that is forwarded to a code extractor that generates the control word and a user identifier from it. The control word is sent to a descrambler, a watermark information generator and a visible watermark insertion unit. The descrambler descrambles the scrambled content using the control word, an invisible watermark insertion unit inserts invisible watermark information obtained from the watermark information generator into the descrambled content and the visible watermark insertion unit inserts the user identifier as a visible watermark. Also provided are a corresponding method for processing digital content and a method and a device for generating the user code.
US09418207B1
A method of securely distributing a controlled substance which includes the steps of inputting a plurality of parameters into a secure pill device having a tamper resistance mechanism, shipping the secure pill device from a first facility to a second facility, periodically evaluating a first condition, comparing a first parameter in the plurality of parameters against the first condition, and engaging the tamper resistance mechanism when the first condition exceeds the first parameter in the plurality of parameters. The method may also include the steps of transferring a plurality of the controlled substance from the pill secure pill device to a patient pill dispenser having a patient tamper resistance mechanism, inputting a plurality of patient parameters into the patient pill dispenser and comparing the plurality of patient parameters with a plurality of conditions.
US09418205B2
A system and method provide automatic access to applications or data. A portable physical device, referred to herein as a Personal Digital Key or “PDK”, stores one or more profiles in memory, including a biometric profile acquired in a secure trusted process and uniquely associated with a user that is authorized to use and associated with the PDK. The PDK wirelessly transmits identification information including a unique PDK identification number, the biometric profile and a profile over a secure wireless channel to a reader. A computing device is coupled to the reader. An auto login server is coupled to the reader and the computing device and launches one or more applications associated with a user name identified by the received profile.
US09418204B2
A bioinformatics system and method is provided for integrated processing of biological data. According to one embodiment, the invention provides an interlocking series of target identification, target validation, lead identification, and lead optimization modules in a discovery platform oriented around specific components of the drug discovery process. The discovery platform of the invention utilizes genomic, proteomic, and other biological data stored in structured as well as unstructured databases. According to another embodiment, the invention provides overall platform/architecture with integration approach for searching and processing the data stored in the structured as well as unstructured databases. According to another embodiment, the invention provides a user interface, affording users the ability to access and process tasks for the drug discovery process.
US09418200B2
A system for designing an integrated circuit includes at least one processor and at least one memory including computer program code for one or more programs. The at least one memory and the computer program code are configured to, with the at least one processor, cause the system to receive a proposed device array layout from a device array design module. The device array design module is configured to generate the proposed device array layout free from a set of system design rule constraints. The system is also caused to revise a schematic of the integrated circuit including the proposed device array layout. The system is further caused to determine whether the revised schematic violates one or more system design rule constraints.
US09418199B2
The present disclosure provides a method of systematic defect extraction. Primary and secondary areas are defined in a wafer layout. A plurality of defects is identified by a first wafer inspection for an outside-process-window wafer. Defects located in the secondary area are removed. Defects associated with non-critical semiconductor features are also removed via a grouping process. Sensitive regions are defined around defects associated with critical semiconductor features. A second inspection is then performed on the sensitive regions for an inside-process-window wafer, thereby identifying a plurality of potentially systematic defects. Thereafter, a Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM) process is performed to determine whether the defects in the sensitive regions of the inside-process-window wafer are true systematic defects.
US09418198B1
A computer-implemented method for calculating an effect on timing of moving a pin from an edge position to an inboard position in processing large block synthesis (LBS). The method includes determining first timing details at the inboard position, based on internal wire segments between a signal source and the inboard position. The method further includes selecting an upper metal layer as a virtual wire between the edge position and the inboard position. The method further includes calculating capacitance and resistance of the virtual wire. The method further includes updating driver strength of a driver between the signal source and the inboard position. The method further includes determining second timing details at the inboard position, based on wire loads of the virtual wire. The method further includes modifying an assertion of the pin at the inboard position, based on the first timing details and the second timing details.
US09418190B2
A method and system to route connections of sub-networks in a design of an integrated circuit and a computer program product are described. The system includes a memory device to store instructions to route the connections of the sub-networks, and a processor to execute the instructions to determine a baseline route for each of the connections of each of the sub-networks, identify noise critical sub-networks in the integrated circuit design based on congestion, set a mean threshold length (MTL), segment the connections of the noise critical sub-networks based on the MTL, and re-route the baseline route based on segmenting. The MTL indicates a maximum length of each segment of each connection, each segment includes a different wirecode which is different from a wirecode of an adjacent segment, and each wirecode defines a width, a metal layer, and a spacing for each segment.
US09418189B2
Roughly described, the cell layout in an SRAM array is re-arranged such that the gate electrodes for transistors for which flexibility to use one channel length is desired, are formed along a different track from those for transistors for which flexibility to use a different channel length is desired. Not only does such a re-arrangement permit optimization of device ratios, but also in certain implementations can also reduce, rather than increase, cell area. Specific example layouts are described. The invention also involves layout files, macrocells, lithographic masks and integrated circuit devices incorporating these principles, as well as fabrication methods.
US09418182B2
A method and system for modeling a subsurface structure at a time when the structure was originally formed. A first model having non-planar horizons representing a current subsurface structure may be used to calculate a vector field based on the non-planar geometry of the horizons of the model. The vector field may be non-uniform or uniform. Geographic coordinates of the first model may be transformed to paleo-geographic coordinates of a model representing the subsurface structure in the past, where the non-planar horizons in the first model are transformed to planar horizons in the second model. A set of points describing one or more fractures in the subsurface structure may be used to calculate a tuning parameter to correct a first set of paleo-geographic coordinates. A second set of coordinates representing an improved prediction at a time period when the subsurface structure was originally formed may be generated.
US09418180B2
Exemplary embodiments of the present techniques provide methods and systems for coarsening a computational mesh, for example, for use in a reservoir simulation. An exemplary method of performing a reservoir simulation, includes generating a data representation in a storage system, wherein the data representation includes an interconnection weight that represents the magnitude of an interconnection between each of a number of computational cells in a computational mesh. A threshold value is compared to each interconnection weight and any interconnection weight that is equal to or less than the threshold value is set to zero.
US09418178B2
Exemplary embodiments disclose controlling of the size and content of a hierarchical visualization by a software component executing on a computer that displays a multi-level hierarchical visualization of nodes including a collapsed sub-hierarchy. The exemplary embodiments include displaying a user interface that enables a user to invoke a contextual search that is contextual to the collapsed sub-hierarchy; responsive to the user invoking the contextual search, receiving search criteria entered by the user; displaying any nodes from the collapsed sub-hierarchy matching the search criteria; receiving a user selection of which ones of the matching nodes from the collapsed sub-hierarchy to show; and displaying a partial rendering of the collapsed sub-hierarchy that shows the selected matching nodes while keeping remaining non-matching nodes hidden.
US09418176B2
Structure of a resultant Every Document as a Graph (EVG) graph may be outlined using an EVG query. First metadata for a first data source may be retrieved. At least one entity key may be determined for a first entity, the entity key coming directly from the EVG query or from an entity on a preceding level of the EVG graph. Based on the first metadata and entity key, an edge may be created in the EVG graph beginning at the first entity, wherein the edge contains information retrieved from the first data source. Second metadata for a second data source may be retrieved. Based on the second metadata and information contained in the edge retrieved from first data source, a second entity may be created in the EVG graph, wherein the edge connects to the second entity, wherein the second entity contains information retrieved from the second data source.
US09418174B1
According to one embodiment, a computer-executed system includes a relationship identification tool coupled to one or more data storage systems and a user interface. Each data storage system has multiple data entities that are organized in at least one folder according to a particular taxonomy scheme. The relationship identification tool is operable to receive data entities from the data storage systems, and determine relationship intimacy values for each data entity relative to the other plurality of data entities according to its taxonomy scheme. These relationship intimacy values are then displayed on the user interface.
US09418173B2
A method for detecting a cross-platform difference of a web application may include generating a first relative layout model based on a first relationship between multiple elements of a screen of a web application when the web application is executed on a first platform. The method may further include generating a second relative layout model based on a second relationship between the multiple elements of the screen of the web application when the web application is executed on a second platform. The method may also include determining a difference between the first relationship and the second relationship based on a comparison of the first relative layout model with respect to the second relative layout model.
US09418172B2
Systems and methods for monitoring user interaction with a remote computer are provided. More specifically, the systems and methods of the present invention allow for the remote tracking and replay of user interaction with a remote computer or webpage. One aspect of the invention allows user interaction data to be replayed on an embedded browser on a replay server. The replayed user interaction data may be converted to a video file to facilitate playback of the interaction data substantially independent of the replay server.
US09418171B2
Systems and methods for hardware accelerated presentation of web pages on mobile computing devices are presented. A plurality of web pages may be received by a computing device capable of processing and displaying web pages using layout engines, hardware accelerated graphics application programming interfaces (APIs). Upon receipt of the web pages, the web pages may be divided into a plurality of rendering layers, based upon stylesheets of the web pages. An algorithm walks through rendering layers so as to select a plurality of layers that may receive compositing layers so as to take advantage of hardware acceleration when rendered. The web pages may be subsequently presented on a display of the mobile computing devices using remaining rendering layers and compositing layers. In this manner, visual representation of web content remains intact even when content which may not have been originally designed for use with layout engine may be displayed.
US09418168B2
The present disclosure describes methods, systems, and computer program products for providing cloud-based, generic OData mashup services. One computer-implemented method includes parsing a received a request for service-related data to determine a subject mashup service associated with the request, retrieving a subject mashup service definition from a service repository, retrieving subservice definitions associated with the subject mashup service definition, instantiating subservices with a computer using the subservice definitions, and transmitting a request to retrieve the service-related data from the instantiated subservices.
US09418165B2
A method and a system for contextual recognition through screen-sharing are provided. Example embodiments may include receiving a data stream related to a presenter screen in a network-based collaboration session from a first user; extracting characteristic data from the data stream; associating added data with the data stream, based on the data; and presenting, in real time, to a second user, a viewer screen including the data stream and the added data. The method may also include recognizing the characteristic data before the extracting of the data.
US09418150B2
A system and process for tagging electronic documents or other electronic content with concepts mentioned, contained, or otherwise described in that content. Once tagged, the content may be searchable, indexable, and retrievable in order to provide that content to an end user or another recipient. The system may be configured to handle a considerable number of asset files and a large number of users, workflows, and access applications simultaneously. The system may auto-tag the content and also may include a user interface for confirming and updating those tags and for manually creating new or additional tags. Content may include documents such as medical documents relating to procedures, diagnoses, medications or other domains. Alternatively, the content may include information about various care providers, in order to allow a user to locate a physician meeting one or more desired criteria.
US09418149B2
A method of summarizing data files includes implementing, at a server, a storage event for a data file, analyzing the data file and creating a summary of the data file, and storing the summary linked to the data file.
US09418137B2
A database system uses an iterative set to store data and relationships among the data in a parallel manner. Unlike a relational database, which is limited to representing two-dimensional relationships (i.e., relationships between pairs of tables), the database system of the present invention may represent N-dimensional relations in a three-dimensional coordinate system. Furthermore, the database system of the present invention may store all database data in a single iterative set, without the need to use multiple tables. As a result of the manner in which data and relationships among data are stored by embodiments of the present invention, embodiments of the present invention may be used to search the database without the need to formulate queries in a formal query language such as SQL.
US09418136B1
A media store server offers access to multimedia contents available from servers of one or more vendors. The media store server provides customers' digital information devices with catalog of content offered through the media store server. To provide a unified catalog for the store, the media store server retrieves a first descriptive text for a multimedia content in a catalog of vendor's server. The first descriptive text is converted into a second descriptive text representing the multimedia content, which is in a standardized format required for the media store server catalog. The second descriptive text for the multimedia content is compared with the descriptive texts of multimedia contents in the media store server catalog. The first descriptive text for the vendor's multimedia content is stored in the catalog of the media store server, if the second descriptive text for the multimedia content matches with any of the descriptive texts of multimedia contents in the catalog of the media store server. The stored first descriptive text provides a link to or association for access to the actual file on the vendor's server, i.e. so when users searches, the text comes up from the store server and selection enables user to access/download multimedia content from the vendor's server.
US09418107B2
A method and system for providing query aware partitioning are disclosed. For example, the method receives a query plan comprising a plurality of queries, and classifies each one of the plurality of queries. The method computes an optimal partition set for each one of the plurality of queries, and reconciles the optimal partition set of each one of the plurality of queries with at least one subset of queries of the plurality of queries. The method selects at least one reconciled optimal partition set to be used by each query of the plurality of queries, and stores the selected at least one reconciled optimal partition set in a computer readable medium.
US09418097B1
Implementations are provided herein for sending event notifications based on modifications to files and/or directories. When a file is read, modified or changed under the conditions for a registered event notification, a consistency point can be established. An impact list can then be determined based on the target. It can then be determined whether the version of event caches associated with the files and folders identified in the impact list match a global event cache version determined at the time of the consistency point. If the event caches are an old version, the system call can be restarted, and the event caches can be rebuilt to the current version. If the event caches of the impact list are current, the file system operation can be performed, and notifications can be sent based on the set of listeners identified within the current set of event caches.
US09418096B2
A control method is used in an information processing system which has a plurality of computers. The control method includes receiving, by a first computer of the plurality of computers, an update request of data from a first client device, receiving, by a second computer of the plurality of computers, a read request of the data from a second client device. The control method also includes selecting, by the second computer, a computer as an query destination from the plurality of computers excluding the first computer and a third computer that is a terminal to receive the update request sent from the first computer, when the data is undergoing updating due to the update request; transmitting a verify request to inquire whether the data is undergoing updating, to the query destination; and transmitting the data to the second client device based on a reply from the query destination.
US09418087B2
A data classification module is configured to retrieve information from the repository and migrate the information into applications. The data classification module is configured to receive a request to migrate information and data from the repository into an application. The request can include the type of application and the type of information and data requested. The application can be an new application or an existing application. In order to locate information and data to migrate, the data classification module is configured to maintain rules that describe how the various applications maintain data and information.
US09418086B2
Database access is described, for example, where data in a database is accessed by an inference engine. In various examples, the inference engine executes inference algorithms to access data from the database and carry out inference using the data. In examples the inference algorithms are compiled from a schema of the database which is annotated with expressions of probability distributions over data in the database. In various examples the schema of the database is modified by adding one or more latent columns or latent tables to the schema for storing data to be inferred by the inference engine. In examples the expressions are compositional so, for example, an expression annotating a column of a database table may be used as part of an expression annotating another column of the database.
US09418080B1
The present invention is a method for improving functionality of a smart device to perform mobile structured collection and transformation of data includes instantiating an ATAK Session Object having multiple Session Object Attributes including a geo-specific location attribute having a geo-specific location attribute value. The method then updates the geo-specific location attribute of the ATAK Session Object to reflect a geo-specific location and links an Image Object with the ATAK Session Object to create a Linked ATAK Image Object. Next, the method instantiates an Observational Record Object (ORO) having an ORO attribute value reflecting an observation instance at the geo-specific location. Finally, the method creates a Linked ORO by linking the ORO with the Linked ATAK Image Object. The present invention also includes an apparatus and system for performing the above method.
US09418078B2
A dynamic identity matching facility that enables an operator to determine the status of an individual based on identification information contained on an identification record provided by the individual. The operator scans the individual's identification information from the identification record using a scanning device. The facility decodes the scanned identification information and identifies a number of candidates based on the decoded identification information. For each identified candidate, the facility generates a candidate score. Based on the candidate score of each identified candidate, the facility selects a number of the identified candidates for display. The facility displays the selected candidates to the operator along with the candidate's criminal or other acts.
US09418072B2
Methods, systems and techniques for synchronizing content, such as a file, between one or more clients and one or more servers are provided. Example embodiments provide a Cross-File Differential Content Synchronization System (CDCSS) to synchronize files between remote systems in a nearly instantaneous manner without necessitating the transfer of the entire contents of a file. These components cooperate to transfer only the differences in data content wherever possible to a recipient system by providing a patch mechanism that instructs the recipient to build the modified or new data content based upon content it already has access to. In addition, in one embodiment the CDCSS synchronization solution provides a client-based index, rather than a server-based index, for tracking patches and files, which reduces the amount of computational and I/O overhead on the server and which does not require a negotiation between a client and a server to provide an update.
US09418066B2
An approach is provided for an information handling system that includes a processor and a memory to analyze documents. In the approach, an electronic document is received with the document including content, such as text, and revision metadata that is associated with the content. The revision metadata is analyzed and the approach identifies a confidence level based on the analysis. The confidence level is associated with the electronic document content. The confidence level can then be utilized by a Question and Answer (QA) system.
US09418062B2
A method and system for facilitating an interview where the interviewer and interviewee speak different languages is described. The system includes a speaker to output audio information, at least one interface to communicate with a display device, a processor and a memory accessible to the processor. The memory includes instructions executable by the processor to determine an interviewee language from a plurality of languages, store collected data and data related to the determined interviewee language, receive a first interviewee information item and a second interviewee information item associated with a topic selection from an interviewer system. The instructions further include instructions to provide the first interviewee information item to the speaker for acoustic output in the interviewee language and to provide the second interviewee information item to the at least one interface to communicate with the display device.
