最新美国发明专利第2013-05-14期 - 专利汇|PatentHub专利检索|专利查询网|发明专利查询分析

Document	Document Title
US08438873B2	Methods for separating a fluid, and devices capable of separating a fluid Methods and apparatus for separating fluids are disclosed. We have discovered that, surprisingly, providing an open pore structure between a wick and an open flow channel resulted in superior separation performance. A novel and compact integrated device components for conducting separations are also described.
US08438872B2	Refrigerator related technology A refrigerator and its operation method are disclosed. Cool air ducts guide cool air from a freezing compartment to an ice compartment that is positioned at a refrigerating compartment door. At least a portion of the cool air ducts are located at a barrier that separates the freezing compartment and the refrigerating compartment.
US08438867B2	Personal or spot area environmental management systems and apparatuses A personal or spot area environmental management system has a low pressure air supply in fluid communication with an air nozzle and a water supply in fluid communication with a water nozzle. The air nozzle and water nozzle are arranged that the water nozzle includes a vortex in the air stream from the air nozzle reducing the pressure. The low pressure facilitates drawing water from the water supply through the water nozzle. The water exiting the water nozzle has an average diameter of 60 microns or less, which facilitates complete evaporation and effectively produces a cool, dry air stream.
US08438860B2	Heating apparatus having at least two thermoelectric modules which are connected in series A heating apparatus including at least two thermoelectric modules connected in series, and at least one switching arrangement connected in parallel with one of the at least two thermoelectric modules such that electrical current flows via the at least one switching arrangement in an event of a failure of the one of the at least two thermoelectric modules.
US08438854B2	Pre-diffuser for centrifugal compressor A diffuser system for a compressor for a gas turbine engine, the compressor having an impeller and the gas turbine engine having a combustor and a fuel injector proximate to the combustor, includes a first diffuser and a second diffuser. The first diffuser is configured to receive compressed air from the impeller. The second diffuser is coupled to receive the compressed air from the first diffuser. The second diffuser comprises a housing comprising a first wall and a second wall. The first and second walls form a diffuser flow passage therebetween. The first wall or the second wall, or both, further form an opening through the first and second walls for the fuel injector to pass through when removed from the combustor.
US08438853B2	Combustor end cap assembly A combustor end cap assembly having an improved cooling configuration is disclosed. Embodiments of the present invention are directed towards an apparatus and method for cooling an effusion plate of the combustor end cap assembly. The combustor end cap assembly also incorporates an impingement plate having a plurality of cooling holes with the impingement plate positioned a predetermined distance from the effusion plate. The cooling fluid passes through the impingement plate and is directed towards and onto the effusion plate for cooling of the effusion plate.
US08438852B2	Annular ring-manifold quaternary fuel distributor A combustor section is provided and includes one or more annular quaternary fuel manifolds mounted within an annular passage defined between a casing and a cap assembly of a combustor through which air and/or a fuel/air mixture flows upstream from a fuel nozzle support, the manifold including a body to accommodate quaternary fuel therein, the body defining injection holes through which the quaternary fuel is injected into a section of the passage at a location upstream from the fuel nozzle support.
US08438850B2	Waste heat utilization for pre-heating fuel A waste heat utilization system and associated methods for preheating fuel for a turbine engine component. The turbine engine component includes at least one heat generating source. The system includes structure for applying heat from the at least one heat generating source to relatively cold fuel for the turbine engine component to preheat the fuel prior to ignition.
US08438848B2	Engine with turbocharger and EGR An engine includes a variable geometry turbocharger, an EGR valve device, a hydraulic servo drive device that drives the variable geometry turbocharger, a hydraulic servo drive device that drives the EGR valve device, an electronic proportional control valve (EPC valve) that supplies pilot pressure oil to the hydraulic servo drive device, and an electronic proportional control valve (EPC valve) that supplies pilot pressure oil to the hydraulic servo drive device, the EPC valves being attached to the EGR valve device.
US08438835B2	Methods and apparatus for mixing fluid in turbine engines A method of assembling a gas turbine engine includes providing at least one heat exchanger assembly including a heat exchanger and a lobed mixer extending downstream from the heat exchanger, wherein the mixer includes a plurality of lobes that each define a first chute and at least one second chute that extends between each pair of adjacent spaced-apart lobes, and coupling the at least one heat exchanger assembly within a bypass duct of the engine such that the at least one heat exchanger assembly is coupled to at least one of an outer engine casing and an inner engine casing of the turbine engine.
US08438834B2	Helical cross flow (HCF) pulse detonation engine A helical cross flow pulse detonation engine.
US08438832B1	High turning fan exit stator A turbine engine includes a fan section that rotates about a longitudinal axis and a compressor section. The turbine engine also includes a fan exit stator located between the fan section and the compressor section, the fan exit stator including an airfoil. The airfoil defines an entrance angle with respect to a leading edge of the airfoil and a line parallel to the longitudinal axis, and the airfoil defines an exit angle with respect to a trailing edge of the airfoil and a line parallel to the longitudinal axis. A difference between the entrance angle and the exit angle is between about 45° and about 65°. The turbine engine also includes a turbine section, and a portion of the compressor section is driven by a portion of the turbine section.
US08438825B2	Head for the application of reinforcing threads on a deposition surface An applicator head for cutting yarn into segments of yarn and depositing the segments of yarn on a deposition surface. The applicator head includes a single mechanism that moves the yarn towards said deposition surface and also cuts the yarn into segments.
US08438822B2	Height of cut adjustment system for mower cutting deck A mower carrying a rotary cutting deck has a height of cut system for adjusting the vertical position of the deck relative to the mower frame for changing or adjusting the height of cut. The height of cut system comprises a pair of parallel cross shafts that carry a plurality of pivotal suspension linkages that connect to the deck, the cross shafts and linkages pivoting jointly with one another and with a pivotal control lever. One of the cross shafts carries a torsion spring to counterbalance the weight of the deck. The control lever is maintained in a plurality of adjusted pivotal positions by a height selection bracket fixed to the frame with the height selection bracket being capable of having its position changed or adjusted relative to the frame by a single adjustment bolt. Each suspension linkage has its effective length adjusted by turning a threaded adjuster carried at the upper end of a connecting rod that is part of each linkage to allow the deck to be leveled relative to a reference plane. The adjustment of the height selection bracket is accomplished without affecting the length adjustments previously made to any of the suspension linkages.
US08438813B2	Stone click floor coverings Floor covering (01) material, consisting of Natural Stones, i.e. Marble, Granite, Limestone, Onyx, Travertine and Sandstone, in format of tile slabs, in which the thickness is between 4 mm and 35 mm, in which at the two opposite edges or sides are jointed together and interlocked by mechanical locking means, by connecting or inserting (A6 to A5) and connecting or pressing downward (A8 to A9) using Polyvinyl Chloride (PVC) couplings, connecting in the form of a tongue and a groove which will prevent shifting of two interlocked tiles and or slabs into the opposed direction of each section tile or slab, with an integrated backing layer consisting of cork and/or syntactic foam material, The invention relates to a natural stone core tile slab, allowing for an installation without the use of cement, adhesives or grout, provided with such a mechanical locking system jointed to the core (A4) according to the invention.
US08438811B1	Vehicle ready modular light weight load bearing equipment apparatus Preferably, a vehicle ready modular light weight load bearing equipment apparatus “V-MOLLE,” includes a semi-rigid panel portion that includes a front side surface and a backside surface. In a preferred embodiment the front side surface includes a plurality of attachment points configured for reception of a number of utility pouches. The apparatus further preferably includes a vertical anchor system secured to the panel portion and configured for communication with a seat of a vehicle, and a horizontal anchor system secured to the panel portion and configured for communication with the seat of the vehicle. Additionally, the apparatus includes a cover portion attachable to a backside surface of the panel portion, wherein the backside surface of the panel portion is exposable to reveal a signal panel when the cover portion is detached from the panel portion.
US08438802B1	Accessory mounting devices for window systems A window system for installation in a structure is provided. The window system includes a front side that faces away from the structure and a back side that faces into the structure when the window system is installed in a structure. The window system further includes at least one window pane having a front side that faces away from the structure and a back side that faces into the structure when the window system is installed in a structure; at least one sash that surrounds the at least one window pane, wherein the sash has a front side that faces away from the structure and a back side that faces into the structure when the window system is installed in a structure; at least one window frame comprising at least one head, sill, and jamb; and at least one mounting base integral to the window.
US08438801B2	Support structures on roofs Roof load supports support e.g. skylights and/or smoke vents, optionally including two or more closures in end-to-end relationship, from ribs of a metal roof. Where skylights are end-to-end over an aperture, mating strips support the skylights between upper and lower ends of the support structure. Supports of the invention are mounted above the water line whereby the number of water leaks about the mounting structure is greatly reduced. Water leakage is further reduced by re-designing the upper diverter and the lower closure, and providing for a second installation step. Condensation is further reduced by lifting the insulation inside the building to cover the sides of the closure support structure and providing a no-fastener securement of the insulation at an upper location in the closure support structure, and by providing thermally insulating materials as barriers to penetrating portions of fasteners, penetrating from outside the climate controlled building envelope.
US08438799B2	Support structures on roofs This invention provides support structures on roofs. Such support structure can be used to support a roof load, or a closure structure which closes an aperture in the roof, thus to provide access to the interior of a building through an aperture in the roof. The support structure can support a skylight to provide natural day-lighting, or a smoke vent, or a variety of other loads optionally relating to matter or energy communication between the inside and outside of the building. The support structure includes rails adapted to be supported by adjacent rib elevations on opposite sides of a flat of a roof panel, elevated above the water line of the panel flat. Where the support structure surrounds an aperture, a diverter seals a cut away portion of the rib structure and diverts water through the rib structure and laterally away from the rail and closure structure.
US08438798B2	Roof penetrating closure structures and systems The invention provides an environment-accessing structure for providing environmental access to the interior of a building through an aperture in the roof. The environment-accessing structure can provide natural day-lighting by use of a skylight lens as the closure member, or a smoke vent which can be opened and closed. Such smoke vent can be transparent or translucent to natural sunlight, or can be opaque. Such environment-accessing structure is installed in an aperture in a metal roof. The system limits opportunity for water leakage from the outside environment. The environment-accessing structure includes a rail and closure structure adapted to be supported by adjacent rib elevations of adjacent roof panels, a closure panel adapted to be supported on the rail and closure structure, and a diverter which seals a cut away portion of the rib structure and diverts water laterally away from the rail and closure structure.
US08438795B2	Multi-directional torsional hysteretic damper (MTHD) The invention relates to seismic protection (anti-seismic) devices and, in particular, to seismic hysteretic dampers, used to protect the structures against severe earthquakes. These devices are installed at points where large displacements are expected due to earthquake shakings, such as between a bridge deck and bearing points of said bridge (e.g. the pier cap beam).
US08438791B1	Coupling device for forming a protective building system A modular building removable coupling device for forming an explosion resistant, forced entry resistant, and/or ballistic resistant facility. The coupling device can include two hollow square or rectangular tubings having hollow top sides, a sealing means disposed between the tubings, a fastener connecting the tubings, a roof plate secured to each tubing, and a roof cap disposed over the roof plates. The coupling device can include sealing tubes secured to inner sides of the roof cap. A plurality of explosion resistant, forced entry resistant, and/or ballistic resistant modules can be connected with a plurality of modular building removable coupling devices to form an explosion resistant, forced entry resistant, and/or ballistic resistant facility.
US08438785B2	Securable parapet cap roof mat In a first embodiment a safety mat for use with a parapet cap on a wall is disclosed. The cap extends over the top of the wall and partially down each side of the wall. The safety mat includes a durable flexible pad having a width greater than a width of the top wall; a first cinch down strap extending at a first end thereof from an interior of the pad toward a first width end; and a second cinch down strap extending at a first end thereof from the interior of the pad toward a second width end.
US08438784B1	Automated vehicle cargo door opener An automated vehicle cargo door system comprises a cargo door comprising a plurality of panels hingeably assembled to one another, a pair of door tracks, a plurality of wheels rollingly assembling the door to the door tracks, a drive motor, a linear motion controller operably engaged with the drive motor, and a linkage removably engaging the linear motion controller and the cargo door. A release mechanism comprises an operational component located external to a vehicle cargo area. The release mechanism is in operative communication with the linkage, wherein the linkage can be disengaged from the linear motion controller by the release mechanism, thus allowing a user to open the cargo door should the motor become inoperable.
US08438782B2	Apparatus for simultaneous louver operation on arched shutters An arched shutter configured for automated, simultaneous control of a plurality of louvers, the arched shutter comprises the plurality of louvers, a frame, a portion of which forms an arch, a base, wherein the plurality of louvers are installed between the base and the portion of the frame that forms an arch via a plurality of rod arms, a motor configured to drive one of the plurality of rod arms and therefore one of the plurality of louvers, and a plurality of linking apparatus connecting the plurality of louvers such that all of the plurality of louvers operate when the one louver is driven by the motor.
US08438779B2	Indoor greenhouse Described herein is an indoor greenhouse that includes a rack unit, an outer layer that surrounds the rack unit and defines a greenhouse interior, at least one light surrounded by a light enclosure, a cooling system, and a ventilation system all disposed in the greenhouse interior. The ventilation system includes a fan, a filter and at least one duct that cooperate to exhaust air out of the exhaust vent opening. The rack unit includes a top, a bottom, and an intermediate portion extending therebetween. The outer layer includes a top, a bottom, and an intermediate portion extending therebetween that correspond to the similar portions of the rack unit. The outer layer also has intake and exhaust vent and light cooling openings defined therein. The cooling system includes at least one duct that cooperates with the light enclosure to define an air path between the intake and exhaust light cooling openings.
US08438776B2	Fake bait having adjustment device A fake bait having an adjustment device includes a main body, an engaging member and a resistant board. The main body has an accommodation trough at a head portion thereof and an inclined board in the accommodation trough. The engaging member has a toothed section which is biased by a resilient element. The resistant board has a toothed portion to engage with the toothed section of the engaging member. The engaging member and the resistant board are received in the accommodation trough and located on the inclined board. When the resistant board is pulled, the resistant board biased by the resilient element of the engaging member is adjusted forward or backward through the teethed portion of the resistant board to engage with the teethed section of the engaging member, providing a positioning effect.
US08438772B2	Gun with fastening for safety cord A gun comprises a fastening for fastening a safety cord. The fastening is movable between a lowered position and a raised position wherein it defines an accessible opening for fastening the safety cord.
US08438771B1	Detachable pistol stock A detachable pistol stock that includes a stock member having a butt, a comb disposed between a heel and a forearm recess, a pistol grip disposed proximal a fore-end, a fore stock attached to a fore-end notch disposed underlying the pistol grip, wherein an extant pistol is releasably supportable within a receiving tray and compressibly engagable with a padded bracket disposed on the fore-end by a shooter's grip, whereby the detachable pistol stock is rapidly deployable and usable with an extant pistol, as desired, to increase accuracy in using said pistol.
US08438768B2	Magazine disconnect mechanism for firearm A auto-loading firearm with magazine disconnect mechanism operable to disable the firing control mechanism of the firearm. The firearm may include a frame, a magazine adapted for holding a plurality of cartridges, and a pivotably mounted trigger movable for discharging the firearm. A magazine disconnect member is provided that is selectively engageable with the trigger and movable in response to removing and inserting the magazine. In one embodiment, the disconnect member may be slidably disposed in the frame proximate the trigger. In one position, the disconnect member engages the trigger when pulled to block or restrict movement of the trigger and disable the firing control mechanism to prevent discharging the firearm. A spring biases the disconnect member towards engagement with the trigger.
US08438766B2	Merchandise labeling Disclosed is a unitary sheet-like merchandise labeling article that has a labeling tag flatly conjoined along a unifying flat bond zone with a flexible elastic layer that extends away from the tag and includes an elastic fastening loop. The loop sides that define the loop are wider than the thickness of the elastic layer. Further, the flexible elastic layer that extends away from the tag has a thickness greater than the thickness of the tag and has a dispersion zone adjacent the unifying flat bond zone. The dispersion zone allows dissipation of elastic loop in-line stretching forces sufficiently to reduce transmission of such forces into the bond zone.
US08438762B2	Feeding device for feeding a piece of linen to be ironed into an ironing unit, and ironing device provided with such a feeding device A feeding device for introducing a piece of linen to be ironed into an ironing unit by means of suction, the feeding device being provided with a suction shaft into which the piece of linen can be sucked and a top suction portion which is provided for sucking the piece of linen into the suction shaft, where the feeding device includes a blocking clamp which is provided to secure the item of linen in a clamping position, and which is arranged in the feeding device in such a way that there is located after the clamping of the item of linen a portion of this item of linen above this blocking clamp that can be sucked by the top suction portion into the suction shaft. An ironing device includes an ironing unit for ironing of linen and a feeding unit for feeding the linen to be ironed into the ironing unit.
US08438761B2	Method in the operation of spreader clamps A method for operating two spreader clamps for receiving and holding in pairs pieces of cloth and for spreading out the pieces of cloth before they are delivered to a conveyor, that includes selecting whether the two spreader clamps first spread a piece of cloth about one of two outer centerlines of the conveyor for small-sized pieces of cloth or about a first centerline for large-sized pieces of cloth, feeding a piece of cloth to the spreader clamps, moving the two spreader clamps so as to be situated in relation to the centerline selected, initiating movement of the spreader clamps to either side of the centerline selected to spread the piece of cloth and ascertaining during the spreading about the centerline selected if the piece of cloth is a large-sized piece or a small-sized piece, wherein if an outer centerline is selected and it is ascertained that a piece is a large-sized piece of cloth, moving the two spreader clamps so that the piece of cloth is spread about the first centerline and if the first centerline is selected and it is ascertained that the piece of cloth is a small-sized piece of cloth, moving the two spreader clamps so that the piece of cloth is spread about one of the outer centerlines.
US08438758B2	Interchangeable footwear restraint system An interchangeable footwear restraint system comprising: a sole having a top surface and a continuous bottom surface; at least one female slot clip receptacle extending into the sole, wherein the female slot clip receptacle is exposed from the top surface; and at least one male slot clip extension, wherein the male slot clip is attached to a first end of at least one strap and is received into the female slot clip connecting the strap to the sole.
US08438757B2	Human locomotion assisting shoe Embodiments of footwear, in particular, a shoe, sandal or boot, may reduce the effort and improve the performance of walking, running, hiking, marching, and various other gaits as well as jumping, hopping, and other motion involving the ankle and lower leg and Achilles tendon, through integration of force-carrying mechanisms within footwear that manage the forces and energy associated with such motion by productively harvesting and storing energy during dorsiflexion motion and releasing and returning energy during plantar flexion. One structural element of such footwear may comprise a top collar yoke having anterior and posterior gussets forming a channel and a shoe comprising a rotation zone supporting the channel and an elastomeric zone forming a tension spring via an elastomeric overlay or otherwise providing a spring-like member approximately parallel to and to assist the Achilles tendon during locomotion.
US08438754B2	Apparatus and method for improving the detachment of paper from the drying cylinder of a paper machine The object of the invention is an apparatus and a method for improving the detachment of paper (1) from the cylinder of a paper machine in a drying section implemented with a single wire transfer, which drying section comprises means for heating the paper on the drying cylinder (3) and for transporting it onwards on the wire (2) via a hitch roll (8) to the next drying cylinder such that the paper together with the wire in the section between the cylinders is sucked against the wire by means of low pressure. What is essential to the invention is that in order to improve the detachment of the paper (1) an apparatus is installed on the opposite side of the drying wire (2) at the detachment point (7), which apparatus comprises a nozzle (14), with which an air jet (11) is blown against the direction of travel (15) of the drying wire, and a carrying surface (9) such that the air jet (11) ejects secondary air (17) along with it causing an air flow (18) between the planar carrying surface (9) and the drying wire (2).
US08438753B2	System, method and apparatus for drying a shower An application for a shower drying system that directs air downwardly onto the walls, surfaces and/or shower curtain of a shower enclosure. In one embodiment, the air is heated. The movement of the air in the downward direction helps urge droplets of water on the shower surface towards a drain at the lower level of the shower enclosure. Remaining water on the surfaces is evaporated into water vapor that is exhausted from above the shower enclosure, thereby reducing mold and mildew.
US08438747B2	Articulating measuring arm with laser scanner A coordinate measurement device comprises an articulated arm having a first end, a second end, and a plurality of jointed arm segments therebetween. Each arm segment defines at least one axis of rotation. A laser scanner assembly is coupled to the second end of the arm and is rotatable about a last axis of rotation of the articulated arm. The laser scanner assembly comprises a laser and an image sensor. The laser is positioned on an opposite side of the last axis of rotation from the image sensor.
US08438745B2	Pass/fail tape measure calibrator A tape measure calibrator includes a base with a slot with a pull reference surface and a push reference surface, the slot being configured to receive an end hook of a tape measure. The base also includes a pull calibration band on the base with a centerline of the pull calibration band indicating a first distance from the pull reference surface. The base also includes a push calibration band on the base, a centerline of the push calibration band indicating a second distance from the push reference surface, n which the first distance and the second distance are substantially equal.
US08438742B2	Physical template for deploying an earth-based sensor network A physical template for deploying an earth-based sensor network. The physical template includes a physical mesh. The physical mesh is configurable as a surface-covering structure that includes a plurality of nodes. A node of the plurality of nodes is to position a sensor for deployment of the sensor within a specified distance of a location on a surface of the Earth. A sensor-network-deployment system including the physical template for deploying an earth-based sensor network, and a method for deploying an earth-based sensor network utilizing the physical template are also provided.
US08438741B2	Lock for power tool A power tool including a sliding member slidably received in the power tool and a pair of lock plates, each of the pair of lock plates including an opening, and the lock plates being configured such that the sliding member slides within the opening. First ends of each of the lock plates are pivotably attached to a support at a first side of the sliding member, and second ends of each of the lock plates being biased toward one another at an opposite side of the sliding member. A first contact portion of the lock plate contacts a first surface of the sliding member at the first side of the sliding member, and a second contact portion of the lock plate contacts a second surface of the sliding member at the opposite side of the sliding member, wherein the sliding member is secured with respect to the support.
US08438740B2	Bevel adjustment for a circular saw A circular saw includes a base plate, a saw blade assembly pivotably mounted to the base plate, and a bevel adjustment assembly operable to adjust the bevel angle of the saw blade assembly by rotation of an axle supported on the base plate. A release mechanism includes two torsion springs each having a coil portion wound around the axle, an anchor leg held in a substantially fixed position relative to the axle and a release leg arranged to move relative to the axle. A manually operable release element is configured to substantially simultaneously move the release leg of each of the torsion springs in a direction to unwind the coil portion of each spring from about the axle.
US08438733B2	Method of manufacturing coil spring using helicoid reduction mill A method of manufacturing a coil spring using a helicoid reduction mill includes supplying a coil spring material linearly unrolled by a prestraightener to a surface treatment machine and then short-blasting or scarfing its outer surface to surface-treat the coil spring material; primarily heating the surface-treated coil spring material to a predetermined temperature using a first heater; sequentially supplying and pressurizing the primarily-heated coil spring material in a stepwise fashion such that the coil spring material has the same diameter as that of a coil spring to be manufactured; measuring the diameter and the length of the coil spring material and then cutting the coil spring material to a desired size; secondarily heating the cut coil spring material to a predetermined temperature using a second heater; forming the secondarily heated coil spring material into a coil spring using a coiling machine; and oil-quenching and then tempering the formed coil spring.
US08438729B2	Method of producing liquid discharge head A method can produce a liquid discharge head including a liquid discharge energy generating element, a liquid discharge port, a liquid flow path, an electric circuit for driving the liquid discharge energy generating element, a first electrode pad for exchanging electrical signals with the exterior and a second electrode pad for testing the electric circuit. The method includes preparing a substrate provided with a conductive layer for forming the first electrode pad and the second electrode pad, forming a protective layer directly on the second electrode pad, after forming the protective layer, forming a metal layer by an electro less plating method on the conductive layer, removing the protective layer after the metal layer is formed, and providing a layer comprised of a resin on the second electrode pad after the protective layer is removed.
US08438722B2	Apparatus and method for detecting component attachment An apparatus for detecting component attachment of the present invention includes a detection head for detecting presence or absence of a component or whether or not a component is attached, and a driving mechanism for driving the detection head in an attachment direction of the component. The detection head includes a movable element having a distal end portion capable of being brought into contact with a predetermined portion of the component, a guide passage for guiding the movable element in the attachment direction so as to be capable of reciprocal motion, a fluid passage for passing a fluid when the distal end portion is brought into contact with the predetermined portion and pushed and the movable element is moved to a predetermined position, and a detection portion for detecting a pressure or a flow rate of the fluid flowing through the fluid passage.
US08438714B2	Joining or fastening components containing a shape memory polymer A releasable connection connects a first component to a second component. The second component includes and is manufactured from a Shape Memory Polymer (SMP), and defines a pocket. The first component includes a portion disposed within the pocket. The pocket is deformed from an initial shape permitting insertion of the portion into the pocket to assembly the releasable connection into a connected shape wherein the pocket is deformed to secure the first component relative to the second component. The pocket is transformed from the initial shape into the connected shape by heating the SMP material of the second component to a switching temperature. Re-heating the SMP second component to the switching temperature returns the pocket back to the initial shape from the connected shape to disassembly the releasable connection.
US08438710B2	Method of manufacturing a structure with an integrated circuit and a silicon condenser microphone mounted on a single substrate A structure with an integrated circuit (IC) and a silicon condenser microphone mounted thereon includes a substrate having a first area and a second area. The IC is fabricated on the first area in order to form a conducting layer and an insulation layer. Both the conducting layer and the insulation layer further extend to the second area. The insulation layer is removed under low temperature in order to expose the conducting layer on which the silicon condenser microphone is fabricated. The silicon condenser microphone includes a first film layer, a connecting layer and a second film layer under a condition that the connecting layer connects the first and the second film layers. The first film layer and the second film layer act as two electrodes of a variable capacitance.
US08438709B2	Method of fabricating a piezoelectric vibrator A method for fabricating a piezoelectric vibrator includes inserting a filling member formed with a through hole inside of a ring having a substantially cylindrical shape, and inserting one piece of a lead to the through hole of the filling member to project from both sides of the ring. The method further includes sintering the filling member along with the ring and the lead to integrate in an airtight manner, subjecting an exciting electrode of the piezoelectric vibrating piece to a bump connection with an inner lead portion of the lead projected from the ring, subjecting another exciting electrode on a side of the piezoelectric vibrating piece opposed to the other exciting electrode to wire bonding with the ring, and press-fitting the ring to an opening portion of a case and sealing the piezoelectric vibrating piece connected with the inner lead portion inside of the case in an airtight manner.
US08438704B2	Fiber air-laying process for fibrous structures suitable for use in absorbent articles The present invention refers to a process of making a fibrous structure, wherein roughly graded material is provided to rotating, apertured drums. The drums have at least one needle roll in their inside. The roughly graded material is agitated inside the drums, whereby fibers or small fiber clusters are separated from each other. These fibers and small fiber clusters are flung through the apertures to the outside of the drum, where they are directed onto a foraminous carrier to form a fibrous structure. The fibrous structures are especially useful in absorbent articles.
US08438703B2	Positionable hinge A positionable hinge includes a first section and a second section. The first section includes a first leaf and a first hinge barrel secured thereto. The first hinge barrel has a first barrel surface. The second section also includes a second leaf and a second hinge barrel secured thereto. Each of the first and second barrel have barrel surfaces at an interface. These barrel surfaces are opposed textured mating surfaces that allow the hinge to be held in place in any desired position.
US08438702B2	Flexible hinge for electronic devices In accordance with an example embodiment of the present invention, an apparatus comprises a flexible hinge comprising first and second layers; the first layer comprising an elastomer and the second layer comprising a composite fabric.
US08438698B2	Robot cleaner with improved dust collector A robot cleaner including a suction hole to suction dust, a blower to generate a suction force to suction the dust, a dust collector to receive the dust suctioned by said suction force through the suction hole, and a rotating brush to sweep up and collect the dust into the dust collector through the suction hole by a drive force of the rotating brush. The dust collector includes a backflow preventing member movable between an open position and a closed position. The backflow preventing member is pivotably rotatable in an air suction direction by the suction force of the blower to the open position and is adapted to return to the closed position to prevent the dust in the dust collector from being discharged through the suction hole upon stoppage of the blower.
US08438696B2	Surface cleaner including a cleaning pad A steam surface cleaner operable to clean a surface, and the steam surface cleaner includes a supply tank configured to retain a cleaning fluid, a base including a dispensing nozzle in fluid communication with the supply tank to dispense the cleaning fluid from the supply tank and onto the surface, a handle configured to move the base along the surface, a heater operable to heat the cleaning fluid to generate steam such that the cleaning fluid dispensed from the dispensing nozzle includes steam, and a cleaning pad coupled to the base for movement with the base and such that the cleaning pad is configured to directly contact the surface. The cleaning pad includes an aperture that allows the cleaning fluid to flow from the dispensing nozzle, through the aperture, and onto the surface.
US08438694B2	Cleaning apparatus A cleaning apparatus including a main body, a dust collection unit detachably installed on the main body and provided with a plurality of inlets, through which foreign substances are introduced into the dust collection unit, and a connection hole, to which an external instrument is connected, a shutter to open and close one inlet, and a cap to open and close the connection hole. The shutter opens and closes the inlet in cooperation with one of whether or not the dust collection unit is attached to or detached from the main body and whether or not the connection hole is opened or closed.
US08438688B2	Ice scraper A hand held scraper tool adapted to remove debris from a surface. The scrapper tool includes a body, handle and a plurality of abraders. In one embodiment, the abraders may be configured as a highly flexible cantilevered structure. In another embodiment, the abraders may be configured as a brush that creates a water impermeable barrier.
US08438682B2	Shear reducing mattress cover A mattress cover is disclosed for redirecting shear on a patient's skin away from the areas of the body relatively more likely to develop decubitus ulcers. The mattress cover includes an upper portion designed to cover the topside of a mattress, and at least one shear transfer zone attached to an underside of the upper portion of the mattress cover. The shear transfer zone(s) may be made of a low shear material so as to create a low friction interface between the mattress and the mattress cover to reduce shear forces exerted by the mattress. Additionally, the shear transfer zone(s) may be arranged such that a large portion of the shear forces exerted by the mattress can be redirected to areas of the body that are relatively less likely to develop decubitus ulcers.
US08438681B2	Furniture device adapted to receive the weight of a being A furniture device comprising a section, having a fundament, a plate member, a first set of elastic members, an array of connections, a plurality of connection members attached to the first set of elastic members and to the fundament and a deformation member adapted to displace the plate member. Each elastic member comprises an elastic element having a first spring constant and a flexible envelope that encloses the elastic element. The connections located between the upper and lower ends of the elastic members forming an upper part with an upper length extending between the upper ends of the elastic members and the connections, and a lower part extending between the connections and the lower ends of the elastic members. The upper length is mainly unaffected by the displacement of the plate member and the lower length is adjustable by means of the displacement of the plate member.
US08438677B2	Caster arrangement for a bariatric lift device A patient lift includes a base and a mast extending from the base. The patient lift also includes a first elongated leg having a first longitudinal axis extending from the base. A first caster assembly is mounted for pivotal movement relative to the first elongated leg about a first carriage axis. The first caster assembly includes a first caster truck and a plurality of first assembly casters mounted to the first caster truck. The patient lift also includes a second elongated leg having a second longitudinal axis extending from the base. A second caster assembly is mounted for pivotal movement relative to the second elongated leg about a second carriage axis. The second caster assembly includes a second caster truck and a plurality of second assembly casters mounted to the second caster truck.
US08438667B2	Apparel incorporating a protective element An article of apparel may include may include a garment portion and at least one protective element. The garment portion and the protective element have a configuration that forms a gap, separation, or pleat structure through, for example, folding or overlapping of a textile element of the garment portion. The gap, separation, or pleat structure may permit the protective element to move independent of other portions of the apparel at the joint, thereby enhancing a range of movement of the individual and the overall comfort of the apparel.
US08443461B2	Interatomic force measurements using passively drift compensated non-contact in situ calibrated atomic force microscopy—quantifying chemical bond forces between electronic orbitals by direct force measurements at subatomic lateral resolution Interatomic forces are measured with subatomic lateral resolution by in situ calibrated non-contact and passively thermal drift compensated atomic force microscopy in aqueous or generally liquidous environment; interatomic forces acting between distinct electronic orbitals of front-most tip atom and opposing sample atom can be quantitatively measured with subatomic lateral resolution. Calibration standard is a CaCO3-crystal, which undergoes a well defined pressure induced phase transition from the calcite to the aragonite crystal lattice structure providing an accurate independent force anchor point for the AFM's force versus distance curve. Furthermore, an independent actual tip-sample-distance d calibration is obtained by directly observing oscillatory (steric) solvation forces originating simply from packing effects of the liquid particles at very small tip-sample separations d.Key to achieving this extreme sensitivity is operating the AFM in the simple variable deflection mode in the non-contact regime while specific mechanical instrumental design minimizes thermal drifts.
US08443459B2	Fast-scanning SPM scanner and method of operating same A high-bandwidth SPM tip scanner includes an objective that is vertically movable within the scan head to increase the depth of focus for the sensing light beam. Movable optics also are preferably provided to permit targeting of the sensing light beam on the SPM's probe and to permit the sensing light beam to track the probe during scanning. The targeting and tracking permit the impingement of a small sensing light beam spot on the probe under direct visual inspection of focused illumination beam of an optical microscope integrated into the SPM and, as a result, permits the use of a relatively small cantilever with a commensurately small resonant frequency. Images can be scanned on large samples having a largest dimension exceeding 7 mm with a resolution of less than 1 Angstrom and while scanning at rates exceeding 30 Hz.
US08443447B1	Apparatus and method for detecting malware-infected electronic mail One embodiment relates to a computer-implemented method for detecting malware-infected electronic mail messages. A server computer monitors an email account which is associated with a unique email address for receipt of an email message, the unique email address being associated with a unique contact in an address book on a client computer. The server computer determines that an email message addressed to the unique email address has been received and performs automated analysis to confirm that the email message contains malware. Other embodiments, aspects and features are also disclosed.
