| Document | Document Title |
|---|---|
| US09998054B1 |
Electric submersible pump variable speed drive controller
An electric submersible pump (ESP) variable speed drive (VSD) controller is described. A VSD control system includes a pump assembly including an induction motor operatively coupled to a pump, a power cable and a transformer electrically coupled between the induction motor and a VSD controller that controls a speed of the induction motor, the VSD controller including a converter section that sends a direct current (DC), a DC link including a DC smoothing capacitor that smooths the DC, an inverter that converts the smoothed DC to a pulse width modulated (PWM) output voltage, the inverter including at least one silicon carbide (SiC) power semiconductor module, and a PWM filter that filters the PWM output voltage to produce near sinusoidal voltages, the PWM filter including inductors, and the PWM filter sending voltage to the transformer. |
| US09998048B2 |
Motor control apparatus for vector-controlling sensorless motor
A motor control apparatus that vector-controls a sensorless motor includes an estimating unit configured to obtain an estimated phase value by estimating a phase of a rotor in the sensorless motor, and a generating unit configured to generate, from the estimated phase value and a phase command value of the rotor, a phase conversion value that is used for a coordinate conversion between a rotary coordinate system and a static coordinate system in the vector control. The generating unit is further configured to output the phase command value as the phase conversion value when the rotor is caused to start to rotate, and change the phase conversion value so that the phase conversion value approaches the estimated phase value from a predetermined timing after the rotor is caused to start to rotate. |
| US09998046B2 |
Turbine having optimized efficiency
The invention relates to a turbine and to the implementation method thereof, said turbine comprising a blade mounted such that it can rotate about a central axis and an electromagnetic synchronous machine arranged with the blade in such a way as to modify the angular rotation speed of the blade in order to optimize the mechanical efficiency of the blade as a function of the speed of the incident fluid acting on the blade. |
| US09998044B2 |
Load-adaptive smooth startup method for sensorless field-oriented control of permanent magnet synchronous motors
A field oriented control (FOC) system and method provides smooth field-oriented startup for three-phase sensorless permanent magnet synchronous motors (PMSMs) despite the absence of load information. The system uses the rotor flux projection on the d- or q-axis to determine whether the stator flux current reference being applied during reference startup phase is sufficient to spin the PMSM, thereby providing smooth operation during the reference startup phase and saving energy relative to applying rated current. The system also determines a suitable initial value for the stator torque current reference to use at the start of closed-loop sensorless FOC control mode based on an angle difference between the reference and estimated angles. Since this angle difference is reflective of the load on the PMSM, the selected initial value allows the system to achieve a smooth transition from reference startup mode to closed-loop sensorless FOC control mode. |
| US09998037B2 |
Control apparatus of synchronous motor
A control apparatus of a synchronous motor according to the present invention includes: a current command generation unit for generating a d-phase current command and a q-phase current command; a current detection unit for detecting a d-phase current and a q-phase current; a short-circuiting device for short-circuiting the synchronous motor to apply dynamic braking to the synchronous motor; and a short-circuit control unit for controlling the short-circuiting device; wherein the current command generation unit controls the q-phase current command so as to decrease the q-phase current after receipt of a dynamic braking signal; and the short-circuit control unit controls the short-circuiting device to short-circuit the synchronous motor after the receipt of the dynamic braking signal and after a lapse of a predetermined time from the control of the q-phase current command by the current command generation unit. |
| US09998033B2 |
Stacked voltage source inverter with separate DC sources
A stacked voltage source inverter having separate DC sources is described herein. This inverter is applicable to low or medium voltage, low to medium power applications such as photovoltaic utility interface systems, battery storage application such as peak shaving with renewables, motor drive applications and for electric vehicle drive systems. The stacked inverter consists of at least one phase wherein each phase has a plurality of low voltage full bridge inverters equipped with an independent DC source. This inverter develops a near sinusoidal approximation voltage waveform with fast switching and small low pass AC output filter. A system controller controls operating parameters for each inverter. The inverter may have either single-phase or multi-phase embodiments connected in either wye or delta configurations. |
| US09998028B2 |
Low inductivity circuit arrangement of an inverter
The invention relates to a circuit arrangement of a phase leg of a three-point converter. A circuit arrangement of a three-point converter is provided that is optimised with regard to the suppression of parasitic inductance, and at the same time has a compact simple construction, so that the converter can be incorporated in a electrical enclosure in a space-saving and installation friendly manner. |
| US09998023B2 |
Modular subsea converter
A modular subsea converter for providing a frequency conversion of AC electric power is provided. The modular subsea converter includes at least one base module having a subsea enclosure and electrical connections disposed within the subsea enclosure. It further includes at least one converter module having a converter unit. The converter module is coupled to the base module and has a subsea enclosure in which the converter unit is disposed. The electrical connections of the base module are coupled to the converter unit of the converter module and the subsea enclosure of the converter module is mounted to the subsea enclosure of the base module. |
| US09998018B2 |
Resonant converters and methods
A multilevel LLC resonant converter comprises a first capacitor and a second capacitor connected in series providing a mid-voltage point of an input dc power source, a resonant tank connected in series with a primary side of a transformer, a first transistor and a second transistor connected in series, wherein a common node of the first transistor and the second transistor is connected to the mid-voltage point through a first isolation switch and a third transistor and a fourth transistor connected in series, wherein a common node of the third transistor and the fourth transistor is connected to the mid-voltage point through a second isolation switch. |
| US09998015B2 |
Insulated synchronous rectification DC/DC converter including a protection circuit to judge occurrence of a switching-incapable state
An insulated synchronous rectification DC/DC converter is provided. A feedback circuit drives a light-emitting element of a first photocoupler such that the output voltage VOUT of the DC/DC converter approaches a target voltage. A primary side controller is coupled to a light-receiving element of the first photocoupler, so as to switch on and off a switching transistor according to a feedback signal VFB. A synchronous rectification controller controls a synchronous rectification transistor. Upon detecting the occurrence of a switching-incapable state in the synchronous rectification transistor, a protection circuit instructs the primary side controller to stop the switching operation of the switching transistor. |
| US09998014B2 |
Power converter with multiple output voltage levels and related methods
A variable-level flyback power converter is configured to provide an accurate output voltage at various regulation levels. The variable-level flyback power converter may include a switch coupled to a secondary winding of a transformer, a diode coupled to a primary winding of the transformer, and a controller coupled to the switch. The controller may scale an initial reference voltage based on a desired output voltage and a forward voltage drop across the diode, compare the scaled reference voltage with a feedback voltage sensed at an auxiliary winding of the transformer to generate an error signal, and modulate a pulse signal provided to the switch based on the error voltage. |
| US09998012B2 |
Voltage peak detection circuit and detection method
In one embodiment, a voltage peak detection circuit can include: (i) a voltage coupling circuit configured to inductively couple an input inductor voltage of a switching power supply, and to generate a first voltage that represents a DC input voltage of the switching power supply; (ii) a voltage conversion circuit configured to receive the first voltage, and to generate a second voltage that is proportional to the first voltage; and (iii) a holding circuit configured to hold a peak of the second voltage to generate a peak voltage signal that represents peak information of the DC input voltage. |
| US09998011B2 |
Phase current estimation for switching power converters
A phase current estimator for a switching power converter includes analog circuitry for generating a phase current estimate error by comparing a phase current of the switching power converter to an analog representation of an estimate of the phase current, the phase current having a sawtooth or triangular waveform. The phase current estimator further includes digital circuitry for revising the phase current estimate based on the phase current estimate error and a plurality of parameters associated with operation of the switching power converter, so that the phase current estimate tracks the sawtooth or triangular waveform of the phase current. |
| US09998007B2 |
Boost converter with flying capacitor and refrigeration circuit
A power conversion device is provided that includes a rectifier, a booster circuit configured to boost an output voltage of the rectifier, a smoothing capacitor configured to smooth an output voltage of the booster circuit, and an inverter circuit configured to convert a DC voltage of the smoothing capacitor to an AC voltage and drive a motor forming a part of a device supplied with the voltage after the conversion. In addition, a reactor, a first backflow prevention element, a second backflow prevention element, a first switching element, a second switching element, an intermediate capacitor, and a controller configured to control the first switching element and the second switching element, are included. |
| US09997992B1 |
DC-DC power converter with overshoot protection
A DC-DC power converter converts a DC input voltage at an input node into a DC output voltage at an output node. The converter has a main control loop that generates control signals used to control series-connected p-type and n-type switches that selectively connect an inductor to the input node or to ground while operating the converter in either a continuous-conduction mode (CCM) or a discontinuous-conduction mode (DCM). Zero-crossing detection (ZCD) circuitry detects when the inductor current reaches zero and generates a ZCD control signal used to control the n-type switch to inhibit negative inductor currents during the DCM mode. Overshoot-protection (OP) circuitry detects when the DC output voltage gets too high and generates an OP control signal used to control the n-type switch to inhibit overshoot conditions at the output node that can result from CCM-to-DCM mode transitions and from sudden reductions in output current loading. |
| US09997985B2 |
Stator device for a linear motor, and linear transport system
A stator device for a linear motor comprises an electrically energizable magnetic field generator for forming a magnetic field, and a first holding device for holding the magnetic field generator, wherein the magnetic field generator is fastened to the first holding device, wherein the first holding device is formed at least partially from an any of an electrically and magnetically non-conductive material, wherein the magnetic field generator comprises a coil and a stator tooth as a core around which the coil is wound, and wherein the first holding device is in the form of a printed circuit board for electrical contacting of the magnetic field generator. |
| US09997982B2 |
Rotating electrical machine comprising at least one stator and at least two rotors
The present invention relates to a rotating electrical machine including at least one stator and at least two rotors, which are arranged on either side of the stator along an axis of rotation of the machine, said at least one stator including teeth and windings arranged on the teeth, and each of said at least two rotors including two mutually coaxial rotor armatures, each bearing claw-poles arranged to interact magnetically with the teeth of the stator, the claw-poles of an armature being arranged circumferentially in alternation with the claw-poles of the other armature. |
| US09997980B2 |
Receiving member and drive apparatus including the same
A connector case of a receiving member includes a peripheral wall portion, in which a seal groove is formed. An inserting portion of a cover member projects from a cover main body toward the connector case and is inserted into the seal groove. Positioning portions project from the cover main body toward the connector case on a side of the inserting portion where a receiving space is placed. Furthermore, a distal end of an inner wall portion of the seal groove is placed on a top side of a distal end of an outer wall portion. A distal end of the positioning portion is placed on a base side of a distal end of the inserting portion. |
| US09997977B1 |
Dual engine generator
A dual engine generator has two engines and two inverters and two alternators configured within an inner enclosure. An outer enclosure extends around the inner enclosure to create plenums for airflow. Cooling airflow enters through the outer cover and flows through the plenums and into the inner enclosure to cool the components therein. Airflows out of the inner enclosure and into the plenums and finally exhausts from the outer enclosure. The outer enclosure may have rounded sides to form a pill shaped enclosure. The outer covers are configured to deflect or flex in high wind condition and protect the inner enclosure. The engines are configured above the alternator and inverter and a flow of air reduces heat from the engines from overheating the other components. The mufflers are within the plenums and a flow of exhaust air from within the inner enclosure is directed over the mufflers. |
| US09997972B2 |
Bus bar unit and manufacturing method of bus bar unit
A bus bar of a bus bar unit includes a main body part extended along a circumferential direction of the stator such that a plate thickness direction of the bus bar agrees with an axial direction of the stator; an extension part extended from the main body part in a radial direction of the stator; and a coil connection part provided at a tip of the extension part, the coil connection part being connectable to a winding terminal of the coil. The extension part includes a retained part having surfaces perpendicular to the axial direction of the stator on both sides of the plate thickness direction. The retained part are held by molds for the insert molding of the bus bar when the insulating resin is formed by the insert molding of the bus bar. |
| US09997967B2 |
Rotor of electric motor which has magnets, electric motor, and method of production of rotor
In the rotor of the present invention, each magnet has an inward part adjoining the rotor core and an outward part positioned outward of the inward part in a radial direction of the rotor core. The outward has a facing surface which faces a stator and a pair of side surfaces which extend from two end parts of the facing surface in a circumferential direction toward the inward part. The inward part has a pair of overhanging parts which overhangs outward in the circumferential direction with respect to the pair of side surfaces of the outward part. Each locking projection of the rotor core passes between overhanging parts of two adjoining magnets and projects outward in the radial direction to engage with the overhanging parts. |
| US09997965B2 |
Stator structure
A stator structure includes a main body. The main body has multiple poles. The poles outward extend from the main body. Each pole has a free end. An end face of the free end of the pole has an extension section normal to the main body. The extension section has multiple protrusion blocks. Each two adjacent protrusion blocks define therebetween a recess. The stator structure is able to greatly enhance the operation efficiency of the motor and lower manufacturing cost. |
| US09997964B2 |
Wireless power supply system
A wireless power supply system includes a power supply coil installed on the ground, an inner balloon in which a power supply coil is mounted and configured to expand and contract to adjust a vertical position of the power supply coil, and an outer balloon provided to cover both the power supply coil and the inner balloon and configured to expand to occupy a space between the power supply coil and a power receiving coil, and wirelessly supplies power from the power supply coil to the power receiving coil. |
| US09997962B2 |
Receiving antenna and wireless power receiving device including the same
A receiving antenna of a wireless power receiving device wirelessly charging electric power according to an embodiment of the present invention includes a substrate, a soft magnetic layer stacked on the substrate, and a receiving coil configured to receive electromagnetic energy emitted from a wireless power transmission device, wound in parallel with a plane of the soft magnetic layer, and formed inside of the soft magnetic layer, and an insulating layer is formed between the soft magnetic layer and the receiving coil. |
| US09997959B2 |
Wireless power transmission system and method for increasing coupling efficiency by adjusting resonant frequency
A wireless power transmission system and a method for increasing a coupling efficiency by adjusting a resonant frequency are provided. A device of the wireless power transmission system includes a resonator configured to transmit a wireless power, and a communication unit configured to receive information from another device. The device further includes a controller configured to determine a power transmission efficiency based on the information, and adjust a resonant frequency of the device, a resonant frequency of a relay device, and a resonant frequency of the other device, if the power transmission efficiency is less than or equal to a predetermined reference efficiency. |
| US09997958B2 |
DC power distribution system
The invention relates to a DC power distribution system (1), especially to an EMerge DC power distribution system, for distributing DC power. A power supply (5) supplies DC power to a track (2) to which an electrical load (9, 10) is attached. A communication device (11) is attached to the track (2), which a) wirelessly receives communication signals and transmits the received communication signals via a power line communication provided by the track to the power supply (5) and/or the electrical load (9,), and/or b) receives communication signals via the power line communication from the power supply (5) and/or the electrical load (9, 10) and wirelessly transmits the received communication signals. Thus, a communication setting is provided, which allows for a very simple integration of a control functionality for controlling, for instance, the power supply 10 and/or the electrical load by transmitting control signals via the communication device. |
| US09997951B2 |
Wireless power transfer method, apparatus and system for low and medium power
A wireless power transfer method for a wireless power transfer apparatus using full and half-bridge inverter topologies includes detecting whether or not a wireless power receiver is present within a range of power being transferrable in a wireless manner, transmitting a detection signal to the wireless power receiver, receiving at least one of identification information and setting information from the wireless power receiver, receiving a control error packet from the wireless power receiver, and controlling an amount of power to be transferred by using the combination of a driving frequency, a duty cycle or a power signal phase to the full or half-bridge inverter. |
| US09997949B2 |
Wireless charging device, electronic apparatus and information processing method
A wireless charging device, an electronic apparatus and an information processing method are provided. The wireless charging device includes a charging coil and a touch panel on which the charging coil is arranged, where the touch panel includes a ground trace layer, and the charging coil is insulated from the ground trace layer. With the wireless charging device, the efficiency of wireless charging can be increased. |
| US09997948B1 |
Combined triangular power strip and USB charger
A combined AC power strip and USB charger is provided, comprising: a triangular front surface; a triangular back surface; three side walls joining the front and back surfaces around their respective perimeters; an AC plug in the back surface; a plurality of AC outlets in the front surface coupled to the AC plug; a plurality of USB ports in each of the sidewalls; and circuitry configured to convert AC current to 5 volt DC current coupled to each of the USB ports. |
| US09997946B2 |
Battery charging system with feedback control
A charging system for a battery of an electronic device is described. The charging system comprises an adapter configured to derive a transfer current at a transfer voltage from a power source. Furthermore, the charging system comprises a battery charger configured to charge a battery of the electronic device with a battery current at a battery voltage using the transfer current at the transfer voltage. In addition, the charging system comprises power transmission means configured to transmit the transfer current at the transfer voltage to the battery charger. In addition, the charging system comprises communication means configured to transmit feedback information which is indicative of the battery voltage and/or battery current from the battery charger to the adapter. The adapter is configured to set the transfer voltage and/or transfer current in dependence of the feedback information. |
| US09997943B2 |
Electronic device and power adapter capable of communicating with each other, and associated charging system
A charging system comprises an electronic device and a power adapter for charging the electronic device. The electronic device has a bi-directional communication with the power adapter; and the electronic device is arranged to send a health check command to the power adapter, and the power adapter performs a self-health check operation and reports a checking result to the electronic device. In addition, the electronic device may calculate a cable impedance, and control a compensation function of the power adapter by referring to the calculated cable impedance. |
| US09997934B2 |
Power storage apparatus, method for controlling storage battery, and method for control information terminal
A power apparatus includes: a storage battery; a first communicator that communicates with external communication equipment through a short-range wireless communication; a power supply circuit that supply power of the storage battery to the electrical equipment; and a control circuitry that causes, when the first communicator receives a request signal for requesting at least one of first information regarding whether or not a power supply operation to supply the power of the storage battery to the electrical equipment through the power supply circuit is normal and second information regarding whether or not an operation of the electrical equipment using power supplied from the storage battery is normal from the external communication equipment, the first communicator to transmit response information including at least one of the first information and the second information to a transmission source of the request signal and to transmit the request signal to another power storage apparatus. |
| US09997930B2 |
Wireless power transmission apparatus and wireless power transfer system
A wireless power transmission apparatus according to the present disclosure includes a power transmission antenna, receiver circuits, and a control circuit. The power transmission antenna transmits high-frequency power at each of frequencies to wireless power reception apparatuses. Each of the receiver circuits obtains, from a corresponding one of the wireless power reception apparatuses, the value of a required voltage of the wireless power reception apparatus and the value of a power reception voltage received by the wireless power reception apparatus from the wireless power transmission apparatus. The control circuit obtains the required voltage value and the power reception voltage value from each of the receiver circuits, and controls the frequency of the high-frequency power. The control circuit changes the frequency of the high-frequency power so that the sum total of errors between the required voltage and the power reception voltage is minimized. |
| US09997928B2 |
Self-tuning resonant power transfer systems
Systems and designs for tuning a wireless power transfer system are provided, which may include any number of features. In one embodiment, a wireless power transfer system can be configured such that resonant frequencies of the system move towards an operating frequency of the system as a coupling coefficient between the transmit and receive resonators becomes smaller. In another embodiment, a receive controller can be configured to control a current delivered to a DC load by comparing an actual current at the DC load to a current requested by the DC load and adjusting an angle or a magnitude of a voltage at the DC load to match the requested current. In another embodiment, a rectifier circuit can act as a controlled voltage source and be configured to tune resonant frequencies between the transmit resonator and the receive resonator. Methods of use are also provided. |
| US09997925B2 |
Power supplying method and device thereof
A power supplying method is adapted to supply power to any one of external electronic devices with voltage-stabilized capacitors of different specifications. The power supplying method includes: generating a periodic signal; periodically turning on and off a load-switch circuit by the periodic signal to enable the load-switch circuit to periodically charge and discharge the voltage-stabilized capacitor; generating an enable signal following the periodic signal; continuously turning on the load-switch circuit by the enable signal to enable the load-switch circuit to supply the power to the external electronic device according to a flag signal; and detecting the amount of a current supplied to the external electronic device by the load-switch circuit to determine a level of the flag signal. During periodically charging and discharging the voltage-stabilized capacitor, the amount of the current supplied to the external electronic device is gradually decreased. |
| US09997924B2 |
Hybrid energy system and method
Various embodiments include systems and methods of operating a hybrid energy system that includes a gas-turbine generator configured to provide a full-load power output and a storage device configured to store energy. The hybrid energy system includes a generator step-up transformer, wherein the gas-turbine generator and the storage device are electrically co-located on a low side of the generator step-up transformer. Methods of operation include controlling power output from the storage device and/or the gas-turbine generator during scheduled and unscheduled grid power demands to achieve economic and environmental performance advantages. |
| US09997922B2 |
Method for feeding electrical power into an electrical supply network
The invention relates to a method for feeding electrical power of at least one wind turbine or of a wind farm into an electrical supply network having a network voltage and a network frequency, wherein the method is prepared for feeding in active electrical power and reactive electrical power and the fed-in active power can be adjusted on the basis of at least one network state by means of an active-power controller and/or the fed-in reactive power can be adjusted on the basis of at least one network state by means of a reactive-power controller and the active-power controller and/or the reactive-power controller can be changed according to type and/or parameterization. |
| US09997921B2 |
Solar power conversion system and method
A solar power conversion system includes a photovoltaic array having photovoltaic modules for generating direct current (DC) power. A power converter in the system converts the DC power to alternating current (AC) power. The AC power is transmitted to the power grid via a transformer coupled between the power converter and the power grid. The transformer is connected to the power grid at the point of common coupling (PCC) and to the power converter at output terminals. A voltage estimation module is configured to estimate a voltage at PCC based on a measured voltage magnitude, a measured real power and a measured reactive power at the output terminals, and a reactance of the transformer. A controller is provided in the system for generating switching command signals for the power converter based on the voltage at PCC. |
| US09997919B2 |
Apparatus and method for operating distributed generator in connection with power system
An apparatus for operating a distributed generator in connection with a power system includes an input unit which receives a parameter calculated using power system information and a voltage and a current at a point of common coupling with the distributed generator, with which the distributed generator is connected, a calculation unit which calculates an operating power factor instruction value and an active output instruction value using the parameter and the voltage and current at the point of common coupling with the distributed generator input to the input unit, and a control communication unit which determines and transmits the operating power factor instruction value and the active output instruction value according to the voltage at the point of common coupling with the distributed generator input to the input unit and an admissible voltage upper limit at the point of common coupling with the distributed generator to the distributed generator. |
| US09997916B2 |
Continuously balancing multiple phases of a power grid
Intermittently re-distributing power from three phases of a power grid connected to power consuming components of a data center by configuring power supply units (PSUs) which are integrated into each enclosure, two PSUs per enclosure. The distribution is determined by machine logic to: (i) meet the predicted power requirements of the power consuming components of the data center, and (ii) the use of first phase, second phase and third phase electrical powers is at least approximately in balance. |
| US09997912B2 |
Method for controlling a technical system
Method for controlling a technical system including a power grid, connected to at least one energy supply system. The method ensures that the consumption of electrical energy of the grid is within a given load curve by avoiding or compensating peak loads; including the steps of: a) providing data of the total load occurring in the grid to a load data processor; b) the processor processing said data and determining curves of a plurality of load components of the total load; c) determining future load curves for each component for a time period ahead; d) superimposing the future load curves and determining a future total load curve for the future total load and future peak loads; and e) controlling the technical and/or energy supply systems based on the determined future total load curve to avoid exceeding given load limits and future peak loads or allocate energy required in the future. |
| US09997903B2 |
Power supply device for plasma processing
A power supply device for plasma processing, wherein electric arcs may occur, comprises a power supply circuit for generating a voltage across output terminals, and a first switch connected between the power supply circuit and one of the output terminals. According to a first aspect the power supply device comprises a recovery energy circuit connected to the output terminals and to the power supply circuit. According to a second aspect the power supply device comprises an inductance circuit including an inductor and a second switch connected parallel to the inductor. According to a third aspect the power supply device comprises a controller for causing the power supply circuit and the first switch to be switched on and off. The controller is configured to determine a quenching time interval by means of a self-adaptive process. The quenching time interval defines the time interval during which, in an event of an arc, no voltage is generated across the output terminals. |
| US09997898B2 |
Distributor block with phase indicator
A distributor block for connecting several electric connection cables, starting from an electric input cable to an electrically isolating housing as well as an electrically conducting terminal block, which is arranged in the housing, with the distributor block comprising at least one display unit indicating the type of input cable. |
| US09997896B2 |
By-pass systems for overhead power lines
A by-pass system for overhead power lines may include: a housing; a bearing frame in the housing; an outdoor termination linked to the bearing frame; and/or an electrical cable electrically connected to the outdoor termination. The bearing frame may be configured to move between a stand-by position of the outdoor termination and an operating position of the outdoor termination. A by-pass system for overhead power lines may include: a housing; a bearing frame connected to the housing; an outdoor termination connected to the bearing frame; and/or an electrical cable electrically connected to the outdoor termination. The bearing frame may be configured to move between a stand-by position of the outdoor termination and an operating position of the outdoor termination. |
| US09997888B2 |
Control of a spectral feature of a pulsed light beam
A spectral feature of a pulsed light beam produced by an optical source is controlled by a method. The method includes producing a pulsed light beam at a pulse repetition rate; directing the pulsed light beam toward a substrate received in a lithography exposure apparatus to expose the substrate to the pulsed light beam; modifying a pulse repetition rate of the pulsed light beam as it is exposing the substrate. The method includes determining an amount of adjustment to a spectral feature of the pulsed light beam, the adjustment amount compensating for a variation in the spectral feature of the pulsed light beam that correlates to the modification of the pulse repetition rate of the pulsed light beam. The method includes changing the spectral feature of the pulsed light beam by the determined adjustment amount as the substrate is exposed to thereby compensate for the variation in the spectral feature. |
| US09997881B2 |
Electric connector
A pin connector includes a pin contact and a pin housing. The pin contact includes a battery fixing portion and a contact portion. The pin housing includes a pin housing body into which the contact portion is inserted in a connector removal direction, and a pin contact lock. When the pin contact lock is inserted into the pin housing body in a battery separating direction to be attached to the pin housing body, a projection upper surface faces a groove ceiling and a lower surface faces a contact lock surface. |
| US09997878B1 |
Lightweight busbar for high voltage battery applications
According to aspects of the present disclosure, a lightweight busbar includes an aluminum body, a copper connector, and a cladded interface. The aluminum body defines a first end and a second end opposite the first end. The copper connector is disposed proximate the first end of the aluminum body. The copper connector is configured to be fastened to an external component. The cladded interface bonds the copper connector to the first end of the aluminum body. The cladded interface inhibits yield between aluminum and copper during thermal cycling. |
| US09997874B2 |
Electrical connection
An electrical connection is formed of a plug outside a housing and a circuit carrier inside the housing. The plug includes at least one plug contact and an end face in the direction of the housing wall. The circuit carrier includes a receptacle for a plug contact. The plug contact protrudes through an opening in the housing wall in order to establish the electrical connection. The cross-sectional surface of the opening is smaller than the end face of the plug, the end face completely covers the opening and the circuit carrier at least partially covers the opening. |
| US09997873B2 |
Connector
A connector includes at least two terminal fittings, a connector housing including terminal accommodating chambers which respectively accommodate the at least two terminal fittings, and a shorting terminal electrically connecting the at least two terminal fittings to each other. An electrical connection of the at least two terminal fittings is released by a mating connector which is fitted on the connector. Abutment portions provided at front ends of shorting contact pieces of the shorting terminal project from a front surface of the connector housing. A front surface of the mating connector facing a front surface of the connector housing presses against the abutment portions and deflects the shorting contact pieces in a rear direction of the connector so as to release shorting of the at least two terminal fittings. |
| US09997870B2 |
Electrical connector
The present invention relates to an electrical connector, which has an insulation body, a shielding plate, a plurality of grounding terminals and conducting terminals accommodated in the insulation body. Each grounding terminal is formed by bending a linear wire and has an upper contacting portion, a bending portion extending from the upper contacting portion, and a lower contacting portion extending from the bending portion, wherein the upper contacting portion is parallel to the lower contacting portion. Therefore, the crosstalk between the upper-row signal terminals and the lower-row signal terminals is reduced, and the shielding effect is enhanced. |
| US09997869B2 |
Electrical connector having an outer shielding shell integral with an intermediate metal plate
An electrical connector includes: an insulative housing including a base and a tongue; an upper and lower rows of contacts secured in the insulative housing and exposed to the tongue; a shielding shell enclosing the insulative housing; and a metal plate situated between the upper row of contacts and the lower rows of contacts; wherein the shielding shell is integrally formed with the metal plate. A related method of making such an electrical connector includes the steps of: inserting a first and second terminal modules into a first and second receiving spaces of a shielding shell, respectively, from a rear of the shielding shell; and insert molding the first and second terminal modules with a planar portion of a metal plate integral with the shielding shell. |
| US09997867B2 |
Connector
It is aimed to enable a short circuit in a retainer insertion hole to be avoided. Short-circuit preventing walls (18) configured to partition between cavities (11) adjacent in an arrangement direction are provided in a retainer insertion hole (15). A retainer (13) is provided with a plurality of frame-like portions (20) along the arrangement direction of the respective cavities (11). Each frame-like portion (20) is formed to be able to communicate with the corresponding cavity (11). Escaping grooves (32) are formed along a mounting direction of the retainer (13) between the frame-like portions (20) adjacent in the arrangement direction. Escaping grooves (32) are open on front end parts in the mounting direction of the retainer (13) such that the retainer (13) is mountable into the retainer insertion hole (15) while avoiding interference with the short circuit preventing walls (18). |
| US09997864B2 |
Electrical connector
A plug connector includes: a ground contact conductor; an insulating housing; and a signal contact conductor. The ground contact conductor includes: a cylindrical main body having a slit that extends in an extending direction thereof; a pair of arms protruding from respective edges forming the slit of the main body in a radially outward direction of the main body; and fixing portions configured to fasten around the pair of arms from the exterior. Each fixing portion is provided with a protrusion protruding toward the corresponding arm and positioned at the center of the fixing portion in a protruding direction of the arms. In a state in which the arms are fastened with the fixing portions, the protrusions are in contact with the arms, and the arms and the fixing portions are separated from each other by the presence of the protrusions. |
| US09997862B2 |
Electrical connector having metallic bracket embedded within insulative mating shell
An electrical connector includes a contact module and a mating/outer case enclosing the contact module. The mating case includes an insulative shell with a metallic reinforcement bracket embedded therein. The insulative shell forms opposite inner and outer surfaces wherein the inner surface forms a mating cavity for receiving a complementary plug connector therein, and the bracket is essentially located between the outer surface and the inner surface except the corresponding mounting legs extending out of the insulative shell for mounting to a printed circuit board. |
| US09997860B1 |
Coverplate and method for electrical outlet
A coverplate for attachment to a standard electric power outlet, the coverplate comprising: a faceplate occupying a first plane and defining at least one opening sized to provide access to the standard electric power outlet; a support frame attached to the faceplate, the support frame comprising: a U-shaped element occupying a second plane; a first receptor flange and a second receptor flange, each extending from the U-shaped element, wherein the first receptor flange defines a first chamber containing a first conductor and the second receptor flange defines a second chamber containing a second conductor; and wherein the first conductor and the second conductor are spaced apart by a first distance which is equal to a standard distance on the standard electric power outlet separating two electric power elements. |
| US09997858B2 |
Electrical connector with detachable connecting terminals
A connector including: a plurality of connecting terminals whose types are different from each other; and a housing including at least one terminal accommodating part accommodating any one of the plurality of connecting terminals therein, wherein the terminal accommodating part includes a first lock part, each of the plurality of connecting terminals includes a second lock part formed such that the second lock part and the first lock part are detachably locked to each other, and when any one of the plurality of connecting terminals is accommodated in the terminal accommodating part, the second lock part of the accommodated connecting terminal is locked by the first lock part so that the accommodated connecting terminal is detachably fastened in the terminal accommodating part. |
| US09997857B2 |
Plug bridge, and method for producing a plug
In order to allow conductors to be connected to a plug bridge in a simple manner, the plug bridge has a support to which a plurality of contact pins and also a plurality of conductor connections which are electrically conductively connected to, in each case, one contact pin are fastened. The support contains a housing which, together with the conductor connections, is covered by a common dimensionally stable and inherently rigid cover part in a closed state. The cover part has, in the region of the conductor connections, separating webs which extend between the conductor connections in the closed state. The entire dimensionally stable cover part can be moved from an open position to a closed position in a pivotable manner on the support. |
| US09997853B2 |
Flippable electrical connector
A receptacle connector includes an insulative housing defining a base and a mating tongue extending from the base, the mating tongue defining a thicken step structure around a root thereof adjacent to the base; two rows of contacts disposed in the insulating housing with contacting sections exposed upon the mating tongue and mount tails out of the base; and a shielding plate embedded within the insulative housing and disposed between the two rows of contacts. The shielding plate defines a pair of locking sides for locking with an internal latch of a corresponding plug and the locking sides protruding beyond corresponding lateral sides of the mating tongue. The insulative housing and the shielding plate are integrally formed via an insert molding process while at least one row of the contacts are configured to be forwardly assembled to corresponding passageways in the insulating housing. |
| US09997848B2 |
Electrical connection element
The present invention relates to a connection element for connection of an electrical connector (17) with a cable (15) connected on the connection element (10), wherein the connection element (10) has a mechanism (21) which is configured to secure the connection element (10) in a predetermined position on the electrical connector (17), and wherein the connection element (10) has on a contact region between the connection element (10) the electrical connector (17) that is generated after the connection of the electrical connector (17) with the cable (15) at least one layer made of a sealing material, which is configured to seal a region of the connecting element (10) on the electrical connector (17) in a liquid tight manner. |
| US09997847B2 |
Coaxial Connector with grommet biasing for enhanced continuity
A compressible F-connector and method for interconnection with coaxial cable that includes a biasing grommet for promoting electrical continuity despite inadequate nut tightening. Each connector has a rigid nut, a post penetrating the nut, a tubular body, and an end cap. The conductive post coaxially extends through the connector, linking the nut and body. A post end penetrates the coaxial cable. Each connector body comprises a frontal annular groove in which is seated a biasing grommet with projections extending from one or both grommet ends that bias the nut to insure mechanical and electrical contact with the post. In one embodiment of the invention the projections are semicircular. In alternative embodiments the projections may be triangular or square, and projections on one grommet end may be radially offset from projections on the opposite end. |
| US09997846B1 |
Window electrical terminals
A vehicle includes a window defining an exterior surface and an interior surface. An electrical bus is positioned on the interior surface. An electrical component is positioned on the window and electrically coupled with the bus. An electrical terminal is positioned on the bus. A connector is electrically coupled with the bus. An adhesive is positioned between the connector and the electrical bus. A conformal coating is positioned over the connector and the adhesive. |
| US09997842B2 |
Slot array antenna
A slot array antenna includes: an electrically conductive member having an electrically conductive surface and slots therein, the slots being arrayed in a first direction which extends along the conductive surface; a waveguide member having an electrically conductive waveguide face which opposes the slots and extends along the first direction; and an artificial magnetic conductor extending on both sides of the waveguide member. At least one of the conductive member and the waveguide member includes dents on the conductive surface and/or the waveguide face, the dents each serving to broaden a spacing between the conductive surface and the waveguide face relative to any adjacent site. The dents include a first, second, and third dents which are adjacent to one another and consecutively follow along the first direction. A distance between centers of the first and second dents is different from a distance between centers of the second and third dents. |