US09418059B1
Methods and systems are provided for processing natural language for machine learning analytical systems. The method includes receiving, at a processor, an input including text representing one or more observed parameters of an environment. The inputted text is in a natural language format. The processor parses the input and extracts the one or more parameters. A function is defined representing a domain of the one or more observed parameters based upon the one or more extracted parameters.
US09418058B2
The present invention relates to a social media question and answer service, and discloses a social media issue processing device and method. The method includes a question analyzing unit which analyzes a question type of an input question through a question pattern dictionary which is stored in advance; a social media analyzing unit which performs issue period recognition for the question, question type based analysis, question based summary creation, and question based reliability calculation; and a report creating unit which creates a summary in accordance with at least one of correlation between the question type and the question based summary, correlation between the issue period and the question type based analysis result, and correlation between the reliability and the question based summary.
US09418052B2
The invention relates to a method and an apparatus for web service schema management. The apparatus includes a processor; a memory including computer program code configured to, with the processor, cause the apparatus at least to perform: controlling the storing of schema information of a binary web service system, the schemas describing the encoding/decoding of binary XML messages; and providing an interface for maintaining the schema information up-to-date in each component of the binary web service system.
US09418051B2
A method for extracting a document structure is disclosed. The method may include determining a position of reference information in a layout file, and extracting items related to the reference information from the determined position of the layout file. An apparatus for extracting a document structure is also disclosed. The apparatus may include a processor configured to determine a position of reference information in a layout file; and to extract items related to the reference information from the determined position of the layout file. The apparatus may further include a storage device configured to store the extracted items.
US09418046B2
A method includes forming a working mixed integer linear program (MILP) from a given MILP at least by choosing a subset of variables from the MILP, wherein the working MILP includes the chosen subset of variables but no other variables from the given MILP. The working MILP is solved to determine a solution. Using the solution, a special linear program is formed and solved to determine a price of each constraint relative to the solution. Using the prices, variables that are not in the working MILP are evaluated to determine any variables that can contribute to an improved solution. The variables evaluated as contributing to an improved solution are added to the working MILP. The working MILP with the added variables is solved. Apparatus and program products are also disclosed.
US09418045B2
Systems, apparatus and methods for quantifying and identifying diversion of electrical energy are provided. Bypass and tap diversions may be identified in an electric utility power distribution inventory zone having both bypass and tap diversions. Bypass diversion factors for consumer nodes in an inventory zone are determined by finding a solution to a system of load balance equations having slack variables representing aggregate tap loads for the inventory zone and in which consumer load profile data is scaled by the bypass diversion factors, which solution minimizes an objective function whose value is positively related to the sum of the slack variables representing the aggregate tap loads. Tap loads are correlated with nodes in an inventory zone by solving a first system of power flow equations not having variables representing tap loads, and then solving a second system of power flow equations having variables representing tap loads using an iterative numerical solution technique initialized based on the solution to the first system of power flow equations.
US09418034B2
A control component of a computing environment activates a virtual adapter hosted on a physical adapter of a host system of the computing environment. The virtual adapter is for use by a guest of the host system in performing data input and output. The activating activates the virtual adapter absent involvement of the guest. Based on activating the virtual adapter, the control component obtains configuration information of the activated virtual adapter from the physical adapter, the configuration information generated based on the activating. The control component ascertains a configuration of the activated virtual adapter based on the obtained configuration information.
US09418011B2
In one embodiment, the present invention includes a processor comprising a page tracker buffer (PTB), the PTB including a plurality of entries to store an address to a cache page and to store a signature to track an access to each cache line of the cache page, and a PTB handler, the PTB handler to load entries into the PTB and to update the signature. Other embodiments are also described and claimed.
US09418006B2
An abstraction for storage class memory is provided that hides the details of the implementation of storage class memory from a program, and provides a standard channel programming interface for performing certain actions, such as controlling movement of data between main storage and storage class memory or managing storage class memory.
US09418001B2
A memory system and memory controller for interleaving volatile and non-volatile memory accesses are described. In the memory system, the memory controller is coupled to the volatile and non-volatile memories using a shared address bus. Activate latencies for the volatile and non-volatile memories are different, and registers are included on the memory controller for storing latency values. Additional registers on the memory controller store precharge latencies for the memories as well as page size for the non-volatile memory. A memory access sequencer on the memory controller asserts appropriate chip select signals to the memories to initiate operations therein.
US09417995B2
Embodiments of the present invention enable users to extract knowledge from testing scenarios performed during application development, and later employ that knowledge to interpret application usage scenarios to enhance serviceability of applications by expediting identification and solving of problems. In an exemplary embodiment, log data generated during simulation of test cases is analyzed to create one or more rules based on patterns in which one or more log entries appear in the log data. Later, log data may be analyzed to look for a pattern of log entries that matches a pattern-based rule, thereby facilitating faster identification and resolution of the problem.
US09417992B2
A system for generating application programming interface (“API”) test reports for a software application derives one or more Java APIs to be tested from the software application and derives Java Unit (“JUnit”) test methods used to test the Java APIs. The system then maps each Java API with a corresponding JUnit test method and generates one or more test reports.
US09417984B1
Techniques are provided for assisting programmers of electronics components and systems, as well as software components and systems, assess the effectiveness of their designs. Various embodiments provide improved processes for providing statistical feedback to programmers concerning performance features of a system or component they are designing. The techniques provide for faster generation and more effective communication of feedback to the programmer. Such techniques include automatically launching a process for generating such feedback either at periodic intervals or in response to a predefined event. Additionally, techniques are provided for providing the feedback to the programmer in a same working environment in which the programmer is editing the program file, and for displaying the feedback in a format that is more useful to the programmer.
US09417971B2
A method comprises creating a cascade of target storage volumes from a plurality of target storage volumes by inserting each most recent target storage volumes between a last added target storage volume and a source storage volume, the most recent target storage volumes each having a copy rate faster than the last added target storage volume, such that each added target storage volume has a faster copy rate than an immediately prior added target storage volume, and a most recent target storage volume added to the cascade of target storage volumes has a fastest copy rate; and receiving one or more instructions initiating a plurality of backup processes from the source storage volume to a plurality of target storage volumes.
US09417970B2
A method, system, and apparatus, including a program encoded on computer-readable medium, for detecting duplicate data files to be stored in a well job data archive includes identifying a well job data file for storage in a well job data archive and performing an initial duplicate check and a secondary duplicate check to determine if the well job data file is a duplicate of a data file stored in the well job data archive, as well as a quality assurance test of the file data. At least one of the well job data file or one or more of the data files stored in the well job data archive is identified as a duplicate data file based on the initial and secondary duplicate checks, and the well job data file is stored in the well job data archive in accordance with the initial and secondary duplicate checks and the identification of a duplicate data file.
US09417968B2
Systems and methods enable a virtual machine, including applications executing thereon, to quickly start executing and servicing users based on pre-staged data blocks supplied from a backup copy in secondary storage. Substantially concurrently with the ongoing execution of the virtual machine, a virtual-machine-file-relocation operation moves data blocks from backup to a primary storage destination that becomes the virtual machine's primary data store after relocation completes. An enhanced data agent, operating in conjunction with an enhanced media agent in a storage management system, coordinates restoring the virtual machine and launching the relocation operation. The enhanced media agent pre-stages certain backed up data blocks based on predictive analysis pertaining to the virtual machine's operational profile. The enhanced media agent also pre-stages backed up data blocks for the relocation operation, based on the operation's relocation scheme. The media agent tracks read requests and maintains the contents of an associated read cache.
US09417967B2
In a method for automatically recovering a basic input-output system (BIOS) of a computing device, the computing device includes a serial peripheral interface (SPI) ROM, a storage device, and a supper I/O (SIO) controller. The SPI ROM stores a first BIOS booting block and a main BIOS, and the SIO controller stores a second BIOS booting block. An integrity of the main BIOS stored in the SPI ROM is checked when the computing device is powered on. The first BIOS booting block boots the computing device when the main BIOS is partially damaged, and the second booting block powers on the computing device when the main BIOS is fully damaged. A backup BIOS is obtained from the storage device, and is written into the SPI ROM to update data of the main BIOS.
US09417961B2
In general, techniques are described for resource allocation and deallocation that facilitates power management. A device comprising one or more processors and a memory may be configured to perform the techniques. The processor may be configured to determine usage of a first non-zero subset of a plurality of resources, the plurality of resources allocated and released in accordance with a thermometer data structure. The processors may further be configured to compare the usage of the first non-zero subset of the plurality of resources to a threshold separating the first non-zero subset of the plurality of resources from a second non-zero subset of the plurality of resources, and power on the second non-zero subset of the plurality of resources based at least on the comparison. The memory may be configured to store the threshold.
US09417955B2
In a Distributed Virtual Array data storage system, data chunks making up data containers are stored in a key order in storage devices according to layouts specified in a layout data structure. When any of the storage devices becomes inaccessible, the storage devices iteratively return, in storage order, their stored chunks. Chunks belonging to the same container are identified and, if that container had a chunk in the inaccessible storage device, are used to reconstruct the inaccessible chunk. The chunks of the container are then stored according to an updated layout. The keys are independent of physical storage locations.
US09417946B2
Embodiments relate to systems and methods for error containment in a system comprising detecting an error by processing an input signal by multiple processing units, and delaying at least one output signal of a processing unit to enable, in case an error has been detected, modifying at least one output signal of the processing unit that would cause propagation of the error through the system.
US09417941B2
A processing device and a method of executing an instruction sequence are described. The processing device comprises a status register for providing a status word, wherein execution of an instruction by the processing device comprises updating the status word, wherein the instruction sequence comprises a subsequence of one or more selected instructions, and wherein execution of a selected instruction by the processing device further comprises a status check which comprises: providing a set of valid status words; verifying whether the updated status word is in the set of valid status words; and initiating an alert action if the updated status word is not in the set of valid status words.
US09417934B2
A system for managing operation of a “whiteboard” supported by one or more devices. A whiteboard may comprise a shared storage area allocated amongst the memories of one or more devices enabled for wireless communication. The whiteboard may be accessed by various programs, or “nodes,” resident on the devices. In at least one scenario, some nodes may provide information to a whiteboard section of one device for use by nodes that may exist on other devices. This information may be accessible via wireless communication The present invention may evaluate the requirements of the various active nodes in view of the status of the plurality of devices in order to both optimize whiteboard operation while conserving device resources.
US09417929B2
Methods, techniques, and systems for dynamically allocating graphics processing units among virtual machines are provided. Example embodiments provide a dynamic GPU allocation system (“DGAS”), which enables the efficient allocation of physical GPU resources to one or more virtual machines. In one embodiment, the DGAS determines runtime profiles of a plurality of virtual machines. The runtime profiles are determined by determining a runtime assessment of workload indicative of a potential benefit that the virtual machine can receive from using a GPU resource. The DGAS then causes the processing bandwidth of the physical GPU resources to be allocated to some of the plurality of virtual machines based upon the dynamically determined runtime assessments of workload.
US09417928B2
A technique for defragmenting jobs on processor-based computing resources including: (i) determining a first defragmentation condition, which first defragmentation condition will be determined to exist when it is favorable under a first energy consideration to defragment the allocation of jobs as among a set of processor-based computing resources of a supercomputer (for example, a compute-card-based supercomputer); and (ii) on condition that the first defragmentation condition exists, defragmenting the jobs on the set of processor-based computing resources.
US09417916B1
A multi-processor includes a pool of processors and a common packet buffer memory. Bytes of packet data of a packet are stored in the packet buffer memory. Each processor has an intelligent packet data register file. One processor is tasked with processing the packet, and its packet data register file caches a subset of the bytes. Some instructions when executed require that the packet data register file supply the execute stage of the processor with certain bytes of the packet data. The register file detects a packet data prefetch trigger condition, and in response determines if it does not store some of the bytes in a prefetch window. If it does not, then it retrieves those bytes from the packet buffer memory, so that it then has all the bytes in the prefetch window. In one example, a subsequently executed instruction uses the prefetched packet data.
US09417912B2
A virtual machine monitor and a scheduling method thereof is provided. The virtual machine monitor may operate at least two domains. The virtual machine monitor may include at least one run queue and a plurality of schedulers, at least two of the plurality of schedulers comprising different scheduling characteristics. The virtual machine monitor may insert a task received from the domain into the run queue and may select a scheduler for scheduling the task, which may be inserted into the run queue, from the schedulers, according to an event type.
US09417909B2
Efficient application checkpointing uses checkpointing characteristics of a job to determine how to schedule jobs for execution on a multi-node computer system. A checkpoint profile in the job description includes information on the expected frequency and duration of a check point cycle for the application. The checkpoint profile may be based on a user/administrator input as well as historical information. The job scheduler will attempt to group applications (jobs) that have the same checkpoint profile, on the same nodes or group of nodes. Additionally, the job scheduler may control when new jobs start based on when the next checkpoint cycle(s) are expected. The checkpoint monitor will monitor the checkpoint cycles, updating the checkpoint profiles of running jobs. The checkpoint monitor will also keep track of an overall system checkpoint profile to determine the available checkpointing capacity before scheduling jobs on the cluster.
US09417899B2
Memory page de-duplication in a computer system that includes a plurality of virtual machine partitions managed by a hypervisor, where each virtual machine is assigned a different dedicated memory partition, may include: identifying, by the hypervisor, a plurality of identical memory pages in memory of one or more dedicated memory partitions; assigning, by the hypervisor, one of the identical memory pages as a master page; mapping, for each virtual machine having an identical memory page, each of the identical memory pages to the master page; and directing, by the hypervisor, reads of the memory page to the master page.
US09417897B1
A resource provider is able to manage instance data associated with virtual compute instances running in the resource provider environment. For example, when provisioning a compute instance, the resource provider can obtain data associated with the compute instance and can store this data, for example, in a data store. The resource provider can act as a centralized repository of such data for some or all instances that are running in the resource provider environment. Entities (e.g., users or other compute instances running in the resource provider environment) can query the resource provider to perform various operations (e.g., read, modify, duplicate) on the data being managed by the resource provider for the various compute instances. Any changes to the data for a compute instance, for example, by a user, the compute instance, or a different compute instance, can be saved by the resource provider and propagated to the compute instance.
US09417892B2
In one embodiment, a computer program product for creating a configuration template for a set of devices includes a computer readable storage medium having computer readable program code embodied therewith, the computer readable program code including computer readable program code configured for determining command information for a plurality of devices, computer readable program code configured for identifying a command structure from the command information which is common to a set of devices from the plurality of devices, and computer readable program code configured for associating the set of devices to a common configuration template. In another embodiment, a method for creating a configuration template for a set of devices includes determining command information for a plurality of devices, identifying a command structure from the command information which is common to a set of devices from the plurality of devices, and associating the set of devices to a common configuration template.
US09417890B2
The compilation of a transformation chain of a recalculation user interface that displays an electronic canvas that contains one or more displayed result of a transformation chain. The transformation chain includes transforms between a respective data source and data sink. User editing of the recalculation user interface could cause one or more of the transforms to be re-executed, thereby causing recalculation. The compilation involves analyzing the transformation chain of the recalculation user interface for dependencies to create a dependency graph of dependencies between entities. For instance, some dependencies might be between entities so as to indicate that if one entity is evaluated, then the other should be also. The dependency graph is then used to create a lower level of execution steps. The dependency graph is further provided to a runtime for the program, so that the dependency graph may be available during operation of the recalculation user interface.
US09417871B2
A system includes at least one computing device. The computing device has one or more processors, a memory, and a storage storing computer executable code. The computer executable code, when executed at the processors, is configured to process a plurality of source modules to generate a plurality of binary modules corresponding to the source modules. Each source module has at least one source file and a control file including a certificate of origin (COO) of the source module, and each binary module generated from each source module has at least one corresponding binary file and a copy of the control file. Once the binary modules are generated, the computer executable code combines the binary files of each of the binary modules to generate an executable file, and generates a COO file for the executable file based on the control files from the source modules or the binary modules.
US09417870B2
For a software product delivered as a hosted service from a host, the host delivers, to a single user interface, a current version of the software product comprising one or more selectable functions of the current version of the software product, wherein the current version of the software product is one version of multiple separate versions of the software product. The host updates the single user interface to display at least one selectable previous version function from at least one previous version of the separate versions of the software product. In response to receiving a user selection within the single user interface to access a particular selectable previous version function, the host delivers the functionality of the particular selectable previous version function from a particular previous version of the software product within the single user interface for the current version of the software product.
US09417866B2
An Application (“App”) Checker identifies and isolates incompatible applications on a mobile device during a software platform update. After receiving a target platform version number from an Update Server, the App Checker generates a list of installed applications on the mobile device. Next, the App Checker sends a request to an App Store Server or Update Server for an application catalog of applications compatible with the target platform version. Upon receiving the application catalog indicating compatibility status of applications relative to the target platform version, the App Checker iteratively compares the installed application list with the application catalog to identify whether or not each installed application is compatible with the target platform. The App Checker then populates an application quarantine or removal database to identify each incompatible application to isolate incompatible applications, and quarantines or removes the incompatible applications. Finally, the mobile device is upgraded to the target platform version.