US08443444B2	Mitigating low-rate denial-of-service attacks in packet-switched networks A method includes determining, at a network routing device, an average packet drop rate for a plurality of aggregations of packet flows. The method also determines a threshold packet drop rate based on the average packet drop rate, a current packet drop rate for a select aggregation of the plurality of aggregations, and whether at least one packet flow of the select aggregation is potentially subject to a denial-of-service attack based on a comparison of the current packet drop rate to the threshold packet drop rate.
US08443442B2	Signature-free buffer overflow attack blocker A real-time, signature-free, blocker prevents buffer overflow attacks. The system and method, called SigFree, can filter out code injection buffer overflow attack packets targeting at various Internet services such as web services. Motivated by the observation that buffer overflow attacks typically contain executables whereas legitimate client requests never contain executables in most Internet services, SigFree blocks attacks by checking, without any preknowledge of the real attacks, if “executable” instruction sequences can be blindly disassembled and extracted from a packet. Being signature-free, the invention can block new and unknown buffer overflow attacks. It is immunized from almost every attack-side code obfuscation method, and transparent to the servers being protected. The approach is therefore suited to economical Internet-wide deployment with very low deployment and maintenance costs. SigFree can also handle encrypted SSL packets. An experimental study shows that SigFree can block all types of code-injection attack packets without yielding any false positives or false negatives. Moreover, SigFree causes negligible throughput degradation to normal client requests.
US08443439B2	Method and system for mobile network security, related network and computer program product A honeypot system for protecting a mobile communication network against malware includes one or more user-less mobile devices including a monitoring module for monitoring the events conveying software applications in the associated mobile device as well as a controller client module that emulates human-like interaction with the user-less devices as a function of the events monitored. The system controllably performs, for the applications conveyed by the events monitored, one or more of the following steps: i) installing the application on the device; ii) executing the application installed on the device; and iii) de-installing the application from the device. After any of these steps, the state of the device is checked in order to detect if any anomalous variation has occurred in the state of the device indicative of the device being exposed to the risk of malware. If any anomalous variation is detected, the system issues a malware alert message.
US08443438B1	Method and system for deployment of agents Systems and methods for deploying agents for a management system across IT infrastructure in an automated fashion are disclosed herein. Embodiments of the present invention allow agents to be substantially automatically deployed or configured in conjunction with previously unknown or newly added application components. More specifically, embodiments of the present invention may track traffic associated with application components to identify unknown application components. Agents may then be deployed to monitor these newly identified application components.
US08443432B2	Method for calibrating a temperature float of a one time password token and a one time password token thereof A method for calibrating a temperature float of a one time password token and a device thereof are provided in the invention relating to the information security field. The method includes steps: the one time password token measures a current ambient temperature at intervals of a first predetermined time, retrieves a data table for a characteristic value relating to the measured temperature, and calibrates a current time value inside the token according to the characteristic value at intervals of a second predetermined time. The one time password token includes a timer module, a measuring module, a retrieving module, a table storing module, a calibrating module, a triggering module, a generating module and a displaying module. The invention calibrates time differentiation of the one time password token caused by the temperature float.
US08443430B2	Remote registration for enterprise applications A partner registration module can provide for an automatic registration of partners to a central server. An entire partner registration process can be automated from end to end, providing a unified process for registering partners. The partner registration module can be fully compatible with current registration agents and next generation registration agents.
US08443429B1	Integrated sign on A method of integrated signon is provided comprising receiving a login request to begin a desktop session, the login request comprising a first user identification and a first user password. The method comprises authenticating the first user identification and the first user password using data stored in a first authentication domain. The method comprises starting the desktop session and receiving a request from the desktop session to access an application associated with a second authentication domain. The method comprises retrieving authorization data associated with the second authentication domain from the first authentication domain based on the first user identification and the user password. The method comprises sending the request to access the application associated with the second authentication domain with the authorization data to the application associated with the second authentication domain. The method comprises the application associated with the second authentication domain authorizing the requested access.
US08443426B2	Method and system for preventing impersonation of a computer system user A system and method for preventing an administrator impersonating a user from accessing sensitive resources on a target system is provided. The method comprises receiving a first request from a user to change the user's password on a target system to be changed, sending a “change password” request for the user to the target system, storing the user's new password, receiving a second request from the target system on behalf of the user for access to a sensitive resource, wherein the second request contains information about the user's password, and denying the second request if the information about the user's password is not consistent with the user's stored new password.
US08443417B2	Node authentication and node operation methods within service and access networks in NGN environment Provided are node authentication and node operation methods within service and access networks for bundle authentication between the service and access networks in a next generation network (NGN). A method of authentication processing of a node (S-CSC-FE/I-CSC-FE (Serving Call Session Control Functional Entity/Interrogating Call Session Control Functional Entity)) within a service network for bundle authentication between service and access networks, the method including: receiving first authentication information about access authentication of a terminal from a first node within the service networks; requesting to receive second authentication information from a second node within the service network based on the first authentication information; and comparing the first authentication information with the second authentication information to authenticate the terminal.
US08443416B2	Techniques for secure channel messaging Techniques for secure channel messaging are provided. Resources communicate with one another over temporary and secure communication channels. The channels come in and out of existence or switch between different channels using a variety of information and based on dynamic policy evaluation. In some situations, the channels are randomly generated using a variety of the information. Authorized resources are informed of the channels to use and when to use them for purposes of delivering and receiving messages to communicate.
US08443414B2	Information processing apparatus and method for controlling a TV receiver According to one embodiment, there is provided an information processing apparatus connectable to a TV receiver via a digital image interface, including: a display device; a plurality of image output terminals including a digital image output terminal associated with the digital image interface; an image output selection section configured to select an image output terminal for output to the TV receiver from the plurality of image output terminals; and an image output section configured to output image data of an image being displayed on the display device and control data for control of the TV receiver to the TV receiver through the selected digital image output terminal, the image output section configured to generate the control data based on an operation state of the information processing apparatus.
US08443413B2	Low-latency multichannel video port aggregator A video port aggregator receives plural asynchronous video data streams. Corresponding input buffers generate video data and a status signal. A memory controller writes the video data in corresponding locations within an external memory. A channel triggers the memory controller to read data out of the external memory for transmission to a single video output port when said corresponding status signal indicates receipt of a predetermined portion of data. This read out of the external memory being faster than the writing. The channel sequencer triggers the memory controller to read data out of the external memory video data of a highest priority asynchronous video data stream having a received next portion of data.
US08443411B2	System and method to distribute video-on-demand content Method, system and computer-readable medium to distribute VOD content are disclosed. A method of displaying video content includes accessing an association table for video-on-demand (VOD) content. The association table includes a first segment entry associated with a first video segment of a first length and a second segment entry associated with a second video segment of a second length that is longer than the first length. The first segment entry includes a first multicast group ID and the second segment entry includes a second multicast group ID. The method further includes receiving the first video segment via the first multicast group ID, displaying the received first video segment, and receiving the second video segment via the second multicast group ID within a period of time of displaying the first video segment.
US08443404B2	Session life-cycle quality-of-experience orchestration for VOD flows in wireless broadband networks A network system includes a connectivity services network (CSN), a plurality of access service network gateways, a plurality of base stations, an orchestration device, executing a lifecycle quality-of-experience model for video-on-demand flows, receiving content from the CSN, and a plurality of subscriber stations in communication with the orchestration device through a base station and/or gateway, wherein the orchestration device continuously tracks past service and usage for each of the subscriber stations and predicts future channel conditions and load to determine, periodically or when triggered by critical events, many-to-one assignments from subscriber stations to base stations and allocation of base station resources to subscriber stations assigned to it.
US08443399B2	Digital broadcast receiver and digital broadcast transmitter A digital broadcast transmitter includes a first de-multiplexing unit for separating video/audio data and real-time broadcast program information from a transport stream when a digital broadcast signal carries the transport stream; a first storage unit for storing the real-time broadcast program information; a second de-multiplexing unit for separating video/audio data and download broadcast content information from a download broadcast signal when the digital broadcast signal carries the download broadcast signal; a second storage unit for storing the download broadcast content information; a program guide generating unit for converting the download broadcast content information stored in the second storage unit into the real-time broadcast program information, forming electronic program guide display data together with the real-time broadcast program information stored in the first storage unit, and outputting the formed data.
US08443394B2	Differentiated PSIP table update interval technology An apparatus, method and data structure for generating at least one table in a broadcast environment, are provided. The apparatus includes a generator to generate an event information table (EIT) and an extended text table (ETT). The ETT has program guide information for an n-hour span and has a transmission interval. The ETT has a transmission interval and program description information according to the EIT. The transmission interval of the EIT is shorter than the transmission interval of the ETT.
US08443391B2	Differentiated PSIP table update interval technology An apparatus, method and data structure for generating at least one table in a broadcast environment, are provided. The apparatus includes a generator to generate an event information table (EIT) and an extended text table (ETT). The ETT has program guide information for an n-hour span and has a transmission interval. The ETT has a transmission interval and program description information according to the EIT. The transmission interval of the EIT is shorter than the transmission interval of the ETT.
US08443389B2	Intelligent system and methods of recommending media content items based on user preferences A system and method for making program recommendations to users of a network-based video recording system utilizes expressed preferences as inputs to collaborative filtering and Bayesian predictive algorithms to rate television programs using a graphical rating system. The predictive algorithms are adaptive, improving in accuracy as more programs are rated.
US08443388B2	Device for receiving broadcasting program and method for displaying favorite channel A device for receiving a broadcasting program and a method for displaying a favorite channel may be disclosed. A method for displaying a favorite channel in a device for receiving a broadcasting program includes presetting a favorite program viewing standard time; identifying whether a key signal is inputted by a user, displaying a broadcasting program received from a selected channel; detecting a viewing time of the program based on the inputted key signal; comparing the detected program viewing time with the preset viewing standard time; and registering the broadcasting program with a favorite program list based on the result of the comparison.
US08443377B2	Parallel processing system running an OS for single processors and method thereof On a parallel processing system by an OS for single processors which operates, on a multiprocessor, an OS for single processors and an existing application to realize parallel processing by the multiprocessor with respect to the application, each processor includes a communication proxy unit which transfers data between tasks spreading over the processors by proxy and the communication proxy unit on a processor in which a task on a transmission side operates holds information about an address, on a processor, of a task on a reception side to receive data transferred from the task on the transmission side as proxy for the task on the reception side.
US08443373B2	Efficient utilization of idle resources in a resource manager Embodiments are directed to dynamically allocating processing resources among a plurality of resource schedulers. A resource manager dynamically allocates resources to a first resource scheduler. The resource manager is configured to dynamically allocate resources among a plurality of resource schedulers, and each scheduler is configured to manage various processing resources. The resource manager determines that at least one of the processing resources dynamically allocated to the first resource scheduler is idle. The resource manager determines that at least one other resource scheduler needs additional processing resources and, based on the determination, loans the determined idle processing resource of the first resource scheduler to a second resource scheduler.
US08443372B2	Methods and systems for partitioning data in parallel processing systems Techniques are disclosed for processing requests in a data processing system. While the principles of the invention are not limited to a particular domain, they are particularly suitable for use in an electronic trading system. By way of example of one aspect of the invention, a method for directing requests to at least one node in a system comprising multiple nodes and a plurality of requests comprises associating a number to each request, assigning at least one number to each node so as to balance a load across the nodes, and sending a request to a node based on the number associated to the request. Various other aspects are disclosed.
US08443368B2	User controlled reconfiguring and saving of a task context comprising a configuration of a set of tools used by the user The present invention pertains to the field of onboard flight management systems embedded in aircraft. The invention relates to a reconfiguration device (1) for reconfiguring a task processing context.The reconfiguration device (1) according to the invention notably comprises: a module for managing the tasks to be carried out (2), performing a sorting of the tasks according to a priority criterion; a module for managing a current task (3), managing the state of progress of the current task; a module for managing a context (4), saving contexts relating to the current task, to a highest priority task and restoring one of the contexts saved on order of an operator. The present invention notably finds its application in the management of tasks for piloting an aircraft, for example the management of tasks originating from a system for managing alerts and procedures.
US08443363B1	Coordinated virtualization activities A computer includes a plurality of activity modules in multiple virtual machines. An activity module performs an activity, such as malware detection, in a virtual machine. A monitoring module receives virtualized infrastructure information of the computer comprising a hardware configuration of the computer and a virtual machine configuration of the computer. A scheduling module determines, based on the virtualized infrastructure information, scheduling instructions for an activity module. A supervisor communication module causes the activity module to execute based on the scheduling instructions. The scheduling instructions minimize hardware resource conflicts between the activity module and the other activity modules of the computer.
US08443361B2	Systems and methods for tracking a history of changes associated with software packages in a computing system In order to track actions performed by a package manager, a computing system can be configured to include a tagging tool. The tagging tool can be configured to cooperate with the package manager in order to determine and generate a history of the actions performed by the package manager. The history can include a description of the actions, the reasons why the actions were performed, and a list and description of the software programs, files, and software libraries that are affected by the actions.
US08443360B2	Dynamic file system restriction for portable storage devices A method of installing an application on a portable storage device is disclosed. The method includes receiving file system commands issued by an installer application and selectively intercepting and modifying at least one file system command before the at least one file system command is executed with respect to a destination file system. The method restricts access to a first file system located at a fixed storage memory device and directs access to a second file system located on the portable storage device.
US08443359B2	Method and system for providing a filter for a router A method and system for providing a standardized set of filters for a router. A set of pre-written filters are provided in a file, and a program is run on a computer to identify one of these pre-written filters as a substitute for a filter that was specifically written for the router. The standardized filter file is then loaded onto the router and the identified substitute filters are used instead of the filter that has been specifically written for the router. Preferably, the computer program is used to identify which one of the pre-written filters of the pre-written filter files most closely matches, according to a predefined test, the filter file written specifically for the router.
US08443358B1	Hot pluggable virtual machine An exemplary method for a hot pluggable virtual machine comprises authenticating a user within an active host environment on a host device, executing a virtual machine driver, configuring a guest environment, and activating the guest environment for the virtual machine on the host device.
US08443357B2	Patching of multi-level data containers storing portions of pre-installed software A computing system provided according to an aspect of the present invention includes a developer system which sends a set of patches along with metadata in a package. The metadata may include hierarchical paths, with each path indicating a corresponding target (file or archive) which is to be replaced to apply the corresponding patch. A patch tool receives the package and applies the patches using the metadata. According to another aspect of the present invention, a patch tool forms a tree structure based on the hierarchical paths in the metadata. In an embodiment, the tree structure is traversed each time to perform a corresponding patching operation (e.g., backup, and replace). According to yet another aspect of the present invention, only the required archives are unarchived while applying the patches. In an embodiment, the patch tool determines the required archives based on the information in the received metadata.
US08443356B2	Image forming apparatus An image forming apparatus connected to a plurality of accessory device includes a storage unit configured to store a plurality of control programs to be updated corresponding to each of the plurality of accessory devices, and a control unit configured to send a control program whose update time is the longest among the plurality of control programs to be updated which are stored in the storage unit, to the accessory device in priority to other control programs.
US08443354B1	Detecting new or modified portions of code Detecting new or modified portions of executable code is disclosed. An indication is received that a prior version of an executable file has been replaced by a new version. A security response is provided if a process associated with the executable file attempts to perform a restricted action and a new or changed portion of code comprising the new version has executed. If no new or changed portion of code has executed, the restricted action is allowed to an extent determined previously for the prior version of the executable file.
US08443353B2	Apparatus, method, and system for providing a decision mechanism for conditional commits in an atomic region An apparatus and method is described herein for conditionally committing and/or speculative checkpointing transactions, which potentially results in dynamic resizing of transactions. During dynamic optimization of binary code, transactions are inserted to provide memory ordering safeguards, which enables a dynamic optimizer to more aggressively optimize code. And the conditional commit enables efficient execution of the dynamic optimization code, while attempting to prevent transactions from running out of hardware resources. While the speculative checkpoints enable quick and efficient recovery upon abort of a transaction. Processor hardware is adapted to support dynamic resizing of the transactions, such as including decoders that recognize a conditional commit instruction, a speculative checkpoint instruction, or both. And processor hardware is further adapted to perform operations to support conditional commit or speculative checkpointing in response to decoding such instructions.
US08443349B2	Systems and methods for determining compute kernels for an application in a parallel-processing computer system A runtime system implemented in accordance with the present invention provides an application platform for parallel-processing computer systems. Such a runtime system enables users to leverage the computational power of parallel-processing computer systems to accelerate/optimize numeric and array-intensive computations in their application programs. This enables greatly increased performance of high-performance computing (HPC) applications.
US08443345B2	Dynamic processing of embedded compiled programming language code Development using the JavaScript programming language can be limited since JavaScript code is interpreted. Compiling code at a client may interfere with the dynamicity and portability of web pages. Dynamicity and portability of web pages can be preserved while providing the features of a compiled programming language. A compiled programming language code can be embedded within an interpreted programming language code. The embedded compiled programming language code can be extracted and compiled with resources of a server to deliver the robustness and flexibility of the compiled programming language without burdening a client with compiling.
US08443340B2	Execution capture and replay based debugging A debugging tool is provided that is capable of recording code paths taken during a program's execution, and along the way capture the memory state at configurable points in time such as function exits or statements. The tool also records interactions with external systems like a database, and captures which statements resulted in interactions with these systems. An analysis of the output of the debugging tool enables a developer to understand which part of the code executed; what the value of relevant variables were at configurable points in time; and which code statements correlate to which interactions with external systems.
US08443312B2	Method and apparatus for enhancing signal strength for improved generation and placement of model-based sub-resolution assist features (MB-SRAF) Model-Based Sub-Resolution Assist Feature (SRAF) generation process and apparatus are disclosed, in which an SRAF guidance map (SGM) is iteratively optimized to finally output an optimized set of SRAFs as a result of enhanced signal strength obtained by iterations involving SRAF polygons and SGM image. SRAFs generated in a prior round of iteration are incorporated in a mask layout to generate a subsequent set of SRAFs. The iterative process is terminated when a set of SRAF accommodates a desired process window or when a predefined process window criterion is satisfied. Various cost functions, representing various lithographic responses, may be predefined for the optimization process.
US08443310B2	Pattern correcting method, mask forming method, and method of manufacturing semiconductor device A pattern correcting method of an embodiment computes a distribution of pattern coverages on a design layout of a circuit pattern in the vicinity of a position that becomes an error pattern in a case where an on-substrate pattern is formed. Then, an area on the design layout in which a difference in the distribution of the pattern coverages becomes small by adding an addition pattern is set as an addition area. Next, addition pattern candidates to be added to the addition area are generated, an addition pattern to be added to the design layout is selected from the candidates on the basis of a predetermined selection criterion, and the addition pattern is added to the addition area.
US08443308B2	EUV lithography flare calculation and compensation Extreme ultraviolet (EUV) lithography flare calculation and compensation is disclosed herein. A method of calculating flare for a mask for use in EUV lithography includes decomposing the flare power spectrum density (PSD) into a low frequency component and a high frequency component. Further, the method includes receiving a plurality of layouts in a flare map generator. Each of the plurality of layouts corresponds to a chip pattern location on the mask. Moreover, the method includes generating, using the flare map generator, a low frequency flare map for the mask from the low frequency component by using fast Fourier transform (FFT).
US08443306B1	Planar compatible FDSOI design architecture A multi-operation mode application specific integrated circuit (ASIC) implemented in fully-depleted silicon-on-insulator (FDSOI) includes an ASIC implemented in FDSOI having a plurality of operating modes, plurality of power rails, and a power supply that provides voltages for the first and second rails corresponding to the plurality of operating modes. The power rails include at least one VDD rail, at least one Vss rail, a first rail for biasing a NGP region of PMOS transistor devices in the ASIC, and a second rail for biasing a PGP region of NMOS transistor devices in the ASIC.
US08443304B2	Conditional modification of browser content Embodiments of the invention provide a browser configured to conditional display content to ensure a safe viewing environment. Embodiments of the invention include retrieving content in response to a request from a user, identifying one or more portions of the retrieved content that satisfy predefined citeria, modifying the one or more portions and displaying the modified content to the user.
US08443303B2	Gesture-based navigation A method includes detecting an area of a touch screen that is touched by an instrument and determining a gesture corresponding to the area touched. The method further includes performing a crossover operation when it is determined that the gesture corresponds to a crossover gesture and displaying on the touch screen a content that includes a first child content and a second child content that is associated with the crossover operation, where the crossover operation includes navigating between the first child content to the second child content in response to the crossover gesture. The first child content is accessible via a first parent content and the second child content is accessible via a second parent content, and when navigating between the first child content to the second child content, the first parent content and the second parent content is not displayed.
US08443299B1	Rendering text in a brew device Methods, systems and program products for hiding the presentation of a first input field that would obscure the presentation of a distinct second input field on a display device. User input directed to the second input field is accepted and provided the first input field instead of to the second input field. The contents of the first input field are copied to the second input field. The presentation of the second input field is updated on the display device to include the copied contents.
US08443293B2	Bull's-eye multidimensional data visualization Embodiments are directed to presenting multiple data items with multiple attributes simultaneously. In an embodiment, a computer system accesses a plurality of data items, where each data item includes data item features and data item attributes for each feature. The computer system arranges the accessed data items in a customizable pattern that visually shows each data item's features and associated attributes. The pattern includes slices that designate the data items' features and rings that designate the data items' attributes. The computer system also presents the arranged data items on a circular base that includes multiple slices and rings, so that each data item is displayed in an appropriate slice and ring, according to the data item's corresponding features and attributes.
US08443286B2	Document mapped-object placement upon background change Various embodiments illustrated and described herein provide one or more of systems, methods, and software operable to process multilayered documents including form fields. Some embodiments, are operable to process a new or modified background layer image to identify input fields, to match the identified fields with metadata in foreground layer data defining interactive input fields, and to modify the mappings of the input fields defined within the foreground layer of a page description language document as a function of identified input fields in the modified background layer image.
US08443285B2	Visual presentation composition Methods, systems and/or computer program products that help facilitate visual presentation composition may include, in one aspect, executing one or more processes executing on a computer system to present a user of a computer system with movie templates, each movie template having a corresponding theme and a sequence of shot placeholders, each shot placeholder including graphical indicia representing one or more desirable characteristics specific to that shot placeholder; receiving information from the user including a movie template selection and a selection of one or more video clips corresponding to desirable characteristics indicated by the shot placeholders; and generating a playable media file representing a movie based on the information received from the user.
US08443282B2	Information processing apparatus, information processing method, and information processing program for generating an adaptive layout template which may have a transposition link An information processing apparatus for generating a template in which is arranged a plurality of areas where content data can be inserted, includes a setting unit configured to associate the areas with one another, a determination unit configured to determine based on the content data whether the areas are to be arranged in a vertical direction or in a horizontal direction as an arrangement direction, a layout unit configured to arrange the areas in the arrangement direction determined by the determination unit, an input unit configured to input the content data into the areas arranged by the layout unit, and an output unit configured to output the areas where the content data is inserted by the input unit.
US08443281B2	Constructing a labeled treemap with balanced layout The present invention provides a method and system for constructing a labeled treemap with balanced layout. A range of possible densities of leaf nodes based on designated weights of the leaf nodes and a designated treemap region is determined. A range of possible densities is then searched for a density that could be fitted on and a labeled treemap that could fit on the density. The labeled treemap is presented on a specified display region. By introducing the concept of density into labeled treemap, the present invention ensures the area of region occupied by each leaf node in the constructed labeled treemap is approximately corresponding to the weight of the node, and avoids the case of invisible leaf node in a treemap.
US08443277B2	Digital content enhancement platform A computer-based system provides a user interface for displaying hyperlinked content (such as web content) and for enabling users to navigate the hyperlinks contained within such content. One benefit of various embodiments of the present invention is that they enable primary hyperlinked content to be rendered, and for associated content (i.e., content located at the destinations of hyperlinks within the primary content) to be rendered without replacing, overwriting, or otherwise obscuring the rendering of the primary content. As a result, the rendering of the primary content remains fully visible after the associated content is rendered and while the rendering of the associated content is visible. For example, the associated content may be rendered in an existing display area that does not overlap with the display area containing the rendering of the primary content.
US08443276B2	System and data model for shared viewing and editing of time-based media The present invention provides a system and method for enabling shared viewing and editing of time-based media with improved speed by avoiding manipulation and re-manipulation of a stored underlying video data format through the use of metadata processes and cross-linked multi-level metadata processes and systems for operating with a decision list tracking device.
US08443274B2	Test circuit for testing execution of a handshake protocol and method for testing execution of handshake protocol The present invention relates to a checker circuit for a handshake protocol. The checker circuit detects common errors that occur when two communication unit on execute the handshake protocol. The checker circuit is characterized by a compact circuit design that is associated with reduced susceptibility to circuit errors and a significantly reduced spatial requirement. The invention also relates to a method for checking the execution of the handshake protocol.
US08443264B2	Disk array apparatus, a disk array apparatus control method and a program for a disk array apparatus A disk array apparatus includes a plurality of magnetic disks, and a RAID controller that generates redundancy data for host data received from a host apparatus by a primitive polynomial of Galois extension field, generates a redundancy code for the host data and the redundancy data, the redundancy code is a cyclic code calculated by a generating polynomial identical to the primitive polynomial, and writes the host data and the redundancy data to the plurality of magnetic disks.
US08443263B2	Method and controller for performing a copy-back operation The embodiments described herein provide a method and controller for performing a copy-back command. In one embodiment, a controller receives the data and error correction code associated with a copy-back operation from at least one flash memory device. The controller determines if the error correction code indicates there is an error in the data. If the error correction code does not indicate there is an error in the data, the controller sends a destination address and copy-back program command received from a host to the at least one flash memory device. If the error correction code indicates there is an error in the data, the controller corrects the data and sends the destination address, the corrected data, and a program command to the at least one flash memory device. Additional embodiments relate to modifying data during the copy-back operation.
US08443262B2	Adaptive memory scrub rate In one embodiment an example apparatus includes a memory with an error detection system (EDS) that detects an error event in the memory. The error event involves at least one bit in the memory changing state erroneously. The apparatus also includes a scrub logic to scrub the memory and correct memory errors (e.g., bit errors). The apparatus also includes a scrub rate adaptive logic to selectively control a memory scrub frequency associated with the scrub logic where the control is based, at least in part, on a number of error events detected by the EDS during an interval of time. A memory scrub frequency is the rate that a memory is periodically scrubbed to remove errors.
US08443261B2	Transparent recovery from hardware memory errors A method is provided for recovering from an uncorrected memory error located at a memory address as identified by a memory device. A stored hash value for a memory page corresponding to the identified memory address is used to determine the correct data. Because the memory device specifies the location of the corrupted data, and the size of the window where the corruption occurred, the stored hash can be used to verify memory page reconstruction. With the known good part of the data in hand, the hashes of the pages using possible values in place of the corrupted data are calculated. It is expected that there will be a match between the previously stored hash and one of the computed hashes. As long as there is one and only one match, then that value, used in the place of the corrupted data, is the correct value. The corrupt data, once replaced, allows operation of the memory device to continue without needing to interrupt or otherwise affect a system's operation.
US08443259B2	Apparatus, system, and method for using multi-level cell solid-state storage as single level cell solid-state storage An apparatus, system, and method are disclosed for storing information in a storage device that includes multi-level memory cells. The method involves storing data that is written to the storage device in the LSBs of the multi-level memory cells, and storing audit data in the MSBs of the multi-level memory cells. The audit data can be read separately from the data and used to determine whether or not there has been any unintended drift between states in the multi-level cells. The audit data may be used to correct data when the errors in the data are too numerous to be corrected using error correction code (ECC). The audit data may also be used to monitor the general health of the storage device. The monitoring process may run as a background process on the storage device. The storage device may transition the multi-level memory cells to operate as single-level memory cells.
US08443254B2	Method of generating a parity check matrix for LDPC encoding and decoding A method of encoding input data using a low density parity check (LDPC) code or decoding the encoded data is disclosed. Each index of a model matrix is expanded to an index matrix which includes two or more indexes. Each index included in the index matrix indicates a specific sub-matrix, and can be replaced with a corresponding sub-matrix to generate a parity check matrix.
US08443253B2	Turbo decoding device and communication device A turbo decoding device includes a memory unit that stores data in an interleaving process performed in a process of decoding a coded signal encoded with a turbo code and an access unit that accesses the memory unit to read and write the data. The memory unit includes memory circuits and is formed as one memory space by coupling the memory circuits. Furthermore, the memory circuit functions as a first bank configuration by which a first capacity is assigned to each bank or a second bank configuration by which a second capacity is assigned to each bank in accordance with a combination of the memory circuits. Moreover, the access unit selects by which of the first bank configuration and the second bank configuration the memory unit functions in accordance with a communication method of a coded signal and accesses the memory unit in accordance with the selected bank configuration.
US08443247B2	Methods and systems using window start update for wireless communication HARQ connection Embodiments of the present disclosure allow a HARQ transmitter to provide a receiver an indication of the protocol data units (PDUs) that should not be expected because they are part of a data burst that has been retransmitted a maximum allowable number of times. The indication message may contain a maximum serial number contained in the data burst that has reached the maximum number of retransmissions, or the serial number of a first PDU in the next data burst.
US08443245B2	Test system having a sub-system to sub-system bridge A test system having a sub-system to sub-system bridge may be provided that utilizes the useful attributes of a plurality of circuit testing techniques, while reducing deficiencies associated with certain types of circuit testing. A bridged test system structure is utilized to facilitate circuit testing that is more effective and time efficient. The method analyzes performance data acquired by a first component for one or more circuits, and sends that performance data to a second test component. The second test component provides test signals to the circuits, using the performance date to enhance the use of the test signals, and also provides test response data for the circuits in response to the provided test signals.
US08443243B2	Semiconductor integrated circuit device and method for evaluating an eye-opening margin An eye-opening margin measurement method for a high-speed serial data reception circuit which uses a circuit for eye-opening margin measurement involving operation of a clock data recovery circuit without fixing the clock phase. In this method, an error acceleration test can also be made on received data by giving an offset pulse signal to phase information to add a jitter component. The method uses a semiconductor integrated circuit device which includes a serializer/deserializer circuit (SerDes) for receiving serial data and a reference serializer/deserializer circuit (Ref_SerDes) for receiving an accompanying clock signal. The SerDes circuit converts received serial data into parallel data through a recovery clock whose phase is controlled using phase control signal P_CS generated by the Ref_SerDes circuit. An offset pulse signal Offset_Pulse from the pulse-forming circuit is applied to the phase control signal P_CS to make eye-opening margin measurement.
US08443242B2	Systems and methods for multiple coding rates in flash devices A system and method for encoding information arriving from a host in order to store the coded information in flash memory, the method comprising encoding information arriving from a host for storage at a flash memory location including generating a number of redundancy bytes, the encoding proceeding at an encoding rate which is a function of the number of redundancy bytes generated, the encoding including determining an effective error rate, including an anticipated rate of expected reading errors, for the flash memory location; and selecting the encoding rate as a function of the effective error rate such that the number of redundancy bytes is sufficient to overcome the anticipated rate of expected reading errors with a predetermined degree of certainty.
US08443236B2	Test apparatus for testing an information processing apparatus A test apparatus for testing an information processing apparatus includes a control unit connected to the control signal line through the connector unit to receive command information from the processing unit to execute the program, and a switching unit connected to the control unit to connect the second communication signal line and the fourth communication signal line under the control of the control unit.
US08443235B2	Storage system and known problem information management method Proposed are a highly reliable storage system capable of inhibiting the problematic operation or change of state in the storage system, and a known problem information management method capable of improving the reliability of the storage system. The storage system is provided with a storage apparatus including a storage medium for storing data, and a management apparatus for managing the storage apparatus. The management apparatus includes an apparatus-side known problem information storage unit for storing known problem information as information concerning a problematic operation or a change of state, a maintenance management terminal operation controller for receiving a user's operation or change of state and creating history information according to the operation or change of state, and an apparatus-side known problem information search unit for searching, from the apparatus-side known problem information storage unit, known problem information corresponding to the history information, wherein the maintenance management terminal operation controller inhibits the operation of the searched known problem information.
US08443234B2	Bios refresh device and method using the same A BIOS refresh device includes a first socket, a second socket, and a jumper. The first socket includes a first elastic contact, a first voltage contact, and a first ground contact. The second socket includes a second elastic contact, a second voltage contact, and a second ground contact. The jumper includes a first pin, a second pin, a third pin, and a fourth pin. The first pin is electronically connected with the second elastic contact. The second pin is electronically connected with the first voltage contact or the second voltage contact. The third pin is electronically connected with the first elastic contact. The fourth pin is electronically connected with the second ground contact or the second ground contact.
US08443233B2	Methods and systems for failure isolation and data recovery in a configuration of series-connected semiconductor devices A method of identifying at least one anomalous device in a configuration of series-connected semiconductor devices, comprising: selecting a device in the configuration; sending a command to the selected device, the command for placing the selected device into a recovery mode of operation; attempting to elicit identification data from the selected device while in the recovery mode of operation; if the attempt is successful, selecting a next device in the configuration of series-connected semiconductor devices and repeating the sending and the attempting to elicit; and if the attempt is unsuccessful, concluding that the selected device is an anomalous device. Also, a method of recovering data from a configuration of series-connected semiconductor memory devices having undergone a failure, comprising: placing an operable device of the configuration into a recovery mode of operation; while the operable device is in the recovery mode of operation, retrieving data currently stored by the operable device; and storing the retrieved data in an alternate memory facility.
US08443229B2	Asymmetric data mirroring An asymmetric data mirroring method with a local storage device and a remote storage device being separated by large distances is disclosed. A server determines a predetermined time period associated with a round trip latency between the server and a remote storage device. The server submits a request to a local storage device, a remote storage device and a memory device disposed between the server and the remote storage device. The server submits additional requests to the local and remote storage devices during the predetermined time period. The server stores a copy of each request submitted by the server to the remote storage device in a memory disposed between the server and the remote storage device while the server waits for whether an acknowledgement associated with the request has been received from the remote storage device during the predetermined time period. The server resubmits the request and the additional requests to the remote storage device if the acknowledgement is not received. If an acknowledgement is received, the server continues submission of additional new requests to the local and remote storage devices.
