| Document | Document Title |
|---|---|
| US09391181B2 |
Lattice mismatched hetero-epitaxial film
An embodiment concerns forming an EPI film on a substrate where the EPI film has a different lattice constant from the substrate. The EPI film and substrate may include different materials to collectively form a hetero-epitaxial device having, for example, a Si and/or SiGe substrate and a III-V or IV film. The EPI film may be one of multiple EPI layers or films and the films may include different materials from one another and may directly contact one another. Further, the multiple EPI layers may be doped differently from another in terms of doping concentration and/or doping polarity. One embodiment includes creating a horizontally oriented hetero-epitaxial structure. Another embodiment includes a vertically oriented hetero-epitaxial structure. The hetero-epitaxial structures may include, for example, a bipolar junction transistor, heterojunction bipolar transistor, thyristor, and tunneling field effect transistor among others. Other embodiments are described herein. |
| US09391179B2 |
Vertical GaN JFET with low gate-drain capacitance and high gate-source capacitance
An embodiment of a vertical power device includes a III-nitride substrate, a drift region coupled to the III-nitride substrate and comprising a III-nitride material of a first conductivity type, and a channel region coupled to the drift region and comprising a III-nitride material of the first conductivity type. The vertical power device also includes a source region coupled to the channel region and comprising a III-nitride material of the first conductivity type, and a gate region coupled to the channel region. The gate region includes a III-nitride material of a second conductivity type. The vertical power device further includes a source-coupled region coupled to the drift region and electrically connected with the source region. The source-coupled region includes a III-nitride material of the second conductivity type. |
| US09391175B2 |
Fin end spacer for preventing merger of raised active regions
After formation of gate structures over semiconductor fins and prior to formation of raised active regions, a directional ion beam is employed to form a dielectric material portion on end walls of semiconductor fins that are perpendicular to the lengthwise direction of the semiconductor fins. The angle of the directional ion beam is selected to be with a vertical plane including the lengthwise direction of the semiconductor fins, thereby avoiding formation of the dielectric material portion on lengthwise sidewalls of the semiconductor fins. Selective epitaxy of semiconductor material is performed to grow raised active regions from sidewall surfaces of the semiconductor fins. Optionally, horizontal portions of the dielectric material portion may be removed prior to the selective epitaxy process. Further, the dielectric material portion may optionally be removed after the selective epitaxy process. |
| US09391173B2 |
FinFET device with vertical silicide on recessed source/drain epitaxy regions
A method of forming a semiconductor device that includes forming a fin structure from a semiconductor substrate, and forming a gate structure on a channel region portion of the fin structure. A source region and a drain region are formed on a source region portion and a drain region portion of the fin structure on opposing sides of the channel portion of the fin structure. At least one sidewall of the source region portion and the drain region portion of the fin structure is exposed. A metal semiconductor alloy is formed on the at least one sidewall of the source region portion and the drain region portion of the fin structure that is exposed. |
| US09391171B2 |
Fin field effect transistor including a strained epitaxial semiconductor shell
A semiconductor fin including a single crystalline semiconductor material is formed on a dielectric layer. A semiconductor shell including an epitaxial semiconductor material is formed on all physically exposed surfaces of the semiconductor fin by selective epitaxy, which deposits the semiconductor material only on semiconductor surfaces and not on dielectric surfaces. The epitaxial semiconductor material can be different from the single crystalline semiconductor material, and the semiconductor shell can be bilaterally strained due to lattice mismatch. A fin field effect transistor including a strained channel can be formed. Further, the semiconductor shell can advantageously alter properties of the source and drain regions, for example, by allowing incorporation of more dopants or by facilitating a metallization process. |
| US09391168B2 |
Manufacturing method of a thin film transistor utilizing a pressing mold and active-matrix display devices made therefrom
A manufacturing method of an electronic device simplifies the process by performing a patterning process by using an imprinting technology. An electronic device manufactured by the manufacturing method is also disclosed. In one embodiment, the electronic device includes a substrate provided to have a dented portion and a non-dented portion, a gate electrode located at and in direct contact with the dented portion of the substrate, a source electrode and a drain electrode located at the non-dented portion of the substrate, and a semiconductor layer located on the gate electrode and in contact with the source electrode and the drain electrode. The gate electrode, the source electrode, and the drain electrode are formed of at least one of molybdenum, tungsten, copper, aluminum, titanium, an alloy thereof, nanowire, graphene, carbon nanotube, indium tin oxide, indium zinc oxide and combinations thereof. |
| US09391167B1 |
Method for manufacturing semiconductor device
A method for manufacturing a semiconductor device includes: forming sequentially an n− type epitaxial layer and an n+ type area on a first surface of an n+ type silicon carbide substrate; forming a plurality of first trenches and a plurality of second trenches by etching the n− type epitaxial layer and the n+ type area using a first mask pattern as a mask after forming the first mask pattern on the n+ type area; forming a groove by etching the first mask pattern using a first photosensitive film pattern as a mask after forming the first photosensitive film pattern in the plurality of first trenches; forming a p type area by injecting p ions in the plurality of second trenches using the first mask pattern with the groove as the mask after removing the first photosensitive film pattern; forming a gate insulating layer in the plurality of first trenches after removing the first mask pattern with the groove; forming a gate electrode on the gate insulating layer; forming a passivation layer on the gate electrode; forming a source electrode in the plurality of second trenches; and forming a drain electrode on a second surface which is an opposite side to the first surface of the n+ type silicon carbide substrate. |
| US09391166B2 |
Non-volatile memory device and method for fabricating the same
A method for fabricating a non-volatile memory device includes: providing a substrate which includes a cell region where a plurality of memory cells are to be formed and a peripheral circuit region where a plurality of peripheral circuit devices are to be formed; forming the memory cells that are stacked perpendicularly to the substrate of the cell region; and forming a first conductive layer for forming a gate electrode of a selection transistor over the memory cells while forming the first conductive layer in the peripheral circuit region simultaneously, wherein the first conductive layer of the peripheral circuit region functions as a resistor body of at least one peripheral circuit device of the peripheral circuit devices. |
| US09391163B2 |
Stacked planar double-gate lamellar field-effect transistor
A method of making a field-effect transistor device includes providing a substrate with a fin stack having: a first sacrificial material layer on the substrate, a first semiconductive material layer on the first sacrificial material layer, and a second sacrificial material layer on the first semiconductive material layer. The method includes inserting a dummy gate having a second thickness, a dummy void, and an outer end that is coplanar to the second face. The method includes inserting a first spacer having a first thickness and a first void, and having an outer end that is coplanar to the first face. The method includes etching the first sacrificial material layer in the second plane and the second sacrificial material layer in the fourth plane. The method includes removing, at least partially, the first spacer. The method also includes inserting a second spacer having the first thickness. |
| US09391162B2 |
Tunnel MOSFET with ferroelectric gate stack
A Tunnel Field-Effect Transistor (TFET) includes a source region in a semiconductor substrate, and a drain region in the semiconductor substrate. The source region and the drain region are of opposite conductivity types. The TFET further includes a gate stack over the semiconductor substrate, with the source region and the drain region extending to opposite sides of the gate stack. The gate stack includes a gate dielectric over the semiconductor substrate, and a ferroelectric layer over the gate dielectric. |
| US09391161B2 |
Manufacture of a tunnel diode memory
A design of a non-transistor memory core with corresponding shift register control logic may be all comprised of tunnel diodes and capacitors, and a method for fabricating such memories and control logic may use a stencil and non-lithographic self-aligning semiconductor processing steps to minimize cost. Designs and fabrication processes for I/O pads connected to the memory core and control logic are also presented. |
| US09391158B2 |
Method of fabricating semiconductor device having high-k gate insulation films including work function adjusting material
A semiconductor device having high-k gate insulation films and a method of fabricating the semiconductor device are provided. The semiconductor device includes a first gate insulation film on a substrate and the first gate insulation film includes a material selected from the group consisting of HfO2, ZrO2, Ta2O5, TiO2, SrTiO3 and (Ba,Sr)TiO3, and lanthanum (La). Additionally, the semiconductor device includes a first barrier film on the first gate insulation film, a first gate electrode on the first barrier film, and n-type source/drain regions in the substrate at both sides of the first gate electrode. |
| US09391156B2 |
Embedded capacitor
A method of manufacturing a semiconductor device is provided, including forming a gate electrode of a dummy transistor device on a semiconductor substrate, forming a high-k material layer over and adjacent to the gate electrode and forming a metal layer on the high-k material layer over and adjacent to the gate electrode to form a capacitor. |
| US09391152B1 |
Implantation formed metal-insulator-semiconductor (MIS) contacts
A method of forming a metal-insulator-semiconductor (MIS) contact, a transistor including the MIS contact, and the MIS contact are described. The method includes etching an opening for formation of the contact, the opening extending to an upper surface of a semiconductor region. The method also includes implanting metal ions at a selected depth within the upper surface of the semiconductor region and converting the upper surface of the semiconductor region to a metal oxide insulating layer. The method further includes forming a metal layer on the insulating layer. |
| US09391151B2 |
Split gate memory device for improved erase speed
Some embodiments relate to a memory device with an asymmetric floating gate geometry. A control gate is arranged over a floating gate. An erase gate is arranged laterally adjacent the floating gate, and is separated from the floating gate by a tunneling dielectric layer. A sidewall spacer is arranged along a vertical sidewall of the control gate, and over an upper surface of the floating gate. A portion of the floating gate upper surface forms a “ledge,” or a sharp corner, which extends horizontally past the sidewall spacer. A sidewall of the floating gate forms a concave surface, which tapers down from the ledge towards a neck region within the floating gate. The ledge provides a faster path for tunneling of the electrons through the tunneling dielectric layer compared to a floating gate with a planar sidewall surface. The ledge consequently improves the erase speed of the memory device. |
| US09391144B2 |
Selective gallium nitride regrowth on (100) silicon
A semiconductor structure including a (100) silicon substrate having a plurality openings located within the silicon substrate, wherein each opening exposes a surface of the silicon substrate having a (111) crystal plane. This structure further includes an epitaxial semiconductor material located on an uppermost surface of the (100) silicon substrate, and a gallium nitride material located adjacent to the surface of the silicon substrate having the (111) crystal plane and adjacent a portion of the epitaxial semiconductor material. The structure also includes at least one semiconductor device located upon and within the gallium nitride material and at least one other semiconductor device located upon and within the epitaxial semiconductor material. |
| US09391140B2 |
Raised fin structures and methods of fabrication
A method of fabricating raised fin structures is provided, the fabricating including: providing a substrate and at least one dielectric layer over the substrate; forming a trench in the at least one dielectric layer, the trench having a lower portion, a lateral portion, and an upper portion, the upper portion being at least partially laterally offset from the lower portion and being joined to the lower portion by the lateral portion; and, growing a material in the trench to form the raised fin structure, wherein the trench is formed to ensure that any growth defect in the lower portion of the trench terminates either in the lower portion or the lateral portion of the trench and does not extend into the upper portion of the trench. |
| US09391139B1 |
Top-side contact structure and fabrication method thereof
A top-side contact structure is provided. The top-side contact structure includes a substrate. The substrate includes a first semiconductor layer, an insulating layer on the first semiconductor layer, and a second semiconductor layer on the insulating layer. The top-side contact structure also includes a first trench and a second trench formed in the second semiconductor layer and respectively extending along a first direction and a second direction. The first trench and the second trench connect to each other at an intersection point. The top-side contact structure also includes an insulating material filling the first trench and the second trench. The top-side contact structure also includes a contact plug formed at the intersection point and directly contacting the first semiconductor layer. A method for fabricating a top-side contact structure is also provided. |
| US09391138B2 |
Semiconductor devices including empty spaces and methods of forming the same
Semiconductor devices including empty spaces and methods of forming the semiconductor devices are provided. The semiconductor devices may include first and second line structures extending in a direction on a substrate, an insulating isolation pattern between the first and second line structures and a conductive structure between the first and second line structures and next to the insulating isolation pattern along the direction. The semiconductor devices may also include an empty space including a first portion between the first line structure and the conductive structure and a second portion between the first line structure and the insulating isolation pattern. The first portion of the empty space may have a height different from a height of the second portion of the empty space. |
| US09391136B1 |
Semiconductor device
A semiconductor device includes an n-type semiconductor substrate, which has a main surface having an element region and an outer peripheral region surrounding the element region; a p-type guard ring, which includes: a lowly-doped p-type region disposed on an upper surface of the semiconductor substrate in the outer peripheral region surrounding the element region; and a highly-doped p-type region disposed on an inner side of the lowly-doped p-type region and having an impurity concentration higher than an impurity concentration of the lowly-doped p-type region, wherein a side surface and a bottom surface of the highly-doped p-type region are covered by the lowly-doped p-type region such that the highly-doped p-type region is not in contact with the n-type region; and an ohmic junction electrode, which forms an ohmic junction with the highly-doped p-type region. |
| US09391135B1 |
Semiconductor device
In one embodiment, an IGBT is formed to include a plurality of termination trenches in a termination region of the IGBT. An embodiment may include that one end of one or more termination trenches may be exposed on one surface of the semiconductor device. |
| US09391131B2 |
Organic light emitting display device and method of manufacturing the same
Provided are an organic light emitting display device and a method of manufacturing the same. The organic light emitting display device includes: an emission unit including an organic light emitting diode, a pixel circuit unit including: a circuit configured to drive the emission unit, and a line configured to apply a signal to the circuit, and a light blocking layer covering the pixel circuit unit, and configured to block light input to the pixel circuit unit, and a repair part disposed in the light blocking layer, the repair part being configured for repairing the line when a defect occurs in a pixel that includes the pixel circuit unit. |
| US09391125B2 |
Organic light emitting diode display including dummy circuit portions
An organic light emitting diode display includes a substrate having a display unit and a peripheral portion, scan lines in a first direction, data lines in a second direction, pixels in the display unit and having pixel circuit portions and organic light emitting diodes, first dummy lines in the display unit and extending in the first direction, at least one second dummy line in the peripheral portion and extending in the second direction, dummy circuit portions connected to a first dummy line and the at least one second dummy line, driving pads connected to end portions of the data lines, at least one dummy driving pad connected to an end portion of the at least one second dummy line, and a driving circuit configured to transmit a data signal to the driving pads and to the at least one dummy driving pad. |
| US09391121B2 |
Organic light-emitting diode (OLED) display
An organic light-emitting diode (OLED) display is disclosed. In one aspect, the OLED display includes red, green, and blue pixels. Each pixel includes a pixel electrode, a hole auxiliary layer formed over the pixel electrode, and an organic emission layer formed over the hole auxiliary layer. Each pixel also includes an electron auxiliary layer formed over the organic emission layer, and a common electrode formed over the electron auxiliary layer. Each of the red and green pixels further includes a host layer formed between the hole auxiliary layer and the organic emission layer and a resonance layer formed between the host layer and the organic emission layer. |
| US09391119B2 |
Non-volatile random access memory devices with shared transistor configuration and methods of forming the same
Embodiments of non-volatile random access memory (RAM) devices and methods of forming the same are provided herein. In an embodiment, a non-volatile RAM device includes a first access transistor that is in electrical communication with a wordline. A first memory element and a first two-terminal selector are serially connected to each other and are in electrical communication with a first bitline and the first access transistor. A second memory element and a second two-terminal selector are serially connected to each other and are in electrical communication with a second bitline and the first access transistor. |
| US09391116B2 |
Imaging apparatus, imaging system and manufacturing method of imaging apparatus
A junction type field effect transistor (JFET) in a substrate includes channel and source regions of a first conductivity type and first through fourth gate regions of a second conductivity type. The first and second gate regions are disposed in a direction along a surface of the substrate. The third and fourth gate regions are disposed in the direction. The first and third gate regions are disposed in a depth direction. The first gate region is disposed between the surface and the third gate region. The second and fourth gate regions are disposed in the depth direction. The second gate region is disposed between the surface and the fourth gate region. The channel region includes a first region disposed between the first and third gate regions and a second region disposed between the second and fourth gate regions. The source region is disposed between the first and second gate regions. |
| US09391113B2 |
Image-sensor device structure and method of manufacturing
Embodiments of an image-sensor device structure and a method of manufacturing thereof are provided. The image-sensor device structure includes a semiconductor substrate and a light-sensing region in the semiconductor substrate. The image-sensor device structure also includes an interconnect structure over the semiconductor substrate, and the interconnect structure includes a transparent dielectric layer over the light-sensing region. The transparent dielectric layer has an optical transmittance ranging from about 90% to about 97%. |
| US09391110B2 |
Wafer on wafer stack method of forming and method of using the same
A wafer on wafer (WOW) stack includes a first wafer having dies of a first type. The WOW stack further includes a second wafer bonded to the first wafer. The second wafer has dies of a second type. An integer number of dies of the second type are bonded to a corresponding die of the first type. A total area of the dies of the second type bonded to the corresponding die of the first type is less than or equal to an area of the corresponding die of the first type. A functionality of the dies of the first type is different from a functionality of the dies of the second type. |
| US09391101B2 |
Image sensor pickup region layout
Embodiments of the present disclosure include an image sensor device and methods of forming the same. An embodiment is an image sensor device including a first plurality of pickup regions in a photosensor array area of a substrate, each of first plurality of pickup regions having a first width and a first length, a second plurality of pickup regions in a periphery area of the substrate, the periphery area along at least one side of the photosensor array area, each of second plurality of pickup regions having a second width and a second length. |
| US09391099B2 |
Array substrate and liquid crystal display module including TFT having improved mobility and method of fabricating the same
An array substrate for a liquid crystal display device includes a gate line and a gate electrode on a substrate, the gate electrode connected to the gate line; a gate insulating layer on the gate line and the gate electrode; an active layer of intrinsic amorphous silicon on the gate insulating layer and corresponding to the gate electrode; an ohmic contact layer of impurity-doped amorphous silicon on the active layer; a data line crossing the gate line; a source electrode on the ohmic contact layer and connected to the data line; a drain electrode on the ohmic contact layer and spaced apart from the source electrode; a passivation layer on the source and drain electrodes and including a drain contact hole exposing a portion of the drain electrode; and a pixel electrode on the passivation layer and connected to the drain electrode through the drain contact hole. |
| US09391095B2 |
Semiconductor device and manufacturing method thereof
An oxide semiconductor layer with excellent crystallinity is formed to enable manufacture of transistors with excellent electrical characteristics for practical application of a large display device, a high-performance semiconductor device, etc. By first heat treatment, a first oxide semiconductor layer is crystallized. A second oxide semiconductor layer is formed over the first oxide semiconductor layer. By second heat treatment, an oxide semiconductor layer including a crystal region having the c-axis oriented substantially perpendicular to a surface is efficiently formed and oxygen vacancies are efficiently filled. An oxide insulating layer is formed over and in contact with the oxide semiconductor layer. By third heat treatment, oxygen is supplied again to the oxide semiconductor layer. A nitride insulating layer containing hydrogen is formed over the oxide insulating layer. By fourth heat treatment, hydrogen is supplied at least to an interface between the second oxide semiconductor layer and the oxide insulating layer. |
| US09391090B2 |
Integrated circuit device including polycrystalline semiconductor film and method of manufacturing the same
An IC device includes a polycrystalline silicon thin film interposed between a first level semiconductor circuit and a second level semiconductor circuit which are formed on a substrate and disposed to vertically overlap each other. The polycrystalline silicon thin film includes at least one silicon single crystal. The at least one silicon single crystal includes a flat horizontal portion, which provides an active region of the second level semiconductor device, and a pin-shaped protruding portion protruding from the flat horizontal portion toward the first level semiconductor device. |
| US09391083B2 |
Nonvolatile memory structure
A nonvolatile memory structure included a P substrate, an N well in the P substrate, and a PMOS storage transistor. The PMOS storage transistor includes a floating gate and an auxiliary gate disposed in close proximity to the floating gate. The floating gate and the auxiliary gate are disposed directly on the same floating gate channel of the PMOS storage transistor. A gap is provided between the auxiliary gate and the floating gate such that the auxiliary gate and the floating gate are separated from each other at least directly above the floating gate channel. |
| US09391081B1 |
Metal indentation to increase inter-metal breakdown voltage
A first depression and a second depression are formed in an upper surface of a first metal layer. A dielectric layer is formed over the first metal layer. Subsequently, a wide trench is formed in the dielectric layer, the wide trench extending deeper in a first outer region and in a second outer region than in a central region located between the first outer region and the second outer region, the first outer region overlying the first depression and the second outer region overlying the second depression. |
| US09391078B1 |
Method and structure for finFET devices
A semiconductor device and a method of forming the same are disclosed. The device comprises a semiconductor substrate comprised of a first semiconductor material and having a plurality of isolation features, thereby defining a first active region and a second active region; a first fin semiconductor feature comprised of a second semiconductor material and formed in the first active region; and a second fin semiconductor feature comprised of a second semiconductor material and formed in the second active region. The first fin semiconductor feature is tensile strained and the second fin semiconductor feature is compressively strained. |
| US09391076B1 |
CMOS structures and processes based on selective thinning
Methods for fabricating semiconductor devices and devices therefrom are provided. A method includes providing a substrate having a semiconducting surface with first and second layers, where the semiconducting surface has a plurality of active regions comprising first and second active regions. In the first active region, the first layer is an undoped layer and the second layer is a highly doped screening layer. The method also includes removing a part of the first layer to reduce a thickness of the substantially undoped layer for at least a portion of the first active region without a corresponding thickness reduction of the first layer in the second active region. The method additionally includes forming semiconductor devices in the plurality of active regions. In the method, the part of the first layer removed is selected based on a threshold voltage adjustment required for the substrate in the portion of the first active region. |
| US09391072B2 |
Sacrificial oxide with uniform thickness
A semiconductor device includes a silicon-based substrate, a gate structure and a laminated sacrificial oxide layer. The gate structure is on the silicon-based substrate. The laminated sacrificial oxide layer has a first portion on the silicon-based substrate and a second portion conformal to the gate structure, in which a first thickness of the first portion is substantially the same as a second thickness of the second portion. The laminated sacrificial oxide layer includes a native oxide layer and a silicon oxy-nitride layer. The native oxide layer is on the silicon-based substrate and conformal to the gate structure. The silicon oxy-nitride layer is conformal to the native oxide layer. |
| US09391071B2 |
Semiconductor device
A semiconductor device includes a first semiconductor region of a first conductivity type, a second semiconductor region of a second conductivity type, a third semiconductor region of the first conductivity type, a fourth semiconductor region of the first conductivity type, a fifth semiconductor region of the first conductivity type provided on the third semiconductor region and the fourth semiconductor region, and a sixth semiconductor region of the second conductivity type. The third semiconductor region is provided on the first semiconductor region and has a dopant concentration that is lower than a dopant concentration of the first semiconductor region. The fourth semiconductor region is provided on the second semiconductor region adjacent to the third semiconductor region. A dopant contained in the fourth semiconductor region extends to a level that is deeper than a level of a dopant contained in the third semiconductor region. |
| US09391065B1 |
Electrostatic discharge and passive structures integrated in a vertical gate fin-type field effect diode
Field effect diode structures utilize a junction structure that has an L-shape in cross-section (a fin extending from a planar portion). An anode is positioned at the top surface of the fin, and a cathode is positioned at the end surface of the planar portion. The perpendicularity of the fin and the planar portion cause the anode and cathode to be perpendicular to one another. A first gate insulator contacts the fin between the top surface and the planar portion. A first gate conductor contacts the first gate insulator, and the first gate insulator is between the first gate conductor and the surface of the fin. Additionally, a second gate insulator contacts the planar portion between the end surface and the fin. A second gate conductor contacts the second gate insulator, and the second gate insulator is between the second gate conductor and the surface of the planar portion. |
| US09391064B2 |
Semiconductor device
In order to provide a semiconductor device having high ESD tolerance, a semiconductor device (IC) is formed so that: a ground voltage wiring (22a) is electrically connected at one end in a wiring direction thereof to a wiring (22b) extending from a ground voltage pad used for external connection; an input voltage wiring (23a) is electrically connected at one end in a wiring direction thereof to a wiring (23b) extending from an input voltage pad used for external connection; and the one end of the ground voltage wiring (22a) and the one end of the input voltage wiring (23a) are substantially opposed to each other across a center of an NMOS transistor (10). |
| US09391063B2 |
Under voltage tolerant clamp
An apparatus comprises an integrated circuit (IC) comprising an external IC connection, an IC substrate connection, a voltage clamp circuit and an under voltage circuit. The voltage of the IC substrate connection is set to a first voltage when a voltage of the external connection of the IC is within a normal operating voltage range. The voltage clamp circuit is configured to clamp the voltage supply of one or more circuits internal to the IC to within a normal operating voltage range when the voltage of the external IC connection exceeds the normal operating voltage range. The under voltage circuit is communicatively coupled to the clamp circuit and configured to set the voltage of the substrate to a second voltage when the voltage at the external IC connection of the IC is less than zero volts. |
| US09391060B2 |
Electrostatic discharge protection
An electrostatic discharge (ESD) protection device implemented in finFET technology is disclosed. The device has a reduced thickness shallow trench isolation (STI) layer which allows migration of high-doped drain implants therethrough to form regions extending under the STI layer thereby creating a planar-like region under the STI layer. Further, the regions are formed in an n-well layer provided between a substrate and the STI layer. The formation of the planar-like region under the STI layer has the advantage that part of the thermal energy produced in the device during an ESD event is generated under the STI layer where it can be more efficiently dissipated towards a substrate. |
| US09391055B2 |
Power module having stacked substrates arranged to provide tightly-coupled source and return current paths
Power modules with reduced parasitic inductances are provided. A power module includes a first substrate including a first electrically-conductive layer and a second substrate including a second electrically-conductive layer. These substrates may be stacked on each other. A scalable network of power switches may be arranged on the substrates. Power bars may be connectable to the electrically-conductive layers through electromechanical interfaces at selectable interface locations. The locations and/or type of interface may be selectable based on the arrangement of the switches. The first and second electrically-conductive layers may be disposed on mutually opposed surfaces of a dielectric layer having a thickness chosen to effect a level of coupling between respective source and return current paths provided by the electrically-conductive layers. The level of coupling may be arranged to increase the mutual inductance within the power module, which can effectively reduce the formation of parasitic inductance in the power module. |
| US09391051B2 |
Display device using semiconductor light emitting device and method of fabricating the same
A display device using a semiconductor light emitting device and a method of fabricating the semiconductor light emitting device are disclosed. The display device includes a substrate, a plurality of first electrodes disposed on the substrate, an anisotropic conductive film disposed on the substrate provided with the first electrodes, a plurality of semiconductor light emitting devices disposed on the anisotropic conductive film layer, electrically connected to the first electrodes, and constituting individual pixels, and a plurality of second electrodes disposed between the semiconductor light emitting devices and electrically connected to the semiconductor light emitting devices. Thus, alignment of the semiconductor light emitting device array may be simplified by use of an anisotropic conductive film Due to excellent brightness, the semiconductor light emitting devices, which are small in size, may form individual sub-pixels. In addition, the distance between the semiconductor light emitting devices is sufficiently long to embody a flexible display device. |
| US09391049B2 |
Molding package assembly and molding material
A molding package assembly is provided, which includes a substrate and first and second molding packages stacked on the substrate. Each of the first and second molding packages has a semiconductor element, an anti-warping structure disposed around a periphery of the semiconductor element, a molding material encapsulating the semiconductor element and the anti-warping structure, and a protection layer formed on the semiconductor element, the molding material and the anti-warping structure. The anti-warping structure facilitates to prevent warping of the molding package assembly during a molding process. |
| US09391046B2 |
Semiconductor device and method of forming 3D semiconductor package with semiconductor die stacked over semiconductor wafer
A semiconductor device has a substrate and plurality of first semiconductor die having conductive vias formed through the first semiconductor die mounted with an active surface oriented toward the substrate. An interconnect structure, such as bumps or conductive pillars, is formed over the substrate between the first semiconductor die. A second semiconductor die is mounted to the first semiconductor die. The second semiconductor die is electrically connected through the interconnect structure to the substrate and through the conductive vias to the first semiconductor die. An underfill material is deposited between the first semiconductor die and substrate. Discrete electronic components can be mounted to the substrate. A heat spreader or shielding layer is mounted over the first and second semiconductor die and substrate. Alternatively, an encapsulant is formed over the die and substrate and conductive vias or bumps are formed in the encapsulant electrically connected to the first die. |
| US09391045B2 |
Recessed semiconductor substrates and associated techniques
Embodiments of the present disclosure provide a method, comprising providing a semiconductor substrate having (i) a first surface and (ii) a second surface that is disposed opposite to the first surface, forming one or more vias in the first surface of the semiconductor substrate, the one or more vias initially passing through only a portion of the semiconductor substrate without reaching the second surface, forming a dielectric film on the first surface of the semiconductor substrate, forming a redistribution layer on the dielectric film, the redistribution layer being electrically coupled to the one or more vias, coupling one or more dies to the redistribution layer, forming a molding compound to encapsulate at least a portion of the one or more dies, and recessing the second surface of the semiconductor substrate to expose the one or more vias. Other embodiments may be described and/or claimed. |
| US09391041B2 |
Fan-out wafer level package structure
A method for forming a package structure may comprise applying a die and vias on a carrier having an adhesive layer and forming a molded substrate over the carrier and around the vias, and the ends of the vias and mounts on the die exposed. The vias may be in via chips with one or more dielectric layers separating the vias. The via chips 104 may be formed separately from the carrier. The dielectric layer of the via chips may separate the vias from, and comprise a material different than, the molded substrate. An RDL having RDL contact pads and conductive lines may be formed on the molded substrate. A second structure having at least one die may be mounted on the opposite side of the molded substrate, the die on the second structure in electrical communication with at least one RDL contact pad. |
| US09391035B2 |
Semiconductor device and method of manufacturing the same
A semiconductor device with improved reliability is provided. The semiconductor device is characterized by its embodiments in that sloped portions are formed on connection parts between a pad and a lead-out wiring portion, respectively. This feature suppresses crack formation in a coating area where a part of the pad is covered with a surface protective film. |
| US09391027B2 |
Embedded semiconductor device package and method of manufacturing thereof
A package structure includes a dielectric layer, at least one semiconductor device attached to the dielectric layer, one or more dielectric sheets applied to the dielectric layer and about the semiconductor device(s) to embed the semiconductor device(s) therein, and a plurality of vias formed to the semiconductor device(s) that are formed in at least one of the dielectric layer and the one or more dielectric sheets. The package structure also includes metal interconnects formed in the vias and on one or more outward facing surfaces of the package structure to form electrical interconnections to the semiconductor device(s). The dielectric layer is composed of a material that does not flow during a lamination process and each of the one or more dielectric sheets is composed of a curable material configured to melt and flow when cured during the lamination process so as to fill-in any air gaps around the semiconductor device(s). |
| US09391024B2 |
Multi-layer dielectric stack for plasma damage protection
Embodiments of the disclosure generally provide multi-layer dielectric stack configurations that are resistant to plasma damage. Methods are disclosed for the deposition of thin protective low dielectric constant layers upon bulk low dielectric constant layers to create the layer stack. As a result, the dielectric constant of the multi-layer stack is unchanged during and after plasma processing. |
| US09391018B2 |
Crosstalk polarity reversal and cancellation through substrate material tuning
Transmission lines with a first dielectric material separating signal traces and a second dielectric material separating the signal traces from a ground plane. In embodiments, mutual capacitance is tuned relative to self-capacitance to reverse polarity of far end crosstalk between a victim and aggressor channel relative to that induced by other interconnect portions along the length of the channels, such as inductively coupled portions. In embodiments, a transmission line for a single-ended channel includes a material of a higher dielectric constant within the same routing plane as a microstrip or stripline conductor, and a material of a lower dielectric constant between the conductor and the ground plane(s). In embodiments, a transmission line for a differential pair includes a material of a lower dielectric constant within the same routing plane as a microstrip or stripline conductors, and a material of a higher dielectric constant between the conductors and the ground plane(s). |
| US09391017B2 |
Semiconductor integrated circuit
In one embodiment, a semiconductor integrated circuit includes power supply strap wires extending in a first direction in a first layer, auxiliary power supply strap wires extending in the first direction in a second layer below the first layer, and intermediate power supply wires each electrically connecting one of the power supply strap wires to one of the auxiliary power supply strap wires in a third layer between the first and second layers. The circuit further includes power supply rails extending in a second direction in a fourth layer below the second layer, and upper power supply strap wires extending in the second direction in a fifth layer above the first layer. An interval between the intermediate power supply wires is larger than an interval between the power supply rails, and is smaller than an interval between the upper power supply strap wires. |
| US09391013B2 |
3D integrated circuit package with window interposer
3D integrated circuit packages with window interposers and methods to form such semiconductor packages are described. For example, a semiconductor package includes a substrate. A top semiconductor die is disposed above the substrate. An interposer having a window is disposed between and interconnected to the substrate and the top semiconductor die. A bottom semiconductor die is disposed in the window of the interposer and interconnected to the top semiconductor die. In another example, a semiconductor package includes a substrate. A top semiconductor die is disposed above the substrate. An interposer is disposed between and interconnected to the substrate and the top semiconductor die. A bottom semiconductor die is disposed in a same plane as the interposer and interconnected to the top semiconductor die. |
| US09391012B2 |
Methods and apparatus for package with interposers
Methods and apparatus for an interposer with dams used in packaging dies are disclosed. An interposer may comprise a metal layer above a substrate. A plurality of dams may be formed above the metal layer around each corner of the metal layer. Dams may be formed on both sides of the interposer substrate. A dam surrounds an area where connectors such as solder balls may be located to connect to other packages. A non-conductive dam may be formed above the dam. An underfill may be formed under the package connected to the connector, above the metal layer, and contained within the area surrounded by the dams at the corner, so that the connectors are well protected by the underfill. Such dams may be further formed on a printed circuit board as well. |
| US09391011B2 |
Semiconductor structures including fluidic microchannels for cooling and related methods
Semiconductor structures are fabricated that include a semiconductor material bonded to a substrate with a layer of dielectric material between the semiconductor material and the substrate. At least one fluidic microchannel extends in a lateral direction through the layer of dielectric material between the semiconductor material and the substrate. The at least one fluidic microchannel includes at least one laterally extending section having a transverse cross-sectional shape entirely surrounded by the layer of dielectric material. |
| US09391008B2 |
Reconstituted wafer-level package DRAM
A microelectronic package includes first and second encapsulated microelectronic elements, each of which includes a semiconductor die having a front face and contacts thereon. An encapsulant contacts at least an edge surface of each semiconductor die and extends in at least one lateral direction therefrom. Electrically conductive elements extend from the contacts and over the front face to locations overlying the encapsulant. The first and second microelectronic elements are affixed to one another such that one of the front or back surfaces of one of the first and second semiconductor dies is oriented towards one of the front or back surfaces of the other of the first and second semiconductor dies. A plurality of electrically conductive interconnects extend through the encapsulants of the first and second microelectronic elements and are electrically connected with at least one semiconductor die of the first and second microelectronic elements by the conductive elements. |
| US09391005B2 |
Method for packaging a power device with bottom source electrode
A power semiconductor package has an ultra thin chip with front side molding to reduce substrate resistance; a lead frame unit with grooves located on both side leads provides precise positioning for connecting numerous bridge-shaped metal clips to the front side of the side leads. The bridge-shaped metal clips are provided with bridge structure and half or fully etched through holes for relieving superfluous solder during manufacturing process. |
| US09391000B2 |
Methods for forming silicon-based hermetic thermal solutions
A method includes forming a first oxide layer on a surface of an integrated heat spreader, and forming a second oxide layer on top surfaces of fins, wherein the fins are parts of a heat sink. The integrated heat spreader is bonded to the heat sink through the bonding of the first oxide layer to the second oxide layer. |
| US09390999B2 |
Metal substrate/metal impregnated carbon composite material structure and method for manufacturing said structure
Provided are a heat releasing material for an electronic device being manufactured by the junction of a metal impregnated carbon composite material on a copper or aluminum substrate with reduced warpage; and a method for manufacturing the heat releasing material. A metal substrate/metal impregnated carbon composite material structure, characterized in that it comprises a metal substrate comprising a metal sheet, plate or block and, being joined on the metal substrate via a brazing material, a metal impregnated carbon composite material having a thickness of 0.1 mm to 2 mm; and a method for manufacturing the metal substrate/metal impregnated carbon composite material structure, characterized in that it comprises a step wherein a brazing material is caused to be present between the metal substrate and the metal impregnated carbon composite material, and they are kept at a temperature of 500° C. or higher and under a pressure of 0.2 MPa or more and then cooled. |