US09417860B2
A method for automatically provisioning a platform implementation package to a client device may include receiving from an application executing on the client device, a request for functionality. The request may be received via a client library distributed with the application, and may be for functionality provided by the platform implementation package. The platform implementation package may provide functionality that is not provided by the client library. It may be further automatically determined, by the client device, that the functionality requires an update to the platform implementation package. In response, a request for the update to the platform implementation package may be communicated to a computing system. The update to the platform implementation package may be received from the computing system and installed on the client device. The requested functionality may be provided to the application by the updated platform implementation package.
US09417856B2
A method for obtaining accurate call path information in a mixed-mode environment where interpreted methods and non-interpreted methods can call one another is disclosed. In one embodiment, such a method includes generating an event and recording it in a buffer when an interpreted method calls an interpreted method. The method also generates an event and records it in the buffer when an interpreted method calls a non-interpreted method. The method further generates an event and records it in the buffer when a non-interpreted method calls an interpreted method. The method refrains from generating an event when a non-interpreted method calls a non-interpreted method. A corresponding apparatus and computer program product are also disclosed.
US09417854B1
Functional use-case generation may include determining whether a requirements context is available. In response to a determination that the requirements context is available, the requirements context may be determined as a task context and as a rule context for a requirements sentence of a requirements document. The task context and the rule context may be used to select a functional model from a plurality of functional models. A functional use-case that includes an entity that is to perform a task based on a rule may be generated. Further, in response to a determination that the requirements context is not available, a functional model may be selected from the plurality of functional models based on process context, where the functional model includes a process related to the process context, and the functional model that includes the process related to the process context may be used to generate the functional use-case.
US09417853B1
A method for generating a code from a reference model for use in an electronic control unit for vehicles. An intermediate language model is created from which a code can be generated, which implements the behavior of the reference model. The intermediate language model comprises a first plurality of parameters and information and a second plurality of parameters and information. The intermediate language model is adaptable on the basis of the first plurality of parameters and information, so that a code adapted to a particular control unit can be generated.
US09417850B2
Implicit parameters and implicit arguments are useful in many programming paradigms including functional and logic programming. Implicit parameter declaration order is inferred from the subroutine parameter usage order in the subroutine body. It means that implicit parameters have limited possibilities to be declared in the same order as programmers want. The parameter ignorance operator # allows changing implicit parameter order, but usage of this operator leads to subroutine declaration syntax similar to the syntax of declaring subroutine parameters explicitly, partially losing syntax benefits gained of implicit parameters. In order to preserve all the benefits of implicit parameter usage and allow programmers to change implicit parameter declaration order and scope in concise way, the Grace˜ operator, which is presented in this document, was invented.
US09417845B2
Certain aspects of the present disclosure provide methods and apparatus for producing programmable probability distribution function of pseudo-random numbers that can be utilized for filtering (dropping and passing) neuron spikes. The present disclosure provides a simpler, smaller, and lower-power circuit than that typically used. It can be programmed to produce any of a variety of non-uniformly distributed sequences of numbers. These sequences can approximate true probabilistic distributions, but maintain sufficient pseudo-randomness to still be considered random in a probabilistic sense. This circuit can be an integral part of a filter block within an ASIC chip emulating an artificial nervous system.
US09417839B1
A floating point multiply and addition/subtraction implementation is provided. Two operands are received in a standard floating point format with a code selecting a mathematic operation from addition, subtraction, and multiplication. Result mantissas and exponents are calculated simultaneously for all operations. The implementation simplifies computation of a result mantissa by dropping the least significant bits of the operands before computing the result. Underflow and overflow errors are shown by two extra bits in the exponent portion of the result. The mantissa result and the exponent result are selected by providing the operation code to a mantissa multiplexer and an exponent multiplexer. The selected mantissa and exponent are combined as output.
US09417838B2
A system may include one or more data modules operable to receive, process, and transmit data associated with one or more audio and/or visual cues from surroundings of a user. The system may also include one or more cameras and one or more microphones communicatively coupled to the one or more data modules, where the one or more cameras and the one or more microphones are operable to: record, respectively, the one or more audio and/or visual cues; and transmit, respectively, the data associated with the one or more audio and/or visual cues to the one or more data modules. Also, the system may include one or more speakers driven by audio signals received from the one or more data modules.
US09417828B2
An image forming apparatus capable of scanning document includes a scanner to generate document image by scanning document, and a display to display an alarm screen to alert a size change of a recording medium to a user when print magnification ratio of document image is changed and then a print operation is instructed without changing a size of recording medium to be printed with document image.
US09417825B2
An image forming apparatus includes a printer, an interface through which print data includes at least one of a first setting to form a first image with a decolorable colorant and a second setting to form a second image with a non-decolorable colorant, and a controller that determines whether the print data includes a layout setting to form a plurality of images on a sheet. If the print data includes the layout setting and only one of the first and the second setting, the printer forms the images with a corresponding one of the decolorable colorant and the non-decolorable colorant on the sheet based on the layout setting. If the print data includes the layout setting, the first setting and the second setting, the printer forms each of the first image and the second image on different sheets.
US09417821B2
In accordance with embodiments disclosed herein, there are provided methods, systems, mechanisms, techniques, and apparatuses for presentation of direct accessed storage under a logical drive model; for implementing a distributed architecture for cooperative NVM Data protection; data mirroring for consistent SSD latency; for boosting a controller's performance and RAS with DIF support via concurrent RAID processing; for implementing arbitration and resource schemes of a doorbell mechanism, including doorbell arbitration for fairness and prevention of attack congestion; and for implementing multiple interrupt generation using a messaging unit and NTB in a controller through use of an interrupt coalescing scheme.
US09417816B2
A memory device receives a plurality of read commands and/or write commands in parallel. The memory device transmits data corresponding to respective read commands on respective portions of a data bus and receives data corresponding to respective write commands on respective portions of the data bus. The memory device includes I/O logic to receive the plurality of read commands in parallel, to transmit the data corresponding to the respective read commands on respective portions of the data bus, and to receive the data corresponding to the respective write commands on respective portions of the data bus.
US09417806B2
A file processing method and a storage device for storing a file in a redundant array of independent disks (RAID) are disclosed. In this method, the storage device divides received F files into multiple data blocks, and obtains a first matrix with T rows according to the multiple data blocks. Data blocks belonging to one file are located in one row of the first matrix. The storage device then writes a stripe, which consists of data blocks in each column in the first matrix and a check block that is obtained by computing according to the data blocks in the column, into the RAID. Using the file processing method, the storage device can write one file into one disk of the RAID while ensuring security of file storage, thereby achieving a better energy saving effect when the file is read.
US09417801B2
Technologies for virtual general purpose I/O (GPIO) include a computing device having a virtual GPIO controller driver, a virtual GPIO controller firmware interface, and a virtual GPIO controller. The driver receives a GPIO command from an operating system of the computing device. The GPIO command specifies an operation to be performed by a GPIO pin. The driver sends the GPIO command to the firmware interface. In response to the firmware interface receiving the command, the virtual GPIO controller emulates a virtual GPIO pin to implement the GPIO command. The firmware interface may trigger an interrupt that can be received by the operating system. The virtual GPIO controller may emulate the virtual GPIO pin using firmware-reserved backing memory, an embedded controller, or an interface to a peripheral device of the computing device. The firmware interface may be an ACPI control method. Other embodiments are described and claimed.
US09417791B2
An active feedback interface for a touch screen display that includes display of visual cues to indicate when and where the display was touched by a user. The visual cues may change over a period of time in accordance with a particular active or inactive area of the touch screen contacted by a user finger.
US09417787B2
Techniques and tools are described that relate to different aspects of a user interface in which visual distortion effects are presented to provide visual cues to a user to indicate a location in a movable data collection (e.g., a scrollable list, an email message, a content layer, etc.). For example, in response to a user gesture on a touchscreen, a user interface system presents a portion of a list or layer in a visually distorted state, such as a “squished,” squeezed or compressed state in which text, images or other content is shown to be smaller than normal in one or more dimensions, to indicate to a user that the end of a list has been reached.
US09417775B2
A method and device for executing an object on a display. The method of executing an object includes receiving a user input to an object displayed on a display; gradually enlarging and displaying the object; and executing the application corresponding to the object as the object is enlarged.
US09417771B2
An information processing apparatus comprises an operating module to which a touch operation performed with a pointing tool is entered; a calculating module that calculates a reference distance that is a distance between a reference point on an image display area of an operation display surface and a point on the image display area defined by a first operation performed on the operating module with a single piece of the pointing tool, calculates a control distance that is a distance between the reference point and a point on the image display area defined by a second operation performed on the operating module with a single piece of the pointing tool, and calculates a magnification ratio based on the reference distance and the control distance; and a magnification/reduction module that generates a scaled image by magnifying or reducing a display image displayed on the image display area by the magnification ratio.
US09417768B2
The present invention relates generally to three dimension modeled view of electronic documents. In particular, the present invention relates to a method of providing an user interface for simulating a forward and reverse page-turn of a 3-dimensional multiple-page electronic document. The present invention also relates to a method of providing an user interface for simulating a page-tear when deleting a page in an 3-dimensional multiple-page electronic document.
US09417762B2
A system and method for triggering movement of a user in a virtual immersive environment is disclosed. Embodiments provide evaluation criteria derived from a motion capture system to trigger movement of the user within a virtual world when the user moves, within an actual space of the environment, from a first location within a first zone to a second location within a second zone. The first zone and the second zone are concentric.
US09417761B2
An image processing apparatus writes a virtual space image obtained by imaging a virtual space in which objects are arranged from a virtual camera to an output area. When a pointer image representing a positional relationship between a referential position and an arrangement position of the object is depicted on the virtual space image stored in the output area, the pointer image to be depicted is changed in correspondence with conditions, such as the height of the virtual camera and the attribute of the object.
US09417755B2
A computer-storage media having computer executable instructions embodied thereon that, when executed on a computing device perform a method for providing an interactive electronic book, the method including providing a user interface for the interactive electronic book, the user interface including representations of pages to display on a display associated with the computing device, providing on one of the representations of the pages of the user interface a watermark icon of an interactive element to display on the display associated with the computing device, associating the watermark icon of interactive content with interactive content, the watermark icon being indicative of presence of the interactive content and a content type for the interactive content, and wherein the user interface further provides for accessing the interactive content by selecting the watermark icon of the interactive content and without navigating away from the pages on which the watermark icon is present.
US09417752B2
A pattern adjusting method of a touch panel and an electronic device are provided. The pattern adjusting method is used for determining a sensor pattern of a plurality of touch sensors on a touch panel and includes the following steps. Panel information of the touch panel is collected. An original layout result of the touch sensors is generated according to the panel information and a predefined sensor information, wherein the predefined sensor information includes an original sensor pattern. A non-covering area of the touch sensors on the touch panel is obtained by analyzing the original layout result. At least one extending area is generated by extending a covering area of the original sensor pattern to the non-covering area in order to obtain a final sensor pattern having at least one extending area.
US09417739B2
A touch-sensitive device includes a touch panel, a drive unit, a sense unit, and a measurement unit. A touch applied to a node of the panel changes a capacitive coupling between two electrodes (a drive electrode and a sense electrode) of the touch panel. The drive unit delivers a drive signal, which may comprise one or more drive pulses, to the drive electrode. The sense unit couples to the sense electrode, and generates a response signal that includes a differentiated representation of the drive signal. The amplitude of the response signal is responsive to the capacitive coupling between the electrodes, and is measured to provide an indication of a touch at the node.
US09417738B2
A method for communicating with a capacitive sensing device using an untethered active pen. The method includes capacitively receiving a capacitive sensing signal at a capacitive receiving unit of the untethered active pen. The capacitive sensing signal is output from the capacitive sensing device. In addition, the method includes determining a first frequency and a first phase associated with the capacitive sensing signal. Moreover, the method includes transmitting at a second frequency and a second phase an amplified active pen signal at the capacitive sensing device from the untethered active pen. The amplified active pen signal has a second frequency and a second phase that correspond to the first frequency and the first phase.
US09417734B2
A module operates in a proximity detection mode and a gesture detection mode. The module includes an illumination source, radiation sensors and a controller. When in proximity detection mode, the illumination source emits radiation, the radiation sensors measure the radiation level, and the controller adjusts the measured radiation level to substantially cancel the contribution attributable to ambient radiation to determine the presence of a proximate object by. When in the gesture recognition mode, the level of radiation incident on the sensors is individually sampled, and the controller determines object movement by comparing the changes in the measured radiation levels over a plurality of the samples. Ambient radiation contribution is not removed from the sampled radiation levels during the gesture recognition mode.
US09417726B2
A human interface sink device may be selectively enabled with at least one of an embedded keyboard, embedded mouse, touch-based keyboard, a touch-based mouse function in addition to a multi-touch function.
US09417725B1
A piezoelectric sensor that can perform position detection and load detection. The touch panel having press detection function can detect the pressing load inputted to the pressing surface. An upper electrode, an upper insert member, an intermediate electrode, a lower insert member, and a lower electrode are arranged away from the pressing surface in this order. Among the upper electrode, the intermediate electrode, and the lower electrode, capacitance detection electrodes Cx, Cy for detecting the pressing position, and detection electrodes S for measuring the electric charge according to the pressure when the operation is inputted to the touch panel 1 having press detection function are included. One of the upper insert member and the lower insert member is composed of an insulating body, and the other is composed of a piezoelectric body.
US09417723B2
A method and portable terminal for controlling an operation of a touch panel are provided. The portable terminal includes a memory for storing at least one program for supporting a user function operated based on a certain frequency upon activation of the user function, a touch panel, activated when the user function is supported, for supporting a touch function, and a controller for selecting frequency information that does not interfere with the certain frequency for operating the corresponding user function when the at least one user function is activated, and for setting the selected frequency information as a scanning frequency of the touch panel.
US09417718B2
The input apparatus with force feedback includes an operating unit that includes an operating surface, a detecting unit that detects an operation performed on the operating surface, a drive member that drives the operating unit, an elastic member that elastically supports the operating unit, and a base unit that holds the drive member. The drive member includes a solenoid that vertically drives an actuator connected to the operating unit and a casing member that holds the solenoid and the actuator. The actuator vertically penetrates through the casing member. The actuator includes a first damping member able to be brought into contact with a lower surface of the operating unit and a second damping member disposed between a lower surface of the casing member and part of the actuator. The second damping member is brought into contact with the actuator and the casing member as the actuator is driven.
US09417717B2
A system includes a stylus including a body having an elongated portion, a tapered portion coupled to the elongated portion, and a conductive layer disposed on the elongated portion, an electronic device, a touch controller and a processing unit. The electronic device comprises a touch sensor generating a sensing signal when the touch sensor senses the conductive layer. The touch controller is coupled to the touch sensor, receives the sensing signal and generates a first signal based on the received sensing signal. The processing unit is coupled to the touch controller, receives the first signal and triggers a function of the electronic device based on the first signal.
US09417716B2
The functionality of a conventional mouse is extended to provide an extended number of simultaneously adjustable user interface parameters employing one or more user-removable modules. In an embodiment, a user interface for controlling an external device, such as a computer, includes a first user interface sensor configured with a housing. This first sensor generates a first plurality of signals responsive to movement of the housing relative to two orthogonal axes. A compartment is configured with the housing and is sized to receive the user-removable module. This user-removable module contains a second user interface sensor, which generates a second plurality of signals responsive to user manipulation. Output is provided responsive to signals generated by the first and second user interface sensors. In another embodiment, the housing of an extended functionality mouse itself serves as a module removable from a compartment provided in another physical device.
US09417709B2
A system for implementing the sliding input of a text based upon an on-screen soft keyboard on an electronic equipment is provided. The system comprises a feature lexicon module, a feature lexicon establishment module, a user interface module, a sliding trajectory feature extraction module, a rough classifying and filtering module, a rough matching and filtering module and an accurate matching and sorting module. A method for implementing the sliding input using the system is also provided. The system and the method can input a word according to the preorder trajectory of the input portion, and cleverly use a forecasting-between-slidings input, decrease a sliding distance, effectively improve the input speed and accuracy of words, and simplify the operation for the users.
US09417708B2
A computer receives data from a keyboard having one or more keys which cause generation of keyboard data that quantitatively describe the relative force applied to those keys. The keyboard data are transmitted in an HID report containing identifiers for one or more keys that have been pressed and force data for each key. The force data may be a multi-bit value quantifying the key force, or a null indicator signaling that the key is not force-sensing. Keyboard data messages are then prepared which identify keys pressed, contain force data, and may indicate whether the force data updates previous force data. Force updates are only provided to application programs registering for key force data. In other aspects of the disclosed subject matter, key repeat messages are automatically generated for a key held pressed by a user. The key repeat messages are generated at a rate controlled by the amount of force applied to the key.