US08443224B2	Apparatus and method for decoupling asynchronous clock domains A circuit and method for synchronizing signals between asynchronous clock domains within digital electronic circuits decouples asynchronous clocks. The timing of the slower clock is used to prevent read and write to counters so that write signals from the fast clock domain can be directly used in the slower clock domain when the counters are not toggling. This feature removes the need for sampling and holding the data on the fast clock, which would require consume additional power and require additional circuit area.
US08443220B2	Automated voltage control for scheduled server outage in server cluster by determining future workload increase for remaining servers based upon service level objectives and determining associated voltage adjustments Information regarding a scheduled outage for a server associated with a cluster of servers is received at a voltage regulation system (VRS) for the cluster of servers. A work load increase is determined for each remaining server within the cluster of servers due to the scheduled outage for the server. A voltage adjustment is calculated for each remaining server based upon the determined work load increase for each remaining server. Voltage for each remaining server is automatically adjusted based upon the calculated voltage adjustment.
US08443219B2	Mechanism for reducing the power consumption of virtual desktop servers A mechanism for reducing the power consumption of virtual machine host servers is disclosed. A method for a virtual machine (VM) power reduction agent (PRA) hosted by a VM may include identifying a user activity associated with the VM, determining that the VM is inactive based on the user activity associated with the VM, and notifying a host of the VM that the VM is inactive to facilitate application of a power reduction policy to the VM based on specific power reduction settings associated with the VM.
US08443215B2	Power booster and electronic system using same A power booster includes a voltage detection circuit, a battery charger, a rechargeable battery, and a transformer circuit. The voltage detection circuit detects a voltage of the input voltage of the power booster. An input of the battery charger is electrically connected to an output of the voltage detection circuit. The rechargeable battery includes an I/O port electrically connected to the battery charger. The transformer circuit includes a first voltage input, a second voltage input, and a voltage output. The first voltage input is electrically connected to the output of the voltage detection circuit. The second voltage input is electrically connected to the I/O port. The voltage output is used for connecting to a mobile electronic device.
US08443213B2	Motherboard capable of detecting consumed power and detection method thereof A motherboard capable of detecting consumed power and a method for detecting consumed power thereof are provided. The motherboard includes a VCC layer, a plurality of resistance elements, and a detecting module. A plurality of power traces are laid at the VCC layer, and each of the power traces conducts an operating voltage, respectively. The resistance elements are laid at sources of each of the power traces, respectively. The detecting module is coupled with each of the resistance elements, respectively, to obtain a current value of a current flowing through each of the resistance elements, and generates consumed power corresponding to each of the operating voltages according to the current value and the operating voltage corresponding to the current value.
US08443210B2	Power management module enforcing computer power capping by reading power cap information from nameplate having both machine readable module and human readable designation for providing such information A nameplate for power capping a computer including a mounting surface; a module integrated in the mounting surface for providing a machine-readable designation of a power cap for a particular computer; a human readable designation of a power cap for the particular computer integrated in the mounting surface; and a mount for attaching the mounting surface to a chassis of the particular computer such that the human readable designation of a power cap is exposed.
US08443206B2	Method and apparatus for managing digital rights using portable storage device A method and apparatus for managing digital rights using a portable storage device are provided. The method includes a device performing primary authentication together with a license provider and establishing primary security association, the device performing secondary authentication together with the portable storage device and establishing secondary security association, receiving a license from the license provider, and transmitting the license to the portable storage device.
US08443200B2	Biometric verification for electronic transactions over the web A security system for electronic commerce for verifying the authenticity of a user including: a server authentication program installed in a web-server at a website of a web-service provider; a client software component downloaded and installed at a workstation of the user; the server authentication program being integrated with existing web-applications with the web-service provider and for receiving existing security parameters entered by the user; a biometric scanner activated for identifying characteristics of a biometrics image and for converting the biometrics image into digital data; a device for compressing and encrypting the digital data from the biometric scanner; a device for transmitting the compressed and encrypted data to the web-server; a device for comparing the encrypted data with data stored in a database; and a device for sending status codes of comparison, if comparison is successful, to the web-service provider.
US08443198B2	Trusted and secure techniques for item delivery and execution Documents and other items can be delivered electronically from sender to recipient with a level of trustedness approaching or exceeding that provided by a personal document courier. A trusted electronic go-between can validate, witness and/or archive transactions while, in some cases, actively participating in or directing the transaction. Printed or imaged documents can be marked using handwritten signature images, seal images, electronic fingerprinting, watermarking, and/or steganography. Electronic commercial transactions and transmissions take place in a reliable, “trusted” virtual distribution environment that provides significant efficiency and cost savings benefits to users in addition to providing an extremely high degree of confidence and trustedness. The systems and techniques have many uses including but not limited to secure document delivery, execution of legal documents, and electronic data interchange (EDI).
US08443192B2	Network security method This invention provides a method for allowing the recipient of a message 2 to confirm the identity of the sender. In the message 1 the sender provides a web address that comprises an identifying code uniquely assigned to that message. The sender also provides a document 4 at that web address that comprises confirmatory information already known to the recipient.
US08443191B2	System and method for accessing information resources using cryptographic authorization permits A system and method for securing information associates a party with a node that communicates messages over one or more channels based on a channel access privilege. One or more authorities sign a cryptographic authorization permit (CAP) to authorize the channel access privilege, which can be a write privilege or a read privilege. In one embodiment, the authorization for the channel access privilege is based on a public key issued by an authority and the CAP comprises a cryptographic certificate digitally signed by the authority.
US08443189B2	Trust event notification and actions based on thresholds and associated trust metadata scores An approach is provided for selecting one or more trust factors from trust factors included in a trust index repository. Thresholds are identified corresponding to one or more of the selected trust factors. Actions are identified to perform when the selected trust factors reach the corresponding threshold values. The identified thresholds, identified actions, and selected trust factors are stored in a data store. The selected trust factors are monitored by comparing one or more trust metadata scores with the stored identified thresholds. The stored identified actions that correspond to the selected trust factors are performed when one or more of the trust metadata scores reach the identified thresholds. At least one of the actions includes an event notification that is provided to a trust data consumer.
US08443186B2	Method and device of data encryption An encryption method and apparatus thereof is disclosed. In one embodiment the method includes (a) receiving the content data via the network, (b) changing a sequence of the received content data according to a predetermined algorithm or randomly to store in a form of a cache file, (c) generating a decryption key including information of the changed sequence of the data, and (d) encrypting the decryption key according to a predetermined encryption system, wherein if a playback or transmission of the stored content is requested, the encrypted decryption key is decrypted and the corresponding data is extracted from the cache file according to the sequence information of the decryption key to be played back or transmitted. According to one embodiment of the invention, a user is unable to illegally use content data stored in his local client and content data stored in a local client can be quickly decrypted so as not to affect playback of the content data.
US08443185B2	System for management and processing of electronic vendor mail A computer-implemented system processes secure electronic documents from one or more content providers in accordance with subscriber instructions has a processor and modules operative within the processor. A monitoring module obtains a provider GUID, a subscriber GUID, and a transaction ID from public metadata associated with a transaction received from a particular content provider. A determination module determines any designees of the subscriber and contact information one or more of the subscriber and any designees. A transaction module distributes a transaction addressed to at least one of the subscriber and any designees. Each distributed transaction includes data that is used for management, tracking, and alerting. Also described is a station for constructing transactions for distribution to subscribers through such a system. An end-to-end system and method are described.
US08443174B2	Processor and method of performing speculative load operations of the processor Provided is a processor and method of performing speculative load instructions of the processor in which a load instruction is performed only in the case where the load instruction substantially accesses a memory. A load instruction for canceling operations is performed in other cases except the above case, so that problems occurring by accessing an input/output (I/O) mapped memory area and the like at the time of performing speculative load instructions can be prevented using only a software-like method, thereby improving the performance of a processor.
US08443170B2	Apparatus and method for performing SIMD multiply-accumulate operations An apparatus and method for performing SIMD multiply-accumulate operations includes SIMD data processing circuitry responsive to control signals to perform data processing operations in parallel on multiple data elements. Instruction decoder circuitry is coupled to the SIMD data processing circuitry and is responsive to program instructions to generate the required control signals. The instruction decoder circuitry is responsive to a single instruction (referred to herein as a repeating multiply-accumulate instruction) having as input operands a first vector of input data elements, a second vector of coefficient data elements, and a scalar value indicative of a plurality of iterations required, to generate control signals to control the SIMD processing circuitry. In response to those control signals, the SIMD data processing circuitry performs the plurality of iterations of a multiply-accumulate process, each iteration involving performance of N multiply-accumulate operations in parallel in order to produce N multiply-accumulate data elements. For each iteration, the SIMD data processing circuitry determines N input data elements from said first vector and a single coefficient data element from the second vector to be multiplied with each of the N input data elements. The N multiply-accumulate data elements produced in a final iteration of the multiply-accumulate process are then used to produce N multiply-accumulate results. This mechanism provides a particularly energy efficient mechanism for performing SIMD multiply-accumulate operations, as for example are required for FIR filter processes.
US08443168B2	Microcontroller comprising a plurality of registers and instruction modes A microcontroller includes a plurality of primary registers, a secondary register and a central processing unit (CPU). The primary registers store a plurality of primary data respectively. Each primary data has a first width. The secondary register includes the plurality of primary registers and stores a secondary data having a second width. The secondary data includes a combination of the plurality of primary data. The CPU executes a first instruction in a first mode in which a primary data is fetched for operation and executes a second instruction in a second mode in which the secondary data is fetched for operation.
US08443167B1	Data storage device employing a run-length mapping table and a single address mapping table A data storage device is disclosed comprising a non-volatile memory comprising a plurality of memory segments. When a write command comprising a logical block address (LBA) is received, a number of consecutive memory segments to access in response to the write command is determined. When the number of consecutive memory segments to access is greater than a threshold, a new run-length mapping entry in a run-length mapping table (RLMT) is created. When the number of memory segments to access is not greater than a threshold, at least one new single address mapping entry in a single address mapping table (SAMT) is created.
US08443166B2	Method for tracking changes in virtual disks Systems and methods for tracking changes and performing backups to a storage device are provided. For virtual disks of a virtual machine, changes are tracked from outside the virtual machine in the kernel of a virtualization layer. The changes can be tracked in a lightweight fashion with a bitmap, with a finer granularity stored and tracked at intermittent intervals in persistent storage. Multiple backup applications can be allowed to accurately and efficiently backup a storage device. Each backup application can determine which block of the storage device has been updated since the last backup of a respective application. This change log is efficiently stored as a counter value for each block, where the counter is incremented when a backup is performed. The change log can be maintained with little impact on I/O by using a coarse bitmap to update the finer grained change log.
US08443154B2	Managing shared data objects to provide visibility to shared memory A system for sharing data between computer processes. The system includes a processor configured to implement a method that includes executing a plurality of independent processes on an application server, the processes including a first process and a second process. A shared memory utilized by the plurality of independent processes is provided. A single copy of the data and metadata are stored in the shared memory. The metadata includes an address of the data. The first process initiates the storing of the data in the shared memory. An address of the metadata is transferred from the first process to the second process to notify the second process about the data. The second process determines the address of the shared memory by reading the metadata. The data in the shared memory is accessed by the second process.
US08443153B1	Dynamic balancing of performance with block sharing in a storage system A storage system provides highly flexible data layouts that can be tailored to various different applications and use cases. The system dynamically balances performance with block sharing, based on service level objectives (SLOs). The system defines several types of data containers, including “regions”, “logical extents” and “slabs”. Each region includes one or more logical extents. Allocated to each logical extent is at least part of one or more slabs allocated to the region that includes the extent. Each slab is a set of blocks of storage from one or more physical storage devices. The slabs can be defined from a heterogeneous pool of physical storage. The system also maintains multiple “volumes” above the region layer. Each volume includes one or more logical extents from one or more regions. Layouts of the extents within the regions are not visible to any of the volumes.
US08443144B2	Storage device reducing a memory management load and computing system using the storage device A computing system and a memory device are provided. The memory device includes a first memory having a first storage capacity. A second memory is also provided having a second storage capacity greater than the first storage capacity. The memory device also includes a controller to provide an external host with an address space corresponding to a third storage capacity, the third storage capacity being less than a sum of the first storage capacity and second storage capacity. The controller transmits the requested data to the external host from the first memory where data requested from the external host is stored in the first memory, and where the requested data is not stored in the first memory, transmits the requested data to the external host from the second memory.
US08443137B2	Grid storage system and method of operating thereof The is provided a storage system comprising a plurality of disk units adapted to store data at respective ranges of logical block addresses (LBAs), said addresses constituting an entire address space, and a storage control grid operatively connected to the plurality of disk units and comprising a plurality of data servers. The method of operating the storage system comprises: a) configuring a first data server to have a primary responsibility over a certain range of LBAs, b) configuring a second data server to have a secondary responsibility over said certain range of LBAs and to overtake the primary responsibility over said certain range of LBAs if the first server fails; c) responsive to a request to one or more LBAs within said certain range of LBAs, generating a primary cache object in the first data server and generating a redundancy object in the second data server; d) deleting said redundancy object upon successful permanent storing of data and/or metadata corresponding to said request, said storing provided by the first data server, e) if operation d) fails, using said redundancy object by the second server for providing permanent storing said data and/or metadata when overtaking primary responsibility, wherein said redundancy object is derivation of the primary cache object and need to be reconstructed in order to enable overtaking the responsibility.
US08443134B2	Apparatus, system, and method for graceful cache device degradation Apparatuses, systems, and methods are disclosed for implementing a cache policy. A method may include determining a risk of data loss on a cache device. The cache device may comprise a non-volatile storage device configured to perform cache functions for a backing store. The cache device may implement a cache policy. A method may include determining that a risk of data loss on the cache devices exceeds a threshold risk level. A method may include implementing a modified cache policy for the cache device in response to the risk of data loss exceeding the threshold risk level. The modified cache policy may reduce the risk of data loss below the threshold level.
US08443130B2	USB port detecting circuit A Universal Series Bus USB port detection and testing circuit, configured to detect the voltage output of a USB port of an electronic device, includes a voltage comparing circuit and an indicating circuit. The indicating circuit is connected to an output terminal of the voltage comparing circuit. The voltage comparing circuit compares the voltage output from the USB port against a reference voltage and output a signal whereby the indicating circuit indicates whether the voltage is within, or above, or below, the standard range.
US08443129B1	Method and apparatus for implementing a data bus interface A data bus interface channel controller circuit for an N-bit data bus is described. A FIFO command queue is coupled to receive and buffer one or more commands formatted for M-bit transactions. A FIFO data queue is coupled to receive and buffer N-bit formatted data packets. A first translation circuit is coupled to the FIFO command queue and configured to translate the each commands into a selected one of a plurality of transaction formats. A transmission control circuit is coupled and configured to receive and transmit commands removed from the FIFO command queue. The transmission control circuit is configured to track a number of outstanding transmitted commands and, in response to receiving a command having a transaction format different from the previously received command, delay transmission of commands on the N-bit data bus until the number of outstanding transmitted commands equals zero.
US08443128B2	High performance extension device An extension device for connecting one or more peripheral devices to a computer, comprising a first bus for connecting to the computer; a second bus for connecting to the computer; a hub coupled to the first bus for connecting the computer to one or more peripheral devices; a controller for connecting the computer to a high-bandwidth device, the controller being switchably coupled to the hub and the second bus; and a switch for switching the controller, from being coupled to the hub, to being coupled to the second bus, when a connection to the computer is detected on the second bus.
US08443122B2	Asynchronous upsizing circuit in data processing system An asynchronous upsizing circuit in a data processing system. The asynchronous upsizing circuit includes an asynchronous packer and an asynchronous unpacker. The asynchronous packer includes a write buffer commonly used for an asynchronous bridge and for upsizing and for buffering a write channel data; and first and second asynchronous packing controllers controlling channel compaction according to first and second clocks, respectively, regarding the write channel data inputted/outputted to/from the write buffer during a burst write operation. The asynchronous unpacker includes a read buffer commonly used for an asynchronous bridge and for upsizing and for buffering a read channel data; and first and second asynchronous unpacking controllers controlling channel compaction according to the first and second clocks, respectively, regarding the read channel data inputted/outputted to/from the read buffer during a burst read operation.
US08443116B2	Information processing system, information processing unit and computer readable medium An information processing unit includes: a display unit detection unit that detects whether an external display unit is connected to the information processing unit; a transmission unit that transmits, to the other information processing units, a fact that the external display unit is connected when the display unit detection unit detects that the external display unit is connected; and a control unit that performs control so that information transmitted from the other information processing units is displayed on the external display unit.
US08443112B2	Input/output signal controller and input/output signal control system employing the input/output controller A transmitting section 7a outputs a transmission signal to the side of a transmission line 1. A first switching section Qa1 outputs the transmission signal to the transmission line 1. A second switching section Qa2 outputs the transmission signal from the transmission line 1. A receiving section 9a receives the transmission signal from the transmission line 1. A first detecting section 13a detects the transmission signal flowing through the first switching section Qa1. A second detecting section 19a detects the transmission signal flowing through the second switching section Qa2. When the transmission signal from the transmitting section 7a is not detected at both the first and second detecting sections 13a and 19a, a selecting section 15a selects the receiving section 9a and outputs a reception signal.
US08443107B2	Method, computer program product and electronic device for hyper-local geo-targeting A method, computer program product and electronic device are provided for providing hyper-local geo-targeting based on validated, user-supplied geographic information, wherein the user's anonymity may be maintained. In particular, user-supplied geographic information may be collected in association with a truncated IP address. Once collected, the user-supplied information may be validated using geographic data previously derived from one or more complete IP addresses corresponding to the received truncated IP address. The derived geographic data may have been derived using a system that maps the routing infrastructure of the Internet in order to determine where endpoints on the Internet are located. The validated, user-supplied geographic information, which may be more specific than the derived geographic data, may then be used to provide more granular and accurate geo-targeting, all the while maintaining the privacy of the individual users.
US08443105B1	Device for and method of network routing A device and method of routing traffic in a network by receiving the network, assigning a maximum temperature value to gateway nodes, calculating temperature values for router nodes, determining self-utilization values for nodes, determining neighborhood-utilization values for router nodes, determining pressure values for gateway nodes, determining pressure values for router nodes, identifying router node sent traffic, identifying neighboring nodes having higher temperatures than router node, identifying neighboring node with lowest pressure value, sending traffic to neighboring node with lowest pressure value, and stopping if the neighboring node is a gateway node, otherwise identifying the node as a router node and returning to the step of finding neighboring nodes.
US08443100B1	Method and apparatus for using multiple links at a handheld A server including a partitioning module and a transmit module. The partitioning module is configured to partition data at an application layer of the server, where the data is to be transmitted from the server to a handheld device concurrently via i) a first wireless link and ii) a second wireless link, and where the partitioning is performed in response to a rate of flow of data via i) the first wireless link or ii) the second wireless link. The partitioning module is configured to partition data, received from the application layer, at a session layer of the server into i) a first component and ii) a second component. The transmit module is configured to concurrently transmit from the server to the handheld device i) the first component via the first wireless link and ii) the second component via the second wireless link.
US08443099B2	Dynamic media asset delivery In embodiments of dynamic media asset delivery, a media asset can be requested from a content distributor for playback at a client device. The client device can receive the media asset over a communication network, and receive a request to playback the media asset for viewing as the media asset is being received. The client device can then playback the media asset for viewing in a display format, where a quality of the display format is based at least in part on a time duration between when the media asset is requested and when the request to playback the media asset for viewing is received.
US08443095B1	User space data stream parsing using TCP/IP information Techniques for efficiently determining the boundary between files and for ascertaining the difference between a HEAD response and a GET response. Embodiments of the invention only need to check the responses from the server, instead of having to check to both the responses from the server and the requests from the client, in order to ascertain the boundary between files and to ascertain whether a response from the server is a HEAD response or a GET response.
US08443091B2	Method and arrangement for providing different services in a multimedia communication system A method and application server for providing different services and performing service changes in a multimedia communication system. When a first client invites a second client to join a multimedia session, the server learns which media types are supported by each client, including first and second media types supported by the server. The first client then sends the server a request on a media control channel to transmit media of the first and second types. The server verifies the requested media types are supported by the second client and sends the first client a grant for the requested media types. The server receives a first media burst of the first media type from the first client and retransmits the burst to the second client, and then receives a second media burst of the second media type from the first client and retransmits the burst to the second client.
US08443090B2	NAT traversal for media conferencing Methods for establishing a direct peer-to-peer (“P2P”) connection between two computers are disclosed. In particular, the methods are designed to work in cases where one or both of the computers are connected to a private network, such private networks being interconnected via a public network, such as the Internet. The connections between the private network and the public network are facilitated by network address translation (“NAT”).
US08443089B2	Method and apparatus for integrated communication services provisioning for health care community A method and apparatus for providing an integrated communication services (ICS) network that permits data subscribers to share information on a hospital campus using wireless or wireline local area networks, or to seamlessly tap into the facility's central database while in transit away from the hospital. The central database, referred to as the integrated communications clearinghouse (ICC) is adapted to store a communication profile for every network server on the ICS network. The ICC also maintains a Global Patient Profile (GPP), consisting of a patient profile for every patient on the network. The GPP provides the ICC with the capability of providing aggregated data and demographic information, creating “live” public health statistics through a single query to a central server. The actual selection of a particular channel to access the ICS will be service-dependent and a function of user whereabouts, desired quality of the connection, and costs of the connection.
US08443087B2	System for managing sessions and connections in a network A modular architecture for use in a network device such as a Remote Authentication Server (RAS) includes a number of interconnected objects associated with processes, services, access protocols and other functionality provided on the device. Objects may also be associated with users, sessions or other data structures that may be accessed by any of the functional objects in the device. Additional services and updates may easily be implemented into this architecture without disrupting user connections. Redundant copies of the objects may be maintained in memory to facilitate the provision of carrier grade performance by swapping out failed components in the event of a fault.
US08443083B2	Arbitration of resources at a wireless device among contending applications Multiple applications sharing common resources are arbitrated such that failures resulting from unavailable resources can be avoided. Whenever an application (e.g., a data application) desires to perform an operation (e.g., PPP resynchronization) that requires the use of a shared resource (e.g., an RF receiver), a determination is made as to whether that resource is available. The operation may be delayed while the resource is unavailable. The application may be assigned the resource if it is available or becomes available and may then start the operation. The resource is locked while the operation is pending to avoid assignment to another application. The resource arbitration allows applications to complete their operations without encountering failures due to other applications taking over the resources.
US08443082B2	Network communication systems and methods Systems and methods for communicating via a network may employ communication devices capable of functioning in a server mode and a client mode. Communication may begin by activating a server mode for a first communication device. The first communication device in the server mode may receive a message from a second communication device, the message comprising an identity associated with the second communication device. The first communication device may retrieve a key associated with the second communication device and verify the identity associated with the second communication device by comparing data in the message from the second communication device with data in the key. A client mode may be activated for the first communication device. The first communication device in client mode may send a message to an address associated with the second communication device, the message comprising an identity associated with the first communication device.
US08443076B2	Prefix hijacking detection device and methods thereof A method of placing prefix hijacking detection modules in a communications network includes selecting a set of candidate locations. For each candidate location, a detection coverage ratio with respect to a target Autonomous System is calculated. Based on the relative size of the coverage ratios, proposed locations for the prefix hijacking detection modules are determined.
US08443074B2	Constructing an inference graph for a network Constructing an inference graph relates to the creation of a graph that reflects dependencies within a network. In an example embodiment, a method includes determining dependencies among components of a network and constructing an inference graph for the network responsive to the dependencies. The components of the network include services and hardware components, and the inference graph reflects cross-layer components including the services and the hardware components. In another example embodiment, a system includes a service dependency analyzer and an inference graph constructor. The service dependency analyzer is to determine dependencies among components of a network, the components including services and hardware components. The inference graph constructor is to construct an inference graph for the network responsive to the dependencies, the inference graph reflecting cross-layer components including the services and the hardware components.
US08443072B1	Method and apparatus for managing network congestion due to automatic configuration procedures The present invention is directed to providing improved device boot times on a network while that network is congested. According to embodiments of the present invention, when a device initializes, it listens for a congestion alert message before making a request for configuration information. If a congestion alert message is not received, a request for configuration information may be sent without further delay. Alternatively, if a network congestion message is received, the device may implement an alternate connection request sequence, in which transmission of a request for configuration information is delayed. The period of delay may be predetermined, random, or a period of time recommended as part of the congestion alert signal.
US08443071B2	Data server system and method A data server system/method allowing cloud data server functionality in a coordinated/concerted fashion within network configurations that are local to and/or spanning network gateway routers is disclosed. The system may utilize a smart gateway power controller (SGPC) augmented with storage media and/or expansion slots to interact within a home automation network (HAN) to permit the local HAN to operate as a distinct network and allow access to locally stored data from remote networks such as the Internet. The system permits inter-networking of HAN devices (including SGPCs) and integration of data management within home automation networks while still providing access to HAN data via external remote networks such as the Internet. The system/method allows remote network access to HAN device data from local/remote access devices including mobile phones, tablet computers, laptops, desktop computers, and the like.
US08443070B2	Personal inter-home media exchange network A system and method support the exchange of media between friends, family members, and 3rd party media providers over a closed and secure media exchange network. The media may include, for example, digital video, digital audio, digital images, digital data, or any form of digital information.
US08443068B2	Method and system for managing user preference profiles in a network A method includes creating a plurality of user preference profiles. Each user preference profile includes at least one of a profile format without active user preference profile indication, a profile format including an active user preference profile indication, and a profile format specific to each device of a user. The plurality of user preference profiles are stored in a shared server. One or more user preference profiles corresponding to a plurality of devices are activated. The one or more user preference profiles are provided to an application server. The application server implements preferences included in corresponding user preference profile. A system includes a plurality of devices of the user, a plurality of clients corresponding to the plurality of devices, an application server corresponding to the plurality of clients, and a shared server for storing a plurality of user preference profiles.
US08443067B2	Method and apparatus for identifying an order in a network The invention relates to a method for identifying an order of users of a network, whereby the network contains a multitude of nodes and each of the nodes has a number of connections by which the nodes and the users can be interconnected. Disclosed embodiments of the method include: a) identifying the node connected to one of the users; b) determining the number of connections of this node and a predetermined hierarchy of the connections; c) determining, for these nodes, the connection with which the user is connected to this node and; d) determining, for the nodes, other connections that are connected to other nodes or to other users; e) establishing a relationship between users of the network based on the hierarchy of the connections that is predefined for node and on the determined connections that are connected to users or to other nodes.
US08443065B1	System and method for locating, identifying and provisioning newly deployed network devices At least one existing neighboring network device is connected to a newly deployed network device in a communications network. A network manager is connected remotely. The newly deployed network device is configured to determine its physical network connectivity by propagating a discovery protocol frame to the at least one existing neighboring network device. The frame in an example includes a field having a query that solicits from the existing neighboring network device the physical network connectivity data of the newly deployed device. This device is also configured to receive in response to the query, its physical network connectivity data and network data address of the network manager in a response, transmit its physical network connectivity data to the remote network manager, which in turn is configured to transmit provisioning data to the newly deployed network device based on the received physical network connectivity data.
US08443063B1	Determination of communication networks for a wireless communication device A network control system to determine alternative networks for a wireless communication device comprises a processing system and a communication transceiver. The processing system is configured to determine an identifier of a first wireless access node in communication with a first communication network serving the wireless communication device, and process the identifier of the first wireless access node with a network data structure to determine a second communication network for the wireless communication device based on the identifier. The communication transceiver is configured to transfer the network data associated with the second communication network for delivery to the wireless communication device, wherein the wireless communication device is configured to initiate a handoff to a second wireless access node in communication with the second communication network based on the network data associated with the second communication network.
US08443062B2	Quorum based transactionally consistent membership management in distributed storage systems Systems and methods that restore a failed reconfiguration of nodes in a distributed environment. By analyzing reports from read/write quorums of nodes associated with a configuration, automatic recovery for data partitions can be facilitated. Moreover, a configuration manager component tracks current configurations for replication units and determines whether a reconfiguration is required (e.g., due to node failures, node recovery, replica additions/deletions, replica moves, or replica role changes, and the like.) Reconfigurations of data activated as being replicated from an old configuration to being replicated on a new configuration may be performed in a transactionally consistent manner based on dynamic quorums associated with the new configuration and the old configuration.
US08443050B2	Information exchange tool Mining human capital information includes defining one or more attributes of a communication group, extracting a target group by searching one or more of explicit and implicit data sources according to the defined attributes, communicating with the extracted target group, logging at least some of the communications, and analyzing the logged communications.
US08443049B1	Call processing using trust scores based on messaging patterns of message source Messaging patterns for a plurality of subscribers are obtained and analyzed to determine a “trust score” that is an indication of the likelihood that a given message for a particular subscriber is of interest, as opposed to unwanted, e.g., spam or telemarketing phone calls. Subscribers establish or set trust score thresholds and call processing actions to take based on the thresholds and the trust score for a given incoming communication. For example, if a subscriber establishes a processing action of “block call” for calls with a “low” threshold trust score, and an incoming message (email, SMS, instant message, or phone call) has a trust score of “low” or “very low”, the message is blocked. Conversely, if the trust score for the message is “high” and the user has specified to pass through “high” trust score messages, the message is passed through. Various algorithms can be used compute trust scores based on messaging patterns.
US08443045B2	Storage of selected e-mails including attachments in document management system A computer-implemented method and system are provided for storing selected e-mails, including the content of the e-mail and attachments, in a document management system. A user initiates storage of the e-mail by a user-actuated control that is added to the interface of his e-mail application. The e-mail is then copied, indexed and stored in a separate document in the document management system, and attachments to the e-mail are embedded in the separate document. The font and graphics of the e-mail may be stored in the separate document as they as they appeared in the original document. The text of the e-mail may be stored in the binary format that is native to a word processor associated with the document management system.
US08443042B2	Information processing apparatus and method, program, and information processing system An information processing apparatus used by a first user, includes a generating unit adapted to generate recommendation information at least including an identifier for uniquely identifying a content recommended on the basis of preference information of the first user, and a sending unit adapted to send the generated recommendation information to another information processing apparatus which is used by a second user who is the same as or different from the first user and adapted to present the content recommended on the basis of the identifier included in the recommendation information.
US08443041B1	Chat preview A system and method allows a user to view communications exchanged between other participants within an online chat room without the user becoming a participant within the online chat room. The online chat room enables ongoing exchanges of electronic communications between two or more participants whose participation within the chat room are mutually revealed to each other. A user is enabled to perceive the existence of the online chat room without the user becoming a participant within the online chat room. Selection of the online chat room by the user is received. Responsive to user selection of the online chat room and without the user becoming a participant within the online chat room, at least some of the communications exchanged between the participants within the online chat room are made perceivable to the user as the communications are exchanged.
US08443031B1	Systolic array for cholesky decomposition A systolic array for Cholesky decomposition of an N×N matrix is described. A plurality of processing cells, including a corner cell, N−1 boundary cells, and (N2−3N+2)/2 internal cells, are arranged into N−1 rows and N columns of processing cells. Each row of processing cells is configured to calculate elements of a respective column of a lower triangular output matrix. Each processing cell of each row is configured to determine a value of a respective element of the lower triangular output matrix using a value of an element calculated in a previous processing cell of the row.
US08443030B1	Processing of floating point multiply-accumulate instructions using multiple operand pathways Floating point multiply-accumulate (FMAC) instructions are processed by a logic circuit. A register file stores operands for a FMAC instruction. A multiplier multiplies an operand S1 and an operand S2 from the register file to produce a resultant operand St. An adder adds two operands St and Sd (which is the result of a prior accumulation) to produce the result Sd of the FMAC instruction. A reorder buffer (ROB) stores and reorders entries corresponding to FMAC instructions, and a hazard-checking block detects whether the FMAC instruction contains a potential hazard. A selector selects an output value from the ROB. The operands St and Sd can be supplied via one of a plurality of paths based on a priority of the paths, and the priority for the paths is based in part on output from the hazard-checking block and contents of the ROB.
US08443029B2	Round for reround mode in a decimal floating point instruction A round-far-reround mode (preferably in a BID encoded Decimal format) of a floating point instruction prepares a result for later rounding to a variable number of digits by detecting that the least significant digit may be a 0, and if so changing it to 1 when the trailing digits are not all 0. A subsequent reround instruction is then able to round the result to any number of digits at least 2 fewer than the number of digits of the result. An optional embodiment saves a tag indicating the fact that the low order digit of the result is 0 or 5 if the trailing bits are non-zero in a tag field rather than modify the result. Another optional embodiment also saves a half-way-and-above indicator when the trailing digits represent a decimal with a most significant digit having a value of 5. An optional subsequent rewound instruction is able to round the result to any number of digits fewer or equal, to the number of digits of the result using the saved tags.
US08443027B2	Implementing a floating point weighted average function A method, computer-readable medium, and an apparatus for implementing a floating point weighted average function. The method includes receiving an input containing 2N input values, 2N weights, and an opcode, where N is a positive integer number and each of the input values corresponds to one of the weights. Furthermore, the method also includes using existing dot product circuit function to generate 2N addends by multiplying each of the input values with the corresponding weight. In addition, the method includes generating a sum value by adding the 2N addends, where the sum value includes an exponent value, and generating the weighted average value based on the sum value by decreasing the exponent value by N. In this fashion, the same circuit area may be used to carry out both dot product and weighted average calculations, leading to greater circuit area savings and performance advantages.
US08443025B2	Method and apparatus for selectively reducing noise in a digital signal Wavelet thresholding using discrete wavelet transforms is a sophisticated and effective approach for noise reduction. However, usage of integer arithmetic implies that not the full range of input values can be used. A method for selectively reducing noise in a digital signal having a first range of values comprises steps of decomposing the digital signal to a plurality of frequency sub-bands, wherein before, during or after the decomposing the digital signal or at least one sub-band is expanded by one or more bits to a second range of integer values, removing in at least one of the frequency sub-bands values that are below a threshold, re-combining the frequency sub-bands, after removing said values that are below a threshold, into an expanded output signal, and de-expanding the expanded output signal, wherein a signal having the first range of values is obtained.