| US09997841B2 |
Wireless device capable of multiband MIMO operation
A wireless handheld or portable device includes a communication module with a MIMO system that provides multiband MIMO operation in first and second frequency bands. The MIMO system includes first and second radiating systems, a ground plane common to the two radiating systems, first and second radio frequency systems, and a MIMO module. The first and second radiating systems both operate in the first and second frequency bands and respectively include first and second radiating structures coupled to the ground plane, which respectively have first and second radiation boosters that fit in an imaginary sphere having a diameter smaller than ¼ of a diameter of a radiansphere of a longest wavelength of the first frequency band. The first and second radiofrequency systems respectively modify impedance of the first and second radiating structures to provide impedance matching to the first and second radiating systems within the first and second frequency bands. |
| US09997840B2 |
Transmission type antenna
A transmission type antenna includes a transmission type structure for transmitting and radiating an incident radio wave, a power feeding body for radiating the radio wave to the transmission type structure or receiving the incident radio wave, a drive shaft for moving or tilting the power feeding body, a body for providing a moving path of the power feeding body through the drive shaft, and a control unit, connected through the drive shaft to the power feeding body, for controlling the movement and tilt of the drive shaft to thereby determine the tilling direction of the power feeding body. |
| US09997838B2 |
Millimeter-wave slot antenna systems and methods with improved gain
Various embodiments of a millimeter-wave antenna system configured to enhance the gain in a communication network, in which one or more slotted wave-guides produce radiating slot structures that form accurate high-gain millimeter-wave radiation patterns. The system comprises one or more slotted wave-guides to transport millimeter-waves, a PCB including a substrate lamina and an electrically-conductive lamina with two or more highly accurate slots, and an electrically-conductive metal cover that intersects the electrically-conductive lamina to form an enclosed wave-guide cavity. Various embodiments of methods for producing the millimeter-wave antenna system, including different techniques for creating the accuracy of the slots in the slotted wave-guides. |
| US09997837B1 |
Rectifying devices and fabrication methods
A method of forming an electronic field emission rectifier involves depositing a first metal layer, a dielectric, and a second metal layer on a substrate in that order. The dielectric layer and the second metal layer are patterned. Patterning the dielectric and second metal layers involves depositing a nanostructuring layer on the second metal layer. The nanostructuring layer self-assembles into removable regions embedded within a matrix. When the removable regions are removed, a pattern is formed in the matrix. |
| US09997833B2 |
Antenna
An antenna using a length-adjustable slit includes a power supply line connected to a ground pad and a power supply pad for receiving a power supply signal from a PCB, the ground pad being connected to a case, a radiator formed on the case, the radiator including at least one slit having a dielectric embedded in the slit, and a plurality of switching terminals for controlling the resonant frequency of the slit. |
| US09997829B2 |
Modulation control through adaptive phase adjustment
A Near Field Communication (NFC) enabled device is disclosed. The NFC device includes an antenna. The NFC device also includes an impedance matching network, a carrier frequency generator to generate a carrier wave, a receiver for receiving a magnetic induction wave, a transmitter, a driver circuit configured to alter an impedance of an antenna network associated with the antenna between a first impedance and a second impedance and a control unit. The control unit is configured to derive a first phase difference between the received magnetic induction wave and an internal clock at the first impedance and a second phase difference between the received magnetic induction wave and the internal clock at the second impedance. The control unit is further configured to change a phase of the carrier wave based on a difference between the first phase difference and a second phase difference. |
| US09997822B2 |
Wireless communication device with an antenna adjacent to an edge of the device
A wireless communication device comprising a housing comprising a plurality of edges and configured to serve as an external surface for the wireless communication device, and an antenna adjacent to at least a first edge of the housing, wherein the antenna comprises at least a conductive strip and at least one slot and wherein the antenna is configured to receive and transmit wireless signals, wherein the first edge of the housing is one of an edge of the housing nearest an ear piece and an edge of the housing that is opposite the edge of the housing nearest the ear piece, and wherein the conductive strip and the slot are adjacent to at least the first edge of the housing. |
| US09997818B2 |
Transmission device with dipole orienting system
Transmission device including at least one electric conductor for the transmission of an AC signal and a dielectric material at least partly surrounding the at least one conductor. The dielectric material includes dipoles. The device further includes a dipole orienting system adapted to orient the dipoles and to force the dipoles in a saturation regime in order to limit the movement of the dipoles when the at least one electric conductor conducts an AC signal. |
| US09997817B2 |
Filter and electronic device
Disclosed is a single notch filter, comprising a dielectric layer, a first metal layer and a second metal layer, wherein the first metal layer and the second metal layer are arranged onto two opposite surfaces of the dielectric layer, the first metal layer comprises a metal microstrip patch, the second metal layer comprises a coplanar waveguide plate and a metal grounding plate, and a fractal defected ground body of the coplanar waveguide plate is coupled with the metal microstrip patch based on the dielectric layer. Other embodiments are described and claimed. |
| US09997815B2 |
Non-aqueous magnesium-air battery
A magnesium-air battery is described. The battery comprises: an anode compartment; a cathode compartment; and a membrane separating the anode compartment from the cathode compartment. The anode compartment comprises an anode having magnesium, a magnesium alloy or a material capable of insertion and extraction of magnesium, while the cathode compartment comprises an air electrode, a glyme ether or an ionic liquid capable of supporting the reduction of oxygen and a soluble magnesium salt. |
| US09997814B2 |
Zinc-air battery
A zinc-air cell, a battery which is a low weight, low volume, or higher energy system, or a combination thereof and an apparatus for recharging the same are disclosed. |
| US09997812B2 |
EV battery pack cooling system
A battery pack thermal management assembly is provided for use with an electric vehicle in which the battery pack is sealed and mounted under the car. The batteries contained within the battery pack are thermally coupled via a layer of thermally conductive material to the interior surface of the pack's upper enclosure panel. A secondary panel is thermally coupled to the pack's upper enclosure panel. A shaped conduit panel is attached to the secondary panel. A cooling panel structure containing a coolant channel is defined by the surface of the secondary panel and the conduit panel's interior surface. |
| US09997811B2 |
Battery heat exchange duct system
Provided herein is a heat exchange assembly for conducting air flow through an air cooled vehicle battery, including: a housing enclosing a battery pack having a plurality of cells; and a manifold operably connected to the housing, wherein the manifold includes an inlet for receiving air flow into the battery pack and an outlet for exhausting air flow out of the battery pack, wherein the inlet and the outlet form a single heat exchange duct that passes through a single opening on a face of the housing. Also provided herein is a vehicle incorporating the disclosed heat exchange assembly and a method of conducting air flow through an air cooled battery in a vehicle. |
| US09997807B2 |
Vibration resistant valve assembly for lead acid batteries
A battery valve assembly is disclosed having a body with a first end and an opposite second end. The body includes a receiving passageway extending through the body from the first end to the second end, and an elongated base positioned proximate to the second end. The valve assembly also includes a hydrophobic barrier. |
| US09997806B2 |
Ionic liquid and power storage device including the same
An ionic liquid having high electrochemical stability and a low melting point. An ionic liquid represented by the following general formula (G0) is provided. In the general formula (G0), R0 to R5 are individually any of an alkyl group having 1 to 20 carbon atoms, a methoxy group, a methoxymethyl group, a methoxyethyl group, and a hydrogen atom, and A− is a univalent imide-based anion, a univalent methide-based anion, a perfluoroalkyl sulfonic acid anion, tetrafluoroborate, or hexafluorophosphate. |
| US09997803B2 |
Electrolyte and battery using the same
Provided are an electrolyte having superior adhesion strength to an electrode and superior permeability into the electrode, and a battery using the electrolyte. An electrolyte comprises, for example, a high molecular weight compound and an electrolyte solution prepared by dissolving an electrolyte salt in a solvent, and the electrolyte is formed through applying a coating solution prepared by dissolving the high molecular weight compound in a mixed solvent to at least either a cathode or an anode. The high molecular weight compound includes a first high molecular weight compound with a weight-average molecular weight of 550,000 or more and a second high molecular weight compound with a weight-average molecular weight of 1,000 or more but not exceeding 300,000. Thereby, the adhesion strength of the electrolyte to the electrode, the permeability of the electrolyte into the electrode and the mechanical strength of the electrolyte can be improved, and the capability of holding a solvent can be improved. |
| US09997801B2 |
Flexible ion conductive membrane for batteries
In an improved lithium sulfur battery, an improvement comprises an effective Prussian blue dense membrane interposed between the anode and the cathode. |
| US09997800B2 |
Fuel cell stack and assembly method of same
A fuel cell stack and a method of assembling a fuel cell stack includes compressing fuel cells along their stacking axis. A compression retention device made up of an enclosure may be used with one or more optional insertable shims to correct for any stack height variations. Significantly, the enclosure is formed to allow the stack to be loaded in compression by a press such that the cells that make up the stack are placed into and maintained in a substantially compressed state while the compression force is not imparted to the enclosure. By resolving any stack height variances while the cells of the stack are maintained in their substantially compressed state, assembly operations are simplified in that repeated compression and decompression of the stack is avoided while trying to ensure that the stack and enclosure are joined into their final assembly form. |
| US09997798B2 |
High solubility iron hexacyanides
Stable solutions comprising high concentrations of charged coordination complexes, including iron hexacyanides are described, as are methods of preparing and using same in chemical energy storage systems, including flow battery systems. The use of these compositions allows energy storage densities at levels unavailable by other iron hexacyanide systems. |
| US09997780B2 |
Positive electrode for lithium secondary battery and lithium secondary battery comprising the same
The present disclosure relates to a positive electrode for a lithium secondary battery including an electrode current collector, and a positive electrode active material layer coated on at least a part of the electrode current collector, wherein the positive electrode active material layer includes a manganese-based positive electrode active material, and a porosity is from 30% to 35%, to improve high-temperature storage characteristics and high-temperature cycle characteristics. |
| US09997774B2 |
Positive electrode active material for nonaqueous electrolyte secondary battery, and nonaqueous electrolyte secondary battery
A positive electrode active material for a nonaqueous electrolyte secondary battery contains a lithium composite oxide particle as a main component, in which a ratio of Ni to a total number of moles of all metal elements other than Li is greater than 30 mol %. The lithium composite oxide particle includes a secondary particle being aggregation of primary particles having an average particle diameter of 1 μm or more, and a shell constituted around the secondary particle. A surface layer void is present between the secondary particle and the shell. |
| US09997773B2 |
Negative active material for rechargeable lithium battery, method for preparing same, and rechargeable lithium battery comprising same
Disclosed are a negative electrode active material for lithium secondary batteries, a method of preparing the same and a lithium secondary battery including the same. More particularly, the negative electrode active material includes a core that includes a lithium titanium oxide represented by Formula 1 below and a coating layer that is located in a surface of the core and includes fluorine, and thus, a moisture content in the active material is decreased and adsorption of outside moisture is inhibited, thereby removing concern for side reaction occurrence due to moisture. In addition, loss of an SEI layer may be prevented due to a stable fluorine-containing coating layer formed on a surface of the active material. As a result, battery performance may be enhanced and stable expression thereof is possible: LixTiyO4, [Formula 1] wherein x and y are the same as defined in the present specification. |
| US09997771B2 |
Negative electrode material for lithium ion secondary battery and manufacturing method of the same, negative electrode for lithium ion secondary battery and manufacturing method of the same, and lithium ion secondary battery
To provide a negative electrode material having a high initial capacity and a long charge and discharge cycle life A negative electrode material according to the present invention contains a particle of a negative electrode active material that occludes and releases lithium ions and a carbon fiber, wherein the negative electrode active material occludes lithium by forming an alloy with the lithium, a surface of the negative electrode active material particle is coated with carbon, and the carbon fiber is bonded to the surface of the carbon via an adhesive resin. |
| US09997770B2 |
Lithium-sulfur secondary battery
Provided are a positive electrode for a lithium-sulfur secondary battery capable of surely covering with sulfur a portion of carbon nanotubes near a current collector and capable of supplying an electrolytic solution up to the vicinity of a base end of the carbon nanotubes efficiently even when sulfur expands in volume during discharge, and a method of forming the same. The positive electrode for a lithium-sulfur secondary battery includes: a current collector; a plurality of carbon nanotubes which are grown on a surface of the current collector such that the current collector-surface side serves as a base end and so as to be oriented in a direction perpendicular to the surface of the current collector; and sulfur to cover the surface of each of the carbon nanotubes at a density of the carbon nanotubes of 40 mg/cm3 or less. |
| US09997767B2 |
Accelerated formation and increased performance in chemically pre-formed (CPF) iron negative electrodes
Provided is a process for preparing an electrode comprising an iron active material. The process comprises first fabricating an electrode comprising an iron active material, and then treating the surface of the electrode with an oxidant to thereby create an oxidized surface. The resulting iron electrode is preconditioned prior to any charge-discharge cycle to have the assessable surface of the iron active material in the same oxidation state as in discharged iron negative electrodes active material. |
| US09997765B2 |
Electrodes, electrochemical cells, and methods of forming electrodes and electrochemical cells
Electrodes and methods of forming electrodes are described herein. The electrode can be an electrode of an electrochemical cell or battery. The electrode includes a current collector and a film in electrical communication with the current collector. The film may include a carbon phase that holds the film together. The electrode further includes an electrode attachment substance that adheres the film to the current collector. |
| US09997762B2 |
Protection element and rechargeable battery including the same
A protection element includes a positive temperature coefficient (PTC) material layer, a second conductive layer on a second surface of the PTC material layer, a first electrode lead layer on the first conductive layer, and a second electrode lead layer on the second conductive layer. The first conductive layer includes a plurality of laminated first layers and the second conductive layer includes a plurality of laminated second layers. The first conductive layer has a plurality of first through-holes including a first conductive material to connect at least two of the first layers. The second conductive layer having a plurality of second through-holes including a second conductive material to connect at least two of the second layers. |
| US09997761B2 |
Rechargeable battery
A rechargeable battery having a decreased size by including a membrane of an external short-circuit part in a cap plate is provided. The rechargeable battery includes a case having an electrode assembly accommodated therein, a cap plate closing an opening of the case, first and second electrode terminals extending through the cap plate and electrically coupled to the electrode assembly, and an external short-circuit part coupled to an outer portion of the case for electrically disconnecting or short-circuiting the first and second electrode terminals from or to each other. The external short-circuit part includes a membrane coupled to an inner surface of the cap plate and electrically coupled to the second electrode terminal, and a connection plate electrically coupled to the first electrode terminal and spaced from the membrane. The membrane extends around an outer circumference of a short-circuit hole in the cap plate to cover the short-circuit hole. |
| US09997760B2 |
Assembled battery and manufacturing method thereof
A combined battery (100) comprising a plurality of flat-type cells (10A to 10F) by laminating thereof so that polarity of electrode tabs (11A to 11F and 12A to 12F) is alternately set, wherein welding parts to connect in series the flat cells themselves, to compose a set when all the flat-type cells (10A to 10F) are laminated, are separated at a plurality of positions of the combined battery, and the flat-type cells having such a structure that all the flat-type cells are electrically connected in series by welding each of the welding parts. |
| US09997757B2 |
Cell connection assembly
A cell connection assembly includes a first unit holding one side in a connection direction of a long connection member, and a second unit holding the other side in the connection direction of the long connection member. The first unit and the second unit are configured to be slidable and movable with respect to the long connection member in the connection direction of the long connection member. Even when there is a dimensional error between a plurality of electric cells and the cell connection assembly attached thereto, positions of the first unit and the second unit relative to each other can be changed with the long connection member in response to the dimensional error. |
| US09997748B2 |
Power supply device
A power supply device (1) includes a battery cell assembly (2) being an assembly of battery cells (3) each having electrodes (4) and a battery connecting block (10) including a case body (11) including an adjacent first and second divided fixing portions (12, 13) connected to each other via a flexural deformation portion (14). The flexural deformation portion (14) includes a first rising linear portion (40) having one end fixed to the first divided fixing portion, a second rising linear portion (40) having one end fixed to the second divided fixing portion, first and second curve portions (41) bent at the other ends of the first and second rising linear portions (40) in a direction to come close to each other, and a linear portion (42) connecting the first and second curve portions to each other. |
| US09997747B2 |
Rechargeable battery having upper insulator member
A rechargeable battery includes an electrode assembly including a first electrode and a second electrode, a case in which the electrode assembly is mounted, a cap plate coupled to the case, the cap plate including a short-circuit hole therethrough, a first terminal electrically connected to the first electrode, a second terminal electrically connected to the second electrode, an upper insulating member between the second terminal and the cap plate, the upper insulating member including a connection hole in fluid communication with the short-circuit hole, and an air vent hole spaced apart from the connection hole, and a short-circuit member in the short-circuit hole, the short-circuit member being between the cap plate and the upper insulating member, and the short-circuit member being configured to deform to electrically connect the first electrode with the second electrode. |
| US09997746B1 |
Battery package structure
An apparatus comprises an electrochemical energy storage device, a non-conductive film at least partially covering the electrochemical energy storage device, and a nano-grain metallic film at least partially covering the non-conductive film. The electrochemical energy storage device may include a cathode electrode layer, an anode electrode layer, and a separator layer therebetween. |
| US09997744B2 |
Rechargeable battery
A rechargeable battery according to an exemplary embodiment includes: an electrode assembly charging and discharging a current; and a pouch case receiving the electrode assembly and formed with a joint part on a border, wherein the joint part includes a plurality of pressing parts pressing the pouch case to be joined and formed with a non-pressure part in each center thereof. |
| US09997743B2 |
Nonaqueous electrolyte secondary battery
It is an object of the present invention to provide a nonaqueous electrolyte secondary battery with superior high-temperature charge-discharge cycle characteristics as well as superior low-temperature high-rate charge-discharge cycle characteristics. A nonaqueous electrolyte secondary battery 100 according to the present invention has an electrode body 80 which includes a positive electrode and a negative electrode, and a battery case 50 which houses the electrode body 80 together with a nonaqueous electrolyte, wherein among the nonaqueous electrolyte housed in the battery case 50, an electrolyte amount ratio (A/B) between a surplus electrolyte amount (A) that exists outside the electrode body 80 and an intra-electrode body electrolyte amount (B) impregnating the electrode body 80 ranges from 0.05 to 0.2, and DBP absorption of a positive electrode active material that constitutes the positive electrode is equal to or higher than 30 (ml/100 g). |
| US09997739B2 |
White organic light emitting device
Disclosed white organic light emitting device includes an anode and a cathode opposing each other; a charge generation layer interposed between the anode and the cathode; a first stack interposed between the anode and the charge generation layer, the first stack including a first hole transport layer and a first light emitting layer emitting blue fluorescent light; and a second stack interposed between the charge generation layer and the cathode, the second stack including a second hole transport layer and a second light emitting layer formed by doping one host with at least one of phosphorescent dopant, wherein a triplet energy level of the first hole transport layer is higher than a triplet energy level of the first light emitting layer, and a hole mobility of the first hole transport layer is 5.0×10−4 cm2/s·V to 9.9×10−3 cm2/s·V. |
| US09997738B2 |
Organic light emitting display apparatus and method of manufacturing the same
A method of manufacturing an organic light emitting display apparatus includes: preparing a substrate having a first surface and a second surface opposite to the first surface; forming a through-hole penetrating the substrate from the first surface to the second surface; forming a humidity preventing layer on the substrate; forming a plurality of organic light emitting diodes on the substrate; and removing an organic light emitting diode adjacent to the through-hole from among the plurality of organic light emitting diodes, in which the humidity preventing layer may be formed on the substrate via a sequential vapor infiltration (SVI) process. |
| US09997736B2 |
Organic EL device
An organic EL device includes a TFT substrate 1, a first electrode 5 provided on the TFT substrate 1, an organic EL layer 6 provided on the first electrode 5, a second electrode 7 provided on the organic EL layer 6, and a sealing film 10 covering the second electrode 7. The TFT substrate 1 is provided thereon with upward projections 11 and 12. The upward projections 11 and 12 are covered with the sealing film 10. |
| US09997729B2 |
Display device
A display device may include a first substrate including a plurality of pixel areas, a plurality of display elements disposed in the plurality of pixel areas on the first substrate, respectively, a second substrate facing the first substrate, a plurality of spacers disposed between the plurality of display elements, and a plurality of touch sensing electrodes disposed on a surface of the second substrate facing the first substrate. The display element, among the plurality of display elements, includes a first electrode disposed in a pixel area among the plurality of pixel areas, a pixel defining layer disposed between each pixel area among the plurality of pixel areas and exposing the first electrode, an emission layer disposed on the first electrode and including at least a light generating layer, and a second electrode disposed on the emission layer and extending to the pixel defining layer and the plurality of spacers. The plurality of spacers are disposed on the pixel defining layer and the second electrode includes openings overlapping the plurality of spacers. |
| US09997720B2 |
Organic light emitting diode display
An organic light emitting display element according to an example embodiment includes: a first electrode, an emission layer positioned on the first electrode, and a second electrode positioned on the emission layer, in which the emission layer includes at least one of the compounds represented by the following Chemical Formulas 1 to 3. |
| US09997718B2 |
Organic photoelectric device image sensor and electronic device
An organic photoelectric device includes a first electrode and a second electrode facing each other, and an active layer between the first electrode and the second electrode, the active layer including an n-type semiconductor compound represented by Chemical Formula 1 and a p-type semiconductor compound having selective light absorption in a green wavelength region of about 500 nm to about 600 nm. |
| US09997709B2 |
Method for manufacturing transistor according to selective printing of dopant
The present invention relates to a method for manufacturing a transistor according selective printing of a dopant. For the manufacture of a transistor, a semiconductor layer is formed on a substrate, and a dopant layer is formed on the semiconductor layer. In the formation of the dopant layer, an inkjet printing is used to selectively print an n type dopant or a p type dopant. |
| US09997707B2 |
Perovskite thin films having large crystalline grains
The invention relates generally to perovskite materials, and in particular, to perovskite thin films having large crystalline grains. Methods of forming the perovskite thin films are disclosed herein. The perovskite thin films find particular use in photovoltaic applications. |
| US09997706B2 |
Semiconductor nanocrystals and methods of preparation
A method for preparing semiconductor nanocrystals is disclosed. The method comprises adding a precursor mixture comprising one or more cation precursors, one or more anion precursors, and one or more amines to a ligand mixture including one or more acids, one or more phenol compounds, and a solvent to form a reaction mixture, wherein the molar ratio of (the one or more phenol compounds plus the one or more acids plus the one or more amine compounds) to the one or more cations initially included in the reaction mixture is greater than or equal to about 6, and heating the reaction mixture at a temperature and for a period of time sufficient to produce semiconductor nanocrystals having a predetermined composition. Methods for forming a buffer layer and/or an overcoating layer thereover are also disclosed. Semiconductor nanocrystals and compositions including semiconductor nanocrystals of the invention are also disclosed. In certain embodiments, a semiconductor nanocrystal includes one or more Group IIIA and one or more Group VA elements. |
| US09997704B2 |
Scaled cross bar array with undercut electrode
A cross bar array device includes first electrodes arranged adjacent to each other and extending in a first direction, the first electrodes including a main electrode layer and a scalable electrode layer. Second electrodes are arranged transversely to the first electrodes, the second electrodes including a main electrode layer and a scalable electrode layer. An electrolyte layer is disposed between the scalable electrode layers of the first electrodes and the second electrodes. A scalable electrode is formed from a scalable electrode layer and includes an undercut having a side laterally recessed from a width of a corresponding main electrode. |
| US09997702B2 |
Fabrication of correlated electron material films with varying atomic or molecular concentrations of dopant species
Subject matter disclosed herein may relate to fabrication of layered correlated electron materials (CEMs) in which a first group of one or more layers may comprise a first concentration of a dopant species, and wherein a second group of one or more layers may comprise a second concentration of a dopant species. In other embodiments, a CEM may comprise one or more regions of graded concentration of a dopant species. |
| US09997696B2 |
Methods of manufacturing high frequency piezocomposite ultrasound transducers
Methods of manufacturing transducers with triangular cross-sectional shaped pillars are disclosed herein. According to one aspect of the present application, a plurality of first, second and third troughs are formed in a transducer substrate in first, second and third directions, respectively, to form an array of pillars. In one embodiment, the first direction is substantially parallel to a longitudinal axis of the substrate, the second direction is substantially perpendicular to the longitudinal axis of the substrate, and the third direction is oblique to the longitudinal axis of the substrate. The resulting array of pillars can be configured to suppress lateral modes of a high frequency ultrasound transducer. |
| US09997694B2 |
Thermoelectric generating system
Provided is a thermoelectric generating system which may be easily installed in a heat source of a vehicle and which is easy to assemble and disassemble overall by eliminating the necessity to be assembled with a cooling module. The thermoelectric generating system includes a first substrate, a second substrate configured to be slidably engageable in contiguity with a heat source of a vehicle, and a thermoelectric module disposed between the first substrate and the second substrate. |
| US09997693B2 |
Energy recovering assembly and a method of providing the same
The invention relates to an energy recovering assembly (1) and a method of providing the same for extraction of electric power. The assembly comprises a first array (2) of tubes (6) and a second array (3) of tubes (13). The tubes (6) of the first array (2) are interdigitated with the tubes (13) of the second array (3), such that two tubes (13) of the second array (3) are arranged between two successive tubes (6) of the first array (2), or such that two tubes (6) of the first array (2) are arranged between two successive tubes (13) of the second array (3). Thermo electric modules (4) are received in gaps (7) between adjacent tubes (6, 13) of the first (2) and second arrays (3). Fixation arrangements (5) are received in interspaces (X) between two tubes (6; 13). The fixation arrangements (5) are operable between a first state in which the fixation arrangement (5) is insertable in the associated interspace (X), and a second state in which the fixation arrangement (5) is adapted to exert a pressure on the two tubes (6; 13) in the associated interspace (X), forcing each of the two tubes (6; 13) towards the thermo electric modules (4) and towards the successive tubes (6; 13) adjacent the thermoelectric modules (4). |
| US09997690B1 |
LED (light-emitting diode) module and a light apparatus
An LED chip module includes a first electrode plate and a second electrode plate. A first set of LED chip and a second set of LED chip are respectively set on the first electrode plate and the second electrode plate. The second set of LED chip is electrically connected to the first set of LED chip. A plastic shell is fixedly connected to the first electrode plate and the second electrode plate by injection molding to make the first electrode plate and the second electrode plate keep a predetermined space between each other and make a lower surface of the first electrode plate and a lower surface of the second electrode plate be respectively connected to two different polarity terminals of the power supply to drive the first set of LED chip and the second set of LED chip to emit light. |
| US09997683B2 |
Light emitting device package and lighting device having the same
A light emitting device package is provided. The light emitting device package may include a frame, a first lead frame spaced apart from the frame, a second lead frame spaced apart from the frame, a body coupled to the frame and the first and second lead frames and having a first cavity, and a plurality of light emitting devices on the frame exposed through the first cavity. The body may include a reflective part provided inside the first cavity to surround at least one of the light emitting devices, thereby improving light extraction efficiency. |
| US09997682B2 |
Light emitting element unit and method for manufacturing the same, light emitting element package and illuminating device
A light emitting element unit according to the present invention includes a semiconductor light emitting element that has a surface, a back surface, and a side surface, where the surface or the back surface is a light extracting surface from which light generated inside is emitted, a submount which has a bottom wall and a side wall, has a recess portion defined by the bottom wall and the side wall, and supports the semiconductor light emitting element by the bottom wall in a position in which the light extracting surface is directed upward at the recess portion, and has an inclined surface on the side wall, inclined at a predetermined angle with respect to the bottom wall so as to face the side surface of the semiconductor light emitting element, and a light reflecting film formed on the inclined surface of the submount. |
| US09997679B2 |
Light-emitting device
A light-emitting device of the invention includes, a first substrate; a light-emitting element mounted on the first substrate and includes a second substrate and a semiconductor structure including a light-emitting layer; and a light-shielding body which is formed only on a surface of the light-emitting element opposite to the first substrate and includes a material including light-shielding particles. |
| US09997677B2 |
Illumination method and light-emitting device
To provide an illumination method and a light-emitting device which are capable of achieving, under an indoor illumination environment where illuminance is around 5000 lx or lower when performing detailed work and generally around 1500 lx or lower, a color appearance or an object appearance as perceived by a person, will be as natural, vivid, highly visible, and comfortable as though perceived outdoors in a high-illuminance environment, regardless of scores of various color rendition metric. Light emitted from the light-emitting device illuminates an object such that light measured at a position of the object satisfies specific requirements. A feature of the light-emitting device is that light emitted by the light-emitting device in a main radiant direction satisfies specific requirements. |
| US09997675B2 |
Light-emitting-device package and production method therefor
A light-emitting-device package according to one aspect of the present invention includes: a metal substrate; a light emitting device disposed on a first surface of the metal substrate and configured to emit at least ultraviolet light; a pair of electrodes disposed to be spaced apart from each other on at least the first surface of the metal substrate, and electrically connected to the light emitting device; and an insulating layer provided between the metal substrate and the pair of electrodes. UV reflectance of the first surface of the metal body is higher than UV reflectance of the pair of electrodes. |
| US09997672B2 |
Electrode structure of light emitting diode
An electrode structure of an LED includes an adhesion layer and a bond pad layer. The adhesion layer is stacked on the LED. The bond pad layer is stacked on the adhesion layer. The bond pad layer includes at least two first metal layers, at least two second metal layers and an outermost gold layer sequentially and alternately stacked. The first metal layers are selected from the group consisting Al and an Al alloy, and the second metal layers are selected from the group consisting of Ti, Ni, Cr, Pt, Pd, TiN, TiW, W, Rh and Cu. Thus, the main structure of the bond pad layer is a stacked structure of the first metal layers and the second metal layers. The first metal layers may be selected from a low-cost material, and the second metal layers improve issues of inadequate hardness and electromigration of the first metal layers. |
| US09997669B2 |
High power light emitting device and method of making the same
Disclosed herein are a light emitting device and a method of making the same. The light emitting device includes: a substrate including a first lead and a second lead; a light emitting diode disposed over the first lead of the substrate, including a second conductive-type semiconductor layer, an active layer, and a first conductive-type semiconductor layer, and emit near ultraviolet light; and a wavelength conversion unit disposed over the light emitting diode and spaced apart from the light emitting diode, wherein the light emitting structure has semi-polar or non-polar characteristics, the wavelength conversion unit has a multi-layered structure including a first phosphor layer and a second phosphor layer, and the light emitting diode is driven at a current density which is equal to or greater than 350 mA/mm2. |
| US09997667B2 |
Semiconductor material doping
A solution for designing and/or fabricating a structure including a quantum well and an adjacent barrier is provided. A target band discontinuity between the quantum well and the adjacent barrier is selected to coincide with an activation energy of a dopant for the quantum well and/or barrier. For example, a target valence band discontinuity can be selected such that a dopant energy level of a dopant in the adjacent barrier coincides with a valence energy band edge for the quantum well and/or a ground state energy for free carriers in a valence energy band for the quantum well. Additionally, a target doping level for the quantum well and/or adjacent barrier can be selected to facilitate a real space transfer of holes across the barrier. The quantum well and the adjacent barrier can be formed such that the actual band discontinuity and/or actual doping level(s) correspond to the relevant target(s). |
| US09997666B2 |
Light emitting device
The disclosed light emitting device includes an intermediate layer interposed between the light emitting semiconductor structure and the substrate. The light emitting semiconductor structure includes a first conductivity-type semiconductor layer, a second conductivity-type semiconductor layer, and an active layer interposed between the first conductivity-type semiconductor layer and the second conductivity-type semiconductor layer, wherein the active layer has a multi quantum well structure including at least one period of a pair structure of a quantum barrier layer including AlxGa(1-x)N (0 |
| US09997665B2 |
Multiple quantum well structure and light emitting diodes
A light emitting diode has a light emitting region including a multiple quantum well structure, including a first protection layer, a first intermediate layer over the first protection layer, a quantum barrier layer over the first intermediate layer, a second intermediate layer over the well layer, a second protection layer over the second intermediate layer, and a quantum barrier layer over the second protection layer. |
| US09997664B2 |
Optical elements and electronic devices including the same
An optical element includes a plurality of nanowires disposed in the form of an array and a light emitting material disposed on the nanowires, where the nanowires are longitudinally aligned in the array to linearly polarize at least a portion of light emitted from the light emitting material, and an electronic device includes the optical element. |
| US09997663B2 |
Semiconductor light emitting device
There is provided a semiconductor light emitting device including a conductive substrate, a first electrode layer, an insulating layer, a second electrode layer, a second semiconductor layer, an active layer, and a first semiconductor layer that are sequentially stacked. The contact area between the first electrode layer and the first semiconductor layer is 3% to 13% of the total area of the semiconductor light emitting device, and thus high luminous efficiency is achieved. |
| US09997662B2 |
Light-emitting metal-oxide-semiconductor devices and associated systems, devices, and methods
Various embodiments of solid state transducer (“SST”) devices are disclosed. In several embodiments, a light emitter device includes a metal-oxide-semiconductor (MOS) capacitor, an active region operably coupled to the MOS capacitor, and a bulk semiconductor material operably coupled to the active region. The active region can include at least one quantum well configured to store first charge carriers under a first bias. The bulk semiconductor material is arranged to provide second charge carriers to the active region under the second bias such that the active region emits UV light. |
| US09997661B2 |
Method of making a copper oxide/silicon thin-film tandem solar cell using copper-inorganic film from a eutectic alloy
A method of making a copper oxide/inorganic thin film tandem semiconductor device including the steps of: depositing a textured buffer layer on an amorphous substrate, depositing a copper-inorganic film from a solid phase eutectic alloy on said buffer layer, and introducing O2 to the copper on said inorganic film, forming a copper oxide thin film on said inorganic film. |
| US09997652B2 |
Deposition approaches for emitter layers of solar cells
Methods of fabricating solar cells, and the resulting solar cells, are described herein. In an example, a method of fabricating a solar cell includes forming a thin dielectric layer on a surface of a substrate by radical oxidation or plasma oxidation of the surface of the substrate. The method also involves forming a silicon layer over the thin dielectric layer. The method also involves forming a plurality of emitter regions from the silicon layer. |
| US09997651B2 |
Damage buffer for solar cell metallization
A solar cell structure includes a semiconductor region disposed in or above a substrate. A damage buffer can be disposed above the semiconductor region. First and second conductive layers can be bonded together at a location above the damage buffer. |
| US09997648B2 |
Composition for solar cell electrode and electrode prepared using the same
A composition for solar cell electrodes and a solar cell electrode, the composition including silver powder; glass frit that contains tellurium, the glass frit having a glass transition temperature (Tg) of about 150° C. to about 300° C.; an organosilane compound; and an organic vehicle. |
| US09997646B2 |
Solar cell, and solar cell module employing the same
A solar cell is provided. The solar cell includes a first electrode, a second electrode, and a photoelectric conversion layer, disposed between the first electrode and the second electrode. The solar cell further includes an ionizable charged film disposed on one of the outermost surface of the first electrode and the outermost surface of the second electrode. |
| US09997645B2 |
Optical sensor device
A package for an optical sensor device has a double-molded structure in which a first resin molded portion and a second resin molded portion are integrated. The first resin molded portion has a structure in which peripheries of a die pad portion on which an optical sensor element is mounted and a part of each of a plurality of leads are molded with a resin so as to be integrated, the part of each of the plurality of leads being embedded in and completely surrounded by the first resin molded portion. The second resin molded portion is molded over at least a portion of the first resin molded portion to form an outer shape of the package and has embedded therein and completely surrounds a part of each of the plurality of leads. A glass substrate having a filter function is bonded to an upper surface of the resin molded portions to form a cavity in which is mounted the optical sensor element. |
| US09997644B2 |
Control circuits for dynamically biased avalanche photodiodes
Method and apparatus for maximizing the output of a dynamically biased avalanche photodiode (APD). The output of the APD is amplified. A feedback loop comprising a phase shifter measures the RF power of the amplified output and adjusts the phase of the AC signal which is used to dynamically bias the APD until the output power is maximized. The AC signal is also split into out of phase signals, thereby substantially canceling out the bias current injected into the APD output, leaving only the desired amplified optical output signal. The monitoring and tuning of the AC dynamic bias can eliminate phase drift over time, as well as other non-ideal effects that can occur, such as those due to temperature changes or device aging effects. |
| US09997642B2 |
Diode, diode string circuit, and electrostatic discharge protection device having doped region and well isolated from each other
A diode includes a substrate, a first insulating layer, a second insulating layer, a well, a deep doped region, a first doped region, and a second doped region. The first insulating layer is disposed on the substrate. The second insulating layer is disposed on the substrate, and defines a cell region with the first insulating layer. The well is disposed on the substrate and beneath the cell region. The deep doped region is disposed in the well and beneath the cell region. The first doped region is disposed in the cell region and on the deep doped region. The second doped region is disposed adjacent to the first doped region. The second doped region is disposed on the deep doped region, and is electrically isolated from the well through the deep doped region and the first doped region. |