US09417700B2
In one embodiment of the invention, the a method includes the steps of receiving one or more raw frames from one or more cameras, each of the one or more raw frames representing a time sequence of images, determining one or more regions of the one or more received raw frames that comprise highly textured regions, segmenting the one or more determined highly textured regions in accordance textured features thereof to determine one or more segments thereof, determining one or more regions of the one or more received raw frames that comprise other than highly textured regions, and segmenting the one or more determined other than highly textured regions in accordance with color thereof to determine one or more segments thereof. One or more of the segments are then tracked through the one or more raw frames representing the time sequence of images.
US09417698B2
An input device includes: an operation portion allowing an input operation by an operating body contacting with or coming close to an upper surface thereof; an input detection portion detecting an input operation with respect to the operation portion; a driving member provided below the operation portion and driving the operation portion in an up-down direction; an elastic member provided below the operation portion; a case member holding the driving member; an interlocking member provided below the operation portion, connected to the operation portion, and driven with the operation portion; a restricting member provided between the operation portion and the interlocking member and restricting upward movement of the interlocking member; and an elastic first damper member provided below the interlocking member and contactable with the interlocking member. The elastic member elastically urges the interlocking member such that the interlocking member is brought into press contact with the first damper member.
US09417695B2
A method includes displaying on a display at least one selection option comprising a first selection option and detecting a touch or cursor on the display. Tactile feedback having a first characteristic is provided when the touch or cursor is at a first location associated with the first selection option. Tactile feedback having a second characteristic is provided when the touch or cursor is detected at a second location not associated with the first selection option.
US09417692B2
Techniques are provided for rendering, in a see-through, near-eye mixed reality display, a virtual object within a virtual hole, window or cutout. The virtual hole, window or cutout may appear to be within some real world physical object such as a book, table, etc. The virtual object may appear to be just below the surface of the physical object. In a sense, the virtual world could be considered to be a virtual container that provides developers with additional locations for presenting virtual objects. For example, rather than rendering a virtual object, such as a lamp, in a mixed reality display such that appears to sit on top of a real world desk, the virtual object is rendered such that it appears to be located below the surface of the desk.
US09417674B2
A power supply apparatus that wirelessly supplies power includes a detection unit configured to detect a power receiving apparatus, a receiving unit configured to receive, from the power receiving apparatus detected by the detection unit, identification information identifying the power receiving apparatus, a power-supply control unit configured to compare the identification information received by the receiving unit with identification information stored in a storage unit and identifying an allowed device for which power supply is allowed, thereby allowing power supply to the power receiving apparatus when both identification information match each other, and a power supply unit configured to perform the power supply to the power receiving apparatus for which the power supply is allowed by the power-supply control unit.
US09417666B2
A direction and distance of movement of a display device as well as of a user of the display device are determined. Based on these determined directions and distances of movement, compensation to apply to content displayed on the display device to compensate for movement of the user with respect to the device is determined and applied to the content. A portion of the display device at which the user is looking can also be detected. The compensation is applied to the content only if applying the compensation would not result in the portion being positioned beyond the display device. If applying the compensation would result in the portion being positioned beyond the display device then appropriate corrective action is taken, such as not applying the compensation to the content.
US09417665B2
Providing an alternative human interface for an electronic device when a current human interface is made ineffective by at least an environmental factor is described herein. By ineffective it is meant that the current human interface cannot maintain a minimum level of interactivity between a user and the electronic device in the current or anticipated environment. In addition to maintaining at least a threshold level of interactivity, the configuration of the alternative human interface can take into consideration other factors such as an expected operating state of the electronic device affected by the choice of alternative human interface.
US09417664B1
Aspects of the disclosure relate generally to relates server rack architecture for housing computing components on a plurality of shelves. More specifically, the shelves of a particular rack may each include a power and data bus (“PDB”) pre-configured to support a particular number of devices of the shelf. A PDB may also include a number of power and data connections for blind mating with the devices of the shelf. The PDB may include two blades which extend away from the PDB and blind mate with the main bus bar. Thus, each PDB may route both power and data signals between a main bus bar for the rack and each of the devices of the shelf. A shelf may be reconfigured for a different number of devices by changing the configuration of the PDB.
US09417663B2
An electronic device capable of maintaining a high level of operability and which prevents damage to the keyboard and other input systems when converted from a laptop PC to a tablet PC. The electronic device includes a main body part having a keyboard and a display part having a display. The main body part and the display part may rotate from a 0-degree position where the display and the keyboard face each other up to a 360-degree position where the back faces of the display and the keyboard face each other through a 180-degree position where the display and the keyboard are parallel with each other while facing the same direction. The electronic device includes an upper leg portion that can advance and retreat from an upper face of the main body part in response to rotational movement of the display part from the 180-degree position to the 360-degree position.
US09417661B2
A portable computing device is disclosed. The portable computing device can take many forms such as a laptop computer, a tablet computer, and so on. The portable computing device can include a single piece housing and a display module. The display module can include a protective top glass cover that is bonded to a plastic display frame and surrounded by a seal frame. The display module can also include a display panel and its associated circuitry suspended from the display frame below the protective glass cover. The display module is coupled to the single piece housing using mounting clips in a manner that allows the display module to move relative to the single piece housing during an impact event. The plastic display frame can include inserts that provide structural support near openings in the single piece housing.
US09417660B2
In one embodiment, collapsible head mounted computer (CHMC) transforms between a collapsed and headset form via joints embedded in the structure of the headset. Joints can be in the back or sides of the CHMC. The CHMC in the headset form is configured to be mounted on the user's head. The headset form presents the display in front of the user's eye, or in the peripheral vision of the user's eye. The CHMC in the collapsed form is designed to minimize empty space to fill a smaller volume. In this manner, the CHMC can be stored away easily. The CHMC may also include an electronics module enabling onboard processing or an onboard power source to operate electronics modules and a display without an outside electrical connection. The CMHC may also employ near field communication on circuit board near joints to allow for communication regardless of the form of the device.
US09417658B2
An all-in-one computer includes a shell, a stand, and a plate. The stand and the plate are engaged with the shell. The stand includes at least one first supporting pole and a second supporting pole. The second supporting pole is configured to move relative to the at least one first supporting pole. The plate defines a plurality of grooves. An extending direction of the plurality of grooves is substantially parallel to each other. An end of the second supporting pole can engage with one of the plurality of grooves to support the shell.
US09417645B2
Provided is a voltage regulator capable of controlling an output voltage to a predetermined voltage quickly after an overshoot occurs in the output voltage. The voltage regulator includes: an overshoot detection circuit configured to detect a voltage that is based on an output voltage of the voltage regulator, and output a current corresponding to an overshoot amount of the output voltage; and an I-V converter circuit configured to control a current flowing through an output transistor based on a current controlled by an output of an error amplifier and a current flowing from the overshoot detection circuit.
US09417639B2
A system for controlling voltage including a transformer having a terminal, a plurality of windings and a plurality of winding taps. A voltage monitor coupled to the terminal of the transformer and configured to generate voltage data representing a voltage appearing at the terminal of the transformer. A non-bridging tap changer controller coupled to the voltage monitor and configured to generate tap changer control data for changing a configuration of a tap changer in response to the voltage data. A tap changer motor coupled to the non-bridging tap changer controller and configured to move the tap changer in response to the tap changer control data.
US09417638B2
An intelligent thermostatic method for an air conditioner blowing cold and hot air has steps of calculating an estimated thermal load according to an indoor temperature, an outdoor temperature, a configured temperature, a sunlight intensity, and a cooling/heating capacity corresponding to the estimated thermal load; adjusting the air conditioner according to the estimated thermal load and providing an estimated cooling/heating capacity; and determining a difference value between an actual cooling/heating capacity and the estimated cooling/heating capacity and adjusting the air conditioner according to the difference value for thermostatic control. Accordingly, the air conditioner of the present invention has enhanced power utilization efficiency of the air conditioner without having to repeatedly turn on and off the electric compressor of the air conditioner.
US09417631B2
Disclosed herein are methods and systems for using prior maps for estimation of lane boundaries or other features within an environment. An example method may include receiving a location of a plurality of detected points on a roadway in an environment of an autonomous vehicle, determining, from a prior map of the roadway, a location of a plurality of reference points from a boundary marker on the roadway that correspond to the detected points on the roadway, determining distances between the detected points and the corresponding reference points based on the location of the detected points in the environment and the location of the reference points from the prior map of the roadway, determining a confidence buffer representing a threshold amount of variation associated with the prior map based at least in part on the distances between the detected points and the corresponding reference points, selecting one or more of the detected points such that the distance between a selected detected point and a corresponding reference point is less than the confidence buffer, and using the selected points to direct the autonomous vehicle along the roadway.
US09417624B2
A system and method of making a part, including capturing an actual tridimensional surface of each part to obtain a corresponding digitized actual surface, performing a tridimensional comparison between the digitized actual surface of each part and a nominal tridimensional surface, generating an actual location and orientation of an operation to be performed based on the tridimensional comparison, and performing the operation on the part based on the generated actual location and orientation of the element.
US09417622B2
A controller has a control unit generating a control signal to control a drive motor and a friction compensation unit adding a friction compensation signal to the control signal for compensating for a positioning error caused by friction in a guide unit. When reversing the direction of movement of the movable body, the friction compensation unit generates a friction compensation signal in accordance with a function f(α) representing a friction compensation value uf by a relationship with a variable α and asymptotically approaching the maximum value and the minimum value of the friction compensation value uf and having an inflection point therebetween, and adds the generated friction compensation signal to the control signal generated by the control unit during movement of the movable body a predetermined movement distance from before to after the reversing.
US09417617B2
A control apparatus controlling a motor for driving an object includes: switching devices in multiple phases, each of which allows and interrupts energization to a corresponding winding of the motor; a controller for the switching devices; a current detecting circuit for a current flowing through each winding and each switching device; a current limit circuit limiting the current to match to a current limiting value; a standard position learning device learning a standard position of the motor such that the current limit circuit limits the current, and the motor rotates until the object stops at a limit position of a movable range; a rotation angle change amount detecting device detecting a change amount of a rotation angle of the object; and an error determination device determining that the current detecting circuit malfunctions when the change amount is out of a predetermined range, and the object changes between first and second states.
US09417616B2
A network system is provided. The network includes: at least one component selected from an energy receiving unit receiving energy and an energy management unit managing the energy receiving unit. The energy receiving unit or the energy management unit receives energy rate related information; an energy usage amount or a usage rate of when the component is controlled on the basis of at least the energy rate related information is less than that of when the component is controlled without the basis of at least energy rate related information; and if the energy rate related information is high cost information, a function of one component constituting the energy receiving unit is limited and a function of another component constituting the energy receiving unit is performed.
US09417615B2
Demand response adaptor provided such that, depending on the device connected to the demand response adapter, the demand response control system can be provided with the second constraints corresponding to the device connected to the demand response adapter, wherein the demand response control system comprises software components for making the decision based on the first constraints, the second constraints and the third constraints, wherein the controller comprises software components for detecting the start of a program by analyzing the amount of electrical power used by the device in function of time detected by the sensor and wherein the controller of the adaptor comprises software components for switching the relay to the nonconductive state when the start of the program is detected until, based on the decision of the demand response control system, the controller switches the relay switch to the conductive state.
US09417611B2
A method for improving sound output level of a musical or striking timepiece including at least one vibration generator and vibrating at specific natural frequencies of the generator. The timepiece includes external parts which are modified by integration or addition of at least one acoustic radiator including at least one element vibrating-radiating at a natural frequency of the radiator tuned to at least one of the natural frequencies of the generator. The external parts include at least one acoustic radiator including at least one element vibrating at a natural frequency of the radiator tuned to at least one of the natural frequencies of the generator.
US09417605B2
A cartridge attachable to and detachable from a main body of an image forming apparatus includes a process unit configured to perform image formation, a frame configured to support the process unit, and a conductive member injection-molded integrally with the frame using a conductive resin, configured contact with a main body electrode portion provided in the main body of the image forming apparatus, and to be electrically connected with the process unit, and a contact surface of the conductive member configured to contact with the main body electrode portion, includes a plurality of protruded portions.
US09417603B2
A toner cartridge for an image forming device according to one example embodiment includes a housing having a reservoir for containing toner therein. The housing has an exit port on a front of the housing in fluid communication with the reservoir. A first leg and a second leg each project from a bottom of the housing and extend primarily along a front-to-rear dimension of the housing. A first alignment guide is positioned on a first side of the housing and a second alignment guide is positioned on a second side of the housing. Each alignment guide extends primarily along the front-to-rear dimension of the housing. The first alignment guide includes a pair of rounded contact points and the second alignment guide includes a rounded contact point. The rounded contact points of the first and second alignment control the vertical position of the toner cartridge in the image forming device.
US09417602B2
There is provided an image forming apparatus including a main body and a process cartridge including a photosensitive body cartridge and a developing cartridge. The photosensitive body cartridge includes a photosensitive body and a waste developing agent storage container. The developing cartridge includes a developing agent carrier. The photosensitive body cartridge is configured to receive the developing cartridge such that the developing cartridge is attached to and detached from the photosensitive body cartridge through a particular space defined in the main body. The process cartridge is configured to pivot, with respect to the main body, between a first position, in which the waste developing agent storage container is positioned outside the particular space entirely, and a second position, in which the waste developing agent storage container at least partially occupies the particular space.
US09417601B1
An image forming apparatus includes a structural member that is attached to and detached from an image forming apparatus body. The structural member includes a portion having a developer transport path for transporting developer to a developing device and a reinforcing member that reinforces the structural member. The reinforcing member has an opening that opens towards the developer transport path.
US09417599B2
An image forming apparatus including a body provided at one side thereof with an opening, a transfer device movably installed at the body so as to be detachable through the opening, and a locking lever rotatably installed at the transfer device, wherein the locking lever rotates between a first position at which one end of the locking lever protrudes from the transfer device and a second position at which the one end is accommodated within the transfer device, and the body includes a locking protrusion that is locked with other end of the locking lever in a state that the locking lever is at the first position, so that only in a state that a worker rotates the locking lever while gripping the transfer device, the transfer device is separated from the body, thereby separating the transfer device in a safe manner.
US09417581B2
An image forming apparatus includes a control device configured to control an image forming device to form a pattern image for positional deviation correction configured by a plurality of marks, obtain a deviation value of an image formation position on the basis of a detection result of the pattern image detected by a sensor, and in response to a difference between a first deviation value obtained from a first combination of combinations of the marks configuring the pattern image and a second deviation value obtained from a second combination of which a number of the marks being smaller than the first combination is smaller than a defined value, determine the number of marks of the pattern image to be formed next time or later to a number smaller than the number of the marks of the first combination.
US09417576B2
A fixing device for fixing a toner image on a recording material includes: a cylindrical film; a plate-like heater contacting an inner surface of the film; a roller for forming a nip in cooperation with the heater through the film; and a thermo-sensitive member for detecting the temperature of the heater to interrupt electric power supply to the heater when the temperature of the heater reaches an abnormal temperature. The heater has a heat generating pattern symmetric with respect to a center line thereof extending in a direction perpendicular to a recording material feeding direction. The thermo-sensitive member is provided in a side which is opposite from a surface of the heater contacting the inner surface of the film and which is downstream of the center line of the heater with respect to the recording material feeding direction.
US09417575B2
A pressure member includes a base, an elastic layer outside the base, and a surface layer on the elastic layer, the surface layer containing a fluorine-containing resin. The surface layer is fixed on the elastic layer in a state of being stretched in the longitudinal direction of the pressure member, the elastic layer has a porosity of 20% by volume or more and 60% by volume or less, and when the elastic modulus of the elastic layer in the thickness direction is defined as E (ND) and the elastic modulus of the elastic layer in the longitudinal direction of the pressure member is defined as E (MD), E (MD)/E (ND) is larger than 1.0.
US09417572B2
A heating element for the fuser for an electrophotographic imaging device. The heating element includes a panel of positive temperature coefficient material having electrodes coupled to opposed surfaces thereof. The positive temperature coefficient material serves to stabilize the temperature of the heating element so as to prevent damage due to overheating.
US09417563B2
Relationships of LB1>LR1 and LN1
US09417562B2
Provided is a recovery device including a recovery mechanism that recovers a liquid developer from a holding member which revolves while holding the liquid developer, the liquid developer being not delivered from the holding member to a delivery target member and remains on the holding member, a reception section that receives the liquid developer which the recovery mechanism recovers, an addition member that adds a diluent, which reduces a toner concentration of the liquid developer, to the liquid developer that the reception section receives, a porous section through which the liquid developer passes, and a transport member that moves to transport the liquid developer which the reception section receives to the porous section, and causes the liquid developer to pass through the porous section.
US09417552B2
A light-emitting element array module, image forming apparatus and method are provided. The light-emitting element array module includes a control driver configured to receive print data and operate according to the received print data, and light-emitting element array chips configured to receive a signal from the control driver and operate according to the received signal, wherein the control driver applies a start signal to a transfer element array by using a signal applied to a light-emitting element array of the light-emitting element array chips.
US09417545B2
A charge director material for charging a liquid toner, the charge director material comprising (a) nanoparticles of a simple salt and (b) a sulfosuccinate salt of the general formula MAn, wherein M is a metal, n is the valence of M, and A is an ion of the general formula (I) [R1—O—C(O)CH2CH(SO3−)C(O)—O—R2], (I) wherein each of R1 and R2 is an alkyl group; said charge director material being substantially free of acids of the general formula (I), wherein one or both of R1 and R2 is hydrogen, and if only one of them is hydrogen, the other is an alkyl group.