| US09390994B2 |
Heat sinks with interdigitated heat pipes
A chip package includes adjacent integrated circuits on a circuit board, and separate heat sinks are thermally coupled to the integrated circuits. Because the integrated circuits are in close proximity, heat pipes in the separate heat sinks are interdigitated to prevent mechanical interference between the heat sinks. The amount of interdigitation depends on the separation between the integrated circuits and how the integrated circuits are arranged relative to an external fluid (such as flowing air). At the minimum, the heat pipes in fin regions of the heat sinks (which include fins for convective heat transfer to the external fluid) are interdigitated. However, the heat pipes may be interdigitated in pedestal regions of the heat sinks (which are thermally coupled to the integrated circuits) and/or in ramp regions of the heat sinks (in which vertical positions of the heat sinks change from the pedestal regions to the fin regions). |
| US09390993B2 |
Semiconductor border protection sealant
A semiconductor package includes a semiconductor unit containing an active circuitry layer. The semiconductor package also includes a plurality of bonding pads on the active circuitry layer, which are configured to be connected to corresponding external conductive connectors. The semiconductor package also includes a protective sealant coating filling grooved edges of the active circuitry layer. The protective sealant coating contains an exterior wafer-singulated surface. |
| US09390986B2 |
Polishing apparatus and polishing method
A polishing apparatus capable of achieving a good control operation for a distribution of remaining film thickness is disclosed. The polishing apparatus includes: a top ring configured to apply pressures separately to zones on a back surface of a substrate to press a front surface of the substrate against a polishing pad; a film-thickness sensor configured to obtain a film-thickness signal that varies in accordance with a film thickness of the substrate; and a polishing controller configured to manipulate the pressures. The polishing controller calculates indexes of a remaining film thickness in zones on the front surface of the substrate, manipulate the pressures based on the indexes for controlling a distribution of the remaining film thickness, and update at least one of control parameters using polishing data obtained during polishing of the substrate. |
| US09390984B2 |
X-ray inspection of bumps on a semiconductor substrate
A method for inspection includes irradiating, with a focused beam, a feature formed on a semiconductor wafer, the feature including a volume containing a first material and a cap made of a second material, different from the first material, that is formed over the volume. One or more detectors positioned at different angles relative to the feature are used to detect X-ray fluorescent photons that are emitted by the first material in response to the irradiating beam and pass through the cap before striking the detectors. Signals output by the one or more detectors at the different angles in response to the detected photons are processed in order to assess a quality of the cap. |
| US09390982B2 |
CMOS devices with reduced leakage and methods of forming the same
A device includes a first semiconductor layer, and a second semiconductor layer over the first semiconductor layer. The first semiconductor layer and the second semiconductor layer comprise different materials. A semiconductor region is overlying and contacting the second semiconductor layer, wherein a bottom surface of the semiconductor region contacts a first top surface of the second semiconductor layer. The semiconductor region and the second semiconductor layer comprise different material. The bottom surface of the semiconductor region has a slanted portion contacting a (551) surface plane of the second semiconductor layer. |
| US09390981B1 |
Method of forming a complementary metal oxide semiconductor structure with N-type and P-type field effect transistors having symmetric source/drain junctions and optional dual silicides
In a method of forming a semiconductor structure, different sections of a dielectric layer are etched at different stages during processing to form a first gate sidewall spacer for a first FET (e.g., a NFET) and a second gate sidewall spacer for a second FET (e.g., a PFET) such that the first and second gate sidewall spacers are symmetric. Raised source/drain regions for the first FET are formed immediately following first gate sidewall spacer formation and raised source/drain regions for the second FET are formed immediately following second gate sidewall spacer formation. Since the gate sidewall spacers of the two FETs are symmetric, the source/drain junctions of the two FETs will also be symmetric. Additionally, due to an etch stop layer formed on the raised source/drain regions of the first FET, but not the second FET, different metal silicides on the raised source/drain regions of the different FETs. |
| US09390979B2 |
Opposite polarity borderless replacement metal contact scheme
An improved semiconductor structure and methods of fabrication that provide improved transistor contacts in a semiconductor structure are provided. A set of masks is formed over a portion of the semiconductor structure. Each mask in this set of masks covers at least one source/drain (s/d) contact location. An oxide layer is removed from remainder portions of the semiconductor structure that are not covered by the set of masks. Then an opposite-mask fill layer is formed in the remainder portions from which the oxide layer was removed. The oxide layer is then removed from the remainder of the semiconductor structure, i.e., the portion previously covered by the set of masks and contacts are formed to the at least s/d contact location in the recesses formed by the removal of the remainder of the oxide layer. |
| US09390976B2 |
Method of forming epitaxial buffer layer for finFET source and drain junction leakage reduction
A method of forming a semiconductor device that includes forming a fin structure, and forming an undoped epitaxial semiconductor material on the fin structure. A first portion of undoped epitaxial semiconductor material is formed on the sidewall of at least one of a source region portion and a drain region portion of the fin structure. A second portion of the undoped epitaxial semiconductor material is formed on the recessed surface of a bulk semiconductor substrate that is present at the base of the fin structure. The method further includes forming a doped epitaxial semiconductor material on the undoped epitaxial semiconductor material. The undoped epitaxial semiconductor material and the doped epitaxial semiconductor material provide a source region and drain region. |
| US09390971B2 |
Self-aligned barrier and capping layers for interconnects
An interconnect structure for integrated circuits for copper wires in integrated circuits and methods for making the same are provided. Mn, Cr, or V containing layer forms a barrier against copper diffusing out of the wires, thereby protecting the insulator from premature breakdown, and protecting transistors from degradation by copper. The Mn, Cr, or V containing layer also promotes strong adhesion between copper and insulators, thus preserving the mechanical integrity of the devices during manufacture and use, as well as protecting against failure by electromigration of the copper during use of the devices and protecting the copper from corrosion by oxygen or water from its surroundings. In forming such integrated circuits, certain embodiments of the invention provide methods to selectively deposit Mn, Cr, V, or Co on the copper surfaces while reducing or even preventing deposition of Mn, Cr, V, or Co on insulator surfaces. Catalytic deposition of copper using a Mn, Cr, or V containing precursor and an iodine or bromine containing precursor is also provided. |
| US09390965B2 |
Air-gap forming techniques for interconnect structures
An interconnect structure includes a first low-k dielectric layer formed over a substrate. A first metal line is disposed in the first low-k dielectric layer. The first metal line includes a first conductive body with a first width and an up landing pad with a second width. The first width is smaller than the second width. The interconnect structure further includes a first air-gap adjacent to sidewalls of the first conductive body. The interconnect structure also includes a second low-k dielectric layer formed over the first low-k dielectric layer and a first via in the second low-k dielectric layer and disposed on the up landing pad. |
| US09390963B2 |
Semiconductor memory device
A semiconductor memory device includes a plurality of auxiliary patterns formed over a semiconductor substrate, a plurality of gate line patterns disposed in parallel with one another over the semiconductor substrate between the plurality of auxiliary patterns, and an air gap formed between the plurality of gate line patterns and between each of the plurality of gate line patterns and each of the auxiliary patterns. |
| US09390961B2 |
Semiconductor devices having plug insulators
Provided are a semiconductor device and a method of fabricating the same. The semiconductor device includes a first bit line structure extending in a first direction, a second bit line structure extending in the first direction and spaced apart from the first bit line structure, a storage contact plug located between the first bit line structure and the second bit line structure, and extending in a second direction perpendicular to the first direction, a first plug insulator located between the first bit line structure and the second bit line structure, and configured to contact a side surface extending in the second direction of the storage contact plug, and a plug isolation pattern located between the first bit line structure and the first plug insulator. |
| US09390960B2 |
Method of manufacturing semiconductor device
A method of manufacturing a semiconductor device including performing a first thermal processing a silicon substrate in a first atmosphere and at a first temperature to remove an oxide film above a surface of the silicon substrate, and after the first thermal processing, performing a second thermal processing the silicon substrate in a second atmosphere containing hydrogen and at a second temperature lower than the first temperature to terminate the surface of the silicon substrate with hydrogen. |
| US09390958B2 |
Transfer unit including suction openings configured to receive suction pads or seal members therein
A transfer unit transferring a wafer from or to a cassette is provided. The transfer unit includes a holding portion holding the wafer under suction and a driving portion moving the holding portion. The holding portion includes a body, a plurality of suction openings formed on the upper surface of the body so as to be spaced from each other, a vacuum transmitting passage connected to a vacuum source for transmitting a vacuum from the vacuum source to the suction openings, and a plurality of suction pads provided at the suction openings, each suction pad being formed of an elastic material. The suction openings are spaced from each other in the radial direction of the wafer, and the suction pads are selectively provided at any desired ones of the suction openings. |
| US09390954B2 |
Substrate transfer robot, substrate transfer system, and method for detecting arrangement state of substrate
A substrate transfer robot includes a hand and a controller. The hand includes at least one detector configured to detect an arrangement state of a substrate in a substrate storage. The controller is configured to control the at least one detector to detect the arrangement state of the substrate in the substrate storage with the hand inclined in plan view toward a rotation center of the substrate transfer robot relative to a substrate storage center line. The substrate storage center line is in a direction perpendicular to a front surface of the substrate storage. |
| US09390953B2 |
Substrate damage detection device, substrate transfer robot with substrate damage detection device, and substrate damage detection method
A substrate damage detection device is configured to be mounted to a substrate transfer robot provided with a slidably-movable substrate support. The substrate damage detection device includes an image obtainer and a damage detector. The image obtainer, such as a camera, is configured to obtain an image of the periphery of a substrate placed on the substrate support of the transfer robot. The damage detector is configured to detect damage made to the substrate by using the image of the periphery obtained by the image obtainer. |
| US09390950B2 |
Rapid thermal processing chamber with micro-positioning system
Methods and apparatus for rapid thermal processing of a planar substrate including axially aligning the substrate with a substrate support or with an empirically determined position are described. The methods and apparatus include a sensor system that determines the relative orientations of the substrate and the substrate support. |
| US09390948B2 |
Tape attaching apparatus and tape attaching method
A tape attaching apparatus includes: a chamber having an airtight space formed therein; a rubber sheet that partitions the airtight space into first and second airtight spaces and has an upper sheet on which a wafer is placed; a tape frame that holds a tape above the rubber sheet; and first and second supply/exhaust tubes that switch pressurization and depressurization of the first and second airtight spaces. In pressurizing the second airtight space and expanding the rubber sheet to lift the wafer to be attached to the tape, after bringing the first and second airtight spaces into a vacuum state, the wafer is attached to the tape while an amount of pressurization of the second airtight space is controlled to change an expansion rate of the rubber sheet from a low speed to a high speed stepwisely. |
| US09390947B2 |
Thermal processing method and thermal processing apparatus for heating substrate, and susceptor
A semiconductor wafer with (100) plane orientation has two orthogonal cleavage directions. A notch is provided so as to indicate one of these directions. During irradiation with a flash, the semiconductor wafer warps about one of two radii at an angle of 45 degrees with respect to the cleavage directions such that the upper surface thereof becomes convex, and the opposite ends of the other radii become the lowest position. Eight support pins in total are provided in upright position on the upper surface of a holding plate of a susceptor while being spaced at intervals of 45 degrees along the same circumference. The semiconductor wafer is placed on the susceptor such that any of the support pins supports a radius at an angle of 45 degrees with respect to a cleavage direction. |
| US09390946B2 |
Cleaning apparatus
A cleaning apparatus including a holding table for holding a plate-shaped workpiece, a cleaning nozzle for spraying a cleaning fluid to the plate-shaped workpiece, and a table cover for covering a circumference of the holding table. The table cover includes a top plate for covering an upper side of the holding table and a side plate for covering the circumference of the holding table. The table cover is provided with a netlike mesh sheet spaced from a lower surface of the top plate and another netlike mesh sheet spaced from an inner surface of the side plate. |
| US09390942B2 |
Method, system, and apparatus for preparing substrates and bonding semiconductor layers to substrates
Embodiments of preparing substrates for subsequent bonding with semiconductor layer are described herein. A substrate may be prepared with one or more chemicals or a sacrificial layer to limit or remove substrate contaminants and reduce substrate surface damage. Other embodiments may be described and claimed. |
| US09390937B2 |
Silicon-carbon-nitride selective etch
A method of etching exposed silicon-nitrogen-and-carbon-containing material on patterned heterogeneous structures is described and includes a remote plasma etch formed from a fluorine-containing precursor and an oxygen-containing precursor. Plasma effluents from the remote plasma are flowed into a substrate processing region where the plasma effluents react with the exposed regions of silicon-nitrogen-and-carbon-containing material. The plasma effluents react with the patterned heterogeneous structures to selectively remove silicon-nitrogen-and-carbon-containing material from the exposed silicon-nitrogen-and-carbon-containing material regions while very slowly removing selected other exposed materials. The silicon-nitrogen-and-carbon-containing material selectivity results partly from the presence of an ion suppression element positioned between the remote plasma and the substrate processing region. The ion suppression element controls the number of ionically-charged species that reach the substrate. The methods may be used to selectively remove silicon-nitrogen-and-carbon-containing material at a faster rate than exposed silicon oxide or exposed silicon nitride. |
| US09390936B2 |
Methods for fabricating high aspect ratio probes and deforming high aspect ratio nanopillars and micropillars
Methods for fabricating of high aspect ratio probes and deforming micropillars and nanopillars are described. Use of polymers in deforming nanopillars and micropillars is also described. |
| US09390935B2 |
Etching method
Provided is an etching method for forming a space with an aspect ratio of 50 or more in a workpiece including a silicon oxide film and a hard mask. The etching method includes: a first step of exposing the workpiece to plasma of a fluorocarbon-based gas within a processing container of a capacitively coupled plasma processing apparatus which includes a placing table serving as a lower electrode and an upper electrode; and a second step of further exposing the workpiece to the plasma of a fluorocarbon-based gas within a processing container of a capacitively coupled plasma processing apparatus which includes a placing table serving as a lower electrode and an upper electrode. A distance between the placing table and the upper electrode in the first step is at least 5/3 times of a distance between the placing table and the upper electrode in the first step. |
| US09390934B2 |
Phase shift mask, method of forming asymmetric pattern, method of manufacturing diffraction grating, and method of manufacturing semiconductor device
A technique of forming an asymmetric pattern by using a phase shift mask, and further, techniques of manufacturing a diffraction grating and a semiconductor device, capable of improving accuracy of a product and capable of shortening manufacturing time. In a method of manufacturing a diffraction grating by using a phase shift mask (in which a light shield part and a light transmission part are periodically arranged), light emitted from an illumination light source is transmitted through the phase shift mask, and a photoresist on a surface of a Si wafer is exposed by providing interference between zero diffraction order light and positive first diffraction order light which are generated by the transmission through this phase shift mask onto the surface of the Si wafer, and a diffraction grating which has a blazed cross-sectional shape is formed on the Si wafer. |
| US09390929B2 |
CMOS image sensor
A CMOS image sensor includes a photodiode, a plurality of transistors for transferring charges accumulated at the photodiode to one column line, and a voltage dropping element connected to a gate electrode of at least one transistor among the plurality of transistors for expanding a saturation region of the transistor by dropping down a gate voltage inputted to the gate electrode of the at least one transistor. |
| US09390925B1 |
Silicon—germanium (SiGe) fin formation
Constructing an SiGe fin by: (i) providing an intermediate sub-assembly including a silicon-containing base layer and a silicon-containing first fin structure extending in an upwards direction from the base layer; (ii) refining the sub-assembly by covering at least a portion of the top surface of the base layer and at least a portion of the first and second lateral surfaces of the first fin structure with a pre-thermal-oxidation layer that includes Silicon-Germanium (SiGe); and (iii) further refining the sub-assembly by thermally oxidizing the pre-thermal oxidation layer to migrate Ge content from the pre-thermal-oxidation layer into at least a portion of the base layer and at least a portion of first fin structure. |
| US09390922B1 |
Process for forming wide and narrow conductive lines
Sidewall spacers formed on sides of mandrels are separated by first gaps in a first region and separated by wider second gaps in a second region. The second gaps are filled while a capping layer caps the first gaps. The capping layer is etched thereby exposing mandrels in the first region, which are removed. An underlying layer is patterned using the sidewall spacers separated by first gaps to form word lines in the first region and using sidewall spacers with filled second gaps to form select lines in the second region. |
| US09390921B2 |
Adhesion layer for solution-processed transition metal oxides on inert metal contacts
An ammonium thio-transition metal complex is used as an adhesion promoter for immobilizing temperature-stable transition metal oxide layers on an inert metal surface. The ammonium thio-transition metal complex comprises a transition metal selected from molybdenum, tungsten and vanadium, and is preferably ammonium tetrathiomolybdate. A precursor of the transition metal oxide is deposited on the inert metal surface by a solution-based process. The precursor is a dispersion or a dissolution of the transition metal oxide, a transition metal oxide hydrate, an ammonium salt of an acidic transition metal oxide hydrate or phosphoric acid-transition metal oxide complex in water or a phosphoric acid-transition metal oxide complex dissolved in a polar organic solvent. |
| US09390920B2 |
Composition including material, methods of depositing material, articles including same and systems for depositing material
Methods for depositing nanomaterial onto a substrate are disclosed. Also disclosed are compositions useful for depositing nanomaterial, methods of making devices including nanomaterials, and a system and devices useful for depositing nanomaterials. |
| US09390913B2 |
Semiconductor dielectric interface and gate stack
A semiconductor/dielectric interface having reduced interface trap density and a method of manufacturing the interface are disclosed. In an exemplary embodiment, the method comprises receiving a substrate, the substrate containing a semiconductor; preparing a surface of the substrate; forming a termination layer bonded to the semiconductor at the surface of the substrate; and depositing a dielectric layer above the termination layer, the depositing configured to not disrupt the termination layer. The forming of the termination layer may be configured to produce the termination layer having a single layer of oxygen atoms between the substrate and the dielectric layer. |
| US09390908B2 |
Method and device for manufacturing a barrier layer on a flexible substrate
The invention provides a method for manufacturing a barrier layer on a substrate, the method comprising: providing a substrate with an inorganic oxide layer having a pore volume between 0.3 and 10 vol. %; treating said substrate with an inorganic oxide layer in a glow discharge plasma, said plasma being generated by at least two electrodes in a treatment space formed between said two electrodes, said treatment space also being provided with a gas comprising Nitrogen compounds; and the treating of the substrate in said treatment space is done at a temperature below 150° C., e.g. below 100° C. The invention further provides a device for manufacturing a barrier layer on a substrate. |
| US09390899B2 |
Apparatus and method for sampling of confined spaces
In various embodiments of the invention, a cargo container can be monitored at appropriate time intervals to determine that no controlled substances have been shipped with the cargo in the container. The monitoring utilizes reactive species produced from an atmospheric analyzer to ionize analyte molecules present in the container which are then analyzed by an appropriate spectroscopy system. In an embodiment of the invention, a sorbent surface can be used to absorb, adsorb or condense analyte molecules within the container whereafter the sorbent surface can be interrogated with the reactive species to generate analyte species characteristic of the contents of the container. |
| US09390897B2 |
Mass spectrometry
A method of searching for potentially unknown metabolites of pharmaceutical compounds is disclosed. The accurate mass of a pharmaceutical compound will generally be known and can be rendered in the form of an integer nominal mass or mass to charge ratio component and a decimal mass or mass to charge ratio component. Possible metabolites are searched for on the basis of having a decimal mass or mass to charge ratio component which is substantially very similar to the decimal mass or mass to charge ratio of the parent pharmaceutical compound. |
| US09390896B2 |
Data directed acquisition of imaging mass
A method of ion imaging is disclosed comprising scanning a sample at a first resolution and acquiring first mass spectral data related to a first pixel location. A determination is then made as to whether or not the first mass spectral data satisfies a condition, wherein if it is determined that the first mass spectral data does satisfy the condition then the method further comprises: (i) switching to acquire second mass spectral data related to a second pixel location which is substantially adjacent to the first pixel location so that the second mass spectral data is acquired at a second resolution which is higher than the first resolution; and (ii) determining whether or not the second mass spectral data satisfies the condition, wherein if it is determined that the second mass spectral data does satisfy the condition then the method further comprises acquiring third mass spectral data related to a third pixel location which is substantially adjacent to the first or second pixel locations so that the third mass spectral is acquired at the second resolution and wherein if it is determined that the second or third mass spectral data does not satisfy the condition then the method further comprises switching back to scanning the sample at the first resolution. |
| US09390895B2 |
Gas injector particle removal process and apparatus
A sonic cleaning tool having a component retaining fixture, a sonic bath, and a cleaning fluid circulating system. The sonic bath has a sound field transducer and is structurally configured to place the component retaining fixture in sonic communication with the sound field transducer within the sonic bath. The component retaining fixture comprises a first end plate, a second end plate, a first component securing member, a second component securing member, and a plurality of compression studs. The first component securing member projects from the first end plate and is structurally configured for repeatable transition between a retracted position and an extended position. The second component securing member projects from the second end plate. The compression studs of the component retaining fixture span from the first end plate to the second end plate and are spaced to form a plurality of sonic transmission windows between the compression studs. The sonic transmission windows collectively place a majority of a component disposed in the component retaining fixture in substantially unobstructed sonic communication with the sound field transducer of the sonic bath. The cleaning fluid circulating system has a cleaning fluid, a cleaning fluid supply reservoir, a deionized water supply, and a compressed dry air supply, which are fluidly connected to the component retaining fixture. |
| US09390886B2 |
Electro-optical inspection apparatus using electron beam
An electron beam apparatus for capturing images by deflecting a primary electron beam by a deflector to irradiate each of sub-visual fields which are formed by dividing an evaluation area on a sample surface, and detecting secondary electrons containing information on the sample surface in each of the sub-visual fields by a detecting device. The detecting device includes a plurality of unit detectors each including an area sensor, a bundle of optical fibers having one end coupled to a detection plane of the area sensor, and an FOP coated on the other end of the bundle of optical fibers and formed with a scintillator, on which a secondary electron beam emitted from the respective sub-visual field is focused. An electromagnetic deflector deflects the secondary electron beam each time the electron beam is irradiated to the next sub-visual field to move the secondary electron beams over the surfaces of the FOPs. |
| US09390885B2 |
Superposition measuring apparatus, superposition measuring method, and superposition measuring system
When a scanning electron microscope is used to measure a superposition error between upper-layer and lower-layer patterns, an SN of the lower-layer pattern may often be lower, so that when simple frame adding processing is used, the adding processing needs to be performed many times. Further, in an image obtained through such simple adding processing, contrast may not be optimal for both the upper-layer and lower-layer patterns. In a superposition measuring apparatus and superposition measuring method that measure a difference between a position of an upper-layer pattern and a position of a lower-layer pattern by using an image obtained by irradiation of a charged particle ray, portions of images having contrasts optimized for the respective upper-layer and lower-layer patterns are added to generate a first added image optimized for the upper-layer pattern and a second added image optimized for the lower-layer pattern, and the difference between the position of the upper-layer pattern identified by using the first added image and position of the lower-layer pattern identified by using the second added image is calculated. |
| US09390881B2 |
X-ray sources using linear accumulation
A compact source for high brightness x-ray generation is disclosed. The higher brightness is achieved through electron beam bombardment of multiple regions aligned with each other to achieve a linear accumulation of x-rays. This may be achieved by aligning discrete x-ray sub-sources, or through the use of x-ray targets that comprise microstructures of x-ray generating materials fabricated in close thermal contact with a substrate with high thermal conductivity. This allows heat to be more efficiently drawn out of the x-ray generating material, and in turn allows bombardment of the x-ray generating material with higher electron density and/or higher energy electrons, leading to greater x-ray brightness.Some embodiments of the invention comprise x-ray optical elements placed between sub-sources of x-rays. These x-ray optical elements may form images of one or more x-ray sub-sources in alignment with other x-ray sub-sources, and may enhance the linear accumulation that can be achieved. |
| US09390879B2 |
Magnetron power supply
A power supply for a magnetron has a PFC DC voltage source and an HV (High Voltage) converter. The voltage source is mains driven and supplies DC voltage above mains voltage on line, smoothed by capacitor to the HV converter. The latter supplies switched alternating current to transformer. This supplies higher voltage alternating current to a rectifier, in turn supplying the magnetron with high, magnetron powering, anode voltage on line. The DC voltage source has an PFC inductor, which is switched by a transistor switch under control of an integrated circuit. It is the inductor which enables the voltage source to provide a variable DC voltage. An input rectifier is provided for rectifying mains voltage. The output voltage of the voltage source is monitored and fed back to the integrated circuit by a voltage divider. |
| US09390875B2 |
Electromagnetic opposing field actuators
Electromagnetic actuators capable of generating a symmetrical bidirectional force are disclosed. The electromagnetic actuators include a housing made of a ferromagnetic material and a shaft made of a magnetically inert material movable along an axis within the housing. In one type of actuator, captive permanent magnets are arranged on opposite interior end walls of the housing and an electromagnetic coil is mounted on a central portion of the shaft. The electromagnetic coil is capable of generating a force when energized that causes linear displacement of the shaft in either direction along its axis depending on the direction of current through the electromagnetic coil. In another type of actuator, captive electromagnetic coils are arranged on opposing inner end walls of the housing, and a permanent magnet is mounted on a central portion of the shaft. The electromagnetic coils are capable of generating a force when energized that causes linear displacement of the shaft in either direction along its axis depending on a direction of current through the electromagnetic coils. |
| US09390872B2 |
Method for controlling a current breaking device in a high-voltage electricity network
A method of controlling a current breaking device in a high-voltage electricity network is disclosed. In one aspect, the method includes, for each phase (A, B, C), obtaining missing supply voltages from an acquired supply voltage, performing healthy phase/faulty phase discrimination, conducting voltage analysis by attempted matching of a model over a signal window, choosing a strategy of simple closing or reclosing of the breaking device as a function of choice conditions, calculating a set of optimum reclosing times for each phase in accordance with the chosen strategy, and selecting an optimum time from the proposed optimum times and closing the phases of the current breaking device. |
| US09390871B2 |
Switch mechanism and electronic device
There are provided a button section; a contact-type switch that is provided in each of a plurality of directions; a button contact area that is provided on the back surface of the button section and that is brought into contact with the switch; a cover section that covers the periphery of the button section; and a flange section that is provided on the outer periphery of the button section and that is in contact with the cover section so as to restrict the button section from being ejected from inside a chassis, wherein the flange section includes cutouts at positions that are opposed to each other with the switch and the center position of the button section interposed therebetween. |
| US09390862B2 |
Composite electronic component and board with the same mounted thereon
A composite electronic component may include: a composite body having a capacitor and an inductor coupled to each other therein; an input terminal disposed on a first end surface of the composite body; output terminals including a first output terminal disposed on a second end surface of the composite body and a second output terminal disposed on a lower surface of the capacitor of the composite body; and a ground terminal disposed on the lower surface of the capacitor of the composite body. The capacitor may be coupled to a side surface of the inductor. |
| US09390859B2 |
Multilayer ceramic capacitor and board with the same mounted thereon
A multilayer ceramic capacitor may include: a ceramic body including a plurality of dielectric layers; a first capacitor part including a first internal electrode and a second internal electrode disposed in the ceramic body; second to fifth capacitor parts including a third internal electrode having a first lead, a fourth internal electrode having a second lead, a fifth internal electrode having a third lead, and a sixth internal electrode having a fourth lead, the third to sixth internal electrodes being disposed on one dielectric layer in the ceramic body, and a seventh internal electrode disposed on another dielectric layer in the ceramic body; and a first external electrode and a second external electrode. The first capacitor part and the second to fifth capacitor parts may be connected in parallel to each other. |
| US09390854B2 |
Multilayer ceramic electronic component and method of manufacturing the same
A multilayer ceramic electronic component may include: a plurality of active parts including a plurality of dielectric layers and a plurality of internal electrodes that are alternately disposed, the plurality of active parts being stacked; an interlayer margin part disposed between the active parts adjacent to each other and containing magnesium; an upper cover part disposed on an upper portion of an uppermost active part among the plurality of active parts and containing magnesium; and a lower cover part disposed on a lower portion of a lowermost active part among the plurality of active parts and containing magnesium, wherein the upper and lower cover parts and the interlayer margin part include magnesium-nickel oxide layers formed on interfaces thereof adjacent to the active parts. |
| US09390852B2 |
Multilayer ceramic electronic part to be embedded in board and printed circuit board having multilayer ceramic electronic part embedded therein
There is provided a multilayer ceramic electronic part to be embedded in a board, the multilayer ceramic electronic part including: a ceramic body including dielectric layers; first and second internal electrodes disposed in the ceramic body; first and second external electrodes formed on the respective end portions of the ceramic body, and a third external electrode formed on first and second main surfaces of the ceramic body, wherein an outermost first internal electrode among the first internal electrodes is connected to the first and second external electrodes through at least one first via, and the second internal electrodes are connected to the third external electrode through at least one second via. |
| US09390847B1 |
System and method for electromagnetic-based propulsion
A system and method may include energizing one or more of a plurality of electromagnets contained within and fixedly distributed about a first region of a structure and de-energizing other of the electromagnets to attract a substance contained and movable within a second region of the structure to the energized electromagnets and change the center of gravity of the structure. The structure may be disposed on a surface or within a liquid, where energizing and de-energizing of the electromagnets causes the structure to move about the surface or within the liquid in a desired fashion. The substance may be a magnetic or magnetizable substance. Energizing and de-energizing the electromagnets may be performed by a controller responsive to a signal received from a sensor or transceiver. |
| US09390844B2 |
Chip resistor
A chip resistor may include: a body having a plurality of substrates stacked therein; a plurality of resistors formed in the body with respective substrates interposed therebetween and exposed through both end surfaces of the body; and first and second electrodes covering both end surfaces of the body, respectively, and connected to both end portions of the exposed resistors, respectively. |
| US09390842B2 |
Multi-core cable and its manufacturing method
There is provided a multi-core cable including: first insulated wires; second insulated wires; coaxial wire pairs; and a sheath. The second insulated wires are smaller in diameter than the first insulated wires. The coaxial wire pairs are provided in an even number of pairs. The first insulated wires and the coaxial wire pairs are arranged close to each other on a single circle in a cross section, and the second insulated wires are disposed thereinside. The first insulated wires, the second insulated wires and the coaxial wire pairs are wholly twisted, and then, wholly covered by the sheath. |
| US09390834B2 |
Polymer composition
The invention relates to a polymer composition comprising a polyolefin (A) and an antioxidant. The antioxidant can be selected from a phenol which bears two substituents both containing a sulfur atom and optionally further substituent(s). The polymer composition can comprise vinyl groups/1000 carbon atoms in an amount of 0.15/1000 carbon atoms or more. The polymer composition can have improved water tree resistance properties. |
| US09390833B2 |
Method of making an electrical stress control device having a dielectric material with non-linear dielectric constant
Provided is a composition comprising a polymeric material, a filler material dispersed in the polymeric material, the filler material comprising inorganic particles and a discontinuous arrangement of conductive material wherein at least a portion of the conductive material is in durable electrical contact with the inorganic particles, and conductive material dispersed in the polymeric material. |
| US09390830B2 |
Conductive paste for screen printing
There is provided a conductive paste for screen printing. The conductive paste includes: metal nanoparticles (Y) having a surface coated with a polymer compound having a branched polyalkyleneimine chain and a polymer chain selected from the group consisting of a polyoxyalkylene chain, a polymer chain composed of a polyvinyl alcohol, a polymer chain composed of a water-soluble poly(meth)acrylic acid, a polyacylalkyleneimine chain, and a polymer chain composed of a polyacrylamide; an aliphatic monocarboxylic acid having 6 to 10 carbon atoms and/or succinic anhydride; and an organic solvent (B). A polyalkylene glycol is used as the organic solvent (B). |
| US09390827B2 |
EUV light source with subsystem(s) for maintaining LPP drive laser output during EUV non-output periods
A device is disclosed herein which may comprise a droplet generator producing droplets of target material; a sensor providing an intercept time signal when a droplet reaches a preselected location; a delay circuit coupled with said sensor, the delay circuit generating a trigger signal delayed from the intercept time signal; a laser source responsive to a trigger signal to produce a laser pulse; and a system controlling said delay circuit to provide a trigger signal delayed from the intercept time by a first delay time to generate a light pulse that is focused on a droplet and a trigger signal delayed from the intercept time by a second delay time to generate a light pulse which is not focused on a droplet. |
| US09390822B2 |
Oxidation decontamination reagent for removal of the dense radioactive oxide layer on the metal surface and oxidation decontamination method using the same
The present invention provides an oxidative decontamination reagent for removal of the dense radioactive oxide layer on a metal surface, which comprises an oxidizing agent, a metal ion, and an inorganic acid. The oxidative decontamination reagent of the present invention is characteristically prepared by adding a metal ion to the conventional oxidative decontamination reagent containing an oxidizing agent and an inorganic acid. When the oxidative decontamination reagent of the present invention is used, electric potential of the metal parts of the primary system of the nuclear power plant can be regulated as passive potential owing to the added metal ion during the oxidative decontamination of the primary metal part of the nuclear power plant. Therefore, by maintaining electric potential of the metal part as passive potential, local corrosion can be inhibited and at the same time secondary waste can be significantly reduced. |
| US09390818B2 |
Underwater electricity production module
The underwater electricity production module according to the invention includes means in the form of an elongated cylindrical box (12) in which means are integrated forming an electricity production unit including means forming a nuclear boiler (30), associated with electricity production means (37) connected to an external electricity distribution station by electrical cables, is characterized in that the nuclear boiler-forming means (30) are placed in a dry chamber (19) of the reactor compartment (18) associated with the chamber forming a safety water storage reservoir (20) of the reactor whereof at least the radial wall (53) is in a heat exchange relationship with the marine environment and in that the dry compartment (19) of the reactor container (18) is connected to the safety water storage reservoir chamber (20) of the reactor by depressurizing means (70) including means (71) forming a depressurizing valve placed in the upper portion of the dry chamber (19) and connected to one of the bubbler-forming means (72) placed in the lower portion of the storage reservoir chamber (20). |
| US09390816B2 |
Integrated circuit having voltage mismatch reduction
An integrated circuit has a first circuit portion on a first level and a second circuit portion on a second level different from the first level. The first circuit portion includes a first cell having a first voltage value at a first node and a second voltage value at a second node. The second circuit portion includes a second cell coupled with the first cell, the second cell being selectively controllable to supply a voltage to the first cell based on an instruction to supply the voltage. The instruction to supply the voltage is based on a determined mismatch between the first voltage value and the second voltage value being greater than a predetermined threshold value. |
| US09390807B2 |
Erase method for flash
An erase method for a flash memory is provided. First memory cells of the flash memory are pre-programmed. The first memory cells are disposed in a memory array formed by a plurality of row and column lines. The programmed first memory cells are erased. The erased first memory cells are post-programmed, to repair the over-erased first memory cells. Second memory cells are programmed after the erased first memory cells are post-programmed. The second memory cells are disposed in a first specific column line of the memory array. The first specific column line is arranged after a last column line corresponding to a last valid column address. Third memory cells disposed in a second specific column line of the memory array. The second specific column line is arranged after the last column line and is adjacent to the first specific column line. |
| US09390806B1 |
Memory system and method of operating the same
A memory system includes a memory device, a plurality of memory blocks which include a plurality of memory cells electrically coupled to a plurality of word lines and store data requested from a host; and a controller suitable for programming first data in a first memory cell among the plurality of memory cells based on a write command received from the host, determining a read voltage of the first memory cell, and reading the first data programmed in the first memory cell based on the read voltage in response to a read command received from the host. |
| US09390801B2 |
Secure memory which reduces degradation of data
A method for managing a non-volatile memory may include a first phase of writing data to a first bank of a memory plane of the non-volatile memory, and then a second phase of writing the same data to a second bank of the same memory plane of the non-volatile memory in the case of success of the first writing phase. |
| US09390800B2 |
Semiconductor memory and semiconductor memory control method
According to one embodiment, a semiconductor memory includes memory cells, word lines connected to gate of memory cells arranged in a row direction, a control circuit which controls the operation of the memory cells. During k-level data writing to a selected cell, the control circuit applies the corrected unselect voltage in accordance with the result of the reading of data from the unselected cell connected to the adjacent word line to the adjacent word line and applies a read voltage to the selected word line to read (k−1)-level data from the selected cell, and the control circuit writes data to the selected cell in accordance with the read (k−1)-level and the k-level data to be written. |
| US09390794B2 |
Semiconductor device and operating method thereof
A semiconductor device may include a candidate selector configured for generating a plurality of candidate threshold value sets from a plurality of digital values corresponding to a plurality of analog signals output from a memory cell array. The semiconductor device may include a threshold value selector configured for selecting one candidate threshold value set of the plurality of candidate threshold value sets as a threshold value set. The semiconductor device may include a comparator configured for deciding logic levels of the plurality of digital values according to the selected threshold value set. |
| US09390792B2 |
Apparatuses, memories, and methods for address decoding and selecting an access line