| US09997641B2 |
SONOS ONO stack scaling
A method of scaling a nonvolatile trapped-charge memory device and the device made thereby is provided. In an embodiment, the method includes forming a channel region including polysilicon electrically connecting a source region and a drain region in a substrate. A tunneling layer is formed on the substrate over the channel region by oxidizing the substrate to form an oxide film and nitridizing the oxide film. A multi-layer charge trapping layer including an oxygen-rich first layer and an oxygen-lean second layer is formed on the tunneling layer, and a blocking layer deposited on the multi-layer charge trapping layer. In one embodiment, the method further includes a dilute wet oxidation to densify a deposited blocking oxide and to oxidize a portion of the oxygen-lean second layer. |
| US09997638B2 |
Semiconductor device and manufacturing method thereof
An object is to reduce to reduce variation in threshold voltage to stabilize electric characteristics of thin film transistors each using an oxide semiconductor layer. An object is to reduce an off current. The thin film transistor using an oxide semiconductor layer is formed by stacking an oxide semiconductor layer containing insulating oxide over the oxide semiconductor layer so that the oxide semiconductor layer and source and drain electrode layers are in contact with each other with the oxide semiconductor layer containing insulating oxide interposed therebetween; whereby, variation in threshold voltage of the thin film transistors can be reduced and thus the electric characteristics can be stabilized. Further, an off current can be reduced. |
| US09997635B2 |
Thin film transistor, manufacturing method and testing method thereof, array substrate and display device
A thin film transistor and manufacturing and testing methods thereof, an array substrate and a display device, and the thin film transistor includes a semiconductor layer, at least three source/drain electrodes and a gate electrode. The semiconductor layer includes a non-doped part which is continuously formed and at least three doped parts which are connected with the non-doped part; the doped parts are spaced from each other and distributed at a periphery of the non-doped part; the source/drain electrodes are spaced from each other and respectively electrically connected with the doped parts; and the gate electrode overlaps the non-doped part in a direction perpendicular to the semiconductor layer and at least extends to a junction of the non-doped part and each doped part. The thin film transistor can improve the accuracy of comparison results of the characteristics of sub-thin film transistors included by the thin film transistor. |
| US09997624B2 |
Semiconductor device and method of manufacturing the same
A semiconductor device includes: an n− type layer disposed on a first surface of an n+ type silicon carbide substrate; a first trench and a second trench formed in the n− type layer and separated from each other; an n+ type region disposed between a side surface of the first trench and the side surface of the second trench and disposed on the n− type layer; a gate insulating layer disposed inside the first trench; a source insulating layer disposed inside the second trench; a gate electrode disposed on the gate insulating layer; an oxide layer disposed on the gate electrode; a source electrode disposed on the oxide layer, the n+ type region, and the source insulating layer; and a drain electrode disposed on a second surface of the n+ type silicon carbide substrate. |
| US09997623B2 |
Bidirectional power switch
A switch includes three components. Each component includes a stack of three semiconductor regions of alternating conductivity types and a control region in a first of the three semiconductor regions having a type opposite to that of the first semiconductor region. The first semiconductor regions of the first and second components are of a same conductivity type and the first semiconductor regions of the first and third components are of opposite conductivity types. The first semiconductor region of the first component is connected to the control regions of the second and third components. The first semiconductor regions of the second and third components are connected to a first switch terminal, the third semiconductor regions of the first, second, and third components are connected to a second switch terminal, and the control region of the first component is connected to a third switch terminal. |
| US09997620B2 |
Semiconductor device and an electronic device
A semiconductor device and an electronic device are improved in performances by supporting a large current. An emitter terminal protrudes from a first side of a sealing body, and signal terminals protrude from a second sides of the sealing body. Namely, the side of the sealing body from which the emitter terminal protrudes and the side of the sealing body from which the signal terminals protrude are different. More particularly, the signal terminals protrude from the side of the sealing body opposite the side thereof from which the emitter terminal protrudes. Further, a second semiconductor chip including a diode formed therein is mounted over a first surface of a chip mounting portion in such a manner as to be situated between the emitter terminal and the a first semiconductor chip including an IGBT formed therein in plan view. |
| US09997619B1 |
Bipolar junction transistors and methods forming same
A BJT includes a pillar formed on a buried oxide layer that is itself formed on a silicon substrate. The pillar has top and bottom surfaces and sidewalls, the bottom surface contacting the buried oxide layer and opposite the top surface. The pillar forms part of a base of the BJT. Si:C layers are formed on a bottom portion of each of the sidewalls of the pillar and leave a top portion of the sidewalls of the pillar exposed. A doped base contact is formed to contact at least part of the exposed sidewalls in the top portion of the pillar. E/C regions are formed abutting the Si:C layers. Contacts are formed to connect to the doped base contact and to the E/C regions. Methods for forming the BJT are also disclosed. |
| US09997618B2 |
Integrated strained stacked nanosheet FET
Transistors and methods of forming the same include forming a fin of alternating layers of a channel material and a sacrificial material. Stress liners are formed in contact with both ends of the fin. The stress liners exert a stress on the fin. The sacrificial material is etched away from the fin, such that the layers of the channel material are suspended between the stress liners. A gate stack is formed over and around the suspended layers of channel material. |
| US09997616B2 |
Semiconductor device having a strained region
The present disclosure provides devices and methods which provide for strained epitaxial regions. A method of semiconductor fabrication is provided that includes forming a gate structure over a fin of a semiconductor substrate and forming a recess in the fin adjacent the gate structure. A sidewall of the recess is then altered. Exemplary alterations include having an altered profile, treating the sidewall, and forming a layer on the sidewall. An epitaxial region is then grown in the recess. The epitaxial region interfaces the altered sidewall of the recess and is a strained epitaxial region. |
| US09997601B2 |
Metal-oxide-semiconductor field-effect transistor with extended gate dielectric layer
A metal-oxide-semiconductor field-effect transistor (MOSFET) includes a substrate, a source and a drain in the substrate, a gate electrode disposed over the substrate between the source and drain, and a gate dielectric layer disposed between the substrate and the gate electrode. At least a portion of the gate dielectric layer is extended beyond the gate electrode toward at least one of the source or the drain. |
| US09997600B2 |
Semiconductor device including fin structures disposed over buffer structures
A semiconductor FET device includes a buffer structure and a fin structure. The buffer structure has a fin shape, is disposed over a substrate and extends along a first direction. The fin structure includes a channel region of the FET device, is disposed on the buffer structure and extends along the first direction. The width of the buffer structure along a second direction perpendicular to the first direction is greater than the width of the fin structure along the second direction measured at an interface between the buffer structure and the fin structure. |
| US09997599B2 |
MOS-based power semiconductor device having increased current carrying area and method of fabricating same
A semiconductor device includes a substrate, a drift region, a source region, a gate region, a drain contact and a base region. The substrate is doped with a first dopant type. The drift region is disposed above the substrate, and is doped with the first dopant type. The source region, doped with the first dopant type. The gate region is disposed above the drift region and above the source region. The base region is disposed between the source region and the drift region. At least a portion of the base region includes at least one trench having a vertical wall and a horizontal wall. The base region is further configured to conduct current in a horizontal direction on the vertical wall and in a horizontal direction the horizontal wall. |
| US09997598B2 |
Three-dimensional semiconductor device and method of fabrication
A semiconductor device including a substrate and a gate region of a field effect transistor formed on the substrate. The gate region includes vertically stacked nanowires having longitudinal axes that extend parallel with a working surface of the substrate. A given stack of vertically stacked nanowires includes at least two nanowires vertically aligned in which a p-type nanowire and an n-type nanowire are spatially separated from each other vertically. The semiconductor device further includes a step-shaped connecting structure formed within the gate region that electrically connects each nanowire to positions above the gate region. A first gate electrode has a step-shaped profile and connects to a first-level nanowire. |
| US09997597B2 |
Vertical single electron transistor formed by condensation
A method for forming a vertical single electron transistor includes forming a heterostructured nanowire having a SiGe region centrally disposed between an upper portion and a lower portion in the nanowire. An oxide is deposited to cover the SiGe region, and a condensation process is performed to convert the SiGe to oxide and condense Ge to form an island between the upper portion and the lower portion of the nanowire. A bottom contact is formed about the lower portion, a first dielectric layer is formed on the bottom contact and a gate structure is formed about the island on the first dielectric layer. A second dielectric layer is formed on the gate structure, and a top contact is formed on the second dielectric layer. |
| US09997592B2 |
Capacitor, array of capacitors, and device comprising an electrode
A capacitor includes an elevationally inner capacitor electrode, an elevationally outer capacitor electrode, and capacitor insulator between the elevationally inner and outer capacitor electrodes. The elevationally inner capacitor electrode comprises a hollow longitudinally-elongated conductive cylinder-like portion and a non-hollow longitudinally-elongated conductive cylinder-like portion electrically coupled with the hollow cylinder-like portion. The non-hollow cylinder-like portion is radially of and extends longitudinally along a longitudinal side surface of the hollow cylinder-like portion. Additional embodiments and aspects are disclosed. |
| US09997590B2 |
FinFET resistor and method to fabricate same
A method includes providing a semiconductor substrate having a plurality of linear semiconductor fin structures spaced apart from one another on a surface of the substrate; siliciding sidewalls of the semiconductor fin structures; removing an unsilicided central portion of each semiconductor fin structure leaving, for a given one of the semiconductor fin structures, a pair of silicide fin structures that are parallel to one another and spaced apart from one another by a distance about equal to a width of the removed unsilicided central portion of the semiconductor fin structure; and forming contacts to conductively connect together a plurality of the silicide fin structures to form a resistor. A resistance value of the resistor is related at least to a type of silicide, a number of contacted adjacent silicide fin structures and a length between two contacts. |
| US09997588B2 |
Display device having signal line extending to non-display area
A display device according to an embodiment includes a display panel and a circuit board connected to the display panel. The circuit board is connected to a bonding area of the display panel by an anisotropic conductive film. The display panel includes a cover insulating layer exposing the bonding area. The cover insulating layer includes at least one trench crossing an edge area, which is located outside the bonding area. |
| US09997587B2 |
Pixel circuit and display device, and a method of manufacturing pixel circuit
The display device including a pixel circuit has a first line, a transistor, a light emitting element, and a second line. The transistor is located between the second line and an electrode of the light emitting element. Either the first line or the second line is wired in a region that overlaps a light emitting region of the light emitting element in a lamination direction of layers. The second line intersects the first line outside of the light emitting region and overlaps a non-light emitting region of the light emitting element. |
| US09997585B2 |
Electro-optical device, driving method of electro-optical device, and electronic apparatus
A pixel circuit includes a driving transistor, a switching transistor, and a light emitting element, and the light emitting elements are formed on a semiconductor substrate. A first substrate potential is supplied to the switching transistor, and a second substrate potential, different from the first substrate potential, is supplied to the driving transistor. |
| US09997584B2 |
Semiconductor device, display device, and electronic device
A load, a transistor which controls a current value supplied to the load, a capacitor, a power supply line, and first to third switches are provided. After a threshold voltage of the transistor is held by the capacitor, a potential in accordance with a video signal is inputted and a voltage that is the sum of the threshold voltage and the potential is held. Accordingly, variation in current value caused by variation in threshold voltage of the transistor can be suppressed. Therefore, a desired current can be supplied to a load such as a light emitting element. In addition, a display device with a high duty ratio can be provided by changing a potential of the power supply line. |
| US09997578B2 |
Displays with reduced driver circuit ledges
An electronic device display may have a color filter layer, a thin-film-transistor layer, and a layer of liquid crystal material. The display may have a display cover layer such as a layer of glass or plastic. Adhesive may be used to attach the upper polarizer to the display cover layer. The thin-film transistor layer may have a substrate with upper and lower surfaces. Thin-film-transistor circuitry may be formed on the upper surface. A display driver integrated circuit may be mounted to the lower surface or a flexible printed circuit and may be coupled to the thin-film-transistor circuitry using wire bonding wires. Through vias that are formed through the thin-film-transistor layer substrate may be used in coupling the thin-film-transistor circuitry to the display driver integrated circuit. |
| US09997577B2 |
Organic light emitting diode display device having electron transport layer laterally spaced from hole transport layer and method for manufacturing the same
The embodiments of the present invention provide an organic light emitting diode display device and a method for manufacturing the same. The organic light emitting diode display device comprises: an array substrate comprising a plurality of pixel opening areas; a light emitting device located in each of the pixel opening areas on the array substrate; wherein the light emitting device comprises: a hole transport layer, a luminescent layer and an electron transport layer; wherein a vertical projection of the luminescent layer on the array substrate defines the pixel opening area; the hole transport layer and the electron transport layer are located on different sides of the luminescent layer respectively, or the hole transport layer and the electron transport layer are located on the same side of the luminescent layer; both a vertical projection of the hole transport layer on the array substrate and a vertical projection of the electron transport layer on the array substrate partially cover the pixel opening area; the vertical projection of the hole transport layer on the array substrate and the vertical projection of the electron transport layer on the array substrate do not overlap with each other. The display device and the method for manufacturing the same can reduce the number of the layers required for transmitting the light out of the light emitting device, reducing the loss of the light due to the absorption and scattering of the films; improving the external quantum efficiency of the light emitting device; thereby improving the light emitting efficiency of the display device. |
| US09997575B2 |
Organic light emitting device and method for manufacturing same
An organic light emitting device including: a base substrate; column banks extending in one direction along a surface of the base substrate; and light emitting elements extending along the one direction in groove regions defined by the column banks, wherein each of the light emitting elements has one or more functional layers sandwiched between a pair of electrodes, and within at least one of the groove regions: a sub-bank extends along the one direction and has a height equal to or smaller than a height of the column banks, and for each of the one or more functional layers therein, portions thereof on either side of the sub-bank are made of the same material. |
| US09997571B2 |
Method and apparatus for providing a charge blocking layer on an infrared up-conversion device
Embodiments of the invention are directed to an improved device for sensing infrared (IR) radiation with up-conversion to provide an output of electromagnetic radiation having a shorter wavelength than the incident IR radiation, such as visible light. The device comprises an anode, a hole blocking layer to separate an IR sensing layer from the anode, an organic light emitting layer that is separated from the anode by the IR sensing layer, and a cathode. The hole blocking layer assures that when a potential is applied between the anode and the cathode the organic light emitting layer generates electromagnetic radiation only when the IR sensing layer is irradiated with IR radiation. |
| US09997565B2 |
Magnetic memory element and magnetic memory
According to one embodiment, a magnetic memory element comprises a first magnetic unit, a second magnetic unit, a first insulating unit, a first electrode, a second electrode, and a third electrode. The first magnetic unit includes a plurality of magnetic domains. The second magnetic unit includes a first region and a second region. The first region includes a conductive material. The second region includes an insulating material. At least one of the first region or the second region is magnetic. The first insulating unit is provided between the first magnetic unit and the second magnetic unit. The first electrode and the second electrode are connected to the first magnetic unit. A part of the second magnetic unit and a part of the first insulating unit are provided between the third electrode and a part of the first magnetic unit. |
| US09997563B2 |
Logic chip including embedded magnetic tunnel junctions
An embodiment integrates memory, such as spin-torque transfer magnetoresistive random access memory (STT-MRAM) within a logic chip. The STT-MRAM includes a magnetic tunnel junction (MTJ) that has an upper MTJ layer, a lower MTJ layer, and a tunnel barrier directly contacting the upper MTJ layer and the lower MTJ layer; wherein the upper MTJ layer includes an upper MTJ layer sidewall and the lower MTJ layer includes a lower MTJ sidewall horizontally offset from the upper MTJ layer. Another embodiment includes a memory area, comprising a MTJ, and a logic area located on a substrate; wherein a horizontal plane intersects the MTJ, a first Inter-Layer Dielectric (ILD) material adjacent the MTJ, and a second ILD material included in the logic area, the first and second ILD materials being unequal to one another. Other embodiments are described herein. |
| US09997553B2 |
Semiconductor device configuring a back-illuminated solid state imaging device and semiconductor device manufacturing method thereof
A semiconductor device including a light receiving portion provided in a semiconductor layer of a first conductor type, the light receiving portion being of a second conductor type that is different from the first conductor type; a buffer layer provided at a light incidence side of the light receiving portion, the buffer layer being of the first conductor type; and a low refractive index layer provided at a light incidence side of the buffer layer, the low refractive index layer having a lower refractive index than refractive indices of the semiconductor layer and the buffer layer. |
| US09997551B2 |
Spad array with pixel-level bias control
A sensing device includes an array of sensing elements. Each sensing element includes a photodiode, including a p-n junction, and a local biasing circuit, coupled to reverse-bias the p-n junction at a bias voltage greater than a breakdown voltage of the p-n junction by a margin sufficient so that a single photon incident on the p-n junction triggers an avalanche pulse output from the sensing element. A bias control circuit is coupled to set the bias voltage in different ones of the sensing elements to different, respective values that are greater than the breakdown voltage. |
| US09997548B1 |
Method of fabricating semiconductor display apparatus
A method of fabricating an image sensor includes the following steps. A semiconductor substrate is provided. A first photoresist structure is formed on the semiconductor substrate. A second photoresist structure is formed on the semiconductor substrate and covering the first photoresist structure. A third photoresist structure is formed on the semiconductor substrate and covering the first photoresist structure and the second photoresist structure. A first etching back process is performed to remove a first portion of the third photoresist structure above a top surface of the second photoresist structure. A second etching back process is performed to remove a portion of the second photoresist structure above a top surface of the first photoresist structure and to remove a second portion of the third photoresist structure above the top surface of the first photoresist structure. |
| US09997547B2 |
Carrier substrate having a plurality of fluid passages and method of fabricating display apparatus utilizing the same
The present application discloses a method of fabricating a display apparatus, comprising providing a carrier substrate comprising a base substrate and an adhesive layer over the base substrate, wherein the base substrate comprises a plurality of fluid passages between the base substrate and the adhesive layer, and a plurality of fluid inlets connected with the plurality of fluid passages; forming a product substrate on a side of the adhesive layer distal to the base substrate; dispensing a detaching agent through the plurality of fluid inlets to the plurality of fluid passages, and contacting the detaching agent with the adhesive layer through the plurality of fluid passages; and detaching the product substrate from the carrier substrate. |
| US09997545B2 |
Semiconductor device and method for manufacturing thereof
In a semiconductor device including a transistor using an oxide semiconductor film, stable electric characteristics can be provided and high reliability can be achieved. A structure of the semiconductor device, which achieves high-speed response and high-speed operation, is provided. In a semiconductor device including a transistor in which an oxide semiconductor film, a gate insulating film, and a gate electrode layer are stacked in order and a sidewall insulating layer is provided on the side surface of the gate electrode layer, the sidewall insulating layer has an oxygen-excess regions, which is formed in such a manner that a first insulating film is formed and then is subjected to oxygen doping treatment, a second insulating is formed over the first insulating film, and a stacked layer of the first insulating film and the second insulating film are etched. |
| US09997539B2 |
Fully-depleted silicon-on-insulator transistors
A fully-depleted silicon-on-insulator (FDSOI) semiconductor structure includes: a first PFET, a second PFET, and a third PFET each having a different threshold voltage and each being over an n-well that is biased to a first voltage; and a first NFET, a second NFET, and a third NFET each having a different threshold voltage and each being over a p-type substrate that is biased to a second voltage. The second voltage is different than the first voltage. |
| US09997533B2 |
Semiconductor device and method for manufacturing same
According to one embodiment, the plurality of charge storage films are separated in a stacking direction with a second air gap interposed. The plurality of insulating films are provided on side surfaces of electrode layers opposing the charge storage films, on portions of surfaces of the electrode layers continuous from the side surfaces and opposing a first air gap between the electrode layers, and on corners of the electrode layers between the portions and the side surfaces. The plurality of insulating films are divided in the stacking direction with a third air gap interposed and without the charge storage films being interposed. The third air gap communicates with the first air gap and the second air gap between the first air gap and the second air gap. |
| US09997532B2 |
Semiconductor device and method of fabricating the same
A semiconductor device includes stacked structure, openings passing through stacked structure, semiconductor patterns formed over inner walls of the openings, liner layers formed in the openings over the semiconductor patterns, and gap-fill insulating layers formed over the liner layers to fill the openings, wherein each of the gap-fill insulating layers seals an upper portion of the opening and includes at least one air gap. |
| US09997528B2 |
Complimentary SONOS integration into CMOS flow
Methods of integrating complementary SONOS devices into a CMOS process flow are described. In one embodiment, the method begins with depositing a hardmask (HM) over a substrate including a first-SONOS region and a second-SONOS region. A first tunnel mask (TUNM) is formed over the HM exposing a first portion of the HM in the second-SONOS region. The first portion of the HM is etched, a channel for a first SONOS device implanted through a first pad oxide overlying the second-SONOS region and the first TUNM removed. A second TUNM is formed exposing a second portion of the HM in the first-SONOS region. The second portion of the HM is etched, a channel for a second SONOS device implanted through a second pad oxide overlying the first-SONOS region and the second TUNM removed. The first and second pad oxides are concurrently etched, and the HM removed. |
| US09997524B2 |
Semiconductor memory device and manufacturing method thereof
A memory device includes a substrate. An insulation layer is disposed in a recess in the substrate. A first gate structure is disposed over the substrate and the insulation layer. A first etch stop layer is disposed over the first gate structure. A first oxide layer is disposed over the first etch stop layer. A second etch stop layer is disposed over the first oxide layer. A first contact material is surrounded by and in contact with the first gate structure, first etch stop layer, second etch stop layer, and first oxide layer. |
| US09997523B2 |
Static random access memory (SRAM) cells including vertical channel transistors and methods of forming the same
A static random access memory (SRAM) cell can include a first pull-up transistor, a first pull-down transistor, a second pull-up transistor, a second pull-down transistor, a first access transistor, and a second access transistor, all being coupled together in a 6 transistor SRAM cell, wherein each of the transistors is configured as a vertical channel transistor. |
| US09997521B2 |
Semiconductor devices
Example embodiments relate to a semiconductor device. The semiconductor device includes a substrate including an active region extending in a first direction, a plurality of bit lines running across the active region in a second direction crossing the first direction, a first spacer on a sidewall of the bit line, and a storage node contact on the active region between adjacent bit lines. The first spacer includes a first part between the storage node contact and the bit line, a second part between the first part and the storage node contact, and a third part between the first and second parts. A minimum vertical thickness of the first part is greater than a maximum vertical thickness of the third part. The maximum vertical thickness of the third part is greater than a maximum vertical thickness of the second part. |
| US09997517B2 |
Power semiconductor device having fully depleted channel regions
A power semiconductor device is disclosed. In one example, the device includes a semiconductor body coupled to a first load terminal structure and a second load terminal structure. An active cell field is implemented in the semiconductor body. The active cell field is surrounded by an edge termination zone. A plurality of first cells and a plurality of second cells are provided in the active cell field. Each first cell includes a first mesa, the first mesa including: a first port region and a first channel region. Each second cell includes a second mesa, the second mesa including a second port region. The active cell field is surrounded by a drainage region that is arranged between the active cell field and the edge termination zone. |
| US09997512B2 |
Electronic device for ESD protection
An electronic device includes a thyristor having an anode, a cathode, a first bipolar transistor disposed on the anode side. A second bipolar transistor is disposed on the cathode side. These two bipolar transistors are nested and connected between the anode and the cathode. A MOS transistor is coupled between the collector region and the emitter region of the second bipolar transistor. The transistor has a gate region connected to the cathode via a resistive semiconductor region incorporating at least a part of the base region of the second bipolar transistor. |
| US09997506B2 |
Assembly of wafer stacks
A method of forming a wafer stack includes providing a sub-stack comprising a first wafer and a second wafer. The sub-stack includes a first thermally-curable adhesive at an interface between the upper surface of the first wafer and the lower surface of the second wafer. A third wafer is placed on the upper surface of the second wafer. A second thermally-curable adhesive is present at an interface between the upper surface of the second wafer and the lower surface of the third wafer. Ultra-violet (UV) radiation is provided in a direction of the upper surface of the third wafer to cure a UV-curable adhesive in openings in the second wafer and in contact with portions of the third wafer so as to bond the third wafer to the sub-stack at discrete locations. Subsequently, the third wafer and the sub-stack are heated so to cure the first and second thermally-curable adhesives. |
| US09997499B2 |
Semiconductor device and method of manufacturing the same
Disclosed is a semiconductor device that is capable of handling multiple different high-frequency contactless communication modes and that is formed by a multi-chip structure. A first semiconductor chip, which performs interface control of high-frequency contactless communication and data processing of communications data, is mounted on a wiring board; and a second semiconductor chip, which performs another data processing of the communication data, is mounted on the first semiconductor chip. In this case, transmission pads in the first semiconductor chip are arranged at positions farther from a periphery of the chip than those of receiving pads, and the second semiconductor chip is mounted by being biased on the first semiconductor chip so as to keep away the transmission pads. |
| US09997496B2 |
Semiconductor integrated circuit
A semiconductor integrated circuit according to an embodiment includes: a CMOS inverter including an n-channel transistor and a p-channel transistor, one of the n-channel transistor and the p-channel transistor being disposed above the other of the n-channel transistor and the p-channel transistor. |
| US09997493B2 |
Flexible-substrate-based three-dimensional packaging structure and method
The present invention mainly relates to a 3-D packaging structure based on a flexible substrate and a method for manufacturing the same; the method comprises: providing a bendable continuous flexible substrate, determining the shape of the substrate according to the size, the quantity and the shape of dies, and making surface wiring on the substrate to allow interlayer electrical connection; welding dies that are to be packaged onto the bendable continuous flexible substrate; filling the gaps between the dies and the substrate with an underfill; bending the substrates towards the center to allow the peripheral dies to coincide in parallel with the die situated at the center, and bonding the two layers of parallel dies with a bonding adhesive. As compared with the inventions available in the prior art, the present invention makes use of a flexible substrate as a packaging substrate, which can better satisfy the demand for high density and high levels of integration in packaging to achieve miniaturization of packaging, and realizes die packaging of good compatibility and better performance. |
| US09997486B2 |
Anisotropic conductive film including oblique region having lower curing ratio
An anisotropic conductive film has a first connection layer and a second connection layer formed on surface of the first connection layer. The first connection layer is a photopolymerized resin layer, and the second connection layer is a thermo- or photo-cationically, anionically, or radically polymerizable resin layer. On the surface of first connection layer on the side of second connection layer, conductive particles for anisotropic conductive connection are arranged in a single layer. A region in which the curing ratio is lower than that of the surface of the first connection layer exists in a direction oblique to the thickness direction of the first connection layer. Alternatively, the curing ratio of a region relatively near another surface of the first connection layer among regions of the first connection layer in the vicinity of the conductive particles is lower than that of the surface of the first connection layer. |
| US09997482B2 |
Solder stud structure
A semiconductor structure is provided. The semiconductor structure includes a first substrate and a metal pad formed over the first substrate. The semiconductor structure further includes a solder stud formed over the metal pad, and the solder stud has a flat top surface parallel to a top surface of the first substrate. |
| US09997473B2 |
Chip package and method for forming the same
A chip package including a substrate is provided. The substrate has a first surface and a second surface opposite thereto. The substrate includes a sensing or device region which is adjacent to the first surface. A recess is in the substrate. The recess extends from the second surface towards the first surface, and vertically overlaps the sensing or device region. A redistribution layer is electrically connected to the sensing or device region, and extends from the second surface into the recess. A method of forming the chip package is also provided. |
| US09997470B2 |
Semiconductor device and manufacturing method thereof
Embodiments include a semiconductor manufacturing method comprising, providing an object to be processed, the object including a semiconductor element, a sealing resin layer sealing the semiconductor element, a ground terminal electrically connected to the semiconductor element and including a first protruding part protruding through a surface of the resin layer, and a signal terminal electrically connected to the semiconductor element and including a second protruding part protruding through the surface of the resin layer; positioning the object in a jig, wherein the jig covers the entire second protruding part of the signal terminal, and wherein the jig only partially covers the first protruding part of the ground terminal, such that at least a first portion of the first protruding part of the ground terminal is left uncovered by the jig; while the object is positioned in the jig, fabricating a conductive shield layer on the resin layer and at least some of the first portion of the first protruding part of the ground terminal, such that the shield layer is electrically connected to ground terminal. |
| US09997469B2 |
Electronic package having a protruding barrier frame
An electronic package is provided, which includes: a carrier; a plurality of electronic elements disposed on the carrier; a barrier frame disposed on the carrier and positioned between adjacent two of the electronic elements; an encapsulant formed on the carrier and encapsulating the electronic elements and the barrier frame with a portion of the barrier frame protruding from the encapsulant; and a shielding element disposed on the encapsulant and being in contact with the portion of the barrier frame protruding from the encapsulant. Therefore, the electronic package has an electromagnetic interference (EMI) shielding effect improved. The present disclosure further provides a method for fabricating the electronic package. |
| US09997468B2 |
Integrated circuit packaging system with shielding and method of manufacturing thereof
An integrated circuit packaging system and method of manufacture thereof includes: a substrate with internal circuitry between a substrate top side, a substrate bottom side, and vertical sides; an integrated circuit coupled to the internal circuitry; a molded package body formed directly on the integrated circuit and the substrate top side of the substrate; and a conductive conformal shield structure applied directly on the molded package body, the vertical sides, and to extend below the substrate bottom side coupled to the internal circuitry. |
| US09997466B2 |
Integrated circuit stack including a patterned array of electrically conductive pillars
The present disclosure describes a stacked integrated circuit system that includes two integrated circuit layers stacked on opposite sides of an interposer layer. The interposer layer may include at least one integrated circuit die and an interposer portion that includes a plurality of electrically conductive pillars arranged in a laterally patterned array within the interposer layer. |
| US09997462B2 |
Semiconductor memory devices
A memory device includes a vertical string of nonvolatile memory cells on a substrate, along with a ground selection transistor extending between the vertical string of nonvolatile memory cells and the substrate. The ground selection transistor can have a current carrying terminal electrically coupled to a channel region of a nonvolatile memory cell in the vertical string of nonvolatile memory cells. The ground selection transistor includes a gate electrode associated with a ground selection line of the memory device. This gate electrode includes: (i) a mask pattern, (ii) a barrier metal layer of a first material extending opposite a sidewall of the mask pattern and (iii) a metal pattern of a second material different from the first material extending between at least a portion of the barrier metal layer and the mask pattern. |
| US09997460B2 |
Formation of advanced interconnects
An advanced metal conductor structure is described. An integrated circuit device including a substrate with a patterned dielectric layer. The pattern includes a set of features in the dielectric for a set of metal conductor structures. An adhesion promoting layer disposed over the set of features in the patterned dielectric and a ruthenium layer is disposed over the adhesion promoting layer. A cobalt layer is disposed over the ruthenium layer filling the set of features, wherein the cobalt layer is formed using a physical vapor deposition process. |
| US09997459B2 |
Semiconductor device having a barrier layer made of amorphous molybdenum nitride and method for producing such a semiconductor device
A semiconductor device includes a semiconductor body having a front face, a back face and an active zone at the front face. A front surface metallization layer having a front face and a back face is disposed over the semiconductor body so that the back face of the front surface metallization layer faces the front face of the semiconductor body and is electrically connected to the active zone. An upper barrier layer made of amorphous molybdenum nitride is disposed on the front face of the front surface metallization layer. |
| US09997454B2 |
BEOL vertical fuse formed over air gap
A method of forming an electrical device that includes forming a first level including an array of metal lines, wherein an air gap is positioned between the adjacent metal lines. A second level is formed including at least one dielectric layer atop the first level. A plurality of trench structures is formed in the at least on dielectric layer. At least one of the plurality of trench structures opens the air gap. A conductive material is formed within the trenches. The conductive material deposited in the open air gap provides a vertical fuse. |
| US09997449B2 |
Semiconductor device connection structure, ultrasonic module, and ultrasonic endoscope system having ultrasonic module
A semiconductor device connection structure includes: a semiconductor element having a plate shape and including an external connection electrode on a surface of the semiconductor element; a support member which is stacked on the semiconductor element to be adhered to the semiconductor element and of which adhesion surface has a column shape that is substantially same as that of the semiconductor element, a thickness of the support member in a stacking direction being larger than that of the semiconductor element; and a flexible board configured to be electrically connected to the external connection electrode. The flexible board is arranged on a side surface of the semiconductor element and on a side surface of the support member and is adhered only to the side surface of the support member with an adhesive. |
| US09997446B2 |
Semiconductor package including a rewiring layer with an embedded chip
A semiconductor package includes a substrate, a rewiring layer, a plurality of semiconductor chip stack structures, and a second semiconductor chip. The rewiring layer is disposed on an upper surface of the substrate. The rewiring layer includes a concave portion. The semiconductor chip stack structures include a plurality of first semiconductor chips. The first semiconductor chips are disposed on the rewiring layer. The first semiconductor chips are spaced apart from each other in a horizontal direction. The second semiconductor chip is disposed within the concave portion. The second semiconductor chip is configured to electrically connect each of the plurality of semiconductor chip stack structures to each other. |
| US09997444B2 |
Microelectronic package having a passive microelectronic device disposed within a package body
A microelectronic package including a passive microelectronic device disposed within a package body, wherein the package body is the portion of the microelectronic package which provides support and/or rigidity to the microelectronic package. In a flip-chip type microelectronic package, the package body may comprise a microelectronic substrate to which an active microelectronic device is electrically attached. In an embedded device type microelectronic package, the package body may comprise the material in which the active microelectronic device is embedded. |
| US09997442B1 |
Semiconductor device and method of manufacturing the same
A semiconductor substrate includes an interconnection structure and a dielectric layer. The dielectric layer surrounds the interconnection structure and defines a first cavity. The first cavity is defined by a first sidewall, a second sidewall, and a first surface of the dielectric layer. The first sidewall is laterally displaced from the second sidewall. |
| US09997438B2 |
Leads frames with crossing leads
An electronic component, in one embodiment, includes a semiconductor die, a die pad supporting the semiconductor die, and a plurality of leads that include a first set of metal lines and a second set of metal lines. The first set of metal lines cross over the second set of metal lines at crossings. The first set of metal lines is separated by a molding compound from the second set of metal line at the crossings. The first set of metal lines is in a same first plane parallel to the semiconductor die. Each of the second set of metal lines include a first portion oriented along the first set of metal lines and disposed in the first plane, and a second portion offset from the first portion. A plurality of electrical connections couple the semiconductor die to the plurality of leads. |
| US09997437B2 |
Power semiconductor module for improved thermal performance
Semiconductor module has a first member, a second member, a conductor column extending in the vertical direction between the first member and the second member and a sealing resin covering a first conductor layer and a first power device of the first member, a second conductor layer and a second power device of the second member and the conductor column. Positions of the first power device and the second power device on the horizontal plane are shifted, the second conductor layer is not provided in the vertical direction from a first connection part connected to the first power device, and the first conductor layer is not provided in the vertical direction from a second connection part, connected to the second power device, of the second power device. |
| US09997434B2 |
Substrate sprayer
An example device in accordance with an aspect of the present disclosure includes a substrate that may be disposed in a housing. The substrate includes a sprayer to spray coolant. |
| US09997433B2 |
Heat dissipating device and manufacturing method of heat dissipating device
A heat dissipating device includes a heat dissipating module, a heat pipe, and an injection molded member formed by molding and solidifying. The heat pipe has a transfer segment, a heat input segment, and a heat output segment. The heat input segment and the heat output segment are respectively integrally extended from two opposite ends of the transfer segment. The heat input segment and the heat output segment each has a contact surface, and at least one of the contact surfaces contacts the heat dissipating module. The injection molded member connects to the heat dissipating module and a portion of the heat pipe, which contacts the heat dissipating module, for keeping the connection of the heat dissipating module and the contact surface of the heat pipe. The instant disclosure also provides a manufacturing method of the heat dissipating device by using connection of the injection molded member. |
| US09997432B2 |
Semiconductor device and electronic component using the same
A semiconductor device includes: a heat spreader; a semiconductor element on the heat spreader; and a connection member arranged between the heat spreader and the semiconductor element. The heat spreader is arranged in an order of the first heat spreader, the second heat spreader and the first heat spreader in one direction of a plane of the heat spreader. Each of the first and second heat spreaders includes multiple anisotropic heat conductive planes having a high heat conductivity. The anisotropic heat conductive plane of the first heat spreader is in parallel to both a stacking direction and a first direction perpendicular to the stacking direction. The anisotropic heat conductive plane of the second heat spreader is in parallel to both the stacking direction and a second direction perpendicular to the stacking direction. A projection region of the semiconductor element overlaps with the second heat spreader. |