US09417542B2
A magnetic toner contains magnetic toner particles containing a binder resin, a release agent, and a magnetic body, and inorganic fine particles present on the surface of the magnetic toner particles, wherein a ratio of coverage of the magnetic toner particles' surface by the inorganic fine particles is in a prescribed range for the magnetic toner, the inorganic fine particles contain prescribed metal oxide fine particles, with at least 85 mass % of the metal oxide fine particles being silica fine particles, the coefficient of variation on the coverage ratio A is in a prescribed range, the binder resin contains a styrene resin, in a GPC measurement of a THF-soluble matter in the magnetic toner, a peak molecular weight (Mp) of a main peak is in a prescribed range, and a prescribed fatty acid ester compound is incorporated as a release agent.
US09417530B2
A method for developing a non chemically amplified resist employs a developing fluid having a carboxylic acid compound, which is a carboxylic acid ester having branched chain alkyl groups and a total carbon number of 8 or greater, as a main component. It is particularly preferable for the carboxylic acid compound to be at least one of isobutyl butyrate, butyl isobutyrate, isobutyl isobutyrate, isoamyl isobutyrate, and 2-methylbutyrate 2-methylbutyl. It is also preferable for the non chemically amplified resist to be a resist having a copolymer of an α-chloroacrylate ester compound and an α-methylstyrene compound as a main component.
US09417526B2
A photoresist composition includes an acid-labile polymer that is decomposable by reaction with an acid, a photoacid generator, an organic base having a pKa value of 9 or less and a solvent. Based on 100 parts by weight of the acid-labile polymer, the photoacid generator is about 1 to about 30 parts by weight, and the organic base is about 0.1 to about 5 parts by weight. The solvent is about 50 to about 90 wt % based on the total weight of the composition.
US09417520B2
A method of patterning a block copolymer layer, the method including: providing a substrate including a topographic pattern on a surface of the substrate, wherein the topographic pattern includes a trench and a mesa; forming, on the surface of the substrate, an underlayer including a polymer, wherein the polymer includes a repeating unit derived from a substituted or unsubstituted aromatic vinyl monomer and has an anchoring group; heat-treating the underlayer to anchor the underlayer to the surface of the substrate via the anchoring group; irradiating the heat-treated underlayer with light to form a crosslinked polymer with a crosslink between carbon atoms of main chains of the polymer; forming a block copolymer layer on the underlayer including the crosslinked polymer; and heat-treating the block copolymer layer to form a self-assembled structure of the block copolymer directed by the topographic pattern.
US09417515B2
An extreme ultraviolet mirror or blank production system includes: a first deposition system for depositing a planarization layer over a semiconductor substrate; a second deposition system for depositing an ultra-smooth layer over the planarization layer, the ultra-smooth layer having reorganized molecules; and a third deposition system for depositing a multi-layer stack over the ultra-smooth layer. The extreme ultraviolet blank includes: a substrate; a planarization layer over the substrate; an ultra-smooth layer over the planarization layer, the ultra-smooth layer having reorganized molecules; a multi-layer stack; and capping layers over the multi-layer stack. An extreme ultraviolet lithography system includes: an extreme ultraviolet light source; a mirror for directing light from the extreme ultraviolet light source; a reticle stage for placing an extreme ultraviolet mask blank with a planarization layer and an ultra-smooth layer over the planarization layer; and a wafer stage for placing a wafer.
US09417497B1
The present invention provides a TFT array substrate structure, which includes first and second gates (11, 13), a semiconductor layer (20), first and second sources (31, 33), and first and second drains (42, 44). The first gate (11) and the first drain (42) are arranged to overlap in space so as to form a first overlapping zone (D). The second gate (13) and the second drain (44) are arranged to overlap in space so as to form a second overlapping zone (E). The first gate (11) has a first edge (113) corresponding to the first overlapping zone (D). The second gate (13) has a second edge (133) corresponding to the second overlapping zone (E). The first edge (113) and the first drain (42) intersect in space in an inclined manner. The second edge (133) and the second drain (44) intersect in space in an inclined manner. When the first and second drains (42, 44) are moved relative to the first and second gates (11, 13), areas of the first overlapping zone (D) and the second overlapping zone (E) undergo identical change.
US09417495B2
A LCD panel is proposed, which meets analog display mode and memory display mode. The LCD panel includes a capacitive element, first to third switch elements, and a circuit. The first switch element turns ON during a first operation for writing pixel potential from signal line to the capacitive element, and turns OFF during a second operation. The second and third switch elements turn OFF during the first operation. The second switch element turns ON during a readout period in the second operation, to read out the pixel potential from the capacitive element. The third switch element turns ON during a write period in the second operation, to rewrite the pixel potential into the capacitive element. The circuit restores a logic level of the pixel potential read out from the capacitive element, and rewrites inversion of the restored logic level to the capacitive element.
US09417494B2
A display module including a backlight to more effectively dissipate heat generated at light emitting diodes (LEDs) and heat dissipation units to effectively dissipate heat generated at driver chips and prevent movement of the driver chips by attaching porous fillers to the heat dissipation units, and a display apparatus having the same are provided. The display module includes a display panel, a backlight disposed on a rear side of the display panel and including a plurality of printed circuit boards, a bottom chassis adapted to accommodate the backlight unit and provided with a plurality of seating grooves, a driving printed circuit board, a plurality of flexible printed circuit films which electrically connect the display panel and the driving printed circuit board, at least one heat dissipater disposed on an opposite surface of a corresponding one of the flexible printed circuit and provided with a porous filler.
US09417489B2
Embodiments of the present invention disclose a liquid crystal display device, comprising: a first substrate, including a base substrate, and gate lines and data lines, formed on the base substrate and crossing each other to define a plurality of pixel structures; a second substrate, cell-assembled with the first substrate to form a liquid crystal cell; and a liquid crystal layer, filled between the first substrate and the second substrate, wherein each of the plurality of pixel structures comprises: the base substrate; a common electrode, formed on the base substrate; a first insulating layer, formed on the common electrode; a plurality of strip-shaped pixel electrodes, formed on the first insulating layer, wherein the plurality of strip-shaped pixel electrodes include a plurality of positive electrodes and negative electrodes which are disposed alternately.
US09417468B2
Provided are a transmission type high-absorption optical modulator and a method of manufacturing the transmission type high-absorption optical modulator. The optical modulator includes: a substrate; a lower distributed Bragg reflector (DBR) layer on the substrate; a lower clad layer on the lower DBR layer; an active layer that is formed on the lower clad layer and includes a quantum well layer and a quantum barrier layer; an upper clad layer on the active layer; an upper DBR layer on the upper clad layer; and a doping layer that supplies carriers to the quantum well layer. In the optical modulator, the doping layer may be included in the quantum barrier layer or in at least one of the upper and lower clad layers.
US09417465B2
Nanophononic metamaterials and methods for reducing thermal conductivity in at least partially crystalline base material are provided, such as for thermoelectric energy conversion. In one implementation, a method for reducing thermal conductivity through an at least partially crystalline base material is provided. In another implementation, a nanophononic metamaterial structure is provided. The nanophononic metamaterial structure in this implementation includes: an at least partially crystalline base material configured to allow a plurality of phonons to move to provide thermal conduction through the base material; and at least one nanoscale locally resonant oscillator coupled to the at least partially crystalline base material. The at least one nanoscale locally resonant oscillator is configured to generate at least one vibration mode to interact with the plurality of phonons moving within the base material and slowing group velocities of at least a portion of the interacting phonons and reduce thermal conductivity through the base material.
US09417463B2
Contact lenses incorporate power profiles that minimize visual acuity variation for progressing myopes based upon minimization of the variation of neural sharpness image quality over a specific time period. The contact lens includes a center and at least one peripheral zone surrounding the center and having a different dioptric power than at the center. The lens has power profile selected from the group consisting of a power profile with spherical aberration, a multifocal power profile, a freeform power profile, and a segmented freeform power profile. The power profile is based on an initial paraxial power of a myopia progressor and a defined myopia progression rate over a specific time period, resulting in controlled change of the neural sharpness, thereby minimizing changes in changes in visual acuity at a beginning of the time period and at an end of the time period.
US09417457B2
A method of optimising at least one measure that is a quadratic function of a wavefunction, such as the spot size of a laser, the method comprising: superimposing a plurality of wavefunctions; determining a relationship between the superimposed wavefunctions and the quadratic measure, and using the determined relationship to identify the superimposed wavefunctions that provide a desired or optimised quadratic measure.
US09417455B2
According to one embodiment, an image display device includes a liquid crystal optical device and an image displayer. The liquid crystal optical device includes a plurality of first electrodes, a plurality of second electrodes, a liquid crystal layer provided between the first and second electrodes, and a first driver. The first driver forms a refractive index distribution in the liquid crystal layer. The image displayer includes a plurality of subpixels. Each of subpixels has a first length along a third direction and a second length along a fourth direction. A distance along the third direction between most proximal electrodes of the first electrodes is shorter than a distance along the fourth direction between most proximal electrodes of the second electrodes.
US09417451B2
A head-up display apparatus projects a display image onto a projection surface of a windshield so that a viewer views a virtual image of the display image from an eye box. A screen used in the apparatus is constructed of a plurality of micromirrors. Each micromirror has a convex surface portion being curved to magnify a laser beam toward the eye box. A scanned surface of the screen is provided by an array of the convex surface portions. In a cross section intersecting the scanned surface, adjacent convex surface portions have different curved shapes. Thus, brightness unevenness of the display image caused by interference of laser beams can be reduced while maintaining a simple structure of the screen such as a microlens array.
US09417448B2
When a signal indicating that an event involving a need to guide a sight line from an HUD display area to a second display area occurs, a first guide light is displayed, and then a second guide light is displayed.
US09417439B2
A zoom lens consists of a positive first lens group fixed during zooming, a negative second lens group moved during zooming, a positive third lens group moved during zooming to correct an image plane variation due to the zooming, and a positive fourth lens group fixed during zooming and includes a stop on the most object side. The second lens group includes two or more positive lenses and one or more negative lenses. The zoom lens satisfies predetermined conditional expressions with respect to the second lens group.
US09417436B2
An optical system includes, in order from object side: a positive first lens unit; and a positive second lens unit moving during focusing. The second lens unit includes, in order from object side, a front unit, an aperture stop, and a positive rear unit. The first unit includes a negative lens that has a convex surface facing object side and is arranged closest to object side, and three or more positive lenses on image side of the negative lens. A distance, on optical axis, from a lens surface on object side of a second positive lens counted from image side of the three or more positive lenses to a lens surface closest to image side of the first unit, and a distance, on optical axis, between a lens surface closest to object side and that closest to image side of the first unit are each appropriately set.
US09417432B2
An imaging lens includes, in order from an object side, a first positive lens having a convex object-side surface, a second negative lens having a concave image-side surface, a third positive double-sided aspheric lens, a fourth positive lens having a convex image-side surface, and a fifth negative double-sided aspheric lens having a concave image-side surface, wherein the fifth lens image-side surface has pole-change points off an optical axis; and conditional expressions below are satisfied: 0.80
US09417429B2
An image pick-up apparatus includes an imaging optical system including a plurality of lenses and a diaphragm arranged between the lenses, the imaging optical system forming an image on an image surface; and an image sensor that detects the image formed on the image surface. The imaging optical system includes a front lens group on an object side with respect to the diaphragm, and a rear lens group on the image surface side with respect to the diaphragm. A lens surface having the highest power in the front lens group and a lens surface having the highest power in the rear lens group are concentric surfaces. The front lens group includes a plano-concave lens whose light-exiting-side surface has a concave surface and whose light-incident-side surface has power φr that satisfies the following expression: - 0.05 ≤ ϕ r ϕ o ≤ 0.05 where φo is the power of the entire imaging optical system.
US09417425B2
A micro-electromechanical system (MEMS) carrier formed by a typical surface micro-machining and bulk micro-machining process on a silicon substrate, having a frame, a movable carrier element, a conductive coil, two return springs and a pair of permanent magnets. The movable carrier element is formed within the frame and movable along a path, the conductive coil is formed on or embedded in the movable carrier element. The two return springs are formed between the movable carrier element and the frame thereby connecting the movable carrier element to the frame and providing a return force to the carrier element, and the pair of permanent magnets are formed a magnetic field for co-acting with the conductive coil for generating an electromagnetic Lorentz force to drive the movable carrier element to move against the return force of the two return springs.
US09417408B2
An interposer for optically coupling an optical device (OD) to a fiber, the OD mounted on a substrate, the interposer comprising: (a) a lens component comprising at least one lens for optically coupling with the OD the lens having a first optical axis, a first surface for mating with the substrate, and a second surface for mating with a third surface of a fiber component; (b) the fiber component comprising the third surface and a cavity for receiving at least one fiber and holding the fiber along a second optical axis, the first and second optical axes being perpendicular; and (c) wherein at least one of the lens component or the fiber component comprises a reflective surface for optically coupling the lens to a point along the second optical axis and adjacent the cavity.
US09417407B2
A fiber optic connector includes a housing and a locking member. The housing has a longitudinal passage extending between a first opening at a first end of the housing and a second opening at a second end of the housing, the housing sized to fit within a fiber optic receptacle. The locking member is a separate part from the housing and is sized to fit within a retaining notch in the fiber optic receptacle. The locking member, when secured to the housing and located in the retaining notch, interfaces with the retaining notch to prevent separation of the housing from the receptacle.
US09417406B2
Cable assemblies, optical connector assemblies, and optical connector subassemblies employing a translating element and a unitary alignment pin are disclosed. In one embodiment, an optical connector assembly includes a connector housing defining a connector enclosure and a connector housing opening, a unitary alignment pin including a first pin portion and a second pin portion, and a translating element including a first bore, a second bore, and an optical interface. The unitary alignment pin is secured within the connector enclosure. The first pin portion is disposed within the first bore and the second pin portion is disposed within the second bore such that the translating element translates along the first pin portion and the second pin portion within the connector enclosure.
US09417405B2
There is provided an electronic device including a vibration portion which generates vibration, an optical connector to which an optical cable is connected, and a substrate on which the vibration portion and the optical connector are mounted.
US09417404B1
Waveguide connectors and methods of forming the same include heating a polymer waveguide having one or more waveguide cores and alignment features to a first temperature. A ferrule having alignment features is heated to the first temperature, the ferrule having a different coefficient of thermal expansion from the polymer waveguide. The alignment features of the polymer waveguide align with the alignment features of the ferrule when the polymer waveguide and the ferrule are heated to the first temperature. The polymer waveguide is positioned on the ferrule without a waveguide backfilm. The alignment features of the polymer waveguide are bonded to the corresponding alignment features of the ferrule.
US09417395B2
An optical path system includes a first rectangular block that further includes multiple first fiber optic guides, arranged in a first configuration, into which are placed multiple first optical fibers, one fiber in each guide. The optical path system further includes a second rectangular block comprising multiple second fiber optic guides, arranged in a second configuration, into which are placed multiple second optical fibers, one fiber in each guide, wherein a first face of the second rectangular block abuts a first face of the first rectangular block and wherein the first block is movable relative to the second block. The optical path system also includes micro-position adjusting mechanisms configured to move the first block relative to the second block to align the multiple first optical fibers with the multiple second optical fibers.
US09417389B2
A method and system for coupling optical signals into silicon optoelectronic chips are disclosed and may include coupling one or more optical signals into a back surface of a silicon photonic chip through a light path in a region where silicon is removed from said silicon photonic chip, wherein photonic devices may be integrated in layers on a front surface of the silicon photonic chip. Optical couplers, such as grating couplers, may receive the optical signals in the front surface. The optical signals may be coupled into the back surface of the chips via optical fibers and/or optical source assemblies. The region where silicon may be removed from said silicon photonic chip may comprise silicon dioxide. The chip may be bonded to a second chip. Optical signals may be reflected back to the optical couplers via metal reflectors, which may be integrated in dielectric layers on the chips.
US09417386B2
The present invention relates to a plasmonic optical waveguide using plasmonic coupling between a nano-aperture and a nano-particle. The plasmonic optical waveguide includes the nano-aperture formed with an opening of a nano-scale through which light enters; and a single metal nano-particle arranged at the focal point of the nano-aperture to generate plasmon coupling in association with the light output from the nano-aperture. The plasmonic optical waveguide has an effect of forming a small and strong high-intensity high-density light spot of a sub-wavelength size, in which an amplification rate is increased at the output surface of the nano-particle more than a few hundred times compared with the incident light, since the light is transmitted by plasmon coupling generated between the nano-aperture and the nano-particle.
US09417382B2
The present invention generally relates to the field of fiber optics, and more specifically to optical fibers, methods of manufacturing optical fibers, and methods of classifying optical fibers. In an embodiment, the present invention is a multimode optical fiber which comprises a core and clad material system where the refractive indices of the core and cladding are selected to minimize chromatic dispersion in the 850 nm wavelength window and the refractive index profile is optimized for minimum modal-chromatic dispersion in channels utilizing VCSEL transceivers. Multimode optical fibers according to this embodiment may have increased channel bandwidth.