Apparatuses, memories, and methods for decoding memory addresses for selecting access lines in a memory are disclosed. An example apparatus includes an address decoder circuit coupled to first and second select lines, a polarity line, and an access line. The first select line is configured to provide a first voltage, the second select line is configured to provide a second voltage, and the polarity line is configured to provide a polarity signal. The address decoder circuit is configured to receive address information and further configured to couple the access line to the first select line responsive to the address information having a combination of logic levels and the polarity signal having a first logic level and further configured to couple the access line to the second select line responsive to the address information having the combination of logic levels and the polarity signal having a second logic level. |
| US09390790B2 |
Carbon based nonvolatile cross point memory incorporating carbon based diode select devices and MOSFET select devices for memory and logic applications
The present disclosure is directed toward carbon based diodes, carbon based resistive change memory elements, resistive change memory having resistive change memory elements and carbon based diodes, methods of making carbon based diodes, methods of making resistive change memory elements having carbon based diodes, and methods of making resistive change memory having resistive change memory elements having carbons based diodes. The carbon based diodes can be any suitable type of diode that can be formed using carbon allotropes, such as semiconducting single wall carbon nanotubes (s-SWCNT), semiconducting Buckminsterfullerenes (such as C60 Buckyballs), or semiconducting graphitic layers (layered graphene). The carbon based diodes can be pn junction diodes, Schottky diodes, other any other type of diode formed using a carbon allotrope. The carbon based diodes can be placed at any level of integration in a three dimensional (3D) electronic device such as integrated with components or wiring layers. |
| US09390788B2 |
Configurable delay circuit and method of clock buffering
An SRAM clock circuit and an SRAM. In one embodiment, the SRAM clock circuit includes: (1) a plurality of transistor stacks optionally serially electrically couplable to form a configurable delay path through which a clock signal is buffered, and (2) a delay path select circuit respectively electrically coupled between pairs of the plurality of transistor stacks and operable to selectively electrically couple the plurality of transistor stacks to a base delay path, thereby activating the configurable delay path based on a desired delay. |
| US09390780B2 |
Semiconductor memory device
A semiconductor memory device includes a plurality of memory banks in a first region, a data terminal to which an input data signal is input, the data terminal being in a second region, and an inverting circuit that inverts or non-inverts the input data signal in response to an inversion control signal indicating whether the input data signal has been inverted, wherein at least one inverting circuit is disposed for each of the plurality of memory banks. |
| US09390778B2 |
Semiconductor memory devices and memory systems including the same
A semiconductor memory device includes a memory cell array, sub word-line drivers and power selection switches. The memory cell array includes memory cell rows coupled to word lines. The sub word line drivers are coupled to the word lines. The power selection switches are coupled to the sub word-line drivers. Each power selection switch controls a deactivation voltage level of a first word-line activated from the word-lines and an off-voltage level of a second word line adjacent to the first word line so that the deactivation voltage level and the off-voltage level have at least one of a ground voltage, a first negative voltage and a second negative voltage. The ground voltage, the first negative voltage and the second negative voltage have different voltage levels from each other. |
| US09390776B1 |
Data strobing circuit and semiconductor apparatus using the same
A data strobing circuit may include: an operating speed detection unit configured to detect an operating speed of a semiconductor apparatus according to a clock signal, and generate a control signal with a different value depending on the detected operating speed; and a strobe signal generation unit configured to adjust a delay time and pulse width of a read pulse according to the control signal and output an adjusted signal as a strobe signal. |
| US09390775B2 |
Reference voltage setting circuit and method for data channel in memory system
A semiconductor memory system includes a memory controller and memory apparatus. The memory controller provides a first data having a first level and a second data having a second level. The memory apparatus adjusts a level of a reference voltage by comparing the reference voltage with each of the first data and the second data. |
| US09390774B2 |
Systems and methods of storing data
A method includes, when using a binary cache in an multi-level cell (MLC) flash memory splitting a codeword corresponding to a data page into multiple data pages and storing the multiple data pages into multiple single level cell (SLC) pages of the binary cache for subsequent storage into a single wordline of the MLC flash memory. |
| US09390768B2 |
Apparatuses, devices and methods for sensing a snapback event in a circuit
Example subject matter disclosed herein relates to apparatuses and/or devices, and/or various methods for use therein, in which an application of an electric potential to a circuit may be initiated and subsequently changed in response to a determination that a snapback event has occurred in a circuit. For example, a circuit may comprise a memory cell that may experience a snapback event as a result of an applied electric potential. In certain example implementations, a sense circuit may be provided which is responsive to a snapback event occurring in a memory cell to generate a feed back signal to initiate a change in an electric potential applied to the memory cell. |
| US09390766B2 |
Semiconductor device and electronic device
There is a need to provide a semiconductor device and an electronic device capable of easily allowing a bypass capacitor to always improve noise suppression on a signal path in order to transmit a reference potential between chips in different power supply noise states. There is provided a specified signal path that connects a control chip and a memory chip mounted on a mounting substrate and transmits a reference potential generated from the control chip. A bypass capacitor is connected to the specified signal path only at a connecting part where a distance from a reference potential pad of the memory chip to the connecting part along the specified signal path is shorter than a distance from a reference potential pad of the control chip to the connecting part along the specified signal path. |
| US09390765B2 |
SRAM with via displacement
The SRAM memory cell includes a metal wiring line having a titanium or tantalum film in a bottom layer, and a via having a tungsten plug. The via is arranged on the metal line following a layout rule which permits the misalignment. In arranging the upper-layer via with a tungsten plug on the metal line, one side of the via is disposed to be adjacent to one end of the metal line with a margin smaller than an alignment accuracy, and the lower-layer via is laid out far away from the end of the metal line as possible. The reduction in the yield, caused by the problem of the contact with the lower-layer via being broken or increased in resistance at occurrence of misalignment, can be suppressed. |
| US09390754B2 |
Video trick mode system
A method for producing an auxiliary video stream arranged for reverse trick mode playback from a video stream including a plurality of uni-directional predicted frames, the method including producing the auxiliary video stream by performing the following steps copying each uni-directional predicted frame included in the video stream into a memory, thereby producing a plurality of copied frames in the memory, replacing each one of the plurality of copied frames with one corresponding supplemental frame, thereby producing a plurality of corresponding supplemental frames, and producing a copy of the video stream arranged in reverse processing order, the producing a copy including replacing each frame which corresponds to one of the plurality of copied frames with the one corresponding supplemental frame from among the plurality of corresponding supplemental frames. Related methods and systems are also described. |
| US09390753B2 |
Content management apparatus, recording apparatus, operation apparatus, content management system, and control methods thereof
A content management apparatus, which includes a recording unit for recording a content, and an operation unit for accepting a user operation required to append additional information to the content, executes at least one of a first process for recording additional information in association with a latest content of already recorded contents and a second process for recording additional information in association with a content to be recorded, and a third process for recording additional information in association with a currently recording content in response to respective execution instructions. Enabling and disabling user operations required to issue execution instructions of the first to the third processes are switched based on whether or not a content recording operation of the recording unit is in progress. |
| US09390752B1 |
Multi-channel video editing
Methods and systems for constructing media output by combining multiple input media channels corresponding to different views of a scene. The construction involves combining channels that have different spatial ranges and/or color ranges so as to produce a constructed output having a range that is a composite of input channel spatial and/or color ranges. The constructed output is generated dynamically from available input channels in response to output requirements specifying a view defined in part by spatial and/or color parameter ranges. Available input channels are represented by a single multi-channel source object comprising a hierarchy of grouped and aligned channels, with individual media essence files at the lowest level. Input channel ranges and relationships among the ranges are specified by metadata associated with each channel. During editing, input channels may be added, removed, or changed and the range and nature of the constructed media output are updated dynamically. |
| US09390749B2 |
Power failure management in disk drives
A disk drive is disclosed comprising a disk, a spindle motor operable to rotate the disk, a head actuated over the disk, an interface operable to receive a host supply voltage, and a capacitor. The host supply voltage is used to charge the capacitor to a capacitor voltage higher than the host supply voltage. During a power failure, the host supply voltage stops charging the capacitor, and a motor supply voltage is generated from the spindle motor. The capacitor voltage is used to operate control circuitry, and when the capacitor voltage decays below the motor supply voltage, the motor supply voltage charges the capacitor. |
| US09390748B1 |
Item processing verification using imaging
This disclosure describes systems and methods for automatically verifying the processing of items within a materials handling facility. In many instances one or more items are processed in a materials handling facility and an agent processing the item must place the item in a designated container so that the item can be routed to the appropriate destination. By using image capture and analysis, the placement of the item in the appropriate container can be verified without requiring the agent to scan or otherwise identify the container into which the item was placed. |
| US09390747B2 |
Disc device
A disc device includes a plurality of magazines, each having a tray that stores a plurality of discs, a plurality of disc drives that performs recording or reproducing of information on or from the plurality of discs, a picker that draws out the tray from one of the plurality of magazines and that conveys the tray to a position near the plurality of disc drives, and a disc separating and supplying device that, at the position near the plurality of disc drives, holds the plurality of discs stored in the tray, separates at least one of the plurality of discs stored in the tray from a remainder of the plurality of the discs stored in the tray, and supplies the at least one of the plurality of discs stored in the tray to at least one of the plurality of disc drives. |
| US09390744B2 |
Polycarbonate composition to produce optical quality products with high quality and good processability
The present disclosure relates to thermoplastic compositions, methods of making thermoplastic compositions, and articles made from thermoplastic compositions. The disclosed compositions comprise a polycarbonate polymer, a triacylglyceride release agent, and a monoacylglyceride release agent. In an embodiment, the thermoplastic composition comprises: greater than 90 weight percent based on the total weight of the composition of a melt polycarbonate polymer; a triacylglyceride release agent; and a monoacylglyceride release agent. The total amount of triacylglyceride release agent and the monoacylglyceride release agent is 0.01 to 0.5 weight percent based on the total weight of the composition. |
| US09390741B2 |
Head transducer with multiple resistance temperature sensors for head-medium spacing and contact detection
A head transducer, configured to interact with a magnetic recording medium, includes a first sensor having a temperature coefficient of resistance (TCR) and configured to produce a first sensor signal, and a second sensor having a TCR and configured to produce a second sensor signal. One of the first and second sensors is situated at or near a close point of the head transducer in relation to the magnetic recording medium, and the other of the first and second sensors spaced away from the close point. Circuitry is configured to combine the first and second sensor signals and produce a combined sensor signal indicative of one or both of a change in head-medium spacing and head-medium contact. Each of the sensors may have a TCR with the same sign (positive or negative) or each sensor may have a TCR with a different sign. |
| US09390735B1 |
Data reader side shield with differing stripe heights
A data reader may have a magnetoresistive stack positioned on an air bearing surface and consisting of at least a magnetically free structure that continuously extends from the air bearing surface with a first stripe height. A side shield can be separated from the magnetoresistive stack on the ABS and configured with a first magnetic layer having the first stripe height and a second magnetic layer having a third stripe height from the air bearing surface with the third stripe height being greater than the first stripe height. The side shield can be anti-ferromagnetically biased by a synthetic antiferromagnetic top shield structure that contacts the side shield through a transition metal material layer. The first stripe height can be configured to match a magnetically free layer of the magnetoresistive stack and the second stripe height can be configured to match a magnetically fixed layer of the magnetoresistive stack. |
| US09390734B2 |
Data storage device with phase lock spin-torque oscillation stabilization
A data storage device can be configured at least with a first spin-torque oscillator disposed between and contacting a write pole and a shield on an air bearing surface. A second spin-torque oscillator can be disposed between and contact the write pole and shield with the second spin-torque oscillator separated from the air bearing surface by a first stabilization distance and from the first spin-torque oscillator by a second stabilization distance. The first and second spin-torque oscillators can be configured to magnetostatically couple and phase lock to produce a single microwave frequency in response to a bias field. |
| US09390732B2 |
Thermally-assisted magnetic recording head
In one embodiment, a device includes a near-field light transducer having multiple apexes including a trailing-side apex positioned on a trailing side of the near-field light transducer. The device also includes a first material positioned near the trailing-side apex of the near-field light transducer, and a second material positioned near another apex of the near-field light transducer. The first material is physically characterized as etching more slowly than the second material. |
| US09390729B2 |
Method and apparatus for performing voice activity detection
A voice activity detection (VAD) apparatus configured to provide a voice activity detection decision for an input audio signal. The VAD apparatus includes a state detector and a voice activity calculator. The state detector is configured to determine, based on the input audio signal, a current working state of the VAD apparatus among at least two different working states. Each of the at least two different working states is associated with a corresponding working state parameter decision set which includes at least one voice activity detection parameter. The voice activity calculator is configured to calculate a voice activity detection parameter value for the at least one voice activity detection parameter of the working state parameter decision set associated with the current working state, and to provide the voice activity detection decision by comparing the calculated voice activity detection parameter value with a threshold. |
| US09390727B2 |
Detecting distorted audio signals based on audio fingerprinting
An audio identification system generates a probe audio fingerprint of an audio signal and determines amount of pitch shifting in the audio signal based on analysis of correlation between the probe audio fingerprint and a reference audio fingerprint. The audio identification system applies a time-to-frequency domain transform to frames of the audio signal and filters the transformed frames. The audio identification system applies a two-dimensional discrete cosine transform (DCT) to the filtered frames and generates the probe audio fingerprint from a selected number of DCT coefficients. The audio identification system calculates a DCT sign-only correlation between the probe audio fingerprint and the reference audio fingerprint, and the DCT sign-only correlation closely approximates the similarity between the audio characteristics of the probe audio fingerprint and those of the reference audio fingerprint. Based on the correlation analysis, the audio identification system determines the amount of pitch shifting in the audio signal. |
| US09390726B1 |
Supplementing speech commands with gestures
Described is a system and technique to supplement speech commands with gestures. A user interface may be improved by providing the ability for a user to intuitively provide speech commands with the aid of gestures. By providing gestures contemporaneously with a speech command, the user may delimit the commencement and end of a command thereby allowing the system to provide an immediate response. In addition, gestures may be detected in order to determine a source of a provided speech command, and accordingly, user specific actions may be performed based on the identity of the source. |
| US09390725B2 |
Systems and methods for noise reduction using speech recognition and speech synthesis
The present disclosure describes a system (100) for reducing background noise from a speech audio signal generated by a user. The system (100) includes a user device (102) receiving the speech audio signal, a noise reduction device (118) in communication with a stored data repository (208), where the noise reduction device is configured to convert the speech audio signal to text; generate synthetic speech based on the converted text; optionally determine the user as an actual subscriber based on a comparison between the speech audio signal with the synthetic speech; and selectively transmit the speech audio signal or the synthetic speech based on comparison between the predicted subjective quality of the recorded speech and the synthetic speech. |
| US09390724B2 |
Voice controlled assistant with coaxial speaker and microphone arrangement
A voice controlled assistant has a housing to hold one or more microphones, one or more speakers, and various computing components. The housing has an elongated cylindrical body extending along a center axis between a base end and a top end. The microphone(s) are mounted in the top end and the speaker(s) are mounted proximal to the base end. The microphone(s) and speaker(s) are coaxially aligned along the center axis. The speaker(s) are oriented to output sound directionally toward the base end and opposite to the microphone(s) in the top end. The sound may then be redirected in a radial outward direction from the center axis at the base end so that the sound is output symmetric to, and equidistance from, the microphone(s). |
| US09390718B2 |
Audio signal restoration device and audio signal restoration method
A sound source generating unit 101 generates from a narrowband audio signal not passing through noise suppression a sound source signal including a fine structure of a band to be restored. On the other hand, a noise suppressing unit 102 performs noise suppression of the narrowband audio signal and a spectral envelope estimating unit 103 estimates an spectral envelope of the band to be restored. A signal synthesizing unit 104 generates a pseudo-audio signal by combining the sound source signal and the spectral envelope, and the band-pass filter unit 105 passes the pseudo-audio signal of the band to be restored, and the signal addition unit 106 generates a broadband audio restoration signal by adding the pseudo-audio signal of the band to be restored to the narrowband audio signal. |
| US09390715B2 |
Mobile terminal and controlling method for displaying a written touch input based on a recognized input voice
A mobile terminal including a wireless communication unit configured to perform wireless communication; a microphone configured to receive an input voice; a touch screen; and a controller configured to receive a written touch input on the touch screen corresponding to the input voice, recognize the input voice while a voice recognition mode is activated, and display extracted information extracted from the recognized input voice on the touch screen based on a comparison of the recognized input voice and the written input. |
| US09390712B2 |
Mixed speech recognition
The claimed subject matter includes a system and method for recognizing mixed speech from a source. The method includes training a first neural network to recognize the speech signal spoken by the speaker with a higher level of a speech characteristic from a mixed speech sample. The method also includes training a second neural network to recognize the speech signal spoken by the speaker with a lower level of the speech characteristic from the mixed speech sample. Additionally, the method includes decoding the mixed speech sample with the first neural network and the second neural network by optimizing the joint likelihood of observing the two speech signals considering the probability that a specific frame is a switching point of the speech characteristic. |
| US09390708B1 |
Low latency and memory efficient keywork spotting
Features are disclosed for spotting keywords in utterance audio data without requiring the entire utterance to first be processed. Likelihoods that a portion of the utterance audio data corresponds to the keyword may be compared to likelihoods that the portion corresponds to background audio (e.g., general speech and/or non-speech sounds). The difference in the likelihoods may be determined, and keyword may be triggered when the difference exceeds a threshold, or shortly thereafter. Traceback information and other data may be stored during the process so that a second speech processing pass may be performed. For efficient management of system memory, traceback information may only be stored for those frames that may encompass a keyword; the traceback information for older frames may be overwritten by traceback information for newer frames. |
| US09390706B2 |
Personality-based intelligent personal assistant system and methods
The methods, apparatus, and systems described herein assist a user with a request. The methods include receiving at least one input from a user, entering the at least one input into an algorithm trained to output a personality type of the user, and tailoring an output based on the personality type. |
| US09390705B2 |
Intelligent sound field control system
An intelligent sound field control system, which relates to a sound field modulation device and is provided with a WiFi/wireless/wire network main control device, a notebook computer, a wireless universal serial bus dongle, a tablet computer, a motion control electronic device and a reflecting medium, is capable of integrally controlling states of different sound reflecting mediums. Accordingly, an indoor acoustic parameter can be varied and electromechanical integration can be achieved, thereby promoting usage convenience, accuracy and usability. |
| US09390701B2 |
Active vibration or noise suppression system
An active vibration or noise suppression system is provided that achieves fast convergence of vibration or noise. A sine wave control signal y(n) is constituted by frequency of a vibration or noise source, and an amplitude filter coefficient a(n) and a phase filter coefficient φ(n) as an adaptive filter coefficient. The sine wave control signal y(n) is expressed by a sine wave having an amplitude component and a phase component, and each of an amplitude update term Δa(n+1) and a phase update term Δφ(n+1) includes a sine wave or cosine wave term having an amplitude component and a phase component. The phase component of the sine wave control signal y(n) is multiplied by a coefficient other than 1, or the phase component of the sine wave or cosine wave term of each of the amplitude update term Δa(n+1) and the phase update term Δφ(n+1) is multiplied by a coefficient other than 1. |
| US09390696B2 |
System and method for generating an audio file
The present invention relates to a computer implemented system and method for generating an audio output file. The method including using one or more processors to perform steps of: receiving audio tracks, each audio track created according to audio parameters; separating each audio track into at least one selectable audio block, each audio block including audio content from a musical instrument involved in creating the audio track; assigning a unique identifier to each audio block; using the unique identifiers to select audio blocks, and generating the audio output by combining the audio blocks. The present invention prevents the use of the same combination of audio blocks in the generation of audio output to ensure that the audio output files generated a sufficiently unique. Also provided are audio file recording, editing and mixing modules enabling a user to have full creative control over mix and other parameters to modify as desired the audio file generated. |
| US09390695B2 |
Systems, methods, and apparatus to search audio synthesizers using vocal imitation
Systems, methods, and apparatus for equalization preference learning are provided. An example method includes receiving an audio input with respect to a target sound. The example method includes extracting one or more features from the audio input to provide one or more examples for rating based on the audio input. The example method includes generating a query based on the audio input and the one or more rated examples. The example method includes providing one or more synthesizer suggestion results identified in a search based on the query. The example method includes evaluating the one or more results with respect to the target sound. When one of the results matches the target sound, the example method includes outputting synthesizer parameters associated with the result. When none of the results matches the target sound, the example method includes refining the query for a second search based on feedback with respect to the one or more results. |
| US09390689B2 |
Need-below processing across z-band boundaries
A method for producing a set of compositing instructions to render a region of a page receives a plurality of objects partitioned into at least two z-order bands, the received objects being associated with at least one transparency group that spans at least two bands. A transparency characteristic for at least one object within a z-order band is established. The method identifies a transparency group in the one band which is active in at least one other band and contains at least one object active in the region, determines contributing objects for the region in the band using the identified transparency group, the determination being performed by at least interpreting a change of the transparency characteristic of at least one object in the band, and produces a set of compositing instructions to render the region using the determined contributing objects. |
| US09390679B2 |
Display device, electronic apparatus, driving method of display device, and signal processing method
According to an aspect, a display device includes: an image display panel; a signal processing unit; and a signal processing circuit. The signal processing unit calculates an extension coefficient α for an input signal, calculates an output signal of a first sub-pixel, calculates an output signal of a second sub-pixel, calculates an output signal of a third sub-pixel, calculates an output signal of a fourth sub-pixel, and calculates a control signal. The signal processing circuit performs filtering processing on the control signal by a set first time constant to calculate and output a light-source device control signal, when the control signal is smaller than a set threshold value, and performs filtering processing on the control signal by a set second time constant to calculate and output the light-source device control signal, when the control signal is equal to or larger than the threshold value. |
| US09390675B2 |
Liquid crystal display integrated with touch sensor
A liquid crystal display with a touch sensor includes a first substrate having a plurality of pixels coupled to gate lines and data lines and a second substrate opposing the first substrate. The display also includes a plurality of common electrodes corresponding to respective pixels, a plurality of sensing electrodes on the second substrate, a touch controller to supply a channel selection signal and a touch control signal to a common electrode driver during a touch driving period, and a common electrode driver to progressively supply a touch driving signal to the common electrodes based on the channel selection signal. The touch driving signal may have the same frequency as the touch control signal. |
| US09390671B2 |
Liquid crystal display device and driving method thereof
Disclosed is a liquid crystal display panel configured to include at least one common electrode bar and a plurality of divisional areas defined along a length direction of the at least one common electrode bar; a common voltage controller configured to divide a single frame into a plurality of intervals corresponding to the plurality of divisional areas and generate a common voltage control signal in each interval; and a common voltage compensator configured to generate a compensated common voltage on the basis of the common voltage control signal in each interval and apply the compensated common voltage to the at least one common electrode bar of the liquid crystal display panel. |
| US09390670B2 |
Display device and driving method thereof
A display device including pixels; a data driver configured to apply a data signal to data lines connected to the pixels; and a signal controller configured to receive an image signal, a data enable signal, and a main clock signal, and to transmit an image data signal and an output signal that instructs transmitting of the data signal to the data driver. The signal controller is configured to detect electrostatic discharge (ESD) noise using the main clock signal and to mask the output signal when the image signal is distorted as a result of the ESD noise. |
| US09390669B2 |
Display device and driving method thereof
A display device according to an embodiment of the present invention includes: a pixel including a first subpixel and a second subpixel; a first signal line connected to the first subpixel and transmitting a first signal; a second signal line connected to the second subpixel and transmitting a second signal; a third signal line intersecting the first and the second signal lines, connected to at least one of the first and the second subpixels, and transmitting a third signal; and a fourth signal line intersecting the first and the second signal lines and transmitting a fourth signal, wherein the first subpixel and the second subpixel are supplied with data voltages having different magnitude, and the data voltages applied to the first and the second subpixels are originated from a single image information. |
| US09390666B2 |
Display device capable of driving at low speed
A display device capable of driving at low speed includes a display panel, on which display lines each including a plurality of pixels are formed, a driver unit for driving the pixels, and a timing controller which controls an operation of the driver unit and includes a first control logic unit and a second control logic unit. When a mode conversion control signal of an on-level is input during a normal drive, in which a length of one frame is set to P, the first control logic unit expands a length of one frame for a low speed drive to (n×P), where n is a positive integer equal to or greater than 2, assigns a length P to each of n sub-frames included in the one frame for the low speed drive, and controls the operation of the driver unit in an interlaced low speed driving scheme. |
| US09390665B2 |
Display device
A novel highly reliable display device is provided. Further, a novel display device capable of displaying images with less flicker is provided. Further, a display device capable of displaying eye-friendly still images is provided. The display device includes a feedthrough correction circuit which corrects a primary image signal. The feedthrough correction circuit corrects the primary image signal to compensate predicted feedthrough. |
| US09390663B2 |
Liquid crystal display overdrive interpolation circuit and method
A liquid crystal display (LCD) overdrive interpolation circuit and method, and an LCD drive system incorporating the circuit or method. In one embodiment, the circuit includes: (1) a diagonal interpolator operable to perform a diagonal interpolation along a diagonal direction in a lookup table based on TO and FROM gray levels and (2) a further interpolator coupled to the diagonal interpolator and operable to perform a further interpolation based on a result of the diagonal interpolation and the FROM gray level. |
| US09390660B2 |
Image control for displays
Displays such as televisions, computer monitors, and the like may boost (124) the dynamic range of input image data (121). Dithering (128) may be provided to mitigate artefacts made visible as a result of the boosting. Color correction (124) may be implemented. The color correction may compensate for differences between a color of a backlight and a desired white point. |
| US09390653B2 |
Pixel circuit with organic light emitting diode
A pixel circuit with an organic light emitting diode (OLED) includes an OLED, a driving switch, an enabling switch, a compensation circuit, and a data switch. Through the compensation circuit, the data switch, and the control of a compensation voltage, a voltage at the control terminal of the driving switch of the pixel circuit is set according to a data voltage and the absolute value of a threshold voltage of the driving switch. Hence, the driving current determined by the driving switch relates to the data voltage. |
| US09390648B2 |
Pixel and organic light emitting display using the same
A pixel capable of realizing desired brightness and of displaying a uniform image is disclosed. In one aspect, the pixel includes an organic light emitting diode (OLED), a first transistor having a second electrode thereof coupled to an anode electrode of the OLED to control an amount of current supplied to the OLED in response to a voltage applied to a gate electrode thereof. The pixel also includes at least one second transistor coupled between the second electrode and the gate electrode of the first transistor, and a third transistor coupled between the second transistor and the gate electrode of the first transistor. The third transistor is turned off in a partial period of a period in which the second transistor is turned on. |
| US09390645B2 |
Display apparatus and method of driving the same
A display apparatus is provided. The display apparatus includes a display panel including a plurality of display blocks; a driving circuit configured to control an image to be displayed on the display panel; and a timing controller configured to control the driving circuit in response to an image signal and a control signal and to provide a data signal to the driving circuit, wherein the timing controller comprises a memory storing gamma correction values corresponding to gray scales of the image signal, and wherein the timing controller outputs the data signal, and the data signal is obtained by correcting the image signal using the gamma correction values. |
| US09390641B2 |
Display device and electronic device
To suppress enlargement of pixel area even in the case of reducing current supplied to an electroluminescent element. A switch transistor, a first driving transistor, an electroluminescent element, and a second driving transistor provided between the first driving transistor and the electroluminescent element are included. A power supply potential is supplied to a gate of the second driving transistor. Drain current of the second driving transistor is controlled by the first driving transistor and the second driving transistor, so that a value of current supplied to the electroluminescent element is controlled. |
| US09390640B1 |
Decorative flag display assembly
A large decorative flag mount is formed with a tubular interengaged support construction to provide sufficient stiffness with relative lightness and inhibition of rotation between the tubular support sections by providing a single axial groove pair to the interengaging surfaces of one or more of the tubular sections before interengagement of two sections to inhibit mutual rotation and wherein the invention is useful in preventing undesirable relative rotational wind induced movement between the tubular sections resulting in incorrect orientation of a flag display, and also including a handle and reinforcing member to aid in lifting the assembled mounting. |
| US09390639B2 |
Portable collapsible fabric-tensioned sign assembly
A portable collapsible sign assembly including a fabric covering and support frame which is adjustable between a collapsed and expanded position. When the sign assembly is expanded, or in its deployed state, the fabric covering and support frame possess a connective tension relationship with respect to one another which creates and supports both the sign assembly display sign and base in a stable manner. The fabric covering engagement with the support frame enables the entire sign assembly, including both the display sign and assembly base, to be simultaneously deployed in one user-initiated motion. |
| US09390638B2 |
Article with translucent ornamentation
The Article with Translucent Ornamentation comprises: a Sheet having a Front surface and Rear surface. Voids, referred to as cavities, in the sheet provide for passage of light, from lighting system, through the cavities, to the front surface. The Voids control the intensity of the light impinging on the front surface and thereby create light patterns on the front surface. |
| US09390635B2 |
Pallet and crate seal and method for securing a pallet or crate
Method and apparatus for securing a pallet, crate, or similar shipping containers against pilferage utilizing a seal which is from now on referred to as a Pallet Seal. A pallet seals includes of one or more parts, having one or more locking devices. The seal can be secured against the clip on the pallet banding, completely covering and protecting the clip from tampering. The seal can have specific seal number and marking, color, or other features that makes it almost impossible to duplicate. Further the seal can have the capability to include RFID tags, Bar Code, and or custom marking and can be applied to the banding clips without a use of any tool or secondary seal or number. |
| US09390634B2 |
Label supply for an easy clip attachment
The present invention relates to a supply of labels for being attached to sausage-shaped products, like sausages. The supply comprises a carrier strip having a longitudinal extension, a flat front side, a flat rear side and two longitudinal edges, and at least one label having a longitudinal extension, a flat front side and a flat rear side and an attachment end for being attached to the sausage-shaped product, the at least one label is detachable attached to the carrier strip, wherein at least the attachment end of the at least one label exceeds one of the longitudinal edges of the carrier strip. |
| US09390632B2 |
Simulated contrast injection medium
A medical fluid injection system may include a powered injector and a fluid reservoir that contains a simulated contrast medium. The simulated contrast medium may exhibit a fluid flow property substantially equal to that of an active contrast medium but be devoid of any active contrast agent that provides contrast during diagnostic imaging. During operation, a syringe in the powered injector may be filled with the simulated contrast medium and then evacuated to discharge the simulated contrast medium from the syringe. The simulated contrast medium may be used to test and evaluate the performance of the powered injector prior to use in a medical procedure without exposing personnel to an active contrast agent or creating medical waste that contains the active contrast agent. |
| US09390630B2 |
Accelerated learning, entertainment and cognitive therapy using augmented reality comprising combined haptic, auditory, and visual stimulation
An accelerated learning and rehabilitation system for teaching the performance of a musical instrument, a remotely operated system, a sport, a weapon, and for brain rehabilitation and other uses includes generating sensory cues including auditory, haptic and visual sensory cues capable of being perceived by a user. The generated sensory cues are applied to the user and are dependent on a position of at least one body member of a performer relative to a performance element of a performance object with which an event is performed. The sensory cues are effective for stimulating a various processing center of a brain of the user so that user learns how to position his body member corresponding to the position of the performer of the event. The sensory cues can include visual sensory cues effective for stimulating the visual processing center of the brain of the user. The visual sensory cues are synchronized with the other applied sensory cues so that the position of the body member of the performer is virtually visually indicated in synchronization with the other sensory cues so that the visual processing center is stimulated with a visual sensory cue in synchronization with the stimulation of other processing centers corresponding to the other sensory cues for teaching the user to perform a version of the event. |
| US09390629B2 |
Systems and methods of data visualization in an online proctoring interface
An online test platform facilitates using test metadata to determine test question timing and selection. The platform also facilitates development, delivery, and management of educational tests with interactive participation by students, teachers, proctors, and administrators even when some or all of them are remotely located. The platform may include administrator interfaces, test proctor interfaces, and test taker (e.g. student) interfaces to allow each participant to view, navigate, and interact with aspects of the online test platform that are intended to meet their needs. |
| US09390627B1 |
Stimulus recognition training and detection methods
A method of conditioning a trainee to identify an object is provided. The method includes selecting a visceral response-evoking image for evoking a desired trainee response, wherein the desired trainee response is selected to correspond with the object, displaying a stimulus image depicting the object, wherein the instructions to display the stimulus image are to display the stimulus image within view of a trainee for a first duration that is below conscious awareness of the trainee, and displaying the visceral response-evoking image within view of the trainee after the display of the stimulus image and to display the visceral response-evoking image for a second duration that is below conscious awareness of the trainee in an attempt to link the desired trainee response to the object in a mind of the trainee in a manner characterized by an absence of conscious awareness of the link by the trainee. |
| US09390626B1 |
Educational doll for children with chronic illness
An interactive toy serving as a surrogate by emulating chronic condition characteristics of a child and providing responses and output to educate user about the chronic condition. The toy may include a microprocessor and memory, and a plurality of sensors that receive information representative of a treatment for the chronic condition and output systems that simulate reaction to the treatment of the chronic condition. The toy may include a plurality of replica food articles that interact with the sensors and the output systems. The toy may further include a plurality of replica or real medical devices that interact with the sensors to simulate reaction to treatment via the output systems. |
| US09390623B2 |
Time analysis at a banking system controlled by data bearing records
In an example embodiment, a Vehicle sensor senses the arrival and departure of vehicles in a drive-through lane. In particular embodiments, the system can calculate and store time data corresponding to each vehicle. Time data can be processed to determine the duration of transaction activity in the drive-through lane. |
| US09390618B2 |
Agent apparatus, electrical apparatus, and method of controlling agent apparatus
An agent apparatus to relay operation control information between at least one remote controller and at least one electrical apparatus, the agent apparatus includes a communication unit to receive operation control information, of the at least one electrical apparatus, transmitted from the remote controller and to transmit the operation control information to the at least one electrical apparatus, a controller to learn the received operation control information of the at least one of electrical apparatus to generate a macro and to control output of the generated macro, and a storage unit to store the operation control information of the at least one electrical apparatus and the generated macro. |
| US09390617B2 |
Camera motion control system with variable autonomy
Variable autonomy level control systems are provided. A control system illustratively include an analog communications support component, a digital communications support component, a processing component, and a motor controller. The processing component synthesizes inputs received from the analog and the digital communications support components to generate an output. The motor controller utilizes the output from the processing component to generate a control signal for a motor. In certain embodiments, the input from the digital communications support component includes an indication of an autonomy level, and the processing component synthesizes the inputs by applying the autonomy level to the input received from the analog communications support component. |
| US09390609B2 |
Monitoring apparatus
There is provided an apparatus for monitoring a wearer of a breathing apparatus, comprising a pressure detecting device and a mobile monitoring unit. The pressure detecting device comprises a pressure transducer arranged to detect a pressure of a gas supply of the breathing apparatus; and a wireless transmitter arranged to wirelessly transmit a preset number of ON signals when it is determined that the pressure of the gas supply has exceeded a predetermined on threshold. The mobile monitoring unit is arranged to be attached to the wearer and comprises a motion sensor arranged to monitor the motion of the wearer; an alarm; and a wireless receiver arranged to receive signals wirelessly transmitted by the wireless transmitter of the pressure detecting device. |