| US09997429B2 |
Trench-type heat sink structure applicable to semiconductor device
The present invention discloses a trench-type heat sink structure applicable to semiconductor devices. An embodiment of the present invention comprises: a first semiconductor substrate; a heat source including at least one heat spot, in which the heat source is on/in the semiconductor substrate or being a part of the semiconductor substrate; at least one first heat conduction layer; at least one first heat conduction structure configured to connect the at least one heat spot with the at least one first heat conduction layer; at least one heat sink trench; and at least one second heat conduction structure configured to connect the at least one first heat conduction layer with the at least one heat sink trench, so as to transmit heat from the heat source to the at least one heat sink trench. |
| US09997428B2 |
Via structures for thermal dissipation
An apparatus, a semiconductor package including the apparatus and a method are disclosed. The apparatus includes a substrate, pluralities of vias disposed in the substrate. The vias are disposed in a hexagonal arrangement. |
| US09997417B2 |
Semiconductor device structure with gate spacer having protruding bottom portion and method for forming the same
A semiconductor device structure and method for forming the same are provided. The semiconductor device structure includes a substrate and a gate stack structure formed on the substrate. The semiconductor device structure also includes gate spacers formed on the sidewall of the gate stack structure, and the gate spacers include a top portion and a bottom portion adjoined to the top portion, and the bottom portion slopes to a top surface of the substrate. The semiconductor device structure further includes an epitaxial structure formed adjacent to the gate spacers, and the epitaxial structure is formed below the gate spacers. |
| US09997409B1 |
Fabricating contacts of a CMOS structure
The invention relates to a method comprising providing a substrate with a channel layer, forming a gate stack structure on the channel layer and forming a raised source and a raised drain on the channel layer. The method further comprises depositing in a non-conformal way an oxide layer above the gate stack structure, the raised source and the raised drain. A first void above the raised source and a second void above the raised drain gate are created adjacent to vertical edges of the gate stack structure. The method further comprises etching the oxide layer for a predefined etching time, thereby removing the oxide layer above the raised source and the raised drain, while keeping it at least partly on the channel layer. Contacts are formed to the raised source and the raised drain. The invention also concerns a corresponding computer program product. |
| US09997404B2 |
Method of forming an interconnect structure for a semiconductor device
Methods of semiconductor device fabrication are provided including those that provide a substrate having a plurality of trenches disposed in a dielectric layer formed above the substrate. A spacer material layer is formed over the plurality of trenches. A via pattern including a plurality of openings is formed over the spacer material layer and plurality of trenches. Via holes can be etched in the dielectric layer using the via pattern and spacer material layer as a masking element. |
| US09997398B2 |
Methods of forming one or more covered voids in a semiconductor substrate
Some embodiments include methods of forming voids within semiconductor constructions. In some embodiments the voids may be utilized as microstructures for distributing coolant, for guiding electromagnetic radiation, or for separation and/or characterization of materials. Some embodiments include constructions having micro-structures therein which correspond to voids, conduits, insulative structures, semiconductor structures or conductive structures. |
| US09997394B2 |
Method for transferring a thin layer with supply of heat energy to a fragile zone via an inductive layer
A method of transferring a thin layer from a first substrate to a second substrate with different coefficients of thermal expansion, including: providing at least one intermediate layer which temperature is increased by induction when an electromagnetic field is applied to it, more than a temperature increase in the first and second substrates; making contact between the first substrate and the second substrate, with the at least one intermediate layer interposed between them; fracturing the first substrate at a weakened zone making use of supply of thermal energy at the weakened zone made by applying an electromagnetic field to a heterostructure formed by making contact between the first substrate and the second substrate, the application generating local induction heating in the intermediate layer that induces a temperature gradient with a local value at the weakened zone activating the fracture mechanism. |
| US09997390B2 |
Semiconductor manufacturing method and laminated body
A semiconductor manufacturing method according to a present embodiment includes forming a supporter on a second surface of a semiconductor substrate opposite to a first surface to be ground of the semiconductor substrate. The semiconductor manufacturing method includes thinning the thickness of the semiconductor substrate by grinding the first surface. In the semiconductor manufacturing method, the supporter contains a resin. |
| US09997386B2 |
Substrate holder mounting device and substrate holder container chamber
A substrate holder mounting device is provided that is compact and has a simple structure. The substrate holder mounting device according to the present invention is provided with: a first and a second mounting mechanisms (5, 7) that are housed in a chamber and that are respectively configured to be capable of mounting a plurality of substrate holders along a row; row direction drive means that moves the first mounting mechanism to a row direction relatively with respect to the second mounting mechanism; a shifting mechanism (30) that shifts the substrate holders between the first and second mounting mechanisms; and a link-up mechanism that changes positions of the substrate holders in the row direction in the first or second mounting mechanism by a linkage between the shifting mechanism and the above-described row direction drive means. |
| US09997383B2 |
Bond head assemblies, thermocompression bonding systems and methods of assembling and operating the same
A bond head assembly for bonding a semiconductor element to a substrate is provided. The bond head assembly includes a base structure, a heater, and a clamping system securing the heater to the base structure. The clamping system includes a plurality of elastic elements constraining the heater along a plurality of axes. |
| US09997381B2 |
Hybrid edge ring for plasma wafer processing
An edge ring assembly is disclosed for use in a plasma processing chamber, which includes an RF conductive ring positioned on an annular surface of a base plate and configured to surround an upper portion of the baseplate and extend underneath an outer edge of a wafer positioned on the upper surface of the baseplate, and a wafer edge protection ring positioned above an upper surface of the RF conductive ring and configured to extend over the outer edge of the wafer. The protection ring has an inner edge portion with a uniform thickness, which extends over the outer edge of the wafer, a conical upper surface extending outward from the inner edge portion to a horizontal upper surface, an inner annular recess which is positioned on the upper surface of the RF conductive and configured to extend over the outer edge of the wafer. |
| US09997380B2 |
Substrate processing apparatus
In a substrate processing apparatus, a chamber bottom has a plurality of large chamber exhaust ports arranged in a circumferential direction. A cup rotation mechanism rotates a cup part so that a cup exhaust port selectively overlaps with one of the large chamber exhaust ports. With the cup exhaust port overlapping with one large chamber exhaust port, the gas in the cup part is discharged to the outside of the chamber via a first exhaust mechanism. With the cup exhaust port overlapping with another large chamber exhaust port, the gas in cup part is discharged to the outside of the chamber via a second exhaust mechanism. By rotating the cup part in the chamber via the cup rotation mechanism, the substrate processing apparatus can easily switch the exhaust mechanism for exhausting gas from the cup part. |
| US09997367B2 |
Non-lithographic line pattern formation
A metal layer is deposited over an underlying material layer. The metal layer includes an elemental metal that can be converted into a dielectric metal-containing compound by plasma oxidation and/or nitridation. A hard mask portion is formed over the metal layer. Plasma oxidation or nitridation is performed to convert physically exposed surfaces of the metal layer into the dielectric metal-containing compound. The sequence of a surface pull back of the hard mask portion, trench etching, another surface pull back, and conversion of top surfaces into the dielectric metal-containing compound are repeated to form a line pattern having a spacing that is not limited by lithographic minimum dimensions. |
| US09997363B2 |
Method for producing semiconductor piece, circuit board and electronic device including semiconductor piece, and method for designing etching condition
A method for producing a semiconductor piece includes forming a first groove portion of a front-surface-side groove by anisotropic dry etching from a front surface of a substrate, forming a second groove portion of the front-surface-side groove, the second groove portion being located below and in communication with the first groove portion and having a width wider than a width of the first groove portion, and thinning the substrate from a back surface of the substrate up to the second groove portion. The second groove portion is formed by changing an etching condition of the anisotropic dry etching during the formation of the front-surface-side groove so that the width of the second groove portion is wider than the width of the first groove portion. |
| US09997360B2 |
Method for mitigating layout effect in FINFET
Multigate devices and fabrication methods that mitigate the layout effects are described. In conventional processes to fabricate multigate semiconductor devices such as FinFET devices, long isolation cut masks may be used. This can lead to undesirable layout effects. To mitigate or eliminate the layout effect, fabrication methods are proposed in which the interlayer dielectric (ILD) layer remains intact at the gate cut location during the fabrication process. |
| US09997358B2 |
Silicon carbide semiconductor device having stacked epitaxial layers
In a vertical MOSFET of a trench gate structure, a high-concentration implantation region is provided in a p-type base region formed from a p-type silicon carbide layer formed by epitaxial growth, so as to include a portion in which a channel is formed. The high-concentration implantation region is formed by ion implantation of a p-type impurity into the p-type silicon carbide layer. The high-concentration implantation region is formed by p-type ion implantation and has an impurity concentration profile in which concentration differences in a depth direction form a bell-shaped curve at a peak of impurity concentration that is higher than that of the p-type silicon carbide layer. In the p-type base region, disorder occurs partially in the crystal structure consequent to the ion implantation for forming the high-concentration implantation region. |
| US09997354B2 |
Method of manufacturing semiconductor device, substrate processing apparatus, and recording medium
There is provided a method of manufacturing a semiconductor device, including forming a seed layer on a substrate by performing a cycle a predetermined number of times, the cycle including supplying a halogen-based first processing gas to the substrate; supplying a non-halogen-based second processing gas to the substrate; and supplying a hydrogen-containing gas to the substrate. Further, the method further includes forming a film on the seed layer by supplying a third processing gas to the substrate. |
| US09997351B2 |
Apparatus and techniques for filling a cavity using angled ion beam
A method may include generating a plasma in a plasma chamber and directing the ions comprising at least one of a condensing species and inert gas species from the plasma to a cavity within a substrate at a non-zero angle of incidence with respect to a perpendicular to a plane of the substrate. The method may further include; depositing a fill material within the cavity using the condensing species, the depositing taking place concurrently with the directing the ions, wherein the fill material accumulates on a lower surface of the cavity at a first rate, and wherein the fill material accumulates on an upper portion of a sidewall of the cavity at a second rate less than the first rate. |
| US09997345B2 |
Orthogonal acceleration coaxial cylinder mass analyser
A mass analyzer is disclosed comprising an annular ion guide comprising a first annular ion guide section and a second annular ion guide section, wherein the annular ion guide comprises: (i) an inner cylindrical electrode arrangement which is axially segmented and comprises a plurality of first electrodes and (ii) an outer cylindrical electrode arrangement which is axially segmented and comprises a plurality of second electrodes. Ions are introduced into the first annular ion guide section so that the ions form substantially stable circular orbits. Ions are orthogonally accelerated from the first annular ion guide section into the second annular ion guide section and one or more parabolic DC potentials are maintained along a portion of the second annular ion guide section so that ions undergo simple harmonic motion. An inductive ion detector is arranged and adapted to detect ions within the second annular ion guide section. |
| US09997340B2 |
RF-only detection scheme and simultaneous detection of multiple ions
A mass spectrometer apparatus and method for conducting simultaneous MS/MS analysis including: a device to select a precursor ion having a specified m/z; a gas-filled collision cell; an RF-only multipole mass spectrometer, the mass spectrometer having a generator attached thereto for generating at least two auxiliary AC fields in the RF-only multipole mass spectrometer; a gate for providing a repulsive DC or AC barrier downstream to an exit of the RF-only multipole mass spectrometer; an ion detection system situated downstream from the DC or AC barrier for measuring an ion current derived from ions that overcome the repulsive barrier. The mass spectrometer may also be configured so that each of the auxiliary AC fields are generated by the introduction of individual auxiliary AC frequencies and each frequency is amplitude modulated at a unique frequency. |
| US09997338B2 |
Method for operating a pulsed arc source
This invention relates to an arc-based method for the deposition of insulating layers and to an arc-based method for low-temperature coating processes, in which an electric arc discharge, ignited and applied on the surface of a target in an arc source, is simultaneously fed a direct current and a pulsed or alternating current.The invention further relates to an arc source in which the target is connected to a power supply unit that encompasses either a minimum of one pulsed high-current power supply 18, 18′ and an additional power supply 13′, 18″, or a power supply 21, 21′, 22 designed with switchable combinatorial circuitry. |
| US09997336B2 |
Multi-zone gas distribution plate (GDP) and a method for designing the multi-zone GDP
A multi-zone gas distribution plate (GDP) for high uniformity in plasma-based etching is provided. A housing defines a process chamber and comprises a gas inlet configured to receive a process gas. A GDP is arranged in the process chamber and is configured to distribute the process gas within the process chamber. The GDP comprises a plurality of holes extending through the GDP, and further comprises a plurality of zones into which the holes are grouped. The zones comprise a first zone and a second zone. Holes of the first zone share a first cross-sectional profile and holes of the second zone share a second cross-sectional profile different than the first cross-sectional profile. A method for designing the multi-zone GDP is also provided. |
| US09997330B2 |
Method for optimizing fluid flow across a sample within an electron microscope sample holder
A support for an electron microscope sample includes a body defining a void for receiving a first micro-electronic device, and a first gasket positioned about the first surface. The first gasket further defines an arm extending at an angle away from a horizontal extending through the first micro-electronic device. In operation, the first micro-electronic device is installed onto the first gasket and the arm engages an outer facing side of the first micro-electronic device to grip the first micro-electronic device. |
| US09997328B2 |
System and method for forming a sealed chamber
Chamber elements defining an internal chamber to be utilized during a substrate related stage selected from the group consisting of substrate manufacturing stage and substrate inspection stage, the chamber elements comprising: a first element having a first surface; a second element having a second surface about the periphery of the internal chamber; a third element connected to the second element; and a clamping mechanism that is connected to the second and third elements and is arranged to press the second element towards the first element; wherein a first area of the first surface and a second area of the second surface come into proximity with each other at a first interface; wherein the first surface is positioned above the second surface; wherein a gas groove and a vacuum groove are formed in the second area; wherein the second element comprises a gas conduit that is arranged to provide gas to the gas groove and a vacuum conduit that is arranged to provide vacuum to the vacuum groove; wherein a provision of the gas and the vacuum assists in a formation of a gas cushion between the first and second areas; wherein the chamber elements are operable to partially surround a first portion of a movement system and a substrate during the substrate related stage, the movement system is arranged to introduce a movement of the first element in relation to the second element and the third element, wherein the gas cushion maintains predefined conditions in the internal chamber during the movement. |
| US09997324B2 |
Apparatus for fabricating flat panel display
This invention relates to a flat panel display and a fabricating method thereof that are adaptive for conducting a patterning process without using a photo process to thereby reduce its process time and minimize pattern defects. A fabricating method and device of a flat panel display according to an embodiment of the present invention spreads an etch-resist on a thin film and forms an etch-resist pattern on a thin film by pressing a soft mold of a permeable structure to the etch-resist. |
| US09997322B2 |
Electrode assemblies, plasma generating apparatuses, and methods for generating plasma
Electrode assemblies for plasma reactors include a structure or device for constraining an arc endpoint to a selected area or region on an electrode. In some embodiments, the structure or device may comprise one or more insulating members covering a portion of an electrode. In additional embodiments, the structure or device may provide a magnetic field configured to control a location of an arc endpoint on the electrode. Plasma generating modules, apparatus, and systems include such electrode assemblies. Methods for generating a plasma include covering at least a portion of a surface of an electrode with an electrically insulating member to constrain a location of an arc endpoint on the electrode. Additional methods for generating a plasma include generating a magnetic field to constrain a location of an arc endpoint on an electrode. |
| US09997321B2 |
Circuit breaker having closing resistor
Disclosed herein is a circuit breaker having a closing resistor, which is capable of preventing impact caused when the circuit breaker is opened and closed from being transferred to peripheral structures. The circuit breaker having a closing resistor includes a fixed part having a fixed contact, a movable part having a movable contact, a closing resistor unit connected to the fixed part and having a closing resistor unit contact, a closing resistor movable part connected to the movable part and having a closing resistor movable contact, and a support structure slidably coupled to the closing resistor unit in a direction parallel to a movement direction of the closing resistor movable part, thereby enabling impact and vibration applied to the closing resistor unit to be absorbed by the support structure. |
| US09997319B2 |
Pole reset trunnion
A resettable cutout sectionalizer uses a modified trunnion member including a bridge and a modified cutout hinge including at least one blocking flange. One actuated, the spring-loaded sectionalizer latching pin actuates to free the sectionalizer which is rotated open by the rotation of the trunnion. The trunnion rotates open and then is blocked from further rotation in a first direction by the bridge contacting the blocking flange(s) of the cutout hinge. To reset the device, the sectionalizer body is rotated against the blocking flange which causes the latching flange of the trunnion to cam against the latching pin to overcome the spring bias and push it back into the reset position. |
| US09997316B2 |
Relay unit, control method for relay unit
The reliability of testing a normally closed contact in a relay unit may involve the following. While the load is de-energized, sending a test signal to a normally closed contact (b1, b2) and detecting the state of the returning test signal sent. Resending a test signal when a detection result does not satisfy a predetermined criteria, and re-detecting the state of the returning test signal resent. The state of the returning test signal resent may be assessed as normal when the re-detection result satisfies the predetermined criteria. |
| US09997315B2 |
Switch
A magnetic type switch may include a magnet having a magnetic pole face arranged to face a magnetic body provided in an object. A change in magnetic field due to a change in distance between the magnetic body and the magnet by an operation of the object may be detected to output a signal for indicating at lease one of a presence and an absence of the operation of the object. The switch may also include a casing in which the magnet may be disposed, where the casing may have a facing part between the magnet pole face of the magnet and the magnetic body. The switch may further include a protector member formed of a non-magnetic body having a predetermined thickness in a direction vertical to the magnetic pole face, where the protector member maybe attached to the casing to cover at least the facing part. |
| US09997314B2 |
Gas circuit breaker
The gas circuit breaker includes a sealed container filled with an arc-extinguishing gas, a pair of fixed arc electrodes arranged in the sealed container to be opposite to each other, a trigger electrode movably arranged between the fixed arc electrodes and generating an arc discharge according to movement, a pressurization chamber pressuring and increasing a pressure of the arc-extinguishing gas with pressurization means, and a pressure accumulation chamber in communication with the pressurization chamber and accumulating the pressurized arc-extinguishing gas. The trigger electrode switches the pressure accumulation chamber into a closed state or an open state. The pressure accumulation chamber is switched to the closed state in a first half of breaking of the electric current, and the pressure accumulation chamber is switched to the open state in a latter half of breaking of the electric current. The arc-extinguishing gas in the pressure accumulation chamber is guided to the arc discharge. |
| US09997313B2 |
Composite embedded-pole and operating principles
This invention involves composite embedded-pole and its operating principles, including an insulating cylinder which has upper and lower cavities, and one of its ends tightly connects a sealed cap. As for the upper cavity, there is an outlet block on the left end, a spacing-set pair of static conductive blocks which bond with each other in the middle, and a grounding block on the right. Parts of the left static conductive block inserts into the left of the lower cavity. The lead screw in the upper cavity is for rotary location with one end stretching out the sealed cap. The lead screw, spirally connects with moving contact set that matches with outlet block, static conductive block, and grounding block forming a 3-bonding-position. There is a vacuum interrupter in the lower cavity, whose static contact bonding with the left static conductive block, and the outer end of the moving contact flexibly couples with the left of the insulating pull rod. What's more, the flexible coupling bonds with one end of the lower outlet rod which is embedded in the lower part of the insulating cylinder. The right end of insulating pull rod stretches out the sealed cap while operating. This invention of EP is suitable for switchgears, with small volume, convenient and reliable installation and operation. |
| US09997312B2 |
Circuit breaker comprising an insulating hollow tube
The invention relates to a circuit breaker (10) for an electricity transport installation, the circuit breaker comprising a tank (12), a vacuum bottle (20) that has a stationary contact (24), a movable contact (26), and sealing means (40), a casing (30) that is arranged inside the tank (12), that electrically connects the movable contact (26) to an electrical conductor (18), and that co-operates with an outside wall of the vacuum bottle (20) to define a volume (42) that is taken to a pressure close to atmospheric pressure, and feeder means for feeding the inside volume (42) of the casing (30), which feeder means pass through the inside volume (14) of the tank (12), the circuit breaker being characterized in that the feeder means for feeding the inside volume (42) of the casing (30) consist in a tubular element (38, 54, 56) made of insulating material. |
| US09997301B2 |
Electrode, electric double-layer capacitor using the same, and manufacturing method of the electrode
Provided are an electrode formed by mixing carbon powder and a fibrous carbon, wherein influence of a resin-based binder or the like and an conductivity promoting material or the like is eliminated to have low electric resistance and an excellent property of capacitance; an electric double-layer capacitor using the electrodes; and a manufacturing method of the electrode. Provided is a dispersion step in which the carbon powder with a particle size of less than 100 nm and the fibrous carbon are dispersed into a solvent. The dispersion step is to allow jets of the solution to collide with each other or to apply shear stress and centrifugal force to the solution, thereby dispersing the carbon powder and the fibrous carbon. Furthermore, the method comprises the sheet electrode forming step in which the solution subjected to the dispersion step is filtered to obtain the carbon powder/fibrous carbon sheet. |
| US09997300B2 |
Capacitor electrode and capacitor using same
A capacitor electrode includes a substrate having electrical conductivity, a conductive layer formed on a surface of the substrate, and an electrode layer formed on the conductive layer. The electrode layer is allowed to adsorb and desorb ions on a surface thereof. The conductive layer contains flake graphite. A density of the conductive layer is greater than 1.1 g/cm3. An average particle size D50 of the flake graphite, which is measured by using a dynamic light scattering method, is less than or equal to 10 μm. |
| US09997299B2 |
Organic dye for a dye-sensitized solar cell
Organic dye for a dye-sensitized solar cell (DSSC) comprising at least one electron-acceptor unit and at least one π-conjugated unit. Said organic dye is particularly useful in a dye-sensitized photoelectric transformation element which, in its turn, can be used in a dye-sensitized solar cell (DSSC). |
| US09997295B2 |
Electronic component
An electronic component includes an electronic element including two outer electrodes on surfaces thereof and a board terminal including a board main body and two mounting electrodes. The board main body has electrical insulating properties and a first principal surface. The two mounting electrodes are disposed on the first principal surface and electrically coupled to the two outer electrodes, respectively. The electronic element is mounted on the first principal surface side. The two outer electrodes are partially disposed outside an outer edge of the board terminal when viewed from the first principal surface side. The height from an end of each of the two outer electrodes opposite the board terminal to an end of the board terminal opposite the electronic element is not greater than a larger dimension of the width of the electronic element and the width of the board terminal. |
| US09997293B2 |
Ceramic electronic component and manufacturing method therefor
A ceramic electronic component that includes a ceramic main body, a coating film and external electrodes on the surface of the ceramic main body. The coating film is selectively formed on the surface of the ceramic main body by applying, to the surface of the ceramic main body, a resin-containing solution that etches the surface of the ceramic main body so as to ionize constituent elements of the ceramic main body. The coating film includes a resin and the constituent elements of the ceramic main body, which were ionized and deposited from the ceramic main body. |
| US09997286B2 |
Magnetically actuated restraining mechanisms
Some embodiments can include a retention mechanism having a first component including a first clasping surface and a first magnet having a first polarity as well as a second component having a second clasping surface configured to be alignable to and to coordinate with the first clasping surface. The second component can have a magnetic assembly having an effective polarity that varies in accordance with a electric current pulse received at the magnetic assembly, where a magnetic circuit is formed between the first magnet and the magnetic assembly, and where when the effective polarity of the magnetic assembly is the first polarity, the magnetic circuit is repulsive causing the first and second clasping surfaces to separate otherwise, the magnetic circuit is attractive causing the clasping surfaces to come together. |
| US09997284B2 |
Sintered magnet
A sintered magnet of a preferred embodiment has a composition comprising: R (R is a rare earth element that must contain any one of Nd and Pr.): 29.5 to 33.0 mass %; B: 0.7 to 0.95 mass %; Al: 0.03 to 0.6 mass %; Cu: 0.01 to 1.5 mass %; Co: 3.0 mass % or less (provided that 0 mass % is not included.); Ga: 0.1 to 1.0 mass %; C: 0.05 to 0.3 mass %; O: 0.03 to 0.4 mass %; and Fe and other elements: a balance, and wherein a content of heavy rare earth elements in total is 1.0 mass % or less, and wherein the following relations are satisfied: 0.29<[B]/([Nd]+[Pr])<0.40 and 0.07<([Ga]+[C])/[B]<0.60, where [Nd], [Pr], [B], [C] and [Ga] represent the numbers of atoms of Nd, Pr, B, C and Ga, respectively. |
| US09997283B2 |
Grain-oriented electric steel sheet having superior magnetic property
Provided is a grain-oriented electric steel sheet having superior magnetic property and to a grain-oriented electric steel sheet including 2.0 to 4.5 weight % of Si, 0.001 to 0.10 weight % of C, 0.010 weight % or lower of Al, 0.08 weight % or lower of Mn, 0.005 weight % or lower of N, 0.002 to 0.050 weight % of S, the remainder being Fe and other unavoidable impurities. The steel sheet having been subjected to secondary recrystallization using at least any one of grain boundary-segregated elementary S and an FeS precipitate as a grain growth inhibitor. |
| US09997278B2 |
Non-magnetic stainless steel wire as an armouring wire for power cables
A non-magnetic stainless steel wire with an adherent corrosion resistant coating is disclosed. The surface of the non-magnetic stainless steel is pre-treated so as to be sufficiently free from oxides and form a good adhesion with the above corrosion resistant coating. The non-magnetic stainless steel wire is used as a armoring wire for a power cable for transmitting electrical power. |
| US09997276B2 |
Aluminum alloy wire rod, aluminum alloy stranded wire, covered wire, and wire harness, and method of manufacturing aluminum alloy wire rod
An aluminum alloy wire rod having a composition comprising Mg: 0.1-1.0 mass %, Si: 0.1-1.2 mass %, Fe: 0.10-1.40 mass %, Ti: 0-0.100 mass %, B: 0-0.030 mass %, Cu: 0-1.00 mass %, Ag: 0-0.50 mass %, Au: 0-0.50 mass %, Mn: 0-1.00 mass %, Cr: 0-1.00 mass %, Zr: 0-0.50 mass %, Hf: 0-0.50 mass %, V: 0-0.50 mass %, Sc: 0-0.50 mass %, Co: 0-0.50 mass %, Ni: 0-0.50 mass %, and the balance: Al and inevitable impurities, wherein a number of compound particles present on a surface and having a diameter of greater than or equal to 1 μm in terms of equivalent circle diameter is less than or equal to one per 100 μm2, and a tensile strength is greater than or equal to 200 MPa. |
| US09997271B2 |
Supramolecular networks with electron transfer in two dimensions
Organic charge-transfer (CT) co-crystals in a crossed stack system are disclosed. The co-crystals exhibit bidirectional charge transfer interactions where one donor molecule shares electrons with two different acceptors, one acceptor face-to-face and the other edge-to-face. The assembly and charge transfer interaction results in a pleochroic material whereby the optical absorption continuously changes depending on the polarization angle of incident light. |
| US09997270B2 |
Lithium ion conductive substance, lithium ion conductive solid electrolyte using the lithium ion conductive substance, protective layer for an electrode of a lithium ion battery, and method for manufacturing the lithium ion conductive substance
A lithium ion conductive substance is provided that is characterized by containing a compound wherein a composite oxide represented by Li1+x+yAlxTi2−xSiyP3−yO12 (0≤x≤1 and 0≤y≤1) is doped with at least one kind of element selected from Zr, Hf, Y, and Sm. Furthermore, a method for manufacturing the lithium ion conductive substance is provided that includes the following steps: (a) a step of forming an inorganic substance that contains predetermined quantities of a Li component, an Al component, a Ti component, a Si component, and a P component, into a sheet shape, and (b) a step of interposing between materials that contain at least one kind of element selected from Zr, Hf, Y, and Sm, and sintering, a sheet-shaped formed body obtained at step (a). |
| US09997265B2 |
Safety system for a nuclear power plant and method for operating the same
A safety system for a nuclear power plant includes first through fourth sensors; a first division, including a first calculation module that determines first and second calculation results based on signals from the first and second sensors, a first data-sharing module for sharing the first and second calculation results with a second division, and a first voting logic for generating a first safety demand signal based on the first through fourth calculation results; and the second division, including a second calculation module for determining the third and fourth calculation results based on signals from the third and fourth sensors, a second data-sharing module for sharing the third and fourth calculation results with the first division, and a second voting logic for generating a second safety demand signal based on the first, second, third, and fourth calculation results, wherein the first through fourth sensors each monitor the same plant parameters. |
| US09997264B2 |
Enhanced nuclear sump strainer system
In accordance with the present invention, there is provided a strainer system for use in a nuclear sump. The strainer system of the present invention includes at least one primary strainer module which defines a primary strainer/filter surface. In the strainer system, the primary strainer surface of the primary strainer module has a debris interceptor which is cooperatively engaged thereto, and may be outfitted with one or more pressure released or activated membranes. In a loss of coolant accident, the debris interceptor, alone or in combination with the pressure activated membrane(s), is adapted to reduce the differential pressure experienced across the strainer system in nuclear power plants with medium to high fiber loads. |
| US09997259B1 |
In store medical diagnostics
Health care costs must be extremely lowered, and the business manner by which it is distributed simplified for the average person. A business method is described that allows the average person to obtain their own blood tests while shopping at a local store. Diagnostics for cancer, heart disease, infection, liver disease, kidney disease, hormonal imbalance, and many other maladies can be ascertained. |
| US09997257B1 |
Semiconductor device and semiconductor system including the same
A semiconductor device may include a repair address storage circuit, an address comparison circuit, and a word line selection circuit. The repair address storage circuit may store a first repair address and a second repair address. The address comparison circuit may generate a first comparison signal by comparing an input address and the first repair address, and may generate a second comparison signal by comparing the input address and the second repair address. The word line selection circuit may generate a first redundancy word line select signal corresponding to the first comparison signal and a second redundancy word line select signal corresponding to the second comparison signal, based on the first comparison signal and the second comparison signal. |
| US09997254B2 |
Sample-and-hold circuit
A sample-and-hold circuit, which includes a hold capacitor at its output terminal and at least one intermediate capacitor, intermittently receives an input voltage, and a first value of a switch enable signal causes the sample-and-hold circuit to sample the input voltage and to charge the at least one intermediate capacitor and the hold capacitor to the input voltage, and when it is not receiving the input voltage, a second value of the switch enable signal causes the sample-and-hold circuit to hold, at its output terminal, the input voltage until the hold capacitor discharges, which starts to discharge only after the at least one intermediate capacitor has substantially discharged. |
| US09997250B2 |
Non-volatile memory device with a plurality of cache latches and switches and method for operating non-volatile memory device
A non-volatile memory device includes: a plurality of cache latches; a pair of input/output lines; a plurality of switches, each couples a corresponding cache latch to the pair of the input/output lines, when the corresponding cache latch is selected among the plurality of cache latches; a pre-charger suitable for pre-charging the pair of the input/output lines; and a sense-amplifier suitable for sensing and amplifying the data of the pair of the input/output lines, wherein the sense-amplifier operates with a first power source voltage, and the plurality of the cache latches, the plurality of the switches, and the pre-charger operate with a second power source voltage having a voltage level that is higher than the voltage level of the first power source voltage. |
| US09997246B2 |
Memory devices and their operation having trim registers associated with access operation commands
Methods including performing an access operation on a memory device using trims corresponding to trim settings, receiving a command to suspend the access operation, loading updated trim settings into a particular trim register of the memory device, setting updated trims for the access operation in response to the updated trim settings of the particular trim register, and resuming the access operation using the updated trims. Apparatus including an external controller and a memory device having an internal controller configured to set trims in response to trim settings and to perform an access operation on an array of memory cells using the trims in response to receiving the access command, wherein the external controller is configured to select trim settings corresponding to a desired mode of operation, and to transmit the selected trim settings to the memory device. |
| US09997244B1 |
RRAM-based authentication circuit
A memory device includes a memory array comprising a plurality of bits, wherein each bit comprises two memory cells each having a variable resistance; a formation circuit, coupled to the plurality of bits, and configured to cause a first memory cell of a first bit to be at a low resistance state; and an authentication circuit, coupled to the plurality of bits, configured to designate a logical state to the first memory cell of the first bit and use the logical state of the first memory cell of the first bit to generate a physically unclonable function (PUF) signature. |
| US09997243B2 |
Sense amplifier, and nonvolatile memory device and system including the same
A nonvolatile memory device may include a cell array and a sense amplifier. The cell array may be coupled with a global bit line and a global word line, and is applied with a read voltage through the global bit line. The sense amplifier may generate an output signal based on a voltage level of a sensing node which is coupled with the cell array through the global word line, and control the voltage level of the sensing node. |
| US09997236B1 |
Read assist circuit with process, voltage and temperature tracking for a static random access memory (SRAM)
A memory circuit includes a wordline, memory cells connected to the wordline and a wordline driver circuit. The memory circuit further includes a read assist circuit including an n-channel pull-down transistor having a source-drain path connected between the wordline and a ground node. A bias circuit applies a biasing voltage to the gate terminal of the n-channel pull-down transistor that is modulated responsive to process, voltage and temperature conditions in order to provide controlled word line underdrive. |
| US09997233B1 |
Memory module with dynamic stripe width
In a memory module having a buffer component, a plurality of data signaling paths and a plurality of memory dies each coupled to a respective one of the data signaling paths, the buffer component receives and stores a first configuration value that specifies a memory-die quantity N, where N is permitted to range from a first value corresponding to the quantity of the data signaling paths to at least one value less than the first value. The buffer component further receives a memory read command and enables, in accordance with the first configuration value, a quantity N of the memory dies to output read data in response to the memory read command. |
| US09997232B2 |
Processing in memory (PIM) capable memory device having sensing circuitry performing logic operations
Apparatuses and methods are provided for logic/memory devices. An example apparatus comprises a plurality of memory components adjacent to and coupled to one another. A logic component is coupled to the plurality of memory components. At least one memory component comprises a memory device having an array of memory cells and sensing circuitry coupled to the array. The sensing circuitry includes a sense amplifier and a compute component. Timing circuitry is coupled to the array and sensing circuitry and configured to control timing of operations for the sensing circuitry. The logic component comprises control logic coupled to the timing circuitry. The control logic is configured to execute instructions to cause the sensing circuitry to perform the operations. |
| US09997231B2 |
Electronic device
An electronic device includes a substrate including an upper surface, a clock output pad formed in a control device mounting area of the upper surface, a command/address output pad formed in the control device mounting area, a clock signal main wiring connected to the clock output pad, a command/address signal main wiring connected to the command/address output pad, a first clock signal branch wiring branched from the clock signal main wiring at a first branch point of the clock signal main wiring, and a second clock signal branch wiring branched from the clock signal main wiring at a second branch point of the clock signal main wiring, which is located at a downstream side of the clock signal main wiring than the first branch point of the clock signal main wiring. |
| US09997225B2 |
System and method for modular simulation of spin transfer torque magnetic random access memory devices
A system and method for simulating behavior of a spin transfer torque magnetic random access memory (STT-MRAM) device includes a hardware processor (HP) and logic instructions (LI) stored in memory. The LI are executed by the HP to configure a library of functional blocks (FBs) to capture physical phenomenon of at least one element of the STT-MRAM configured in the form of a magnetic stack. Selected elements of the stack are mapped into a set of selected FBs (SFBs). The mapping converts the stack to a spin device circuit (SDC) represented by the SFBs. The SFBs are assembled to form the SDC replicating the stack. The SDC includes an electron spin transport, a magnet-dynamics, a magnetic coupling and a coupled electron transport+magnet-dynamics FBs. A set of output parameters simulating the STT-MRAM is generated by the SFBs in response to receiving a set of input parameters. |
| US09997224B2 |
Memory architecture with multi-bank memory cell array accessed by local drive circuit within memory bank
A memory architecture includes K first control lines, M groups of second control lines and a memory cell array. K and M are positive integers. Each group of second control lines includes at least one second control line. The memory cell array includes M memory banks. Each memory bank is coupled to the K first control lines. The M memory banks are selected according to M bank select signals respectively so as to receive a shared set of first control signals through the K first control lines. The M memory banks are coupled to the M groups of second control lines respectively, and receive independent M sets of second control signals through the M groups of second control lines respectively. Each memory bank performs one of a column select operation and a sense amplification operation according to the set of first control signals and a set of second control signals. |
| US09997218B2 |
Dual mode operation having power saving and active modes in a stacked circuit topology with logic preservation
A system for dual mode operation having power saving and active modes in a stacked circuit topology having logic preservation is provided. The system includes a pre-charge circuit and a sleep mode control circuit for providing a signal to disable a plurality of circuit elements and switching a mode of the system, the sleep mode control circuit being coupled to the pre-charge circuit and further being coupled to a logic function circuit, wherein the plurality of circuit elements comprise logic gates and transistor devices. The system also includes a keeper circuit coupled to the global bitline, and the logic function circuit coupled to a solar bitline, wherein the logic function circuit preserves a state of the solar bitline, the state of the global bitline determines the state of the solar bitline. The system includes an effective pull-up transistor coupled to the sleep mode control circuit and the logic function circuit. |
| US09997213B2 |
Sense amplifier
A read-amplifier circuit includes a core with a first input and a second input that are intended to receive in a measurement phase a differential signal arising from a first bit line and from a second bit line of the memory device. The circuit also includes a memory element with two inverters coupled in a crossed manner. The first and second inputs are respectively connected to two of the power supply nodes of the inverters via two transfer capacitors. A first controllable circuit is configured to temporarily render the memory element floating during an initial phase preceding the measurement phase and during the measurement phase. |