US09417377B2
A display device in a display panel; a backlight unit configured to provide light to the display panel, the display pan& being arranged at a side of a first surface of the backlight unit; and a first light adjustment unit configured to be arranged at a side of a second surface of the backlight unit opposite to the first surface of the backlight unit, the first light adjustment unit including a plurality of reflection portions, reflection portions of the plurality of reflection portions being rotatable so as to be switchable between a light transmission mode and a light reflection mode.
US09417375B2
An apparatus of light source for display for display according to an exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure may include a light source module configured to generate and emit a light, a light transmission member configured to decrease a luminous flux per unit area and emit the light, by receiving the light from the light source module, a first wavelength conversion part arranged on a light path from the light source module to an emitting surface of the light transmission member to convert a portion of the received light to a light of a predetermined wavelength and emit the light, and a second wavelength conversion part discretely arranged from the first wavelength conversion part on the light path to convert a portion of the received light to a light of a wavelength different from the wavelength of the first wavelength conversion part and emit the light.
US09417367B2
The present invention relates to a pressure sensitive adhesive film for an orientating treatment of a photo-orientable layer, a laminated film, a method for preparing an optical filter or a stereoscopic image display device. In the present invention, the pressure sensitive adhesive film for an orientating treatment in a photo-orientable layer which can minimize the generation of the un-orientated regions, and can form the orientated pattern having high degrees of accuracy, and the preparation method for an optical filter using the pressure sensitive adhesive film are provided. Further, the present invention can provide the optical filter and the stereoscopic image display device having excellent performance.
US09417360B2
Disclosed is a stretched optical compensation film which is a phase difference film containing a cellulose-based resin and having excellent optical properties. The stretched optical compensation film of the present invention contains 0.5 to 30 parts by mass of a β-diketone compound represented by Formula (I) with respect to 100 parts by mass of the cellulose-based resin. Positions R1 and R2 each independently represent an alkyl group having 1 to 20 carbon atoms which is optionally substituted, an arylalkyl group having 7 to 20 carbon atoms which is optionally substituted or an aryl group having 6 to 20 carbon atoms which is optionally substituted. Position R3 represents a hydrogen atom or an alkyl group having 1 to 10 carbon atoms.
US09417358B2
Disclosed in the invention is a multi-information coupling prediction method of coal and gas outburst danger, which is achieved by establishing a multi-index coupling prediction model to detect indexes including original gas pressure of a coal layer, the original rock stress, the critical burst gas pressure of a coal sample, the mechanical performance of coal body, the exploit influence, the drilling cutting gas desorption index, the drilling cutting quantity index and the like, therefore to coupling predict the coal and gas outburst danger. By the multi-information coupling prediction method, the information of the coal and gas outburst danger can be fully complemented; the gas and crustal stress outburst danger prediction is carried out; the defects of insufficient complementation information of a single-index and inaccurate prediction are overcome; and the accuracy of the coal and gas outburst danger prediction is improved.
US09417353B2
Remote processing of well tool sensor data and correction of sensor data on data acquisition systems
For some embodiments, a software application for correcting sensor data in a remote database (114, 118) according to magnetic correction parameters obtained from a geophysical survey service, the sensor data obtained from directional instruments on a well tool (107, 108, 110). The remote database resides in a field computer (112) at a well site, and a copy of the remote database may also reside in a real time operations computer system. For some embodiments, the sensor data for particular depths and measurement times are stored as rows in a table (FIG. 3). The correction software may write new rows in the remote database with the corrected sensor data, or may write new rows in a second database for storing corrected sensor data (FIG. 1).
US09417352B2
Systems and methods for the estimating a plurality of anisotropic elastic constants (Cij) using borehole dispersions and refracted compressional headwave velocity at a single logging depth in a vertical, deviated, or horizontal wellbore in a transversely-isotropic with a vertical axis of symmetry (“TIV”) formation. The estimated elastic constants can then be used to calculate near-wellbore stress distributions in the wellbore, which aids in an optimal completion design, such as for shale-gas production in the presence of shale heterogeneity.
US09417350B2
Method for building a subsalt velocity model. In one implementation, the method may include determining a velocity of a sedimentary area surrounding a salt body, determining an initial velocity of a subsalt sedimentary area disposed below the salt body by interpolating the velocity of the surrounding sedimentary area with one or more boundaries defining the salt body, and updating the initial velocity of the subsalt sedimentary area.
US09417344B1
Wirebond protection is provided for imaging tiles in which the imaging sensor and PCB are mounted side-by-side on a tile carrier for use in X or Gamma Ray indirect imaging detectors without use of a “glob top” encapsulant. A glass cap comprising a bead of adhesive material and a lid is formed to provide an enclosed open-air cavity around the wire bonds. As such, any expansion of the bead material does not produce mechanical stress on the wire bonds.
US09417339B2
A counting digital X-ray detector for taking X-ray images of an object penetrated by X-ray radiation may include at least one detector module having an X-ray converter for converting X-ray radiation into an electrical signal and a matrix having a large number of counting pixel elements, wherein each counting pixel element has a signal input, a conversion device for converting the electrical signal into a count signal and a first digital storage unit for storing the count signal, wherein exactly one second digital storage unit is allocated to each first storage unit, and this is designed to form a copy of the first storage unit at the moment of transfer by way of a transfer process, and wherein the X-ray detector is designed in such a way that the transfer process can be carried out simultaneously for the large number of pixel elements.
US09417338B2
A radiation image pickup apparatus includes an image pickup panel in which a plurality of image pickup substrates including photoelectric-conversion elements is fixed onto a base, a scintillator portion including a scintillator layer of alkali halide-based columnar crystal and overlaid on the image pickup panel, and a moisture-proof layer provided between the base and the scintillator layer, at least between the plurality of image pickup substrates. The water vapor permeability of the moisture-proof layer is 10 g/m2/day or less.
US09417337B2
A combined device for reading out and erasing imaging plates comprises an eraser disposed down-stream of a readout unit at a short distance thereof, said eraser being separated from the readout unit by a light barrier.
US09417334B2
Preprocessing is conducted on a unipolar pulse output from a photomultiplier tube, to thereby generate a bipolar signal (bipolar pulse). In the bipolar signal, the falling waveform portion (back slope) of the initial peak waveform is steep, and also cuts across the baseline, whereby it is possible to accurately identify the falling point as the zero crossing point. The accuracy of identification of the pulse width “t” can be improved thereby. In addition to the pulse width, further reference may be made to the crest value of the unipolar pulse, the crest value of the bipolar signal, and the like, when determining line type.
US09417319B2
The invention is directed to a method and an arrangement for detecting a traffic violation in a traffic light zone through rear end measurement by a FMCW radar device. For this purpose, a vehicle driving through a radar beam of a FMCW radar device, whose first outer edge beam horizontally forms an obtuse angle with the roadway edge, is measured at its front end, flank and rear end. The vehicle length is determined from the obtained measurement signals and added to the specific radial distance of the vehicle, which is determined close to a stop line through the vehicle rear, and a prediction is made based on the vehicle speed about the vehicle front driving over the stop line.
US09417310B2
A system for tracking objects using an intelligent Video processing system in the context of airport surface monitoring. The system addresses airport surface monitoring operational issues such as all weather conditions, high robustness, and low false report rate. The output can be used to complement existing airport surface monitoring systems. By combining the use of multi-sensors and an adverse weather optimized system, the system is capable of producing an improved stream of information for the target object over traditional computer vision based airport surface monitoring systems.
US09417309B1
An apparatus for calibrating a three-dimensional thermography fault isolation tool, includes: a substrate having two or more pins; a first semiconductor die coupled to the substrate; a first heat generating test component at the first semiconductor die; and a second heat generating test component, wherein the first heat generating test component and the second heat generating test component are located at different respective heights; wherein the first heat generating test component is configured to produce a first temperature change in response to a voltage applied by the three-dimensional thermography fault isolation tool to the two or more pins; and wherein the second heat generating test component is configured to produce a second temperature change in response to the voltage or another voltage applied by the three-dimensional thermography fault isolation tool.
US09417304B2
In the acquisition of MR data with diffusion information nuclear spins in a volume segment are excited with radiation of a diffusion coding module and a subsequent diffusion decoding module, and at least one RF pulse is radiated after the excitation, and the MR data are read out. At least one of a time period that defines a time interval between a point in time at which the spin echo condition is satisfied, and the echo time, a first time interval that defines a minimum time interval between the end of the diffusion coding module and the start of the diffusion decoding module, and a second time interval that defines a minimum time interval between the end of the excitation module, and the start of the diffusion coding module, and a third time interval that defines a minimum time interval between the end of the diffusion coding module and the start of the readout of the MR data, is set.
US09417303B2
A method for digital amplitude control and digital phase control of a high-frequency signal is provided. A digital command signal specifies in complex form, including a real subcomponent and an imaginary subcomponent, an amplitude and a phase of the high-frequency signal that is to be controlled. A digital activation signal is output to a high-frequency unit for the purpose of generating the high-frequency signal. A digital signal deviation value is received in complex form including a real subcomponent and an imaginary subcomponent. The signal deviation value expresses a deviation of the high-frequency signal from the command signal with respect to the amplitude and the phase. The digital activation signal is determined from the command signal while taking into consideration the signal deviation value. The determination of the real subcomponent and the imaginary subcomponent takes place separately in each case.
US09417300B2
The invention relates to direct digital receiver for an RF coil (11, 12, 13, 200), in particular of a magnetic resonance imaging system (1), for providing a digital sample output signal at a digital operating frequency in a time base of a system clock (222), the receiver comprising: —an analogue-to-digital converter (214) for converting an analogue signal received from the RF coil (11, 12, 13, 200) to a digital sample input signal, the analogue-to-digital converter (214) being driven by a local clock, a local clock oscillator (400) adapted for providing the local clock in a local clock time base to the analogue-to-digital converter (214), the local clock time base being independent of the system clock time base, a phase detector (402) adapted for determining a phase difference (512) between the system clock (222) and the local clock, a resampling unit (224) adapted for resampling the digital sample input signal to the digital sample output signal using said phase difference (512).
US09417296B2
For each of electric current path units each including series-connected resistor elements, one end is electrically connected with power supply terminal Vcc, the other end is electrically connected with ground terminal GND, and connection portion between the resistor elements is electrically connected with output terminals Vo1-Vo4. Resistor element constituting each of the electric current path units is a magnetoresistance effect element formed of magnetoresistance effect film, the power supply terminal and ground terminal are each shared among all the electric current path units. All the electric current path units are formed to contact one surface of insulating film; and with use of conductive film disposed to contact the other surface of the insulating film, power supply connection wiring for sharing the power supply terminal and ground connection wiring for sharing the ground terminal are formed.
US09417292B1
A thermomagnetic sensor includes a thermomagnetic probe that includes a ferromagnetic material having a temperature-dependent magnetic permeability characterized by a maximum magnetic permeability value at a temperature below a Curie temperature of the ferromagnetic material. The thermomagnetic sensor further includes an alternating magnetic field source to produce an alternating magnetic field in a vicinity of the thermomagnetic probe to facilitate a measurement of the temperature-dependent magnetic permeability as function of temperature remotely using a thermomagnetic effect. A predetermined relationship between the temperature-dependent magnetic permeability and temperature in a range between the maximum magnetic permeability value and the Curie temperature provides a measurement of a temperature local to the thermomagnetic probe. A battery-temperature measurement system includes the thermomagnetic probe in a battery, a magnetic field coil to apply the alternating magnetic field, and a magnetic permeability measurement apparatus to measure the temperature-dependent magnetic permeability.
US09417289B2
The invention belongs to the technical field of battery management, and in particular relates to a method and apparatus for collecting voltage differential parameters of individual battery cells in a battery pack. In the invention, a reference voltage is provided, the reference voltage is compared with an actual voltage of each individual battery cell at a same moment to obtain a relative voltage difference value between the actual voltage of each individual battery cell and the common reference voltage at the current moment; and an actual voltage difference value between the actual voltage of each individual battery cell and an actual average voltage value of the actual voltages of all individual battery cells is determined according to the relative voltage difference value, and each actual voltage difference value is used for representing the voltage differential parameter of the individual battery cell relative to a battery system.
US09417275B2
A cable measuring device for measuring a cable of a predetermined LAN cable category wherein the cable has at least one twisted conductive pair and jacket covering the same includes a computer based device which removes tail up effect on the impedance/return loss measurement and which addresses the effects of jacket removed on the reflection test results of LAN cables.
US09417270B2
Disclosed herein are various systems and methods for capturing and utilizing temperature information in a battery pack. An electrical measurement system may be configured to determine a subdivision electrical parameter associated with one or more subdivisions, and a thermal measurement system configured to determine and track a thermal parameter associated with one or more subdivisions. A battery model may utilize the thermal parameter and the electrical parameter to estimate a characteristic of one or more battery subdivisions. In some embodiments, the battery model may further estimate a second thermal parameter of a second subdivision based upon a location of the second subdivision within the battery pack and based on the estimated characteristic of a first subdivision. Some embodiments may further estimate a life assessment of one or more subdivisions based at least in part on the subdivision electrical parameter and the thermal parameter.
US09417266B2
A method and structures implement an enhanced handheld transfer impedance probe including a rigid probe housing body that carries a pair of coaxial RF connectors providing connections to a network analyzer. A base member includes a respective pair of independent electrical contacts and a common interconnect electrical contact. Each of the respective electrical contacts includes a respective associated electrically conductive compressible pad. Each respective compressible pad extends between rigid stops having a set height to limit gasket compression and enable repeatable gasket compressions for repeatable measurements with the handheld transfer impedance probe. An interconnection structure includes respective interconnects connecting between the coaxial RF connectors and respective electrical contacts. The respective interconnects are contained within the rigid probe housing body and arranged to prevent movement of the respective electrical contacts and the associated electrically conductive compressible pads.
US09417265B2
According to the present invention, a signal display device includes: a first characteristic value measurement unit, a display unit, a second characteristic value measurement unit, and a display form changing unit. The first characteristic value measurement unit measures any one of characteristic values of a signal to be measured, and the display unit displays the characteristic value measured by the first characteristic value measurement unit while the characteristic value is associated with time. The second characteristic value measurement unit measures any one of the characteristic values of the signal to be measured, and the display form changing unit changes a display form on the display unit according to the characteristic value measured by the second characteristic value measurement unit.
US09417256B2
A population comparison system, method and a computer program product therefor. A stored list of population members, e.g., hydrocarbon reservoirs, characteristics and analogous members is partitioned into lists for each member. A weighting system automatically uses the partitions to determine a weight set (w*) for population member characteristic and a similarity function. The weighting system may include an objective model that iteratively, blindly identifies analogous members for each population member until the identified analogous members match the listed analogous members. An analogous member selector uses the weights set (w*) and similarity function to automatically select analogous listed members for each new population member.
US09417253B2
A specimen processing system comprising: a specimen measuring section for measuring specimens accommodated in specimen containers; a transport section for transporting specimen containers to the specimen measuring section; a specimen container collect section for collecting specimen containers; an obtainer for obtaining shape information on specimen containers or state information on specimens accommodated in specimen containers; a supply judger configured for determining whether specimen containers are to be supplied to the specimen measuring section on the basis of the result obtained by the obtainer; and a delivery section for delivering specimen containers, which are determined to be supplied to the specimen measuring section by the supply judger, toward the transport section, and delivering specimen containers, which are determined not to be supplied to the specimen measuring section by the supply judger, toward the specimen container collect section, is disclosed. A specimen container classifying apparatus is also disclosed.
US09417250B2
The present invention relates to methods and compositions for monitoring, diagnosis, prognosis, and determination of treatment regimens in subjects suffering from or suspected of having a renal injury. In particular, the invention relates to using assays that detect one or more markers selected from the group consisting of cytochrome c and insulin-like growth factor IA as diagnostic and prognostic biomarkers in renal injuries.
US09417248B2
The present invention provides compounds that are surrogates of post-translationally modified proteins and uses thereof. Numerous diseases are associated with post-translationally modified proteins that are difficult to obtain in homogenous form and in quantities needed for immunization and use as convenient standards, calibrators, and/or reference compounds that facilitate the detection and analysis of endogenous post-translationally modified proteins. The surrogate compounds of the invention typically comprise antigenic epitopes (one of which carries a post-translational modification) that are tethered by a flexible and hydrophilic linker. The resulting compound behaves like a surrogate of the post-translationally modified protein because it preserves the character of the included antigens and allows recognition by specific antibodies targeting the individual antigens. The surrogate compounds may be prepared by covalently joining two or more polypeptide epitopes using one or more linkers, wherein at least one of the epitopes comprises a post-translational modification. In one aspect, the surrogate compounds of the invention comprise a C-terminal epitope and a glycated epitope of human CD59. The inventive methods allow quantification of the levels of glycated CD59 in the serum in human subjects, particularly those with diabetes or pre-diabetes. This technological platform of post-translationally modified protein surrogates can be applied to other diseases associated with post-translationally modified proteins (e.g., autoimmune diseases such as multiple sclerosis, rheumatoid arthritis, and systemic lupus erythematosus). In another aspect, the invention provides antibodies that bind specifically to the compounds of the invention and methods for producing such antibodies.