| US09390606B2 |
Monitoring an object
A system for monitoring of an object. The system includes a communication unit in proximity to the object, the communication unit including an electrical energy supply, a reader, and a radio station configured to communicate with a terminal over a communication network. The system also includes an ID unit coupled to the object. The ID unit has a unique ID and contains a receiver and a transmitter configured to transmit the unique ID in response to receiving an incoming signal from the reader. The system further includes an alarm circuit coupled to the reader and the radio station. The alarm circuit is configured to trigger an alarm if the reader does not receive a response from the ID unit. |
| US09390599B2 |
Noise-sensitive alert presentation
Many devices are configured to present alerts notifying a user of device events, but the user may not notice the alert due to a noisy environment. A user may mitigate missed alerts by increasing the alert volume or choosing a vibration mode, but such techniques depend upon the knowledge, attention, and memory of the user to adjust the device before the alert. Instead, a device may compare the noise level of the environment with a noise level threshold. If the noise level is below the threshold, the device presents the alert; but if the noise level is above the threshold, the device defers the presentation of the alert until the noise level diminishes below the threshold, and then presents the alert. The device may also send an automated response to the message, notifying a sender that the user may return the message upon leaving the noisy environment. |
| US09390598B2 |
Three dimensional haptics hybrid modeling
A method and apparatus for producing a haptic sensation is disclosed. An acoustic transducer at a first cellular communication device is used to determine a gesture of a user object with respect to a first cellular communication device. The gesture is generally performed in a three-dimensional space of the first cellular communication device. A haptic signal is created that corresponds to the determined gesture and is sent from the first cellular communication device to a second cellular communication device. An actuator at the second cellular communication device is actuated according to the haptic signal to produce a haptic sensation at the second cellular communication device. |
| US09390596B1 |
Device, system, and method for determining the status of checkout lanes
Customers would like to minimize the time waiting in checkout lines; however, it is often difficult to understand which checkout lane to choose. The present invention embraces a device, system, and method to help customers understand which checkout lanes are open and operating most efficiently. The invention utilizes Bluetooth-low-energy (BLE) transmitters located at each checkout lane to transmit updated information related to (i) the lane's status (e.g., open or in-use) and (ii) the lane's quality (e.g., throughput efficiency). Portable electronic devices used by customers may receive the BLE signals and understand (e.g., using augmented reality) which lane would be most likely to provide a quick checkout. |
| US09390595B2 |
Combination printer and its paper
A computer network system and method for printing purchase transaction receipts includes a novel printer physical structure, data structure, and control logic for printing on both sides of a register receipt, business rules designed to facilitate the two sided printing, and print paper designed to facilitate two sided printing. |
| US09390593B2 |
Gaming apparatus with special symbols
Systems and methods for determining a plurality of outcomes of a game of chance are provided. In a spinning reel game, for example, a first game event may be provided in which a plurality of symbols are spun up on a plurality of spinning reels to form an array of symbols, each spinning reel spinning up at least three symbols and at least one of the spinning reels being defined so that at least two feature symbols can be simultaneously spun up on that reel. A result of the spin is evaluated to assess whether two or more feature symbols have been spun up on the same reel. If so, a second game event is provided in which the two or more feature symbols and all other symbols spun up on the same reel are converted to special symbols. The special symbols have an enhanced play characteristic in comparison to the other symbols, and the outcome of the game is re-evaluated to establish whether any outcomes exist which define a winning combination. A prize or an award is awarded if one or more winning combinations exist. |
| US09390592B2 |
System and method for providing remote wagering games in a live table game system
Systems and methods for conducting multiple remote wagering games in a live table game system or similar system wherein the gaming symbols which are randomly generated as a result of a live table game are used to resolve the live table game and simulate play and resolve wagering outcomes of one or more remote wagering games which differ from the live table game. |
| US09390589B2 |
Method of gaming, a game controller and a gaming system
An electronic method of gaming comprising: displaying a sequence of first awards including a current first award; receiving one or more selections with respect to a plurality of second awards until an award condition is met; modifying the display of the sequence of first awards to sequentially advance the display of the sequence of first awards to thereby change the current first award whenever the one or more selections are received; and making the current first award when the award condition is met. |
| US09390585B2 |
Gaming system and method for providing team play benefits
A gaming system and method which forms, tracks and maintains one or more groups, teams or pools of players. Each group, team or pool includes one or more players (i.e., team members). A player's participation or involvement with the group or team enables the player to access one or more benefits otherwise not available to players unaffiliated with the group or team. That is, based on a player's association with a formed group or team, the gaming system provides the player with one or more benefits, such as an award, an opportunity to win an award, or a modified probability of winning an award. |
| US09390575B1 |
Canister distribution system
A self-service kiosk for storing and dispensing canisters is provided. The kiosk has an automated teller and a canister storage compartment. The canister storage compartment has a series of walls defining an enclosure for storage and dispensing of canisters and a plurality of horizontally extending canister rows within each enclosure. Each row is configured to hold a line of at least three canisters such that a full canister can be dispensed from one end of the row and a canister can be returned at the other end of the row. As canisters are dispensed, the line of canisters is pushed towards the dispensing end of the row. |
| US09390572B2 |
Electronic lock having a mobile device user interface
An electronic lock having one or more lock settings that can be updated using a mobile device. The mobile device includes an app that provides a user interface through which one or more lock settings of the electronic lock can be selected and modified. When the user has made the desired selections to the lock settings on the mobile device, the mobile device wirelessly transmits these settings to the electronic lock. The electronic lock is configured to update its lock settings based on the wireless communication from the mobile device. |
| US09390571B1 |
Chair with storage and charging capabilities
A chair with storage and/or charging capabilities is provided. In accordance with some embodiments of the disclosed subject matter, the chair comprises: a chair base portion having a space that has been formed in the chair base portion; a chair back portion connected to the chair base portion; one or more arms that extend between the chair base portion and the chair back portion; an adjustable solar panel comprising one or more solar modules that is rotatably connected to an end of the chair back portion by a hinge joint; a safe positioned within the space formed in the chair base portion; and one or more electrical connectors connecting the one or more solar modules to the power storage unit, wherein the one or more electrical connectors are routed through at least a portion of the chair back portion and the one or more arms. |
| US09390570B1 |
Virtual touch-control lock
A virtual touch-control lock includes a processing module electrically connected to a latch device. A storage module, at least one image pick up device, and an input platform including a transparent or non-transparent non-touch-control screen are electrically connected to the processing module. The input platform is configured to permit a user to proceed with handwriting on the input platform and/or touching the input platform. The at least one image pick up device picks up a handwriting trace of the handwriting and/or the touching sequence. The handwriting trace and/or the touching sequence is transmitted to the processing module and is compared with authorized door-opening identification information stored in the storage module. The identification result is used to control movement of a latch of the latch device from the latching position to the unlatching position or to permit the latch to move from the latching position to the unlatching position. |
| US09390566B2 |
Apparatus, method and article for providing vehicle event data
Detected events such as impacts, accidents, breakdowns, and types of driving behaviors based on feedback from tilt, gravity, accelerometers and/or shock sensors within a portable electrical power storage device such as a battery and/or within a vehicle (e.g., an electric scooter) are communicated to the user's mobile device, dashboard display and/or backend systems over wired and/or wireless communication channels. The communication of the events and types of events are logged and automatically aggregated from multiple vehicles for further analysis to determine various potential system-wide safety issues and to track event history on an individual per-user or individual per-scooter basis or individual per-battery basis. Such event data may also be transferred accordingly via the battery exchange process at the online exchange machine through a memory device attached to the battery that stores the event data. |
| US09390563B2 |
Augmented reality device
An augmented reality device may consist of at least a controller, memory, and at least one screen. The augmented reality device can be configured to display an augmented reality digital content via the at least one screen with the augmented reality digital content positioned at a physical location and displayed only when a user is oriented towards the physical location. |
| US09390561B2 |
Personal holographic billboard
Methods for generating and displaying personalized virtual billboards within an augmented reality environment are described. The personalized virtual billboards may facilitate the sharing of personalized information between persons within an environment who have varying degrees of acquaintance (e.g., ranging from close familial relationships to strangers). In some embodiments, a head-mounted display device (HMD) may detect a mobile device associated with a particular person within an environment, acquire a personalized information set corresponding with the particular person, generate a virtual billboard based on the personalized information set, and display the virtual billboard on the HMD. The personalized information set may include information associated with the particular person such as shopping lists and classified advertisements. The HMD may share personalized information associated with an end user of the HMD with the mobile device based on whether the particular person is a friend or unknown to the end user. |
| US09390560B2 |
Method and device for illustrating a virtual object in a real environment
The invention relates to a method for representing a virtual object in a real environment, having the following steps: generating a two-dimensional representation of a real environment by means of a recording device, ascertaining a position of the recording device relative to at least one component of the real environment, segmenting at least one area of the real environment in the two-dimensional image on the basis of non-manually generated 3D information for identifying at least one segment of the real environment in distinction to a remaining part of the real environment while supplying corresponding segmentation data, and merging the two-dimensional image of the real environment with the virtual object or, by means of an optical, semitransparent element, directly with reality with consideration of the segmentation data. The invention permits any collisions of virtual objects with real objects that occur upon merging with a real environment to be represented in a way largely close to reality. |
| US09390557B2 |
Floating volume-of-interest in multilayer volume ray casting
A method that includes receiving vertices of a mesh, wherein the mesh represents a volume of interest (VOI) from an original volume, performing a transformation operation on the mesh, wherein the transformation operation transforms vertices of the mesh, obtaining sampling locations of the original volume using the transformed vertices, performing an inverse transformation on the transformed vertices of the mesh and the sampling locations, and performing a ray casting on the original volume to produce an image, wherein the ray casting uses the transformed vertices and a result of the inverse transformation as input. |
| US09390544B2 |
3D navigation methods using nonphotorealistic (NPR) 3D maps
A method of displaying a navigation map includes automatically determining a location of a vehicle. Three-dimensional or 2D data associated with buildings surrounding the vehicle is identified. A nonphotorealistic image of 3D objects around the vehicle is rendered based on the data. The nonphotorealistic image is electronically displayed to a user. |
| US09390542B2 |
Dynamic subroutine linkage optimizing shader performance
Allocation of memory registers for shaders by a processor is described herein. For each shader, registers are allocated based on the shader's level of complexity. Simpler shader instances are restricted to a smaller number of memory registers. More complex shader instances are allotted more registers. To do so, developers' high level shading level (HLSL) language includes template classes of shaders that can later be replaced by complex or simple versions of the shader. The HLSL is converted to bytecode that can be used to rasterize pixels on a computing device. |
| US09390534B2 |
Computer system and assembly animation generation method
Provided is a technology for automatically generating a camera pose enabling the viewing of an operation of an object component in a work instruction animation. A primary inertia axis of an assembled item is calculated from inertia tensor information of a plurality of components constituting the assembled item. Adjacency relationship information indicating an adjacency relationship between the plurality of components is acquired. Based on the adjacency relationship information of the plurality of components, an assembly sequence and an assembly motion vector indicating an assembled direction of the plurality of components are generated such that each of the plurality of components does not interfere with a proximate component. Further, a plurality of camera eye sights each having a camera axis about the primary inertia axis and providing an operator's vision candidate during the generation of the assembly animation is arranged. |
| US09390527B2 |
Using cinematic technique taxonomies to present data
The present invention extends to methods, systems, and computer program products for using cinematic technique taxonomies to present data. Embodiments of the invention can be used to infer and identify cinematic techniques or combinations thereof based on a model and user action. Cinematic techniques can be used to meet the data exploration and analysis requirements of a user. As such, embodiments of the invention permit users (including non-programmers) to employ cinematic techniques from a cinematic technique hierarchy (possibly in combination with other techniques) to gain insights into their data and also convey appropriate emotional messages. |
| US09390519B2 |
Depth cursor and depth management in images
One or more systems, devices, and/or methods for illustrating depth are disclosed. For example, a method includes receiving a depthmap generated from an optical distancing system. The depthmap includes depth data for each of a plurality of points, which are correlated to pixels of an image. Data indicative of a location on the image is received. Depth data correlated with the first point is compared to depth data correlated with pixels at surrounding points in the image. If the depth data correlated with the first point indicate a lesser distance from a viewer perspective of the image than the depth data of a pixel at the surrounding points in the image, the pixel is changed to a predetermined value. The comparison may be repeated at other pixels and a depth illustration may be drawn that relates the depth of the received location to other objects in the image. |
| US09390517B2 |
System for image analysis and method thereof
A system for image analysis and a method thereof are disclosed. In one embodiment, the system includes a detector configured to receive an image of a sample, isolate particles from a background image of the sample image and detect positions of the isolated particles and a first operator configured to calculate a static degree of randomness values of the particles using Lennard-Jones potentials based on the detected positions. The system may further include a second operator configured to obtain a dynamic degree of randomness values of particles based at least in part on the sum of tensile forces between particles by implicit integration added until the particles reach a dynamic equilibrium, and calculate a positional degree of randomness of particles based at least in part on subtraction of the dynamic degree of randomness values from the static degree of randomness values. |
| US09390515B2 |
Keyframe selection for robust video-based structure from motion
An initialization technique is described for determining and reconstructing a set of initial keyframes covering a portion of an image sequence according to point trajectories that may, for example, be used in an adaptive reconstruction algorithm implemented by a structure from motion (SFM) technique. A goal of the initialization technique is to compute an initial reconstruction from a subset of frames in the image sequence. Two initial keyframes are selected from a set of temporally spaced keyframe candidates, the two initial keyframes are reconstructed, and then one or more additional keyframes between the two initial keyframes are selected and reconstructed. Output of the initialization technique is a set of initial keyframes and the initial reconstruction. |
| US09390513B2 |
Simultaneous metadata extraction of moving objects
In some examples, a main computing device may be configured to segment the video stream into multiple video clips processing a video stream that includes multiple frames. Further, the main computing device may be configured to distribute the video clips to multiple computing nodes to extract the metadata of moving objects in the video clips. The extracted metadata of a same moving object that appears in different video clips may be further merged together by the main computing device. |
| US09390512B2 |
Picture encoding method and picture decoding method
A picture encoding method of the present invention is a picture encoding method of predictively encoding an input picture with reference to pictures stored in a picture buffer, decoding the encoded input picture, judging whether or not the decoded picture is a picture for reference and whether or not the decoded picture is a picture for output which needs to be stored until its display time, and storing, in the picture buffer, the picture for reference and the picture for output based on the determination result. |
| US09390508B2 |
Method, apparatus and computer program product for disparity map estimation of stereo images
In an example embodiment a method, apparatus and computer program product are provided. The method includes facilitating receipt of a first and a second image. A first and a second aggregated cost volume associated with pixels of the first and the second images are determined for a plurality of disparity values. A first and a second disparity maps are generated based on the first and the second aggregated cost volume. A confidence map for disparity values of the first image is generated based on the first aggregated cost volume. One or more infinity regions in the first image are determined based on a number of confident pixels in color segments of the first image. A third disparity map is generated by determining filtered disparity values for the pixels of the first image where filtered disparity values for pixels of the one or more infinity regions are a pre-defined disparity value. |
| US09390505B2 |
Method and apparatus for generating plenoptic depth maps
Described is systems and methods for determining the depth of pixels captured in a plenoptic image. The systems and methods may provide a plurality of views of each pixel location in the plenoptic image. One way of providing the plurality of views is to obtaining pixel intensities from the views for each pixel location in the plenoptic image. A variance can then be calculated of the distribution of pixel intensities for each pixel position. If the variance is below a predetermined threshold, the systems may mask out at least one depth plane and then recalculate the variance in the distribution of pixel intensities to determine if the variance is below the threshold. |
| US09390502B2 |
Positioning anatomical landmarks in volume data sets
Certain embodiments provide a computer apparatus operable to carry out a data processing method to position a set of anatomical landmarks in a three-dimensional image data set of a part or all of a patient, comprising: providing a trained supervised machine learning algorithm which has been trained to place each of the set of anatomical landmarks; applying the supervised machine learning algorithm to place the set of anatomical landmarks relative to the data set; providing a trained point distribution model, including a mean shape and a covariance matrix, wherein the mean shape represents locations of the set of landmarks in a variety of patients; and applying the point distribution model to the set of landmarks with the locations output from the supervised machine learning algorithm by: removing any landmarks whose locations have an uncertainty above a threshold with reference to the mean shape and covariance matrix; followed by: an optimization of the locations of the remaining landmarks by maximizing joint likelihood that a new shape, derived from linear combinations of eigenvectors of the covariance matrix, is plausible. |
| US09390497B2 |
Medical image processing apparatus, method and program
A three-dimensional image is obtained, and a relative degree of interest is set at each of plural positions on a path connecting the plural positions in the three-dimensional image. A discrimination condition for identifying, based on the set degree or degrees of interest, a virtual endoscopic image or images to be generated from the three-dimensional image is obtained, and only the virtual endoscopic image or images identified based on the discrimination condition are generated based on the three-dimensional image. |
| US09390495B2 |
Apparatus and method of displaying ultrasound image
A method of displaying an ultrasound image, the method including: transmitting an ultrasonic signal to an object and obtaining vector Doppler data of a tissue included in the object based on a response signal that is reflected from the object; extracting a velocity magnitude of the tissue from the vector Doppler data of the tissue; and mapping the velocity magnitude of the tissue to a color scale and displaying a mapping result. |
| US09390491B2 |
System and method for automatic quality control for assembly line processes
A system and method is disclosed for a quality control and/or inspection procedure for assembly line processes. The disclosed system and method enable automatic optical inspection of a device during different stages of manufacture as well as in its finished form. The disclosed system and method enable the automatic quality control process to be self-learning, dynamic, and to identify and classify defects in real time. |
| US09390490B2 |
Method and device for testing defect using SEM
In performing a programmed-point inspection of a circuit pattern using a review SEM, stable inspection can be performed while suppressing the generation of a false report even when a variation in a circuit pattern to be inspected is large. SEM images that are obtained by sequentially imaging a predetermined circuit pattern using the review SEM are stored into a storage unit. Images that meet a set condition are selected from the stored SEM images, and averaged to create an average image (GP image). By performing pattern check by GP comparison using this GP image, an inspection can be performed while suppressing the generation of a false report even when a variation in the circuit patterns is large. |
| US09390484B2 |
Methods and apparatus for tone mapping high dynamic range images
Methods, apparatus, and computer-readable storage media for tone mapping High Dynamic Range (HDR) images. An input HDR image is separated into luminance and color. Luminance is processed to obtain a base layer and a detail layer. The base layer is compressed according to a non-linear remapping function to reduce the dynamic range, and the detail layer is adjusted. The layers are combined to generate output luminance, and the output luminance and color are combined to generate an output image. A base layer compression technique may be used that analyzes the details and compresses the base layer accordingly to provide space at the top of the intensity scale where the details are displayed to thus generate output images that are visually better than images generated using conventional techniques. User interface elements may be provided via which a user may control one or more parameters of the tone mapping method. |
| US09390481B2 |
Enhancing content appearance
Implementations generally relate to enhancing content appearance. In some implementations, a method includes receiving an image, selecting a reference object in the image. The method also includes determining one or more image parameter adjustments based on the selected reference object, and applying the one or more image parameter adjustments to the entire image. |
| US09390476B2 |
Magnetic resonance imaging method and device achieving water/fat separation
In a magnetic resonance imaging method and apparatus for water/fat separation, a turbo spin echo BLADE (TSE BLADE) artifact correction sequence is executed to acquire original data for an in-phase image and original data for an opposite-phase image, and an in-phase image on the basis of the original data for the in-phase image and an opposite-phase image on the basis of the original data for the in-phase image and the original data for the opposite-phase image are reconstructed. Water and fat images are calculated on the basis of the reconstructed in-phase image and opposite-phase image. By using a TSE BLADE sequence to acquire k-space data, the advantage of the BLADE sequence of being insensitive to rigid body motion and pulsation is inherently present, thereby reducing sensitivity to motion artifacts while improving the image signal-to-noise ratio. |
| US09390473B2 |
Displaying applications on a fixed orientation display
A method and system displaying the output from an application on a fixed orientation display is disclosed. The method is performed at an application stored on an electronic device. The application sends a request to display output from the application in a second orientation with second dimensions. The application receives from the electronic device a notification that a display associated with the electronic device is a fixed orientation display with a first orientation and first dimensions and a notification that the requested second orientation and second dimensions are different from the first orientation. The application then determines optimal dimensions to display the output from the application based on the first orientation and first dimensions associated with the fixed display. The application then scales output data to match the determined optimal dimensions. The application then sends the scaled output data to the device for display on the fixed display. |
| US09390471B1 |
Device and method for image scaling
An image processing circuit includes a scaling processing section having interpolation coefficient inputs, an interpolation coefficient rearrangement section and an interpolation coefficient feeding section. The interpolation coefficient feeding section feeds first interpolation coefficients to the interpolation coefficient rearrangement section. The interpolation coefficient rearrangement section is configured to feed interpolation coefficients selected from the first interpolation coefficients and second interpolation coefficients obtained by subtracting the first interpolation coefficients from a predetermined value, respectively, to the respective interpolation coefficient inputs of the scaling processing section in response to coordinates of a target pixel of the output image. The scaling processing section is configured to generate pixel data of the target pixel of the output image by performing interpolation on the pixel data of pixels of the input image, using the interpolation coefficients fed to the interpolation coefficient inputs from the interpolation coefficient rearrangement section. |
| US09390469B2 |
System and process for image rescaling using adaptive interpolation kernal with sharpness and de-ringing control
A digital video rescaling system is provided. The system includes an image data input configured to receive input support pixels y1 to yn and a sharpness control module configured to generate a sharpness control parameter Kshp. The system further includes an interpolated pixel generator configured to use an adaptive interpolation kernel to generate an interpolated pixel ys based on the input support pixels, and adjust a sharpness of the interpolated pixel ys based at least partly upon the sharpness control parameter Kshp. The system also includes a de-ringing control unit to adjust the ringing effect of the interpolated pixel based on a local image feature Kfreq, and an output module configured to output the adjusted interpolated pixel for display. |
| US09390468B1 |
Imaging systems and methods for generating image data
An imaging system having a first laser emitting a light beam to illuminate the object is provided. The system includes first and second beam splitters. The first beam splitter combines a first light beam portion and a third light beam portion emitted from a second laser to form a first interference pattern. The second beam splitter combines a second light beam portion and a fourth light beam portion to form a second interference pattern. The system includes digital cameras generating raw image data based on the first and second interference patterns, and a computer processing the raw image data to obtain synthetic image plane data. |
| US09390466B2 |
Image processing apparatus and method, image capturing apparatus and program
The present invention relates to an image processing apparatus and method, an image capturing apparatus, and a program which make it possible to crop an image with an optimal composition even for a subject other than a person.A composition pattern setting section 33 sets a composition pattern corresponding to an input image, on the basis of the number of salient regions to which attention is directed in the input image, and the scene of the input image. On the basis of the composition pattern set by the composition pattern setting section 33, a composition analyzing section 34 determines a crop region in the input image which is optimal for an image to be cropped in the composition pattern from the input image. The present invention is applicable to, for example, an image processing apparatus that adjusts the composition of a captured image. |
| US09390465B2 |
Image resizing method, image transmission method, and electronic device
An image resizing method including obtaining an original image including a peripheral region and a core region, the core region including a target image; obtaining a resized image including the entire core region and part of the peripheral region, the image being resized according to a priority; and displaying the resized image. |
| US09390462B2 |
Memory mapping for a graphics processing unit
An electronic device is described herein. The electronic device may include a page walker module to receive a page request of a graphics processing unit (GPU). The page walker module may detect a page fault associated with the page request. The electronic device may include a controller, at least partially comprising hardware logic. The controller is to monitor execution of the page request having the page fault. The controller determines whether to suspend execution of a work item at the GPU associated with the page request having the page fault, or to continue execution of the work item based on factors associated with the page request. |
| US09390461B1 |
Graphics hardware mode controls
In one embodiment, a system controls a duty cycle of a processor (e.g. a graphics processing unit (GPU)) to manage power. The GPU may include a snoop indicator that may control whether or not the GPU captures and/or responds to communications from another processor (e.g. a central processing unit (CPU) that executes a driver associate with the GPU). A snooze indicator may control whether or not the GPU is automatically repowered at the start of the next frame, or is repowered only if the communication indicating additional work has been received. In an embodiment, the GPU mode controls discussed above may permit the GPU firmware executed with the GPU itself to control duty cycle power down, independent of the driver executing on the CPU. |
| US09390458B2 |
Network for health management and mobile device controlled access
A system comprises a database configured to be coupled to a public wide area network. One or more non-invasive physiological test machines are also configured to be coupled to the public wide area network and are registered at the database for performing one or more non-invasive physiological tests for authorized users. A plurality of electronic readers and/or scanners are each associated with at least one of the physiological test machines for controlling use thereof and for reading machine readable codes presented to the electronic reader/scanner. The machine readable code has associated therewith a number of remaining authorized uses, an authorized time period, and an identification code associated with an authorized user. Records of the non-invasive physiological test results are stored in the database according to the identification code, wherein the machine readable code, the identification code, and the data representative of the non-invasive physiological test results do not carry information representative of the identity of the authorized user. |
| US09390457B2 |
Devices and methods for competency training and use authorization for dispensing an agent
Devices and methods for competency training and use authorization for dispensing an agent are described, which include: an agent-dispensing device including a reservoir configured to store agents, a controllable agent-dispensing mechanism in communication with the reservoir, a locking mechanism coupled to the controllable agent-dispensing mechanism, a microprocessor including circuitry, use sensors to monitor at least one operational step for use of the agent-dispensing device, training circuitry configured to train the user and to assign a value for each of the monitored at least one operational step for use of the agent-dispensing device, verification circuitry configured to determine if the assigned value for each of the monitored at least one operational step for use of the agent-dispensing device meets or exceeds a pre-defined performance threshold, and activation circuitry responsive to the verification circuitry and configured to deactivate the locking mechanism to allow dispensing of agents if the assigned value meets or exceeds the pre-defined performance threshold. |
| US09390451B1 |
Insurance system related to a vehicle-to-vehicle communication system
System and methods are disclosed for determining, through vehicle-to-vehicle communication, whether vehicles are involved in autonomous droning. Vehicle driving data and other information may be used to calculate a autonomous droning reward amount. In addition, vehicle involved in a drafting relationship in addition to, or apart from, an autonomous droning relationship may be financially rewarded. Moreover, aspects of the disclosure related to determining ruminative rewards and/or aspects of vehicle insurance procurement/underwriting. |
| US09390442B2 |
Capturing of unique identifier in M-commerce transaction
In obtaining data for a financial transaction between a mobile device and a merchant device, the merchant device: receives data obtained from the mobile device during the financial transaction between the mobile device and the merchant device, where the data comprising a unique identifier from a mobile device user; associates the data with a record of the financial transaction; stores the record of the financial transaction with the associated data; and sends a copy of the stored record with the associated data from the merchant device to the mobile device. The merchant device may determine that the unique identifier is required from the mobile device user to complete the financial transaction and sends the request for the unique identifier to the mobile device. Both the mobile and merchant devices may be NFC-enabled devices. |
| US09390440B2 |
Activation of digital products on mobile electronic devices
Systems, methods and apparatus for distribution of digital products to portable electronic devices are disclosed. Digital products, such as digital assets or digital gifts, can be a purchased from a centralized location and associated with particular ones of the portable electronic devices. In one embodiment, the digital product is a digital asset (e.g., digital media asset) that is pre-stored to a portable electronic device, and after the digital asset is purchased, the digital asset can be activated on the portable electronic device. In another embodiment, the digital product is a digital gift that can be associated with a portable electronic device or a user account for a user of the portable electronic device. Optionally, a personalized message can be provided and associated with a portable electronic device. |
| US09390439B2 |
Invoice amount calculation method, invoice amount calculation device, and printer invoicing system
A manufacturer server 110 that determines a first invoice amount or calculates a second invoice amount for an inkjet printer has a billing status acquisition unit 342 that acquires billing status information including actual print volume PV. An actual print volume calculation unit 343 determines (i) if PV is less than or equal to a specific volume V1, in which case the first invoice amount, which is a fixed amount, is determined, and (ii) if PV exceeds V1, in which case the second invoice amount is calculated. An invoice amount calculation unit 344 determines or calculates the first or second invoice amount. |
| US09390438B2 |
Systems and methods for capturing and reporting metrics regarding user engagement including a canvas model
Systems and methods for capturing user engagements with Ad content included in a webpage. An example method renders a webpage having an Ad unit within a browser on a display of a user's computer. Then, a cursor event for an Ad unit included in the rendered webpage is recorded based on cursor position relative to an area on the webpage associated with the Ad unit and the recorded cursor event is transmitted to a server via a network for reporting to interested parties. The cursor event includes an initial cursor entry event, any click actions or any hover actions, and all related timings of such events. The recordation of a cursor event is further based on location information associated with the browser within the display, the webpage within the browser and the ad area within the webpage. |
| US09390434B2 |
Systems and methods for searching cloud-based databases
Systems and methods for searching cloud-based databases are provided herein. A service provider may have a need to make their database(s) searchable through search technology. However, the service provider may not have the resources to implement such search technology. The search technology may allow for search queries against these cloud-based databases. The technology described herein provides a solution addressing the service provider's need, by giving a search technology that furnishes search results in a fast, accurate manner. In further embodiments, systems and methods to monetize those search results are also described herein. |
| US09390433B2 |
System and method for hyper local advertisements in a mobile communication network
Systems and methods are provided to transmit advertisements to users of mobile communications networks based, at least in part, on such users' real-time geospatial location and known interests. Advertisers transmit advertisements, such as directory listings, coupons, offers and promotions to a mobile advertising service. Each advertisement is associated with at least one geospatial location and at least one category. Users of mobile communication networks submit queries, via their mobile devices, to the mobile adverting service for advertisements relevant to the users' current geospatial location and interests. Advertisements meeting query criteria are selected and transmitted to the users' mobile devices. |
| US09390428B2 |
Systems, methods, and apparatuses for rendering scored opportunities using a predictive query interface
Disclosed herein are systems and methods for rendering scored opportunities using a predictive query interface including means for receiving input from a user device specifying a dataset of sales data for a customer organization, in which the sales data specifies a plurality of sales opportunities; generating indices from rows and columns of the dataset, the indices representing probabilistic relationships between the rows and the columns of the dataset; storing the indices in a queryable database within the host organization; selecting one or more of the plurality of sales opportunities specified within the sales data; querying the indices for a win or lose predictive result for each of the selected one or more sales opportunities; and displaying the win or lose predictive result for each of the selected one or more sales opportunities to the user device as output. Other related embodiments are further disclosed. |
| US09390423B1 |
Methods and systems for verifying advertisements in a multi-platform targeted advertising system
Techniques are generally described that relate to a method and system for verifying the presentment of an advertisement on a multi-platform system that comprises a plurality of telecommunication platforms, each capable of being accessed by a subscriber over a single transmission medium. A monitoring computer presents an advertisement over a first telecommunication platform. The advertisement is targeted to the subscriber. A monitoring computer selects a monitoring criteria based at least in part on the presented advertisement. The subscriber's use of a second telecommunication platform is monitored by the monitoring computer based on the selected monitoring criteria. The monitoring computer reports a subscriber behavior observed on the second telecommunication platform that is commensurate with the selected monitoring criteria. |
| US09390421B1 |
Service representative and remote location document communication
The present disclosure provides apparatus, systems, and methods for service representative and remote location document communication. One or more embodiments include a memory, and a processor configured to execute executable instructions stored in the memory to identify a remote location of a customer, identify a type of device available to be utilized at the remote location, and provide to the device at the remote location instructions for capturing information from a document. |
| US09390419B2 |
Comparing extracted card data using continuous scanning
Comparing extracted card data from a continuous scan comprises receiving, by one or more computing devices, a digital scan of a card; obtaining a plurality of images of the card from the digital scan of the physical card; performing an optical character recognition algorithm on each of the plurality of images; comparing results of the application of the optical character recognition algorithm for each of the plurality of images; determining if a configured threshold of the results for each of the plurality of images match each other; and verifying the results when the results for each of the plurality of images match each other. Threshold confidence level for the extracted card data can be employed to determine the accuracy of the extraction. Data is further extracted from blended images and three-dimensional models of the card. Embossed text and holograms in the images may be used to prevent fraud. |
| US09390416B2 |
Utilizing phrase tokens in transactions
A system and method for facilitating transactions utilizing phrase tokens are provided. Individual entities can be associated with unambiguous transaction phrase tokens, such as multiple word phrases. The transaction phrase tokens are associated with transaction accounts by a service provider such that the entities can complete a transaction without having to exchange transaction account information. In a transaction, a transaction phrase token is offered to an accepting party, which tenders the offered transaction phrase token to the service provider. The service provider processes the offered transaction phrase token according to configuration information specified for the transaction phrase token. The service provider can automatically process the transaction request or request additional information. |
| US09390408B2 |
Method and apparatus for providing gift by using communication network and system including the apparatus
Disclosed herein is a method and apparatus for providing a gift using a communication network and a system including the apparatus. The present invention includes a) providing information about products to a user terminal connected with a gift provision apparatus through the communication network; b) selecting at least one of the products by the user terminal and inputting information of a receipt terminal for receiving the product; c) the user terminal transmitting a message requesting gift provision or a message requesting gift reception for the product to the gift provision apparatus; and d) the gift provision apparatus providing a gift icon corresponding to the product to the receipt terminal when receiving the message requesting gift provision. |
| US09390395B2 |
Methods and apparatus for defining a collaborative workspace
A workspace template is operative to store a collaboration workspace for successive reuse. A template script processor creates a parameterized metadata definition of a workspace. The metadata definition is written as an XML file to a storage repository. A template script processor parses the metadata XML representation to reinstantiate the workspace in the server. The workspace provides services via applications, and includes references to application objects in the applications. The server is operable to retrieve data in the application objects, modify data via the workspace, and store the modified data in the referenced application object. The workspace need not store data, since the server maps the references in the workspace to the respective services. The reused portions may encompass particular expertise gained or residing in the group, thus generally capturing and reusing the best practices of frequently used patterns, such as propagating a knowledge base of corporate practices and procedures. |