| US09997211B2 |
Semiconductor memory apparatus and operating method
A semiconductor memory apparatus, including a first mat which includes a first bit line and a first word line and a second mat which includes a second bit line and a second word line, includes a first bit line driving circuit configured to enable the first bit line in response to a first bit line select signal and a first machine bit line select signal; a second bit line driving circuit configured to enable the second bit line in response to a second bit line select signal and a second machine bit line select signal; a column-related decoding circuit configured to selectively enable the first and second bit line select signals in response to a column address; and a state machine configured to selectively enable the first and second machine bit line select signals in response to the column address. |
| US09997209B2 |
Power-failure protection method and solid state drive
Provided are a power failure protection method and solid state drive (SSD). The SSD comprises: a power-failure detection device, for monitoring in real time whether the power supply is abnormal; a power-failure protection device performs a power-failure protection operation when the power supply is monitored to be abnormal: breaking a connection with a host system bus, an SSD internal clock breaking from a system bus clock and writing data in the SSD cache into a storage unit of the SSD by using the SSD internal clock. The technical solution ensures completion of the data protection operations by utilizing a remaining capacity, thus ensuring data integrity. |
| US09997208B1 |
High-speed level shifter
A circuit including an output node and a cross-coupled pair of semiconductor devices configured to provide, at the output node, an output signal in a second voltage domain based on an input signal in a first voltage domain is described herein. The circuit further includes a pull-up assist circuit coupled to the output node; and a look-ahead circuit coupled to the pull-up assist circuit, wherein the look-ahead circuit is configured to cause the pull-up assist circuit to assist in increasing a voltage level at the output node when there is a decrease in a voltage level of an inverted output signal in the second voltage domain from a high voltage level of the second voltage domain to a low voltage level of the second voltage domain. |
| US09997207B2 |
Low-power, high-accuracy current reference for highly distributed current references for cross point memory
A highly distributed current reference for a solid-state memory comprises a centrally located current digital-to-analog converter (IDAC) and a plurality of remotely located tile current references. The IDAC comprises a first active device that generates a reference current, and a device that forms a first source degeneration resistance for the first active device. The IDAC outputs a voltage signal that represents a magnitude of the reference current. A remotely located tile current reference comprises a second active device and a device that forms a second source degeneration resistance for the second active device. The source degeneration resistances and capacitance coupled to the voltage signal output from the IDAC compensate for current, temperature, supply and process variations. |
| US09997204B2 |
Clip scheduling with conflict alert
An example method involves: accessing a first list including ordered clip identifiers C1 . . . Cn; accessing a second list including ordered player identifiers P1 . . . Px; determining that an identifier Cm of the identifiers C1 . . . Cn is restricted to being assigned an identifier Pz from the identifiers P1 . . . Px; making a first determination that an identifier Cp is a next one of the identifiers C1 . . . Cn after the identifier Cm to have a player-identifier assignment-restriction; responsive to making the first determination, (i) determining that the identifier Cp is restricted to being assigned an identifier Py from the identifiers P1 . . . Px, and (ii) matching with each identifier Cm+1 . . . Cp in reverse order a respective one of the identifiers P1 . . . Px selected in a reverse ordered and looping fashion starting with the identifier Py; making a second determination that the identifier Cm+1 has been matched with the player identifier Pz; and responsive to making the second determination, causing an alert to be output. |
| US09997203B2 |
System and method for streaming and recording video
Dynamic buffering of streaming temporal video is disclosed. In at least one embodiment, a non-transitory memory is provided for storing machine instructions that are to be executed by a computer. The machine instructions may implement the following functions: streaming temporal video having a current incomplete segment and first and second sequential frames, the first sequential frame having a first time value and time index, and the second sequential frame having a second time value and time index; dynamically buffering the current incomplete segment to store data associated thereto and a current incomplete segment buffer; recording the temporal video starting at the second sequential frame; calculating a first adjusted time offset based on the second time value and the first and second time indices; and generating a video segment including the current incomplete segment data and video data from the streaming temporal video based on the first adjusted time offset. |
| US09997200B2 |
Video bookmarking
The video bookmark feature allows a user to tag an item or segment of interest within audio/video content being watched. Each tag, or bookmark, can contain within it metadata associated with the content captured by the receiver at the time the bookmark was recorded; further information can be derived via interaction over the Internet with a service provider. Applications supported by video bookmarks include telescoping ads, capturing screen shots for later review or printing, and retrieving more information about any arbitrary subject being viewed, whether it is a scene in a program, an advertisement, or other associated information about the subject. This abstract is not to be considered limiting, since other embodiments may deviate from the features described in this abstract. |
| US09997197B2 |
Method and device for controlling playback
A method for a device to control playback, includes: obtaining a video file; determining a vision field of a user: and selecting, from the vision file, a video clip corresponding to the vision field of the user and playing back the video clip. |
| US09997190B2 |
Magazine-based data cartridge library
The present invention provides a magazine-based data cartridge library that, in one embodiment, comprises a plurality of shelves that are capable of holding a plurality of data cartridge magazines, one or more drives, a magazine transport for moving magazines within the cabinet, and a cartridge transport for moving data cartridges between a magazine and a drive. |
| US09997181B2 |
Actuator coil temperature estimation using skew values
A computer program product according to one embodiment includes a computer readable storage medium having program instructions embodied therewith, the program instructions executable by a controller of a data storage device to cause the controller to perform a method including, determining, by the controller, a test skew gain of a coil using skew information from a servo subsystem of the controller; comparing, by the controller, the test skew gain to a stored reference gain for determining whether a temperature of the coil is elevated; and stopping the data storage device, by the controller, in response to the comparing of the test skew gain to the reference gain indicating that the temperature of the coil is elevated. |
| US09997173B2 |
System and method for performing automatic gain control using an accelerometer in a headset
A method performing automatic gain control (AGC) using an accelerometer in a headset starts with an accelerometer-based voice activity detector (VADa) generating a VADa output based on (i) acoustic signals received from at least one microphone included in a pair of earbuds and (ii) data output by at least one accelerometer that is included in the pair of earbuds. The at least one accelerometer detects vibration of the user's vocal chords. The headset includes the pair of earbuds. An AGC controller then performs automatic gain control (AGC) on the acoustic signals from the at least one microphone based on the VADa output. Other embodiments are also described. |
| US09997170B2 |
Electronic device and reverberation removal method therefor
Provided are an electronic device and a reverberation removal method therefor. The reverberation removal method for an electronic device comprises: a plurality of microphone units for receiving a user's voice; a reverberation removal unit removing a reverberation component of the user's voice received from the plurality of microphone units so as to acquire an original component of the user's voice; a reverberation information acquisition unit for acquiring information on the intensity of the reverberation component of the user's voice; and a post-processing unit for additionally removing a reverberation component from the original component acquired from the reverberation removal unit on the basis of the information on the intensity of the reverberation component. |
| US09997168B2 |
Method and apparatus for signal extraction of audio signal
A method and an apparatus for signal extraction of audio signal are provided. An audio signal is converted into a plurality of frames, and the frames are arranged in a chronological order. Spectral data of each of the frames is obtained. The spectral data of each of N frames is extracted in the chronological order, and a spectral connectivity operation is executed for the N frames. Finally, the signal including the frames having the spectral connectivity between adjacent frames in each of the frames is determined as an ideal signal. |
| US09997167B2 |
Jitter buffer control, audio decoder, method and computer program
A jitter buffer control for controlling a provision of a decoded audio content on the basis of an input audio content is configured to select a frame-based time scaling or a sample-based time scaling in a signal-adaptive manner. An audio decoder uses such a jitter buffer control. |
| US09997165B2 |
Coding and decoding of spectral peak positions
A coder and decoder, and methods therein, are provided for coding and decoding of spectral peak positions in audio coding. According to a first aspect, an audio signal segment coding method is provided for coding of spectral peak positions. The method comprises determining which one out of two lossless spectral peak position coding schemes that requires the least number of bits to code the spectral peak positions of an audio signal segment; and selecting the spectral peak position coding scheme that requires the least number of bits to code the spectral peak positions of the audio signal segment. A first one of the two lossless spectral peak position coding schemes is suitable for periodic or semi-periodic spectral peak position distributions; and a second one of two lossless spectral peak position coding schemes is suitable for sparse spectral peak position distributions. |
| US09997162B2 |
Apparatus and method for generating a bandwidth extended signal from a bandwidth limited audio signal
An apparatus for generating a bandwidth extended signal from a bandwidth limited audio signal, the bandwidth limited audio signal The patch generator is configured to perform a harmonic patching algorithm to obtain the patched signal. The signal manipulator is configured for manipulating a signal before patching or the patched signal. The timely preceding bandwidth limited time block timely precedes the current bandwidth limited time block in the plurality of consecutive bandwidth limited time blocks of the bandwidth limited audio signal. The combiner is configured for combining the bandwidth limited audio signal having the core frequency band and the manipulated patched signal having the upper frequency band to obtain the bandwidth extended signal. |
| US09997158B2 |
Conversational agent response determined using a sentiment or user profile data
Methods, systems, and apparatus, including computer programs encoded on computer storage media, for handing off a user conversation between computer-implemented agents. One of the methods includes receiving, by a computer-implemented agent specific to a user device, a digital representation of speech encoding an utterance, determining, by the computer-implemented agent, that the utterance specifies a requirement to establish a communication with another computer-implemented agent, and establishing, by the computer-implemented agent, a communication between the other computer-implemented agent and the user device. |
| US09997157B2 |
Knowledge source personalization to improve language models
Systems and methods are provided for improving language models for speech recognition by personalizing knowledge sources utilized by the language models to specific users or user-population characteristics. A knowledge source, such as a knowledge graph, is personalized for a particular user by mapping entities or user actions from usage history for the user, such as query logs, to the knowledge source. The personalized knowledge source may be used to build a personal language model by training a language model with queries corresponding to entities or entity pairs that appear in usage history. In some embodiments, a personalized knowledge source for a specific user can be extended based on personalized knowledge sources of similar users. |
| US09997156B2 |
Method of facilitating construction of a voice dialog interface for an electronic system
Disclosed is a method of facilitating construction of a voice dialog interface for an electronic system. The method includes providing a library of programming interfaces configured to specify one or more of a call-sign and at least one command. Each of the call-sign and the at least one command may be specified in textual form. Additionally, the method includes training a speech recognizer based on one or more of the call-sign and the at least one command. Further, the method may include recognizing, using the speech recognizer, a speech input including a vocal representation of one or more of the call-sign and the at least one command. Additionally, the method includes performing at least one action associated with the at least one command based on recognizing the speech input. Further, the at least one action may include providing a verbal response using an integrated speech synthesizer. |
| US09997155B2 |
Adapting a speech system to user pronunciation
A system and method of adapting a speech system includes the steps of: receiving confirmation of a phonetic transcription of one or more names, receiving confirmation of a selected stored text result, and storing the phonetic transcription with the selected stored text result using an automatic speech recognition (ASR) system, a text-to-speech (TTS) system, or both. |
| US09997153B2 |
Information processing method and information processing device
An information processing method includes receiving a change instruction to change a voice parameter used in synthesizing a voice for a set of texts, changing the voice parameter in accordance with the change instruction to change the voice parameter, changing, in accordance with the change instruction, an image parameter used in synthesizing an image of a virtual object, the virtual object indicating a character that vocalizes the voice that has been synthesized, synthesizing the voice using the changed voice parameter, and synthesizing the image using the changed image parameter. |
| US09997150B2 |
Humbucker pickup device for active and passive guitars
A humbucker pickup device for active and passive guitars including a matched pair of elongated coil assemblies with two sets of ferromagnetic pole pieces also includes two elongated, transversely polarized permanent magnets positioned between and parallel to the coils. The magnets are beside each other with opposite poles facing each other. The magnets with two respective pole pieces under each string establish two narrow magnetic fields to interact with the string at two points and a weaker intermediate magnetic field between the said pole pieces. The humbucker device includes an improved differential amplifier built from two or three operational amplifiers. Alternatively, the device may include a steel plate between the magnets for further weakening the intermediate magnetic field. Both embodiments, with and without the plate, are described. |
| US09997147B2 |
Musical instrument digital interface with voice note identifications
A method for generating voice identifications for MIDI (Musical Instrument Digital Interface) note signals. The method provides voice identification for every note in MIDI signals, which makes music learning intuitive and easier. The method can be used with any MIDI instruments as a separate unit, or a part of such instruments. Solfege is used as voice identification system since it is widely used in music education. However, any such system can be used or newly devised by preparing a different set of patches. |
| US09997146B2 |
Drum assembly having internal light pattern display capability
A drum assembly includes a drum, a stimulus processor assembly and a light pattern display generator. The drum includes a drum shell that at least partially defines a drum interior. The stimulus processor assembly receives a stimulus, generates an input signal, and converts the input signal to an output signal. The light pattern display generator receives the output signal from the stimulus processor assembly. The light pattern display generator generates a light pattern display in response to the output signal. Additionally, the light pattern display generator projects the light pattern display at least partially within the drum interior. The light pattern display generator can include one or more of an animation laser, a hologram projector and a lumin disk. The stimulus can be generated by the drum or by a source remote from the drum. |
| US09997144B2 |
Attachment device for stringed instrument and coupling system for use with the same
An attachment for use with a stringed musical instrument comprises a rotatable shaft and groups of one or more string engaging elements coupled to the rotatable shaft. Each string engaging element of a group is positionable in a first orientation for driven rotary engagement with a corresponding string of the musical instrument. Each string engagement element is further positionable in a second orientation. The attachment further includes key actuators operatively associated with the string engaging elements, and each key actuator is manipulable so as to urge each string engaging element of a group into at least one of the first orientation or the second orientation. In an embodiment, the string engaging element(s) operated by each key actuator are rotatable wheels that rotate at a slower rate or a faster rate, depending on whether or not corresponding strings is/are bent toward the corresponding wheel(s). |
| US09997141B2 |
Display system and method supporting variable input rate and resolution
A display system includes a pixel array, a data buffer and a display driver. In a particular embodiment the data buffer receives and stores frames of image data and provides the frames of image data to the pixel array. The display driver overwrites an entire frame of image data on the data buffer during some frame times and selectively overwrites a portion of a frame of image data, leaving another portion of the frame of image data in the data buffer, during other frame times. |
| US09997138B2 |
System and method for adaptive and persistent media presentations
Systems and methods providing for an advertisement (media) is designed using segments that can be added or subtracted are provided. By adapting the various segments of an advertisement to fit the orientation of the displaying device, and to be persistent on the display without overlaying the application being viewed by the user, it is possible to increase viewing time of the displayed media. In one embodiment, the various segments are sized to be displayed in areas (such as preview areas) of the display that the user does not typically use for his/her main work. In this manner, the displayed media is adapted for display area and does not intrude on the viewing area. |
| US09997135B2 |
Method for producing a color image and imaging device employing same
A method of producing a color image using a display comprised of pixels comprising red, green and blue primary color subpixels. The method comprises reducing the color gamut and increasing the brightness of the image relative to a base level, decreasing power to the display to reduce the brightness of the image, restoring color to the image to approximately the base level by modifying image pixel data using a three-dimensional lookup table to produce output image pixel data, and communicating the output image pixel data to the display. The display may be an LCD display, an LED display, an OLED display, a plasma display, and a DMD projector. Reducing the color gamut and increasing the brightness of the image may be accomplished by adding white to the image. The white may be added adaptively according to an algorithm by which the amount of white added decreases with increasing color saturation. |
| US09997133B2 |
Image processing apparatus, image processing method, and computer-readable recording medium
An image processing method is provided. The image processing method includes: converting a color reproduction target of an input image according to a color gamut of a target display device; generating a file of the input image of which the color reproduction target is converted; and storing the file of the input image. |
| US09997132B2 |
Data transmission method, data transmission system and portable display device of transmitting compressed data
The present disclosure discloses a data transmission method, a data transmission system and a portable display device, relates to the technical field of display, and can reduce power consumption of the portable display device and improve battery endurance of the portable display device. The data transmission method comprises: compressing display data; transmitting the compressed display data; and decompressing the compressed display data. The data transmission method and the data transmission system according to the present disclosure are used for data transmission between a processor and a source drive circuit in the portable display device. |
| US09997131B2 |
Display driving method, display driver integrated circuit, and electronic device comprising the same
A display driver integrated circuit is disclosed. The display driver integrated circuit includes panel signal supply circuitry configured to supply an image signal corresponding to image data to a panel, pixel power supply circuitry configured to supply pixel power to a pixel that receives the image signal, and a controller configured to control the pixel power supply circuitry to supply the pixel power based on an on-pixel ratio (OPR) value of the image data. |
| US09997125B2 |
GOA circuits and liquid crystal devices
A GOA circuit and a liquid crystal device (LCD) are disclosed. The GOA circuit includes a plurality of GOA units and a control module. Each of the cascaded GOA units is configured for charging corresponding horizontal scanning lines within a display area when being driven by a first level clock, a second level clock, a first control clock, and a second control clock. After the horizontal scanning lines are fully charged by the GOA circuit, the control module is configured for resetting the gate driving signals to be at the first level, i.e., the invalid level, via the turn-on pulse signals and the negative-voltage constant-voltage source. |
| US09997120B2 |
Display device with gate floating for reducing flicker
When an intermittent driving mode is carried out in a TFT using LIPS and α-Si for a pixel transistor, a flicker easily occurs. A display device includes a TFT including a gate, a source, and a drain; a signal line connected to the source; a pixel capacitance connected to the drain; a first power supply configured to supply a potential that breaks electricity conducted between the source and the drain to the gate; and a switch configured to supply a potential of the first power supply to the gate. The display device includes a scan period and a dwell period. The switch is turned on in the scan period, and the switch is turned off in the dwell period. |
| US09997117B2 |
Common circuit for GOA test and eliminating power-off residual images
The invention discloses a common circuit for GOA test and eliminating power-off residual images, including a first test end (3), a test signal line (AT1) connected to the first test end (3), a second test end (5), a feedback signal line (AT2) connected to the second test end (5), and the same number of test TFTs (T0) as cascade GOA unit circuits. By connecting the gate of each test TFT (T0) to test signal line (AT1), the source to feedback signal line (AT2) and the drain to the output end of corresponding GOA unit circuit and gate scan line, the invention can test the output signal of any stage GOA unit circuit to determine the location of a malfunctioning GOA unit circuit, and releasing the residual charges of the liquid crystal capacitor and storage capacitor at the display area of LCD panel when powering off to eliminate residual images. |
| US09997103B2 |
Display substrate, driving method thereof and display device
A display substrate, a driving method thereof and a display device are disclosed. The display substrate includes repeatedly arranged pixel groups. Each pixel group includes a first sub-pixel group, a second sub-pixel group, a third sub-pixel group and a fourth sub-pixel group. Each of the first sub-pixel group, the second sub-pixel group, the third sub-pixel group and the fourth sub-pixel group includes four pixel columns. The display substrate, the driving method thereof and the display device reduce the number of sub-pixels in the whole display device and hence reduce the difficulty in the manufacturing process of the display device and the cost on the premise of ensuring that the display device obtains a high resolution. |
| US09997100B2 |
Self-compensating circuit for faulty display pixels
A self-compensating circuit for controlling pixels in a display includes a plurality of light-emitter circuits. Each light-emitter circuit includes a light emitter, a drive transistor, and a compensation circuit. The compensation circuit is connected to the light emitter of one or more different light-emitter circuits. |
| US09997091B2 |
Apparatus and method for local advertising
A media holder for a dry cleaning conveyor which may include a plurality of interconnected links. The media holder may be attached to one of the plurality of interconnected links and the media holder may include a continuous display portion which is adapted to removably receive and display a media. The media holder may further include a base portion that is attached to the continuous display portion and a connector portion that is configured to attach to the media holder to one of the plurality of interconnected links such that the base portion and the continuous display portion are orientated to display the media in a viewable position and allow unimpeded movement of the dry cleaning conveyor during operation. |
| US09997089B2 |
Cover assemblies for mattresses
A cover assembly for a mattress is provided that includes a first cover and a second cover. The first cover includes a top panel, a bottom panel, and a continuous side panel collectively defining a cavity for enclosing the mattress. The second cover includes a top surface and a bottom surface, with the second cover being positioned over and dimensionally-sized to cover at least the top panel of the first cover. A fastener then connects the second cover to the first cover along the perimeter of the second cover. Methods for marking a mattress are also provided that include the step of marking an indicia indicative of a characteristic of a mattress on the top surface of the second cover of the cover assembly. |
| US09997079B2 |
Commercial and general aircraft avoidance using multi-spectral wave detection
This disclosure is directed to a detection and avoidance apparatus for an unmanned aerial vehicle (“UAV”) and systems, devices, and techniques pertaining to automated object detection and avoidance during UAV flight. The system may detect objects within the UAV's airspace through acoustic, visual, infrared, multispectral, hyperspectral, or object detectable signal emitted or reflected from an object. The system may identify the source of the object detectable signal by comparing features of the received signal with known sources signals in a database. The features may include, for example, a multispectral signature emitted or reflected by the object. Furthermore, a trajectory envelope for the object may be determined based on characteristic performance parameters for the object such as cursing speed, maneuverability, etc. The UAV may determine an optimized flight plan based on the trajectory envelopes of detected objects within the UAV's airspace. |
| US09997076B2 |
Method for requesting transportation services
A method is described for safely and efficiently requesting transportation services through the user of mobile communications devices capable of geographic location determination. New customers may be efficiently serviced, and the requester and transportation provider locations may be viewed in real time on the mobile devices. |
| US09997072B2 |
Driving assistance apparatus
In a driving assistance apparatus, a detector is configured to detect whether or not a leading vehicle has started moving, where the leading vehicle is a vehicle just in front of an own vehicle and the own vehicle is a vehicle carrying the apparatus. A notifier is configured to, if it is detected by the detector that the leading vehicle has started moving, provide a notification that the leading vehicle has started moving. An inhibitor is configured to, when the own vehicle has approached a stop point along a road, at which every vehicle must stop before passing therethrough, inhibit the notifier from providing the notification that the leading vehicle has started moving. |
| US09997071B2 |
Method and system for avoidance of parking violations
A system for providing parking guidance includes storing historical parking violation related data correlated to real-time, parking violation related data, where a central computing system communicates with a user's computing device for notifying a user how to avoid receiving parking violation citations. The data is stored in a unified database, where the data is clustered by data types and by type of vehicle or type of vehicle plate. The user's computing device is used to identify parking intent, and a location determining apparatus identifies a current location of the user. A user engagement panel is used to share parking violation related data, where rewards are allocated to a user for contributing useful data, which are rated. Highly rated data is incorporated into notifications. The data is analyzed to predict a violation. A notification corresponding to the current location and user type are generated when violations are predicted. |
| US09997068B2 |
Method for conveying driving conditions for vehicular control
Method for conveying driving conditions and using the conveyed driving conditions for vehicular control includes generating information about a travel surface or an environment around the travel surface using sensors fixed in position relative to the travel surface. Each sensor includes a measuring or detecting component that measures or detects a property or condition of the travel surface or the environment around the travel surface. A communication of the information generated by that sensor to a vehicle or its occupant is initiated only when that vehicle is within the set distance from a sensor. Operation of a display, navigation, control and/or guidance system in that vehicle is caused to change from an existing operating state to one of several different operating states as a result of reception of the communication from the sensor. |
| US09997066B2 |
Optical fiber network for transmitting signals in a robot
In an optical fiber network for transmitting optical signals in a robot having three or more joints connecting a plurality of links in series such that the links include two end links located at either end and intermediate links provided between the two end links, and the links connected by the joints are moveable relative to each other, a plurality of optical transceiver modules are provided on the links such that at least one optical transceiver module is provided on each link; and a plurality of optical fiber cables connect the optical transceiver modules in a ring; wherein at least one end of each optical fiber cable connecting the optical transceiver modules provided on different links is connected to one of the optical transceiver modules provided on the intermediate links. |
| US09997065B2 |
Remote control using passive components
A receiver includes: a wireless local area network (WLAN) router; wherein the receiver is configured to receive data from a remote control and to generate commands to be transmitted to one or more devices via an interface of the WLAN router. |
| US09997055B2 |
Social alarm system with location detection in a dwelling
A social alarm system provides location detection within a dwelling. A personal radio trigger unit is carried by a client and transmits an alarm signal in response to a triggering event, such as by a manual alarm button or an automatic fall detection circuit. A client unit is operable to receive the alarm signal and initiate an alarm call to a remote monitoring center over a communications network. A plurality of radio receptor nodes monitor the wireless RF transmissions from the personal radio trigger to report respective received signal strength values. A location finder unit determines a location of the personal radio trigger, by using absolute error calculations and/or shape error calculations against previously recorded known locations in the dwelling. |
| US09997053B2 |
Surveillance system with motion detection and suppression of alarms in non-alarm areas
The present invention relates to a method for a surveillance system, comprising the steps of receiving an image from a surveillance camera capturing a sequence of images of a predetermined area, detecting motion within the predetermined area, generating an alarm if motion is detected, determining the type of alarm, setting a non-alarm area within the image if the type of alarm is determined to be on a list of predefined alarm types, and suppressing, for a predefined time period, detection of motion in the non-alarm area. The invention also relates to a corresponding surveillance system and a computer program product. |
| US09997042B2 |
Digital fingerprint tracking
Techniques are described for tracking intruders of a monitored property by the unique identifying characteristics or “digital fingerprints” of electronic devices carried by the intruders. A system detects an alarm event at a monitored property based on output from at least one sensor located at the monitored property. In response to detecting the alarm event at the monitored property, the system initiates a process to gather electronic identifiers for mobile electronic devices located within the monitored property at a time corresponding to the detected alarm event. The system determines electronic identifiers for the mobile electronic devices located within the monitored property at a time corresponding to the detected alarm event. The system stores in electronic storage, information indicating the determined electronic identifiers for the mobile electronic devices located within the monitored property at a time corresponding to the detected alarm event. |
| US09997040B2 |
Global emergency and disaster transmission
Disclosed is a disaster warning device with a guided surface wave receive structure, an impedance matching network, a power circuit, a data processing circuit, and a warning output. The power circuit and the data processing circuit may be coupled to the guided surface wave receive structure. The power circuit may supply electrical energy to power to the data processing circuit and warning output. The power circuit may receive power from a guided surface wave. The data processing circuitry may receive data communications from a guided surface wave. |
| US09997038B2 |
Smoke detection apparatus, method for detecting smoke and computer program
A smoke detection apparatus 1 is proposed, the smoke detection apparatus 1 being able to be connected to at least one monitoring camera 2 which is designed to record images of a monitoring area, the monitoring area comprising at least one stationary contrast pattern object 3, having an evaluation device 5, the evaluation device 5 being designed to detect the at least one contrast pattern object 3 in the images transmitted by the monitoring camera 2, the evaluation device 5 evaluating a change in the contrast pattern object 3 in the images as at least one smoke detection feature in order to detect smoke, the evaluation device 5 being designed to evaluate a contrast deviation between an upper contrast pattern section 4a and a lower contrast pattern section 4b of the at least one contrast pattern object 3 in at least one of the images as the at least one smoke detection feature. |
| US09997037B2 |
Anti-theft tag for electronic device charging port
An electronic article surveillance (EAS) device has a plug configured to fit a port of a portable electronic device. In some embodiments, the port used in the portable electronic device is a charging port. The EAS device may have an additional attaching mechanism to maintain the EAS device attached to a portable electronic device. In one embodiment, the additional attaching mechanism is a panel with an adhesive element. The EAS device may have a switch that changes state when the plug is inserted into the port. Electronics within the EAS device may monitor the switch and plug to detect attachment of the EAS device. The EAS device may also have a charging port in electrical continuity with the plug so that the electronic device can be charge with the EAS device in place. |
| US09997031B2 |
Modular indicator
An indicator module in one example has a mounting portion to removably attach the module to another module or base. The indicator module also has a first set of electrodes disposed to be in contact with respective electrodes in the attached module or base. The indicator module further includes an indicator circuit, and a switch module configurable to selectively connect the indicator circuit to one of the electrodes in the indicator module. The indicator module can further include a second set of electrodes connected respectively to the first set of electrodes by conductors. The two sets of electrodes are located at respective ends of the module attach to another module at each end. In visual indicator modules, the conductors can be disposed in a more interior region of the module as compared to the visual indicator elements such as LEDs, which can be distributed near the periphery of the module. |
| US09997030B2 |
Vehicle message addressing
A vehicle messaging method (600) and system (100) can include any number of data sources (101-103), an interface (104) that formats messages and addresses from the data sources, and a corresponding number of messaging servers (111-113) that receive targeted messages intended for a predetermined subset of subscribers associated with a vehicle identification number (VIN). Each messaging server can include a corresponding controller (121-123) programmed to assign (604) targeted messages to a predetermined channel and encode (606) the addresses of the targeted messages to the predetermined subset of subscribers using a VIN or portion thereof. The controller can be further programmed to transfer (608) the targeted messages and addresses to a satellite uplink (107) and satellite (110) via a messaging uplink interface (106) for retransmission and reception by a plurality of selective call receivers 109 addressable individually using a predetermined VIN or portion thereof. |
| US09997025B2 |
Instant lottery scratch ticket on-demand printing
The present invention describes a lottery ticket system providing an instant scratch lottery ticket to a consumer on-demand. A customer vending device of the lottery ticket system may be used to receive consumer input. The consumer input may include selection of a lottery game and one or more play actions for an associated interactive game. A scratch lottery ticket having hidden and non-hidden portions collectively defining an outcome for the lottery ticket is printed on-demand by the vending machine using blank lottery ticket media. The customer input may or may not impact the outcome of the printed lottery ticket. The vending machine may also communicate with one or more network servers to exchange ticket information for lottery ticket generation, authentication, recordation, and redemption, in addition to performing episodic lottery games by managing linked records of ticket information. Lastly, on-demand lottery tickets may be generated using real-time promotional and marketing information. |
| US09997024B2 |
Insurance enabled hybrid gaming system
An insurance enabled hybrid gaming system including a terminal with an entertainment software engine, a real world engine, and a game world engine connecting the entertainment software engine and the real world engine using a network, the system constructed to provide an entertainment game and a gambling game which activates an insurance proposition associated with an insurance trigger event in the entertainment game in exchange for an insurance fee when there is a gameplay event of the entertainment game dependent upon player action and an insurance module that mitigates the negative outcome. |
| US09997023B2 |
System and method of managing user accounts to track outcomes of real world wagers revealed to users
The invention relates to systems and methods of placing real-world wagers, obtaining outcomes of the real-world wagers, facilitating user interactions with various interactive media, and revealing the outcomes of the real-world wagers based on invitations to give an appearance that the outcomes of the real-world wagers resulted from the invitations even though the outcomes resulted from the real-world wagers and were determined before the invitations. The system may provide an invitation to participate in a reveal opportunity. For example, the system may invite the user to play a specific game (e.g., “play this game to claim five dollars”), interact with multi-media content (e.g., “watch a video to win ten dollars”), challenge one or more other players (e.g., “challenge another player to win two dollars”), engage in some other objective, and/or otherwise accept an opportunity to reveal at least a portion of a payout that has not yet been revealed. |
| US09997018B2 |
System to manage automated prize value accumulation and distribution
A system to manage prize accumulation and distribution includes an interface to receive publication data from a publishing user. The publication data is to be published by the computer system. The interface further receives a prize contribution value, at the computer system and from the publishing user, in exchange for the presentation of an opportunity to win a cumulative prize. The opportunity to win the cumulative prize is to be presented by the computer system in conjunction with the publication of the publication data. A publication module is to electronically publish the publication data on behalf of the publishing user, and is to electronically present the opportunity to win the cumulative prize in conjunction with the publication of the publication data. A prize processing module is to calculate a value of the cumulative prize, based on a cumulative contribution of prize contribution values received from a plurality of publishing users. |
| US09997014B2 |
Service-triggered game events
Various embodiments relating to management of game data of a video game by a game service and service triggered delivery of game data to various subscribers are provided. In one embodiment, game data of a video game is received at a game service computing machine as the video game is being executed on a user gaming machine. A game statistic is generated by the game service computing machine based on the game data. The game statistic is sent to subscribers having a subscription to the game statistic. |
| US09997010B2 |
Electronic gaming device with external lighting functionality
Examples disclosed herein relate to a gaming device including a memory, a processor, a display, a plurality of display areas located on the display, and a plurality of external lights located at an outer area of a front surface of the electronic gaming device. The plurality of external lights forming a u-shape with a left side, a right side, and a bottom where each of the left side, the right side, and the bottom includes a first light column, a second light column, and a third light column. The gaming device including a processor that initiates a base game via the plurality of display areas located on the display. |
| US09997007B2 |
Method and system for implementing mystery bonus in place of base game results on gaming machine
Embodiments of the present invention are directed to gaming devices and methods for implementing mystery bonus results in place of base game results on a gaming display. The gaming device comprises a base game having a base game display. A random number generator is optionally operable with the base game to obtain a base game result, and the base game display operative to display the base game result. A base game pay table is tied to the base game result and includes winning outcomes and non-winning outcomes. A bonus game award mechanism is configured to determine a threshold tied to a bonus result, track play of the base game, advance a counter responsive to play at the base game, display the bonus result at the base game display in place of the base game result when the counter bears a predefined relationship with the threshold, and award a bonus to a player. |
| US09997003B2 |
Paper sheet handling apparatus
A paper sheet handling apparatus (banknote handling apparatus 100) includes: a housing 12; a transport path forming member 711 disposed inside the housing and configured to form a transport path that transports paper sheets while sandwiching each paper sheet in a direction of the thickness of the paper sheet; and a handing unit (non-bundling stacker module 54) disposed at a predetermined position inside the housing. When jamming of paper sheets occurs in the middle of the transport path, the transport path forming member is displaced so as to open the transport path, in a state where the inside of the housing is opened by an opening and closing unit being opened. The handling unit disposed adjacent to the transport path is movable from the predetermined position so as to form a space that allows the transport path forming member to be displaced. |
| US09996997B2 |
Method and system for controlling access to or the exit from an area
The invention relates to a method for controlling access to or exit from a controlled area, implemented in a system comprising at least one database comprising: a first data set, comprising biometric data of persons linked with identifiers of means of transport or travel; and a second data set including at least one piece of data such as marital status and/or identity document and at least one piece of personal biometric data, the method being characterized by implementing steps that comprise: for each vehicle, acquiring an identifier of the means of transport or travel, and biometric data of at least one passenger in the vehicle; for each passenger for which biometric data has been acquired, determining whether said passenger is recorded in the first data set linked with the vehicle; if a passenger is not recorded in the first data set linked with the vehicle, verifying that the passenger is recorded in said set linked with another vehicle or, failing that, that said passenger is recorded in the second data set; and, in accordance with the result of the verification carried out, updating the first data set such that said set includes biometric data of the passenger linked with the vehicle. The invention also relates to a control system suitable for implementing the method. |