US09417246B2
The current disclosure provides for specific peptides from the Insulin Receptor Substrate 1 (IRS1) protein and the derived ionization characteristics of those peptides that are advantageous for quantifying IRS1 directly in formalin fixed biological samples by the method of Selected Reaction Monitoring (SRM) mass spectrometry. Such fixed biological samples include: formalin-fixed tissue/cells, formalin-fixed/paraffin embedded (FFPE) tissue/cells, FFPE tissue blocks and cells from those blocks, and formalin fixed and paraffin embedded tissue culture cells. IRS1 protein is quantitated in biological samples by the method of SRM/MRM mass spectrometry by quantitating one or more of the peptides described herein. The peptides can be quantitated if they reside in a modified or an unmodified form. Examples of potentially modified forms of IRS1 peptides include those bearing phosphorylation of a tyrosine, threonine, serine, and/or other amino acid residues within the peptide sequence.
US09417235B2
An object is to provide an optical measurement apparatus for performing an efficient test by optical measurement without incurring incorrect measurements.To this end, the measurement apparatus utilizes a test instrument mounted thereto and including a carrier with a reagent retaining portion for application of a sample. The measurement apparatus includes a reader for color development at the reagent retaining portion, and a controller for driving control of the reader and for required determination. The controller performs the determination by utilizing the data obtained by reading the color development of the reagent after a reaction completion period Tr1-Tr6 depending on the reagent and starting from the mounting of the test instrument. When detecting that the color development at the reagent retaining portion is completed before the lapse of the reaction completion period Tr1-Tr6 after the mounting of the test instrument, the controller stops the test for the test instrument.
US09417231B2
Disclosed is a urine sample analyzing method comprising: flowing a measurement specimen prepared by mixing a urine sample and reagent through a flow cell; irradiating epithelial cells in the measurement specimen flowing through the flow cell with linearly polarized light and thereby producing scattered light; detecting a change of polarization condition of the scattered light produced by each of the epithelial cells; and classifying the epithelial cells into at least two types based on the change of polarization condition.
US09417227B2
A method for rapid detection of sulfur in a gypsum sample by causing emission of sulfur from the sample as vapors, reacting the vapors with silver nitrate and detecting sulfur by monitoring for color change. A kit for rapid detection of sulfur in a gypsum sample is also provided. Further methods include those in which the amount of sulfur in a gypsum sample is quantified in colorimetric analysis with silver nitrate and gypsum standards with known concentrations of sulfur.
US09417226B2
A method for the detection of explosives using a single sample. The explosives include nitro aliphatic and nitro aromatic-based explosives. The method includes steps which require different pHs to discriminate between these types of explosives and at least in the detection step of the nitro aliphatic explosive requires the presence of a nitro aromatic compound. A kit for detecting explosives which includes a medium for collecting a sample, a base optionally impregnated on the medium; and a nitro aromatic solution for detecting a nitro aliphatic explosive by contacting the solution with the sample on the medium. A reagent including a nitro aromatic compound, having one or more additional electron withdrawing groups, in the presence of a basic compound usable for detecting nitro aliphatic explosives.
US09417220B2
Petroleum or other hydrocarbon samples can be analyzed in parallel by 1) GC-field ionization Time of Flight Mass Spectrometer (GC-FI-TOF MS) and 2) two dimensional gas chromatography (2D-GC) equipped with a flame ionization detector (FID). The combined techniques allow for improved quantitative characterization of the compounds within a hydrocarbon sample. The techniques can be combined by correlating the 2D-GC FID data with the GC-FI-TOF MS data based on correlation of compound classes, correlation of retention windows within a compound class, correlation of individual compounds, such as paraffins, or a combination thereof.
US09417203B2
Systems and methods for making repeatable measurements of the dielectric constant and conductivity of a material, such as a liquid. In one example, a material property measurement system includes a measurement cell, a voltage measurement circuit, a capacitor, and a switch. The measurement cell is made of at least two conducting electrodes with liquid between the conducting electrodes. The switch is in a current path between the capacitor and the measurement cell. The capacitor is charged and then the switch is closed for a first time period and a first voltage measurement on the capacitor is performed. The capacitor is charged again and the switch is closed for a second time period and a second voltage measurement on the capacitor is performed. The two voltage measurements are used in a calculation to calculate a value related to capacitance between the at least two conducting electrodes of the measurement cell.
US09417202B2
Provided is a sensor including an insulating layer, at least two heater patterns separated in one direction in the insulating layer and electrically connected to each other, at least two sensing electrode patterns insulated form the heater patterns, separated in the one direction in the insulating layer, and electrically connected to each other, and a sensing material, at least a part of which is buried in the insulating layer to contact the sensing electrode patterns.
US09417192B2
An optical device for detecting quality of welding gun electrodes An optical sensor device comprises a housing (10) with a pair of openings (11, 11a) communicating with a pair first (14) and a second (15) seat for accommodating a respective one of a pair of electrodes (E1, E2). A first set of lights (16, 17) emit a first (L1) and a second (L2) light beam in an intermediate geometric plane (p1) between the seats (14, 15). Two oblique reflecting elements (25, 26), interposed between the two seats (14, 15), to reflect the first (L1) and second (L2) light beams in two opposite directions perpendicular to the geometric plane (p1) toward the first and the second seats. Other lights (47, 32) emit third (L3) and fourth (L4) light beams on opposite sides of the geometric plane (p1) to illuminate the first and the second seat (14, 15). Cameras (31, 131, 33, 44) capture images (I1, I2) reflected by the two oblique reflecting elements (25, 26) and at least part of the third and fourth light beams (L3, L4) downstream of the first and second seats (14, 15) along paths of the third and fourth light beams.
US09417190B2
System, including methods and apparatus, for performing droplet-based assays that are controlled and/or calibrated using signals detected from droplets.
US09417188B2
Provided is a fluorescence observation device including: a processor configured to: extract, as a candidate region of interest, a region in a corrected fluorescence image that has a gradation value larger than a gradation-value threshold, the gradation-value threshold being set based on an average of gradiation values, a standard deviation, a first coefficient, and a second coefficient; receive a result, inputted by an observer, as to whether a candidate region of interest displayed on a display is a result of right indicating a determination by the observer that the candidate region of interest is a region of interest or a result of wrong indicating a determination by the observer that the candidate region of interest is not a region of interest; and set at least one of the first coefficient and the second coefficient so as to reflect the result inputted by the observer.
US09417184B2
An apparatus for the calibration of optical measuring instruments with a carrier includes a calibration body having a glass body which has at least one scattering element, wherein the scattering element is completely surrounded by the glass body, and wherein a degree of transmission of the scattering element and of the glass body differ from one another.
US09417183B2
A terahertz wave temporal waveform acquisition apparatus includes a light source, a branch part, a terahertz wave generation element, a terahertz wave detection element, a delay providing medium, a temperature adjustment unit, and an analysis unit. The delay providing medium is disposed on an optical path of a terahertz wave from the terahertz wave generation element to the terahertz wave detection element, is formed of a material of which a refractive index for the terahertz wave depends on the temperature, and provides a delay according to the temperature to the terahertz wave.
US09417179B2
In a conventional device, light is irradiated from positions on a rotation axis of a detector, so that there may be unevenness of light irradiation intensity in a subject.The acoustic wave acquisition apparatus of the present invention includes a light source that generates light and a detector including a plurality of elements that receive an acoustic wave generated from inside a subject when the subject is irradiated with the light. The acoustic wave acquisition apparatus further includes a rotation driving unit that rotates the detector and a plurality of light irradiation portions that irradiate the subject with the light from the light source. The plurality of light irradiation portions are provided at least at positions other than a rotation axis of the detector.
US09417169B2
A sensor arrangement, for example, on an anchor bolt, including at least one sensor (10). At least one bypass element (20) with a dilatant material is arranged in the area of the sensor (10), whereby impact forces that act upon the sensor (10) can be dissipated via the dilatant material of the bypass element (20).
US09417168B2
Apparatus and methods related to fatigue testing are described. For example, some embodiments may contain a terminal fixer, a terminal support, a bending machine, and a stress-strain collector, and may be used for testing fatigue properties of offshore pipes, risers and their connectors. Some embodiments may be used to apply extruding, twisting and high frequency bending to the testing sample during one testing period, so that the various fatigue properties of the testing sample can be obtained.
US09417167B2
A method for testing a batch of material used to obtain layers of fibers includes taking a specimen from the batch of material, exerting a tensile force on the specimen, heating the specimen so as to relax the fibers if the specimen contains stresses, after a predetermined period of time, no longer heating and no longer exerting the tensile force on the specimen, measuring a residual extension of the specimen which corresponds to a variation in length of at least a part of the specimen in the direction of the tensile force, before and after the tensile force, and considering the batch of material not to be compliant if the residual extension exceeds a given threshold.
US09417157B2
A wheel balancing machine having a tire removing device includes a rotation shaft upon which a wheel is mounted and elements for fixing the wheel to the rotation shaft. The device further includes a plate fixed rigidly to the tire removing device, and a tubular element connected to the plate which rotatably accommodates the rotation shaft. The wheel balancing device further includes a plurality of sensors fixed to the plate. The sensors are connected to the tubular element and adapted to measure the forces that constrain the tubular element when the rotation shaft and the wheel are turning and provide a measurement of the forces generated by the dynamic imbalance of the wheel. The plate includes a plurality of slots. The tire removing device includes arms with ends that engage in the plurality of slots to rigidly fix the wheel balancing device to the tire removing device.
US09417155B1
A calcareous deposit wipe-test apparatus and method. The apparatus includes a motor, frame, with the motor and the replaceable cartridge attached to the frame. The replaceable cartridge includes a calcareous deposit roller for growing calcareous deposits thereon, which typically cause abrasive wear. The wipe-test apparatus also includes a trough which is filled with seawater. The frame positioned in the trough, and shaped so that when positioned in the trough, the motor is perched above in a dry location and the replaceable cartridge is below, at least partially submerged so that the calcareous deposit roller simulates shipboard wet operating conditions. The apparatus and method evaluates the removal of the calcareous deposits under shipboard working conditions.
US09417153B2
An inflatable, balloon-type catheter apparatus which is conformable to fit most all intake and exhaust systems to delivery pressure (with or without smoke) to test the fluid integrity of the fluid system. The device is configured to be inserted into the canal of the intake or exhaust system and inflated to seal off the fluid system. The pressurized smoke is passed through the inflated inlet adapter to test for leaks.
US09417141B2
A force sensitive touch sensor (100) is provided. The sensor (100) comprises an insulating support layer (101) and an electrically conductive sensor structure (102). The electrically conductive sensor structure (102) comprises a piezoresistive material and is configured to provide a resistance varying in response to a force being applied to the insulating support layer (101). The piezoresistive material comprises graphene.
US09417128B2
An emission signal visualization device includes a front video camera for photographing a measured object from the front, a signal detecting sensor for detecting an emission signal generated from the measured object, a lateral video camera for photographing the signal detecting sensor from a lateral, a spectrum analyzer, and an analyzing body unit, and records and analyzes the state of the spatial distribution of signals detected by the signal detecting sensor.
US09417122B2
Some embodiments herein generally relate to self-clean lenses, sensor systems, and/or methods of cleaning. In some embodiments, a self-cleaning lens is provided for a sensor for monitoring a liquid.
US09417119B2
A Mobile Device to detect concealed items in an automobile by measuring vibration. The mathematical formula frequency of vibration uses the mass M which affects the vibration. As mass of solid surface changes, so does the vibration. If difference in the vibration is detected between the inspected vehicle and empty vehicle that is the Baseline Frequency, it may indicate concealed items. The Mobile Device contains components needed to implement this invention. An accelerometer. A vibrator or speaker. A touch screen display. A computer operating system. A computer database. A computer network connection to the internet using a wireless network. A sensor to provide the latitude and longitude location of the device during testing, through GPS, GLONASS, or NETWORK. The device also provides an electrical power source using the device battery, wall outlet electricity, or automobile charging cable connected to an automobile.
US09417115B2
A combination weighing device includes a dispersing table, a plurality of radial feeders, a plurality of cameras, an image processing unit, and a touch panel. The dispersing table receives a supply of a large number of articles and disperses the articles. The radial feeders are arranged to extend radially from the dispersing table, receive the articles dispersed by the dispersing table, and convey the articles in a direction away from the dispersing table. The cameras are disposed at a position other than a space directly above the dispersing unit and capture images of the dispersing table and the radial feeders. The image processing unit generates a projection plan view image of the dispersing table and the radial feeders by synthesizing the images captured by the cameras. The touch panel outputs the plan view image.
US09417099B2
In an aspect, a pinch sensor is provided, comprising: an elongate non-conductive casing enclosing first, second, and third elongate conductive electrodes; the first and second electrodes being separated by a portion of the casing, a capacitance between the first and second electrodes changing when an obstacle approaches the first electrode to provide a proximity indication of the obstacle to the pinch sensor; and, the second and third electrodes being separated by an air gap formed in the casing, a resistance between the second and third electrodes changing when the second and third electrodes come into contact upon compression of the casing by the obstacle to provide a contact indication of the obstacle with the pinch sensor.
US09417096B2
A first voltage signal and a second voltage signal each with positive and negative half waves are generated for rotation direction detection during the operation of an ignition device for an internal combustion engine by a rotating magnet wheel in at least two coil arrangements, which are arranged on adjacent core legs of an iron core, whereby the rotation direction of the magnet wheel is determined from a time offset or angular offset of at least one half wave of the first voltage signal relative to a half wave of the second voltage signal.
US09417093B2
The invention provides a method and several types of devices for converting meter reading signals into data messages including a first message (40) having meter data (44) representing consumption of a utility, and meter diagnostic status data (43), and a second message (60) having meter reverse flow data (63-65) and meter diagnostic data (66) particular to an electronic flow meter, and receiving, said first message (40) and said second message (60) and converting first message and said second message to radio frequency signals (25) and transmitting said radio frequency signals (25) to a receiver (22, 24).
US09417091B2
A system and method for determining errors and calibrating to correct errors associated with field sensors, including bias, scale, and orthogonality, includes receiving and providing to a processor angular rate data and a first field vector relative to a first reference directional field and a second field vector relative to a second reference field from at least one field sensor. The processor is configured to relate the first field vector and the second field vector to the angular rate data to determine an error of the at least one field sensor. The processor is also configured to identify a compensation for the error of the at lease one field sensor needed to correct the first field vector and the second field vector and repeat the preceding to identify changes in the error over time and compensate for the changes in the error over time.
US09417088B2
A navigation system has at least one processor. A memory is coupled to the processor. The memory stores program instructions that when executed by the processor, causes the processor to: display a map; display a cursor showing a present location of a vehicle on the map; display a menu screen to enter user selected point of interest (POI) search criteria; display markings on the map, wherein each marking corresponds to a POI matching the user selected POI search criteria; move the map to a user selected marking; and center the map on the user selected marking.
US09417086B2
A sketch is received. The sketch includes one or more sketched graphical elements and one or more sketched representations of text. Pattern matching of the one or more sketched graphical elements and the one or more sketched representations of text with a map region is performed. A map image of the map region is generated and displayed.
US09417082B2
A navigation configured to be installed in a motor vehicle, and a corresponding method. According to an embodiment, there is a method that includes: a) reproducing video information corresponding to a straight section included in the route information at a speed faster than a typical reproduction speed; and b) reproducing video information corresponding to a curved section included in the route information at a speed slower than the typical reproduction speed.
US09417079B2
A navigation apparatus and a method for updating map data thereof are provided. A map database of the navigation apparatus stores data of a plurality of existed roads. When coordinates of the navigation apparatus are not located on any one of the existed roads, a comparison module of the navigation apparatus determines whether the shortest distance between the coordinates and the existed roads exceeds a predetermined threshold. If the shortest distance exceeds the predetermined threshold, a map data adding module updates a traveling path according to a plurality of succeeding coordinates of the navigation apparatus until the navigation apparatus is determined to return on one of the existed roads. When the map data adding module finishes updating the traveling path, the map data adding module stores data of the traveling path in the map database of the navigation apparatus.
US09417073B2
A method for geo-location services is described. In one embodiment, the method includes monitoring a status of an entrance associated with a dwelling, monitoring an occupancy in relation to the dwelling, and upon detecting an occupant of the dwelling departing from the dwelling and the status of the entrance of the dwelling is in an open state, generating a notification. In some cases, the entrance includes at least one of a doorway, a garage door, a gate, and a window.
US09417072B2
Embodiments of the present invention provide a method of determining a heading of travel of a navigation device, comprising determining a reference heading for a roadway system and determining a current heading of navigation device travel, wherein the current heading is determined as an integer multiple of a predetermined lock angle in combination with the reference heading.
US09417066B2
A method for compensating for bias of a gyroscope. In one embodiment, bias measurements for a plurality of drive angles are generated using the gyroscope. A set of equations for the bias of the gyroscope is identified using a model for motion of the gyroscope. The set of equations includes a set of parameters for the bias of the gyroscope. A set of values for the set of parameters is identified using the bias measurements and the set of equations.