| US09390393B2 |
Routing from a mail sorting assembly similarly addressed mail items to different destinations
Apparatus, methods, media and code for routing mail items to different destinations. A driven mail conveyor may receive: a first mail item that includes a paper envelope displaying in an addressee segment an institution name and institution address information, the first mail item including a first part; and a second mail item that includes a paper envelope displaying in the addressee segment the institution name and the institution address information and no other institution address information, the second mail item including a second part. A processor may electronically route, based on a first text string vector of the first part, the first mail item to a first mail item destination in the institution; and, based on a second text string vector of the second part, the second mail item to a second mail item destination in the institution. |
| US09390389B2 |
Electronic device and workflow creating program that ensures complicated operation
An electronic device includes a function accepting unit, an execution condition accepting unit, and a workflow creating unit. The function accepting unit accepts functions. The execution condition accepting unit accepts at least one execution condition of the functions. The workflow creating unit creates a workflow combining a plurality of functions. The workflow creating unit creates the workflow including the functions and the execution condition. The functions are accepted by the function accepting unit. The execution condition is accepted by the execution condition accepting unit. The execution condition accepting unit accepts a continuation condition as at least one of the execution condition, the continuation condition for starting execution of a subsequent function after termination of execution of the function immediately before without selecting the subsequent function. |
| US09390388B2 |
Systems and methods for measuring and verifying energy usage in a building
A computerized method of determining the end of a measurement and verification period of a building management system is provided. The method includes calculating, for a plurality of periods, a target amount of energy savings resulting from energy conservation measures in a building. The method further includes calculating, for a plurality of periods, a least amount of energy savings resulting from energy conservation measures in a building. The method further includes comparing the target amount to the least amount. The method further includes ending the measurement and verification period, before the end of a maximum measurement and verification period, when the least amount is greater than the target amount. The method further includes outputting an indication that the measurement and verification period has ended to at least one of a memory device, a user device, or another device on the building management system. |
| US09390378B2 |
System and method for high accuracy product classification with limited supervision
Systems and methods are disclosed herein for classifying records, such as product records, using a machine learning algorithm. After training a classification model according to a machine learning algorithm using an initial training set, records are classified and high confidence classifications identified. Remaining classifications are submitted to a crowdsourcing forum that validates or invalidates the classifications or marks them as to unclear to evaluate. Invalidated classifications are automatically analyzed to identify one or both of classification values and categories having a high proportion of invalidated classifications. Requests are transmitted to analysts to generate training data that is added to the training set. The process of classifying records and obtaining crowdsourced validation thereof may then repeat. |
| US09390377B2 |
Iterative active feature extraction
Techniques for iterative feature extraction using domain knowledge are provided. In one aspect, a method for feature extraction is provided. The method includes the following steps. At least one query to predict at least one future value of a given value series based on a statistical model is received. At least two predictions of the future value are produced fulfilling at least the properties of 1) each being as probable as possible given the statistical model and 2) being mutually divert (in terms of numerical distance measure). A user is queried to select one of the predictions. The user may be queried for textual annotations for the predictions. The annotations may be used to identify additional covariates to create an extended set of covariates. The extended set of covariates may be used to improve the accuracy of the statistical model. |
| US09390376B2 |
Distributed machine learning intelligence development systems
A system, method, and computer-readable instructions for a distributed machine learning system are provided. A plurality of distributed learning environments are in communication over a network, wherein each environment has a computing device having a memory and a processor coupled to the memory, the processor adapted implement a learning environment via one or more agents in a rules-based system, wherein the agents learn to perform tasks in their respective learning environment; and a persistent storage in which knowledge comprising a plurality of rules developed by the agents for performing the tasks are stored, wherein the knowledge is tagged and shared with other agents throughout the plurality of distributed learning environments. |
| US09390375B2 |
Reuse of on-demand enterprise system customization knowledge utilizing collective experience
Systems and methods allow sharing and reuse of acquired customization knowledge of enterprise systems, utilizing collective customization experience. Particular embodiments employ Case-Based Reasoning (CBR) principles to manage customization experience in the context of both Software as a Service (SaaS) and Platform as a Service (PaaS) environments. Collective customization knowledge may be explicitly retrieved, adapted, shared, reused, and/or traded between tenants, partners, and optionally provider(s), of on-demand enterprise systems. A previous customization case stored within an experience base, may include one or more of the following: information allowing annotation of price information for trading the previous customization case (e.g. to another tenant); information restricting visibility of the previous customization case within the experience base; information defining a rating for the previous customization case within a community; information capturing a reuse frequency of the previous customization case; and/or information rendering anonymous at least a portion of the previous customization case. |
| US09390374B2 |
Adaptive testing for answers in a question and answer system
An approach is provided in which an information handling system analyzes correction information corresponding to an answer generated by a question answer system. The correction information includes a correction to the answer and captured variable information utilized by the question answer system to generate the answer. The information handling system selects input variables based upon the correction analysis and generates a test case that includes the selected input variables and the variable information. In turn, the information handling system tests the question answer system using the generated test case. |
| US09390371B2 |
Deep convex network with joint use of nonlinear random projection, restricted boltzmann machine and batch-based parallelizable optimization
A method is disclosed herein that includes an act of causing a processor to access a deep-structured, layered or hierarchical model, called a deep convex network, retained in a computer-readable medium, wherein the deep-structured model comprises a plurality of layers with weights assigned thereto. This layered model can produce the output serving as the scores to combine with transition probabilities between states in a hidden Markov model and language model scores to form a full speech recognizer. Batch-based, convex optimization is performed to learn a portion of the deep convex network's weights, rendering it appropriate for parallel computation to accomplish the training. The method can further include the act of jointly substantially optimizing the weights, the transition probabilities, and the language model scores of the deep-structured model using the optimization criterion based on a sequence rather than a set of unrelated frames. |
| US09390370B2 |
Training deep neural network acoustic models using distributed hessian-free optimization
A method for training a neural network includes receiving labeled training data at a master node, generating, by the master node, partitioned training data from the labeled training data and a held-out set of the labeled training data, determining a plurality of gradients for the partitioned training data, wherein the determination of the gradients is distributed across a plurality of worker nodes, determining a plurality of curvature matrix-vector products over the plurality of samples of the partitioned training data, wherein the determination of the plurality of curvature matrix-vector products is distributed across the plurality of worker nodes, and determining, by the master node, a second-order optimization of the plurality of gradients and the plurality of curvature matrix-vector products, producing a trained neural network configured to perform a structured classification task using a sequence-discriminative criterion. |
| US09390369B1 |
Multithreaded apparatus and methods for implementing parallel networks
Apparatus and methods for developing parallel networks. In some implementations, a network may be partitioned into multiple partitions, wherein individual portions are being executed by respective threads executed in parallel. Individual portions may comprise multiple neurons and synapses. In order to reduce cross-thread traffic and/or reduce number of synchronization locks, network may be partitioned such that for given network portion, the neurons and the input synapses into neurons within the portion are executed within the same thread. Synapse update rules may be configured to allow memory access for postsynaptic neurons and forbid memory access to presynaptic neurons. Individual threads may be afforded pairs of memory buffers configured to effectuate asynchronous data input/output to/from thread. During an even iteration of network operation, even buffer may be utilized to store data generated by the thread during even iteration. Odd buffer may be utilized to read data, generated by other threads during the preceding odd iteration. |
| US09390365B2 |
Integrated circuit module for a dual-interface smart card
An integrated circuit (IC) module for a dual-interface smart card includes a planar, non-conductive module tape that is plated on its top surface to define a plurality of conductive contact pads. An IC chip is mounted on the bottom surface of the module tape and is electrically connected to each of the contact pads by a wire, the underside of each contact pad being exposed for bonding with the wire by punching a hole through the tape. The IC chip and wires are protected by an encapsulant. A pair of the contact pads, which are not required to transmit signals through direct contact, is designated as antenna contact pads. Accordingly, a hole is punched through the module tape in alignment with each antenna contact pad outside the region of the encapsulant, thereby rendering the underside of the antenna pads available for connection to an antenna by a conductive element. |
| US09390358B1 |
Systems and methods for personalizing QR codes
Systems, methods, and non-transitory computer readable media configured to select a code. An image on which the code is superimposed is selected. A block of the code is associated with a corresponding part of the image. A desired value of opacity of the block of the code is determined based on the corresponding part of the image. A personalized code is generated based on the desired value of opacity of the block of the code. |
| US09390357B2 |
Readable matrix code
A method of generating a readable matrix code image encoding a message based on an input image and a readable matrix coding specification, comprising: calculating function areas readable to comply with a function patterns specification; determining an extent of free cells and derived cells according to a code word specification; calculating decode input values for free cells such that the appearance of the free cells compared to respective areas of the input image complies with a visual perceptual similarity criterion and with the code word specification; and calculating decode input values for derived cells based on the free cells decode input values and in compliance with the code word specification. |
| US09390356B2 |
Method and apparatus to tag metal
A method of tagging an article is disclosed. Data that identifies the article is encoded into at least one stress value. A stress region having a stress that corresponds to the at least one stress value is created in a surface of the article to the tag the article. The at least one stress value is read by a measurement device to read the data and identify the article. |
| US09390349B2 |
Display control of objects on a display
A display control apparatus includes a display and a controller. The display displays a screen on which a target image and a processing image are arranged, the target image representing processing-target data, the processing image being an image for which a process to be performed on the processing-target data has been determined. The controller performs, in a case where an operation for moving the target image toward a position where the processing image is displayed has been received as a touch operation through the screen, control such that the processing image is moved toward a position where the target image is displayed. |
| US09390341B2 |
Electronic device and method for manufacturing the same
According to one embodiment, an electronic device includes processing circuitry. The processing circuitry displays one or more first strokes input by handwriting on a screen, and executes, in response to input of the one or more first strokes, processing for displaying a second stroke group selected from stroke groups which are input candidates searched by using the one or more first strokes on the screen, the stroke groups including the second stroke group and another stroke group, the second stroke group and the another stroke group corresponding to a first character string. A value in any one of a size, a number of coordinates for displaying, and a length of time for inputting, of to the second stroke group is bigger than that of the another stroke group. |
| US09390338B2 |
Biometric matching technology
Biometric matching technology, in which a watch list is managed, multiple images of a potential suspect are accessed, and parallel pre-processing of the multiple images is controlled. Based on the pre-processing, an image of the potential suspect to use in matching against the watch list is determined and the determined image is used to search sorted biometric data included in the watch list. A subset of persons from the watch list is identified based on the search and parallel analysis of the determined image of the potential suspect against detailed biometric data associated with the subset of persons in the watch list is controlled. Based on the parallel analysis, it is determined whether the potential suspect matches a person in the watch list and a result is outputted based on the determination. |
| US09390337B2 |
Alertness level detection apparatus and alertness level detection method
An alertness level detection apparatus, which is equipped to a vehicle and detecting alertness level of a driver, includes a stimulus information acquirer detecting stimulus applied to driver's visual sensation within driver's visual field under a state in which the driver watches in travel direction of the vehicle and acquiring stimulus information related to occurrence time and occurrence position of the stimulus within the driver's visual field, a face image generator generating a face image of the driver, a line-of-sight position detector detecting line-of-sight position of the driver by analyzing the face image, a moving time duration detector detecting moving time duration taken for the driver to move the line of sight to the occurrence position of the stimulus immediately after the occurrence time of the stimulus, and an alertness level determiner determining the alertness level of the driver based on the moving time duration. |
| US09390336B2 |
Image processing device, image processing method
An image processing device includes a processor; and a memory which stores a plurality of instructions that cause the processor to execute, capturing an image including vehicle side information, dividing the image into a plurality of areas, and defining a first divided area image including a center of a side end of the image and a second divided area image not including the center of the side end of the image; smoothing the first divided area image using a first filter, or smoothing the second divided area image using a second filter having a greater coefficient than that of the first filter; extracting a plurality of feature points from the first divided area image or the second divided area image; calculating an optical flow from the plurality of feature points of the first divided area image or the second divided area image. |
| US09390334B2 |
Number of persons measurement device
A person extraction unit extracts a person from an image input into an image input unit. An attribute extraction unit obtains an attribute of the person extracted by the person extraction unit. A motion path creation unit creates a motion path of the person from positional information within the image of the person extracted by the person extraction unit. A measurement reference coordinate setting unit sets a measurement line (a first measurement line to a third measurement line) for the motion path corresponding to the person according to the attribute of the person extracted by the attribute extraction unit. A people number counting unit counts the number of people based on positional relation between the motion path of the person created by the motion path creation unit and the measurement line set within the image. |
| US09390333B2 |
System and method for robust motion detection
Method and system for detecting objects of interest in a camera monitored area are disclosed. Statistical analysis of block feature data, particularly Sobel edge and spatial high frequency responses is used to model the background of the scene and to segregate foreground objects from the background. This technique provides a robust motion detection scheme prone to catching genuine motions and immune against false alarms. |
| US09390332B2 |
Information processing system, information processing method and program
Provided are an information processing system, an information processing method and a program capable of suitably predicting, when tracking a person with a plurality of video cameras, an image of a video camera, in which a moving body that is appearing in a video camera will subsequently appear. The information processing system of the present invention includes an interior view angle person position acquisition unit 110 for identifying a traveling direction of a moving body appearing in an image of a first video camera among a plurality of video cameras, and an appearance probability calculation/sorting unit 150 for predicting, based on the traveling direction of the moving body in the image of the first video camera, one or more second video cameras in which a possibility of the moving body that is appearing in the image of the first video camera subsequently appearing is higher than other video cameras among the plurality of video cameras. |
| US09390320B2 |
Performing hand gesture recognition using 2D image data
Systems and methods may provide for determining a skin tone distribution for a plurality of pixels in a video signal and using the skin tone distribution to conduct one or more blob-based hand gesture determinations with respect to the video signal. In one example, the video signal includes two-dimensional (2D) image data, and the skin tone distribution has an execution time budget that is greater than an execution time budget of the blob-based hand gesture determinations. |
| US09390318B2 |
Position-setup for gesture-based game system
Technologies are generally described for position-setup for gesture-based game. In some examples, a method performed under control of a gesture-based game system includes capturing, by an image capture unit, an image of a first player and an image of a second player, cropping, from the image of the first player and the image of the second player, a first sub-image of at least part of the first player and a second sub-image of at least part of the second player, respectively, determining whether to adjust the first sub-image and the second sub-image, if it is determined to adjust the first sub-image and second sub-image, adjusting the first sub-image and the second sub-image, and merging the first adjusted sub-image and the second adjusted sub-image into an output image. |
| US09390316B2 |
Image selecting device, image selecting method, image pickup apparatus, and computer-readable medium
An image extracting unit and an album setting unit are provided. The image extracting unit sets a predetermined image of a plurality of images as a group photograph and extracts, from the plurality of images, images including each of face images of the group photograph. The album setting unit records image identification information of the extracted images in a predetermined file. |
| US09390314B2 |
Methods and apparatus for determining dimensions of an item using 3-dimensional triangulation
Methods and apparatus are provided for determining the dimensions of an unknown item using multiple images captured by different cameras. The dimensions include the height, length and width of the item. The dimensions are used to reduce the universe of possible candidates that would identify the unknown item. The methods use multiple reference planes and projects elements of the item onto the one or more of the reference planes to determine the coordinates of the elements of the item. Once the coordinates are determined, the dimensions of the items are determined. |
| US09390313B2 |
Image measurement apparatus and image measurment method measuring the cell neclei count
A partial image extracting unit extracts images of a predetermined size and constant magnification from a tissue region. A mask generating unit generates a mask for removing a region not intended for measurement from the tissue region for each extracted image. A complete mask generating unit generates a temporary complete mask in which the masks generated for each of the images are integrated together, and generates a complete mask in which close portions among unmasked portions in the temporary complete mask are unified into one or more target regions. A measuring unit measures information pertaining to an object to be measured included in the image, and this information is measured for each of the images extracted by the partial image extracting unit. A region information calculating unit calculates, for each target region, information pertaining to the object to be measured from the measured information and from the complete mask. |
| US09390312B2 |
Systems, methods, and devices for assessing microbiota of skin
Devices, systems, and methods for assessing microbiota of skin are described which include: a skin-covering material with an inner surface conforming in shape to a topography of a skin surface and including a microbe-capture region; an image-capture device to capture a least one image of the inner surface of the skin-covering material and to transform the captured at least one image into a digital output including information associated with at least one property and a spatial distribution of at least one type of microbe bound to the microbe-capture region; and a computing device including circuitry configured to receive the digital output from the image-capture device, compare the at least one property of the at least one type of microbe with a database of reference microbe properties, and generate a digital profile including the at least one property and the spatial distribution of the at least one type of microbe bound to the microbe-capture region of the skin-covering material. |
| US09390310B2 |
Striped pattern image examination support device, striped pattern image examination support method and program
Provided are a striped pattern image examination support device, method, and program. The device includes: image transformation element for transforming at least one of two striped pattern images so as to cause coordinates of charting points, which are points that correspond across the two striped pattern images, to match in a plurality of pairs of the charting points which are included in the two striped pattern images; intersecting point extraction element for calculating coordinates of intersecting points of stripes in the striped pattern images and line segments each of which connects two of the charting points in the striped pattern images; charting diagram display element for displaying the two striped pattern images after transformation by the image transformation element, and displaying figures representing charting points at positions corresponding to coordinates after the transformations of each of the charting points on the two striped pattern images. |
| US09390306B2 |
Finger biometric sensor including circuitry for acquiring finger biometric data based upon finger stability and related methods
A finger biometric sensor may include an array of finger biometric sensing pixels and processing circuitry coupled to the array of finger biometric sensing pixels. The processing circuitry may be capable of acquiring finger stability biometric data from a subset of the array, and determining whether a finger is stable relative to the array of finger biometric sensing pixels based upon the finger stability biometric data. The processing circuitry may also be capable of acquiring finger biometric data from the array of finger biometric sensing pixels when the finger is stable. |
| US09390305B2 |
Codeless QR code
A service provider receives, from a user, picture information captured by a user device from a picture mark associated with a product or service of a merchant. It determines a matching picture image by comparing the picture information with picture images in a server, previously registered by the merchant. It also determines, out of attributes previously registered by the merchant, a matching attribute set uniquely associated with the matching picture image. The attributes may be web links, mobile APPs, or any media files that the merchant desires to communicate to users about its products or services. The service provider then communicates to the user the matching attribute set to be loaded on the user device and direct the user to the web links, mobile APPs, or media files that the merchant predetermined. |
| US09390303B2 |
Synchronization of radio frequency identification readers using infrared pulse
A system and method system for synchronizing Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) readers includes a plurality of RFID readers disposed within an environment. Each RFID reader includes an infrared emitter and an infrared detector. A master controller also includes a master infrared emitter and is operable to emit a master infrared flash from the master infrared emitter for synchronizing the plurality of RFID readers. Any of the RFID readers, upon detecting an infrared flash with their associated infrared detector, is operable to synchronize their dwell timing with the detected infrared flash and emit their own infrared flash from their associated infrared emitter, so as to propagate infrared flashes to all the RFID readers within the environment. |
| US09390297B2 |
Wireless card reader with contactless and contact card interfaces
Methods, systems, and apparatus, for a payment card reader comprising: a frame, where the frame includes a top surface, a bottom surface, a first side surface, and a second side surface, a second side surface of the side surfaces on an opposite side of the frame from the first side surface, the first side surface including a groove configured to receive a swipe of a magnetic stripe card, the second side surface including a slot configured to receive insertion of a chip card; a magnetic stripe reader interface; a chip card reader interface; circuitry configured to direct signals from the magnetic stripe reader interface and the chip card reader interface to a microcontroller in the card reader; and circuitry configured to communicate wirelessly between the card reader and a computing device. |
| US09390290B1 |
Applying group policies
Information corresponding to a set of signatures is maintained, and for each signature in the set, an associated group policy of a network is maintained. A message from a device on the network is intercepted, and the message includes a header. At least a portion of the header matches a signature in the set of signatures. Responsive to determining that the portion of the header matches the signature, the matched signature's associated group policy of the network is applied to the device on the network. |
| US09390288B2 |
Method and system for validating a virtual asset
Virtual asset creation data used to create a virtual asset is generated through a virtual asset creation system that includes primary virtual asset data. Secondary authentication data is also generated. When the virtual asset is launched, the secondary authentication data is passed to the virtual asset from the virtual asset creation system. The primary virtual asset data and secondary authentication data from the virtual asset creation system and the virtual asset, and/or one or more other sources associated with the virtual asset, are then sent to a virtual asset validation system through different communication channels. If the primary virtual asset data and secondary authentication data from the two sources match, or have a defined threshold level of similarity, the status of the virtual asset is transformed to the status of validated virtual asset eligible to receive sensitive data. |
| US09390287B2 |
Secure data scanning method and system
A method of scanning secure data in a data store is performed in a manner that does not expose the scan data, the files being searched, or information about when matches occur between the scan data and the files. During the scan process, encrypted versions of searched files are compared to encrypted versions of match strings, and any resulting match data is encrypted before being written into a results file. In addition, to disguise when match entries are written, during the scan one or more encrypted dummy items are written into the results file. |
| US09390285B1 |
Identifying inconsistent security policies in a computer cluster
Methods, systems, and apparatus, including computer programs encoded on computer storage media, for identifying inconsistent security policies. One of the methods includes identifying running software components on a cluster of computers, a first subset of the components managing datasets, a second subset of the components managing other components; identifying entity pairs, each being either: (1) (i) a component paired with (ii) a dataset, or (2) two components paired with each other; determining, for each entity pair, a directed relationship from a first to a second entity, where the first entity is a component, and where the directed relationship represents the first entity executing a type of interaction with the second entity; identifying security policies affecting each entity that each limit user access to a type of interaction; and analyzing, for each entity, entity pairs including the entity and one or more security policies affecting the entity to identify inconsistent security policies. |
| US09390284B1 |
Method for secure and private computer file
A method to guard the integrity of information after transferred over Internet and stored on to other computing devices. The method takes a target computer file that requires the protection then adds and/or binds security and privacy protection parameters through a file transfer process which converts the computer file to a self-manageable secured private executable file. |
| US09390276B2 |
Flexible role based authorization model
Systems and methods described herein relate to role-based authorization systems which allow customization of role templates as well as the ability, using roles, for one user to act on behalf of another user. |
| US09390272B2 |
Systems and methods for monitoring and mitigating information leaks
Systems and methods are disclosed for determining whether a third party observer could determine that an organization has an intent with respect to subject matter based on the organization's web activity. The determination that there is a risk of information leaks to the third party observer can be completed by analyzing the entropy of web usage information destined for the third party observer's servers. Systems and methods are also disclosed for mitigating the risk of information leaks by obscuring the organization's web activity. The web activity can be obscured by selecting candidate actions that can be used to generate neutralizing web traffic from the organization's network which will obscure an intent with respect to a particular subject matter. For example, the candidate actions can identify specific queries, links, or actions that the organization can take to neutralize their web activity to a less remarkable point in the search space. |
| US09390268B1 |
Software program identification based on program behavior
Operations performed by a software application instance executed by a computing device are monitored. A determination is made that a particular operation performed matches an application signature representing a particular software application. In response, a match score is added to a total score for the software application. In response to determining that the total score is greater than or equal to a threshold, the software is classified. |
| US09390267B2 |
Systems and methods involving features of hardware virtualization, hypervisor, pages of interest, and/or other features
Systems, methods, computer readable media and articles of manufacture consistent with innovations herein are directed to computer virtualization, computer security and/or memory access. According to some illustrative implementations, innovations herein may utilize and/or involve a separation kernel hypervisor which may include the use of a guest operating system virtual machine protection domain, a virtualization assistance layer, and/or a detection mechanism (which may be proximate in temporal and/or spatial locality to malicious code, but isolated from it), inter alia, for detection and/or notification of, and action by a monitoring guest upon access by a monitored guest to predetermined physical memory locations. |
| US09390265B2 |
Anomalous system state identification
A real-time method and data processing apparatus for identifying an anomalous state of a system are described. The system includes a sensor outputting time series data items relating to a property of the system. A current data item is received from the sensor. An estimate of a current data density for the time series data items is recursively estimated using the current data item. At least one statistical property of the estimate of the current data density is recursively calculated. It is determined, from the at least one statistical property, whether the current data item indicates an anomalous state of the system. A signal is output if it is determined that the current data item indicates an anomalous state of the system. |
| US09390259B2 |
Method for activating an operating system in a security module
A method for activating an operating system in a security module, wherein the security module is operational either by means of a first operating system or by means of a second operating system. The method comprises the steps of: operating the security module by means of the first operating system and shifting the security module from the first operating system to the second operating system. A primary application incorporated in the security module accesses the respective operating system by means of an operating-system interface. The above concept are incorporated in a security module and employment of a security module in an end device. |
| US09390257B2 |
Detection of unexpected server operation through physical attribute monitoring
Technologies are generally presented for identifying inconsistent usage of computing devices in a multiple computing device environment. When software or hardware are compromised or faulty, the results of self-monitoring may be unreliable for determining inconsistent usage arising from a security breach, a hardware fault, or a software error. Computing devices may be independently monitored for physical attributes, such as temperature, vibration, emitted noise, etc., and such attributes may be compared to expected values based on computing load, network load, or the like. When the monitored and expected physical attribute values differ or conflict, possible inconsistent usage may be identified so that appropriate measures may be taken to rectify the situation. |
| US09390252B2 |
Mechanism for associating analog input device gesture with password for account access
A method for associating an analog input device gesture with an account for account access includes creating a user identifier for an account, creating a password for the account, generating the analog input device gesture, and associating the analog input device gesture with the account. |
| US09390249B2 |
System and method for improving security of user account access
A system and method for providing access to a user account is provided, and in particular for improving the security to a user when entering access details, for example when logging on to Internet sites, networks, software and web applications. On one form, there is a system for providing access to a user account via an electronic device having a visual display screen, including communication means for issuing at least one security identifier to the user, said security identifier including one or more characters chosen from a predetermined character set; a database for storing said at least one security identifier and said predetermined character set; a processor for providing an access interface on said visual display screen for said user to input said security identifier, wherein said access interface includes a graphical display character set which includes at least the characters comprising the security identifier; and for comparing said security identifier entered by said user on the graphical display character set to the security identifier stored in said database, and for comparing said security identifier entered to a predetermined security identifier stored in said database, and if comparison is successful, providing access to said user account. |
| US09390246B2 |
Creating secure original equipment manufacturer (OEM) identification
A processing device implementing creation of secure Original Equipment Manufacturer (OEM) identifiers (IDs) in a processing device is disclosed. A processing device of the disclosure includes a one-time programmable storage device and an execution unit. The execution unit can implement a one-way cryptographic hash function that is to receive a secret OEM key from an OEM system, generate an OEM public ID from the secret OEM key, and send the OEM public ID to the one-time programmable storage device for storage. |
| US09390245B2 |
Using the ability to speak as a human interactive proof
In one embodiment, a human interactive proof portal 140 may use a biometric input to determine whether a user is a standard user or a malicious actor. The human interactive proof portal 140 may receive an access request 302 for an online data service 122 from a user device 110. The human interactive proof portal 140 may send a proof challenge 304 to the user device 110 for presentation to a user. The human interactive proof portal 140 may receive from the user device 110 a proof response 306 having a biometric metadata description 430 based on a biometric input from the user. |
| US09390241B2 |
Method for executing an application in a restricted operating environment
A user is presented with one or more user-level permissions in a human understandable language, where the one or more user-level permissions represent one or more application-level permissions requested from an application for accessing one or more resources. A security profile is generated having one or more operating system (OS)-level permissions based on at least one of the user-level permissions authorized by the user. The security profile is enforced to restrict the application to accessing the one or more resources based on the OS-level permissions. |
| US09390240B1 |
System and method for querying data
In one embodiment, a method includes maintaining, by a computer system, a plurality of data and at least one classification for each of the plurality of data. Each data of the plurality of data is aggregated from a plurality data sources and is abstracted into one or more of a plurality of standardized formats based on a type of the data. The computer system has executing thereon a plurality of classification engines. The plurality of classification engines include an a priori classification engine, an a posteriori classification engine, and a heuristics engine. Each at least one classification is generated by one of the plurality of classification engines. In addition, the method includes receiving query input from a user. Further, the method includes querying at least a portion of the plurality of data responsive to the query input. |
| US09390238B2 |
Windowing combined with ion-ion reactions for chemical noise elimination
In a first location of a mass spectrometer, a plurality of ionized molecules of an ion source are selected that have mass-to-charge ratios within a mass-to-charge ratio window width. The plurality of selected ionized molecules are transmitted from a first to a second location. Reagent ions are transmitted to the second location to reduce a charge state of one or more of the plurality of selected ionized molecules. A mass analyzer is used to analyze the plurality of reduced ionized molecules and produce a mass spectrum. A compound is identified from a peak of the spectrum that has a mass-to-charge ratio less than or equal to the highest mass-to-charge ratio in the window width if the noise is multiply charged and greater than the highest mass-to-charge ratio in the window width if the noise is singly charged. |
| US09390232B2 |
Systems and methods for modeling changes in patient-specific blood vessel geometry and boundary conditions
Systems and methods are disclosed for modeling changes in patient-specific blood vessel geometry and boundary conditions resulting from changes in blood flow or pressure. One method includes determining, using a processor, a first anatomic model of one or more blood vessels of a patient; determining a biomechanical model of the one or more blood vessels based on at least the first anatomic model; determining one or more parameters associated with a physiological state of the patient; and creating a second anatomic model based on the biomechanical model and the one or more parameters associated with the physiological state. |
| US09390230B2 |
Radiation treatment planning apparatus and method thereof
A radiation treatment planning apparatus and method thereof are disclosed. The radiation treatment planning apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention includes a processor configured to acquire first radiation therapy plan (RTP) data based on a medical image of a region of interest of a patient; acquire radiation therapy results data for the region of interest based on the first RTP data; and generate third RTP data from second RTP data preset for the region of interest using the radiation therapy results data. |
| US09390216B2 |
System and method for obstacle-avoiding signal bus routing
Systems, methods, and other embodiments associated with providing obstacle-avoidance bus routing for an integrated circuit design are described. In one embodiment, a bus routing tool is disclosed that generates a plurality of escape nodes to construct a three-dimensional routing solution graph. The bus routing tool probes a design space of the integrated circuit design to dynamically determine a location of each escape node while avoiding path blockages within the design space. By traversing the three-dimensional routing solution graph from a leaf escape node near a target location within the design space back to a root escape node near a source location within the design space, a candidate routing solution for routing a signal bus from the source location to the target location can be determined. |
| US09390207B2 |
System and method of hydrocarbon formation modeling
Hydrocarbon formation modeling. At least some of the illustrative embodiments are methods including simulating reaction of the formation to hydrocarbon extraction over a plurality of time steps. With each time step, the illustrative method makes a first approximation of migration of saturations for at least one grid block of the plurality of grid blocks (wherein migration of the saturation within at least one time step spans more than one grid block), and then correct the first approximation of migration of saturations for an effect not considered in the first approximation. |
| US09390206B2 |
Methods and systems for lithography process window simulation
A method of efficient simulating imaging performance of a lithographic process utilized to image a target design having a plurality of features. The method includes the steps of determining a function for generating a simulated image, where the function accounts for process variations associated with the lithographic process; and generating the simulated image utilizing the function, where the simulated image represents the imaging result of the target design for the lithographic process. |
| US09390203B2 |
Method and system for off-line programming of multiple interacting robots
A method and apparatus are disclosed for off-line programming of multiple interacting robots. For example, a system for off-line programming of multiple interacting robots includes a computer for off-line programming and verification of program codes for multiple interacting robots and a robot controller connected to the computer to receive a download of at least one of the program codes for execution. Multiple interacting robots can be controlled by the robot controller. |
| US09390199B2 |
Heat map of suggested search queries
A search query portion is received. A plurality of suggested search queries is identified based on the search query portion. Feature values are determined for each of the plurality of suggested search queries based on a feature display preference. A heat map of the suggested search queries is transmitted to a client computer system. The heat map contains a plurality of blocks visually representing the plurality of suggested search queries and the determined feature values. |
| US09390197B2 |
Building a social graph using sharing activity of users of the open web by updating an edge representing a category type
A social graph is built which includes interactions, sharing activity, and connections between the users of the open Web and can be used to improve ad targeting and content personalization. Personally identifiable information is not collected. Sharing activity between two users will affect ads or content that both users will be presented while surfing the Web. This sharing activity includes sending of links, sending of videos, sending of files, cutting and pasting of content, sending text messages, and sending of e-mails. For example, the sharing activity can include receiving first activity information for a sender of a message to a recipient by a collection resource at a Web site, the collection resource adding a link to the message, and receiving second activity information when the recipient accesses the link. Building of the social graph can include creating or updating an edge in the social graph that is representative of a particular category type. |
| US09390196B2 |