| US09996996B2 |
Protected article management
Tracking, identifying and article management systems and methods for reliably and repeatedly determining one or more physically uncopiable attribute instances (of the same or varying types) from or inherent in an article of manufacture, using the selected physical uncopiable attribute(s) to produce an unforgeable identity for the article, and then integrating that unforgeable identity into computer-based tracking systems in a way that permits the tracking system to track and monitor articles for which identity information is known. Applications include documents, fashion accessories, artwork, and other objects. |
| US09996994B2 |
Electronic communication module for locking/unlocking a movable panel of a motor vehicle, associated control central processing unit, and hands-free access system
The invention relates to an electronic communication module (2) for locking/unlocking at least one movable panel of a motor vehicle, including a resonant circuit adjusted to a timing frequency and including an transmission winding (20) connected in series to a tuning capacitor (21), said resonant circuit (20, 21) being capable of emitting a low-frequency interrogation signal, at said tuning frequency, to a portable badge or identifier, and a manually-actuated triggering member (22), the actuation of which triggers the transmission of said interrogation signal. According to the invention, the triggering member is a button switch (22) connected in series to at least one resistor (23) in order to form an electric dipole (24), and said electric dipole (24) is electrically connected in parallel to all or part of the resonant circuit (20, 21). The invention also relates to a central processing unit (3) for controlling said module through two electrical connection wires (4, 5), and to an associated hands-free access system. |
| US09996993B2 |
System for constructing stopped vehicle-infrastructure communication network
A method for utilizing the computing and/or storage resources of at least one parked vehicle includes recognizing the presence of at least one parked vehicle; establishing a network connection between at least one vehicle communication device of the at least one parked vehicle and at least one server; collecting information from the at least one parked vehicle; dispatching at least one task to the at least one vehicle communication device, wherein the at least one dispatched task comprises at least one of a computational task and a storing task; and performing the at least one dispatched task. |
| US09996988B2 |
Intelligent tire pressure monitoring system and method
An intelligent tire pressure monitoring system and method are provided in present disclosure. The system includes a CAN bus module, a diagnosing module, a processor, a 3G module, a GPS module and a server. The CAN bus module and the diagnosing module detect rotational speed of each tire and steering angle of steering wheel, and send a detecting result data the processor. The GPS module obtains position information of the automobile, and sends it to the processor. The processor calculates and processes the detecting result data and the position information of the automobile, and uploads them to the server through the 3G module. The server calculates a pressuring value of each tire according to the detecting result data, the position information of the automobile, weather conditions of continuous several days, and condition of road traveled by the automobile, and do appropriate treatment. |
| US09996983B2 |
Manipulation of virtual object in augmented reality via intent
A system and method for manipulating a virtual object based on intent is described. A reference identifier from a physical object is captured. The reference identifier is communicated via a network to a remote server. The remote server includes virtual object data associated with the reference identifier. The virtual object data is received at the computing device. The virtual image is displayed in a virtual landscape using the virtual object data. In response to relative movement between the computing device and the physical object caused by a user, the virtual image is modified. Brain activity data of the user is received. A state of the virtual object in the virtual landscape is changed based on the brain activity data. |
| US09996982B2 |
Information processing device, authoring method, and program
There is provided an information processing device including an image acquisition unit configured to acquire an input image of a real space captured with an imaging device, a user interface unit configured to display the input image on a screen of a display device and detect a designated position designated by a user on the screen, a computation unit configured to compute a three-dimensional position of a virtual object in an augmented reality space from the designated position detected by the user interface unit, and an authoring unit configured to associate the three-dimensional position of the virtual object computed by the computation unit with the virtual object to store the three-dimensional position in a storage medium. |
| US09996981B1 |
Augmented reality system
Systems and methods are disclosed for recommending products or services by receiving a 3D model of a product; capturing a reference object with a predetermined dimension in an environment where the product is to be placed using a mobile camera; determining one more dimensions of the environment relative to the predetermined dimension of the reference object; scaling the 3D model of the product based on dimensions of the environment and the product; and generating an augmented or virtual reality display of the product in the environment. |
| US09996979B2 |
Augmented reality technology-based handheld viewing device and method thereof
An augmented reality technology-based handheld viewing device and a method thereof. The device includes a video collecting unit, which is used for capturing a real scene; an intelligent computing terminal, which is used for identifying a two-dimensional code to obtain code value information and space position information, then placing a preset virtual scene according to the space position information, and generating a viewing frame; a voice output unit, which is used for outputting voice information corresponding to the virtual scene; and a liquid crystal display screen. Compared with the prior art, the handheld viewing device can generate a virtual environment that highly matches the real scene and has vivid visual sense, hearing sense, touching sense, force sense, dynamic sense and can realize direct interaction between a user and virtual three-dimensional environment. For a child, more sensory stimulation is available, learning efficiency is improved, and the teaching with pleasure is achieved. |
| US09996976B2 |
System and method for real-time overlay of map features onto a video feed
A method is provided for augmenting video feed obtained by a camera of a aerial vehicle to a user interface. The method can include obtaining a sequence of video images with or without corresponding sensor metadata from the aerial vehicle; obtaining supplemental data based on the sequence of video images and the sensor metadata; correcting an error in the sensor metadata using a reconstruction error minimization technique; creating a geographically-referenced scene model based on a virtual sensor coordinate system that is registered to the sequence of video images; overlaying the supplemental information onto the geographically-referenced scene model by rendering geo-registered data from a 3D perspective that matches a corrected camera model; creating a video stream of a virtual representation from the scene from the perspective of the camera based on the overlaying; and providing the video stream to a UI to be render onto a display. |
| US09996974B2 |
Method and apparatus for representing a physical scene
Systems, methods, and devices are described for constructing a digital representation of a physical scene by obtaining information about the physical scene. Based on the information, an initial portion of a planar surface within the physical scene may be identified. In one aspect of the disclosure, constructing a digital representation of a physical scene may include obtaining information about the physical scene, identifying a planar surface within the physical scene, selecting a physical object within the physical scene, placed above the planar surface, detecting properties associated with the physical object, generating a three-dimensional (3D) reconstructed object using the properties associated with the physical object, and representing the planar surface as an augmented reality (AR) plane in an augmented reality environment, wherein the AR plane in the AR environment is capable of supporting 3D reconstructed objects on top of it. |
| US09996969B2 |
Dynamically creating and presenting a three-dimensional (3D) view of a scene by combining color, brightness, and intensity from multiple scan data sources
A method, system, and computer program product provide the ability to dynamically generate a three-dimensional (3D) scene. A red green blue (RGB) image (in RGB color space) of the 3D scene is acquired. The RGB image is converted from RGB color space to a luminance (Y) and chrominance (UV) image in YUV color space (hat includes Y information and UV information). Reflectance information of the 3D scene is acquired from a laser scanner. Based on a blending function, the luminance information is blended with the reflectance information resulting in a blended YUV image. The blended YUV image is converted from YUV color space into RGB color space resulting in a blended RGB image that is output. |
| US09996968B2 |
Method and system for performing rendering using first and second projections
A method and system for performing rendering at a given viewpoint of at least one portion of visual areas blinded to a perspective rendering at the given viewpoint are disclosed, the method comprising providing a projection model comprising a first part used for rendering far view and a second part for rendering near view such that at least one portion of the visual areas is rendered using the second part of the projection model and further wherein a transition between the first part of the projection model and the second part of the projection model is characterized by projection vectors substantially similar, obtaining image data, performing a first projection of at least one part of the image data according to the first part of the projection model to generate first projected data, performing a second projection of another part of the image data according to the second part of the projection model to generate second projected data and displaying projected data using the first projected data and the second projected data. |
| US09996961B2 |
Method and apparatus for generating a composite image based on an ambient occlusion
A method, apparatus and computer program product are provided for non-occluding overlay of user interface or information elements on a contextual map. A method is provided including receiving a two dimensional image associated with a geographic area or object, receiving geometry model associated with the associated with the geographic area, generating an embossing map based on ambient occlusions associated with the geometry model, and generating a composite image based on the two dimensional image and the embossing map. |
| US09996957B2 |
Mosaic display system using open and closed rectangles for placing media files in continuous contact
A method and system for displaying a dynamic mosaic of media files, the method comprising: receiving media files, determining a fill direction, constructing a layout, determining an edge set from the media files previously placed on the layout, determining a trailing edge, and adjacent edges, constructing a set of closed rectangles an open rectangle from the trailing edge and adjacent edges, providing a first set of frames by iteratively attempting to fill up to one closed rectangle from the set of closed rectangles, providing a second set of frames by filling the open rectangle by placing one searched media file in the open rectangle if no closed rectangle in the set of closed rectangles can be filled, and inserting one of the first set of frames and the second set of frames into a current layout before updating a current edge set based on the inserted frames. |
| US09996949B2 |
System and method of presenting views of a virtual space
Views of a virtual space may be presented based on predicted colors of individual pixels of individual frame images that depict the views of the virtual space. Predictive models may be assigned to individual pixels that predict individual pixel colors of individual pixels at individual time points. Individual models may be updated and/or reprojected to other pixels based on comparisons of the predicted pixel colors and colors specified by in a raster input signal. |
| US09996948B2 |
Image downsampling apparatus and method
An image downsampling apparatus and an image downsampling method are provided. The image downsampling apparatus includes a one-directional downsampling circuit, a multi-directional downsampling circuit and an output circuit. The one-directional downsampling performs one-directional downsampling by using an original image signal to obtain and output a first adjusted image signal. The multi-directional downsampling circuit performs multi-directional downsampling by using the original image signal to obtain and output a second adjusted image signal. The output circuit outputs a downsampled image signal according to the first adjusted image signal and the second adjusted image signal. |
| US09996946B2 |
Maintenance supporting system and maintenance supporting method utilizing a reference image and indicator
To provide a structure maintenance supporting system that can accurately and quickly associate any position on a structure with a position in the drawing of the structure that is referred to at the time of maintenance. A maintenance supporting system includes an image displaying device that displays an image of a structure to be referred to when any damaged position on the structure is maintained, and a processing unit that performs calculation to associate the damaged position with a position in the image. The processing unit includes a damaged position calculating section that calculates a target coordinate which is the coordinate of the damaged position using known coordinates given to a plurality of reference points, and a position specifying section that specifies a position in the image corresponding to the target coordinate with an indication on the image displaying device. |
| US09996943B2 |
System and method for analyzing features of a human face using one or more overlay facial grids
The present invention generally relates to human facial feature analysis. Specifically, embodiments of the present invention relate a system and method for utilizing one or more overlay grids in conjunction with imagery of a human face in order to analyze beauty and attractiveness of the face in the underlying imagery. In a preferred embodiment, the system utilizes computerized image capture features and processing features to analyze a human face in relation to a plurality of overlay grids in order to identify and empirically measure beauty and attractiveness based on the alignment of said overlay grids with specific features (e.g., nose, lips, eyebrows) of the human face and whether a successful fit exists with specifically defined Hayduke facial grids or by how close the individual's facial features align with specifically defined Hayduke facial grids. |
| US09996938B2 |
Methods and systems for corneal topography, blink detection and laser eye surgery
A method of blink detection in a laser eye surgical system includes providing a topography measurement structure having a geometric marker. The method includes bringing the topography measurement structure into a position proximal to an eye such that light traveling from the geometric marker is capable of reflecting off a refractive structure of the eye of the patient, and also detecting the light reflected from the structure of the eye for a predetermined time period while the topography measurement structure is at the proximal position. The method further includes converting the light reflected from the surface of the eye into image data and analyzing the image data to determine whether light reflected from the geometric marker is present is in the reflected light, wherein if the geometric marker is determined not to be present, the patient is identified as having blinked during the predetermined time. |
| US09996937B2 |
Image apparatus, image processing method, and computer readable, non-transitory medium
An image processor includes: a memory; and a processor, wherein the processor is configured to: extract an arc area in an image captured by an image sensor; and determine whether a portion that protrudes from an arc in the arc area satisfies a first reference regarding a shape and detect the portion as a colony candidate when it is determined that the portion satisfies the first reference. |
| US09996934B2 |
Device with an adaptive camera array
The invention relates to a method comprising obtaining a desired field of view (FOV) for an image arranged to be captured, determining a required field of view (r_fov) of the FOV for each active camera sensor of a camera array having a field of view (fov), comparing the r_fov and the fov, and determining a bend angle between adjacent camera sensors to achieve the FOV by camera sensors of the camera sensor array, if the r_fov is less than or equal to the fov. The invention further relates to an apparatus, a system and a computer program product that perform the method. |
| US09996929B2 |
Visualization of deformations using color overlays
Computer-implemented methods and apparati for graphically displaying deformations, said deformations defined by comparing a first image of an object (1) with a second image of the same or a different object (1). A method embodiment of the present invention comprises the steps of scanning an object (1) twice to produce first and second images; tabulating deformations and converting said tabulated deformations into a scalar property over a preselected range; quantizing the range into a set of discrete quantization intervals; assigning a unique color out of a discrete or quasi-continuous set of colors to each quantization interval to produce a color overlay; and simultaneously displaying the color overlay and a representation of at least one of the first and second images, whereby said deformations are readily viewable in color. |
| US09996927B2 |
Endoscope apparatus
An endoscope apparatus includes: a detector configured to detect a movement of an organ that moves a subject and output a detection signal; an image pickup portion configured to pick up an image of the subject and output a plurality of picked-up images; and a freeze processing portion configured to calculate a movement evaluation value evaluated according to the detection signal of the detector for at least some of the plurality of picked-up images, and determine a still image from the plurality of picked-up images based on the evaluated movement evaluation value. |
| US09996926B2 |
Lean tissue volume quantification
The present invention relates to a method of quantifying a lean tissue volume comprising the steps of acquiring (10) a acquired image as a water-fat separated magnetic resonance image, wherein the acquired image comprises a water image and a fat image, providing (20) a calibrated fat image (F), providing (30) a soft tissue mask (STM) defining areas of soft tissue in the acquired image, and defining (40) a region of interest (ROI) of the acquired image. The method further comprises a step of calculating (50) a lean tissue volume (LTV) by multiplying, for each volume element in the region of interest, the soft tissue mask with the volume (Vvox) of each volume element and the result of one minus the calibrated fat image, and summarizing the products of said multiplications for all volume elements in the region of interest. |
| US09996925B2 |
System and method for assessing wound
The wound assessing method and system provide a convenient, quantitative mechanism for diabetic foot ulcer assessment. |
| US09996924B2 |
Systems and methods for spectral unmixing of microscopic images using pixel grouping
Systems and methods for speeding up a spectral unmixing process by using pixel groups are disclosed. Operations including forming groups of similar pixels, and unmixing only one representative pixel from each pixel group enable determination of an unmixing result for all the pixels in the group. A similarity metric may be based on a dot product of an unprocessed pixel with the representative pixel in the subset of pixels. The method is repeated for any number of remaining unmatched pixels that exceed a threshold, until the number of remaining or unmatched pixels is smaller than the threshold, upon which the remaining pixels may be individually unmixed. Significantly fewer unmixing operations are performed on an image, thereby speeding up the unmixing process. |
| US09996920B2 |
Automated detection and repositioning of micro-objects in microfluidic devices
Methods are provided for the automated detection of micro-objects in a microfluidic device. In addition, methods are provided for repositioning micro-objects in a microfluidic device. In addition, methods are provided for separating micro-objects in a spatial region of the microfluidic device. |
| US09996919B2 |
Method for extracting airways and pulmonary lobes and apparatus therefor
Provided is a method and apparatus for segmenting airways and pulmonary lobes. An image processing apparatus obtains a first candidate region of an airway from a three-dimensional (3D) human body image by using a region growing method, obtains a second candidate region of the airway based on a directionality of a change in signal intensity of voxels belonging to a lung region segmented from the 3D human body image, segments an airway region by removing noise based on similarity of a directionality of a change in signal intensity of voxels belonging to a third candidate region acquired by combining together the first and second candidate regions. Furthermore, the image processing apparatus segments a lung region from a 3D human body image by using a region growing method, obtains a fissure candidate group between pulmonary lobes based on a directionality of a change in signal intensity of voxels belonging to the lung region, reconstructs an image of the lung region including the fissure candidate group into an image viewed from a front side of a human body and generates a virtual fissure based on a fissure candidate group shown in the reconstructed image, and segments the pulmonary lobes by using the virtual fissure. |
| US09996918B2 |
Method for distinguishing pulmonary artery and pulmonary vein, and method for quantifying blood vessels using same
A method for distinguishing between pulmonary arteries and pulmonary veins and a method for quantifying blood vessels are disclosed. The method for distinguishing between pulmonary arteries and pulmonary veins includes: forming a set of pulmonary vessels for points corresponding to pulmonary vessels, wherein each of the points of the set of pulmonary vessels has weight information; forming a tree from the points of the set of pulmonary vessels by using the weight information; and distinguishing between the pulmonary arteries and the pulmonary veins by separating the tree into a plurality of regions. The method for quantifying blood vessels includes: extracting blood vessels as a three-dimensional set of voxels based on medical images of an organ; finding the voxels of blood vessels included in a region of interest of the organ; and quantifying length information of the blood vessels by using the found voxels. |
| US09996914B2 |
Arbitrary view generation
Techniques for generating an arbitrary view from a plurality of other existing views are disclosed. In some embodiments, arbitrary view generation includes retrieving a first image having a first perspective and a second image having a second perspective, transforming each of the first image and the second image into a third perspective; and generating a third image having the third perspective by combining at least some of the pixels from the transformed first image and at least some of the pixels from the transformed second image. |
| US09996912B2 |
Systems, methods, and apparatuses for histogram of gradients
One of the challenges in bringing computational imaging to a mass market is that computational imaging is inherently computationally expensive. The computational challenges associated with computational imaging are apparent with the computation of a histogram of gradient descriptors. Oftentimes, generating a histogram of gradient descriptors involves computing gradients of an image, binning the gradients according to their orientation, and, optionally, normalizing the bins using a non-linear function. Because each of these operations is expensive, the histogram of gradient descriptor computations is generally computationally expensive and is difficult to implement in a power efficient manner for mobile applications. The present application discloses a computing device that can provide a low-power, highly capable computing platform for computing a histogram of gradient descriptors. |
| US09996904B2 |
Intelligent image processing for enterprise applications
Techniques are described for processing an electronic image for presentation in a display of an enterprise application according to a format for presenting electronic image in the enterprise application. A format for an enterprise application may indicate display attributes such as an aspect ratio, a frame size, a resolution, or the like. The format for presenting an electronic image may correspond to a type of an enterprise application, a function of an enterprise application, a feature of an enterprise application, one or more subjects of the electronic image, other criteria associated with an enterprise application, or a combination thereof. These techniques may enable an electronic image to be adjusted for presentation in enterprise applications that have different formats. Users may benefit by not having to provide an electronic image adjusted to the different formats, thereby enabling a single electronic image to be used for a variety of enterprise applications. |
| US09996895B2 |
Image display system, information processing apparatus, and image display method
An image display system is provided that includes an information processing apparatus and a terminal apparatus that receives a wide-angle image from the information processing apparatus. The information processing apparatus includes a region determining unit that determines a region of the wide-angle image that is viewed less frequently than other regions of the wide-angle image, a reduction unit that deletes the region determined as less frequently viewed by the region determining unit from the wide-angle image to generate a reduced wide-angle image, and a first transmitting unit that transmits the reduced wide-angle image generated by the reduction unit to the terminal apparatus. The terminal apparatus includes a receiving unit that receives the reduced wide-angle image from the information processing apparatus, and an image display unit that displays the reduced wide-angle image on a display device. |
| US09996894B2 |
Image processing device, video subsystem and video pipeline
The present disclosure discloses a video pipeline comprising: a video processor operable to output at least an image processing parameter and at least an encoding parameter according to one or both of at least one parameter and at least one instruction from a domain outside the video pipeline; an image signal processor operable to turn image raw data into lower resolution video data and video data according to the at least one image processing parameter; a streaming conversion circuit operable to convert the video data into converted data; and an encoder operable to encode video data and encode the converted data according to the at least one encoding parameter. |
| US09996893B2 |
Display apparatus constituting multi display system and control method thereof
A display apparatus constituting a multi display system is provided. The display apparatus includes an input connector to receive input of an image, a processor to process an image corresponding to the display apparatus from the input image, a display to display the processed image, and an output connector to transmit the input image to an adjacent display apparatus connected to the display apparatus, and the processor, in response to an image input through the input connector being changed to a second connector from a first image, processes an image corresponding to the display apparatus from the second image, and controls the display to display the processed second image based on a synchronization signal of the first image. |
| US09996892B2 |
Apparatus and method for efficient graphics processing in a virtual execution environment
An apparatus and method are described for improving the efficiency of graphics operations in a virtual execution environment. For example, one embodiment of a system comprises: a classification module to detect graphics application programming interface (API) calls in a guest execution environment and responsively classify the graphics API calls as originating from an application or a system component; the classification module to associate information with each of the graphics API calls to indicate whether each of the graphics API calls originated from the application or from the system component; and an enhanced graphics API translator (EGAT) to translate the graphics API calls to a format executable in a host execution environment, the EGAT to identify each of the API calls as originating from the application or the system component using the information associated with the graphics API calls by the classification module, the EGAT comprising: a first translation sequence to translate the graphics API calls to a first set of translated graphics API calls if the graphics API calls originated from the application; and a second translation sequence to translate the graphics API calls to a second set of translated graphics API calls if the graphics API calls originated from the system component, the first set of translated graphics API calls being different from the second set of translated graphics API calls. |
| US09996891B2 |
System and method for digital watermarking
A digital watermarking system and method are disclosed. In one respect, the disclosed digital watermarking includes generating an extracted signal by applying a watermark extractor to an original image, generating a mixed signal by mixing the first signal with a periodic watermark signal using a local weighting factor for the periodic watermark signal that attenuates a strength of the watermark signal in proportion to a pixel luminance level, and replacing the extracted signal in the original image with the mixed signal to generate a marked image, wherein the watermark signal is extractable from the marked image using the watermark extractor. |
| US09996889B2 |
Identifying group and individual-level risk factors via risk-driven patient stratification
Systems and methods for individual risk factor identification include identifying common risk factors for one or more risk targets from population data. Individuals are stratified into clusters based upon the common risk factors. A discriminability of each of the common risk factors is determined, using a processor, for a target cluster using individual data of the target cluster to provide re-ranked common risk factors as individual risk factors for the target cluster, such that the discriminability is a measure of how a risk factor discriminates its cluster from other clusters. |
| US09996887B2 |
System for providing authoring service and user terminal for providing authoring service
An authoring service system which includes an authoring service controller providing an authoring tool to a user terminal and receiving self-made digital content generated using the authoring tool from the user terminal, a license manager managing license information for each digital content and registering the license information related to the self-made digital content based on information received from the user terminal, and a content provisioner providing the self-made digital content based the license information. In this case, the authoring service system may provide an authoring service by linking to an in-app module installed in the user terminal. In addition, the authoring service system may provide a resale service for the self-made digital content by managing a license. |
| US09996886B1 |
Insurance claim capitation and predictive payment modeling
A claim-based capitation model is proposed for handling vehicle repair insurance claims. Rather than determining a detailed estimate of the expected actual cost of repair, the estimate may be determined using a simpler model. For example, the insurance company and a repair facility may agree to following a predictive payment model in which the insurance company pays a fixed predicted capitated amount of money for each repair claim, regardless of the amount of repair work that will be needed. Alternatively, the insurance company may pre-pay a fixed capitated amount for a predicted number of future insurance claims. |
| US09996885B1 |
System and method for facilitating vehicle insurance services
A system and method to facilitate providing vehicle insurance services includes providing a specialty vehicle data identifier template for facilitating translation of a vehicle data identifier used to identify a vehicle, the specialty vehicle data identifier template including a plurality of segments, each segment of the plurality of segments representative of a vehicle attribute; receiving a request of a database for vehicle attribute data based on a search term, identifying each vehicle data identifier stored in the database including vehicle attribute data that substantially matches at least a portion the search term, compiling an output including any identified vehicle data identifier, and providing the output in an accessible format in response to the request for information. |
| US09996880B2 |
Method and system for preventing and detecting identity theft
A system, method and computer program product for receiving information relating to a financial account of an individual from at least one first data provider; receiving information relating to at least one of an identity theft expense reimbursement insurance policy of the individual, a public information relating to the individual, an identity theft risk score of the individual, a credit card registry of the individual, a backup data relating to the individual, a background information of the individual, and a business report relating to the individual, from at least one second data provider; and preparing a report relating to the individual's identity theft based on the information. |
| US09996872B1 |
Strategies for presenting a recommendation as supplemental information
This application describes systems, methods, and techniques for presenting supplemental information. The systems, methods, and techniques described herein determine that a message includes a keyword and, based at least on the identified keyword, determine at least one item to recommend. The message can be annotated with an identifier of the recommended item, and responsive to activation of the identifier, the supplemental information regarding the item can be presented. |
| US09996871B2 |
Systems, methods, and mobile computing devices for purchase of items and delivery to a location within a predetermined communication range
Systems, methods, and mobile computing devices for purchase of items and delivery to a location within a predetermined communication range are disclosed. According to an aspect, a mobile computing device includes a first communications module having a predetermined communication range and configured to receive an indication of one or more items for purchase and delivery to a location within the predetermined communication range. The mobile computing device also includes a user interface and an item ordering manager. The item ordering manager is configured to receive user input via the user interface for selecting one or more of the items for purchase and delivery to the location within the predetermined communication range. The item ordering manager is also configured to use the communications module to communicate identification of the one or more of the items to a second communications module within the predetermined communication range. |
| US09996869B2 |
Methods and systems for providing personal shopping services
A method and system for providing personal shopping assistance via a computing device includes hosting a database of information regarding a customer, hosting a database of information regarding a personal shopper, and associating the customer with the personal shopper. The personal shopper is provided the ability to recommend at least one of a product or a service relevant to the customer and receiving an indication of the purchase of the recommended product or service by the customer. An incentive system may provide a reward to the personal shopper based upon the purchased product or service, including a commission or other reward. The system may be implemented on a desktop and/or mobile device as desired to provide flexibility in implementation. |
| US09996864B2 |
User enhanced authentication system for online purchases
Embodiments of the invention are directed to methods, systems, devices and computer-readable media. In embodiments of the invention, a user is authenticated using an authentication process that is capable of authenticating a user using an inline authentication form that can authenticate a consumer without transferring a session maintained by a merchant. The inline authentication form is used if the components of the authentication system are capable of supporting an inline authentication form. If the components of the system cannot support an inline authentication form, a different authentication process is used. In one embodiment, an inline authentication form is presented to the user asynchronously. This inline authentication form may be presented within an iFrame embedded in a merchant's checkout page after verifying that the components to be used during the authentication can support the inline authentication form. |
| US09996861B2 |
User identification and personalization based on automotive identifiers
A system and method for user identification and personalization based on automotive identifiers are described. Image data of a vehicle is received from an image capture device. Vehicle identification information is extracted from the image data. A data record associated with a user is retrieved using the vehicle identification information. A personalized communication for the user is generated based on the retrieved data record. The personalized communication may be transmitted to a device. The personalized communication may comprise a recommendation. |
| US09996857B2 |
Systems and methods for variable data publication
A system and method are provided for providing a variable data publication, wherein such publication is built as a custom publication for a particular user or group of users that includes editorial content or advertising that is based upon the intent of such user or group of users. |
| US09996856B2 |
Digital prescreen targeted marketing system and method
A system and method for electronically providing targeted marketing to a targeted individual is disclosed. An plurality of individuals prescreened to be targeted with targeted marketing is created but such individuals are anonymous to the offerer of the targeting marketing until the offerer is provided with an indication that each targeted individual has been authenticated and is among those that have been prescreened to receive the offer, at which time the offerer may electronically provide and fulfill the offer. |
| US09996853B2 |
Systems and methods for selecting an ad campaign among advertising campaigns having multiple bid strategies
Methods and systems are described for selecting an engaging ad campaign among advertising campaigns having different types of bid strategies. In one embodiment, an advertising system designed for selecting relevant and engaging ad campaigns for delivering to a device of a user includes an adaptive decision unit having filter logic for filtering eligible ad campaigns, a storage medium to store instructions of the system, and processing logic coupled to the storage medium. The processing logic is configured to execute the instructions of the system to receive and process an ad request from the device upon initiation of a software application on the device, filter eligible ad campaigns, convert each bid strategy of the filtered ad campaigns into an effective cost-per-mille (CPM) strategy, compare effective CPM strategies for the filtered ad campaigns, and select an ad campaign based on the comparison of the effective CPM strategies. |
| US09996850B1 |
Safe pixel
The safe pixel is code embedded in a web page that is executed when the web page is accessed by a user agent. When the safe pixel is executed, the safe pixel collects information about the device and invokes the execution of one or more abuse detection functions. Each abuse detection function implements a different technique for estimating the likelihood of abusive behavior being the cause of the safe pixel being executed. The safe pixel transmits in a reporting message the local information and the results of the abuse detection function executions to a traffic server. The traffic server analyzes the reporting message to make a determination of the validity of the action that caused the safe pixel being executed. |
| US09996844B2 |
Age-targeted online marketing using inferred age range information
Particular embodiments of the invention are directed to generating marketing-based age range products based at least on inferred data regarding the age of various network users. The age range products may be used for age-targeted online marketing. |
| US09996842B2 |
Method for tracking procedures performed on personal protection equipment and actions of individuals
A method for tracking procedures performed on personal protection equipment (PPE) and actions of individuals includes the following steps. An article of PPE configured with a smart tag is provided to an individual prior to performance of a task. After the individual performs the task, the article of PPE is processed. Information is retrieved from the smart tag during at least one of: before, during and after processing the article of PPE. After the performance of the task, the individual's data is read and the individual enters into a designated area. |
| US09996839B2 |
Systems and methods for data collection and providing coupons at a point of return
Systems and methods are described for collecting data at a merchant's point of return for use in processing a merchandise return transaction that is being requested by a customer. In various embodiments, the data may be collected using a wide variety of data collection technologies and may be used in conjunction with stored data, including data collected from other merchants, by a return authorization system to make a determination whether to accept or deny the requested merchandise return and whether to provide a coupon to the customer. The data may additionally or alternatively be used to determine whether to issue a warning to the customer about limitations on future return transactions presented by the customer. Examples of data categories that may be collected include, but are not limited to, information about: the merchant, the customer, the requested transaction, the merchandise being returned, one or more receipts, a clerk processing the transaction, and other general applicable information. |
| US09996837B2 |
Integration of secure protocols into a fraud detection system
Embodiments of the present invention are directed to methods and systems for performing a secure authentication process by leveraging the historical transaction data associated with an issuer. The historical transaction data stored at a fraud detection system may include the types of frequency of past authentication processes performed by the issuer, allowing for a determination of the likelihood of an authentication challenge process being applied to a current transaction. A merchant may define merchant rules that define what authentication process, if any, should then be applied to the current transaction based on the likelihood of an authentication challenge process being applied to the current transaction. |
| US09996836B2 |
IC chip for preventing identification key leak and authorization method thereof
Disclosed are an IC chip for preventing identification key leak and an authorization method thereof. An IC chip capable of performing a financial function includes: a PIN supply unit for supplying a PIN used for authorization when performing a financial function using the IC chip; and a blocking unit for physically blocking the gap between the PIN supply unit and an input-output interface when the PIN is supplied to the outside through the input-output interface at an initial access of the IC chip. |
| US09996834B2 |
Systems and methods for settling chargeback transactions
A chargeback settlement processing (CSP) computer system for determining a gain or loss in a chargeback transaction is provided, that includes a memory device and a processor in communication with the memory device. The processor is programmed to transmit to a payment card network for settlement at least one chargeback transaction file corresponding to at least one received chargeback transaction, associated with an original transaction settled using a first currency exchange rate. The at least one chargeback transaction file includes a unique file identifier. A reconciliation message received from the payment card network includes at least one settlement amount, determined at a second currency exchange rate, for the at least one chargeback transaction and the unique file identifier. The at least one chargeback transaction file is matched to the at least one settlement amount, using the unique file identifier, to determine whether a net gain or a net loss occurred. |
| US09996833B2 |
Mobile subscriber device for financial transaction tokens
There is provided a mobile subscriber unit for a financial transaction token. The subscriber unit interfaces with a financial token or card that is in communication with the subscriber unit. The financial token or card has an onboard energy source so that the card token may operate away from proximity to a merchant terminal (e.g.; a POS terminal). In one implementation, the onboard power storage device includes a rechargeable battery or capacitor such as a thin-film capacitor that stores sufficient energy to power the subscriber unit's onboard electronics and/or the electronics of a financial token in communication with the subscriber unit. The subscriber unit may be a component of another consumer device such as a computing device, communications device, an item of clothing, an item of jewelry, a cell phone, a PDA, an identification card, a money holder, a wallet, a purse, a briefcase, or a personal organizer. |
| US09996832B2 |
Method, system and apparatus for application loading
Method and device for processing a payment are disclosed. The method is performed at a user device and includes: receiving a user instruction for starting a payment through a pre-set payment platform; selecting a respective loading process from a plurality of loading processes for invoking a payment application, wherein: the plurality of loading processes include two or more of: (1) a first loading process for invoking the payment application immediately in a foreground process, (2) a second loading process for simulating at least one payment interface of the payment application in the purchase application before loading the payment application in the user device, and (3) a third loading process for completing the payment using simulated payment interfaces of the payment application without loading the payment application in the user device. |
| US09996828B2 |