US08443020B2	Pseudo random number generator A pseudo-random number generator 100 generates a pseudo-random number by the following operation. At C.2, S1[B41] is determined from B41 set in a second internal memory, and S2[B40] is determined from B40. Then, R[J] is generated from S1[I], S1[B41], and S2[B40]. At C.3, S1[I] is newly generated based on S1[B41] and S2[B40]. At C.4, B4 is updated from S2(I). In the above, the relationship between R[J] and S2(I) is cut off, which makes difficult to estimate S2(I) from R[J], and security is increased. Further, since S1[I], S1[B41], S2[B40], etc. have 4 bytes, the processing speed is high.
US08443018B2	Mobile terminal and unit converting method thereof A mobile terminal and its unit conversion method are disclosed. When a unit conversion function is selected through a menu manipulation by a user, the selected unit conversion function is executed, and then, when a unit conversion factor for a unit conversion is selected, a reference unit related to the selected unit conversion factor is converted into two or more different units and the converted information is displayed in the form of a unit scale. The unit conversion factor includes volume, area, distance, speed, currency, mass, weight, dimension, and the like.
US08443017B2	Digital data processor A digital data processor which receives an N-bit input signal from a data source and converts the N-bit input signal into an M-bit output signal, the M-bit being larger than the N-bit. The digital data processor includes: an weighted addition circuit which is operable to perform weighted addition on at least the input signal and a signal being time-shifted with respect to the input signal and output as a weighted added input signal; an arithmetic shift circuit which is operable to perform an arithmetic rightward shift operation on the weighted added input signal for a predetermined number of shifts and output as a processed input signal; a bit extension circuit which is operable to attach a predetermined bits to an LSD side of the input signal to generate an intermediate signal of M bits; and an addition circuit which is operable to perform addition of the intermediate signal and the processed input signal so as to generate the M-bit output signal.
US08443015B2	Apparatus and method for providing content and content analysis results An information processing apparatus acquires and transmits content identification information stored in the storage unit to the other apparatus, determines whether the information processing apparatus has received the content analysis results from the other apparatus and if it is determined that the content analysis result acquisition unit has received the content analysis results from the other apparatus, causes the storage unit to store the content analysis results and if it is determined that the information processing apparatus has not received the content analysis results from the other apparatus, perform processing to obtain content analysis results by analyzing the content data stored in the storage unit to cause the storage unit to store the content analysis results by associating with the content data stored in the storage unit and also perform processing to transmit the content analysis results to the other apparatus.
US08443014B2	Computer systems and data processing methods for using a web service Data processing systems and methods are disclosed that utilize the Home Banking Computer Interface (HBCI) protocol for secure communication with a web service. Usage of the HBCI protocol protects the communication of a requester with the web service against eavesdropping and tampering. Further, implementation of a dual control business procedure is facilitated.
US08443007B1	Systems and devices for personalized rendering of digital media content Systems and methods are disclosed for providing devices capable of the reception and playback of one or more crafted media channels transmitted over an intermittent connection. The one or more channels may be customized by the end user to bias the programming towards individual tastes or moods. The channels may be delivered over an intermittent, unidirectional link, for example a Satellite Radio receiver in a home or car. Content may also be delivered over an intermittent, bidirectional link, for example to a portable media player via a wireless 802.11 or other networked connection.
US08443006B1	Data propagation in a multi-shard database system Methods, systems and apparatus, including computer program products, for propagating data across shards of a database system are described. According to one method, a first request that includes instructions to place a second request in a queue of a second shard is placed in a queue of a first database shard, and the change is committed to the records of the first shard. A queue processor polling the queue fetches and dispatches the first request, placing the second request in a queue of a second database shard. The second request includes instructions for making the change to the second shard. A queue processor of the second database shard polls the queue of the second database, fetches the second request, and dispatches it to make the change on the second database shard.
US08443005B1	Using an ontology model to validate connectivity in a social graph A system gathers information on important and influential people and uses an ontology to build a social graph. The information is organized based on this social graph and provided to users as a service. The system uses ontology models to identify connectivity between entities (e.g., people, organizations, events, and things) in the social graph. Through its ontology, the system can determine, interpret, and represent the relationships of people that occur in the real world.
US08443003B2	Content-based information aggregation A system includes reception of first data content, generation of a first semantic representation of the first data content, determination of whether the first semantic representation is similar to a second semantic representation of second data content, generation of a third semantic representation based on the first semantic representation and on the second semantic representation, and association of the third semantic representation with the first data content and with the second data content if the first semantic representation is similar to the second semantic representation, and association of the first semantic representation with the first data content if the first semantic representation is not similar to the second semantic representation.
US08443002B2	Operationally complete hierarchical repository in a relational database A modular repository is described, where operational features may be implemented without the need to scan every resource included in the modular repository. A modular repository includes a dedicated set of database objects containing all information needed to access the resources in the repository. For example, the database objects of a modular repository may include those user identifier mappings and ACL mappings, etc., to which metadata in the modular repository refers. A database system may also include a mechanism through which a modular repository may be mounted under a subdirectory of a common directory in the database system. The resources of a modular repository that are mounted under the common directory may be accessed through the common directory. Further, a client may query the resources of any modular repository mounted under the common directory by making the federated repository, represented by the common directory, the context of the query.
US08443000B2	Storage of data with composite hashes in backup systems In one example, a method may include performance of a hash function on a digital sequence so as to generate a hash value that corresponds to the digital sequence. Next, the digital sequence may be broken into data pieces, and each data piece hashed to produce a corresponding hash value for each data piece. Then, a recipe may be produced that includes instructions which, when executed, may generate the digital sequence from the data pieces referenced by their corresponding hash values included in the recipe. Among other things, the hash values may enable reutilization of redundant data sequences by serving as pointers to the data pieces that the hash values respectively represent.
US08442999B2	Semantic discovery and mapping between data sources An apparatus and method are described for the discovery of semantics, relationships and mappings between data in different software applications, databases, files, reports, messages, or systems. In one aspect, semantics and relationships and mappings are identified between a first and a second data source. A binding condition is discovered between portions of data in the first and the second data source. The binding condition is used to discover correlations between portions of data in the first and the second data source. The binding condition and the correlations are used to discover a transformation function between portions of data in the first and the second data source.
US08442997B2	Method and apparatus for monitoring the distribution of electronic files A remote server is arranged to respond to a request from a user terminal for the download of a media file to cause a unique water-marked copy of a media file to be generated and sent to the user terminal. At the same time the remote server is arranged to access a seal server, which causes an electronically sealed record of the transaction to be generated and stored in a download database. Subsequently, if a suspect media file is identified the sealed record provides evidence of the original transaction which led to the water-marked copy of the media file being issued and hence the original source of the unauthorised copy of the file. Control of distributed media files can be enforced by imposing penalties in the event that unauthorised copies corresponding to the distributed water-marked media files are identified.
US08442996B2	Methods for granting access to resources modifiable by users in a computer environment, and resources structured therefore The invention concerns a method for accessing a resource in a computer environment, the resource comprising a set of objects. The invention is characterized in that the computer environment is adapted to store in association with at least one object of said resource at least one modified object, in that said computer environment comprises means for storing in association with such an object information concerning degree of elaboration, and in that it includes the following steps: identifying, for each object of the resource to which corresponds at least one modified object, based on data concerning degree of elaboration, at least one most elaborated version of said object; assembling the objects thus identified for display in the resource. The invention also concerns other methods for accessing to resources as well as resources structured therefor.
US08442993B2	Ruleset implementation for memory starved systems Provided are techniques for retrieval of data from a data store, including techniques for receiving a request for a dataset corresponding to stored data, generating a first handle to the dataset, generating a plurality of parameters corresponding to the dataset, such that each parameter of the plurality of parameters corresponds to a distinct subset of the dataset, generating a first internal handle based upon the first handle and corresponding to a first parameter of the plurality of parameters, executing a data retrieval request based upon the first internal handle to retrieve a first subset of the dataset, receiving a navigation request corresponding to the first internal handle, navigating, if possible, the first subset in accordance with the navigation request and, when navigating the first subset in accordance with the navigation request is not possible, generating a second internal handle corresponding to a second parameter of the plurality of parameters.
US08442992B2	Mixed mode (mechanical process and english text) query building support for improving the process of building queries correctly Embodiments of the present invention allow verification of query language by providing a natural language description for the query language. A natural language description is generated for each query component along with selectable text representing the query component. Upon selection of the selectable text, the query component is rendered for editing.
US08442990B1	Query-based event routing Techniques are described herein to allow a query and one or more associated actions to be registered as an “event selector”, and to have the one or more actions of the event selector invoked when an event occurs on a target that matches the query. According to one aspect, a selector string representing the query and one or more actions associated with the selector string are obtained. In response to obtaining an event, a target of the event is obtained and it is determined whether the target matches the selector string. If the target matches the selector string, then the one or more actions associated with the selector string are invoked. By doing so, events may be indirectly routed to actions through queries on event targets.
US08442987B2	Method and system for providing contents based on past queries An example of a method includes identifying a formulated query and at least one past query associated with an input query. The method also includes determining a first similarity score between the input query and the formulated query. Further, the method includes updating the first similarity score based on a second similarity score between the input query and the at least one past query, and based on a third similarity score between the formulated query and the at least one past query. Moreover, the method includes extracting one or more contents based on the formulated query if updated first similarity score is greater than a first threshold. The method also includes providing the one or more contents.
US08442986B2	Ranking importance of symbols in underlying grouped and differentiated files based on content Methods and apparatus identify groups of files based on symbols corresponding to an underlying data stream of original bits of data that are determined to be informationally important. The resulting symbols of a selected group are ordered according to how effectively each symbol characterizes the selected group of interest. The subset of symbols is used to find similar files from a general population of files to the files in the group of interest. Additionally, groups of common files can be identified from a general population of files and a group selected therefrom for use in identifying a subset of symbols which characterize the selected group for use as a filter to identify further like files.
US08442983B2	Asynchronous methods of data classification using change journals and other data structures Aspects of the present invention are generally concerned with systems and methods for generating a database of metadata that describes system data and storage operations. The database of metadata may be referred to herein as a “metabase.” For example, to generate a metabase, a data agent may traverse a file system to obtain certain characteristics of data managed by the file system while substantially simultaneously detecting and recording change notifications. These actions may be performed even if the actions of the data agent are interrupted one or more times during the traversal of the file system. The data agent may process the characteristics and change notifications to generate and update a metabase. Once formed, the metabase may be consulted to determine changes in system data rather than determining the changes by scanning the data files themselves.
US08442980B2	Attribute change coalescing in order to deal with component moves on a page Embodiments of the invention provide for applying multiple attribute changes to components of a dataset. According to one embodiment, coalescing changes can comprise reading a definition of the dataset. For example, the definition can comprise an identity and a context for each of the plurality of components. A component tree can be generated representing the data set and based on the context and identity. An indication of one or more changes to the components of the data set can be received and the changes can be classified based on a type of each of the changes. For example, the type of the changes can comprise one or more of a single component change, a cross-component change, and a cross-component change the affects the identity of at least one of the components The changes can be coalesced based on the type of the changes.
US08442979B2	System for creating markup language documents at a receiving display station from multiple sources with markup for displaying the state of sets of content reviews Creating, i.e. rendering, markup language documents having multiple content portions, respectively, from multiple sources. A set of displayable non-alphanumeric visual indicators, e.g. colors, is associated with each content portion, each indicator respectively representing the status of one of said set of content reviews. Then an implementation is provided enabling a user at the receiving display station to sequentially and collectively proceed through said sets of content reviews to which the content portions in the multiple content displayed may have been subjected, and displaying at each content review step only the indicators representing the status of said content review for all of the content portions subjected to said content review step.
US08442978B2	Trust propagation through both explicit and implicit social networks The present invention is directed towards systems and methods for trust propagation. The method according to one embodiment comprises calculating a first feature vector for a first user, calculating a second feature for a second user and comparing the first feature vector with the second feature vector to calculate a similarity value. A determination is made as to whether the similarity value falls within a threshold. If the similarity value falls within the threshold, a relationship is recorded between the first user and the second user in a first user profile and a second user profile.
US08442977B2	Distance-space embedding for multi-descriptor matching and retrieval A process includes receiving an archive of video data comprising a plurality of archive descriptor types, and applying a query to the archive. The query includes a number of N query descriptor types for a query object. The process further includes determining a difference between each query descriptor type and corresponding descriptor types of the archive, and storing each difference as a point in an N dimensional space. The process further includes identifying an archive object that is similar to the query object as a function of proximities of the differences to an origin of the N dimensional space.
US08442976B2	Adaptation of location similarity threshold in associative content retrieval Retrieval of similar content item or documents is provided based on similarity of their location or place. A base location is determined, for example using a GPS device. Location of one or more identified anchor document(s), in a database for example, is determined by extracting location data. Then a first threshold is set based on a criterion distance determined between the base location and the anchor item location. A candidate document item location is identified and the location data for candidate content item may be extracted. A distance between the base location and the candidate location may be determined as a candidate distance. A candidate content item may be selected as similar for retrieval based on the first candidate distance and the first threshold. The notion of criterion distance-determined granularity for setting a threshold is provided.
US08442972B2	Negative associations for search results ranking and refinement A computer-implemented method is provided, including receiving a search query from a user during a search session, and presenting information to the user responsively to the search query. After an indication that the user takes an action related to the search session is received, a portion of the presented information is identified that the user did not select prior to taking the action, and respective scores are assigned to search results generated responsively to the search query, including lowering one or more of the scores of the respective search results that are characterized by the non-selected portion of the presented information. The search results are ranked according to the scores, and presented to the user. Other embodiments are also described.
US08442971B2	Execution plans with different driver sources in multiple threads In an embodiment, a first driver source specified by a first execution plan that implements a query is designated, and a second driver source specified by a second execution plan that implements the query is designated. A portion of the first execution plan and a portion of the second execution plan are executed. If a unique identifier of a first row returned by the executing the portion of the first execution plan does not match all unique identifiers of all rows from the second driver source that were saved to a result set by the executing the portion of the second execution plan, then the first row returned by the executing the portion of the first execution plan is added to the result set and the unique identifier of the first row that was returned by the executing the portion of the first execution plan is added to a unique identifier log.
US08442968B2	Associative search engine This invention relates to an advertisement machine which provides advertisements to a user searching for desired information within a data network. The machine receives, from a user, a search request including a search argument corresponding to the desired information and searches, based upon the received search argument, a first database having data network related information to generate search results. It also correlating the received search argument to a particular advertisement in a second database having advertisement related information. The search results together with the particular advertisement are provided by the machine to the user.
US08442964B2	Information retrieval based on partial machine recognition of the same A system and method for capturing and recognizing at least a portion of a source document, whether written or audible, then searching for information, or other documents, that correspond to the captured and recognized portion of the source document. Various techniques for adding translation and/or searching are also disclosed. In some instances, an iterative machine learning process is applied to improve the performance of an aspect of the system.
US08442962B2	Distributed transaction management using two-phase commit optimization A computer-implemented method, a computer-readable medium and a system are provided. A transaction master for each of a plurality of transactions of a database is provided. Each transaction master is configured to communicate with at least one transaction slave to manage execution of a transaction in the plurality of transactions. Each transaction master configured to perform generating a transaction token to specify data to be visible for a transaction on the database, the transaction token including a transaction identifier for identifying whether the transaction is a committed transaction or an uncommitted transaction, receiving a request to commit the transaction, initiating, based on the request, a two-phase commit operation to commit the transaction. The two-phase commit operation includes preparing for committing the transaction, writing a committed transaction to a memory, optimizing the two-phase commit operation by omitting a phase of the two-phase commit operation, generating an acknowledgement of the committed transaction. The plurality of transactions of the database are executed with each transaction master.
US08442961B2	Method, system and computer programming for maintaining bookmarks up-to date A solution is proposed for facilitating accessing resources of a data processing system with distributed architecture by a data processing entity of the system (with each resource that is accessible via a corresponding address). A set of bookmarks are provided for corresponding resources. Each bookmark is associated with a stored address of the corresponding resource—for accessing the corresponding resource in response to a selection of the bookmark. In the solution according to an embodiment of the invention, a signature identifying the corresponding resource is associated with each bookmark. Each bookmark is updated by verifying accessibility of the resource at the stored address matches the signature. The resource matching the signature is then located via a search engine in response to the non-accessibility of the resource. It is then possible to replace the stored address with a new address of the located resource.
US08442958B2	Server change management In one embodiment, methods and systems for change management are described. A server system may include a physical server and a virtual server capable of being deployed on the physical server. A server change group may include one or more server change objects. Each server change object may represent a server change to be made to at least one of the physical server or the virtual server. A change manager may receive a request for a change to the server system, select transitioning change objects from among the server change objects to transition the server system from a current state to an expected state after implementation of the change, and execute the transitioning change objects to implement the change to the server system.
US08442955B2	Virtual machine image co-migration Embodiments of the invention relate to co-migration in a shared pool of resources with similarity across data sets of a migrating application. The data sets are processed and profiled. Metadata is reviewed to remove duplicate elements and to distribute the processing load across available nodes. At the same time, a ranking may be assigned to select metadata to support a prioritized migration. Non-duplicate data chunks are migrated across the shared pool of resources responsive to the assigned prioritization.
US08442953B2	Method, system, apparatus, program code and means for determining a redundancy of information Some embodiments include a system, method, apparatus and means for determining that first information in an input data packet is not redundant with second information previously stored in a database system, includes receiving the input data packet, generating a database query based on one or more tagged portions in the input data packet, comparing second information retrieved by the database query with the first information to identify at least a first portion of the first information that is different than the second information, and causing storage of the at least a first portion of the first information in the database system.
US08442951B1	Processing archive content based on hierarchical classification levels Processing archive content based on hierarchical classification levels is performed by indexing a first newly archived file of a current set of archive content at a first classification level defining a plurality of types of metadata to be derived, wherein the first classification level is selected from a hierarchy of classification levels having at least two classification levels, indexing a second newly archived file of the current set of archive content at a second classification level, wherein the second classification level includes fewer types of metadata than the first class of metadata, and flagging the second newly archived file of the current set of archive content. By classifying and flagging the second newly archived file differently than the first newly archived file, the system can easily retrieve such data at a later instance to update and/or change the data, re-index the data, and the like.
US08442946B2	Controlling and using virtual universe wish lists Described herein are examples of a virtual universe wish list as well as its control and use. Some embodiments are directed to determining a selection of an object in a virtual universe that is a desired by a user, which user is represented by a first avatar. Some embodiments are further directed to designating the object as a desired item in a wish list for the first avatar. The wish list may be stored in the avatar's virtual universe inventory. Some embodiments are further directed to determining a second avatar in the virtual universe that possesses an instance of the virtual object. Some embodiments are further directed to generating an advertisement to obtain the instance of the virtual object from the second avatar on behalf of the first avatar.
US08442945B1	No touch synthetic full backup Example apparatus and methods concern no touch synthetic full backups where a new backup is created using information about previous backups but without reading data from the existing backups. The no touch synthetic backup can be created by correlating file system information, backup specification information, and dedupe system information. One example method includes accessing a set of target extents associated with a synthetic backup image overlay specification and accessing a set of source extents associated with a file stored in a previous backup image. The set of source extents are selected so that they can provide data sufficient to cover the data described in the set of target extents. The method includes creating a set of correlation extents that bridge the gap between the original specification and the final specification.
US08442944B2	System and method for generating and managing quick recovery volumes The invention relates to computer readable medium storing program code which when executed on a computer causes the computer to perform a method for creating a quick recovery volume of a primary data set used by a first computer in a backup storage system, which includes identifying a snapshot image of the primary data set generated by a snapshot application, creating the quick recovery volume of the primary data set from the snapshot image of the primary data set and controlling transfer of data from the first computer to an archival storage unit. In one embodiment, the invention provides a method for creating a quick recovery volume of a primary data set that includes creating a snapshot image of the primary data set and creating a quick recovery volume of the primary data set from the snapshot image of the primary data set.
US08442943B2	Data transfer and synchronization between mobile systems using change log A system and method for synchronizing devices which can couple to the Internet, or any network. In one aspect a system for synchronizing data between a first system and a second system is provided. The system includes a first sync engine on the first system interfacing with data on the first system to provide difference information. A data store is coupled to the network and in communication with the first and second systems. A second sync engine is provided on the second system coupled to receive the difference information from the data store via the network, and interface with data on the second system to update said data on the second system with said difference information. Difference information is transmitted to the data store by the first sync engine and received from the data store from the second sync engine.
US08442942B2	Combining hash-based duplication with sub-block differencing to deduplicate data In one embodiment, a method includes accessing data; partitioning the data into sub-blocks; determining whether a first one of the sub-blocks is identical to another one of the sub-blocks or similar to another one of the sub-blocks; if the first one of the sub-blocks is identical to another one of the sub-blocks, applying by the one or more computer systems hash-based deduplication to storage of the first one of the sub-blocks with respect to the other one of the sub-blocks; and, if the first one of the sub-blocks is similar to another one of the sub-blocks, applying by the one or more computer systems sub-block differencing to storage of the first one of the sub-blocks with respect to the other one of the sub-blocks.
US08442939B2	File sharing method, computer system, and job scheduler Provided is a computer system including a plurality of computing hosts, which constructs a shared file system dynamically so that job execution efficiency is improved. In the computer system which includes the plurality of computing hosts and executes a job requested, in a case where the job is executed by the plurality of computing hosts, each computing host which executes the job is configured to: share a file necessary for executing the job; access the shared file to execute the requested job; and cancel the sharing of the file after execution of the requested job is completed.
US08442937B2	Access to line-of-business databases in declarative workflow A first database and a second database have different schemas. An activity in a workflow accesses a data item in a list by invoking a method in an interface of a list object. The list comprises a collection of data items. Each data item in the list comprises an item key field specifying an item key. No two data items in the data item collection have item key fields specifying a shared item key. In addition, each data item in the list comprises a set of additional fields. Each field in the set of additional fields has a value derived from the first database or each field in the set of additional fields has a value derived from the second database. In this way, the activity can be implemented without knowledge of the different schemas of the first database and the second database.
US08442936B2	System for generating a table The present invention relates to a system for generating a table comprising generating means for generating a table which contains at least a column or line depicting one or more first categories and at least a column or line depicting first values associated with said first categories and wherein the system further comprises selecting means for selecting one of said first categories by a user and adding means for enlarging the table upon selection of a category by said selecting means, said adding means being adapted to enlarge the table by adding a new column or line which comprises second categories into which said selected first category may be subdivided as well as second values associated with said second categories and wherein said new column or line does not comprise categories into which non selected first categories may be subdivided.
US08442932B2	System and method for making decisions Systems and methods are disclosed that assist in making decisions, valuing a choice or action, promoting creative solutions, and reducing risks. Among other situations, the systems and methods consider situations where the user or users are evaluating a possible single choice or several alternative choices. The criteria to evaluate the decisions are input into a grid, and the user or users rate the one or more alternatives against the different criteria. Given several alternative choices or options, the system and method provides the probability each alternative is the right selection. In one embodiment, the system implements a Bayesian approach. The systems and methods may estimate the value of an option or choice, where the value might be financial or other metric, and may estimate the value of a risk, opportunity or factor that might influence the result. The systems and methods may estimate the amount the chance of being surprised or missing some relevant consideration has been reduced by the analysis. The possibility of black or gray swans can also be estimated, in the phraseology of Nassim Taleb. Systems and methods so disclosed may be employed in financial analyzes, project or strategy selection, betting, resolution of disagreements, intelligence analysis, and so on.
US08442931B2	Graph-based data search Computer based systems and methods for searching data transiting a network using a graph-based search model. A set of rules that describe strings or patterns of data to be identified in the data set, is expressed as a graph. As blocks of the data set are obtained for processing, the state of the graph is updated based upon the value of the received data block. The transition to the next state depends upon both the current state and the received data block. As blocks of data are received and processed, the graph is traversed until one of the rules is identified.
US08442930B2	Untangled Euler diagrams A modified Euler diagram may use multiple convex shapes to display sets or members of sets. In one embodiment, a compact Euler diagram may represent members once, with the sets split into separate regions that may form a containment hierarchy over the members. The split set regions may be drawn with simple convex shapes and joined with connecting lines, which may be concave shapes. In another embodiment, each set may be illustrated with a single convex shape and the members of more than one set may be duplicated. In such an embodiment, the members may be drawn with convex shapes and joined with connectors, which may be concave shapes. The modified Euler diagrams may be deterministically created by grouping the elements into sets, organizing the sets by size, placing elements in the sets, and creating connections between the elements using a set of constraints.
US08442929B2	Predicting item-item affinities based on item features by regression Two items are determined to be similar to each not only based on previous actual user behavior, but also based on the observed relatedness of the characteristics of those two items. A first characteristic and a second characteristic are determined to have some affinity for each other if a high proportion of users who select items having the first characteristics also select items that have the second characteristic, and vice-versa. Two items having characteristics with high affinity for each other are determined to have some similarity to each other, even if very few or no users who selected one of those items ever selected the other of those items. A first item that is determined to be sufficiently similar to second item in this manner may be recommended to a user who has selected the second item as potentially also being of interest to that user.
US08442927B2	Dynamically configurable, multi-ported co-processor for convolutional neural networks A coprocessor and method for processing convolutional neural networks includes a configurable input switch coupled to an input. A plurality of convolver elements are enabled in accordance with the input switch. An output switch is configured to receive outputs from the set of convolver elements to provide data to output branches. A controller is configured to provide control signals to the input switch and the output switch such that the set of convolver elements are rendered active and a number of output branches are selected for a given cycle in accordance with the control signals.
US08442925B2	Music recommendation method and apparatus A music recommendation method may include obtaining the music belongingness function of music, which is the set of granularity of music in different dimensions, wherein the dimension is the classification of music and the granularity is the classification of the dimension; obtaining the user belongingness function of a user, which is the set of granularity indicating likes of user in different dimensions; calculating a granularity correlation function by using the music belongingness function and the user belongingness function; calculating the value of the probability function indicating likes of user for music by using the granularity correlation function and a dimension weighting coefficient; and recommending the music to the user when the value of the probability function indicating likes of user for music is greater than a preset threshold. An apparatus applying to the method comprises corresponding modules.
US08442921B2	Real property information management, retention and transferal system and methods for using same The present invention is in the field of computer systems and processes for managing real and personal property. One aspect of the invention is directed to capturing history of a (real) property, which may include a description of the property, the personal property located on the real property, the projects and maintenance performed or to be performed on the property and their impact on the owner's tax basis in the property. Another aspect of invention allows for sharing of this history with an online community and for transferring the history (or portions thereof) on sale to a buyer.
US08442920B1	Paperless mortgage closings Concepts and technologies are disclosed herein for providing an electronic document processing system, an electronic document generation mechanism, an encrypted digital certificate generator, a tool for coordinating the processing of electronic documents, a packaging mechanism for finalizing and authenticating electronic documents, a tracking log for recording relevant electronic document information, and a transferring protocol for transferring the ownership of electronic documents. The present disclosure also is directed to an electronic authentication system including an electronic document authentication watermark seal or signature line for confirming a document's signing within the view. The present disclosure also is directed to a system, software program, and method for generating electronic documents, coordinating the signing of electronic documents, digitally authenticating and certifying electronic documents, and organizing electronic documents for retrieval and transfer in a mortgage closing and/or other financial services application.
US08442919B2	Token based new digital cash protocols with combined blind digital signature and pseudonym authentication Digital cash token protocols use a combination of blind digital signatures and pseudonym authentication with at least two pairs of public and private keys. A user is provided with one master pair of private and public keys and as many pseudonym pairs of private and public keys as desired. The resulting digital cash token based hybrid protocols combine the advantages of blind digital signature and pseudonym authentication. Blind digital signatures based on the master pair of keys are used to withdraw digital cash from the user's bank account under the user's real identity. A pseudonym pair of keys is used for converting digital cash into digital cash tokens by a digital cash issuer. All pseudonyms can be used for spending the digital cash tokens. These protocols ensure anonymity when withdrawing digital cash from the user's account under the user's real identity in addition to providing pseudonym authentication when spending digital cash tokens under a pseudonym.
US08442916B2	Digital rights management of content when content is a future live event A method and system for managing use of items having usage rights associated therewith including a point of capture system adapted to generate content of a future event when the event occurs, a content distributor adapted to generate a rights label having usage rights associated with content of the future event before the content is created, the rights label having a distribution key for encrypting the content as the content is generated, the distribution key being encrypted with a public key. The system also includes a license server adapted to generate a license associate with the content from the rights label before the content is generated, the license including the distribution key encrypted with the public key, and a content distributor adapted to distribute the license before the content is generated.
US08442909B2	Transaction processing entity device support of an integrated offer network A method begins by generating, for each of a plurality of merchant devices, an offer data file to produce a plurality of offer data files. The method continues by: compiling, for one issuer device, an options data file for a group of credit cards based on at least one of the plurality of offer data files; transmitting the options data file to the issuer device; receiving, from the issuer device, at least one selection from the options data file to produce an options program file for the group of credit cards; receiving, from a card holder device associated with one of the group of credit cards, a selection of at least one option from the options program file to produce at least one selected option; and processing transactions of the one of the group of credit cards in accordance with the at least one selected option.
US08442903B2	Method of collecting delinquent specialized debt An internet-based system for organization and collection of specialized debt that is delinquent; an example of specialized debt being healthcare debt.
US08442898B2	Methods and systems for market clearance In a marketplace, offers are processed that are intended to be associated with other offers in a pool. The offers specify conditions for acceptance. Improvable offers are received that are capable of being associated with offers having more favorable specifications than initial offers associated with the improvable offers. Nonimprovable offers that have more favorable specifications than initial offers associated with improvable offers are identified. The identified nonimprovable offers are associated with corresponding improvable offers. Straddles, which comprise a set of offers and a limit on the associations, may span multiple pools. Information about the marketplace may be obtained from data generated by the operation of the marketplace.
US08442895B2	Report generator for allowing a financial entity to monitor securities class action lawsuits and potential monetary claims resulting therefrom and including loss chart selection Reports are automatically created of securities class action lawsuits customized to show potential monetary claims resulting from the lawsuits for securities purchased or acquired by one or more financial entities. Further, a database stores a plurality of loss charts. Each loss chart is related to a particular security for a particular financial entity and is assigned a unique identifier. The report includes a selection process, such as the selection of a hyperlink on the report, that allows a user to input the unique identifier to the loss chart directly from the report so that the loss chart can be retrieved from the database and presented to the user. A plurality of sets of loss charts are provided wherein each set of loss charts is related to a particular security for a particular financial entity. Each set of loss charts includes a Summary Chart and a FIFO and LIFO loss chart.
US08442889B2	Asset allocation based system for individual investor portfolio selection A system for allocation asset based portfolio investment and management provides model portfolios which are selected by correlation to investor's responses to a questionnaire concerning time frames and risk tolerance. Recommended model portfolios are presented to investors by asset allocation class percentages only, without identification of any specific securities of fund holdings of the portfolio and without enabling the participating investor to choose or delete specific assets for inclusion in the recommended portfolio. The system enables the investor only to alter the asset allocation. The model portfolios are professionally overseen and managed for compliance with projected returns and conformance to the assigned asset class. The system can be executed on paper or in the form of computer software run locally or on a network.
US08442886B1	Systems and methods for identifying financial relationships Improved systems and methods are provided for identifying financial relationships. In particular, financial relationships may be identified by associating tradelines with one or more people who sign or co-sign on the tradeline. In various embodiments a method is provided comprising, receiving, at a computer-based system for credit data analysis comprising a processor and a tangible, non-transitory memory, credit reporting data relating to a tradeline, parsing, by the computer-based system, the credit reporting data to yield primary debtor data and secondary debtor data, and linking, by the computer-based system, the tradeline with the primary debtor data and the secondary debtor data.
US08442885B1	Algorithmic trading management system and method Embodiments of the invention are directed to a computer-implemented system and method for facilitating electronic market participation of traders. The algorithmic trading management system may comprise an algorithm and/or sequence usage and construction module providing conditional user interface features for allowing traders to construct algorithms or sequences to structure trading orders. The system may additionally include sequence modification components for allowing traders to modify algorithms collected from external sources in order to customize trading orders. The system may further include operator intervention tools for allowing traders to manually influence sequence execution through a user interface.
US08442882B1	Method and system for managing charitable donations A method for managing charitable donations of a donor. The method includes receiving donation information associated with a charitable donation of a donor from a browser extension of a browser application, where the browser application is executing on a user system associated with the donor and where the browser extension obtains the donation information independent of web content presented in the browser application. The method further includes receiving a request for the donation information from a tax preparation entity. The method further includes in response to the request, sending the donation information to the tax preparation entity, where the donation information is used by the tax preparation entity to generate tax documentation for the donor.
US08442881B2	Systems and methods of processing and classifying a financial transaction The present disclosure generally provides systems and methods of classifying financial transactions. In one embodiment, the present disclosure may generally include a system of classifying financial transactions. The system may include a processor coupled to a database. The processor may be programmed to receive transaction information and a source document associated with a financial transaction. The transaction information and source data associated with the source document may be stored in the database. The stored transaction information and the source data may be retrieved from the database and may form a basis for a determination of a code associated with the financial transaction.
US08442878B2	Stock monitoring System(s) and method(s) for stock monitoring are provided. Stock monitoring system(s) may include, e.g., a housing, one or more doors disposed in or on the housing, a sensor for sensing the condition of the door(s) and providing a door closed signal indicative of the door(s) having been closed by a user; one or more containers for stock items, located within the housing, the or each container having associated therewith a weight sensor for providing a weight signal indicative of the current weight of the container, and control circuitry, coupled for communication with the weight sensor(s). Method(s) may include, e.g., receiving a door closed signal; receiving one or more weight signals; and determining, for the or each container, the number of stock items removed from the container(s) by the user, from the weight signal(s) occurring during a predetermined sensing period, the predetermined sensing period being dependent upon the door closed signal.