Adjusting ranges of directed graph ontologies across multiple dimensions
A method, system, and/or computer program product constructs and utilizes an ontological graph. A seed term and an expansion signal are received from a user. An ontological graph is constructed based on the expansion signal as applied to the seed term. The ontological graph includes nodes representing the seed term plus other terms that are located in accordance with instructions derived from the first expansion signal, such that the seed term and the other terms share a common trait. Terms from the ontological graph are displayed as string literals in a dictionary, wherein the dictionary contains related other terms at a resolution level that is controlled by the first expansion signal from the user and the seed term. |
| US09390193B2 |
Delay the persistent memory storage of website data to control data that is stored in the browser
Embodiments of the invention include a system, computer-implemented method, and a computer-readable medium for delaying the storage of data. Data that manipulates website data is provided from a web server to a client device in response to a request for a webpage. Data is initially stored in a temporary memory storage. The temporary memory storage is associated with a browser and stores data before data is moved to a persistent memory storage. A notification is generated that indicates that data was received and is intended to be stored persistently or manipulate, access or rely on website data in the persistent memory storage. Depending on the response to the notification, the system determines how data in temporary memory storage will be processed and whether data can be stored in the persistent memory storage or manipulate, access and rely on website data in the persistent memory storage. |
| US09390190B1 |
Data recording components and processes for acquiring selected web site data
Embodiments of the components and processes for recording selected Web site data described herein adhere to long-term stability guidelines so as to improve maintainability and viability over time. Additionally, the data recording components can be placed within a software architecture to minimize the number of redundant data recording components. Furthermore, the data recording components can be tailored to specific data recording purposes. Additionally, the data recording components can be designed to take into account system performance issues and minimally impact system performance. Furthermore, the data recording components can be tailored to gather specific data useful for various analytical processes. Additionally, embodiments of the data recording components are relatively easy to implement and able to handle idiosyncrasies and changes of various Web sites in which they are placed. |
| US09390189B2 |
Method and system for providing object information on the internet
Providing object information on the Internet includes configuring a plurality of front-end categories for a plurality of network objects and a plurality of screening conditions for screening the plurality of network objects, where each of the plurality of screening conditions uniquely corresponding to a respective one of the plurality of the front-end categories. Providing object information further includes receiving object information pertaining to a network object, the object information including a screening condition for the network object; storing the object information in a back-end category, determining a front-end category to which the network object belongs, according to the screening condition and storing correlation information of the object and the front-end category, wherein the back-end category is separate from and different than the front-end category. |
| US09390181B1 |
Personalized landing pages
Personalized landing pages may be generated for users based at least in part upon information known about the individual users who are viewing the landing pages. Such information may include, for example, the consumer segments to which the individual user belongs, the individual users' browsing and purchasing histories, personal preferences and attributes. The landing pages are personalized to include, for example, content that may be of particular interest to the user and arranged in a manner that may appeal to the user. |
| US09390180B1 |
Landing page selection for linked advertising
A tiered approach to selecting landing pages to be associated with specific keywords allows optimal landing pages to be determined dynamically and updated continually. Suggestions for landing pages can come from a number of sources based upon any of a number of factors. A scalable set of algorithms can be used to analyze these suggestions based upon factors including those used for determining the suggestions. Each algorithm can generate a decision as to an optimal landing page to be associated with each keyword. A subsequent algorithm can analyze each decision as these decisions relate to at least one goal, and can select an optimal landing page based thereon. A sponsored link or other element can be associated with the keyword such that a user submitting a request containing the keyword can be presented with the sponsored link to the optimal landing page. |
| US09390179B2 |
Federated search
Federated search is disclosed. A result associated with a search of a content source not natively configured to provide content type data for content items is received. A content type is associated with a content item included in the result based at least in part on information associated with the result. |
| US09390178B2 |
Use of collected data for web API ecosystem analytics
An embodiment of the invention pertains to Web application programming interface (API) data associated with a Web API ecosystem. The embodiment comprises constructing a data structure that is selectively related to at least some of the Web API data associated with the Web API ecosystem. The embodiment further comprises commencing an analytics operation to determine specified information which is of interest to a given Web API user, wherein the given Web API user has a role that pertains to the Web API ecosystem. Responsive to commencing the operation, Web API data related to the data structure is used to determine one or more preliminary data elements, wherein at least one of the preliminary data elements comprises an answer to a specified preliminary query. Respective preliminary data elements are selectively used to determine the specified information that is of interest to the given Web API user. |
| US09390175B2 |
Systems and methods for determining the operating hours of an entity
Provided are systems, methods, and computer program products for determining operating hours of entities from user check-ins and check-outs. A method for determination operating hours may include obtaining check-in and check-out data for an entity having operating hours, aggregating the check-in and check-out data over an aggregation period, and determining a start time and an end time of the operating hours of the entity. The method may include aggregating the check-in and check-out data over multiple aggregation periods and determining operating hours for different aggregation periods. |
| US09390174B2 |
Search result ranking and presentation
Methods and systems are provided for ranking search results and generating a presentation. In some implementations, a search system generates a presentation based on a search query. In some implementations, a search system ranks search results based on data stored in a knowledge graph. In some implementations, a search system identifies a modifying concept such as a superlative in a received search query, and determines ranking properties based on the modifying concept. |
| US09390170B2 |
Methods and systems for arranging and searching a database of media content recordings
Methods and systems for arranging and searching a database of media content recordings are provided. In one example, a method is provided that comprises receiving a sample of media content, and performing, by a computing device, a content recognition of the sample of media content using a data file including a concatenation of representations for each of a plurality of media content recordings. In other examples, another method is provided that comprises receiving media content recordings, determining a representation for each media content recording, concatenating by a computing device the representation for each media content recording as a data file, and storing by the computing device a mapping between an identifier for a respective media content recording and a global position in the data file that corresponds to the representation of the respective media content recording. |
| US09390169B2 |
Annotation of movies
A method of annotating a digital clip and setting a duration over which the annotation applies is disclosed. The method provides a graphical user interface (GUI) with a display area for displaying the digital clip. The GUI provides controls for entering notes, including graphical notes, on the clip. The GUI also provides controls for setting the duration for which the annotation applies. |
| US09390167B2 |
System and methods for continuous audio matching
The present invention relates to the continuous monitoring of an audio signal and identification of audio items within an audio signal. The technology disclosed utilizes predictive caching of fingerprints to improve efficiency. Fingerprints are cached for tracking an audio signal with known alignment and for watching an audio signal without known alignment, based on already identified fingerprints extracted from the audio signal. Software running on a smart phone or other battery-powered device cooperates with software running on an audio identification server. |
| US09390162B2 |
Management of a database system
A method, system, and computer program product to manage a database is disclosed. The method, system, and computer program product may include structuring the database to have a first table having an index and a second table. A first key of the first table may be related to a second key of the second table. The method, system, and computer program product may include creating an entry locator in the index. The method, system, and computer program product may include maintaining an association between the second key of the second table and the entry locator of the index. |
| US09390161B2 |
Methods and systems for extracting keyphrases from natural text for search engine indexing
The present invention is a method and system for the extraction of keyphrases from natural text. For the purpose of this document, keyphrases are text segments that represent the main topic of a text. The method of the present invention may facilitate keyphrase extraction from any length of text. The text may be of several varieties, such as, for example a sentence, paragraph, document or collection of documents. Phrase separator methods may be applied to the text to extract phrases from the text. From these phrases the present invention may identify the one or more phrases that are integral to the meaning of the text and these may be identified as the keyphrases of the text. The text may be indexed using the keyphrases so that a search based upon any of the keyphrases will cause search engines and/or text retrieval means to retrieve the text. |
| US09390159B2 |
Database architecture for storing multi-structured data
In various embodiments, a system for ingesting, organizing, and storing data is disclosed. The system comprises a processor and a memory unit. A document database is stored by the memory unit. The document database is configured to store data without any foreknowledge of a structure of the data. The data comprises an ontology comprising a plurality of terms describing the data within the document database. A graph database is stored by the memory unit. The graph database comprises a materialized view of the document database. The graph database provides connections between the ontology. The document database and the graph database share common entity profile UUIDs. |
| US09390147B2 |
System and method for storing stream data in distributed relational tables with data provenance
A system, a method and a computer readable medium for storing data elements and related data provenance information. The data elements may be represented in a hyper-table having rows and columns which may be indexed. The data-values of the corresponding data-elements in the hyper-cells may be retrieved based on the indices. Snapshots of the indices may be generated at pre-determined time periods. Checkpoints of the hyper-table may be generated at time periods that are based on transactions on the hyper-table. The hyper-table is capable of being queried as the hyper-table existed at certain time-periods, and data-values of the data-elements may be retrieved as the data-elements existed at such time-periods. |
| US09390146B2 |
Dynamic structural management of a distributed caching infrastructure
Embodiments of the present invention provide a method, system and computer program product for the dynamic structural management of an n-Tier distributed caching infrastructure. In an embodiment of the invention, a method of dynamic structural management of an n-Tier distributed caching infrastructure includes establishing a communicative connection to a plurality of cache servers arranged in respective tier nodes in an n-Tier cache, collecting performance metrics for each of the cache servers in the respective tier nodes of the n-Tier cache, identifying a characteristic of a specific cache resource in a corresponding one of the tier nodes of the n-Tier crossing a threshold, and dynamically structuring a set of cache resources including the specific cache resource to account for the identified characteristic. |
| US09390144B2 |
Objective and subjective ranking of comments
A system may receive a request for comments associated with a particular document, identify a comment associated with the particular document, generate an objective score for the comment that is independent of a user associated with the request, identify the user associated with the request, generate a subjective score for the comment based on parameters associated with the identified user, generate a combined score for the comment by combining the objective score and the subjective score, and provide the comment, ranked based on the combined score, to the user for presentation with the particular document. |
| US09390140B2 |
Communication-powered search
A communication-powered searching system provides real-time personalized search assistance to a user by integrating search functionality with real-time communication. Upon submitting a query and receiving search results from the communication-powered searching system, the user may select a communication link included in the search results to activate communication with an entity associated with the communication link. The communication-powered searching system may then refine search results displayed to the user based on information exchanged between the user and the entity. The refinements may be made in real time or substantially in real time. |
| US09390136B2 |
System and method of identifying relevance of electronic content to location or place
A system and method for processing electronic information that includes generating a plurality of identifier codes each of which corresponds to a location and/or a place, receiving a plurality of electronic information, wherein each electronic information has a relevancy to one or more locations and/or places, associating each of the received plurality of electronic information with any of the identifier codes that correspond to the one or more locations and/or places having the relevancy to the electronic information, receiving a query relevant to at least one of the locations and/or places, identifying any of the identifier codes that correspond to the at least one of the locations and/or places relevant to the query, and responding to the query by providing the electronic information that are associated with the identified identifier codes. |
| US09390135B2 |
Executing continuous event processing (CEP) queries in parallel
A continuous event processing (CEP) query processor determines how and when a CEP query can be processed in a concurrent manner, such that multiple threads of execution can concurrently perform at least some of the CEP query's operations concurrently with each other. According to one technique, a user can instruct a CEP query processor to attempt to execute a CEP query in a concurrent manner. The CEP query processor responsively determines whether the CEP query's execution, or parts thereof, can be made concurrent based on certain constraints that can depend on inheritance and operation type. Based on this determination, the CEP query processor can execute at least certain parts of a CEP query in parallel relative to the same event within an event stream. |
| US09390134B2 |
Regular expression matching method and system, and searching device
A regular expression matching method and system, and a searching device are provided. First, the searching device performs string filtering on a data stream to be matched, in which if keywords in the data stream and preset character words have at least one same character, the searching device indicates that the data stream passes through the string filtering. Then the searching device performs regular expression filtering on the data stream passing through the string filtering. In a string filtering process through the method, system, and device, when Hash mapping positions of the keywords of the data stream are a subset of the Hash mapping positions of the character words, it indicates that the data stream passes through the string filtering, and it is not required to store the keywords and further compare the keywords with the character words, thereby saving the storage space and improving performance. |
| US09390126B2 |
Distributed analytics for entity resolution
A first plurality of processors of a plurality of nodes receives an observation from a second plurality of processors of the plurality of nodes, wherein the observation includes data representing an observed entity. The second processors access a persistent data store based, at least in part, on the observation. The first processors determine one or more features of the observed entity. The second processors access the persistent data store based, at least in part, on the determined features of the observed entity. The first processors select a candidate entity based, at least in part, on the observed entity. The first processors determine a relationship between the candidate entity and the observed entity. The first processors determine a resolved entity by resolving, by the first plurality of processors, the observed entity. The second processors access the persistent data store based, at least in part, on the resolved entity. |
| US09390122B2 |
Tree comparison to manage progressive data store switchover with assured performance
Technologies are generally provided for progressive key value store switchover by evaluating a maturity of a migrated data store and allowing piecewise switching of substructure area query servicing from an origin data store to a destination data store. In some examples, abstractions of origin and destination tree structures may be compared to each other in order to generate an evaluation metric at substantially reduced performance evaluation load. The evaluation metric may target performance sampling while assuring a desired performance level with localized query servicing switchover. Piecewise data transfer may also be optionally enabled such that overall storage can be similar to the storage of a single data store copy while reducing an impact on existing data store services. |
| US09390121B2 |
Analyzing large data sets to find deviation patterns
Operations, such as data processing operations, can be improved by applying clustering and statistical techniques to observed behaviors in the data processing operations. |
| US09390115B2 |
Tables with unlimited number of sparse columns and techniques for an efficient implementation
A method and apparatus queries a table in a database where the table includes at least one column declared to be sparse. A binary large object may be used to store the sparse column data. The object includes a column-id and column-value pair for each non-null value. To answer a query with a constraint on a sparse column, the object is searched for one or more column ids to obtain the column values. Rows whose column values match a constraint are returned. In another embodiment, an internal table is used. Each tuple in the internal table has a column id and a value array indexed by an ordinal row number. To answer a query with a constraint on a sparse column, the column value in the internal table is found and matched against the constraint. If the match is successful, the index of the column value in the internal table is returned. |
| US09390114B2 |
Single page forum views
Managing communications relationships may be accomplished by organizing a plurality of information elements and a plurality of users into a forum, with the forum being a virtual data structure organizing a plurality of single page views. Each single page view is organized into columns, with each column having a home row, a header row, and an action row. The header row indicates a title of the column for each of the columns of a single page view, and the action row indicates one or more commands available for execution for the each column of the single page view. The home row is the same for every column of each of the single page views and includes a selectable area that, upon selection by a user, navigates to a single page view associated with a home page view. Actions may be performed on information elements in columns of selected single page views. |
| US09390113B2 |
Data collecting device and system communicating with same
A data collecting device 200, before starting to collect function data A to E, communicates with all electronic control units 101 to 107 in a system 100 to recognize functions A to E controlled by the electronic control units 101 to 107, generate unit-specific function list information LD1 which is a list of functions A to E categorized by function type and by electronic control unit, and select at least one of the functions about which function data is to be collected. The data collecting device 200 then communicates by using at least one of electronic control units corresponding to the at least one selected function as at least one communication address, on the basis of the generated unit-specific function list information, to collect function data about the at least one function corresponding to a selection information set. |
| US09390107B2 |
System and method for automatically creating a photo calendar
System and method are disclosed for creating a photo calendar. A computer storage medium stores images taken in a time period spanning a plurality of capture months. A computer processor automatically divides the images into groups based the capture months, distributes the images in one of the capture month to one or more calendar months according to an adjacency distribution function, and creates a design of a photo calendar comprising a plurality of calendar months and images distributed in the calendar months. |
| US09390106B2 |
Deep context photo searching
A user can search for photographs or videos and deep linking rules may be applied to images to discern images that might be desired by the user that otherwise would not be returned using conventional photo categorization and metadata searching. |
| US09390095B2 |
Rapid cloud-based image centralization
A system for a mass centralization approach to full image cloning of multiple computing devices is provided. The system includes a plurality of computing devices and a server. The server includes a processor programmed to receive, from the plurality of computing devices, metadata for files stored on the plurality of computing devices, determine, from the received metadata, an importance level for each of the files, instruct the plurality of computing devices to send a copy of the files to the server in a defined order, the defined order based on the importance level for each of the files, and store the copy of the files on the server. |
| US09390093B1 |
Managing data objects
A method and system for use in managing data objects is disclosed. In at least one embodiment, the method and system comprises based on at least one policy set, determining that a data object stored on a first device is eligible for mobile enablement and a level of mobile enablement for the data object; mobile enabling the data object, wherein mobile enabling the data object comprises causing a mobile data storage tier associated with the first device to include the data object; and providing access to the data object to a second device, wherein access is defined by the level of mobile enablement. |
| US09390092B2 |
Visualization of calendar search entries
Embodiments of the present invention provide a method, system and computer program product for the visualization of calendar search results. A calendar search results visualization method can include obtaining search results for a search against a data store of calendar events, selecting a sorting attribute for the search results such as a user attribute or event type attribute, counting how often the sorting attribute can be found in an event among the search results, and sorting the search results according to the count. The method also can include rendering the sorted search results in a visualization user interface organized in tabular format of events by date, in which each event is represented in the visualization user interface by an iconic representation that can vary in size according to a number of participants to a corresponding event or according to a completion status for tasks assigned during a corresponding event. |
| US09390091B2 |
Method and apparatus for providing multimedia summaries for content information
An approach is provided for creating multimedia summary for content information. The approach involves receiving a multimedia signal request from a mobile communication device, wherein content information of the mobile communication device is determined and processed. The approach also involves determining the characteristic of the content information, and then determining and processing the multimedia signal based on the characteristic. Then, the multimedia converter causes transmission of the multimedia signal to the user device. |
| US09390090B2 |
Concurrent long spanning edit sessions using change lists with explicit assumptions
An approach is provided that receives a change request from a requestor. The change request includes metadata regarding the change, one or more changes, and one or more change assumptions corresponding to at least one of the changes. The change request is stored in a data store of pending requests. One or more systems are identified that correspond to each of the change assumptions. The identified systems are automatically queried with queries that correspond to the change assumptions. Query responses in response to the querying are received from the identified systems. The validity of each of the change assumptions is determined based on the received query responses. If the change assumptions are valid, then the changes included in the change request are processed. On the other hand, if at least one of the change assumptions is invalid, then the change request is rejected. |
| US09390089B2 |
Distributed capture system for use with a legacy enterprise content management system
A distributed capture system is disclosed which enables digital content to be captured in various formats and interfaced with a plurality ECM) platforms which enables the distributed capture system to be seamlessly integrated with a customer's legacy ECM system. The system is configured to receive various financial records that are normally created at a financial institution, such as loan applications and customer signature cards, in various formats, such as Microsoft Word, PDF, and Printer Control Language (PCL). The financial records are directed to a virtual printer and converted to a TIFF format. The print stream associated with the text embedded in the TIFF image of the financial record is captured and compared with document classification template. The document classification template allows the document to be automatically classified and indexed. Documents are then sent to the ECM interface. The ECM interface allows financial records that are normally created at the financial institution to be converted to electronic form and stored in the financial institution's legacy ECM. By eliminating the need to purchase a new ECM, the need to convert existing data to the format of the legacy ECM is obviated. |
| US09390088B2 |
Ensuring access to long-term stored electronic documents
Mechanisms are provided for ensuring access to long-term stored electronic documents. In one example, one or more systems may provide for automatically ensuring access to long-term stored electronic documents. In another example, one or more algorithms may provide for automatically ensuring access to long-term stored electronic documents. |
| US09390087B1 |
System and method for response generation using linguistic information
A method for generating a natural language response to a customer inquiry includes parsing sentences in a corpus of natural language dialogs between a respective customer and an agent to extract dependencies. Each parsed sentence is represented by a dependency graph, based on the extracted dependencies. Dependency templates are generated, at least some of which are each generated from two or more of the extracted dependency graphs (e.g., using variables which each represent a group of words referring to a same topic) and are stored in a knowledge base. In response to the customer inquiry, one of the stored dependency templates is identified and a natural language response to the inquiry is generated, using the identified dependency template. The natural language response is generated based on words extracted from the natural language dialogs that are linked, in memory, to the identified dependency template. |
| US09390086B2 |
Classification system with methodology for efficient verification
Techniques for a classification system with methodology for enhanced verification are described. In one approach, a classification computer trains a classifier based on a set of training documents. After training is complete, the classification computer iterates over a collection unlabeled documents uses the trained classifier to predict a label for each unlabeled document. A verification computer retrieves one of the documents assigned a label by the classification computer. The verification computer then generates a user interface that displays select information from the document and provides an option to verify the label predicted by the classification computer or provide an alternative label. The document and the verified label are then fed back into the set of training documents and are used to retrain the classifier to improve subsequent classifications. In addition, the document is indexed by a query computer based on the verified label and made available for search and display. |
| US09390084B2 |
Natural language parsers to normalize addresses for geocoding
The present invention provides a technique for building natural language parsers by implementing a country and/or jurisdiction specific set of training data that is automatically converted during a build phase to a respective predictive model, i.e., an automated country specific natural language parser. The predictive model can be used without the training data to quantify any input address. This model may be included as part of a larger Geographic Information System (GIS) data-set or as a stand alone quantifier. The build phase may also be run on demand and the resultant predictive model kept in temporary storage for immediate use. |
| US09390074B2 |
Determination of encoding based on perceived code point classes
A method, a computer program product, and a computer system for determination of encoding based on received code point classes are provided. The computer implemented method includes transferring data in a text form. The computer implemented method includes, in response to determining that decoding the data in text form passes, transferring some or all of the data in a binary form. The computer implemented method includes calculating code point class proportions for the data in the text form and the data in the binary form and determining a best form for transferring the data, based on comparison of the code point class proportions. |
| US09390070B2 |
Automatic set-up for instrument functions
Machine-implemented methods and apparatuses to automatically set-up a signal processing system are described. The signal processing system is set to a first bandwidth. A sampling frequency of the signal processing system is set to a first sampling frequency. Next, first samples of first signals are received at the first bandwidth and the first sampling frequency. First parameters of the first signals based on the first samples are determined. Next, a second sampling frequency is determined based on the first parameters to sample second samples. The first parameters of the first signals may be a mean transit time, a minimum transit time, a mean frequency of the signals, and a standard deviation of the frequency of the signals. Next, a mixer frequency is determined based on the first parameters. A low pass filter is set based on the mixer frequency. |
| US09390069B2 |
Data processing device, data processing method, and program
A data processing device includes: a data obtaining section obtaining time series data on a total value of current consumed by a plurality of electric apparatuses; and a parameter estimating section obtaining a model parameter when states of operation of the plurality of electric apparatuses are modeled by a factorial HMM on a basis of the obtained time series data. |
| US09390066B2 |
Precision measurement of waveforms using deconvolution and windowing
The invention consists of new ways of constructing a Measuring Matrices (MMs) including time deconvolution of Digital Fourier Transforms DFTs. Also, windowing functions specifically designed to facilitate time deconvolution may be used, and/or the DFTs may be performed in specific non-periodic ways to reduce artifacts and further facilitate deconvolution. These deconvolved DFTs may be used alone or correlated with other DFTs to produce a MM. |
| US09390063B2 |
Dental crowding analysis tool
An electronic three-dimensional (3D) model of a dental arch is displayed. An ideal arch is superimposed on the dental arch. The shape of the ideal arch is adjusted in response to adjustment input from a user. Furthermore, a tooth width is calculated for teeth in the dental arch. A crowding score is calculated based on a comparison of a length of the ideal arch and a tooth width total, the tooth width total based at least in part on a total of the tooth widths for the teeth. |
| US09390062B1 |
Managing vehicle information
A system includes a computing device for receiving information representative of activities of an operating first vehicle that includes a propulsion system. The computing device is configured to produce one or more control parameters from the received information in combination with information received from other vehicles, and, provide the one or more control parameters to control operations of a second vehicle. |
| US09390061B1 |
Environmentally compensated capacitive sensor
A movable capacitive sensing component and plural stationary capacitive sensing components are similarly constructed and are located together. The movable capacitive sensing component includes two interdigitated electrode elements at least one of which moves in accordance with displacement of an object. The stationary capacitive sensing components includes two interdigitated electrode elements that do not move, and differ from each other in terms of relative displacement between the fixed electrode elements. The movable capacitive sensing component measures a capacitance value. Another capacitance value is estimated, from the capacitance values measured by the stationary capacitive sensing components, for the displacement indicated by the movable capacitive sensing component's measured capacitance value. The actual displacement of the object is found by subtracting the respective capacitance values and converting this result to displacement, or by converting the respective capacitance values to displacement and subtracting the respective displacement values. |
| US09390052B1 |
Distributed caching system
Embodiments of a distributed caching system are disclosed that cache data across multiple computing devices on a network. In one embodiment, a first cache system serves as a caching front-end to a distributed cluster of additional cache systems. The first cache system can distribute cache requests to the additional cache systems. The first distributed caching system can also serve as a cache server itself, by storing data on its own internal cache. For example, the first cache system can first attempt to find a requested data item on the internal cache, but, if the lookup results in a cache miss, the first cache system can search the additional cache systems for the data. In some embodiments, the first cache system is configured to multiplex requests to each additional cache system over a single negotiated streaming protocol connection, which allows for network efficiencies and faster detection of failure. |
| US09390050B2 |
Data transmission apparatus and method
A data transmission apparatus and method are provided. The data transmission apparatus includes a USB interface unit that communicates with an external device using a TCP/IP packet, and a control unit that controls the USB interface unit to convert data into a TCP/IP packet along one of a plurality of transmission paths according to a priority of data processing and transmits the TCP/IP packet. Accordingly, data (e.g., control data) requiring urgent processing may be timely transmitted to an external device regardless of traffic of the data transmission apparatus. |
| US09390044B2 |
Converter member and converter apparatus
A converter member connects between an electronic device and a load media for transmitting data. The converter member includes a first plug and a second plug electrically connected with the first plug. The first plug is detachably connected to the electronic device, and the second plug is detachably connected to the load media. The first plug and the second plug are two different type plugs. The data from the load media is transmitted to the electronic device through the second plug and the first plug orderly. |
| US09390043B2 |
Trigger routing unit
Trigger routing in computational hardware such as a digital-signal processor involves routing a trigger signal from a first, master module to a second, slave module, thereby initiating an event at the slave module without involving a core processing unit. |
| US09390041B2 |
Method for processing device connection, combination device and host device
The embodiments of the present invention provide a method for processing device connection, a combination device and a host device. A method for processing device connection, includes: after being plugged into a host device, receiving a device descriptor modification instruction sent by the host device, modifying a device descriptor according to the device descriptor modification instruction and performing device reconnection processing, sending the modified device descriptor to the host device so that the host device establishes a new network connection according to the modified device descriptor. In the embodiments of the present invention, a user does not need to restart the host device to access the network using a RNDIS device in the combination device, which makes it convenient for the user to operate. |
| US09390037B2 |
Pad direct memory access interface
A method includes assigning a plurality of pads of an integrated circuit (IC) to a direct memory access (DMA) channel of the IC; and storing DMA requests associated with the pads in a queue such that at a given time, the queue stores data indicative of DMA requests that are associated with more than one pad. |
| US09390033B2 |
Method and system for communicating with non-volatile memory via multiple data paths
Systems and methods implemented therein are disclosed for communicating data in a flash memory system. The system comprises a memory system, a data path manager (DPM) and a memory controller. The memory system is configured to receive a flash command from a host processor. In response to receiving the flash command, the memory system is configured to communicate a flash command sequence to one of the first flash device or the second flash device. Separately, the data path manager (DPM) is configured to select a subset of logical data paths from a set of logical data paths. Data is communicated between the memory controller and either one of the first flash device or the second flash device via the subset of logical data paths. |
| US09390021B2 |
Efficient cache utilization in a tiered data structure
A computer system detects a request to access a first data object stored in a tiered data structure that includes internal nodes and leaf nodes. In response to detecting the request, the computer system determines whether the first data object is stored in a cache that includes a plurality of data objects from the tiered data structure that are stored separately from their corresponding leaf node in the cache. When the first data object is stored in the cache, the computer system returns the first data object from the cache and when the first data object is not stored in the cache, the computer system traverses the tiered data structure to a leaf node that includes the first data object and returns the first data object from the leaf node for the first data object in the tiered data structure. |
| US09390012B2 |
Multi-core processor system, cache coherency control method, and computer product
A multi-core processor system includes a processor configured to establish coherency of shared data values stored in a cache memory accessed by a multiple cores; detect a first thread executed by a first core among the cores; identify upon detecting the first thread, a second thread under execution by a second core other than the first core and among the cores; determine whether shared data commonly accessed by the first thread and the second thread is present; and stop establishment of coherency for a first cache memory corresponding to the first core and a second cache memory corresponding to the second core, upon determining that no shared data commonly accessed is present. |
| US09390011B2 |
Zero cycle clock invalidate operation
A method to eliminate the delay of a block invalidate operation in a multi CPU environment by overlapping the block invalidate operation with normal CPU accesses, thus making the delay transparent. A range check is performed on each CPU access while a block invalidate operation is in progress, and an access that maps to within the address range of the block invalidate operation is treated as a cache miss to ensure that the requesting CPU will receive valid data. |
| US09390010B2 |
Cache management
The present disclosure provides techniques for cache management. A data block may be received from an IO interface. After receiving the data block, the occupancy level of a cache memory may be determined. The data block may be directed to a main memory if the occupancy level exceeds a threshold. The data block may be directed to a cache memory if the occupancy level is below a threshold. |
| US09390005B2 |
Method for reading a data block of a nonvolatile memory of a control unit
A method for reading a data block of a nonvolatile memory of a processing unit, the nonvolatile memory being subdivided into sectors; the sectors being written to consecutively in each case from a sector beginning to a sector end with different versions of different data blocks; a current version of a data block being written to a current position in a current sector; in a cache memory, for each data block, an entry being present that characterizes the respective data block. |
| US09390004B2 |
Hybrid memory management
Methods and apparatus for managing data storage in hybrid memory devices utilizing single level and multi-level memory cells. Logical addresses can be distributed between single level and multilevel memory cells based on a frequency of write operations performed. Initial storage of data corresponding to a logical address in memory can be determined by various methods including initially writing all data to single level memory or initially writing all data to multilevel memory. Other methods permit a host to direct logical address writes to single level or multilevel memory cells based on anticipated usage. |
| US09389997B2 |
Heap management using dynamic memory allocation
Embodiments of the present invention provide a method, system, and program product for heap management using dynamic memory allocation. The method comprises receiving, via a computing device, a memory request associated with a memory block, wherein the computing device has a double linked list of fixed sized memory blocks and a double linked list of variable sized memory blocks; and wherein each memory block includes a value field and a header field, which includes one or more of a backward link, forward link, and memory block size indicator that includes a first bit and a second bit. The method further comprises determining a scope of the received memory request, which can be a request for memory allocation or memory deallocation. Further still, the method comprises servicing the received memory request. |
| US09389995B2 |
Optimization of Map-Reduce shuffle performance through snuffler I/O pipeline actions and planning
A shuffler receives information associated with partition segments of map task outputs and a pipeline policy for a job running on a computing device. The shuffler transmits to an operating system of the computing device a request to lock partition segments of the map task outputs and transmits an advisement to keep or load partition segments of map task outputs in the memory of the computing device. The shuffler creates a pipeline based on the pipeline policy, wherein the pipeline includes partition segments locked in the memory and partition segments advised to keep or load in the memory, of the computing device for the job, and the shuffler selects the partition segments locked in the memory, followed by partition segments advised to keep or load in the memory, as a preferential order of partition segments to shuffle. |
| US09389994B2 |
Optimization of map-reduce shuffle performance through shuffler I/O pipeline actions and planning
A shuffler receives information associated with partition segments of map task outputs and a pipeline policy for a job running on a computing device. The shuffler transmits to an operating system of the computing device a request to lock partition segments of the map task outputs and transmits an advisement to keep or load partition segments of map task outputs in the memory of the computing device. The shuffler creates a pipeline based on the pipeline policy, wherein the pipeline includes partition segments locked in the memory and partition segments advised to keep or load in the memory, of the computing device for the job, and the shuffler selects the partition segments locked in the memory, followed by partition segments advised to keep or load in the memory, as a preferential order of partition segments to shuffle. |
| US09389992B2 |
Multiple tracer configurations applied on a function-by-function level
A tracing system may use different configurations for tracing various functions in different manners. A configuration may be a group of settings that may define which data elements to collect, as well as the manner in which the data may be summarized, stored, and in some cases, displayed. Example configurations may include debugging configuration, performance optimization configuration, long term monitoring configuration, and others. The tracing system may be able to trace one group of functions with one configuration, while tracing another group of functions in the same application using a different configuration. |
| US09389991B1 |
Methods, systems, and computer readable mediums for generating instruction data to update components in a converged infrastructure system