Customer interaction manager on a mobile smart device
An approach is provided for indirectly connecting a customer's mobile smart device to computers located at a business when the customer is making a purchase at the business. The customer's mobile smart device and the business's computers communicate over the Internet with a customer interaction manager executing on an Internet server. This provides an easy to use interface for the customer and allows the customer to receive information and send requests to the business without having to wait for personnel working at the business to be available. |
| US09996825B1 |
Electronic device enabled payments
Payment transactions may be initiated by entering payment information, such as an amount, source, and recipient, through a graphical user interface (GUI) of an electronic device. The electronic device may transmit the payment information to a payment processor, such as a third party provider, bank, or the like, that may subsequently transmit an authorization request to an electronic device associated with the recipient. In certain embodiments, the recipient may identify a payment account and transmit the account information with the authorization to the payment processor. Upon receiving the authorization, the payment processor may transmit recipient identification information to the payor's electronic device. The payor may then confirm the identity of the payment recipient and confirm payment. Upon receiving the confirmation, the payment processor may process the payment. In other embodiments, certain authorizations and/or confirmations may be omitted, allowing more instantaneous payments to occur. |
| US09996823B1 |
Method and system of providing enhanced appointment notification service to mobile devices
A mobile device includes a client application configured to process and display a push notification specifying an appointment reminder originating from a server acting as an appointment manager. The client displays a menu of available options for conducting additional appointment-related transactions, such as confirmation, rescheduling, or cancellation of the appointment. Based on the user selection, the client conducts a user-interactive transaction with the server to complete the requested appointment service. |
| US09996810B2 |
Satellite scheduling system
Systems and methods are provided for scheduling objects having pair-wise and cumulative constraints. The systems and methods presented can utilize a directed acyclic graph to increase or maximize a utilization function. Violation of cumulative constraints can be identified at the moment of constraint violation such that events resulting in constraint violations can be removed from the schedule while the schedule is being determined. By removing the events triggering constraint violations at the point of constraint violation, the systems and methods provided can determine optimal or near-optimal schedules in a relatively quick and efficient manner compared to systems and methods that check for violations of cumulative constraints after determining a schedule. The objects can comprise satellites in a constellation of satellites. In some implementations, the satellites are imaging satellites, and the systems and methods for scheduling can use crowd-sourced data to determine events of interest for acquisition of images. |
| US09996806B2 |
Modeling an enterprise
Computer implemented methods, apparatuses, and compute program products for modeling an enterprise are provided. Embodiments include providing to a user, by an enterprise modeling controller, a user interface comprising an icon carousel and a drop area interface for moving selected icons from the icon carousel. The icon carousel contains a plurality of icons, where each icon of the plurality of icons represents a particular solution component configuration. Embodiments also include for each icon within the drop area interface, identifying a corresponding solution component configuration and configuration data associated with the solution component configuration. Embodiments also include generating based on the configuration data associated with the identified solution component configurations one or more integration patterns indicating data processing relationships of the identified solution component configurations. Embodiments also include generating an enterprise model based on the identified solution component configurations and the one or more integration patterns. |
| US09996804B2 |
Machine learning model tracking platform
Some embodiments include a machine learner platform. The machine learner platform can implement a model tracking service to track one or more machine learning models for one or more application services. A model tracker database can record a version history and/or training configurations of the machine learning models. The machine learner platform can implement a platform interface configured to present interactive controls for building, modifying, evaluating, deploying, or compare the machine learning models. A model trainer engine can task out a model training task to one or more computing devices. A model evaluation engine can compute an evaluative metric for a resulting model from the model training task. |
| US09996803B2 |
Systems and methods for authenticating a user through an unobservable re-authentication system
Systems and methods for authenticating a user through an unobservable re-authentication process are disclosed. |
| US09996797B1 |
Interactions with virtual objects for machine control
The technology disclosed relates to manipulating a virtual object. In particular, it relates to detecting a hand in a three-dimensional (3D) sensory space and generating a predictive model of the hand, and using the predictive model to track motion of the hand. The predictive model includes positions of calculation points of fingers, thumb and palm of the hand. The technology disclosed relates to dynamically selecting at least one manipulation point proximate to a virtual object based on the motion tracked by the predictive model and positions of one or more of the calculation points, and manipulating the virtual object by interaction between at least some of the calculation points of the predictive model and the dynamically selected manipulation point. |
| US09996795B2 |
Generating a non-deterministic model of a process for a goal
A method and a system of generating a non-deterministic model of an artifact system for a received goal are provided.A description of artifacts and services associated with an original version of a process is received. Component automata represent the artifacts and services that are automatically generated. There is one component automaton for each attribute of an artifact. States of a particular component automaton represents potential values of a particular attribute and transitions between the states represent services that operate on the values. A non-deterministic model of the process is generated by automatically generating a composite automaton, which includes the component automata, based on the received goal. The composite automaton provides the non-deterministic model of the process. |
| US09996791B2 |
Radio frequency identification enabled mirrors
A radio frequency identification (RFID) enabled mirror includes a mirror comprising a reflective layer. The reflective layer comprises at least one layer of a metallic material. At least one portion of the reflective layer is removed to form a booster antenna from a remaining portion of the reflective layer. A dielectric coating is applied to the mirror where the reflective layer was removed. The RFID-enabled mirror further includes an RFID chip coupled to the booster antenna. |
| US09996787B2 |
Layered structure with conductive polymer for recognition of manipulation and process for the production thereof
The invention relates to a layered structure (10) comprising the following layers: a) a first substrate layer (2), wherein the first substrate layer (2) has a first surface (4) and a second surface (6) and is configured as a dielectric; b) a first electrically conductive layer (8) which overlaps at least in part the first substrate layer (2) at least on the first surface (4) of the first substrate layer (2), wherein the first electrically conductive layer (8) comprises an electrically conductive polymer, wherein the first electrically conductive layer (8) has at least one first part region (18) and at least one further part region (20), wherein the at least one first part region (18) has a higher bonding strength to the substrate layer (2) than to the at least one further part region (20). |
| US09996785B1 |
Transaction card having an electrically applied coating
A transaction card may comprise a first card component having an electrically conductive surface configured to receive an electrically applied coating. An electrically applied coating may be formed on the electrically conductive surface. The transaction card may be manufactured by forming a first card component having an electrically conductive surface configured to receive an electrically applied coating. The method may also include applying an electrically applied coating to the electrically conductive surface. |
| US09996782B2 |
System for and method of communicating barcode information using a mobile device
A system for and a method of communicating barcode information using a mobile device. A method comprises steps of: invoking an application print feature using a first software application of the mobile device, the first software application being print-capable; extracting one or more barcodes from the print content using a second software application; and transmitting an extracted barcode from the mobile device as pulsed light using light-emitting hardware of the mobile device. |
| US09996779B2 |
Intelligent label device and method
Briefly, an intelligent label is associated with a good, and includes one or more permanent and irreversible electrochromic indicators that are used to report the condition of that good at selected points in the movement or usage of that good. These electrochromic indicators provide immediate visual information regarding the status of the good without need to interrogate or communicate with the electronics or processor on the intelligent label. In this way, anyone in the shipping or use chain for the good, including the end user consumer, can quickly understand whether the product is meeting shipping and quality standards. If a product fails to meet shipping or quality standards, the particular point where the product failed can be quickly and easily identified, and information can be used to assure the consumer remains safe, while providing essential information for improving the shipping process. It will be understood that the label may take many forms, such as a tag attached to the good, integrated into the packaging for the good, integrated into the good itself, or may even be an information area on a prepaid card for example. The label may also include, for example, print information regarding the good, usage or shipping rules, or address and coded information. |
| US09996773B2 |
Face recognition in big data ecosystem using multiple recognition models
A system trains a facial recognition modeling system using an extremely large data set of facial images, by distributing a plurality of facial recognition models across a plurality of nodes within the facial recognition modeling system. The system optimizes a facial matching accuracy of the facial recognition modeling system by increasing a facial image set variance among the plurality of facial recognition models. The system selectively matches each facial image within the extremely large data set of facial images with at least one of the plurality of facial recognition models. The system reduces the time associated with training the facial recognition modeling system by load balancing the extremely large data set of facial images across the plurality of facial recognition models while improving the facial matching accuracy associated with each of the plurality of facial recognition models. |
| US09996770B2 |
Image processing method, image processing apparatus, recording medium, and method of manufacturing assembly
A model containing a plurality of model edges is acquired, and a position that matches the model is searched for within a search image. Within the search image, a plurality of edge extraction regions including the respective plurality of model edges when the model is moved to the position searched for are set, and an arithmetic operation of extracting an edge in each of the plurality of edge extraction regions is performed. If there is an edge extraction region where no edge has been able to be extracted, of the model moved to the position searched for, a model edge located in the edge extraction region where no edge has been able to be extracted is incorporated into an edge set, and fitting is performed to the edge set. |
| US09996769B2 |
Detecting usage of copyrighted video content using object recognition
Techniques detecting usage of copyrighted video content using object recognition are provided. In one example, a computer-implemented method comprises determining, by a system operatively coupled to a processor, digest information for a video, wherein the digest information comprises objects appearing in the video and respective times at which the objects appear in the video. The method further comprises comparing, by the system, the digest information with reference digest information for reference videos, wherein the reference digest information identifies reference objects appearing in the reference videos and respective reference times at which the reference objects appear in the reference videos. The method further comprises determining, by the system, whether the video comprises content included in one or more of the reference videos based on a degree of similarity between the digest information and reference digest information associated with one or more of the reference videos. |
| US09996762B2 |
Image processing method and image processing apparatus
An image processing apparatus performs an image recognition process, such as pattern matching or contour detection, on image data supplied from an image pickup device, and stores history data of the image recognition process in an external storage apparatus. In this case, an extraction image is extracted from an extraction region determined in accordance with the image recognition process performed on the input image data and is stored in the external storage device as history data. Furthermore, the history data logged in the external storage device may include a compressed image that is obtained by compressing, using lossy compression, the entire image data subjected to the image processing performed by the image processing apparatus. |
| US09996750B2 |
On-camera video capture, classification, and processing
Video and corresponding metadata is accessed. Events of interest within the video are identified based on the corresponding metadata, and best scenes are identified based on the identified events of interest. Events of interest can be tagged within the video based on, for instance, user input, audio signals, motion vectors, and metadata corresponding to the video. A camera system can process video data based on the events of interest tagged within the video before outputting the video data. For instance, video scenes associated with tagged events of interest can be combined to form a video highlight clip. Likewise, portions of video tagged with events of interest can be encoded or stored at a higher resolution or frame rate than other portions of the video. |
| US09996749B2 |
Detecting contextual trends in digital video content
Computerized methods and systems, including computer programs encoded on a computer storage medium, may detect events shown within digital video content captured by one or more video cameras during a prior time period, and predict an occurrence of an additional event during a future time period based on time-varying patterns among the detected events. For example, a computing system may detect events shown within digital video content captured by one or more video cameras, and may establish a predictive model that identifies one or more time-varying patterns in event parameter values that characterize the detected events within the prior time period. Based on an outcome of the predictive model, the computing system may determine an expected value of one of the event parameters during the second time period. |
| US09996747B2 |
System and method for ground based inspection of wind turbine blades
A ground based wind turbine blade inspection system and method consists of a thermal imaging camera configured to detect propagating defects by acquiring thermal imaging data from a wind turbine blade when it is substantially at thermal equilibrium with respect to surrounding air and analyzing the thermal imaging data with a processor to identify thermal effects associated with latent defects caused by internal friction due to cyclic gravitational stresses and wind loads during normal turbine operation. The system permits latent defects to be identified using a ground-based in situ inspection before they become visually apparent, which allows repairs to be made economically while the blade is in place. |
| US09996744B2 |
System, method, and recording medium for tracking gaze using only a monocular camera from a moving screen
A gaze tracking method, system, and non-transitory computer readable medium for tracking an eye gaze on a device including a monocular camera and an accelerometer, include calculating a parametric equation of a gaze vector passing through a pupil of a user and an eye ball center of the user, calculating a new offset plane equation of a screen of the device based on yaw, roll, and pitch offset readings from a stationary registered plane equation initially determined from the screen of the device, and calculating an intersection of the eye gaze vector with the new offset plane equation. |
| US09996737B2 |
Method and system for automatically recognizing facial expressions via algorithmic periocular localization
This disclosure provides a method and system for automatically recognizing facial expressions at variable resolutions of video. According to one exemplary method, facial expressions are detected, extracted and classified from a video sequence based on an automatic localization of the periocular region associated with a detected and extracted face. |
| US09996733B2 |
User authentication via image manipulation
An initial image associated with a stored profile of the user is presented on a display device. Input including a manipulation of the initial image to transform the initial image to a manipulated initial image is received on an input device. The user is authenticated in response to the manipulated initial image sufficiently matching a target manipulated image associated with the stored profile of the user. Optionally, prior to presenting the initial image, a facial image of the user is captured. The user is identified by applying a facial recognition technique to the captured facial image of the user. The display device is arranged to present the initial image in response to identifying the user as having a stored profile. |
| US09996732B2 |
Liveness detector for face verification
A method, product and system for implementing liveness detector for face verification. A method comprising detecting a symmetry line of the face; and verifying that the subject moved the mouth by computing a score based on values of a pair of images in the symmetry lines, wherein the score is indicative to a difference in the shape of the mouth between the pair of images. Another method comprises: verifying identity of a subject based on facial recognition and voice recognition, said verifying comprise determining there is mouth movement in an image sequence, wherein said determining comprises: in each image of the sequence, detecting a symmetry line of the face; and verifying that the subject moved the mouth, wherein said verifying comprises: computing a score based on comparison of symmetry lines of the face in different images of the set of images; and comparing the score with a threshold. |
| US09996731B2 |
Human head detection in depth images
Systems, devices and methods are described including receiving a depth image and applying a template to pixels of the depth image to determine a location of a human head in the depth image. The template includes a circular shaped region and a first annular shaped region surrounding the circular shaped region. The circular shaped region specifies a first range of depth values. The first annular shaped region specifies a second range of depth values that are larger than depth values of the first range of depth values. |
| US09996727B2 |
Method and device for detecting moving objects such as fingerprints and corresponding computer program product
A method for acquiring the image of an object, such as a part of a hand, that is rolled on a detection surface. The method comprises acquiring the image on an area on which the object is rolled that is located within the detection surface.The method comprises: detecting an initial position of the object positioned on the detection surface; and locating the rolling area within the detection surface as a function of the initial position in which the object has been positioned on the detection surface. |
| US09996725B2 |
Under screen sensor assembly
A sensor assembly that includes a silicon substrate and a sensor integrally formed on or in its top surface. Bond pads are formed at the substrate top surface and electrically coupled to the sensor. A trench is formed into the top surface, extending toward but not reaching the substrate's bottom surface. Conductive first traces each extend from one of the bond pads and down into the trench. One or more holes are formed into the bottom surface of the substrate and extend toward but do not reach the top surface. The one or more holes terminate at the bottom of the trench in a manner exposing the conductive first traces. Conductive second traces each extend from one of the conductive first traces at the bottom of the trench, along a sidewall of the one or more holes, and along the bottom surface of the silicon substrate. |
| US09996721B2 |
Optical imaging devices and methods
The present invention relates to optical imaging devices and methods for reading optical codes. The image device comprises a sensor, a lens, a plurality of illumination devices, and a plurality of reflective surfaces. The sensor is configured to sense with a predetermined number of lines of pixels, where the predetermined lines of pixels are arranged in a predetermined position. The lens has an imaging path along an optical axis. The plurality of illumination devices are configured to transmit an illumination pattern along the optical axis, and the plurality of reflective surfaces are configured to fold the optical axis. |
| US09996715B2 |
Automatic mode detection in a dual operating mode RFID tag
A multi-mode, preferably dual mode, radio frequency identification (RFID) tag is adapted for automatic detection of whether a RFID reader located within communication range of the RFID tag is transmitting a continuous wave (CW) or modulated wave types of RF signal, and accordingly, mandating a response from the tag in read-only (RO) mode or read/write (R/W) mode, respectively. The tag includes means for designating one of the RO and R/W operating modes as a default mode of the tag, and for switching the tag from its default mode to its other operating mode, and vice versa, according to a rule for determining the frequency of occurrence of a selected event related to signal type of the reader. A device-implemented method of this automatic detection, and a method of fabricating the tag, are also disclosed. |
| US09996714B2 |
Software-defined multi-mode RFID read devices
Devices and methods for reading multiple types of RFID tags having different frequencies and or encoding schemes are disclosed. One or more search signals covering a plurality of RFID bands are transmitted. A presence indication of an RFID tag in one of the plurality of RFID bands is detected. An interrogating signal having a carrier frequency tuned to a frequency at which the presence indication is detected is transmitted. A tag response signal comprising tag information associated with the RFID tag is received. A digital response signal based on the tag response signal is digital signal processed to obtain the tag information. |
| US09996704B2 |
Privacy verification tool
Systems and methods for protecting the privacy of users by controlling access to the users' data. In particular, some embodiments provide for a higher-level declarative language for expressing privacy policies which can be verified using a computer-aided verification tool. The verification tool uses the expressed privacy policies along with language-level assumptions and assertions in the verification process. For example, high-level models of the privacy policies can be reduced to a simpler verification representation (e.g., a Boolean representation) based on a set of assertions. This verification representation can then be submitted to a constraint solver (e.g., Satisfiability Modulo Theories solver) for verification. |
| US09996702B2 |
System for and method of data processing in a computer-implemented system
A computer-implemented system for processing a user device request to process a user data portion, the system comprising a server having a processor, the processor having a user space and a kernel space, the processor configured to perform receiving the request to process the user data portion from a user device, reading the user data portion from a database at the server, allocating space at the processor to define a sandbox environment defining a kernel space commands set of the processor to perform processing of the user data portion, isolating the processor within the sandbox environment in order to perform isolated execution of the request by the kernel space commands set, processing the user data portion within the sandbox environment, de-isolating the sandbox environment from the user space by returning an indication of a processed user data portion and writing the indication to the user space of the processor. |
| US09996701B2 |
Restrictive access of a digital object based on location
The present disclosure involves a method including: receiving a request to access an object from a user; prompting the user to go to a target location; receiving feedback from the user with respect to the user's location; determining, electronically by a processor, whether the user has reached the target location; granting access of the object to the user in response to the determining. The present disclosure involves a system including: a storage storing an electronic item; an electronic communications interface that: detects a request to access the item from an entity and prompts the entity to go to a target location in response to the request; a computer processor that: analyzes feedback from the entity with respect to the entity's location, determines whether the entity's location is sufficiently close to the target location, and grants or denies access of the item to the entity based on the determination. |
| US09996699B2 |
Method, electronic device and computer program product for screen shield
The present disclosure provides a screen shielding method, applied to a display device of an electronic device, wherein the display device has a display region, and the electronic device is arranged to execute a plurality of applications. The screen shielding method includes determining whether a first predetermined input signal has been received when a first application of the plurality of applications has been executed in the foreground, and producing a privacy block in response to the first predetermined input signal for entering a privacy protect mode. |
| US09996698B2 |
Automated management of confidential data in cloud environments
A shared networked storage may be separated from a key vault system. A storage request with data to be stored and the storage request with a confidentiality rating may be received. The confidentiality rating may indicate a level of confidentiality the data is associated with. The storage request with the data and the confidentiality rating may be received via a shared networked storage access interface by a security layer. The data to be stored by the key vault system and the confidentiality rating may be encrypted on request of the security layer and into a data container. The shared networked storage may be categorized into Cloud zones. Each Cloud zone may be assigned a trust level. The data container may be stored in one of the Cloud zones of the shared networked storage. The trust level of the one of the Cloud zones may correspond to the confidentiality rating. |
| US09996695B2 |
Dynamic malware analysis of a URL using a browser executed in an instrumented virtual machine environment
Various techniques for performing malware analysis of a URL (e.g., a URL sample) using a browser executed in an instrumented virtual machine environment are disclosed. In some embodiments, a system for performing dynamic malware analysis of a URL using a browser executed in an instrumented virtual machine environment includes the instrumented virtual machine environment executed on a processor that receives a URL sample for dynamic malware analysis using the browser executed in the instrumented virtual machine environment; and a dynamic time allocator executed on the processor that dynamically determines a period of time allocated for performing the dynamic malware analysis of the URL sample using the browser executed in the instrumented virtual machine environment, in which the URL sample is rendered using the browser executed in the instrumented virtual machine environment and monitored using the instrumented virtual machine environment for the period of time allocated for performing the dynamic malware analysis of the URL sample. |
| US09996694B2 |
Unsupervised detection of anomalous processes using hardware features
Disclosed are devices, systems, apparatus, methods, products, media and other implementations, including a method that includes obtaining current hardware performance data, including hardware performance counter data, for a hardware device executing a first process associated with pre-recorded hardware performance data representative of the first process' normal behavior, and determining whether a malicious process is affecting performance of the first process based on a determination of an extent of deviation of the obtained current hardware performance data corresponding to the first process from the pre-recorded hardware performance data representative of the normal behavior of the first process. |
| US09996693B2 |
Automated malware signature generation
Automated malware signature generation is disclosed. Automated malware signature generation includes monitoring incoming unknown files for the presence of malware and analyzing the incoming unknown files based on both a plurality of classifiers of file behavior and a plurality of classifiers of file content. An incoming file is classified as having a particular malware classification based on the analyzing of incoming unknown files and a malware signature is generated for the incoming unknown file based on the particular malware classification. Access is provided to the malware signature. |
| US09996689B2 |
Secure element for a telecommunications terminal
A secure element, for example an improved SIM card or the like, for a telecommunications terminal, such as a mobile telephone. The secure element may implement a trusted services management application, for example, by executing the trusted services management application on a secure processor. The trusted services management application may manage at least one trusted application to be run by the telecommunications terminal, where trusted applications are used for functions requiring a high level of security such as payment, the supply of “premium” content, which may be certified or guaranteed, or guaranteeing the integrity of the terminal. |
| US09996687B1 |
Authentication management
Disclosed aspects relate to authentication management. A first valid authentication input may be established with respect to access enablement to a computing asset. A second valid authentication input may be established with respect to access enablement to the computing asset. A triggering event may be detected. The first valid authentication input may be deactivated based on the triggering event. The second valid authentication input may be activated based on the triggering event. The graphical user interface may be presented which may appear to prompt for the first valid authentication input. The second valid authentication input may be received via the graphical user interface. Access enablement with respect to the computing asset may be authenticated in response to receiving the second valid authentication input. |
| US09996686B2 |
Password retrieval system and method involving token usage without prior knowledge of the password
A method for managing a master password on a network device, the method stored as a set of instructions executable by a computer processor to: store the master password in a first file in a memory of the network device; store the master password in a second file in the memory of the network device; encrypt access to the first file using a first password; encrypt access to the second file using a second password; send the second password and an identifier associated with the network device over a communications network to a registration server, the registration server configured for storing the second password for subsequent retrieval by the network device; when the first password is unavailable, send a password retrieval request including the identifier; receive the second password configured as a one-time use password; decrypt access to the second file to retrieve the master password; and, initiate a reset process for subsequent storage of the master password in the memory of the network device. |
| US09996684B2 |
System and method for authorizing access to access-controlled environments
Systems and methods are provided for authorizing a user to access an access-controlled environment. The system includes a system server platform that communicates with fixed PC's, servers and mobile devices (e.g., smartphones) operated by users. The systems and methods described herein enable a series of operations whereby a user attempting to access an access-controlled environment is prompted to biometrically authenticate using the user's preregistered mobile device. Biometric authentication can include capturing images of the user's biometric features, encoding the features as a biometric identifier, comparing the biometric identifier to a previously generated biometric identifier and determining liveness. In addition, the authentication system can further authorize the user and electronically grant access to the access-controlled environment. In this manner the secure authentication system can, based on biometric authentication, authorize a user's access to devices, online services, physical locations or any networked environment that require user authorization. |
| US09996679B2 |
Methods and apparatus for device authentication and secure data exchange between a server application and a device
In some embodiments, a method includes sending an authentication request to a client device to obtain a utilization code in response to a request from the client device to access data. The utilization code is uniquely associated with the client device. The method includes obtaining an authentication response including the utilization code from the client device and authenticating the client device if the utilization code matches a utilization identifier stored in a database. The method includes generating an encryption key using a seed based at least in part on the utilization code and encrypting the data with the encryption key to generate encrypted data and sending, when the utilization code matches the utilization identifier stored in the database, the encrypted data to the client device without requiring a user of the client device to login. |
| US09996678B2 |
Systems and methods for facilitating health research using a personal wearable device with research mode
Methods and systems for facilitating health research by utilizing one or more wearable sensor devices with a research mode are provided herein. Systems include a wearable sensor device that can pair with a first portable computing device of a user and a second computing device of a researcher in a first and second pairing, respectively. The wearable sensor device obtains one or more health parameters of a user. In one aspect, the wearable sensor device communicates research related and non-research related health information to the first computing device via the first pairing link and communicates only research related health information to the second computing device via the second pairing link. Methods for pairing one or more wearable sensor devices with one or more research computing devices and switching between operating modes to provide additional research related features are also provided. |
| US09996673B2 |
Method and system for monitoring intoxication
A method and system for monitoring a user's intoxication including receiving a set of signals, derived from a set of samples collected from the user at a set of time points; providing a sobriety task to the user proximal to a time point of the set of time points; generating a performance dataset characterizing performance of the sobriety task by the user; receiving a supplementary dataset characterizing a demographic profile of the user and/or a physiological state of the user; determining a set of values of an intoxication metric, derived from the set of signals; generating a predicted temporal profile of the intoxication metric for the user based upon the set of values, the set of time points, and the supplementary dataset; generating an analysis of the user's sobriety based upon the performance dataset and the predicted temporal profile; and providing a notification to the user based upon the analysis. |
| US09996669B2 |
Intelligent discovery of medical devices by a programming system
Techniques for automatically identifying medical devices, e.g., implantable medical device, using wireless communications in order to communicate with the medical devices are described. For instance, a programming system securely discovers a set of medical devices which have the capacity to communicate using wireless communication links. The programming system may then apply one or more search heuristics to identify a set of discovered medical devices that are likely to be a medical device with which a user desires to interact. When the user selects the desired one of the identified medical devices, the programming system launches a device interaction application associated with the desired medical device. The user may use the device interaction application to interact with the desired medical device. |
| US09996668B2 |
Data backfilling for continuous glucose monitoring
Methods and apparatus, including computer program products, are provided for backfilling. In some example embodiments, there is provided a method that includes receiving, at a receiver, backfill data representative of sensor data stored, at a continuous blood glucose sensor and transmitter assembly, due to a loss of a wireless link between the receiver and the continuous blood glucose sensor and transmitter assembly; generating, at the receiver, at least one of a notification or a graphically distinct indicator for presentation at a display of the receiver, the at least one of the notification or the graphically distinct indicator enabling the backfill data to be graphically distinguished, when presented at the display, from non-backfill data; and generating, at the receiver, a view including the backfill data, the non-backfill data, and the generated at least one of the notification or the graphically distinct indicator. Related systems, methods, and articles of manufacture are also described. |
| US09996665B2 |
Point of service transaction management for service facilities
The present invention enables the collection by credit/debit card payment of customer co-pay and self-pay charges via an integrated point-of-service transaction management system and method. The system and method of the present invention may assist health care facilities in the collection of co-pay and self-pay charges at the time service is rendered. The present invention can be implemented anywhere cash, checks, credit cards or debit cards are accepted for payment. |
| US09996660B2 |
Energy expenditure
Aspects relate to calculating energy expenditure values from an apparatus configured to be worn on an appendage of a user. Steps counts may be quantified, such as by detecting arm swings peaks and bounce peaks in motion data. A search range of acceleration frequencies related to an expected activity may be established. Frequencies of acceleration data within a search range may be analyzed to identify one or more peaks, such as a bounce peak and an arm swing peak. Novel systems and methods may determine whether to utilize the arm swing data, bounce data, and/or other data or portions of data to quantify steps. The number of peaks (and types of peaks) may be used to choose a step frequency and step magnitude. At least a portion of the motion data may be classified into an activity category based upon the quantification of steps. |
| US09996659B2 |
System and method for arranging equipment in a data center
A system and method for providing a layout of equipment in a data center, the equipment including a plurality of equipment racks, and at least one rack-based cooling provider. In one aspect, the method includes receiving data regarding airflow consumption for each of the plurality of equipment racks and cooling capacity of the at least one cooling provider, determining a layout of the data center, displaying the layout of the data center. In the method determining a layout can include pairing each equipment rack of the plurality of equipment racks with another equipment rack of the plurality of equipment racks based on airflow consumption of each of the plurality of equipment racks to create a plurality of pairs of equipment racks, arranging the pairs of equipment racks to form a two-row cluster of equipment racks based on the airflow consumption value of the equipment racks. |
| US09996656B2 |
Detecting dispensable inverter chains in a circuit design
Automated analyzing of an endpoint report for a design of an electronic circuit is provided, which includes: identifying, by a processing device, that one or more test points of a selected path of the endpoint report are associated with one or more inverter devices of an inverter chain of the design of the electronic circuit; establishing, by the processing device, a chain criticality value for the inverter chain; and determining, by the processing device, whether to identify the inverter chain as a dispensable inverter chain, the determining using, at least in part, the chain criticality value for the inverter chain. The establishing may include updating the chain criticality value for each inverter device of the inverter chain, where the chain criticality value is a summed value obtained from criticality values for the one or more inverter devices of the inverter chain. |
| US09996655B2 |
Skeleton I/O generation for early ESD analysis
A design flow of an integrated circuit may include a skeleton input/output (I/O) generation stage during which information about ESD protection circuitry and rails but not functional circuitry of the I/O cells of the integrated circuit is generated. The information may be used in an ESD analysis stage to generate performance characteristics of the ESD protection circuitry. Results of the ESD analysis may then be used to design optimized ESD protection circuitry along with the rest of the circuit components of the I/O cells. In this way, the design of ESD protection circuitry may be optimized without having to redo a completed I/O cell design and significantly delay the design flow before tapeout. |
| US09996653B1 |
Techniques for optimizing dual track routing
The subject technology provides a method and apparatus for performing dual track routing. A pair of signal traces is routed in between two rows of contacts and at least one of the signal traces is modified to satisfy a routing restriction. The modification of the signal trace includes three trace segments that deviate the signal trace away from the source of the routing restriction. |
| US09996651B2 |
Mask creation with hierarchy management using cover cells
A method and apparatus for translating a hierarchical IC layout file into a format that can be used by a mask writer that accepts files having a limited hierarchy. Cover cells of the original IC layout file or a modified file are designated, and the hierarchical file is redefined to include only those designated cover cells. Non-designated cover cells and other geometric data are flattened into the designated cover cells. The hierarchy of the modified file is then redefined to be less than or equal to the hierarchy limit of the mask writing tool. |
| US09996650B2 |
Modeling the performance of a field effect transistor having a dynamically depleted channel region
Disclosed are a system, a method and a computer program product for accurately modeling the performance of a body-contacted, asymmetric double gate, dynamically depleted (DD), semiconductor-on-insulator (SOI) field effect transistor (FET). This modeling can be performed, using iterative processing, to determine the conditions (e.g., back gate bias voltage, front gate bias voltage, body resistance and body charge) under which the FET channel region transitions from being in a partially depleted (PD) state such that the FET functions as a PD SOI FET to being in a fully depleted (FD) state such that the FET functions as a FD SOI FET. Once these conditions are known (i.e., once the model is generated), the DD SOI FET can be incorporated into top-level integrated circuit designs with specifications that either meet the conditions or do not meet the conditions, depending upon the desired function of the DD SOI FET within the integrated circuit. |
| US09996646B2 |
System and method of determining high speed resonance due to coupling from broadside layers
A method includes providing, on a printed circuit board, a first circuit trace having a first unit cell length and a second circuit trace having a second unit cell length, determining a time delay associated with the first unit cell length and the second unit cell length, estimating a floquet frequency associated with the time delay, where the floquet frequency is determined as f floquet = 1 2 t delay , where ffloquet is the floquet frequency, and tdelay is the time delay, and comparing the estimated floquet frequency with a first interface frequency associated with the first trace. |
| US09996645B2 |
Method and apparatus for modeling delays in emulation
A hardware verification system according to one embodiment includes, in part, a plurality of programmable devices. The plurality of programmable devices include a master scheduler, a plurality of schedulers and a plurality of programmable delay elements. A first one of the plurality of schedulers is configured to receive one or more delay values associated with one or more of the plurality of delay elements. Each of the plurality of programmable delay elements corresponds to a delay. The first scheduler is further configured to send a parameter corresponding to the one or more delay values to the master scheduler, and generate one or more signals corresponding to the one or more delay elements in response to a control signal the first scheduler receives from the master scheduler. |
| US09996640B2 |
Accelerating particle-swarm algorithms
Embodiments of the inventive subject matter include determining a plurality of potential full resolution locations for a particle representation for a second iteration of a particle swarm optimization, wherein the particle representation is associated with both a first full resolution location and a first reduced resolution location for a first iteration of the particle swarm optimization that has not yet completed and the second iteration is later than the first iteration. Embodiments further include determining that the plurality of full resolution locations reduces to a second reduced resolution location for the second iteration. Embodiments further include submitting the second reduced resolution location for fitness calculation prior to the first iteration completing. |