US08442876B1	Returnable container management and repair system and method A computerized system and method for managing a returnable container inventory and repairs of the returnable containers. The computerized system and method has features and functionality for tracking and managing repairs of special returnable containers that comprise multiple parts. The computerized system and method supports tracking of containers through a distribution network and management of data related to repairs performed on returnable containers as well as the spare parts that are used to repair the containers. Special handling features support removal of the containers from the distribution network for a variety of reasons. Report features allow a shipper to determine the status of containers throughout the distribution network, to view data related to the container and spare parts inventory, and to manage the container inventory using data collection and analysis features.
US08442875B1	Creating and maintaining electronic gift lists A system for maintaining gift lists for other persons is presented. The system includes a data store and a computing device. The data store stores at least information related to items available for purchase. The computing device is in communication with and has access to the data store. Moreover, the computing device is configured to create a gift list. The gift list includes references to items that are available for purchase by a user, and that are selected by a user as potential gifts for another. Additionally, access to the gift list is controlled by the user that created the gift list. The computing device is further configured in such a way as to add a reference to an item to the gift list while the user browses the items available for purchase.
US08442873B2	Order processing system, method and program product An order processing system, method, and program product that generates an order receipt based on an order request. The system, method, and program product include a plurality of request handlers for processing different types of order requests. One of the plurality of request handlers is selected to process the order request based on the type of order request. Once processing is complete, an order receipt is generated.
US08442871B2	Publishing user submissions According to the present invention, there is provided a method to facilitate propagating a plurality of transaction listings to a network-based transaction facility. An input interface is presented at a seller application to receive from a user, a plurality of transaction listings, each transaction listing including an associated start time. Also, a data file is composed at the seller application to include the plurality of transaction listings. Moreover, the data file is propagated, using the seller application, from the client computer to the network-based transaction facility.
US08442870B1	Systems and methods for selling or offering paper or electronic greeting cards on the internet A system and method for generating a greeting card selection interface is provided. In some embodiments, the greeting card selection interface may be used to electronically sell or offer paper greeting cards or electronic greeting cards. The greeting card selection interface may overcome design challenges and improve the shopping experience by allowing the user to shop for cards in a quicker and more intuitive fashion, reducing the time that the user needs to select one or more cards of interest while providing appropriate detail that consumers of greeting cards typically require before making a purchase. Various improvements to the shopping experience include sizing, formatting (including layout), positioning, obtaining appropriate images, and obtaining information related to greeting cards that optimize the electronic shopping experience.
US08442867B2	Providing an announcement about transactions of a target merchant to a consumer An announcement distributor distributes, or auctions an opportunity to distribute, an announcement to an announcement recipient such as a consumer, issuer, merchant, or acquirer within a payment processing system. The announcement is formed when there has been a satisfaction of an announcement condition, such as the consumer being determined to be located within a predetermined spatial zone. The content of the announcement may, in turn, facilitate a subsequent cashless transaction for resources of merchants. Implementations describe various permutations of the content of the announcement, the announcement condition, and the announcement recipient.
US08442866B2	Systems and methods for implementing and managing virtual gift cards According to one aspect, embodiments of the invention provide a method for administering a virtual gift card, the method comprising acts of receiving a request from a server of a retailer, providing, in response to the request, an interface to a terminal operated by a purchaser, the interface comprising fields for receiving a value and a recipient for the virtual gift card, receiving from the terminal, in response to input from the purchaser, the value and the recipient for the virtual gift card, generating a code for the virtual gift card, and sending a message to the recipient of the virtual gift card, the message including the code for the virtual gift card.
US08442862B2	Method and system for tracking telephone calls A system for tracking telephone calls made in response to advertising campaigns in electronic or other media is provided. The system permits an advertiser to associate specific and distinct telephone numbers with associated advertising campaigns. The system further modifies advertiser-provided information in response to the advertising campaign to which a potential customer responds, and includes the associated telephone number in the modified advertiser information. The system processes telephone calls made to the selected telephone numbers, and provides reports to advertisers of call data associated with the respective advertising campaigns.
US08442856B2	Translation support apparatus and computer-readable storage medium A translation support apparatus manages a series of processes related to a translation work of an original text and a proofreading work of a translation. A payable translation fee may be calculated by subtracting a reduction fee calculated based on a proofread record and a reduction fee table from a prescribed translation fee calculated based on the translation and a prescribed translation fee table.
US08442855B2	Method of designing and building to a targeted cost for high tech facilities The present invention discloses a methodology and device for predicting the cost of construction of a facility for use especially in conception stages of a project. The method proceeds by identifying a process application to be housed within the facility, identifying specified process equipment, minimum size of the facility, the support utility infrastructure required for all systems which will provide for the needs of the identified process application, and determining associated costs. A variety of other factors may also be examined in determining cost, and by identifying a project budget, the cost or budget itself may be adjusted.
US08442850B2	Providing accounting software application as enterprise services Methods and apparatus, including systems and computer program products, for a services architecture design that provides enterprise services having accounting functionality at the level of an enterprise application. The design includes a set of service operations, process components, and optionally deployment units. Suitable business objects are also described.
US08442849B2	Emotional mapping Methods and systems are provided for emotional mapping, such as of online users, based at least in part on online activities of users. Techniques are provided in which information including a set of emotional states is generated or obtained, such as a hierarchical network of emotional states representing a spectrum of human emotions. Information regarding user online activities and content choices of a user is obtained. Based at least in part on this information, the user is classified into an emotional state of the set of emotional states, and advertisements or content may be targeted to the user accordingly.
US08442848B2	Automatic optimal taxicab mobile location based dispatching system The invention discloses a method and system for real-time automatic optimal dispatching of a plurality of taxicabs to passenger pick-up locations. The system uses optimization model to optimally dispatch taxicab vehicles in order to minimize total clients waiting time and to maximize taxicab business profitability. The optimization is performed based on the data on currently available taxicabs and their location, and based on the data on new clients orders and clients' pick-up locations, wherein the data on available taxicabs and their locations is obtained by the cell phone/GPS means from taxicab in-car devices and the data on clients' pick-up locations is obtained from clients cell phones/GPS-based devices.
US08442846B2	System and method for managing investment risk in satellite operator companies In order to mitigate risk of satellite investment loss, a satellite loss event or failure event for a satellite that will be operated by a satellite operator company is identified. Actuarial data corresponding to prior satellite loss events or failure events substantially corresponding to the satellite loss event or failure event are identified. An investment loss mitigation insurance policy based at least in part on the identified actuarial data is developed. The investment loss mitigation insurance policy includes a salvage provision. The investment loss mitigation insurance policy is offered to the identified financial investors. The investment loss mitigation insurance policy is placed with an underwriting pool.
US08442841B2	Patient selection method for assisting weight loss A method is provided for identifying a patient as being suitable for implantation of a weight-loss assist device. The method includes identifying the patient as being generally suitable for the implantation and subsequently, measuring a value associated with the patient. Responsively to determining that the value is beyond a threshold associated therewith, the weight-loss assist device is implanted.
US08442839B2	Agent-based collaborative recognition-primed decision-making Collaborative agents for simulating teamwork (CAST) are provided with a recognition-primed decision (RPD) model, thereby enhancing analysis through linking and sharing information using knowledge and experience distributed among team members. The RPD model is integrated within a CAST architecture to the extent that agents can proactively seek and fuse information to enhance the quality and timeliness of the decision-making process. The approach, which is applicable to both human assistants and virtual teammates, can approximately track human's decision-making process and effectively interact with human users. A disclosed example relates to teams of agents analyzing terrorist activities.
US08442835B2	Methods, systems, and products for measuring health Methods, systems, and products measure health data related to a user. A spoken phrase is received and time-stamped. The user is identified from the spoken phrase. A window of time is determined from a semantic content of the spoken phrase. A sensor measurement is received and time-stamped. A difference in time between the time-stamped spoken phrase and the time-stamped sensor measurement is determined and compared to the window of time. When the difference in time is within the window of time, then the sensor measurement is associated with the user.
US08442833B2	Speech processing with source location estimation using signals from two or more microphones Computer implemented speech processing is disclosed. First and second voice segments are extracted from first and second microphone signals originating from first and second microphones. The first and second voice segments correspond to a voice sound originating from a common source. An estimated source location is generated based on a relative energy of the first and second voice segments and/or a correlation of the first and second voice segments. A determination whether the voice segment is desired or undesired may be made based on the estimated source location.
US08442832B2	Apparatus for context awareness and method using the same An apparatus for context awareness includes: a voice-based recognition unit that recognizes a user's emotional state on the basis of a voice signal; a motion-based recognition unit that recognizes the user's emotional state on the basis of a motion; a position recognition unit that recognizes a location where the user is positioned; and a mergence-recognition unit that recognizes a user's context by analyzing the recognition results of the voice-based recognition unit, the motion-based recognition unit, and the position recognition unit. Accordingly, it is possible to rapidly and accurately accidents or dangerous contexts caused to a user.
US08442831B2	Sound envelope deconstruction to identify words in continuous speech A speech recognition capability in which words of spoken text are identified based on the contour of sound waves representing the spoken text. Variations in the contour of the sound waves are identified, features are assigned to those variations, and then the features are mapped to sound constructs to provide the words.
US08442822B2	Method and apparatus for speech segmentation Machine-readable media, methods, apparatus and system for speech segmentation are described. In some embodiments, a fuzzy rule may be determined to discriminate a speech segment from a non-speech segment. An antecedent of the fuzzy rule may include an input variable and an input variable membership. A consequent of the fuzzy rule may include an output variable and an output variable membership. An instance of the input variable may be extracted from a segment. An input variable membership function associated with the input variable membership and an output variable membership function associated with the output variable membership may be trained. The instance of the input variable, the input variable membership function, the output variable, and the output variable membership function may be operated, to determine whether the segment is the speech segment or the non-speech segment.
US08442821B1	Multi-frame prediction for hybrid neural network/hidden Markov models A method and system for multi-frame prediction in a hybrid neural network/hidden Markov model automatic speech recognition (ASR) system is disclosed. An audio input signal may be transformed into a time sequence of feature vectors, each corresponding to respective temporal frame of a sequence of periodic temporal frames of the audio input signal. The time sequence of feature vectors may be concurrently input to a neural network, which may process them concurrently. In particular, the neural network may concurrently determine for the time sequence of feature vectors a set of emission probabilities for a plurality of hidden Markov models of the ASR system, where the set of emission probabilities are associated with the temporal frames. The set of emission probabilities may then be concurrently applied to the hidden Markov models for determining speech content of the audio input signal.
US08442817B2	Apparatus and method for voice activity detection It is provided a voice activity decision apparatus capable of accurately performing the decision on the state being associated with a sound interval or a silence interval also in terms of the input signal having many aperiodic components and/or plural mixed different periodic components. The apparatus 1 comprises: an autocorrelation calculating unit 11 for calculating autocorrelation values of an input signal; a delay calculating unit 12 for calculating plural delays at which autocorrelation values calculated by the autocorrelation calculating unit 11 become maximums; a noise deciding unit 13 for deciding whether the input signal is a noise or not based on the plurality of delays calculated by the delay calculating unit 12; and an activity decision unit 14 for performing the activity decision in terms of the input signal based on results of decision by the noise deciding unit 13 and the input signal.
US08442816B2	Music-piece classification based on sustain regions Audio data representative of a music piece is converted into data components in respective different frequency bands for every unit time interval to generate time frequency data pieces assigned to the respective different frequency bands. From the generated time frequency data pieces, detection is made as to each sustain region in which an effective data component in one of the frequency bands continues to occur during a reference time interval or longer. A feature quantity is calculated from at least one of (1) a number of the detected sustain regions and (2) magnitudes of the effective data components in the detected sustain regions. The music piece is classified in response to the calculated feature quantity.
US08442814B2	Conceptual world representation natural language understanding system and method A Natural Language Understanding system is provided for indexing of free text documents. The system according to the invention utilizes typographical and functional segmentation of text to identify those portions of free text that carry meaning. The system then uses words and multi-word terms and phrases identified in the free to text to identify concepts in the free text. The system uses a lexicon of terms linked to a formal ontology that is independent of a specific language to extract concepts from the free text based on the words and multi-word terms in the free text. The formal ontology contains both language independent domain knowledge concepts and language dependent linguistic concepts that govern the relationships between concepts and contain the rules about how language works. The system according to the current invention may preferably be used to index medical documents and assign codes from independent coding systems, such as, SNOMED, ICD-9 and ICD-10. The system according to the current invention may also preferably make use of syntactic parsing to improve the efficiency of the method.
US08442809B2	Method for biologically monitoring the environment (variants) and a system for carrying out said method The invention relates to ecological environment monitoring based on native animals functional state control. The method includes exposure a test animal to IR radiation using an optical radiation source and a transmitting optical fiber; receiving the reflected IR radiation using a receiving optical fiber; converting the reflected IR radiation to an electrical signal; determining a sample of values of the signal periods and the sample dispersion; and forming a danger signal when the threshold value exceeds the sample dispersion. The system contains a cardiac activity sensor which includes a transmitting and receiving optical fibers, an optical radiation source and optical radiation receiver; an amplifier, an analog-to-digital converter and a computer. The output end of transmitting fiber and the input end of receiving fiber have the same direction and are positioned at a distance R satisfying the inequality (πd2P)0.07−2.2(1/(πd2P))0.02≦R≦(πd2P)0.07+2.2(1/(πd2P))0.02.
US08442808B2	Method of guiding a physical training program using biomarkers of fatigue The present invention provides methods and compositions for identifying a subject in a fatigued state, a subject recovering from a fatigued state and/or a subject having an increased likelihood of performing a physical activity at a sufficient level by detecting and/or quantitating, in a sample from the subject, one or more biomarkers associated with fatigue and/or physical performance capability.
US08442806B2	Systems and methods for simulations utilizing a virtual coupling Embodiments include storing values of a first plurality of nodes in memory based on tracking the position of a plurality of points of a physical object and maintaining a second plurality of nodes in memory, each node of the second plurality of nodes corresponding to a node of the first plurality. The values of the second plurality of nodes can be used to model interactions with other objects and to render a view of a simulated object. The simulation can access data identifying a simulation boundary and selectively update values of the second plurality of nodes using the first plurality of nodes while ensuring that the simulation boundary is not violated. A value of the second plurality of nodes can be set to be different from the value of the corresponding one of the first plurality of nodes if using the first node's value would violate the boundary.
US08442805B2	Efficient computation of Voronoi diagrams of general generators in general spaces and uses thereof The Voronoi diagram is a decomposed region X made into cells, the decomposition being induced by a set of generators (Pk)k-K, and a distance function, and involves finding for each generator Pk a cell, which is a set of all the points in X satisfying the condition that the distance to the current generator P=Pk is not greater than the distance thereof to the union A of the other generators. For each generator, and for each point p in this generator, the method selects a set of directions, then for each direction recursively tests a ray in that direction, until a certain interval on the ray is shorter than or equal to a given error parameter. A point corresponding to the interval on the ray is then selected as an end point, and cells are defined from the end points, thus forming the Voronoi diagram.
US08442804B2	Method and apparatus for composite part data extraction A computer implemented method for generating a section cut in a model of a part. A location on the part is identified. An axis system is created at the location in the model of the part, wherein the axis system has an axis that is normal to a surface at the location in the model of the part. Section cuts intersecting the surface and plies below the surface are created. A plurality of sampling points on the surface is identified based on the section cuts. Core sampling is preformed using the plurality of sampling points to generate sampled data.
US08442801B2	Wireless location-based system for detecting hazardous conditions A method and apparatus are provided for estimating the location of a portable device. The method includes providing a plurality of location anchor and enhanced location anchor transceivers within a region, each operating from respective predetermined locations, a portable transceiver measuring a signal parameter from the transceivers, a location engine determining a location of the portable transceiver based upon the signal measurements and the respective predetermined locations of the transceivers, each of the enhanced transceivers measuring a signal parameter from some of the location and other enhanced transceivers, the location engine calculating an estimated location for each of the plurality of enhanced transceivers and calculating a location error based upon the estimated location and predetermined location of the enhanced location anchor transceiver.
US08442799B2	Information processing system and information processing program A system for smoothly executing information processing in the case where information processing is executed to all of the information in relation to a target area, and at the same time other information processing is executed in parallel thereto. In information processing system 10, each of a plurality of mesh groups differing from one another is decided as a first mesh group through an n-th mesh group (n=2, 3, . . . ), respectively. A predetermined information processing is executed to the mesh information group in relation to each mesh group in the order from the first mesh group to the n-th mesh group. The load of the information processing system for the predetermined information processing is reduced by executing the predetermined information processing for each mesh information group.
US08442794B2	Toolkit for creating appliance diagnostics An appliance development toolkit includes an editor configured to create one or more test scripts having steps with each step being separated from its adjacent steps by a transition condition. The transition condition includes a logic expression resolvable to a boolean transition value, and one or more command statements that instruct what should happen so that a test engine can execute the command statement contemporaneous with the transition from one step to another. The toolkit also includes information associated with a message element in a message data payload. The message data payload is uniquely identifiable within a universe of pre-defined message data payloads for an appliance. The toolkit also includes a converter for placing the test script into a form for use in diagnosing an appliance.
US08442790B2	Robotic heliostat calibration system and method A robotic controller for autonomous calibration and inspection of two or more solar surfaces wherein the robotic controller includes a drive system to position itself near a solar surface such that onboard sensors may be utilized to gather information about the solar surface. An onboard communication unit relays information to a central processing network, this processor combines new information with stored historical data to calibrate a solar surface and/or to determine its instantaneous health.
US08442782B2	Method for determining and/or monitoring a process variable of a medium, and corresponding apparatus A method for determining and/or monitoring a process variable of a medium, wherein a mechanically oscillatable unit is supplied with an exciter signal wherein a received signal coming from the mechanically oscillatable unit is received, and wherein the exciter signal is produced in such a manner, that a phase difference between the exciter signal and the received signal equals a predeterminable phase value. A criterion for judging the determining of the phase difference between the exciter signal and the received signal, or a signal dependent on the exciter signal or on the received signal, is established; in the case, in which the criterion for judging the determining of the phase difference is fulfilled, tuning of the phase difference is closed-loop controlled; and, in the alternative case, tuning of the phase difference is open-loop controlled. An apparatus associated with the method is also disclosed.
US08442777B1	System and method for measuring rolling resistance The system and method for measuring rolling resistance provide for the measurement of various properties associated with pre-rolling resistance. A cruciform pendulum is formed from a rigid rod having opposed upper and lower ends and a horizontal support extending orthogonal thereto. A pair of substantially hemispherical samples formed from a first material are mounted on opposing ends of the horizontal support. Flat, planar samples of a second test material are placed upon spaced apart supporting surfaces. The cruciform pendulum is suspended between the supporting surfaces with the hemispherical first material resting on the planar second material. The rigid rod is deflected from vertical and released to induce pendulum oscillations with the first material rolling on the second material. Based upon the measured angular deviations and periods of pendulum oscillations, coefficients of rolling friction, moments of rolling friction, hysteresis losses, adhesion and moments of elastic rolling resistance may be easily calculated.
US08442773B2	Protein synthesis monitoring (PSM) A method and a device are disclosed for monitoring the synthesis of proteins by the ribosome, wherein the ribosome is bound to a first label, for example a donor fluorophore, and a tRNA and/or amino acid are is bound to a second label, for example an acceptor fluorophore, wherein the first and second labels together from a FRET pair. As the ribosome mechanism processes the mRNA and tRNA molecules and synthesizes a polypeptide chain, a light source illuminates the ribosome, exciting the donor fluorophores and thereby the acceptor fluorophores whenever these are in sufficient proximity to a donor. The resulting signals are detected and used as a key for database searching and identification of the protein being synthesized.
US08442770B2	Forming a geological model A method of forming a geological model of a region of the earth includes obtaining seismic data relating to the region, the seismic data including seismic traveltime uncertainty. A seismic velocity model of the region may also be provided and includes velocity uncertainty. Ray tracing may be performed on the seismic data using the velocity model to determine the three dimensional positions of a plurality of points of the region. The three dimensional positional uncertainties (7-12) of at least some of the points can be calculated from the traveltime uncertainty, the velocity uncertainty, and uncertainty in the ray propagation direction. This can be combined with the positions determined by the ray tracing to form a geological model.
US08442764B2	3-D map display A computer generated 3-dimensional map display includes a reference icon identifying an observation point in the geographic area defined by the map, the map being presented on a curved surface which extends from a first plane to a second plane which is substantially orthogonal to the first plane. The observation point is located in the first plane. The display is configured such that the height of landmarks and buildings in a defined foreground of the reference icon are presented normal to the first plane, the height of land marks and buildings at a defined far distance are presented normal to the second plane and the height of land marks and buildings in a defined middle ground are presented normal to the non-linear portion of the curved surface. The geographic area represented can be translated along the curved surface to provide a perception that the reference icon is roaming through the displayed geographic area.
US08442763B2	Method and apparatus for geographically aiding navigation satellite system solution The present invention is related to position calculation and navigation systems, and more particularly, to a method and apparatus for making accuracy improvements to a GPS receiver's navigation solutions. According to a first aspect, selective cartography information from a map database accessed by a GPS receiver from a location-aiding device is integrated into the position calculations performed by the GPS receiver. According to another aspect, selective cartography information includes indices representing associated attributes of geographical objects, such as, a width-indicator index for a road segment.
US08442755B2	Systems and methods for preventing motor vehicle side doors from coming into contact with obstacles Systems and methods for preventing a motor vehicle side door from coming into contact with an obstacle are provided. One system includes an outside rear view mirror, a camera coupled to the outside rear view mirror, and a controller coupled to the camera. The camera is configured to detect the obstacle and determine the distance between the side door and the obstacle, and the controller is configured to disable the side door if the obstacle is within a threshold distance of the side door. Another system replaces the camera with an ultrasonic sensor to detect the obstacle and determine the distance between the side door and the obstacle. A method includes determining the distance between a plurality of motor vehicle side doors and the obstacle, and automatically disabling each motor vehicle side door that is within a threshold distance of the obstacle.
US08442754B2	Apparatus, method and medium detecting landmarks with a mobile device An apparatus, method and medium detecting landmarks with a mobile device. The apparatus includes a storage unit to store rules of landmarks that correspond to connection relations among items representing a user's living patterns, an analysis unit to statistically analyze the collected log information representing a current living pattern of the user, a landmark probability inferring unit to infer in probability the landmarks according to the analyzed log information based on the stored rules, and a landmark selection unit to select a final landmark by mutually analyzing the stored rules and the inferred landmarks.
US08442753B2	Inverted pendulum vehicle with stability on a slope The gradient of a road surface is estimated with a change in the attitude of a vehicle also taken into consideration. As a result, the gradient of the road surface can be estimated with high accuracy, and this enables the vehicle to stably stop and travel independently of the gradient of the road surface. The vehicle has a drive wheel rotatably mounted on a vehicle body and also has a vehicle control device for controlling the attitude of the vehicle by controlling drive torque applied to the drive wheel. The vehicle control device estimates the gradient of the road surface based on the attitude of the vehicle and corrects the drive torque based on the gradient.
US08442751B2	Onboard electronic distribution system A computer implemented method, apparatus, and computer program product for transferring information with an aircraft. A connection is established between an onboard electronic distribution system executing in an aircraft data processing system in the aircraft and an on ground component. Responsive to a request for a command from the on ground component, the command for execution is identified. The identified command is sent to the onboard electronic distribution system from an on ground component. A transaction identifier is assigned to the command. A transaction associated with the command is maintained on the onboard electronic distribution system and the on ground component using the transaction identifier. An uplink is initiated by the on ground component. An aircraft software part is sent to the onboard electronic distribution system from the on ground component to perform the uplink. A status of a transfer of the aircraft software part on ground component is stored.
US08442747B2	Cylinder air mass prediction systems for stop-start and hybrid electric vehicles An engine system includes a first module that determines a cylinder of an engine to be in one of M prediction types and generates a distance from intake signal indicating a number of prediction steps the cylinder is away from an intake stroke. M is an integer greater than or equal to 3. A second module determines a cycle type of the cylinder. The cycle type indicates a number of combustion cycles the cylinder has experienced from a last restart of the engine. A cylinder air charge module estimates an air mass within the cylinder based on the distance from intake signal and the cycle type.
US08442745B2	Fuel supply apparatus for internal combustion engine and control method thereof In control executed by a fuel supply apparatus having a delivery passage that delivers fuel to a fuel injection valve, a fuel pump that pumps the fuel from a fuel tank to the delivery passage, and a check valve that allows the fuel to flow out of the delivery passage into the fuel tank, that opens when a first fuel pressure on the delivery passage is higher than a second fuel pressure on the fuel tank by at least a set pressure, when the first fuel pressure is lower than a lower limit pressure being higher than the set pressure in a case where fuel injection is to be stopped, the fuel pump is controlled so that the first fuel pressure rises to or above the lower limit pressure, and after the first fuel pressure has reached or exceeded the lower limit pressure, the abnormality diagnosis is executed on the check valve.
US08442744B2	Compensation for oxygenated fuel use in a diesel engine To partially supplant the use of fossil fuels in diesel engines, oxygen-containing fuels, such as biodiesels, are proposed as blending agents in diesel fuel. Engine calibration coefficients to control EGR rate, timings and quantities of fuel injection pulses, turbocharger boost, etc, can be determined to compensate for the lower energy content of such oxygenate blends compared to diesel fuels. According to an embodiment of the disclosure, the fuel quantity of each of multiple injection pulses is increased proportionally to compensate for the impact of oxygenates. An adjustment in the fuel injection quantity is performed in response to a new tank of fuel and the adjustment is applied for that tank of fuel. A fuel compensation factor (FCF) can be determined based on the actual amount of fuel injected compared to the expected amount of diesel fuel at the present operating condition.
US08442741B2	Vehicle control apparatus Disclosed is a vehicle control apparatus which can prevent drivability from being deteriorated. An ECU is operative to set a reduction speed threshold value to determine a driver's braking intention on the basis of the correlation in the depression amount of an accelerator pedal, the depression amount of a brake pedal, and a travel state of a vehicle caused by the depression amounts of the accelerator pedal and the brake pedal. The ECU is further operative to change the reduction speed threshold value on the basis of the detected drive state to compare the travel state calculated on the basis of the detected drive state with the changed reduction speed threshold value to determine the driver's braking intention, thereby making it possible to determine the driver's braking intention without detecting the operation amount of a driver and to accurately estimate the driver's braking intention. This makes it possible to change the reduction control between executed and not executed, and to improve the drivability.
US08442738B2	Speed control for patient handling device A patient handling device, such as a bed, stretcher, cot, or the like, includes a motor for driving one or more wheels to assist in the movement of the device. At least one proximity sensor is positioned on the device in order to detect the presence of one or more objects that may lie in the path of the device when it moves. A controller on the device determines the distance between itself and the object and automatically controls the speed of the device in a manner designed to reduce the likelihood of a collision and/or to mitigate the impact of a collision. The automatic speed control of the device may follow one or more predetermined profiles that correlate certain parameters, such as a distance to the object or relative velocity, with a maximum acceptable speed of the device.
US08442737B2	Method for operating a vehicle brake system and vehicle brake system A method for operating a vehicle braking system for motor vehicles including a hybrid or electric drive and hydraulically actutable wheel brakes on the front axle, wherein the wheels associated with the rear axle are driven at least partially by an electric motor that can be operated as a generator to recover braking energy and, in generator mode, exerts a braking force on the vehicle wheel associated with the respective axle, thereby generating a drag torque including the braking torque and the regeneration torque of the electric drive, the drag torque being separately regulatable on the front and rear axles. To prevent overbraking of the rear axle and a loss of driving stability of the vehicle, a regeneration torque acting on the rear axle is controlled or regulated such that the drag torque acting on the rear axle does not exceed a maximum drag torque value associated with that axle.
US08442734B2	Vehicle assist method A control assist method for a vehicle including a power train connected to drive wheels by a clutch. The method updates a clutch curve which connects a position of a clutch pedal and a maximum torque that can be transmitted by the corresponding clutch, as a function of reliability thereof, the reliability being lower when the vehicle is first used and increasing with use of the vehicle.
US08442731B2	Control and transmission of straddle type vehicle, and the same A control system for an electronically controlled continuously variable transmission of a straddle type vehicle in which an intentional shift down operation is easily made in an AT mode. An MT mode temporarily selecting section makes the gear change mode selecting section select the MT mode temporarily and makes the gear ratio control section change the gear ratio of the transmission to a gear ratio from among a plurality of predetermined gear ratios that is positioned lower than a current gear ratio when a mode change signal is inputted in AT mode. An AT mode returning section returns the gear change mode selected by the gear change mode selecting section to AT mode when a release signal is outputted after MT mode is temporarily selected by the MT mode temporarily selecting section.
US08442729B2	Traveling system for engineering machine This invention provides a traveling system for an engineering machine, adapted to limit a maximum traveling speed of the machine without causing decreases in engineering work efficiency or in accelerating performance during a start of traveling, and to improve fuel efficiency by suppressing a loss of engine output horsepower under the limited state of the maximum traveling speed. During fourth-gear shift control process, capacities of first and second hydraulic motors 23, 24 are controlled in coordinative form and the second hydraulic motor 24 has its minimum tilting amount limited to a tilting amount limit q2cmin. In addition, when a tilting amount of the first hydraulic motor 23 reaches a minimum tilting amount q1min, the engine 10 has its maximum engine speed limited to a first engine speed limit Ncmax1 (e.g., 1,800 rpm).
US08442727B2	Electric vehicle and method for setting total allowable discharge electric energy in the electric vehicle When an accumulated charge amount of a first slave battery reaches a preset accumulated charge amount or less, the first slave battery is set as a used secondary battery, and when a master battery and a second slave battery are connected to sides of motors, accumulated charge amount differences of the master battery and the second slave battery are respectively set as allowable discharge electric energies E1 and E3, value 0 is set as an allowable discharge electric energy E2, and a sum of these allowable discharge electric energies is set as an EV priority allowable electric energy that is an electric energy that is allowed to be discharged as a whole of the master battery, and the two slave batteries.
US08442726B2	Method and device for lessening the consequences of an accident on a vehicle occupant A method and device are provided for lessening the consequences of an accident affecting a vehicle occupant in the event of a collision of the vehicle with an obstruction. Before the collision, the absolute speed of the vehicle occupant relative to the obstruction is reduced independently of the traveling speed of the vehicle by way of a reduction of the vehicle occupant's speed relative to the vehicle, without the vehicle occupant experiencing a first displacement movement against the vehicle movement direction beyond his initial destination-related traveling position.
US08442722B2	Corner unit guidance control system using two antennas A corner unit guidance control system for use with a corner unit that is part of a center pivot irrigation system includes a primary antenna, a secondary antenna, a receiver, and a controller. The primary antenna and the secondary antenna may receive signals from at least one external positional information source. The receiver may be in communication with the antennas and operable to process the signals to produce position data corresponding to a current position of a wheel and altitude data about the height of the antennas. The controller may be in communication with the receiver and may be programmed to steer the wheel to a heading corresponding to a difference between the current position of the wheel and a point along the path and further programmed to calculate a tilt angle from the altitude data and adjust the heading based on the tilt angle.
US08442717B2	Abnormality detection apparatus for starter control system In an ECU provided for idle-stop control, when a user start command is outputted from an ECU to start an engine in response to a manual start operation of a driver, transistors are turned on and a solenoid is operated to engage a pinion gear of a starter with a ring gear. After a delay period of a delay circuit, a transistor is turned on by an output of the delay circuit and an electromagnetic switch is turned on to energize a motor of the starter. A microcomputer measures an actual delay time from when the user start command is outputted to turn-on of the transistor and checks whether the measured time corresponds to a normal time of the delay time.
US08442716B2	Identifying physical locations of entities Businesses and other entities may be assigned geographic locations based on various types of data. In one example, entities are associated with segments in a street grid. Additionally, data points (e.g., geotagged blog entries or other online information) are associated with segments in the street grid. For a given segment, data points are compared with entities to identify possible matches between the data points and the entities. Each match is assigned a score, and each match represents a possible physical location for a given entity. The locations of entities on the street are assigned, from among the matches, based on which assignment of entities optimizes the aggregate score for the segment, while satisfying one or more physical constraints.
US08442710B2	Method for the computer-supported control of a ship The positions and motions of a bow and a stern of the ship are detected using redundant devices and evaluated to automatically perform difficult maneuvers in ports or to generate recommendations for controlling the ship.
US08442706B2	Module for integrated approach to an offshore facility A system and method to facilitate approach of a VTOL aircraft to an offshore facility includes inputting a waypoint for a landing platform of an offshore facility into an aircraft module, inputting an offset distance from the landing platform into the aircraft module, inputting a minimum descent height into an aircraft module, and inputting a final approach inbound course toward the landing platform into the aircraft module.
US08442705B2	Method and device for determining aerodynamic characteristics of an aircraft The present invention provides a device and method for determining aerodynamic characteristics of an aircraft, in particular a pitch moment coefficient at an ascending force of the aircraft without a horizontal tail plane of zero and an aerodynamic neutral point of the aircraft without a horizontal tail plane. In the method according to the invention, forces and mechanical flight parameters on aerofoils and a horizontal tail plane of the aircraft are detected at various detection instants during at least one non-stationary flight maneuvre of the aircraft. In this case, a linear system of equations is formed, which comprises a pitch movement moment balance equation for each detection instant, the pitch movement moment balance equation having the detected forces and mechanical flight parameters. This linear system of equations is evaluated to calculate the aerodynamic characteristics.
US08442703B2	Turning-stabilized estimation of the attitude angles of an aircraft The present invention relates to estimating the attitude angles of an aircraft (1). The estimated attitude angles are generated by a device (9) that performs algorithmic integration on inertial measurements indicative of an angular velocity and of a linear acceleration. Horizontal components (34-39) of desired corrections are obtained by a linear combination of two horizontal components (32-33), with cross coefficients between said horizontal axes being continuous variable over time and dependent on the estimated rate of turn. As a result, the estimated attitude angles are stable, and the biases of the gyros continue to be estimated, including during stages during which the aircraft (1) is turning.