Methods, systems, and computer readable mediums for generating instruction data to update components in a converged infrastructure system are disclosed. According to one example, a method includes identifying components in a converged infrastructure system that require remediation in order to comply with a defined converged infrastructure configuration and identifying remediation content to enable each of the identified components to be compliant with the defined converged infrastructure configuration. The method further includes determining a remediation process based on the identified remediation content associated with the components of the converged infrastructure system, wherein the determined remediation process includes an order of steps used to update the identified components in the converged infrastructure system. The method also includes generating instruction data indicating the determined remediation process to be applied to the identified components in the converged infrastructure system. |
| US09389989B2 |
Self verifying device driver for multi-version compatible data manipulation devices
A method, system, and computer program product are described. The method of testing a device driver includes executing a test case for the device driver, the device driver receiving version information specifying a targeted version of a data manipulation device to be targeted by the device driver from the test case or the device driver determining the targeted version of the data manipulation device independently of the test case. The method also includes verifying whether a version of the data manipulation device specified in a request from the device driver is a match or a non-match with the targeted version of the data manipulation device. The method further includes simulating the data manipulation device to provide output to the device driver based on the verifying, the simulating the data manipulation device being unchanged for every version of the data manipulation device. |
| US09389988B1 |
Method and system for authorization based routing of failed test scenarios
Automatic authorization-based routing of failed test scenarios, including: receiving descriptions of test scenarios that failed while executed by an automatic testing component on a data-oriented large-scale software system, wherein at least half of the test scenarios are expressed by user interaction activities and not code-related language; identifying the test scenarios that failed with abnormal termination as test scenarios to be forwarded to a first programmer authorized to change the data-oriented large-scale software system, wherein abnormal termination does not include normal termination with a value different from an expected value; and identifying the test scenarios that failed without abnormal termination as test scenarios to be forwarded to a second programmer unauthorized to change the data-oriented large-scale software system. |
| US09389986B2 |
Identifying impacted tests from statically collected data
The present invention extends to methods, systems, and computer program products for identifying impacted tests from statically collected data. In general, static dependency data, possibly augmented with some dynamic data, is used to find an appropriate set of impacted tests for code changes. In some embodiments, static dependency analysis is used to identify tests impacted by a code change. Heuristics can be used to assist with identifying an appropriate set of impacted tests to run for a code change. Dynamic data can be used to augment static dependency data to identify more optimal sets of impacted tests to run for a code change. |
| US09389985B2 |
Codepath integrity checking
A method and apparatus for testing code is provided. The method includes inserting at least one token in program code, wherein each token comprises a code element able to provide a value during runtime, establishing a baseline code version and an executing code version from the program code, and subjecting the executing code version to various testing conditions using a processing device. Subjecting the executing code version to various testing conditions comprises periodically evaluating at least one executing code token having one associated executing error detection value against the at least one baseline code token having one associated baseline error detection value and reporting an error when at least one executing code token and associated executing error detection pair fails to match at least one baseline code token and associated baseline error detection pair. |
| US09389984B2 |
Directing verification towards bug-prone portions
A method, system and product for directing verification towards bug-prone portions. The method comprising syntactically analyzing a computer program to identify portions of the computer program that correspond to one or more bug patterns; and performing verification of the computer program, wherein the verification comprises traversing a control flow graph of the computer program and tracking symbolic values of variables of the computer program, wherein said performing comprises directing the traversal of the control flow graph to nodes of the control flow graph that correspond to the identified portions, whereby bug-prone portions of the computer program are prioritized to be verified before non-bug-prone portions of the computer program. |
| US09389982B2 |
Method and apparatus for monitoring an in-memory computer system
An in-memory computing system for conducting on-line transaction processing and on-line analytical processing includes system tables in main memory to store runtime information. A statistics services can access the runtime information using script procedures stored in the main memory to collect monitoring data and generate historical data and other system performance metrics while maintaining the runtime data and generated data in the main memory. |
| US09389980B2 |
Detecting events in cloud computing environments and performing actions upon occurrence of the events
A monitoring system can monitor computing processes in clouds. The monitoring system can monitor the clouds for certain events associated with the computing processes. The monitoring system can receive, from the user, a particular event and an action to perform upon the occurrence of the event. Once received, the monitoring system can compare the information collected during monitoring against the event specified by the user. Once the event occurs, the monitoring system can perform the action associated with the event. |
| US09389978B2 |
Automated operating system test framework
Techniques for automating testing of a first computing system comprises identifying a plurality of system interface elements of a second computing system; determining an untested state at the first computing system of one of the identified plurality of system interface elements; determining the existence of any dependency of the one of the identified plurality of system interface elements upon another of the identified plurality of system interface elements; responsive to a finding of no the dependency, seeking in a repository a system interface element test corresponding to the one of the identified plurality of system interface elements and having an expected output according to a structure of the second computing system; and executing the system interface element test at the first computing system. |
| US09389977B2 |
Fault injection testing apparatus and method
Provided are fault injection testing apparatus and method which inject faults that may occur in a system or a source file that a user wants to examine and examine which processes are performed by the system or source file when the faults occur. |
| US09389971B2 |
Redundant automation system and method for operating the redundant automation system
A redundant automation system and a method for operating the redundant automation system which is provided with a first subsystem and a second subsystem that each process a control program while controlling a technical process, one of these subsystems operating as a master and the other subsystem operating as a slave, and the slave assuming the function of the master if the master fails such that it becomes possible to dispense with temporally synchronous communication between the participants with regard to the synchronization of the program processing in the two subsystems, thus reducing the communication load. |
| US09389968B2 |
Preventing non-detectable data loss during site switchover
Methods, systems, and computer program products for preventing non-detectable data loss during site switchover are disclosed. A computer-implemented method may include receiving a request to perform a switchover from a first node to a second node, determining whether to place a storage volume involved in the switchover in a suspended state, setting the storage volume in the suspended state based on determining that the storage volume is to be placed in the suspended state, and maintaining the storage volume in the suspended state after completing the switchover. In an example, the storage volume may be placed in a suspended state based on examining a volume-specific attribute indicating whether the storage volume is to be suspended when involved in a switchover. In one example, each storage volume involved in a switchover may be placed in a suspended state when indicated as part of a switchover request. |
| US09389966B2 |
Backing-up user data
User data stored on a first computer in a network is backed up to a computer which is one of a plurality of other computers in the network. The user data may be backed-up because a new operating system is to be installed. A request message indicating that the user data needs to be backed up is transmitted from the first computer to the network and is received at the other computers. One of the other computers is selected based on data indicating the extent to which each of the replying computers complies with one or more selection criteria. The first computer then transmits the user date to the selected computer with an identifier identifying the user data. The user data is stored in storage associated with the selected computer. The first and other computers may be in the same sub-network. The selection may be made by the first computer. |
| US09389964B1 |
Read-write access in a read-only environment
In one example, a method for processing data includes receiving a request to perform an operation concerning stored data that is ‘read only’ data. The request includes one or more data blocks, and has an offset and an end. Next, a data structure is created that is a representation of the stored ‘read only’ data with which the request is concerned, and the data structure includes data blocks. Finally, the requested operation is performed with respect to the data blocks of the data structure, but without modification of the stored ‘read only’ data to which those data blocks correspond. |
| US09389958B2 |
File system driven raid rebuild technique
In one embodiment, a file system driven RAID rebuild technique is provided. A layered file system may organize storage of data as segments spanning one or more sets of storage devices, such as solid state drives (SSDs), of a storage array, wherein each set of SSDs may form a RAID group configured to provide data redundancy for a segment. The file system may then drive (i.e., initiate) rebuild of a RAID configuration of the SSDs on a segment-by-segment basis in response to cleaning of the segment (i.e., segment cleaning). Each segment may include one or more RAID stripes that provide a level of data redundancy (e.g., single parity RAID 5 or double parity RAID 6) as well as RAID organization (i.e., distribution of data and parity) for the segment. Notably, the level of data redundancy and RAID organization may differ among the segments of the array. |
| US09389957B2 |
Memory controller, memory system, and memory control method
According to one embodiment, a memory controller that controls non-volatile memory including a data area and a parity area in which parity for data of a fixed length to be stored in the data area is stored, the memory controller including a coding unit configured to generate parity for each of two or more partial data, each of which has a length less than the fixed length, and the memory controller writing one of the parity generated by the coding unit onto the parity area as first parity, writing the partial data and second parity that is the parity, other than the first parity, generated by the coding unit, onto the data area as the data of the fixed length, and writing the second parity onto a position subsequent to the partial data corresponding to the second parity. |
| US09389956B2 |
Implementing ECC control for enhanced endurance and data retention of flash memories
A method, system and memory controller are provided for implementing ECC (Error Correction Codes) control to provide enhanced endurance and data retention of flash memories. The memory controller includes a VT (threshold voltage) monitor to determine VT degradation of cells and blocks; the VT monitor configured to store information about the determined VT degradation; a first ECC engine having a first level of ECC capability; a second ECC engine having a second level of ECC capability, the second level higher than the first level, the second ECC engine having a longer latency than the first ECC engine; a logic to issue a read request to a particular cell/block, and, using the determined VT degradation, use the first ECC engine if the determined VT degradation is less than a threshold and to use the second ECC engine if the determined VT degradation is above the threshold. |
| US09389954B2 |
Memory redundancy to replace addresses with multiple errors
A method and apparatus are provided for error correction of a memory by using a first memory (18), second memory (14), and redundant memory (19) to perform error correction code (ECC) processing on data retrieved from the first memory (18) by using the redundant memory (19) to replace entries in the second memory (14) having repeat addresses, thereby freeing entries in the second memory (14) for use in detecting and managing errors identified by the ECC processing. |
| US09389950B2 |
Techniques for information protection in a solid-state device based storage pool
A technique for protecting stored information from read disturbance includes receiving a first write request to a solid-state device (SSD) in a storage pool that employs an erasure code. The first write request has an associated identifier and associated data. In response to receiving the first write request, the first write request is assigned to two or more SSD blocks of the SSD device based on the identifier. Pages of the associated data are then written to the assigned SSD blocks, such that each SSD block holds data associated with only a single identifier. |
| US09389949B1 |
Optical fiber signal quality measuring and reporting in aviation systems and related method
A system and method are disclosed for measurement and reporting of signal quality in an optical data link in terms of Bit Error Rate (BER). The system and method of optical fiber signal quality measurement is highly accurate in early determination of signal degradation, is computationally simple in implementation, and is immune to instability with variable temperature and other environmental factors. Counting a number of error free Cyclic Redundancy Checks (CRC) of a plurality of video signals, the computationally simple method limits the data analysis required to determine a link OK, a link degraded and a link fault status of the optical data link. |
| US09389946B2 |
Operation management apparatus, operation management method, and program
An operation management apparatus includes a correlation destruction detection unit and an evaluation value calculation unit. The correlation destruction detection unit detects correlation destruction on a correlation between metrics of two different server among a plurality of servers executed on one or more processing devices in a system. The evaluation value calculation unit calculates and outputs, when correlation destruction on a correlation between two servers has been detected for inputted measurements of metrics, an evaluation value of the correlation destruction on the basis of a relation between the two servers with respect to the correlation on which the correlation destruction has been detected in the system. |
| US09389944B1 |
Test access architecture for multi-die circuits
Aspects of the invention relate to test access architecture for stacked dies. The disclosed test access interface for a die can function as a stand-alone test access interface, allowing both pre-bond testing and post-bond testing of the die. In a stack of dies, the test access interface of a die may be enabled/disabled by the test access interface of an adjacent die. |
| US09389942B2 |
Determine when an error log was created
A computing system can include a machine check counter (MCC) including a current value. The current value indicates a system reboot resetting hardware of the computing system. The machine check counter includes a model specific register including a counter indicating the current value, the current value to be incremented upon the system reboot. |
| US09389940B2 |
System and method for error logging
Error data is read from error registers and written into a buffer. A computing node uses a BIOS to read the error data, rearm the error register and write the data into a memory mapped buffer. A hub chip supports creation of a shared memory system of computing nodes. A management controller in the computing node extracts error data from the buffer. The error data preferably consists essentially of the error register identifiers and the contents of the error registers. A system management node receives the error data from the management controllers in the computing nodes. The system management node may be coupled to but separate from the computing nodes. |
| US09389934B1 |
Centralized and distributed notification handling system for software applications
The present disclosure describes methods, systems, and computer program products for handling notifications. One computer-implemented method includes selecting an object type for a notification object; customizing a common attribute of the notification object, wherein the common attribute is defined in a common notification object; determining whether the notification object includes additional attributes to be customized; in response to a determination that the notification object includes additional attributes to be customized, customizing a type attribute of the notification object, wherein the type attribute is defined in a type notification object that has the selected object type; and storing the notification object. |
| US09389933B2 |
Facilitating system service request interactions for hardware-protected applications
Described herein are implementations for providing a platform adaptation layer that enables applications to execute inside a user-mode hardware-protected isolation container while utilizing host platform resources that reside outside of the isolation container. The platform adaptation layer facilitates a system service request interaction between the application and the host platform. As part of the facilitating, a secure services component of the platform adaptation layer performs a security-relevant action. |
| US09389931B1 |
File creation through virtual containers
In an approach for creating a file, a computer receives a selection on a selection of content within application software on a first computing device to transfer to a clipboard. The computer appends metadata of the received selection with metadata indicating application software and file association information that corresponds to the selected content. The computer receives an indication to paste the selected content from the clipboard to a second computing device. The computer determines whether compatible application software on the second computing device is capable of accepting the selected content included in the received indication to paste. The computer responsive to determining that compatible application software on the second computing device is not capable of accepting the selected content included in the received indication to paste, creates a file that includes the selected content included in the received indication to paste and appended metadata. |
| US09389928B1 |
Platform for extension interaction with applications
Techniques for extension interaction with applications are described. Generally, an extension represents functionality for extending, modifying, customizing, and/or supplementing native functionality of an application. Techniques discussed herein provide a common extension platform that enables an extension to interact with multiple different applications utilizing components of the platform. The common extension platform, for instance, exposes a set of common extension application programming interfaces (APIs) that provide a common interaction surface between extensions and applications. |
| US09389921B2 |
System and method for flexible device driver resource allocation
A system and method for flexible device driver resource allocation is disclosed. In one embodiment, a method for allocating device driver resources in a data processing system includes statically allocating hardware resource pools to device drivers on a rigid basis during initialization of the data processing system, and dynamically altering the allocated hardware resource pools to the device drivers based on parameters associated with utilization of the allocated hardware resource pools during run-time. |
| US09389919B2 |
Managing workload distribution among computer systems based on intersection of throughput and latency models
A method of determining an estimated data throughput capacity for a computer system includes the steps of creating a first model of data throughput of a central processing subsystem in the computer system as a function of latency of a memory subsystem of the computer system; creating a second model of the latency in the memory subsystem as a function of bandwidth demand of the memory subsystem; and finding a point of intersection of the first and second models. The point of intersection corresponds to a possible operating point for said computer system. |
| US09389915B2 |
Method and system for allocating FPGA resources
The present invention relates to technical solutions for allocating FPGA resources in a resource pool. In an embodiment, the technical solution includes: receiving resource request for FPGA resources in the resource pool from a client; performing resource allocation operation based on resource pool state information record in response to the resource request, said resource pool state information record including utilization state information of the FPGA in said resource pool; and updating said resource pool state information record based on the result of said resource allocation operation. FPGA resource allocation can be implemented with the adoption of the technical solution of the application. |
| US09389909B1 |
Prioritized execution of plans for obtaining and/or processing data
Systems and methods of prioritizing execution of plans for obtaining and/or processing data based on partial execution of the plans are presented herein. In certain implementations, one or more plans may be executed. Costs associated with individual ones of the plans may be estimated based on partial execution of respective ones of the plans. Based on a comparison between the estimated costs, the execution of at least one of plans may be prioritized over at least the execution of the other ones of the plans. |
| US09389905B2 |
System and method for supporting read-only optimization in a transactional middleware environment
A system and method can support processing a transaction with a plurality of transaction branches. A transaction manager operates to send, to a resource manager, a prepare request for each said transaction branch in the plurality of transaction branches with the exception of at least one transaction branch. Furthermore, after receiving an indication from the resource manager that the received preparation requests are handled successfully (i.e. the transaction branch is read-only and has been committed), the transaction manager operates to send a commit request to commit said at least one transaction branch, which is on hold, to the resource manager. |
| US09389901B2 |
Load balancing of cloned virtual machines
A method, a non-transitory computer-readable storage medium, and a computer system for managing the placement of virtual machines in a virtual machine network are disclosed. In an embodiment, a method involves determining if at least one virtual machine in a set of virtual machines supporting a process and running on a first host computer needs to be separated from other virtual machines in the set. If at least one virtual machine needs to be separated, then at least one virtual machine is selected to be separated based on the number of memory pages changed. The selected VM is then separated from the other virtual machines in the set. |
| US09389897B1 |
Exiting multiple threads of a simulation environment in a computer
Embodiments relate to exiting a multithreaded guest virtual machine (VM) that is running in a simulation environment. An aspect includes executing the simulation by a guest entity comprising a plurality of logical threads, wherein each of the plurality of logical threads comprises a respective instruction stream. Another aspect includes detecting an exit event corresponding to completion, by a first thread of the plurality of logical threads, of the instruction stream corresponding to the first thread. Another aspect includes, based on determining that the simulation is executing in a redrive mode: based on determining that the TVM of the guest entity indicates that multiple threads of the plurality of logical threads are valid, nullifying a start interpretive execution (SIE) instruction of a host; setting a bit corresponding to the first thread in the TVM to invalid; executing the nullified SIE instruction; and relaunching the guest entity in the redrive mode. |
| US09389892B2 |
Multiple points in time disk images for disaster recovery
An enterprise disaster recovery system, including a processor for running at least one data application that reads data from at least one data disk and writes data to the at least one data disk over a period of time, a recovery test engine that (i) generates in parallel a plurality of processing stacks corresponding to a respective plurality of previous points in time, each stack operative to process a command to read data at a designated address from a designated data disk and return data at the designated address in an image of the designated data disk at the previous point in time corresponding to the stack, and (ii) that generates in parallel a plurality of logs of commands issued by the at least one data application to write data into designated addresses of designated data disks, each log corresponding to a respective previous point in time. |
| US09389888B2 |
Virtualization system with a remote proxy in a virtualization layer domain
A remote proxy in a virtualization layer domain establishes a plurality of logical channels via a network connection. The virtualization layer domain is part of a host system in which a set of virtual machines of a virtual machine domain run on a virtualization layer of the virtualization layer domain. The remote proxy receives first information from a first logical channel in plurality of logical channels and second information from a second logical channel in plurality of logical channels through the network connection. Then, the remote proxy determines that the virtual machine domain should process the first information and forwards the first information from the virtualization layer domain to a virtual machine in the set of virtual machines in the virtual machine domain. Also, the remote proxy determines that the virtualization layer domain should process the second information and forwards the second information to the virtualization layer for processing. |
| US09389887B1 |
Method and system for managing de-duplication of data in a virtualization environment
A system for managing de-duplication of data in a virtualization environment, that includes a plurality of nodes, wherein the plurality of nodes implements a virtualization environment, a plurality of primary storage devices that are accessed by virtual machines in the virtualization environment, and wherein data undergoes de-duplication in the virtualization environment such that an instruction to store a data item that is issued by a virtual machine is not duplicatively stored if the data item is already stored in the plurality of the primary storage devices. |
| US09389881B2 |
Method and apparatus for generating combined user interface from a plurality of servers to enable user device control
Provided are a method and apparatus for generating a user interface (UI). The method receives a plurality of UIs from a plurality of servers and generates and displays a combined UI by combining (or aggregating) the plurality of UIs, so that a user can control a plurality of devices through a client. |
| US09389879B2 |
System and method for manipulating user-interface display items for web widgets
In one embodiment, a method includes receiving a request for web-widget manipulation. The request includes a scope of manipulation. The method further includes identifying at least one managed web widget as being covered by the scope of manipulation. In addition, the method includes identifying at least one instance of the at least one managed web widget as being covered by the scope of manipulation. Further, the method includes extracting a plurality of user-interface (UI) display items relative to the at least one managed web widget and the at least one instance. The plurality of UI display items includes at least one global UI display item and at least one website-level UI display item. |
| US09389878B1 |
Pre-boot management of drivers and programs
Approaches for managing pre-boot drivers, programs, and data. A BIOS, operating in a pre-boot environment, establishes a connection to a remote server. The BIOS determines whether the server has any updates to be performed to the BIOS using the connection. The BIOS may also perform a discovery process to discover devices operationally connecting to the BIOS and load drivers associated therewith. Update to the BIOS may include multi-media content that is displayed or played during a booting process. |
| US09389873B2 |
Kiosk application mode for operating system
A method includes transforming a mode of a computer from an operating system mode to a kiosk mode, wherein the kiosk mode provides a user interface for one web application, and wherein the kiosk mode prevents access to any other application or the operating system of the computer. The computer automatically updates the web application via a network while the computer is operating in kiosk mode, and automatically updates an operating system of the computer via the network while the computer is operating in kiosk mode. The computer automatically re-launches the web application in response to detecting an interrupted status of the web application while the computer is operating in kiosk mode. |
| US09389867B2 |
Speculative finish of instruction execution in a processor core
In a processor core, high latency operations are tracked in entries of a data structure associated with an execution unit of the processor core. In the execution unit, execution of an instruction dependent on a high latency operation tracked by an entry of the data structure is speculatively finished prior to completion of the high latency operation. Speculatively finishing the instruction includes reporting an identifier of the entry to completion logic of the processor core and removing the instruction from an execution pipeline of the execution unit. The completion logic records dependence of the instruction on the high latency operation and commits execution results of the instruction to an architected state of the processor only after successful completion of the high latency operation. |
| US09389865B1 |
Accelerated execution of target of execute instruction
As disclosed herein a method, executed by a processor, for accelerated instruction execution includes retrieving an execute instruction including a register reference and a reference to a target instruction, retrieving the target instruction, decoding the execute instruction using an instruction pipeline, decoding the target instruction using the instruction pipeline, associating the register reference to the target instruction, and executing the target instruction using the register reference as a source operand modifier. The instruction pipeline is configured such that it allows the target instruction to continue processing without waiting for the register reference to be resolved. The contents of the referenced register may be retrieved in a later stage of the instruction pipeline, and the target instruction may be modified and executed. An apparatus corresponding to the described method is also disclosed herein. |
| US09389863B2 |
Processor that performs approximate computing instructions
A processor includes a decoder that decodes an instruction that instructs the processor to perform subsequent computations in an approximate manner and a functional unit that performs the subsequent computations in the approximate manner in response to the instruction. An instruction instructs the processor to clear an error amount associated with a value stored in a general purpose register of the processor. The error amount indicates an amount of error associated with a result of a computation performed by the processor in an approximate manner. The processor also clears the error amount in response to the instruction. Another instruction specifies a computation to be performed and includes a prefix that indicates the processor is to perform the computation in an approximate manner. The functional unit performs the computation specified by the instruction in the approximate manner specified by the prefix. |
| US09389855B2 |
Arithmetic device
According to an embodiment, an arithmetic device includes an arithmetic processing unit, an address generating unit, and a control unit. The arithmetic processing unit performs a plurality of arithmetic processing used in an encryption method. Based on an upper bit of the address of the first piece of data and based on an offset which is a value corresponding to a counter value and which is based on the address of the first piece of data, the address generating unit generates addresses of the memory device. The control unit controls the arithmetic processing unit in such a way that the arithmetic processing is done in a sequence determined in the encryption method, and that specifies an update of the counter value at a timing of modifying the type of data and at a timing of modifying data. |
| US09389853B2 |
Adaptive control of processor performance
Embodiments include a method, system and an article of manufacture for configuring at least one processor. These include changing a sampling frequency of at least a portion of a control loop coupled to the processor in response to a change in a current input workload, determining a current error of the processor after the changing, and adjusting one or more of a clock rate and a voltage of the processor to reduce a difference between the current error and a desired error. |
| US09389850B2 |
System and approach to manage versioning of field devices in a multi-site enterprise
An energy management and control system that may manage versioning firmware for devices. The system may be structured in a hierarchy of enterprise, site and field levels, with one or more computing platforms at the various levels. An enterprise supervisor may detect and obtain new version firmware for the devices at the field level. The new version firmware may be transferred from the supervisor to one or more site controllers. The one or more site controllers may transfer the new version firmware to eligible field devices. The devices may report to their respective site controllers a status of a transfer of the new version hardware. The site controllers may report to the supervisor the status of the transfer. Detection of new version firmware may be automatic. Transfer of the new version firmware to virtually all of the eligible devices may be automatic. |
| US09389848B2 |
Scheduling a plan of operations in a datacenter
In a computer-implemented method for scheduling a plan of operations in a datacenter selection of a target from a plurality of targets in the datacenter is enabled for scheduling operations on the selected target. Selection of one or more bundles is enabled, wherein the plan of operations on the selected target are based on the one or more bundles. Dependency relationships between the selected target and other targets in the plurality of targets are determined based on the selection of one or more bundles. The plan of operations on the selected target is scheduled. |
| US09389847B2 |
Selection of relevant software bundles
In a computer-implemented method for selection of relevant software bundles selection of targets in a datacenter for updating software associated with the targets is enabled. In response to the selection, software bundles relevant for updating software associated with at least one of the selected targets are displayed. Selection of the software bundles is enabled. |
| US09389845B2 |
System and method for dynamically generating a user personalized downloadable executable file
In an aspect, a system, non-transitory machine readable medium and method for providing a personalized executable file to a client device is disclosed. A request sent from a client device to obtain a software application is received. The request is processed to identify the client device and a user associated with the client device. The client device profile information associated with the identified client device as well as user profile information associated with the identified user is determined. One or more configuration/core library files are selected from a file database based on the user profile information and the client device profile information. A personalized executable file is generated for the requested software application, wherein the personalized executable file comprises selected core library files and the selected configuration files. The personalized executable file of the requested software application is then sent to the client device. |
| US09389844B2 |
Solution for a computer system
An apparatus and a method provide a solution for a computer system. The apparatus may include a package containing or referencing a plurality of software components of the solution and containing a solution definition defining in logical terms the topology requirements of the solution. The plurality of software components may be packaged as installable units which comprise a descriptor providing requirements of a target hosting environment for the software component and the software component to be installed. The solution definition of the package may include target hosting environments of the software components of a solution being defined in terms of requirements each software component has on its own target hosting environment and requirements the solution imposes on the target hosting environments. |
| US09389843B2 |
Efficient interpreter profiling to obtain accurate call-path information
A method for obtaining accurate call path information in a mixed-mode environment where interpreted methods and non-interpreted methods can call one another is disclosed. In one embodiment, such a method includes generating an event and recording it in a buffer when an interpreted method calls an interpreted method. The method also generates an event and records it in the buffer when an interpreted method calls a non-interpreted method. The method further generates an event and records it in the buffer when a non-interpreted method calls an interpreted method. The method refrains from generating an event when a non-interpreted method calls a non-interpreted method. A corresponding apparatus and computer program product are also disclosed. |
| US09389842B2 |
Configuration-preserving preprocessor
Methods, systems, and apparatuses, including computer programs encoded on computer readable media, for generating a plurality of tokens from one or more source files. The one or more source files include source code in a first programming language. The source code includes one or more static conditionals that include a conditional expression and branch code that is operative when the conditional expression is true. Various configurations are possible based upon the conditionals. A first static conditional that includes one or more nested static conditionals within the branch code associated with the first static conditional is determined. Each of the one or more nested static conditionals is hoisted to a beginning of the branch code associated with the first static conditional. Each innermost branch code does not contain a static conditional, and each possible configuration is preserved. |
| US09389837B1 |
Generating comprehensive symbol tables for source code files
A computer-implemented method includes identifying a primary symbol table associated with a primary source code file and identifying a secondary symbol table associated with a secondary source code file. The computer-implemented further includes receiving a source code association indication. The source code association indication includes at least one association relationship between the primary source code file and the secondary source code file. The computer-implemented further includes creating a comprehensive symbol table. The comprehensive symbol table comprises contents of the primary symbol table and contents of the secondary symbol table. A corresponding computer program product and computer system are also disclosed. |
| US09389836B1 |
System and method for performing iteration in a graphical modeling environment
In an embodiment, in a graphical modeling environment, users may create models that can be executed. Within the graphical modeling environment, users may use implicit iterator systems to manage multiple iterations of systems whereby the indexing of input and output signals may be defined by a user and state may be managed for an iteration. The number of iterations taken by the implicit iterator system can adapt to input and output signal dimensions. |
| US09389831B2 |
Sharing speech dialog capabilities of a vehicle
The disclosure includes a speech-enabled device and method to share speech dialog capabilities of the speech-enabled device with a dumb device. The speech-enabled device includes a processor and a memory storing instructions that, when executed by the processor, cause the speech-enabled device to: receive speech dialog data of the dumb device that indicates a function of the dumb device; receive speech input; determine the function of the dumb device to be invoked based on the speech input by using the speech dialog data; generate a command effective to invoke the function of the dumb device based on the speech dialog data; and send the command to the dumb device to invoke the function of the dumb device. |
| US09389827B2 |
System and method for displaying and editing digitally sampled audio data
A method and system including segmenting digital samples related to input audio data into arc segments representing output audio data. The arc segments are arranged to form multiple arcs which are arranged to form a record image. A user-selected boundary of a track of the input audio data may be marked based on a command received from a user via an interaction with the record image. |
| US09389818B2 |
Information processing apparatus, non-transitory program product, and information display apparatus
An information processing system which executes a job is disclosed, including a user specifying unit; a user information obtaining unit; an applied rule determining unit which refers to rule information in which is recorded a rule to be applied for executing the job in accordance with a relationship between an upper limit value and a consumed amount to determine the rule to be applied to the user; an applying unit which applies the rule determined by the applied rule determining unit to setting information of the job to be executed; and a log recording unit which records, with respect to the job to be executed, log information which includes at least one of the setting information before application of the rule and the setting information after application of the rule; and information indicating the rule applied. |
| US09389816B2 |
Image forming apparatus that transmits and receives maintenance work data to and from information processing apparatus, method of controlling the same, and storage medium
An information processing apparatus without bothering a user, even when it is necessary to disconnect and restart the image forming apparatus which has been connected to the information processing apparatus so as to transmit and receive maintenance work data for performing the maintenance work on the image forming apparatus. When the image forming apparatus is required to be disconnected and reconnected after restarting the image forming apparatus during connection with the information processing apparatus, identification information for identifying an information processing apparatus to be reconnected is stored in a storage section. The image forming apparatus is reconnected to the information processing apparatus identified by the identification information stored in the storage section after the image forming apparatus is restarted. |
| US09389814B2 |
Server apparatus, printing system, information processing method, and program
A server apparatus includes an acquisition unit that acquires distance information between a printing device and a portable terminal device based on positional information of the printing device and positional information of the portable terminal device, and a control unit that controls printing of print data by the printing device based on the distance information. The server apparatus increases the security of a printed material left unattended without causing a user any trouble. |
| US09389811B2 |
Image processing apparatus, image processing method, and recording medium
A display device is caused to display information indicating a pattern for determining an output target area in a web page, and an output target area in a web page that is being displayed using a browser is determined in accordance with a pattern corresponding to information instructed by a user among the displayed information. Then, an image corresponding to the determined output target area in the web page is output in a manner distinguishable from images corresponding to another area in the web page.Therefore, a user can easily select an output target area in a web page. |
| US09389810B2 |
Performance-based grouping of storage devices in a storage system
A computer determines an intrinsic read speed and an intrinsic write speed associated with a first disk and a second disk. The computer receives a request to read a portion of data, wherein the portion of data is stored redundantly on both the first and second disk. The computer identifies a first latency associated with reading the portion of data from the first disk, where the first latency is based on at least the intrinsic read speed and the intrinsic write speed associated with the first disk. The computer identifies a second latency associated with reading the portion of data form the second disk, wherein the second latency is based on at least the intrinsic read speed and the intrinsic write speed associated with the second disk. The computer determines that the first latency exceeds the second latency. The computer selects the second disk to read the portion of data. |
| US09389808B2 |
Storage device and data processing method
A storage device according to an embodiment includes a plurality of memory nodes and a first connection unit. Each memory node includes nonvolatile memory and is connected to each other in two or more different directions. The first connection unit adds a first lifetime to a command which is externally supplied, and transmits the command including the first lifetime to a first memory node. A second memory node having received the command among the plural memory nodes, if the second memory node is not a destination of the command, subtracts the first lifetime added to the first command. The second memory node discards the command after the subtraction when the first lifetime after the subtraction is less than a threshold. The second memory node transfers the command after the subtraction to the adjacent memory node when the first lifetime after the subtraction is larger than the threshold. |
| US09389805B2 |
I/O device and computing host interoperation