| US09996638B1 |
Predictive information for free space gesture control and communication
The technology disclosed relates to simplifying updating of a predictive model using clustering observed points. In particular, it relates to observing a set of points in 3D sensory space, determining surface normal directions from the points, clustering the points by their surface normal directions and adjacency, accessing a predictive model of a hand, refining positions of segments of the predictive model, matching the clusters of the points to the segments, and using the matched clusters to refine the positions of the matched segments. It also relates to distinguishing between alternative motions between two observed locations of a control object in a 3D sensory space by accessing first and second positions of a segment of a predictive model of a control object such that motion between the first position and the second position was at least partially occluded from observation in a 3D sensory space. |
| US09996637B2 |
Method for verifying hardware/software co-designs
A method for formally verifying a hardware/software co-design includes providing in a co-design, a first model, and a second model, the first model is one of a hardware model, and the second model is one of a software model, or vice versa, providing a safety property expected to be satisfied by the co-design, combining an abstraction of the first model and the safety property to obtain an abstracted first model, composing the abstracted first model and the second model to obtain a composed model, checking if the composed model satisfies the safety property, and signaling that the hardware/software co-design violates the safety property if the safety property is violated in the composed model. |
| US09996634B2 |
Computer-aided design and manufacturing system and method for composite part manufacturing method and system
A system and method for designing and manufacturing of composite parts wherein the planner can design the part on a computer and analyze the entire work flow process from design to manufacture so as to determine the most efficient design and method of manufacture including resource costs including time, machines, material, labor and expenses. |
| US09996630B2 |
System and/or method for linking network content
A system for linking network content over a communications network is provided. The system includes at least one memory or storage unit that stores and/or maintains a plurality of linked-content facilities, each linked-content facility being independently associated with a network location containing network content; at least one processor that executes software that generates, maintains and/or controls access to the linked-content facilities for a plurality of users; and, at least one input/output device that provides an interface for users to operate the software to retrieve and/or view the linked-content facilities for selected network locations from the memory or storage unit, via the communications network. The linked-content facilities stored and/or maintained on the memory or storage unit include system and/or user generated link content received from at least one user, regarding network content related to their network locations. Associated methods for linking network content for use with the system are provided. |
| US09996629B2 |
Online publication system and method
Various systems and methods for creating, storing, structuring, displaying, enhancing, and/or referencing publications and related content in an online user network are described. In some embodiments, document contents are stored in the form of individually addressable document elements, which can be displayed selectively based on display criteria received from a user. |
| US09996626B1 |
Selection of content item recommendations based on user search results
Techniques are described for selecting content items in various manners, such as by selecting product-related content items for display to consumer users. The content items may include advertisements or other promotional materials, and the selecting may be performed as part of determining particular promotional materials to display to particular users in particular situations, such as to accompany search results. In addition, the selecting of particular content items may be based on categorization of products indicated in search results and/or based on search terms used in searches performed on retail web sites. Particular content items are then selected based on the categorization, which may be for products distinct from those indicated in the search results, and may then be displayed with or otherwise in association with the search results. |
| US09996622B2 |
Browser new tab page generation for enterprise environments
Systems, methods and computer program products are described that enable a web browser to automatically determine that a user thereof is logged into an enterprise network and, based on at least this determination, present the user with a new tab page or similar interface that includes features that facilitate access by the user to enterprise-related content. The enterprise-related content may include, for example, enterprise-related web sites, content shared by colleagues, content trending among team members, documents that the user recently worked on, enterprise-related news, and industry-related news. In response to determining that the user is logged into the enterprise network, embodiments described herein also enable the web browser to present recommended information resources to the user, wherein the recommended information resources may include information resources that are accessible internally with respect to the enterprise network as well as information resources that are accessible externally with respect to the enterprise network. |
| US09996619B2 |
Optimizing web crawling through web page pruning
Crawling computer-based documents by performing static analysis on a computer-based document to identify within the computer-based document one or more execution vectors, where each execution vector includes a computer program segment including a call to an entity that is external to the computer-based document, and one or more additional computer program segments whose execution precedes and leads ultimately to execution of the computer program segment that includes the call to the entity, and causing any of the computer program segments in any of the execution vectors to be executed during a crawling of the computer-based document, and any computer program segment within the computer-based document that is excluded from the execution vectors to be excluded from execution during the crawling of the computer-based document. |
| US09996615B2 |
Methods and systems for network based video clip generation and management
Methods and system for managing media clips over a data network. Media streams may be received over a data network and stored by a storage server. Metadata regarding the media streams may be generated and stored at a metadata server. A control station can retrieve media frames originating in the stored media streams from the storage server, based on metadata. Media frames from multiple media streams can be retrieved and displayed in synchronization, based on respective timecodes. |
| US09996612B2 |
System and method for audio identification and metadata retrieval
Herein, a display device, system and method are described for identifying digital content through comparison of one or more audio thumbnails when the digital content is provided without metadata. According to one embodiment, a display device comprises a display, audio conversion logic and a transceiver. The audio conversion logic is adapted to produce one or more audio thumbnails, which are compact representations of a snippet of audio from that incoming digital content without the metadata. The transceiver is adapted to transmit the one or more audio thumbnails in order to (i) retrieve metadata associated with the digital content from an external source separate from a source of the digital content and (ii) display information provided by the metadata on the display. |
| US09996611B2 |
Method, computer program, and computer for classifying users of social media
A computer system and method to classify a plurality of users in a plurality of clusters in social media associating a text profile and text content with each user. The method comprises: generating a content feature vector for each of a portion of users on the basis of content associated with the portion of users; generating mapping the plurality of clusters, and the plurality of clusters and the portion of users, on the basis of the content feature vectors; generating a first profile feature vector for each of the plurality of clusters on the basis of the profiles associated with the portion of users mapped to each cluster; and classifying each of the other users excluding the portion of users in a plurality of clusters on the basis of the profiles associated with the other users and the first profile feature vectors. |
| US09996609B2 |
Data spreading on charts
Techniques are described for spreading the data into statistically meaningful visualizations and generating reports. A method comprising providing a graphical user interface displaying a data chart and a plurality of available options for data spreading models, receiving a first user input via the graphical user interface selecting one or more data elements of the data chart, receiving a second user input via the graphical user interface selecting a data spreading model from among the plurality of available options for data spreading models, generating a revised data chart based on the one or more data elements of the data chart in accordance with the data spreading model, wherein the revised data chart renders the one or more data elements of the data chart in a modified representation within the chart in accordance with the data spreading model, and outputting for display the revised data chart. |
| US09996608B2 |
Methods and systems for a compliance framework database schema
Generating a compliance framework. The compliance framework facilitates an organization's compliance with multiple authority documents by providing efficient methodologies and refinements to existing technologies, such as providing hierarchical fidelity to the original authority document; separating auditable citations from their context (e.g., prepositions and or informational citations); asset focused citations; SNED and Live values, among others. |
| US09996605B2 |
Managing data within a temporal relational database management system
Disclosed aspects include a temporal relational database management system initiating a set of operations. A set of columns in a transaction time temporal table is identified for change categorization. A change categorization model is constructed. The change categorization model is based on a set of changes with respect to the set of columns in the transaction time temporal table. The change categorization model uses a cluster analysis technique. Based on the change categorization model, a group of change categories for a set of rows coupled with the set of columns in the transaction time temporal table is determined. Based on the change categorization model, a first change category of the group of change categories is established in a first row of the set of rows. |
| US09996603B2 |
Detecting homologies in encrypted and unencrypted documents using fuzzy hashing
Techniques are provided for automatically detecting homologies between documents based on structural characteristics. Various statistics relating to the COS structure of a PDF document are compiled. The statistics are input into a rolling hash function to generate a digital fingerprint of the document. Fingerprints from two similar documents will have small edit distances between them, and can therefore be classified similarly or provided as results to a fingerprint-based search. For example, an unclassified document may be classified in the same class as a representative document where the fingerprints of the two documents have a small edit distance between them. Since the structure of the document is used instead of the text content or renderings, it is possible to operate on encrypted documents. Further, representative elements of a particular class of documents can be selected for comparison against a target document for improved resolution of the results. |
| US09996602B2 |
Generating a virtual dynamic representative of a taxonomic group with unique inheritance of attributes
A method and associated systems for generating a virtual dynamic representative of a taxonomic group with unique inheritance of attributes. Each record of a continuously updated database identifies a “vertical” attribute of an entity associated with that record, and further identifies a “horizontal” attribute upon which a business decision may be based. An account-management apparatus selects a subset of these records that are associated with a particular value of the vertical attribute and identifies the most desirable value of the horizontal attribute that is associated with any of the selected records. The apparatus then creates a virtual representative of the subset that represents the subset as a taxonomic group associated with the particular value of the vertical attribute and associates all records of the group with the most desirable value of the horizontal attribute. |
| US09996598B2 |
System for displaying graphical narrations
An online network collects a dataset of an individual's information through a computer-implemented method. An individual enters a dataset of the information and a plurality of an individual's life events into a computer system. The dataset is arranged and converted into a graphical representation for display. The online database receives and stores the dataset. The database associates the dataset with the plurality of the member's life events and then the dataset and the life events are outputted into the graphical representation for display for a witness. |
| US09996596B2 |
Managing a table of a database
A system and a computer program product for managing a database are disclosed. Managing the database includes managing a table of the database, the table having a set of fields including a first field in a first row of the table. Managing the table includes selecting, in the first field, a first input value configured to identify a first dynamic data function utilized to determine a first output value for the first field. Managing the table includes determining the first output value for the first field using the first dynamic data function. Managing the table includes returning (for a read request) the first output value for the first field. |
| US09996594B2 |
Method, article and system for time dependent search
A method and system for time dependent search is described. A search manager may receive a query for time dependent information relating to a base object and a time period. The search manager may search a search optimized storage system of technical objects for a technical object that matches the query. Each technical object may include a reference to time dependent information stored by a base object and a validity period. The validity period for each technical object is chosen by time stretching logic such that valid time dependent information is available for all time periods. |
| US09996591B2 |
System and method for implementing a database in a heterogeneous cluster
A system and method for implementing a database system is presented. A database system comprises a load balancer and a database partitioned into a first and second shard. Coupled to the load balancer are a first plurality of database servers and a second plurality of database servers. Each of the first plurality of database servers contains a copy of the first shard of the database. Each of the second plurality of database servers contains a copy of the second shard of the database. Queries are sent to a database server in the first plurality of database servers based on a suitability score of the database server determined by characteristics of each server and a current status of each server, where the query is sent to the server in the first plurality with the highest suitability score. Other embodiments also are disclosed. |
| US09996584B2 |
High performance real-time relational database system and methods for using same
A database system supporting persistent queries, comprising a persistent query service that receives connections and requests from client software applications; and a plurality of network-attached data sources; and a method for providing persistent queries using a persistent query service. |
| US09996581B2 |
Real-time saved-query updates for a large graph
A system for automatically updating saved query results for a graph responsive to a graph update is disclosed. The system may identify a target constraint responsive to an update to the data graph. The system may use an index of constraints organized by edge. The target constraint specifies a path in a data graph that includes an edge specified in the update. The system may determine a state for the target constraint by traversing the graph via the path and determine based on the state, whether a member node represents a change to the saved query result. The system may then update a saved query result for the query using the member node identified during the traversal in accordance with the change. |
| US09996576B2 |
Updating progression of performing computer system maintenance
A method, computer program product, and computer system for updating progression of performing computer system management. A computer system receives a log-on of a change implementer onto a managed computer system and searches a change request on a managing computer system. In response to that the change request is found, the computer system receives from the change implementer a command with a current date and time and matches the command to one or more tasks within the change request. In response to determining that the command matches the one or more tasks, the computer system updates start dates and times of the one or more tasks. And, in response to that the one or more tasks are completed, the computer system updates stop dates and times of the one or more tasks. |
| US09996573B1 |
Distributed system capacity dial-up
A hosted service may limit access to a table initially comprising one or more partitions. Access to the table may be limited to a provisioned capacity. A client of the service may request an increased capacity. A minimum number of partitions for providing the increased capacity may be determined. Proportions of the increased capacity may be allocated among members of successive generations of partitions to be provided by a member of a generation or its descendants. The proportions may be allocated to minimize the costs associated with splitting partitions based on the minimum number of partitions. |
| US09996570B2 |
Index traversals utilizing alternative in-memory search structure and system memory costing
In searching an index in an original search structure for a database, portion(s) of the index are determined to be stored in a memory in an alternate search structure. The alternate search structure with the portion(s) is created and stored in the memory. The index is searched by traversing the alternate search structure and possibly the original search structure. The alternate search structure may be traversed more efficiently than the original search structure. The number of portions of the index may be a tunable parameter or selected based on a performance improvement/expense ratio. The search of the index begins at the alternate search structure. During traversal of the one or more portions in the alternate search structure, if traversal is to continue at a portion in the original search structure, the identity of this portion is obtained. The traversal is continued at this identified portion in the original search structure. |
| US09996566B2 |
Visual design system for generating a visual data structure associated with a semantic composition based on a hierarchy of components
A system implementable on a computing device having a processor and a memory, including a visual design system to generate a single visual data structure based on a hierarchy of components; a database to store at least one visual data structure and an associated signature where the signature represents at least a semantic composition of the at least one visual data structure; a signature comparer to match a signature of the single visual data structure to an associated signature of at least one visual data structure stored in the database and to present multiple versions of alternate visual data structures for the hierarchy of components for selection by a user; and where the alternate visual data structures are visually different and semantically similar to each other. |
| US09996565B2 |
Managing an index of a table of a database
A method, a system, and a computer program product for managing a database are disclosed. Managing the database includes managing an index of a table of the database. Managing the index includes determining the table includes a first field having a first input value configured to identify a first dynamic data function utilized to determine a first output value for the first field. In embodiments, managing the index includes determining the first dynamic data function is deterministic, determining the first output value for the first field using the first dynamic data function, and storing the first output value for the first field. In embodiments, managing the index includes determining the first dynamic data function is nondeterministic, determining a first special value to represent the first output value for the first field, and storing the first special value for the first field. |
| US09996562B2 |
Automated database migration architecture
A method of migrating data from one or more source databases to one or more target databases may include generating a pre-migration analysis for a plurality of objects stored in the one or more source databases, and generating a plurality of migration scripts that transfer the plurality of objects from the one or more source databases to the one or more target databases. The method may also include generating a migration plan that defines an execution order for the plurality of migration scripts, and migrating the plurality of objects from the one or more source databases to one or more target databases according to the migration plan. The method may further include validating the plurality of objects on the one or more target databases. |
| US09996561B1 |
Managing a database management system using a set of stream computing data
Disclosed aspects relate to managing a database management system (DBMS) using a set of stream computing data derived from a stream computing environment. The set of stream computing data which indicates a set of stream computing environment statistics may be collected with respect to the stream computing environment. A proactive database management operation may be determined for performance with respect to the DBMS based on the set of stream computing data which indicates the set of stream computing environment statistics. The proactive database management operation may be performed to manage the DBMS using the set of stream computing data. |
| US09996556B2 |
Modification of images and associated text
A computer-implemented method includes receiving an image. The image includes one or more objects and one or more text portions. The computer-implemented method further includes identifying the one or more objects. The computer-implemented method further includes, for each of the one or more objects identified, extracting an object tag. The computer-implemented method further includes, for each of the one or more text portions, extracting a text tag. The computer-implemented method further includes, for each text tag, determining whether the text tag describes any of the one or more objects based on the object tag extracted from each object to yield a determination. The computer-implemented method further includes, responsive to the determination: performing an image process to that of the one or more objects, and performing a text process to that of the one or more text portions. A corresponding computer program product and computer system are also disclosed. |
| US09996554B2 |
Search apparatus, search method, and storage medium
A search apparatus comprises a determining unit configured to determine a plurality of attributes of an object designated in a first image, and determine a plurality of attributes of an object that is different from the designated object; and a search unit configured to search a second image for the designated object in accordance with a search condition based on the plurality of attributes of the designated object and the plurality of attributes of the object that is different from the designated object. |
| US09996548B2 |
Dispersed storage using localized peer-to-peer capable wireless devices in a peer-to-peer or femto cell supported carrier served fashion
A method begins when at least a consensus threshold number of devices are active in a virtual private network (VPN) group of devices. The method continues by obtaining directory information regarding group specific data and retrieving one or more sets of encoded data slices from the at least the consensus threshold number of devices or a dispersed storage network (DSN) memory in accordance with the directory information. The method continues by decoding the one or more sets of encoded data slices based on the at least the consensus threshold number of devices and a number of devices in the VPN group of devices to produce the group specific data. When the at least a consensus threshold number of devices are not active in the VPN group of devices, preventing at least one of the obtaining directory information or the retrieving one or more sets of encoded data slices. |
| US09996545B1 |
Analytics and deduplication for air-gapped log analysis
A system and method for deduplicating analyzing system logs is disclosed. The method includes capturing, by an image acquisition component, an image of at least one log entry, converting, by an image processing component, text in the image of the at least one log entry to machine-encoded text, and scanning, by a log scanning component, the machine-encoded text for the at least one redundant copy of the at least one log entry. The method also includes removing, by the log scanning component, the at least one redundant copy of the at least one log entry, determining, by a log analysis component, if the at least one log entry is significant, flagging the at least one log entry if the log entry is significant, and alerting a user if the log entry is flagged. |
| US09996540B2 |
System and method for maintaining consistent points in file systems using a prime dependency list
According to one embodiment, a request is received for obtaining a consistent point of data stored in a file system of a storage system having a plurality of storage units. In response to the request, retrieving a prime dependency list from a first prime segment stored in a first of the storage units, where the prime dependency list includes information identifying at least a second prime segment stored in a second of the storage units. The first and second prime segments collectively form a prime segment representing a consistent view of the file system. Each of the prime segments listed in the prime dependency list is ascertained in an attempt to generate the consistent point of data. |
| US09996539B1 |
Data protection and long term retention
A method, system and computer product, comprising creating a file system on a LUN of a storage array, taking a snapshot of a second LUN at a first point in time, stored on the storage array, creating a file in the file system, and copying the snapshot into the file. |
| US09996536B2 |
Dynamic document collection and custom portal creation
Aspects include creating a profile for a user from user account data and a user activity log, searching an indexed repository for keywords matching elements from the user account data and the user activity log, and retrieving documents from the indexed repository that are identified based on the searching. Aspects further include creating a custom portal for the user that includes the documents. |
| US09996533B2 |
Question answering system using multilingual information sources
A method of question answering from multilingual information sources is disclosed. The present invention discloses a method, a computer system and a program product for selecting an information source language of an information source, the method comprising; receiving a question; analyzing the question to obtain a category information of at least one word included in the question; obtaining a word included in the category information as estimated topic or region related to the question; determining a candidate for an information source language using the estimated topic or region; and selecting the information source language and corresponding information sources for retrieving documents to generate an answer of the question. |
| US09996526B2 |
System and method for supplementing a question answering system with mixed-language source documents
Embodiments can provide a computer implemented method, in a data processing system comprising a processor and a memory comprising instructions which are executed by the processor to cause the processor to implement a mixed-language question answering supplement system, the method comprising receiving a question in a target language; determining the question cannot be answered using a target-language only corpus; applying natural language processing to parse the question into at least one focus; for each focus, determining if one or more target language verbs share direct syntactic dependency with the focus; for each of the one or more verbs sharing direct syntactic dependency, determining if one or more target language entities share direct syntactic dependency with the verb; determining one or more Abstract Universal Verbal Types associated with each verb; for each of the one or more Abstract Universal Verbal Types, determining whether a dependency between a source language entity and a source language verb is of the same type as the dependency between the target language verb and the target language entity; if the dependency is similar, returning the source language entity as a member of a set; populating the set of returned source language entities for each focus in the target language question; identifying one or more parallel passages wherein all core arguments are matched; for each parallel passage: identifying the presence or absence of oblique nominal arguments; and measuring the precision of the oblique nominal arguments in the parallel passages against those present in the target language question; and returning an answer to the target question in the target language based on a scoring of the parallel passages based on the accuracy of their respective oblique nominal arguments. |
| US09996524B1 |
Text prediction using multiple devices
A first set of characters may be received in response to a user input for text prediction. An estimate may be generated indicating what second set of characters will be inputted. The generating an estimate may be based on at least receiving data from a second user device. At least some of the data may not be located within the second user device's text dictionary. At least some of the data may be provided to the first user device. |
| US09996523B1 |
System for real-time autosuggestion of related objects
Systems and methods for autosuggesting related objects to a user are provided. In one embodiment, a method includes receiving data indicative of a user input. The method includes identifying one or more ontologies based, at least in part, on the user input. Each ontology is associated with a category that is related to the user input. Each ontology includes a plurality of object types, each object type including one or more terms. The method includes determining one or more suggested related objects based, at least in part, on the user input and one or more of the plurality of object types. The one or more suggested related objects include one or more of the terms that are related to the user input. The method includes providing data indicative of the suggested related objects for display on a user interface via a display device. |
| US09996522B2 |
Dictionary device for determining a search method based on a type of a detected touch operation
A dictionary device includes a display; a touch panel; and a CPU. The CPU is configured to display a sentence including a plurality of words; detect a plurality of touched positions of a user on the touch panel; specify, as an object to be searched for, a plurality of words included in the displayed sentence and that corresponds to the plurality of detected touched positions; detect a relative positional change of the plurality of detected touched positions after the plurality of words is specified as the object to be searched for; search dictionary data in a dictionary storage, which stores dictionary data of an example sentence or a phrase including a plurality of words, for an example sentence or a phrase including the plurality of specified words by a search method corresponding to the relative change of the plurality of detected touched positions; further detect, while detecting the relative positional change, whether the plurality of touched positions is moved closer to each other along with movements of the plurality of touched positions; search for an example sentence or a phrase, which includes the plurality of specified words adjoiningly without a different character therebetween in the same order as in the sentence, in the searching processing in a case where it is detected that the plurality of touched positions is moved closer to each other; and search for an example sentence or a phrase, which includes the plurality of specified words adjoiningly or separately in order that is the same as or different from the order in the sentence, in a case where it is not detected that the plurality of touched positions is practically moved closer to each other. |
| US09996520B2 |
Selectively pinning sections of displayed content
A method, system, and/or computer program product pins an area on a user interface. One or more processors receive a pinning signal from a user. The pinning signal defines a pinned area on a user interface. The pinned area is an unrestricted freeform area that is defined by the user. One or more processors then receive a scrolling input, which causes an unpinned area on the user interface to move on the user interface, while the pinned area is displayed z-indexed above the unpinned area that has moved, and while the pinned area remains in a fixed position on the user interface. |
| US09996519B2 |
Context sensitive computations
Context sensitive computations in a spreadsheet application are disclosed. In some embodiments, semantics with respect to various spreadsheet operations are specified for each of a plurality of number formats in a spreadsheet application. The semantics associated with a particular number format specify behavior for values of that number format with respect to various spreadsheet operations. |
| US09996516B2 |
Image processing device for determining a display position of an annotation
Provided is an image processing device capable of displaying an annotation in an appropriate position. An image obtaining unit obtains an image. An annotation target information obtaining unit obtains annotation target information for indicating an annotation target to which to add an annotation, the annotation target being including in the image. An annotation information obtaining unit obtains annotation information indicating an annotation. A display position determination unit determines a display position of the annotation based on the position or the area of the annotation target. A data output unit outputs data on the image with the annotation displayed in the display position determined by the display position determination unit. |
| US09996514B2 |
Decoupling and relocating bookmarks and annotations from files
Disclosed are various examples for generating, storing, and loading references separate from a file. A request can be received to generate a reference for a file. A data object can be generated corresponding to the reference. The data object can include characteristics of the file proximate to an area in the file associated with the reference. The data object can be stored in a data store associated with the file. The file and reference can be loaded and rendered. The position of the reference within the file can be determined based on a stored data object. |
| US09996506B2 |
Identifying fonts using custom ligatures
A method for identifying a font displayed within an electronic document. In one embodiment, the method includes a computer processor identifying a string of two or more characters that correspond to a custom ligature within an electronic document, wherein the custom ligature is associated with at least one character of the electronic document. The method further includes accessing a font library associated with the electronic document. The method further includes identifying a font file within the font library that corresponds to the at least one character of the electronic document that is associated with the custom ligature. The method further includes identifying a glyph within the identified font file that corresponds to the custom ligature. The method further includes substituting the identified glyph into the electronic document to replace at least the custom ligature. The method further includes displaying the substituted glyph within the electronic document. |
| US09996505B2 |
Managing the display of electronic documents having embedded graphical elements
A method for managing a display of an electronic document (ED) on a display screen includes obtaining the ED specifying a plurality of text and a first graphical element; identifying a starting reference and an ending reference to the first graphical element within the plurality of text; displaying a portion of a segment of the plurality of text in a first region of the display screen, the segment being located between the starting reference and the ending reference; displaying, while displaying the portion of the segment, the first graphical element within a second region of the display screen, wherein the second region is adjacent to the first region on the display screen; removing the segment from the first region; and removing the first graphical element from the display screen in response to removing the segment such that the first region expands into the second region. |
| US09996504B2 |
System and method for classifying text sentiment classes based on past examples
A passage sentiment classifier that can be used to assign a score that indicates the polarity and magnitude of sentiment expressed by a piece of text using information about similar passages. A passage of text may be a few words, a sentence, a paragraph or an entire document. The invention described classifies automatically passages by first looking up the most similarly classified passage in a storage system, which contains passages that have been classified manually by a human. |
| US09996500B2 |
Apparatus and method of a concurrent data transfer of multiple regions of interest (ROI) in an SIMD processor system
This present invention provides a fast data transfer for a concurrent transfer of multiple ROI areas between an internal memory array and a single memory where each PE can specify the parameter set for the area to be transferred independently from the other PE. For example, for a read transfer, the requests are generated in a way that first the first element of each ROI area is requested from the single memory for each PE before the following elements of each ROI area are requested. After the first element from each ROI area has been received from the single memory in a control processor and has been transferred from the control processor over a bus system to the internal memory array, all elements are in parallel stored to the internal memory array. Then, the second element of each ROI area is requested from the single memory for each PE. The transfer finishes after all elements of each ROI area are transferred to their assigned PEs. |
| US09996499B2 |
Scalable and programmable processor comprising multiple cooperating processor units
A processor comprises a plurality of processor units arranged to operate concurrently and in cooperation with one another, and control logic configured to direct the operation of the processor units. At least a given one of the processor units comprises a memory, an arithmetic engine and a switch fabric. The switch fabric provides controllable connectivity between the memory, the arithmetic engine and input and output ports of the given processor unit, and has control inputs driven by corresponding outputs of the control logic. In an illustrative embodiment, the processor units may be configured to perform computations associated with a key equation solver in a Reed-Solomon (RS) decoder or other type of forward error correction (FEC) decoder. |
| US09996497B2 |
Method and device for processing graphics
A method for processing graphics is provided. The method includes: establishing streams corresponding to graphic layers drawn by at least one application; adding a one-shot signal to the end of the last stream of the streams; packaging the streams with the one-shot signal to form a packet; and transmitting the packet to a display interface unit (DIU). |
| US09996496B2 |
Devices, systems, and methods of reducing chip select
Several systems and methods of chip select are described. In one such method, a device maintains two identifiers, (ID_a and ID_m). When the device receives a command, it examines the values of ID_a and ID_m relative to a third reference identifier (ID_s). If either ID_a or ID_m is equivalent to ID_s, the device executes the command, otherwise, the device ignores the command. By using two different identification methods, a system has options in choosing to activate devices, being able to selectively switch between selecting multiple devices and single devices in a quick manner. In another such method, a device may have a persistent area that stores identification information such as an ID_a. Thus, system functionality may remain independent from any defect/marginality associated with the physical or logical components required for initial ID_a assignment of all devices in the system. |
| US09996494B2 |
Asynchronous mapping of hot-plugged device associated with virtual machine
Systems and methods for asynchronous mapping of a hot-plugged I/O device associated with a virtual machine. An example method comprises: executing, by a first processing thread running on a host computer system, a virtual processor associated with a virtual machine; initializing, by a second processing thread, a table entry of a guest input/output (I/O) table associated with the virtual machine, wherein the table entry maps a device identifier of an I/O device to a memory buffer associated with the I/O device; pinning the memory buffer associated with the I/O device; responsive to receiving, by a hypervisor running on the host computer system, a completion signal from the second processing thread, notifying the virtual machine of the I/O device being hot-plugged. |
| US09996493B2 |
Semiconductor device and memory system
A semiconductor device capable of communicating with a host apparatus includes a symbol generation unit, a coding unit, and a transmission unit. The symbol generation unit includes a random number generation circuit and generates a symbol according to a random number generated by the random number generation circuit. The coding unit performs 8b/10b coding for the symbol. The transmission unit transmits the symbol coded by the 8b/10b coding unit to the host apparatus. |
| US09996490B2 |
Technique for scaling the bandwidth of a processing element to match the bandwidth of an interconnect
A transmitter is configured to scale up a low bandwidth delivered by a first processing element to match a higher bandwidth associated with an interconnect. A receiver is configured to scale down the high bandwidth delivered by the interconnect to match the lower bandwidth associated with a second processing element. The first processing element and the second processing element may thus communicate with one another across the interconnect via the transmitter and the receiver, respectively, despite the bandwidth mismatch between those processing elements and the interconnect. |
| US09996488B2 |
I3C high data rate (HDR) always-on image sensor 8-bit operation indicator and buffer over threshold indicator
A method for enabling 8-bit data word access over a protocol limited to 16-bit data word access is provided. Data may be encapsulated within the lowest 19 bits of a 20-bit number. If it is ascertained that an 8-bit data word is to be used in a system supporting only 16-bit data word access, a byte-enable indicator may be provided within a most significant bit of the 20-bit number while also allocating an 8-bit data region for transfer of the 8-bit data word. The 20-bit number may then be transcoded into a 12-digit ternary number, wherein a residual numerical region is defined as a number space by which a first numerical region defined for the 12-digit ternary number exceeds a second numerical region defined by the lowest 19 bits of the 20-bit number. |
| US09996487B2 |
Coherent fabric interconnect for use in multiple topologies
An apparatus having a fabric interconnect that supports multiple topologies and method for using the same are disclosed. In one embodiment, the apparatus comprises mode memory to store information indicative of one of the plurality of modes; and a first fabric operable in a plurality of modes, where the fabric comprises logic coupled to the mode memory to control processing of read and write requests to memory received by the first fabric according to the mode identified by the information indicative. |
| US09996479B2 |
Encryption of executables in computational memory
The present disclosure is related to encryption of executables in computational memory. Computational memory can traverse an operating system page table in the computational memory for a page marked as executable. In response to finding a page marked as executable, the computational memory can determine whether the page marked as executable has been encrypted. In response to determining that the page marked as executable is not encrypted, the computational memory can generate a key for the page marked as executable. The computational memory can encrypt the page marked as executable using the key. |
| US09996478B1 |
No allocate cache policy
A system and method for efficiently performing data allocation in a cache memory are described. A lookup is performed in a cache responsive to detecting an access request. If the targeted data is found in the cache and the targeted data is of a no allocate data type indicating the targeted data is not expected to be reused, then the targeted data is read from the cache without updating cache replacement policy information for the targeted data responsive to the access. If the lookup results in a miss, the targeted data is prevented from being allocated in the cache. |
| US09996476B2 |
Management of cache lists via dynamic sizing of the cache lists
A process for caching data according to one embodiment includes maintaining a random data list and a sequential data list, and dynamically establishing a desired size of the sequential data list. Dynamically establishing the desired size of the sequential data list includes increasing the desired size of the sequential data list in response to at least one of: detecting a hit on a bottom of the sequential data list, and detecting a read miss on sequential tracks. Dynamically establishing the desired size of the sequential data list also includes decreasing the desired size of the sequential data list in response to detecting a hit on a bottom of the random data list. |
| US09996475B2 |
Maintaining processor resources during architectural events
In one embodiment of the present invention, a method includes switching between a first address space and a second address space, determining if the second address space exists in a list of address spaces; and maintaining entries of the first address space in a translation buffer after the switching. In such manner, overhead associated with such a context switch may be reduced. |