US08442702B2	Fault diagnosis device and method for optimizing maintenance measures in technical systems The present invention provides a fault diagnosis device for optimizing maintenance measures in a system, in particular a flying object. The diagnosis device has a storage unit for storing diagnosis rules, which each have a fault condition indicating the presence of a fault, and a fault conclusion formed by logical combinations of potential fault causes of the respective fault. Furthermore, a logic unit is provided, which logically combines those stored fault conclusions whose associated fault conditions are met and, on the basis of the combined fault conclusions, determines a logical diagnosis result having at least one fault cause hypothesis. A calculation unit subsequently calculates an occurrence probability for each fault cause hypothesis of the logical diagnosis result determined.
US08442700B2	Mobile station for unmanned vehicle A mobile station for an unmanned vehicle comprises a vehicular storage area for storing a vehicle during transit or at rest. A first wireless transceiver communicates a status or command between the vehicle and the mobile station during at least one of vehicular deployment and rest. A station controller manages a management plan of the vehicle comprising at least one of retooling the vehicle, loading a payload on the vehicle, and recharging or refueling of the vehicle.
US08442687B2	Control system, control method, and computer program A control system of a multi-link structure configured by connecting a plurality of rigid bodies together is disclosed. The control system includes: a state equation setting means; a predictive control target value setting means; a stability evaluation function setting means; an optimal control input determining means; an optimal momentum calculating means; and a joint driving method determining means.
US08442682B2	Autonomous robot charging stations and methods A method of charging a robotic device using a charging station is provided. The method includes signaling a controller of the charging station to actuate a moveable barrier of the charging station from a closed configuration to an open configuration. The charging station is recessed into a wall, ceiling and/or floor. The moveable barrier is actuated from the closed configuration to the open configuration thereby exposing an electrical contact of the charging station configured to engage a charging contact of the robotic device for a charging operation.
US08442678B2	Robotic device A robotic device includes a first link portion, a second link portion that moves relative to the first link portion, a first contact load detecting portion that detects a contact load in a contact area of the first link portion, a second contact load detecting portion that detects a contact load in a contact area of the second link portion, and a first link portion control target setting portion that sets a control target for the first link portion. The first link portion control target setting portion sets the control target for the first link portion such that the difference between the detection value of the contact load of the first contact load detecting portion and the detection value of the contact load of the second contact load detecting portion decreases.
US08442675B2	Apparatus and method for coordinating automated package and bulk dispensing An apparatus and method is provided for coordinating automated package and bulk dispensing at a remote site. A hopper apparatus includes a series of storage compartments and access doors. The compartments and doors are linked to a PLC that is further linked to an inventory provider. The inventory provider takes product orders from an end-user. The end-user is provided an end-user access code. The inventory provider communicates with the PLC and reserves for the ordered product(s) a vacant storage compartment(s). The inventory provider delivers the product(s) ordered by the end-user to the hopper apparatus. Upon delivery, the inventory provider enters the appropriate end-user access code(s), causing the PLC to open the storage compartment(s) previously reserved by the inventory provider for the products ordered by the end-user. The inventory provider loads the appropriate storage compartment(s) with the end-user product(s). The end-user subsequently picks up product(s) previously ordered by entering in his or her access code(s).
US08442674B2	Container-less custom beverage vending invention Methods and apparatus describing a convenience beverage vending machine and its operation are described. An embedded computer interface allows consumers to create their own drinks or choose from a menu of drinks. Drinks are dispensed in a re-usable container. The beverages may be made from hot water, cold water or carbonated water that is mixed with various flavors of syrup, sweeteners and nutritional supplements. Identification may be presented and the computer recognizes the consumer and pulls up that consumer's account to determine funds available and previous drink selections and mixtures. The machine may incorporate an automatic cleaning cycle for both the valves and the dispense area.
US08442673B2	Method for controlling a machine for treating containers The invention relates method for controlling a machine for treating containers (12) as well as for controlling processing and/or treatment stations located downstream from it, wherein the machine has a plurality of turntables (42) that are each driven by a motor and that serve to orient and/or position the containers (12), in which method the motor drives (44) of the turntables (42) are each monitored separately, so that, if an error occurs with one or more of the turntable drives (44), the affected defective turntable drives (44) are deactivated while the machine and/or the stations located downstream continue to be operated.
US08442671B2	System, method and operating unit for forming mixed layers for pallets A system (1), a method and an operating unit (62) for the creation of mixed layers for pallets (81, 82, 83, 84) are disclosed. A storage (10) is provided in which at least two different pack types are stored on a plurality of pallets (81, 82, 83, 84), including a plurality of layers of homogenous packs. The packs are intermediately stored in a plurality of individual, parallel conveyors (301, 302, . . . 30N) in a homogenous state. Based on the input of a user (5) on a touch panel (62), the packs are supplied to a grouping table (50) via a supply conveyor (40) in a predetermined sequence. A controller (60) is associated with the system (1) so that, in the grouping table (50), individual different pack types are allocated to the predefined positions of the different pack types as a function of predefined positions of the different pack types in a layer pattern (14) of a layer (24) of a production pallet (12).
US08442665B2	System, method, and apparatus for repairing objects A system is disclosed including a three-dimensional object having a non-conforming region, and a photogrammetry device adapted to scan the three-dimensional object. The system further includes optical reference targets and a controller structured to perform functions of repairing the three-dimensional object. The controller commands the photogrammetry device to scan the three-dimensional object, and calculates a nominal surface location and contour for the three-dimensional object. The controller further commands the photogrammetry device to scan the non-conforming region of the three-dimensional object, and calculates a material removal tool path comprising a path adapted to remove material from the object located beyond the nominal surface location and contour. The controller generates a solid model of the damaged region of the object based on the nominal surface location and contour, and computes a material addition tool path according to the solid model.
US08442663B2	Methods, apparatus and articles of manufacture to test process control systems Example methods, apparatus and articles of manufacture to test process control systems are disclosed. A disclosed example method includes obtaining user inputs to a first process control system, obtaining process inputs and first process outputs of the first process control system, providing the user inputs and the process inputs to a second process control system to operate the second process control system, obtaining second process outputs of the second process control system operated with the user inputs and the process inputs, and comparing the first and second process outputs to determine whether the second process control system is implemented as intended.
US08442661B1	Remotely controlled self-balancing robot including a stabilized laser pointer Systems and methods are provided for projecting a stabilized laser beam from a robot being controlled through a human interface. The laser beam can be stabilized through the use of optics that continuously adjust the aim of the laser beam in response to measurements of the orientation of the robot. The human interface allows the operator to both observe the visual environment of the robot and also to aim the laser beam. The projected laser beam allows the operator to communicate from the perspective of the robot by pointing to objects or locations within the robot's visual environment, creating symbols with the laser beam, and make gestures with the laser beam.
US08442658B2	Crimp-through crimp connector for connecting a conductor cable and an electrode of an implantable cardiac electrotherapy lead An implantable cardiac electrotherapy lead is disclosed herein. The lead may include an electrode on a distal portion of the lead, a conductor extending proximally through the lead from the electrode, and a crimp connector coupling a distal end of the conductor to the electrode. The connector may include a body with an outer surface, an inner surface, proximal and distal ends, a cavity, and at least one splice opening. The inner surface defines the cavity, the proximal and distal ends respectively define proximal and distal openings leading to the cavity, and the at least one splice opening extends from the outer surface to the inner surface and is oriented generally transverse to an axis extending between the proximal and distal openings.
US08442651B2	Medical device with self-healing material An electrode assembly for a medical device system includes an electrode, a shunted lead circuit, and a self-healing material integrated into the shunted lead circuit. The shunted lead circuit is designed to shunt currents induced by relatively high frequency radiation, such as MRI radiation. The self-healing material has a conductive layer and a dielectric layer, where the dielectric layer includes at least one of an oxide, an organic coating, and a composite.
US08442647B2	Medical implantable lead and method for the manufacture thereof A medical implantable lead adapted to be implanted into a human or animal body for monitoring and/or controlling of an organ inside the body has a fixation in a distal end, which is adapted to fix a distal end of the lead to the organ, an electrode member in the distal end adapted to be in contact with tissue of the organ and receive and/or transmit electrical signals from and/or to the organ, and at least one electrically conducting coil, which includes one or more electrically conducting helical wires and that is adapted to connect the electrode member in the distal end with a monitoring and/or controlling device in a proximal end of the lead. One or more of the individual wires of the coil has a wire core that is provided with a surrounding electrically insulating layer, which in turn is provided with a surrounding electrically conducting shield layer, and the coil is close lapped such that electrically conducting shield layers of adjacent loops of the coil are in electrical contact with each other.
US08442645B2	Device and method for treatment of gastroesophageal reflux disease A lower esophageal sphincter tightening device for treating gastroesophageal reflux disease which includes an insertion device, an energy source, and an energy transmitting device. The insertion device, by insertion through a body opening, positions the energy transmitting device in the proximity of the lower esophageal sphincter. The energy source generates and transmits energy via the insertion device to the energy transmitting device which directs the transmitted energy onto the lower esophageal sphincter which is comprised largely of collagen. The energy source transmits energy at a level sufficient to cause heating of the sphincter's collagen resulting in a shrinkage of the collagen and a tightening of the sphincter.
US08442639B2	Systems and methods for electrical stimulation of blood vessels Disclosed herein, among other things, is a system for electrical stimulation of blood vessels. An embodiment of the system includes at least one electrode having electrical contact with a blood vessel. The embodiment also includes a stimulation circuit electrically connected to the electrode, the circuit adapted to provide stimulation to the vessel. The embodiment further includes a controller connected to the circuit, the controller adapted to select frequency and voltage parameters for the stimulation circuit to selectively affect vascular therapy, including constriction of the vessel and dilation of the vessel. According to various embodiments, the stimulation circuit and controller are contained within an implantable medical device (IMD). The system also includes a sensor connected to the controller, and the controller initiates and adjusts therapy based on a signal received from the sensor, in varying embodiments.
US08442638B2	Adaptive baroreflex stimulation therapy for disordered breathing An approach to providing disordered breathing therapy includes delivering electrical stimulation therapy modifying a patient's baroreflex response. Disordered breathing therapy may be delivered in response to prediction or detection of disordered breathing events. Various conditions affecting the patient may be evaluated and the baroreflex therapy modified. The therapy may be modified to improve therapy efficacy, to reduce an impact to the patient and/or to mitigate therapy interactions.
US08442635B2	Automatic electrode integrity management systems and methods This document discusses, among other things, systems and methods for automatic electrode integrity management. Interelectrode impedance is measured for various electrode combinations of an implantable cardiac function management device. The impedance data is processed, such as at an external remote server, to determine whether an electrode is failing or has failed, to select an alternate electrode configuration, to alert a physician or patient, to predict a time-to-failure such as by using population data, or to reprogram electrode configuration or other device parameters of the implantable cardiac function management device.
US08442629B2	Iontophoresis preparation for treating breast cancer and/or mastitis Provided is to enhance the therapeutic effect of an iontophoretic preparation for treatment of breast cancer or mastitis.An iontophoretic preparation for treatment of breast cancer and/or mastitis containing, as an active ingredient, a nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory analgesic agent and/or an anticancer agent, wherein an electrolyte is topically administered through the nipple part into the mammary gland; subsequently, a donor is applied to the nipple part; and the active ingredient is topically administered through the nipple part into the mammary gland by application of current.
US08442628B2	Differential voltage sensing method A differential voltage sensing method for achieving input impedance matching comprises the steps of: providing a first bio-potential signal to a first variable resistor for generating a first signal; providing a second bio-potential signal to a second variable resistor for generating a second signal; differentially amplifying first and second signals for generating a third signal; selecting an operation band of the third signal for generating first and second logic signals; and dynamically adjusting one of the impedances of the first and second variable resistors according to the first and second logic signals, wherein each of the first and second bio-potential signals has a common signal voltage level and a differential signal voltage level.
US08442626B2	Systems and methods for communicating with a computer using brain activity patterns The embodiments described herein are directed to systems and methods for communicating with a computer. The system includes a capture device having sensors to capture a particular brain activity pattern indicative of the mental activity generated in the user by a particular subject, a data storage device operable for storing a plurality of stored brain activity patterns each of which being associated with at least one computer readable indicia indicative of a subject that generated that brain activity pattern. The system also has a processor operable to receive the captured brain activity pattern, search for matching stored brain activity patterns, and if there is at least one matching stored brain activity pattern, retrieve the at least one indicia associated with the at least one matching stored brain activity pattern. The capture device may be an EEG capture device and the captured and stored brain activity patterns are EEG profiles.
US08442623B2	Site marker visible under multiple modalities Various embodiments of a site marker are disclosed that comprise a body portion and a marker element. The body portion is constructed of a bioabsorbable material and defines at least one cavity therein. The marker element is captured within one of the cavities. The marker element is constructed of a material that may be imaged under at least one imaging modality.
US08442619B2	System and method for detecting errors in position tracking systems used for medical applications A system and method for identifying errors while tracking instrument navigations is enclosed. The method may include assigning a plurality of virtual points to a plurality of sensors. At least one of the virtual points may be a non-fixed virtual point. The assignment of virtual points to sensors may be determined based on the medical instrument, or the medical instrument attachment, being used. Virtual point locations may be determined for the non-fixed virtual point. The locations of the non-fixed virtual point may be determined based on the medical instrument, or the medical instrument attachment, being used. The vector values for vectors terminating at the non-fixed virtual point may be adjusted. The field integrity values for the virtual points may be computed. If a field integrity value is greater than a threshold value, an error signal may be communicated.
US08442616B2	Method and device for monitoring a radio-frequency transmitter device in a magnetic resonance tomography system In a device for monitoring a radio-frequency transmit device of a magnetic resonance system, having a transmitter antenna system that has a number of transmit channels, a reference scattering parameter matrix of the transmitter antenna system is determined in the unloaded state with no subject present, and a subject-specific scattering parameter matrix of the transmitter antenna system is determined in a state loaded with the subject. time-dependent transmitter amplitude vectors are determined that represent the radio-frequency voltage amplitudes on the individual transmit channels. From the subject-specific scattering parameter matrix, the reference scattering parameter matrix, and the transmit amplitude vectors, radio-frequency power values absorbed at particular transmit times in the subject are determined, from which monitoring values are formed that, when reached, cause operation of the radio-frequency transmit device to be limited during acquisition of magnetic resonance data.
US08442615B2	Physiological measuring system comprising a garment in the form of a sleeve or glove and sensing apparatus incorporated in the garment A measuring system for measuring electrocardiogram signals comprises a diagnostic garment with ECG electrodes that may assume the form of a sleeve or glove. A disposable version of the glove can be inflated. By using an inflatable glove, the contour of the body is automatically matched by the contour of the glove. Samples from the ECG electrodes positioned on a diagnostic garment are compensated so that the samples better approximate samples from EEG electrodes that are positioned at classical locations. Also, samples from ECG electrodes are compensated to reduce signal noise resulting from positioning the ECG electrodes on the diagnostic garment.
US08442614B2	Stiffness enhanced filaments An embodiment of the invention includes a biocompatible stiffness enhanced pliable electrically conductive filament configured for contact with living tissue and electrical communication with such tissue. The pliability of the filament allows the distal end of the filament to remain at the original site of penetration into the tissue despite the movement of the tissue relative to its surrounding environment. To temporarily stiffen the filament, a soluble stiffness enhancing coating is disposed over the filament. The coating may be in the form of a liquid which dries to a solid state after being applied to the filament and renders the filament sufficiently rigid such that under appropriate force, the filament is capable of penetrating into dense tissue. Once in place the stiffness enhancing coating dissolves due to contact with body fluids, the filament, in the absence of such coating, returns to its initial pliability. An electrical insulating layer is disposed over a portion of the filament to render it non-conductive with tissue in the area adjacent the insulating layer. For a filament with such insulating layer, the stiffness enhancing coating would be disposed over the insulating layer. The filament may also include anchoring means configured to further anchor the filament in place.
US08442612B2	Implantable electrophysiology lead body The invention is an electrophysiology lead body comprising two or more longitudinal elements, each having an outer surface, the longitudinal elements comprising electrical insulation material, the electrical insulation material consisting essentially of fluoropolymer; at least one conductor disposed within at least one of the longitudinal elements; and a cover consisting essentially of fluoropolymer, wherein the cover surrounds the longitudinal elements.
US08442605B2	Power cable comprising HTS tape(s) The invention relates to power cable comprising, at least one HTS-tape and a cooling system comprising a fluid cooling medium for cooling the at least one HTS-tape. The at least one HTS-tape being at least partly surrounded by a cooling layer comprising said fluid cooling medium and an electrical insulation at least partly impregnated with said fluid medium.The power cable of the invention has shown to reduce the risk of fault current and electrically breakdown. When extra cooling is needed for stable operation the cooling medium may evaporate in the cooling layer for providing the cooling.
US08442597B2	Telephone apparatus having calling card support function and handsfree apparatus A telephone apparatus having a calling card support function is disclosed. The telephone apparatus includes: a card information storage section for storing therein card information on a calling card; a controller for making a telephone call with use of the card information stored in the card information storage section, by using telephone communication means; and a card information reception section for receiving the card information stored in a cellular phone from the cellular phone. The controller allows the card information reception section to receive the card information stored in the cellular phone from the cellular phone. The controller records the received card information in the card information storage section when the card information reception section receives the card information stored in the cellular phone from the cellular phone.
US08442596B2	Hearing assistive system with low power interface A communications interface provides for communications between a wireless communication device and a hearing assistive device. The communications interface converts a signal, including an audio signal, received from the wireless communication device into a format recognizable by a hearing assistive device. The communications interface generates a communication signal including the audio signal based on the converted signal and transmits the communication signal to the hearing assistive device using a low power radio frequency transmission protocol. The hearing assistive device converts the communication signal received from the communications interface into a usable format, extracts an audible signal from the communication signal, and manipulates the extracted audible signal according to a criterion associated with a user of the hearing assistive device.
US08442588B2	Systems having cables with wireless communications capabilities In a system that includes electronic equipment such as a computer or power adapter and that includes electronic devices such as cellular telephones, media players, and other devices, cables may be provided with wireless transceiver circuitry. Each cable may include a power path without including data lines. When a user desires to power a device, the cable may be used to connect the device to the electronic equipment. The power path in the cable may deliver power from the electronic equipment to the electronic device. Data may be conveyed between the electronic equipment and the electronic device wirelessly, using the wireless transceiver circuitry in the cable. The cable may have first and second connectors at respective ends of the cable. The wireless transceiver circuitry may be contained within the first connector or within the first and second connectors. The wireless transceiver circuitry may be identified using an identifier.
US08442587B2	Systems and methods for maintaining data integrity of removable media of an electronic device The described embodiments relate generally to methods, systems and devices for maintaining data integrity of a removable media card of a handheld electronic device, particularly when such media card is removed from such device.
US08442582B2	Mobile communication terminal and method of controlling broadcast output thereof A mobile communication terminal and method of controlling a broadcast output thereof are discussed, by which the broadcast output can be controlled by terminating the broadcast output in case that a call signal is received by the mobile communication terminal in the course of a broadcast viewing. An embodiment of the present invention includes receiving a call signal in the course of a broadcast program output and ending the broadcast program output in response to the received call.
US08442579B2	Distributed adaptive resource allocation to enhance cell edge throughput Embodiments of a system and methods for distributed adaptive resource allocation to enhance cell edge throughput are generally described herein. Other embodiments may be described and claimed.
US08442578B2	Mobile personal services platform for providing feedback Methods, systems, and apparatus, including computer program products, for generating feedback. In one aspect, a method includes receiving sensor data from a plurality of sensors, wherein at least one of the plurality of sensors is associated with a mobile device of a user; aggregating the received sensor data to generate aggregated sensor data; processing the aggregated sensor data to determine an aggregated metric; comparing the aggregated metric to a target associated with the user to determine a measure of performance; and generating feedback based on the determined measure of performance. Further, the mobile device can comprise a mobile personal services device that includes one or more of an audio sensor, a video sensor, an environmental sensor, a biometric sensor, a location sensor, an activity detector, and a health monitor. The feedback can be displayed on the mobile personal services device. The feedback also can be displayed in near real-time.
US08442577B2	Wireless communication apparatus with an antenna shared between a plurality of communication circuits An exemplary wireless communication apparatus includes a first communication circuit, a second communication circuit, an antenna, and a combiner. The first communication circuit is arranged to process signals according to a first wireless communication protocol working at a first frequency band. The second communication circuit is arranged to process signals according to a second wireless communication protocol working at a first frequency band, wherein the second wireless communication protocol is different from the first wireless communication protocol. The antenna is shared between the first communication circuit and the second communication circuit. The combiner has a first port coupled to the first communication circuit, a second port coupled to the second communication circuit, and a third port coupled to the antenna. In addition, the combiner provides a first signal path between the third port and the first port and a second signal path between the third port and the second port.
US08442574B2	Radio communication method and radio communication terminal A method includes the steps of calculating a transmission power difference between a first carrier and a second carrier, and determining whether or not the transmission power difference exceeds a threshold set up on the basis of a maximum transmission power difference allowable between the first carrier and the second carrier. When the transmission power difference exceeds the threshold set up on the basis of the maximum transmission power difference, the transmission power of the first carrier or the second carrier is controlled while maintaining the transmission power difference within the maximum transmission power difference and not complying with power control information corresponding to the first carrier or the second carrier.
US08442572B2	Method and apparatus for adjustments for delta-based power control in wireless communication systems Systems and methodologies are described that provide techniques for performing adjustments for delta-based power control and interference management in a wireless communication system. A terminal can utilize one or more delta-based power control techniques described herein upon engaging in a reverse link transmission after a predetermined period of silence or after receiving indications of interference from neighboring access points. A delta value can be computed through open-loop projection, based on which transmission resources such as bandwidth and/or transmit power can be increased or decreased to manage interference caused by the terminal. A delta value, other feedback from the terminal, and/or indications of interference caused by the terminal can also be communicated as feedback to a serving access point to allow the access point to assign transmission resources for the terminal.
US08442568B2	Determining method for use in information feedback, base station, user equipment, and communications system A subband determining method, a base station, user equipment, and a communications system are provided. The base station of the present invention finds the subband size on the basis of a system bandwidth and divides the system bandwidth into subbands. The base station further selects some subbands to form a subband set and assign the subband set to user equipment and notifies the user equipment of information about the subband set. The user equipment in turn finds its corresponding subband size and the number of subbands for use in feedback on the basis of the size of the assigned subband set. The user equipment further divides the subband set into its corresponding subbands on the basis of a result found and feeds back information about a predetermined number of subbands to the base station. The base station carries out optimization of its transmitter on the basis of the information.
US08442567B2	System and method for cooperative spectrum sensing in cognitive radio systems A system and method for cooperative spectrum sensing in cognitive radio (CR) systems is provided. A method for CR user operation includes coordinating with partner CR users to share spectrum sensing information, combining spectrum sensing information from partner CR users, and determining if a transmission opportunity exists based on the combined spectrum sensing information. The method also includes transmitting a message to a CR user if the transmission opportunity exists, and storing the message if the transmission opportunity does not exist.
US08442564B2	Inter-modulation distortion reduction in multi-mode wireless communication terminal A multimode wireless communication terminal that communicates using a first radio access technology (RAT) and a second RAT determines whether the first and second RATs are in an active state. When the wireless communication terminal is simultaneously transmitting on the first and second RATs, UCI is transmitted on a PUSCH using the first RAT if there is a scheduled PUSCH transmission or an uplink scheduling grant indicating a periodic CSI report, wherein the UCI would otherwise be transmitted on a PUCCH when the terminal is not transmitting using the first and second RATs simultaneously and there is a scheduled PUSCH on the first RAT.
US08442561B2	Method for updating location in a wireless communication system A method for updating a location in a wireless communication system is disclosed. The method includes transmitting a request message to enter idle mode, receiving a response message including an Identifier (ID) of a first paging group and an ID of a second paging group in response to the request message, activating a paging group location update timer, when the MS leaves an area of the first paging group, and updating a location according to the paging group location update timer.
US08442557B2	Methods and apparatuses for providing expected signal data to a mobile station Techniques are provided which may be implemented using various methods and/or apparatuses to allow for expected signal data for a region of space within a structure to be encoded and transmitted to a mobile station. The mobile station may decode the encoded version and use the resulting decoded version to support signal-based position estimation.
US08442553B2	System and method for determining location of a Wi-Fi device with the assistance of fixed receivers A method and apparatus is disclosed herein for determining the location of a device with the assistance of fixed receivers. In one embodiment, the method comprises receiving a first request from the mobile device in the wireless network; wirelessly transmitting one or more positioning requests in response to the first request; receiving signal strength information from one or more receivers in the wireless network sent in response to the one or more positioning requests; determining a location of the mobile device based on received signal strength information by comparing the received signal strength information with signal strength information of reference locations; and sending location information to the mobile device, where the location information is indicative of the location of the mobile device.
US08442550B2	System and method for providing information based on geographic position A system and method for providing position information using a three-dimensional based grid is provided. The position information may be relayed to an electronic device by providing location information to a database and receiving location-centric information at the electronic device. The system may include a network for continuously updating the database in real-time.
US08442548B2	Adjustments of IUB load measurements A method may include determining whether a discrepancy exists between scheduling headroom computable by a first device and scheduling headroom computable by a second device, determining one or more load measurements that the second device bases its computation of the scheduling headroom if it is determined that the discrepancy exists, modifying the one or more load measurements, and calculating the scheduling headroom based on the modified one or more load measurements.
US08442547B2	Signalling of resource status information between base stations for load balancing A mobile communications system is described in which base stations communicate with each other using a Master/Slave protocol to exchange load balancing information that can be used to control the handover of mobile devices amongst neighbouring base stations and/or neighbouring cells. The Master base station requests the Slave base station to provide a load status report to it either at a defined time or periodicity or in response to certain events.
US08442540B2	Method for allocating resources The present invention relates to a method for allocating resources to a plurality of secondary stations for enabling communication between a primary station and the plurality of secondary stations, comprising the steps of a) grouping the resources into at least a first set of resources and a second set of resources; b) allocating a first resource of the first set of resources to a first secondary station, said first resource having a first index in the first set of resources; c) allocating a second resource of the second set of resources to the first secondary station, said second resource having a second index in the second set of resources being equal to the first index plus an offset based at least partly on other information known to the primary and first secondary station.
US08442537B2	Mobility management method for use in cellular mobile communication system Disclosed is a mobility management method for use in a cellular mobile communication system. The mobility management method is configured to save radio resources and provide a stable service by detecting a cell in which a dwell time of user equipment (UE) is short as an island cell and performing a direct handover (HO) to an appropriate cell without handing over the UE to the island cell. There are provided three methods including a base station-based method, a UE measurement-based method, and a UE history-based method according to how to measure a dwell time in which the UE stays in a cell, a component in which obtained information is received within a network, and how to process an HO using the information.
US08442536B2	Robust and fast inter-EBS handoff mechanism A communications system provides a robust and fast inter-base station handoff mechanism, e.g. for networks using Enhanced Base Stations (EBS) equipment. A method for connecting a mobile device to a destination base station in the wireless communications system, may include steps of receiving a mobile device measurement report, transferring context information from a serving base station to possible target base stations, and receiving admission control information from possible target base stations. A priority list of the possible target base stations is calculated and sent to the mobile device. The mobile device connects to one or more of possible target base stations according to the priority list. The method may also entail receiving a release message from one of the possible target base stations to which the mobile device has successfully established a wireless connection, to allow release of resources of the prior serving base station.
US08442534B2	Mobile communication method, radio access apparatus, and gateway apparatus A mobile communication method according to the present invention includes the steps of: when a gateway apparatus (S-GW) is switched from a first state where downlink data is transmitted to a first radio access apparatus to a second state where the downlink data is transmitted to a second radio access apparatus, transferring, from the first radio access apparatus to the second radio access apparatus, the downlink data which is received from the gateway apparatus and to which specific information is added; and transmitting, from the second radio access apparatus to a mobile station (UE), transfer downlink data which is transferred from the first radio access apparatus and to which the specific information is added, before new downlink data transmitted from the gateway apparatus (S-GW).
US08442533B2	Method for preventing ping-pong handover in mobile radio networks A method for preventing ping-pong handover in mobile radio networks having a multiplicity of stationary base stations at a distance from one another, and also stationary and/or moveable mobile radio stations, such as mobile radio telephones, which are in the transmission and reception range of the base stations. Repeated unwanted handover of a mobile radio station in the connected/active mode from a source base station to a destination base station is reduced or prevented. System messages are transmitted between the mobile radio stations and the base station, wherein the system messages for initiating the handover are used to transmit historical information relating to handovers which have already been performed, that information being used to automatically ascertain and set optimum operating parameters for the mobile radio stations and/or at least one of the base stations which are involved. The aim is to develop a method for preventing ping-pong handover in mobile radio networks, specifically in networks with network elements from different manufacturers, such that the parameters, particularly the hysteresis of the reception field strength, of the mobile radio and/or of the base stations are automatically set independently, to prevent ping-pong handover, without the need for expensive measurement trips with “manual” measurements.
US08442531B2	Context transfers and multi-band operation for wireless networks Various example embodiments are disclosed relating wireless networks and relating to context transfers and multi-band operation in wireless networks. In an example embodiment, a multi-band scheduler may be provided for use in a wireless node. The multi-band scheduler may be configured to: receive one or more data units of a flow; assign each received data unit of the flow to a first frequency band of a plurality of frequency bands; determine a band transfer condition for the flow; and perform a context transfer from the first frequency band to a second frequency band for the flow based on the determined band transfer condition.
US08442529B2	Methods and apparatus for making handoff decisions in access terminals capable of operating at different times in best effort and QoS modes of traffic operation Methods and apparatus for making handoff decisions in an access terminal which can support both best effort and QoS traffic, e.g., when operating in a best effort and QoS mode of operation, respectively, are described. The access terminal receives an indicator indicating the fraction of communications resources not utilized for QoS service and information indicating a number of best effort users being supported by the attachment point. During QoS mode operation, connections to attachment points which can support the access terminal's minimal QoS requirements are identified and then from among the identified set, the attachment point which can provide a connect supporting the most best effort traffic from the access terminal is selected. In best effort mode operation the access terminal selects the attachment point connection which will provide the greatest amount of throughput to the access terminal for best effort traffic.
US08442527B1	Cellular authentication for authentication to a service An identification system comprises a communication interface. The communication interface is configured to receive from a mobile device a registration request to initiate an access session between the mobile device and a communication network, wherein the registration request comprises a device identifier that identifies the mobile device. In response to the registration request, the communication interface is configured to transfer a packet address to the mobile device, wherein the mobile device transfers a service request for a service on the communication network during the access session, wherein the service request includes the packet address. The communication interface is configured to receive an identification request transferred from an authentication system in response to the service request, wherein the identification request indicates the packet address. In response to the identification request, the communication interface is configured to transfer the device identifier for delivery to the authentication system to authenticate the mobile device for the service using the device identifier.
US08442526B1	Method and system for registering a mobile node via a registration proxy An application server provides communication services via a packet-switched network to mobile nodes based on their respective registrations in a registry, such as a home subscriber server (HSS) or domain name server (DNS). A registration proxy may be used to effect a registration in the registry on behalf of a mobile node when the mobile node lacks sufficient capability to effect the registration itself. The registration proxy may perform this function after receiving a notification that the mobile node is connected to the packet-switched network and after querying a capabilities server to determine that the mobile node lacks sufficient registration capability. To effect a registration in an HSS, the registration proxy may emulate either a serving call state control function (S-CSCF) or user equipment (UE).
US08442525B2	Measuring neighboring cell loading in wireless communications Systems and methodologies are described that facilitate detecting cell interference and/or loading by analyzing control data transmitted between devices communicating in the cell. Control data resources can be transmitted related to communication received over data channels, and the control data resources can comprise quality indicators related to the data as well as resource identifiers that specify a resource over the data channel related to the data. Multiple control data resources can be transmitted per communication specifying a beginning and ending resource identifier of related data channel resources. If this control data is decodable at a wireless device, the associated resources corresponding to the resource identifiers can be marked as interfered and/or avoided in subsequent communication or resource allocation requests by the wireless device.
US08442521B2	Carrier configuration at activation Methods, systems, and computer-readable medium for providing telecommunications carrier configuration at activation of a mobile device. In one implementation, a method is provided. The method includes receiving a request for activation of a mobile device, and during activation of the mobile device, determining for the mobile device a telecommunications carrier from a number of telecommunications carriers, and identifying information associated with the determined telecommunications carrier for configuring the mobile device.
US08442508B2	Electronic driver logging system and method A system for logging performance of a driver operating a vehicle that has a vehicle information system from which least one vehicle operating parameter may be obtained. The vehicle operating parameter collected through the vehicle information system and operator information collected from a portable device are wirelessly communicated to a remote host through a network such as the Internet.
US08442505B1	Caller ID handling system for calls placed to a mobile phone Caller ID information directed to a user's mobile phone is delivered to the user's home television set for viewing. A determination is made as to whether the mobile phone is within a home zone associated with the user. The determining is performed at a network element within a mobile communications network that provides carrier service to the mobile phone. A presence indication is stored in a database indicating whether the mobile phone is within the home zone associated with the user. When the mobile phone is within the home zone, and based on a user authorization to provide to a video provider information associated with calls, then, for a call to the mobile phone, sending a calling phone identification and a mobile phone destination number to the video provider for insertion of the calling phone identification into a video stream for delivery to the video display device.
US08442503B2	Proximity-triggered messaging System and method for enabling proximity-triggered messaging in certain coverage areas for social networks and communities-based services. The system includes at least one local unit with cellular radio transceiver, located within a corresponding coverage area. The cellular transceiver broadcasts a LAC different from any other LAC of the radio cells in the surroundings; establishes a Location Update dialogue with any mobile phone answering to the LAC broadcast, obtaining its IMSI number; sends a Location Updating Reject message to each mobile phone whose IMSI number has been obtained; and sends said IMSI number to a central unit. The central unit obtains, for each IMSI number, one valid identity in a community-based service; and provides at least one social network server associated to the corresponding valid on-line identity with the valid identity.