US09417061B2
Disclosed is a rangefinder comprising: a housing shaped like a cylinder and opened frontward and backward; an object lens comprising one or more lenses arranged in a front end portion of the housing and facing an object targeted for distance measurement; a display providing a user with an image from the object lens; an image split prism arranged in between the object lens and the display, making the image from the object lens be split and focused, and installed movably along an optical axis within the housing so that a space between split images can be adjusted; and a distance indicator indicating distance from the targeted object in accordance with positions of the image split prism, in a state that the position of the image split prism is adjusted to set up the space between the split images to a reference position.
US09417059B2
A distance detecting device and an image processing apparatus including the same are disclosed. The distance detecting device includes a first light source to output a first output beam and a second light source to output a second output beam having a wavelength different from that of the first output beam, a scanner to progressively perform first directional scanning and second directional scanning to output the first output beam and the second output beam to an outside, a first detecting unit to convert a first received beam corresponding to the first output beam into a first electric signal, a second detecting unit to convert a second received beam corresponding to the second output beam into a second electric signal, and a controller to detect a distance from an external target based on the first electric signal and the second electric signal.
US09417056B2
A laser scanner device for optically scanning and measuring an environment includes a base, a measuring head which is rotatable relative to the base, and a mirror which is rotatably relative to the measuring head, wherein, in at least one operating mode, the laser scanner is mounted on a cart by a mounting device, the cart moves the base which is fixedly connected with the mounting device, the measuring head rests relative to the base, the mirror rotates, and the measuring head is locked with the mounting device by a locking mechanism.
US09417053B2
A three-dimensional measuring device includes an extraction unit that extracts an image data set with a brightness value of each of pixels in image data within an effective range from among a plurality of image data sets at each of coordinate positions of an object to be measured, and a three-dimensional measurement unit that performs three-dimensional measurement relating to each of the coordinate positions of the object to be measured based on the extracted image data set. The extraction unit extracts the image data set imaged under a pattern light with the highest irradiation brightness among a plurality of types of pattern lights when there is a plurality of sets of the image data sets with the brightness value of each of the pixels in the image data within the effective range from among the plurality of the image data sets.
US09417052B2
In part, the invention relates to methods, devices, and systems suitable for controlling a light source. The light source is configured for use in a data collection system such as an optical coherence tomography system. The light source can be controlled with a drive waveform. Linearizing and symmetrizing parameters of the light source such as forward and backward scan durations is achieved using a suitable drive waveform. Phase, amplitude, and other parameters for different harmonics of a fundamental wave can be identified that improve operating parameters such as the duty cycle and peak frequency matching between scans. The fundamental wave and one or more of such harmonics can be combined to generate the suitable drive wave form. The light source can include a tunable light source that includes or is in optical communication with a tunable filter.
US09417042B2
The present invention relates to an arrow with an embedded deployable RFID tag, and to the methods of using the same in order to improve tracking of an animal. In one embodiment, the tracking device has a body that attached intermediate the head and shaft of an arrow. The internal components can compress during impact with a target, allowing an embedded to become embedded within the target. The embedder can utilize an RFID or other electronically trackable device. A safety can further be provided to prevent the deployment of the embedder during target practice. A tracker can be used to track specific tags that are deployed, and in particular, tags that are lodged within an animal. In one additional embodiment, a signal is provided when the RFID tag is deployed.
US09417039B2
An expandable broadhead includes an elongated ferrule and a blade. The ferrule includes a forward ferrule tip and an aft shank operable to connect the broadhead to an arrow shaft. The blade presents an elongated cutting edge that extends along the length of the blade. The blade is shiftably mounted relative to the ferrule to shift into and out of a retracted position where the blade extends alongside the ferrule. The blade extends forwardly beyond the ferrule tip in the retracted position so that the blade presents a leading tip of the broadhead.
US09417037B2
This invention teaches a weapon sight whose eyepoint is offset with respect to the sight's main optical axis. A refracting wedge prism is added to the optical layout of a telescopic sight to tilt the viewing axis and provide an offset eyepoint. The invention has several advantages including better ergonomics when used in combination with other type of sights such as open sights or reflex sights.
US09417030B2
A projectile launching system including a safety oriented projectile launching platform and mechanism disposed to segregate the genre of projectile which may be launched from the system. The launching system may include an embodiment embarked upon as a crossbow which includes a control mechanism in combination with which allows only one type of safe projectile to be launched from the device and also either prevents unwarranted or foreign matter from being loaded, or does not allow such items to launch or recoil, thus preventing injury to the users or bystanders.
US09417029B1
An arrow shaft pressing device for a crossbow includes a sleeve connected to one end of the aiming device and has a passage with an aperture defined through the lower end of the sleeve. A shoulder is formed at the connection portion between the passage and the aperture. A pressing member has a flange and a shank extending from the underside of the flange. The pressing member is located in the passage of the sleeve and the distal end of the shank extends beyond the aperture. A restriction member is connected to the top end of the sleeve. A resilient member is biased between the flange of the pressing member and the restriction member. The distal end of the shank of the pressing member resiliently presses the arrow shaft.
US09417026B2
A projectile launcher having a pair of band securement elements each configured to secure the ends of a band and a pair of members disposed a distance from the pair of securement elements and located to permit the band to wrap about each of the pair of members passing the medial portion of the band between the pair of members to stretch the band toward the drawn condition of the projectile launcher.
US09417024B2
Disclosed is a muzzle device for use with a muzzle end of a firearm barrel. The muzzle device includes a body having a central passageway extending along a central axis and being mountable to the muzzle end of the firearm barrel. A plurality of circumferentially spaced ports are provided on the body and extend generally radially outward from the central axis and open to the central passageway to provide fluid communication between the central passageway and an ambient environment external of the body. The ports are configured to direct propulsion gases generally radially outward therethrough when the firearm is discharged. The body includes a right-side portion and a left-side portion defined by a vertically-oriented imaginary plane, the ports being provided on the body such that the right-side portion directs a greater volume of propulsion gases therethrough than the left-side portion when the firearm is discharged.
US09417018B2
A method for coating an aluminum alloy heat exchanger includes subjecting at least one surface of the heat exchanger to a pre-treatment process including cleaning; conversion coating the at least one surface of the heat exchanger with a trivalent chromium compound; and subjecting the at least one conversion coated surface to an electro-coating in an aqueous solution containing an organic corrosion inhibitor.
US09417016B2
A laminated heat exchanger includes at least one heat exchange layer that includes a plurality of side members that define a frame having an interior portion. A plurality of heat exchange members extend between at least two of the plurality of side members across the interior portion. The plurality of heat exchange members are linked by a ligament member to form a heat exchange member chain.
US09417011B2
A heat exchanger has inlet and outlet fittings, each having a base portion and a top portion, and having a circumferential groove provided with a resilient sealing element for sealing within a bore of a coolant manifold. Each fitting also has a base fitting with an annular sealing surface sealed to a surface of the heat exchanger. In an embodiment, the base portion has a larger diameter than the top portion, and the groove and sealing element are provided in the bottom portion, with a chamfer or sloped surface separating the base and top portions. In another embodiment, the top portion has a larger diameter than the base portion, and the groove and sealing element are provided in the top portion.
US09416999B2
A method for determining wire connections in a vapor compression system (1) is disclosed. The vapor compression system comprises a compressor, a condenser, an expansion device (2) and an evaporator (3) being fluidly interconnected in a refrigerant path, and two or more sensor devices (7, 8, 9, 10, 11) arranged for measuring variables which are relevant for the operation of the vapor compression system (1). The method comprises the steps of changing an operational setting, e.g. an opening degree of the expansion device (2) for the vapor compression system (1), monitoring variable values, such as temperatures, being measured by at least two sensor devices (7, 8, 9, 10, 11), e.g. arranged at various positions of the vapor compression system (1), in response to said changed operational setting, comparing the measured variable values to expected behavior of at least one variable measured by a sensor device (7, 8, 9, 10, 11) in response to said changed operational setting, and based on the comparing step, determining at least one wire connection of the vapour compression system (1). The method allows correct wire connections to be established without any special effort from the installing personnel, and without requiring rewiring of the system.
US09416995B2
Aspects of the invention support simultaneous operation of a cooling side and a heating side of an apparatus to change the temperatures of a cooling serving surface and a heating serving surface, respectively. A cooling semiconductor device (which may comprise one or more Peltier devices) transfers heat from its top to its bottom while a heating semiconductor device (which may similarly comprise one or more Peltier devices) transfers heat from its bottom to its top. A heat pipe transfers waste heat from the cooling semiconductor device's bottom to the heating semiconductor device's bottom and waste cold from the heating semiconductor device's bottom to the cooling semiconductor device's bottom.
US09416990B2
A hot water supply apparatus associated with a heat pump is provided. The hot water supply apparatus performs a hot water supply operation using a high temperature refrigerant that has been discharged from a compressor, and simultaneously performs an indoor heating operation using a two-stage refrigerant cycle. This allows the apparatus to supply hot water while simultaneously providing heating/cooling to an indoor space.
US09416989B1
Apparatus, systems and methods of 80/90 CFM ventilation exhaust fans for bathrooms with telescoping side extension brackets and side by side electric driven motor and blower wheel, and being used with or without lights. The exhaust fans can include a single main housing, that allows for a blower housing to support the motor and a blower wheel in a side by side arrangement. The exhaust fans can further include an outside wiring box that is externally located to the main housing. The wiring box can have support male plugs and female receptacles for supplying an electrical power supply to the electric motor and light. The side extension brackets can include telescoping members that allow the exhaust fans to be easily attached to structural members inside of a ceiling so that the exhaust fan has a vent cover attached to the ceiling. Inside of the exhaust fans can be light box with closed sides and bottom which prevents incoming air from passing directly onto the lights. Instead incoming air is drawn to pass around the outside of the light box so that the light box functions as a heat sink reducing the heat generated from the light.
US09416987B2
An HVAC controller may be programmed to control an HVAC system according to a comfort mode and an economy mode. When the HVAC system is operating according to the comfort mode, the HVAC system may primarily draw energy from a locally generated energy source or local energy storage system. The HVAC controller may be programmed to transition the HVAC system from operating according to the comfort mode to operating according to an economy mode, wherein the economy mode is a more energy efficient that the comfort mode.
US09416984B2
A ventilator includes a body casing having an opening formed in its lower portion and an exhaust port formed on one side; a fan that is provided in the body casing, for sucking indoor air from the opening and exhausting the indoor air from the exhaust port; a resin fan casing that has a suction port and forms an air passage of the fan; a protection frame formed outside the air passage to cover a terminal block provided outside the air passage; a resin terminal block cover that watertightly seals a protection frame opening of a lower portion of the protection frame and is opened and closed; a sheet-metal case that is provided in the protection frame and stores the terminal block; and a sheet-metal terminal block cover that opens and closes a lower opening of the sheet-metal case.
US09416981B2
A dual functionality temperature control measurement and low water cutoff measurement system is taught within a single tapping to a boiler. This dual functionality combines a low water cutoff and temperature sensor into one control utilizing a sensing element suitable for use in a single existing tapping for a boiler. Independent of low water functionality, the temperature sensor is also capable of monitoring temperature as a replacement probe in an existing temperature sensor-only well. A conductive member provides a compression fit inside the probe well for thermistors, while simultaneously providing conduction with the well interior for a low water cutoff signal in a two-conductor well.
US09416978B2
A burner assembly for a cooking appliance is provided. The burner assembly includes a first port to which a gas mixture of gas and air is supplied and a second port which is separate from the first port and to which a gas mixture of gas and air is supplied, a combustion mat at which the gas mixture supplied to the first port or the second port is burned, and a tube assembly that guides the gas and air to the first and second ports.
US09416967B2
Sorbent components containing halogen, calcium, alumina, and silica are used in combination during coal combustion to produce environmental benefits. Sorbents such as calcium bromide are added to the coal ahead of combustion and other components are added into the flame or downstream of the flame, preferably at minimum temperatures to assure complete formation of the refractory structures that result in various advantages of the methods. When used together, the components reduce emissions of elemental and oxidized mercury; increase the level of Hg, As, Pb, and/or Cl in the coal ash; decrease the levels of leachable heavy metals (such as Hg) in the ash, preferably to levels below the detectable limits; and make a highly cementitious ash product.
US09416964B2
A combustion heater (110) provided with a heating plate (126); a placement plate (120) disposed opposite the heating plate; an outer wall (122) provided around the outer circumference of the heating plate and the placement plate; a partitioning plate (124) that is disposed opposite the heating plate and the placement plate inside a space enclosed by the heating plate, the placement plate, and the outer wall, that forms a lead-in portion (134) by a gap with the placement plate, and that forms a lead-out portion (138) by a gap with the heating plate; and a combustion chamber (136) that is arranged in the space enclosed by the heating plate, the placement plate and the outer wall, and at which the fuel gas that was introduced from the lead-in portion combusts, and that leads out exhaust gas produced by the combustion toward the lead-out portion; in which a concavo-convex portion (146) that has concavities and convexities in the thickness direction is provided in the partitioning plate.
US09416960B2
Lighting apparatus suitable for use in a gas lantern lighting fixtures and containing a single piece body member with a horizontally oriented gas inlet, a vertically oriented gas outlet, and a fastener along with a valve; an orifice; and a burner tip connected to one another are disclosed. Lighting apparatus which are easy to assemble and capable of efficiently producing an aesthetically pleasing flame along with associated methods are described.
US09416958B2
An electric light bulb type light source apparatus capable of ensuring high receiver sensitivity and achieving downsizing without sacrificing light distribution characteristics for lighting.
US09416950B2
A flashlight has a lock out feature that prevents it from being turned on which is activated or deactivated by pointing the flashlight in a first direction (e.g., upward) prior to turning it on, depressing a switch to turn it on, tilting the flashlight in a second direction (e.g., downward) while continuously depressing the switch, and releasing the switch.
US09416948B2
A light-emitting module includes: a board; and a plurality of light sources arranged in a two-dimensional array on the board and including a plurality of color temperatures. In a first direction of the two-dimensional array, light sources having a uniform color temperature are successively arranged. The number of light sources having a uniform color temperature and successively arranged in each array line in the first direction is less than or equal to half of the total number of light sources in the array line in the first direction.
US09416946B1
A universal connector to hold different diameter light emitting devices for use in light painting photography, where the connector is a hollow connector with one end for insertion of a light modifying device and an opposite end having a conical shape so that different diameters of light emitting devices can be quickly changed during a light painting photography exposure. The connector with ridges on an inner surface is made from a soft material that is rigid enough to hold the devices so that different lighting can be quickly produced during a long exposure of a camera.
US09416945B2
Provided is a lighting apparatus. The lighting apparatus includes a base unit, a first rod-shaped member, a second rod-shaped member and a middle connection unit, wherein the middle connection unit includes a first frame fixed at the other end of the first rod-shaped member, a second frame fixed to the other end, having a form corresponding to the first frame, and coupled to the first frame to be rotatable with respect to the first frame, at least one guide elongate hole provided for any one of the first and second frames, extending along an arc, and penetratively formed, and a guide pin unit fixed to the remaining one of the first and second frames and fixed to be movable along the guide elongate hole.
US09416943B2
A light-emitting device includes a base and a light source and a diverging unit placed on the base. The diverging unit has a divergent lens and a diverging ring. The divergent lens includes a light incident surface, a light exiting surface, and a side surface. The side surface is connected to the light incident surface and the light exiting surface. The divergent lens defines a receiving space and the receiving space extending into the divergent lens from the light incident surface towards the light exiting surface. The light source is received in the receiving space. The diverging ring is positioned on the light exiting surface and in-line with the light source so that the diverging ring reflects light from the light source transmitted through the divergent lens in multiple directions.
US09416941B2
A light-extraction apparatus for an optical-film lighting set having a visible-light coating include a transparent sealed body, a wide AOR (0 degree to 90 degrees) optical film for reflecting ultraviolet lights and a visible light layer. The transparent sealed body is formed as a hollow shell body to accommodate an ultraviolet light source. A supporting member coated with the optical film and the visible light layer is constructed to a wall of the shell body or inside the shell body. The visible light layer is consisted of monolayered fluorescent or phosphorescent particles, and the particles are evenly distributed to coat on the interior wall of the shell body or the supporting member inside the shell body in a sparse scattering manner. A fixed area ratio of the coverage of the particles to that of the inter-particle spacing is then provided to the visible light layer for obtaining a higher illumination performance.
US09416935B2
A vehicle direction indicator light includes a light source and a light emitting body. The light emitting body guides light to the outside of the vehicle, and includes an outer emitting surface facing the outside of the vehicle, an inner emitting surface facing the inside of the vehicle, and a tip surface connecting the inner and outer emitting surfaces and facing a front or rear side of the vehicle. The outer emitting surface has a step shape in which a first surface portion that faces the outside of the vehicle and a second surface portion that faces the front side or the rear side of the vehicle are alternatingly connected to each other in a longitudinal direction of the vehicle. Light emitted through the second surface portion and the tip surface has a higher intensity than the light emitted through the first surface portion.