An I/O device is coupled to a computing host. In some embodiments, the device is enabled to utilize memory of the computing host not directly coupled to the device to store information such as a shadow copy of a map of the device and/or state of the device. Storage of the shadow copy of the map enables one or both of the device and the computing host to utilize the shadow copy of the map, such as to decrease read latency. Storage of the state enables the device to save volatile state that would otherwise be lost when the device enters a low-power state. In some embodiments, the device implements one or more non-standard modifiers of standard commands. The non-standard modifiers modify the execution of the standard commands, providing features not present in a host protocol having only the standard commands. |
| US09389800B1 |
Synthesizing virtual machine disk backups
The system, process, and methods herein describe a mechanism for extracting virtual machine disk backups from LUN backups. The virtual machine disk backups may be stored in a deduplicated storage system. Thick virtual machine disks may be converted to thin virtual machine disks. |
| US09389793B2 |
Trusted execution and access protection for embedded memory
A semiconductor device includes, in various embodiments, a memory and a processor, with the processor configured to perform a permission check prior to execution of a memory-access instruction. The permission check comprises evaluating a permission attribute of the memory-access instruction and a permission attribute of a memory location to be accessed. The memory-access instruction is denied unless the permission attribute of the memory-access instruction is compatible with the permission attribute of the memory location to be accessed. In various embodiments, permission attributes are obtained by the processor from a one-time-programmable (OTP) memory module. In various embodiments, the permission attributes are determined based on a source address of the memory-access instruction and an address of the memory location to be accessed. In various embodiments, the OTP memory module stores permission settings that are based on the identity of suppliers for various portions of code stored in the memory. |
| US09389791B2 |
Enhanced software application platform
A system includes information for generating a first appliance based on first appliance information, information for generating a second appliance based on second appliance information, and information for configuring communication between the first appliance and the second appliance. The system further includes at least one processor configured to generate a first volume by copying the first appliance information using a first set of parameters associated with an environment in which the first volume is situated, and generate a second volume by copying the second appliance information using a second set of parameters associated with an environment in which the second volume is situated. The system also includes at least one processor configured to initiate a first appliance instance by executing code from the first volume using information in the third volume, and initiate a second appliance instance by executing code in the second volume using information in a fourth volume. |
| US09389789B2 |
Migration of executing applications and associated stored data
As disclosed herein, a method, executed by a computer, for migrating executing applications and associated stored data includes executing one or more applications in a source system environment that access data stored on a source storage device that is directly accessible within the source system environment, migrating the data to a target storage device that is directly accessible within a target system environment but is not directly accessible within the source system environment, wherein migrating the data comprises copying the data from the source storage device to the target storage device using a remote storage access protocol. A computer system and computer program product corresponding to the method are also disclosed herein. |
| US09389788B2 |
Reading method of solid state disk for improving reading speed and mitigating reading congestion
The present invention is to provide a reading method of a solid state disk, receiving read requests, pre-checking the blocked state of the request queue in non-volatile memory, registering the reading request to the reading request queue if the request queue is adjudged to be unblocked, buffering the request queue if the reading request queue is adjudged to be blocked, sending a next reading request, and checking and re-sending the buffered reading request at predetermined time length in order to improve the speed of data reading. |
| US09389780B2 |
Touch-control system
A touch-control system includes at least two image capturing units and an electronic device. The image capturing units are configured to capture a plurality of hand images of a user. The electronic device is coupled to the image capturing units, and configured to recognize a target object from the hand images, and detect motions of the target object in an operating space. The electronic device includes a display unit, and the operating space includes a virtual touch-control plane. When the target object touches a virtual touch-control point on the virtual touch-control plane, the electronic device generates a touch-control signal and performs an associated touch-control operation at a position corresponding to the virtual touch-control points on the display unit. |
| US09389777B2 |
Gestures for manipulating tables, charts, and graphs
Gestures are described for manipulating tables, charts and graphs. For tables, a swipe gesture is described that deletes a column from a table when the gesture is detected on a column of the table. A pinch gesture is also described that combines two or more columns or rows of a table when the gesture is detected on columns of the table. For charts and graphs, a swipe gesture is described that changes the contents of the chart or graph when the gesture is detected on an axis label of the chart or graph. Another swipe gesture is describes that modifies the appearance of the chart or graph when the gesture is detected on or near an edge of the chart or graph and moving towards the center of the chart or graph. |
| US09389772B2 |
Method and apparatus for peripheral connection
Attaching a peripheral device to a portable terminal includes determining one or more application programs operating in connection with an attached peripheral device, displaying a depiction of a plug of the attached peripheral device and the one or more application programs on a screen of the portable terminal, and, when a user drags the displayed depiction of a plug to select one of the one or more application programs, executing the selected application program. |
| US09389768B2 |
Reproducer, digital camera, slide show reproduction method, program, image display apparatus, image display method, image reproduction method, and image display program
A reproducer is provided with members shown below. Namely, the reproducer is provided with a storage part for storing images, a vibration detection part for detecting a vibration operation by a user, a switching instruction part for instructing switching of reproduction content in slide show reproduction based on a detection result from the vibration detection part, a synthesis processing part for performing creation processing of slide show images, which are images for the slide show reproduction, based on instructions of the switching instruction part, and a slide show control part for performing the slide show reproduction of the images stored in the storage part and the slide show images. |
| US09389766B2 |
Image display device, image display method, image display program, and computer-readable recording medium for providing zoom functionality
An image display device includes an acquisition unit that, when an operation of enclosing an arbitrary region on a display screen is performed in response to sequential instruction inputs by a user, acquires position information indicating positions indicated by those instruction inputs, a recognition unit that specifies an enclosed region by a trajectory of the acquired position information and recognizes the enclosed region as a selected region, a determination unit that determines to zoom in an image displayed in an image display area with a zoom-in ratio determined based on the range of the selected region and the range of the image display area, and a display control unit that displays a zoomed-in transformed image with the determined zoom-in ratio in the display area with the center of the transformed image and the center of the image display area aligned. |
| US09389765B2 |
Generating an image stream
Methods, systems, and apparatus, including computer programs encoded on a computer storage medium, for augmenting an interactive session with images. In one aspect, a method includes generating a first linear arrangement of images captured during an interactive session. The images of the first linear arrangement of images can be arranged in order based on a sequence in which the images were captured. The first linear arrangement of images is provided for display. Selection data specifying a selection of an image of the first linear arrangement of images are received. In response to receiving the selection data, a branch point is created at the selected image. The branch point can define a branch from the selected image to a second linear arrangement of images. Additional images captured during the interactive session are received. The second linear arrangement of images is generated that includes the additional images. |
| US09389760B2 |
Integrated visualization
A system may provide a visualization function during computational functions performed by a host system. Access to a library of functions including a visualization function is provided. Then, a computing application is executed. The execution of the computing application includes generating multi-dimensional data, invoking the visualization function from the library, and providing a visual representation of at least a portion of the multi-dimensional data for display within the computing application using the visualization function. |
| US09389759B2 |
Environment for responsive graphical designs
Embodiments of the present invention provide tools and methods for the development and specification of a responsive graphical design. A graphical user interface allows a user to specify a design. The graphical user interface has a area for displaying a rendering of the design according to a first dimension specification. The system also has a dimension specification interface that allows the user to set a second dimension specification. The system also has a widget interface that allows the user to (i) add a widget to said design, (ii) specify a first state for the widget when the design is rendered according to the first dimension specification, and (iii) specify a second state for the widget when the design is rendered according to the second dimension specification. |
| US09389752B2 |
Menu screen display method and menu screen display device
An instruction acquisition unit acquires a menu display instruction in a menu screen display device. When the menu display instruction is acquired while a game program is running, a menu-screen generating unit displays, by a function of a system, on a television set a second system menu screen in which an end icon for terminating the running game program is inserted in between a plurality of content icons that are arranged in a line in a first system menu screen and displayed. The instruction acquisition unit acquires the selection of the displayed end icon from a user. When the selection of the end icon is acquired, a menu screen constituting unit terminates the running game program and displays on the television set a first system menu screen by deleting the end icon from the second system menu screen. |
| US09389750B2 |
Wireless interface for access connections
A process of pairing a wireless PAN (personal area network) device with a system can be facilitated first by assuming default PIN codes that are traditionally used with wireless PAN devices and then by attempting such presumed default codes before querying the user for input. Accordingly, a cumbersome task conventionally required of the user is most often removed. Also, the devices that are paired and connected are preferably graphically conveyed on a display or graphical user interface (GUI) in a manner that solidly implies that each PAN device is connected only to its system, and not (directly) to other PAN devices. |
| US09389749B2 |
Systems and methods for presenting media program accessibility information in a media program browse view
An exemplary method includes a media service provider system 1) providing for display in a media program browse view on a display screen, a cover art image object representing a media program within a grid of cover art image objects representing a plurality of media programs accessible through a media program distribution service, 2) determining a media distribution model by way of which the media program represented by the cover art image object is accessible through the media program distribution service, and 3) providing, for display in the media program browse view together with the cover art image object, an accessibility indicator that indicates the media distribution model by way of which the media program is accessible. Corresponding systems and methods are also described. |
| US09389741B2 |
Touch panel and a method of forming the same
A touch panel includes a transparent substrate; an electrode layer formed above a touch area of the transparent substrate; a protective layer formed above a trace area of the transparent substrate; and plural traces formed above the protective layer. |
| US09389739B2 |
Methods and devices for transferring a tactile signal through a solid element
The invention discloses devices and methods for transferring a tactile signal through an inert piece of material. In some embodiments, clear, impact resistant covers are employed with devices including touch-sensitive screens. The instant invention, in some embodiments, employs a plurality of magnets to allow one to input information on a touch-sensitive screen through the inert cover. Contact of a magnet pair above the cover may allow for a signal to be delivered to the touch-sensitive display via a second magnet pair that includes a stylus adapted to activate the surface of the display. |
| US09389735B2 |
Touch sensing device and touchscreen device
There are provided a touch sensing device and a touchscreen device, the touch sensing device including a plurality of driving electrodes extended in a first axial direction, a plurality of sensing electrodes extended in a second axial direction intersecting with the first axial direction, an integrating circuit unit generating a first analog signal by integrating a change in capacitance generated in a first sensing electrode among the plurality of sensing electrodes and generating a second analog signal from a change in capacitance generated in a second sensing electrode adjacent to the first sensing electrode, and a subtracting unit calculating a difference in levels between the first and second analog signals. |
| US09389730B2 |
Light-based touch screen using elongated light guides
A touch screen including a housing, a display mounted in the housing, a plurality of collimating lenses mounted in the housing and arranged along a first edge of the display, a plurality of light pulse emitters mounted in the housing that are spaced apart from and serially transmit light pulses through the collimating lenses over the display, a light guide mounted in the housing along the edge of the display opposite the first edge, for receiving the light pulses, the light guide including a reflective strip that reflects light pulses to one end of the light guide, a light pulse receiver mounted in the housing near the one end of the light guide, for receiving the reflected light pulses, and a calculating unit, mounted in the housing and connected to the receiver, for determining a location of a pointer on the display that partially blocks light pulses transmitted by the emitters, based on outputs of the receiver. |
| US09389726B2 |
Click-event detection device
There is provided a click-event detection device including a light source, a light control unit, an image sensor and a processing unit. The light control unit is configured to control the light source to illuminate a finger. The image sensor receives reflected light from the finger to accordingly output a plurality of bright image frames and dark image frames. The processing unit is configured to calculate a differential image characteristic between the bright image frames and the dark image frames, to determine a plurality of operating states according to the differential image characteristic, to count a residence time at each of the operating states, and to identify a click-event according to the operating states and the residence time. |
| US09389721B2 |
Snap domes as sensor protection
A protection mechanism for force-based touch sensitive input panels or displays comprising a “snap dome”, e.g., a semi-rigid pliable dome positioned over each sensor for increased overload protection. The snap dome is unidirectionally-resilient to a known point of collapse. It therefore imparts a predetermined resistance to compression over a known range of travel along the z-axis, but is unyielding along the x- and y-axis. As the touch panel is depressed toward the standoff, the snap dome resists compression until it collapses, allowing the touch panel to encounter the standoff. The standoff then imparts dead-stop overload force protection to the sensors. This allows for the placement of mechanical stops (such as stop screws) with a less exacting tolerance. Moreover, the snap domes introduce no x- or y-axis force losses/increases, and do not cause tilting of the touch panel. The touch force remains perfectly perpendicular and accuracy is preserved. |
| US09389720B2 |
Touch panel and electronic device
To provide a touch panel with reduced disturbance of display and with improved mechanical strength by suppressing variation in the space between a pair of substrates which form the touch panel even when in contact with an object to be detected. A pixel portion including a plurality of pixels is provided between a pair of substrates. Each pixel includes a photosensor portion which detects that the object to be detected is in contact with one of the pair of substrates, and a MEMS portion which generates a mechanical displacement in a direction perpendicular to the pair of substrates when a signal based on a detection result of the photosensor portion is input. |
| US09389719B2 |
Touch screen, method for manufacturing the same, 3D display apparatus
A touch screen having a touch control electrode, wherein the touch control electrode comprises: a first electrode unit having a first strip body and a first teeth-like structure perpendicular to the first strip body and extending from a side of the first strip body; and a second electrode unit having a second strip body and a second teeth-like structure perpendicular to the second strip body and extending from a side of the second strip body. The first teeth-like structure of the first electrode unit and the second teeth-like structure of the second electrode unit are arranged to face each other and spaced away from each other. The first teeth-like structure of the first electrode unit and the second teeth-like structure of the second electrode unit are configured to shade light. The present invention also discloses a method for manufacturing the touch screen and a 3D display apparatus. |
| US09389716B2 |
Mobile terminal apparatus
A terminal apparatus that includes a touch panel; a proximity detection unit configured to detect an approach and contact of an external object to the touch panel based on a changed in capacitance value and to detect a location on a surface of the touch panel where the capacitance value changed; and an operation control unit configured to control the proximity detection unit to stop the detection of a location contacted by the external object on the touch panel surface when the approach of the external object is detected by the proximity detection unit. |
| US09389715B2 |
Display apparatus for sensing multi-touch and proximity object
A display apparatus that may enable sensing a multi-touch and a proximity object is provided. The display apparatus may display an image generated by the object on an organic light emitting diode (OLED) display panel, and may sense an invisible light that may be reflected by the object and may have entered through a hole. |
| US09389712B2 |
Touch event model
Embodiments of the present invention are directed to methods, software, devices and APIs for defining touch events for application level software. Furthermore, some embodiments are directed to simplifying the recognition of single and multiple touch events for applications running in multi-touch enabled devices. To simplify the recognition of single and multiple touch events, each view within a particular window can be configured as either a multi-touch view or a single touch view. Furthermore, each view can be configured as either an exclusive or a non-exclusive view. Depending on the configuration of a view, touch events in that and other views can be either ignored or recognized. Ignored touches need not be sent to the application. Selectively ignoring touches can allow for simpler software elements that do not take advantage of advanced multi touch features to be executed at the same device and time as more complex software elements. |
| US09389710B2 |
Light-based controls on a toroidal steering wheel
A steering wheel for a vehicle, including a toroidal steering wheel surrounding an airspace and mounted in a vehicle, an array of invisible-light emitters mounted in the steering wheel to project invisible light beams across the airspace, an array of light detectors mounted in the steering wheel to detect the invisible light beams projected by the invisible-light emitters, and to detect gestures inside the airspace that interrupt the invisible light beams projected by the invisible-light emitters, and a processor connected to the light detectors to identify the gestures inside the airspace detected by the light detectors, and to control an item of equipment mounted in the vehicle, in response to the thus-identified gestures inside the airspace. |
| US09389709B2 |
Multi-function tablet pen input device
This invention relates to the field of remotely controlling the mobile computing device. It further relates to an apparatus and method of at least replicating in a portable pen-like device the ability to control a portable computing device to the same extent as the level of control attainable by a standard PC keyboard when attached to a standard PC; and relates to various embodiments of the apparatus and method. |
| US09389706B2 |
Method and system for mouse control over multiple screens
The present invention discloses a method for coordinating computer interface presentation controlled by user interface between a source screen and at least one sink display, where the computer interface is associated with the sink screen. The comprising the steps of: tracking mouse cursor motion on the sink screen, in case mouse cursor moving beyond external monitor desktop area: sending location data to source device, coordinate of mouse cursor to source wireless mobile device by rendering mouse cursor at the source device for displaying on the device screen, in case of identifying mouse cursor moving to the external monitor desktop area from the source and stop rendering mouse cursor at the source and start rendering at the dongle for displaying mouse on the external screen. |
| US09389701B2 |
Data transfer from active stylus
In one embodiment, a method includes accessing, by a stylus, data associated with a particular user of the stylus, the data associated with the particular user being stored in a memory of the stylus; and by the stylus, wirelessly transmitting the data to a device in response to the stylus contacting a touch sensor of the device. |
| US09389698B2 |
Remote controller for controlling mobile device
Provided is a remote control for controlling a mobile device. The remote control includes a communications transceiver configured to communicate with the mobile device and an actuator for receiving a user input while the remote control is communicatively coupled to the mobile device. The actuator comprises a touchpad including buttons for receiving the user input which can include a gesture including depressing the touchpad by a thumb; and concurrently moving the thumb across the touchpad. In response, the remote control may be operable to cause swiping a screen associated with a user interface of the mobile device; scrolling a portion of the screen; selecting and launching an application on the mobile device and controlling the functionality of the application; and/or selecting letters on a virtual keyboard provided by the user interface of the mobile device. The remote control is sized to comfortably fit in the user's palm for operation. |
| US09389695B2 |
Steering wheel input device having gesture recognition and angle compensation capabilities
A steering wheel input device is mounted on a vehicle steering wheel and includes a pointer detection device detecting a pointer event on a pointer detection surface, any movement or breaking of the pointer event, and the speed, velocity, and acceleration of the pointer event, and outputs a corresponding pointer detection signal. The steering wheel input device also includes a rotation angle sensor and a processor. The rotation angle sensor takes measurements related to an angle of rotation of the steering wheel and outputs a corresponding rotation detection signal. The processor determines the angle of rotation of the steering wheel using the rotation detection signal, determines which gesture that the pointer detection signal corresponds to using the pointer detection signal and the angle of rotation of the steering wheel, and outputs a command corresponding to the gesture. The command can serve as input to control vehicular systems. |
| US09389694B2 |
Systems, articles, and methods for gesture identification in wearable electromyography devices
Systems, articles, and methods perform gesture identification with limited computational resources. A wearable electromyography (“EMG”) device includes multiple EMG sensors, an on-board processor, and a non-transitory processor-readable memory that stores data and/or processor-executable instructions for performing gesture identification. The wearable EMG device detects and determines features of signals when a user performs a physical gesture, and processes the features by performing a decision tree analysis. The decision tree analysis invokes a decision tree stored in the memory, where storing and executing the decision tree may be managed by limited computational resources. The outcome of the decision tree analysis is a probability vector that assigns a respective probability score to each gesture in a gesture library. The accuracy of the gesture identification may be enhanced by performing multiple iterations of the decision tree analysis across multiple time windows of the EMG signal data and combining the resulting probability vectors. |
| US09389689B2 |
Touch screen device
In a touch screen device, a second space is secured between a peripheral edge of an opening of an exterior case and a panel surface of a touch panel; an elastic body is provided on the back surface of an easily deformable portion extending along the peripheral edge of the opening; and a third space that is narrower than the second space is secured between the elastic body and the panel surface of the touch panel. When the easily deformable portion is pressed and bent by the input operation, the elastic body is brought into contact with the panel surface and displaces the touch panel backward so that the vibrating touch panel does not come into direct contact with the peripheral edge of the opening. |
| US09389688B2 |
Display apparatus producing audio and haptic output
An apparatus comprising; a first part configured to form at least part of the case of the apparatus; a second part configured to form at least part of the display for the apparatus; at least one actuator coupled to the second part and configured to apply a force to the second part to generate a displacement of the second part; drive circuitry coupled to the at least one actuator and configured to drive the actuator to produce both audio and haptic outputs; and a suspender configured to couple the first part and the second part. |
| US09389685B1 |
Vision based brain-computer interface systems for performing activities of daily living
In one embodiment, assisting a user in performing an action in relation to an object of interest includes capturing an image of an environment, identifying boundaries of objects within the image, adaptively dividing the image into selectable cells so that edges of the cells generally aligning with boundaries of objects within the image, and detecting selection of one of the cells by the user, the cell encompassing at least part of the object of interest upon which the user wishes an action to be performed. |
| US09389684B2 |
Platform for finger controls
A hand-mounted controller is provided that allows a user to manipulate individual sensors associated with one or more, and typically each, of a wearer's fingers and thumb while monitoring movement of the controller in three dimensional space. The controller includes a palm grip that may be affixed to the hand via straps. Attached to the palm grip is one or more finger actuated controls and one or more thumb actuated controls. A position sensor detects the position and orientation of the hand. The palm grip is contoured to distribute pressure across the carpals and the four finger metacarpals, while providing clearance so as not to interfere with the finger metacarpophalangeal joints and/or the thumb carpometacarpal joint. |
| US09389680B2 |
Method and apparatus for evoking perceptions of affordances in virtual environments
Methods and apparatus are provided for evoking perceptions of affordances in a user/virtual environment interface. The method involves recognizing the absence or inadequacy of certain sensory stimuli in the user/virtual environment interface, and then creating sensory stimuli in the virtual environment to substitute for the recognized absent or inadequate sensory stimuli. The substitute sensory stimuli are typically communicated to the user (e.g., visually and/or audibly) as properties and behavior of objects in the virtual environment. Appropriately designed substitute sensory stimuli can evoke perceptions of affordances for the recognized absent or inadequate sensory stimuli in the user/virtual environment interface. |
| US09389679B2 |
Application programming interface for a multi-pointer indirect touch input device
To allow a computer platform to provide a consistent interface for applications to use information from multi-point indirect touch input devices, an application programming interface is provided to a software interface layer that manages interaction of the system with a variety of instantiations of multi-pointer indirect touch input devices. |
| US09389663B2 |
Detection of malware through voltage measurements of field programmable gate array
Technologies are generally described to detect malware on field programmable gate arrays (FPGAs). In some examples, a power map of an FPGA executing coprocessors may be created by determining voltages associated with distinct areas within the FPGA. The power map may then be compared with expected activity information associated with the executing coprocessors to determine whether any mismatches occur, such as detected power usage where no power usage is expected. Mismatches may indicate the presence of malware executing on the FPGA. |
| US09389662B2 |
Rectifier circuit and powered device
A powered device is electronically connected to a power sourcing equipment, and includes a powered circuit, a receiving unit and at least one rectifier circuit. Each rectifier circuit includes a rectifier unit, an auxiliary power unit, a polarity determining unit, a control unit and a selecting unit. The rectifier unit provides a current flow between the receiving unit and the powered circuit. The auxiliary power unit provides an auxiliary power signal. The polarity determining unit detects the polarity of voltage signal, to generate a determining signal. The control unit outputs a control signal according to the auxiliary power signal and the determining signal. The selecting unit connects the positive input of the powered circuit to a receiving end whose output voltage is positive according to the control signal, to lower power of rectification. A rectifier circuit is also provided. |
| US09389660B2 |
Rack server system and operation method applicable thereto
A rack server system and an operating method applicable thereto are provided. The rack server system includes a battery backup unit (BBU) and at least one server. The operating method includes: communicating the server and the BBU with each other; the BBU providing a status information and a previous self-discharging test information to the server for the server to judge a status of the BBU; and providing power from the BBU to the server and adjusting a loading of the server according to the status information of the BBU when an input power is interrupted. |
| US09389658B2 |
Sequential power up of devices in a computing cluster based on device function
A method of powering on a plurality of devices includes identifying a plurality of power distribution units disposed in a rack, wherein each power distribution units is connected to receive power from a main power source, and wherein each power distribution unit includes a circuit breaker. The method further includes identifying a plurality of devices disposed in the rack, wherein each device is connected to receive power from one of the power distribution units, and wherein the plurality of devices are selected from server nodes, network switches and external data storage devices. For each of the power distribution units, the plurality of devices that are connected to the power distribution unit are powered on in a sequence to prevent an inrush current from tripping the circuit breaker within the power distribution unit. The sequence powers on the devices identified as network switches and external data storage devices prior to powering on the devices identified as server nodes. |
| US09389657B2 |
Reset of multi-core processing system
An initialization core may include reset logic that may detect a global reset signal (GRS). The initialization core may generate one or more packets that enable communication with the cores. The initialization core may send reset packets to each of the cores that instruct the cores to perform a reset. In some embodiments, the reset command may power-off the cores. The initialization core may then transmit unreset packets to each of the cores that instruct the cores to perform an unreset and power-on the cores. In some embodiments, the cores may resume operation automatically without receipt of the unreset packet. The transmission of the packets may be staggered (staged) to control the power-on of the processor and enable the processor unit to more slowly increase its power state. |
| US09389654B2 |
Air-flow-by cooling technology and air-flow-by circuit board modules
Various embodiments provide a circuit board module include a primary cover, a secondary cover and a circuit board sandwiched between the primary cover and the secondary cover. A first set of fins or channels may be provided on a surface of the primary cover. The first set of fins or channels guide cooling air flowing on the surface of the primary cover. A second set of fins or channels may be provided on a surface of the second cover. The second set of fins or channels guide the cooling air flowing on the surface of the secondary cover. The second set of fins or channels intermates with the first set of fins or channels to form a sealed casing enclosing the circuit board. The sealed casing forms a Faraday cage to protect the circuit board from electromagnetic interference. |
| US09389649B2 |
Locking mechanism with movable and fixed members each having single- and double locking features
A locking mechanism involves a movable member and a fixed member. The fixed member has single-locking and double-locking features, as does the movable member. The single-locking features can be engaged and disengaged by movement of the movable member orthogonal to an axis. The double-locking features can be engaged by motion of the movable member along the axis orthogonal while the single-locking features are engaged. |
| US09389644B2 |
Docking apparatus for portable electronic device
A docking apparatus usable with a portable electronic device includes a locking member configured to be moved between a first position in which the portable electronic device docked to the docking apparatus is locked and a second position in which the locking of the portable electronic device is released, a locking member driving unit configured to drive the locking member, and a controller configured to control the locking member driving unit so that, if an unlocking condition is satisfied in a state in which the portable electronic device is docked to the docking apparatus, the locking member is moved from the first position to the second position and then the locking member is maintained in the second position for at least a predetermined time. |
| US09389640B2 |
Portable computing apparatus
A portable computing apparatus according to an exemplary embodiment of the present general inventive concept includes a first device, and a second device having a coupling groove where the first device is detechably coupled, where the first device has a first coupling position where a first end of the first device is coupled with the coupling groove by a first connection angle, and a second coupling position where a second end of the first device is coupled with a second connection angle different from the first connection angle. |
| US09389639B2 |
Electronic device with structure for inserting card type external device
An electronic device includes a structure for inserting a card-type external device. The electronic device includes a case frame, a slot, a first unit, a second unit, and an external device. The slot is formed in the case frame and has a certain size. The first unit is disposed at a location corresponding to the slot inside the electronic device. The second unit corresponds to the slot inside the electronic device and is installed around the first unit. The external device is detachably mounted in the first unit through the slot. |
| US09389638B2 |
Device for detecting a carrying case
A device for detecting a carrying case, and methods there for, are provided. The device includes: an orientation sensor; a near field communication (NFC) reader; and, a processor configured to place the device in a carrying case mode when an orientation of the device is within a given angular range as determined using the orientation sensor, and the NFC reader detects an NFC tag. |
| US09389634B2 |
Helm device for boat
A stop mechanism of a helm device includes a rotation member, rotatable disks, fixed disks, and an electromagnet which presses these disks against one another. An inversion control pin is provided in a steering shaft. Slits are formed in a cylindrical portion. Both ends of the inversion control pin are inserted into the slits. The slits are shaped to be elongated in a circumferential direction of the cylindrical portion. A first pin receiving stopper wall is formed on one end of the slits. A second pin receiving stopper wall is formed on the other end of the slits. The inversion control pin can move within the range of inversion allowance angle between the pin receiving stopper walls. |
| US09389633B2 |
Motor vehicle pedal coupling apparatus and method
A pedal apparatus for a motor vehicle that includes a support piece adapted to be fixed to a part of the motor vehicle. According to one implementation the pedal apparatus includes a shaft having a plastic body having a first end portion, a second end portion and a central portion disposed between the first and second end portions, each of the first and second end portions being supported on the support piece. The shaft also includes a metal body disposed on an exterior surface of the central portion of the plastic body. A pedal with a hollow bushing at one end is arranged on the shaft with an interior surface of the hollow bushing being supported on an external surface of the metal tube, the dimensional characteristics of the hollow bushing and metal tube permitting the hollow bushing to rotate about the shaft. |
| US09389632B2 |
Energy efficient solar powered high voltage direct current based data center
A system and method for providing power is disclosed. A variable direct current (DC) power source provides a variable DC voltage. A configurator dynamically converts the variable DC voltage to a selected DC voltage to provide the power. A set of switches combines the solar voltage with a substantially constant DC voltage. A control unit controls the set of switches and the configurator to provide the combined voltages at a selected voltage level. |
| US09389631B2 |
System and method for reactive power compensation
A reactive power control system is provided. The reactive power control system computes a required value for a reactive power based on a state observer method for at least one electrical element in an electrical system. The reactive power control system also generates a reactive power command based on the required value of the reactive power. The reactive power control system further transmits the reactive power command to the electrical element in the electrical system for generating the required value of reactive power to compensate for a voltage change induced by the respective electrical element in the electrical system. |
| US09389630B2 |
Predictive smart grid re-structuring based on expected load and power generation
A method for structuring an electric utility grid having traditional and renewable sources of electric power uses a weather forecasting system to determine, for a time interval, whether there are paths between all generating units and all consuming units satisfying certain constraints. The method includes computing a probable output for each of the generating units, both traditional and renewable, and computing a probable load for each of said consuming units for the time interval using both historical and weather forecast data. The method also includes determining the maximum load capacity of each segment in the utility grid for the time interval, the segments being the power lines making up the grid, and assigning the maximum load capacity of each segment to be a constraint therefor for the time interval and computing whether there are paths from each of the generating units to each of the consuming units for which the maximum load capacities will not be exceeded. If such paths exist, the method further concludes with setting the utility grid to the paths; and transmitting electric power over the paths for the time interval. If such paths do not exist from each generating unit to each consuming unit, the method instead continues by reducing the maximum capacities of the generating units; and recomputing whether there are paths from each of the generating units to each of the consuming units as many times as is necessary to find paths satisfying the constraints, each time further reducing the maximum capacities of the generating units. |
| US09389628B2 |
Digitally controlled buck-boost regulator having a custom mapping controller
A digitally controlled buck boost regulator includes an H-bridge circuit including a plurality of switches configured to receive an input voltage signal and generate an output voltage signal based on the input voltage signal and switching signals provided thereto. A controller generates a pulse width modulation (PWM) control value in response to a value of the output voltage signal, and a quantizer/mapper receives the PWM control value and provides a first mapping to a mapped PWM control value if the PWM control value is outside a predetermined range of PWM control values, and generates a second mapping to a mapped PWM control value if the PWM control value is within the predetermined range. A digital pulse width modulator is configured to generate switching signals based on the mapped PWM control value, and provide the generated switching signals to the H-bridge circuit. |
| US09389627B2 |
Control circuit and control method for inhibit overshoot and undershoot in power conversion device
By adding a suppression amount for suppressing an overshoot or undershoot that attenuates with time during an overshoot or undershoot period, the overshoot or undershoot can be suppressed within a short time and the output can be made close to a normal value. When an output has overshot, an overshoot suppression amount including a time-dependent attenuation suppression amount is added to an output feedback control amount, the time-dependent attenuation suppression amount being defined in a period during which the output overshoots. Alternatively, when the output has undershot, an undershoot suppression amount including a time-dependent attenuation suppression amount is added to the output feedback control amount, the time-dependent attenuation suppression amount being defined in a period during which the output undershoots. |
| US09389626B2 |
Low-drop-output type voltage regulator and RF switching control device having the same
A low-drop-output type voltage regulator may include an error amplifier providing a gate signal depending on a voltage difference between a reference voltage and a feedback voltage, a semiconductor switch adjusting a current between an input terminal receiving a battery voltage and a ground, in response to the gate signal, a feedback circuit dividing and detecting a detection voltage in a detection node between the semiconductor switch and the ground and providing the feedback voltage, a voltage sensor sensing the battery voltage, and a feedback voltage controller adjusting a level of the feedback voltage depending on the sensed battery voltage. |
| US09389625B2 |
DC-DC converter controller apparatus with dual-counter digital integrator
DC-DC converter PWM controllers and dual counter digital integrators are presented for integrating an error between a reference voltage signal and a feedback voltage signal, in which a comparator, dual counters, and a DAC are used to provide a compensated reference to a modulator loop comparator which generates a PWM switching signal for controlling a power converter output voltage, with the second counter being selectively incremented or decremented when the first counter output indicates a predetermined value after the first counter output transitions in one direction through a predetermined count range to enhance loop stability, and a startup mode control allows fast integrator operation during initialization, with the ability to freeze integrator operation during overcurrent conditions. |
| US09389622B2 |
Voltage optimization circuit and managing voltage margins of an integrated circuit
A voltage margin controller, an IC included the same and a method of controlling voltage margin for a voltage domain of an IC are disclosed herein. In one embodiment, the voltage margin controller includes: (1) monitoring branches including circuit function indicators configured to indicate whether circuitry in the voltage domain could operate at corresponding candidate reduced voltage levels and (2) a voltage margin adjuster coupled to the monitoring branches and configured to develop a voltage margin adjustment for a voltage regulator of the voltage domain based upon an operating number of the circuit function indicators. |
| US09389616B2 |
Driving force control device for four-wheel-drive vehicle
Provided is a driving force control device for a four-wheel-drive vehicle that can evade an occurrence of excessive understeer and oversteer in situations unintended by the driver, by appropriately controlling driving forces to be distributed to sub-drive wheels. The driving force distribution device of the four-wheeled vehicle controls driving force to be distributed to the rear wheels (Wr, Wr) by the clutch (10) for front-and-rear torque distribution so that the wheels (Wf, Wf) are main drive wheels and the rear wheels (Wr, Wr) are sub-drive wheels. The driving force distribution device is adapted to perform control to restrict the upper limit of the four-wheel drive torque based upon an estimated driving force and steering angle of the vehicle, when calculating four-wheel drive torque to be distributed to the rear wheels (Wr, Wr) by the driving force distribution device (10). |