US08442499B2	Methods and apparatus for over-the-air subscriptions Methods and apparatus for over-the-air (OTA) subscriptions. A method is provided for performing over-the-air subscriptions in a data network. The method comprises establishing an overhead notification mechanism, and transmitting a package database to a device using the overhead notification mechanism, wherein the package database identifies one or more service packages. The method also comprises receiving a request from the device to subscribe to one or more selected service packages.
US08442498B2	Methods, systems and computer program products for remote DVR interface provisioning This disclosure details the implementation of methods, systems and computer program products for remote digital video recorder (DVR) interface provisioning (hereinafter, “DIP”). DIP systems allow for authentication, validation, and registration of users and/or user devices as well as management of identifiers associated with those users and devices. Through interaction with DIP systems, users may associate different devices with each other and/or with one or more underlying service systems and/or accounts to allow integrated use of multiple devices in association with those services. In one implementation, DIP systems may be employed to register one or more mobile and/or remote devices (e.g., mobile phones) with DVR systems to allow for remote manipulation of video recording schedules, content management, parental control management, and/or the like DVR features. In one embodiment, a method is disclosed, comprising: providing a provisioning interface for display to a user, the provisioning interface including an interface element configured to receive a mobile device identifier; receiving a mobile device identifier input to the provisioning interface; receiving a local media receiver device identifier; querying a service account based on the local media receiver device identifier; retrieving a service account activation code based on the query; and storing the mobile device identifier in association with the activation code in a database.
US08442497B2	Method for linking internet-based forums and web logs to a push to talk platform The invention relates to a method for linking Internet-based forums and web logs to a push to talk platform, especially methods for adapting PoC to the environment of Internet forums by means of a novel PoClog storage platform and a novel interface from the PoC platform to the PoC log storage platform. Mobile clients have to support a new client functionality in order to request a log that is based on media messages.
US08442496B2	Enhanced messaging with language translation feature A method for creating and managing a distribution list can include creating a distribution list at a voicemail system. The distribution list can include at least one recipient and at least one language preference for one or more of the at least one recipients. The method can further include selecting the created distribution list and recording an audio message to be sent to the at least one recipient. Translating the audio message into the at least one language preference for one or more of the at least one recipients thereby creating at least one translated audio message and sending the at least one translated audio message to the at least one recipient.
US08442495B2	System and method for voice messaging A system and method for voice messaging the enables the modification of recorded voice messages and caller-specific conveniences. More particularly, the present invention pertains to identifying a caller and, thereby, enabling the caller to modify recorded voice messages and enabling a recipient to designate how calls from a particular caller should be handled, for example, by specifying a greeting message for a particular caller or by specifying the order in which voice messages are presented based upon the associated caller.
US08442494B2	System for updating presentations on mobile devices and methods thereof When a user interface is scrolled, data requests are made. If the data is not found in cache, the data is retrieved from a remote server by asynchronously placing data requests to a server starting with the last added data request. Through a relaxed loader, the mobile device does not bombard the remote server with requests. By removing older data requests, the mobile application fetches data more in line with the current display. After receiving the data from the remote server, the data is decoded and compressed. The data is placed within cache. When multiple entries exist, the data within cache is associated and processed. Instead of the interface decoding data from the cache for each entry, the processed data is provided to the interface removing processing and required memory for each entry.
US08442491B2	Method and system for providing roaming service in wireless communication system A method and apparatus for providing roaming service in a wireless communication system. A roaming gateway for performing communication between an Internet protocol multimedia subsystem (IMS) network and a circuit switched (CS) network receives an authentication request for a roaming mobile station (MS), which roams from an IMS network to a CS network, from a mobile service center (MSC) of the CS network, acquires authentication information for the roaming MS and service information for services, with which the roaming MS has been provided from the IMS network, at the authentication request, checks if the roaming MS is entitled to use the services according to the service information by using the authentication information and the service information, and sends an authentication success message to the MSC when the roaming MS is entitled to use the services.
US08442483B2	Method for communicating indoor location to an emergency service system A method for communicating location to an emergency service system. A wireless communication device (WCD) such as a cell phone attains a GPS location fix when outdoors and then uses dead reckoning to determine its direction(s) and distance(s) of travel reaching a position inside a building. When a user of the WCD places an emergency call, the WCD conveys an indication of its indoor location in a signaling message to an emergency service center, and an intermediation system such as an IMS system translates the indoor location indication to a textual description of a portion of the building (e.g., room, cubicle, zone, etc.) that encompasses the indicated location. An emergency service operator can thus receive the building portion description, to facilitate emergency service response. Further, a similar process can then be repeated during the call, to provide an updated building portion description to the operator.
US08442481B2	Emergency location information gateway for public safety answering points (PSAPs) and method of use The emergency location information gateway provides Public Safety Answering Points (PSAPs) with the capability to receive NG911-compliant (i.e., Session Initiation Protocol (SIP-based) and/or SIP-Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP)) and other types emergency calls including embedded emergency location information and determine a physical location of a mobile or non-mobile target network device based on the embedded emergency location information. Conversely, a legacy network gateway (LGN) enables the conversion of traditional 911, and E911 calls into NG911 calls for transport and dissemination by so-called Emergency Services IP networks, or ESInets.
US08442479B2	Privacy-related requests for an IMS emergency session A network component is provided that includes a processor configured, upon the network component receiving an IMS (Internet Protocol Multimedia Subsystem) emergency call from a user equipment (UE) 110, to detect in the emergency call an indicator requesting the network component to restrict presentation of private information related to the UE 110. The processor is further configured, when the indicator is present, to transmit the emergency call without at least some of the private information to a Public Safety Answering Point (PSAP) 130.
US08442476B2	Mobile radio receiver power management systems and methods According to some embodiments, an analog radio receiver circuit is configured alternatively in a full-power mode when the receiver is situated in a cradle and connected to an external power source, and in a power-saving mode when the receiver is not connected to the external power source. In the power-saving mode, a scaled-down power level is supplied to an analog radio signal processing circuit component such as an amplifier, filter, oscillator, or mixer. Scaling down the power supplied to analog circuit components allows reducing their power consumption, at the expense of degraded circuit performance (e.g. increased non-linearity and intermodulation, decreased filter selectivity). Switching between full-power and power-saving modes may be achieved by controlling the connection of internal nodes of the signal processing circuit to a power source, and/or inserting circuit components (e.g. resistors, active devices, filter poles) into the signal processing circuit.
US08442475B2	Power conservation in wireless access terminals using integrated proxy function A power conservation scheme is provided for conserving power in an access terminal that includes a dedicated proxy circuit, a receiver/transmitter chain, and/or a baseband processor. The baseband processor is adapted to determine when a wireless communication link with an access network has been inactive for at least a threshold amount of time. If such inactivity is ascertained, the baseband processor sends a proxy request to the proxy circuit. Upon receiving such proxy request, the proxy circuit monitors a data, control, and/or paging channel on behalf of the access terminal while the baseband processor is powered down. If a signal is received for the access terminal over the monitored channel, then a wake-up signal is sent to the baseband processor to cause it to power up and monitor a data channel. Upon receiving a response from the baseband processor, the proxy circuit may stop operating as a proxy.
US08442469B2	Methods, system, and computer program product for optimizing signal quality of a composite received signal Signal quality of a composite received signal in a radio communication network is optimized by adjusting a phase offset between received and/or transmitted signals based on signal quality parameters of the received and/or transmitted signals. The phase offset is adjusted by varying the phase offset between the received or transmitted signals such that that the composite signal is circularly, elliptically, or linearly polarized. The phase offset between the received or transmitted signals is continually adjusted based on the received signal quality parameters.
US08442464B2	Low noise amplifier and mixer A low noise amplifier (LNA) system with controllable linearity and noise figure versus power consumption is provided. The system comprises two control inputs for tuning. One input controls an effective transistor width, and the other input controls bias current. Changes to the effective transistor width alter a gain that is applied to a signal, and changes to the bias current alter a power consumption of the system. For more stringent signal specifications, an impedance matched inductive degeneration variation of the LNA is provided.
US08442463B2	Receiving device and method thereof A receiving device is disclosed. The receiving device includes a receiving module and a processing module. The receiving module includes a plurality of parameters. The receiving module is used for setting the parameters according to a control signal, receiving a wireless signal according to settings of the different parameters, and outputting a first output signal and a second output signal separately. The processing module couples the receiving module and generates the control to set the parameters according the first output signal and the second output signal.
US08442460B2	Method for compensating signal distortions in composite amplifiers A method for compensating signal distortions in multiple transmitting branches (3, 5; 43, 45, 46) entering a composite amplifier (1; 1′). According to the invention the method comprises the steps of: —providing (S1) one or more input signals (x) to the composite amplifier. —observing (S2) an output signal (z) from the composite amplifier (1; 1′) for each provided input signal; —deriving (S5) an error in each output signal (z) by comparing the output signal with an ideal output signal, said error being caused by said signal distortions; —deriving (S11) the individual contribution from each transmitting branch (3, 5; 43,45,46) to the error by utilizing a composite amplifier model, said composite amplifier model comprising information about the contribution from each constituent amplifier (23, 25; 103a,103b,103c) to the output signal for each provided input signal: —compensating the signal distortions in the transmitting branches (3, 5; 43,45,46) accordingly.
US08442458B2	Techniques for beamforming using predicted channel state information A system, apparatus, method and article to manage channel prediction for a wireless communication system are described. The apparatus may include a media access control processor to perform channel prediction, and a transceiver to communicate information using the channel prediction. Other embodiments are described and claimed.
US08442455B2	Mobile terminal and terminal system having the same A mobile terminal including a body having a battery configured to be mounted on a cradle, a first connection port disposed at one surface of the body to be electrically connected to power supply terminals of the cradle if the body is mounted on the cradle, a second connection port disposed at another surface different from the one surface of the body to be covered by at least part of the cradle if the body is mounted on the cradle, and a power supply path for electrically connecting the battery to the first and the second connection port respectively to charge the battery if power is supplied to the first and the second connection port.
US08442452B2	Integrated multimode radio transmitter and components thereof An integrated multi-mode radio transmitter includes a multiplexor and a shared front-end. The is operable to select an IF signal of a plurality of IF signals based upon a selection signal that is indicative of a particular operational mode of the one of the plurality of IF signals. The shared front-end is coupled to receive the selected IF signal, wherein the shared front-end converts the selected IF signal into a radio frequency (RF) signal that is modulated in accordance with the particular operational mode of the one of the plurality of IF stages.
US08442451B1	Transmitter and receiver impedence control using shunt switches Circuits, methods, and apparatus that provide isolation between receive and transmit circuits in a wireless transceiver. One example provides switches that can be included on an integrated circuit with at least portions of a wireless transceiver. These switches vary the impedance of transmitter and receiver circuits between a termination impedance and a high impedance by inserting or removing components in parallel with matching networks. Signal losses are minimized since these switches are shunt connected to input and output paths on the wireless circuit and are not connected directly in either signal path.
US08442450B1	Sub-carrier and channel matrix element ordering for receiver feedback A network device includes a first feedback module and a first calibration module. The first feedback module selectively generates a first transmission schedule that is transmitted to a link partner, wherein the first transmission schedule includes a first matrix map. The first calibration module selectively transmits a first set of training signals to the link partner, receives a first set of channel state information (CSI) for the training signals from the link partner according to the first transmission schedule, and generates a first CSI matrix based on the first set of CSI and the first matrix map.
US08442447B2	Method, device and system for detecting the mobility of a mobile device The disclosure is directed to a method, computer program product, or a mobile device configured for obtaining a mobility parameter indicative of a mobility of the mobile device. The mobility parameter may be further utilized to configure the operating state of the mobile device. The mobility parameter is obtained using a multi-sense approach, which utilizes both Received Signal Strength Indicator (RSSI) and Frequency Offset (FO) measurements. The mobility parameter is based on statistical parameters relating to the distributions of the RSSI and FO measurements. Various configurations of computer program products, mobile devices and systems are also described.
US08442445B2	Protocol reference model, security and inter-operability in a cognitive communications system Various cognitive communications system architectures and their corresponding Protocol Reference Models (PRMs) are disclosed. Such PRMs incorporate a Cognitive Plane in addition to conventional Data and Management Planes. The additional Cognitive Plane functionality may include, for example, spectrum sensing, spectrum management, geolocation, and security functions. The Cognitive Plane may further include a Policy Engine and a Learning and Reasoning Module. In some embodiments, Management Plane functions may be effectively combined to form a database of primitives (and their respective values) called a Management Information Base (MIB). In addition, techniques are provided by which various components of cognitive and non-cognitive, as well as mesh-enabled and non-mesh-enabled nodes in a network, inter-operate with each other. The architectures allow a Spectrum Manager (or Signal Space Manager) to combine information from various network layers (e.g., PHY/MAC Layers, Spectrum Sensing Function, Geolocation Function, and/or Security Sublayers), and to make informed decisions on spectrum utilization.
US08442443B2	Beam selection method The present invention relates to a method which analysis the characteristics of the received signal and selects the best beam arrangement for a transmitter/receiver pair for a given situation in a communication system. In particular, the channel delay profile provides characteristics which help to determine and evaluate the quality of a signal link. The result of this evaluation is used for selecting the best beam arrangement.
US08442440B2	Hierarchical spectrum sensing for cognitive radios The present disclosure generally describes methods and systems for spectrum sensing within a cognitive radio. Example methods may include but are not limited to scanning radio frequencies within an initial portion of the radio frequency spectrum and analyzing the frequencies scanned within the initial portion. Example methods may also include but are not limited to dividing the initial portion into first and second portions, and selecting one of the first and second portions for further analysis.
US08442437B1	Method and apparatus for binding wireless devices One embodiment includes a method for designating, at a first device, one of a first plurality of wireless channels as a bind channel, then transmitting a channel change request message using a second plurality of wireless channels, wherein the channel change request includes which one of the plurality of wireless channels is a designated bind channel, transmitting a bind request message using the designated bind channel, and then receiving a bind response message from a second wireless device using the designated bind channel.
US08442436B2	Wireless communication game system A wireless communication game system includes a plurality of mobile game apparatuses, which function as a parent device or a child device and are capable of making a communication with each other, and broadcasts from the parent device a parent device packet including a parent device PID, a user name UserName, a game name GameName, an OC flag, an E slot, a U slot, and a payload. All the parent device packets are received from the parent device existing within a communicationable range of a user's own apparatus, and the user's own apparatus creates a parent device list, and displays the parent device list on an LCD. Therefore, a user or a player of his own apparatus looks at the game name of the parent device list, for example, and operates a cross key included in an operation key so as to select one desired parent device. Then, transmitting a child device number CID of the user's own apparatus at the E slot designated by the parent device packet, the user's own apparatus transmits a connection request to the parent device.
US08442434B2	Method and system for auto coexistence priority selection for a SCO link Methods and systems for auto coexistence priority selection for a SCO link are disclosed. Aspects of one method may include a first Bluetooth device communicating with a collocated WLAN device via a coexistence method. The first Bluetooth device, prior to executing a non-SCO task, which may comprise tasks that do not involve SCO packet transfer, may communicate low priority via the coexistence method if a Bluetooth SCO link is present between the first Bluetooth device and a second Bluetooth device, and if a current task being handled by the first Bluetooth device is a high priority task. If a SCO link is not present between the first and second Bluetooth devices, and if the current non-SCO task is a high priority task, the first Bluetooth device may communicate high priority via the coexistence method prior to executing the non-SCO task.
US08442432B2	Terminal mode assignment for a satellite communications system Satellite communications systems, methods, and related devices are described. In one embodiment, a satellite communications system is configured to dynamically allocate bandwidth and frequencies among different beams. Bandwidth request data may be received and compiled from the terminals. The satellite may be configured with different beam coverage areas, and may dynamically allocate bandwidth and particular frequency channels to different beam coverage areas based on the requests. In each of a series of one or more epochs, and according to the bandwidth requests, there may be allocations among carrier groups, traffic classes, and particular terminals. The setup of slot structure and selection of modes for particular terminals is also addressed.
US08442424B2	Interactive live political events An interactive political event allows clients to provide feedback to political candidates speakers and/or event producers relative to the event being observed. Feedback options include shout outs, emotapplause, and voting. Ticket scarcity management system adjusts event marketing, and/or ticketed sales methodologies, which include free and paid to maintain optimal conditions for an interactive political event. Multiple video/audio streams of an interactive event are simultaneously distributed as part of a broadcast to enable switching between streams by the online audience members and/or users without interruption of the presentation of the event and may include additional data relative to a candidates and/or speakers history and/or position with respect to issues being debated and/or discussed.
US08442421B2	Conveying path switching structure and image forming apparatus A conveying path switching structure includes a cover unit and a conveying path switch unit. The cover unit is attached to an image forming apparatus main body so as to be movable between a close state and an open state in which a fixing unit is exposed. The conveying path switch unit is rotatably attached to the cover unit and that switches a conveying path of a record medium between a discharge conveying path and a double-side conveying path. The discharge conveying path is a path where the record medium is conveyed from a discharge part of the fixing unit to a discharge unit that discharges the record medium to outside of the image forming apparatus main body in a close state. The double-side conveying path is a path where the record medium is conveyed again to an image forming unit.
US08442420B2	Intermediate transfer belt and electro-photographic image forming apparatus with intermediate transfer belt An intermediate transfer belt is built in an electro-photographic image forming apparatus. A toner image formed on a photosensitive element is primary transferred on the intermediate transfer belt. The intermediate transfer belt secondary transfers the primary transferred toner image on a recording medium being conveyed at a secondary transfer unit. The intermediate transfer belt has streaks formed by surface roughening on the surface thereof and directed so as to have an angle relative to the driving direction of the intermediate transfer belt within a range from 40 to 140 degree. This angle setting enables stable transfer of an image without causing any character missing.
US08442416B2	Process cartridge and image forming apparatus A process cartridge comprises a photosensitive drum and a developing roller. A coupling member is provided adjacent to one axial end of the developing roller. The coupling member includes a driven portion, and an intermediary portion configured and positioned to engage with the driven portion. The intermediary portion is also configured to be movable relative to the driven portion in a direction crossing the axis of the developing roller while maintaining engagement with the driven portion. The coupling member further includes a driving portion configured and positioned to receive a driving force for rotating the developing roller. The driving portion is also configured to engage with the intermediary portion, and to be movable relative to the intermediary portion in a direction crossing the axis of the developing roller while maintaining engagement with the intermediary portion.
US08442406B2	Filter, coherent receiver device and coherent receiving method The present invention relates to filter, coherent receiver device and coherent receiving method. The filter is used for converting a partial response signal into a full response signal, wherein the filter uses the following transfer function HPre-Filter(z) with respect to a partial response signal having a transfer function H PR ⁡ ( z ) = A ⁡ ( 1 + z - 1 ) m ⁢ ( 1 - z - 1 ) n : ⁢ ⁢ H Pre - Filter ⁡ ( z ) = 1 A ⁡ ( 1 + α ⁢ ⁢ z - 1 ) m ⁢ ( 1 - α ⁢ ⁢ z - 1 ) n , in which A is other item, m and n are integers larger than or equal to 0 but not being 0 at the same time, 0<α<1.
US08442404B2	Optical dispersion compensator, optical transmission apparatus, optical transmission system, and method thereof An optical dispersion compensator including a first optical device in which light inputted from a first port is outputted from a second port and light inputted from the second port is outputted from a third port, an optical filter type dispersion compensation device that receives light from the second port of the first optical device and compensates wavelength dispersion with respect to the received light, and a second optical device that includes a fourth port to which light is inputted from the optical filter type dispersion compensation device, and in which the light inputted from the fourth port is outputted from a fifth port and light inputted from a sixth port is outputted from the fourth port.
US08442403B2	Lighting and control systems and methods A lighting and control system is described. One embodiment of the lighting and control system includes a lighting node and a controller. The lighting node may include a light emitting diode configured for illumination and further configured for optical communication with the controller, a node radio device configured for radio communication with the controller, and a node memory configured to store a node identifier and a group identifier. The controller may include an optical sensor configured to sense illumination of the lighting node and further configured for optical communication with the lighting node, a controller radio device configured for radio communication with the lighting node, and a controller memory configured to store a group identifier. The lighting node and the controller may each further include a power supply and a processor. In one embodiment, the lighting node and the controller belong to a wireless mesh network.
US08442402B1	Wide band digital receiver: system and method A wide band digital RF receiver includes an RF front end configured to convert a RF signal into an IF signal. A wide band digital receiver also includes a photonic Analog-to-Digital Converter (pADC), and a digital processor. The pADC includes a photonic sampler that phase-encodes a stream of optical pulses with the IF signal to obtain phase-encoded optical pulses, and that amplitude-encodes an identical stream of optical pulses with the IF signal to obtain amplitude-encoded optical pulses. The pADC also includes a photonic processor and an electronic quantizer. The photonic processor processes the phase-encoded optical pulses by way of an I channel and a Q channel, and processes the amplitude-encoded optical pulses by way of an amplitude channel.
US08442397B2	Modulator, apparatus for obtaining light field data using modulator, and apparatus and method for processing light field data using modulator A technology of acquiring and processing light field data for images is provided. A light field data acquisition apparatus includes a modulator with an attenuation pattern to spatially modulate a 4D light field for an image, and a sensor to acquire 2D signals of the spatially modulated 4D light field. By utilizing the attenuation pattern of the modulator, more spatial data may be acquired in a low angular frequency region than that acquired in a high angular frequency region.
US08442396B2	Focus detection apparatus A focus detection apparatus comprising a focus detection sensor formed by arranging a plurality of pairs of line sensors, each pair of line sensors receiving light beams that have passed through different pupil areas of an imaging lens configured to form an object image, a sensitivity setting unit configured to set a sensitivity for each pair of the plurality of pairs of line sensors, a selection unit configured to select line sensors of the pair of line sensors, whose signals are to be used for focus detection calculation, and a calculation unit configured to perform the focus detection calculation using the signals of the line sensors selected by the selection unit.
US08442394B2	Imaging apparatus, flash device, and control method thereof An imaging apparatus for performing wireless communication with an external device. An instruction transmitting unit transmits an operation instruction to the external device. A response signal receiving unit receives a response signal from the external device. A first controlling unit starts a first operation relating to an imaging process in a case that a first time passes from a point of receiving the response signal by the response signal receiving unit. The external device executes a second operation relating to the imaging process in a case that a second time passes from a point of transmitting the response signal from the external device to the imaging apparatus.
US08442391B2	Device for providing heat radiation of a surface A device for providing heat radiation of a surface which is intended to be radiated for softening and removing of old paint, putty or furnish or drying of moisture. The heat radiation from the device is obtained by electric resistance wires forming a heat radiation element arranged in an open box. An arrangement for making the device more resistant to shocks is achieved by attaching the heat radiation element resiliently relatively to the casing. A reflector unit for such a paint removal device for reflecting of heat radiation includes a reflecting surface, at least one heat radiating element and resilient suspension attachments, the reflector unit including a plurality of attachment points for mounting of the resilient suspensions attachments thereto, the at least one heat radiating element being attached to at least two resilient suspension attachment s so as to face the reflecting surface of the reflector unit.
US08442389B2	Electronic apparatus, reproduction control system, reproduction control method, and program therefor Provided is an electronic apparatus including: a storage to store first and second contents, each of which includes scenes, and meta-information items each indicating a feature of each scene of the first and second contents; a reproducer to reproduce the first and second contents; an operation receiver to receive an input of an operation by a user; and a controller to control the storage to store an operation-history information item indicating an operation history of the user for each scene during reproduction of the first content while it is associated with the meta-information item of each scene, to calculate a similarity between scenes of the first and second contents based on the meta-information items, and to control the reproducer to change a reproduction mode for each scene based on the operation-history information item and the similarity during reproduction of the second content.
US08442386B1	Selecting video portions where advertisements can't be inserted Methods and apparatus provide for an insert deflector to provide a user (i.e. video editor) with greater control as to media enhancements applied to a user-created video. Specifically, the insert deflector provides blocking code for a portion of a media presentation created by the user. The blocking code is associated with an edit decision list that defines the media presentation. Via execution of the edit decision list to render the media presentation, the insert deflector applies the blocking code to prevent insertion of at least one media insert at the portion of the media presentation. A media insert can be an advertisement inserted into a user-created video, or an advertisement shown in conjunction with the playback of the video.
US08442385B2	Cut point detection system and short recognition system using the same, cut point detection method and cut point detection program The MBT information for each frame is extracted from the moving picture compressed data containing the MBT information, an MBT symbol string is created by obtaining the frequency at which a specific MBT is contained from the extracted MBT information for each frame, appending a predetermined MBT symbol to each frame in accordance with its frequency feature, and arranging the MBT symbols according to the frame order, the cut point of the moving picture is discriminated from an array feature of MBT symbols in the MBT symbol string, and further a shot is identified based on an estimation model using the MBT symbol string.
US08442384B2	Method and apparatus for video digest generation Automated video digest system and method. The system decomposes video and audio portions of video media into low-level descriptors, producing a large number of such descriptors for each video image and scene. These descriptors are optimized to be both compatible with rapid automated descriptor creation, and also to have some positive or negative statistical correlation with the viewing preferences of typical human viewers. By comparing the number of descriptors correlated with positive human viewing preferences, versus the number of descriptors correlated with negative human viewing preferences, the automated system may analyze an unknown video program and make educated guesses as to which portions of the program are likely to be most interesting to the viewer on playback. Less interesting portions may be skipped or fast-forwarded though. The method may also be optimized to individual viewers. Such methods are useful for controlling the playback of digital video recorders and other systems.
US08442378B2	Video recording device A video recording device includes: a first identification block that reads video information from a first recording medium in which video information on an analog television broadcast is stored, and identifies the broadcasting format of the read video information; a recording execution block that records the video information, which is read from the first recording medium, in a second recording medium other than the first recording medium; a second identification block that when the video information is recorded in the second recording medium by the recording execution block, identifies the broadcasting format of the video information to be recorded in the second recording medium; and a format decision block that decides whether the broadcasting format identified by the second identification block agrees with the broadcasting format identified by the first identification block. When the format decision block decides that the broadcasting formats do not agree with each other, the recording execution part records the video information in the second recording medium according to the broadcasting format identified by the first identification block.
US08442377B2	Intelligent recording An audio/video recording method and system is provided. The method includes receiving by a processor of an audio/video recording device, a request for recording broadcast audio/video data. The processor analyzes audio/video presentation capabilities for audio/video presentation devices and formats of a first group of broadcast audio/video files associated with the broadcast audio/video data. Results of the analysis are compared and in response a first audio/video file is selected from the first group of broadcast audio/video files. The first audio/video file includes a first format requiring a first amount of storage space within a storage device of the audio/video recording device. The first format is associated with the audio/video presentation capabilities of a first audio/video presentation device and the first audio/video file is recorded.
US08442374B2	Ultra-low loss hollow core waveguide using high-contrast gratings Optical waveguides using segmented periodically-spaced high contrast gratings bounding a hollow core propagation region on at least two sides. Incident light is received in a hollow waveguide (HW) region (core) between opposing HCG faces which provide lateral confinement in response to glancing reflections of the incident light beam from high refractive index segments of the HCG as it traverses the core. Embodiments are described for planar waveguides (1D) having a planar core between two planar HCGs, as well as 2D waveguides, such as having rectangular segments of the HCG through which light is propagated. Additionally, other configurations of HCG-HW, including those having arbitrary incidence and azimuth, angled HCG segments, propagation in a direction which is transverse, or alternatively parallel, to the segments of the HCG.
US08442373B2	Laser based frequency standards and their applications Frequency standards based on mode-locked fiber lasers, fiber amplifiers and fiber-based ultra-broad bandwidth light sources, and applications of the same.
US08442371B2	Tight-buffered optical fibers and optical fiber cables An optical fiber cable and a tight-buffered optical fiber which suppress an increase in transmission loss in a humid and hot environment and have good manufacturability are disclosed. The tight-buffered optical fiber of the present invention comprises a glass fiber surrounded by a first coating layer and a second coating layer, the second coating layer comprising two or more layers; wherein a pull-out force is 15 N/20 mm or less in at least one pair of layers between the first coating layer and the second coating layer, or between any two layers of the second coating layer.
US08442369B2	Distributing optical power with a power balance ratio substantially constant over a broadband of wavelengths Methods of using an optical device capable of distributing the optical power presented at an input to specified ratios in two output ports. The devices and methods described herein have the ability to broaden the range of wavelengths over which the splitting ratio is even, or substantially even. Methods involve achieving a desired splitting ratio over a broad or ultra-broad wavelength range.
US08442368B1	Cantilever couplers for intra-chip coupling to photonic integrated circuits Development of Integrated Optical Circuits depends greatly on progress in coupling light to and between chip devices. Exemplary disclosed embodiments provide a system and method of fabricating couplers for optical chips that may allow for access to devices on the entire chip surface. Cantilever couplers comprising optical waveguides are deflected out-of-plane creating access to remote portions of devices. An exemplary system and method may provide waveguides with tunable angles of deflection creating greater flexibility in optical coupling options.
US08442364B2	Optical waveguide circuit and manufacturing method of optical waveguide circuit An optical waveguide device includes an optical branch device for branching a first input light and outputting the branched first input light to a first and a second optical waveguides, another optical branch device, arranged between the first and the second optical waveguides, for branching a second input light and outputting the branched second input light to a third and a fourth optical waveguides, an optical coupler which couples the lights traveling along the first and the third optical waveguides, then branches the coupled lights, and outputs them; and another optical coupler which couples the lights traveling along the second and the fourth optical waveguides, then branches the coupled lights, and outputs them, wherein optical path lengths of either a pair of the first and the second optical waveguides or a pair of the third and the fourth optical waveguides are set to be equal.
US08442363B2	Apparatus for transforming the aspect ratio of an optical input field based on stacked waveguides An apparatus consisting of stacked slab waveguides whose outputs are vertically staggered is disclosed. At the input to the stacked waveguides, the entrances to each slab lie in approximately the same vertical plane. A spot which is imaged onto the input will be transformed approximately to a set of staggered rectangles at the output, without substantial loss in brightness, which staggered rectangles can serve as a convenient input to a spectroscopic apparatus. A slit mask can be added to spatially filter the outputs so as to present the desired transverse width in the plane of the spectroscopic apparatus parallel to its dispersion.
US08442362B2	Method for manufacturing optical coupling element, optical transmission substrate, optical coupling component, coupling method, and optical interconnect system An optical coupling structure that interfaces between optical devices mounted on a substrate and optical waveguides formed in the substrate. A manufacturing method includes preparing a wafer formed on an inorganic solid material on a dicing tape and cutting the back surface of the wafer to form substantially angled portions using a dicing blade having a point angle. The dicing tape is stripped from the wafer and the wafer is separated at the valleys between the substantially angled portions to obtain an optical coupling element. The obtained optical coupling element is a three-dimensional polyhedral light-reflecting member having a mirror surface corresponding to a surface of the wafer. The obtained optical coupling element is inserted into a trench that opens, substantially perpendicular to an optical waveguide of an optical transmission substrate, in the main surface of the optical transmission substrate to provide a structure for optical coupling with the outside.
US08442359B2	Image interpolation method and apparatus using reference block based on direction Provided is an image interpolation method and apparatus using a reference block depending on a direction. The image interpolation method may generate a horizontal reference block and a vertical reference block each with respect to an inputted image, and determine interpolation directivity with respect to the inputted image using the generated horizontal reference block and vertical reference block, thereby performing an interpolation on an image based on accurate interpolation directivity. In particular, the image interpolation method may determine whether to verify interpolation directivity depending on an edge intensity of an inputted image, thereby performing a color filter array (CFA) interpolation on an image based on an edge direction without determining the interpolation directivity, when the edge intensity is strong.
US08442357B2	Method for reconstructing two-dimensional chemical maps from electron spectroscopy line scans Two-dimensional chemical maps of a layered nanostructure are reconstructed from selected spectroscopy line scans in a scanning electron microscope. Embodiments include fast two-dimensional scanning a layered nanostructure to form a structure image having multiple layers, slow-rate spectroscopy scanning the nanostructure along selected scanning lines to form chemical profiles, warping the structure image into a warped structure image by flattening each of the layers in the structure image, aligning chemical profiles to the warped structure image, forming warped chemical maps, and inversely transforming the warped chemical maps into two-dimensional chemical maps.
US08442356B2	Methods, systems and computer program products for analyzing three dimensional data sets obtained from a sample Methods of analyzing three dimensional data sets obtained from a sample over time are provided. The methods include aligning first and second volume intensity projection (VIP) images based on at least one landmark in the first and second VIP images. The first and second VIP images are obtained from a first three dimensional data set obtained from the sample at a first time and a second three dimensional data set obtained from the sample at a second time, respectively.
US08442355B2	System and method for generating a multi-dimensional image A system and method for generating a multi-dimensional image of an object in a scene is disclosed. One inventive aspect includes a spectral estimation module configured to convert a two-dimensional (2D) high-resolution light intensity image of the scene to a spectral-augmented image of a selected channel. The system further includes a high-resolution depth image generation module configured to generate a high-resolution depth image of the object based on a three-dimensional (3D) low-resolution depth image of the scene and the spectral-augmented image.
US08442352B2	Method for generating alignment marks A method (100), an apparatus (1100), and a computer program product are disclosed for generating alignment marks. A basis pattern (120) and a high frequency component (130) are combined (140). The basis pattern is defined such that a scaled and rotated version of the basis pattern correlated with the basis pattern is substantially equal to the auto-correlation of the basis pattern within a complex multiplicative constant. The high frequency component is of sufficient energy for cross correlation without detriment to the basis pattern. The basis pattern may be generated from a basis function, which may be a logarithmic radial harmonic function (LRHF). The combination is output as at least one alignment mark having an increased maximum frequency. The method (100) may further comprise printing the at least one alignment mark on a print medium.
US08442351B2	Image orientation determination device, image orientation determination method, and image orientation determination program When positive image similarity (degree of training image similarity between input image features and those of positive training image) is higher than a predetermined first threshold, image orientation determination decision section determines input image orientation. When negative image similarity (degree of training image similarity between input image features and those of a negative training image) is not lower than a predetermined second threshold value, the image orientation determination decision section does not determine input image orientation. When the image orientation determination decision section determines the orientation of the input image, image orientation determination section calculates orientation similarity reflecting similarity between input image features and those stored in orientation-specific features storage section. If the calculated orientation similarity satisfies a predetermined condition, the image orientation determination section determines input image orientation according to positive training image orientation related to the image features stored in the orientation-specific features storage section.
US08442348B2	Image noise reduction for digital images using Gaussian blurring Disclosed are methods, devices, and computer program products for image noise reduction. In one example embodiment, a method for reducing noise in a digital image includes several acts. First, one or more objects are identified in an input image. Next, the input image or a portion thereof is processed to produce another image, which may be a blurred version of the input image. Finally, one or more objects in the processed image that correspond to the one or more objects identified in the input image are evaluated to determine whether to discard the one or more objects identified in the input image. For example, if an amount of energy preserved in an object after blurring is less than a threshold, the object may be discarded as noise.
US08442343B1	Optimization of staged computations Systems, methods, and apparatuses are described for providing one or more optimized functions for image processing and/or signal processing. Some exemplary methods described include receiving a media input and performing a first function of a staged computation on the media input to generate a result, the result comprising a constant value. Using the result, a second function of the staged computation may be compiled. The second function may correspond to inputs between a first value and a second value inclusive of the constant value. The second function may be performed to generate a media output.
US08442342B2	Generation of image data with correction for optical misfocus utilizing fractional powers of the fourier transform operator Fractional Fourier transform properties inherent in lens systems and other light and particle-beam environments are used to correct optical misfocus utilizing numerical operations. The invention produces a focused image from a partially-focused operation computed by at least one processor and a misfocused lens or other imaging system. Image data is operated on by a two-dimensional discrete fractional Fourier transform operation and a two-dimensional discrete fractional Fourier transform phase operation to create misfocused phase-adjusted image data comprising some amount of misfocus, the misfocus resulting from the application of the two-dimensional discrete fractional Fourier transform operation. The misfocused phase-adjusted image is presented to a misfocused exogenous optical system to create a resulting image. The power parameter of the fractional Fourier transform is adjusted to maximize sharp edge content of the resulting image. The invention can be used in imaging, integrated optics, optical computing, particle beam systems, and radiation accelerator systems.
US08442337B2	Encoding adjustments for animation content Techniques and tools are described for encoding animation video. In some embodiments, a video encoder designates animation video for encoding as animation content, which typically involves changing one or more encoder settings or rules to improve encoding performance for the animation content. When the encoder encodes the animation video, the encoder detects edges in the animation video using texture and changes settings for areas that include detected edges so as to improve encoding quality for the areas. In some embodiments, a video encoder adjusts differential quantization rules and quantizes animation video according to the adjusted differential quantization rules.
US08442334B2	Image coding method and image decoding method based on edge direction Provided is an image coding method for performing intra prediction achieving higher coding efficiency. The method for coding image data on a block-by-block basis includes: generating a predicted block by predicting a current block; computing a difference between the current block and the predicted block; coding the difference computed in the computing; decoding the difference coded in the coding; and adding the difference decoded in the decoding to the predicted block to generate a decoded block, wherein the generating includes: detecting an edge in a previously decoded block corresponding to a block adjacent to the current block; and extrapolating or interpolating previously decoded image data corresponding to a pixel included in the block adjacent to the current block, along a direction of the edge detected in the detecting to generate the predicted block.
US08442332B2	Bit plane encoding/decoding system and method for reducing spatial light modulator image memory size A bit plane generating system, a method of generating a bit plane and an integrated circuit incorporating the system or the method. In one embodiment, the bit plane generating system includes: (1) a memory configured to store pixel data pertaining to an image to be displayed and (2) bit plane decoding circuitry coupled to the memory and configured to transform the pixel data into at least a portion of a bit plane in accordance with a signal received from a sequence controller.
US08442327B2	Application of classifiers to sub-sampled integral images for detecting faces in images A method for more efficiently detecting faces in images is disclosed. The integral image of an image may be calculated. The integral image may be sub-sampled to generate one or more sub-sampled integral images. A plurality of classifiers may be applied in one or more stages to regions of each sub-sampled integral image, where the application of the classifiers may produce classification data. The classification data may be used to determine if a face is associated with any of the regions of each sub-sampled integral image. The face determination results may be used to modify the original image such that, when rendered, the image is displayed with a graphical object identifying the face in the image. Accordingly, face detection processing efficiency may be increased by reducing the number of integral image calculations and processing localized data through application of classifiers to sub-sampled integral images.
US08442325B2	Method for recognizing music score image with automatic accompaniment in mobile device A method for recognizing a music score included in an image and various information included in the music score, which may be obtained through a camera provided in a mobile terminal without requiring a separate editing program. The method includes detecting a region with staff lines from the image including the music score; detecting a region with an accompaniment chord from the image by taking the region with the staff lines and a region with a musical note into consideration; extracting and removing the staff lines from the music score included in the image; recognizing the musical note by extracting the musical note from the image, from which the staff lines have been removed; recognizing the accompaniment chord by extracting the accompaniment chord from the image, from which the staff lines have been removed; and generating data for reproducing a sound source corresponding to the musical note and accompaniment chord.
US08442324B2	Method and system for displaying image based on text in image A method and a system for displaying an image based on texts in the image are provided. The method of the invention for displaying the image includes: a text extracting step, extracting text regions in the image to be displayed; a text occupancy amount calculating step, calculating occupancy amount of the text in said image; a comparing step, comparing the calculated occupancy amount with a predetermined threshold; a display step, displaying the image in real size of the image if said occupancy amount exceeds said predetermined threshold. It is achieved to display the image to the user in a manner of satisfying the viewing aim of the user, and unnecessary load of the computer system is avoided.
US08442323B2	Handwriting recognition device having an externally defined input area A handwriting recognition device includes a main body having a side surface and an operation surface perpendicularly connecting to the side surface, and a first lens module and a second lens module arranged at opposite sides of the side surface. A first optical axis of the first lens module extends to perpendicularly cross a second optical axis of the second camera module outside the side surface. An overlapped area of a view angle of the first lens module and a view angle of the second lens module is defined as an input area. The first lens module is configured to capture a first picture of a handwriting tool in the input area. The second lens module is configured to capture a second picture of the handwriting tool in the input area. The handwriting recognition device calculates coordinates of the handwriting tool according to the first and the second pictures.
US08442315B2	Image processing apparatus, image processing method, and computer-readable medium An image processing apparatus for applying a color balance correction to input image data, comprises a first highlight color calculation unit which estimates a light source at the time of shooting from pixel values of the image data, converts color values of the image data based on a condition of the estimated light source at the time of shooting, and calculates a first highlight color; a second highlight color calculation unit which calculates a second highlight color from the image data; a third highlight color calculation unit which calculates a third highlight color based on a positional relationship between the first highlight color and the second highlight color on a color space; and a correction unit which attains the color balance correction by converting the pixel values of the image data using the third highlight color.
US08442314B2	Image processing apparatus and image processing method An object input unit extracts the area of an object as an object area, and a mesh generation unit divides the object area into a plurality of meshes to obtain position information, gradient information, and color information of respective vertices that form the meshes. An optimization unit determines the position information, gradient information, and color information of the vertices by dividing each of the meshes into a plurality of small areas, and performing processing for changing the position information, gradient information, and color information of the vertices so as to locally minimize the differences between color information within the small areas and that within portions of the object area corresponding to the small areas. To divide each of the meshes into a plurality of small areas, the optimization unit changes the number or size of small areas in accordance with the number of times of changing processing.
US08442304B2	System and method for three-dimensional alignment of objects using machine vision This invention provides a system and method for determining the three-dimensional alignment of a modeled object or scene. A 3D (stereo) sensor system views the object to derive a runtime 3D representation of the scene containing the object. Rectified images from each stereo head are preprocessed to enhance their edge features. 3D points are computed for each pair of cameras to derive a 3D point cloud. The amount of 3D data from the point cloud is reduced by extracting higher-level geometric shapes (HLGS), such as line segments. Found HLGS from runtime are corresponded to HLGS on the model to produce candidate 3D poses. A coarse scoring process prunes the number of poses. The remaining candidate poses are then subjected to a further more-refined scoring process. These surviving candidate poses are then verified whereby the closest match is the best refined three-dimensional pose.
US08442302B2	Method and device using rotating printing arm to project or view image across a workpiece The technology disclosed relates to scanning of large flat substrates for reading and writing images. Examples are flat panel displays, PCB's and photovoltaic panels. Reading and writing is to be understood in a broad sense: reading may mean microscopy, inspection, metrology, spectroscopy, interferometry, scatterometry, etc. of a large workpiece, and writing may mean exposing a photoresist, annealing by optical heating, ablating, or creating any other change to the surface by an optical beam. In particular, we disclose a technology that uses a rotating or swinging arm that describes an arc across a workpiece as it scans, instead of following a traditional straight-line motion.
US08442300B2	Specified position identifying method and specified position measuring apparatus A specified position in an array structure in which a reference pattern is displayed repetitively through reference pattern counting is identified. In an array structure image, the pattern detection estimating area generated from a starting point, the address of the starting point, and a unit vector are compared with a pattern detected position found in pattern matching with the reference pattern image, to execute pattern counting while determining correct detection, oversights, wrong detection, etc. Array structure images are photographed sequentially while moving the visual field with the use of an image shifting deflector to continue the pattern counting started at the starting point to identify the ending point specified with an address. If the ending point is not reached only with use of the image shifting deflector, the visual field moving range of the image shifting deflector is moved with use of a specimen stage.
US08442297B2	Methods of evaluating the quality of two-dimensional matrix dot-peened marks on objects and mark verification systems Methods and mark verification systems for evaluating the quality of a two-dimensional matrix dot peen mark on an object are provided. An exemplary embodiment of the methods includes scanning a two-dimensional matrix dot peen mark disposed on a surface of an object with a laser displacement sensor to generate three-dimensional scanned data for the mark, the mark including a plurality of dots disposed in a plurality of rows and columns on the surface; and determining whether the mark passes a verification test based on the scanned data.
US08442296B2	Check and U.S. bank note processing device and method A check and U.S. bank note processing device configured to process both checks and U.S. bank notes and a method of using the same. The device comprises an input receptacle configured to receive checks and U.S. bank notes and an output receptacle. The device further comprises a transport mechanism configured to transport the checks and U.S. bank notes from the input receptacle past an image scanner. The image scanner is configured to obtain an image of each check and U.S. bank note transported past the image scanner. The device is configured to determine the denominations of U.S. bank notes transported by the transport mechanism. The device further comprises a memory configured to store the images of checks transported past the image scanner.
US08442292B2	X-ray CT apparatus An X-ray CT apparatus that can efficiently set a scanning condition in a scanning operation of a periodically moving internal organ such as a heart or the like is provided. The X-ray CT apparatus collects electrocardiographic information by using a periodic motion measuring device 6 (S1). Subsequently, an operator input a time resolution rate corresponding to time resolution expected in a target examination (S2). Subsequently, the X-ray CT apparatus calculates a scanning condition under which the input time resolution rate can be implemented (S3). Subsequently, the X-ray CT apparatus images a heart under the scanning condition calculated in S3 (S4). Subsequently, the X-ray CT apparatus reconstructs an electrocardiographic-synchronous image by using the scanning data obtained in S4 and the electrocardiographic information (S5). Subsequently, the X-ray CT apparatus displays the electrocardiographic-synchronous image reconstructed in S5 on a display device 5 (S6).
US08442291B2	Method and apparatus for establishing a position of a phantom in an image quality test In a method and apparatus for establishing the position of one or more constituent elements of a phantom in an image quality test for a medical imaging apparatus, an image of the phantom is obtained, and a landmark pixel or region of the image determined. Values of a given variable at pixels or regions at a predetermined distance from the landmark pixel or region are determined. The landmark pixel or region and the values of the variable are then used to establish the position of one or more of the constituent elements of the phantom.
US08442289B2	Medical image processing device, method for processing medical image and program There is provided a medical image processing device that enables high-precision identification of the type of a biomedical tissue and display of an identification degree with respect to medical image information in multi-energy imaging. The medical image processing device acquires tissue information (statistic amount information such as average CT value, standard deviation of CT values, etc., display color, etc.) of a biomedical tissue every energy intensity of the multi-energy imaging. The medical image processing device creates an identification map for identifying the type of the biomedical tissue on the basis of the statistic amount information, and further creates an identification probability map for determining the identification degree of the biomedical tissue on the basis of the statistic amount information and the identification map. The medical image processing device acquires imaging information based on the multi-energy imaging, identifies the type of the biomedical tissue on the basis of the identification map, determines the identification degree on the basis of the identification probability map and displays in accordance with the identification.
US08442288B2	Method and apparatus for processing three-dimensional digital mesh image representative data of three-dimensional subjects A method for processing a digital mesh representing a three-dimensional subject is described. The method comprises utilizing smoothed splines to identify inflection points on the mesh for further processing.
US08442285B2	Combined feature ensemble mutual information image registration This invention relates to medical image registration. Specifically, the invention relates to a combined feature ensemble mutual information (COFEMI) for robust inter-modal, inter-protocol image registration.
US08442283B2	Patient-specific three-dimensional dentition model Embodiments of the invention provide methods and systems for generating a color-textured three-dimensional dental model that is specific to a patient. According to one embodiment, generating a patient-specific color-textured three-dimensional dental model can comprise obtaining a three-dimensional dental model of a patient. For example, obtaining the three-dimensional dental model can comprise obtaining volumetric image data of a dentition of the patient and generating the three-dimensional dental model based on the volumetric image data. Two-dimensional intra-oral image data of the patient can also be obtained. For example, obtaining the two-dimensional intra-oral image data can comprise obtaining a plurality of photographs. The patient-specific color-textured three-dimensional dental model can be generated based on the three-dimensional dental model and the two-dimensional intra-oral image data.
US08442282B2	Computer-aided imaging diagnostic processing apparatus and computer-aided imaging diagnostic processing method In consideration of the fact that a lung field varies in the density of sponge-like tissue depending on an individual or display region, an opacity curve which gives priority to a nodule candidate region or an extended nodule candidate region can be set by generating a histogram concerning a volume of interest which includes a foreground region, and using the statistical analysis result on the histogram as an objective index.
US08442281B2	Artificially displaying information relative to a body A method and system are described for generating a pattern indicating at least medical information related to an individual's body; and invoking circuitry for displaying at least the generated pattern on one or more surfaces on the individual's body.
US08442278B2	Covariance based face association A system and method are provided for associating faces to determine whether the faces are similar. For example a captured face may be associated with known faces to determine which known face the captured most closely resembles. The system and method incorporate the use of Gabor filters applied to masked face images to develop covariance matrixes. The covariance matrixes are subject to a similarity measure to determine the similarity of the images.
US08442277B1	Identity authentication system for controlling egress of an individual visiting a facility Embodiments of the invention relate to systems, methods, and computer program products for authenticating the identity of an authorized custodian of a dependent individual visiting a facility. In particular, the identity of an authorized custodian of a dependent individual visiting a facility is authenticated by: recording an image of an iris of the authorized custodian in a database; capturing an image of an iris of an individual attempting to accompany the dependent individual when the dependent individual exits the facility; and verifying, prior to allowing the dependent individual to exit the facility, that the captured image of the iris of the individual attempting to accompany the dependent individual matches the recorded image of the iris of the authorized custodian.
US08442274B2	Electronic golf assistant utilizing a plurality of images Included are systems and methods for providing data. At least one embodiment of a method includes accessing, by a computing device, a plurality of images for a geographic location; determining which of the images has a predetermined geographic accuracy; determining which of the image has a predetermined image clarity; determining a common point on the image with the predetermined geographic accuracy and the image with the predetermined image clarity; utilizing the common point to merge the image with the predetermined geographic accuracy with the image with the predetermined image clarity; and providing one or more location services on the image with predetermined image clarity, utilizing geographic location data from the image with the predetermined geographic accuracy.
US08442271B2	Laser detection device and laser detection method A laser detection method and apparatus for detection of laser beams can each perform operations for producing an interference image from detected light radiation, recording the interference image, and processing the recorded interference image in order to detect laser radiation. In order to allow more robust and faster laser detection, the apparatus and method can detect a spatially defined point distribution from the interference image, and transform the point distribution such that a grid interval remains between a point grid in the point distribution, and a fixed position, which is independent of a position in the original image, is associated with the point grid. The apparatus and method can further detect a grid interval in the point grid that was transformed, and detect the position of the point grid from the point distribution by filtering with the assistance of the grid interval.
US08442270B2	Object detecting method and non-transitory computer-readable recording medium storing an object detection program An object detecting method includes dividing a standard pattern into two or more areas radially from a central point; selecting, in each divided area of the standard pattern, a standard pattern pixel position at the maximum distance from the area dividing central point as a standard pattern representative point; dividing a determined pattern into two or more areas; selecting, in each divided area of the determine pattern, a determined pattern pixel position at the maximum distance from the area dividing central point as a determined pattern representative point; determining a positional difference between the standard pattern representative point and the determined pattern representative point in the corresponding divided areas; and determining the determined pattern as a target object when the positional differences in all of the divided areas are within a predetermined range.
US08442260B2	Ribbon transducer A ribbon transducer (101) is disclosed, comprising: a ribbon made of conductive material (2), a damping system (4) arranged at least at one end of the conductive ribbon (2), and two rigid supports (103) where the ends of the ribbon (2) are fixed. The damping system (104) comprises a suspension composed of at least one wire (105), anchoring means (107) to connect said ribbon (2) to said wire (105), and elastic means (150) operatively connected to said wire to generate mechanical stress.
US08442259B2	System for vibration confinement Systems and apparatuses are provided for vibration confinement and stress management in a loudspeaker. In one embodiment, the loudspeaker comprises a diaphragm that extends from an inner diaphragm region (e.g., dome or cone-shaped) to an outer diaphragm region, wherein the outer diaphragm region bends at a defined angle (e.g., between about 45 degrees and about 135 degrees) relative to the inner diaphragm region. The loudspeaker also comprises a suspension member extending from an inner suspension region to an outer suspension region, the inner suspension region overlapping and attaching with the outer diaphragm region. The bend in the diaphragm isolates the inner diaphragm region from spurious vibrations in the suspension member.
US08442257B2	Cables with intertwined jackets Fibers may be intertwined to form cables for headsets and other structures. The cables may include wires. The wires may be surrounded by a jacket formed from intertwined fibers. The intertwined fibers may include fibers with different melting temperatures. The jacket may be heated to a temperature that is sufficient to melt some of the fibers in the jacket without melting other fibers in the jacket. The melted fibers may flow into spaces between the unmelted fibers and may serve as a binder that holds together the unmelted fibers. The intertwining process may be used to form a bifurcation for a headset. A dipping process may be used to cover the jacket with a coating. The coating may be formed over the entire length of the cable or may be formed in a particular portion of the cable such as the portion of the cable that includes the bifurcation.
US08442256B2	Boundary microphone and desktop electro-acoustic transducer A base having a flat shape; a support provided on a bottom surface of the base; a microphone unit incorporated in the base and converts sound into an electric signal; and a pressure sensitive switch with which an output signal from the microphone unit is turned on and off are included. At least one such pressure sensitive switch is provided to be pressed between the base and the support.
US08442255B2	Boundary microphone A boundary microphone includes: a metal mesh; a base made of metal; a cover made of metal on which a plurality of holes through which a sound wave is passed is formed; and a microphone unit that is installed on the base and converts sound into an electrical signal. The metal mesh is welded onto the base with a metal material of the base entering a space of the metal mesh. The microphone unit is covered by the metal mesh.
US08442253B2	Hearing aid A hearing aid of the present invention is convenient to repair and replace. The hearing aid includes: (i) an out-of-canal assembly comprising a power source (e.g., a battery) and a processor, and (ii) an in-canal assembly comprising a microphone and a receiver. The out-of-canal assembly is selectively, removably, electrically coupled to the in-canal assembly. Sound perceived by the in-canal assembly is processed by the out-of-canal assembly and transmitted to the user's eardrum. The in-canal assembly is conveniently, selectively decoupled from the out-of-canal assembly for convenient replacement or repair.
US08442251B2	Adaptive feedback cancellation based on inserted and/or intrinsic characteristics and matched retrieval An audio processing system processing an input sound to an output sound includes: an input transducer for converting input sound to an electric input signal and defining an input side; an output transducer for converting a processed electric output signal to an output sound and defining an output side; a forward path defined between the input transducer and the output transducer; a signal processing unit for processing an SPU-input signal originating from the electric input signal and to provide a processed SPU-output signal, and an electric feedback loop from the output side to the input side, having a feedback path estimation unit for estimating an acoustic feedback transfer function from the output transducer to the input transducer, and a enhancement unit for estimating noise-like signal components in the electric signal of the forward path and providing a noise signal estimate output.
US08442248B2	Systems and methods for managing wireless communication links for hearing assistance devices Various system embodiments comprise a plurality of devices adapted to wirelessly communicate with each other. The plurality of devices includes a battery-operated hearing assistance device adapted to be worn by a person. The hearing aid device includes a signal processing circuitry connected to a microphone and a receiver. At least one of the plurality of devices includes a link quality management device adapted to assess a link quality for a first wireless communication channel, provide channel metrics indicative of the assessed quality for the first wireless communication channel, and adjust wireless communication over the first wireless communication channel using the channel metrics for the first wireless communication channel.
US08442246B2	Hearing aid device and hearing aid method A hearing aid device includes a plurality of microphones which converts picked sound to audio signals, an inter-signal phase difference calculation unit which calculates a phase difference between a first audio signal and a second audio signal, a hand placement determination unit, a directivity sound pickup unit which generates an output signal, a nonlinear amplification unit which controls the signal level of the output signal acquired from the directivity sound pickup unit, and a hearing aid process control unit which, when the hand placement determination unit determines that a state where a phase difference is equal to or smaller than a first threshold value continues for a first time, controls the directivity sound pickup unit such that at least one of the sensitivity-frequency characteristic and the frequency characteristics of the audio signals becomes nondirective, and controls the nonlinear amplification unit to amplify the signal levels of the acquired audio signals.
US08442245B2	Hearing device with automatic algorithm switching A hearing device with a plurality of microphones is intended to be able to be continued to be operated sensibly, even if a microphone fails. Therefore, a hearing device, and in particular a hearing aid, is proposed which provides a decision unit for deciding whether one of the microphones is defective, and a signal processing unit for processing the signals from the microphones using a plurality of processing algorithms. The signal processing unit switches from a first one of the processing algorithms to a second one of the processing algorithms if a decision is made in the decision unit that one of the microphones is defective. In particular, if a microphone fails, automatic switching from directional microphone operation into omnidirectional operation is for example made possible.
US08442241B2	Audio signal processing for separating multiple source signals from at least one source signal An audio signal processing device is provided whereby, from two systems of audio signals in which audio signals of multiple audio sources are included, the audio signals of the multiple audio sources can be suitably separated. The audio signal processing device divides each of two systems of audio signals into a plurality of frequency bands, calculates a level ratio or a level difference of the two systems of audio signals, at each of the divided plurality of frequency bands, and extracts and outputs frequency band components of and nearby values regarding which the level ratio or the level difference calculated at the level comparison means have been determined beforehand. The frequency band components have a level ratio or level difference at and nearby the values determined beforehand which are different one from another.
US08442240B2	Sound processing apparatus, sound processing method, and sound processing program A sound processing apparatus includes a power spectrum operation unit obtaining a power spectrum of an audio signal, an envelope component removal unit removing an envelope component of the power spectrum and generating a signal characteristic that represents a peakness of the power spectrum, a filter characteristic calculation unit calculating a filter characteristic suppressing the signal characteristic by using the signal characteristic, and a suppress filter filtering the audio signal by using the filter characteristic.
US08442239B2	Audio system with balance setting based on information addresses An audio system for a vehicle that includes a system for allowing an occupant of the vehicle to adjust a balance setting of each audio source (116). The audio system includes a plurality of audio sources (102) that are connected to an amplifier (104). The amplifier is connected to a head unit (106) that adjusts the balance setting of each audio source based on predetermined parameters or user preferences (112). Audio output signals from the audio sources are thus reproduced with different balance settings.
US08442235B2	Extensible management of self-encrypting storage devices Security device objects can be utilized to support a stack of components of computer-executable instructions that are directed to managing the security functionality represented by the security device object. In the case of hardware encrypting storage devices, a security device object can represent the self-encrypting capabilities of those devices and the attendant stack can comprise drivers directed to band and key management. A default band management driver can support a band-centric set of input/output controls that can be redirected to the band management driver. It can cache band authentication keys or provide callback mechanisms for key providers to register themselves to provide keys on-demand. Key provider identifiers can be stored on the storage device and utilized to dynamically load, install or upgrade key providers when the band authentication key is required. The band management driver can also prevent the powering-down of the storage device in an unlocked state.
US08442232B2	Deleting confidential information used to secure a communication link A system includes a first wireless-enabled device that transparently stores confidential information and a second wireless-enabled device that stores the same confidential information. The confidential information is to be used to secure a wireless communication link between the first device and the second device. One or both of the first device and the second device is to delete the confidential information upon fulfillment of one or more conditions related to the communication link. The conditions include general timeout, device inactivity, loss of connection over the communication link, a decline in signal strength, and a predefined number of transactions having occurred between the first device and the second device.
US08442227B1	Providing additional information with session requests The present invention allows a communication client to send a session request to initiate a session with a receiving communication client, wherein the session request includes additional information configured to allow the receiving communication client to take an action in association with the communication session. The additional information may include context indicia, which may identify an association related to the subject matter of the session, or a specific instruction to take the action in association with the communication session.
US08442222B2	Job ticket issuing device and job execution device A job ticket issuing device includes: a document encryption processing unit for encrypting document data with a document data encryption key; and a job ticket encryption processing unit for encrypting a job ticket, including information about a content of job processing with respect to the document data, with a job ticket encryption key which is different from the document data encryption key.
US08442221B2	Method and apparatus for image encryption and embedding and related applications An image encryption method is described for encrypting an images using an encryption key. The encryption method includes dividing the image into pixel groups and shifting the location of the pixel groups according to an encryption key, and reordering the bits of the pixel values of the image according to an encryption key. Each shifting and reordering is done according to a shifting patterns that is defined by a shifting rule and the bit values of a bit sequence generated from the encryption key. The encrypted image is embedded in a cover image using less significant bits of the cover image for transmission or storage. Corresponding decryption method is also provided. Also described are various applications of image encryption methods in secure handling of digital images, including secure scanning, secure printing, secure ID scanning, secure check reading, remote picture ID verification, and remote document submitting and receiving systems.
US08442220B2	Transmission apparatus and transmission method A base station generates a unicast channel, a MBMS channel, and a pilot channel, that are multiplied by a scrambling code specific to a particular cell. The pilot channel is replicated as necessary. The unicast channel and the MBMS channel are time-multiplexed. For data in a unit transmission frame, a same frequency component is multiplied by a same scrambling code.
US08442217B2	Method of implementing one way hash functions and apparatus therefor A cryptographic system for encrypting a data stream to be transported over a network by using a one way hash function constructed according to Merkle-Damgard construction includes a plurality of Davies-Mayer structure modules. A Davies-Mayer module modifies two variables A and B according to at least four words by no more than three Advanced Encryption Standard (AES) block cipher rounds.
US08442211B2	Method and system for providing a ring back tone in a communication network A method and system for implementing an interactive Ring Back Tone service are disclosed, and the method includes: obtaining (S101), when connecting a call, subscription information of an interactive Ring Back Tone service subscribed by a user; issuing (S102), when a called terminal is idle, to the called terminal a first subscription identifier for identifying an interactive Ring Back Tone service subscription of the user, where the first subscription identifier is for instructing the terminal to wait for playing of an interactive Ring Back Tone; and playing (S103), according to the interactive Ring Back Tone service subscribed by the user, the interactive Ring Back Tone to the called user.
US08442208B2	Method and system for transferring an automatic call distributor call A method for transferring an automatic call distributor call includes receiving from a caller a call for distribution to one of a plurality of agents and distributing the call to a first agent of the plurality of agents for handling. The method includes receiving a transfer request to transfer the call to a supervisor and selecting an available supervisor to receive the call. The available supervisor comprises a supervisor not in an uninterruptible state. The method includes transferring the call to the selected available supervisor.
US08442207B2	System and method for observing a communication session An approach is provided for initiating a service observing session by tracking a number of concurrent service observing sessions to an automatic call distributor, and selectively restricting the number of concurrent sessions based on a predetermined restriction criterion. Each of the service observing sessions is established for a user to monitor a voice call involving an agent.
US08442194B2	Apparatus and method for blocking specific network in mobile communication terminal An apparatus and a method for blocking a specific network in a mobile communication terminal are provided. The method includes adding a first network to a blocked network list, when the first network is the only network available to provide service to a terminal, temporarily removing the first network from the blocked network list and temporarily receiving service from the first network. Thus, the user does not have to pay roaming fees in the unwanted network, suffer from undesired communication quality, or use unwanted additional functions.
US08442189B2	Unified communications appliance A unified communications appliance provides integration of various types of information, regardless of the modality, in a common, centralized interface where the various types of information are grouped based on what they are related to. For example, as is common with most modalities of information exchange, there exists a “subject” that is present in one of the fields of communication. The ability to associate all of the types of communication with a common “subject” (or conversation) and provide an interface that allows access to the various types of information, regardless of the modality is provided by the unified communications interface.
US08442186B2	Backscatter energy analysis for classification of materials based on positional non-commutativity A system and methods for characterizing regions within, or on, an inspected object, wherein a lower-Z scattering material and a higher-Z material may both lie along a common line of sight. The inspected object is scanned with penetrating radiation characterized by an energy distribution, and penetrating radiation scattered by the inspected object is detected in a manner that generates two detector signals that distinguish between materials of higher and lower effective atomic number under distinct sets of conditions with respect to the energy distribution of the penetrating radiation. An image is generated, based on a function of the two detector signals, as is a differential image, so as to allow distinction of higher-Z and lower-Z materials.
US08442182B2	Annular core liquid-salt cooled reactor with multiple fuel and blanket zones A liquid fluoride salt cooled, high temperature reactor having a reactor vessel with a pebble-bed reactor core. The reactor core comprises a pebble injection inlet located at a bottom end of the reactor core and a pebble defueling outlet located at a top end of the reactor core, an inner reflector, outer reflector, and an annular pebble-bed region disposed in between the inner reflector and outer reflector. The annular pebble-bed region comprises an annular channel configured for receiving pebble fuel at the pebble injection inlet, the pebble fuel comprising a combination of seed and blanket pebbles having a density lower than the coolant such that the pebbles have positive buoyancy and migrate upward in said annular pebble-bed region toward the defueling outlet. The annular pebble-bed region comprises alternating radial layers of seed pebbles and blanket pebbles.
US08442180B2	Control rod position detector A control rod position detector including a permanent magnet that is attached on a control rod inserted in a reactor pressure vessel, where the permanent magnet is capable of moving together with the control rod, and a plurality of reed switch mechanisms that are arranged in the reactor pressure vessel at regular intervals in an insertion direction of the control rod. Each of the reed switch mechanisms is provided with a pair of reed switches that are placed so as to overlap with each other in the insertion direction of the control rod. The pair of reed switches are connected to a common wiring. The common wiring is connected to a detector that detects a position of the control rod based on signals from the reed switches.
US08442176B2	Comma alignment with scrambled data Computer-readable media, apparatus and other embodiments associated with performing comma alignment with scrambled data are described. One example method includes controlling an apparatus to generate a data stream that facilitates achieving and determining alignment in a device. The data stream includes sequences of N random portions of Y-bit characters followed by a Z-bit alignment character, N, Y and Z being integers. Another example method includes controlling an apparatus to receive and examine the data stream. The method also includes generating an alignment signal upon determining an alignment for recovered data in the device.
US08442172B1	Methods for PCO based UWB impulse radio with localized synchronization detection and retention The present invention provides a communications system, node and method of operation for forming a wireless network from independently operating nodes that have the ability to self-synchronize with each other, independently determine master and slave modes of operation to cooperate as a network, and independently vary those functions to adjust to changes in the network.
US08442170B2	Equalizer for AM in-band on-channel radio receivers A method is provided for equalizing OFDM symbol vectors received on AM in-band on-channel radio signal including a main carrier and first and second BPSK modulated subcarriers. The method comprises the steps of: computing a BPSK magnitude signal; filtering the BPSK magnitude signal; filtering complex samples received on the main carrier; using the filtered BPSK magnitude signal and the filtered complex samples received on the main carrier to compute a plurality of flat fade equalization coefficients; and multiplying the OFDM symbol vectors by the flat fade equalization coefficients. A receiver that includes an equalizer, which operates in accordance with the method is also provided.
US08442161B2	Estimation of sample clock frequency offset using error vector magnitude A low complexity system and method for operating a receiver in order to estimate an offset between the actual sample clock rate 1/TS′ of a receiver and an intended sample clock rate 1/TS. The receiver captures samples of a received baseband signal at the rate 1/TS′, operates on the captured samples to generate an estimate for the clock rate offset, and fractionally resamples the captured samples using the clock rate offset. The resampled data represents an estimate of baseband symbols transmitted by the transmitter. The action of operating on the captured samples involves computing an error vector signal and then estimating the clock rate offset using the error vector signal. The error vector signal may be computed in different ways depending on whether or not carrier frequency offset and carrier phase offset are assumed to be present in the received baseband signal.
US08442159B2	Multi-protocol communications receiver with shared analog front-end According to an example embodiment, a communications receiver may include a variable gain amplifier (VGA) configured to amplify received signals, a VGA controller configured to control the VGA, a plurality of analog to digital converter (ADC) circuits coupled to an output of the VGA, wherein the plurality of ADC circuits are operational when the communications receiver is configured to process signals of a first communications protocol, and wherein only a subset of the ADC circuits are operational when the communications receiver is configured to process signals of a second communications protocol.

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